30th
June Israel Source: Press
release/Business Arena
Two
Israeli stories during the week. Microgaming's
progressive linked Cashsplash
jackpot paid out its largest jackpot so far. The player from Israel was
playing at King Solomons casino. Microgaming has over 40 online casinos
that use its software linked to the Cashsplash system.
On the traditional gaming front. Avraham Katz-Oz, Chairman of the Board
of Directors of the State lottery Mifal Hapayis has said that if it were
awarded just 4 casino licenses that NIS 6 billion annually would be added
to the bottom line. The article also mentions that at the moment there
are thought to be 130 illegal casinos in operation in the country.
29th
June London Source: BBC/Yahoo
The
casino world has lost one of its most colourful characters with the death
of John Aspinall of cancer at the age of 74. Owner of the private Aspinalls
on Curzon Street, Mayfair he had been a prominent figure in the gaming
world since the 1950's. Starting his gaming career with a travelling Baccarat
game catering to the British upper classes. In recent years his media coverage
has been negative following the death of a number of animal keepers at
his private zoo in Kent.
Zoo
Keeper Aspinall dies
Millionaire
animal park owner John Aspinall dead
29th
June London Source: Press
release
British
Casino operator Rank Group has announced the creation of its new gaming
division. This will bring together under the control of Managing Director
David Boden the three separate departments of Rank Leisure Machine Services,
Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor
Casinos. The division will employ some 11,000 people with a profit
amounting in fiscal 1999-2000 of £69 million.
Rank
launch new division
27th
June Holland Source: Press
release
Gaming
Laboratories International has announced that its subsidiary GLI Europe
is moving into larger premises. The European base will remain in Hillegom
near Schiphol International Airport. The move being due to increased
orders for testing and certification by slot manufacturers targeting the
European market.
GLI
Europe Moves Into New Larger Facility To Meet Demand
27th
June London Source:
Reuters
AIM
listed Probus Estates, a UK property investment company has announced that
it is to buy Casino de Mallorca SA in a deal worth £19 million. The
casino is located around 20 kilometres from Palma in the Balearic Islands.
UK's
Probus Estates to buy Mallorca casino
23rd
June London Source: Reuters
The
decided global lead that British bookmakers have in sports betting on the
Internet is represented in statistics from NetValue.com
British visitors alone making up 2 million visits to gambling sites in
May. 9.9 million people in the UK are now online a rise of 15% over the
last 6 months. The survey is based upon a sampling of 1,600 web users.
Students not surprisingly make up the highest percentage of visits to adult
sites.
Porn
and bookies lure Britons online
16th
June
London Source:
Evening Standard/Yahoo UK News
Branson
plans London hotel in Las Vegas
11th
June London Source:
Yahoo UK/BBC News online
A
study from the National Centre for Social Research released on the 8th
June has revealed that half the adult population of the UK now play the
National Lottery each week. The figures based on a sample of 8,000 people
who were interviewed on their gambling habits.
Only 3% of those interviewed had visited a casino in the last 12 months.
The charity GamCare
estimated that around 300,000 (1%) of the 33 million adults who now gamble
in the UK are problem gamblers.
Full
Story at Yahoo UK/Ireland
10th
June London Source:
Yahoo Film News
The film "Croupier" is apparently been received well by American audiences
despite being mothballed by producers shortly after its release in the
UK. Made for £3m the director is Mike Hodges who made Get Carter
with Michael Caine way back in 1971. The film (which we also have not seen)
centres on a struggling writer who begins working in a London casino.
When
the chips are down
9th
June London Source:
Reuters
The
Douglas, Isle of Man casino looks set to host what is being billed as the
"World's largest Poker tournament". Organizers of the proposed event in
November are the casino owners Ladbroke and Promoter Barry Hearn's Matchroom
Sport. The tournament also has the backing of the European
Poker Players Association who recently announced that across the continent
over the last 2 years some 1,131 people have won prize money at major tournaments.
A £1 million first prize is on offer that in order to qualify as
the largest may well have to be raised. The first prize at this years World
Series in Las Vegas was $1.5 million - the exchange rate is currently $1.52
to £1.
A
million pounds up for grabs in bumper poker game
7th
June UK Source:
Press release
Online
bookmaker Sportingbet.com
that operates out of the British channel island of Alderney has announced
what could be a world's first. A client has placed a bet with the company
using just the remote control for his television.
The bet( which lost!) was on the live televised Malta v England friendly
football game. The service that has been live from 1st June is available
to some 1.6 million Telewest subscribers in the UK.
UK
bookmaker takes the first interactive bet to be placed via the television
7th
June Liverpool, England Source:
Press release
UK Bookmaker and casino operator Stanley Leisure has announced that the
companies online betting portal has finally been launched and will begin
to take live bets in August.
As an opening promotion at Stanleybet.co.uk
customers who sign up on the site will be entered into a prize draw to
win a holiday in Australia visiting the Great Barrier Reef. Stanley operates
3 london casinos the Colony Club, Crockfords and the Cromwell Mint.
Stanleybet.co.uk
coming soon...
Stanley
quote at Yahoo UK finance
6th
June London Source:
Press release
London Clubs International
have reported profits of £14 million for fiscal 1999/2000 on turnover
of £144 million. The Aladdin project on the Las Vegas strip where
the company has a 40% stake is set to open on the 17th August. LCI sold
The London Park Towers casino to Grosvenor
Casinos earlier this year and now has 6 out of the 23 casinos in the
capital.
London
Clubs' Vegas Aladdin to open in August
2nd
June London Source:
BBC/Yahoo
The
news that Mr Littke the owner of the domain e-buy.com has turned
down an offer of $7 million from ebuy Inc. of California surely ranks as
the gamble of the week. The British based Java programmer believes that
the domain will be worth more if he develops it with the business based
in Britain.
But with Yahoo presently offering .coms at $35 he could buy another 100,000
domains and still live .comfortably!.
Gambling
on the e-future
27th
- 28th May London Source:
BBC/AP
The
dramatic headlines over the holiday weekend that the British National Lottery
had underpaid thousands of winners is perhaps a sign that the race to take
over the running of one of the worlds most profitable lotteries is hotting
up.
In reality the underpayments over a period of almost four years found so
far by operator Camelot amount to £85,000 for 78,000 tickets. Overpayments
so far found are £94,000. Obviously with many billions of tickets
being issued no one will get rich from the revelations made by "a former
employee".
The lottery commission is due to reveal the winner for the new 7 year contract
at the end of June.
GTech
kept quiet on British lotto glitch - BBC
Camelot
'Underpaid 78,000 Lottery Winners'
26th
May London
London
Clubs International
has been awarded a second new casino license in the UK. The location in
Southend on the Essex coast is around 40 miles from the capital. The earlier
license was for Brighton Marina on the South coast. The company now has
6 London casinos following the sale earlier this year of the Park Tower
Casino to fellow british casino operator the Rank Group Plc. The Aladdin
in Las Vegas where LCI has a 40% stake in the casino operation is scheduled
to open in August.
19th
May London Source:
Yahoo UK Finance news
Saturdays
FA cup final between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Wembley stadium is seeing
bookmakers targeting the affluent soccer following Asian gamblers. The
average bet from Hong Kong for British casino and betting shop operator
Ladbrokes
is £10,000.
With 20 times as many clients in Great Britain the Gibraltar based tax
free service is predicted to take more in bets from the Far East. Recently
another 20 Cantonese, Thai and Mandarin speakers have been added to the
telephone betting staff.
Ladbroke
targets Asian punters in FA Cup ads push
9th
May Jericho Source:
Philadelphia Enquirer/Knight Ridder
The
success of the Oasis Casino in Jericho is creating some anxieties for both
Israelis and Palestinians alike. Presently 95% of the average 3,000 daily
visitors are from Israel and this is causing concern over the loss of potential
tax revenues to the state. On the Palestinian side, locals are forbidden
from playing and hundreds of jobs have been created. But questions are
now being asked as to when profits from the enterprise will be invested
in improving the social infrastructure.
Casinos
Austria manage the Oasis which is open 24 hours a day and served by
buses from 13 Israeli cities.
West
Bank casino caters to Israelis, benefits Palestinians
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