New draft laws published recently by the Italian government give a preview of what the gambling industry can expect in 2016, with existing licenses up for renewal and new licensing that includes provision for internet cafes. Existing land gambling licenses will expire around mid-year, and operators will be offered the chance to renew. In addition, …
The Restoration of America’s Wire Act, an attempt to ban online gambling supported by land casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, came in for some heavy criticism in a Huffington Post op-ed article penned by legal expert Bruce Fein this week. Fein claims that crony capitalism in the USA has become an epidemic, with federal regulation a …
With the sixth annual e-Gaming Summit just weeks away on November 10, organisers KPMG have released details of the expert speakers who will address delegates. There will once again be a series of Master Classes run by the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) that will include international panellists such as IMGL President Joerg Hofmann, …
Lawmakers in the US state of Georgia held a hearing Monday as part of a legislative study on whether daily fantasy sports should be regulated. During the hearing, chairman state Sen. Brandon Beach asked Keith Smith, the CEO of Boyd Gaming Corp. whether Georgia should follow efforts in other states to place rules on companies …
Bryan Micon, the Las Vegas Bitcoin online casino operator of the Seals With Clubs website who was busted by Nevada authorities earlier this year in a raid on his home, (see previous reports) has been sentenced for operating an illegal gambling system. The Associated Press news agency reports on Tuesday that a Las Vegas court …
The Portuguese politicians may have approved the regulation of online gambling, but the practical implementation may take a little longer. Esperança Figueiredo, a director of Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos – the new regulatory structure that will oversee the market – said this week that it is unlikely that the body will be …
The colourful and at times troubled history of Australian IT re-seller Synergy Plus is about to change again as the company eyes the online casino sector for its future development, according to a report in the publication CRN this week. Just two years after fighting its way out of administration the company has announced that …
Australian stock exchange-listed resource mining developer Celsius Coal Ltd has signed a heads of agreement (HOA) for the acquisition of Favourit Global Pty Ltd, saying Favourit’s social sports betting platform demonstrates potential for strong growth. The unusual departure from the original nature of its business will require Celsius embark on a re-compliance process regarding the …
White label multi-channel casino and betting solutions provider Viral has been awarded a UK pool betting license paving the way for the launch of daily fantasy sports operator brand FantasyBet. “Season-long fantasy football has been popular for many years, but short-term fantasy sports and social gaming products that typically last for one game week are …
Boyle Sports has gone live with NYX Gaming Group’s OGS providing the operator with an expansive portfolio of digital gaming content in multiple formats. “The speed by which Boyle’s were able to implement NYX OGS™ is testament to the simplicity of the integration specification and the close working partnership between Boyle’s platform partners and NYX,” …
New York lawmaker Representative Felix Ortiz has filed Bill A8554 for the regulation of fantasy sports betting in the New York State Assemblywhich simply adds “fantasy sports gaming” to the existing state gambling code. If the bill is passed, daily fantasy sports would fall under the New York State Gaming Commission effectively allowing the authority …
Slot machine supplier American Gaming Systems’ interactive division (AGSi) has partnered the Hostess brand with the launch of social slot game “Twinkie 7’s” on its play-for-fun Lucky Play Casino app for iOS. As the title suggests, the game features some of Hostess’ most popular treats, Ho Hos®, Sno Balls®, and the iconic Twinkies snack cake, …
Activision Blizzard (Activision) will acquire Candy-Crush hit game makers King Digital Entertainment (KING) for $5.9 billion. Following the acquisition, Activision says it will become the new global leader in mobile gaming, create one of the largest entertainment networks with over half a billion monthly active users in 196 countries and own a portfolio that includes …
Online gambling numbers that operators should ponder include the fact that 9 in 20 online companies are targeted by Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks; 3 out of 4 that are attacked are attacked more than once; 9 out of 10 sites that have been targeted in a DDoS assault were hit in the last …
The latest quarterly results from the French online gambling regulator ARJEL show a persistent pattern of weakness, with sportsbetting the only vertical making any real impact with a year-on-year rise of 3 percent to Euro 62 million, thanks to a 5 percent increase in punters to 165,000. Horse racing remained popular, with a year-on-year gain …
Our readers may recall New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s outburst during the third Republican presidential debate, in which he ridiculed the media focus on regulating daily fantasy sports when there are so many more urgent issues on the world stage at present. However, this week New Jersey Senator Jim Whelan joined politicians in several other …
Online gambling software developers Nuworks and BetSoft Gaming have announced the launch of new online slots. Betsoft’s latest game is titled Alkemor’s Tower, a five reel, anyway-pays 3D video slot set against a background of a fantastical world and the mysticism and magic of the legendary wizard Alkemore. The theme features the forces of elemental …
Former chief executive of William Hill Australia, Sportingbet and Centrebet exec Michael Sullivan is back in the fray with the launch of the all-Australian bookmaker BlueBet. Sullivan made his aspirations clear telling The Daily Telegraph “My turnover at Sportingbet when I sold was $3 billion, and I had 300 staff. I don’t see why I …
Talks held by the British Horseracing Association (BHA) with industry stakeholders over the weekend regarding the 55th Horserace betting levy for 2016 have broken down and will now be referred to the Secretary of State Department for Culture, Media and Sport for determination. The BHA said that its offer to bookmakers who signed up prior …
Betfair subsidiary TVG rebranded its recently acquired HRTV horse racing television network to TVG2 last week. TVG said it offers consumers and distributors an improved product following a rebrand that allows it to leverage its production infrastructure. “We’ve made good progress in integrating the two television productions, and integrating the brands was the logical next …
Paddy Power has hired Sarah Ellis Davies as marketing innovations director reporting to chief marketing officer Gav Thompson who was appointed earlier this year. Davies joins the gambling operator from Telephonica Global and O2/Telefonica Europe where she served in similar positions. Together with Paddy Power’s in-house innovation team, Davies will look for new commercial opportunities …
Online gaming operator DafaBet has expanded its relationship with the Football Association of Wales (FAW), signing a three-year deal to become FAW’s official betting partner until August 2018. The period covers the European Championships in France and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign. “Dafabet’s investment into Welsh Football through the Welsh Premier League and …
Playtech’s omni-channel content Playtech ONE has launched across Mecca Bingo’s complete product range expanding on its existing long-term relationship. The launch of the solution includes Mecca Bingo’s retail, online, mobile and in-hall bingo handheld terminals. “We’re delighted that this strategically important project has come to fruition following the nationwide software agreement we signed with Playtech …
Experienced marketing man Harry Lang has been appointed by Pinnacle Sports as marketing director. Lang previously served as interim head of digital marketing for Rank Group’s Mecca Bingo business prior to which he was head of games marketing for casino and bingo at bwin.party digital entertainment. He has also worked with WMS Gaming as their …