The broke Atlantic City land casino Trump Taj Mahal, due to close on December 12 in the absence of an agreement with the employees’ union (see previous reports) has been given a further brief reprieve as negotiations continue. Owners Trump Entertainment Resorts, presumably with the support of principle creditor Carl Icahn, has pushed the closure …
Online casino operator 24/7 Gaming has confirmed that it is making a radical change in its business model by switching the binary options sector, where it is pursuing an appropriate acquisition that is regulated in Cyprus. In preparation for the move the company is engaged in a brand change to Amesi plc and plans to …
New Jersey Assemblyman Ralph Caputo is known for his anti-online gambling opinions, and a recent op-ed piece in which he advocated the exclusion of Pokerstars from the New Jersey legalised online gambling market (see previous report). Caputo was in the headlines again this week with his latest legislative proposal – a bid to force online …
Social gaming operator Plaor has launched Dinosaur Up, a new 5 reel video slot title developed by Sydney, Australia-based partner Lightning Box Games. The game features scatter symbols, expanding wilds and multipliers and is available in Plaor’s Mega Fame Casino and Slots and on the Facebook, iOS, and Android game platforms. Chief operating officer Richard …
The bankrupt land casino owner Trump Entertainment Resorts has filed court documents announcing settlements with Betfair and Ultimate Gaming – two former partners in internet gambling ventures in New Jersey under the Trump Plaza and Trump Taj Mahal brands. The documents indicate that Betfair – former partner in the Trump Plaza initiative – will retain …
The conservative US Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has joined the growing number of conservative organisations strongly opposed to Sheldon Adelson’s proposed Restoration of America’s Wire Act, an attempt to federally ban most forms of internet gambling in the United States (see previous reports). The leading federal spending watchdog stepped up this week to …
The Israeli publication Haaretz reports that local credit card firm ICC-Cal is under investigation following allegations that it has illegally handled online financial transactions for international internet gambling companies. The police economic crime unit in Israel is carrying out the investigation and has claimed that the company, under the leadership of former CEO Boaz Chechik …
Although it has removed itself from the affairs of the online gambling sector, the land gambling trade body American Gaming Association remains active in keeping its members on the straight and narrow, this week publishing its first set of best practices in regard to the problem of money laundering. Motivated by a challenge from the …
Sportech plc subsidiary The Football Pools has launched MatchXtra, an innovative new Pools product that uses innovative pools technology from Longitude LLC, a New York-based technology solutions company. The product offers exceptionally competitive odds on Premier League and other matches throughout the world, the company claims. Using MatchXtra, punters can bet on fixed odds-type markets, …
The important area of Alternative Dispute Resolution will fall under the remit of the UK Gambling Commission, which has been appointed as the competent authority for entities who handle disputes relating to gambling under Europe’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Directive, due for introduction by July 2015. The directive requires entities that deal with, or aspire to …
Gaming Realms, which creates, publishes and markets next generation online gaming products, announced its interim results for the six months ending 30 September 2014 on Thursday, reporting a significant reduction in its losses from GBP 4.3 million in the first half to GBP 2.3 million in H2-2014. Financial highlights from the statement included: * Revenue …
Cherry Group principle shareholder and founder of subsidiary AutomatGruppen, Morten Klein, is back in the saddle, taking a newly created role in the group as head of business development and partnerships, working closely with the Malta management team of the group and concentrating on internet gambling as the Cherry increasingly focuses on this aspect of …
Australian gambling group Tatts has been awarded around A$540 million in compensation from the Victorian government following an appeal action this week in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Victoria’s court of appeal has upheld the judgment made in the state’s supreme court, awarding compensation to Tatts and dismissing a similar claim by Tabcorp for A$686 …
Disappointed Tabcorp executives were considering their options Thursday following the dismissal of the company’s appeal to the Supreme Court of Victoria against a Supreme Court of Victoria A$686 million judgment delivered in June 2014 in favour of the State of Victoria. Tabcorp had claimed that the State of Victoria was obliged to make the payment …
Online gambling group Betfair plc has published its interim results for the six months ended 31 October 2014, claiming that it represents a record and the return of GBP 200 million capital to shareholders. Financial highlights of the statement include: * Revenue up 26 percent, driven by strong customer base growth and successful gaming cross-sell, …
According to reports in Thursday’s Telegraph newspaper in the UK, major broadcast company Sky has sold a majority stake in its betting business SkyBet to CVC Capital Partners, a British private equity firm, for up to GBP 800 million. Sky’s decision is believed to be motivated by a desire to focus on core pay-TV operations. …
Appealing games, an easy to use design and wide availability across iOS and Android compatible devices has ensured massive popularity for Intralot Interactive’s social gaming project Lazyland since its launch two years ago. In a statement this week, the company revealed that its free-to-play offering has passed the 10 million mark in downloads…and demand shows …
Macau is too dependent on gambling and needs to diversify, the chairman of China’s Basic Law Committee, Li Fei, told Hong Kong media reporters this week, expressing opinions that are unlikely to boost the morale of operators in a market that has been declining for the past six months and shows little sign of immediate …
It seems that the conclusion of the International Social Games Association that there is only limited cross-marketing opportunity between play-for-fun social gambling and real-money betting (see previous report) is increasingly being confirmed by practical operator experience. The latest online gambling group to discover the difference appears to be Paddy Power, which is reportedly about to …
IGT’s Facebook-based social casino subsidiary DoubleDown Interactive has announced a deal with the US-based company Spriza Inc. that will see it offering social gaming punters an online lottery with travel and other prizes. Through Spriza’s proprietary online contest management platform, DoubleDown Casino will run a contest where participants can win a grand prize for four …
HM Treasury Chancellor George Osborne, in the 2014 Autumn Statement delivered today (Wednesday), said the UK Government will proceed with a further consultation process early in 2015 on replacing the Horserace Betting Levy with a Racing Right. The Horserace Betting Levy has proven to be a controversial topic as some offshore remote gambling operators take …
The Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe announced the arrest of 14 people Wednesday on charges of unlawfully operating a sports betting enterprise that stretched from Rockland County to New York City and from Bergen County, New Jersey to Palm Beach Florida. Zugibe said the ring is estimated to have taken millions of dollars …
Fantasy sports company DraftKings has inked a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers (the Sixers) to become the team’s official daily fantasy game partner. Through the partnership, DraftKings becomes the presenting partner of several of the team’s digital platforms, including the Sixers’ official website, SIXERS.COM; Sixers Sixth Man E-News; and mobile application. DraftKings will also present …
The Asian state of Malaysia is now notorious for its persistent and vigorously enforced crackdown on illegal internet gambling, and the police in just one province – Selangor – this week gave a glimpse of the costs operators risk in supplying what is clearly a huge player demand for their services. In the eleven months …