The Spanish government’s green light for taking its national lottery public was switched to red this week as officials suspended the listing due to weak market conditions. Spain’s Finance Ministry said it postponed the sale of 30 percent of Sociedad Estatal Loterias & Apuestas del Estado SA as market conditions don’t “guarantee revenues that reflect …
A series of appeals brought by internet gambling companies including bwin.party Digital Entertainment Plc were dealt a blow today with Germany’s Federal Court of Justice upholding a ban that prohibits private-sector companies from operating online gambling websites. Germany’s highest civil court ruled that the prohibition is justified to combat the dangers associated with gambling, reports …
Peter Teague will continue in his role as commissioner following his reappointment by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports’ (DCMS) to the Gambling Commission Board for a second term. The second term will run for up to four years commencing September 1, 2011.
Malaysian state capital Kedah’s chief asst commissioner of CID, Zakaria Ahmad has reported on the ongoing crackdown of illegal online gambling activities in the country according to The Star Online. Ahmad reported that a total of 820 people have been arrested along with the seizure of 4 036 computers in the past nine month period, …
Online gambling operator bet365 has chosen Geo Networks to provide a national optical fibre network to facilitate a superior end-user experience, better handle its network demands, ensure fast, reliable distribution of data and rapid reconciliation of millions of daily transactions. The ten-year deal will see the Geo-managed network deployed between bet365’s key UK data centers …
UK gambling group Gala Coral has appointed Paul Bowtell to the position of chief financial officer, replacing Gary Hughes who will step down from the role at the end of this month. Hughes who joined Gala Coral in October 2008 has steered the company into “good shape financially” and “will move on to other things”. …
Submissions from three bidders for the bankrupt Czech national lottery and betting firm Sazka AS has culminated in the sale of the business this week to a joint bid from Czech financial groups PPF AS and KKCG. Bidders for the company had to fork out a 500 million-koruna ($29.3 million) deposit while the main selection …
Italian online casino domains have increased significantly in value following the expanded regulation of the Italian market in July to include online casino action. Anticipating market regulation, I-Promotions Limited recently acquired the Blackjack.it domain for Euro 65,000, and domains like OnlineCasino.it are currently up for sale at a low six figure price. OnlinePoker.it is also …
The management at UK online betting group Betfair has made another conroversial decision, the latest in a string of rulings that have angered and alienated many internet punters. The Telegraph newspaper reported Tuesday that more than 10 gamblers who lost out on a GBP16,610 Tote jackpot after Betfair failed to process their wagers in time …
Net Entertainment, the developer of the MegaFortune online progressive slot which paid out a record Euro 11.7 million early Saturday morning has confirmed the win by a 20-year-old Norwegian student. The jackpot was the highest in the history of online gaming, and was won at Betsson.com. “It is my pleasure to congratulate yet another multi-millionaire, …
Former Centrebet technical executive Stefan Matthews has been appointed Bodog Europe’s chief technical officer, bringing 10 years of management experience to the group. Matthews’ resume includes technology and business development at the Australian betting group Centrebet International, and a spell as md of the B2B training and assessment firm Collage Technologies. Patrik Selin, CEO of …
The German state of Schleswig Holstein, which recently broke away from the other 15 German states to run its own EC-approved online gambling regime, could soon be joined by Saxony, according to rampant speculation in the German market this week. The German states are experiencing difficulty in renewing their gambling treaty, which has hitherto proved …
More details have emerged on proposed Hungarian online gambling regulations with a tax amendment proposal submitted to Parliament by the governing Fidesz party, according to local newswire MTI. The amendments are based on a bill authored by Economy Minister György Matolcsy submitted to a parliamentary committee earlier this month . Fidesz party member Antal Rogán, …
Online casino games developer PopCap could be getting ready to launch a series of casino-style games on Facebook, according to GeekWire. New domain purchases, changes to a Facebook page and a recent trademark application for ‘Lucky GemCasino’ by PopCap have been cited by the publication as a possible indicator of a shift to a casino …
Online gambling, and sports betting in particular is again front-and-centre in New Jersey politics as the week starts, with new that the Fairleigh Dickenson University PublicMind poll is about to be updated, a hearing by the Senate State Government and Wagering Committee is about to start, and a consultant is predicting that the state could …
Following a trading halt pending a key capital raising announcement by Australian publicly-listed interactive television gambling provider Two Way, the company has welcomed a cornerstone investor by way of Malaysian entrepreneur Gerald Tan. The new investors have agreed to invest up to $2.04 million of expansion capital in the Company which will be used to …
Online gaming software provider NeoGames will provide a selection of online scratchcard and instant win games to the Mexican National Lottery, Lotería Nacional in a supply deal announced this week. The game selection are all fully customised and branded for the Mexican market. Being a new market for Lotería Nacional, NeoGames will share its online …
Sportech subsidiary Vernons has ventured into online casino, games and poker to expand on its traditional football pools offering. Available via dedicated tabs on the vernons.com website, the new offerings are powered by Playtech, offer full player services and competitive SUB’s. Vernons Online Casino offers table, card, slots, progressive slots, and arcade games from Playtech …
Scientific Games Corporation has announced the completion of its acquisition of UK gaming content and machine supplier Barcrest Group Limited. Barcrest, formerly an IGT company, will be integrated into Scientific Games’ wholly owned UK subsidiaries, The Global Draw and Games Media, which supply, operate and service over 29,000 gaming terminals globally. Barcrest had an installed …
The recent news that a European Commission finding supported lower tax rates for Danish online gambling operators than their land counterparts will open up competition for Malta in the licensing jurisdiction stakes, predicts an article in the Malta Times. However, Danish licensees will be still be paying a 20 percent tax on profits (against the …
Malaysians caught gambling online may soon be taken to court together with owners and operators of the illegal online gambling premises, state police chief Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob told the New Straits Times over the weekend. At present online gamblers are only detained to assist in police investigations and called up as witnesses in court, …
Ireland’s extensive reform of its land and online gambling sectors appears to be moving apace, with Justice Minister Alan Shutter previewing some of the proposals in an interview with the Irish Examiner over the weekend. He said that time delays are to be introduced on the use of credit cards for online betting, along with …
The Philippines police have been busy over the weekend, with a spokesman for the National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group announcing that a series of late night raids led to 20 arrests involving a Korean Jopok organised crime cell operating illegal online blackjack casinos in Pasig City. CIDG Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. claimed during …
More details are now available on Saturday morning’s massive Euro 11.7 million hit on Net Entertainment’s progressive slot MegaFortune jackpot. The jackpot was taken down by an as yet unidentified 20-something Norwegian man playing on a whim at the Betsson online casino. Norwegian newspapers report that the student from Hordaland, Norway returned home in the …