Renowned betting exchange Betfair will welcome Matt Lambert as their new director of public affairs in the New Year. Lambert, who will assume the position in January 2012, comes from a public affairs background in which he has spent 25 years working for the likes of BT, Mars and Banco Santander. He currently works for Microsoft as Director of Corporate Affairs and Citizenship. The move reflects the online gaming industry‘s trend of hiring the best people outside of the industry to impart their knowledge and spark more growth. Mike O’Donnell highlighted this in his latest column and it comes only a matter of weeks after Betfair poached Breon Corcoran from Paddy Power.
Kempton Park has reported a meteoric rise in ticket sales ahead of the William Hill Winter Festival. Ticket sales rose 20% off the back of news that Kauto Star may run in Boxing Day’s William Hill King George VI Chase. A win would give the 11-year-old an unprecedented fifth title, and the course’s managing director Amy Starkey commented: “Kauto fever is spreading! The phones began to ring and online bookings picked up almost as soon as he returned to the winners’ enclosure at Haydock Park on Saturday.”
A teenager accused of murder during the London riots has admitted a betting shop was one of the premises he looted. The 16-year-old is accused of murdering 68-year-old Richard Mannington Bowed in Ealing on August 11. In addition to that charge, he admitted to looting a branch of William Hill, as well as other shops on August 8. Bookmakers were hard-hit by the August riots and all bookmaking firms suffered some sort of damage.
