Gambling news - page 651

UK Government announces replacement of the horse race levy

3 Mar 2016

Reports in The Telegraph Wednesday that the British government would announce a new funding system for horseracing today (see this morning’s bulletin) have proved correct. On Thursday morning during a debate in the House of Commons, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale revealed that a new funding scheme will be replacing the controversial racing levy…and importantly will …

Read now

Things looking up for online gambling firm

3 Mar 2016

US online gambling platform provider Contagious Gaming had news that was good only in parts for investors this week, reporting that revenues in its fiscal third quarter soared 214 percent quarter-on-quarter to $678,700. However there was a definite downside to the announcement as well – EBITDA fell again as the company recorded a loss of …

Read now

Operational control over gambling shifts in Azerbaijan

3 Mar 2016

Press reports from Azerbaijan indicate that through an amendment to article #53-1.5 of the national law, day-to-day operational control over gambling will henceforth will be carried out by the newly-established Financial Market Control Chamber, funded by the gambling companies. The previous arrangement placed the responsibility for gambling industry oversight with the Ministry of Youth and …

Read now

A Bet A launches live virtual sports service

3 Mar 2016

Specialist gambling software supplier A Bet A has teamed up with Kiron Interactive to offer a new, low-cost virtual games service in the UK and Ireland. The service, called Betty VC, allows bookmakers to integrate 10 virtual sports including horse racing, dogs, and football in-shop with customised branding. In addition to the fixed-odds betting markets, …

Read now

Sportech publishes 2015 results

3 Mar 2016

Sportech plc has released its 2015 numbers, revealing that in selling its New Jersey online gambling interests after just three months it realised a threefold return on its original investment. Group highlights flagged by management include: * Overall results in line with expectations with EBITDA of GBP 23.1 million – down on 2014’s GBP 24 …

Read now

Coral posts strong 2015 results

3 Mar 2016

The land and online gambling group Coral – set to merge with Ladbrokes this year – has posted a strong set of results for the sixteen week period to 16 January 20916, highlighting: * Total Coral Group EBITDA of £62.4 million – up 14 percent on the same period last year; * Growth in all …

Read now

Former Unibet chief marketer building a team at Currencyfair.com

3 Mar 2016

Nils Andén, until recently a 10-year veteran marketing chief with Unibet posted tweets this week indicating that he is now working for online peer-to-peer foreign exchange marketplace CurrencyFair.com…and is recruiting a team. The tweets urge: “Come work with me at my new job! Great place!” with links to recruitment adverts for CurrencyFair, an enterprise founded …

Read now

New fantasy sport products from Skybet

3 Mar 2016

UK online gambling operator SkyBet has followed the successful introduction of its Super 6 fantasy sports betting product with the launch of two more apps in the genre – Six-a-Side and Racing Pick 6 mobile. Available for use on Web and mobile smartphone and tablet devices, the Fantasy Six-a-Side offers play-for-free action and the chance …

Read now

DFS market leaders growth continued in 2015

3 Mar 2016

2015 was a good year for daily fantasy sports market leaders FanDuel and DraftKings, with entry fees trebling year-on-year although profitability remained elusive due to high marketing expenses, the publication Daily Fantasy News reported this week. And, given the currently largely hostile political and legal environment since the last quarter of 2015, it is unlikely …

Read now

Will UK government announce new racing rights law today?

3 Mar 2016

The usually reliable UK newspaper The Telegraph caused some alarm in online bookmaker circles Wednesday when it claimed that the UK government is about to announce the replacement of the voluntary racing levy with a new compulsory system which will add more costs to an industry already bruised by the imposition of the p.o.c. and …

Read now

Online gambling operator embroiled in Costa Rica bank account closures

3 Mar 2016

Local media reports from Costa Rica have associated 5Dimes online gambling manager Marisol Carvajal Cordero (35) with a bank ‘source of funds’ investigation which saw the closure of the company’s accounts at the Banco de Costa Rica late last year. The bank advised at the time that the closure had been imposed because it had …

Read now

Tatts loses pokies compensation appeal

3 Mar 2016

Australian land and online gambling group Tatts has lost its long-running High Court pokie machine compensation appeal and will now have to pay the state of Victoria treasury authorities A$540 million, along with the state’s reportedly considerable legal costs and interest. The litigation dates back to 2012, when the Victoria provincial government did away with …

Read now

NYX Gaming releases Judge Dredd online slot

3 Mar 2016

NYX Gaming Group Limited, an online gambling software and games supplier, announced Wednesday its latest omni-channel launch – the branded Superbet slot, Judge Dredd. Judge Dredd stories have over the past 37 years created millions of fans worldwide through comic books, graphic novels, role-playing games, video games and movies. NYX’s exclusive licensing deal allows for …

Read now

Scientific Games inks new agreements with Danske Spil

2 Mar 2016

Scientific Games Corporation has announced that after a competitive procurement process Danske Spil A/S in Denmark has awarded it two major contracts covering the lottery and gaming business areas. The US company was awarded a seven-year contract for Danske Lotteri Spil’s (the “Danish Lottery”) new systems technology including game solutions and services. The Danish Lottery’s …

Read now

LesA online casino shuts down

2 Mar 2016

Players on the LesA online casino were surprised this week to receive a brief email advising them without explanation that the operation would shut down March 8. The move was all the more surprising considering that the casino had taken the time, expense and trouble to obtain licensing in Gibraltar and the UK. The email …

Read now

Gaming Realms raises GBP1.5m through share subscription

2 Mar 2016

UK mobile real money and social games developer Gaming Realms has conditionally raised around GBP 1,545 million through a new ordinary share subscription for the development of a new social casino “Lucky Streak” and the continued growth of its proprietary game platform Grizzly. Gaming Realm’s Grizzly platform will launch theXfactorgames.com site in the UK in …

Read now

Tain in content supply deal with NYX

2 Mar 2016

Tain has integrated over 600 games through NYX Gaming Group’s NYX OGS game server bringing its content portfolio to an impressive 2500 titles. The NYX OGS integration will provide Tain’s customers with new games from more than 10 third-party content providers, including Thunderkick and Aristocrat Games.

Read now

Yahoo! Inc. launch eSports

2 Mar 2016

Yahoo! Inc. launched Yahoo Esports Wednesday, touting “a new premier destination for delivering professional esports coverage across major games and events, coupled with a comprehensive product experience.” The company said the new vertical will cater to a global audience that reached over 226 million in 2015. Yahoo Esports (YE) will have an emphasis on video …

Read now

Amaya special committee in action

2 Mar 2016

In an update following the announcement of chief executive officer David Baazov’s intention to make an offer for Amaya Inc. (see previous report), the board has formed a special committee to conduct an independent review of alternatives. Baazov notified the board at the end of January 2016 of his intention to make a proposal to …

Read now

Change of guard at 888 Holdings

2 Mar 2016

888 Holdings has formally appointed Itai Frieberger as chief executive officer with immediate effect having served as chief operating officer of 888 since 1 April 2011 and as a member of the Board since 13 May 2015. Brian Mattingley, executive chairman of 888 since 13 May 2015, will continue to lead the Board as non-executive …

Read now

DraftKings partners NMi testing labs for UK market

2 Mar 2016

NMi was selected by daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings to carry out their compliance testing for the UK market. The company will test and certify the full range of DraftKings’ products across desktop and mobile platforms to ensure they meet UKGC standards. “We have had quite a bit of experience with fantasy products across Europe …

Read now

Zynga appoint former EA Games exec as CEO

2 Mar 2016

Social gaming firm Zynga announced the appointment of former Electronic Arts executive and current board member Frank Gibeau as chief executive officer. Mark Pincus, founder and current chief executive officer, will return to serving as executive chairman of the board. Gibeau has a proven 25-year track record having helped architect the successful turnaround of Electronic …

Read now

Fanbet sanctioned by ASA on Arsenal FC ad

2 Mar 2016

A Fanbet ad on Arsenal Football Club’s Arsenal Station domain garnered the attention of the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) this week. The internet ad which appeared in January showed three slide frames of text that said “The #1 way to improve your betting”, “Learn how to win” and the third, “save yourself” which was …

Read now

Ireland’s ASA set new gambling ad rules

1 Mar 2016

The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) has published an updated Code of Standards for Advertising and Marketing Communications which came into effect today, March 1, 2016. Going forward, all gambling services advertising and marketing must contain a message to encourage responsible gambling and shall direct people to a source of information about gambling and …

Read now