The Rank Group has confirmed Alan Morgan will leave his role as managing director retail on July 31 this year in order to pursue other opportunities. Chief executive John O'Reilly will assume Morgan’s responsibilities upon his departure.

The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Finance has announced plans to increase gambling taxes in the country, with bingo, live games and lotteries set to be the hardest hit.

State-owned gaming operator Svenska Spel’s lottery and gaming machine division has generated turnover of SEK906m (£74.6m/€86.9m/$97.6m) in the first two months of activity in Sweden’s newly regulated online gaming market.

The UK Gambling Commission has renamed its Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB) as the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling (ABSG) to help reflect a sharper focus on safer gambling.

More than 30,000 people have now signed up to the Spelpaus.se Swedish self-exclusion programme, according to national gambling regulator Spelinspektionen.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has reported an 11.5% year-on-year rise in sports betting handle for February, though the state also saw gaming revenue across all verticals decline marginally for the month.

Digital performance marketing solutions provider XLMedia has reported a 14.4% decrease in revenue for 2018, which it attributed to a number of regulatory issues impacting performance over the year.

The Republic of Ireland Government has set out plans to form a new gambling regulatory authority with the power to issue licences and fines to operators active in the country’s market.

London-listed online bingo and casino operator JPJ Group has credited efforts to diversify its geographic footprint with helping the business report record revenue and earnings in 2018. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018 was up 10% year-on-year at £319.6m (€373.5m/$424.0m), the highest full-year figure since the business was formed in 2014.