Dome casino development underway
The British government are facing fresh controversy over the regional casino licence after the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) revealed that it had begun work to build a casino on the Millenium Dome site. This prompted the Conservative party to claim that the government must have given AEG some indication or private assurances that it would win the licence.
Redknapp faces FA hearing
Portsmouth FC manager Harry Redknapp has been asked to produce phone records and bank statements by the Football Association's complaints department, to help clear-up his position in an alleged £16 million betting sting. The FA denied accusing Redknapp of any crime, but said that failure to comply with the request would result in the Pompey boss being suspended from his position.
Packer sells London casino shares
James Packer said that the sale of his 50 per cent stake in London-based Aspinall's Casino to Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd is 'imminent'. Packer wants to clear up any future conflict of interest as his company, PBL, looks to expand overseas.
Glasgow casino would not affect number of problem gamblers
A report by Glasgow's city council and the Scottish Executive has said that a super-casino in the city would have no impact on the number of gambling addicts. The report to the selection panel also insisted that the casino would have a positive effect on the city's on-going regeneration.
Videogames failing women
EA's chief operating officer for worldwide studios told delegates at the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival that the videogames industry is continuing to fail women. David Gardner highlighted research that showed 40 per cent of teenage girls played video games as opposed to 90 per cent of teenage boys, with most girls losing interest after a year.
Ladbrokes double profits
Ladbrokes pre-tax profits for the first-half of the year have reached £553 million, more than double the £201.9 million from the same period last year. Net revenue increased by 8.4 per cent while underlying pre-tax profit, which strips out gains from asset sales, was up to £155.4 million, from £122.6 million in 2005.
Harrah's report praises casino trendsetters
Harrah's Entertainment's 2006 edition of "Profile of the American Casino Gambler" has found that recreational gamblers tend to be trendsetters and that one of the new trends is favouring licensed casinos in their home states. The survey also found that more than 25 per cent of Americans aged 21 and older gambled at a casino at least once in 2005.
Carruthers to make plea bargain
The former BetonSports chief David Carruthers is expected to make a plea bargain with U.S. prosecutors to avoid conviction for racketeering and fraud charges. Carruthers' attorney will likely negotiate a plea bargain to disclose everything about the troubled company and its founder, Gary Kaplan, who is thought to be the real target of the investigation.
SAGSE's numbers up
The organisers of South American Exhibition, SAGSE, have announced pre-registration figures of over 7500 for the event, to be held in Buenos Aires, October 10-12. With more than 170 international companies exhibiting, a 38% increase on last year and a situation that reflects the growing expansion of the sector, show organiser Alan Burak commented "Argentina's casino and gaming sector has never been stronger, and the market is vibrant in many places across South America, especially in the granting of new licences throughout Chile. Because of this, we expect a true exchange of relationships with the most important companies in the world being at SAGSE 2006."
Korea to ban arcade vouchers
Korea's culture and tourism minister Kim Myung-gon has announced plans to ban gift certificates in arcades, used as prizes if machines hit a jackpot, after widespread reports of people cashing them in for real money. Myung-gon said that this illegal process had expanded beyond control, necessitating the ban.
A forthcoming event for iGaming companies
Gaming is the latest industry to use sport to reach new audiences. According to recent data from World Sponsorship Monitor, iGaming groups are the fastest growing sponsors of sport with deals worth almost £300m signed in the first half of 2006 alone. Sport & iGaming is the latest Commercial Briefing from SportBusiness Group and will provide a forum for getting these issues on the table.
Macau's gaming taxes reach $1.41 billion
Direct taxes on gambling and gaming in the Chinese enclave of Macau have increased by 13.7 per cent to $1.41 billion in the first seven-months of this year, compared with the same period last year. Figures by the Macau Finance Services Bureau also showed the figure to be 6.3 percent higher than the entire year in 2003, which totalled $1.32 billion.
SLTA reports sales drop since smoking ban
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association has claimed that the sale of alcohol has dropped 10 per cent since the smoking ban became law in the country. A survey of its 365 members also found that 46 per cent of licensees reported a drop in visits by regulars since the March ban, while only 5 per cent reported an increase.
U.S. casino giant waiting for Japanese casino
Las Vegas Sands said that it would like to build a casino in Japan once the country has legalised the gaming venues. President and chief operating officer William Weidner said that the region represented limitless opportunity.
U.S. situation high on EiG agenda
The U.S. legal and regulatory situation will be high on the agenda of this year's European i-Gaming Congress & Expo. Speakers at the event, taking place in Barcelona from the 11-13th October, will include D. Brett Hale from the American Gaming Association and Sportingbet's CEO Mark Blandford.
Mecca opens £3m hall
Mecca Bingo has opened its new £3 million, 1,000-player development in Paisley, Scotland. Owner Rank Group says that it was bucking the trend of other bingo companies, who are spurning investment over fears related to next year's smoking ban, and that the hall was proof of bingo's resurgence.
Centrebet could be target
Analysts Wilson HTM have identified betting group Centrebet as both a 'target and a predator' in the current online industry climate of consolidation. It said that Centrebet's sportsbook and strong presence in Australia and Scandinavia would make it attractive to the large, pure gaming operations such as Party Gaming Plc and 888 Holdings Plc.
Betting Show golf announced
Clarion ATE has announced the Golf Classic to coincide with this year's Betting Show. The game will be held at The Belfry on October 24th, 12 miles from the NEC where the show is being held from 25-26th October. For more information contact Karen Cooke on 020 7370 8584, or email
kcooke@ateonline.co.uk.
Probability shares on AIM
London-based Probability plc has begun trading on the London Stock Exchange (AIM). The mobile-gaming developer expected to be capitalised at approximately £13.7 million when the shares commenced trading.
Gala goes 'Batty' in charity bingo bonanza
Gala Bingo at the Greenbridge retail park, Swindon will be hosting a free game on Saturday with a Batman bingo caller as part of the town's superhero charity weekend. The game aims to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.