Playtech show strong first half results

Playtech have announced their half yearly results with a 15% increase from the same time last year, the gambling software giant saw revenues rise to €176.8 million for the first half of 2013, compared to €153.8 million for the same period in 2012 .

Announcing its interim figures for the six months ending in June 2013 the company said that gross income had shifted up by 10% to €194.9 million to generate an adjusted net profit of €84.9 million, up 0.5% on the corresponding period of last year. Playtech also showed a strong cash reserve of €576.2 million allowing to offer shareholders a dividend of 7.8 cents on a share.

“Once again Playtech’s tenacity and drive have been demonstrated in these results as it has focused on deepening its licensee relationships; creating innovative new content; and providing its customers with cutting edge products and services,” non-executive chairman Roger Withers said.

“As online gaming continues to focus on mobile, it is pleasing to see our investment in this increasingly important market paying-off across many product areas.

“The company continues to capitalise on its customer-focused strategy and strong balance sheet: Playtech remains the world’s leading supplier of technology and services for the online gaming industry and can look to the future with confidence and optimism.”

While announcing the interim results it was also disclosed that Mr Withers will be stepping down from his current role on the 9th October, but will remain as an advisor to the company.

Alan Jackson, who is currently the senior non-executive director, will assume the role as non-executive chairman from Mr Withers.

ATR agrees new media rights deal with Irish racing bodies

UK and Irish horse racing broadcaster At the Races (ATR) has agreed a deal with Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) to gain exclusive cross-platform media rights to all Irish fixtures.

The two-year agreement, which begins in January 2014, is described as including “significantly improved terms” for multiple media rights with ATR expecting returns to racecourses to more than double next year. Revenue is also expected to be positively impacted by the option to offer domestic and international distribution through online and new media.

ATR’s partner, broadcaster and data supplier SIS will retain all domestic and international betting shop rights under its existing contract with HRI.

As part of the agreement ATR will offer HRI and AIR a seat on its board of directors, described as “a significant and important new development that will help further the effort to coordinate and align strategies and keep the Irish racing industry integrally involved in the management and direction of its rights exploitation.”

The company’s chief executive Matthew Imi said he was “delighted” that the relationship with the two associations would continue, describing Irish racing as “a significant part of [ATR’s] business.”

“HRI and AIR made it very clear that not only did they feel ATR had done a great job monetising their rights across our current distribution platforms but that they were also excited about the long term potential of the business and we look forward to welcoming their representative onto the ATR Board as we start to roll out our growth strategy,” he explained.

AIR CEO Paddy Walsh added that he was “very pleased” to have agreed the new deal with ATR and SIS, saying that he looked forward to “all parties benefiting from the partnership approach that we have always adopted in the past.”

CVC buys Skrill (Moneybookers) for 600 millions euros

It is CVC’s third major move in a week following its £750m acquisition of the white goods insurer Domestic & General and the announcement of exclusive talks to buy parts of the European business of Campbell Soup.

Skrill was formerly known as Moneybookers and processes payments for online retailers, gambling websites and media companies. Investcorp said it reported revenues of more than €200m last year and EBITDA of €50m.

CVC’s acquisition of a 75 percent stake in Skrill will be funded with around €250m of equity as well as debt financing provided by Credit Suisse, RBS and Jefferies. Investcorp, which invested €105m for a controlling stake in Skrill in 2007, will retain a “substantial minority position” and a seat on the board.

The Bahraini Group put Skrill up for sale by Barclays earlier this year following rapid growth and the acquisition last year of Paysafecard.com from Wertkarten, an Austrian provider of prepaid vouchers that enable consumers to shop online with a lower fraud risk, for €140m. The company now employs some 700 staff and boasts 35 million account holders, and 150,000 merchants. It competes with the eBay-owned digital wallet provider PayPal and Google Checkout, among others.

The company’s management team will remain in place folowing completion of the deal, which is subject to approval by regulators.

Skrill chief executive Siegfried Heimgaertner said: “We are delighted to have CVC on-board whilst retaining Investcorp as a significant investor.

“CVC’s global reach and experience will support our goal to become the first choice in payments on a global basis. The value-based transformation we began in 2012 will continue unabated through this year and into 2014.”

CVC senior managing director Peter Rutland said it would support Skrill’s international expansion plans. The company had planned to raise funding in a flotation but abandoned the idea in 2011 amid concern about the weak IPO market.

Zynga cuts senior roles in company

EO of Zynga Don Mattrick has announced the company are reducing layers of senior management by removing Chief Operations Officer David Ko, The Head of Human Resources Colleen McCreary and Chief Technology Officer Cadir Lee, in a major reshuffle of senior heads.

Mattrick who was appointed new CEO last month, replacing founder of Zynga Mark Pincus as the new boss and charged with helping to turn around the fortunes of the once great online social gaming company.

He has a giant task ahead of him with shares in Zynga sliding 71% since the company went public back in 2011.

Mattrick said in a statement “We are taking layers out of the executive rank to get senior leaders closer to important product initiatives.”

Vietnam discuss legal gambling proposals

The Vietnam’s National Assembly discussed options to legalise gambling in the country for its ninety million nationals this week. Currently it is illegal for Vietnamese to gamble even thou there are seven casinos serving overseas visitors.

What was interesting is the point of view from Assembly members to limit the amount wagered by nationals and the frequency of gambling.

The draft proposal by the Ministry of Finance will allow Vietnamese gamblers three kinds of money betting on horse racing, dog racing and sports betting.

But the most controversial is the amount they are allowed to gamble and the maximum frequency of betting on horse and dog racing cannot exceed three days a week at each racecourse. For football betting, the betting frequency depends on the timetable of the matches.

The minimum amount of betting money is set at 10,000 Vietnamese dong ($0.50 cents) per time and not exceed 1 million Vietnamese dong ($50) per day.

How this should be enforced has not been made clear at present, with an official from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said there would be underground gambling still if they are regulated in this manner.

The gambling proposal also makes clear that people taking part in any gambling must be over 18 years old. The new proposals still make it illegal for any national to visit and gamble in the seven licensed casinos in the country, with a $10,000 fine in place for any violations.

However it is widely known that many Vietnamese visit and gamble in the casinos, with once casino manager quoted as saying that overseas players only make up one percent of their business.

Currently wealthy Vietnamese travel to neighbouring countries to gamble and play in casinos and the new proposal is aimed at stopping the flow of taxable dollars outside the country, however with the small maximums proposed it is unlikely this will prevent that from happening.

Manchester City Back 188Bet For Success In New Club Partnership

On the eve of a new Premier League campaign, Manchester City Football Club has teamed up with 188BET in a new club partnership.

The two year deal will see the global online gaming company become the club’s Official International Betting Partner.

As part of the deal, 188BET will be activating its partnership using City’s crest and player imagery throughout key regions and markets in addition to having a strong presence on the club’s Malay, Thai, Chinese and Indonesian websites.

Commenting on the partnership, Chief Commercial & Operating Officer for Manchester City Football Club, Tom Glick, said, “188BET’s experience within the Premier League has made them one of the most popular bookmakers among football fans, making them the perfect fit for the Club.

“Having built a strong reputation by providing customers with an extensive variety of products across multiple markets, we feel 188BET has the opportunity to become one of the biggest online gaming companies in the world. We look forward to working together to help them expand their operations, particularly throughout South East Asia.”

The club’s sentiment is also shared by Nigel Singer, Managing Director of 188BET, who added, “Manchester City is a fantastic addition to our global partnerships with Premier League football clubs.

“We are delighted to be associated with a club with such strong heritage and a passionate and loyal global fan base. This will allow us to reach a broad international audience.”

“Manchester City is one of the world’s most recognised football clubs and the combination of their proud history, worldwide fan base, and exciting plans for the future, means this is a great partnership opportunity for 188BET.”

Bwin.party Agree Three-Year Deal With Marseille

With sponsorship deals tied up in England, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Spain, it only needed a significant presence in France to allow Bwin.party to smother the sponsorship cloak over the top tier of European football; and that goal has been smashed into the back of the net after Norbert Teufelberger’s troops secured a three-year deal to become the official online betting and gaming partner of Olympique de Marseille.

The sponsorship package will allow Bwin.party players to get closer to the only French club to ever win a UEFA Champions League trophy, as they plan to roll out a number of fan-based initiatives that will see online casino gamers watching the team train, traveling to fixtures and hosting events where they can meet and mingle with the players.

“We are proud to establish this partnership with Olympique de Marseille, one of the oldest and most successful clubs in France and Europe,” said Bwin.party CEO, Norbert Teufelberger. “Today’s announcement means that we are now partnered with six of the greatest clubs in European football, enabling us to offer our customers an unparalleled range of online and real world offers.”

The news comes just a fortnight after Bwin.party agreed a similar deal with the top Belgian outfit RSC Anderlecht. This means Bwin.party have sponsorship deals with Manchester United (England), Juventus (Italy), Bayern Munich (Germany) and Real Madrid (Spain) giving them an unparalleled reach over European football.

The Road to Old Trafford

If Marseille supporters are unsure as to how Bwin.party will use their ties with the French football team to continue to improve their online gambling relationships, then look no further than the recent Road to Old Trafford initiative that was rolled out over two-days this past weekend at the home of Manchester United.

Bwin.party players were invited to a unique event at Old Trafford stadium that saw United legends of past and present playing poker with them in a joint venture. Darren Fletcher, Bryan Robson, Norman Whiteside, Dwight Yorke and Quinton Fortune all spent time with the Bwin.party players, and some of them even competed in fun poker tournaments, giving the players the chance to speak to their heroes.

In addition, at least a dozen free tickets were given out to watch Rio Ferdinand’s testimonial against Seville, eight lucky winners got to watch the first team training at Carrington training ground, and a whole host of prizes such as signed shirts, caps, boots and balls were also given out as prizes.

The event also saw a £250 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) tournament held over the two days and the Manchester United fan Sam Trickett took home the top prize. The most successful poker player in British history said: “I am really happy to win this event – I played for fun but I felt I really had to win at Old Trafford – I made it my mission!

Trickett won £10,000 for coming first and donated a significant portion of that prize to the Rio Ferdinand’s Live the Dream Foundation. Yours truly finished 19th for a £390 prize and donated all of my proceedings to the girlfriend’s Buy More Bags and Shoes Foundation.

Lotto Plus 5 to be Scrapped

As part of the changes announced by lottery operator Camelot earlier this year, not only will UK National Lottery ticket prices be doubling and the prize structure revamped but, the side game Lotto Plus 5 is to be scrapped as well. Thus, Lotto Plus 5, which offers players another chance of winning, will be replaced by the new Lotto Raffle supposedly guaranteeing more prize winners per draw.

Lotto Plus 5

Lotto Plus 5 comprises a side game to the Lotto which offers players a further chance of winning. Whilst it features 5 tiers like the Lotto, the Lotto Plus 5 draws are held 5 times throughout the week (everyday excluding Saturday and Wednesday) thus, the cash prizes correspond to a smaller amount. It costs an extra £1 per play however, lottery hopefuls are automatically entered into five separate lotto Plus 5 Draws. To take part, players need to play Lotto. When they complete the Lotto slip they simply select the “Plus 5” checkbox next to the Lotto line of their choice. As is the case with the Lotto, 3 or more numbers need to be matched to claim a prize which ranges from £2.50 to the top prize of £25,000. Lotto Plus 5 Rollovers are a frequent occurrence, with no first prize winner for (sometimes) weeks, as lottery hopefuls still have to match 6 out of a possible 49 lottery numbers.

New Lotto Raffle

All this is soon to change after the UK National Lottery announced the discontinuation of the Lotto Plus 5, which will be replaced by a new Lotto Raffle. The 3 major differences between Lotto 5 Plus and the new Lotto Raffle are as follows:

1. Similarly to the Euromillions UK Millionaire Raffle, the new Lotto Raffle will be obligatory. You can not opt out of playing.

2. Players will receive one raffle number for every line of Lotto that they purchase. Their raffle entry will automatically be selected from a pool of numbers and printed on their Lotto ticket.

How to Play Lotto Plus 5 3. Finally, the received raffle number(s) will remain the same for all draws that players enter in a single transaction. For example, if a lottery hopeful plays two lines for two weeks on both Wednesday and Saturday in a single transaction then their two raffle entries will remain the same for each of the four draws. Similarly, if four Lotto lines are purchased separately then the player will receive four different Lotto Raffle numbers, one on each Lotto ticket, corresponding to four entries per Lotto Raffle draw.

According to the UK National Lottery, the new side game will guarantee that at least 50 players scoop a £20,000 prize per draw, whilst many more winners in the rollovers will be produced. In the meantime, Lotto Plus 5 will still be available to players up until Autumn, when the various changes announced by the UK National Lottery finally come into effect.

More Delays Loom For Full Tilt Player Reimbursements

Poker players in the US that have been expecting to get their long overdue reimbursements from Full Tilt Poker should probably sit tight and wait a little longer because it looks like a resolution to that year’s old issue is no closer to getting resolved anytime soon.

According to Bob Pajich of CardPlayer, the Garden City Group, the organization that has the responsibility of handling the reimbursements have yet to move past identifying player information obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice. With no progress still being made in that front, a sourced told Pajich that significant steps forward regarding the whole reimbursement issue could still take more than two years before players who lost their funds almost two years ago can get their money back. In that case, that would be around 2015, which is still a long ways away.

Player identification is just one problem, though. There are a myriad of different issues that still need to be worked, not the least of which includes determining which players get settlements and how much these players stand to get. Garden City Group is working through two government agencies – the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the Department of Justice and the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York – in trying to determine a resolution on this problem. It’s more than likely that a lot of the players who lost their money when Full Tilt closed down in September 2011 won’t be getting their full lost shares back. It’s been an estimated that the full reimbursement amount has been pegged at $184 million, which clearly won’t be enough for the 1.3 million or so players that are in line to get a piece of that pie.

And then there’s the issue of getting the issue moving when it hits the courts. Pajich notes that even if Garden City Group gets the federal green light allowing the company all the information it needs to do its job of handling all the reimbursements to FTP players, Garden City Group still needs to go through the proper channels (in this case, the courts) before it can actually begin the whole process of giving the money back to all the players who lost it.

So if you happen to be sitting on your desk and waiting for your FTP funds to be returned to you, you’re more than likely going to sit a whole lot longer than you’d want. If you want to expedite the process a little bit in your favor, you can register at fulltiltpokerclaims.com and wait for Garden City Group to contact you regarding the next steps that need to be taken before the reimbursement returns to your account.

Betting firms to fund anti-match fixing programme

An education programme which aims to stamp out corruption and match-fixing among athletes has been extended after funding from three betting firms.

The Professional Players Federation (PPF) has signed a three-year gambling education partnership with bookmakers bet365, Betfair and Ladbrokes.

The PPF is an umbrella organisation representing more than 15,600 sportsmen and women in the UK.

Now some 7,500 UK professional athletes will learn about gambling integrity.

Sports Minister Hugh Robertson MP said the arrangement would "help safeguard sport from cheats".

"Educating players on betting integrity is a vital tool in the fight against corruption." he added.

John Coates, joint chief executive of bet365 and chairman of the Remote Gambling Association, said major betting operators understood the importance of having corruption-free sport.,

This is the second three-year deal between the PPF - which represents 11 sporting bodies - and the betting industry.

An earlier programme delivered face-to-face betting education to 5,620 athletes, and also established e-learning programmes.

"Over the next three years we will expand the programme to reach more sports; find new ways to keep the messages fresh; and continue to make sure that British sportsmen are some of the best educated in the world about the dangers of match fixing," said PPF chairman Brendan Batson.