Juniper Research, an international investments analyst firm focused in the mobile and digital tech sectors headquartered in the UK, has released research forecasting more than 1 in 10 adults worldwide will partake in online gambling by 2019, with the UK and Italy claiming almost half of that projected estimate.
The accelerated growth is projected due to two primary causes. The first being the migration of lottery purchases to mobile devices, and second an increase in liberalized online access for Europe and the U.S., driven by the anticipation of the legalization of online sports book service.
Juniper’s Whitepaper “Mobile Gambling – The Winner Takes It All” reports that companies providing licensed online services in U.S. states where it is specifically legal (Delaware, New Jersey, and Nevada) have seen a dramatic increase in online-generated gambling revenues in the past two years. The research also confirms that in other U.S. states, unregulated offshore sites continue to enjoy high traffic.
The EU is taking a lead in loosening up policy through critical re-evaluation of their Anti-Money Laundering statues. However, prohibitive tax rates imposed upon licensed operators have become a concern, with some providers exiting their prospective markets. In such instances, customers merely switch to unlicensed operations thereby eliminating both regulation and tax revenue.
In June another market research report entitled “Global Mobile Gambling Market 2015-2019” was issued by Infiniti Research Limited, and predicted that the Mobile Gambling Market will see a 43% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of total annual wagers. An earlier study in May also focused on mobile gaming as well as increased regulation for the market.
Research predicts 1 in 10 adults worldwide will engage online gambling by 2019
The KSA estimates that the online gaming market in the Netherlands will reach €296 million in gross gaming income in 2015, representing a 7.6 percent growth when compared to the estimated €275 million in revenue in 2014. Additionally, the KSA believes that an estimated 437,000 Dutch residents out of the country's 17 million population will have gambled online this year even though current legislation to regulate online gaming has yet to be adopted.
The report succinctly stated, "The size of the market has grown significantly in the period 2003 to 2015."
The KSA also points out that despite this growth, gambling enthusiasts in the Netherlands still prefer land-based casinos in larger numbers when compared to the rest of Europe.
"However, despite this strong growth the size of the online market is 13% of the total gambling market, slightly lower than the proportion of online in Europe," says the KSA in its report.
Dutch Online Gaming Market Grows Despite Regulation Yet To Be Enforced | PokerNews
Isle of Man-based Playtech has made three acquisition with the aim of carving a niche in currency trading, while the gambling industry consolidates to combat higher taxes and tougher regulation in Britain.
"We definitely intend to continue considering certain additional M&A opportunities going forward, for both gaming and online CFD trading," Chief Executive Mor Weizer told Reuters.
CFD, or contract-for-difference, trading allow a buyer to trade without actually owning the underlying asset.
Playtech earlier this year put skin in the forex trading market, where the sudden removal of a long-held ceiling on the Swiss franc in January has spurred M&A activity.
The company bought a majority stake in TradeFx and then strengthened its hand by then snapping up Plus500 Ltd and Ava Trade.
It funded the first two deals with cash and secured a 200 million euro revolving credit facility at the time of the third. Its has since then secured an additional 40 million euro unsecured facility to fund growth initiatives.
"I think given the size and position of Playtech, we can afford to do larger acquisitions," said Weizer, who has led Playtech for more than eight years.
He declined name possible targets or a price or even when the company would make an acquisition.
Playtech, which has a market value of about 2.9 billion pounds ($4.3 billion), had cash and cash equivalents of 780.3 million euros ($881 million) as of June end.
Betfair Group Plc and Irish rival Paddy Power Plc, both licensees of Playtech, on Wednesday agreed to a 5 billion pound merger, to stake a claim to leadership of Britain's online gambling market.
Playtech said the deal would boost its prospects as the 2.3 billion pound wager by its customer Ladbrokes to combine with bookmaker Gala Coral had done.
"We definitely see a further opportunity for Playtech to further extend and support companies in the process of their merging," Weizer said.
Ladbrokes, on announcing its merger, bought out partner Playtech from a digital marketing service deal. Playtech, which should benefit from the larger footprint of the merged entity, has taken a 9.7 percent stake in Ladbrokes.
Playtech's stock was down 1.8 percent at 875 pence at 0723 ET on the London Stock Exchange. Up to Wednesday's close, it has rise 12 percent since its first acquisition in April.
UK's Playtech mulls deals in online gambling, trading businesses | Reuters
Israeli online gaming company 888 Holding plc (LSE:888) has increased its bid for Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment.
Controlled by Israel's Shaked and Ben-Yitzhak families, 888 operates the world's largest online casino and poker operation while Bwin offers poker, bingo and sports betting online.
Bwin said today that it had received a revised takeover bid that it is evaluating. Bwin and 888 already agreed a deal in July for 104.9 pence a share worth an overall $1.4 billion but 888's rival GVC Holdings plc offered an unsolicited higher deal of about $1.55 billion. The terms of 888’s revised cash-and-shares offer have not been disclosed, but market sources believe that the bid is around 115p a share.
Globes English - Israeli online gambling co 888 raises Bwin.Party bid
The government is expected to act before Christmas to change the existing regime following a review to be conducted by Social Services Minister Scott Morrison into the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, said The Australian on Wednesday. The review will examine the economic impacts of illegal foreign gambling websites, international regulatory regimes and technological and administrative options for better regulation of the sector.
The Interactive Gambling Act has been criticised recently by Australian-based companies in their submissions to the government’s review of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which administers the law. According to Tabcorp:
Read more: www-themandarin-com-au/50527-give-acma-stronger-powers-foreign-gambling-companies/?pgnc=1
And let's face it – online sportsbooks do not necessarily like chargebacks, because they subtract money from the bottom line, sometimes long after the initial transaction has been made. This is often the case with credit cards, which, as you may know, are a common method of opening up accounts. So Bitcoin transactions turn out to be very efficient and very solid for them.
Players do not have to reveal their financial information when they affect a Bitcoin transaction. And you can certainly imagine that many customers are sensitive to that kind of thing. Bitcoin offers a less "traceable" transaction, since in fact they are, on the surface, anonymous. Transactions are also conducted in such rapid fashion that there is a natural advantage to using this virtual currency. When a player is looking to get into action at a place like BetAnySports, this can be a major selling point.
Physical addresses are not required from people doing Bitcoin deals; they are generally identified by a number (that of the "Bitcoin wallet" that stores the currency), so whether a player is from the United States or not isn't even an issue.
One thing that is characteristic of Bitcoin transactions as they relate to online gambling is that it is even easier to open up an account that it would be through a credit card or through another method like Western Union. And sportsbooks like BetAnySports have it integrated right into their online wallet, so the whole thing is automated.
So how does one go about getting involved with Bitcoin? Well, it is actually a rather headache-free process. Just go to Bitcoin.org and download the Bitcoin wallet. You can get one to fit any device, whether it is a smartphone, tablet or a personal computer. After you have done that, all you have to do is go to a Bitcoin exchange and acquire some of the currency. Go to Google and you can find a list of them. Follow the simple steps, do the transaction, and you will now have some Bitcoin to use in whichever way you see fit. Remember, even though you will give your name to the Bitcoin exchanges, they have no idea what you are going to do with it.
Read more: Why Use Bitcoin For Online Gambling?
Ben Foster stars as the cycling champion, who won the Tour de France seven times between 1999 and 2005 after recovering from testicular cancer. He was stripped of the titles after doping revelations emerged from Irish sports writer David Walsh, who’s portrayed by Chris O’Dowd.
Stephen Frears (“The Queen”) directed from John Hodge’s script for Working Title and Studiocanal. Producers are Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Tracey Seaward and Kate Solomon; exec producers are Olivier Courson, Ron Halpern, Amelia Granger and Liza Chasin.
“The Program” will screen Sept. 13 at Roy Thomson Hall as a Gala presentation at Toronto, which also saw the 2013 premiere of Alex Gibney’s documentary “The Armstrong Lie.”
The project was screened at Cannes and sold to multiple international territories. It will debut in France and the U.K. on Sept 16. and in Germany on Oct 8.
The news was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter
More and more establishments that are involved with online gambling, including BetAnySports, have discovered Bitcoin as a method of payment to make available for their customers. Why is that? Well, one of the reasons is that it is very quick; all it requires is a transfer from one party's Bitcoin wallet to that of another. It doesn't require any prior approval from banks, and in fact, there are no "financial institutions," as we know it, that are ever involved in the process. There are no third-party conduits to get in the way. This, in plain language, accommodates many players who do not necessarily want others to know what they're doing. Sportsbooks, as you might imagine, are also concerned with privacy and confidentiality.
And let's face it – online sportsbooks do not necessarily like chargebacks, because they subtract money from the bottom line, sometimes long after the initial transaction has been made. This is often the case with credit cards, which, as you may know, are a common method of opening up accounts. So Bitcoin transactions turn out to be very efficient and very solid for them.
Players do not have to reveal their financial information when they affect a Bitcoin transaction. And you can certainly imagine that many customers are sensitive to that kind of thing. Bitcoin offers a less "traceable" transaction, since in fact they are, on the surface, anonymous. Transactions are also conducted in such rapid fashion that there is a natural advantage to using this virtual currency. When a player is looking to get into action at a place like BetAnySports, this can be a major selling point.
Physical addresses are not required from people doing Bitcoin deals; they are generally identified by a number (that of the "Bitcoin wallet" that stores the currency), so whether a player is from the United States or not isn't even an issue.
One thing that is characteristic of Bitcoin transactions as they relate to online gambling is that it is even easier to open up an account that it would be through a credit card or through another method like Western Union. And sportsbooks like BetAnySports have it integrated right into their online wallet, so the whole thing is automated.
So how does one go about getting involved with Bitcoin? Well, it is actually a rather headache-free process. Just go to Bitcoin.org and download the Bitcoin wallet. You can get one to fit any device, whether it is a smartphone, tablet or a personal computer. After you have done that, all you have to do is go to a Bitcoin exchange and acquire some of the currency. Go to Google and you can find a list of them. Follow the simple steps, do the transaction, and you will now have some Bitcoin to use in whichever way you see fit. Remember, even though you will give your name to the Bitcoin exchanges, they have no idea what you are going to do with it.
Read more: Why Use Bitcoin For Online Gambling?
SOCIAL Services Minister Scott Morrison on Monday announced the review into online wagering operators, to be undertaken by former NSW premier Barry O'Farrell.
There are about 30 operators running legal sites in Australia.
But almost 60 per cent of the $1.6 billion online gambling industry is going offshore to more than 2000 sites beyond the control of Australian regulators, Mr Morrison said.
"For the vast majority of Australians having a punt is part of a recreational pass time for many generations and it's part of who we are," he told reporters in Canberra.
However for two per cent gambling is a big problem and it impacts their families.
Mr Morrison hopes the review will recommend measures to protect consumers who can fall prey to offshore, illegal websites.
Read more: Morrison announces online gambling review
Uchitel will go under the knife in mid-September, according to the gossip site, in an effort to treat Chiari (kee-AH-ree), a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, pressing on the brain and forcing it downward, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Uchitel’s doctors reportedly will cut into the back of her head and attempt to lift her brain out of the spinal canal. About 50 percent of patients who undergo the surgery become symptom-free, according to TMZ.
After her affair with Woods was revealed, Uchitel went on to marry former Penn State football player Matt Hahn. The couple had a daughter in 2012, and finalized their divorce last year, according to the New York Daily News.
Two weeks after announcing an agreement to merge, the companies provided final details on Tuesday, including an estimate for annual pretax cost savings of about 50 million pounds. The enlarged company looks set to become part of the U.K. benchmark FTSE 100 Index, according to Peel Hunt analyst Nick Batram.
“This is a deal about two strong players combining to create a market-leading online business with significant opportunity,” Batram wrote in a note. “The potential inclusion in the FTSE 100 will open up the enlarged group to an even greater audience of investors.”
Combining Paddy Power and Betfair brings together two of the industry’s fastest-growing businesses at a time when increased regulation and taxation are driving companies to seek efficiencies through mergers. GVC Holdings Plc last week agreed to buy Bwin.party Digital Entertainment Plc for about 1.12 billion pounds, just the latest of a series of deals across the industry.
Paddy Power’s amalgamation with Betfair has had strong support from both sets of shareholders and is unlikely to encounter any obstacles, according to David Holohan, an analyst in Dublin with Merrion Capital.
Under the terms outlined Tuesday, Betfair investors will get 0.4254 new shares in the merged company, valuing the shares at 3,085 pence each, based on where Paddy Power ended trading yesterday. That’s a 19 percent premium to Betfair’s closing level on Aug. 25, the day before the companies announced their plan to combine.
Paddy Power shareholders will receive a special dividend of 80 million euros ($89.7 million) and own 52 percent of the new entity, Paddy Power Betfair Plc. The board of the new company will target a payout ratio of approximately 50 percent of profit after tax when setting its initial dividend.
Read more: Paddy Power to Buy Betfair to Create Online Gambling Giant - Bloomberg Business
Social services minister Scott Morrison announced on Monday that the review into the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act and online operators will be headed up by former New South Wales premier Barry O’Farrell.
Australia’s online gambling industry is worth around AUD1.6bn, with Morrison claiming almost 60% of online wagers are going offshore to websites beyond the control of Australian regulators, thereby avoiding product fees.
Morrison said: “Unlike Australia’s licensed operators, overseas agencies don’t contribute product fees to racing and sporting bodies, do not comply with Australia’s legal system and are not obligated to monitor and report suspicious betting activity.
“Illegal offshore wagering also leaves Australian punters without protection for payouts on their winnings.”
Consultations with operators, representatives of the racing industry, state and territory governments and community groups will be undertaken as part of the review.
There will also be a call for public submissions.
Crownbet CEO Matthew Trip told the Australian newspaper: “We are very eager to work with the federal government, national sporting organisations and the community to ensure we have strong social safeguards for all our customers and a well regulated and responsible industry.”
Read more: www-gamblinginsider-com/news/1425/australia-to-launch-online-gambling-review
Going back thousands of years, gambling takes its place in human history as one of the earliest forms of entertainment.
When played responsibly, it can be an enjoyable source of entertainment. However, there is a much darker side of this recreational endeavor.
Read more: Beware the online gambling addiction - Magazine - Jerusalem Post
Fortunately, the fact that online gambling legalization efforts have stalled in Congress isn’t much of a problem anymore.
The ability to legalize online gaming has been handed over to the states thanks to a 2011 OLC opinion that found the Wire Act only applied to sports betting. This ruling left the decision of expanding into online gambling up to individual state legislatures, three of which took the ball and ran it into the end zone: Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey.
Still, one has to wonder, with the current calls to ban online gambling at the federal level, where have all of the online gaming champions in Congress gone? Why are prohibitionists the only voices we are hearing on this issue at the federal level?
Read more: Where Have All The Online Gambling Champions in Congress Gone?
MCMC Digital and Media Literacy Division senior director Eneng Faridah Iskandar said the police had submitted the applications after those websites had been verified to contain criminal elements.
Last year, the commission had blocked 235 online gambling websites under the Common Gaming House Act 1953 (Act 289), she told Bernama in an exclusive interview here today.
“Our (MCMC) role is to help the police to ensure that access to the gambling websites are blocked by sending out instruction to the ISP (Internet service providers) to block access to the sites,” she said.
Eneng Faridah said although the commission was not responsible in terms of law enforcement, it was always ready to help the police if required, particularly in terms of forensic experts in combating online gambling.
“We have a digital forensics laboratory in Cyberjaya to assist investigations. If the police require further information on the seized items such as hard disks, they will ask for our help to conduct a forensic study on that items,” she said.
Eneng Faridah said investigations on any gambling activities both online and online were under the jurisdiction of the police and subjected to the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, as well as the Pool Betting Act 1967.
She was commenting on a statement issued by the Muslim Consumers Association Malaysia (PPIM) recently, which had called for the MCMC to take more proactive measures against the growing number of online gambling syndicates.
PPIM chief activist Datuk Nadzim Johan was reported as saying the association had received hundreds of complaints from the public, since five months ago, that were lured into gambling via short message service (SMS) sent to their mobile phones.
Eneng Faridah however said, the commission has yet to receive any complaints on that matter, including from the PPIM itself.
She, therefore, advised the public to lodge complaints to telecommunications service providers if they encountered such a situation, apart from lodging reports to the police and the MCMC.
According to her, the telecommunications service providers should give their full cooperation to address the problem, since they know more about the SMS sender information.
In the meantime, Eneng Faridah asked the public from all walks of life to use Internet in a proper and controlled way.
It was reported last year, Malaysia had 20.1 million users with the highest number of users were aged between 15 and 34 years, she said.
According to a study conducted by MCMC last year, 88.2 per cent used the Internet to surf for information, 87.1 per cent (for surfing social networking sites) and 81.1 per cent used the Internet for communication by text purposes such as WhatsApp. — Bernama
- See more at: MCMC blocks 306 online gambling sites since early this year | Malaysia | Malay Mail Online
Read more: 10 Reasons Why Apple TV Is Now an Effective Entertainment Console
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The state-owned gaming company, Svenska Spel, has been the only entity legally allowed to provide regulated online gaming services in Sweden for the better part of a decade. However, the monopoly has proven to be less than successful in curbing unlicensed gaming companies from operating in the country, with Svenska Spel controlling less than half of the country's online gaming market.
Read more: Swedish Gambling Minister Hopes To Accelerate New Gaming Laws | PokerNews
A raft of big deals this year include the £2.3bn tie-up between Ladbrokes and Gala Coral in July, a £6bn merger of Betfair and Paddy Power in August, and GVC's £1.1bn ($1.5bn) acquisition of Bwin.party in September.
Analysts say a "mergers and acquisitions frenzy" is sweeping the UK.
In fact, in the year to August, there were more takeovers and mergers in the UK gambling sector than in any other country.
According to Nick Batram, an analyst at brokerage Peel Hunt, operators are looking to scale up for two main reasons.
He says: "On the one hand they are seeing the costs of tax, compliance and technology go up, and want to offset this.
"But they are also looking for new ways to grow as the market becomes more competitive."
Read more: Gambling industry bets on mergers and acquisitions - BBC News