Despite the massive size of the online gambling market in the UK, it has long been highly competitive and subject to strict regulation. There are currently 175 online operators, including major companies such as Evoke, Flutter, Entain, and Bet365. Intense competition has led to the exit of several brands, for example, MansionBet closed down in 2023, and Rhino Bet also withdrew last month. However, new operators are still entering the market, hoping to stand out with horse racing betting as their breakthrough.
The latest two operators approved by the UK Gambling Commission are AK Bets and BetZone, both planning to debut in the UK with differentiated products.
BetZone will launch a horse racing-centric service using the technology platform provided by Metric Gaming, and is also developing its own horse racing betting product. Facing the industry trend of declining horse racing gambling revenue, the company hopes to attract market attention with the uniqueness of its products and carve out a distinctive path.
AK Bets, headquartered in Dublin and founded by Anthony Kaminskas, is expected to go live next month. He has paved the way for the brand by setting up grandstands at racecourses, and has already established a presence at the Cheltenham Festival, with plans to open a stand at Royal Ascot next. It is reported that the brand has invested over 460,000 euros in competing for racecourse resources and offers betting services on football, tennis, golf, snooker, darts, and rugby, with plans to expand into other sports in the future.
In an interview with "Business Sports," Kaminskas emphasized that his goal is not to confront the giants head-on, but to build customer relationships in a "humanized" manner. "We can never become a giant, not as feature-rich as Paddy Power, nor can we cover the vast market of Bet365. But we can make efforts in humanized services and reflect value in handling individual bets."
Meanwhile, Edinburgh-based Incentive Games has also obtained a license from the UK Gambling Commission and will officially launch real-money gaming products in the UK market. Chief Creative Officer Ahmed Baker stated that the UK is a "key node in the company's growth strategy." Recently, Incentive collaborated with bet365 to launch the bet365 Bracket Challenge during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, providing a prediction game experience for American users.
UK gambling regulation continues to undergo reforms. Since the publication of the Gambling White Paper in 2023, the regulatory body has been continuously advancing compliance enhancement. In the latest round of reforms, the Gambling Commission has ruled that from December 19 last year, operators are prohibited from offering bonuses or rewards that require cross-product betting to obtain. For example, promotions that require players to participate in both sports betting and slot games to claim a prize are explicitly prohibited.
Additionally, there will be a cap on bonus betting requirements—namely, the bonus betting multiplier must not exceed 10 times. For example, a £10 bonus cannot come with a condition requiring more than £100 in bets to be withdrawn. The Gambling Commission states that these regulations are designed to eliminate misleading terms that induce excessive betting and prevent players from gambling beyond their budgets.
