From The New Zealand Herald Health Ministry problem gambling strategy blames bigger jackpots and says SkyCity deal will add to problems. New Zealanders are forecast to spend more on Lotto, casinos, racing and sports betting in the next three years. A three-year problem gambling strategy, released by the Health Ministry yesterday, forecasts that spending on Lotto and other NZ Lotteries games will grow by 8 per cent between last year and 2016. It says the continuing strong growth is because of bigger jackpots in the past few years. Racing and sports betting through the Totalisator Agency Board is forecast to…

From Pokerati A news report from The Register this past Monday suggested that Canadian anti-money laundering and financial crimes regulations and disclosures will not apply to bitcoin exchanges in Canada. This was based on letters apparently received by some exchanges from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FinTRAC). I have not seen the letters, but today I confirmed this position with a spokesperson for the FinTRAC. This posture presents an exciting opportunity for bitcoin exchanges that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) recently confirmed are subject to registration, monitoring, and reporting as money services businesses and money transmitters in…

From iGaming Business Following the publication of draft gaming legislation by the Dutch Ministries of Justice and Finance yesterday, organisers of next month’s Gaming in Holland Conference have announced details of an expanded programme of events. Hosted in association with the iGaming Supershow in Amsterdam, the two-day event will feature a host of top speakers shaing their insight into the Dutch market. The Confernece will now start at 3pm on Monday June 10 with Legal and Tax experts dominating the discussion. The line up of speakers will include Drs Benjamin Jansen, Justin Franssen, Frans Duynstee, Pedro Fernandez, Simon Holliday and…

From Card Player The Associated Press reported that the New Hampshire House is voting Wednesday on whether the state should expand gambling. In an effort to keep pace with neighboring Massachussets, the bill would allow 5,000 slot machines and 150 table games at an already existing gambling facility. Supporters reportedly are arguing for much needed increases in tax revenue while opponents say a casino will increase addiction for some persons in the state, as well as potentially cause damage to New Hampshire’s apparent family-friendly image. New Hampshire’s casino bill is in the House after passing the Senate this spring. Its…

From iGaming Business The second annual Gaming in Holland Conference is taking place on the 10th June 2013 and is a part of the iGaming Super Show, which is being held in Amsterdam on the 11th – 14th June 2013. “The iGaming Super Show is a phenomenal trade show, and when we found out they were coming to Amsterdam we immediately teamed up with them. Our target audiences have strong overlaps, and we wanted people to be able to save time and money by attending both events in one trip,” said Willem van Oort, Conference Producer for Gaming in Holland….

From iGaming Business Online gaming provider bwin.party digital entertainment has released an interim management statement regarding its financial performance over the three months to the end of March showing that the firm experienced a 17 percent year-on-year drop in total revenues to €180.2 million ($231.8 million). Gibraltar-based bwin.party stated that the fall in first-quarter revenues was due to ‘the introduction of a five percent turnover tax on sportsbetting in Germany’ along with a ‘significant reduction in acquisition marketing in several dotcom countries’ and ‘lower than expected’ poker and casino player activity ‘following the dotcom migration’. The operator declared that ‘clean’…