The Chinese gambling group AGTech has released its 2013 annual report, posting a revenue and gross profit decline of HK$208.4 million (2012: approximately HK$229.3 million) and approximately HK$91.3 million (2012: approximately HK$101.6 million), respectively. Management attributed the slowdown to its strategy of transitioning the business from the legacy, lower-growth lottery management division to a high …
Premier Lotteries Ireland Limited (PLI), recently awarded a 20-year licence to operate the Irish National Lottery, has selected INTRALOT as its technology provider for the supply, setup, maintenance and support of new lottery software platforms and terminals in Ireland. Under the terms of the 10-year contract, INTRALOT will provide its LOTOS™ O/S On-line Gaming Computer …
International Game Technology (IGT) has signed another multi-year licencing agreement with Sony Pictures Consumer Products for its Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! brands. The extension to its existing agreement will allow IGT to develop Wheel of Fortune mobile and online games for its DoubleDown Casino and for-wager online play worldwide through to 2024. Additionally, IGT …
The dissatisfaction of some Minnesota lawmakers with moves by the state lottery to take ticket sales and scratchcards online (see previous reports) came to a head Friday when a bill to reverse progress on the project was launched in the state Senate. The bill also seeks to do away with “play at the pump” lottery …
Five Koreans were arrested Friday night for allegedly operating an online gambling website from a Quezon City, Philippines apartment The arrested Koreans were identified as Ra Su-bo, Yung Sungki, Ko Tae-myung, Bioung Jun-lee and Woaggi Min. Quezon City Police spokesman Chief Supt. Richard Albano said the suspects will be charged for violating the Access Device …
The Hull Daily Mail reports that TSB Lloyds banking official Marc Burnett (30) walked free from the Hull Crown Court this week, fortunate to be handed a community service sentence rather than immediate imprisonment for stealing GBP 226,588 from the accounts of six elderly customers over a period of five years. Instead of advising his …
The government-approved Chinese sports lottery 500.com continues to present staggering statistics on its performance, and is hoping for even bigger revenues through its mobile operations and the addition of more social networking features to its lottery sales platform ahead of the FIFA World Cup. Last year 500.com sold more than 3 billion yuan (US$ 488 …
Internet giant Yahoo is inviting third party independent games developers to participate in its newly launched social gaming network, taking advantage of its offer to boost distribution and provide easy-to-access services that help build player bases and monetise games through analytical facilities, operational support and social sharing. Yahoo says its new venture will carry Yahoo …
Sportsbet, an Australian online bookmaking subsidiary of Paddy Power, has applied for a court injunction against its former CEO, Matthew Tripp and his new venture, the online betting company BetEasy, to halt the employment of a former Sportsbet staffer, Kelli Carpanini. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the litigation is an attempt to prevent Sportsbet …
Land and online gambling services group GTech S.p.A. has issued a statement detailing the reorganisation of its Americas management team to meet customer demand for a more integrated offering across multiple gaming channels, including lottery, VLT, commercial casino, and interactive gaming. The group has also created a new Lottery Management Services structure to meet lottery …
The dismantling by Louisiana police of an illegal internet cafe gambling enterprise in Gretna earlier this year (see previous report) had a sequel this week when a Michigan man, 50-year-old Marshal Isso, was extradited to Gretna to face charges of running an illegal gambling business. The Times Picayune of New Orleans reports that Isso was …
Kudos to online gambling software developer Microgaming, which this year converted its annual festive season client gift program into a donation to international charities. After polling clients to establish four charities as recipients of the GBP 30,000 budget, Microgaming handed GBP 7,500 each to the HIV children’s charity Chiva in Africa; The WWF wild life …
One of the three high-profile persons fronting for Sheldon Adelson’s Coaltion to Stop Internet Gambling, former Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln, is to enjoy even closer ties to the billionaire land casino baron following the hiring of her lobbeying company, Lincoln Policy Group. The Washington DC newspaper Politico reports that public records show Lincoln and her …
It seems from a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the industry may see a more docile approach by the American Gaming Association when it comes to opposing the Adelson jihad against online gambling. Speaking in an interview with the respected journal, AGA chairman Jim Murren – who is also the chief executive of …
The Spanish online casino operations of Bwin.Party have launched live dealer roulette branded Ruleta En Vivo streamed from Casino Rincon de Pepe in Murcia, Spain through Evolution Gaming technology. Bwin.es says that there are low, standard or high limit tables available. Director of gaming Golan Shaked said Friday that the new product would help Bwin.es …
The trial of 67 individuals accused of involvement in an online sports betting ring that allegedly generated 484 billion yuan (US$77.7 billion) between March 2008 and April 2013 has entered its second week in the Liwan District Peoples Court in the Guangdong province of China. Gamblers using the ring were mainly interested in major international …
Fears in more conservative quarters in the United States that online gambling will take business away from traditional land-based casinos are gradually being assuaged as increasing numbers of experienced gaming executives provide empirical evidence to the contrary. Joining senior executives from Boyd Gaming, Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Borgata, the American Gaming Association, Genting’s UK group, and …
Sweden’s gambling monopoly Svenska Spel has invested $400,000 in responsible gambling research, funding a chair in gambling at Lund University’s Faculty of Medicine. Lennart Käll, the company’s chief executive, said that more knowledge on gambling will assist the formation of responsible gambling strategies and help protect players. The Lund University chair includes a professorship, and …
Belgian online punters beware…there are indications that the heavy-handed Belgian Gambling Commission is about to start penalising players who use unlicensed online gambling websites. The publication Poker News reported Thursday that a report from the DLA Piper law firm has revealed that the Commission has doubled its inspectorate head count with wider enforcement in mind. …
A bill making it easier for gamblers to self-exclude themselves from New Jersey online and land gambling venues by removing the necessity for them to admit to having a problem was passed by the state Assembly Thursday on a 77 to 0 vote. “This is simply another option for those who want to exclude themselves …
The prospect of a debate by senior executives on both sides of the US online gambling issue packed out the large conference room at the Planet Hollywood Resort this week, with over 500 industry people in the audience as the iGaming North America conference kicked off. Given the pro-online gambling nature of the crowd, Adelson …
In preparation for a heavier workload as a result of the point-of-consumption secondary licensing regime scheduled for the end of this year, the UK Gambling Commission has taken on experienced managers who formerly worked for Ladbrokes and Betfair. Sue Harley, formerly customer services director at Ladbrokes, and Roger Parkes, previously the director of the group …
The latest online casino on the dedicated Swedish market, KarlCasino.com, has chosen software from fellow Swedish company Net Entertainment, and offers a full range of player services in the Swedish language. Owners L&L Limited have an LGA Malta licence for the RNG and live dealer operations of the casino, with the latter beamed from the …
UK sports bettors on Twitter can now find out football results before they happen with the launch of @askbetegy, a new service from Betegy, the online and mobile prediction company that accurately forecasts outcomes of matches and a range of betting markets, and now provides instant responses via Twitter. During the 2013 Champions League final …