News from my Desk Saturday March 2, 2013 @ 4PM

Governor Signs Into Law Changes To State's Lottery Scholarship Awards
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (March 1, 2013) -- Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has signed into law a bill that changes the awards offered to college students through the state's lottery-funded scholarship program.

Gaming Commission Announces Plans to Determine Which Communities Will Have Input Into the Licensing Process
BOSTON, Massachusetts (March 1, 2013) -- The Massachusetts Gaming Commission announced a plan Thursday for determining which communities neighbouring potential gambling venues would be allowed to have a say in the licensing process.

Illinois Lottery Rolls Out New Ad Campaign Starring Andy Richter
CHICAGO, Illinois (March 1, 2013) -- Hey Illinois. Say hello to Gil Mitchell, the anchorman character that actor and comedian Andy Richter, a Chicago native, is playing in a new wave of Illinois Lottery "trigger spots" that begin airing across the state today.

Massachusetts LOTTERY TO HOLD $10,000,000 HOLD'EM POKER® TOURNAMENT
More than $14 million in prizes to be awarded, including a $10 million grand prize, in April 6 event at the TD Garden
BOSTON, Massachusetts (February 27, 2013) -- The Massachusetts State Lottery today announced the date for the long-awaited tournament that officially concludes its "$10,000,000 HOLD'EM POKER®" instant game - a $10 ticket launched in 2005.

Maryland Lottery 40 Years / 40 Stories
BALTIMORE, Maryland (March 1, 2013) -- Maryland residents have been picking lucky numbers and crossing their fingers for a win for 40 years, and a new exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Industry - "40 Years / 40 Stories" - highlights the history of the Maryland Lottery since its creation in 1973.

EveryMatrix and Probe Investments launch EnergyCasino.com with GreenTube games
LONDON, UK (March 1, 2013) -- Software provider EveryMatrix is proud to announce the big launch (on Friday, 1st March) of www.energycasino.com, a brand new online gaming facility owned and operated by Probe Investments.

Expanding William Hill Buys Out Online Partner
LONDON, UK (March 1, 2013) -- William Hill is to pay 424 million pounds for full control of its online business, marking an acceleration of the expansion of Britain's largest bookmaker. The deal to buy out the 29 percent stake in William Hill Online held by software company Playtech was the company's second major deal in the past three months.

Macau Revenue Sees Take up 12%
MACAU (March 1, 2013) -- Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts Int'l (MGM) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN), which have multibillion-dollar casinos in Macau, could benefit as revenue continues to rise in China's special casino gambling enclave.

Electronic Gambling Revenue Falls Short on Projections
GRAND FORKS, North Dakota (March 1, 2013) -- Tax money from electronic gambling in bars is falling far short of the state's original projections. It is the primary funding source to build the new Minnesota Vikings stadium.


GameHouse Launch on Facebook & IPhone with Social Casino Games NEW YORK, NY (February 27, 2013) -- Matt Hulett, the president of GameHouse, is going all in. His company has shifted its development firepower into the social casino game business. Today, it is launching GameHouse Casino on Facebook and debuting GameHouse Slots on the iPhone.

adesso's Information Security Management System Has Been Certified
DORTMUND, Germany (February 28, 2013) -- adesso AG's information security management system (ISMS) has been optimised and certified according to ISO 27001. The IT service provider has thereby underlined its high quality standards in software projects. The focus of the certification is on the development of software using "Pragmatic IT Project Management" (PITPM) methodology. In particular, this includes project documentation, source code, and the technologies used, but also the employees involved in the software development process at adesso's locations in Dortmund, Berlin and Stralsund. adesso's in-house project management methodology, PITPM, covers the planning, execution, introduction and finalisation stages of a project.

Online Gambling, it's the Way of the Future
CHARLESTON, West Virginia (February 28, 2013) -- West Virginia lawmakers should consider legalizing online gambling, Lottery Director John Musgrave said Wednesday. Musgrave was asked about the matter in response to New Jersey's Tuesday passage of a law allowing casinos in that state to run websites that take bets for games like poker and blackjack.
"We need to discuss it," Musgrave said. "It is the way of the future."

BCLC & Government Unit to Create Centre for Gambling Research
British Columbia, Canada (February 27, 2013) -- A $2-million investment from the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and the Government of B.C. will create a major new Centre for Gambling Research at the University of British Columbia to advance our understanding of gambling psychology and help reduce problem gambling behaviours.

Powerball Now More Exciting Than Ever!
PERTH, Western Australia (February 28, 2013) -- Exciting changes to Powerball, one of Australia's premium jackpot Lotto games, will come into effect from tomorrow. Powerball was launched into the Australian market in 1996 and since that time has delivered strong sales growth and become a very popular game with players. While regular enhancements have been made to the game over the years through price increases and changes to the jackpot sequence, these are the first major changes to Powerball since it was launched more than 17 years ago.

CODERE EBITDA of 305.2 million Euros in 2012, 5.4% More Than Last Year
The Group CODERE closed 2012 with revenues of 1663.9 million euros and EBITDA of 305.2 million euros, in line with forecasts for this period and reflecting strong growth in Mexico, partially offset by weakness in the rest of the markets.
The investments made in 2012 have reached 429.4 million euros, a record of recent years.
In late 2012, the portfolio of activities was CODERE composed of 56,474 gaming terminals, 186 arcades, 1379 betting locations, 3 racetracks and gambling in Italy. The number of CODERE employees exceeds 20,000


China Shuts Down Online Gaming Sites
BEIJING, China (February 27, 2013) -- China says it has closed scores of websites for offering pornography, video sharing and online gaming.

Lottery Wins Final Approval from the Legislature
CHEYENNE, Wyoming (February 27, 2013) -- A bill to bring a lottery to Wyoming has won final approval from the Legislature. Both houses of the Legislature voted to concur on a compromise over a bill that would authorize creation of a state lottery.

ASA Adjudication on Betfair Ltd
LONDON, UK (February 27, 2013) - Ad: A TV ad for Betfair Casino. The text "betfair.com/bonus" featured on the top right corner of the screen throughout. After describing some features of the service, the voice-over ended by stating, "And with up to four million pounds in prizes paid out every day,

Dutch Lottery Companies Fined For Telemarketing Rules Breach
HOLLAND, Netherlands (February 27, 2013) -- Dutch regulator Opta has fined the BankGiro Lottery, the National Postcode Lottery, and the VriendenLoterij Lottery for violating telemarketing rules.

INTRALOT Releases Annual Sustainability Report
ATHENS, Greece (February 27, 2013) -- INTRALOT announces the release of its Annual Sustainability Report, which presents the company's corporate responsibility and sustainable development strategy, the activities, and the results of programmes and initiatives.

MICROGAMING Launches First 3d Mobile App for Microsoft Windows 8.0 AND XBOX
ISLE OF MAN (February 27, 2013) -- Microgaming (www.microgaming.co.uk) has introduced Bronzebeard Blackjack The Strategy Coach, a play-for-fun multi-level card game which teaches players how to play Blackjack. For the first time, Microgaming has designed a free download 3D mobile app specifically for Microsoft Windows 8.0 and Xbox. It has had its first showing at this week's GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Sheriff Gaming launches new slot "Frog Royale"
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (February 27, 2013) -- Sheriff Gaming has today announced the launch of its latest 3D slot game, "Frog Royale" which is the 37th slot game within the Sheriff Gaming portfolio, including eight Mega Money Pool Jackpots, and is the fifth slot game to launch this year.

Scientific Games to Report Fourth Quarter 2012 Results on Monday, March 11, 2013
NEW YORK, NY (February 27, 2013) -- Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) announced today that it will release its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2012 after the market close on Monday, March 11, 2013.

Legalization of Online Gambling See Shares of Gaming Companies Surge Upwards
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (February 27, 2013) -- The legalization of online gambling in New Jersey sent shares of Caesars Entertainment Corp (CZR.O) and Boyd Gaming Corp (BYD.N) higher, on expectations that this will revive business in Atlantic City, the second-biggest U.S. gaming destination
other online gaming companies also saw positive results on the market, with bwin.party (BPTY.L) and 888 Holdings (888.L) jumping on hopes for a new opportunity in a market analysts say is worth $1 billion.

Caesars Entertainment to Offer Poker Product on the Barrière Poker Platform
FRANCE (February 27, 2013) -- Gary Loveman, the CEO of Caesars Entertainment, the parent company of the World Series of Poker, has confirmed in an exchange with U.S. analysts that the group expected to eventually offer its poker product line under the brand World Series of Poker via the platform of the French group Barrière Poker.

New CTO at Sportradar
ST. GALLEN, Switzerland. (February 27, 2013) -- Sportradar appointed Pablo Jensen as new Chief Technology Officer for the Sportradar group of companies, effective January 1st 2013. He is based in the headquarters in St. Gallen, Switzerland.