Aztec Ascent

How to play Aztec Ascent

Former US congressman George Santos has been permanently prohibited from trading on the prediction market Kalshi, the company announced late last week. 

Friday’s announcement followed an investigation that found he manipulated contract prices linked to his anticipated attendance at the 2026 State of the Union address.

He was also fined $71,356.

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“Speaking to various parties across the gambling field, it is clear that progress has been made in recent years. How has the conversation moved on from ‘Are we doing DEI?’, to ‘Is it improving our business, our culture and our ability to attract and retain great people?'” Mark Skinner, chief people officer at Allwyn Digital, asks.

He believes the conversation has matured and gambling companies are now expected to deliver measurable outcomes.

“Stakeholders increasingly want evidence that initiatives deliver meaningful outcomes rather than simply demonstrating good intentions,” Skinner suggests.

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Quarterly data from January to March 2026 reinforced this trend, with online verticals generating £2.2 billion, and remote casino alone accounting for 68.3% (£1.5 billion) of that total.

The first quarter of 2026 saw a total industry GGY of £4.4 billion including lotteries, or £3.4 billion excluding lotteries.

As of 31 March 2026, there were 2,154 licensed gambling operators, marking a 1.1% decline on the previous year. However the number of separately licensed gambling activities edged up 0.4% to 3,097.