Unibet could face fine over Stockholm Marathon sponsorship

iGaming Business – Swedish gambling regulator Lotteriinspektionen has threatened organisers of the Stockholm Marathon with a fine of SEK2 million (€220,286/$304,599) if the race goes ahead featuring the branding of online gaming operator Unibet. As reported by iGaming Business, Unibet recently struck a deal with race organiser Stockholm Marathon Group to become one of the main sponsors of the marathon, which is due to take place in Sweden’s capital city on May 31. Under the deal, Unibet branding is due to appear along the race route and the operator will also offer special betting markets on the event. However, the…

UK Gambling Commission ups efforts to combat illegal gaming machines

iGaming Business – The UK Gambling Commission has announced it is to host a series of training workshops across the country to help local councils identify and manage the siting of illegal gaming machines in their respective constituencies. Training will be provided by Westminster City Training in partnership with the Gambling Commission’s Local Authority Liaison Unit (LALU), the latter of which regularly supports UK councils and polices forces on joint operations to remove illegal gaming machines. Many of the courses, a number of which are already fully booked, will be hosted in casino premises in order to give participants first-hand…

Honolulu councilman considers gambling machine ownership illegal

KITV – The Honolulu City Council is considering making it illegal to own a gambling machine. Councilman Joey Manahan says he wants to give law enforcement more tools to crack down on gambling. He says more establishments with sweepstakes machines have been popping up and neighbors have complained. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to manage, maintain, produce, possess or use the machines. It would be punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Companies that own the machines say they are not gambling devices. SOURCE

After losing ground to California tribes, Reno casinos regroup

Sacramento Bee – The signs of decay linger on Virginia Street, the main casino corridor in “The Biggest Little City in the World.” Pawn shops and cut-rate motels line up alongside the high-end hotel towers. The strip is still pocked with shuttered casinos, victims of the recession and burgeoning competition from Northern California’s Indian tribes. But signs of comeback – slow and steady – are evident as well. Construction crews are turning the old Fitzgeralds casino, closed since 2008, into the outdoor-themed Whitney Peak Hotel. A small slot-machine parlor called Siri’s Casino soon will open next door. In nearby Sparks,…

Borgata alleges Phil Ivey cheating, files lawsuit

Las Vegas Review Journal – Professional poker standout Phil Ivey has been sued in federal court by the Borgata in Atlantic City, which claimed the $9.6 million he won at the casino in 2012 was earned through cheating at high-stakes mini-baccarat. The casino, which is 50 percent-owned and managed by Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming Corp., claims Ivey, one of the world’s best known poker players, manipulated a defect in the playing cards through a special manner of dealing that he requested. According to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, Ivey was assisted in the scheme…

April May Mean Showers For Sands, Other Macau Casinos

Investors – Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International and others with casinos in Macau could be negatively affected by a slowdown in gambling revenue in the Chinese gaming hotspot. Wells Fargo analyst Cameron McKnight said in a report Monday that channel checks show April gaming revenue in the former Portuguese colony, now the top global casino gambling destination, is trending between 5% and 10% growth, well below the bank’s earlier midteens estimate. McKnight had earlier said he expected a slowdown in Macau gaming revenue in mid-2014, due to a possible slowdown in the high-roller “VIP” segment gaming that…