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// PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // November/December 2016
this opportunity to thank him for his in-
valuable work for Norsk Tipping,”
Mrs.
Havnelid says.
“I am very proud of the company’s ac-
complishments these past eight years. I
want to thank Norsk Tipping’s orga-
nization, our key national and inter-
national partners and our board and
owner for the good cooperation during
the last eight years. I am convinced that
Mrs. Havnelid, with her broad experi-
ence, will be a great CEO for the com-
pany in the coming years, and I want to
use this occasion to wish both her and
the organization the best of luck,”
Mr.
Almlid says.
wagering giant tabcorp
is set to merge with
tatts group to create
a $10 billion gaming
behemoth that will
own nearly all the tabs
across the country.
The latest attempt by the gaming
giants to join forces comes as they
battle increased competition from
corporate online bookmakers, which
are facing regulatory pressure from
the Turnbull government. A merged
Tatts-Tabcorp would run TABs in
every state except WA. At the same
time Tatts also brings to the table a
lucrative lotto franchise including
TattsLotto in Victoria, Queensland’s
Golden Casket as well as the NSW
Lotteries business. Both companies
operate fast growing online gaming
arms while Tabcorp owns the Keno
franchise through pubs and clubs.
Last year Tabcorp paid a combined
$620 million to racing clubs in Vic-
toria and NSW, while Tatts delivered
several state governments more than
$1.3bn in revenue through lotto
sales. Australian Competition &
Consumer Commission chairman
Rod Sims said a submission from the
proposed new wagering group would
get “detailed scrutiny.”
france approves on-line
poker liquidity sharing
In a move designed to bolster
France’s declining on-line gambling
business, the French government
has approved legislation to permit
online poker liquidity sharing with
other European countries.
French poker players now can join
online poker games on licensed
sites against players located in other
European jurisdictions. Before the
legislation’s adoption, poker play-
ers in France were only able to play
against fellow countrymen or those
visiting the nation.
The bill also provides more support to
combat gambling addiction.
Most countries do not regulate eSports
tournaments, but France will begin to
ensure eSports leagues are protected
under law. The games will be regulated
by the government.
François Hollande, President of
France, has not yet signed the
measure, but is expected to grant his
approval soon.
Although online poker is legal in
France, that is not the case in most of
the United States. Lawmakers in Penn-
sylvania have been trying to become
the fourth state to legalize online gam-
bling, but no measures have gotten
past the state’s House of Representa-
tives. Meanwhile, rumors persist of the
potential for shared liquidity between
Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The shared liquidity with a state that
already has licensed, regulated online
poker sites could sway New Jersey law-
makers who aren’t on board to change
their minds.
A state such as Pennsylvania could
reap the same benefits as what France
will get out of its new bill. Some
advocates in New Jersey are hopeful a
bill will pass before the end of the year,
but that doesn’t appear likely.
remote gaming could fuel
macau revenue growth
Following more than two years of
declines in gross gaming revenue
(GGR) triggered by the stringent
enforcement of anti-corruption
measures, the Macau casino indus-
try finally has begun to rebound.
Macau’s Gaming Inspection and
Coordination Bureau reported that
August 2016 was the first month in
the past 26 months to experience
growth (1.1%). September gener-
ated $2.3 billion in GGR, represent-
ing 7.4% growth. The opening of
the Wynn Palace casino in August
and the Sands Parisian Macao ca-
sino in September have contributed
to the overall turnaround.
Despite the improvement in casino
performance, an influential Macau
law firm has suggested that the
city should reconsider the issue of
regulating forms of online-delivered
gaming. Opening the Macau
market to remote gaming activities
“could breathe new life into this once-
booming market,”
said lawyers Pedro
Cortés and Manuel Moita Júnior,
from the law practice Rato, Ling,
Lei and Cortés.
Several industry analysts have sug-
gested that the potential for online-de-
livered sports betting in Macau—simi-
lar to products available in Las Vegas
casinos—has been largely unrealized.
A report by the U.K.-based consul-
tancy firm Juniper Research estimat-
ed that the value of online gambling
wagers will increase from US$550
billion this year to nearly US$950
billion by 2021. Juniper, which
focuses on appraising new high-
growth digital business markets—
said that users of mobile devices
and channels would be responsible
for the “majority of net growth” in
online gaming activities.