Fox News – The digital currency bitcoin — once used to facilitate online drug deals — now appears to be enabling people to get around regulations banning online betting. Predictious.com, a new company from Ireland, offers a “prediction market” that allows people to bet on everything from the U.S. presidential election to the Olympics and the Oscars. And it’s all made possible by bitcoins. Betting of this sort is a legal gray area in the U.S., where the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) decided in a 2012 regulatory order not to allow prediction markets on the grounds that they…

inCypress – Cabinet yesterday decided to establish ministerial and coordination committees and appoint a project manager amid efforts to create casinos that are “the best of their kind in Europe and amongst the best in the world”. Deputy Government Spokesman Viktor Papadopoulos made the announcement after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. He revealed that Deloitte has been selected as the successful candidate to consult the government on the casino issue following an international tender process undertaken by the Commerce Ministry. Papadopoulos announced the Cabinet’s decision to create a Ministerial Committee and a Coordinating Committee and to designate a project manager for the…

UBC News – UBC Psychology Prof. Catharine Winstanley’s work on gambling addictions will be a highlight of the new Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, a major new research and clinical facility opening later this month. What has your research revealed about gambling addictions? We have learned that, in animal models, problem gambling behaviours can be treated with drugs that block dopamine D4 receptors. These receptors are linked to a variety of behavioural disorders, but research had not yet shown a useful role in treatment. Our 2013 study found that rats treated with a dopamine D4 receptor-blocking medication showed reduced…

Sydney Morning Herald – While queuing up in the EA business area at Gamescom in Cologne last year, waiting to get hands-on time with the likes of Titanfall and Battlefield 4, I was startled to see a familiar title stuck on one of the area’s many doors. I saw “Dungeon Keeper” and gasped, then turned to the EA staff member who was taking me to my appointments. “You’re remaking Dungeon Keeper?” I asked. “Oh yes,” she said. “Didn’t you know?” “No!” I almost shouted. “How did I not know about this? I love Dungeon Keeper!” “Oh, would you like a…

This Week in Gambling – The premier destination for popular free online slot games is Free Slot! Test your luck and your skill to win real money prizes in daily tournaments. These games are like no casino slots you have ever seen before. With unique styles and gameplay for both beginners and avid players alike, these fun and easy games will have you smiling with delight. All available slots are absolutely free. Really! There’s no purchase necessary for you to be on your way to some cool cash prizes. And pulling these levers is a real pleasure, with realistic sounds…

Canton Rep – What had been money in the pockets of betting men and women and became loot lost on the craps tables, slot machines and other games of chance at the Ohio’s four casinos has landed in the coffers of local public and charter school districts. What had been money in the pockets of betting men and women and became loot lost on the craps tables, slot machines and other games of chance at the Ohio’s four casinos has landed in the coffers of local public and charter school districts. The Ohio Department of Taxation distributed $47.3 million in…

This Week in Gambling – Our interview with Lloyd Levenson who has twice served as Chairman of the Casino Law Section of the New Jersey Bar Association, and was a recipient of the Gaming Industry Leadership Award for his work in various gaming related disciplines. Discussion includes what has happened in New Jersey in regard to sports betting up to now, why the professional sports leagues are so opposed and what the future holds with the U.S. Supreme Court. . . ..

Gaming Intelligence – Profit was up 65 per cent for Net Entertainment in Q4 2013 compared to the previous year and this is just the beginning, says CEO Per Eriksson. The most startling figure from Net Entertainment’s outstanding annual report, released last Thursday, was its claim to 31 per cent of the European online casino market. Yes, that is almost a third of the market. In a market where Playtech is often presumed to be the dominant force, Net Ent’s claim to a near-third was astonishing. It is such a bold claim that it deserves a closer look. The figure…