Ghost Pirates

What is Ghost Pirates?

On Monday, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced that Ruth Evans has succeeded Charles Counsell to take on the full time role of Gambling Commission chair.

Counsell took the helm in February 2025 following Marcus Boyle’s departure in January last year.

Evans, who chairs Stop Scams UK, an initiative she founded in 2019 to unite banks, technology companies and telecom providers to combat payment fraud, will assume the position on 30 September, commencing a five-year term.

About Ghost Pirates

Since the landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2018 that allowed states to legalize sports betting, gambling has become increasingly intertwined with American culture.

Paired with the recent rise of prediction markets—which allow traders to stake money on everything from sporting events to pop culture outcomes—Americans are risking more money on casino-like activities than ever before.

Buffett has repeatedly raised concerns regarding the mainstreaming of gambling and its marketing under the guise of investing. In May, he targeted prediction markets and traders speculating on short-term instruments like 30-minute bitcoin options.

About Ghost Pirates

While Stake entered Peru in 2024, Betsson has been in the market since 2008, forming part of the market’s evolution both pre- and post-regulation. Andrea Rossi serves as the company’s commercial director in both Southern Europe and LatAm.

He views the Peruvian market as “quite polarised” with a few operators, including Betsson, dominating the market and the rest playing catch-up. “I think competition has already evolved,” he says. “We have seen fierce competition.

“We have been there for a long time and we have our positioning quite cemented. [But] we need to look at ourselves and keep improving, keep embracing the Peruvian culture and the way we fit in the market by applying a localised approach.”