The state of New Jersey’s attempt to overthrow the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and implement intrastate sports wagering (see previous reports) has been a costly affair, according to a report from the Associated Press news agency over the weekend. In a series of court actions in which the state has been unable to …
During the March-April 2014 period Malaysian police in the city of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah province, arrested 33 people and seized 325 computers in a series of 18 raids on online gambling outlets, according to police spokesman Chief Assistant Commissioner Jauteh Dikun. He advised residents to set up safety and security committees to help police curb …
Sweden’s gambling monopoly Svenska Spel treads a fine line between maintaining its monopolistic advantage in the market place on grounds of customer protection, and the intensity of its marketing efforts that could be construed as a contrary motive by bodies like the European Commission. This week the consequences of the company taking its foot of …
Following a three-month public consultation, the UK Gambling Commission has framed the approach it will take to the protection of player funds, a particularly important issue from the online player perspective after some spectacular operator failures that have left players stranded (see Purple Lounge and other reports) In broad terms, the regulator will require that …
UK gambling group Sportech will have to wait until summer for the latest, and hopefully final, decision on its long-running tax dispute with Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs following the completion of appeal hearings on the GBP 95 million case this week. The Value Added Tax issue based on Sportech’s “Spot the Ball” game was …
Scientific Games Corporation announced Friday that it has signed an amendment to its contract with Loteria Nacional de Beneficencia of Panama to provide the country’s first online lottery game, Pega 3. Created by Scientific Games, Pega 3 is scheduled to launch in June 2014 as a standard Pick 3 game. “Pega 3 is our first …
Online cash payments provider, Ukash announced Friday that online gambling group Betfair has signed up to its popular service, which enables customers to use cash to transact online with betting companies. Betfair customers who pass strict verification processes will be able to make cash deposits into their accounts through Ukash vouchers, which are available from …
The world’s most consistently successfully land gambling enclave, Macau off the Chinese mainland, has again exceeded analyst expectations, delivering a 10.6 percent increase in revenues against analyst predictions of 6 to 8 percent. The Reuters news agency reports that casinos raked in 31.3 billion patacas ($3.9 billion) in gambling revenue in April thanks to strong …
James Thackston, a Florida-based software engineer who for the last nine years has pushed his anti-online gambling views forward in the political and media environment, could be embarrassed by four-year-old emails that have surfaced this week. Thackston’s emphasis has been on what he sees as the money laundering potential for criminals and terrorists in online …
Opponents of legalised online gambling in Pennsylvania received another setback Thursday when experts gave generally positive briefings to lawmakers in a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing. Kevin O’Toole, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board gave a professional presentation to support his conclusion after an extensive study that online gambling can be effectively …
The long-awaited approval for online slot and betting exchange action in the Spanish online gambling market has finally been given by the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego which has announced that it is working towards an implementation date of January 2015. Operators will be given 30 days to apply for licensing for the new …
Online gambling software developer High 5 Games has launched real-money online slots on New Jersey regulated internet gambling sites in the Caesars Interactive Entertainment group following a content supply deal with the company. The two companies signed a partnership agreement earlier this year (see previous reports). The newly launched slots include Dangerous Beauty and Jaguar …
The online gambling information portal Casino Listings.com has conducted a sample study of online casino pay-out rates at three respected online gambling industry operations, 32 Red, Bet365, and 888 Casino, comparing these with the aggregated pay-out statistics reported by the Nevada Gaming Control Board for Nevada casinos, and Atlantic City casinos as reported by the …
A newspaper article about “suspected” international money laundering transactions taking advantage of Malta’s vibrant financial brokerage services and online gambling regulatory regime has evoked a response from the newly appointed chief of the Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) Joe Cuschieri. In a long article, Malta Today discussed the 29 “suspected” financial transactions involving Malta that …
Ron Bernstein, a co-founder in the now shuttered Ireland-based InTrade online betting and prediction site, has shown that you can’t keep an entrepreneur down, resurfacing with a new fantasy sports venture. The New York publication Dealbook reports that Bernstein is back following last year’s regulatory shutdown of Intrade for financial irregularities (see previous reports). The …
Clearly anticipating the advent of legalised online gambling in New York, the Empire City Casino has signed up for online gambling technology services from Irish supplier GameAccount Network plc. In a statement Wednesday GameAccount said that it had contracted to launch a Simulated Gaming online experience for new customers and existing patrons of Empire City. …
Boyd Gaming’s Atlantic City casino Borgata has posted a $3.2 million loss on its new online gambling operations, largely because of one-time marketing costs related to launching the program, which went live last November. Borgata is the market leader in the nascent intrastate internet gambling market in New Jersey and is expected to continue to …
Yesterday’s sentencing of Anatoly Golubchik, a major figure in a massive online sportsbetting and poker gambling ring bust in New York last year (see previous report) was followed Wednesday by the sentencing of two other principals in the case, Manhattan art dealer and playboy Hillel Nahmad and professional poker player Vadim Trincher. Once more Judge …
In a series of reforms announced today (Wednesday) the UK Government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport is pushing for funding of a GBP 2 million responsible gambling campaign targeted at the younger demographic. The campaign which will be funded by the gambling industry, is expected to launch later this year. A “Think 25 Initiative” …
Sunset Beach is Playtech’s latest slot title, set to a vacation beach-theme, this non-downloadable game is available in real-money or play for fun modes. Features include four individual slot machines that spin simultaneously, Expanding Cloning Wilds and Free Spins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uljuiSRc9M
Churchill Downs Inc has renewed its agreement with Webis Holdings PLC’s WatchandWager.com LLC which begins with the start of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby in Lexington this coming weekend. “This contract is particularly significant as it encompasses the rights for this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at the Churchill Downs racetrack itself,” a company statement said. The contract …
The European Court of Justice reiterated its guidelines for national online gambling jurisdictions Wednesday in finding that Austrian laws lacked the necessary consistency. Last year Advocate General Sharpston issued on Opinion on the Pfleger case (C-390/12) concluding that, unlike the Austrian current system, national gambling legislation should be strictly consistent. The ECJ has now agreed …
The British government confirmed Wednesday that it is taking a more reasonable approach to ameliorating the threat of problem gambling that Fixed Odds Betting Terminals and the location of betting shops allegedly represents (see previous reports). FOBTs account for some GBP 1.5 billion in annual revenues for Britain’s major betting firms, and rather than insisting …
Bet stimulation technology firm Bettorlogic has inked deals with BetClic Everest, Bwin and Betsson, three major European operators. Betsson will initially concentrate on BettorLogic’s full range of football services while BetClic Everest and Bwin have signed up for the full range of tennis, NFL and football. Bettorlogic’s Livelogic product provides in-play updates that react to …