iGaming Business – Ladbrokes has confirmed that it will be closing 40-50 betting outlets in the near future as it looks to optimise its retail estate in “secondary locations”. The move is likely to be replicated by other high street bookmakers in the UK, the company said, as the industry looks to reduce the number of retail outlets it has opened in the past few years. “Having expanded in the last two years and opened shops in higher footfall locations we are now looking to optimise the estate by closing 40- 50 loss making shops in secondary locations,” the UK…

Miami Herald – Cement mixers from China and construction equipment rumble next to a premier strip of white sandy beach as thousands of Chinese workers labor to complete a $3.5 billion resort project at famed Cable Beach. Bahamian officials hope that the Baha Mar project — four new hotels, 200,000 square feet of convention space, an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and a casino with a 50-foot glass water wall and a Vegas-style show lake — will transform Bahamian tourism, putting it on the map as a world-class gaming destination. Baha Mar developers plan to have the mega-resort open…

Sun Sentinel – House and Senate leaders are reaching consensus on a plan that would allow stand-alone casinos in South Florida, if voters approve. But the proposal hinges on whether Gov. Rick Scott, who’s playing his cards close to his vest, seals a deal with the Seminole Tribe. On Friday, Scott gave the first indication that negotiations with the tribe, critical to success in the House, are on track. “Governor Scott is focused on renewing the state’s compact with the Seminoles to get the best deal for Floridians. Other gaming issues, including destination casinos, are being discussed by members of…

Las Vegas Review Journal – Caesars Entertainment Corp.’s interactive subsidiary has acquired an Israel-based social gaming business, the company’s fourth deal in the past few years to expand its presence in the growing free-to-play gaming market. Caesars did not disclose financial terms to acquire Pacific Interactive, which owns the slot machine-style, free-play application House of Fun. Social gaming has become a growing business for several gaming companies, including Caesars, which owns the World Series of Poker and Playtika, and International Game Technology, operators of DoubleDown Casino. The activity is free to play on Internet platforms, including Facebook, but customers often…

Reuters – Japanese online gaming firm Nexon Co Ltd will begin to aggressively explore U.S. acquisitions to further a long-standing plan to expand in Western markets, its CEO-elect Owen Mahoney said. “We continue to believe that North America is a big, big opportunity for us,” Mahoney said in an interview with Reuters late on Wednesday ahead of the company’s announcement that he would succeed current Chief Executive Officer Seungwoo Choi in March. Mahoney, currently Nexon’s chief financial officer, led mergers and acquisitions and business development at Electronic Arts Inc for about a decade before joining Nexon, which is known for…

ECNS – While gambling remains illegal on the Chinese mainland, Europe’s largest horse-race betting operator PMU is keeping a close eye on China’s emerging equestrian industry, hoping to gain first-mover advantage once there is any sign of the ban being lifted. The recent growing interest in equestrian sports in China has prompted Philippe Germond, chief executive of the Paris-based betting operator, to frequently travel to various Chinese cities to promote the French business model of horse-race betting in a market he believes could be worth 100 billion euros annually ($136 billion) if legalized. “If at some point in the future…