European sports betting operator Betsson AB has invested in the Swedish startup-company Rush Sports AB, which has developed the first true app for event-driven real-time betting – Rush Football. The founders of the company are also behind the successful apps Forza Football and Forza 90′.
Rush Football aims to be the first app to fully integrate a live score service with real-time betting, allowing users to follow matches and place bets based on match events; not just in a single app, but also in the same view.
“The investment in Rush Sports AB is part of Betsson’s investment strategy, in which Betsson continually evaluates opportunities to strengthen the company’s position in the market. We believe in this investment and look forward with enthusiasm on the development of Rush Sports AB and Rush Football” says Magnus Silfverberg President and CEO of Betsson AB.”
“We want to develop the best products within mobile sports betting” states Martin Lindau, CEO Rush Sports AB. “With help from Betsson, Rush Football has all the possibilities of becoming another success.”
November 19, 2014
Rafa Nadal triumphs in grudge match against Ronaldo as SportStars duel
Tennis: Former World No.1 and 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has beaten the Football legend Ronaldo (Brazilian) in the challenge game of Poker.
Nadal and Ronaldo had met in the Poker tournament last year, when the Spaniard had won. But this year Ronaldo wanted to take a revenge, so he challenged Nadal back in September.
Ronaldo had said he had learnt more tricks and techniques, but those could not help him, as he lost. Nadal posted the photo with Ronaldo and wrote on his Facebook account, ''I won #theduel!! A great game of poker with Ronaldo! The benefits will be donated to charity''.
The 28-year-old Mallorca resident had recently undergone a surgery and he is expected to start training for Tennis in December. Nadal has set his sight on playing in Doha and Abu Dhabi at the start of the next year.
November 18, 2014
French football rocked by match fixing scandal
olice carried out raids on numerous homes on Tuesday and arrested the presidents of two clubs, who are suspected of fixing or attempting to fix football matches in France’s second division.
Among those arrested according to Le Parisien newspaper was the president of Caen, Jean-François Fortin and the president of Nîmes Olympique, Jean-Marc Conrad.
In all there were around ten arrests made, all related to the suspected fixing of matches in the 2013-2014 season.
The two men arrested are suspected of rigging a match between their two clubs in May 2013, so that it ended in a draw.
That result ensured that Caen would be promoted to France’s top division and Nîmes Olympique would avoid relegation to the third tier.
According to Le Parisien, French police are looking at several games played by Nîmes last year, suspecting that they too may also have been rigged.
Police suspicions were first raised when they were investigating a separate case against former Nîmes shareholder Serge Kasparian and his casino empire Cercle Cadet.
In a separate case, three of the directors of the club Olympique Marseille have also been arrested on Tuesday, accused of misuse of company funds in relation to the transfer of striker Andre-Pierre Gignac from Toulouse to Marseille in 2010 for €18 million.
Current club president Vincent Labrune; Jean-Claude Dassier, who held the post from 2009 to 2011 and current CEO Philip Perez are under police investigation, suspected of paying kickbacks to middlemen.
Among those arrested according to Le Parisien newspaper was the president of Caen, Jean-François Fortin and the president of Nîmes Olympique, Jean-Marc Conrad.
In all there were around ten arrests made, all related to the suspected fixing of matches in the 2013-2014 season.
The two men arrested are suspected of rigging a match between their two clubs in May 2013, so that it ended in a draw.
That result ensured that Caen would be promoted to France’s top division and Nîmes Olympique would avoid relegation to the third tier.
According to Le Parisien, French police are looking at several games played by Nîmes last year, suspecting that they too may also have been rigged.
Police suspicions were first raised when they were investigating a separate case against former Nîmes shareholder Serge Kasparian and his casino empire Cercle Cadet.
In a separate case, three of the directors of the club Olympique Marseille have also been arrested on Tuesday, accused of misuse of company funds in relation to the transfer of striker Andre-Pierre Gignac from Toulouse to Marseille in 2010 for €18 million.
Current club president Vincent Labrune; Jean-Claude Dassier, who held the post from 2009 to 2011 and current CEO Philip Perez are under police investigation, suspected of paying kickbacks to middlemen.
Amaya to focus on sports betting product development amid bwin.party takeover rumours
Amaya Gaming CEO David Baazov, outlined the importance of sports betting for his company’s future growth strategy. Speaking to investors after reporting Amaya Gaming’s Q3 results, Baazov confirmed that the operator would continue to “invest heavily” in developing a proprietary sports betting product.
Baazov outlined that Amaya would look to launch a sportsbook for its Full Tilt brand in the coming months. The CEO confirmed that Amaya would look to utilise third party technologies for non-differentiating components of the products development.
Amaya sports betting products will differentiate from competitors by building certain player mechanisms in-house, such as loyalty programs and customer services.
Baazov confirmed that Amaya sports betting products will be primarily attached to acquired poker brands PokerStars and Full Tilt. The brands will begin to operate sports betting verticals in select licensed European markets.
Amaya Gaming’s recent igaming technology acquisitions and its corporate strategy set on expanding its services for the US igaming market, have led financial news sources to speculate that the Canadian Gambling operator is preparing a $1.2 billion takeover of Gibraltar based bwin.party.
Last Friday Financial Times Alphaville Editor Paul Murphy reported that Amaya Gaming and igaming technology provider Playtech were the two rumoured parties bidding on acquiring bwin.party.
Baazov outlined that Amaya would look to launch a sportsbook for its Full Tilt brand in the coming months. The CEO confirmed that Amaya would look to utilise third party technologies for non-differentiating components of the products development.
Amaya sports betting products will differentiate from competitors by building certain player mechanisms in-house, such as loyalty programs and customer services.
Baazov confirmed that Amaya sports betting products will be primarily attached to acquired poker brands PokerStars and Full Tilt. The brands will begin to operate sports betting verticals in select licensed European markets.
Amaya Gaming’s recent igaming technology acquisitions and its corporate strategy set on expanding its services for the US igaming market, have led financial news sources to speculate that the Canadian Gambling operator is preparing a $1.2 billion takeover of Gibraltar based bwin.party.
Last Friday Financial Times Alphaville Editor Paul Murphy reported that Amaya Gaming and igaming technology provider Playtech were the two rumoured parties bidding on acquiring bwin.party.
November 12, 2014
Bwin.party in takeover talks
The Board of Directors at bwin.party were forced to issue a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday as speculation about a possible takeover bid boiled over and became public knowledge.
The statement reads:
“Further to recent media speculation regarding a possible bid for bwin.party, the Board of bwin.party confirms that it has entered into preliminary discussions with a number of interested parties regarding a variety of potential business combinations with a view to creating additional value for bwin.party shareholders.
Such discussions may or may not result in an offer being made for the Company. However, as all such discussions remain at a preliminary stage, there can be no certainty as to whether or not they will result in any form of transaction with any party.”
According to an article on the Financial Times Alphaville, it is Amaya Gaming Group who the potential buyers of what was once the largest publically traded online gaming company in the world. Amaya, of course, are the owners of bwin.party's partypoker's rivals PokerStars and Full Tilt.
Paul Murphy of the Financial Times wrote in his article, “We believe the bidder here is Amaya Gaming Group” and the potential price would be 145p per share, valuing the company at around £1.19 billion.
However, an article appearing in the London Evening Standard claims it is Playtech who are looking to acquire bwin.party after it announced it was raising a €315 million war chest for acquisitions and “organic opportunities.”
Bwin.party have so far declined to comment on who preliminary talks are with, but Amaya is set to publish its financial figures on November 14 so if it is one of the potential buyers we would expect an announcement before then.
It will be interesting to see if it is Amaya or Playtech looking at the buyout and what plans each company would have for bwin.party.
The stock market reacted positively to the news and bwin.party's share price rose 12.52% to 121.3p.
The statement reads:
“Further to recent media speculation regarding a possible bid for bwin.party, the Board of bwin.party confirms that it has entered into preliminary discussions with a number of interested parties regarding a variety of potential business combinations with a view to creating additional value for bwin.party shareholders.
Such discussions may or may not result in an offer being made for the Company. However, as all such discussions remain at a preliminary stage, there can be no certainty as to whether or not they will result in any form of transaction with any party.”
According to an article on the Financial Times Alphaville, it is Amaya Gaming Group who the potential buyers of what was once the largest publically traded online gaming company in the world. Amaya, of course, are the owners of bwin.party's partypoker's rivals PokerStars and Full Tilt.
Paul Murphy of the Financial Times wrote in his article, “We believe the bidder here is Amaya Gaming Group” and the potential price would be 145p per share, valuing the company at around £1.19 billion.
However, an article appearing in the London Evening Standard claims it is Playtech who are looking to acquire bwin.party after it announced it was raising a €315 million war chest for acquisitions and “organic opportunities.”
Bwin.party have so far declined to comment on who preliminary talks are with, but Amaya is set to publish its financial figures on November 14 so if it is one of the potential buyers we would expect an announcement before then.
It will be interesting to see if it is Amaya or Playtech looking at the buyout and what plans each company would have for bwin.party.
The stock market reacted positively to the news and bwin.party's share price rose 12.52% to 121.3p.
November 10, 2014
Boylesports seeks CEO for UK expansion
Irish businessman John Boyle, the founder of Boylesports, is ready to step back in as Chairman of the betting operator, as the company looks to expand its presence and operations in the UK betting and gaming market.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Boyle stated that he would return to managing Boylesport governance if the company could find a Chief Executive Officer to take management operations.
Boyle further stated that the operator needed to expand its operations and presence in the UK betting market, as it had reached peak expansion within Ireland were it operators 198 retail betting outlets.
Speaking on corporate strategy, Boyle detailed that the operator may look undertake a major betting acquisition in order to establish its presence in the UK betting market. Boylesport senior management were currently in the process of identifying potential targets.
“A big push into the UK would be one of the next steps for the business. And if it happens it will be done in scale. Now that we are debt free we would have backing from the banks,” Boyle commented.
The privately owned operator is in the process of moving its operational base to Gibraltar, which it believes will help it expand in the UK market. Boylesport is seeking acquire a top Chief Executive to undertake ambitious growth plans and execute dynamic strategies for its business divisions.
Speaking on the matter Boyle commented: “I was always looking for someone to come along and take my role, always looking for a good CEO. But to get someone who would have that passion and care, not just do the job, that’s the challenge.”
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Boyle stated that he would return to managing Boylesport governance if the company could find a Chief Executive Officer to take management operations.
Boyle further stated that the operator needed to expand its operations and presence in the UK betting market, as it had reached peak expansion within Ireland were it operators 198 retail betting outlets.
Speaking on corporate strategy, Boyle detailed that the operator may look undertake a major betting acquisition in order to establish its presence in the UK betting market. Boylesport senior management were currently in the process of identifying potential targets.
“A big push into the UK would be one of the next steps for the business. And if it happens it will be done in scale. Now that we are debt free we would have backing from the banks,” Boyle commented.
The privately owned operator is in the process of moving its operational base to Gibraltar, which it believes will help it expand in the UK market. Boylesport is seeking acquire a top Chief Executive to undertake ambitious growth plans and execute dynamic strategies for its business divisions.
Speaking on the matter Boyle commented: “I was always looking for someone to come along and take my role, always looking for a good CEO. But to get someone who would have that passion and care, not just do the job, that’s the challenge.”
November 07, 2014
French Internet Poker Market Falls To €57m In Q3 2014
French online gambling regulator Autorité de Régulation des Jeux En Ligne (ARJEL), has released its third quarter results for the country’s gambling industry and while sports betting gross gaming revenues were up by a massive 94% to €60 million, online poker continued its dramatic decline with revenues shrinking by 2% to just €57 million.
Poker Declines For Third Consecutive Quarter
In the third quarter, ARJEL reported a 2% fall in the country’s online poker market to €57 million, and while cash games noted a turnover drop of €59 million to €1.040 billion, tournament entries actually improved slightly by €2 million to €354 million.
Earlier this year, ARJEL President Charles Coppolani declared that poker was a losing proposition, and issued a public statement saying; “The fad is over. Basically, the online poker market may be mature.” Unfortunately, France’s quarterly results seem to be leaning in that direction, and the country has now experienced three quarters of declining revenues.
Nevertheless, while Coppolani has dismissed poker as a “fad” and “too complicated for a young audience”, the ARJEL President seems to be overlooking what is likely to be the real root cause of the problem, namely a ring-fenced market with a lack of liquidity, and a French government which has placed too high a tax burden on online poker operators.
Unappealing French iPoker Market
French online poker operators are currently subjected to an extortionate 37% tax rate, and also find themselves further disadvantaged by an estimated 45% of French players preferring to play on unlicensed sites, representing a considerable drain on France’s online poker industry. While ARJEL’s current President Coppolani seems to have overlooked just how significantly these factors have affected online poker in France, ARJEL former President Jean-François Vilotte,at least seemed to have had a better grasp on the situation and previously warned:
“Poker is going through a difficult time, but this is not something that is happening only in France, as Spain and Italy are experiencing a similar trend as well. Seen from a broader perspective, this is a problem of legalized markets competing against non-legalized ones. If legalized markets won’t learn how to become more flexible and adjust themselves quicker to what people want, they will keep doing the work for illegal websites and help them to win against their legal competitors.”
In addition, this uncompetitive situation has recently affected the country’s players and on September 26th, Europoker.fr officially shut its doors leaving between €300,000 and €500,000 of customers’ bankrolls and bonuses stuck in their online accounts.
Signs That ARJEL May Finally Be Addressing Shortcomings
However, there are at last signs that France’s regulator is beginning to see the need to improve the condition of its online poker market, and Coppolani recently met with a select group of French players and journalists in an effort to improve communication between ARJEL and the players in the future. Amongst a number of issues he has promised to consider is the need to introduce more poker games to the French online poker community, to reduce tax for online poker operators, and to share liquidity with other European countries, such as the UK, Spain and Italy.
Sports Betting The Outstanding Performer
While online poker continues to struggle from a number of factors, France’s gambling regulator ARJEL had nothing but praise for the country’s sports betting industry, which reported gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €60 million, up by 94% compared to the €31 million generated in Q3 last year.
Helping France’s sports betting balance sheet was the country’s promising performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, which saw the national team reach the Quarter-finals before losing 1-0 to eventual winners Germany. While French bookies took €47 million from punters during the World Cup, French sports betting in general was up by 34% to €245 million in Q3, with football betting the most popular attraction with 63% of the action. Tennis proved the next most popular sport with 24% of total sports wagering, while horse racing continued to wane, falling by 7% in GGR to €238 million.
Poker Declines For Third Consecutive Quarter
In the third quarter, ARJEL reported a 2% fall in the country’s online poker market to €57 million, and while cash games noted a turnover drop of €59 million to €1.040 billion, tournament entries actually improved slightly by €2 million to €354 million.
Earlier this year, ARJEL President Charles Coppolani declared that poker was a losing proposition, and issued a public statement saying; “The fad is over. Basically, the online poker market may be mature.” Unfortunately, France’s quarterly results seem to be leaning in that direction, and the country has now experienced three quarters of declining revenues.
Nevertheless, while Coppolani has dismissed poker as a “fad” and “too complicated for a young audience”, the ARJEL President seems to be overlooking what is likely to be the real root cause of the problem, namely a ring-fenced market with a lack of liquidity, and a French government which has placed too high a tax burden on online poker operators.
Unappealing French iPoker Market
French online poker operators are currently subjected to an extortionate 37% tax rate, and also find themselves further disadvantaged by an estimated 45% of French players preferring to play on unlicensed sites, representing a considerable drain on France’s online poker industry. While ARJEL’s current President Coppolani seems to have overlooked just how significantly these factors have affected online poker in France, ARJEL former President Jean-François Vilotte,at least seemed to have had a better grasp on the situation and previously warned:
“Poker is going through a difficult time, but this is not something that is happening only in France, as Spain and Italy are experiencing a similar trend as well. Seen from a broader perspective, this is a problem of legalized markets competing against non-legalized ones. If legalized markets won’t learn how to become more flexible and adjust themselves quicker to what people want, they will keep doing the work for illegal websites and help them to win against their legal competitors.”
In addition, this uncompetitive situation has recently affected the country’s players and on September 26th, Europoker.fr officially shut its doors leaving between €300,000 and €500,000 of customers’ bankrolls and bonuses stuck in their online accounts.
Signs That ARJEL May Finally Be Addressing Shortcomings
However, there are at last signs that France’s regulator is beginning to see the need to improve the condition of its online poker market, and Coppolani recently met with a select group of French players and journalists in an effort to improve communication between ARJEL and the players in the future. Amongst a number of issues he has promised to consider is the need to introduce more poker games to the French online poker community, to reduce tax for online poker operators, and to share liquidity with other European countries, such as the UK, Spain and Italy.
Sports Betting The Outstanding Performer
While online poker continues to struggle from a number of factors, France’s gambling regulator ARJEL had nothing but praise for the country’s sports betting industry, which reported gross gaming revenue (GGR) of €60 million, up by 94% compared to the €31 million generated in Q3 last year.
Helping France’s sports betting balance sheet was the country’s promising performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, which saw the national team reach the Quarter-finals before losing 1-0 to eventual winners Germany. While French bookies took €47 million from punters during the World Cup, French sports betting in general was up by 34% to €245 million in Q3, with football betting the most popular attraction with 63% of the action. Tennis proved the next most popular sport with 24% of total sports wagering, while horse racing continued to wane, falling by 7% in GGR to €238 million.
Russian Online Poker To Be A Victim Of Ukraine Conflict?
In June 2009, the Russian Federation ordered the Sports Ministry to remove poker from its national sports registry, and since then the government has intermittently ordered Internet Service Providers to block online gambling websites from the country. Recently, however, Russian authorities signaled a U-turn in its negative approach towards iGaming after it requested the Russian Ministries of Finance, Economics and Justice to prepare a report on possible legalization, but now the prospects for online poker regulation appears to have dimmed once more following the heightened tensions between Russia and The West following the Ukraine Crisis which began on 21 February 2014.
Russian online poker a $150m industry
Russia is a country heavily reliant on the revenues generated from its energy sector, and in 2012 oil and gas accounted for 16% of the country’s GDP, around half its federal budget, and 70% of total exports. Therefore, its not difficult to see how online poker regulation could significantly impact the country’s economic outlook, especially with the industry predicted to generate up to 3 billion roubles ($87 million) in its first year of operation, rising to 5 billion roubles ($146 million) by year four.
With proposed amendments to the law suggesting a competitive taxation regime of 20% on a company’s gross gaming revenues and 13% on withdrawals made by poker players from their accounts, the government could stand to collect more than half a billion dollars in tax revenues over the next five years. Interestingly, chief researcher at the Centre for Tax Policy Research Institute of the Ministry of Finance, Vladimir Bauer, has indicated online poker would likely be categorized as an “intellectual and commercial game” so that it could be taxed as an electronic service.
Online poker legalization essential
Last month, a government ministries meeting concluded legalization of Russia’s online poker market was essential, with all arguments related to security and public safety subsequently dismissed. It was then decided the country’s interests could best be served by opening the industry to Western iGaming operators, and introducing a system whereby operators were required to store their customers’ personal data on servers hosted within Russia.
The country currently restricts all its gambling activities to five established gambling zones where casinos are permitted, but legislators even seemed positive towards allowing online poker to be offered outside of these far flung corners of the federation.
Online poker a victim of geopolitics?
While the Ukraine Crisis has been raging since February, recently the conflict involving Russia and The West has heightened following the introduction of a wave of sanctions against Russian individuals and businesses designed to impose a high cost on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
Given the current climate with The West, which threatens to draw a cold war era type “iron curtain” across Europe, it has become increasingly unlikely the Russian parliament will react positively to any new bill which would give Western businesses access to Russian online poker players. A more likely scenario may now involve legislators restricting online licenses to just existing domestic casino operators already operating inside Russia.
No real alternative to Western poker rooms
Although sending a strong message out to its political opponents, the move to exclude Western operators from Russia could ultimately be self-defeating in the absence of any real home grown competitor. Outside of the country, ex-Soviet Republic, Georgia, may represent the best option to bring online poker to Russia, with its poker site Adjarabet currently ranked on PokerScout‘s ‘Online Poker Traffic Report’ in 10th place with 1,000 cash game players over a seven-day-period, and Europe-Bet in 22nd place with 350 players.
Just like Ukraine, however, Russia has extremely hostile relations with Georgia and in 2008 it invaded South Ossetia in the north of the country, and has continued to occupy the region ever since. Creating “frozen conflicts” is widely seen as a tactic Russia employs in order to destabilize former USSR neighbors and keep them in its orbit of influence. Therefore, it’s anyone’s guess how long the stand-off between the West and Russia will last, and at which point a regulated online poker market may see the light of day in Russia.
Russian online poker a $150m industry
Russia is a country heavily reliant on the revenues generated from its energy sector, and in 2012 oil and gas accounted for 16% of the country’s GDP, around half its federal budget, and 70% of total exports. Therefore, its not difficult to see how online poker regulation could significantly impact the country’s economic outlook, especially with the industry predicted to generate up to 3 billion roubles ($87 million) in its first year of operation, rising to 5 billion roubles ($146 million) by year four.
With proposed amendments to the law suggesting a competitive taxation regime of 20% on a company’s gross gaming revenues and 13% on withdrawals made by poker players from their accounts, the government could stand to collect more than half a billion dollars in tax revenues over the next five years. Interestingly, chief researcher at the Centre for Tax Policy Research Institute of the Ministry of Finance, Vladimir Bauer, has indicated online poker would likely be categorized as an “intellectual and commercial game” so that it could be taxed as an electronic service.
Online poker legalization essential
Last month, a government ministries meeting concluded legalization of Russia’s online poker market was essential, with all arguments related to security and public safety subsequently dismissed. It was then decided the country’s interests could best be served by opening the industry to Western iGaming operators, and introducing a system whereby operators were required to store their customers’ personal data on servers hosted within Russia.
The country currently restricts all its gambling activities to five established gambling zones where casinos are permitted, but legislators even seemed positive towards allowing online poker to be offered outside of these far flung corners of the federation.
Online poker a victim of geopolitics?
While the Ukraine Crisis has been raging since February, recently the conflict involving Russia and The West has heightened following the introduction of a wave of sanctions against Russian individuals and businesses designed to impose a high cost on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
Given the current climate with The West, which threatens to draw a cold war era type “iron curtain” across Europe, it has become increasingly unlikely the Russian parliament will react positively to any new bill which would give Western businesses access to Russian online poker players. A more likely scenario may now involve legislators restricting online licenses to just existing domestic casino operators already operating inside Russia.
No real alternative to Western poker rooms
Although sending a strong message out to its political opponents, the move to exclude Western operators from Russia could ultimately be self-defeating in the absence of any real home grown competitor. Outside of the country, ex-Soviet Republic, Georgia, may represent the best option to bring online poker to Russia, with its poker site Adjarabet currently ranked on PokerScout‘s ‘Online Poker Traffic Report’ in 10th place with 1,000 cash game players over a seven-day-period, and Europe-Bet in 22nd place with 350 players.
Just like Ukraine, however, Russia has extremely hostile relations with Georgia and in 2008 it invaded South Ossetia in the north of the country, and has continued to occupy the region ever since. Creating “frozen conflicts” is widely seen as a tactic Russia employs in order to destabilize former USSR neighbors and keep them in its orbit of influence. Therefore, it’s anyone’s guess how long the stand-off between the West and Russia will last, and at which point a regulated online poker market may see the light of day in Russia.
November 04, 2014
Japan casino bill now set aside
Japan is now almost certain NOT to have casinos before the 2020 Olympic Games, says sources close to the bill in pushing it through parliament and there are now questions if it ever will be passed into law to permit casino resorts in Japan.
According to reports in Japan newspapers quoting sources close to the government who are supporting casino resorts, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is struggling to hold on to any majority support for the casino bill following months of political scandals and the coalition government fracturing to the point where any consensus is unlikely to happen.
The source is quoted as saying that the casino bill will now be set aside to at the earliest beginning of 2015 and maybe not even then. The current parliamentary session ends on the 30th November and the source says; “That if they can’t pass it now, I doubt whether they’ll ever be able to pass it.”
The news will be a major blow to international casino operators that saw Japan as possibly the second largest gambling hub after Macau, but with the lack of support for the bill amongst parliamentarians now, any casino bill in the future is unlikely to happen as the major driving force was the 2020 Olympic Games.
According to reports in Japan newspapers quoting sources close to the government who are supporting casino resorts, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is struggling to hold on to any majority support for the casino bill following months of political scandals and the coalition government fracturing to the point where any consensus is unlikely to happen.
The source is quoted as saying that the casino bill will now be set aside to at the earliest beginning of 2015 and maybe not even then. The current parliamentary session ends on the 30th November and the source says; “That if they can’t pass it now, I doubt whether they’ll ever be able to pass it.”
The news will be a major blow to international casino operators that saw Japan as possibly the second largest gambling hub after Macau, but with the lack of support for the bill amongst parliamentarians now, any casino bill in the future is unlikely to happen as the major driving force was the 2020 Olympic Games.
Spain re-opens licensing window for new online gambling applicants
Spain’s gambling regulator La Direccion General de Ordenacion del Juego (DGOJ) has re-opened its online gambling licensing window, in a move to create new market entrants for the Spanish online gambling market.
The DGOJ will review new business submissions of online gambling operators who wish to participate in Spain’s regulated online gambling market. The regulator confirmed that the window would be opened from the 1November until 8 December.
Interested operators have been asked to submit applications via the DGOJ’s website, the regulator stated that the process of issuing new operator licenses would take up to six months for applicants.
Spanish gambling market commentators have speculated that Spain’s regulated igaming market could see ten or twelve new betting operators enter the market.
Having reviewed its policies and frameworks in May, the DGOJ confirmed that it would approve betting exchanges and slots to be serviced by licensed online gambling and betting operators.
The DGOJ confirmed that licensed gambling operators would have to re-apply in order to provide slots in their product inventory.
The Spanish regulator had garnered pressure from igaming operators, who have felt restricted by regulations concerning product inventory for the market. The DGOJ further stressed that it would need a six month window to implement changes to current Spanish provisions in order to monitor and regulate the market.
The DGOJ will review new business submissions of online gambling operators who wish to participate in Spain’s regulated online gambling market. The regulator confirmed that the window would be opened from the 1November until 8 December.
Interested operators have been asked to submit applications via the DGOJ’s website, the regulator stated that the process of issuing new operator licenses would take up to six months for applicants.
Spanish gambling market commentators have speculated that Spain’s regulated igaming market could see ten or twelve new betting operators enter the market.
Having reviewed its policies and frameworks in May, the DGOJ confirmed that it would approve betting exchanges and slots to be serviced by licensed online gambling and betting operators.
The DGOJ confirmed that licensed gambling operators would have to re-apply in order to provide slots in their product inventory.
The Spanish regulator had garnered pressure from igaming operators, who have felt restricted by regulations concerning product inventory for the market. The DGOJ further stressed that it would need a six month window to implement changes to current Spanish provisions in order to monitor and regulate the market.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)