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  • All the headlines from pokerfuse PRO for the week ending August 9.

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William Hill Buys Australian Online Sportsbook

TomWaterhouse.com acquired in deal worth up to AUD $110m. William Hill plc announced Friday that it had agreed to acquire 100% of the Australian online sportsbook TomWaterhouse.com.


New Head of Bulgarian Gambling Commission Appointed

Days after his resignation was demanded, Bulgarian commission chief is replaced. Ognemir Mitev has been appointed the new head of the Bulgarian State Committee on Gambling. Mitev replaces Ivan Enicherov.


Ladbrokes Looks to Playtech Partnership to Drive Digital Growth

Online poker revenues down 25%. Ladbrokes is looking to establish a more competitive position in online poker with its planned move to iPoker, the group reports.


New Research Urges Companies to Design Video Games with Addiction Prevention in Mind

A British study into addictive gaming has warned that online gaming companies should take more care with game design to minimize the risk of addiction.


Vietnam: No Gambling Unless You Can Afford a Five Star Hotel

New casinos will be restricted to five star hotels open only to tourists under a new law proposed in Vietnam. A new bill in Vietnam will restrict new gambling operations to casinos attached to five star hotels. The new law, expected to pass, will shut down many facilities and deny live poker to Vietnamese citizens.


France Proposes to Merge ARJEL with Anti-Doping Agency

ARJEL plus AFLD equals AISJEL as French bill proposes the merger of two regulators. French regulator ARJEL has apparently done such a good job that its responsibilities may be expanded with the addition of anti-doping agency (AFLD) to its bureaucratic structure.


UniBet Seeks Growth in Estonia

Unibet.EE, with online poker, casino and sportsbook, recently launched under Estonian license. Online gaming group Unibet will look to Estonia, where it recently launched a regulated online poker, casino and sports operation, for expansion in 2013, after posting strong growth for the first half of the year.


MGM CEO: Nevada-New Jersey Compact Likely in 2014

NGCB chairman adds that “research phase” for state compacts “nearing completion.” Nevada officials are considering forming a compact with New Jersey to allow for interstate online gambling compacts, MGM CEO Jim Murren said in an interview Tuesday.


888 Sees Strong Growth in Poker Revenue

Revenue and active customer numbers up in 888’s Q2 results. Poker has again been a strong performer for 888, according to its latest quarterly financials.


Bulgarian Citizens Steering Committee Want Gambling Chief Fired

The Bulgarian State Gambling Commission has rejected calls for its Chairman to be fired over the issue of blacklisted sites. The Bulgarian State Gambling Commission (SGC) has published a letter on its website which calls for the newly implemented blacklist to be suspended and for the resignation of the Commission Chairman Ivan Enicherov.


RGA Asks Commissioner Barnier to Intervene in Greece

Publication of the Greek blacklist prompts the RGA to ask EU Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier to stop the re-establishment of a gaming monopoly. In an immediate response to the formal publication of the Greek blacklist, the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) has written directly to the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, Michel Barnier, demanding he takes action to “prevent anti-competitive reforms to Greek gambling law.”


Bwin.party Appoints Jeffrey Haas as Group Director of Poker

The current Rational Group Director of Strategy & Business Development will take up his new position in September. Bwin.party has appointed Jeffrey Haas as the new Group Director of Poker. Haas will take up the job in September shortly after the expected launch of the group’s all new poker software.


South Point, Monarch, ACEP Request Nevada iGaming License Extension

Another six months requested. South Point Poker, Monarch Interactive and ACEP Interactive have all requested a further six month extension to bring their online poker ambitions online.


Olympic Entertainment Group Launches OlyBet on MPN

Estonia-licensed OlyBet.com goes live. Estonia-based Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG) has relaunched its online operation under a new brand, OlyBet.com, using Microgaming’s software platform for casino and poker.


Spanish Spat Threatens Gibraltar’s Online Gaming Industry

“The party is over”: Spanish Minister proposes a €50 charge to enter or leave Gibraltar, and online gambling is in his crosshairs. The Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Garcia-Margallo has mooted various punitive measures which, if enacted, would threaten the critical online gambling industry in Gibraltar.


William Hill Again Threatens Legal Fight over UK POC Tax Plan

WillHill sees “every chance” of bringing legal action against the UK’s new gambling legislation. William Hill CEO Ralph Topping has reiterated his intention to mount a legal challenge to the UK “point of consumption” (POC) tax, which is expected to come into force early next year.


Uruguay Forgot to Collect Gambling Taxes for 67 Years

A law from 1946 imposed a 10% gaming tax which has is still not being collected. Uruguayan politician Aníbal Gloodtdofsky is incensed that a 10% gambling tax on casinos dating from 1946 has been forgotten, and taxes have gone uncollected.


Hellenic Gaming Commission Site Goes Live, Blacklist Published

The HGC has posted a blacklist of 401 domains on its website. ISPs must now block access or face massive fines. The accidental release of the Greek blacklist has now been corrected, and the full 401 domain name collection of sites that have been deemed unauthorized is now up on the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) website.

Regular Weekly Columns

Traffic Watch

The annual market low is here. Operators can now look forward to more cash game revenues all the way to the New Year.


Regulation in Review: US

In this week’s summary of all the latest in US regulation: 888, PokerStars, Full Tilt, Nevada, New Jersey and more.


Regulation in Review: Europe and Beyond

A weekly review of the newest developments in gaming regulation outside the US, including Greece, Bulgaria, Colombia, Bulgaria, South Africa, Uruguay and more.