THE AMERICAS
FanDuel exited Texas after a deal with the state AG and Georgia’s AG joined the ‘DFS is illegal’ club; DraftKings scrapped its eSports sponsorships while 888Poker replaced DraftKings as World Series of Poker sponsor; Amaya Gaming said it won’t publish 2016 earnings guidance; Georgia’s casino legislation died on the vine and Florida pols failed to approve the Seminole Tribe’s new gaming compact; online bookie 5Dimes was linked to a Costa Rican money laundering probe; legislative inaction could put a halt to the Illinois Lottery’s online sales; Zynga got its second new CEO in less than a year; the United Auburn Indian Community joined PokerStars’ California coalition; Carl Icahn threatened to cancel a $100m cash injection for the Trump Taj Mahal; online casino operator LeoVegas pushed for a North American IPO and Loto-Quebec’s online gambling IP-blocking plans could contravene the Trans Pacific Partnership.
EUROPE
The UK government made racing’s week by confirming ‘race betting right’ plans; Paddy Power was fined £310k for AML/KYC lapses; both Gala Coral Group and Sky Betting & Gaming’s 2015 results got a major boost from mobile channels while Sportech’s online operations took a tumble in 2015; Lithuania likened unauthorized online gambling sites to digital smuggling while Russia mulled financial penalties for anyone who helped punters access banned gambling sites; TitanBet inked its first major football partnership with Sevilla FC; 888Poker scrapped its rakeback schemes; PokerStars’ French site stopped accepting Austrian players; Novomatic and a Czech investment group teamed up to acquire control of Casinos Austria; Power Media’s Michael Finderup touted the power of email marketing; Gaming Realms’ Simon Collins said startup founders should demonstrate commitment by quitting their day-jobs; TrackingDesk’s Laurent Malka discussed the importance of traffic management for affiliates; Anna Mazoruk recapped the Georgia Gaming Congress 2016 and Rafi Farber considered the effect on gambling sites if the UK left the European Union.
ASIA
Macau casinos posted their smallest revenue decline in 20 months; Cambodian and Chinese authorities broke up another online fraud ring operating out of a Poipet casino while Sihanoukville casinos still can’t convince Chinese online live dealer businesses to return; a Hong Kong study detailed triad links to Macau casino VIP rooms; junket operator Neptune Group lost $33m in 2015; Diamond Fortune Holdings unveiled its Primorye casino plans; the Hong Kong Jockey Club declined to offer bets on Chinese Super League matches; Philippine casinos were linked to a $100m money laundering probe; Australian voters said they’d punish pols who approved online in-play betting; Tatts Group was ordered to repay a $541m pokies judgment; TopBetta struck a fantasy sports deal with Fairfax Media; Tinian Dynasty shut its hotel operations after its parent company agreed to forfeit $2.5m to US prosecutors; Konami Australia’s Charles Seo explained why bigger is better when it came to casino gaming devices and Start Live Casino managing director Johnny Ferrari talked up the potential of merging live casino play with online live dealer streaming.
