THE AMERICAS
Delaware became the first US state to legalize online poker and casino games, putting a serious crimp in federal regulation efforts; California delayed (again) making a decision on exchange betting; Black Friday banker John Campos was given a three-month sentence; Golden Nugget casino launched a Bally-powered free-play online poker site and investors were left underwhelmed by Zynga’s latest social games plans.
EUROPE
Shuffle Master decided to cancel its purchase of Bwin.party’s surplus asset Ongame Network, while Ongame skin Hollywood Poker abruptly closed its doors; the European Union made noise about clamping down on illicit operators; Betfair posted its 2011 FY results; Danish gaming regulators ordered ISPs to block unlicensed sites; Stan James found itself under scrutiny by UK regulators over its move to Gibraltar; Ladbrokes issued an online profit decline warning; Microgaming officially terminated its relationship with 5050Poker while Malta’s gaming regulator officially suspended 5050Poker’s gaming license; sports betting is tipped to be most affected by a UK regulation revamp; Las Vegas Sands put off picking a site for its EuroVegas resort; the Spanish online poker market’s taxation burden came under criticism and pending sports betting licenses in German state Schleswig-Holstein may still be issued.
ASIA
Melco Crown revealed it was talking with the richest man in the Philippines about building a resort casino in Manila while video game publisher IP E-Games Ventures wants to build a casino in the Cagayan special economic zone; Macau Slot won a three-year extension on its sports betting monopoly; gaming stocks fell on rumors that China would impose visa restrictions on Macau visitors; Pagcor had yet another record-setting revenue month; tempers flared over a casino referendum in Taiwan and Las Vegas Sands’ boss Sheldon Adelson was accused of being a man who knows his ho’s.
