iGaming Business – The New York State Gaming Commission has drafted in UK National Lottery operator Camelot Group to draw up a five-year plan to revive the US state’s New York Lottery competition. According to the Financial Times newspaper, Camelot will carry out market research on potential new lottery games to help ease the Commission’s worries about losing gambling revenue market share to casinos. The appointment of Camelot has also raised the prospect of the US state embracing online gambling products in order to combat the growing competition from other forms of gambling. The news will come as a boost…

iGaming Business – Online affiliate and sportsbetting service Freebets.com has announced its first foray into major horseracing sponsorship as part of an effort to boost its presence in the industry. The firm will lend its name to the 1:50 Grade Three Freebets.com Trophy Chase at Cheltenham Racecourse this Saturday at the track’s Festival Trials Day event. Previously known as the Murphy Group Steeplechase, the race has a prize fund of £50,000 (€60,761/$83,116) and the winner is likely to return to The Festival at the racecourse in March. The race has attracted 19 runners at the provisional stage, with six previous…

Bloomberg – Caesars Entertainment Corp., Genting (GENS) Singapore Plc and MGM Resorts International are in discussions with the Osaka government on plans for a 500 billion yen ($4.8 billion) casino resort. Officials met with Caesars and Genting last year and are scheduled to sit down with MGM in the next few months as Japan’s second-biggest metropolis expects Japan to end its ban on casinos, Osaka Prefecture Governor Ichiro Matsui said in an interview. “It’s just a matter of time before casinos are legalized,” he said. A gambling complex on reclaimed land Osaka owns would lure investment and tourists to a…

Journal Sentinel – In a move that brought about a tectonic shift in how states can legally offer gambling online, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a simple and discreet ruling that opened the gate for states and operators to offer online poker, bingo, lotteries and casino games to U.S. citizens. The ruling was timed to be as discreet as possible: issued Friday, Dec. 21, 2011, when many in the industry were either traveling or preparing for the Christmas holiday. The DOJ shifted its position regarding the Wire Act of 1961, which previously barred the transmission of betting data over…

Las Vegas Review Journal – Sports betting is big business in Nevada with $3.45 billion wagered in race and sports books statewide in the last reporting year. It also helps bring in millions of tourists annually to wager on the Super Bowl and NCAA basketball tournament. “Sports betting has been tremendous for us this year,” said Matthew Holt, vice president of business development at CG Technology, formerly Cantor Gaming. “We expect huge numbers this weekend from the final four in the NFL playoffs. Denver versus New England and Seattle against San Francisco will do very well.” But Las Vegas casinos…

Bloomberg – MGM China Holdings Ltd. (2282) fell the most in seven months, leading declines among Macau casinos after JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its rating to neutral and recommended investors trim holdings of rival operators. The operator controlled by MGM Resorts International (MGM) declined 6.6 percent, the most since June 11, to HK$32.65 at the close in Hong Kong trading. Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. fell 5.5 percent to HK$76.95. Sands China Ltd. (1928) and SJM Holdings Ltd. (880) dropped 4.1 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively. “We believe the sector is at risk of entering a period where there is…