Entain will lead The Festive Four, bringing together meetings at Kempton Park, Chepstow and Newbury from 26 to 29 December, reportedly. The programme includes a £64 ticket for all four days and awards for the leading jockey and trainer; ITV will broadcast all four days live for the first time.
The programme creates a four-day racing event and offers a single £64 ticket covering all meetings.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
More in Common UK presented survey findings at the 2026 Labour Party Conference showing that 25% of respondents trusted the gambling sector. The poll also found that 65% wanted more regulation and 63% said more betting shops would signal a decline in their community.
Lottomatica held 34.1% of Italy’s sports-betting spending across retail and online channels in July 2026, according to reported operator data. Flutter followed with 33.4%, while total spending was nearly €212m and stakes reached €1.5bn.
Italy's retail gambling reform has stalled after the prime minister's office reportedly returned the draft decree to the Ministry of Economy and Finance for further review. Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano told a media outlet that any approved decree would retain regional minimum-distance protections; existing concessions are to be extended through 31 December 2026.
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) published its 2026 annual activity report, reporting €18bn in combined online gross gaming revenue for its nine operator members in 2025, up 34% from 2024. The association said those members held 401 online gambling licences across 22 European jurisdictions and accounted for about 30% of the region’s online GGR.
The Betting and Gaming Council accused technology companies of failing to prevent illegal gambling advertisements from reaching British consumers, including people who have self-excluded. Its open letter calls for faster removal of unlawful content, stronger detection and information-sharing, and collaboration with regulators and law enforcement; the UK government announced plans for an Illegal Gambling Taskforce in May.