2010 has begun and Funworld is continuing its successful multiple product strategy on a thorough footing presenting a wealth of brand-new innovations at IMA (hall 8a, stand C25) and at IGE (stand 4122).

APEX Gaming Europe has appointed Darek Borowiec and Franz Plasser. These appointments reflect the growth in demand for APEX Gaming products and services in Italy, Spain and South America.

Brent Sales claims it is bringing the world’s most advanced photo booth to Europe this year. Fantasy Entertainment’s BlaBaBooth, which is being distributed on an exclusive basis by Brent Sales, has according to Brent’s Commercial Director John Brennan ‘redefined the photo booth genre and brought it into the 21st century with a bang.’

Takings from sports betting reached almost 4 billion euro in 2009. In fact, in total, bets worth 3,989 million euro were placed, a 2.1% increase on the 3,908 million collected from the sector in 2008. An increase – explains Agicos – that is very much reduced when one considers that in 2008 sports betting showed an increase of 50% over the 2,591 million placed in 2007.  On-line betting has done decidedly better, with takings of 1207.6 million, representing an increase of 12.9% over the 1069,7 million collected in 2008. Betting on the Internet in 2009 has accounted for 30.3% of the total amount collected.

The Spanish gaming market has always been a legal maze, suitable only for specialists or for those who, possessed with an infinite patience, are able to digest the interminable legislative changes that are forever taking place in the different autonomous regions. The professionals and businessmen who operate within the Spanish market have to make an enormous effort to keep themselves up to date.

In what would seem obvious, the chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) wants to ban operators who have been prosecuted or fined for running “gray-area” pokers from participating in Illinois’ planned legal video lottery market. He made the announcement at a December 16, 2009 meeting of the regulatory organization.

CANADA

In a case that could have wider national implications, Canada’s Loto-Quebec has reached an out-of-court settlement worth millions of dollars with problem gamblers in the province, following a class action lawsuit filed against the provincial state lottery operator nine years ago.

Source: Gaming Intelligence