Showing results for: ""
British online gambling giant 888 Holdings Plc said this week that it expects its 2011 core profits to finish well above market expectations, thanks mainly to growth in its casino and poker business divisions. Earnings Updated 888 said in a statement from its Gibraltar headquarters that its performance in the past two months has been very strong, and that it was updating its earning predictions for this year from the initial estimate of $35 million to the new gigure of $51 million.The online casino, poker, sports betting and bingo operator said it intends to invest heavily in newly-regulated European Union markets, which collectively offered the possibility of around 80 billion euros in revenues each year.Spain and Italy were at the forefront of EU regulation this year, with both countries opening up their gambling industries to outside competition. 888 recently set up local sites for those two countries, both of which are already proving to be hits.Britons Gamble More888's announcement comes as updates from other online gambling firms show that British consumers are staying at home more, gambling more online and watching more television as the UK threatens to slip into a recession.Britain remains among the largest consumer bases for 888 and rival internet gambling providers like William Hill Online, Ladbrokes and Betfair, so as long as Britons keep going online in search of gambling, 888 will continue to grow.
Following the lead of Denmark, which will usher in a new era in online gambling on January 1, Spain is set to become the next European country to fully implement industry reforms. And with one of the biggest markets in Europe, some are predicting Spain's online gambling industry will boom.European Markets LiberalizingDenmark is leading the way in Europe, after the country's gambling authority issues 55 licenses to 38 operators, who will all begin offering their services on January 1. Although nine Danish companies received licenses, the announcement was more notable for the fact that a majority of the licensees - including 888, PokerStars and Betfair - are from abroad.Likewise, Spain has been heading down the path of liberalization for some time. In the new year, the government will begin to issue online gambling licenses to operators, and it is believed those operators will be able to begin operating shortly afterward. Spain's internet gambling reforms were approved by parliament earlier this year.Market to Grow to 680 mil. eurosAfter Germany, France and Italy, Spain's is the largest economy on the European continent, so it is no surprise that foreign operators are salivating at the prospect of getting a piece of the country's gambling market.How much exactly is this market worth? According to a report just released by the Media and Entertainment Consulting Network (MECN), Spain's online gambling market will not only be a success, but will grow to be worth around 680 million euros by 2015.The Spanish market has a high relevance for the industry, with 80% of major operators likely to apply for a license, the report said. It said conditions in Spain - where gambling taxes are a lot 25% of gross revenue - make it more attractive than France, and lead online gambling operators to believe a Spanish license will pay off eventually.The report said another reason operators are putting Spain on top of the agenda is that the country is ready to start right now, whereas in Europe's largest potential gambling market - Germany - legislators are still divided over the issue and liberalization is being stalled.
Playtech is continuing its expansion, announcing yet the launch of yet another online casino this week. This time around, the company to adopt its gaming software is Boyle Sports, an Irish company that already offers internet sports betting, bingo and poker.Boyle CasinoBoyle Casino is already live, offering two versions both a Flash instant play version and a downloadable version, complete with the full gamut of Playtech-manufactured video slots, table and card games.All of Playtech's most popular titles can be found at the newly launched casino, including themed slots like Iron Man 2, Beach Life and Santa's Surprise. Players who sign up today will receive a 100% welcome bonus, and of course there are all the usual promo offers and VIP clubs to ensure the deals keep coming your way in the future.Other recent launchesPlaytech has been very busy of late, and in the last year along has launched several new online casinos, including sites run by Paddy Power, 121 Casino and Sports Interaction. All of which offer customers the full range of Playtech games, promos and progressive jackpots.Sports Interaction takes the experience of the company's online betting site and combines it with Playtech's casino offering. The online casino site has many generous promos, including weekday cash bonuses and other bankrolls. Add this to Playtech's cutting-edge technology and you have an online casino that is the complete package.
The New Year 2012 is already promising in terms of legal gambling online. Denmark is the next European market to open up to online casino operators - licensed and regulated, of course. Now, with the recent news from the United States, expectations for 2012 are even higher: Will 2012 finally bring online gambling to the US? The Law In accordance with the UIGEA which banned online gambling in 2006, any form of inter-state, cross-state borders gambling is forbidden. Intra-state, however, gambling within state borders, is legal. The trick, it seems, is to verify that gamblers are located within the state's borders, and that they are of legal age (21 or older). The Field While New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, is fighting to prevent online gambling within his state's borders, it is Nevada, home of casino capital Las Vegas, which is advancing online poker. Nevada, behind Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), has received concession from the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel that even if communications do cross state borders, online gambling can be regulated by the state under state law. In this case, online lotteries can sell tickets to people in Nevada over the Internet, and online poker and online casinos can basically do the same; excepted is sports betting online, which is addressed by the separate Wire Act of 1961. The Future Moving ahead and approving regulations for online poker in the state, the Nevada Gaming Commission is working in the favor, among others, of the casinos based in the state. According to the regulations, companies already licensed by the state can apply to expand their current status onto the internet. Aside from existing companies expanding operations, technology companies are also expected to enter the "local" market, i.e. online gambling in Nevada. Cause for Optimism If nothing else, the positive vibes from the US at this Holiday season gives us reason to be hopeful for a return of online gambling in 2012.
The United States could actually be on the way to legalized online gambling, after the Obama administration cleared the way this week for states to legalize internet poker and other forms of online betting.Reverse of PolicyThe US Department of Justice released last Friday and opinion dated September which reverses decades of previous gambling policy. Until now, the department said online gambling in all forms was illegal under the 1961 Wire Act, which bans wagers across state lines and international borders.But the new interpretation released last week said the act applies only to bets on a "sporting event or contest," and not to a state's use of the Internet to sell lottery tickets to adults outside its borders. It is a move experts are calling a big victory for the online gaming community.Will Nevada Be First?Nevada is already in pole position to be the first state to legalize online gambling within its borders, with the state's gambling regulator set to vote Thursday on rules that would allow companies to apply for licenses to run poker websites.Other states, such as California and Iowa, are also considering laws to legalize online gambling at a state level. Once the facilities are set up, this could easily be adapted to accept betting from interstate - in the event the US allows it.
Sweden's leading online gaming software provider has entered the growing mobile games market by launching three of its most successful games for Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod smartphone and tablet devices.NetEnt TouchLaunched under the NetEnt Touch brand, the company released three of its most popular casino games to the market - Gonzos Quest, Jack Hammer and Blackjack. Net Entertainment said the launch will allow its customers to play the games wherever they want and whenever they want.This is only the beginning, as Net Entertainment promised to reveal more with several mobile partners over the course of 2012. The NetEnt Touch will consist of the very best in games from Net Entertainment, which already supplies top quality products to at least 60 online casinos including Betsson, Sportingbet, Victor Chandler and Casino Euro.Great RangeMore than 90 of Net Entertainment's games are slots, although their selection also includes some top-notch table games, card games, video poker, and progressive jackpots. They offer some of the most exciting themed slots on the web, including Dead or Alive, Boom Brothers and Robin Hood.All their games combine high quality graphics and smooth animation with realistic sound effects. NetEnt's software supports tournaments and bonus games, so it can be assumed they will transfer this to mobile too.
Will Hill are putting the 'Ho Ho Ho' back into Xmas with some great Christmas promos. Check out their Christmas Calendar on William Hill Poker to find out about the exclusive prizes and giveaways throughout December.Each Day a Different PrizeThere are special events and tournaments taking place each day of the month - if you click on the events calendar you'll discover the special prize of the day.Included in the extravagant prize pool are tickets to football matches, thousands of pounds in cash bonuses and luxury gifts such as iPhones, iPads, digital cameras and poker tables.Freerolls with Cash PrizesAlthough Christmas is actually behind us, things don't grind to a stop when the turkey goes cold - William Hill keep the festive spirit going with their '10 days of Turkey' promotion which runs up till 6th January and has $10,000 cash prizes.Super Satellites to DelightDecember is a great time to play at William Hill. Why not take part in Super Satellites and try to quality for your seat at the Irish Open 2012? Games take place every Sunday at 19:30 in the William Hill Poker Club card room and players can win an all-inclusive package to the Burlington Hotel in Dublin worth $7,200. With a prize pool of €3 million in its own right, these Super Satellites are certainly turning the heat up!William Hill Poker also has Super Satellites for the Aussie Millions Main Event 2012, which has become one of the biggest events in the poker calendar. Running through to 7th January you can take part with a buy-in as low as $1 but still stand the chance to win a sky-high prize pool of a cool $2 Million. With an all inclusive package of $16,000 dollars on offer, it's all to play for!William Hill currently has a $400 new player bonus. So there's never been a better time to visit the world's largest poker room. Log in today for promos, prizes and the chance to qualify for two famous tournaments
Bingo fans are in for a real treat at Bingo Palace. The festive mood continues at this popular online bingo room, ahead of the 2012 New Year celebrations. To commemorate the upcoming New Year, Bingo Palace is providing an array of prizes to players, including the likes of a Kindle Fire and $2012 in guaranteed bingo jackpot prizes.How to Claim Your SurprisesPlayers can easily roll into the Palace and High Roller bingo rooms at BingoPalace, to collect their Fireworks and Martini patterns respectively. This promotion will be running until the 31st December 2011. Further, a $2012 jackpot is waiting to be hit between 20h00 and midnight Eastern Time all the way to New Year's Eve.Patrons of BingoPalace.com will be able to track their progress on the leaderboard online. A nifty $5 sign-up bonus is available, as is a 300% Welcome Bonus offer. Reload bonuses up to 200% are readily available too. All signs are pointing to a bumper bingo year in 2012.BingoPalace.com is a popular gaming destination. It provides players with a wealth of quality online bingo games such as 75-ball and 90-ball bingo. A range of classic online bingo games can be enjoyed online too, including $2,500 Coveralls, Progressive Jackpots and Chat Games. It has grown in leaps and bounds since inception in 1999 and features quality service, chat moderators and online promos.
It is apparent to everybody in the gambling industry that the mobile betting market will continue growing, but by how much? If an announcement from Betfair last week is worth its salt, then mobile gambling could account for over 50 percent of industry revenue by 2016.Bold PredictionBetfair made the prediction as it announced last week that interim profits had risen by nearly 50% this year. Chief Financial Officer Stephen Morana called mobile a "mass market," saying that rather than just being a niche product, it could account for half of the company's business in five years' time.The online betting agency's mobile division saw its pre-tax profits rise to GBP 24.7 million in the six months leading up to October, it announced last week. It said it was positioning itself to become a market leader as mobile betting rises in popularity thanks to the rise of iPhones, iPads and other smart phones.And Betfair would know what it is talking about. Since its launch in 2000 it has become the UK's largest online betting company and the world's largest betting exchange.Latest Mobile AppsJust this month, Microgaming released its Adobe Air-based application for smartphones and tablets running on Android 2.2 and above. Customers of Microgaming casinos such as All Slots Mobile and Wild Jack Mobile can already access 12 great games, with 20 more to come in the new year.New games are added automatically, which means players can choose to download them through their Wi-Fi or 3G connection. The first 12 games include several slots, video poker games and table games. The highlights are the popular online slots Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck, which look just as good when played from your smartphone.To celebrate the launch, participating casinos are also offering players in Australia, Canada, Sweden and Denmark the opportunity to play in their own local currencies. This means they can enjoy playing mobile games without incurring bank fees for unnecessary exchanges of funds.
Bet365 co-CEO Denise Coates sat down recently with online gambling magazine eGaming Review, and talked about the great success her company's online casino has enjoyed in the year just about to end. Decent Year Financially Like many of its rival online gambling companies, bet365 looks likely to end up much stronger at the end of 2011 than many industry insiders might have thought at the beginning of the year, if Coates' comments are anything to go by. Coates told EGR that she thinks the company has "had a decent year financially," and rejected the notion that it was their toughest year on record. "Don't get me wrong, it's been challenging," she said, before pointing out that every year is like that. She said the launch of the new sports betting site including new in-play features was the highlight of the business year. Our sports product is so critical to us and it's imperative we keep driving it forward, she said. Relationship with Playtech William Hill Online has faced ongoing issues with software provider Playtech this year, which raised the possibility that other online gaming companies may be facing similar experiences. But Coates said bet365's relationship with Playtech remains good, calling them "a valuable partner" and "a pure software provider." So don't expect to see any changes in the near future between bet365 and its long-standing provider of software for its casino, poker and other platforms. New Markets Coates said she is pleased with bet365's current strategy of building its existing business, but on the other hand she did not rule out acquisitions in new markets. She said one only needs to look at what Paddy Power have done in Australia to see what value can be created if such a strategy is executed well. She said preparation for new licenses in Australia, Spain and Denmark has been made more difficult by having to deal with all three at the same time. But she praised the models taken by Denmark and Spain - which have opened those countries up to outside competition - and said if other follow their lead "it will be good for the industry in the long-term." And the million dollar question - what about the US? Of course, much bigger than all the aforementioned markets is the United States, and Coates said that although bet365 has not participated in lobbying for gambling reforms there, "we are watching developments with interest." In Coates' opinion, sports betting is some way off there, so her own company is focusing its efforts elsewhere. But she said that if a large state were to regulate it, the company would then look into it. So there is something to look forward to there!
Blackjack
Slots
Roulette
Baccarat
Craps
Poker
