Gaming Industry News Weekly Recap – Stories You Might Have Missed

september-27-new-weekly-recapTHE AMERICAS
Antigua PM Gaston Browne made history by referencing online gambling in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly; Ladbrokes pulled out of Canada while Manitoba’s official online gambling site made a public plea for single-game sports betting; Nevada’s online poker market posted its lowest monthly revenue to date so Real Gaming allowed customers to top up their accounts at 7-11; Steve Wynn sued a short-seller for allegedly claiming Wynn Resorts had violated US anti-bribery laws; MGM Resorts sued some would-be marijuana dealers for trademark infringement; bankrupt casino Revel had its auction postponed after late bidders emerged; William Hill US inked another Nevada sportsbook; Dan Bilzerian punked his social media fans with a fake arrest video; Rafi Farber held a gaming technology firm merger beauty contest while Rebecca Liggero quizzed Optimal Payments CEO Joel Leonoff about US market challenges, polled the industry on which US operator deserved ‘best in show’ honors and discussed the role of the NFL in driving customer acquisition.

EUROPE & AFRICA
The UK delayed implementation of its new licensing regime but Mybet announced it was leaving the UK market anyway; the European Union’s top court approved Denmark charging online gambling operators less tax than land-based casinos; 11 domestic and international online gambling operators formed the German Sports Betting Association; PokerStars trimmed both its affiliate and sponsored pro ranks but released a couple videos explaining how it spent customers’ money; struggling Spanish operator Codere reached a deal with creditors to stave off bankruptcy; GVC Holdings marked five consecutive quarters of growth; BetButler officially had its license revoked by UK regulators; Bet365 launched its Italian-facing site; the Greek half of Cyprus finally published its casino draft law;UK poker players petitioned regulators tp back up on changes to automated top-up rules; South Africa suspended its entire National Gambling Board for as yet unexplained reasons and Tom Galanis judged who’d done the best job of launching a sports betting site in 2014.

ASIA
Sheldon Adelson held on to his #1 ranking on the 2014 Inside Asian Gaming 50; analysts said Macau’s revenue swoon would persist into 2015; Macau police accused casino labor organizers of ‘aggravated disobedience’; Matthew Tripp touted BetEasy’s willingness to take bets other Australian bookies refuse; Kazuo Okada’s Manila Bay Resorts could launch a year later than planned; Imperial Pacific boosted its Saipan casino development budget to a whopping $7b; IGT inked a technology deal with City of Dreams Manila and Macau’s anti-graft agency said its investigation into Wynn Resorts’ Cotai land deal was in no way over.