Oceania

Following the forecast of an impending AUS $2.7 billion (£1.4 billion) state deficit, West Australia governors are eyeing the potential sale of state assets, with a view to raise AUS $5 billion (£2.65 billion) in funds. Presenting his upcoming budget, Treasurer Dr Mike Nahan has outlined the potential sale of state gambling enterprise TAB to the private sector for an …

Paddy Power has revealed in its interim management statement (period 1 January – 11 May), that the operator recorded a strong start to 2015 which has been offset by ‘unfavourable’ sports results seen throughout the sector. The company further stated that a weaker euro this year had helped offset the impact of new taxes and regulations levied on the betting …

The Australian Communication Agency (ACMA) is set to investigate William Hill and Ladbrokes Australian online betting operations after the operators introduced new betting mechanisms which sidestepped restrictions on in-play (live) betting. Last month William Hill and Ladbrokes Australia released the new ‘Click to Call’ features, which allowed customers to connect to live betting markets by activating their computer microphones with …

Garry Knowles is to leave Webis Holdings after 10 years at the Isle of Man firm. The group, which until recently operated Betinternet.com, announced his departure yesterday, with almost immediate effect. In an announcement to investors, it said: “The board of Webis announce that by mutual agreement, Garry Knowles will step down as Group Managing Director and terminate his employment …

Australian gambling operator Tabcorp is set to enter the burgeoning esports market, by announcing a global partnership with eSports entertainment provider Unikrn. The partnership will see the launch of  a new eSports platform  where gamers can placy and safely bet on organized, sanctioned multi-player video game competitions from around the world. At launch, Unikrn will provide access to live viewing, live discussions …

William Hill Australia will allow its customers to by-pass country restrictions on in-play betting by releasing its  ‘Click to Call’ feature for Australian sports betting customers. The feature will allow customers to connect to live betting markets by activating their computer microphones with the operators live markets team. Current Australian online gambling laws prohibit licensed operators from offering in-play (live) sports …

The general release of the Apple Watch on Friday 24 April, saw some 3000 dedicated Apple Watch apps published to the public. Bookmakers, William Hill, Coral, Unibet, and Ladbrokes Australia were the first industry operators to release customised apps into the Apple Watch eco-system. The industry bragging rights for first publicised release were shared by Ladbrokes Australia and William Hill, …

The South Australia Treasury has been tasked with preparing an online gambling tax scheme that will charge online gambling operators on the location of its customers wagering, mirroring the current UK POC charge. The treasury estimates that +70,000 South Australian have wagered using online gambling services, the agency will look to re-structure current online gambling policies in order to raise …

Ladbrokes Australia’s Chief Information Officer Scott Hutchens has revealed that the operator has gained approval from Apple for the release of its Apple Watch betting app. Ladbrokes is set to become the first betting firm to have a wearable app device on the Apple Watch which begins customer shipping on 24 April. Hutchens informed Australian racing news source horseracing.com.au that …