- Winamax frees itself from the Bulgarian blacklist.
- Svenska Spel: Three months after ending bonuses.
- and more.
Exclusive News Articles
Winamax Frees Itself from the Bulgarian Blacklist, 32Red Added
A new tax regime may motivate more sites to take the necessary action to remove themsleves from the list. French regulated site Winamax has been taken off the Bulgarian blacklist by the State Gambling Commission (SGC), just three months after it was added.
Holland Casino Sets Out Restructuring Plan
Another 150-200 jobs will go at the Netherlands monopoly casino provider. State licensed monopoly Holland Casino has submitted restructuring proposals that will see the loss of a further 150 to 200 jobs at its 14 casinos. The company has already shed a fifth of its headquarters staff after it was placed in a “special measures” program by the Netherlands government.
PokerStars Announces 2014 Schedule for “VIP Club Live” Events
Seven parties organized for this year. PokerStars is seeking to continue its success of its live VIP club parties, with seven events scheduled for 2014, two more than in 2013.
Svenska Spel: Three Months After Ending Bonuses
Taking bonuses away from the New Jersey-sized market appears to have made little impact on cash game traffic. At the beginning of October last year, Swedish monopoly online poker provider Svenska Spel announced that it was ending all bonus promotions because it had decided they contributed to the risk of problem gambling. Three months later the impact of the decision can be seen in its cash game traffic numbers.
partypoker Restructures MTT Schedule
Bigger guarantees and faster structures in party’s revamped tourney schedule. partypoker has announced a new weekly MTT schedule on its primary dot-com network. The new schedule promises more variety, and bigger guarantees.
Greek Monopoly OPAP To Choose IT Development Partner for Online Gaming
888 and Playtech are bidders for OPAP’s new internet gambling platform. Greek gambling monopoly OPAP is going ahead with plans to develop its own internet sports betting platform. The result of a competitive tendering process to find a partner for the work is expected to be announced shortly.
Macedonia to Launch Online Gambling Monopoly
A joint venture with Austrian Casino is expected to launch online lottery in mid 2014 with online gaming and sports betting to follow. The Republic of Macedonia has partnered with Casinos Austria to establish an online gambling monopoly. The new “State Video Lottery” is planned to launch in the first half of the year.
Full Tilt Promotes Adrenaline Rush with Knockout Leaderboards
Full Tilt Poker is running a two-week long promotion to entice players to try out their latest innovation, Adrenaline Rush.
Traffic at Offshore US Sites Rises As Regulated Sites Ramp-Up Marketing
Media attention on New Jersey could well help promote online poker US-wide. While much US poker media attention is focused on New Jersey, the non-state regulated sites which accept US players have continued to offer online poker across the US. Their cash game traffic numbers suggest that they might be unintended beneficiaries of New Jersey gaming liberalization and the subsequent marketing push.
Interview with Former ARJEL President Gives Little Hope for French Online Poker
Poker numbers are down because players are moving abroad or playing on gray market sites—and there are no solutions on the horizon. An interview with former ARJEL President Jean François Vilotte, conducted shortly after he left office, paints a pessimistic picture for the future of online poker in France.
European Regulators Discuss the Tricky Issues Informally in Rome
Dealing with the EU Commission and restricting the “gray” market provided common ground. At the end of last week, regulators from France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK attended the fourth informal meeting of gambling regulators in Rome.
DGOJ Deputy Director General Expresses Cautious Support for Lower Taxes
Concerns about the deterrent effect of a 25% tax rate and operator complaints have brought the tax issue to the attention of the Spanish regulator. The deputy Director General of Spanish regulator DGOJ has indicated that he empathizes with calls for lower taxes.
Regular Weekly Columns
Checking Around
Pokerfuse PRO’s exclusive industry-focused summary of online poker discussions in the last week. Troll free, guaranteed.
Under the Gun
In our revamped weekly column, UTG takes an independent look at the latest marketing offers and promotions in online poker.
Traffic Watch
A weekly review of the online poker market: This week, Svenska Spel, the US offshore market, and the market peak.
Poker In… France
Breaking down the poker landscape country-by-country and state-by-state in our exclusive regular column.
Regulation in Review: US
A review of the latest developments in gaming regulation. This Week: Louisiana, New Jersey, Mississippi and Full Tilt funds.
Regulation in Review: Europe and Beyond
A weekly review of the latest developments in gaming regulation. This week: France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, UK, Colombia, Switzerland and the EU.
Software Snapshots: Zynga Plus Poker on Facebook
Following a quiet soft launch, Zynga announced last week that it had launched its real money poker product as a flash app on Facebook. Software Snapshot takes a look inside.