Bloomberg – Roughly 100 percent of lottery tickets are currently sold by retailers—gas stations, supermarkets, or convenience stores—that do little more than print tickets with numbers. It was only a matter of time before someone made apps for that process. Shoutz, an Austin (Tex.)-based startup, announced an agreement Tuesday with the Mega Millions lottery that will bring the game to its LotteryHUB mobile app, which launched in September with the rival Powerball lottery game. Now the two largest forces in the $78 billion per year U.S. lottery industry will share a mobile platform that covers the vast majority of the country,…

The Guardian – In the budget, George Osborne reduced the tax burden on land based bingo halls and raised it for betting shop fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs). Two gambling sectors treated very differently. The basis of this tax hike on FOBTs, as Osborne put it, was to “bring their profitability more in line with other gaming machines on the high street.” The chancellor has underestimated the disparity between FOBTs and other gaming machines. It is far bigger than a 5% tax adjustment can address. In 2013 FOBTs – or “B2” gaming machines as they are categorised – generated more…

Forbes – Slumped in white oversize chairs in an enormous suite at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, Australian casino billionaire James Packer and Hollywood movie director Brett Ratner are exhausted. They look like two hungover frat boys after a hard night—but these guys haven’t been partying. They’re jet-lagged after visiting Russell Crowe’s film set in South Australia, watching Chinese tennis star Li Na win the women’s Australian Open in Melbourne and toe-touching in the Philippines to open Asia’s first Nobu restaurant at a new casino resort in Manila. It sounds like a pleasure cruise from Packer’s earlier life as…

iGaming Business – The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, owner and operator of various racetrack and casino gaming venues in Canada, has signed agreements with five Ontario racetrack operators and the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) in support of the Horse Racing Partnership Plan. The company said the agreements will establish a ‘Standardbred Alliance’ amongst a core group of racetracks centered around the concentrated horse supply in Central and South Western Ontario, as well as providing stability and clarity for all industry stakeholders. The Standardbred Alliance presents a three-tier racing hierarchy of Gross Roots, Signature and Premier. Clinton Raceway and Hanover Raceway…

Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire head of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, made an appearance in Asia recently to ask the government of Singapore for additional land in order to expand his casino resort there by roughly 60%, the Jewish Business News has reported. The plans Mr. Adelson laid out include making space for an additional 1,500 rooms at the Marina Bay Sands, which currently has about 2,500 rooms. Extra space was also requested for meeting rooms, exhibitions and ballrooms. According to the Jewish Business News, Sheldon Adelson said “we need more rooms,” and added that the hotel is “running at…

Card Player – On April Fool’s Day, a California man wearing a Star Wars t-shirt claimed a $425 million Powerball win. He had waited nearly six weeks before claiming it, according to reports. B. Raymond Buxton reportedly hired an attorney and a public relations firm to help him with his new-found wealth, before even grabbing the top prize. Doing so is advised by lottery officials, however. Buxton, a retiree, declined interviews and hid behind the check when lottery photos were taken. He was in line getting some Subway at a gas station when deciding that another $2 investment for a…

Tampa Bay Times – Gov. Rick Scott is in quiet, some say subdued, negotiations with the Seminole Tribe of Florida over a new gambling compact. The House won’t take up a bill to address gambling expansion until a compact is complete. And the Senate has repeatedly postponed a hearing to vote out its proposal to build two new destination casinos in Miami Dade and Broward. Conclusion: “It’s getting late,” said House Speaker Will Weatherford on Wednesday. As the legislature reached the half-way point Wednesday of the 60-day legislative session, pre-session predictions seem to be coming true as the odds of a…

iGaming Business – Online gambling company Betfair has agreed a two-year deal with the Chester Race Company to become the official Wi-Fi and digital gaming partner of UK horseracing venue Chester Racecourse. The agreement, which covers the 2014 and 2015 seasons, will also include Chester Race Company’s nearby Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse. The ‘Always on Campaign’ partnership will be powered by Wi-Fi from UK telecommunications provider O2. Chester Racecourse successfully trialled O2 Wi-Fi during the 2013 horseracing season and has now opted to push ahead with the Betfair deal. In addition to the Wi-Fi agreement, Betfair will also sponsor four races at the…