THE AMERICAS
A former US solicitor general thinks the Reid/Kyl online poker bill’s ‘bad actor’ clause could be unconstitutional while New Jersey made similar constitutional claims about the PASPA sports betting prohibition; two more applicants filed for Nevada online poker licenses but Vince Martin dumped cold water on online poker’s revenue potential; Canada’s Senate prepared to begin a crucial debate on the C-290 sports betting bill; Argentina became the latest country to label Bwin.party a rogue operator; Latin America boosted Codere’s earnings; Vivo Interactive launched social gaming’s first live dealer casino; South Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled poker was a game of skill but nonetheless illegal; we wondered whether Bitcoin use would ever expand to mainstream gambling sites and Mike O’Donnell walked a mile in an affiliate’s moccasins.
EUROPE & AFRICA
Germany delayed the deadline for its sports betting license applications; Madrid gave in to Sheldon Adelson’s tax demands; Bet365 maintained its supremacy over the in-play wagering pack; there were rumors of inner turmoil at Ladbrokes; Sweden brought down the tax hammer on poker players; Italian betting operator SNAI and Greek betting monopoly OPAP both reported sucktastic Q3 earnings; European countries love taxing online betting companies; Camelot posted healthy earnings and revealed its status as sole bidder for the Pennsylvania Lottery contract; South Africa approved Phumelela’s takeover of Gold Circle’s Western Cape operations; social gaming revenue could top $7b by 2015 assuming regulations don’t curb its growth; HTML5 was tipped as the future for online gambling affiliates and Rebecca Liggero brought further scoops from the Mobile & Tablet Gambling Summit 2012.
ASIA
Universal Entertainment stock sank as Philippine authorities launched an investigation into bribery allegations involving Kazuo Okada and former PAGCOR execs; Paul Y. Engineering inked a deal to build a boutique casino on Macau’s Cotai Strip; Macau revised its slot lounge rules which will have the greatest impact on Melco Crown Entertainment; Macau students see their futures in casinos and Bodog88 agreed to help FIFA combat match fixing.
