New Bill Torches Greek Smoking Ban

Greece has more smokers relative to its population than any country in the EU. Their numbers won’t be shrinking if lawmakers sign off on a new bill to scrap...

Published April 7, 2014

UK Bookies Protest Tax Hike

Britain’s bookmakers are calling on Chancellor George Osborne (l.) to reconsider plans to raise the tax on revenue from electronic table game. The controversial devices are the mainstay of...

Published March 31, 2014

UK To Impose Mandatory Licensing, Tax Increase on FOBTs

The British Parliament has passed a bill that requires all gambling operators doing business in the country to be licensed, including those operating online and offshore. The government also...

Published March 24, 2014

Cyprus’ First Casino Hopefully Not Its Last

A village in Cyprus wants to host a casino and claims history is on its side. It was the location of a 19th century casino that was the island’s...

Published March 24, 2014

Paddy Vows to Fight Betting Shop Curbs

Paddy Power has weighed in to the FOBT controversy with a promise to sue to block the British government from imposing zoning limits on new betting shops. The limits,...

Published March 17, 2014

Grosvenor Plans Southampton Bid

Grosvenor, the UK’s largest casino operator, wants to get larger. The company says it plans to challenge Aspers for the license to a new casino in the English city...

Published March 17, 2014

No Reformation in Ireland Before 2015

Hopes are slumping that Ireland will move any time soon to modernize its antiquated gambling laws. At least one expert doesn’t expect a bill to enter the Dáil (l.)...

Published March 10, 2014

UK Could Curb Gambling Ads on TV

The proliferation of gambling in the country has moved firmly into the national political spotlight. Adding to the FOBT controversy are fresh concerns over the growth in gambling ads...

Published March 10, 2014

Tough Year for Ladbrokes

Weakness in online operations led declines across all the sectors of the UK bookmaking giant’s business in 2013. Operating income fell by one-third. Profits plummeted by two-thirds.

Published March 10, 2014

UK Bookies Defend FOBTs

Britain’s bookmaking giants are going on the offensive—or defensive, depending on the point of view. They’re denying opponents’ claims that electronic table games are a leading cause of problem...

Published March 3, 2014

Blackpool is Back

The Irish Sea resort town that was talked about a decade ago as the launching pad for a British resort gaming industry, may yet get its casino, albeit one...

Published March 3, 2014

UK Gambling Drops

Gambling dropped by 2 percent in the UK in 2013 according to a UK Gambling Commission report, but online gambling showed signs of growth.

Published February 24, 2014

Ladbrokes Closing Betting Shops

With local governments in the UK demanding more powers to limit the spread of betting shops, industry giant Ladbrokes has decided it may have overbuilt. It plans to ax...

Published February 24, 2014

Sweden’s Revenues on the Skids

Officials in Sweden are looking to new consumer technologies to reverse three years of revenue declines in the country’s betting and gaming markets. Problems are, the population is gambling...

Published February 17, 2014

UK Councils Unite To Battle Betting Shops

Hundreds of municipal councils in England and Wales, organized as the Local Government Association, are pressing for more powers to curb the proliferation of betting shops in their jurisdictions....

Published February 17, 2014

Putin: ‘Nyet’ to Casinos in Sochi

Investors are taking a bath on the more than $50 billion spent to prepare the Black Sea resort town of Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Some see casinos...

Published February 17, 2014

Codere Rejects Debt Deal

Spanish gaming and betting giant Codere has balked at a plan by creditors to take control of the company in exchange for reducing the company’s hefty debt load. The...

Published February 17, 2014

UK Betting Shops Under Fire

Local councils are renewing their push in the UK for powers to limit the proliferation of betting shops in town centers. The government appears to be getting behind the...

Published February 10, 2014

Smaller Is Better in Madrid

Madrid may no longer have EuroVegas, but it does have a couple of new gaming options. They’re tiny by EuroVegas standards, but they’re now the largest casinos in the...

Published February 10, 2014

Hill CEO Backs Curbs on High Street Bookies

With electronic table games spreading like mushrooms across British towns and cities, William Hill CEO Ralph Topping (l.) sees the political writing on the wall. The head of the...

Published February 3, 2014