THE AMERICAS
New Jersey launched its Third Circuit Court appeal of its recent sports betting legal defeat; New Jersey poker players rejected the American Gaming Association’s efforts to keep PokerStars out of the market; Bally Technologies inked another online free-play deal with a tribal casino; Nevada sportsbooks enjoyed record handle on the NCAA March Madness tourney and dodged a bullet with FGCU’s elimination; the Ironman Poker Challenge set a Guinness World Record; Vince Martin examined the state of the US regional casino market and Mike O’Donnell wondered whether UK National Lottery operator Camelot could conquer the US lottery management market.
EUROPE
Spanish online gambling revenue rose in Q4 2012 but customer growth slowed; the UK’s online gambling market grew 80% in five years but might have grown even more if online sites were better designed; Intralot earnings rose 15% in 2012; GVC Holdings turned a profit in 2012; SNAI lost more money in 2012; online gambling affiliates braced for the impact of the Cyprus bank bailout; Scientific Games expanded its deal with Gala Coral; Hungarian casinos benefited from a non-casino slots ban; Fortune Poker announced it was shutting down; 888 struck a deal to live-stream the WSOP Europe; Rocco Palumbo won the World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix while Becky Liggero talked social gaming with Arooga CEO Karl Jeffrey and affiliate management with Affiliate Republik’s Marit von Stedingk.
ASIA
Australia’s National Rugby League agreed to scale back bookie Tom Waterhouse’s onscreen presence while Tom’s mum told his critics to bugger off; Galaxy Entertainment doubled its net income in 2012; junket operator AERL took a revenue hit in 2012 while Neptune Group forged ahead with plans to open a new VIP gaming room at SJM’s Grand Lisboa in Macau; the Asian Poker Tour geared up for the APT Philippines and Wynn Macau was fined for violating privacy laws in order to bash Kazuo Okada.
