Business Week – Just as legal online gambling gets started in the U.S., banks and payment processors are refusing to play. Credit-card issuers Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and American Express Co., along with EBay Inc.’s PayPal, aren’t allowing the transactions, according to the companies. Delaware and Nevada permit Internet wagering, with New Jersey poised to become the third and biggest state on Nov. 26. The rejections threaten a nascent business with the potential to reach $7.4 billion in annual revenue in four years, the estimate of researcher H2 Gambling Capital. Some Visa and MasterCard issuers have…

iGaming Business – Members of Betclic Everest Group’s senior management team have expressed their confidence in the future of the French online betting market, announced a major relaunch of Everest Poker and that the group will record more than €20m EBITDA in France in 2013 following its restructuring in the last couple of years. Speaking at a press conference held on Thursday morning, Isabelle Andres and Marc Guigo, BEG chief executive and director for France and central Europe respectively, praised the company’s work in its core betting business and said it would be back in the black at an operating…

iGaming Business – The eGaming jurisdictions of Alderney and Malta have confirmed they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in order to set new standards in the setting up of business friendly environments. Both countries said that the move was driven by the advent of new technology and a recognition that the world is changing. The MoU will allow the countries to exchange information between betting regulators in regards to areas of their responsibility, in addition to areas that have a direct impact on operators such as player pooling, offering services across borders and key technological issues. Operators will…

iGaming Business – Chinese online gaming developer and operator Perfect World is to invest in Wuhu Huitian Shengshi Network Technology and Beijing Shouyou Daqu Technology, the respective operators of the TGBus.com and PTBus.com Chinese online gaming portals. The firm is to acquire a 100% equity interest in Wuhu Huitian for approximately RMB255 million (€31.2 million/$41.8 million) in addition to an undisclosed minority stake in Daqu for around RMB40 million. The completion of both deals is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. “As two of the most popular gaming portals among Chinese players, TGBus and PTBus have accumulated valuable…

Card Player – The New Jersey soft launch of online gambling is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21, and a handful of firms have offered potential players the chance to pre-register for accounts. On Wednesday, Nevada-based Ultimate Gaming said that it was “encouraging” interested parties to signup at UCasino.com, which will offer a wide array of casino games, including poker. According to a press release, the soft launch trial period is limited to invited players only. The trial period will last for a minimum of five days. In other words, the trial period could extend longer if the state deems it…

Venture Beat – Online real-money gambling company Betfair has received a transactional waiver from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement that’ll permit it to launch its platform, Betfair Casino – which includes casino video games – alongside the state’s approval of Internet wagering. The transactional waver isn’t as good as an actual license, but it’ll permit Betfair to operate while the Division of Gaming Enforcement reviews its application for a license. “We’re pleased to be one of the pioneers bringing online casino games to the state of New Jersey,” said Paul La Fontaine, Betfair’s managing director of gaming, in a press release sent to…