THE AMERICAS
Caesars Interactive Entertainment got one last social casino bump before selling its Playtika business to a Chinese consortium; New York’s governor finally signed daily fantasy sports legislation while FanDuel underwent a corporate rebrand; Atlantic City’s Trump Taj Mahal said it would close after Labor Day; Penn National Gaming acquired social casino operator Rocket Games; MGM Resorts said it had its best July ever; Zynga’s thriving social casino games couldn’t stem its user exodus; PokerTribe.com surprised no one by delaying its real-money poker launch; eSports skin betting site CSGO Lounge announced that it would apply for betting licenses where available; GAN inked yet another mystery social gaming deal and a Florida court ruled that a card room’s player-banked games were illegal.
EUROPE and MIDDLE EAST
Ladbrokes online revenue rose but still couldn’t turn a profit; William Hill acquired software developer Grand Parade to give its struggling online division a boost; the UK Gambling Commission okayed its licensees using Bitcoin while the Malta Gaming Authority still views Bitcoin as a risk; the UKGC suspended Smart Live Gaming’s operating license pending a suitability review; FanDuel officially launched its UK-facing site; the value of betting sector Premier League shirt deals rose 57% in one year; an Israeli government report recommended strict gambling curbs; Fnatic’s Wouter Sleijffers offered insights into the lives of pro Esports players; Onpage.org’s Marcus Tandler told affiliates how to adapt to the changing search engine landscape while Mobilecasinoman.com’s Alan Young offered a vision of what the future holds for mobile casino affiliates and Summit of iGaming Malta founders Eman Pulls and Dennis Dyhr-Hansen explained why their third annual event would be the biggest yet.
ASIA and AUSTRALIA
Macau revenue fell for the 26th straight month; Tabcorp reported a sharp drop in profits and a $97m acquisition of technology provider Intecq; Bet365 Australia cut its annual losses by two-thirds; PhilWeb chairman Roberto Ongpin abruptly resigned after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made him a public target; Melco Crown Entertainment got a boost from City of Dreams Manila; Genting Singapore narrowed its losses while Marina Bay Sands dodged a terror attack; Vietnam dropped more hints about its new sports betting regulations; Australian online bookies protested South Australia’s point-of-consumption tax while West Australia mulled a similar tax; China’s sports lottery got a major Euro 2016 boost; India’s Delta Corp posted record high revenue; South Korea’s Paradise Co Ltd’s casinos rebounded following last years MERS crisis and the Asia Poker League announced it would host the first poker tournament in mainland China since the Nanjing Millions was raided 18 months ago.
