The District of Columbia has announced the schedule for a series of public meetings to discuss plans to implement the nation’s first intrastate online gambling program. The meetings are an attempt to address concerns voiced at a public hearing last month. Several DC Council members, including Jack Evans, objected to the speed with which DC Lottery was rolling out its igamingDC.com plan. The meetings will be held in each of DC’s eight wards between Aug. 16 and Sept. 8 (the latter date the day on which the iGamingDC site was originally scheduled to launch). The full council will discuss the results of the meetings on Sept. 14, but since Evans is already on record as wanting to scuttle iGamingDC before it launches, it’s unclear whether the public’s input will matter one way or the other.
Betting on US horse racing fell 2.9% in July compared to the same month last year, according to Equibase figures. Despite this, handle per racing day was actually up 4.1% in July due to a 6.7% decline in race dates. Wagering is down almost 7% on the year, with total handle at $6.5b over the first seven months, on pace to record its lowest mark since 1995.
Slot machine and lottery terminal maker WMS Industries saw its fiscal Q4 profit drop 69% as a result of decreased sales and restructuring costs. For the three-month period ending June 30, revenue was down 4.8%, product sales were off 3.3% while revenue from gaming operations dropped 7.3%. Following a “thorough review of our business strategies and product plans,” the company has decided to reduce its workforce by 10%. WMS stock is now down 44% on the year. As if things weren’t bad enough, WMS’ rival International Game Technology posted a much rosier financial picture last week.
Ladbrokes has hired ‘madcap’ Italian football presenter Tiziano Crudeli as the star of its new adverts. Lads’ CEO Richard Glynn hopes Crudeli “will help convey the fun and excitement of betting.” Crudeli is scheduled to make the move from pitch to pitchman on Sky this Saturday, but be safe and turn your volume down now…