Ainhoa

What is Ainhoa?

In the wake of their licence suspensions, announced a fortnight previously by the UK Gambling Commission, it is tempting to see the demise of BresBet and Bet St George as evidence that it is simply too easy to become a British gambling operator.

The two related businesses are associated with entrepreneur Nic Brereton and had only recently started operating under their own licences. BresBet was licensed in February 2025, while Bet St George received its licence in December and launched in March this year.

At launch six months ago, Brereton told iGB that Bet St George would use the experience he gained applying advanced data models in the medical sector to improve the customer experience in betting.

How to play Ainhoa

A point the industry largely agrees on is that DEI must start at the top.

“Leadership is the single biggest determinant of an inclusive culture,” Skinner comments. “Policies matter, but individuals experience inclusion primarily through their managers. Leaders set the tone through the decisions they make, the behaviours they reward and the conversations they encourage.”

Some companies, such as Evoke, actively monitor DEI at a leadership level to track whether initiatives are making an impact.

What is Ainhoa?

The regulator of gambling in New Zealand announced on Friday that the funds returned by operators will be directed towards community organisations.

Under Section 106 of New Zealand’s Gambling Act 2003, a class 4 licence holder, also known as a “corporate society” by the regulator, “must apply or distribute the net proceeds from class 4 gambling only to or for an authorised purpose specified in the corporate society’s licence”.

The DIA worked directly with class 4 gambling operators (commonly known as pokies trusts), and discovered ‘widespread issues’ such as cases where money that should have been available for community grants was instead spent on society expenses, such as the purchase of additional gaming machines.