Home Positive Entain financial report soured by $100 million fine fund

Positive Entain financial report soured by $100 million fine fund

Entain, the owner of major bookmakers Ladbrokes and Coral, has posted a new financial report for the 2025 interim results. This counts up to June 30, 2025, or the first six months of the year. Often, you’ll see quarterly reporting; Entain is providing a half-year report.

It’s seen growth across a wide range of its gambling outlets. Overall, it saw a rise of 7% year-on-year, reaching £2.63 billion. A good portion of this is thanks to its 50/50 ownership from BetMGM’s online offerings.

Speaking in the press release, Stella David, CEO, said:

“I am delighted by the ongoing momentum and strong performance that both Entain and BetMGM have delivered in H1 2025.

“Entain’s transformation journey is well underway, gathering pace, and is supported by our high-quality portfolio of iconic brands with podium positions in attractive markets.

“Our business is getting stronger, fitter and faster, with these results reinforcing our confidence in driving sustainable underlying growth and generating more than £0.5bn of cash annually in the medium term.”

Entain forced to set aside $100 million for potential fines

Despite a positive report, the Ladbrokes owner will have to set aside $100 million for the Australian watchdog, Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC).

Entain has been found to allow and exploit 17 high-risk customers to play at its casinos. This is to the tune of $152 million, which the Australian Financial Review reports stems from potential money laundering happening thanks to a lack of due diligence.

Of course, Entain fired back, claiming that this is an “accounting measure” that isn’t an accurate representation of what the final fine could be. Speaking in the AFR, an Entain spokesperson said:

“This is purely an accounting measure and does not reflect what a potential penalty might be.

“We are currently in early-stage mediation, and there is no further update until those discussions have concluded.”

Entain has actually lost some of its senior executive team since AUSTRAC ended the investigation. These include Dean Shannon, now ex-Australian and New Zealand CEO for the company, as well as others like the general manager of ownership and participation, and the managing director for Entain’s New Zealand arm.

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Joel Loynds
Freelance Journalist

Joel Loynd’s obsession with uncovering bad games and even worse hardware so you don’t have to has led him on this path. Since the age of six, he’s been poking at awful games and oddities from his ever-expanding Steam library. He’s been writing about video games since 2008, writing for sites such as WePC and PC Guide, as well as covering gaming for Scan Computers, More recently Joel was Dexerto’s E-Commerce and Deputy Tech Editor, delving deep into the exploding handheld market and covering the weird and wonderful world of the latest tech.