Tories issue casino warning
Shadow culture secretary Hugo Swire told delegates at the Conservative party conference that should they take power, he would cap the number of super-casino licenses available. Swire said that he would 'not sanction the super casinos on every street that Tony Blair and his cronies are so keen on forcing through'.
Putin proposes new gambling territories
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has proposed a bill that would restrict gambling to four territories in the country. Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov said the areas would likely be in Siberia, the Far East and two in European Russia.
UK machines brought back from the brink
The DCMS has this week given the go-ahead for a stake and prize increase for gaming machines, setting in motion a flurry of activity in the UK AWP market. Category C AWPs in licensed premises and AGCs move from 30p/£25 to a 50p/£35 configuration, while B4jackpot machines for registered clubs receive a stake increase from 50p to £1 (£250 jackpot retained). B3 jackpot games for bingo clubs also gain a stake increase from 50p to £1 and retain their £500 top prize. The new levels become effective from October 27 and are subject to strict codes of practice. Machines must bear GamCare contact details, display clear signage prohibiting under-18s and be supervised to prevent inappropriate play.
UK operators lobby WTO
Sportingbet and 888 Holdings have said that they are currently looking into whether U.S. legislation contravened commitments made by the country to the World Trade Organisation. The WTO last year ruled that the United States' gaming laws were illegal following complaints from Antigua.
Playtech to focus on Asian market
Playtech said that it would be re-focusing on the Asian market after George Bush signs the anti-gambling legislation. Avigur Zmora, CEO of Playtech, said that it was already focusing on software for the Japanese game Pachinko, as well as its first version of Mahjong.
Harrah's receives $15 billion takeover bid
Harrah's Entertainment has received a $15 billion takeover offer from private equity firms Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group. The casino company said that it had established a special committee of independent directors to review the offer, but had not committed to the deal.
bwin executive addressing EiG
The recently arrested
Bwin chief executive Norbert Teufelberger will address attendees at this year's EiG on 11-13th October. Norbert will be joining a number of i-gaming executives speaking at the event in Barcelona, which includes Mark Blandford of Sportingbet and PartyGaming's Mitch Garber.
EA study finds support for classroom video games
A report commissioned by game company Electronic Arts has found that 59 per cent of teachers surveyed would use video games in the classroom. The Teaching with Games paper found that 62 per cent of students also support the use of games.
Bwin banned from Bundesliga
A German court has ordered Bundesliga club Werder Bremen to remove Bwin's sponsorship logos from its shirts while playing in the State. The club said it would appeal against the decision, which included advertising hoardings in the stadium, and would play the next home game with the slogan 'we win' on their shirts.
GTech signs Central American lottery deal
Italian Lottomatica's wholly-owned subsidiary company GTech has signed an agreement with Supreme Gaming to provide an online lottery system in Guatemala. The 15-year deal will see GTech additionally supply products and ongoing services for the new lottery from the commencement of sales, expected to be February 2007.
Gambling Commission at Betting Show
The Gambling Commission will once again be at The Betting Show in Birmingham's NEC from 25-26 October. The commission's Hazel Canter, Director of Licensing & Compliance, will also be sitting on the panel of the 'Step-by-step guide to accomplishing the new January 2007 licensing process' seminar.
Stanley applies for Glasgow complex licence
Stanley Casinos has submitted an application to open a £7 million casino and leisure complex in Glasgow's St Enoch shopping centre. If approved, the redeveloped venue will host a casino, shops, restaurants and a multi-screen cinema across three floors, and would become the gaming company's second city site after the Berkeley Casino.
World Gaming could be legislation's first casualty
London-based World Gaming announced that it could be in 'technical default of its loan conditions'. The Internet gaming company said that it was in discussions with lenders after its debt level hit £12.7 million and share price took a 75 per cent hit in the wake of U.S. legislation.
Council deny arcade permission despite warning
A planning board in Derbyshire, UK has thrown out an amusement arcade application despite being told by council officers that it would lose an appeal fight. Oak Amusement called the decision 'highly disappointing' and vowed to appeal.
Tote bid opportunistic
Arena Leisure's Chief Executive Mark Elliott has said that although disappointed in the failure of the racing consortium's bid for the Tote bookmaker, the company's attitude to acquisitions were always likely to be opportunistic in nature. Its bid was rumoured to have been between £300-350 million, well below the £450 million the Government is expected to get from the sale.
PartyGaming pull out of Gamesys bid
PartyGaming has pulled out of a £200 million all cash bid for rival Gamesys according to a report in the UK Financial Times newspaper, because of the impact of U.S. legislation. Unnamed sources said that the online gaming company was considering a renewed offer of cash and financial instruments.
Talarius raise £51k for CHIPS
Staff at Talarius, the owner of AGC chain Quicksilver and gaming portal Cyberslotz, have so far raised £51,000 for the children's charity CHIPS. The charity was founded on behalf of the Casino and Gaming Industry, in order to raise money to purchase specyclopcasinoed powered wheelchairs for children with disabilities.
Hackers sentenced for bookmaker attacks
Three Russian hackers have each been sentenced to eight years imprisonment for running a denial of service campaign against online bookmakers. Prosecutors accused the three of extorting up to $4 million in 54 attacks across 30 countries.
Genting's Stanley acquisition on home stretch
Genting has increased its current stake in Stanley Leisure to over 50 per cent after acquiring an additional 7 per cent of the UK casino firm. The Malaysian-based gaming company bought 5 million shares from City institutions at a price of 860p through its broker Citigroup.
Bookmakers' lose £1.5 million on 8-0 thrashing
Bookmakers have lost an estimated £1.5 million on last weekend's Scottish league match between Peterhead and Forfar. Forfar, who lost 8-0 and had 2 players sent off, had applied for a postponement claiming that it had just 8 fit players, citing an 'injury crisis'.
Royal makes bingo outing
Prince William, the second heir to the throne, has been spotted playing bingo at the Mecca hall near the Sandhurst military academy where he's stationed. Regulars at the club said that he bought a £5 book of five tickets after joining the club and spent an hour playing before chatting with fellow players and signing tickets.