Paddy Power and Betfair to pay £2m settlement after failing to protect users

Paddy Power and Betfair have reached a £2m settlement with the gambling industry regulator over social responsibility failings, including allowing one customer to bet for nearly eight hours solid.The Gambling Commission said the online betting and gaming brands, which are owned by Flutter Entertainment, had fallen “far short” of what was expected during a routine compliance assessment performed in 2024.Systems that were supposed to detect early indicators that gamblers may be experiencing harm and trigger checks on their wellbeing were found to have been insufficiently sensitive, resulting in late intervention.Failings identified by the Gambling Commission included one customer being allowed to stake £86,000 over a 16-day period, during which time they lost £6,000.“Despite the high velocity of spend, no manual review of the account took place,” the regulator said

Warner Bros reportedly poised to reject Paramount’s $108bn hostile takeover bid

Warner Bros Discovery is poised to tell shareholders to reject Paramount’s $108bn (£81bn) hostile bid, according to reports, clearing the way for Netflix to proceed with its buyout of the Hollywood film and TV group.The board could announce a decision as early as Wednesday after Paramount Skydance – run by David Ellison and bankrolled by his billionaire father, Larry, who founded Oracle – went directly to shareholders with its rival offer almost two weeks ago.Netflix had won the auction for the studio and streaming company with an $82.7bn bid a few days earlier – taking control of prize assets including the Harry Potter and DC Comics superhero film franchises, as well as HBO, home to hit shows including Game of Thrones, The White Lotus and Succession.The streaming company’s deal does not cover WBD’s cable channels, which include CNN, TBS and TNT, which are set to be spun off into a separate company next year

UK insists US tech deal not dead as Trump threatens penalties against European firms

Downing Street insists the $40bn Tech Prosperity Deal between the US and UK that is on hold is not permanently stalled. The BBC reported on Tuesday evening that the prime minister’s office claimed that the UK remains in “active conversations with US counterparts at all levels of government” about the wide-ranging deal for the technology industries in both countries to cooperate.The agreement, previously billed as historic, was paused after the US accused the UK of failing to lower trade barriers, including a digital services tax on US tech companies and food safety rules that limit the export of some agricultural products. The New York Times first reported British confirmation that negotiations had stalled.“We look forward to resuming work on this partnership as quickly as possible,” a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement

US date rape survivors file lawsuit accusing Hinge and Tinder of ‘accommodating rapists’

The Dating Apps Reporting Project produced this story in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network and The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, and copublished with The Guardian and The 19th.Six women who were drugged and raped or sexually assaulted by the same Denver cardiologist filed a lawsuit against Match Group on Tuesday, accusing the world’s largest dating app company of “accommodating rapists across its products” through “negligence” and a “defective” product.The women, backed by four law firms, said that by allowing known abusers like Stephen Matthews to remain on its apps, Tinder and Hinge, even after they are reported for rape, the company fostered a breeding ground for “sexual predators”.“Even when Match Group receives reports about rapists, they continue to welcome them, fail to warn users about the general and specific risks, and affirmatively recommend known predators to members,” the complaint said. “Rapists know each Match Group platform offers a catalog of available victims

Jofra Archer steps up to show his true value lies beyond pundits’ stereotypes | Barney Ronay

This was a gripping day of Test cricket. The visuals were perfect. Adelaide Oval was a dreamy place, with its bleached greens, soft surfaces, the scroll of blue above the stands, the sense of some chino-shorted Eden, ultimate expression of the leisured triumphalism of the southern summer.In the middle of this there were long periods where three games seemed to be happening all at once. England versus Australia

England consider formal complaint after Snicko error costs Carey’s wicket

England are considering a formal complaint over the Snicko ­technology being used in this Ashes series after Alex Carey received a lifeline en route to a telling century on the opening day of the third Test.Carey, who made 106 in Australia’s 326 for eight by stumps, was on 72 when Josh Tongue believed the left-hander had edged behind. He was given not out on the field and the third umpire, Chris Gaffaney, felt he did not have enough evidence to overturn the decision despite a spike showing up on the review.This issue in this instance was that the spike came before any possible contact on the replay, whereas similar occurrences earlier in the series have seen it come afterwards and are factored into the umpiring protocols.With Carey later admitting he thought he had hit the ball – the wicketkeeper said he would have reviewed in hope had it been given out on the field – BBG, the company that owns Snicko, owned up to the mistake, which came with Australia 245 for six