THE AMERICAS
Quebec passed its controversial online gambling IP-blocking legislation while Loto-Quebec re-upped with OpenBet; Pennsylvania legislators voted against online gambling legislation only to immediately ask for a redo; a deal was reached to restart the stalled Baha Mar resort project; regulatory violations surged at British Columbia casinos; Nevada sportsbooks continue to set new betting handle records; Atlantic City casino profits spiked but operators expressed fear over North Jersey casinos; Narsus Advisors’ Chris Grove detailed the three issues that require vigilance by daily fantasy sports fans; Royal Wins’ Myles Blasonato talked up the importance of psychology in retaining skill-game players while Rafi Farber wondered what happened to David Baazov’s bid to take Amaya Gaming private and Lee Davy offered 22 pieces of advice for World Series of Poker virgins.
EUROPE
Software developer Odobo announced it was shutting down; Poland announced it would authorize online poker and slots; Betclic Everest launched Portugal’s first licensed online betting site and returned to the Belgian online gambling market; GVC Holdings signed Betfred to a 10-year platform technology deal; Greece approved its new 35% online gambling tax; Playtech acquired slots developer Quickspin; new research said mean things about fixed-odds betting terminals; the Czech senate approved the country’s new online gambling law; PokerStars set a new record for the largest ever SCOOP prize pool; William Hill signed up for Betfect’s social sports betting platform; Sweden’s gambling market reported broad-based growth; Camelot’s lottery sales fell after making jackpots tougher to win; FanDuel targeted an August launch for its UK-facing site; Lee Davy recapped the skin betting and match-fixing discussions at the inaugural eSports Betting Summit while Rebecca Liggero recapped the Online Bingo Summit 2016 and highlights of the WhichBingo Awards 2016.
ASIA
China’s Ministry of Finance offered more hints of an online lottery restart as 500.com announced zero lottery revenue for 12 straight months; Gold Moon Group shut its VIP room at Wynn Macau while Macau legislators offered to cut casinos a break on smoking lounges; PAGCOR became the largest state-run contributor to the Philippine government’s finances while the country welcomed a new gaming jurisdiction; SJM Holdings said it wanted up to 500 new gaming tables for its Lisboa Palace; Paradise Entertainment expects to reap big bucks from the growing popularity of electronic table games while Paradise denied reports that its intellectual property dispute with Scientific Games was over; Genting Malaysia’s revenue fell thanks to a preponderance of low-rolling gamblers; Bspot’s Jamison Selby reminded mobile gaming operators that they were engaged in a bloodthirsty Darwinian fight for survival and Stephanie Raquel recapped the Asia Gaming Awards 2016.
