Industry News

AsianLogic Establishes Macau Poker Room

AsianLogic has followed the lead of PokerStars by opening a facility of its own, the APT Poker Room. With the success of the Asian Poker Tour, the deal came from the growing demand for poker facilities in the gaming capital of Asia.

The company also offered a trading performance update for the second quarter of 2008, which showed that the average daily casino turnover had increased 34 percent quarter-over-quarter to $14.6 million.

AsianLogic has also invested $3.4 million in a stake in an as yet unnamed European-based gaming solutions provider.
Thomas Hall, who recently became CEO of AsianLogic, said, "We believe that the acquisitions and joint ventures will strengthen, compliment, and expand our existing operations."

French to Secure Gaming Liberalisation

Upon the request of France's Finance Minister, Eric Woerth, a report that deals with the prevention of illegal operators from entering the market has been drawn up.

According to La Tribune, the key proposals in the report, entitled "Online Gaming and Susceptibility to Crime", include the placement of a regulatory authority. This authority would enforce licensing requirements and put restrictions on operators wishing to apply for a license.

To comply with the report's recommendations, gaming servers would need to be accessible on national territory, which would result in regular auditing by a regulatory body.

Procedures for player registration were also included in the report, such as the need for formal identification and a Personal Identification Number sent to each player's address post-registration.

The proposals are heavily focused on technical solutions, which are not the entire problem. However, the suggestions being considered are a way forward, toward opening up the market in a secure fashion.

Genting Signs Deal With Playtech

Malaysian gaming group Genting has signed a licensing agreement with Playtech, the world's largest publicly-traded online gaming software supplier.

The Israel-based software firm, which operates the iPoker network, will supply Genting subsidiary, Genting Stanley Alderney, with poker and casino products. No further details were available at the time of writing.

Playtech Raises Funds for Acquisitions

Playtech, the publicly-quoted company that owns and operates the iPoker network, has raised £112 million from the financial markets - approximately 9.9 percent of its market value. The company said it plans to use the cash to expand through acquisition, and pointed to affiliate marketing companies as one possible target.

Chief executive Mor Weizer said, "We have demonstrated our ability to leverage acquisitions and believe this placing will provide the group with an extremely strong balance sheet that will allow it to take advantage of further opportunities that the current market offers."

EU and U.S. Face Off Again Over Gaming

U.S. authorities have dismissed claims by the European Commission that the country is discriminating against European online gambling operators, according to the Financial Times. The newspaper says the Commission wrote to U.S. officials with a number of questions relating to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 but was told that there was "no basis for any allegation of 'discriminatory enforcement' of U.S. gambling laws."

The Commission claims the act discriminates against European operators, many of whom pulled out of the U.S market in the aftermath of the legislation at a cost of billions of dollars in lost revenue, citing that U.S.-based gaming industries such as horse racing were not targeted by the legal clampdown.

According to the Financial Times, the U.S. has responded by saying the Commission had made mistaken assumptions and that the 2006 legislation did not change which gambling activities were legal or not.

EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson is likely to ramp up Commission objections when an EU delegation visits the U.S. next month.

Ladbrokes Loses Dutch Court Case

English publicly-quoted bookmaker Ladbrokes, which operates LadbrokesPoker.com, has lost its case for offering online betting to Dutch citizens.

The Dutch Supreme Court has ruled that the actions of the company contravene national law, but the court will now pass the judgment to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg to see if it is in line with European law.

The judge in the case, Ernst Numann, said, "This is not a done deal. It's the question if the ban on offering gambling in the Netherlands without a permit is in line with European law."

Ladbrokes spokesman Ciaran O'Brien said he was pleased the case is being put before the ECJ. "We believe the Dutch law is inconsistent with the European treaty," he said.

Betjacks Signs With Cryptologic

CryptoLogic has announced the latest addition to its network, new Irish-based online gaming operator Betjacks. The online poker and gaming site launches this autumn and plans to target the UK, Irish, South African, and Canadian markets.

CryptoLogic is the exclusive supplier of poker and casino software to the site and is also home to a number of well-known online gaming sites, including Playboy Gaming, Littlewoods, World Poker Tour, and William Hill.

The site was conceived by communication experts Brian Nesbit and Eamon Garland and will feature "rich media and peer-to-peer gaming applications all fully integrated with key next generation networking features."
Managing director Nesbit said, "As we set out to launch our new Internet gaming site, we wanted a trusted, respected partner who shared our vision of integrity and innovation. CryptoLogic's commitment to the quality of the player experience - and its reputation for transparency and regulatory leadership - are critical benefits as we take our brand online."

Competitive Environment For PartyPoker.com

A trading update released by PartyGaming in June indicated that the company's poker offering PartyPoker.com has continued to experience a competitive trading environment.

The statement said, "…despite making the new loyalty scheme more generous to our VIPs, the cost of PartyPoints had been reduced to previous levels by the end of the second quarter, with the full benefit expected to be realised in the second half of the year. However, strong competition, particularly from poker sites that continue to accept U.S. players, has led to an increase in bonuses and costs associated with some of our poker tournaments in the period."

Gross revenue for poker showed growth of 10 percent between January and March 2008, up 10 percent on the fourth quarter of 2007, to $80.7 million from $71.6 million.