From iGaming Business – Pool and tote sportsbetting supplier Sportech has announced that its Sportech Racing LLC subsidiary has signed a six-year contract with American racetrack operator Penn National Gaming Incorporated. London-based Sportech stated that its American subsidiary will now provide Penn National Gaming with ‘betting technology and associated services’ across nine states via up to eleven racetrack properties, five off-track wagering venues and an Internet and telephone service while the initial agreement also contains a pair of one-year extensions. “We are delighted to have secured this long-term contract with Penn National Gaming, the largest racetrack and associated betting facility…

From iGaming Business – South Australian premier Jay Weatherill has backed his fast-tracked code to ban live betting advertising despite having received mixed reviews from the gaming and sports industries ahead of the introduction of the legislation next week. Australian media said the state government would enforce the ban under Part 3A of South Australia’s Authorised Betting Operations Act 2000, binding authorised interstate betting operators to comply with advertising and responsible gambling codes by the Independent Gambling Authority. Weatherill said: “The original Free TV proposal did not reflect community attitudes and would have still allowed sponsored segments to promote the…

From The Bureau of Investigative Journalism – It’s 10am and already there’s a knot of men at the back of the betting shop. The strip-lit space is filled with the chatter of racing commentary, but the clients aren’t paying attention. Instead, they’re intently focused on a bank of tall touchscreen machines near the counter. A man in his sixties in a tatty hat is playing poker games on two machines at once; to either side of him younger men play digital roulette. It’s been half an hour since anybody placed a sports bet, but each of the shop’s four gaming…

From iGaming Business – The French sportsbetting operator and B2B platform provider France Pari has reported a 40% rise in gross gaming revenues (GGR) to €1m and a 20% rise in overall revenues to €5m in the first half of 2013. The growth was driven by an increase in stakes recorded and improved margins on the company’s france-pari.fr website and those taken by Sportnco, its odds and risk-management B2B division. Sportnco clients NetBet (iTechsoft) and Joa Online enjoyed 130% and 170% growth respectively during the period, the group said. “The online sportsbetting sector is now steadily growing in France, delivering…

In New Zealand, TAB bookmakers have been advised to prohibit all professional groups from placing fixed-odds wagers due to concerns over so-called ‘arbitrage’ wagers. Arbitrage wagering involves punters taking odds with the New Zealand TAB before off-laying them at a lesser dividend with a betting exchange such as Betfair. The practice is more common in bigger and more sophisticated betting markets with many professional bettors using computer programmes loaded with software that has been designed to seek out anomalies. According to a report from The New Zealand Herald newspaper, TAB bookmakers have been told to cull approximately 20 fixed-odds punters…

In today’s Sportsbook Review.com SBR iGaming News video, a news update is given on social gaming provider Zynga joining forces with mobile loyalty and advertising company SessionM is covered. The two will collaborate on a new in-game real world rewards platform. Also mentioned are two industry related developments with well known online sportsbooks. Zynga’s partnership with SessionM will see the two offer “mPoints” to Scramble With Friends players, which can be used to attain in-game enhancements. The points carry a real-world value that could net a player anything from iTunes or Amazon gift cards, as well as free entry into…