Starlight

About Starlight

For Grainne Hurst, CEO of the Betting & Gaming Council in the UK, the evolution has been clear. “The conversation has moved beyond representation alone towards inclusion, retention, well-being and progression,” Hurst explains. “Businesses increasingly understand that DEI must be embedded in everyday culture, not treated as a separate initiative.”

Industry associations have played an important role through mentoring, networking and leadership development.

Hurst is also a board member at Global Gaming Women, giving her firsthand experience of how networks, mentorship and role models can help women advance. She was previously recognised in iGB’s Most Influential Women list in 2024.

About Starlight

Patent squabbles, including those pertaining to geolocation services, aren’t unheard of in the online gaming space. How things shake out in the Cantor Fitzgerald/DraftKings spat remains to be seen, but it’s possible the deck is stacked against the gaming company.

The Commerce Department has jurisdiction over the USPTO, meaning Lutnick is the boss of the USPTO Director John Squires. Squires, who became 60th director of the USPTO a year ago, has been publicly effusive in his praise of Lutnick.

More relevant to DraftKings is the fact that under his leadership, the patent office has moved to significantly limit access to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) – the very board to which the gaming company is appealing in an effort to have the Cantor patent annulled.

About Starlight

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said tight end Brock Bowers will undergo a pregame workout before Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium, keeping the door open for his return from knee surgery.

It’s a long shot. Bowers, who underwent a meniscus trim on his left knee on Sept. 8, missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday before returning Friday in a limited capacity.

During his media availability Friday, Kubiak repeatedly stressed that the NFL season consists of “17 desperate games in a row.”