UK bookmakers caught up in SIS offshore gambling deal
Three of Britain’s biggest betting interests have been indirectly linked to an offshore gambling network after leaked documents revealed that a company they part-own signed a revenue-sharing agreement with Santeda.
Sports Information Services (SIS), a major supplier of horse racing, greyhound and esports betting content, signed a deal with the Curaçao-based gambling group in 2022, according to documents from the Casino Secrets leak obtained by the Guardian.
SIS is majority-owned by interests connected to Britain’s regulated betting industry. Ladbrokes owner Entain holds around 23% of the company, William Hill owner Evoke has almost 20%, while Betfred founder Fred Done owns around 8% and is also an SIS director.
The revelation is particularly notable because all three betting businesses have repeatedly warned about the threat posed by unlicensed gambling operators in Britain and argued that excessive taxation or regulation could drive players towards the offshore market.
There is no evidence, however, that Entain, Evoke or Done knew about the Santeda agreement when SIS signed it.
Industry sources say information barriers designed to protect commercially sensitive customer information meant SIS shareholders would not have been told about individual agreements. One source said the companies were “furious” after discovering the Santeda relationship.
The leaked contract shows SIS agreed to supply Santeda websites with betting content and data used to offer markets and settle wagers.
Rather than receiving only a fixed fee, SIS was entitled to a percentage of revenue generated from losing bets placed through Santeda brands using its products.
The agreement initially covered two years but automatically renewed unless either party chose to terminate it. It is unclear whether the contract remains active, with SIS declining to say whether it had been terminated.
The contract did not permit Santeda to use SIS products in the UK.
That distinction is significant because Santeda does not hold a UK Gambling Commission licence, while they have previously been fined in Spain for operating without a licence.
Entain said it had no involvement in SIS’s individual commercial agreements and had raised concerns with the supplier after learning about the Santeda deal.
“Entain, as a minority shareholder and to ensure compliance with competition law, is not a party to the commercial or customer arrangements SIS decides to strike,” Entain said.
“Now that this relationship has come to light, we take it very seriously and have raised our concerns to SIS.”
SIS said its customers are contractually required to use its products only in jurisdictions where they are legally permitted to operate.
“All of its customers agree to only offer SIS products where it is legal to do so and where they have the necessary regulatory licences,” an SIS spokesperson told media.
“Customers commit that they will comply with all such laws and licences at all times.
“Where SIS becomes aware that these terms are not being adhered to it takes corrective action to enforce the position, up to and including suspension or termination of contracts.”
The agreement was uncovered through the Casino Secrets leak, which exposed thousands of confidential documents held by the Curaçao Gaming Authority relating to companies operating through the Caribbean jurisdiction. The Curaçao regulator has confirmed unauthorised access to its systems and launched a forensic investigation into the breach.
