Retail

The Austrian Ministry of Finance has granted the integrated global gaming firm, Novomatic, two casino licenses. These will allow Novomatic to open two new flagship casinos in the country; one at Vienna Prater and the other in Bruck an der Leitha in Lower Austria. The firm, which is one of the largest producers and operators of gaming technologies and one …

Racing Queensland has announced changes to its race information fees structure, effective from today. The organisation said it was critical the industry received a return on the significant investment it makes in hosting meetings. “In recent years we have seen the amount of money wagered increasing but revenues back to the industry have been declining, which is simply not sustainable,” …

The historic gambling city of New Jersey, Atlantic City, is in crisis. It seems it’s biggest draw; it’s casinos, have reached a point of saturation. Of the twelve that were open at the start of 2014, it looks likely that only nine will remain by September. Caesars Entertainment, which has bemoaned the fact that there are too many casinos in …

The BBC News African focused business program ‘Africa Business Report’, featured a special insight broadcast by BBC Sierra Leone correspondent Umaru Fofana on the rising popularity of sports betting in Sierra Leone (West Africa). The program reports that the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown has witnessed a surge in the number of small telecom/text  operated betting devices, were Sierra Leonese …

Australian gaming group Tatts is set to be awarded more than $451m (£249.6m) in compensation, arising from the expiry of its gaming operator’s licence in August 2012. The Supreme Court of Victoria has found the State of Victoria liable, with an announcement regarding interest and costs expected in the coming days. A statement on the company’s website said: “Tatts welcomes the decision, which upholds an agreement …

The Irish Bookmakers Association has revealed that the Betting Bill is now with the Attorney General, but is sweating on EU approval. The group, which represents 70 per cent of bookmakers and independent providers, believes the retail betting sector is in severe decline, having witnessed the closure of 366 shops in the last six years, resulting in the loss of approximately 1700 staff. It …

The Greyhound Board of Great Britain has appointed Simon Banks as Media and Communications Officer.  Banks is an experienced freelance journalist who has written for a wide range of national and business titles on a number of subjects including greyhound racing, general sport and gambling related matters. He is a greyhound owner and has a retired greyhound at home. He …

New Jersey’s efforts to legalise sports betting are not over according to Senator Raymond ‘Ray’ Lesniak. The Senator who was a key member of the committee which brought forward the sports betting appeal to the Supreme Court, believes that the state of New Jersey could still offer sport betting through legal technicalities concerning gambling within the state. Last Monday, in …

The founding eight members of the Asian-African Tote Association (AATA) were announced in the opening association meeting held yesterday in South Africa. The new association aims to create strengthening ties among African betting operators and totes, and to further increase African racings and totes profile throughout the global gambling sector. The eight members of the AATA include Hong Kong Jockey …