AK47

What is AK47?

Angelozzi is set to serve as the combined company’s chairman and CEO, while Lottomatica’s deputy CEO and CFO Laurence Van Lancker will assume the same role.

Hostench and Cirsa CFO Antonio Grau will also continue to lead the teams at Cirsa.

Following the deal’s completion and approval by Lottomatica’s general shareholder’s meeting, the combined company’s board would consist of the existing 11 Lottomatica directors, as well as two new directors nominated upon designation by Blackstone.

What is AK47?

Beginning with the US presidential elections in November 2024, when prediction markets catapulted into mainstream culture, their rise has been undeniable. Kalshi and Polymarket have seen their valuations balloon to $40 billion and $21 billion, respectively, and the majority of the top US bookmakers have scrambled to expand into the prediction space in various forms, either by building their own exchanges, acquiring existing ones or engaging in market-making.

Commercial sports betting generated just under $17 billion in nationwide revenue in 2025, which is why Davenport asserts that the “stakes of this case are exceptionally high”. Kalshi and Polymarket alone posted more than $45 billion in trading volume, which is similar but not identical to betting revenue, in August. That was a 15% decline from July, although that drop is attributed to the conclusion of the Fifa World Cup tournament that month per Yahoo! Finance.

The American Gaming Association estimates that the exchanges have siphoned more than $1.3 billion in would-be tax revenue from states. One of the AGA’s primary spokespeople pin its fight against prediction markets is former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who championed the PASPA case to the Supreme Court.

About AK47

The casino remains on track for an early 2027 opening, Kim asserted, but the company changed how it is “sequencing certain elements of the development”. Kim said that Bally’s was actually “over-delivering” on its commitments to the city and reset the construction timeline to better align with its Host Community Agreement. In addition, he noted that the company would soon be arranging tours of the construction site with investors and shareholders.

“Investors should view our actions through a straightforward lens: We are protecting the value of significant investments we’re making in Chicago while faithfully executing our contractual obligations,” Kim concluded. “And let me say this again – we remain fully committed to Chicago.”

Kim’s comments Monday were less detailed than others made before the Chicago City Council’s License Committee last week.