THE AMERICAS
Fantasy sports operator DraftKings struck an exclusive deal with Major League Baseball and sold a $250m stake of itself to Walt Disney; California tribes considered a unified front against racetracks offering online poker; Lindsey Graham hinted at a potential online lottery carveout from RAWA; GSN Gaming acquired social game developers Idle Gaming; Amaya Gaming sold its Cadillac Jack division to AGS; Nevada took another stab at allowing ‘entity’ betting; US tribal gaming revenue posted its slowest annual revenue growth since the recession; Nevada casino revenue fell as VIP baccarat whales went AWOL; Sands Bethlehem asked for permission to launch electronic table games in Pennsylvania; Scientific Games inked a social casino deal with California’s Fantasy Springs Resort Casino; Major League Baseball fined Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart for illegal betting and Gamytech’s Jonathan Swerdlow explained how skill games can help establish brands in the US market.
EUROPE
PokerStars took its first sports bet as Amaya Gaming celebrated a record year; Sweden proposed stricter gambling advertising regulations; Playtech entered the forex markets by buying another Teddy Sagi company; Net Entertainment celebrated a record 2014; Ladbrokes new CEO didn’t appreciate his predecessor’s political punditry; OPAP’s 2014 profit jumped thanks to aggressive cost-cutting; Gaming Realms’ James Harrison revealed how to improve the mobile gaming user experience; Doyle Brunson said Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot should be in the Poker Hall of Fame and Lee Davy recounted his brush with Ulliot’s particular brand of lunacy.
ASIA
Macau casino revenue fell 39% in March and junket operator Iao Kun Group fell victim to Macau’s VIP slump; China reported the largest ever bust of an illegal online gambling operation; online sports lottery operator 500.com got a boost from Beijing rumors; Japan’s casino legislation faced further delays; Cambodian casino operator NagaCorp’s VIP gaming revenue doubled in 2014; Lawrence Ho delayed the launch of his Primorye casino; Landing International scrapped its purchase of a South Korean casino and SM Group downplayed reports that it was planning a Cebu casino.
