THE AMERICAS
Rep. Peter King (R-NY) announced a federal online gambling bill, but Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said the bill would do more harm than good; Nevada passed legislation authorizing international compacts for online gambling; US regulators sued binary options trading site Banc de Binary for operating without a US license; Avoine’s claim to the Absolute Poker assets was rejected by a federal judge; cost-conscious Zynga slashed nearly a fifth of its workforce; New Jersey declared Atlantic City casinos to be off limits to Google Glass; crocodiles ate the trailer for online poker movie Runner, Runner; Lee Davy recapped the World Series of Poker action and iMEGA’s Joe Brennan Jr. talked interstate compacts with Becky Liggero.
EUROPE
Not long after Vince Martin analyzed Bwin.party’s post-merger decline, the company purged three senior execs, all of them PartyGaming alumni; Spain’s online gambling market hit a plateau while Barcelona asked Hong Kong’s Melco International to run its resort casino project; rumors to the contrary, bookies will not be setting up shop in UK pubs anytime soon; Jakub Michalak was crowned champion at the inaugural International Stadiums Poker Tour event, while organizer Prosper Masquelier said he didn’t worry about the massive overlay because money was easy to find; Mike O’Donnell pondered the role of independent authorities in regulated environments; Lee Davy studied a week in the life of Ruben Visser and Mecca Bingo’s Claire Osborne explained to Becky Liggero why convergence was the future.
ASIA
Sri Lankan politicians said Crown Ltd.’s proposed resort won’t contain a casino but Packer’s local partner claimed otherwise; agents for a massive Chinese online gambling ring appeared in a Shanghai court; Caesars Entertainment was rumored to have won a South Korean casino license; tired of waiting on Japan’s cross-party committee, the Japan Restoration Party decided to introduce its own casino legislation; China overtook the US in Bitcoin client downloads; a thinktank suggested Indian sports bettors had a “right to do wrong;” Macau had its second best month ever in May and SJM Holdings maintained its top dog status; PAGCOR’s remittance to the Philippine government earned it membership in the ‘Billionaire’s Club;’ Australian politicians took one last shot at Tom Waterhouse; Niklas Heinecker won $4m at the Guangdong Ltd. Asia Millions and Angelia Ong asked CEZA’s Jose Marie Ponce why the Philippines is Asia’s top online gambling hub.
