University of Hamburg economist Ingo Fiedler, who has done extensive research into online gambling, claims that organised crime relies heavily on German online gambling sites to launder criminal profits…and the authorities are hampered in acting against them due to confusing laws. Speaking to the publication Deutsche Welle, the economist noted that the German Federal High …
Over the weekend The Independent newspaper in Britain carried an article claiming that online gambling, about to become a GBP 2 billion-a-year industry in the UK, is contributing to the rising incidence of problem gambling. The article claims that new evidence has revealed that the number of people in danger of becoming problem gamblers has …
The gasmask-wearing man who tried to rob a Plymouth bookie shop Friday evening and died after being tackled by punters has been identified as Alan Levers (50). Police investigations have also revealed that the gun he was wielding was a replica, although that would have been hard to detect at the time of the attempted …
Almost a year ago Los Angeles film maker Isaac Feder posted a Vimeo trailer on his upcoming documentary on the US sports betting industry titled “Life on the Line”, a fast-moving look at that side of the online and land industry and the activities of both “wise guy” bettors who make a living out of …
The spate of armed robbery attempts on High Street betting shops in the UK took a tragic twist Friday evening when a would-be robber armed with a handgun and wearing a gasmask to disguise his identity died during an attempt to rob a Plymouth bookie shop. Police have not disclosed the robber’s identity as his …
With the UK government already embarked on a secondary licencing and taxation initiative targeting offshore internet gambling operators , a north Yorkshire MP almost complicated the issue last week with a private member’s bill proposing the imposition of a levy on offshore operators to help the ailing horse racing industry. MP Anne McIntosh’s proposed additional …
Iowa state Senator Jeff Danielson is not a man to give up easily. Despite the failure to gain traction of his earlier attempts at online gambling legalisation, he is taking another run at the project, supported by his Democrat counterpart Wally Horn and Republican member Randy Feenstra. Danielson proposed Iowa Senate Study Bill 1068 this …
Last week’s news that online gambling software developer Proactive Gaming had secured a deal to take the giant Swedish land bingo operator Idrottens Spel online focused the spotlight on the Sweden-based software provider…and its plans to penetrate the Latin American market with a comprehensive online gambling offering. The company has been Sweden’s fastest growing enterprise …
The British government’s implementation plan for the introduction of secondary licensing and taxation on offshore internet gambling operators takes another step forward on Tuesday next week when the Department of Media, Culture and Sports Select Committee meets to consider and discuss the latest draft of the point-of-consumption based amendments to gambling laws. One of the …
The start-up motivator Kickstarter.com is currently featuring an ambitious online casino project in which Goldfire developer boss James Simpson has brought together what he claims is an evolutionary combination of role-playing, social gaming and casino games on an instant-play, HTML5-based massively multiplayer platform. Simpson is a twenty-something internet entrepreneur who started building games at age …
The resumed talks last week on a settlement of the Antigua vs. U.S.A. World Trade Organisation dispute appear to have failed. A Reuters report from Geneva Friday claims that the Antiguans will tell the WTO on Monday that they intend to use WTO-approved trade sanctions against the United States, which may involve allowing movie downloads …
French regulatory authority ARJEL has entered into a renewable one-year agreement with non-profit organisation l’association S.O.S. Joueurs (SOS). SOS provides free support services to problem gamblers in the form of access to psychologists, social workers or lawyers who specialise in gambling addiction. Terms of the agreement include the exchange of statistical data and the initiation …
Online gaming firm GVC Holdings PLC, currently in acquisition discussions in conjunction with William Hill Australia for online sportsbetting firm Sportingbet, has released an upbeat trading update for the six months to December 31, 2012. GVC announced a second interim dividend of Euro 7 cents per share to be paid to shareholders on the register …
Microgaming will launch two new games on its Viper and Flash platforms, titled “Starlight Kiss” and “Jason and the Golden Fleece”, in February. “Starlight Kiss” is a five reel, 243 way video slot, timeously launched for the Valentines Day celebrations. The background graphics of roses and expensive chocolates provide lucky players added opportunity through the …
GamesOS (formerly CTXM) has entered into a game supply deal covering slots, table and card games, scratchers and fixed odds games with Asian-facing online gambling website 36BOL.com. 36BOL.com says it is fully licensed in the Philippines and regulated by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority and First Cagayan. The website claims to be “named after Bet …
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and digital sports media group PERFORM will launch NBA.de, an official NBA online destination for German fans. NBA.de will offer a range of digital content including a weekly game streamed live throughout the regular-season, Playoffs and Conference Finals. Fans will also be able to watch daily highlights from NBA games, …
In just under a year, Plumbee’s Mirrorball Slots offering with its Quickspin-developed games has generated 1.15 monthly active users, a number that will probably be boosted by the recent addition of Quickspin’s latest offering, Supernova. It’s the sixth game to be added to the social gaming application which is proving so popular on Facebook, and …
Gamesys, the UK online gambling group that recently acquired the Virgin Games brand, has launched a new social gaming slot featuring the well-worn Playboy theme of scantily-clad hot girls. Other than its theme, and an experience points system that gives the player access to other slots and more Playboy-style girls from various eras, the product …
Recent additions to the burgeoning gambling-related games available on the Facebook and Zynga social gaming sites include RocketPlay’s casino and sports betting offering titled LuckyPlay. The product embraces slot, casino and table games along with sports betting. The slots feature a variety of themes and autoplay, and can be personalised to some extent by the …
With the days counting down to February 4, by which time he has to sign a bill legalising intrastate online gambling, veto it or ignore it and see it pass automatically into law, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was given some positive food for thought Thursday by a respected US analyst. Wells Fargo Securities gaming …
The giant Italian and international land and online gambling group Lottomatica is to re-brand to GTech, it announced Thursday, motivated by the need to integrate its business units with its U.S. unit GTech Holdings Corporation. According to a Reuters news agency report, the re-branding plan will be implemented throughout 2013, with Lottomatica operating under a …
Independent white-label gaming software provider EveryMatrix Limited has announced that a new online casino and sportsbook has launched at NorskeSpill.com utilising its GamMatrix management platform. The GamMatrix solution includes the newly introduced casino engine, which sees NorskeSpil.com able to offer players a wide range of games from a diversity of vendors including Net Entertainment AB, …
The European online gambling operator Betway is planning to spend more than GBP10 million this year on building its brand across Europe through a TV advertising campaign. Of the total spend, GBP 7.45 million will be invested in the UK with the rest planned for Spain, Italy and Denmark, which are currently Betway’s key target …
The European Court of Justice issued an important ruling Thursday, finding that the partly state-owned Greek gambling monopoly OPAP does not comply with the strict requirements under EU law to justify its exclusivity. The ruling confirms in particular that: EU law precludes “the exclusive right to run, manage, organise and operate games of chance to …