UK-listed online gambling operator 888 Holdings has boosted its long-term sports betting prospects by acquiring Dublin-based BetBright’s sports betting technology platform.

On Monday, 888 informed investors that it had struck a £15m deal with BetBright’s parent companies Dedsert Ltd and Dedsert (Ireland) Ltd to acquire the operator’s sports betting platform. The acquisition includes BetBright’s Dublin office and its risk management, product and trading staff, which will be integrated into the 888 group.

888sport’s current betting platform is supplied by tech providers Kambi, who have been working with 888 since May 2013. Most recently, Kambi launched 888’s New Jersey-licensed sports betting service.

888’s BetBright release didn’t mention Kambi, but 888 did say that it would begin the technology integration process as “soon as practically feasible” and would begin a “phased and market-by-market roll out” of its new proprietary betting product once that integration is complete.

Macau seems to be getting the same signal from every source: diversify. It appears their government may push to do just that, after remarks from Lionel Leong Vai Tac, their Secretary for Economy and Finance, to local reporters.

GGRAsia reports Leong, speaking for the government, believes that non-gambling attractions offer the best opportunity for the city’s tourism industry, by diversifying the attractions available. By increasing those attractions, the city could then make gambling more sustainable long term.

Leong confirmed that, among mass-market consumers (as opposed to VIP consumers), spending was diversified throughout the city, rather than focused on the casinos.

This is supported by both recent studies and international opinion as well. A census report in January revealed that of the 7.53 million repeat visitors Macau had in 2018, 69.2% came back because of good food and shopping, while only 9.1% came back for the gambling specifically. If the city can draw in even more mass market gamblers with alternative attractions, they might be tempted to play at the tables more as well.

Novomatic continues its quest to conquer the globe. In one of its many recent moves, it has inked a deal with a Costa Rica casino to introduce its new GAMINATOR Scorpion edition. The deal provides the company with a larger footprint in Central America and will certainly lead to more partnerships in the area.

Novomatic’s GAMINATOR Scorpion 2.24 was introduced to the Grand Casino Escazú in Costa Rica at the end of last year, marking its first entry into the country. The Grand Casino belongs to the International Group of Gaming & Resorts (IGGR) company, which operates 13 casinos and five hotels across the globe in Costa Rica, France, Egypt and Argentina.

Panama-based Novo Panama, the Novomatic subsidiary that oversees Central America operations, has continued to expand the company’s market share in the area. The subsidiary is run by its GM, José Teng, who has a mission to offer highly-competitive sales models and offers to attract new clients. The company’s sales representative, Werner Josef Schwingshandl, stated, “We are proud of the extremely successful cooperation with our numerous customers throughout C.A. and especially with leading operators such as Grand Casino Escazú. The casino is a long-time NOVOMATIC customer and it is a great honor for us to work with the management on the basis of such a respectful business relationship. Their success is our business and we are always happy to contribute and support with our products and services.”

The machines have been a hit with both customers and casino personnel. Jean Paul Zucchetto, Grand Casino’s GM, explained, “The new NOVOMATIC machines are highly attractive, innovative and easy to play. The customer feedback is excellent and certainly confirms this addition to our gaming floor.”

Employees at Ocean Resort Casino in New Jersey have been working on a plan to unionize almost since the venue opened last year. They are now gaining traction with their efforts and have made significant process after the New Jersey State Board of Mediation (NJSBM) gave them its approval to proceed.

The NJSBM gave the go-ahead last Thursday after verifying that the workers met the minimum requirement to join a union. According to federal law, at least 50% of a company’s workforce must agree to unionize and, in the case of Ocean, 74% of the more than 1,300 employees indicated that they were in favor of the deal.

The employees would be represented by the UNITE HERE union through its Local 54 office. That office already represents a large portion of the casino and hotel workforces in Atlantic City, with almost 8,500 employees on its list. The union targets employees such as housekeepers, cocktail servers, cooks, bartenders and other employees.

Local 54’s president, Bob McDevitt, said that the support to unionize was “overwhelming” and that the results were “really satisfying.” He added, “(Ocean Resort) acted in good faith and we’re looking forward to sitting down at the table with them.”

Crown Resorts Ltd. isn’t feeling the love for its One Queensbridge project. It was planned as a joint project between the Australian casino operator and the Schiavello Group construction company and expected to begin this month. However, the company has announced that it hasn’t been able to secure all the funding it needs and the government of Victoria has denied a Crown request to delay the start of construction.

The project was initially approved in February 2017. It would include a hotel and an apartment tower adjacent to the firm’s Crown Melbourne hotel and casino project and was designed to be the tallest building in Australia. The facilities would be 323 meters (1059 feet) tall and offer 90 stories, rivaling that of the Q1 tower at Surfers Paradise.

In addition to building the tower, Crown promised to make improvements to the area. It had asserted that it would spend over AU$100 million ($70.77 million) on upgrades to Queensbridge Square and Sandridge Bridge, but those projects are now in doubt, as well.

Crown has not been able to reach an agreement with Schiavello to fund the AU$1.8-billion (US$1.274 billion) project and was forced to request the delay. It was initially meant to be a 50:50 split of the financial responsibility and the two entities jointly filed a planning extension last month, stating that they were still trying to find the necessary financing.

India’s Goods & Services Tax (GST) system is currently a hot-button topic in the country. In addition to a push for a single-tax system for state lotteries that has been in discussion for the past couple of months, the Turf Authorities of India (TAI) is now looking to try and have the GST rate on horseracing lowered.

In the middle of last month, the TAI, which represents six horseracing clubs in India, appealed to Union Minister Piyush Goyal in an effort to have the tax rate taken by bookmakers and race clubs lowered. They argued that the current 28% rate on the face value of bets was unfair and resulted in a substantial loss in revenue. They want to see the GST charged against commissions or earnings, and not on the bet’s value.

The group also asserts that wagers placed on horseraces are not considered gambling. They argue that a Supreme Court decision on the subject of gambling allows horseracing and its associated gambling activity to be classified as a game of skill and is exempt from gambling laws. As such, horseracing should be considered a good and not a service.

The total amount wagered in not income to the club and could be paid back to the gamblers in the form of dividends, argues the TAI. As such, it should be considered taxable income under GST laws, as the service being provided by the clubs is similar to that offered by forex dealers and stockbrokers.

West Virginia is still hoping to open up its casino market, currently reviewing a bill that would authorize online casinos. However, the state’s industry suffered a minor setback last Thursday. A bill that would have authorized satellite casinos in four counties has lost its momentum and won’t be considered any further.

House Bill (HB) 2901 sought to allow four racetracks in the state to open satellite casinos in the counties where they are located. Mainly, the bill was intended to help the Wheeling Island resort, which is expected to lose a substantial portion of its business while construction work is being done in the Wheeling area. That construction, spanning 26 bridges along Interstate 70, is expected to continue through 2021.

Those satellites would have been allowed in any building owned or operated by the casinos in their respective counties. No racetrack or hotel would be allowed – only table games, sports gambling, slot machines and, possibly, simulcast racing.

The construction is expected to cost the Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras venues in Cross Lanes as much as $8 million in revenue, according to their operator, Delaware North. The satellite operations would potentially raise $2.34 million, resulting in a net loss of $5.66 million.