Lottery Insider - The First Choice for Lottery & Gaming Related News : 2013-08-18

SATURDAY AUGUST 17, 2013
NEWS BREAK

No New Licences to be Issued for Offshore Casinos

GOA, India (August 14, 2013) -- Goa Government on Wednesday decided against allowing any more offshore casinos in the coastal state and also formed a policy framework to ensure that existing casino vessels move out of Mandovi river within next two years.

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Senator Calls for Gambling Ban on Sports Sponsorship

MELBOURNE, Australia (August 17, 2013) -- Gambling companies would be prevented from sponsoring football and other sports clubs, just like the ban on tobacco, under a call for tougher rules to be launched today by the Greens, the Herald Sun reports.

A ban would also apply to sports organisations such as the AFL, NRL and Cricket Australia and could mean clubs would lose millions of dollars in sponsorship. St Kilda has Centrebet as a major sponsor and its logo appears on the team jumper. Other clubs such as Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon have significant sponsorship deals with betting agencies, as does the AFL.

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£300m Clampdown on Tax Avoidance by Gambling Operators

New rules and penalties take aim at gambling operators that base themselves outside the UK but target British customers

LONDON, UK (August 17, 2013) - The UK Guardian reporting on new rules to affect gambling operators based out of the UK, writes that William Hill, Britain's biggest remote gambling operator, is considering its response, which could include contesting the changes on the grounds that they breach EU competition law.

Failure to comply could land offenders with a prison sentence of up to seven years. It means that from 1 December 2014, all offshore gambling companies will be taxed on their gambling profits from UK customers. They will be liable to pay remote gaming duty, general betting duty or pool betting duty, all of which are 15%.

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23 Year Old First To Win A Top Prize In The $20 Monopoly™ Millionaire Scratch-Off Game

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (August 16, 2013) -- The Florida Lottery announces that Anthony James DeMichele, 23, of Port Charlotte, claimed a $3 million top prize in the $20 MONOPOLY™ MILLIONAIRE Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. DeMichele chose to receive the winnings in a one-time, lump-sum payment in the amount of $2,292,016.30

Betfair Campaign allows Punters to Cash in Before Results

LONDON, UK (August 16, 2013) -- Betfair has announced the launch of a new campaign for Sportsbook, which allows punters to cash out before results come in. Modern Marketing and Media publication 'The Drum' reports that the campaign created by WCRS and bought by Arena, will span TV and digital, with investment across Perform Media, The Guardian, Facebook and the Telegraph.

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FRIDAY AUGUST 16, 2013
NEWS BREAK

Bally Technologies, Inc. Reports Record Revenue

$997 Million and Record Diluted EPS of $3.45 for the Year Ended June 30, 2013

Fourth Quarter Revenue Increases To A Record $264 Million With Record Diluted Eps Of $0.95

Systems Revenue Sets Annual Record Of $252 Million, Increasing 19 Percent From Prior Year

Wide-Area Progressive Installed Base Grows 38 Percent And Sets Record Annual Revenue

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Gaming Law in Austria Under Industry Criticism

Article Published by Intergame

VIENNA, Austria (August 16, 2013) -- Euromat vice president Helmut Kafka has described the gaming law in Austria as "a mess" after the Constitutional Court overturned hundreds of administrative sanctions linked to unproven claims of illegal gambling. Following the 2010 Gambling Act, illegal gambling in Austria is sanctioned by administrative law for stakes of €10 or less, or by criminal law for stakes higher than €10. Businesses across Austria have complained about the excessive actions carried out by the so-called 'financial police' against slot machine owners - including the seizure of gaming machines. In a similar vein, Austria's Constitutional Court has repealed poker regulations from the 2010 Gambling Act, declaring them unconstitutional. The ruling means that poker is no longer considered a gambling activity and legalises private poker rooms again. The passing of the Gambling Act had previously drawn a lot of criticism from operators and the EU. They argued that the licensing conditions for poker rooms were tailored to provide former monopoly operator Casinos Austria an unfair advantage

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Social Game and Charity Start Up closes $2 million in Seed Funding

NETHERLANDS (August 16, 2013) -- The Netherlands-based social gaming and charity start-up Gramble World has closed $2 million in seed funding, bringing its total seed run up to $5 million, according to information derived from social media publications

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Lottery Baden-Württemberg Starts Mobile Website

GERMANY (August 16, 2013) -- Baden-Wuerttemberg lottery, announced in Stuttgart on Tuesday, the offering of a mobile website. Recognizing the use of mobile smartphones, the lottery has enabled users to be able to submit in Baden-Württemberg their traveling lotto tip.

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Lawmakers Agree in Principal on Legalizing Soccer Betting

HCMC, Vietnam (August 15, 2013) -- Lawmakers Wednesday agreed in principle with a government proposal to legalize gambling on international soccer matches, saying the legal framework for this should be strengthened to curb negative impacts. Thanh Nien reports that as of now, Vietnamese citizens are allowed to gamble on local horse and greyhound races, but barred from casinos that are only allowed to cater to foreigners.

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Casino Mogul Eyes Japan for Expansion

Australian tycoon James Packer said Friday he wants to expand his gaming empire into the lucrative Japanese market in the form of resort-casinos

SYDNEY, Australia (August 16, 2013) -- Australian tycoon James Packer said Friday he wants to expand his gaming empire into the lucrative Japanese market in the form of resort-casinos. ChannelNewsAsia reports that the mogul, who already operates casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Macau and is planning complexes in Manila, Sydney and Sri Lanka, said Japan was his next big hope

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Wyoming Lottery Start Up Progressing As Planned

CASPER, Wyoming (August 15, 2013) -- The Wyoming Lottery Board chose locally owned Jonah Bank for its first leg of financing to get such games as Powerball and Power Play into the state, the Billings Gazette has confirmed today. The $1 million, 1.75 percent interest, short-term loan marks a high point for the board.

Board members didn't specify the length of the loan. With the start-up cash in place to establish the Wyoming Lottery Corporation, the board announced the hiring of the Cheyenne law firm Hathaway and Kunz as its legal counsel during a teleconference Thursday. It will now have the ability to hire a CEO and lottery vendor - a company hired to furnish retail stores with the games.

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THURSDAY AUGUST 15, 2013
NEWS BREAK

Uncertainty on Casino Licence

PRETORIA, South Africa (August 14, 2013) -- Sun International has submitted an application to the Gauteng Gambling Board to move their struggling Morula Sun casino to Menlyn. But many of the city's residents are against the development.

Pinnacle Entertainment Closes Deal on Acquisition

LAS VEGAS (August 14, 2013) -- Pinnacle Entertainment has closed on its approximately $869 million acquisition of Ameristar Casinos Inc. The deal was announced last month. Pinnacle and Ameristar put the transaction's total value at about $2.8 billion, including debt. Ameristar shareholders will receive $26.50 per share.

Fortuna Fails in Attempt to Find a Strategic Lottery Partner

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (August 14, 2013) - According to local media reports, the Fortuna Entertainment Lottery Group failed in an attempt to gain a strategic partner for its subsidiary company specialized in numerical games - Fortuna Lottery.

Lottery Advises on a Redirection of its Advertising Budget

PORTLAND, Oregon (August 14, 2013) -- With little fanfare, the Oregon Lottery has reportedly removed itself from a membership with the Oregon council on problem gambling

State Lotteries to Sponsor Tour of Spain

SPAIN (August 10, 2013) -- SELAE has become a sponsor with more weight on the most important cycling race in the country. The cycling body celebrated the act that dictates what organizations sponsor the Tour of 2013.

Under the tutelage of Javier Guillen, general manager career, business representatives and deputy director of games SELAE, Juan Antonio Lopez, were also presented to wear jerseys and invited all the leaders to the stage.

Finance Department Mimics Popular Lottery Game in Hopes of Plugging Budget Holes

BACELONA, Spain (August 14, 2013) -- Property for sale in Barcelona, this announcement could be posted on the website of any financial institution trying to offload property, but in this case it is posted by the Economics Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

The department is in the process of selling its real estate assets, including sites that are occupied by officials, and is one of the ways the Government Artur Mas is to raise new funding when faced with the current budget cuts.

Supreme Court Decision on Gaming Machines Spurs Interest in Market

An Article by Giulio Coraggio

ITALY (August 14, 2013) -- The Italian Supreme Court held that it is possible for shops to place video terminals (the so called "totem") connecting to Italian online gaming licensed platforms under the regime in force before the implementation of the new licensing regime. Given the potential benefits for online gaming operators deriving from this practice, this circumstance created a major interest in the market.

New Entity to Combine Two Regulatory Commissions

FRANCE (August 9, 2013) -- French gambling regulator ARJEL and Anti-Doping Agency AFLD will be merged into a single common office, if the bill is adopted, submitted by the National Assembly of France.

Federal Court Ruling Gives Town Cash Windfall

MONTVILLE, Connecticut (August 14, 2013) -- Montville's finance director says that town is expecting a $129,000 windfall as a result of this summer's federal court ruling that allows to tax slot machine leasing companies doing business with state's Indian casinos.

Crown Welcomes and Accepted the VCGLR's Recommendations

MELBOURNE, Victoria (August 14, 2013) -- Loan sharking, money laundering and gambling with stolen money have been identified as concerns at Crown casino in a review of its operations.

Resort Group Use Carrot and Stick Approach

TAIPEI, Taiwan (August 14, 2013) -- Weidner Resorts has signed memorandums of agreement with six universities and colleges in Taiwan guaranteeing their graduates training and employment at a casino resort to be built on the island of Matsu, with pay three times the national minimum,

Casinos Austria International Holding GmbH Announce Official Decision for Revocation of Its Gambling License Argentine Subsidiary

ENJASA VIENNA, Austria (August 14, 2013) -- The management of CAIH with Headquarters in Vienna announced that the competent supervisory authority in Argentina its indirect consolidated subsidiary Entretenimientos y Juegos de Azar SA ("ENJASA") located in Salta, Argentina, the decision has served on the withdrawal of the gaming license of ENJASA.

Amendments to Estonia's Gambling Law Could Impact Lottery Sales

ESTONIA (August 7, 2013) -- The Finance Ministry would like to expand restrictions on classic lottery games as playing lotteries has become very popular in Estonia, reports Postimees. The Finance Ministry sent a bill with amendments to the gambling law to a round of approvals in June, in which they propose to start identifying people who buy lottery tickets and participate in prediction games like sports betting.

Feature of Gaming Conference was the Emphasis on High Level Security

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (August 14, 2013) -- There was a large crowd in downtown Oklahoma City Tuesday. More than 2,000 people from across the country gathered to check out the latest options in casino gaming. Broadcast news channel4 reports that one of the stand-out features of the conference was the message that when it comes to casinos there is a lot of money invloved, which calls for high levels of security. It's just one of the topics gaming officials from across the country focused on at the convention.

$25,000 Advance to Go Promotion Gives Players A Chance To Collect Cash Prizes

Second drawing held in Second Chance Promotion

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (August 14, 2013) -- The Florida Lottery held the second of three second chance drawings for non-winning MONOPOLY™ Family of Scratch-Off games tickets in the $25,000 ADVANCE TO GO Second Chance Promotion. One grand prize winner received $25,000; five second prize winners received $2,500; and 20 third prize winners received $200. In addition, 50 fourth prize winners received a MONOPOLY® Millionaire Board Game.

People's Postcode Lottery Continues to Deliver to Charities

£30.3 million for charities since its launch in 2008

LONDON, UK (August 14, 2013) -- Players of the charity lottery, People's Postcode Lottery, have raised an £30.3 million for charities since its launch in 2008. The money has been awarded to small community associations as well as national charities.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 14, 2013
NEWS BREAK

Betting Pushes Sport into Number One Spot

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (August 14, 2013) -- Basketball in New Zealand has enjoyed a rebound in popularity to become the TAB's No 1 sport for betting in 2012/13 and it has also given the sport a healthy cash injection.