UK bookmakers that warned over illicit market had deal with offshore casinos

Three UK bookmakers, Ladbrokes, William Hill, and Fred Done, which collectively own a majority stake in gambling content provider SIS, have entered into a lucrative deal with Santeda, a notorious offshore casino network. This revelation, made public through the Casino Secrets leak, comes as the three bookmakers have consistently cautioned the government about the potential for excessive regulation or taxation to push their customers towards rogue, unlicensed offshore casinos.

The leaked document outlines the terms of a two-year agreement between SIS and Santeda, under which SIS would provide Santeda with data and services, earning a percentage of the money lost by Santeda's users via its branded sites. The exact amount gained by SIS from this arrangement remains unclear, though its shareholders have reportedly received over £37 million in dividends since the deal's inception, including £30 million in 2023.

SIS, which supplies live racing, greyhound, and esports content and bet settlement data to online gambling platforms, does not permit the use of its data within the UK. However, the leaked contract suggests that SIS supplied information to Santeda's websites that, according to a prior Guardian investigation, were attempting to illegally target UK customers.

Industry experts have expressed outrage at the apparent conflict of interest, with some calling on the bookmakers to 'get their house in order.' The bookmakers' owner, Entain, has acknowledged being "not a party to the commercial or customer arrangements" SIS makes, stating that they take the revelation seriously and have raised their concerns with SIS.