Uruguay announced the prohibition of online casino and poker sites in the country and imposed new taxes on its state-sanctioned forms of gambling.

Uruguay President Tabaré Vázquez has signed the Accountability Law which was previously approved by the country’s lower house and the Senate. The said law contained new provisions on gaming.

First, the said law stated that the state-owned National Directorate of Lotteries and Quinielas is the only operator allowed to operate online gambling, and only for sports betting. Second, “casino games such as poker, roulette, slots” and similar products are “absolutely prohibited” via any remote channels. And third, a new 0.75% tax on gambling turnover will be imposed on all officially approved casinos, gaming halls, racetracks, sports betting shops, and the operations of NDLQ.   

The said law also gives the state the power to “adopt various preventive and sanctioning measures to prevent the proliferation” of online gambling, including “blocking of access to websites, financial frauds, as well as the prohibition of commercial communications, sponsorship and advertising of unauthorized games.”

This policy is a move toward the dark ages. Uruguay’s regressive stance on gambling is a very stark contrast to what other nations like Colombia did when they embraced online gambling.

PhilWeb Corp. president Dennis Valdes is optimistic that his company will turn around in 2018 as it waits for Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s (PAGCOR) signal to resume operations. 

Sportsbet has withdrawn its postal survey on Australia’s same-sex marriage from the market after drawing flak on social media and prominent ‘Yes’ campaigner and Sydney MP Alex Greenwich.

Caesars Entertainment Corporation announced that the court-approved restructuring plan of its bankrupt main unit Caesars Entertainment Operating Co (CEOC) had been approved by gaming regulators in Louisiana and Missouri.

Atlantic City casinos first tried 24-hour gambling in July 1991. The Casino Control Commission (CCC) implemented it on a trial basis in July 1991 and then made the change permanent in July 1992. Before that, casinos had to close at 4 am each weekday and at 6 am weekend days; they could then reopen at 10 am the next morning.

To make patrons stay in your website, you have to keep things fresh. Roll out new promos, features and content to make them glued to your page. Remember, content is always the key.

SBTech announced that it will open a US office in early 2018 and that it will showcase its suite of sportsbook and iGaming products at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas from 3-5 October.

Congratulations to Ben “CowEyed” Tollerene for defeating Viktor “Isildur1” Blom in the heads-up action at the $25,000 NLHE PowerFest High Roller! Tollerene emerged victorious, winning the $846,722 first prize in the event which attracted 127 entrants.