Let your mouth speak archive

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France’s regulated online gambling market continued to be plagued by ennui in the third quarter of 2015, with only sports betting showing real signs of life.

Figures released late last week by the country’s gaming regulator, l’Autorité de regulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL), show overall online gambling revenue in the three months ending Sept. 30 sipping 0.3% year-on-year to €176.1m.

Sports betting revenue improved 3% to €62m as the ranks of active sports bettors rose 5% to 165k. Horse betting revenue was also up, albeit only 5% to €60.1m, while race betting turnover was flat at €238m.

Online poker continued to stink out the joint, with overall revenue falling 5% to €54m. Tournament poker stakes actually improved 21% year-on-year but these gains were undone by a 20% fall in cash game stakes.

It’s been five years since France launched its regulated online gambling market, which has been widely criticized for its high rate of taxation, limited wagering options and its ring-fenced online poker business. Reflecting back on the past five years, ARJEL president Charles Coppolani said the state’s goals had been “partially achieved even if everything didn’t go exactly as planned.”

Coppolani acknowledged that France’s regulated market had turned out to be “not as competitive as hoped” back in 2010. However, Coppolani insisted that Brownie was doing a heckuva job and therefore the gaming industry’s struggles “should not be dramatized.” Coppolani said “many” of the state’s 17 licensed online operators “have achieved balance or are about to achieve it.”

That said, ARJEL issued a call in June for a dramatic overhaul of the country’s online gambling regulations. In his Q3 statement, Coppolani copped to the fact that poker was in “big trouble” and promised that new poker variants would be permitted before the end of 2015. Coppolani also said France would push for liquidity sharing deals with other European Union regulated markets in 2016, although we’ve been hearing that song for a couple years now.



French Online Gambling Market Plagued by Ennui | Online Gambling News : CalvinAyre-com

Chances of Switzerland legalizing and regulating the game of online poker are rather high. Proposals have been drafted for a law that would soon reverse the previous ban on gambling and legalize online poker. If everything goes as planned, a licensing agreement will soon be drawn up, greatly benefiting the 21 brick-and-mortar casinos dotted all over the country.

The draft bill embraces all types of online gambling. According to current Swiss laws, online gambling is completely prohibited. If Switzerland creates a new online gambling regulatory body, offshore as well as domestic gambling firms will be able to apply for a license to operate online gambling businesses in Switzerland. The bill also seeks to legalize private as well as home poker games.


It cannot be said this early if Switzerland will create laws requiring online gambling operators to sign partnership deals with existing land casino operators to launch online gambling services in the country. Since Switzerland has not implemented any IP-blocking measures, major offshore online gambling operators already accept Swiss gamblers. But it is definite that Switzerland won’t ring-fence its player pool because it knows that countries that have ring-fenced their players are not doing that well.


Read more: Switzerland on the Verge of Legalizing Online Gambling

Online gambling operator Unibet hit another all-time revenue high in its Q3 results as mobile became the company’s dominant betting channel.

Revenue in the three months ending Sept. 30 was up 7% year-on-year to £86.1m although earnings fell 20% to £17.4m, which the company blamed on negative currency exchange rates and lower sports betting margins.

Sports betting turnover rose nearly one-quarter but margins slipped 1.5 points to 7.7%, limiting sports revenue to £38.9m, up 4% year-on-year. Casino & Games revenue improved 15% to £42.3m while poker tumbled 25% to £1.3m after posting a 12% gain in Q2. ‘Other’ revenue was also down, falling 23% to £2.7m.

Mobile wagering improved 47% year-on-year, growing to 51% of revenue, the first time mobile betting has topped the desktop share. The company says overall trading in the current quarter is up 30% in constant currency terms, despite lower sports margins in October.

Active customer ranks rose nearly 100k to 671k, with nearly 29k of that gain coming via the Q3 acquisitions of the iGame Group and Stan James Online. iGame contributed revenue of £700k during the final two weeks of Q3 while the Stan James acquisition was finalized too late in the quarter to contribute.


Read more: Unibet Sets Revenue Record; Kambi Profits Triple | Online Gambling News : CalvinAyre-com

I think Unibet is mostly for European players?!

As the development of a state-run daily fantasy sports game and the potential regulation of the daily fantasy sports industry move forward on parallel tracks in Massachusetts, an anti-gambling organization headed up by a top aide to a former state senator warns that government sponsorship of Internet gambling will contribute to rising inequality.

Stop Predatory Gambling, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit whose aim is to end all government-sponsored gambling, on released a report this week critical of government regulation of casinos and state lotteries, and calling upon law enforcement to shutter sites like DraftKings and FanDuel.

"By almost any measure, government's regulation of gambling has been a spectacular failure and has contributed to rising unfairness and inequality in American life," Les Bernal, national director of Stop Predatory Gambling, said. "Only the uninformed and the willfully ignorant would suggest that government will promote internet gambling in a different, more ethical manner than its track record with lotteries and regional casinos demonstrates."

Bernal previously served as chief of staff for former Sen. Sue Tucker, herself a staunch opponent of expanded gambling in Massachusetts.

Read more: Report warns of perils of online gambling - Lowell Sun Online

A surge in new casino licences this year is a sign of an aggressive push into the poorly regulated field of online gaming, particularly in Sihanoukville, where Chinese investors are rumoured to be investing in properties to convert into online live-dealer casino operations.

Cambodia has built its gaming industry by positioning itself as a destination for Asian gamblers looking to circumvent gambling restrictions in their home countries. Most of its casinos are small-scale affairs positioned near the Kingdom’s border crossings attracting Thai and Vietnamese gamblers prohibited from gambling on their own soil.

Due to an anti-corruption drive in China and tighter surveillance of its biggest gambling hub, Macau, more and more Chinese gamblers are finding their way to Cambodia’s loosely regulated and under-supervised casinos

According to Ros Phirun, deputy director of the financial industry department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, 16 new casino licences have been issued so far this year, bringing the total to 75.

Most of the new operators are looking to offer online gambling, which is tolerated in the absence of regulation provided it is operated out of a licensed brick-and-mortar casino.

Phirun said the ministry does not track who operates casinos in Cambodia, but many of the new entrants are in Sihanoukville.

“Mostly, the Chinese operate the online gambling in Sihanoukville,” Phirun said. “Since it’s not the border area and not as many tourists come there, it is [dominated] by the Chinese.”

Increasingly, these online operators are adding live-dealer play, tapping into one of the fastest-growing markets for cross-border gaming.

Lorien Pilling, director of UK-based Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, said live-dealer gaming has grown in popularity as a result of some players’ scepticism regarding the fairness of random-number generators used by electronic gaming software.

Live-dealer games provide live streaming video of actual dealers in a real casino setting – though it need not be inside an actual casino. A warehouse, studio or any room that can be filled with gaming tables for the purpose on internet gambling will suffice.

Webcams capture the action at the gaming tables. A live croupier faces the camera and operates the game as in a normal casino. In most of these operations, online gamblers can chat with the croupier or with other online players. Some may even allow proxies to place bets.

“Live-dealer gaming is certainly very popular in Asia, particularly for baccarat, because it is closer to a ‘real’ casino than random-number generated casino games, and you can also interact with the dealer via a chat facility,” Pilling said.



Read more: Cambodian casinos going online with live-streamed gambling, Post Weekend, Phnom Penh Post

Thats nice for Switzerland.

There will be alot taxes for the covenant and that's not so bad!

Like colourful LED lights, which have replaced traditional earthen diyas during Diwali, virtual gambling is slowly taking over traditional dice games, teen patti and poker in the city.

As elders plan a gettogether with music, drinks and a bit of gambling during the festivities, youngsters are trying their luck in gambling online.

"This is a new trend. Anyone can join the game by paying a minimum amount of Rs 1,000. Then, users are provided login IDs and passwords to create accounts. Once a player gets his or her user ID, the virtual casino can be accessed online from your home PC, laptop, tablet and even smart phones. Winning amounts are delivered at home or at a place of the user's choice," said youngster Vishal.

A cyber expert said the trend has been adopted from multiplayer online games like 'Fantasy League'. "The security agencies are still struggling to crack down on online gambling rackets as they use different IP addresses that change their location frequently. Moreover, our police are sadly not equipped with technology to even track them," he added.

City police are busy tackling traditional gambling joints and have intensified patrolling. "It is probably the only time when the Public Gambling Act shows leniency for the sake of tradition. Though police are instructed to keep strict vigil on all vulnerable points and hotels, it is difficult to keep a tab on private places," said a senior police officer here.

The Diwali parties organized privately fall into the grey area of the Public Gambling Act as they take place in people's homes and the owners do not pay commission for using their premises, thereby escaping the definition of a 'gaming house'.

The Ulubari, Paltan Bazar, Ganeshguri, Bamunimaidam, Odalbakra and Mothghoria areas in the city are popularly called 'dice game' zones during Diwali. Of late, gambling rackets have also managed to spread to areas like Mirza, Palasbari, Bijoynagar, Rongpur and Gosaighat located on the outskirts.


Online gambling new fad this season - The Times of India

The millions who play and lose on daily fantasy sports websites are engaged in gambling, plain and simple. Now, state and federal officials are finally starting to clamp down on this fast-growing online business.

On Tuesday, the attorney general of New York, Eric Schneiderman, sent cease-and-desist letters ordering the two leading daily fantasy sports companies — FanDuel and DraftKings — to stop taking bets from the state’s residents. Last month, Nevada regulators said fantasy sports games are forms of gambling, not games of skill, and ordered the companies to suspend operations until they received gaming licenses. The United States attorney in Manhattan has also begun an investigation.


Read more: www-nytimes-com/2015/11/12/opinion/the-trouble-with-fantasy-sports-gambling-html?_r=0

The provincial government isn’t ready to roll the dice on online gambling quite yet, as the NDP is continuing to study the issue.

Earlier this year, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, (AGLC) as prospective providers to give out information on what an online gambling site could look like.

Several other provinces have online gambling sites, but Alberta does not have a legal online gambling site. The AGLC estimates that somewhere between $120 million and $150 million is spent every year by Albertans on so called grey market sites.

Marion Nader, a spokesperson for Finance Minister Joe Ceci, said the government is still considering the options and isn’t ready to make a decision.

“The government is still reviewing the file and will be making the decision in short order,” she said.

Nader explained there are a lot of factors at play that would have to be considered.

“We’re just getting all the information needed and see what’s in the best interests of Alberta."

Approximately $1.5 billion currently flows to the Alberta government every year from overall gaming revenues.

British Columbia brought in $91 million through it’s online gaming website last year, according to an annual report from that province's lottery corporation.



Alberta government still weighing the options on online gambling | Metro News

The United States having nothing to do. It's time for a little freedom!!

Live dealer roulette is getting a makeover from a couple of online gambling technology providers.

Live dealer specialists Evolution Gaming launched their first Dual Play Roulette table this week at the Dragonara Casino in Malta. The Dual Play concept aims to marry online and brick-and-mortar roulette play by allowing online and land-based players to wager on spins of the same wheel.

Basically, the system at the Dragonara employs a similar audio-visual setup employed at Evolution’s main live dealer studios. Dragonara visitors wager as normal while an unlimited number of players can wager on the exact same game from the comfort of their homes via Evolution’s online feed, which is also playable throughout the casino via the Dragonara’s in-house WiFi system.

Evolution biz-dev director James Stern said the Dual Play concept “opens up highly scalable multiplayer revenue potential” while Dragonara Gaming Ltd biz-dev director Franco Degabriele said it was a great way for customers to “play online with dealers they are familiar with from our casino.”

Not to be outdone, technology providers Playtech have introduced Prestige Roulette, an online live dealer variant that allows players options in how their game play is depicted on screen. A multi-camera setup allows players to display or hide the bet table via a click or touch of their device’s screen, allowing full-screen views of the action.

The option also allows players to summon up instant replays of the action, in case a ball going round in a circle proves too complicated to follow the first time around. Playtech says Prestige Roulette also provides “revenue-enhancing quick-fire betting rounds” and is available in high resolution across all channels and platforms via Flash, HTML5 and native apps.


Evolution Gaming, Playtech Tinker with Live Dealer Roulette | Online Gambling News : CalvinAyre-com

What we know so far: Parisiens woke up Saturday to a full realization of the horror wrought by the terrorist attacks of the previous evening -- violence deadlier than anything Paris has experienced since World War II.

No place, it seemed was safe. The West's counterterrorism strategy appeared in tatters. And coming just 10 months after the attack on the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine, where 12 people were killed, one had to wonder whether France had become a particular target.

It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Europe since the Madrid train bombings of 2004, in which 191 people died. And it came less than two weeks after after a Russian plane crashed in Sinai -- downed, intelligence officials believe, by a terrorist bomb -- killing all 224 people aboard.

French President Francois Hollande on Saturday called the attacks "an act of war."

Texas officials must cease their line of inquiry into legalizing online gambling, Governor Greg Abbot said this week.

In a letter to the Chairman of the Texas Gambling Commission, Abbot said that a state prohibition on gambling expansion is in place to protect citizens and he “supports it wholeheartedly.”

Abbot’s veto comes in light of news that the state regulator has been gathering information on the feasibility of adopting new gambling games in Texas, in particular sports betting and daily fantasy sports. In October, commission executive director Gary Grief joined staff on a fact-finding mission to Delaware to examine the state’s online gambling operations.

“In light of continuous external pressures to expand the footprint of gaming in Texas, it is timely and necessary that I provide direction on prohibiting all such expansions without express authorization and direction by the Texas Legislature,” wrote Abbot in a letter dated November 9, 2015.

“Please ensure this intent and direction is strictly enforced among the staff of the Texas Lottery Commission.

Please also notify the executive director and staff that any request to travel to gather information about gaming opportunities that are prohibited in Texas should be denied.”


Read more: www-casino-org/news/texas-governor-slams-state-regulators-online-gambling-ambitions

Marilyn Manson and Motorhead are among the acts that have canceled shows in Paris following the terrorist attacks that killed at least 132 people. Hollywood is also responding by toning down the "Hunger Games" premiere.


Hard rock groups Motorhead and Marilyn Manson were scheduled to perform at The Zenith, on of Paris' most prominent venues, on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

Both shows were called off due after French authorities ordered that concerts be suspended.

"It was not The Zenith or the artists who wanted to cancel their shows, but we cannot go against the local government decree," the venue wrote on its website.

Motorhead and Marilyn Manson are the latest in a series of cancellations, after US, Foo Fighters and Coldplay called of Paris shows over the weekend following Friday's deadly attacks.


Read more: Entertainment industry tempers its tone after Paris attacks | Culture | DW.COM | 16.11.2015

If the House Gaming Oversight Committee passes an online gambling bill, it’s only the first step. There would be two potential paths forward, as a standalone bill or as part of the state’s 2016 budget.

If the committee passes an online gambling bill on Tuesday, the next move would be a vote on the house floor followed by a vote in the state senate. If passed by both bodies, the bill would land on the desk of Governor Tom Wolf.

The other potential path forward would be for the legislature to include iGaming expansion, and possibly other gaming reforms, in a budget compromise deal with the governor. The 2016 state budget is four months past due, and the legislature and the governor are trying to reach an agreeable compromise, which many feel will include online gambling.

If online gambling is added to the budget, it would be voted on as an omnibus bill by the Pennsylvania House and Senate.


Read more: Pennsylvania Committee Could Vote On Online Gambling Bill Tuesday

We still have places in the world where it's illegal to play online poker. One of these places is Pennsylvania!

A House committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would provide for Pennsylvania to regulate online gambling.

The bill also would allow the state’s international airports -- including the Pittsburgh airport -- to offer slot machines for use by ticketed passengers. And it would allow casinos to purchase licenses allowing them to serve alcohol 24 hours a day.

The changes are described in a summary document provided by Rep. John Payne, R-Dauphin, chairman of the House Gaming Oversight Committee.

The legislation would have to pass the full House and the Senate before it could reach the governor.

Steve Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Dave Reed, said Republican leadership does not have a position on the legislation. He said legislators needed to put a gambling-related bill in place in case budget negotiators turn to gaming to generate additional revenue.



Pennsylvania bill to regulate online gambling moves ahead | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette