Lottery officials of West Virginia have assured state residents that sports betting in the state is on track for a September rollout despite delays in the approval of its rules.

WVNews.com reported that West Virginia’s casinos and racetracks are reviewing the sports betting rules before the state launches betting in September.

According to state lottery attorney Danielle Boyd, the West Virginia Lottery Commission issued the so-called internal control documents for sports betting on June 21. However, Boyd said it was only last week that the gambling operators were able to get a copy of the draft regulations.

Boyd attributed the distribution delays to the review that State Gov. Jim Justice conducted on the sports betting rules before they were sent to gambling operators on July 9.

Lottery officials of West Virginia have assured state residents that sports betting in the state is on track for a September rollout despite delays in the approval of its rules.

WVNews.com reported that West Virginia’s casinos and racetracks are reviewing the sports betting rules before the state launches betting in September.

According to state lottery attorney Danielle Boyd, the West Virginia Lottery Commission issued the so-called internal control documents for sports betting on June 21. However, Boyd said it was only last week that the gambling operators were able to get a copy of the draft regulations.

Boyd attributed the distribution delays to the review that State Gov. Jim Justice conducted on the sports betting rules before they were sent to gambling operators on July 9.

Eastern European gaming operator Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG) enjoyed a profit bump in the first half of 2018 despite the ongoing reduction of its core retail casino business.

Figures released Thursday show OEG’s gross revenue hit €106.6m in the six months ending June 30, a modest 2% improvement over the same period last year. Earnings improved 5.7% to €21.7m while net profit jumped 16.7% to €14.7m, primarily through a significant reduction in income tax payments.

The gains came despite OEG’s shrinking retail base, which saw the company’s complement of casinos shrink to 115 from 117 at the end of H1 2017 (and from 125 at the end of H1 2016). Similarly, OEG’s number of slot machines fell 2% to 4,021, electronic roulette terminals decreased by 6% to 109, gaming tables slipped 5.4% to 156 and poker tables shrank 4.5% to 63.

Over the past couple years, OEG was forced to exit the Polish market while fighting a rearguard action against anti-gaming officials in Latvia’s capital Riga. OEG was also facing the potential loss of four venues in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava until the city’s casino ban was overturned by a local court in June.

Eastern European gaming operator Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG) enjoyed a profit bump in the first half of 2018 despite the ongoing reduction of its core retail casino business.

Figures released Thursday show OEG’s gross revenue hit €106.6m in the six months ending June 30, a modest 2% improvement over the same period last year. Earnings improved 5.7% to €21.7m while net profit jumped 16.7% to €14.7m, primarily through a significant reduction in income tax payments.

The gains came despite OEG’s shrinking retail base, which saw the company’s complement of casinos shrink to 115 from 117 at the end of H1 2017 (and from 125 at the end of H1 2016). Similarly, OEG’s number of slot machines fell 2% to 4,021, electronic roulette terminals decreased by 6% to 109, gaming tables slipped 5.4% to 156 and poker tables shrank 4.5% to 63.

Over the past couple years, OEG was forced to exit the Polish market while fighting a rearguard action against anti-gaming officials in Latvia’s capital Riga. OEG was also facing the potential loss of four venues in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava until the city’s casino ban was overturned by a local court in June.

Eastern European gaming operator Olympic Entertainment Group (OEG) enjoyed a profit bump in the first half of 2018 despite the ongoing reduction of its core retail casino business.

Figures released Thursday show OEG’s gross revenue hit €106.6m in the six months ending June 30, a modest 2% improvement over the same period last year. Earnings improved 5.7% to €21.7m while net profit jumped 16.7% to €14.7m, primarily through a significant reduction in income tax payments.

The gains came despite OEG’s shrinking retail base, which saw the company’s complement of casinos shrink to 115 from 117 at the end of H1 2017 (and from 125 at the end of H1 2016). Similarly, OEG’s number of slot machines fell 2% to 4,021, electronic roulette terminals decreased by 6% to 109, gaming tables slipped 5.4% to 156 and poker tables shrank 4.5% to 63.

Over the past couple years, OEG was forced to exit the Polish market while fighting a rearguard action against anti-gaming officials in Latvia’s capital Riga. OEG was also facing the potential loss of four venues in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava until the city’s casino ban was overturned by a local court in June.

Global gambling operators are making strategic business maneuvers in Japan as they gear up for the bidding of the country’s first casino licenses.

Casino operators Genting Singapore Ltd. and Melco Resorts & Entertainment reaffirmed their interest in expanding their business footprint in Japan this week, just days after the country’s Diet enacted the Integrated Resorts Implementation Bill.

In a disclosure to the Singapore Stock Exchange on Wednesday, Genting Singapore announced that it had incorporated five of its indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries in Japan: Genting Japan Co., Ltd.; Genting Tokyo Co., Ltd.; Genting Osaka Co., Ltd.; Genting Yokohama Co., Ltd.; and Resorts World Yokohama Co., Ltd.

Genting Singapore, considered one of the main contenders for Japan casino license, said the incorporation was part of its preparation for the looming bidding wars.

Italian betting and gaming operator Snaitech is delisting from the Italian bourse as London-listed gaming supplier and operator Playtech Plc. gains full control over the company.

In a regulatory filing, Playtech announced Thursday that it will be acquiring the remaining 3.5 percent minority shareholding of Snaitech through its wholly-owned Italian subsidiary Pluto (Italia) SPA. Minority shareholders will get cash consideration equal to €2.19 per share as previously noted in Playtech’s Mandatory Takeover Offer.

Trading of Snaitech shares is expected to be suspended for two days starting August 1 as a result of Playtech’s squeeze-out. Playtech plans to delist Snaitech from Mercato Telematico Azionario, organised and managed by Borsa Italiana, on August 3.

Snaitech is licensed by the Italian Monopolies Authority to offer gaming services and products, including sport and horse racing betting; virtual sports; video lottery; online and mobile poker, skill games, casino games, bingo; esports; and pari-mutuel betting.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) net income rose 1.8 percent in the second quarter of 2018, to the disappointment of analysts.

LVS announced that its Q2 earnings stands at $556 million, or $0.70 per share short of market expectations of $0.78 per share.

Events like iGB Live! make me proud to be a part of the online gambling industry and ever so thankful I stumbled across it almost 15 years ago. Its the people working in iGaming that make our industry so special, where else can you find a reunion and a conference all wrapped up into one, even number one competitors are friendly with one and other. I think mentality is what separates iGaming from many of the other industries out there and iGB Live! provided the perfect platform to celebrate this unique, positive energy amongst us.

Examples of how competitors work together in iGaming come in the form of sharing best practices for payment challenges, eSports and Blockchain first-movers sharing their strategies to help others, brainstorming on how to come together and tackle regulatory challenges, forming associations to ensure fairness in game play and affiliate commissions and the list goes on.

With the above in mind coupled with the fact that a good portion of regular iGaming conference goers have been on the circuit for ten years plus, the vibe at what is now the largest iGaming event of the year was nothing short of electric. We know positive energy is contagious, so even those who are new to our industry were able to feel it.

I would like to dedicate this week’s edition of Becky’s Affiliated to the amazing Clarion Gaming team, a combination of iGaming Business and the legacy Clarion crew, a group of talented individuals who have created a happy place to meet once a year, do some business and have a lot of fun.  Here’s why I think the first edition of iGB Live! was such a success.

A report in the Marianas Variety newspaper has indicated that Saipan could potentially be a target for a second casino project following the mammoth-sized Imperial Palace. With a little bit of luck, and some prudent planning, the casino development will hopefully be a lot smoother than what has been seen with Imperial Pacific.

Yusho Oki of Japan-based Paraisu Corp., apparently met with Saipan Mayor David Apatang. Apatang said that the businessman was somewhat elusive on what his plans are, but added that he will be making a return visit in August to discuss the possibilities in more detail. Oki did specify, however, that he was considering a casino in Saipan and the neighboring island of Rota, about 46 miles north of Guam.

Apatang told the newspaper that Oki is also possibly interested in creating business relationships between the American territory and select cities in Japan. The idea is to boost tourism while highlighting cultural and student exchange programs. The mayor added, “That’s why it’s important to keep our island clean so visitors will keep on coming.”

If the offering is legitimate (a cursory search could not find any records of Paraisu Corp. in Japan) and a second casino comes to Saipan, developers need to be prepared to have the project in order. Imperial Palace construction has been fraught with numerous delays, lawsuits, bribe allegations and more. Although it was originally expected to open in August, the casino developer, Imperial Pacific International, has requested an extension that would possibly see the operations begin to open in December.

While the feud between poker’s William Kassouf and Shaun Deeb has remained strictly verbal, an on-going argument between Doug Polk and Fernando ‘JNandez’ Habegger could be taken to the next level. Agitated for what he perceived as unfair treatment as part of Polk’s Upswing Poker organization, Habegger took to social media to vent his frustrations, to which Polk was only too ready to respond. The battle has been heating up and now Habegger has challenged Polk to a boxing match.

The two have been going at each other in a series of videos and interviews, which has included Habegger accusing Polk of owing him money for his stint with Upswing. Habegger, who was the site’s Pot-Limit Omaha coach, left Upswing after a year. The battle began before that, however, after Polk suggested that Habegger was not the best business partner and accused him of stealing customers to use on his own training site, JNandez Poker.

This past Sunday, Habegger published a video that included a number of allegations launched toward Polk. He said that Polk owed him as much as $100,000 for his Upswing involvement. Polk fired back in a video of his own, detailing his business and the contract Habegger had signed.

On Monday, Habegger put up another video, extending a challenge to Polk. He said, “I’m challenging you to a $50,000 boxing match. If I win this boxing match against you, Doug Polk, I’m going to spend the $50,000 that I’ve won and get as many people as I can into the Colossus event of next year’s WSOP. I’m trying to protect the poker industry, and I’m trying to create justice for the situation others have encountered and myself.”

Greece’s land-based casino operators are struggling with declines in both visitor traffic and the money those visitors spend on gambling.

This week, Greek media outlet Ekathimerini quoted local industry sources saying the country’s nine brick-and-mortar casinos collectively welcomed around 1.33m visitors in the first six months of 2018, a 2.4% decline over the same period last year. Only three casinos reported individual visitation gains.

Total gaming turnover at the nine venues was down 1.8% year-on-year to €740m, while gaming revenue fell 3.2% to €116.2m. The decline follows a 3.8% decline in gaming revenue in calendar 2017. Again, only three of the nine casinos reported revenue gains, and two of these fortunate three only managed to get back into the black thanks to a particularly strong showing in June.

Greece’s occasionally chaotic casino industry is currently awaiting a major shakeup via a tender for the country’s first major integrated resort, which is to be built on the grounds of the old Hellinikon airport. The latest plan is for the tender to get underway by August 30 but the Greek government’s deadlines tend to be somewhat, er, elastic.

Last year, electronic gaming equipment supplier Paradise Entertainment reported a loss of $4.4 million for the first half of the year. Things look like they could be turning around this year, though, as the company announced that it expects its revenue to be on the plus side for the first six months of 2018. The gains reportedly come from a 10% increase in revenue from its casino management services and an explosion in equipment sales that has reached 160% over last year.

For its first-quarter report this year, Hong Kong-listed Paradise indicated that its revenue had increased year-on-year by 31.1% to reach $39.28 million. Sales from gaming equipment increased by 170.2% over the same period last year, bringing in $6.47 million. This was a substantial increase over the $2.39 million for the first quarter last year.

The increase in sales propelled the company into the purchase of a warehouse facility in Macau. The purchase is said to be worth around $16 million, with the total amount paid by October 15 of this year.

Through its LT Game subsidiary, Paradise supplies electronic gaming equipment to casinos in Macau, as well as in other countries. It also operates casinos in satellite properties in Macau through licenses held by other operators. It operates the Kam Pek Paradise Casino under the license of SJM Holdings and the Waldo Casino through a partnership with Galaxy Entertainment.