The US debate on the expansion of sports betting beyond the four states currently permitted to offer such wagering entered a new phase this week with an ESPN poll to assess professional athlete attitudes to the issue. The poll, which involved 73 players across the national sports leagues, revealed that 63 percent of respondents believe …
A million dollar win on a $20 online stake made one Michigan state lottery online punter a happy camper this week. The unidentified online gambler hit a million dollar bonanza – the biggest prize since online operations launched late last year – on the appropriately titled Diamond Payout scratch card game. Michigan’s venture into online …
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) announced Thursday that it has made it easier and more convenient for players to self-exclude from New Jersey online gambling sites by adding new regulations. Online punters who wish to self-exclude can now do so byh registering directly on the DGE website, or at NJPortal.com. Internet gamblers …
Sheldon Adelson’s political allies in the US Congress are pushing his recently reintroduced Restoration of the American Wire Act ahead at a cracking pace, wasting no time this year in setting up a Congressional hearing to progress the measure. Quoting an anonymous source on Capitol Hill, pro-online gambling activist Michelle Minton revealed on Twitter Thursday …
US Justice Department officials disappointed by a court recommendation that evidence in the Paul Phua case gathered through questionable means should be withheld have asked a separate federal judge, Andrew Gordon, to review the finding. The high profile charges relating to illegal sports betting laid against poker pro Phua following the last World Cup football …
Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment has announced the appointment of Liz Catchpole and Barry Gibson as independent Non-Executive Directors with effect from 1 March 2015. The two replace Rod Perry, chairman of the Remuneration Committee and senior independent director, and Helmut Kern, chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee, both of whom retire at the conclusion of …
China’s anti-corruption clampdown and its negative impact on Macau gambling numbers has produced an unexpected windfall for Australian land casinos as a growing number of Chinese high rollers seek their thrills further from home. According to a Reuters report this week at least two of the top Aussie land operators report increased business. Crown Resorts …
DavidJ, a VIP online punter at the Slotastic online casino, will be able to clear his debts and buy a new vehicle, thanks to his $146,088 jackpot win last week. The lucky punter hit it rich on the Spirit of the Incas slot, one of his regular favourites, powered by RealTime Gaming. David is a …
Betfair’s latest campaign features horses driving rally cars in the lead up to the Cheltenham Festival. The WCRS-created campaign, which covers the TV, digital and press platforms, evolves Betfair’s “This is Play” strapline to include the mnemonic “Tap Tap Boom” indicating how many taps it takes to place a wager utilising Betfair’s mobile app. Mark …
Newcastle-headquartered Bede Gaming is looking for up to 75 new staff members following its multi-million pound digital platform deal with Rank Group at the end of January 2015. Bede Gaming expects to grow its existing 120 staff complement with the immediate addition of at least 25, followed by another 50, software and creative positions. The …
Casino Luck and Next Casino, owned by Dublin-based Minotauro Media Ltd, have reportedly integrated content from Thunderkick AB and Aristocrat. The new content comprises around 25 video slots which can be found in the NYX category in either online casino. Additional content by way of new games from Thunderkick and Aristocrat are expected to be …
Harbour Gaming Affiliates have launched its redesigned Lucky Balls.com flagship brand focused on the UK. The online casino, which is built on the B3W Gaming Platform, is licensed by the Malta Gaming Commission (formerly Lotteries and Gaming Commission) and the UK Gambling Commission. It offers 160 proprietary B3W casino and live games including betting on …
NYX Gaming Group has confirmed that its Sportech-NYX Gaming Group (SNG) joint venture with Sportech PLC has been awarded a transactional waiver for internet gaming operations in New Jersey by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. SNG is now authorised to offer customers real-money online gaming in New Jersey through NYX’s Open Platform System, …
In a fast-moving initiative today GuoLine Overseas Limited, a subsidiary of Hong Leong Company (Malaysia) Berhad, announced that it has sold 50 million ordinary shares (about 13 percent of its holding) in The Rank Group plc to institutional investors. The shares represent approximately 12.8 percent of Rank’s entire issued share capital, and leave Hong Leong …
NYX Gaming Group will distribute a full portfolio of Realistic Games titles via NYX OGS following a deal announced Wednesday. Realistic’s ReGaL games server has been integrated into NYX OGS distribution platform providing NYX customers such as Unibet, Mr Green, Leo Vegas and Betsson a wide range of new content. Andy Harris, commercial director for …
Apparently undeterred by being referred to the European Court of Justice by the European Commission for having non-compliant gambling laws, the Swedish government has indicated that its gambling reform laws are on the back burner until mid-2015. Advising that parliament is currently focused on budgetry debates, Public Administration Minister Ardalan Shekarabi said that gambling reform …
Swedish gaming group Cherry reported record turnover across all business areas during its fourth quarter but a net loss affected by a change of executive directorship and its lottery product Klubblo. Online gaming was a star performer delivering a 60 percent growth Key performance highlights for the 4th quarter ending December 31, 2014 include: Group …
Betfair Group plc subsidiary TVG has acquired the Stronach Group’s HRTV horse racing television network for an initial consideration of $25 million. Based on TVG’s handle a further consideration of up to $47.8 million over a seven-year period will be payable. Further terms of the deal will see TVG benefit from seven years of television …
The drama over the sale of Atlantic City’s bankrupt Revel building continued Tuesday, when bankruptcy court Judge Gloria Burns postponed a decision on whether to terminate a $95.4 million auction sale agreement with Florida developer Glenn Straub. Straub failed to meet an agreement deadline recently (see previous reports) and the owners of Revel sought to …
Unconfirmed reports from the business publication Fortune this week claim that one of the leaders in the daily fantasy sports sector, FanDuel, is considering a fresh round of financing through a sale of shares in order to raise at least $100 million. The new capital will be devoted to marketing and player acquisition to cement …
It’s been a tough 2014 for Finnish gambling operator RAY, which this week reported a 1.9 percent year-on-year drop in revenues to Euro 776 million due to “challenging” local market conditions. The decline impacted all of the company’s products, with the key retail activity particularly hard-hit, revenues falling 2.1 percent to Euro 581 million. The …
GTech has announced the appointment as head of American operations of Michael Chambrello, a former GTech executive who has more recently worked as CEO for Scientific Games. For Chambrello it is a return to the fold; he was a senior GTech executive for seventreen years before joining Scientific Games in 1998. GTech group CEO Mike …
The American Gaming Association, trade body for the nation’s land gambling operators, is gearing up for a PR campaign designed to coincide with the 2016 presidential elections and ensure that candidates fully understand the importance of gambling to the US economy. Unveiling its “Gaming Votes” campaign this week, the Association claimed that the industry has …
Play’n Go’s latest slot, Pimped, is due for launch on February 24 with a theme redolent with bling and spin. The new game is a 5-reel video slot with 10 pay-lines and feaures that include a stacked wild symbol (the wild knuckleduster) and a scatter symbol (the golden dollar sign). The wild symbol substitutes for …