/ THE BRIEFING / NEWS
THE SMOKING GUN
s Rumours, gossip and scandal from the dark corridors of online gaming
SALE AWAY
With the Point of Consumption tax
looming, analysts have been falling
over themselves to predict that
various smaller operates will fall by the
wayside and get snapped up by the
bigger guys looking to cement their
own positions in the UK.
Now, TSG understands that these
forecasts might be beginning to ring
true. The word from everybody’s
favourite British Overseas Territory is
that various negotiations have been
taking place with ‘everyone talking to
everyone’.
Idle gossip is probably Gibraltar’s
second largest industry but the
rumours TSG keeps hearing about
one particular bookmaker are more
persistent than Ray Winstone on a
Sunday afternoon. The question is: do
they go with their head or their gut?
AN ACRIMONIOUS SPLIT
Victor Chandler’s decision to sell his
stake in the family gambling business
in late May was a bolt out of the blue.
Chandler had long been one of the
gambling sector’s most recognisable
bosses, and to see him depart so
suddenly was a surprise.
What may come as perhaps less
of a surprise are suggestions that
the acquisition was triggered by
something of a falling out between
Chandler and his business partner
Michael Tabor, with the latter finally
wrestling control of the firm after
months of protracted and acrimonious
negotiations.
Talk quickly switched to just who
might replace Victor – who TSG
understands wants to be back in the
gambling business sooner rather than
later – with one candidate in particular
looking like a strong favourite.
BetAshley certainly has a ring to it,
doesn’t it?
w
Dumped: Luis Suarez
ONCE BITTEN
When Luis Suarez sank his teeth into
an opposition defender yet again,
companies linked to the footballer,
including 888poker, couldn’t distance
themselves quick enough.
But TSG supposes it should come
as no surprise that Paddy Power
offered the Uruguayan a whopping
seven-figure sum to display a Paddysbranded gum shield during the national
anthems when his country met
Colombia in the second round.
Unfortunately for both them and
Suarez’s accountant, FIFA stepped
in and banned the striker before
a company representative could
even get as close as taking a mouth
measurement.
MILLION
W W W. E G R M A G A Z I N E . C O M
RANK SNARES NEW DIGITAL CHIEF
The Rank Group’s new chief executive
Henry Birch has kicked-off his
reorganisation of the company by
hiring former William Hill colleague
Colin Cole-Johnson to head up Rank’s
digital division. Cole-Johnson, who
had been William Hill’s director of
egaming, will take up the newly
created position of director of digital
and cross-channel services as part of
a revamp of Rank’s online strategy.
O’LOUGHLIN JOINS CORAL IN
SPORTSBOOK ROLE
£93 £1BN $4.9
The value of Sportech’s VAT
claim which it finally received
from the UK tax authority
during June after years of
court appeals
PEOPLE
NEWS
BILLION
The amount of GGY produced
by UK-licensed online
operators in the 12 months
ended 30 September 2013 – a
16% rise on the previous year
The amount Amaya Gaming
looks set to spend on
acquiring PokerStars and Full
Tilt parent company Rational
Group later this year
Coral Interactive appointed former
Boylesports Online chief executive
Keith O’Loughlin as its director of
sportsbook in June. The hire has seen
O’Loughlin relocate from Ireland to
Coral’s Gibraltar offices and succeed
Carlo Di Maio, who recently returned
to Gala Coral’s Italy-facing subsidiary
Eurobet.
GALA INTERACTIVE NAMES FELL
AS MOBILE PRODUCT MANAGER
Gala Coral’s product and operations
manager Robert Fell has switched
roles after just six months, becoming
the Gibraltar-based firm’s new
mobile product manager. Fell initially
joined the firm from Paddy Power
in January this year to work on its
casino products.
POKERSTARS HEAD OF SOCIAL
BUSER DEPARTS
PokerStars’ director of social gaming
Mark Buser has left after one year
at the Isle of Man-based operator,
which confirmed it was “actively
looking” for a replacement. The
company launched its first social
casino product, PokerStars PLAY,
on Facebook last February which is
currently still in beta