The UK’s online gambling market could see impressive profits even after the Olympic Games take place later this year. Researchers have coined the term ‘Olympic Effect’ to describe this phenomenon.

According to research conducted at Sheffield’s Hallam University, the land-based and online sportsbetting markets could see a 5% increase as a result of the London 2012 Olympics. The trend will continue on in years to come, and this occurrence has been called “The Olympic Effect”. The sports clothing market and participation in local community sports will also benefit from the Olympic Games in the years following the event.

This is great news for the UK’s gambling market, as it is one of the first reports that does not relate gambling in the Olympics to match-fixing and corruption. In addition to employing new tools to fight match-fixing, the UK already has one of the most effective gambling regulation systems in the world. While most countries were fighting to ban online gambling, the UK worked hard to regulate the industry. The country’s hard work will certainly show signs of paying off at the London Olympics.

Playtech has been very busy making business deals lately. Its most recent arrangement has been made with Geneity, acquiring the company for a whopping £11 million.

Established in 2006, Geneity is one of the top software providers in the United Kingdom. Over the course of the past 5 years, the company has acquired some impressive clients. Gala Coral and The Health Lottery are just two of the UK-based companies that use software provided by Geneity. Over the course of the past year, the company saw a profit of £2.3 million.

PlayTech has also made some interesting international deals lately, including a joint venture with Peermont Group in South Africa. Once online gambling is legalized, PlayTech and Peermont will work together to provide sportsbetting and e-gaming solutions to South Africans.

Germany will also see a new PlayTech deal, as the company has joined venture with Gauselmann Group. Obtaining 49.99% of the German company, Playtech will help to provide software to Germany gamblers.

These business deals will pay off handsomely for PlayTech. The company’s profits have been on the incline since 2009 and show no signs of slowing down. These new partnerships will see PlayTech expand into newly regulated markets, offering up lucrative business opportunities.

Today, Grosvenor Casinos kicked off the 2012 season of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour in Manchester. This year’s event promises a great deal of excitement for all runners and spectators, introducing two new legs and lucrative new events.

Traditionally, the GUKPT has stayed within English borders, never venturing outside of the area. This year, two new legs will see the tour expand across borders into Ireland and Belgium. Legs 5 and 6 will take place in Dublin (May 6) and Brussels (June 3), adding a bit of international flavour to the tournament series.

The tournament itself will also undergo some changes with the addition of four new Main Events. These events will include two deep stacks and two £500 six-max tournaments, adding a great deal of excitement for all those involved. Winners of this year’s events will also be granted seats in all of next year’s Main Event games.

The GUKPT’s next stop is in Walsall on March 3, and promises to be an exciting event. From there, the GUKPT will travel at least once a month to a new location across the UK. The final will take place at the Victoria in London sometime in December.

Operators across Europe are working hard to get into America’s online gambling market. Ever since the Department of Justice announced that the Wire Act would no longer apply to most forms of online gambling, gaming companies have been scrambling to become a part of America’s online gambling world.

Ladbrokes is the latest company to attempt to enter the American gambling market. The UK-based operator recently spent £2 million on a 65% stake in Stadium Technology Group. The company is responsible for the IT departments in some of Las Vegas’ biggest casinos, including Treasure Island and the Golden Nugget.

Working with an American company seems to be safest bet for international operators. By entering the market on their own, they could face isolation and even legal repercussions. Companies like PlayTech and IGT have also gone this route.

This puts Ladbrokes in the perfect position to enter the American online gambling market. Las Vegas is one of the states that is closest to offering online gambling, and Ladbrokes will be in the ideal place at the right time.

The London Olympics are expected to be the busiest games to date. As such, the International Olympics Committee is expecting there to be a great deal of suspicious gambling activity. In order to fight the possibility of match-fixing, the IOC has announced that it will be teaming up with operators like Betfair to crack down on the crime.

As part of their agreement, Betfair will provide the Olympics Committee with any information on suspicious gambling activity. The company’s team of integrity experts will keep a close eye on all wagers being placed on the games. If they notice anything suspicious, they will be able to alert the IOC.

During the 2008 Beijing Games, Betfair also worked with the IOC. The two parties worked together to crack down on illegal betting, and saw a great deal of success.

Betfair anticipates that criminals will attempt to take part in betting crimes this year, as most bookmakers are offing odds on every gold medal event. This creates plenty of opportunity for crime to take place, but the company is positive that its strategy for fighting match-fixing will be effective during the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The UK Government is none-too-pleased with the amount of gambling ads that air on television each week. Tessa Munt, a Liberal Democrat, has recently made her concerns known, asking Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene.

She recently presented her case to Prime Minister Cameron, presenting statistics which demonstrate just how saturated the UK television market is with gambling advertisements. Munt stated that in just one week, 36 hours of gambling advertisements aired. This means that almost 20% of what is being broadcasted on television is gambling ads.

David Cameron seemed to agree with her point-of-view. He called the advertising tactics of gambling operators “aggressive”, stating that it may be irresponsible of them to bombard the television-watching public with so many advertisements about gambling.

Gambling operators would have to disagree, however. Popular gambling operator Paddy Power claimed that its tactics were more ‘entertaining’ than ‘aggressive’, but the government still seems quite shocked with the amount of ads being shown by gaming operators.

What this means for the casino marketing industry remains to be seen. Some believe that it may result in a cap on the number of advertisements a casino may show, while others believe that the government simply will not intervene.

It seems like gambling operators are doing whatever they can to keep up with the times. Victor Chandler, one of the most established names in the UK’s gambling market, has decided to give itself a little 21st Century makeover with a new name, BetVictor.

The company decided to undergo a rebranding in order to appeal across the entire European Gambling market. While ‘Victor Chandler’ is a recognizable name in the UK market, it does not appeal to players across the continent. The operator feels that this name would ensure consistency across the market.

“As a company we are always innovating and moving forward, as well as extending our brand across new territories”, says CEO Victor Chandler.

BetVictor’s rebranding also comes with a makeover of its website. The new BetVictor.com offers up an improved user experience, allowing players to quickly and easily access the information that they are looking for. The design has also been updated with a more modernized look.

FIFA has announced that 2012 will be the year that the football association cracks down on match-fixing scandals. The association will employ new tactics to fight match-fixing, including developing a team of detectives that will attempt to prevent crimes.

Match-fixing crimes have become increasingly more expensive over the years. One of the more recent scandals seen in the public eye saw a businessman attempt to pay $100 000 to fix a game. He offered the cash to a UK player but was reported and has now been put in jail.

Unfortunately, other criminals aren’t caught so easily. Many crimes go undiscovered, costing bookies and innocent punters millions of dollars every year.

In order to prevent these crimes from taking place, FIFA will be spending $1 trillion on an intensive initiative. The association will work with Interpol to keep tabs on individuals who may be plotting match-fixing schemes while developing amnesty for those who provide information.

Especially with the 2012 Olympics coming up, it is incredibly important that gaming and sports associations work together to fight sports-related crimes.

Microgaming is a leader in online slots development, launching new games every month of the year. This month, the company was a little slow on the uptake, but has finally announced the release of its latest title: The Grand Journey.

This great new online slot brings players back to Jurassic times, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. As such, the reels feature creatures from times gone by like dinosaurs, mammoths and sabretooth tigers. This is a pretty unique theme for an online slots game, and it will certainly get a great deal of attention from players.

Microgaming has also introduced the Multiplier Trail feature. During the free spins round of The Grand Journey (where players can win up to 15 free spins), the multiplier increases each time the player spins the reels.

You’ll also find stacked wilds, which offer players the chance to increase their winnings. Stacked wilds are symbols that are in a row on the reels, making it easier to complete winning combinations.

With these features and more, The Grand Journey will be a huge hit at Microgaming casinos like Spin Palace and All Slots.

Mobile gambling is become a popular trend across the United Kingdom. It is one of the few markets in which mobile gambling is allowed, so operators have taken great advantage of this. Bwin, one of the biggest sportsbetting brands in Europe, is just getting into the game and has launched a new mobile betting application that is sure to capture players’ attention.

The new application will provide players with the option to make live wagers, betting on events as they take place. Players will also be able to place regular bets before sporting events start. The mobile application offers players the same range of sports as they would find on Bwin’s online casino website, so mobile users won’t miss a beat!

Using the application is almost as great as gambling online, as there is not much that the mobile app lacks. Players can access all of their information, including betting history and banking data, so there is no need to use a computer at all!

The Bwin Android application is available all over Europe, while the iTunes application is only available in certain countries.