Gary Bettman, commissioner of North America’s National Hockey League (NHL), has allayed fears over the impact an expanded sports betting market in the US could have on professional athletes. Speaking in an interview on Sportsnet’s Brady & Walker show, Bettman said that if sports wagering were to become more widespread in the US, this would not impact the integrity of players. A number of high-profile individuals from both the sports and gambling sectors have called for the market to be expanded to allow both industries to benefit from revenue that would be generated from wagering activities. Adam Silver, commissioner of…

Customers of the beleaguered Metro Play Ltd, owner of the 666Bet brand, have been given until 24 May to make withdrawal requests from their account or risk losing their money altogether. A statement from the firm said: “We have made arrangements to enable our customers to withdraw outstanding balances from their accounts with www.metroplay.com and www.666bet.com. All withdrawal requests made since the websites were reinstated are being processed. These will be paid as quickly as possible although it may take longer than the normal three to five day period to process them, as each payment requires manual approval. “Customers who…

The Belgian Gaming Commission (Kansspelcommissie) has issued fines to 79 players who took part in gambling activities on unlicensed website BetClic.com. Operated by BetClic Everest, the website is licensed in various other countries, but has not yet acquired a licence in the Belgian market. Although players will face fines of just €200 ($233), the Kansspelcommissie now plans to target other punters that placed larger bets on the website. Various media reports suggest fines for these players could reach as much as €16,000. Belgium is known for its strict regulation of the national gambling market and has a lengthy blacklist of…

The UK Gambling Commission believes that troubled gambling operator 666Bet has now returned funds to a “significant number” of customers who had been out of pocket for more than a month. 666Bet had its licence suspended by the Gambling Commission on March 21, with customers then unable to access their accounts and withdraw cash. Even after 666Bet employed payment processor Skrill to aid the withdrawal process, many have still complained that their account balances were incorrect. Customers have also been angered by a lack of communication and difficulties in accessing the 666Bet website. The Gambling Commission said: “Our understanding from…

GGR Asia – Singaporeans are the world’s highest spenders on gambling, shows a new research by consultancy Global Betting and Gaming Consultants. Singaporeans spend on average US$1,376 per head on gambling a year, the results show. The Lion City topped previous leader Australia. Australians’ global gambling spend per capita currently stands at US$961. The figures cover all types of gambling, from casino to internet gambling to lotteries. The results, featured in the latest edition of the Global Gambling Report issued by Global Betting and Gaming Consultants, put Canada in third place with a spend of US$494 per capita. Hong Kong comes…

Card Player – Another round of Full Tilt Poker repayments is scheduled for mid-June, the Garden City Group announced on its website on Wednesday. “GCG has been informed that the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section has approved a new round of payments,” the notice said. “This distribution will include approximately 3,500 payments totaling $15 million to petitioners who submitted complete, timely or late petitions confirming their FTP account balance. Also included in this round of payments are affiliates who submitted petitions confirming their FTP account balances.” Once the new payments go through, around $96 million will…