THE AMERICAS
Amaya Gaming set a March 21 date for PokerStars’ New Jersey launch while warning that Stars’ former owners won’t help pay its $870m legal bill in Kentucky; Intertain’s CEO stepped down after the company scrapped its executive bonus plan; Virginia became the first state to send a pro-DFS bill to its governor; Western Union found itself the subject of an FBI online gambling probe; California’s new online poker bill would make it a felony to play on international sites; New Jersey published skill-based game regulations; Caesars Interactive Entertainment had a record year thanks to social gaming gains and racing took a back seat to social gaming in Churchill Downs Inc’s 2015 report; Rock Gaming rebranded as JACK Entertainment; Donald Trump mulled a Las Vegas casino joint venture with Phil Ruffin; Nevada sportsbooks set another new sports betting record; more legal hassles forced Wynn Resorts to postpone its Everett casino project; the World Series of Poker released its 2016 schedule and the Global Poker Index handed out its American Poker Awards; Rafi Farber said MGM Resorts was a great buy and a study examined the legacy of America’s Indian casino gaming industry.
EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST
Former Bwin.party CEO Norbert Teufelberger was charged with bribery over a failed Turkish betting license bid; William Hill’s 2015 profit fell after £87m in new UK gambling taxes while Ladbrokes posted its first annual loss in a decade; Playtech’s grey/black-market Asian business grew 49% in 2015; Denmark’s regulated online gambling market closed out 2015 on a high note; Tabcorp set a spring date for its UK online gambling launch; Mr Green vowed to launch its sportsbook before Euro 2016; an Israeli government report said Eilat casinos could generate $500m per year; Lee Davy recapped the inaugural Global Poker League draft; Bates, Wells & Braithwaite solicitor Gemma Boone explained why start-ups should mind their legal P’s and Q’s before launching and William Hill’s Crispin Nieboer offered tips on how to inspire technical innovation at your company.
ASIA
Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority won a South Korean casino license; Crown Resorts blamed Macau for its H1 decline while SJM Holdings and Galaxy Entertainment Group both saw their Macau profits slump in 2015; online sports lottery operator 500.com reported its third straight quarter of nil revenue; Australian gamblers’ use of bookmaker-branded debit cards rose sixfold in a year; Donaco International terminated its junket deal with Heng Sheng Group after five months; the operator of Macau’s first VIP slots room said junkets could shift gamblers’ preferences from baccarat to slots; a SkyCity casino VIP lost $5m in 82 minutes; Frontier Capital dropped plans for a Mongolian lottery venture; Australian regulators fined Topbetta for its ‘No Lose Saturday’ ad campaign; Novomatic acquired a majority stake in Ainsworth Game Technology; Thailand’s media was gripped by a murder mystery involving a Cambodian casino junket operator; Mukesh Choudhary suggested tax reforms that India’s poker industry needs from the government and LT Game COO Betty Zhao said virtual sports gaming was “a little seed” that is growing in Asian markets.
