Investors could be forgiven for having reservations about buying shares in British bookmaking companies after the past few weeks of media and activist bashing on betting shop proliferation and fixed odds betting terminals, but in fact industry rumours and looking on the brighter side are pushing share prices back up. Reuters reported Tuesday that suggestions …
Online gambling software developer Playtech plc has released its Q1-2014 numbers, showing continued strong momentum with the exception of online bingo and poker, both of which languished. Highlights from the report for the period ended 31 March show: * Online casino revenues up 25.6 percent at Euro 55 million (Q1-2013: Euro 44.1 million) * Services …
The Mongolian Government’s Culture Minister Oyungerel Tsedevdamba intends submitting two draft proposals to Parliament that will legalise betting and allow for a professional horse racing league within the next three months. “Our priority is to make the legal environment for a jockey club operation so that we can have a market share of the Asian …
Coral Interactive will no longer operate in the Belgian market according to Anthony Hodgetts, head of affiliates at Gala Coral. Hodgetts explained in an affiliate communication that Coral Interactive will no longer accept new player registrations or transactions from the Belgian market due to new legislation. Existing customers located in Belgium will no longer be …
Unibet Group plc’s first quarter 2014 interim report delivered several all-time-highs in terms of profit, EBITDA and gross winnings revenue’s. Key performance highlights for the January – March 2014 period include: – Gross winnings revenue amounted to GBP 67.6 million (Q1/2013: GBP 59.3 million), up 14 percent – EBITDA was GBP 21.3 million (Q1/2013: GBP …
The Bitcoin-denominated online sports betting site Coinbet.cc has gone into liquidation after operational activity that lasted less than a year in which it carried out heavy marketing activity to pull in players. The website was unavailable and carried a “closed for business” notice over the Easter weekend, advising players to contact a support email address …
Management at the Net Entertainment-powered online casino Casino Room report that a Finnish woman player identified only as “Suvi” has hit a Euro 691,276.82 jackpot on the Arabian Nights slot. “Suvi” is apparently a recent sign-up at the casino, who hit the big win on the day she was accepted as a member, making her …
The views of Deutsche Bank analyst Andrew Zarnett on the future of legalised online gambling in the United States garnered widening publicity this week despite his more cautious assessment of the possibilities. Zarnett believes that the fragmented nature of state-by-state legalisation and the complexity induced by US political and legal interference indicate that progress will …
The Graham-Chaffetz federal bills seeking to resurrect the Wire Act and ban most forms of online gambling (see previous reports) attracted more flak this week as ten free-market libertarian organisations voiced their objections. Writing to Congressional leaders in the House and Senate, the group claimed that the Restoration of the Wire Act proposal constitutes “…a …
Spanish regulatory authority Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) will hold a briefing tomorrow (Tuesday 29 April 2014) with regulatory authorities, certification bodies and online operators to reveal full details on the imminent legalisation and introduction of online slots in the Spanish Market. Topics on the agenda are expected to include licence procedures, technical …
UK Consultancy firm Procorre says the United Kingdom faces a future shortage of IT professionals in the online gaming industry as developing markets recruit for rapid expansion. According to the research, over 50 percent of online gaming job adverts targeting the UK market are recruiting for positions based in the USA and/or Canada. In contrast …
Games developer Quickspin has entered into a game content supply deal with Gala Coral Group for its retail sector. The deal further expands Quickspin’s presence in the UK market following an online deal with the Rank Group earlier this month (see previous report). Quickspin will provide a portfolio of games adapted to retail through 1800 …
An article in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Business Day (SMHBD) indicates an imminent senior management shuffle within William Hill Australia as chief executive Michael Sullivan and chief operating officer Anthony Waller are reportedly poised to leave the operator. Business Day cited unnamed industry sources as saying the senior executives are likely to leave the company …
Australian games development studio NextGen Gaming has partnered with Betdigital for the launch of its Foxin’ Wins and 300 Shields titles in to Gala Coral bingo clubs and licenced betting offices. The games will be carried exclusively by B2 and B3 gaming machines in around 1 800 betting shops and 137 Gala Bingo Clubs, while …
The latest Ladbrokes television advertisement – the first produced by current agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty – has had a mixed reception judging by social media comments; some like it but a there’s a lot of not-very-polite criticism as well. Centred on the theme “Betting Men” the ad shows the different approaches to betting of a …
The trade body representing the UK bookmaking industry, the Association of British Bookmakers, is fighting back on a surprise proposed tax hike by the government which could see a 25 percent tax rate on the controversial betting machines. Notification on the tax increase has already wreaked havoc on share prices, wiping GBP 460 million off …
New Jersey state politicians reinforced their opposition to federal attempts to ban online gambling last week, travelling Washington to put across their views as part of the Garden State’s annual Chamber of Commerce visit to the Capitol. New Jersey Senator Ray Lesniak, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, Senate Majority Leader Lou Greenwald and Senate President Steve …
A collaborative agreement between online gambling software developer Pariplay and Intralot USA will see the former’s instant-win and scratchcard games offered on physical kiosks at licensed gaming points serviced by Intralot in Washington DC, Idaho and Ohio, the company has announced. Pariplay has agreed to develop exclusive games for Intralot, using the company’s game frameworks …
Police in Kingston, Jamaica have announced the arrest of a further 20 people as an operation to wipe out online and telephone lottery fraudsters continues. Victims in the United States and a number of other countries – in many cases elderly – have been defrauded out of millions of dollars by fraudsters located on the …
British bookmaking companies could be facing further tribulations this week as the UK government tightens the screws on betting, according to reports over the weekend in the Guardian and Telegraph newspapers. The Guardian reports that the government, under media and activist pressure, is to lower the maximum bet limits on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals in …
A fresh development took place Friday in the decade-long David and Goliath trade tussle between Antigua and Barbuda and the United States when the Caribbean island government read out a statement to the current sitting of the World Trade Organisation Dispute Settlement Body in Geneva. The rather despairing statement expressed the islanders’ frustration at the …
Online gambling is at the centre of a political spat between two Attorney General hopefuls in Massachusetts following a Boston Globe report that one of them had been involved in the sector in the past. Launching a political assault on her AG candidate rival Warren Tolman this week, fellow hopeful Maura Healey called into question …
Hot on the heels of Bwin.Party’s advisory to shareholders not to support four directorship nominations from Jason Ader’s SpringOwl company (see previous reports) comes the news that the activist investor has hit back with a website detailing the shortcomings of Bwin.Party management, and providing biographical information on his four nominees. The website www.savebwinparty.com highlights the …
Sheldon Adelson’s determination to stamp out online gambling in the United States is being met with fierce opposition from other bipartisan interested parties, including one of his competitors in the land industry, Caesars Entertainment. The Huffington Post reports that recent lobbying registration forms show Caesars has signed up BGR Group and Clark Geduldig Cranford Nielsen, …