Ladbrokes Warns of FOBT Limit Closures EMEA
Die kolumbianische Glücksspielaufsicht (Coljuegos) wartet gegenwärtig darauf, dass das Ministerium für Informationstechnik und Kom- munikation und die Polizei die Sperrung von etwa 300 Glücksspielwebseiten durchsetzen, die ihre Dienste zurzeit vor Ort anbieten.
Die Glücksspielaufsicht Kolumbiens hat eine Großrazzia in illegalen Wettbüros durchgeführt. Dabei wurden in den Bezirken Gualanday und Achícala 12 illegale Wettbüros ausfindig gemacht, die 92 Computer für illegale Sportwet- ten betrieben haben.
Es wird angenommen, dass russische Automatenknacker jetzt Spielautomaten in Peru ins Visier genommen haben, nachdem sie bere- its die in Spielautomaten in den USA und Singapur verwendeten mathematischen Algo- rithmen manipuliert haben, um Gewinne in Millionenhöhe abzuschöpfen. Die Bande nutzt Computerfachleute für Gerätealgorithmen, um die Zufallszahlengeneratoren (RNG) auszutrick- sen, weswegen jetzt durch Verschlüsselung gesicherte RNG benötigt werden, um dieser Masche einen Riegel vorzuschieben.
Das Finanzministerium der Dominikanischen Republik hat über 8.000 Glücksspielgeräte ver- nichtet, die für illegale Glücksspiele verwendet wurden. Der Vorsitzende der Spielbanken- und Glücksspielaufsicht, Oscar Chalas, hat erklärt, dass die Geräte in 1.376 Wettbüros beschlagnahmt wurden, die ohne eine entsprechende Genehmigung landesweit tätig waren.
Aufgrund des wachsenden Widerstandes gegen die Errichtung eines Kasinos in einem Wohngebiet mit mehreren tausend Einwohnern unter den Bewohnern des Piantini-Viertels und angrenzender Bezirke hat Hard Rock sein jüng- stes Spielbankvorhaben in der Dominikanischen Republik aufgegeben.
Evolution Gaming hat mit Codere einen Vertrag über die alleinige Ausstattung von deren Live-Spielkasinos in Mexiko, einem der Haupt- märkte der multinationalen Unternehmensgruppe, geschlossen. Der Abschluss markiert den Eintritt von Evolution in den mexikanischen Markt, auf dem Codere bere- its der größte Glücksspielstättenbetreiber ist.
Zitro Interactive erweitert das Angebot von Video-Bingospielen für seinen Online-Kanal auf 21 Spiele. Vorgesehen ist die Hinzufügung von Titeln wie Beetle Bingo, Bingo Dreams, La Calaca und Purple Night zu dem angesehenen von Playtech verwalteten und für den mexikanischen Markt bestimmten Online-Kasino Caliente (
www.caliente.mx).
EGT Interactive meldet die Unterzeichnung eines Vertrages mit der Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG). Der Vertrag sieht vor, dass die über- aus beliebten Online-Spiele von EGT Interactive, die von einigen der renommiertesten Spielbank- betreiber genutzt werden, auf den Online-Glücksspielwebseiten von OEG sowie für Heimcomputer, Tablet-PC und mobile Endgeräte eingesetzt werden, darunter auch
Olybet.com.
P14 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE /
247.COM
CEO of UK bookmaker Ladbrokes Coral, Jim Mullen, says that as many as 1,000 of London’s 1,800 betting shops could be forced to close
Measures to control Fixed Odds Betting Terminal play in the UK could see the closure of 1,000s of licensed betting offices according to Ladbrokes’ boss
UK SPORTS-BETTING
Te British bookmaking sector is bracing itself for sweeping changes on FOBT play that could according to one leading industry executive, close more than half the bookmaking shops in London.
Jim Mullen, Chief Executive of Ladbrokes Coral Group, has said that as many as 1,000 of London’s 1,800 betting shops could be forced to shut due to the changes.
British MP John Whittingdale has warned that UK bookmakers should be prepared for a change in FOBT staking limit restrictions. Politicians want the maximum stake lowered from £100 to £2.
Speaking to the Evening Standard Mr. Mullen warned: “In London alone, potential shop closures could hit nearly 1000, with nearly half of all employees, 4,300, losing their jobs, and a potential tax loss to the Exchequer from these London shops alone of £230 million by 2020.”
Fitch Ratings has said that Ladbrokes would be the most exposed major UK bookmaker to the risk that the government will tighten regulations on gambling machines in betting shops.
Fitch said of Ladbrokes: “Te group’s limited online presence and reliance on UK retail operations means it could face a material drop in earnings if new regulations were implemented. Nevertheless, the widespread
introduction of the machines means that all operators would suffer. Ladbrokes’ results show that 50 per cent of its UK retail net revenue now comes from FOBTs. Te proportion is similar for other operators.”
Ladbrokes has a 25 per cent market share, with around 9,000 FOBTs across the UK. Tis puts it second behind William Hill, which has a 29 per cent market share. But Ladbrokes’ online operations are much smaller than those of William Hill and operating profit from its UK betting shops represents over 90 per cent of its total operating profit, compared with 68 per cent for William Hill.
Te political campaign against FOBTs seems to be growing. GambleAware recently published figures claiming seven gamblers had lost more than £10,000 in a day while playing FOBTs during a 10-month period. Its studies showed that during 5.4m betting sessions studied over a 10 month period, three per cent of the total included at least one bet of £100.
Te Association of British Bookmakers said: “As with all forms of gambling there will be winners and losers and the research also shows a customer won over £13,000 in four hours on a gaming machine. In both cases there is no reason to believe that the individuals could not afford their stakes. Losses in other forms of gambling can be significantly higher than the exceptional loss cited here.”
Lichtenstein Casinos Austria sets its sights on Lichtenstein
Casinos Austria has confirmed its intention to open a casino in the tiny country of Lichtenstein. Te Austrian operator wants to open a casino in Schaanwald, close to the border with Austria, in the Pirandello business building, owned by the ITW Group.
Part of the building will be converted into a casino. ITW CEO Martin Meyer said: “A contract was concluded between the ITW Group and Casinos Austria last year. Te conversion will be started promptly with the plan for the casino to start operation later this year. Te opening date depends on the granting of the license.”
Te licence can only be applied for at the Office of National Economy
once the conversion work has been completed. Te proposed site is only a few kilometres away from Casinos Austria’s Bregenz casino over the border in Austria.
It is the third proposal put forward by companies looking to open the first casinos in Liechtenstein for decades. Casino Admiral, owned by Novomatic, has announced its intention to open a casino in Ruggeller Kokon in 2017 whilst local businessman Wolfgang Egger has long been planning to build Casino Vaduzerhof. Mr. Egger won the initial tender for a single casino licence, but then faced legal challenges from the other operators involved in the process, which have culminated in years of delays.
Germany
DraftKings, the world’s largest daily fantasy sports company, has confirmed that the beta version of their platform in Germany is being opened up to all German consumers. DraftKings will deliver all 10 of the sports currently available through their US product, including seven leagues of soccer, NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, golf, NASCAR, eSports and MMA. “DraftKings CEO Jeffrey Haas said: “DraftKings gives everyone the chance to prove they are the best team manager in the world, when they are at the beer garden or on their couch at home. It’s the same fun fantasy sports experience players know and love, but without the season- long commitment.”
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