Gambling news - page 351

Italian authority green lights Playtech’s SNAI acquisition

21 May 2018

Italy’s gambling authority Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (AAMS) has given the green light to Playtech’s proposed Euro 846 million deal for an initial 70.6 percent slice of gaming operator SNAI. Completion of this initial majority share is expected some time in June 2018 with the full 100 percent acquisition anticipated by year end.

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Bet365 to keep main ops hub in Gibraltar

21 May 2018

In response to a widely reported article in the Sunday Times of Malta, Bet365 has clarified its ‘Gibraltar after BREXIT’ position (see previous reports) saying the company will expand in Malta but retain its main operational hub in Gibraltar. According to a report from the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation, an unidentified bet365 spokesperson clarified that the company’s investment in Malta …

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SIG appoint former Will Hill exec

21 May 2018

Horse racing multi-media information firm Sports Information Group (SIG) has announced the appointment of former William Hill Online chief information officer, Itay Fisher as its new chief technology officer. Our readers will recall SIG, whose flagship brand is the Daily Racing Form and more recently the DRFBets platform, was acquired by Z Capital Group, L.L.C. in July last year. As a member of William …

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Will bet365 exit Gibraltar following Brexit?

20 May 2018

The Sunday Times of Malta reported over the weekend that major online gambling group Bet365 may relocate its operations to Malta, leaving Gibraltar when the Brexit issue has been finalised. Such a move would involve some 1,000 employees, the newspaper reports. Quoting unnamed sources, the Sunday Times of Malta revealed that a sale agreement valued …

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Nevada land casino operator facing regulatory problems

19 May 2018

The Nevada Gaming Control Board is reportedly investigating the online activities of Reno-based land casino owner BCH Gaming, which operates the Boomtown Casino Hotel. The Board has filed a complaint against BCH accusing it of violating the federal 1961 Wire Act and Nevada statutes by referring players to online casino sites associated with Deck Media …

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Gamstop effectiveness questioned by UK Gaming Commission

19 May 2018

The Guardian newspaper has carried several anti-gambling articles this week following the government’s decision to chop FOBT maximum bets to GBP 2, but it took a different tack Friday in a story which questioned the effectiveness of the Gamstop player self-exclusion system pioneered by the Gambling Commission and the Remote Gaming Association. The newspaper claims …

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Another class action against a social gaming firm

19 May 2018

Another social casino gaming class action has been launched in Tacoma, Washington State, with the Game Show Network the latest target of the same legal firm that has been launching class actions against similar operations in the state. GSN offer free-to-play casino games in which virtual tokens are used, issued as rewards by the operator …

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Italian police seize over 20 million euros associated with Malta gambling company

19 May 2018

Italian police have seized over Euro 20 million following investigations into an organised crime illegal gambling ring linked to Malta company Centurionbet, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reported this week. Centurionbet has been accused by prosecutors of entering into a commercial relationship with a company controlled by Italian organised crime figures, and that …

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U.S. poll shows support for legalised sports betting has grown

19 May 2018

The latest poll from the New Jersey-based Fairleigh Dickinson University has been released, revealing: * Half of Americans favour legalising sports betting across the United States, largely because they support the additional tax revenue it could bring for states, and argue that it is taking place anyway; * Five states already have laws in place …

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SG Digital appoints new sportsbook chief

18 May 2018

Scientific Games Corporation has strengthened the senior management team of SG Digital with the appointment of Nikos Konstakis as its new VP Sportsbook. Konstakis will be responsible for overseeing OpenBet’s product development roadmap and delivering and enhancing its sportsbook proposition for customers following the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Betting Act.  …

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Sky Betting and Gaming CEO concerned about possible remote gaming tax increases

18 May 2018

In an op-ed article in the Yorkshire Post this (Friday) morning Sky Betting and Gaming CEO Richard Flint reacted to the UK government’s indication that it may seek higher taxes from online gambling firms to recoup tax losses brought about by the decision to chop FOBT maximum bets to GBP 2. Flint points out that …

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BetSoft readies launch of Ogre Empire slot

18 May 2018

BetSoft takes players on a journey to a world of whimsical fantasy with its new 5 reel, 25 pay-line,  story-driven slot titled Ogre Empire, set for release on May 28. The theme is set in a fantasy city where the residents must take refuge indoors when an ogre turns their rooftops into his new throne. …

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Mississippi moves on sports betting

18 May 2018

Mississippi is moving fast on the introduction of sports betting regulation following the US Supreme Court decision this week, publishing regulations proposed by the Mississippi Gaming Commission and announcing a 25-day window for public submissions. The proposals could see the state’s 28 licensed land casino operators offering sports betting as early as July this year, …

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Kenyan assembly committee dashes hopes of a reduction in gambling tax

18 May 2018

Hopes that Kenya’s business-killing tax rate of 35 percent on GGR would be reduced to just 15 percent on operators and a 20 percent tax on players’ winnings were dashed this week when the Assembly’s Labour and Social Welfare committee withdrew amendments to the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act proposed earlier this year by National …

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Delaware ready for sports betting

18 May 2018

The state of Delaware could be among the front runners in offering sports betting following the US Supreme Court decision earlier this week overturning the 1996 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Delaware was one of three states granted limited exemption from the federal law, but its demise now allows the state to widen its …

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Playtech veteran to head SG Digital commercial portfolio

18 May 2018

Scientific Games Corporation announced Thursday that its SG Digital division has appointed Steve Schrier as its new chief commercial officer, responsible for establishing customer partnerships and for all account management and business development across the division. Prior to taking on his new role at SG Digital, Schrier spent over two decades in senior commercial roles …

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U.S. study shows that millennials believe online gambling should be legal

18 May 2018

A study by YouGovUS has shown that  US consumers aged 18-34 are more likely to agree (50 percent) that online gambling should be legal than disagree (28 percent), and that Americans aged 35-49 favour online gambling, while consumers aged 50-64 are divided on the issue and the majority of those aged 65+ oppose it. The …

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Is online gambling the next target?

18 May 2018

Flushed with the success of their anti-FOBT campaign, anti-gambling activists and problem gambling charities are now looking for a new target….and it might just be online gambling. In an interview with the Independent newspaper Thursday GambleAware chief Marc Etches said that attention must be paid to the rapidly growing online gambling sector, pointing out that …

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eSports company gets another $600,000 investment

17 May 2018

Antigua-based eSports operator Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) has announced a further $600,000 investment from Colorado-based First Capital Ventures, adding to a similar amount the US company invested in March last year. Today’s financing announcement represents the exercise of warrants held by First Capital and demonstrates the firm’s continued commitment and confidence in the future of …

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Victorian online bookies commit to continue sponsoring racing events

17 May 2018

Racing Victoria’s chief executive, Giles Thompson, told local media reporters in Victoria this week that many of the online bookmaking firms had “given undertakings” to the state’s three racing codes that they would maintain their support of the industry, so long as the point of consumption Victorian tax rate remains at 8 percent. The Sydney …

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Kambi to provide U.S. gambling group with sportsbook

17 May 2018

Kambi Group plc has unveiled a multi-year deal to provide online US betting company Rush Street Interactive with sportsbook technology and services. Following this week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to repeal the country’s federal sports betting ban in full, Rush Street plans to launch a Kambi-powered Sportsbook within select states where permitted, the company advised …

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Mansionbet to sponsor Yorkshire Cup horse racing

17 May 2018

The Mansion online sportsbook and casino operator has clinched a sponsorship deal at a premier UK horseracing event and is to support two high profile races in York. Tomorrow’s (Friday) Mansionbet Yorkshire Cup will be the first sponsored race, followed by the MansionBet Sprint on Saturday May 26. York Racecourse sponsorship head James Brennan said …

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Turmoil at Romanian regulator’s offices

17 May 2018

The Romanian newspaper Bursa reports that the management team at the Romanian National Office for Gambling (ONJN) has been replaced on the orders of the national prime minister, Viorica Dăncilă. The chief regulator Dan Iliovici, who has been in post for just over a year, was among those removed from office; he has been replaced …

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Good Q1-2018 for Fortuna Entertainment

17 May 2018

Eastern Europe-facing gambling group Fortuna Entertainment has posted a positive Q1-2018 report, highlighting: * Revenues up 157.6 percent y-o-y at Euro 110 million; * Player stakes rose 163.7 percent to almost Euro 800 million; * EBITDA up an impressive 665.6 percent at Euro 22.8 million; * Adjusted EBITDA up 724 percent at Euro 222.8 million; …

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