Regulation round-up 21 August 2012
The biggest regulatory news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (15 August to 21 August 2012).
Caesars Interactive set for Nevada hearing next month
Operator’s application will be heard by Gaming Control Board on 6 September.
Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) hopes to be approved as an online poker operator in Nevada next month when its application is heard by the state’s Gaming Control Board (GCB) on 6 September, eGaming Review North America has learned.
The company has been waiting in line since filing its application in December last year and seen fellow Vegas operators South Point and Monarch gain initial approval from the GCB this month, with both set to get the nod from the Gaming Commission next week.
CIE, the online subsidiary on Caesars Entertainment headed up by former PartyGaming CEO Mitch Garber (pictured), is expected to be a major player in a regulated US market.
It has already made several moves in preparation for this moment,acquiring a 51% stake in social games developer Playtika last May before making it a fully-owned subsidiary by securing the remaining 49% in Q4 2011.
Exclusive: Golden Gaming applies for Nevada operator licence
Golden Gaming has become the latest company to file an application to become an online poker operator in Nevada.
The company, one of the largest privately owned businesses in the Silver State with more than 2,200 employees, joins a list of more than 30 applicants hoping to gain an online poker licence, alongside Caesars Interactive and MGM Resorts.
So far only South Point Poker and Monarch Casinos have been recommended for operator licences by Nevada’s Gaming Control Board (GCB). Both await final approval from the Gaming Commission later this month, while gaming suppliers IGT, Bally Technologies and Shuffle Master have received approval in the past few months.
Seven days in regulation:
Unibet signs Belgian deal with Rank
Unibet has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Rank Group as it looks to boost its market-leading position in Belgium, the Stockholm-listed operator has announced today.
The operator was awarded land-based and online sports betting licences in the jurisdiction last month after submitting its application in February, launching its dot.be site on 11 July. However the new deal with Rank will allow Unibet to gain the necessary land-based connection required for poker and casino accreditation.
Chief executive Henrik Tjärnström revealed in today’s second-quarter interim report that Unibet holds a market-leading position in Belgium with a double-digit market share, helped in part by its acquisition of Mr Bookmaker 2005.
Win2day launches in Belgium with Prima
Belgian egaming licensee Win2day, part of the Casinos Austria group, has chosen Microgaming-powered Prima Networks for its launch into the regulated dot.be market.
It will initially launch a casino offering, with Prima pledging to roll out “Belgium’s first officially licensed Bingo room” later in the year.
The move marks the software provider’s second foray into a regulated European market in recent months, following its launch of a dot.es network containing the Spanish-facing poker offerings of Ladbrokes, Cirsa, Betway, Interwetten and Stan James.
Hopes of passing Cali poker bill fading fast
The chances of an online poker bill being passed in California before the state’s 31 August legislative deadline are dwindling as no progress has been made to resolve issues raised by the state’s gaming tribes, eGR North America has learned.
A source close to the matter told eGR NA that although several talks have taken place between major tribes and the state’s politicians this month, a breakthrough has not been achieved. “We don’t expect to see any resolution of all the outstanding issues before the end of the legislative session especially since major tribes are still opposed,” the source said.
The bill’s sponsor Rod Wright himself told the Press-Enterprise this week: “It doesn’t look good.”
Italian Olympic betting up 83% on Beijing
More than 19.7m was bet online on the London Olympics by Italian punters, contributing to a total turnover, including retail, of 42.1m, an increase of 83% on the Beijing games four years ago.
Volleyball edged out football as the most popular sport in online bets placed, with the two sports recording 5.8m and 5m respectively, although the latter came out on top when offline bets were taken into consideration.
The disparity may have been affected by the fact that Italy’s men’s and women’s football teams failed to qualify, while the country’s men’s volleyball team won bronze at the London games.
French punters bet 19.2m on Olympics
French punters placed 19.2m worth of bets during the London Olympics, regulatory authority ARJEL has confirmed in an update on the games.
Gross gaming revenue for the three weeks of the games reached 3.3m, with the second week contributing just under half of this total.
Overall, just under 1.9million bets were placed, with football the most popular sport with a 20% contribution to the 19.2m total, closely followed by basketball (19%), handball (17%) and tennis (15%). ARJEL also noted that athletics (5%) and swimming (4%) were far more popular than normal during the Olympics.
Lotto24 records “successful start”
Tipp24 spin-off business Lotto24 has recorded what it describes as “a successful start as an independent company,” following its initial public offering on July 3.
The brand was relaunched in Germany in February while still part of the wider Tipp24 group before shareholders voted in favour of spinning off the business in June.
TonyBet opens first Estonian betting shop
Estonia-licensed egaming operator TonyBet has opened the first ever land-based betting shop in the EU member state.
The company, owned by Pokernews founder and poker player Tony Guoga since 2009, celebrated the launch with a tournament involving Guoga, Estonian basketball player Martin Müürsepp, and four poker players from the former Soviet country.