Entain voices concern over SIS link to unlicensed operator Santeda
Entain says it was unaware of a commercial agreement between racing data supplier SIS and Santeda, an operator with no UK licence, according to SBC News.
Entain has told SBC News it is "surprised and disappointed" following reports that racing live feed supplier SIS struck a commercial agreement with Santeda, a bookmaker not licensed in the UK.
Documents obtained through a data leak from the Curaçao gambling authority indicate that SIS entered into the arrangement with Santeda in 2022, and that it may have continued as recently as this year, SBC News reports.
SIS is jointly owned by some of the largest names in UK gambling, with Entain holding 23.4%, evoke 19.5%, and Betfred and The Tote together holding 13.5%.
Those shareholders are also clients of SIS, but the company operates independently in matters of governance, including the media rights deals it strikes with bookmakers.
SBC News understands that neither Entain nor Betfred was aware of the commercial relationship between SIS and Santeda before it came to light.
Entain said it had raised the matter directly with the SIS Board. "Entain, as a minority shareholder and to ensure compliance with competition law, is not a party to the commercial or customer arrangements SIS decides to strike," the operator told SBC News. "Now that this relationship has come to light, we take it very seriously and have raised our concerns to SIS."
The operator reiterated its broader position on unlicensed gambling. "Entain's position on illegal gambling is clear and unchanged: we support robust enforcement against unlicensed operators," it said.
The response is consistent with Entain's long-standing public stance on black market betting, which has previously seen the group lobby UK regulators and football governing bodies over the visibility of unlicensed platforms in Britain.
SBC News has also approached SIS, evoke and The Tote for comment on the reported arrangement with Santeda.