Spain’s giant Christmas lottery, El Gordo (The Fat One), is expected to break records this year as cash-strapped Spaniards pin their hopes in a life-changing win and queue round the block for tickets. Many would-be multi-millionaire punters say they are hoping to win so they can pay off debt or help relatives facing heavy economic …
The Turkish government plans to privatise the nation’s legal sports betting organisation, Spor Toto, in June 2013 at an estimated value around $10 billion, reports the publications Hurriyet and Milliyet. The government has already embarked on an extensive privatisation program of state assets which has included the sale of banking, roads and bridges to raise …
Our readers will recall the story of an Irish post office manager, Tony O’Reilly, who over a 14 month period in 2010-2011 plundered the funds under his care in order to feed an increasingly voracious appetite for gambling. This week O’Reilly paid for his dishonesty in embezzling Euro 1.75 million with a four year jail …
The major sports betting operator BetCRIS has announced that it has taken over all BookMaker.eu non-US accounts effective immediately. The company advises players that their account balances are 100 percent secured, with no restrictions and that they can use their Bookmaker log in and passwords on the BetCRIS site. All currently open wagers will be …
The in-house game developers at Slotland online casino have released their latest winter-themed slot titled Ice Queen. The new game is described by a company spokesman as “…a sparkling winter fantasy from the pages of Hans Christian Andersen with a magical Bonus Game. The boy, kidnapped by the Ice Queen in the classic fairy tale, …
It appears that the Swedish taxman’s tactic of using poker information sites to track down high-earning players and tax them is being replicated by tax authorities in Spain. According to a report on the Spanish poker information site Poker-Red, tax investigators have used the Hendon Mob public database of live tournament results to monitor the …
Online gambling operators in the tax-heavy French market appear to be voting with their feet, with the latest departures whittling the number of licenses down to just 33, held by 22 companies, according to French media reports. Significantly, this week the major international operator 888.com became the latest to depart, requesting regulator ARJEL to cancel …
If you thought the online gambling scene in Schleswig Holstein, a state in Germany that is currently betwixt and between a gambling treaty with other German states and compliance with its own EU approved gambling laws, be prepared to add another element of confusion to the mix. Despite the plans of its anti-online gambling state …
Northern and Shell’s The Health Lottery was in hot water with the UK Advertising Standards Authority this week over a press advertisement that implied buying a lottery ticket could be a solution to financial concerns or a way to achieve financial security. The banned national press ad boasted a prominent headline saying “Mortgage? What mortgage?” …
Media Corp plc, which earlier this year put subsidiary Purple Lounge Poker into liquidation, owing players money, has now placed its internet advertising subsidiary Eyeconomy Limited into administration with KRE Corporate Recovery LLP. In a stock exchange advisory, Media Corp explained that Eyeconomy had posted news that it was likely to make a loss for …
Online casino 3Dice was using Twitter and Youtube this week in a tease campaign heralding the possibly imminent arrival of a new online slot titled Kyoko’s Quest. It is understood that the ninja-themed, 243 Ways-to-Win game was developed by Angle Gaming Labs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG0kxtY9czU
After several weeks of rumour and speculation, it appears that sports betting website Betislands has gone to the wall owing players money after its financial backers pulled out. Additionally, bad management decisions and a tough run of sports events have been blamed for the company’s failure after only three years in business. The respected Sports …
Affiliate marketers this week reported the startling news that 888sports.com appears to be exiting the Australian market, basing their belief on an email from the company that advised them: “Unfortunately, due to regulation changes currently taking place in Australia, 888sport will no longer accept sport bets from players located in Australia until further notice. “As …
In an hour-long hearing Tuesday that was well-attended by interested parties, lawyers for New Jersey and the major US sports leagues argued for and against the Garden State offering sports betting, effectively defying the discriminatory and federal PASPA. New Jersey has already passed the necessary legislation for intrastate sports betting, a move that triggered litigation …
With a major row brewing over the Greek Ministry of Finance’s offer to give up-for-sale OPAP a ten year monopoly on internet gambling it appeared this week that the communications between the Ministry and the Hellenic Gaming Commission leave much to be desired. Amidst protests and complaints from major gambling groups, some of which have …
The United States has apparently again been successful in stalling World Trade Organisation action in its long-running dispute with Antigua and Barbuda over online gambling. On Monday Antigua and Barbuda’s High Commissioner to London, Carl Roberts, addressed the WTO Dispute Settlement Body noting that his government had submitted to the WTO Secretariat a request for …
Police in Miri, Norneo report that a raid targeted on illegal online gambling operators Tuesday resulted in the arrest of three suspects and the confiscation of 23 computers. Of the trio arrested, one was a female working as a cashier at the premises while the two other were customers in their 20s, reports the Borneo …
Los Angeles-based television group Bischoff Hervey Entertainment Television announced Tuesday that it has acquired a 50 percent equity interest in social games developer MX Digital with a view to opening up new media opportunities in the social casino sector. Founded four years ago, MX Digital has grown into a top international developer of interactive, casino, …
Major internet gambling group Sportingbet plc has entered into a joint venture agreement with social gaming firm Plumbee with the intention of exploring the real-money social gambling sector. The JV, titled Bonza Gaming, will be headed up by Sportingbet’s former head of mobile Rick Brownlow as chief executive officer, based in London. He is to …
In its first deal under the new ownership of Amaya Gaming, Ongame Network has signed a two-year licensing deal with operator Redbet Gaming Limited. Montreal-based Amaya Gaming Group purchased Ongame Network from Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment for approximately $19.73 million in October, adding it to a growing range of online gambling subsidiaries that includes Cryptologic, Chartwell …
Since October this year player forums have been buzzing about a new slot from Net Entertainment titled “Elements -The Awakening”, and the game finally went live this week. The action-packed slot is the first Net Entertainment release to use Flash 11, and follows other popular platinum titles such as Gonzo’s Quest and Jack and the …
Spielo G2 (formerly GTechG2) has inked a partnership agreement with the Norwegian state lottery Norsk Tipping which will see it launch the lottery’s first range of i-gaming products exclusively for the Norwegian market. The partnership is for five years with the option for a one-year extension at the discretion of Norsk Tipping. Spielo G2 and …
QuickFire, powered by Microgaming has reported that its agreement to supply an online gambling platform and slots to Cherry AB subsidiary EuroSlots has reached fruition, with the site going live. EuroSlots is a new online casino built on an innovative proprietary platform that focuses on online slot games. The highly anticipated site replaces PlayCherry.com, which …
It has worked on alcoholics, and now the drug Naltrexone will be trialled on addictive gamblers, the Australian publication SBS.com reported Monday. Half a million Australians are at risk of becoming, or already are, problem gamblers, costing around A$ 4.7 billion a year, according government figures. Now researchers at the University of Melbourne and St …