THE AMERICAS
A poll found Americans were more in favor of legal marijuana than legal online gambling; Pennsylvania’s long-awaited gambling study said online gambling wouldn’t cannibalize the state’s casino biz; Caesars Entertainment lost nearly $400m in Q1; both Scientific Games’ and Bally Technologies’ results were hampered by their acquisition hangovers; Genting got the initial suitability nod for its $4b Nevada casino; the Minnesota Lottery’s online scratchers got a temporary reprieve; bettors got a boost from California Chrome’s Kentucky Derby win; Vadim Trincher’s son Illya was sentenced to six months for illegal sports betting; Alligator Blood author James Leighton confirmed his book will get the movie treatment; LaJuega.com’s Victor Espinosa explained how his platform allows Latin American sports bettors to fund their wagers without bank accounts; Guy Laliberte claimed to have been the victim of high-stakes collusion on Full Tilt Poker pre-Black Friday and Lee Davy offered tips on how not to get banned for life from the World Series of Poker.
EUROPE
Two advisory firms offered support for Jason Ader’s nominees for Bwin.party’s board after Ader laid out his detailed case for change; Switzerland unveiled its draft online gambling legislation; Stan James was dubbed a vandal after putting ‘clean graffiti’ on a heritage site in Chester; men, lotteries and in-person betting continue to dominate UK gambling participation rates; hedge funds took short positions on UK bookmakers; Cashbet launched its UK-facing online gambling platform; Ryan Murton revealed why content is king in the world of SEO while Nick Garner offered tips on the timing of link building; Rebecca Liggero talked live dealer secrets with LiveDealer.org’s David and recapped the inaugural SBC Betting on Football Conference.
ASIA
Macau casino stocks slumped on news of a crackdown on UnionPay debit card mobile withdrawals; Crown Resorts boss James Packer got into a public fistfight but Crown caught a break when the perennially indecisive Sri Lankan government offered new hope for casino developers; Universal Entertainment was accused of trying to bribe a former employee into silence; misguided rumors about the legality of online lottery ticket sales in China prompted stock sell-offs for 500.com and AGTech; Union Gaming Research handicapped the field of Japan casino hopefuls; Melco Crown Entertainment profit soared on Macau mass market gains; Hong Kong Jockey Club boss said sports betting turnover would top racing’s in 2014; Singapore expanded its self-exclusion system beyond casino gambling; Pagcor promised to reduce gambling license fees to lessen the effect of steep new tax hikes; Entertainment Gaming Asia inked $4m worth of chip orders with Manila casinos; Saipan got two nibbles for its one casino license; Donaco enjoyed record revenue at its Lao Cai casino in northern Vietnam; Paddy Power Asia’s Harish Narayanan discussed the Irish operator’s long-term view for the region; a Japanese race bettor tried to convince the taxman his losing wagers were a legit business expense and Angelia Ong recapped the final table action at the APT Philippines 2014 Main Event.
