Business & Financial
Scientific Games Acquiring WMS Industries
(Reuters) - Scientific Games Corp (SGMS.O), which makes tickets and software for lotteries, said it would acquire slot machine maker WMS Industries Inc (WMS.N) for about $1.42 billion to beef up its exposure to the booming casino gaming industry.
The deal, coming soon after casino operator Pinnacle Entertainment's (PNK.N) $869 million acquisition of Ameristar Casinos (ASCA.O) in December, highlights the consolidation in the casino industry driven by gaming demand from emerging markets such as China.
PPA Chief Meets With Chris Christie Staff to Talk Online Gambling Bill
With just a few days left for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to either sign or veto a bill legalizing online gambling in the Garden State, Poker Players Alliance head John Pappas met with the a senior advisor to the Governor on Tuesday.
Tote Bet on Fantasy Football: New BetFred Deal
Betfred has signed a deal with TotelFootball to make pool betting on fantasy football available to Totepool.com customers. This is the first deal the Tote, now owned by Betfred, has done with a third party for another pool product and is indicative of Betfred’s ambitions to take pool betting to a new level, across all sports, internationally.
PokerStars would Save Over 1700 Jobs in Atlantic City
The parent company of the world’s largest real money online poker room, PokerStars, is looking to purchase the money-losing Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City.
Free To Play Online Poker Room ZEN Gaming Files for Bankruptcy
One of the leading free to play online poker networks, ZEN Gaming, has filed for bankruptcy protection with its future uncertain. The company relied heavily on an ad support platform but has been met with fierce competition, mostly from real money Web poker rooms that also offer the free to play format. Still, ZEN Gaming does boast of having more than 750,000 registrants with over $100k in cash prizes awarded monthly.
U.S. Hedge Fund Builds Stake in Greek Gambling Monopoly
(Reuters) - U.S. hedge fund Baupost Group has a 5.2 percent stake in Greek gambling firm OPAP, a regulatory filing showed on Tuesday, signaling foreign interest in the country's gambling monopoly before its privatization.
Boston-based Baupost Group, run by money manager Seth Klarman, unveiled the position after it exceeded a 5 percent reporting threshold under Greek law, OPAP said in the filing.
Baupost is the third investment fund holding a big stake in OPAP, which has a market value of 2.05 billion euros ($2.76 billion) on the Athens Stock Exchange.
Americas Cardroom Pays Out Record $1.3 Million in Online Super Series II
San Jose, Costa Rica – At a time when many online poker sites across the US are scaling things back and making it harder for players to enjoy rewards, Americas Cardroom is exceeding the expectations of online poker players in a big way. The US-friendly poker site today announced that its $1 million guaranteed online poker series, OSS II, has paid out a record $1.3 million in prize pool money.
Zynga Shares Soar Ahead of Earnings Report
SAN FRANCISCO – (Reuters) - Zynga’s stock rose 14 percent on Monday as investors grew more confident that the social games developer behind "Farmville" and "Mafia Wars" will deliver a solid set of quarterly results next week.
Its shares ended trading at $2.84, up 35 cents
PokerStars Compensates Players for Zoom Debacle
The world’s largest real money online poker room, PokerStars, had a little bit of egg on its face following a 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure "Zoom Challenge" that turned out to be more of a challenge for the company itself after a handful of players were deemed to have received an “unfair advantage”.
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Major US-Facing Online Gambling Site Confirms Bitcoin Implemenation
Sources close to Gambling911.com have confirmed that one of the bigger names in US-facing online gambling is in the process of developing a Bitcoin platform.
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Patti Hart Purge: IGT Proxy Fight Makes the Wall Street Journal
An intense proxy fight at online gambling behemoth IGT has made it to the pages of the Wall Street Journal.
Don’t Call It Piracy: Antigua to Begin Copyright-Free US Media Downloads
The tiny Caribbean island of Antigua is set to begin selling copyright-free US movies, DVDs, CDs, games, software a more beginning this coming Monday January 28, 2013.
The move is in response to the USA’s failure to adhere to a World Trade Organization ruling made several years ago in regard to online gambling.
Paddy Power Projects Slot Machine on Milan Stock Exchange
(Reuters) - Irish bookmaker Paddy Power , known for its provocative advertising and innovative gambling products, projected a slot machine on the Milan stock exchange on Wednesday to promote its expansion in the growing online Italian gambling market.
The Dublin-based group said it aims to become one of the top five online bookmakers this year in the growing Italian market, dominated by local operators Lottomatica, privately owned Sisal, and Snai.
Ladbrokes Buys Betdaq for €30m
One of the United Kingdom’s biggest bookmakers, Ladbrokes, has agreed to acquire Betdaq from TBH Ltd. in a deal said to be worth €30m. Ladbrokes will also acquire a 10 percent stake in TBH Guernsey Ltd, which is the technology partner of Betdaq for an additional €4m.
Bitcoin Casino SatoshiDice Results Raise Eyebrows in Online Gambling Sector
The numbers don’t lie. Bitcoin casino SatoshiDice, based out of Dublin, Ireland, has recorded a daily profit of ฿135.96 (£1,527) per day, and those numbers continue to grow as more and more Web gamblers become acquainted with the alternative anonymous online currency.
Not only is Bitcoin a sort of niche currency, SatoshiDice itself falls into the niche category, making these numbers all the more impressive.
Why Legalized Internet Gambling in New Jersey Will Help Boost Atlantic City
On Tuesday night, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addressed his concerns over legalized Internet gambling in the state, primarily will Web casinos and poker rooms keep gamblers from going to Atlantic City?
Bitcoin Online Casinos Report Impressive Results: Triple Digit Growth
SatoshiDice.com, the largest bitcoin online casino in terms of overall volume, has reported impressive earnings on the year.
Win a Job at Caesars Entertainment by Playing Poker
Caesars Entertainment has a job opening but you have to win a game of poker to get hired.
The innovative casino company screened applicants during a poker tournament they called the MBA Poker Championships and Recruitment Weekend. Caesars believes those who understand poker are best suited to run their casinos and hotels.
Indiana Casinos on Decline: Lawmakers Look for Remedies
INDIANAPOLIS — (Associated Press) - Indiana lawmakers are proposing to cut riverboat casino taxes and allow the floating gambling halls to move onto land to help them face growing competition from neighboring states.
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BitCoin Poker Coming: Reddit Reactions
Gambling911.com on Sunday featured an article in regard to the slated premier of new Bitcoin friendly online poker room Infiniti Poker. The readers of social media behemoth Reddit.com picked up on the story and offered their reactions…
Live Dealer Casino Online: Vera&John Adds Bodog Gaming Supplied Platform
Online casino and slots specialist Vera&John are adding a Live Dealer Casino to their huge range of table games and slots, supplied by Bodog Gaming, which includes Baccarat, Sic Bo, Roulette and Dragon Tiger.
IGT CEO Patti Hart Fighting to Stay in Control
Will Patty Hart Lose Her Ability To Serve on IGT’s Board?
In further news about the International Game Technology (IGT) proxy fight which was initiated by the New York based Ader investment group, Gambling911 has exclusively learned that IGT CEO Patti Hart may lose her ability to serve on the board of a publicly traded gaming company due to statements she swore to be accurate on gaming applications that have now come into question.
Infiniti Poker Set to Go Live in February: Will Use Bitcoins for Americans
A new online poker room is set to go live next month (February 2013). Infiniti Poker began beta testing in November and will open to the public, becoming the first Web card room offering both Bitcoins and other currencies.
IGT CEO Patti Hart Under Intense Fire in Proxy Fight
Vince Martin of CalvinAyre.com on Friday published a report detailing the many concerns over IGT CEO Patti Hart and the proxy fight initiated by Ader Investment Management last week. A proxy fight is a means of removing and installing new directors.
Lock Poker Signs on Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi as Newest Elite Pro
London, UK – Lock Poker Signs Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi! LockPRO ELITE Army stands tall and mighty!
Lock is extremely excited to announce the new addition to their LockPRO Family, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi
BTCSportsBet.com: The Future of BitCoin Sports Betting is Now
BitCoin, the anonymous online payment solution, is starting to make waves with the recent $510k investment into payment solutions company BitPay. This is likely to further drive business towards BTCSportsBet.com, one of the few online sportsbooks currently accepting BitCoins. They have nearly 8000 followers on Twitter.
BitPay the New PayPal and a Potential Boost for Internet Gambling
With the news that BitPay, a payment solutions company, announced a large investment by a group of well-known tech investors, the online currency BitCoins are looking more and more like an attractive option for depositing and withdrawing funds onto Internet gambling sites in the very near future.
Rafi Ashkenazi Appointed CEO of PokerStars Parent Company The Rational Group
ONCHAN, ISLE OF MAN –Rational Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Scheinberg today announced that Rafi Ashkenazi has joined the Group as Chief Operating Officer and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Group and its brands, including PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, the two largest online poker sites in the world.
Website Claims GTech, Lottomatica Group Caught ‘Rigging’ Online Casino Games
GTech, a subsidiary of Lottomatica Group, was reportedly caught rigging two online casino games, according to the website 4Flush.com. GTech’s Lottomatica last week received a recommendation for approval for an online gambling license in the state of Nevada.
The alleged rigged games were Real Deal and Hi/Lo Gambler, utilizing coding created by Realistic Games then recoded by GTech.
From the 4Flush.com report:
Need for Online Gambling in NJ Intensifies: PA Bumps Atlantic City
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may have more of an incentive to sign a bill legalizing online gambling in his state as numbers showed Wednesday that Pennsylvania for the first time has bumped Atlantic City out of the number two US gambling destination after Las Vegas.
