News as at Tuesday January 22, 2013

Pacific Online's Lottery Sales Jump 23% to P11.7b
MANILA, Philippines (January 21, 2013) - Pacific Online Systems Corp. said Monday revenues from lottery operations jumped 23 percent to a record P11.7 billion in 2012, following the rollout of new lotto terminals in Luzon.

Camelot Responds to Critical Media Coverage Relating to Executive Pay
LONDON, UK (January 21, 2013) -- "Camelot now comprises a group of different companies: their work covers a range of operations, consultancy, products and technology services for the lottery industry; collectively, they operate across three continents.
Pay across the entire group, not just at director level, is linked to challenging targets on sales performance, profitability and international success.

IRIS And Its Partners Officially Start An Eu Program To Raise National Awareness On Match-Fixing
BRUSSELS, Belgium (January 21, 2013) -- IRIS and its partners held today the kick-off meeting of their 18 month program financed by the European Commission together with the European State Lotteries and Toto Association (EL). The program called "What national networks in the EU to fight against match fixing?", is carried out by the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), in partnership with SportAccord, the European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation (ENGSO), the University of Salford and the French think tank "Sport et Citoyenneté" (Sport and Citizenship). This program is a response to the call for proposals launched by the "Sport" unit of the Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission to set up transnational projects with the aim of implementing future actions regarding sports and its good practices on a European scale.

Record Lotto Sales In 2012, says PCSO Lottery System Provider
MANILA, Philippines (January 21, 2013) - Lotto and Keno sales hit a record P11.7 billion in 2012, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office's online lottery system provider reported. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Pacific Online Systems Corp. said that sales brought in by its 3,035 lottery terminals and 704 Keno terminals (of subsidiary Total Gaming Technologies, Inc.) rose 23 percent year-on-year in 2012 to a new all-time high

Renewal Of Betting License In Cyprus
ATHENS, Greece (January 21, 2013) -- INTRALOT's subsidiary in Cyprus, Royal Highgate Public Company Limited, announces that it has received an "A class" betting license, in order to continue to offer retail Betting services in the country, including the selection of sports events, odds compilation and risk management. The duration of the new license is 2 years.
The license was granted according to the new Betting Law, which concerns companies that wish to offer retail betting services in the country. "Thanks to INTRALOT's state-of-the-art systems and its global know-how in the betting services, Royal Highgate has become one of the leading gaming companies in Cyprus, the operator of choice for the majority of Cypriot players. Being the first operator to receive the new betting license reiterates our commitment to sustained compliance with the legislative framework of the jurisdictions where we operate and underlines our strategic decision to continue our successful operations in the country", commented Mr. Vassilis Yakoumis, General Manager of Royal Highgate.

AARP Applauds Governor's Plan to Provide More Money For Current Programs
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (January 19, 2013) - AARP Pennsylvania Friday applauded Governor Corbett's pledge to channel an additional $50 million in Lottery proceeds to existing home and community-based programs serving older Pennsylvanians in his proposed 2013-14 state budget as an important first step toward balancing the state's long-term care systems and supports.

Maltco Warns Of Possible Lotto Disruptions
MALTA (January 20, 2013) -- Lotteries operator Maltco has warned of possible disruptions in lotto sales from tomorrow after the majority of lotto receivers failed to pay a collective guarantee agreed last week for equipment

UK Government Confirms Place of Consumption Tax for Online Poker
Government Commits to December 2014 for Adopting New Legislation, but Questions Over Gambling Duty Remain
UNITED KINGDOM (January 18, 2013) -- In a response to comments by the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Department of Culture Media and Sport's (DCMS) legislative proposals, the UK Government has reiterated its commitment to introducing a place of consumption (POC) tax on online gaming.

Government Response to the Select Committee Report:
UNITED KINGDOM (January 18, 2013) 47. A place of consumption basis of taxation will level the playing field in terms of UK duty liability and provide a fairer basis for competition between remote gambling operators based in the UK and overseas

City Licences Stay with Casinos Austria Article by: Philin Share.
AUSTRIA (January 16th, 2013) - Austria's Federal Ministry of Finance has awarded the so called 'City Package' of licences to Casinos Austria meaning that the licences in Vienna, Bregenz, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Linz and Graz will all remain under the guidance of their existing owner.

Calls for Legalization of Gambling Prompts Minister to Accelerate Infrastructure Programs
THE MATSU ISLANDS, China (January 20, 2013) -- President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday said tourism and transportation development for Matsu must be accelerated, in response to demands from the outlying island county that gambling businesses be legalized there.

Attorney for DC Council Member Asks City Ethics Board to Drop Lottery Contract Probe
WASHINGTON DC (January 20, 2013) -- An attorney for District of Columbia Council member Jim Graham is asking a city ethics board to drop its probe into his role in a lottery contract.

Gaming Board Chairman on Referendum Implications
NASSAU, Bahamas (January 20, 2013) -- As we go to the polls to decide on whether we will support the regulation and taxation of web shop gaming and/or the establishment of a national lottery, as Chairman for the Gaming Board of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, I wish to share the following considerations and implications of the upcoming gaming referendum.

Nevada Gaming Board Visits Macau On Fact-Finding Mission
MACAU, SAR, China (January 21, 2013) - Nevada's three Gaming Control Board members travelled to Macau last week in an effort to re-establish relationships with their regulatory counterparts in the world's largest gambling market.

Betting Shop Media Fees
By Warwick Bartlett
ISLE OF MAN (January 16, 2013) -- In 2007 the average Independent betting shop was paying Satellite Information Services (SIS) about £17,566 a year for text services and horse racing pictures. Turf TV came along for most bookmakers in January 2008 after Coral signed an agreement over the Christmas period in 2007.

William Hill Pays Out Largest Mobile Prize to Lucky UK Winner
LONDON, UK (January 20, 2013) -- William Hill has paid out an incredible prize for a mobile win and quite possibly the largest prize that the mobile casino industry has ever seen. The winner, an unnamed man in the UK capital, London, secured the huge prize playing the 'Leprechauns Luck' game at William Hill VEGAS.

Overseas Deals Part Of The Course of Growing Through Aquisition, Says Macquarie
NEW YORK, NY (January 21, 2013) -- Tatts Group Ltd. TTS.AU +0.47% may have come up trumps in bidding for most of Australia's lotteries, but it will need to start placing riskier bets overseas if it's to continue a strategy of growing through acquisition.

Sportingbet Decides Against Hadoop To Analyse 60Tb Of Data
Online gaming site Sportingbet has decided against using popular big data analytics software Hadoop in favour of technology provided by British-born SME Logscape, where it will analyse up to 60 TB of data within one year

 

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Headlines for the Daily News Today

LOTTERY NEWS

1. Lottery Sales Continue to Rise Despite Economic Slump.
2. Lotto and Keno Sales Hit a Record P11.7 Billion in 2012.
3. Lotteries Operator Warns of Possible Disruptions to Lotto Sales.
4. Iowa Lottery Sales Increased 14.56 Percent Over Last Year.
5. All-Time Record Lottery Win.
6. Lottery Firms Executives' Bonuses Attract Media Fire.
7. Camelot Responds to Critical Media Coverage Relating to Executive Pay.

LEGAL, LEGISLATIVE, POLITICAL & GOVERNMENT

1. Hungary Set to Impose 20% Online Gambling Tax.
2. Remote Gambling Industry Puts Greek Government on Notice.
3. New Tax Structure for Lotteries Force Operators to Close.
4. IRIS and Its Partners Officially Start an EU Program to Raise National Awareness on Match-Fixing.
5. Bill Would Tax National Olympic Committee's Lottery-Like Sports Bingo.
6. City Enacts Moratorium for Stricter Regulations Covering Video Gambling.
7. Bill Gives Benefit Investigators Power to Identify Lottery Winners.
8. UK Government Confirms A place of Consumption Basis of Taxation for Remote Gambling.
9. Government Response to the Select Committee Report.
10. City Licences Stay with Casinos Austria.
11. Calls for Legalization of Gambling Prompts Minister to Accelerate Infrastructure Programs.
12. Attorney for DC Council Member Asks City Ethics Board to Drop Lottery Contract Probe.
13. State Regulator ''Actively Monitoring'' Investigation into Crown's Asian Joint Venture.
14. Casino Confiscates Banned Players Winnings.
15. Gaming Board Chairman Comments on Lottery, Gambling Referendum Implications.
16. Nevada Gaming Board Visits Macau on Fact-Finding Mission.

MARKETING and SPONSORSHIP

1. Betting Shop Media Fees.

VENDOR NEWS

1. INTRALOT: Renewal of Betting License in Cyprus.
2. Madrid Casino Partners with Playtech for Live Dealer Games.
3. Mahjong Logic Signs New Licensee.
4. William Hill Pays Out Largest Mobile Prize to Lucky UK Winner.

MARKET WATCH

1. Pacific Online’s Lottery Sales Jump 23% in 2012.
2. Tatts May Consider Shifting Its Focus Offshore for Suitable Lottery Acquisitions in Coming Years.
3. Macau Gaming to Grow by 13 Percent in 2013.