WBritish broadcasting behemoth ITV is stepping into the gaming market, it has announced. The free-to-air public broadcast channel will utilize the expertise of platform engineers Richmond-Atlantic and iGaming B2B company Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) to help launch the venture.
Gibraltar-based Richmond-Atlantic will integrate iGaming features into ITV’s existing entertainment platform, ITV Win, which currently offers competitions and prize draws. The service will be rebranded as ITV Win Bingo & Spins. The Malta-based GiG is tasked with powering all casino and bingo services.
Launch to come early next year
While an official date has yet to be cemented, those involved in the deal believe it will go live sooner rather than later. Adam Joseph, CEO of Richmond-Atlantic, said: ”The new ITV Win Bingo & Spins site is in the final stages of development with a soft launch imminent. This will be followed by a full roll-out in the New Year, including a major TV advertising campaign. This is a milestone moment for Richmond Atlantic and one that will redefine the iGaming landscape in the UK following the expansion of ITV Win.”
He added that Richmond-Atlantic “will redefine the iGaming landscape in the UK following the expansion of ITV Win.”
It is in the interests of all stakeholders to get the iGaming product live ahead of the World Cup next summer, when the channel will share broadcasting duties with the BBC. During the 2022 tournament, ITV’s coverage was streamed 146 million times on ITVX and ITV Hub, which represented more than 100 million more than the previous tournament in 2018.
Executives will see it as an ideal opportunity to cross-sell the product to an audience that is already accustomed to the betting and iGaming space. According to research conducted by the academic publishers Taylor & Francis during the Qatar 2022 tournament: “Across more than 30 matches analyzed, there were 156 adverts directly for gambling brands or products.”
ITV follows fellow broadcasters into the iGaming space
It is not without precedent. Sky, a major broadcaster, is involved in the gambling sector through Sky Bet, which began after Sky acquired Sports Internet Group back in the year 2000. However, observers point to the fact Sky owned and operated a gambling business before becoming part of the larger Flutter Entertainment group in 2020 through a series of acquisitions and a major merger, while ITV is licensing its brand into one. It’s also notable that Sky’s purchase came before an evolving regulatory clampdown, while ITV is entering after it. In the UK radio scene, talkSPORT operates talkSPORT Bet in partnership with the BetVictor group.
The broadcaster has a chequered history in the gambling space. In 2006, it launched ITV Play, a channel entirely devoted to phone-in quiz show programs with cash giveaways. The channel was criticised for its semblance to gambling and also came under scrutiny for its use of premium-rate telephone numbers. It was shut down the following year.
Announcement causes some pushback from anti-gambling advocates
The move has been met by some criticism from anti-gambling campaigners. The Coalition to End Gambling Ads (CEGA) posted on X: “Concerning reports that @ITV will be offering the most harmful gambling products in the world to its customers – us. As a public service broadcaster is this really in the public’s service?”
Proponents of the move would argue that any bingo or casino-style games would operate under UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) rules, with age verification, spending limits, and responsible-gambling tools in place, and that ITV’s public-service obligations do not prohibit it from offering licensed commercial services alongside its core broadcasting remit.
ITV’s entry comes at a time when several established gambling operators are actively retrenching under mounting regulatory and tax pressure, raising questions about the long-term economics of broadcaster-led casino brands.
ITV Win Bingo & Spins to launch as UK gambling tax begins to bite
In the government’s budget last month, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced a change to Remote Gaming Duty (RGD), increasing it to 40% effective from April 2026. Previously, it was at 21%.
As a result of the measure, iGaming operator Evoke is weighing a sale of assets as part of a strategic review led by financial advisers Morgan Stanley and Rothschild & Co. Elsewhere, Sky Bet has shifted its headquarters to Malta, a move expected to reduce its tax bill by millions. Malta’s effective corporate tax rate can fall as low as 5%, compared with 25% in the UK.
Whether the same tax pressures will ultimately shape ITV’s approach to gambling remains an open question, but the experience of established operators underscores how fiscal policy is already reshaping strategic decisions across the sector.
