Welcome Aboard -- Victorian giant Tabcorp announced seven new appointments in its casinos division yesterday as it awaits a decision from the corporate regulator over its A$2.1 billion takeover bid for Queensland gaming group UNiTAB. The company said the change would boost its significant commitment to its casinos division headquarters in Queensland. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is expected to release its final ruling on the takeover plan next Wednesday. Meanwhile, UNiTAB remains committed to a merger with Victorian lotteries operator Tattersall's, with whom it has been in talks since March.
Consolidation -- Czech Republic-based betting agency Tipsport, which specializes in odds betting, is entering the Slovak market. The company has purchased a 100-percent stake in Slovak firm DOXX-SK, which operates odds betting in Slovakia. DOXX-SK has been renamed Tipsport SK and simultaneously separated from the DOXX Group following Tipsport's entry on Aug. 1, according to the company. Tipsport CEO Petr Knybel said the integration process will take several months, but it should complete most of it by September of next year.
BWIN Trouble -- Austrian-based online bookmaker BWIN Interactive Entertainment AG is reportedly at risk of losing its German betting license. The German state of Saxony is expected to withdraw its license as early as Thursday and plans to ban BWIN from accepting bets from the country via the Internet, according to local daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The license has already been declared invalid in Bavaria, but if Saxony revokes the permit, BWIN will lose its right to operate in the whole of Germany because Saxony is the original issuer of the license. A BWIN spokeswoman said the company has a legal complaint prepared that demands EUR 500 million in compensation for the possible losses is the permit is canceled. Germany contributes around 25 percent of BWIN's gross gaming revenue.
Education -- The Italian Government on Aug. 3 decided to allocate a portion of its proceeds derived from gaming and betting to develop an informational campaign geared toward young people. These campaigns will be made in cooperation with schools to educate young people about the risks of problem gambling and to develop a responsible approach towards gaming.
Stock Report -- I-gaming stocks in London continued their downward trend today. Neteller lost 19p to close at 402p; 888 closed down 8.25p to 156.75p; Sportingbet shed 8p to 272p; World Gaming ended the day down 8p to 69p; FTSE 100-listed PartyGaming lost 6p to 112.25p and Playtech was down 5p, closing at 245p. On the up side, however, Rank gained 7p to close at 2071.50 and William Hill was up 5p to 597p. On the Vienna market, BWIN dropped EUR 9.71 under the threat of losing its German license, closing at EUR 22.99.