Two of the UK’s largest corporate bookmakers are adopting very different strategies towards the Irish market, a situation underscored by the recent annual results from William Hill and Ladbrokes.

The Irish online sports betting market has been valued by accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers at €797m, a figure significantly lower than the one quoted by Horse Racing Ireland in its campaign to fund the sport through a tax on bets struck in Ireland with online operators.

Britain’s independent bookmakers have accused the UK Gambling Commission of being “conned” by corporate betting firms over the issue of split premises and multiple licenses.

The latest edition of a long–established report on European football shirt sponsorship has shown that the betting companies’ enthusiasm for sponsorship of football has been undiminished by the recent Santa Casa decision at the European court.

Last week’s Bwin Liga judgment at the European Court of Justice has already dealt a major blow to the finances of Portuguese football, but the European football industry, and online operators, remain sanguine that the wider trend of gambling industry sponsorship will not be deflected.

Bookmakers and punters are awaiting the outcome of a dispute that could have important ramifications for the regulation of sports betting in the UK as it has been shaped by the 2005 Gambling Act.

Ireland’s Department of Justice has requested submissions from interested parties as part of an increasingly urgent consultation process ahead of a review of gambling legislation by the cash-strapped government.

The announcement of a major consultation process to discuss possible reform of Irish gambling laws has been accompanied by news that funding negotiations between Betfair and Irish racing broke down after the betting exchange refused to double its contributions to the sector.

A closely-watched trading update from William Hill for the 17 weeks to April 28 showed more strength than expected from their British high street shops, and sharply improved online revenues.

A long-running case against the Atlantis Casino Club in Clonmel has been thrown out by a district court judge, who ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove that unlawful gaming took place, contrary to the 1956 Gaming and Lotteries Act.