Gambling news - page 499

Novomatic enters Spain with Starvegas

3 Apr 2017

Novomatic announced its launch in the Spanish market through starvegas.es with an offer of online betting, roulette, video bingo and eSports. Thomas Graf, managing director of Novomatic Gaming Industries GmbH, stressed the importance of the conversion of all Novomatic titles to online of which 100 of the 300 games already available online are now on …

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32red exits Aussie market

3 Apr 2017

32Red affiliate programme, TTRpartners, has reportedly advised of 32Red’s exit from the Australian market following the country’s adoption of new interactive gaming law. TTRpartners has advised affiliates cease promoting 32Red brands to Australian residents as no new registrations will be accepted as of today (Monday). 32Red’s exit follows the departure of Vera&John and 888poker over …

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Greentube acquires Mazooma

3 Apr 2017

Novomatic Group is undergoing an organizational restructure with interactive subsidiary GreenTube acquiring Mazooma Interactive Games in order to streamline the interactive units across the group, and the conception of Greentube UK. According to a press statement, Greentube UK will provide Mazooma’s former customer base with local access to the Novomatic Group portfolio and with Greentube’s …

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China lottery sales continue to shine

3 Apr 2017

Figures released over the weekend by the Chinese Ministry of Finance show that February lottery sales in China continued to outperform expectations and were up 25.4 percent year-on-year at RMB 28.2 billion (around US$4.1 billion). Welfare lottery sales were up 23.9 percent to RM15.3 billion, while sports lottery sales rose 27.1 percent to RMB12.9 billion. …

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Intertops signs up for BetSoft games

3 Apr 2017

BetSoft Gaming has announced a content deal with European online gambling group Intertops that will see its full portfolio of mobile and desktop games carried by the operator for its German and English speaking players. “Intertops have been providing a world class iGaming experience for their players for over two decades,” Julian Camilleri of BetSoft …

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Texas house committee hearing today on fantasy sports proposal

3 Apr 2017

Texas Rep. Richard Raymond has managed to get his fantasy sports legalisation bill HB 1457 before a House committee which sits today (Monday) despite a year-old opinion by the state AG that such activity constitutes gambling under state law (see previous  reports). In a local press interview over the weekend, Raymond – a Democrat – …

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Partnering with land casino operators is the way forward, says online consultant

3 Apr 2017

Michael Pollock, the managing director of the respected US gambling consultancy Spectrum Gaming Group, said in an op-ed article over the weekend that the online gambling legalisation approach most likely to succeed in the significant US market lies in partnerships with land casino operators as has been the case in New Jersey’s Atlantic City. Outlining …

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Aussie provinces agree on the need for tax harmonisation

2 Apr 2017

Australia’s six states and two on-shore territories (Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory) have been holding meetings with federal government Treasurer Scott Morrison in an attempt to harmonise taxation across the country on categories such as general sales tax and, importantly for the …

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Youngsters need more education on internet behaviour, Hong Kong study recommends

2 Apr 2017

The Hong Kong Playground Association has published the results of an independent study of 725 ‘youngsters’ (presumably individuals under age 18), warning that there is an urgent need for parents and teachers to educate the young on behaviour, law enforcement and the pitfalls of using the internet. The study of the randomly chosen sample took …

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Australian government to study player behaviour

1 Apr 2017

Minister for Human Services says research will explore the impact of betting restrictions imposed by Australian licenced bookmakers, cited as a factor in decisions to gamble offshore. Alan Tudge, Australia’s minister for human services, has issued a press release advising that A$75,000 is being invested in research into online wagering restrictions and their impact on …

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More detail on Swedish gambling reform review

1 Apr 2017

More detail on the report of the task force charged with making recommendations regarding the liberalisation of Sweden monopolistic gambling industry (see previous reports) is now available following the publication of the voluminous review and recommendations at: http://www.regeringen.se/rattsdokument/statens-offentliga-utredningar/2017/03/sou-201730/ A few cliff notes: * Regulator Lotteriinspektionen should be the authority to regulate liberalised online gambling activity, …

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Macau revenues continue to improve

1 Apr 2017

The Macau regulator was as usual quick off the mark with gambling revenue numbers as March drew to a close, releasing the latest figures Saturday which showed that revenue rose 18 percent year-on-year in March, besting expectations and making its eighth consecutive monthly improvement. Revenue reached 21.2 billion patacas ($2.6 billion) as the regulator noted …

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New Elk Studios slot features Hong Kong lights

31 Mar 2017

Online gambling games developer ELK Studios is about to launch its latest internationally-themed online slot (the release date is April 5), titled Hong Kong Tower. The five reel, 99 ways-to-win game takes as its theme the internationally famous Hong Kong city night sky, featuring a dazzling display of coloured light from the super-modern towering office …

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Betsson to distribute 50 percent of net earnings to shareholders

31 Mar 2017

The Betsson boad of directors has announced a change in dividend policy designed to complement the company’s growth profile, advising in a stock exchange statement: “Betsson AB’s new dividend policy is applicable as of the financial year 2017. “The Board’s ambition for the ordinary distribution to shareholders is, provided a continued attractive capital structure, to …

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Swedish gambling review recommendations submitted

31 Mar 2017

Lotteriinspektionen director general Håkan Hallstedt, who led an 18-month review of Swedish gambling, has delivered to government the task force’s conclusions and recommendations, in general confirming earlier Reuters insider reports published this week (see previous  reports). Important recommendations from the panel include a proposal that Svenska Spel’s current monopoly over online gambling should be discontinued …

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Hopes in Texas for daily fantasy sports legalisation

31 Mar 2017

Rep. Richard Raymond, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, told local media reporters this week that he has high hopes for his daily fantasy sports legalisation bill, which he claims has the support of everyone with whom he has discussed the issue. Raymond, who plays fantasy sports, introduced HB 1457 in the week …

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Brief reprieve for Aussie betting companies

31 Mar 2017

The controversial Australian Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016 will remain inactive for the next few weeks following the House of Representatives recess, which began Thursday. The House reconvenes on May 9 for a week of budget debate, where the bill is widely expected to be approved.

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New tax rates for Antigua-licensed online gambling operators

31 Mar 2017

The much-discussed new tax rates for Antigua-licensed online gambling operators contained in Gambling Amendment Bill 2017 were passed with little dissent in the Antigua Upper House this week. The official Opposition argued briefly that the tax rates should have been higher in order to benefit athletes and address social issues on the island, but the …

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UK Gambling Commission to review POC tax

31 Mar 2017

UK Gambling Commission chief executive Sarah Harrison addressed the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Betting and Gaming this week, advising MPs that the Commission is reviewing the point-of-consumption tax on online gambling operators following two years of experience with the tax measure. The Commission’s mandate is to study how effectively the tax administration framework and purpose …

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Georgia daily fantasy sports on the back burner for now

31 Mar 2017

A daily fantasy sports legalisation bill almost made it through the political gauntlet in the US state of Georgia this week, passing the House but languishing in the Senate when the state legislature adjourned Thursday until next January. The publication Legal Sports Reports claims that supporters of the bill in the Senate were unsure of …

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Kenya government imposes punitive tax on all gambling

31 Mar 2017

The burgeoning Kenya gambling industry has likely been stopped dead in its tracks, and operators are reeling from Thursday’s 2017-2018 budget revelations imposing punitive taxes on gambling companies. Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich appears to have ignored earlier advice from Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner John Njiraini, who has repeatedly warned lawmakers that over-taxing the industry …

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NFL teams ditch daily fantasy sports sponsorships

31 Mar 2017

Yahoo Sports reports that six US National Football League franchises have “severed ties” with daily fantasy sports market leaders DraftKings and FanDuel, raising speculation that the past eighteen months of litigation, bad press regarding unequal competitions and an increased industry focus on over-throwing PASPA may be behind the cancellations. The teams have been identified as …

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Former Amaya chief sells more shares in the company

31 Mar 2017

Following his announcement Thursday that he had just sold off a further 12 million shares in online gambling group Amaya, the company’s former CEO and founder David Baazov is wealthier to the tune of Cdn$ 267.7 million, letting the shares go at an average price of Cdn$ 267.7 million. Baazov, who stepped down last year …

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Australian TV network criticised over gambling adverts

31 Mar 2017

Australia’s Channel Nine television network has been criticised by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) following a complaint from a member of the public that the network screened Crown gambling adverts during the 6.30 pm film The Spiderwick Chronicles on channel 9GO!. The 2008 fantasy film, which Nine screened late last year, carried a …

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