Mobile gambling – be it betting on sports, using online casinos or playing online poker or bingo – has been “the next big thing” for a long time now but there are signs that it may be beginning to deliver on its early promise. Ever since phones were able to access the internet with any speed and reliability the potential was obvious, but for many years relatively little money was wagered via mobile devices. However, as the technology has improved and more and more people own smartphones (penetration in the UK market is now over 60%) there has been a…

The towering SlotZilla zipline project in downtown Las Vegas has been pushed back to a fall opening. According to Fremont Street Experience spokesperson Thomas Bruny, the project is taking longer to build than anticipated. SlotZilla was slated for a summer opening. An exact date for the opening was not yet determined. Plans for the zipline project calls for a 12-story, slot-machine-themed, two level thrill ride situated near Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street. Riders on the upper Zoomline will take off 110 feet above the ground and, lying flat on a harness, zoom 1,700 feet through and under the Fremont…

From iGaming Business – Facebook’s quarterly financial results have been boosted by a surge in mobile advertising at the social networking website. Facebook said that mobile revenues of $656m (€505m) represented 41% of advertising revenues in the second quarter of 2013, which was up from 30% in the previous quarter. Total advertising revenues, representing 88% of Facebook’s total sales, jumped year-on-year by 61% to $1.6bn to generate a net profit of $333m in the three months to June 30, reversing a loss of $157m a year ago. “We believe this rapid growth is driven by our unique ability to target…

From Forbes – Do you enjoy rolling the dice, playing cards or betting on the ponies? However you gamble, one thing is clear: gambling winnings are always taxable income in the eyes of the IRS. You might think that’s all the IRS says about gambling. But actually, the IRS offers some tax tips for casual gamblers. 1. Winnings Are Income. Gambling income includes winnings from lotteries, raffles, horse races and casinos. Obviously, cash winnings are taxable. You must report all your gambling winnings as income on your tax return regardless of whether you receive an IRS Form W-2G. 2. Winnings In Kind. But even if…

From iGaming Business – Tracie Stevens, chairwoman of the National Indian Gaming Commission in the United States, has revealed that the Indian gaming industry generated record total turnover of $27.9bn (€21.1bn) in 2012. The figures represent the third consecutive year of growth for the industry. “In 2012, the Indian gaming industry saw its largest gross gaming revenues ever,” Stevens said. “For those who judge casino spending as an indicator of increased discretionary spending and economic recovery, 2012 revenues certainly display economic encouragement.” The gross gaming revenues of $27.9bn represented a 2.7% increase on $27.2bn in 2011. The organisation’s associate commissioner,…

You’re favorite sportsbook has just got better. There’s a reason why WagerWeb is the first to be mentioned when bettors talk about the top shops on the internet: they work to be the best. Their latest upgrade includes the addition of BLR technologies, which is the ultimate provider of gaming industry software solutions. They’ve been producing some of the best products and services over the last decade and adding them to the WagerWeb.com fold will only make the sportsbook that much stronger. They’ll help with the front-end and back-end solutions for WagerWeb and continue to improve their already-stellar sportsbook, racebook…

From CNN Triad attacks. Prostitute calling cards. Illicit money flows. This is the dark underbelly of Macau — Asia’s gambling capital. The only Chinese territory where casinos are permitted, the city has transformed itself in little more than a decade from a sleepy backwater to a neon-lit monument to China’s passion for gambling. Gambling revenues in the city surpassed Las Vegas in 2006 and are now six times greater. But the former Portuguese colony’s dramatic rise has come at a cost, with many in Macau questioning whether growth has been too fast and furious. “You really don’t know whether society…

From Gambling Kingz – New plans by the European Commission to combat money laundering have been called “unworkable and unnecessary” by the Association of British Bookmakers. The Chief Executive of the Association, Dirk Vennix said that the proposed Fourth Anti Money Laundering Directive, scheduled to be approved early next year, would cost betting shops hundreds of millions in equipment installation and would not solve the problem. The measures demand that bookmakers across Europe, including the UK, scan the passports of customers who make a single transaction of £1,700 or more. In addition, the information needs to be made available for…