California Senator Rod Wright, who was earlier this week convicted in a Los Angeles court on eight felony counts for voter fraud and perjury, has resigned his chairmanship of the influential Senate Governmental Organization Committee, which initially handles all state gambling bills. The Senator is a strong supporter of legalised online poker in California, and …
Nevada casinos won $11.1 billion in 2013 as the gambling state chalked up a fourth consecutive year of gambling revenue gains, fueled largely by high-roller Baccarat game and good fortune that favored the house. Reporting on the latest figures from the Nevada regulator, the Associated Press news agency says statewide win for the calendar year …
The very media-active and voluble Campaign for Fairer Gambling has been rapped over the knuckles by the Advertising Standards Association in Britain over some of the claims it made in a parliamentary publication in the course of its anti-Fixed Odds Betting Terminals campaign. Readers of CFG press material have become accustomed to the emotive language …
The Rank Group plc has posted its half-year results for the six months ended 31 December 2013, highlighting a group performance that included: * Group revenue up 16 percent at GBP 352.4 million * Group operating profit down 14 percent at GBP 32.7 million * Group EBITDA down 6 percent at GBP 54.2 million * …
The comprehensive switch to Playtech digital gambling technology agreed by Ladbrokes plc last year has seen another step forward with the launch of Playtech live dealer services at Ladbrokes this week. Ladbrokes has previously worked with CWC Gaming and Evolution in this vertical, providing popular casino games live like Blackjack,Sic Bo, Roulette and Baccarat. Meanwhile …
Bill Rutsey, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, published an op-ed article in the Ottawa Citizen this week, criticising the Canadian Senate for sitting on a two-year-old bill that has wide support and would allow Canadians to place single game wagers. Rutsey clearly chose the timing for his article carefully as Super …
The Press of Atlantic City reports that a new poll conducted by the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey shows that less than 3 percent of New Jersey gamblers have gambled online since the state launched Internet gambling in November last year. The poll …
Los Angeles-based digital entertainment and sports distributor Global Gaming Network, Inc. has announced a content supply deal with Impact Fantasy Sports, an interactive development company focused on creating unique and engaging fantasy sports games. The agreement will see IFS provide GBGM with customised fantasy league games which will be offered to U.S. based casinos, sports …
Prosecutors in Roanoke, Virginia are working up a case against at least nine people alleged to have operated an online sports betting ring that took over $5 million in wagers before it was shut down mid-2013 by federal law enforcement officials. The Roanoke Times reports that the nine defendants include a local restaurant owner, and …
Bwin Party Digital Entertainment has announced that its live sports content subsidiary, Bwin Feed has been selected by the Fortuna Entertainment Group as its content supplier of choice. Fortuna is probably the largest sports betting operator in Central Europe, and the agreement will see Bwin Feed content integrated with Fortuna’s sports betting client. Bwin Feed …
Online gambling software developer Playtech plc has issued a post-close trading statement confirming that the company has continued to perform strongly in the fourth quarter and expects to exceed analyst expectations for the full year. The statement notes that Playtech has completed the rollout of further products, specifically focusing on its mobile and sports verticals …
BetTech Gaming, a South African provider of turnkey gaming solutions, has partnered with Van der Vyver Racing to launch online sportsbook Playabets.com in the local market. Van der Vyver Racing was established more than 65 years ago, and has betting shops throughout the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Launching the fully localised online and mobile …
Online gambling group 888 Holdings plc has posted an interim management statement covering key performance indicators for its fourth quarter period 1 October 2013 to date, and highlighting: * Group quarterly revenue reached an all-time high of US$107 million (Q4 2012: US$97 million), an increase of 10 percent year on year and a 14 percent …
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports that since Russia banned gambling in all but four remote regions of the country in 2009, its enforcement officials have shut down 61,000 illegal operators, many in the Moscow area. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office released the statistics Wednesday, revealing that the owners of underground gambling parlours have …
Britain’s Culture Minister, Helen Grant, says that bookmaking firms must release a fixed-odds betting terminal for research purposes after allegations that they have been reluctant to do so. The machines, usually based in High Street betting shops, have become something of a political football as anti-gambling action groups, media outlets and opposition politicians have weighed …
Former Betdaq owner and Irish gambling entrepreneur Dermot Desmond (63) has sold off his IIU Nominees company’s 25 percent holding in online payments processor Optimal Payments for GBP 146 million, adding to his reported wealth as Ireland’s seventh richest businessman of Euro 1.4 billion. Press material from Optimal reveals that IIU Nominees Limited successfully sold …
Scientific Games Corporation has signed a contract to implement and support a Central Monitoring System for the New Mexico Gaming Control Board. The contract calls for Scientific Games to provide its SGVideo Gaming Central Monitoring System which will enable the regulator to monitor and control licensed video gaming terminals, located in five racinos and up …
BetSoft Gaming has announced the launch of its latest 3D slots addition, a 5 reel, 30 line game titled Good Girl, Bad Girl, claiming that this is the first time in the industry that dual math models have been used in a single game. Good Girl, Bad Girl is designed to make the most of …
In Illinois the crisis around renewing a law to permit online horse race wagering has again been averted at the eleventh hour after state lawmakers approved an extension in time to allow horse racing tracks to keep their racing schedules intact for 2014. The publication KSDK reports that the renewal measure passed the Senate 47-4 …
A 2010 federal bust for organising online gambling in New England is still creating headlines as a growing number of defendants in the case agree to a group guilty plea. Increasing the interest level in the case is the much-reported element where enforcement officials dug up the back yard of one defendant and found a …
With opposition members of parliament become increasingly critical of the delays in its implementation, it looks as if the Irish tax on online betting may at last be activated in 2014. The Irish newspaper The Independent reports this week that the Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013 has continued to grind its way through the Dail with …
Casinomeister, an online gambling information site that has an active player database as one the industry pioneers, has released its fifteenth Awards list, delivering accolades and brickbats in a wide range of categories. 32Red plc again took triple honours for “The Best Casino of 2013 – Global”, “Best Casino Group – Global”, “Best Customer Service …
Casual games producer Big Fish has reported its 11th year of record growth raking in $266 million in gross revenue which was driven largely by its mobile free-to-play games such as Big Fish Casino. “We exited 2013 by successfully transitioning our company into a mobile free-to-play games company, exiting the year with a run rate …
Malta-based online gaming firm Interwetten has reported a 7 percent increase in revenue despite serious external challenges. The company said the 5 percent sportsbetting tax on turnover imposed by Germany, regulatory constraints in Spain, the forced market exit in Greece as well as a lack of a major event in sports had a serious effect …