Schleswig-Holstein delays vote on gaming law
Like a mirage of an oasis on a broiling desert horizon, just as the vote on northern German state Schleswig-Holstein’s favorable online gaming draft law drew near, it vanished into thin air. All 16 German states will now attempt to reach a consensus before the current gaming law expires at the end of this year.
GVC Holdings hot for Sportingbet’s Turkish operations
GVC is Ladbrokes’ best buddy at the moment, because GVC’s proposed acquisition of Sportingbet’s Turkish operations will smooth Ladbrokes’ acquisition of Sportingbet.
Intrastate online poker battles heat up
Sept. 9 marks the end of California’s current legislative session, and with the clock ticking, both pro and con sides of the online poker debate are ramping up the rhetoric. On the other coast, New Jersey is suddenly back in play as Sen. Lesniak intends to reintroduce his online gambling bill this week.
Bodog88 signs with Sunplus for in-play betting
Bodog88 will now be able to offer Asian punters the full menu of in-play sports betting options provided by Sunplus ONEbook. In other deals, Skybet re-upped its in-play deal with Sporting Solutions; GTech renewed with the Missouri Lottery and, oh yeah, Google spent $12.5b to acquire Motorola Mobility (and a whole bunch of patents).
Bwin.party.yo.yo: Pwin investors suffering from motion sickness
Rumors that Pwin was a takeover target boosted its share price early in the week, but long term figures reveal the merger of Bwin and PartyGaming has been an unmitigated catastrophuck for shareholders.
Full Tilt Poker having yet another bad week
First it was a new class action suit brought by disgruntled players, then their chief marketing maven admitted he was fleeing the coop as soon as he could figure out how to get FTP’s proprietary cone of silence off his head.
Is Betfair pulling an Italian job?
While Betfair made a big show of closing the accounts of Asian punters prior to its IPO last October, rumors now suggest the betting exchange is trying to readmit these same punters through the backdoor (aka Betfair’s Italian site).
South Africa sheds light on its online gambling plans
South Africa has recognized the folly of its past attempts to mimic American-style prohibition against online gambling, and now hopes to follow the Italian model.
Australian news roundup
Bet365 pulled out of the market to give their Northern Territory license application a fighting shot; Sportingbet’s takeover of Centrebet gets a thumbs-up from shareholders; Sportsbet and Centrebet get oversized rebate checks from the Aussie taxman.
Getting shirty: online gaming increases Premier League visibility
You’re simply nobody in this business until you’re on a sweaty Premier League footballer’s chest. This week saw Mansion get cozy with Manchester City, while Betsson gets set to debut on Arsenal kit.
Earnings report cards
Tabcorp, GigaMedia, Bingo.com, Gala Coral and London Capital Group.
VIDEO PICK
Dana Workman queries industry notables on the tricky business of acquiring and retaining customers/players. Part 2 here.
