Whilst the Russian government is reportedly taking a softer line on sports betting, it apparently remains strongly opposed to online casino activity, this week adding a slew of top European internet gambling industry names to its growing blacklist of banned and blocked sites. The federal government has also started the consultative phase ending on May …
Colorado legislators have moved with remarkable speed to legalise daily fantasy sports in the state, sending a legalisation bill to Governor John Hickenlooper’s desk for signature after fast passage through both the House and the Senate. Bill HB1404 sponsored by House Democratic leader Crisanta Duran (see previous report) sailed through the House, and on Friday …
Last week’s criticism of the Curacao Gaming Control Board by Dutch MP Ronald Van Raak has evoked a response from the regulator, which claims that it is successful in exercising its tasks of monitoring the online casino industry. “The GCB is a highly professional organization with extensive specific knowledge and experience with regard to the …
Online sports betting operator Betowen.com has been called out by the Smart Gaming Group on its licensing claims. In a statement issued Friday, Smart Gaming advised interested parties: “It has been brought to our attention that the website, www.Betowen.com that claims to be fully regulated and licensed in the United Kingdom in accordance with the …
One of several endearing stories to come out of the fairy tale rise of Leicester City FC to the top of the English Premier League surfaced this week when football-mad Leicester fan Mandy Clarke (58) collected a remarkable GBP 50,000 return on her GBP 10 bet that her club would be champions this season. The …
The CEO of the multi-billion dollar video gaming company Activision (it produces and sponsors games like Call of Duty, Starcraft and Destiny) is confident that the burgeoning eSports phenomenon has a great future…and he intends to continue being a part of it. In an interview with the publication Gamasutra this week, Bobby Kotick said the …
Ladbrokes management successfully fought off a shareholder revolt over executive pay packages in London on Thursday, according to widespread reports in the UK business media. Investors used the annual general meeting in London to give a practical but unsuccessful demonstration of their displeasure, casting 42 percent of votes against acceptance of the directors’ remuneration report. …
The Turkish Privatisation Administration is to take another run at privatising the Turkish National Lottery, working on a schedule that requires applications for pre-qualification to be submitted by July 14, and bids to be in by August 5 this year, according to a Reuters news agency report. The official announcement, confirming comments from the finance …
Following a consultative initiative, the UK Gambling Commission has announced three new key anti-crime measures for implementation later this year by its licensees. The areas embrace anti-money laundering and reportage of criminal activity; specifically, operators will be required to: * Conduct risk assessments on money laundering in respect of their businesses and demonstrate that they …
The Malta-based online casino turnkey provider Fast Track, which launched in February this year, has announced that it is to use the iGaming Cloud platform from Gaming Innovation Group subsidiary iGame Cloud (IGC). Simon Lidzén, chief executive of Fast Track, said in a statement Friday that the agreement with iGame Cloud significantly widens both companies’ …
The latest quarterly from Caesars Acquisition Company group shows that subsidiary Caesars Interactive Entertainment turned in another solid performance in the quarter. CIE reported the following highlights: * Revenue up 29 percent at $227.8 million; * Operating income up 31.5 percent to $53.4 million, but profit down 9.2 percent year-on-year at $24.8 million due to …
Reports from Macau indicate that the gambling island’s regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau may be about to implement a ban on phone betting in Macau casinos…perhaps as early as next week. The source revealed to local media that the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau has the support of the island’s finance department on …
Scientific Games Corporation has reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2016, showcasing a 4 percent year-on-year rise in revenues to $682 million, driven by 55 percent growth in the interactive division despite a $7 million hit from unfavourable currency conversion. Operating income in Q1-2016 increased 178 percent to $50 million from $18 …
The Mexican media house TV Azteca has announced its intention to invest in the daily fantasy sports market in Latin America through involvement with DFS software provider Fantasy Network. The company is to make an initial investment of a million dollars in three tranches conditional on growth targets being met, and a further $10 million …
The German sports betting operator Tipbet has announced that it has extended its choice of betting products by adding eSports, with both online and retail facilities for punters wishing to bet on eSports competitions. Tipbet m.d. Bahadir Malkoc described eSports as a “young and exciting project” in a company statement Thursday that expressed faith in …
William Hill players in the Canadian province of British Columbia received an unexpected and unwelcome correspondence from the company this week, informing them that the company is departing the provincial market due to “regulatory reasons beyond our control”. In a short notification the company apologised for the short notice, advising players: “We regret to inform …
Heavy taxation has taken some of the sparkle off otherwise decent first quarter results posted Thursday by the Czech Republic-based Fortuna Entertainment gambling group, prompting Management to warn that FY EBITDA could be 10 to 15 percent lower than expectations. Q1-2016 highlights included: * Year-on-year stakes up 26.3 percent to Euro 251.7 million; * Gross …
Core Gaming has launched its latest product, claiming that Jackpotz is an industry-first product which offers seven progressive jackpots with six-figure pay-outs. The new game is a 3-reel, 5-line slot in which players can win up to GBP 250,000, and includes quality graphicsand smooth playability due to the use of advanced WebGL 3D technology. Jackpotz …
Dutch Socialist Party MP Ronald Van Raak has once again raised the perceived flaws in the Curacao online gambling regulatory structure, writing to Minister of Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk to ask: “Do you agree that Curaçao has failed in its supervision on the gambling sector? If so, what role do you see for the Kingdom …
Online casino and poker operator Bovada has integrated the virtual currency Bitcoin into its player payment and deposit options to give customers a wider choice of financial facilities, the company has announced. Less palatable is the unilateral manner in which the company’s affiliate marketing management wing, Betting Partners, has declared it will be switching affiliates …
According to a report in the publication ESPN the National Basketball Association is to permit suitable companies to advertise in a small space on team strips for branding…but it appears that daily fantasy sports will be denied the privilege despite its close associations with the sport. The ESPN report reveals that the 2.5 inch x …
Daily fantasy sports is about to be discussed and debated again following a notice from the US Congress House Committee of Energy and Commerce that its sub-committee for Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade is to hold a morning hearing on Wednesday May 11 in Washington DC. Titled “Daily Fantasy Sports Issues and Perspectives” the hearing will …
The Midlands EPL football club West Bromwich Albion has signed Asian online gambling operator K8 Group as its shirt sponsor for the next two years, awarding significant publicity and business opportunities to the UK-K8.com online casino brand. K8 Group chief executive Vincent Huang said in a statement Thursday that the two organisations are collaborating on …
US social gaming provider Zynga’s new CEO, Frank Gibeau reported lower but continuing losses in the company’s Q1-2016 report this week, revealing that performance was better than expected but that a loss of $26.5 million was still incurred. It could have been worse, he revealed, saying that cost cutting has reduced the loss by 43 …