Strong online and mobile growth has helped Irish bookmaker Paddy Power to report a 12% year-on-year rise in pre-tax profits to €77 million ($103.2 million) in the six months until the end of June 2013. Online net revenue was up by 29% to €243 million, generating an online operating profit of €57.5 million – up 19% on the corresponding period in 2012, not considering currency value fluctuations. In Australia, Paddy Power’s net revenue increased by 33%, leading to a positive 25% uplift in operating profit to €16.5 million. In Italy, the company said that it now had a share of…

iGaming Business – Online gambling platforms must allow customers to set daily, weekly or monthly deposit limits under new parameters unveiled by the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) in New Jersey, US. According to the DGE website, daily log-on time limits must also be offered by site operators. The new measures have been introduced in an effort to prevent obsessive gambling and guard against excessive amounts being wagered. The Poker News Report website added that the DGE has also confirmed that online player accounts will be linked to actual casinos, where players will be able to physically visit the cashier…

Three casinos will launch the first phase of the Delaware online gambling operation Wednesday morning, opening web portals for free slots, poker, blackjack and roulette games. The no-money games are the precursor to the state’s coming full-service, real-cash online gambling operation, now slated for launch at the end of October. Starting at 6 a.m., each Delaware casino’s homepage will direct visitors to the Facebook-linked game platform DoubleDown Casino, run by slot machine company IGT, one of Delaware’s contractual slots vendors. Delaware remains on track to be the first state in the nation to offer a full compliment of legal casino…

The Telegraph – Brian Mattingley said that as the online gaming market in the US liberalises state by state, 888 plans to follow upcoming launches in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware by moving into California, New York and Florida. 888 – which runs online poker, casino, bingo and sports betting services primarily in the UK and Europe – was forced out of the US in 2006 after an online gambling crackdown, but the market has slowly opened up. Regulatory difficulties have held up plans, which Mr Mattingley admitted was “frustrating”. However, he said a tie-up with Las Vegas hotel Caesars…

iGaming Business – Swiss iGaming software supplier BETTING’s has released a brand new Bitcoin sportsbetting platform. The platform, which has been built upon the company’s existing sportsbook software, is designed for bookmakers that intend to offer Bitcoin cryptocurrency payments for online gaming transactions. Online bookmakers can use Bitcoins through the BETTING’s Sportsbook Platform alongside traditional currencies or as the only means of payment. All of the required transfer gateways and reporting tools have been integrated for deposit and withdrawal functions. “Depending on the jurisdiction, offering Bitcoin as a payment option ensures a number of competitive advantages for online bookmakers,” BETTING’S…

CNBC, a respected global news source, recently ran an article about the predicted effects of changes in the UK gambling tax regime set to take effect in December 2014, and which includes the introduction of a 15% point of consumption (POC) levy on offshore online gaming operators. CNBC quotes gaming analysts for Davy Research, David Jennings and Simon McGrotty as saying: “The introduction of the POC tax is likely to cause a seismic shift in the competitive landscape of the UK online gaming market.” The analysts believe that remote businesses such as the Gibraltar based Ladbrokes and William Hill gambling…