Gaming Industry News Weekly Recap – Stories You Might Have Missed

july-25-new-weekly-recapTHE AMERICAS
A judge ruled creditor lawsuits could continue against Caesars Entertainment during bankruptcy proceedings; a federal indictment of two Israeli stock manipulators took down a major US-facing online casino group; DraftKings inked a partnership with Major League Soccer; Mohegan Sun launched a New Jersey online casino site and a free-play Play4Fun site in Connecticut; Boyd Gaming’s online gambling turned a $1.6m profit while Delaware’s online gambling revenue hit a new low; Antigua made a last-ditch effort to resolve its WTO dispute with the US; Yahoo’s definition of a daily fantasy sports guarantee came under fire; Tony Romo’s cancelled fantasy sports convention sued the NFL for $1m; BCLC’s PlayNow.com boosted annual revenue by 20%; a court ruled that the Bahamas didn’t need to recognize Baha Mar’s US bankruptcy filing; PokerStars queried its former US players on their daily fantasy sports preferences; GLPI finally sealed its REIT deal with Pinnacle Entertainment; Churchill Downs Inc. shut down Bluff Media; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched an online poker course; Stephanie Rccquel offered insights into building a social brand and Rebecca Liggero explained why casinos need to embrace NFC and Beacon technology.

EUROPE
Ladbrokes and Gala Coral Group sealed a merger deal but the merged brands will retain some independence; Italian police cracked down hard on the Betuniq online betting operation; Gaming Realms acquired the Slingo social casino brand from RealNetworks; sports betting became France’s dominant online gambling vertical; Casino Gran Madrid shut its online poker room; 32Red boosted its H1 revenue by 22% while Betsson’s H1 rose 19% and IG Group boosted its 2014 revenue by 5%; LGBTBet founder Kim Alexander discussed the unique challenges facing an LGBT-themed online gambling site; Liverpool FC inked a deal with MarathonBet and Winamax inked OGC Nice; PokerStars announced the priciest ever online poker tourney and the biggest ever WCOOP; Full Tilt signed Marc Kennedy as its first ever Player Ambassador; Bwin.party poker director Jeffrey Haas left the company but Rafi Farber explained why 888’s acquisition of Bwin.party won’t fail.

ASIA
Echo Entertainment beat out Crown Resorts for the Brisbane casino license; Las Vegas Sands was hit hard by Macau’s revenue slump while newly released documents fingered Sheldon Adelson as a CIA sleeper agent; Macau Legend Development inked a $275m Cape Verde casino deal; Aussie betting operator Tabcorp was hit with a civil lawsuit over shoddy anti-money-laundering protocols; Thailand police busted more South Korean online gambling operators; the Hong Kong Jockey Club explained why its commitment to second screen technology is paying big dividends and KM iGaming CEO Keith McDonnell explained why slots have a bright future in Asian markets.