The Dutch gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has said that loot boxes where rewards are determined by chance and prizes can be traded outside the game constitute illegal gambling and that many popular titles are currently breaking the law. The regulator said that developers have been told to adapt the games by June or face a…Read More
NFL odds in Las Vegas and online were released for week one just hours after the league unveiled the 2018 regular season schedule. The champion Philadelphia Eagles kick off their title defense by hosting the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL season opener on Thursday night, September 6. The Westgate SuperBook has the Birds a 3.5-point…Read More
A new report by Juniper Research suggests that consumer outlay on loot boxes and skins betting will rise 60 percent — to $50 billion a year by 2022 — and at least $48 billion of that will come strictly from loot boxes. Despite the backlash from the gaming community over the sudden preponderance of loot…Read More
Three South Korean games developers, have been hit with fines totaling nearly $1 million for misrepresenting the odds used in their in-game loot boxes. According to the Korean Herald, the country’s largest games developer, Nexon Korea, received the lion’s share of fines – around $890,000 – for deceiving customers over the chances of winning virtual…Read More
Playtech will establish a dominant presence in the burgeoning Italian gambling market through its biggest ever acquisition. The British online gambling software provider and financial trading group announced Wednesday it will pay $1.05 billion in cash and debt to take over the reins of Snaitech, one of Italy’s largest gambling operators. As well as its biggest,…Read More
Sweden’s state-owned gambling monopoly Svenska Spel will not be privatized, despite the government’s plan to break up the longstanding monopoly by introducing a licensing system that would, for the first time, be open to private operators. The government published its full draft law on gambling on Monday, which has now been submitted to the country’s…Read More
A federal court ruling that Churchill Downs’ Big Fish Casino violated Washington State gaming laws has prompted a slew of class action lawsuits against other social games operators in the Evergreen State. Three new class action lawsuits were filed this week, levelling accusations of illegal gambling against Huuuge Games, DoubleDown Interactive, High 5 Games and Playtika. Last month,…Read More
Swiss member of parliament Marcel Dobler claims he was offered a seat on the board of an unnamed land-based casino, a gesture he interpreted as a bribe for his vote in the country’s forthcoming referendum on blocking online gambling sites. Dobler, who represents the Free Democratic Party (FDP) had voted against the country’s controversial ISP…Read More
888 Holdings will challenge a German federal court ruling that ordered its German-language subsidiary to cease offering online gaming in the southwestern state of Baden Württemberg. The November ruling caused the company to consider leaving Germany entirely. At its most recent earnings call last month, 888 Holdings’ CEO Itai Frieberger said that while the court’s…Read More
PokerStars has blocked free-to-play games in Washington State. According to the State Gambling Commission, the online poker giant is one of several providers of “freemium” social casino-style games that opted to withdraw services to state residents last week, following a federal court judgment on the legality of the Big Fish social casino app. On March…Read More
The Gaming Standards Association (GSA) of Canada has chosen Earle Hall, CEO of Quebec-based AXES Network, to chair the organization’s new Blockchain Committee. Hall is a global gaming leader and was appointed to usher the GSA into the new era of blockchain technology. The GSA, celebrating its 20th anniversary, created the Blockchain Committee in early February,…Read More
The UK’s advertising watchdog has banned a TV ad spot for online poker giant PokerStars for implying that reckless bluffing can be a financially rewarding strategy for amateur players. The Advertising Authority said it felt the spot oversimplified the game in a way that might exploit inexperienced players. The commercial depicted a Texas hold’em home…Read More
Gibraltar-licensed 888 has declared its intention to apply for licensing in rival online gaming jurisdiction Malta, a reaction to the uncertainties that Brexit will inflict on the British overseas territory on the southern tip of Spain. “888 is not able to control political changes of this nature, however it is proceeding with its back-up plan…Read More
A bit of beginner’s luck won two individuals considerable money this month and will make many others wonder why they haven’t been as lucky. In Quebec, Charlie Lagarde celebrated her 18th birthday by purchasing a bottle of sparkling wine and her first-ever lottery ticket. When she scratched off the game, Lagarde discovered she had just…Read More
In what could prove to be a landmark decision with troubling connotations for the social games industry, a federal judge in Washington state has ruled that social casino app Big Fish Casino constitutes illegal online gambling. Judge Milan D. Smith of the Ninth Circuit US Court of appeals said this week that the virtual play…Read More
Singapore Government Looks to Consolidate Casino and Gaming Regulations 
Loot Boxes Are Gambling, Top Video Game Titles Illegal, Say Dutch Authorities 
Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew White Wants Casinos to Fund Education 
Macau Junket Suncity Group Behind $4 Billion Vietnam Casino Resort 
Man Arrested in Macau Over Crypto Casino Junket Scam 
Venetian Picnic Shooting Victim Identified as VP of Casino Operations, Suspect Remains At Large 
Venetian Company Picnic Turns Deadly in Las Vegas, Police Say Act of 'Workplace Violence' 
SLS Las Vegas to Undergo $100 Million Renovation, as North Strip Optimism Continues 
Suicide on Hoover Dam Bridge Shines Light on Las Vegas' Dirty Secret 
Oklahoma OK’s Ball and Dice Games but No Dice for Sports Betting 
