Fertile Market -- gambling, TV advertising and online gambling research firm MECN published a report this November that describes the Spanish gambling market as a "key region for future growth." The report also projects that, by 2010, the Spanish market as a whole will grow to an estimated 39 billion euros, with the online gambling market growing to an estimated 4.5 billion euros.
Click here to view a preview of the report.
Playshare Acquires GGC -- Playshare, parent company of CasinoShare.com and Pokershare.com, earlier this month acquired the Grand Gaming Group, which comprises Grand Monaco Casino as well as the G3 partner affiliate program that promotes it. Playshare said the deal creates a bigger, stronger team to support its affiliates and adds grandmonaco.com, deutshesgrandmonaco.com and casinograndmonaco.com to the Playshare program. Both the Grand Gaming casinos and the existent Playshare products are powered by Microgaming software and regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. Financial details of the acquisition were not available.
Sportsbook.com Continues with US Operations -- Online sportsbook Sportsbook.com will launch its revamped U.S.-facing operation at the end of this week, reports Online-Casinos.com. The company's U.S.-facing operation was a former subsidiary of U.K.-based, publicly listed Sportingbet. Sportingbet sold off the operation for a $1 sum on Oct. 12, one day prior to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in the United States.
"Break Down, Take Down: You're Busted" -- The Dallas SWAT team busted three illegal gambling operations last weekend, reports nbc5i.com. Vice officers raided several homes and businesses as part of a city-wide crackdown on gambling. Three raids targeted illegal poker operations and resulted in more than 20 people arrested—an additional 80 were cited for having played the game. Police seized an estimated $43,000 in cash from the operations.
Click here to view video of the raids.