EU approves Hill's Spanish venture
William Hill's proposed joint venture with Spanish gaming group Codere has been given the go-ahead by the European Union after an investigation concluded that the partnership did not pose competition concerns. The two groups signed a memorandum of understanding in August to create a sports betting business in Spain, sparking the enquiry.
ICEi 2007 adds to international flavour
Organisers of ICEi 2007 have announced that nine of the 36 already confirmed exhibitors will be new to the show, and will hail from destinations as varied as Austria, the US and the Virgin Islands. The event takes place across 23-25 January at London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre. Registration is Free.
eCOGRA appoints independent director Henbrey
eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance) has appointed chartered accountant Bill Henbrey as an additional independent director to its Board. Henbrey joins the independent standards authority after recently retiring from BDO Stoy Hayward in London, where he was head of the betting and gaming unit.
Italian gambling bids submitted
Greek gaming firm Intralot has submitted bids for 500 of Italy's gambling units under the country's betting privatisation tender. Eurobet is reported to have placed bids for 200 betting shops, Italian company Sisal for 160 shops and UK-based Ladbrokes for 85 shops.
Cryptologic starts Hill negotiations
Software developer CryptoLogic's subsidiary WagerLogic Limited is currently in the process of negotiating a business renewal contract with betting group William Hill. The companies have signed a non-binding term sheet, which maps out provisions to sign a three-year long form contract.
Media Corp reports record profits
Internet casino operator Media Corporation has announced after-tax profits of £2.5 million in the year to September, a rise of 660 per cent compared with the same period last year. The London-based group's chief executive, Justin Drummond, reported that it had achieved the record profit despite a lower turnover of £11.9 million, against £18.8 million last year.
CAP guidelines favour Dome bid
Shadow culture secretary Hugo Swire has said that the Casino Advisory Panel's new super-casino guidelines favour the Millennium Dome, after it recommended that the winning bid should have a diversified tourist appeal. He argued that, as an existing tourist attraction, the Dome now has "an incredibly strong case."
Bruce Lee theme park announced
A Bruce Lee themed amusement park is to be built on the kung-fu star's ancestral home near Hong Kong. Costs for the development, which will include a memorial hall and martial arts academy, are reported to be in the region of £13 million.
BISL outlines industry challenges
Business In Sport and Leisure's chief executive, Brigid Simmonds OBE, has outlined the challenges facing the leisure, hospitality and tourism industry for the coming year at today's (Thursday) BISL Annual Conference in London. Key topics include the Licensing Act and the recommendations of the Better Regulation Commission Report, concerns about the government's financial regulations on the gambling industry and the upcoming smoking ban.
Brighton named UK's most popular destination
Brighton and Hove has been named the most popular coastal destination for foreign visitors in the UK by the International Passenger Survey, beating popular resorts such as Blackpool and Bournemouth. According to the survey, visitor numbers to the South-coast city increased by 23 per cent in 2005, to 332,000, compared with 270,000 in 2004.
Sky calls for regulation on participation TV
SkyBet's managing director Nick Rust has called on the government to regulate participation TV channels such as ITV Play and Quiz Call under the new Gambling Act. Broadcast regulator Ofcom later told the panel that 'self-regulation, not a change to the law' was the best policy.
Penta buys into Geronimo
Private equity firm Penta Capital has bought a controlling stake in Geronimo Inns for a reported £10 million. In a further announcement, the group said Barclays had committed over £14 million in new banking facilities to the pub group as part of its plan to double the size of its estate over the next three years.
Genting reports record year for Malaysian resort
Leisure group Genting said that its Malaysian resort is set for a record year, thanks to rising regional tourism. Chairman Lim Kok Thay added that its Malaysian operations would not be affected if it won the bid to build and operate Singapore's second casino resort.
Penn plans Harrah's takeover
Penn National Gaming is planning a bid for Harrah's Entertainment worth more than $15 billion according to a report in The Financial Times newspaper. The US casino company is believed to have lined up a number of investment partners, including banks Lehman Brothers and Wachovia, and the hedge fund group DE Shaw, for the deal.
Professor sets record straight on Mail headline
Nottingham Trent University's Dr Mark Griffiths told Coinslot that he was misrepresented and misquoted by the UK's Daily Mail newspaper when it published findings from his response to the DCMS consultation on AWP stakes and prizes. For the full interview see this week's edition, published today (Thursday).
Licensing minister Woodward calls new regulation 'encouraging'
The UK's new licensing laws are having a 'positive impact' according to the government's licensing minister Shaun Woodward. He called signs from the first year encouraging and noted that there had not been the explosion of 24-hour licensed venues that many people predicted.
Sportingbet criticises UK government
Sportingbet has criticised the UK government for its lack of support of the online gaming industry after posting a loss before tax of £241.4 million for the first quarter, due to a one-off exceptional charge of £252 million for exiting the US market. The gaming group went on to accuse Britain of making 'little real progress' in defining a regulatory framework for companies wanting to relocate to the UK.
Merlin in casino talks with Ladbrokes
Legoland owner Merlin Entertainments is in talks with Ladbrokes over joining the UK bookmaker's bid to run a super-casino in Blackpool. Reports in The Telegraph newspaper said that the partnership also provisionally included the Hilton hotel group.
Ladbrokes takeover rumours circulate
Rumours have been circulating of a leveraged buyout of Ladbrokes after traders betting on the creditworthiness of companies revealed a large rise in business for contracts based on the bookmaker's debt. The UK gaming company has seen its market value fall by almost £1 billion this year, after earnings suffered from a string of winning bets on football and horse racing.
HRI to discuss Betfair windfall
Horse Racing Ireland will meet to discuss how to spend its Eur 1 million windfall from Betfair amid rumours of a 'difference of opinion' among the organisation's governing bodies. Brian Kavanagh, HRI chief executive, denied the rift and commented that everything was still under discussion.
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