THE AMERICAS
Hopes faded for any US state approving online gambling in 2015; a Michigan tribe stopped sharing casino revenue with the state because the Michigan Lottery went online; a right-wing group sued the Department of Justice over its 2011 Wire Act opinion; a new study said slots revenue was declining due to record low payout ratios; Massachusetts’ first gaming venue generated $18m revenue in its first month; Caesars Entertainment broke off then resumed negotiations with its bankers; Atlantic City’s Borgata casino attempted to explain why it destroyed the cards at the heart of the Phil Ivey edge-sorting lawsuit; Alex Fletcher detailed the developing bromance between eSports and online betting and Rebecca Liggero examined eSports affiliate opportunities; Stephanie Racquel offered tips on modern methods for crisis management and Tatjana Pasalic welcomed Alex Dreyfus in her latest installment of Chats With Tats.
EUROPE
GVC Holdings upped its bid for Bwin.party to £1.1b while a Canadian firm sued GVC over an aborted joint venture; Gala Coral Group’s online profits overcame new taxes and its Coral brand signed not one but two new football betting partnerships; Costa Rica-based online sportsbook 5Dimes exited the UK market; Malta announced it was revising its online gambling regime; fantasy sports operator DraftKings got its new UK gaming license but insisted it had no plans to launch a traditional sportsbook; Contagious Gaming confirmed its interest in acquiring Sportech, which saw its online operations take a dive in H1; a UK gaming industry group tightened its advertising code; a YouGov survey found online-only bookies had more favorable brand perception; Denmark’s regulated online market got a boost from the casino vertical; Unibet confirmed plans to apply for a new Romanian online license; that Turkish gambling ring fronting as a political party was raided yet again; Rank Group posted growth across all brands last year; bookmaker Geoff Banks sued the British Horseracing Authority over the Speculative Bid farce at Ascot; Paddy Power and Boylesports expanded their Irish retail presence and Full Tilt continued tinkering with its loyalty program.