iGaming Business – UK bookmaker Ladbrokes has launched a new Live Dealer service in association with online casino software supplier Playtech. Under the arrangement, Ladbrokes will migrate to Playtech’s full range of gaming products in a move that it due to be completed in time for the 2014 Fifa World Cup national football tournament this summer. The new suite of Live Dealer games, which includes roulette, blackjack, baccarat and casino hold’em, allows players to bet with a live dealer and experience games in high-definition quality. Playtech’s Live Dealer product will also deliver back office systems to support ‘bonusing’ and improvements…

iGaming Business – The UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has published a set of principles for online and in-app games and has given developers a deadline of April 1 to ensure their games do not breach consumer protection law. The final principles state that consumers should be told up front about any costs associated with a game or about in-game advertising as well as any important information such as whether personal data will be shared with other parties for marketing purposes. In addition, the OFT has also ordered developers to make clear that in-game payments are not authorised and…

CBS San Francisco – Owners of an Internet cafe in San Francisco’s Excelsior District reached a settlement on Thursday in a lawsuit filed by the city’s attorney that called for the end of allegedly illegal gambling and other criminal activity at the site. As part of the settlement, Net Stop, located at 4458 Mission St., agreed to close the business, which the city attorney claimed allowed customers to play computer slot machine games and buy electronic “points” that could be redeemed for cash, within the next 60 days. The business, owned by Thomas Lacey, also agreed to not open a…

iGaming Business – Delaware officials have announced that online gambling in the US state generated just $253,000 (€185,048) during its first two months of operations. According to the Delaware Online news website, the figures leave Delaware well short of its goal of generating $5 million in revenue during the first year of online gambling. The state will collect 100% of the first $3.5 million generate in online gaming revenue, meaning that casinos in Delaware are yet to receive any of the income. Despite being only the second state in the US to legalise online gambling, Delaware is yet to attract…

iGaming Business – Social gaming company Zynga has announced it is to shed 15% of its workforce this year after suffering a drop in year-on-year turnover during the year ended December 31, 2013. The firm posted revenue of $873.3 million (€645.3 million) for 2013, a significant drop on the $1.2 billion recorded in the previous year, but also announced a takeover of UK games developer NaturalMotion. The full-year results were not helped by a disappointing fourth quarter in which the firm posted revenue of $176.4 million, which was also down on the $311.2 million achieved in the corresponding quarter in…

Online poker in California most likely isn’t coming this year, but that won’t stop some of the industry’s leading figures from discussing its future in the Golden State. The inaugural iGaming Legislative Symposium, to be held Feb. 27, 2014 in Sacramento, will “identify the critical issues regarding the legalization of online gaming in California, and explore possible solutions and success scenarios that are applicable to jurisdictions nationwide,” according to a press release. California is the nation’s most populous state. It also has the largest tribal casino industry out of any in the country. The announcement added that the symposium will…