The Illinois Senate has given the green light to a bill that would legalise online gaming and daily fantasy sports (DFS) in the US state. According to Onlinepokerreport.com, the Senate passed House bill H 479 on the final day of the session by a vote of 42-10, and it will now progress to the Illinois House. The bill was one of two up for discussion, although Senate bill S 1531, which only included language for legalising DFS, did not advance. The House has now adjourned until June 8, when it will reconvene to discuss the bill alongside a number of…

Paddy Power Betfair is to close its Gibraltar office and relocate operations to another of its European sites. The gaming giant told public service broadcaster GBC that the move has been discussed as a means of centralising services since the merger of the two companies in February 2016. The approximately 20-strong workforce will be offered relocation opportunities, it is believed. Paddy Power Betfair is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and has offices in a number of European countries, including the UK, Portugal, Romania, Malta and Italy. Paddy Power and Betfair set a target of £50m in synergy savings ahead of their…

For many per head agents, the online casino and casino software are an afterthought. Agents prefer to promote sports betting. The reason might be because sports betting can require a substantial investment from players. Casino players usually don’t wager as much as sports betting players. Although true, that doesn’t mean that agents can’t profit from the online casino. There are great profits to be made from the online casino. Online Casino is a Long Tail Business Per Investopedia, the long tail is “a phrase coined by Chris Anderson in 2004. Anderson argued that products in low demand or with low…

Canadian online gambling operator Amaya Gaming plans to rebrand and relocate to Toronto after posting better than expected results in the first quarter of 2017. Figures released Friday show Amaya’s revenue rising 10% year-on-year to $317.3 million in the first three months of 2017, while adjusted earnings shot up 22% to $151 million and net earnings rose 18.5% to $65.7 million, thanks in part to an $11.6 million reduction in general and administrative expenses. The parent company of PokerStars reported online poker revenue inching up 1.1% to $218.7m, the first such rise in three quarters. However, the poker numbers were…

888 has announced that its UK licence is currently under review by the country’s Gambling Commission (UKGC) national regulatory body. In a statement, 888 said the review relates to the “manner in which a subsidiary of the company has carried on its licensed activities to ensure compliance with the UKGC operating licence held by the licensee”. The online gaming operator also said the review will assess certain measures it employs to ensure social responsibility to its customers, including effective self-exclusion tools across different operating platforms. The announcement follows the UKGC fining BGO Entertainment £300,000 (€354,200/$286,700) for misleading advertisements, and comes…

American Gaming Association (AGA) President and CEO Geoff Freeman released the following statement on a new gambling tax after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today released its final regulation on its 2015 proposal for tax reporting of slot winnings. “Today’s final IRS regulation is a big win not only for gaming companies and millions of casino visitors, but also for state and local governments who would have received fewer gaming tax dollars as a result of what would have been burdensome federal requirements,” said Freeman. “Our grassroots campaign mobilized thousands of casino customers, members of Congress from 11 states urged…