As far back as the third quarter of 2009 the Interactive Gaming Council, a Vancouver-based trade association looking after the interests of major and reputable online gambling operators, was lobbying BC politicians to extend government-only online gambling to reputable private companies in a strictly regulated but international system.

Earlier in 2009 the British Columbia Lottery Corporation had announced it would be adding “casino-style games such as blackjack, roulette and poker” to its PlayNow.com online lottery website.

At the time, John Kennedy FitzGerald, CEO of the Interactive Gaming Council said, “Like the B.C. Government, the IGC recognizes there are online gaming companies that operate out of poorly regulated jurisdictions.

“However, IGC members are licensed and strictly regulated in jurisdictions like the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Alderney, which are recognized by the United Kingdom as having the highest regulatory standards in the world. Some of these jurisdictions have been involved with regulating online gaming for nearly a decade.”

Fitzgerald went on to offer the IGC’s assistance in framing effective BC online gambling regulations that did not conflict with proven standards and measures developed elsewhere to “enhance consumer protection and provide additional tax revenue opportunities for the government.”

The issue surfaced again last week in an article in the Canadian publication The Public Eye which was republished in other BC media. The article reprises the previous moves by the government and the IGC, repeating the trade association’s warning that there could be trouble if the government kept its [online lottery] monopoly and just added casino-style games to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s website.

The province would also lose all the revenue benefits of an “open regulated market,” while “wasting enforcement resources in a fruitless attempt” to “censor” private gambling websites.

And it would “excessively empower” the lottery corporation “making enforcement activities virtually impossible (improbable that government would shut down its only supplier).

The Public Eye reports that the IGC submission, according to an internal email authored by BCLC’s president and chief executive officer Michael Graydon, “…caught the attention of the [provincial] Standing Committee because of the revenue opportunity.”

But a briefing note prepared for gaming minister Rich Coleman stated the IGC’s “proposed model” couldn’t be “authorized under the current gaming provisions of the federal Criminal Code.”

The Public Eye report notes that a meeting between the IGC’s Fitzgerald and BCLC’s Graydon schediuled for October 2009 was subsequently cancelled at the request of the former, who pleaded that he needed to “attend to matters here in Ontario unrelated to the IGC.”

But a second briefing note prepared for the gaming minister in advance of that aborted conversation included a section detailing “Options for Private Sector Involvement in Online Gaming in BC.”

The Public Eye notes that the question of whether the BC government will entertain the idea of opening casino-style online gaming beyond the confines of its own lottery corporation therefore remains open.

“It’s an unanswered question as to whether the Campbell administration will exercise any of those [IGC] options….which were blanked out by government before being released in response to a freedom of information request,” the Public Eye observes.

The Las Vegas-based internet gambling company said Wednesday it earned $14.5 million, or 25 cents a share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30. A year ago, the online casino company reported net income of $14.3 million, also 25 cents per share.

The latest earnings-per-share figure met the forecast of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

Companywide revenue fell 6.8 percent to $299.4 million from $321.4 million.

Ameristar said a bright spot was the company’s Ameristar Black Hawk in Colorado. Revenues grew 24.2 percent ahead of October’s opening of a 536-room hotel tower and casino expansion. Company executives said the Black Hawk casino, located about 40 miles outside Denver, benefited from a liberalization of Colorado’s gaming laws.

However, poor results at the company’s casinos in Vicksburg, Miss., and East Chicago, Ind., offset the performance in Black Hawk.

“Ameristar’s third-quarter results reflect the mixed regional market trends and are likely not that surprising given that several other regional operators have already reported (earnings),” Goldman Sachs gaming analyst Steven Kent told investors.

Ameristar Chief Executive Officer Gordon Kanofsky said the company’s casinos in Missouri also benefited from looser gaming rules implemented late last year.

“In the third quarter, Ameristar once again demonstrated its ability to produce solid financial results during challenging economic conditions,” Kanofsky said.

Throughout the year, casino operators have told investors gamblers pulled back on their spending during the recession. Many companies reduced costs.

During the quarter, Ameristar cut operating expenses to $248.5 million from $275.2 million. The company trimmed operating expenses related to casinos, food and beverage and rooms.

“Over the last 12 months, we have substantially reduced operating costs and believe we can sustain these savings,” Kanofsky said.

Oppenheimer gaming analyst David Katz said Ameristar needs to shore up its efforts in some of the seven markets in which it operates.

“We believe the key challenge for the company will be to solidify the performance across the entire portfolio despite beneficial regulations in some markets and competitive pressures in others,” Katz said.

Ameristar shares rose 64 cents, or 4.16 percent, Wednesday to close at $16.01 on the Nasdaq National Market.

The Reno-based company has been occupied over the past 18 months by a corporate shake-up and cost cutting.

On Thursday, the Reno-based slot machine giant said it ended the year with a $77 million noncash investment write-down, sending IGT to a fourth-quarter net loss of $21.3 million.

Still, IGT Chief Executive Officer Patti Hart, who took over the online gambling company’s day-to-day operations in April, said the last two quarters have been beneficial for the slot maker.

“Our fiscal 2009 results reflect a challenging operating environment which we believe stabilized during our fiscal third and fourth quarters,” Hart said in a statement.

The company has cut about $200 million in annual costs that will continue into the next fiscal year.

IGT warned investors last month the charge was coming in its quarterly earnings statement.

The net loss translated into a loss per share of 7 cents. A year ago, IGT earned $52.1 million, or 18 cents a share.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who usually exclude one-time items from their estimates, predicted earnings of 17 cents per share.

IGT’s total revenues in the quarter that ended Sept. 30 were $514.6 million, compared with $632.2 million a year ago.

For the fiscal year, IGT said it had revenues of $2.1 billion, down from $2.5 billion in 2008, and net income of $149 million, down from $342.5 million the prior year. The company said it earned 51 cents per share in fiscal 2009, down from $1.10 per share in 2008.

Hart said IGT, which will unveil its new product lines at the Global Gaming Expo in two weeks, including slot machines themed on the television shows “Sex and the City” and “The Amazing Race,” expect casinos to start replacing older slot machines in the coming year.

Over the past 18 months, casinos have held back on spending on new gambling products because of the slowing economy.

“While we remain cautious on the timing and extent of the replacement cycle, we have been encouraged by modest upticks in spending by many of our casino operator customers over the past two quarters,” Hart said.

IGT said it placed 6,100 slot machines in North American casinos in the fourth quarter, down from 11,000 a year ago. For the fiscal year, the company shipped 26,400 games, down from 37,100 in 2008.

On the international front, IGT said it shipped 9,500 slot machines in the quarter, compared with 11,200 in the same quarter a year ago. The company shipped 29,800 games internationally in all of fiscal 2009, compared with 37,100 in the prior year.

Roth Capital Markets gaming analyst Todd Eilers said IGT offered customers discounts and other incentives to boost slot machine sales last year.

But casinos may be willing, he said, to spend more on games in 2010.

“While we are cautious in the near term, we look for all suppliers (including IGT) to benefit from increased domestic replacement demand in calendar 2010 and new jurisdictional expansions over the next several years,” Eilers told investors.

Hart said IGT is not counting on sales in new jurisdictions next year, even though Ohio approved the construction of four casinos. She said regulations and other jurisdictional matters still need to be cleared by Ohio lawmakers.

IGT reported earnings after the stock markets closed Thursday. Shares of the company closed at $18.56 on the New York Stock Exchange, down 4 cents, or 0.22 percent. Shares were up slightly in after-hours trading.

To the Strip online casino giant and its investors, the company’s third-quarter earnings announcement Thursday was all about CityCenter.

The first component in the $8.5 billion, 67-acre Strip development, the 1,500-room nongaming Vdara, opens in 26 days. The project’s retail, dining and entertainment component opens two days later, followed by the nongaming Mandarin Oriental on Dec. 4.

MGM Mirage executives spent a considerable portion of their hourlong conference call with analysts expressing optimism that the $8.5 billion CityCenter will not only grow the market, but will fuel Las Vegas’ economic rebound in 2010. They said the online gambling company, which now operates nine Strip hotel-casinos catering to all ends of the consumer spending spectrum, has the necessary data showing that a turnaround has begun.

“We’re not out of the woods and we’re not popping the champagne corks like the New York Yankees, but there are signs the market is healing itself,” said MGM Mirage Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Murren. “We know the market. None of our competitors has the empirical data that we have in front of us because we deal with every type of customer that comes to Las Vegas.”

Murren told investors CityCenter could spur a 5 to 10 percent increase in Las Vegas visitor volume in 2010 and a gradual increase in revenue per available room, a nontraditional measurement Wall Street uses to determine profitability. Convention bookings into 2010, he said, have increased. The company has booked about 550,000 convention room nights into the third quarter of next year, the bulk of which are at Mandalay Bay.

Las Vegas history, Murren said, has shown new casino resorts grow the market. He cited The Mirage’s opening in 1989, MGM Grand in 1993, Bellagio in 1998 and Wynn Las Vegas in 2005. None of those resorts, however, opened in the middle of a recession.

“We believe this opening will truly differentiate ourselves,” Murren said. “(CityCenter) is a must-see iconic destination. It’s an investment not only for next year, but also for future years.”

Wall Street is still skeptical.

“We remain cautious on Las Vegas’ operating trends heading into a 10 percent supply increase starting next month with CityCenter,” Goldman Sachs gaming analyst Steven Kent said.

To ensure attention, MGM Mirage plans to spend $20 million by the end of December on advertising and promotional activities surrounding CityCenter’s opening. In 2010, the company will spend $27 million on newspaper, television and Internet advertising to build the CityCenter brand.

CityCenter CEO Bobby Baldwin said company projections have Aria, the development’s centerpiece 4,004-room hotel-casino that opens Dec. 16, generating $1.2 billion in revenue in 2010. Aria has booked hotel rooms 258 days and has become the Strip’s most expensive hotel, booking a room rate that is a premium to Bellagio 80 percent of the time. Crystals will open with 47 percent of its tenants in December and expects to be 82 percent occupied by July.

Baldwin said the CityCenter residential sales employees have spoken with about 700 of the 975 buyers of the project’s residential offerings about the 30 percent price reductions announced in October. Condominium sales will begin closing in January at Mandarin Oriental, the all-residential Veer Towers in February and Vdara in March.

Even with the price reductions, Baldwin said the condominium sales will exceed the company’s financial projections. MGM Mirage previewed its third-quarter earnings somewhat on Oct. 20, telling Wall Street about the impairment charges, the impending quarterly loss and a third party valuation of CityCenter that said MGM Mirage’s 50 percent equity investment in the project was worth $2.44 billion.

The investment community wasn’t surprised by the net loss, which translated into a loss per share of $1.70 for the quarter that ended Sept. 30. In the same quarter a year ago, MGM Mirage reported net income of $61.3 million, or earnings of 22 cents a share.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, whose estimates typically exclude one-time items like charges, expected MGM Mirage to post a loss of 7 cents per share.

The impairment charges included a pre-tax charge of $956 million related to the investment in CityCenter and a pre-tax non-cash charge of $203 million related to impairment of CityCenter’s residential real estate under development.

Dubai World, the investment arm of the Persian Gulf emirate, owns the other half of CityCenter.

Companywide revenue in the quarter was $1.5 billion, a 9 percent decline compared with $1.9 billion in the same quarter a year ago. Casino revenue, however, declined just 1 percent because of strong baccarat results from the company’s Strip casinos.

Murren said the company’s cash flow and margins improved in the quarter.

The move, motivated by player consultation and feedback, allows JackpotCity Bingo to offer a host of new benefits, including the latest in progressive online jackpot games, where the number of balls that can be played increases every few days, along with the jackpot. JackpotCity Bingo is also moving three of its popular rooms to a smaller network where less players mean better odds.

“By moving three of our rooms to a smaller network, we enhance the odds of winning for our loyal players,” said Gilbert Puente, Head of Bingo at JackpotCity Bingo. “Plus there are the obvious benefits of partnering with Microgaming, the recognized industry leader. New deposit and withdrawal options, progressive jackpots that get easier to win as the pot goes up, state of the art online casino side-games and new 75 ball and 90 ball varieties - this is a major milestone for our players and our site.”

Other enhancements include the ability to buy tickets after the game starts, more frequent games, new chat functionality and much more. “This upgrade gives us a stronger foundation on which to build our greatest asset - our community,” said Puente. “The people that play at JackpotCity Bingo make it what it is. We made this change because they asked for it, and we’re sure they’ll be happy with the result.”

The move now brings JackpotCity Bingo under the license issued to Tower Rock Ltd by the Government of Gibraltar, a British Territory with stringent operator requirements. With regard to the license, Puente noted that “It’s a demanding one to have, but having it means you really are a world-class online bingo site”. It also brings JackpotCity Bingo in line with other Carmen Media Group sites, such as JackpotCity Online Casino, all of which run on Microgaming’s software.

The Colts racked up a 27 points to 17 victory over AFC South divisional rival Tennessee last weekend and are now listed by Coral at odds of 6/5 to represent the AFC in February’s Super Bowl. Just behind this at 5/4 are Ladbrokes, SkyBet and Bet365 while BoyleSports, ToteSport, StanJames PaddyPower and WilliamHill are offering 11/8.

The Colts are tied with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football Conference (NFC) with twelve wins to no losses and both are highly fancied by the bookies to face each other in American football’s ultimate and casino game. Indianapolis is listed by BetDaq.com at odds of 71/50 to win the AFC title while Betfair.com is going with 73/50 followed by BetFred.com with 8/5.

With nine wins to three losses, the San Diego Chargers of the AFC West have a great chance of making it to the Super Bowl and BoyleSports.com, ToteSport.com, BetFred.com, PaddyPower.com, Coral.co.uk and WilliamHill.com are offering odds of 7/2 on this eventuality. Slightly longer, SkyBet.com and BetDaq.com currently list 19/5 while Bet365.com, StanJames.com and Ladbrokes.com show 4/1.

Once a perennial powerhouse of the AFC, the New England Patriots have been struggling lately and are coming off two straight losses. However, the Boston-based franchise still sits atop the AFC East division and are being offered at odds of 333/100 by Betfair.com to make it to the Super Bowl. Slightly longer, WilliamHill.com, Coral.co.uk, PaddyPower.com, BoyleSports.com and BetFred.com have the Patriots at 4/1 while BetDaq.com is going with 43/10.

In order to make it to the Super Bowl, there is every chance that New England will have to face Indianapolis in a play-off game in January in Indiana, something that did not go well for the Patriots earlier this month. With this in mind, Bet365.com, ToteSport.com and SkyBet.com are offering odds of 9/2 on the Massachusetts team making it to the Super Bowl while StanJames.com and Ladbrokes.com are showing 5/1.

McCreevy frequently fought the industry’s corner when it came to enforcing EU principles of the free movement of goods and services, a concept often fiercely opposed by state monopolies trying to protect lucrative businesses. The Irish executive’s no-nonsense approach saw several governments back down in the face of threatened European Court of Justice actions, and his commitment to European Treaty fundamentals won him great respect.

The management changes that European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso wanted to make - there were six key appointments - took protracted negotiation and international gambling wheeling and dealing before everyone was on board and McCreevy’s successor was named.

He is Michel Barnier (57) of France, a former French foreign minister and most recently agriculture minister who has extensive political and government experience in a wide range of posts in both France and at the European Union.

Along with other key economic posts, his appointment caused diplomatic ructions between France and the UK when the French president Nicholas Sarkozy remarked in a decidedly undiplomatic manner that the British were the losers in the new appointments, creating a frosty reception in London.

Barroso insisted that he had awarded jobs to individuals, not countries, though he conceded that he had talked to several prime ministers throughout the process.

“In such a process there is always going to be a dialogue, requests and suggestions that are made,” he said at a news conference in Brussels. “I spoke with many of the commissioners-designate and prime ministers, but the decision is mine.”

The result, he said, was a “sound mix of talent, gender and political orientation,” while none of the 13 commissioners who remain in Brussels will keep the same job.

The commissioners-designate will face hearings in the European Parliament starting on January 11 2010 and then, if confirmed, will begin work in February.

The hearings could see further political arguments, as it is known that Britain is unhappy that financial services are included in Barnier’s portfolio. The consolation for the Brits is the appointment of Jonathan Faull as Barnier’s director-general - the most senior full-time career official.

Karel Lannoo, chief executive of the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels, opined that “…the five or six big countries have divided up between each other the important portfolios.” Barnier, he said, “…will probably do the opposite of what Mr. McCreevy did when he came in and called for a regulatory pause.”

The agreement includes the provision of side casino games by G2 for the site and a new instant win channel, Play Castle Games which launched in May 2009. Play Castle Games has an instant-play gaming suite that includes over 60 instant-play casino games such as X-factor, Cluedo, Cleopatra, Top Trumps Celebs and Monte Carlo Billions.

The latest G2 software release includes a range of bingo variants, including the new 80 Ball Speed Bingo, as well as a free play option. It provides for more personalisation and its multi currency functionality and linked network games enable liquidity across seven European markets, resulting in large pooled jackpots.

“We have worked with Castle Leisure for over 3 years now and have built an excellent relationship together,” said Leigh Nissim, Commercial Director at GTech G2. “The decision to extend their bingo contract with us and the addition of the instant win site are great choices as they seek to offer more entertainment to their visitors.”

The suite of instant win side games includes arcade games, scratch cards, table games, progressive jackpots and branded content aimed at casual gamers. GTech G2 offers a fully outsourced, white label solution for brands and gaming companies wishing to extend life time customer values whilst offering entertaining content.

Castle Bingo first launched in 2007 with software by St Minver, now a GTech G2 subsidiary.

The racecard supplies licensees with dynamic sports news and content, empowering users to manipulate four different horse racing form elements - casino games win, place, going and jockey/trainer - to reach final predictive outcomes.

PAS expects to announce further iCard partnerships in the near future, a spokesman revealed.

“Through these deals Betfred, Blue Square and Digibet will have access to the wealth of data and editorial that we offer, and in turn, customers benefit from all the information being in one place,” said James Garmston, head of sports at PAS.

The expansion has been made possible through a partnership agreement with white label sportsbook specialist provider Odds Matrix, who’s sportsbook betting service is integrated into the Tain Common Platform.

CEO of OddsMatrix Stian Hornsletten said: “We believe this a great opportunity to gain access to new clients and grow our customer base. Tain has a unique set-up with poker and casino sites, which will greatly benefit from accessing our fully managed sportsbook.”

“With the Poker industry currently undergoing significant changes it is increasingly important for operators to have a full offering,” said Tain CEO Christer Fahlstedt.

“A sportsbook is an additional customer acquisition and retention tool as well as a route to new markets.”

OddsMatrix was founded in 2008 and is a part of the EveryMatrix group provides sportbook services - including licence, software, creation of odds and market, risk management, bet settlement and back office – aimed at poker, casino and bingo providers. There are currently six clients, including Chili Gaming, Tower Gaming, NoiQ and BetFriends and a further seven signed up.

The Tain Common Platform includes a back office platform with fully integrated gaming systems including Playtech/iPoker and Oddsmatrix, and Tain Payment Gateway supporting 20+ payment methods. Tain Operations, the operational arm of Tain AB, offers a full range of hosting and support services in multiple jurisdictions including Malta, Kahnawake and Curacao.

Currently seventeen operators are live using the Tain TCP systems. Among their clients are Expekt.com, Lucky8bet and Parimatch.