Chinese online sports lottery service provider 500.com saw its shares tank this week after announcing that its operations in several Chinese provinces would be “temporarily” suspended.

In January, reports circulated that several Chinese government ministries had instructed provincial lottery administrators to shut down all unauthorized online lottery operators by March 1. Officially, 500.com isn’t licensed to conduct online lottery sales but had been allowed to operate (along with China SMG network) as part of an online pilot program.

On Wednesday, 500.com announced that “certain provincial sports lottery administration centers to which the Company provides sport lottery sales services plan to temporarily suspend accepting online purchase orders for lottery products” effective Feb. 25.

500.com says the suspension will affect “four high-frequency lottery products for which the Company currently provides online services.” These four products accounted for 10.6% and 9.6% of 500.com’s overall revenue in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

500.com reiterated that it had “obtained approval from the Ministry of Finance” to offer online sports lottery services. 500.com acknowledged that there was “uncertainty” as the provinces attempted to please their bosses in Beijing, but the company believes the end result will have “long-term beneficial effects” on China’s online lottery market.

On Monday, 500.com shares fell from $15.66 to $13.40 as rumors spread that the company’s license had been revoked and that 500.com CEO Man San Law had been detained by Chinese authorities. The company denied that their CEO was in anyone’s custody and said lottery sales had been suspended by the government for the duration of the Lunar New Year celebrations but would resume on Wednesday.

Following Wednesday’s announcement, the shares plunged to $10 from Tuesday’s closing price of $12.82. The shares underwent a brief rally Thursday morning before ending up back at $10.10. A year ago, the stock was trading at around $46.

Online gambling software outfit Playtech had a stellar 2014 as revenue surged 24% to a record €457m and earnings rose 30% to €207.1m.

Playtech said the good times have continued into 2015, with daily average revenue over the first eight weeks up 22% year-on-year and up 5% from Q4 2014. Playtech shares rose over 5% on Thursday to close at 777p.

Playtech’s flagship casino product rose 29% to €244.2m, while its PTTS services division grew 20% to €132.8m. Sports betting provided the biggest annual gain, rising 54% to €26.3m on the strength of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Land-based operations rose 35% to €16.6m thanks to the acquisition of Aristocrat Lotteries as well as a fledgling retail sport offering. Bingo and poker were the net decliners, falling to €17.5m (-5%) and €13.8m (-6%) respectively.

Mobile revenue was up 64% in 2014. Mobile casino revenue grew 84%, accounting for 10% of casino revenue, up from 7% in 2013. Mobile sports wagering grew 51% to €22.2m, while mobile bingo was up 21%. The poker vertical’s first full year of mobile access generated revenue of just €200k.

Playtech continues to push its omni-channel strategy of fusing web, mobile and retail products into a unified whole, which the company believes will eventually become the industry standard. Playtech debuted this single log-in system at Coral betting shops in 2014.

Playtech continues to hint that it’s preparing for a major acquisition, although details remain as scant as ever. The company’s cash balance came to €692m as of Dec. 31, providing it with serious latitude in considering what assets to snap up.

PHILIPPINE-LICENSED OPERATOR REVENUES MORE THAN DOUBLE

UK betting operator Ladbrokes profit fell hard in 2014 despite significant improvements in its much-maligned online offering.

Full-year revenue (excluding high-rollers and exceptional items) rose 3.8% to £1.16b but earnings fell 9.3% to £125.4m and profits fell 13.4% to £93.1m. The statutory numbers were much harsher, with earnings falling 71% to £66.2m and profit down 61% to £41m. Despite the carnage, Lads’ shares rose nearly 6% on Thursday to 121p.

Ladbrokes’ overall digital revenue rose 22.9% to £215.1m and operating profit rose 70.7% to £14m. That latter figure is nearly double the 2013 figure but still well short of the £31.8m earned in 2012, the year before Ladbrokes undertook its infamously prolonged transition to a Playtech-powered online platform.

UK online operations reported revenue up 7.5% to £178.5m while online profit rose 17.7% to £17.3m. The 2014 FIFA World Cup helped push online sports betting revenue up 21% to £84.8m, but the company experienced its “worst ever football daily loss on record” on Boxing Day, which cost the company £8m.

Mobile sports betting stakes were up 110% from 2013, representing 63% of Lads’ digital sports wagers, while desktop stakes declined. Outgoing CEO Richard Glynn said the numbers support Lads’ decision to switch its desktop front end to a Playtech-powered Mobenga mobile platform, although the back end will continue to be powered by OpenBet technology. The transition is scheduled to take place in H2.

Ladbrokes exchange wagering products also had a good year, with revenue up 36% to £13.2m. The other verticals weren’t as fortunate, with casino falling 1.6% to £66.4m and bingo falling 6.7% to £11.1m although Lads said gaming returned to growth in Q4 following the completion of its transition to a full suite of Playtech casino products.

Online poker revenue fell a whopping 56.5% to £3m as unique active poker player ranks fell 40% while average monthly active player days fell 48.5%.