Earlier this year, it was announced that Rank Group had bid £250 million on the acquisition of Gala Casinos in the UK. Things looked positive, as it seemed that Gala was considering the takeover, but the deal has finally fallen through. Rank Group has reluctantly withdrawn its bid, as Gala has not responded positively to the potential deal.

Rank Group is the owner of a wide range of gambling venues across the UK, including Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casino. Gala is the third-largest gambling operator in the country with a 17% marketshare. If Rank Group’s bid were accepted, it would have become the largest gambling operator in the UK, owning over 70 venues across the country.

Unfortunately for Rank Group, this will not be the case. Gala was not for sale when Rank made its bid, and the operator’s shareholders considering the option of selling. However, they could not agree upon a suitable deal, so things fell through. Gala will continue to rely on its income from its casinos and poker rooms across the UK, going its own way – away from Rank Group.

In a recent report by EGR Magazine, the UK has signed a memorandum of understanding agreement with France and Italy. This agreement binds all three countries together, as they work towards a united European gambling market.

A memorandum of understanding is a document signed by two or more parties that expresses agreement and understanding between them. It demonstrates that all parties will be working together towards a similar goal using similar tactics.

This seems to be exactly what Europe’s online gambling market needs, as the European Commission works hard to encourage all countries to form a united regulatory system. Currently, most countries across the continent are playing by their own rules when it comes to online gambling, resulting in violations of free trade and general confusion across the board.

The memorandum of understanding between the UK, France and Italy is a great first step. These are currently the largest online gambling markets in Europe, and they are setting a positive example for other countries. Should this be a ground-breaking move, it could mean a less fragmented gambling market by the end of the year.

So far, we’ve only heard good news about the proposal for EuroVegas in Spain. We have been told that the new gaming centre would create thousands of new jobs and bring in millions of Euros in tourism dollars. However, there was bound to be some opposition eventually as a new group called EuroVegas No has emerged.

According to the advocates involved in EuroVegas No, the casino capital would not increase the employment rate in a valuable way. With Spain’s unemployment rate reaching nearly 25%, the country needs sustainable employment rather than part-time jobs filled by waitstaff and cardroom dealers.

The group has also claimed that the new EuroVegas would breed prostitution and mafia activity. However, these claims seem to be unfounded. These types of crime are not always present in gambling capitals, and if country’s government keeps tight reigns on EuroVegas, it does not have to be the case in the Spain.

The group has only just formed, so there is no word yet on just how much support EuroVegas No has received. It will be interested to see how the group develops in coming months, as more plans for EuroVegas are solidified.

The UK Government has just increase the tax on gaming machines across the country, and operators are not impressed. It is yet another decision from the UK government to extract even more funds from the country’s gambling market, but it comes at the expense of gaming clubs.

The new Machine Games Duty will replace the existing VAT and Amusement Machine License Duty. It will result in a 3% increase for club operators, which will accumulate over time. When the government makes small tax increases, the change seems very minimal, but over the course of a year, it can result in some huge losses for the industry.

For example, companies like William Hill and Ladbrokes will lose over £10 million each as a result of the new tax. It will also cause the loss of over 1000 jobs and the possible closure of 2000 venues.

Some operators believe that the tax increase will mean the end of the amusement gaming market in the UK. However, this may be what the government had in mind, as residents have been complaining about the increase in betting shops and gaming clubs on high streets recently.

Alexis Conran, host of The Real Hustle, is presenting a new BBC Documentary called Gambling, Addiction and Me. The documentary will delve into the issue of problem gambling in the UK, speaking with problem gamblers to get their perspectives on the issue.

In a clip of the upcoming documentary, Conran speaks with a young problem gambler. He has spent his life savings on gambling machines, and pushed away all of his loved ones due to his addiction. He claims that he feels a sense of isolation and that gaming machines are his only companions. He also states that he is more attracted to the thrill of the game than to winning.

Conran expands on this notion by taking part in an experiment with brain waves. In it, his brain waves are measured against those of a problem gamblers as they play casino games. The study showed that he gets more excited over wins while the gambling addict gets more excited over near-misses.

The BBC documentary does not condemn gamblers, but it does highlight the need for increased education on the issue of gambling addiction.

InterCasino is an online gambling website that is well-known for its interest promotions. The online casino offers some of the most unique bonus schemes available in the online gambling world, and this month InterCasino has done it again.

The new Marvel-ous March promotion gives players the chance to win amazing bonus prizes each day of the week, simply by playing particular Marvel slots games. There is an animated calendar showing which slot machines to play in order to win big. Players can click on today’s date and find out the specific details.

While some dates host tournaments, most of the days are focused on particular superheroes. When you play these games, you’re eligible for special cash bonuses that are only available through this promotion.

Qualifying is easy. All you have to do is deposit £25 and quote the bonus code STAN. Otherwise, you’re simply playing the games without any special benefits.

There are still 15 days left of the promotions, so we suggest playing at least one day of Marvel-ous March. It is certainly one of the more exciting slots promotions on the market today, making it worth at least trying.

Last month, the television show that the UK Gambling Commission was most focused on was Simon Cowell’s Red Or Black. Now, the commission has set its sight on Deal or No Deal, claiming that the popular game show may encourage the development of unhealthy perspectives on gambling.

This week, the professionals from the UK Gambling Commission will meet with television executives from Channel and Endemol to discuss the issue at hand. The Gambling Commission believes that the show portrays gambling in an unrealistic light, as players can win large sums of money without displaying any sort of skill.

If the UK Gambling Commission’s suspicious are correct, then Deal or No Deal would be classified as illegal gambling in the UK. If that is the case, there is no word yet on how the commission will proceed, but we are nervous that it would mean the show would be taken off of the air.

At this point, it seems that the Commission is grasping at straws. Its concerns with Red or Black seemed rooted in actual evidence, as the television show was directly based on Roulette. Deal or No Deal, which has been around for years, is not related to any particular gambling activity, and it would be a shame if it were taken off of the air.

Believe it or not, UK residents do not spend the most amount of money at online poker websites. It has recently been announced that Italians do, according to a report in MarketWatch. In 2010, the Italian online poker market’s profits surpassed those of its European peers, and things have yet to change.

Just after the United Kingdom, Italy was one of the first European markets to legalize online poker. Initially, only tournaments were permitted by law, but the law was changed in 2011. This resulted in even more impressive profits earned by the Italian online gambling market, as more and more players logged on to play ring games.

While online poker is one of the country’s most popular gambling pastimes, it seems that VLTs are still at the top of the game. Electronic gaming machines bring in a large portion of the gambling revenue in Italy, providing players from across the country with a wide range of titles from popular developers around the world.

The Italian gambling market shows no signs of slowing down this year and even in the future. There are plenty more opportunities for online and land-based Italian gambling to grow and flourish in the Europe’s gambling world.

Gambling operators are some of the most wealthy companies in the world, generating millions of dollars for themselves each year. Many companies hoard the wealth for themselves, while other share it. Microgaming is one of latter companies, as it has just raised money for a very worthy cause.

Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation has just received a hefty cheque from Microgaming employees worth £1500. The money was raised at Microgaming’s recent staff party, at which employees dug deep into their hearts and their wallets to come up with donations for the charity.

The charity provides men and women from the Isle of Man with the chance to undergo heart screening. It is an important step in the prevention of heart defects and diseases that can often be fatal.

It was founded in 2005, after the death of Craig Lunt, a 25-year-old footballer. He died of an undiagnosed heart defect, and the Lunt family made it their mission to honor his memory by preventing the same thing from happening to other young people across the country.

While the charity is well-known, it still struggles to maintain its operating costs. Microgaming has done huge service to the charity with its recent donation, and the foundation’s founders are grateful.

The online gambling market is a valuable resource for bookmakers across the UK. While Ladbrokes, William Hill and Paddy Power all have very valuable land-based gambling operations, they have seen unprecedented growth thanks to their online gambling websites. Paddy Power has recently reported an impressive profit jump, giving most of the credit to online gambling.

According to a recent report, Paddy Power experienced a 16% profit increase over the course of 2011. Even though the company has doubled its stake in the UK’s land-based gambling market, a large portion of its growth still has to do with the online gambling world.

Over 700 000 punters now play on Paddy Power’s online gambling website, generating £61 million. This marks a 29% profit increase for the company, highlighting the significance of its online gambling operations.

The company is also seeing impressive growth in its mobile betting market. More than half of Paddy Power’s online gambling customers used their mobile devices to wager last year, demonstrating the impressive potential for mobile gambling.

This is simply a sign that Paddy Power should invest more in its online and mobile operations, boosting its profits and worldwide reach.