THE AMERICAS
The Restoration of America’s Wire Act got the hyperbolic congressional hearing it deserved; Quebec announced plans to IP-block illegal gambling sites while offering a lifeline to other operators; Delaware and Nevada launched the first US interstate online poker network and IGT launched the first interstate video poker wide area progressive; Amaya Gaming spun off its Diamond Game lottery business; New Jersey published its first online responsible gambling study; MGM Resorts said it wanted to go “toe-to-toe” with Connecticut casinos; Fanduel won its legal case against rival DraftKings over US bragging rights; an Illinois court dismissed nuisance suits against PokerStars and Full Tilt; gambling proponent Senator Harry Reid said he won’t run for reelection in 2016; a former Watergate prosecutor was appointed to probe Caesars Entertainment’s asset sales; PlayStudios teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal and DoubleDown Casino inked the Heartland Poker Tour; American claims that Antigua’s online gambling market was growing were met with derision; Phil Ivey failed to quash the Borgata’s edge-sorting lawsuit; Income Access CEO Nicky Senyard offered strategies for US land-based casinos and affiliates while Lee Davy wondered why US poker players weren’t leading the charge against RAWA.
EUROPE
A 666Bet director was arrested as part of a £21m fraud investigation and Leyton Orient FC terminated its 666Bet sponsorship; 888 Holdings said it’s “never been so healthy” after a record 2014 and a new World Series of Poker sponsorship; Optimal Payments bought rival Skrill and Neteller began accepting Bitcoin; GVC Holdings’s 2014 was “a resounding success;” a Dutch court said Unibet wasn’t responsible for a gambler’s €178k losses; Austria announced it would IP-block international online operators; Mansion CEO Guy Gussarsky announced his resignation; Robbie Davies offered tips for online gambling writers and Italy defeated Russia to claim the inaugural Global Poker Masters.
ASIA
VitaCapital Group’s $4b Vietnam casino project added new partners in Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and junket operator SunCity; Philippine authorities denied reports that they’d concluded probes of Universal Entertainment; Cambodia announced three new casinos after another double-digit revenue gain in 2014; China’s lottery sales surged in February; Melco Crown Entertainment boosted staff salaries despite Macau’s downturn; other Asian casino jurisdictions aren’t poaching as many Macau VIPs as previously believed; Crown Resorts got into a trademark tiff with the Intercontinental Hotels Group; Rafi Farber offered his assessment of whether it’s time to buy depressed Macau casino stocks and Bitgame Labs’ Jiten Melwani explained why Bitcoin is tailor made for the Asian market.
