iGaming Business – Technology solutions provider BetTech Gaming has moved to strengthen its position in the South African market by appointing Mike Shea as head of trading. According to the Casinocitytimes.com website, the move comes after the firm acquired a South African National Manufacturers Licence in February of this year. Having previously been restricted to operations in the Western Cape province, the licence now enables BetTech to work with operators across the country. To bolster these operations further, Shea has joined the firm’s trading team from online operator Sportingbet. Having served as horse racing trading supervisor at Sportingbet, Shea has…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…