THE AMERICAS
New Jersey’s regulated online gambling market rebounded after three months of decline but Atlantic City casino revenue continued to fall and Revel announced it would close Sept. 2 after no qualified bidders emerged; PrivateTable.com announced it would launch real-money online poker in California by month’s end; Caesars Entertainment lost nearly half a billion dollars in Q2 but its social gaming operation is kicking ass;Amaya Gaming’s revenue rose and losses fell in its last pre-PokerStars quarter; Phil Ivey’s edge-sorting gal-pal engaged in similar shenanigans at Foxwoods in Connecticut; Illinois canceled Northstar’s lottery management contract seven years ahead of schedule; the Caesars Atlantic City robbers spent $50k on weed; PayPal pondered a return to the US regulated iGaming market; GearPoker left the Equity Poker Network a mere 10 months after joining and Lee Davy considered whether Big One For One Drop winner Dan Colman’s media avoidance tactics actually helped promote poker.
EUROPE
The World Cup couldn’t rescue Ladbrokes, whose profits halved in H1; Rank Group planned to double spending on digital after a lackluster fiscal year; the arrival of another new Premier League season brought a host of betting partnerships and Camberton Communications founder Mark Davies discussed how UK gambling licensing changes could affect future sponsorship deals; the UK”s advertising watchdog didn’t have a problem with Paddy Power’s masturbatory fixation; a Saudi heiress was ordered to pay her £1m casino marker; online poker players protested the Malta Lotteries & Gaming Authority’s inaction over the Everleaf Gaming debacle; Denmark’s online poker market contracted in Q2; PokerStars and Ultimate Poker purged their pro ranks; Perform Group’s ‘phantom’ football match turned out to be a Portuguese pickup game between friends; XL Media CEO Ory Weihs discussed affiliate disruption tactics while Becky Liggero quizzed Neil Channing about the demise of Black Belt Poker and the rise of Betting Emporium and actress Danica McKellar helped us wade through a host of earnings reports.
ASIA
Crown Resorts saw a spike in annual profit and assumed full ownership of Betfair Australasia; gaming device makers LT Game and IGT signed a deal to boost each other’s business in new markets; SJM Holdings saw profit rise but Macau market share fall; Echo Entertainment profit jumped by a quarter in fiscal 2014; Australia’s consumer watchdog took Bet365 to court over misleading promotions; Vietnam pressed ahead with plans to allow local residents to enter casinos; Racing Victoria offered bookies a turnover rebate if they took more high-roller bets; AGTech lost a whole bunch of money while 500.com’s revenue nearly doubled on rising China sports lottery sales; South Korea promised to lower casino regulatory barriers; Genting Singapore profit fell as uncollectible VIP gambling debts soared and Zhenru Xie won the Macau Poker Cup Red Dragon Main Event.
