Operator-owned SIS in Alleged Deal with Black-Market Operator Santeda

Live racing feed supplier Sports Information Services (SIS), which is part-owned by UK-licensed operators, is reported to have a commercial relationship with black-market operator Santeda.

Details of the agreement between the two parties have emerged in leaked files regarding black-market activity held by the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) and released by Berlin-based hacker Lilith Wittmann. According to reports, one of the files focuses on Santeda, which has previously been reported to have conducted illegal activity in the UK.

Who owns SIS?

SIS is part-owned by three owners of tier one UK operators. Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, holds a 23.4% share of the company. A 19.5% share is held by William Hill owner Evoke, and a collective 7.5% stake is owned by Betfred founder Fred Done. Done is also a former owner of The Tote, a form of pool betting in horseracing, which holds a 6% stake in SIS.

In total, the operators make up 56.4% of the ownership of SIS. The remaining stakes in the company are held by self-managed investment trust Caledonia Investments (22.6%), Catalyst Media Group (20.5%) and various minority shareholders. SIS is said to have agreed to provide its services to various unlicensed B2C brands in 2022, including MyStake, Rolletto, Locasbet and Goldenbet, as well as additional brands.

Reported deal terms

The Guardian reported SIS agreed to provide Santeda websites with these services for two years, with the contract set to auto-renew unless either side chose to terminate it.  It is unclear whether the contract is still active.

Industry sources have said Entain, Evoke and Done could not have known about the Santeda agreement, due to controls designed to prevent them accessing commercially-sensitive information about competitors.

According to the leak, Entain, Evoke and Done have all been the beneficiaries of tens of millions of pounds in dividends paid out by SIS. A report by Next.io suggested Entain is surprised and disappointed by the reports and that it does not support the idea of doing business with unlicensed operators.

An Entain spokesperson is quoted as saying:

“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. Now that this relationship has come to light, we take it very seriously and have raised our concerns to SIS.”

Potential hypocrisy

The reports are damaging for industry trade body the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which has frequently warned about the growth of the black market in recent times.

According to a recent report by Fincord Intelligence which was flagged by the BGC, the global illegal online gambling market is estimated to have generated approximately $50 billion (£36.89 billion) in 2025, with self-excluded British players targeted.

In May, the BGC referenced an H2 Gambling Capital study, which found the amount staked on the black market in the UK is set to increase from £16.6 billion for 2025 to £33 billion by 2028.

The BGC’s motivation for highlighting the issue has been to stave off the threat of increased taxation, which could lead to marketing and bonus cuts that cause players to seek out operators with less restrictions.

The BGC pointed out to Next.io that

“SIS is not a BGC member. Questions about SIS’ commercial relationships are a matter for SIS. The BGC remains focused on tackling the illegal gambling market in the UK and protecting consumers from unlicensed operators.”