Bingo Association calls on Treasury for tax relief
The Bingo Association has once again called on the government to remove VAT to save the industry, after warning that the upcoming smoking ban would result in a fall of government revenues by 33 per cent from the industry. Neil Goulden, chairman of the Bingo Association, added that the ban would result in the closure of around 28 per cent of British clubs and overall admissions would fall by nearly 30 per cent.
Intralot subsidiary awarded one-year Turkish licence
Intralot's Turkish subsidiary Inteltek has signed a new one-year temporary licence with Turkey's regulatory authority Spor Toto, allowing it to reactivate all 4,000 points of sale for the Iddaa game throughout the country. A tender process is expected to be launched in the upcoming year for a long-term contract to operate the fixed-odds betting game.
Partouche handed suspended sentence
Casino boss Patrick Partouche has been given a 12-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay a 40,000 Eur fine for his involvement in a Belgium-based online gaming company which targeted French players. Partouche International received a fine of 150,000 Eur for lending its name to the online poker site, Poker770.com.
Committee warns Jowell about raiding Lottery funds
A culture, media and sport committee has told Tessa Jowell not to rely on National Lottery money to offset 'faulty' cost estimates after the culture secretary confirmed that the cost of staging the London Olympics 2012 had tripled to £9.3 billion. They said they were 'disturbed' by the new costs and said that they should be met by the Treasury and not lottery contributions.
NETeller hearing postponed
The scheduled hearing of NETeller's two former board members, Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre, has been rescheduled for 16 April according to an announcement by the United States Attorney Office in New York. Both the prosecutor and the defendants agreed on the delay, but no further information as to why was released.
EFTA rules in favour of Norwegian state-monopoly
The EFTA Court in Luxembourg has dismissed an application by the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) for a declaration that Norway had violated the rules of the EEA Agreement by giving state-owned company Norsk Tipping the exclusive right to operate gaming machines. It ruled that Norway's state monopoly on the operation of gaming machines was justified on the grounds of fighting gambling addiction.
Julian Goicoa to join Namco Bandai sales team
Namco Europe Ltd has appointed Julian Goicoa as International Business Development Manager, with specific responsibilities for sales of amusement machines across the Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese and African markets. The 52-year-old has extensive experience in the coin-op/videogames industry since 1985, most notably for Gaelco where he was responsible for worldwide sales.
M&G buys 2.5 million Sportingbet shares
The fund management unit of insurer Prudential, M&G Investments, has bought 2.5 million shares in Sportingbet, raising its stake in the gaming firm from 3.61 per cent to 4.19 per cent. M&G now holds 18.15 million shares in the company, which confirmed earlier this month that it had received a 'very preliminary' approach from Austrian online gaming company Bwin.
Scientific sells racing communications division
Scientific Games Corp. has sold its racing communications business to Roberts Communications Network in return for a 29.4 percent stake in Roberts. The lottery operator said the sale includes the simulcast transmission unit of Scientific Games Racing LLC and a 70 percent interest in the North American Simulcast Racing Information Network.
Gambling ads could contribute £250 million to advertising sector
New research has suggested that the gambling sector could boost advertising revenues by up to £250 million after new rules allowing betting shops, casinos and gambling websites to advertise on television. Global Betting and Gaming Consultants said that companies would spend 5 per cent of their estimated £5bn turnover on advertising.
Greyhound killer walks free
A 57-year old man accused of killing more than 10,000 racing greyhounds over a 15-year period has been fined £2,000 but escaped a jail sentence. Judge Peter Armstrong said he would have jailed David Smith, nicknamed the 'Seaham Slaughterer', had it been an animal cruelty case but accepted Smith's activities had been investigated by the police and RSPCA.
Women's $1 million slot win upheld
The Mississippi Gaming Commission has ruled that a woman who was wrongly awarded a $1 million jackpot on a slot machine win should receive the winnings. The IP casino had argued that she was only owed the top winning amount of $8,000, and that a technician had mistakenly programmed the slot machine to be a stand-alone progressive.
Gala adds Nectar points
Customers at Gala Bingo will gain points on their Nectar cards from June, as part of its strategy to offset the smoking ban. The scheme is not contingent on the amount they spend according to a spokesperson, and would not extend to Gala casinos or the Coral betting shops.
British tourist economy in good health
VisitBritain said that Britian's tourist industry was in 'good health' after new figures revealed that its visitor economy was worth around £85 billion. CEO Tom Wright said that it had benefited from the enlargement of Europe, leading to strong growth from Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, and improved access to the UK from countries such as India.
And Finally... Welsh man beats odds and banks £700,000
Ladbrokes bookmakers said that a Welsh man had overcome odds of 350,000 to one, to win £700,000 from a stake of £2. A spokesperson for the UK firm called the win extraordinary adding that it was the most "phenomenal betting performance we've seen in many years."
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