This Week in Gambling

Poker News – France’s regulated online poker market offers a good opportunity to score some good results and win easy money, according to online player Christoph, who plays under the moniker “SeryAce.” The Germany-based player tells PokerNews that France’s segregated market “does not allow players to progress with their game as fast as it happens on other sites.” After putting together some good results, such as a ninth-place finish in the 2010 MiniFTOPS Main Event worth $10,000, 24-year old Frankfurt-based student “SeryAce” started the year on a very good run at PokerStars with a fifth-place finish in the SCOOP-04-H €100…

iGaming Business – Interactive gaming recruitment business Pentasia has announced it is to open two new larger offices in London and Dublin. The company, which already has sites in both cities, opted to expand its premises in order to accommodate for business growth. Pentasia said the expansion of its London and Dublin operations will allow it to undergo a recruitment process of its own in order to further strengthen the business. John Doyle, head of marketing and operations at Pentasia, said: “We are committed to fostering close relationships with the people we work with and believe these moves will benefit…

iGaming Business – Fears that the Greek government will extend OPAP’s gaming monopoly to online appear to have been calmed following the news that the European Commission is digging in its heels over what it sees as a state subsidy. The Greek rumour mill had previously suggested that, DG MARKT, the Internal Market and Services Directorate General of the Commission, had given the green light to the proposed Greek law that would grant OPAP an online monopoly and revoke the interim authorisations currently in use by a number of operators. The government’s Gaming Monitoring Committee had sent the proposals to…

Online gaming operator Unibet has agreed a deal to become a sponsor of the 2014 Stockholm Marathon in Sweden. Unibet will become of the race’s main sponsors and will benefit from various branding opportunities around the course. The operator will also conduct a number of activities on race day and will offer various betting opportunities for the event. Jonas Nilsson, a spokesman for Unibet Sweden, said: “The Stockholm Marathon is a strong brand and represents the values that we fully stand behind. “We would like to give something back to the sport and see this as a step towards a…

iGaming Business – Social casino gaming company Idle Gaming has announced that a “major refresh” to its Fresh Deck Poker social poker application is now available to download. ‘Fresh Deck Poker: Reloaded’ features a new layout, navigation system and soundtrack, as well as the ‘Rebuy Sit-N-Go’ game format that allows players to buy back into tournaments after they have been eliminated. The refreshed application is available to download for free from Apple’s App Store and Google Play, and can also be accessed via Facebook. Stuart Lewis-Smith, chief executive officer of Idle Gaming, said: “We’ve been blown away by the massive…

EU Observer – In the coming weeks, the European Commission is expected to unveil its recommendations on consumer protection and advertising for online gambling. These recommendations are foreseen in the European Commission’s Action Plan for online gambling which was published in October 2012. Later this year, another recommendation on betting-related match-fixing is expected. As it is generally the case in consumer goods and services sectors, the industry’s expectations regarding such recommendations are high. Member States share the common objective of protecting consumers. However, the many gambling reforms at national level have yielded different results. Through its recommendations, the European Commission…