UK-listed online payment processor Optimal Payments has struck a €1.1b deal to acquire rival Skrill.

Optimal announced on Monday that it had entered into an agreement to perform a reverse takeover of Sentinel Topco Ltd., which counts Skrill among its subsidiaries. Sentinel is currently owned by funds managed and advised by CVC Capital Partners, which acquired a majority stake in Skrill for €600m in August 2013. The parties expect to finalize the deal by Q3 2015.

Skrill, which began life as Moneybookers in 2001, is a popular payment processor in online gambling circles, and also controls the Ukash and Paysafecard businesses. Optimal has been approved in all three US states currently offering some form of intrastate online gambling and has also boosted its presence in Canada’s regulated provincial online markets.

Optimal justified its Skrill acquisition as a way to diversify its profile and ensure it isn’t overly reliant on online gambling. Optimal chairman Dennis Jones said the Skrill deal was one of those opportunities that are “few and far between” and would likely be earnings accretive “from the first full fiscal year of ownership.”

UK-listed online gambling operator GVC Holdings saw operating profit soar in 2014 thanks to the “resounding success” of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

GVC, which operates the Sportingbet and Betboo brands, issued a preliminary results announcement for the year ended Dec. 31 that showed betting turnover rising 25% to €1.46b and net gaming revenue up 32% to €225m. Earnings rose 28% to €39.2m and GVC’s stock rose 1.3% on the day to close at 460p.

Sportsbook revenue was up 21% to €110.2m, 71% of which was generated by GVC’s mobile channels. Sportsbook margin was up 0.2 points to 9.8%, despite the widely cited ‘punter friendly’ football results that decimated other operators in Q4. Non-sports gaming revenue rose 26% to €114.6m.

In 2015 trading through March 18, GVC says sports wagers are up 22% over Q1 2014, net gaming revenue is up 18% to €661k per day and in-play revenue is up 19% to €300k per day. GVC CEO Kenneth Alexander said the firm “has never been in a stronger position and we look forward to 2015 and beyond with confidence.”

You can give me the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, or the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. All three are great, if not historical sports rivalries that have transcended time and history. That much I can’t argue. But no rivalry in sports can compete with the level of history and personal, social, and cultural animosity that exists between La Liga powerhouses FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

You can try to argue against that but you’ll ultimately fail. Like it or not, Barcelona vs Madrid is more than just a game between two teams. It represents so much more than just 20 men passing the ball around a football field and two more manning the opposite goal posts. Football, or any other sport for that matter, may be a respite for a lot of people from their everyday lives. Two hours to forget about everything and focus entirely on what’s in front of them. But that doesn’t happen whenever Barcelona and Real Madrid plays. Quite the contrary, actually.

I’m not going to dive deep into the political tension between Barcelona and Madrid. That would be a different bag full of worms entirely. But I do know that there’s incredible political tension between the two cities, one representing Spanish nationalism (Madrid) while the other viewed as representing Catalan nationalism (Barcelona). Supporters of both sides view the others as rebels to the country’s cause,  with some even taking that ideology to extents that lead to inevitable hostility.

So you can imagine what it must feel like when these people flock either Camp Nou and the Bernabeu Stadium to root for the home squad and raise holy hell on the away side. The cheers and jeers aren’t fabricated, nor are they canned as some NBA teams are allegedly doing. What you hear during an El Clasico is as real as it is vile, born from a disdain of opposing beliefs and the feeling that the home squad they cheer for are the vanguards of their perceived superiority over the other.

PokerStars has announced the opening date of its PokerStars LIVE branded card room in the Italian town of Saint Vincent; Luca Pagano announces details of the Italian Poker Tour Season 7, and Winamax withdraw from the Italian market.

Online poker’s move into the live environment continues with news that PokerStars will open their fourth live card room in the Italian town of Saint Vincent.

A new PokerStars LIVE branded card room will open in the Casino de la Vallee on April 24. A specially organized €100k Guaranteed Mini Italian Poker Tour (IPT) event will be the opener for that little beauty. PokerStars already has branded card rooms in London, Macau, Madrid and Manila.

‘The new PokerStars LIVE room in Saint Vincent aims to become a must-go place for Italy’s poker lover, and also represents the most visible sign of a significant partnership between PokerStars and the Casino de la Vallee.” Said Team PokerStars Pro, Luca Pagano, during a press release announcing details of the seventh season of the IPT.

John M. Kendall, the former CEO of poker chip company Chipco, could be spending time behind bars after being found guilty of tax evasion in the state of Maine.

John M. Kendall, the former president and owner of poker chip company Chipco, is in a spot of bother.

The 66-year old has been found guilty, by a jury, in the Pine Tree State, on three felony counts of theft by misapplication of withholding taxes, one felony charge of conspiracy to commit tax evasion, and five more misdemeanor charges related to less than legal methods of handling money that should’ve been handed to the tax man.

Kendall, of Yarmouth in Maine, was found guilty after a trial that lasted for six days. He could face a decade behind bars and be forced to repay the money that he stole from the state.

Delaware online poker revenue for January 2015 has come in at $27,695.45, a massive 220% decrease from the $88,588.29 it earned in January 2014.

A short and sweet report regarding Delaware’s online poker revenue report.

It can be summed up in one word.

Crap.

Heartland Poker Tour has inked a deal with the social gaming operator DoubleDown Casino that will see the latter pushed through various promotional circles relating to the broadcast of the burgeoning poker tour.

Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) partners Bluff have announced that the American based live poker tour will be entering into a deal that will see the social gaming outfit DoubleDown Casino pushed and promoted through their televised show, commercials and social and digital marketing campaigns.

DoubleDown Casino is the social gaming darling of International Gaming Technology (IGT), and in January 2015, was one of the only sparkling gems to come out of a Q1 fiscal report that saw IGT’s revenue drop 17% to $451m.

The social gaming operator, who reaches 9 million eyeballs each month, earned the largest chunk of revenue from an interactive gaming division that saw its revenue increase 23% to $91.5m. $79.4m of that haul belonged to HPT’s new partners.

Dzmitry Urbanovich has defeated Connor Drinan, in heads-up action, to take the first prize of €572,300 in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Malta €25,000 buy-in High Roller event.

The European Poker Tour (EPT) Season 11 visit to Malta has kicked off in style.

[Image Credit: PokerNews]

The €25,000 buy-in High Roller event attracted 88 entrants (68 unique, 20 rebuys), creating a €2,156,000 total prize pool, and the young Pole Dzmitry Urbanovich has taken the top prize of €572,300.

We all knew that it was going to happen. The only question was which number seed was going to fall first. Well, we got our answer when 8 seed North Carolina State bounced out top seed Villanova, 71-68, in the Round of 32.

It was an upset that you can add to the Wolfpack’s lore of stunning March Madness runs. Sure, it’s not quite as special as Jimmy Valvano’s 1983 championship-winning squad, but you can definitely slot this one just below that. NC State also got some help from a surprisingly tight Villanova, a far different team from the one that walloped 16 seed Lafayette by 41 points two days ago.

Villanova’s surprising early exit was the biggest storyline in a day that saw the other top seed in action, Kentucky, book their ticket to the Sweet 16 by beating 8 seed Cincinnati, serving notice yet again that they’re the clear-cut favorites to go all the way.

2 seed Arizona also advanced to the Sweet 16, as did 3 seed Notre Dame and 4 seed North Carolina. The other 4 seed in action, Georgetown, got sent home by 5 seed Utah while 11 seed UCLA continued its improbable run by running past 14 seed UAB.

THE AMERICAS

Caesars Entertainment publicly expressed concern over its “ability to continue as a going concern:” Bwin.party said it had made a land-based partner in Pennsylvania; the Restoration of America’s Wire Act hearing was rescheduled (again); George Orwell and Dr. Seuss got mentions at New Jersey’s sports betting court fight; the Borgata’s free-throw tourney proved a hit; Adam Meyer pled insanity to his extortion and weapons charges; legal issues caused the demise of Warren Buffett’s $1b March Madness bracket challenge; Nathan Associates’ Alan Meister dished on his Indian Gaming Industry Report and Koolbit CEO Gerrard Cunningham celebrated GiGse’s moves towards the ‘unconference’ format.

EUROPE

The UK Gambling Commission suspended the licenses of 666bet and MetroPlay; World Betting Exchange shut down due to increased regulatory costs in the UK; the UK gov’t told betting operators to brace for a new Horserace Betting Right; Ladbrokes promoted Jim Mullen to CEO; Bwin.party launched Manchester United’s first real-money online casino; London’s Park Lane Casino offered high-rollers a light; Italian online sports betting nearly doubled; SafeCharge GM Shemer Ktaz offered tips on crafting payment strategies; Rafi Farber expressed concern over where Net Ent’s money might be stashed while Lee Davy quizzed Jason Somerville about reinventing the sponsorship game and revealed why Microgaming’s Alsx Scott is one person you’ll never ask ‘why so serious.’

The son of a basketball coach has won the first non-poker skill-based tournament organized by a US casino.

Atlantic City’s Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa announced its basketball free-throw tournament last month in what Borgata Snr. VP Joe Lupo called a bid to engage “a little bit younger demographic.” By 9am on Saturday, there was a 50-deep lineup at the sign-in station. In the end, 1,022 people – mainly twenty- and thirty-somethings – anted up the $20 entry fee for a shot at a $10,220 payday.

But the day belonged to Al Callejas, a 37-year-old Pennsylvania resident who played NCAA Division III ball at the University of Scranton. New Jersey native Wayne Nelson earned $6,132 for placing second, despite an unorthodox style that involved banking in every shot off the backboard. The Press of Atlantic City quoted Nelson justifying this technique by saying: “It’s a casino. The bank is always open.”

The Borgata won’t truly know if the event was a success until data from the contestants’ Borgata Rewards cards indicates how many stayed on to eat, drink and gamble at the casino. Regardless, Lupo said the Borgata will “100%” host similar skill-based contests in future. Lupo told the Inquirer that future contests could involve electronic games similar to Angry Birds, X-Box titles or even the venerable old arcade game Asteroids.

A swanky London hotel is preparing to launch an outdoor casino at which patrons would be allowed to smoke ‘em if they got ‘em.

The Hilton Hotel in Park Lane opened a ‘no riff raff’ private casino last year for which entry requires a £1k membership fee. The hotel, which is owned by Malaysian gaming and hospitality conglomerate Genting, now plans to open a roof garden extension next month to cater to its nicotine-addicted high-rollers.

The Daily Mail quoted the hotel’s operations director David Mills saying many of the venue’s clients come from countries that have never heard of smoking bans. The rooftop addition to the Park Lane Casino would feature roulette, baccarat, blackjack and three-card poker tables. However, Westminster Council has banned the property from providing live or recorded music lest it disturb the neighbors even more than the waft of some really nasty Middle Eastern cigarettes.

CAESARS PLEADS FOR EXEMPTION FROM NEW ORLEANS SMOKING BAN

Italy’s online sports betting market enjoyed a surge in February but punter-friendly results kept revenue flat.

Online sports betting stakes in the month of February rose 90% to €227.1m, reflecting the expansion of betting options introduced last year by Italian regulator AAMS and last fall’s launch of Bet365’s Italian-facing site. However, Italian-licensed online sportsbook revenue was flat at €20.2m as a host of football favorites lived up to their reputations.

Hopes are high that the turnover trends will continue due to AAMS proposals to further loosen restrictions on betting options. A plan to swap the turnover-based tax for one based on gross gaming revenue is also expected to help Italian-licensed operators offer the kinds of incentives currently only available via operators licensed outside Italy.

VIRTUAL BETTING HAS “VERY SIGNIFICANT” IMPACT ON SNAI RESULTS

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has temporarily suspended the operating license of Isle of Man-based 666Bet.

On Friday, the UKGC posted a notice saying it had “commenced a review under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005” of the license held by Metro Play Limited, which covers both the Metroplay.com and 666bet.com sites.

The review was necessary because the UKGC suspects that Metro Play Ltd. is “unsuitable to carry on the licensed activities (section 120(1)(d) of the Act) and considers it appropriate to suspend the license with immediate effect pending the conclusion of the review.”

The UKGC said the license suspension was “an interim measure, the need for which will be kept under consideration whilst the review takes place.” In the meantime, the UKGC ordered Metro Play Limited to settle any outstanding winning bets and return any outstanding balances to customers.

Casino cruise operator Genting Hong Kong (GHK) saw profits slide in 2014, but analysts were pleased that the decline wasn’t worse.

Last month, GHK had warned the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that its 2014 profits were likely to tumble by 37%. Instead, profits were down a mere 30.3% to $384m. The numbers got two significant one-off boosts totaling $276m from share disposals related to associated firm Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. Earnings rose 4.3% to $49m.

Overall revenue up was 3% to $571m, while gaming revenue was up 10.5% to $349m. GHK said gaming’s gains had come from an improved hold rate despite a “reduction in gaming volume.” Passenger ticket revenue fell 15.6% to $135m thanks in part to the MV Superstar Virgo being in dry dock. Onboard non-gaming revenue dipped 5% to $63.6m.

GHK’s 45% share of the profits from Travellers International Hotel Group – its joint venture in the Philippines with Alliance Global Group – came to $52.4m, two-thirds more than the sum earned in 2013. GHK said the improvement was due to cost management initiatives. Travellers run the Resorts World Manila casino and are developing the Bayside Resorts World integrated resort in Entertainment City.

Bwin.party non-executive chairman Philip Yea confirmed the company is in “further discussions” with undisclosed suitors looking to acquire some or all of bwin.party, which is why we decided to ask our readers, “Will bwin.party be sold in pieces or as a whole?”

69% voted, “In pieces” and 31% said “As a whole.”

Yea did not divulge the names of the interested parties nor the number of offers that have been made, saying only that the company is still testing the potential buyers against each other and these process usually take a long time.

In November 2014, the company confirmed that it had begun talks with interested parties. Rumors of potential buyers surfaced with names like Amaya Gaming and Playtech.

Online gambling software outfit Playtech has appointed CEO Shimon Akad to the COO role, replacing outgoing COO Shay Segev.

Segev will stay on for the next few months to perform a handover while former Head of Casino Amir Askarov will replace Akad as Playtech Israel CEO.

“The talent pool we have at our disposal is one of our core strengths and it was an easy decision to make. I am proud of our ability to identify and promote talent from within given the strong contribution made by Shimon and Amir,” CEO Mor Weizer wrote in an email to staff. “Shimon brings a unique blend of leadership, inspiration, operational experience, technical breadth, and passion for the gaming business, while Amir’s product and leadership experience and the integral role he has played in the company’s operational growth during his nine years with us makes him the ideal candidate to run the Israel operation.”

Weizer said Segev plans to pursue new opportunities after nine years with Playtech, during which time he played a key role in establishing and developing its retail division and the creation of the company’s transformational omni-channel solution.

Connecticut’s two tribal casinos posted slots revenue declines in February as state legislators pondered a proposal to expand gaming in the state.

Mohegan Sun’s slots revenue fell 4.1% to $42.1m as handle fell 3% to $508.2m. Foxwoods Resort Casino’s slots revenue fell nearly 20% to $31.6m as handle fell 18% to $382.9m. The state’s share of this revenue fell 10% to $18.7m. Foxwoods CEO Felix Rappaport said the slot decline was “due almost exclusively to weather,” referencing the record cold and snow that blanketed the state last month.

There’s no fighting Mother Nature but both tribes are spoiling for a fight with MGM Resorts’ in-development $800m casino just across the border in Springfield, Massachusetts. At a General Assembly committee hearing on Tuesday, representatives of both tribes warned that the MGM casino would draw away gamblers from Connecticut, potentially resulting in the loss of up to 18k casino-related jobs. A marketing study prepared for the MGM casino, which is set to open in 2017, claimed nearly 30% of its clients would come from Connecticut.

Mohegan Tribe chairman Kevin Brown said the threat from the MGM casino was “serious,” which is why the two tribes with “a long history of fierce competition” had decided to join forces.

The postponed Congressional hearing on HR 707 aka the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 25 at 4pm ET.

RAWA, the Sheldon Adelson-backed legislation that would eliminate most forms of state-regulated online gambling, was originally scheduled for a hearing with the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations on March 5, but the threat of inclement weather convinced congressmen to get out of town and into a warm hot-tub somewhere safe.

The Subcommittee’s website has yet to unveil an official witness list, but early indications suggest the deck has been stacked with unquestioning RAWA supporters armed with dubious statistics and dystopian visions of online anarchy. However, Competitive Enterprise Institute scribe Michelle Minton tweeted that there would be “a demo on igambling tech earlier that day. A little reality B 4 the show.”

Since the original hearing was cancelled, there’s been no shortage of pushback by anti-RAWA forces. These included a resolution (HR 140) by Pennsylvania State Rep. John Payne urging Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation to “unequivocally oppose” RAWA and any other legislation that seeks to curb individual states’ rights to offer intrastate online gambling.