3 News – Speakers from around the world are gathering in Auckland from today to discuss the issue of problem gambling. The theme of the International Gambling Conference, meeting at AUT University, is ‘gambling in a mobile era’. Professor Samantha Thomas from the University of Wollongong says in Australia, betting is on its way to replacing alcohol as a fashionable sporting accessory, particularly amongst young men. “Before when you were the only guy that didn’t drink in the pub [you] were kind of the one that was left out – now if you’re the only guy that doesn’t gamble on…

Governor Christie and the state Attorney General’s office have filed the New Jersey sports betting appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to overturn a 22-year-old federal law that is preventing New Jersey racetracks and Atlantic City’s casinos from offering sports betting. The state’s thoroughbred horsemen, who also have standing in the case on the side of New Jersey, also have filed. The response from the Dept of Justice, NFL, et al is due March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day). NOTE: SCOTUS not expected to make a decision on whether to take the case (they take relatively few) until…

iGaming Business – Ladbrokes has confirmed that it will be closing 40-50 betting outlets in the near future as it looks to optimise its retail estate in “secondary locations”. The move is likely to be replicated by other high street bookmakers in the UK, the company said, as the industry looks to reduce the number of retail outlets it has opened in the past few years. “Having expanded in the last two years and opened shops in higher footfall locations we are now looking to optimise the estate by closing 40- 50 loss making shops in secondary locations,” the UK…

The parent company of Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars is hoping to enter into the world of sports betting. Full Tilt was recently expanded to include roulette, blackjack and other casino games and now the Rational Group is planning on adding a sportsbook to the site. When this is done it will make Full Tilt Poker the first Rational owned site to offer a complete range of gambling options. A spokesperson for the Rational Group said that the company is “exploring opportunities to enter global sports betting markets to enhance our online gaming offerings.” At present Rational is talking to…

Reuters – William Hill, Britain’s largest bookmaker, said on Monday it was sticking to a planned timetable to replace its veteran CEO in 2015, despite a media report it wanted a successor in place this year. The company said it still envisaged a new CEO would take over next year, the previously announced retirement date for Ralph Topping, who has spent over 43 years with the firm, and became CEO in 2008. The Times newspaper reported on Monday that the bookmaker was seeking to replace Topping a year earlier than expected and would look to hire someone from outside the…

Independent – After a season when the game lost its innocence on the back of former Longford Town midfielder Colly James being found guilty of trying to influence a fixture, the League of Ireland director is flashing red lights in front of every player, alerting them to the severe sanctions they face if caught cheating. “If we hear of anything untoward, we’re going to go after that player and if guilty, they’ll get a life ban,” said Gavin. “We aren’t naive enough to think negative things won’t go on in the future, so we’re getting the message out there –…