Five American Indian tribes are pressing forward on Internet poker legislation in California, hoping to overcome the political clout of what some characterize as an “obstructionist” coalition of tribes led by the Pechanga and Agua Caliente Indian bands. The San Manuel and Morongo Mission Indians, the Rincon and Pala Luiseño Indians and the United Auburn Indian Community are aligned with Amaya/PokerStars and card rooms in a strong effort to get an online poker bill out of the 2015 session. The horse racing industry and its organized labor is moving on a similar but parallel track, with all the stakeholders hoping…

Eighteen months ago, the Golden Nugget was hardly an afterthought in a New Jersey online casino market dominated by the likes of the Borgata and Caesars. Yet by April 2015, the Nugget was topping the revenue charts, owning 31 percent of the market and becoming the first operator to generate more than $3 million in casino revenue. In the latest issue of iGaming Business North America, Landry’s VP of Online Gaming, Thomas Winter, recounts Golden Nugget’s meteoric rise from virtual obscurity to Operator of the Year. The Golden Nugget’s entry into New Jersey’s iGaming market was marred by technical difficulties,…

Italian police said on Wednesday they had seized assets worth 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) and issued 41 arrest warrants in raids on gambling companies in Italy and abroad run by the ‘Ndrangheta mafia organization. Police believe the firms, including six that were operating out of Malta, were used to launder vast sums of illicit cash. Italy’s mafia groups, including the ‘Ndrangheta from the southern region of Calabria, the Camorra from Naples and Sicily’s Cosa Nostra, have strengthened their grip on southern Italy’s economy and spread to the richer north during a three-year economic slump. Among the targets of Wednesday’s…

Perennial award-winning resort Treasure Island in Vegas has partnered with Miomni Gaming to launch a state-of-the-art sports betting app, available now on Android and iOS. “We continually evolve our Race & Sports Book to bring the latest in technology to our customers. With mobile usage dominating the marketplace, creating an app was the obvious next step,” said Tony Nevill, Director of the Treasure Island Race & Sports Book. “Now, even when a guest can’t be present in our Race & Sports Book, they can still participate in real time, real money sports wagering in Nevada.” TI Mobile Sports puts the…

Ladbrokes has announced the completion of its proposed merger with rival operator Gala Coral, in a deal that will lead to the creation of a business worth approximately £2.3 billion (€3.2 billion/$3.6 billion). Both businesses expect the newly branded ‘Ladbrokes Coral’ operation to boast net revenue of £2.1 billion as well as earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £392 million, excluding cost synergies of at lest £65 million. Under the merger agreement, Ladbrokes will issue new ordinary shares to the existing shareholders of Gala Coral representing 48.25% of the new combined entity, while existing Ladbrokes shareholders will own…

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has suspended the licences of a number of gaming companies in the country due to alleged relationships between the operators and Mafia-type criminal organisation, the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta’. According to the Times of Malta newspaper, the allegations claim the companies form part of a global network also involving operators in Italy, Austria, Romania and Spain. Led by Italian national Mario Gennaro, the Ndrangheta is said to have set up a number of betting companies in Malta as part of the organisation’s illegal gaming activities. Gennaro yesterday (Wednesday) appeared in Maltese court alongside six other Italians, all…