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…

iGaming Business – Greek gambling monopoly OPAP has cited the introduction of a new gross gaming revenue tax in the country as the reason behind a significant drop in net profit during the 12 months to December 31, 2013. The new 30% tax on gross gaming revenue for companies in Greece meant OPAP’s net profit totalled just €141.1 million ($194.7 million) in 2013, a 72.1% drop on the €505.5 million achieved in the previous year. Full-year revenue also fell 6.6% from €4 billion in 2012 to €3.7 billion in the last 12 months, while gross gaming revenue dropped 6.3% to €1.2…

Australian Gambling – When the Abbott Government, with the help of the opposition party, repealed poker machine reform laws last fortnight, Paul Bendat spent no time mourning the bill. The veteran lobbyist told Australiangambling he was only ever interested in laws that will actually make a difference to help problem gamblers. For more than six years, that’s what Bendat has been trying to do – make a difference. When asked about poker machine reform, Bendat wanted to make one point very clear – he and the rest of the people fighting for gambling machine reform have no intention of getting rid…

Companies controlled by billionaires James Packer and Cheng Yu-tung have lodged bids to develop casinos in Australia’s Queensland, as the state government plans to lure Asian tourists with new resorts based on the success of Singapore casinos. Packer’s Crown Resorts Ltd. (CWN) and a venture including Cheng’s Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Ltd. are among 12 groups that have filed applications for new casinos in a state which is already home to four, Queensland deputy premier Jeff Seeney said in a statement posted on a government website today. With a shoreline longer than India’s that’s lapped by the Great Barrier Reef,…