New Jersey Internet gambling to go Live November 26th

Press of Atlantic City – Get ready, get set — click. Internet wagering is coming next month to home computers and portable electronic devices in what represents a new era of gambling for New Jersey. The state Division of Gaming Enforcement announced Friday that Internet gambling will launch on Nov. 26 following a test period for the Atlantic City casinos and their Web partners. There will be a five-day trial period of “soft play” starting Nov. 21 to test the system in a live environment. Soft play would be restricted to invited patrons only. Full-fledged Internet gambling would begin at…

Betting Sites Get 700,000 Hits a Year from UK Parliament

Poker Fuse – No wonder the UK has a more liberal gambling regime than most EU countries: gambling websites are accessed 700,000 times a year from within the Houses of Parliament. The UK Daily Mail newspaper reports on a Freedom of Information (FoI) request which revealed the figures. In a single month, UK site Bet365 was accessed 16,986 times—so not just gambling, but patriotic gambling, and perhaps even some favoritism being paid to personal constituencies. Not all the gambling site visits were made by Members of Parliament (MP); the figures only show gross figures for all employees working in the…

Quarterly profits fall at William Hill despite mobile boost

iGaming Business – UK bookmaker William Hill has posted a 31% year-on-year fall in quarterly group operating profit despite a huge increase in mobile gaming net revenue. Operating profit slumped by £24 million in the period, about £20 million below expectations, with William Hill citing disappointing retail figures in July and unfavourable sportsbetting results as being major contributory factors. However, mobile gaming net revenue increased by 126% in the three months until September 25, with mobile now accounting for 18% of gaming net revenue. Total revenue for the quarter was 10% up on the corresponding period of 2012. William Hill…

NYX Gaming Group enters Italy with Microgame partnership

iGaming Business – Online gaming software provider NYX Gaming Group has announced its launch into the Italian market after linking up with remote gaming market company Microgame. Under the deal, NYX’s Open Gaming System (OGS) will be launched in Italy. David Flynn, senior vice-president of business development at NYX Gaming, hailed the move as a “monumental step”. “I am thrilled to see our first Italian wager through the OGS system,” he said. “To take this step together with one of the leading providers in the Italian market is truly phenomenal. “Microgame has been at the centre of gaming in Italy…

Analyst highlights uncertainty of social gaming sector

iGaming Business – Nick Batram, leisure analyst at KBC Peel Hunt, has told iGaming Business that investors should “tread warily” in the social gaming sector. Speaking after news emerged that mobile games developer King had filed documents for an initial public offering (IPO) in the US, Batram cited the examples of mobile games developers Zynga and Zatikka in explaining why the sector does not guarantee a positive return on investment. “There is a lot of money being invested in social gaming and there is no guarantee of success. Indeed the investment that ‘hard’ gaming companies have made has not delivered…

PartyPoker player traffic up following software update

iGaming Business – PartyPoker, operated by online gaming giant bwin.party, has reported a rise in cash game traffic in the wake of a new software update launched last Thursday. According to the PokerUpdate.com website, PartyPoker claims that traffic has increased by 3% since the update was launched. The focus of the new software launch in early September was on recreational players, offering achievements, missions and social interaction. SOURCE