GAMBLING INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA

Court unplugs Crown casino probe powers

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Original article by Deborah Cornwall
The Australian – Page: 6 : 12-Feb-20

The New South Wales NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority is slated to commence its inquiry into Crown Resorts’ casino operations on 24 February. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that the inquiry does not have the powers of a royal commission. Lawrence Ho’s Melco Resorts had argued that the ILGA lacked the power to order it to surrender nine documents, and that doing would constitute a breach of legal professional privilege.

CORPORATES
CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, MELCO RESORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT LIQUOR AND GAMING AUTHORITY, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

In this sports betting company, the winners are called problem customers

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Original article by Steve Cannane, Kyle Taylor
abc.net au – Page: Online : 6-Dec-19

Former employees of UK-based wagering giant Bet365 have revealed the strategies it uses to protect its profit margins. The whistleblowers say Bet365 uses complex algorithms to identify customers who have a high win rate and limit the size of the bets that they can place via its platform. The algorithms are also used to target punters who lose frequently, in order to increase their betting limits. In-play betting is one of Bet365’s biggest sources of revenue globally, although it is restricted to telephone betting in Australia. An internal document shows that Bet365 is concerned that telephone-based in-play betting is easier for customers to exploit than online betting.

CORPORATES
BET365 GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Tabcorp takes a punt on NFL deal

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 19 : 19-Sep-19

Wagering company Tabcorp announced on 18 September that it would become the US National Football League’s official wagering partner in Australia. The multi-year agreement is seen as part of Tabcorp’s push to make Sky Channel the home of US sport in Australia, and will include Sky Channel broadcasting one NFL game each Monday morning during the NFL season across its network of more than 4,400 clubs, pubs and TABs.

CORPORATES
TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Tabcorp says lotteries demerger calls total nonsense

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Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 15-Aug-19

Gambling company Tabcorp released its 2018-19 full year results, reporting an underlying net profit of $397.6 million, up 42.5 per cent. It was the first full-year results released by Tabcorp since its $11 billion merger with Tatts Group, with Tabcorp’s lotteries division reporting a 29 per cent increase in EBITDA to $509 million. However, its wagering and media division saw its EBITDA fall 7.9 per cent to $416 million. Commenting on calls for Tabcorp to demerge its lotteries business, CEO David Attenborough said there were no plans to do so.

CORPORATES
TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, TATTS GROUP LIMITED, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT

Packer’s sale of $1.76b stake in Crown Resorts puts spotlight on Barangaroo pledge

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Original article by Nick Bonyhady, Nick Toscano
The Brisbane Times – Page: Online : 31-May-19

James Packer has sold half of his stake in Crown Resorts to Hong Kong-based Melco Resorts & Entertainment, a company with which Crown once operated a casino in Macau under a joint venture. The $1.76 billion deal was transacted via Packer’s private company Consolidated Press Holdings, and leaves Packer with around 25 per cent of Crown. However, there are suggestions that the share sale may breach the conditions of Crown’s operating licence in New South Wales; a condition of the agreement requires Crown to have no associations with Stanley Ho, the father of Melco owner Lawrence Ho.

CORPORATES
CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, MELCO RESORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

‘They’re all gamblers’: high-stakes Crown still in play

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 11-Apr-19

Shares in Crown Resorts fell 9.1 per cent to $12.77 on 10 April, after US-based Wynn Resorts withdrew from takeover talks. However, observers believe that Crown is open to other offers and that another bid from Wynn cannot be ruled out. Crown’s largest shareholder James Packer is said to be keen to exit the casinos business, with an industry observer suggesting that he would be a "willing seller" at around the price that had been proposed by Wynn.

CORPORATES
CROWN RESEARCH INSTITUTES, WYNN RESORTS LIMITED, WHITE FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

Packer’s deal goes bust

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker, John Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 10-Apr-19

US-based Wynn Resorts has advised that it will not proceed with a potential takeover bid for Australian-listed Crown Resorts. The two groups are believed to have been holding confidential talks for several months, and Crown informed the ASX of the negotiations on 9 April. Wynn Resorts has cited the "premature disclosure" of these discussions for its decision to cease all negotiations with Crown. Businessman James Packer, who has a 46.1 per cent stake in Crown, would have emerged with a 10 per cent stake in Wynn Resorts if the deal had proceeded.

CORPORATES
CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, WYNN RESORTS LIMITED

Tabcorp hits out over 40pc first strike

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 17 & 21 : 18-Oct-18

Tabcorp Holdings’ remuneration report was rejected by 40.4 per cent of shareholders at its 2018 annual meeting. Tabcorp chair Paula Dwyer attributes the high protest vote to factors such as the wagering group’s decision to terminate its Sun Bets joint venture in the UK and a record fine of $45m for breaching anti-money-laundering and counterterrorism financing laws. Dwyer has also accused proxy advisers of providing misleading information to investors about Tabcorp, and says shareholders should engage directly with the company rather than via such advisers.

CORPORATES
TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, SUN BETS, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TATTS GROUP LIMITED – ASX TTS, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT. AUSTRALIAN TRANSACTION REPORTS AND ANALYSIS CENTRE, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, AUSTRALIAN SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSOCIATION

Crown execs support Packer exit

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker, Christine Lacy
The Australian – Page: 17 & 27 : 22-Mar-18

Shares in Crown Resorts closed almost one per cent lower at $A12.95 on 21 March, after major shareholder James Packer resigned from the board for personal reasons. Packer’s private company, Consolidated Press Holding, subsequently attributed his resignation to mental health issues. Crown Resorts has been under scrutiny in recent years over a series of scandals, including allegations that it had tampered with poker machines at Crown Melbourne and the arrest of Crown employees in China in 2016.

CORPORATES
CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, CONSOLIDATED PRESS HOLDINGS LIMITED, BEYOND BLUE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VICTORIAN COMMISSION FOR GAMBLING AND LIQUOR REGULATION, VICTORIA. AUDITOR-GENERAL’S OFFICE, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED

CrownBet wins race for William Hill

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Original article by Sarah-Jane Tasker
The Australian – Page: 28 : 7-Mar-18

CrownBet will become Australia’s third-largest wagering group after securing a deal to acquire the local arm of UK-based William Hill for $A300m. Rival bidder Sportsbet was trumped after CrownBet’s bid gained the support of its major shareholder, The Stars Group, which bought its controlling stake from Crown Resorts in 2017. William Hill chose to withdraw from the Australian market due to rising losses and a ban on credit betting.

CORPORATES
CROWNBET PTY LTD, WILLIAM HILL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WILLIAM HILL PLC, THE STARS GROUP, SPORTSBET AUSTRALIA, CROWN RESORTS LIMITED – ASX CWN, TABCORP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TAH, BETSTARS, POKERSTARS, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, NORTHERN TERRITORY. RACING COMMISSION