Maryland’s sports betting hopes took another small step forward this week, and at least one of the state’s casino operators could desperately use the new revenue stream.

On Tuesday, Maryland’s state Senate Budget and Taxation Committee unanimously approved the chamber’s SB4 sports betting legislation, paving the way for debate by the full Senate on Thursday and a likely vote by early next week. The bill would then require approval by the House of Delegates before the Assembly’s current session concludes on April 8.

Even if all that happens and Gov. Larry Hogan affixes his signature, state voters would have to approve the measure this November, along with a separate ballot question that would alleviate voters of the need to approve future gambling expansion efforts.

SB4’s list of potential betting licensees now includes the state’s six casinos, the Pimlico and Laurel racetracks, the State Fairgrounds in Timonium and the Washington Redskins’ proposed new stadium. Four off-track betting sites would be allowed to piggyback on the tracks’ license. The bill would also allow statewide digital wagering.

UK gambling regulators have suspended the license of another of its online operators for compliance failures, the third such action this year.

On Thursday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced the interim suspension of the online betting license of Stakers Ltd “with immediate effect.” The UKGC has commenced a review of the company, which operates via the Stakers.com domain, due to a “a number of compliance issues.”

The UKGC said it suspects that Stakers breached a condition of its license under section 116(2)(a) of the Gambling Act, which allows the UKGC to review the operations of any licensee the regulator suspects of being unsuitable to carry on the activities permitted under its license.

The UKGC said it has instructed Stakers to allow its UK customers to access their accounts to withdraw any funds held therein, but these customers must be advised “not to place any bets through the Stakers website.”

UK gambling giant GVC Holdings lost nearly £141m in 2019, weighed down by the costs of its frantic expansion and regulatory shake-ups.

Figures released Thursday show GVC reported net gaming revenue of £3.65b in 2019, up 22.6% from 2018’s result, while gross profit rose 18.6% to £2.38b, underlying earnings rose 18.7% to £761m and underlying pre-tax profit gained 23.2% to £535.8m. However, after-tax losses hit £140.7m, up from a £56.4m loss in 2018.

The pro forma numbers, which pretend that the official absorption of Ladbrokes Coral operations into the GVC fold happened pre-2018, show revenue rising a more modest 2%, while gross profit dipped 1% and underlying earnings fell 10%. For simplicity’s sake, all figures cited from hereon in are of the pro forma variety.

ONLINE

Woohoo Games are quickly making themselves known as one of the must-watch up and comers in the games studio market. They’re emphasizing that point with a huge new get, becoming one of the highlighted games on Nektan’s aggregation service.

In a press release, Woohoo have announced they’re current offering of 10 games, with 3 more to come in March 2020, will be available on Nektan.com. They note that this was one of their major goals, having already achieved some prominence in Asian markets.

Woohoo Games, Head of Business Development, Ed Whittington celebrated the news. “Nektan are a hugely respected shop floor for gaming operators because they do in-depth research on the providers they recommend,” he said. “As a result we are, obviously, delighted to be one of those highlighted on their influential aggregation service.”

Nektan’s VP Commercials, Jaydeep Chakravartty, noted that Woohoo’s clean UX helped them rise above the pack to achieve this coveted spot. “The games provider market is a very competitive one and it is hard for newer operators to break through,” he noted. But we have been very impressed with Woohoo’s UX and are sure that operators, and their customers alike, will be very happy with their suite of games.”