THE AMERICAS
Nevada sportsbooks enjoyed record handle and winnings via the Seahawks’ thrashing of the Broncos at Super Bowl XLVIII; Minnesota’s lottery became the first in the nation to sell instant-win scratch-off tickets online; a hero lobbyist has arisen to defend us against Sheldon Adelson’s online gambling attacks while Steve Wynn offered yet another contradictory stance on online gambling; Churchill Downs sued an Atlantic City casino exec for blowing their shot at entering New Jersey’s online market; some key Florida politicians decided to back Miami casinos; Michael Graydon got a top job with Paragon Gaming just a week after quitting as BCLC CEO; Cashbet raised money to compete with Betable; Jon Friedberg analyzed the US online gambling market from an affiliate’s point of view while New Jersey residents said their preferred hits came from a bong, not from blackjack; Mike O’Donnell considered the need for regulating agencies to share information and Lee Davy pondered PartyPoker’s bid to evolve the poker sponsorship world.
EUROPE
Betsson acquired Dutch-facing Oranje and Kroon for between €130m and €145m; The Guardian launched an FSB Technology-powered online sportsbook; Sportnco teamed with PMU’s Belgian subsidiary; 888 prepped for its Spanish sports betting debut; Sweden’s regulated gambling market shrunk for the third straight year; Betfair told the IOC it would be vigilant against Olympic cheaters and the UK House of Lords asked for 10-year sentences for match fixers; Bwin.party asked shareholders to reward its top executives for failing to meet their targets; market researcher Philip McGuin examined Google updates’ winners and losers; Backlinko’s Brian Dean discussed methods of optimizing your website’s content; Kirby Garlitos handicapped the contenders out to win Olympic gold while Dr. Patrick Basham examined where all the Sochi gold is really going; Rebecca Liggero dragged her cameras all over ICE Totally Gaming, the London Affiliate Conference, the London Baby! Party, the iGB Affiliate Awards and the Fire and Ice Pantheon.
ASIA
Genting Singapore announced it would build a $2.2b resort casino on South Korea’s Jeju Island; Macau casino revenue grew only 7% in January; Tabcorp revenue declined despite digital gains; Echo Entertainment saw profits fall and its CEO head for the exits; a US fund manager gave up trying to reclaim millions of dollars from a failed Australian horse betting syndicate; SJM Holdings took a $50m stake in the international lottery biz; Indonesia busted some SBObet agents and the Philippines busted 10 South Koreans; PAGCOR’s E-Games unit set a Q3 date for its IPO; Lee Davy dissected Joe Hachem’s anti-poker harangue and fumed over the five-way chop at the Aussie Millions $25k; Kirby Garlitos previewed gambling in the Year of the Wooden Horse and the Selin-Gustafsson gang’s Philippine crime spree led to two more charges being filed.
