This Week in Gambling

Forbes – The Philippines hopes to be the next big thing in Asian gaming, and its biggest step toward that goal just completed its first year of operation. Solaire Resort and Casino opened in March last year (see page 77; payment required), the first of four planned US$1 billion-plus integrated resorts (IRs) in Entertainment City on Manila Bay. Solaire’s parent company Bloomberry Resorts this month released its full year results for 2013, as did its current main rival, Resorts World Manila, where ownership also holds a license for an Entertainment City IR. But the results sow doubts about building more…

Hawaii News Now – We are learning more details about the take down of a multi-million dollar illegal internet gambling ring. An undercover officer worked for a year to nail 26 key players in the high stakes sports betting scheme that stretched from Hawaii to Costa Rica. Defense Attorney Megan Kau told Hawaii News Now, “For most of these defendants, when their houses were searched, their computers were found. The computers are in their house, the link. That coupled with the fact the government has the records, is difficult to defend.” Kau represented the first two people sentenced in the…

Online payment solutions provider Optimal Payments has further expanded its presence in the North American market after agreeing a five-year partnership with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). Under the agreement, Optimal Payments will provide its NETBANX payment service to OLG for its new online gambling service PlayOLG. The new service will offer regulated interactive lottery, casino and video poker games to Ontario residents. The NETBANX solution will support the new offering by providing payment options, as well as delivering real-time fraud and risk prevention and mitigation services. “PlayOLG will be the only regulated internet gaming option in Ontario,”…

iGaming Business – UK bookmaker Coral is to join forces with California-based social and mobile games developer Ruby Seven Studios to launch new social gaming applications for customers around the world. According to the Mobile-ent.biz website, Coral said the new partnership will allow it to develop a network of social gaming customers and followers for its various slots and gaming brands. The first title to be developed under the joint effort will be Coral’s land-based game ’The Magician’ and ‘The Magician Triple Pots’. The new titles will be launched in social games alongside a number of other titles, including Coral’s…

iGaming Business – Online casino games provider Net Entertainment has cited its success in the European market as one of the main drivers behind year-on-year growth in revenue and operating profit during the three months to March 31, 2014. The company posted revenue of SEK188.4 million (€20.7 million/$28.7 million) in the first quarter of 2014, an increase of 26.7% on the SEK148.8 million achieved in the corresponding period last year. Net Entertainment also reported a jump in operating profit, which grew from SEK41 million in Q1 of 2013 to SEK51.2 million in the latest quarter. Elsewhere, operating profit dropped slightly…

iGaming Business – The Bulgarian State Commission on Gambling has added five new websites to its blacklist of iGaming domains prohibited from operating in the country. Amongst the websites now banned from offering online betting services in Bulgaria are domains operated by Cherry Casino and Sportingbet. Equatorcasino.com, Jackpot.com and Oxygen9casino.com have also been listed as unlicensed websites by the Bulgarian regulator. A total of 203 websites have now been blacklisted by the regulatory body, with Bulgarian internet service providers required to block players in the country from accessing such sites. SOURCE