F
lutter Entertainment, owner of Paddy Power and Betfair, is set to give 14,000 staff a £1,000 bonus as a result of their work during the pandemic.
The company’s CEO Peter Jackson said “maybe we are all bookmakers at heart [and] there is a degree of risk-taking,” City AM reports.
The handout came as Jackson hit out at the gambling ad ban which would constitute the biggest shake-up in the industry for decades. Officials have warned members of the sports industry that a crackdown on gambling sponsors is under consideration.
Football clubs, which would be the worst hit by such a measure, have warned that the timing of the move is wrong. Premier League and Championship sides take in about £110m a year from shirt sponsorship. Half the Premier League teams have some form of betting shirt sponsor.
