Favourite’s death overshadows Cup

Original article by John Stensholt, Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 5-Nov-14

The owners of German horse "Protectionist" on 4 November 2014 received $A3.6m in prize money for winning the Emirates Melbourne Cup, in the fastest time for a dozen years. "Red Cadeaux" came second and gained the owners $A1.08m. The event overall was marred by two deaths, with pre-race favourite "Admire Rakti" collapsing after finishing last and "Araldo" needing to be destroyed after kicking a fence and breaking a leg. Bets placed with gaming groups Tabcorp, Tatts Group and Sportsbet were worth a combined $A166m

CORPORATES
THE EMIRATES MELBOURNE CUP, TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, TATTS GROUP LIMITED – ASX TTS, SPORTSBET AUSTRALIA, RACING VICTORIA LIMITED, VICTORIA RACING CLUB LIMITED

Big betters back Fawkner

Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 4-Nov-14

Admire Rakti remains the firm favourite to win the 2014 Melbourne Cup, with one punter placing a $A50,000 bet on the Japanese horse at the Call of the Card. "Fawkner" has also proven to be popular with punters, who are hoping that the Australian-owned horse can win in a field that is dominated by foreign horses. "Fawkner" is owned by businessman Lloyd Williams

CORPORATES
THE EMIRATES MELBOURNE CUP, CROWN MELBOURNE LIMITED, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, GODOLPHIN RACING, THE BMW CAULFIELD CUP

All aflutter: Melbourne Cup draws the punters (but TV viewers are down)

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 31-Oct-14

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 5.3 per cent of Australians aged 18+ placed bets on horse races at least once in any given four-week period in the year to September 2014. This compares with 8.3 per cent in the year to September 2004. However, betting activity increases significantly around Melbourne Cup time, although the proportion of Australians who watch the race on TV has fallen from 39 per cent to 31.1 per cent in the last 10 years

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, THE EMIRATES MELBOURNE CUP, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE

Man loses bid for share of ex-wife’s $6m lotto win

Original article by Michaela Whitbourn
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 12 : 15-Oct-14

Family Court of Australia judges Stephen Thackray, Peter Murphy and Murray Aldridge have dismissed an appeal against an earlier ruling by judge Janine Stevenson. She had heard that a lottery ticket had been bought by a woman six months after she separated from her husband of two decades. The man sought to claim part of the $A6m won on the ticket, but Stevenson cited a 2011 decision in the Family Division of the High Court of the UK and rejected his case

CORPORATES
FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA, HIGH COURT OF ENGLAND AND WALES

Souths to cash in from victory

Original article by Joe Aston, Jessica Gardner, John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 7-Oct-14

The South Sydney team on 5 October 2014 won the National Rugby League grand final against Canterbury, its first such victory since 1961. The telecast of the match also brought an all-time high audience figure of close to 2.6 million for free-to-air TV network Nine. Increased merchandise sales and a boost in club membership numbers after the success will mean South Sydney records a net profits of nearly $A2m for 2014. Controversy has engulfed Rowen Craigie, CEO of South Sydney sponsor Crown Resorts, after he allegedly supported Canterbury

CORPORATES
SOUTH SYDNEY RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB, BULLDOGS RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, BRISBANE BRONCOS LIMITED – ASX BBL, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, SYDNEY SWANS FOOTBALL CLUB, HAWTHORN FOOTBALL CLUB

Labor to honour Crown’s new deal

Original article by Richard Willingham, Jason Dowling
The Age – Page: 1 : 17-Sep-14

The Australian Labor Party will not oppose the Victorian Government’s new deal with Crown Resorts. The deal will extend the casino’s licence to 2050 and bring the government an extra $A910 million in tax. Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said that the party would not be able to rewrite the commercial arrangement. It has negotiated a four-year package for the retraining of 500 retrenched workers

CORPORATES
CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE

Pokies levy drags down Tatts profit

Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 22-Aug-14

Tatts Group has posted a 2013-14 net profit of $A200.4m, which is 19 per cent lower than previously. The result was marred by factors such as a $A42.6m poker machine levy, while its 2012-13 result had been boosted by a one-off tax benefit. The wagering division’s revenue was down two per cent at $A642.3m, while the lotteries division’s revenue was 4.3 per cent lower at $A1.9bn. CEO Robbie Cooke says Tatts will launch a new website and a new wagering brand

CORPORATES
TATTS GROUP LIMITED – ASX TTS, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, PENGANA CAPITAL LIMITED

Money on Echo as it shows a good hand

Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 & 24 : 14-Aug-14

The stock of gaming group Echo Entertainment on 13 August 2014 closed 3.1% higher at $A3.30. It had posted a 2013-14 full-year net profit increase of 27.3% to $A106.3m, or 24.6% to $A158.2m excluding abnormal gains from "high rollers". Revenue from its New South Wales and Queensland casino operations also grew 3.9% to reach $A1.8bn. A distribution of $A0.04 has been declared. CEO Matt Bekier noted that strong earnings growth for Echo should now be seen as a given

CORPORATES
ECHO ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LIMITED – ASX EGP, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, THE STAR, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Approval ‘one of the fastest in history’

Original article by Sean Nicholls
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 3 : 12-Aug-14

Micheil Brodie, CEO of the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) in New South Wales, has commented on the probity check recently carried out on Crown Resorts. The listed gaming group has gained permission to operate a new luxury casino at Barangaroo in Sydney, and Brodie noted that the three months the process took was the fastest assessment yet by the ILGA. He dismissed speculation that the granting of a licence under the Casino Control Act may have been jeopardised by Crown chair James Packer’s public brawl with Nine Entertainment CEO David Gyngell

CORPORATES
CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, ECHO ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LIMITED – ASX EGP, THE STAR, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT LIQUOR AND GAMING AUTHORITY

Packer rolls the dice on Vegas strip

Original article by Jessica Gardner, James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 5-Aug-14

Australian-listed Crown Resorts has paid $US280m ($A301m) for a development site in Las Vegas. The group will build a casino on the 14-hectare site, which was previously the site of the New Frontier casino. Crown now has some $A6bn worth of casino projects in development, while it is also looking at $A7bn worth of projects in Australia, Japan and Sri Lanka. The new Las Vegas casino is slated for completion in 2018

CORPORATES
CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, NEW FRONTIER HOTEL AND CASINO, OAKTREE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC, WYNN RESORTS LIMITED, MELCO CROWN ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED, GREENLAND HOLDING GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, ABOVE THE INDEX ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD