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NEWS IN BRIEF
Danish casino numbers slide in third quarter
An 8.5% fall in gross gaming revenue in dot.dk poker and casino saw the Danish egaming market experience a minor quarter-on-quarter decline in the three months ended 30 September. A slight uptick from online sports betting, which saw GGR grow 1.9% quarter-onquarter to DKK270m (£29.4m), meant overall market GGR of DKK485m bisected the totals for the first and second quarters.
POKERSTARS LINES UP BID FOR NEW JERSEY CASINO
PokerStars is lining up a bid to acquire
Online poker giant reportedly weighing up Atlantic City casino acquisition
the Black Friday indictments and despite reaching a $731m settlement with the US Department of Justice in July without admitting any wrongdoing, was set to be blocked from applying for a licence in New Jersey under a “bad actor” clause. However, that particular provision was removed from the Senator Raymond Lesniak’s online gambling bill in December. The remo val of the “bad actor” provision, relating to those operators which continued to accept US bets after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) came into force in 2006, could allow PokerStars to effectively piggyback on the land-based casino’s licence and therefore gain entry into the market.
an Atlantic City casino as a means of obtaining a licence in the soon-to-be regulated US market. The move, news of which comes in the same week a new egaming bill progressed in the New Jersey legislature, could see PokerStars gain an unexpected foothold not only in the Garden State but also nationally should federal regulation pass in the future. According to The Wall Street Journal, PokerStars is in talks to acquire the struggling Atlantic Club Casino Hotel from investment group Colony Capital for a fee thought to be less than $50m. PokerStars shut down its US-facing operations in April last year following
Sportingbet revenues slide ahead of bid deadline
Post-regulation struggles in Spain contributed to Sportingbet’s first-quarter revenues falling by more than one third, the operator has announced in its results for the three months ended 31 October. Net gaming revenues from casino and games in Europe fell 33.1% year-on-year, due in part to dot.es regulation restricting the availability of certain products, while overall group revenues of £38.8m were down from £59.9m in Q1 2011-12. Australian NGR was hit by what the operator has described as “customer friendly” sporting results in August and September.
GENTING CLOSES FOX POKER CLUB
Alderney-licensed operator Genting has closed Central London venue
Upon acquiring the club in November 2011, a Genting casinos spokesperson pledged that "There will be no changes to the operation of the club in the immediate future.” The location, on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End, had continued to hold regular tournaments as well as one-off specials such as this year’s English Poker Open, which was won by PokerStars pro Mickey Petersen. It had also previously hosted PKR’s “London Calling” festival in 2010, and received a 24-hour licence in June last year. The venue also holds a casino licence, which could point to a relaunch as a casino and poker property. The closure of the club comes as PokerStars prepares to launch its branded poker room at the nearby Hippodrome Casino, in which it bought a minority stake in October.
Probability revenues up after white-label growth
AIM-listed operator Probability has seen revenues increase by 38% year-on-year, the mobile specialist has announced in interim figures for the six months ended 30 September. Growth has been boosted by an increase in the number of its white-label clients, with half of its 29 live customers recruited in the last six months and deposits from white-label players up 45% compared to the first half last year.
Alderney-licensed operator Genting has closed Central London venue The Fox Poker Club with immediate effect, just 13 months after acquiring it from its previous owners. The company will refurbish and relaunch the property in spring next year. However, there is no indication as to whether it will remain a poker-speci?c venue.
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