THE AMERICAS

Fantasy sports operator DraftKings struck an exclusive deal with Major League Baseball and sold a $250m stake of itself to Walt Disney; California tribes considered a unified front against racetracks offering online poker; Lindsey Graham hinted at a potential online lottery carveout from RAWA; GSN Gaming acquired social game developers Idle Gaming; Amaya Gaming sold its Cadillac Jack division to AGS; Nevada took another stab at allowing ‘entity’ betting; US tribal gaming revenue posted its slowest annual revenue growth since the recession; Nevada casino revenue fell as VIP baccarat whales went AWOL; Sands Bethlehem asked for permission to launch electronic table games in Pennsylvania; Scientific Games inked a social casino deal with California’s Fantasy Springs Resort Casino; Major League Baseball fined Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart for illegal betting and Gamytech’s Jonathan Swerdlow explained how skill games can help establish brands in the US market.

EUROPE

PokerStars took its first sports bet as Amaya Gaming celebrated a record year; Sweden proposed stricter gambling advertising regulations; Playtech entered the forex markets by buying another Teddy Sagi company; Net Entertainment celebrated a record 2014; Ladbrokes new CEO didn’t appreciate his predecessor’s political punditry; OPAP’s 2014 profit jumped thanks to aggressive cost-cutting; Gaming Realms’ James Harrison revealed how to improve the mobile gaming user experience; Doyle Brunson said Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot should be in the Poker Hall of Fame and Lee Davy recounted his brush with Ulliot’s particular brand of lunacy.

Amaya Gaming’s path to launching PokerStars in California became slightly less obstructed this week after a prominent tribe appeared to back away from its previous antagonism toward so-called ‘bad actors.’

As recently as last month, a seven-tribe coalition led by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians wrote to California Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer expressing opposition to his “fatally flawed” AB 167 online poker legislation. At the heart of the coalition’s ire is the bill’s lack of a prohibition on “unscrupulous entities and brands” – aka PokerStars and any other sites that took wagers from state residents post-UIGEA – playing any role in the state’s regulated online poker market.

On Saturday, longtime tribal gaming reporter Dave Palermo posted a piece to OnlinePokerReport detailing an apparent about face by the Pechangas on the bad actors issue following discussions at Tuesday’s National Indian Gaming Association convention in San Diego.

Palermo quoted a tribal official saying the issues surrounding bad actors and their ‘tainted assets’ – software, databases, brands, etc. – could be worked out. The tribes believe a united front on the poker issue would offer sufficient muscle to defeat their common enemy – the state’s racetracks.

Sweden has proposed revising its gambling laws to prevent internationally licensed online gambling firms from promoting their wares to Swedish punters.

On March 30, Sweden’s Ministry of Finance released the findings of an inquiry tasked with studying the country’s gambling advertising laws. Currently, the Swedish Lotteries Act prohibits all gambling services not holding a Swedish license from marketing their services within the country.

Swedish courts have declared these laws to be incompatible with European Union law because they mandate stricter punishments for international operators than for domestic firms. The inquiry tasked with resolving this discrepancy has now called for equal punishment for all operators Sweden deems illegitimate, regardless of their country of origin.

The inquiry also suggests amending the law to allow the government to impose immediate fines on transgressors. The current system allows targeted companies multiple legal avenues to appeal injunctions leveled against them by the government, a process that can take many months, by which time the unapproved promotion may have ceased, rendering the injunctions moot.

Tribal casinos across the United States posted a revenue increase in 2013 but the pace of growth was the slowest since the 2008 economic recession.

This week saw the release of Casino City’s annual Indian Gaming Report, which showed annual revenue up 0.5% to $28.3b. The figure is another all-time high for tribal casinos and the fourth consecutive year of annual growth.

However, the pace of 2013’s growth was slower than 2012’s 2% and 2011’s 3%. Study author Alan Meister blamed the slowdown on the sluggish economy, increasing competition and market saturation.

Tribal casinos accounted for around 43% of all US casino revenue in 2013. Non-tribal casinos enjoyed slightly better growth (1.5%) in 2013, although this number was down from 4% in 2012. Non-tribal racinos reported a revenue decline of 0.2% and card rooms fell 0.3%.

Nevada state legislators have resumed their push to bring so-called ‘entity’ betting to the state’s sportsbooks.

On Tuesday, a Nevada state senate committee held a hearing on SB 443, which would allow business entities to place wagers with sportsbooks. The bill would allow individuals the opportunity to share in the proceeds of betting activity by partnerships like, for example, Billy Walters’ Acme Group Trading.

Under the 1992 federal PASPA legislation, Nevada is the only state allowed to offer single-game sports wagers. Supporters of the entity betting proposal say Nevada sportsbooks could dramatically boost wagering handle by allowing out-of-state bettors a way to access legal sports betting services without travelling to Nevada.

SB 443 supporters say the plan would work like a mutual fund, in which entity investors would benefit financially from winning wagers but would have no say in the specifics of the wagering activity. That would ensure the plan doesn’t contravene the 1961 federal Wire Act, which bans the interstate transmission of sports betting information.

Shares in Shenzhen-based online sports lottery operator 500.com went on a roller coaster ride this week on rumors of corruption investigations and the promise of a restart to China’s online lottery sales.

On Monday, 500.com shares fell nearly 10% after White Diamond Research analyst Adam Gefvert tweeted that “smart money with the inside track” was shorting 500.com stock. Gefvert added that there was “major corruption going on there, the Chinese Gov is cracking down on it.” 500.com spokesman Daniel Yan subsequently told Forbes contributor Yue Wang that Gefvert was a short-seller spreading groundless rumors.

It’s not the first time that analyst speculation has waylaid 500.com. Last May, 500.com shares tanked after analysts misinterpreted a communiqué from China’s lottery administrators that appeared to call in question 500.com’s right to operate in the country. For the record, no company has been officially licensed to offer online lottery sales in China, but 500.com and China SMG were approved to take part in an online pilot program.

Rumors can give as well as take. On Thursday, 500.com shares closed up nearly 18% to $12.29 on reports that China is preparing to restart online lottery sales following their suspension on March 1. The temporary shutdown, which was reportedly sparked by the discovery that some online operators weren’t reporting all their sales to provincial lottery administration centers, affected around 10% of 500.com’s overall revenue stream.

Macau casino junket operator Iao Kun Group Holding Company (IKG) saw annual revenue fall nearly 45% last year as Macau’s VIP market went into the toilet.

Despite Macau’s much publicized VIP woes, IKG’s rolling chip turnover for the year fell just 2% to $16.6b. But revenue tumbled to $17.2m, down from $31m in 2013. The company recorded a net loss for the year of $60.1m, compared to a net profit of $5.4m in 2013. The loss was largely attributable to $60.9m in contingent consideration related to IKG’s acquisition of the King’s Gaming, Bao Li Gaming and Oriental VIP room operations.

The situation was a little brighter in the three months ending Dec. 31, during which time IKG revenue came to $5.7m, compared to a net loss of $5.5m in Q4 2013. The gains came thanks to a 3.95% win rate, 1.5 points above Q4 2013’s win rate, which helped offset a 34% decline in VIP turnover.

The new year hasn’t been kind to junket operators and IKG hasn’t been spared. VIP turnover in March was down 57% year-on-year, but win rate soared to 4.51%, so the few VIPs that are showing up are the seriously unlucky variety. For the first three months of 2015, IKG turnover is down 54%.

Macau casino junket operator Iao Kun Group Holding Company (IKG) saw annual revenue fall nearly 45% last year as Macau’s VIP market went into the toilet.

Despite Macau’s much publicized VIP woes, IKG’s rolling chip turnover for the year fell just 2% to $16.6b. But revenue tumbled to $17.2m, down from $31m in 2013. The company recorded a net loss for the year of $60.1m, compared to a net profit of $5.4m in 2013. The loss was largely attributable to $60.9m in contingent consideration related to IKG’s acquisition of the King’s Gaming, Bao Li Gaming and Oriental VIP room operations.

The situation was a little brighter in the three months ending Dec. 31, during which time IKG revenue came to $5.7m, compared to a net loss of $5.5m in Q4 2013. The gains came thanks to a 3.95% win rate, 1.5 points above Q4 2013’s win rate, which helped offset a 34% decline in VIP turnover.

The new year hasn’t been kind to junket operators and IKG hasn’t been spared. VIP turnover in March was down 57% year-on-year, but win rate soared to 4.51%, so the few VIPs that are showing up are the seriously unlucky variety. For the first three months of 2015, IKG turnover is down 54%.

UK-listed bookmaker Ladbrokes is perhaps ruing the launch of a new General Election-focused microsite just as its new CEO was distancing the company from his predecessor’s public endorsement of the Tory party.

On Wednesday, the betting firm launched The Ladbrokes Lowdown – General Election 2015, which offers punters real-time updates on Lads’ betting odds in each of the UK’s electoral districts. The move follows Betfair’s launch last week of its interactive Betfair Predicts app, as companies vie for ever larger slices of the estimated £100m to be wagered on the outcome of the May 7 vote.

But Lads’ launch was overshadowed by a letter published by UK newspaper The Telegraph. The letter was signed by over 100 senior business figures expressing their support for Tory economic policies and warning that a Labour party win would “threaten jobs and deter investment” in the UK. Among the signatures on the letter is that of former Lads CEO Richard Glynn, whose last day on the job was March 31.

Since the letter’s publication, Lads new CEO Jim Mullen issued his own letter, which reminded The Telegraph that “I am the CEO of Ladbrokes and I want to make clear that our business is to take bets on the general election, not to tell people how to vote.”

Online gambling technology provider Playtech has acquired yet another company controlled by founder and largest shareholder Teddy Sagi (pictured).

Playtech has been sitting on a mountain of ready cash for eons now, and speculation on acquisition targets included the struggling Bwin.party digital entertainment. Instead, Playtech has opted to acquire binary options and contract for difference (CFD) trading outfit TradeFX, which trades in over 100 countries under the Markets.com brand and features the popular MetaTrader 4 platform.

Playtech has agreed to pay €208m upfront for a 91.1% stake in TradeFX, with a further payment of up to €250m should TradeFX hit certain performance targets by 2017.

Playtech said the acquisition would be “immediately and significantly earnings enhancing” and fit well with Playtech’s strategy of acquiring “profitable, regulated, highly cash generative businesses with market-leading positions.” Playtech CEO Mor Weizer added that TradeFX’s present management team “has a strong cultural fit with our business and is incentivized to stay with the enlarged Group.”

In this weeks confessions series Lee Davy takes the time to ponder his fleeting experiences with one of poker’s all time greats: Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot.

It’s July 2010, PR Newswire have sent a press release to all and sundry.

“Devilfish – The Life & Times of a Poker Legend” tells the remarkable rags to riches, prison to penthouse story of one of the world’s best players. The long wait for the eagerly anticipated autobiography of one of the world’s most colorful characters, Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot, is over.

I had been in the industry for a matter of months. The Editor of Poker Pro magazine asks me to interview him. Talk about a baptism of fire. I was so excited. Like many poker enthusiasts, from the UK, I had grown up watching the Devilfish owning Late Night Poker.

Cambodia’s leading casino operator NagaCorp got a big boost in Q1 as some of China’s missing high-rollers looked to get their gamble on anywhere not named Macau.

NagaCorp, which operates NagaWorld in Phnom Penh, reported gross gaming revenue of $113.5m in the first three months of 2015, a 47% improvement over the same period last year. VIP gaming turnover was up 79% to $1.7b and VIP gaming revenue more than doubled to $65.5m. Mass market turnover rose a comparatively modest 12% and revenue gained 8% to $44.3m.

It’s quite a turnaround from the same quarter last year, when the mass market outperformed VIPs by $11.7m. But it’s worth remembering that, while NagaWorld is by far the biggest casino in Cambodia, $66.5m is a grain of sand on Macau’s VIP beach (even the new slimmed down version). And overall Q1 revenue is only up 4% from Q4 2014., so growth appears to be slowing.

The VIP bonanza also comes at a cost. In February, NagaCorp reported total 2014 revenue up 17% but profits down 3% thanks to “higher incentives given to junket operators to promote NagaWorld to the rest of Asia (including China).” This week’s filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange offered no specifics on NagaCorp’s Q1 profits, with the company saying only that the dark and terrible secret would eventually be exposed in its interim and annual reports.

Lawrence Ho’s long awaited casino in Russia’s Primorye gambling zone will open its doors this summer. Seriously. They mean it this time.

On Wednesday, John Wang, CEO of the First Gambling Company of the East – a consortium involving Ho’s Melco International Development, Taiwan-based gaming device maker Firich Enterprises, Hong Kong’s Perfect Giant Investments and local partner Elegant City Group – told Primorye officials that the project’s first phase will open in July.

The $700m project has been delayed several times already but Wang says the initial phase – including a 140-room hotel and a gaming facility – would open this summer. The project is the first of several planned properties, including one by Cambodian casino operator NagaCorp, for the gambling zone located 50km from Vladivostok on Russia’s eastern shores.

MELCO INTERNATIONAL RESULTS

Online gambling software outfit Net Entertainment has received new licenses from the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

On Wednesday, the Swedish technologists announced that the UKGC had seen fit to bestow NetEnt with both operating and software licenses under the UK’s new regulatory scheme. NetEnt CEO Per Eriksson (pictured) celebrated the “milestone” event, saying the UK was “central to our growth strategy to expand in regulated markets.”

The day before, NetEnt had announced it had signed a license agreement to supply Spanish operator Codere’s online gambling site with a range of casino game content. NetEnt is awaiting the official nod from Spanish regulators before launching its products and services in the country later this year.

NetEnt chief of European Market Operations Enrico Bradamante called Spain “one of our prioritized countries when it comes to regulated markets with strong growth potential.” Spain is in the process of expanding its online casino palette beyond its current baccarat, blackjack and roulette limitations to include online slots.

Scientific Games Corporation (SGMS) has inked a free-play online casino deal with the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

The deal will see SGMS’ Williams Interactive division launch a branded version of its Play4Fun Network via online and mobile for the casino by mid-2015. Fantasy Springs guests will gain access to a variety of social casino content, including titles from SGMS’ Bailly, Barcrest, Shuffle Master and WMS divisions.

SGMS VP of commercial Bob Hays said Fantasy Springs’ players “will enjoy the slots and table games content in our white-label social casino platform just as they do across the casino gaming floor.” Fantasy Springs GM Paul Ryan said the deal was “an easy way to deepen our relationship with current players, while providing a differentiated offering targeting new additions to our loyalty database.”

Across the pond, SGMS is celebrating the first year of instant game sales with Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa (SCML), the operator of the Portuguese State Lottery. SGMS inked a two-year pact with SCML last February that expanded the parties’ decade-old relationship to include instant game sales. On Wednesday, SGMS announced that 2014 instant game sales had risen 18% year-on-year under its watch. The trend has accelerated in 2015, with instant game sales up 35%.

Chinese authorities have arrested over 1000 people involved in a huge illegal online gambling network.

On Wednesday, Guangdong province’s public security department announced the results of an operation dubbed ‘221’ that involved around 200 online gambling sites hosted on Thailand-based servers. Around a dozen individuals are believed to have set up the password-protected websites, which were then rented out to individual agents for between RMB 70k to 100k (US $11,300 to $16,100) per month.

Police began arresting some of these agents last June, just as the 2014 FIFA World Cup was getting underway. By December, a total of 1,071 individuals had been detained, and over 500 of these remain in custody. Bank accounts containing a total of RMB 330m ($53m) had been frozen but the authorities believe most of the betting money was transacted in cash and via illegal private banks.

The Xinhua news agency reported that these illegal sites collectively handled RMB 400b ($64.56b) in wagers per month from a total of over 400k gamblers. Bettors reportedly lost RMB 9b ($1.45b) to these sites in the month of December alone. Around 125 of the websites allowed bettors to wager on the results of the Shishicai national lottery, allowing the Ministry of Public Security to call the bust the largest lottery-related case on record.