THE AMERICAS
DraftKings convinced investors to pony up $153m in a new funding round; Canada’s national telecom regulator said Quebec’s IP-blocking plans are unlawful; Intertain Group said it would rebrand as Jackpotjoy following its move to the UK; Scientific Games acquired Canadian rival DEQ Systems; someone bought the $3.5b Baha Mar resort but the Bahamas PM isn’t saying who; Carl Icahn rejected a last ditch effort to keep the Trump Taj Mahal open; Fantasy Aces acquired Fantasy Feud’s player database; Lottoland’s Nigel Birrell explained how to entice millennials into playing online lotteries while YWS’ Roberto Coppola warned casino operators not to get so obsessed with millennials that they neglect other demographics and Rebecca Liggero explained why gambling operators need to attend the inaugural eSports & Casino Resorts confab.
EUROPE and AFRICA
888 Holdings said its sports betting product has come of age; Gala Coral Group asked the UK government to cool it with the brutal taxes; Italy decided to give the scandalized Betuniq brand a fresh start; OPAP CEO Damian Cope vowed to improve his company’s sports betting product; Denmark’s regulated gambling market failed to get a Euro 2016 boost; Swedish online operators grew slower than international sites; Kenya imposed new taxes on betting and gambling operators; Rational Group and GVC Holdings won new Romanian licenses while Evolution Gaming announced plans to launch Romania’s first live dealer studio; NYX Gaming Group’s revenue spiked 166% following its OpenBet acquisition; Russia cracked down on gambling operators’ social media accounts; acquisitions boosted Cherry AB’s revenue by 80%; PokerStars launched a YouTube celebrity poker series and teamed with Seven Deuce Gaming on a hybrid poker/casino app; Unibet unveiled its Poker 2.0 product; Phil Galfond announced plans to open his own online poker room and FAST TRACK Solutions’ Christopher Hirst explained how to add live casino to your product mix.
ASIA and AUSTRALIA
Macau casinos finally snapped their 26-month losing streak but analysts suspect the VIP market is worse than official stats claim; Indian casino operator Delta Corp bought online poker site Adda52.com; analysts fretted about Wynn Palace’s slow start; PAGCOR confirmed plans to privatize its casino operations and rejected PhilWeb’s proposal to launch a text-based lottery service; James Packer relinquished majority control over Crown Resorts; Tigre de Cristal’s VIP gambling turnover tripled following new junket deals; Cambodia hit NagaCorp with a seven-figure back-tax bill; Donaco International declared its first ever dividend after a stellar fiscal year; online sales drove South Korea’s lottery industry to new heights and China’s Ministry of Culture warned 26 online game operators to clearn up their acts.
