The Cyprus government is catching flak for pumping the brakes on the bid process for its lone casino license.

The Greek-controlled southern half of Cyprus had set a July 5 deadline for its three casino license finalists to submit their final proposals for consideration. But the government now says it has pushed back this deadline by another three months.

In Cyprus reported that the government was responding to requests by two of the bidders – Filipino casino operator Bloomberry Resorts and Cambodia’s NagaCorp – who said they needed more time to finalize their presentations.

The two bidders reportedly told the government that they needed more time to secure deals with the owners of the land parcels on which they wish to build. Bloomberry is reportedly eyeing a property at Paphos while NagaCorp is looking at a Lamarca plot.

The Cyprus government is catching flak for pumping the brakes on the bid process for its lone casino license.

The Greek-controlled southern half of Cyprus had set a July 5 deadline for its three casino license finalists to submit their final proposals for consideration. But the government now says it has pushed back this deadline by another three months.

In Cyprus reported that the government was responding to requests by two of the bidders – Filipino casino operator Bloomberry Resorts and Cambodia’s NagaCorp – who said they needed more time to finalize their presentations.

The two bidders reportedly told the government that they needed more time to secure deals with the owners of the land parcels on which they wish to build. Bloomberry is reportedly eyeing a property at Paphos while NagaCorp is looking at a Lamarca plot.

Daily fantasy sports operators DraftKings and FanDuel are considering a merger, according to multiple media reports.

On Monday, Bloomberg reported that the two DFS operators were in talks about fusing the two companies. While investors in both companies are reportedly pressing for a deal, Bloomberg’s sources offered the standard caveats that there was no assurance that a deal would be reached.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the ‘merger’ was more likely to be a case of FanDuel acquiring DraftKings. Regardless of how it’s structured, such a merger would likely raise significant anti-trust issues, given the stranglehold that the two operators have on the US fantasy market.

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins has on multiple occasions publicly stated that a merger would be of benefit to both companies, which have been hard hit by regulatory crackdowns since last fall’s ‘data leak’ scandal brought the DFS industry into the crosshairs of state attorneys’ general.

Daily fantasy sports operators DraftKings and FanDuel are considering a merger, according to multiple media reports.

On Monday, Bloomberg reported that the two DFS operators were in talks about fusing the two companies. While investors in both companies are reportedly pressing for a deal, Bloomberg’s sources offered the standard caveats that there was no assurance that a deal would be reached.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the ‘merger’ was more likely to be a case of FanDuel acquiring DraftKings. Regardless of how it’s structured, such a merger would likely raise significant anti-trust issues, given the stranglehold that the two operators have on the US fantasy market.

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins has on multiple occasions publicly stated that a merger would be of benefit to both companies, which have been hard hit by regulatory crackdowns since last fall’s ‘data leak’ scandal brought the DFS industry into the crosshairs of state attorneys’ general.

A UK horserace bettors’ group is criticizing bookmakers for closing the accounts of winning punters, a practice the group claims is contributing to the sport’s decline.

The Horserace Bettors Forum (HBF) was established one year ago by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to provide a platform via which racing punters could air their concerns. On Monday, the HBF released the results of a survey that suggests bookmakers are too eager to close betting accounts linked to above average win rates.

The survey, conducted in April, found that 878 respondents reported having over 1k accounts closed while a further 4k accounts had limits put on betting activity. Given punters’ practice of having accounts with more than one bookie, the HBF claimed that discussions with an unidentified bookie estimated the total number of accounts affected industry-wide at around 20k.

The HBF says 59% of the 878 bettors queried via the survey reported that the bookies’ risk-averse strategy had decreased these punters’ interest in betting on racing. The HBF extrapolated this number to conclude that, nationwide, over 4k bettors lose interest in race betting every six months.

A UK horserace bettors’ group is criticizing bookmakers for closing the accounts of winning punters, a practice the group claims is contributing to the sport’s decline.

The Horserace Bettors Forum (HBF) was established one year ago by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to provide a platform via which racing punters could air their concerns. On Monday, the HBF released the results of a survey that suggests bookmakers are too eager to close betting accounts linked to above average win rates.

The survey, conducted in April, found that 878 respondents reported having over 1k accounts closed while a further 4k accounts had limits put on betting activity. Given punters’ practice of having accounts with more than one bookie, the HBF claimed that discussions with an unidentified bookie estimated the total number of accounts affected industry-wide at around 20k.

The HBF says 59% of the 878 bettors queried via the survey reported that the bookies’ risk-averse strategy had decreased these punters’ interest in betting on racing. The HBF extrapolated this number to conclude that, nationwide, over 4k bettors lose interest in race betting every six months.

New Jersey gaming regulators have okayed GVC Holdings to continue operating its Bwin.party brands in the state’s regulated online gambling market.

On Monday, the UK-listed GVC announced that the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) had concluded its preliminary investigation into GVC’s suitability to continue operating Bwin.party’s NJ-facing brands following GVC’s takeover of the company.

GVC quoted the DGE saying that a study of GVC’s business operations had led investigators to conclude that “GVC and its individual qualifiers possess the requisite good character, honesty and integrity should it file for a transactional waiver” in the state.

Furthermore, the DGE determined that GVC didn’t actually need to pursue a transactional waiver to ensure the continued operation of its existing NJ-facing operations.