For the past couple of months I have been in the thrall of a game called Candy Crush Saga. It’s about matching little colored thingies on your iPad or phone. I am not going to explain it in any more depth, because that would just make this whole discussion more humiliating. However, if you stick with me, I am going to try to use it to make a sweeping point about public policy, ending with some severe questions about the political career of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. About the game: It’s been played about 150 billion times over the…

iGaming Business – Mobile technology and digital solutions specialist Samsung has announced the launch of its Smartphone GamePad and Mobile Console app in a move that it claims will enhance the gaming experience across its Galaxy devices. Samsung said that it would launch the Smartphone GamePad in response to the expanding global gaming market and claimed that the new offering would allow Galaxy device users to access an “advanced experience” whilst on the move. The GamePad steel frame is attachable to mobile devices ranging from four to just over six inches and connects to smartphones and tablets through Bluetooth pairing….

Out-Law.com – Major changes are expected next year in the way remote gambling is regulated and taxed in Great Britain. The reforms, if introduced as currently expected, will fundamentally alter the way in which remote gambling is licensed and will also signal profound changes to the existing tax regime. But it appears likely that the proposed reforms will be subject to a legal challenge by gambling companies operating out of Gibraltar – the tax haven where many of the UK’s best known bookmakers are based and regulated. The issue is just one of a number of developments in the gambling…

iGaming Business – International cash handling solutions and business intelligence services provider Global Cash Access (GCA) has renewed its contract with land-based casino operator MGM Resort International. Under the extended agreement, GCA will continue to provide its core cash access services to MGM Resorts. In addition, GCA will also begin to offer its full suite of ticket redemption kiosks and services to MGM Resorts properties. “We are excited to expand this important relationship with MGM Resorts and we look forward to integrating our full suite of kiosk equipment and services with our core cash access products to provide MGM Resorts…

iGaming Business – A report from market research company Newzoo predicts that Americans will have spent $20.5 billion (€15 billion) on games by the end of 2013, with 65% of the total spend coming through digital purchases. Newzoo’s report said that about $13.3 billion of the revenue would be generated through digital means via online downloads, PCs, smartphones and tablets. In comparison, $6.4 billion will have flowed through retail sales of boxed games, just 31% of the overall figure. Digital gaming spend in the US is also expected to experience a 2% year-on-year growth, while retail game sales is predicted…

CBS – A new poll shows Pennsylvanians are at their limit when it comes to legalized gambling. The new Quinnipiac Poll shows that by a margin of 55-percent to 37-percent, Pennsylvania voters think legal gambling in the state is a “good thing.” “Pennsylvanians like gambling where it is right now,” Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said. “What we have is fine. But they don’t want it in their backyard, and they don’t want more casinos, and they’re also concerned about online gambling. They believe online gambling could lead to greater addictions.” While 71-percent say if…