Olympic bosses and French regulators have called for tougher international sanctions against betting corruption in sport, and the countries that tolerate it, following the publication of a damning new white paper report.
Faced with the task of appealing to a glaringly younger and online savvy audience, Europe’s land-based casino operators will have to overcome many bad habits to succeed, according to industry experts.
Slot machine giant International Game Technology (IGT) has said it will pay up to $500m in cash for Double Down Interactive, a Seattle-based social gaming company which runs the Double Down Casino on Facebook.
With Casinos Austria’s land-based licences now up for grabs, would-be applicants are backing a man who believes he is the winner of a controversial slot machine jackpot that was not.
One element of Greece’s long-awaited privatisation campaign moved a stage closer yesterday with the announcement of a shortlist of bidders for the Hellenic lotteries concession, while the government also confirmed the appointment of a new chief for the soon-to-be-created gaming regulator.
Alderney’s gambling regulator has set in motion an independent review of its handling of the events that brought about the suspension, and eventual shredding, of operating licences belonging to Full Tilt Poker.
Politicians are searching for ways to delay the sale of the Greek government’s stake in sports betting monopoly OPAP until its lucrative VLT licences begin to generate cash.
The Finnish lottery and sports betting monopolist is reaping the benefits of a market isolated from foreign competition, with online sales surging nearly 23 percent in the first nine months of 2011.
The state secretary helming Greece’s online market transformation says plans to regulate internet gambling will go ahead despite objections by industry lobby groups, with operators already jockeying for licences in behind the scenes moves.
