Has the seemingly endless Macau run of outstanding gambling revenues finally peaked after an unbroken four years? The latest figures from Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau might suggest that a slowdown is taking shape. Gambling revenue in Macau fell 3.7 percent in June on an annual basis, the first decline in more than four …
The row in Arkansas over the state lottery’s venture into online games like keno in its “monitor games” series (see previous reports) has been at least partly calmed in the state legislature by a compromise. Instead of the immediate and complete ban originally sought by Republican Sen. Jimmy Hickey, the House Rules Committee has endorsed …
Delaware, one of only three US states to legalise online gambling so far, delivered another disappointing set of performance figures for online gambling in May, with official numbers indicating a general decline. The Delaware State Lottery said that although punters within the state wagered an impressive $9,026,528 on casino games, generating an almost 66 percent …
Political differences over an appropriate tax rate for online gambling in the Netherlands could delay the operational debut of the new regulatory and licensing regime in the EU country by as much as a year, lawyer Ewout Keuleers has opined. Dutch lawmakers have taken over three years to reach agreement on the right framework for …
With a remarkable lack of public fanfare, Harry Casino, a UK-facing online casino, has switched its branding to Mr. Smith Casino after three years of operations managed by Betsson subsidiary BML Group. Players are being offered promotions to stay with the new brand, and the website at mrsmithcasino.co.uk has been given an extensive makeover. The …
The operator of the UK national lottery, Camelot, has announced that it is to bring all four lottery brands under one roof under the strapline “Play makes it possible.” The marketing publication Brand Republic reports that the campaign will bring together all four core National Lottery products of Instants, Lotto, Thunderball and EuroMillions, while linking …
Live dealer gambling fans will have an additional venue choice following supplier Evolution Gaming’s latest venue deal, which will see live dealer action streamed from the prestigious Casino Campione d’Italia in the Campione d’Italia region just across the border from Switzerland. The agreement has kicked off with three live dealer tables featuring blackjack, roulette and …
The former Danish state gambling monopoly Danske Spil appears to be strengthening its in-house online gambling content development facilities with the acquisition of 60 percent of the stock of Aalborg-based games supplier CEGO Limited for an undisclosed consideration last week. The agreement includes a provision that the current owners will stay on board and manage …
The UK Gambling Commission has released its latest set of industry statistics, covering the period between October 2012 and September 2013, excluding the National Lottery, with the following high points: * Total gross gambling yield (GGY) of almost GBP 6.7 billion…an increase of GBP 252 million on the previous reporting period between April 2012 and …
UK parliamentary staff takes a great interest in online gaming websites, according to official records released under the Freedom of Information Act and obtained by The Express newspaper this week. Politicians and their staff members visited internet gaming and gambling websites 4 million times over the past year, the Palace of Westminster computer records show, …
James Leighton, the author of a biographical book on erstwhile Australian e-payment processor turned federal informant Daniel Tzvetkoff, received a useful boost from the major UK newspaper The Telegraph which published a lengthy summary of his book “Alligator Blood” Sunday. The summary, written by Leighton, opens with the following: “It took just six years for …
Adidas has pulled adverting posters in Brazilian cities that depicted a ferocious, teeth-bared head shot of disgraced Uruguayan footballer Luis Suarez, ostensibly due to tourist interest. The wide publicity following Suarez’s FIFA suspension for biting an opponent in a World Cup football match (see previous reports) triggered a trend among tourists in Brazil to pose …
Sheldon Adelson is on the warpath against online gambling again; his Las Vegas Sands land gambling group is going after the owners of 35 websites for alleged trademark and reputational offences, filing federal lawsuits late last week in the United States District Court for the District Of Nevada. The IP information site The Domains.com reports …
The latest Nevada Gaming Control Board numbers show that in May 2014 Nevada gambling revenues were up year-on-year by 8.1 percent and constituted the biggest single-month rise on The Strip so far in 2014. Strip casinos collected almost $593 million, a 17.3 percent increase compared to May 2013. Nevada casinos statewide collected $970.3 million in …
Bans on monitor games and online betting on horse races are a possibility in Arkansas, where state politicians are arguing over the suitability of both, and the state lottery, along with the Oaklawn Park thoroughbred racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas are lobbying to keep these permissions alive. Gov. Mike Beebe on Friday added a proposal …
Syracuse, NY police raided a second cybercafe this week under the state’s relatively new laws against online internet cafe sweepstakes gambling (see previous report). A North Carolina man in charge of the cybercafe, Chan Ji Byung (51), was arrested in the midday raid and charged with illegal gambling activities, and the local sheriff’s office reported …
With international media awash with Luis Suarez stories following his punishment by FIFA for biting an Italian player at the World Cup (see previous reports), the high profile UK betting exchange Betfair has decided to get in on the act to show solidarity with FIFA…and garner some publicity. Ahead of the Colombia v Uruguay encounter, …
Czech investment groups KKCG and Emma Capital – perhaps better known as the majority owners of would-be Greek gambling monopoly OPAP – have combined with Italian gaming technology company GTech to file for a licence to operate Turkey’s national lottery Milli Piyango KKCG told the Reuters news agency that the consortium was also in advanced …
For over a century the world-famous Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark has provided land slot machine action at a casino in the grounds, and the experience has been taken online with the launch of Tivoli Casino.com. Lars Dam-Johnsen, who heads up the new operation, boasts that players will not be disappointed in a range of …
BetVernon has become the official betting partner for Intertain subsidiary Walkabout bars, and is to have branding rights across the popular entertainment brand’s spectrum of digital, social media and offline presence or an initial period of one year. Walkabout is a chain of 36 Australian-themed sports bars and nightclubs operating in the United Kingdom and …
Betdigital has inked a content deal with Net Entertainment to deliver the Swedish online gambling games developer’s online slots to licensed betting offices on B2 and B3 gaming machines. Content and systems developer Betdigital is integrating both popular online games using SystemX. Betdigital’s proprietary platform allows for fast integrations of just 12 weeks, up to …
The Portuguese Casino Association, a trade body representing the interests of land gambling operators in the Portuguese market, has welcomed the progress being made on internet gambling licensing and regulation….but only as long as licensing is restricted to existing [land] concession holders. Jorge Armindo, president of the PCA, told the Lusa News Agency Thursday: “It …
The long legal battle between online and land gambling group Sportech plc and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs over the refund of decade’s old value added taxes in respect of the company’s Spot The Ball game (see previous reports) saw fresh developments this week when Sportech advised shareholders that it had received GBP93 million as …
Online bookie Marathonbet has announced another sponsorship with a UK football team after inking a two-year, six-figure agreement with Hibernian FC. The sponsorship starts immediately, and Marathonbet has the option to extend the deal for a third year. The online bookie has an interesting diversity of sponsorships that includes Fullham FC in Britain, and FC …