Gaming Industry News Weekly Recap – Stories You Might Have Missed

july-4-new-weekly-recapTHE AMERICAS

Mike Gatto pulls plug on hearing of his AB 9 poker bill; Federal prosecutors decided not to appeal U.S. District judge’s dismissal of an illegal gambling case against Paul Phua; Bitcoin online gambling site Primedice has revealed how a scammer exploited a software flaw to take the site for over $1m worth of bitcoin last year; and E-sports betting website Unikrn has raised $7m in its latest funding round;

Trump Plaza casino owner Trump Entertainment Resorts filed a deed restriction to avoid mandatory payments in lieu of taxes; Melco Crown Entertainment’s shares was withdrawn from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on June 29; Baha Mar Ltd.has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; the city of Boston has issued subpoenas for state police officers and members of the attorney general’s office who allegedly provided unauthorized access to a ‘wiretap room’ to investigators working for casino operator Wynn Resorts; details leaked on James Packer’s new resort in Las Vegas Strip; Boyd Gaming Corporation has announced its $45m expansion plans for Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel in Louisiana; and Mark Frissora has assumed Caesars Entertainments’ president and CEO role;

The Pittsburgh Steelers has submitted its application to host the Super Bowl LVII; LeBron James has opted out of his contract with Cleveland Cavaliers; the NBA teams handed out more than $1b on the first day of free agency; Pro golfer Phil Mickelson had been tied to an illegal sports betting case brought by US federal authorities; Keven Stammen defeats Joe Serock in heads-up action to win the Season 3 Hollywood Poker Open Main Event at the M Resort in downtown Las Vegas; and Tatjana Pasalic takes us to the Final Table of this year’s High Roller For One Drop at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas for WSOP 2015.

 

EUROPE

Ladbrokes’s merger talks with Gala Coral; Canada’s C-290, the bill that would have allowed Canadians to make single-game sports wagers with their provincial lottery corporations died in Senate; PokerStars and Full Tilt exit Portugese market but vow return; the UK Gambling Commission warned Bitcoin operators that gambling offerings to UK residents require a license, even if conducted through alternate currencies; Playtech offered $105m for Dublin forex/CFD firm Ava Trade; the Association of British Bookmakers had tapped Malcolm George as its new permanent CEO; Betsson becomes the second largest Georgian online gaming operator as it acquires privately-owned operator Europe-Bet; the Mansion Group, BetVictor, Ladbrokes, Betfair and Bet365 had boost football sponsorships; Betfred reported total turnover of £13.3b in 18 months ending September 2014; and Cherry AB pays €4.6m for 71% stake in Almor Holdings’ German-facing online brands.

ASIA

The Philippines Court of Appeals has dealt a body blow to Robert Gustafsson’s criminal conspiracy; Macau’s 36.2% year-on-year decline in June gaming revenue, stocks buying opportunity and full smoking ban plans; Jimei International has struck a deal to ferry VIPs to Cambodia’s NagaWorld casino; and Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority has finalized the concept for its proposed resort casino in South Korea.