From iGaming Business – UK gambling firm Ladbrokes has completed a €6 million ($7.8 million) acquisition of Dublin-based on-course betting company Chronicle Bookmakers. According to the Irish Independent newspaper reports, Chronicle Bookmakers offers a range of on-course betting services. It also previously operated a website, but this closed in October last year. The firm is owned by Justin Carthy and financier Dermot – the latter of which also teamed up with the company in 2005 to launch the Sport Emporium casino in Dublin. The sale is the second major deal both Desmond and Ladbrokes have been involved with in recent…

From The Conversation – That bookmaker Tom Waterhouse has sold his eponymous company to British bookmaking powerhouse William Hill is no surprise. Waterhouse’s recent very public bid for recognition and market share was widely viewed as a strategy to make his company a bright prospect amidst the plethora of online bookies licensed to operate in Australia. That his high-profile self-promotion exercise also infuriated sports fans watching their favourite code on TV was collateral damage. His competitors accused him of queering their (marketing) pitch by his ubiquitous, high-profile (and expensive) TV promotion of live odds. Public outcry forced reluctant politicians to…

From iGaming Business – Under the terms of the deal, Bodog Asia’s branding will appear on perimeter boards and in-stadium LED boards for the duration of the tournament, which will run until August 11. In addition to the venue branding, the company’s ‘ambassadorettes’ will appear both inside and outside the stadia during games. Bodog Asia said that striking the deal was “an easy decision” due to the games taking place in the Philippines, a major market for the brand. FULL STORY

From SBR Forum – SBRforum has launched its free annual football handicapping contest, Beat The Prick IX. This year’s contest awards a whopping $15,500 in prizes, an iPad, SBR shirts, and a healthy 75,000 points per week. The contest centers around “The Prick”, a professional handicapper that makes NFL and NCAAF picks against the spread each week. The object of the game is to out-perform The Prick in a given week. If The Prick were to go undefeated by winning all five bets, no prizes are paid that week, but your progress counts toward your end of the year eligibility….

From iGaming Business – William Hill has moved to strengthen its PR and advertising strategy ahead of the start of the 2013-2014 UK football season. According to prweek.com, the firm has appointed the GolinHarris agency to handle its UK consumer PR. The agency will support the company’s press office and undertake a range of campaigns around sponsorship – with a particular focus on raising the profile of the firm’s multi-channel mobile and online betting services. GolinHarris replaces Lexis as William Hill’s consumer PR provider and has already worked with the firm on a trial basis throughout the last few months…

From San Francisco Chronicle – A Bossier City man has been sentenced to three years of probation and fined $50,000 for operating an illegal internet sports gambling site. U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley said Wednesday that U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. sentenced 34-year-old Terry Lee Doty Jr., who pleaded guilty in April to one count of transmission of wagering information — a federal felony offense. According to FBI testimony, Doty was the local administrator for a gambling site based in Costa Rica. Finley’s office says Doty had about 280 clients placing sports bets with him, one of whom was an…