Poker King Zanoni Cashes Out
Austrian Poker King Peter Zanoni has given up on his fight against the tax authorities and his battle to keep his 12 poker venues across Austria open
Poker has only been allowed in Austria in casinos, since the start of the year. Due to a transition period, Mr. Zanoni’s old license was valid until the end of 2019.
AUSTRIA POKER
Austrian Poker King Peter Zanoni has given up on his fight against the tax authorities and his battle to keep his 12 poker venues across Austria open. He said he can no longer wait for the outcome of a complaint pending before the Constitutional Court (VfGH), which should have been decided in February. Tax debts of around €600m would have accumulated over the years. Mr. Zanoni said: “Not even dear God can pay that. With great regret I see the need to announce that I will have to close the Concord Card Casinos today. For every gross euro I have to pay a five euro tax, and there is still no war victim tax and amusement tax, each of which has a strangling effect. Tis is simply a chase that is now over.”
Te bankruptcy filing was filed in March. Mr. Zanoni recently unlocked seven of its 12 Concord Card Casinos to offer free play there and to await the decision of the VfGH and the CJEU. Before that, he had had to close his twelve venues in early January after raids by the financial police, after his licenses had expired.
Te end of January saw the closure of Concord Card Casinos which have been offering professional poker games at 12 locations in Austria since 1993. Te Austrian Financial Police began executing the Gambling Act on January 2 and visited one Concord branch after another.
A raid at the Montesino venue was the last straw for Concord with a €100,000 guaranteed tournament planned for the following weekend cancelled and all branches of the Concord Group were subsequently closed. Mr. Zanoni, commented: “Since neither the responsible politicians, stakeholders and the highest executive bodies, despite repeated requests, have been required to put an end to this arbitrary procedure by the financial police and to ensure that the statutory provisions are complied with in accordance with the constitution, our operations must continue to operate de facto no longer possible. We assure all of our employees and our customers that we do everything in our power to enable undisturbed operation in the future.”
Switzerland Greentube supplies platform behind
Starvegas.ch
Greentube has provided the platform behind
Starvegas.ch and launched a premium collection of titles with the online brand as part of a landmark collaboration with Switzerland’s Casino Interlaken.
Backed by Greentube’s platform technology, the operator’s new digital channel is the first in the newly regulated online market to feature the supplier’s classic slots, including titles like Book of Ra deluxe, Lucky Lady’s Charm and Sizzling Hot deluxe. Golden Games’ Super Cherry, the bestselling fruit game in Switzerland, is also available on
Starvegas.ch, adding to the platform’s collection of titles that have a proven popularity in the land-based environment.
Greentube has quickly emerged as a leading supplier in Switzerland’s online sector after land-based operators were given the green light to launch casino websites last year. Te partnership with Casino Interlaken, which now has rights to the StarVegas brand in the Swiss market, further boosts its local
presence and visibility with players. Tomas Graf, CEO of Greentube, said: “We are delighted to join forces with Casino Interlaken and to add a new strategic partner to our growing client portfolio in Switzerland. Together, we share the common goal to be a leader in technological advancement and innovation in this newly opened business area and we are looking forward to assisting
Starvegas.ch in becoming a frontrunner in the online market.”
Oliver Grimm, CEO of Casino Interlaken AG, said: “Being able to offer some of the most popular casino titles with Swiss players will allow us to quickly gain market share as we launch into this exciting new space. With a wide variety of Greentube’s fruit and slot games which already have a strong reputation in the land-based sector, together with a state-of-the-art user interface and top promotion programme, we’re offering an online experience that excels in quality and innovation.”
Latvia
Figures released by the Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspection (IAUI), show online gambling revenue in Latvia rose by 132.8 per cent in 2019 as the country's regulated iGaming market grew to €54.7m. Online casino was the most popular vertical with revenue for online slot games, cards and roulette rising to €39.3m, up 142.5 per cent from the preceding year. 68 websites and 87 IP addresses were also blocked in 2019. Sports betting revenue rose by 112.3 per cent on 2018 to €14.9m. Poker tournaments saw the largest percentage increase of 160.8 per cent, albeit up to €423,000. Land- based gambling also saw a rise in revenues with gaming tables up by 104 per cent to €17.3m, while retail sports betting generated €3.2m - a 116.8 per cent increase. Other activities including bars and billiards generated an extra €17.3m, whilst the overall turnover for licensed operators hit €324.4m for the year.
MONACO – Zitro's Link Me and Link Shock have been installed at the Casino Café de Paris, following the success of Link King at the Monegasque casino. This emblematic casino operated by the prestigious Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, which also operates the legendary Casino de Monte-Carlo, as well as the other two gaming establishments of the Principality of Monaco, already has the three most successful video slots on the market.
Link Me is a multi-game, with a special multiplier that increases bonus prizes up to 10 times. Link Shock is a progressive four-level multi-game in which players experience an exciting bonus game, as well as the special “shock” prize.
“After the success of Link King we wanted to incorporate the new Zitro progressives as a highly innovative and smart proposal, completing the offer of games that the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer puts at the disposal of its customers,” said Pascal Camia, EVP of Gaming Operations.
“We are very honoured by the confidence that the prestigious Casino Cafe de Paris has once again placed in us. We hope that the players and the tourists from all over the world go to their favourite casino, considered as one of the main gaming destination in Europe and well-known for the bright side of gaming, to enjoy the fun offered by our games," said Nadège Teyssedre, Regional Director for EMEA of Zitro.
UK – Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming, has confirmed the postponement of ICE North America, which was due to take place on May 13 to 14, 2020 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in Louisiana. It will now be hosted in Spring 2021, with a date to be announced shortly. In the meantime, Clarion is launching a free digital version of ICE North America following the postponement. ICE North America Digital will take place during the week in which the New Orleans exhibition was originally scheduled and is set to provide a comprehensive selection of discussion, expert insight and thought leadership.
Beginning on Monday May 11th and spanning three hours a day until Friday May 15th, the show will also feature some of the leading executives in the land- based, sports betting, tribal, and hospitality tech industries. With others being added to the roster every day, these currently include operators like Bobby Soper, President of Sun Gaming & Hospitality, Daniel Kustelski, CEO of Chalkline Sports, and Colleen Birch, SVP of Revenue Optimisation at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
More information will also be made available regarding ICE Asia and iGB Live! shortly.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA P17 EMEA
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