New revelations about Strache in the casinos affair

The winter break is over. This also applies to news about Heinz Christian Strache and his involvement in the Austrian casino affair. Numerous witnesses have now been questioned under oath. What came out allowed a deep insight into Austrian domestic politics and into Casinos Austria AG (CASAG), a partly state-owned group of companies specialising in gambling. In the meantime there are new interrogation protocols that raise the suspicion that Strache was the initiator of "... an amendment that was unfavourable to Novomatic being stamped in". Check here

Straight | Still the claim of innocence

NovomaticIt's about embezzlement, bribery and corruption. These accusations were made when Peter Sidlo (SPÖ) was appointed Chief Financial Officer of CASAG, as Sidlo was completely unqualified for the job. In order to get him to this position, however, extensive support was required. For example, the Novomatic Group, which is a major shareholder of CASAG, was promised a "certain concession" regarding future gambling licenses. However, it is not only Novomatic that is in the investigators' sights but also ten other accused. At this point in time, all of them are still under the guilty plea of innocence.  Click here to find out more  

Novomatic on the outside

An important witness in the trial is Alexander Labak. Even in his time as head of Casinos Austria AG, the wrangling over a clear legal position was great. He was CEO of CASAG for almost two years until his contract was suddenly terminated - prematurely. Shortly after his appointment, he met Heinz Christian Strache, the then head of the FPÖ and later Vice Chancellor. He would have immediately and very vehemently "stood up for Novomatic", Alexander Labak explaination. Strache ranted that it was a scandal that CASAG, in a close alliance with the grand coalition, "systematically excluded the Novomatic group from the gaming market and Novomatic was not granted any casino licenses". Under the black-blue government, however, this "stepmotherly treatment" changed. As an argument, Labak cited the so-called gambling amendment (draft law), which suddenly disappeared without a trace towards the end of February 2018. The Ministry of Finance, under ÖVP man Hartwig Löger, had sent a draft of this amendment around for examination and after only three days it was whistled back. In this gambling amendment there was a part whose content concerned the fight against illegal gambling "... using IP blocking on the Internet". And of all things, this part never appeared again. Novomatic squinted at a second online licence, but this was not provided for in the amendment. CASAG was and is the only company in Austria with a corresponding licence. Go to this website

Strache stood up for Novomatic

For some time now, there has been a rumour circulating that Heinz Christian Strache is partly responsible for the gambling amendment's withdrawal, but his lawyer denied this. Alexander Labak, however, sees it differently from the Strache lawyer. He is of the opinion that the so-called amendment was clearly a "strategic project of CASAG" and for which "... a very intensive lobbying effort" was made. It then came quite quickly to an agreement on the bill with the "close involvement" of Hartwig Löger, his then head of cabinet Thomas Schmid and Hubert Fuchs, the former blue state secretary for finance. This was "completely unexpected" for a project that would have been extremely disadvantageous for the Novomatic Group. For this reason Bettina Glatz-Kremser, then Vice Chairwoman of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and CASAG's CFO Bettina Glatz-Kremser had addressed an inquiry to Schmid and Löger and subsequently informed Alexander Labak about the "Straches intervention". The CASAG board of directors agreed that this Novomatic support had been a match for Strache's crap. Dietmar Hoscher and Bettina Glatz-Kremser had made several attempts to "revive" the old draft law, but were unsuccessful. According to two members of the board of directors of CASAG, the FPÖ had "resisted this request", Labak claims.

Sidlo neither long list nor short list 

Dietmar Hoscher was also questioned as a witness. He does not support Labak's testimony. With regard to IP-booking, he would have told Heinz Christian Strache the position of CASAG. Strache, on the other hand, would not have explained "his position on this" to him. It is not surprising that Hoscher spoke to the Austrian Freedom Party, because at that time he was responsible for public affairs, which included "... the support of the FPÖ".

Alexander Labak also commented on the appointment of Peter Sidlo. Supervisory Board Chairman Walter Rothensteiner had announced "political pressure" on him by Löger: "I am also 

Casino job: Prince Harry and Meghan soon to be casino ambassadors?

Will Prince Harry and Meghan have a job at the casino soon? The two ex-royals have been making a huge fuss in the press over the past few weeks. The renunciation of their loyal duties and privileges has caused astonishment and outrage in the gossip magazines around the world with this helpful resources . But financially Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have nothing to fear, because the Sherwood Valley Casino would like to win the two well-known personalities for lucrative jobs.

Sherwood Valley Casino is looking to work with ex-royalty...

Sherwood Casino The Sherwood Valley Casino in California has announced that it has sent a specific request to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, better known as Prince Harry and Meghan, look at here now . The casino operator would like to encourage the two well-known personalities to work together. This should not only be about the dingy business of slot machines and table games, but also about charity projects. While most observers believe that this is a publicity stunt, there has been a real request and even if the probability is low that the two ex-royals will accept the offer, a commitment would be a huge win for the casino operator. The background of the inquiry is probably that the Duchess of Sussex is currently in talks with Disney about various charity projects. When the casino operator of the Sherwood Valley Casino heard about this matter, it was obvious to him that the Duchess might also be interested in other projects. Now a casino is something different than a global corporation like Disney. But why not just ask? The worst that could happen is a cancellation. 

Another important aspect that probably led to the inquiry is the statement of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that in future they will spend about half of their time in the USA and half in Great Britain. This would make it logistically quite easy to set up some projects in California as well. It is probably not completely wrong to assume that Prince Harry and Meghan will work with various private companies in the future to generate income. So far, the two noblemen have not had to worry about this question, as Great Britain generously provides for the ruling family. But if Prince Harry and Meghan go their own ways, the same applies to the financial resources, of course. Therefore it is to be assumed that in the near future there will be some small and large projects with various companies. Whether Prince Harry and Meghan would be well advised to undertake one of the first projects in the casino sector right away, may be doubted at least. There are certainly industries that would improve the image of the two ex-royals.  Read full article

Ex-royals as casino ambassadors imaginable?

Casinos that are well managed and have a first-class standard make big sales. This is an important prerequisite for paying prominent brand ambassadors. But the question is always whether public figures such as Prince Harry and Meghan would actually want to be public ambassadors for a casino. Such an activity would probably lead to criticism and ultimately contribute to the fact that many other financial options would no longer be available. For example, it is difficult to imagine the Duke and Duchess of Sussex working for a casino and Disney at the same time. Disney certainly does not want to have anything to do with casino games. The group has always been very keen to appear clinically pure. Whether this image corresponds to reality is a completely different question. But companies in the USA can hardly be further apart than Disney and a casino. The casino option would therefore probably only be of interest to Prince Harry and Meghan if all other financial possibilities dried up. But at the moment there is no indication of that at all.

It is more likely that Prince Harry and Meghan can choose how they want to earn money in the future. The story of the two ex-royals who, for private reasons, choose to live outside the royal duties and privileges, offers endless opportunities for self-marketing. The young couple could act as brand ambassadors for many different products and companies worldwide. It should not be difficult to find suitable products and companies that help the couple's image in the long term. But if need be, the two ex-royals could simply write a few books and sell film rights. Certainly nobody has to worry about the financial future of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. And if all else fails, Meghan could work as an actress again. After all, the gifted actress...

BoyleSports acquires 35 businesses from William Hill

BoyleSports, Ireland's largest, most successful and independent bookmaker, has acquired the William Hill chain with 33 stores in Northern Ireland and two stores on the Isle of Man. BoyleSports continues to expand its retail business and announces that it has signed a purchase agreement for 35 William Hill betting offices headquartered in Northern Ireland. The stores - 33 in Northern Ireland and two on the Isle of Man - were part of the Stanley Leisure chain that William Hill acquired in 2005. The purchase is BoyleSports' largest acquisition to date and makes the company the largest betting operator on the island of Ireland with 298 stores. According to estimates, BoyleSports will pay the British bookmaker a price of 10 to 15 million pounds sterling for the 35 betting shops.  Visit our website

Conor Gray, CEO of BoyleSports, said: "BoyleSports is delighted to realise its longstanding ambition to establish a significant retail presence in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. This acquisition complements our existing retail network in Northern Ireland and our retail network in the Republic of Ireland and is also an important step in our longstanding commitment to expanding our retail presence across the UK. This is our largest acquisition to date. In total we have 39 stores in Northern Ireland, 298 stores on the island of Ireland and 317 stores across Ireland and the UK. This acquisition, which represents a complete takeover of all William Hill's retail stores in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, is an important step in our ambition to expand our UK retail network to 100 stores by the end of 2020".

The government's decision in 2018 to raise the betting tax by 100 per cent has led to a dramatic consolidation of the industry, as predicted by all Irish bookmakers. Previously thriving betting companies have now finally closed their doors. Although BoyleSports expects to participate to some extent in this forced consolidation, the increase in betting tax has meant that the focus of future expansion and investment will be outside the Republic of Ireland. Although the acquisition is effective immediately, BoyleSports will not take operational control for another 4 weeks to allow the company to fully employ its 220 new employees. All acquired businesses will be renamed BoyleSports stores. In line with the BoyleSports business model, all new stores will be upgraded to the industry-leading standard that BoyleSports customers expect and enjoy.  Read more here

What are the BoyleSports offerings

Sports Betting Online CasinoThe company, founded by John Boyle in 1989, has grown to over 250 stores in Ireland, offering mobile and internet betting and various gaming services in Ireland, the UK and a number of other international markets. BoyleSports offers a wide range of betting opportunities from horse racing, tennis and football to rugby, golf, basketball, cricket and lottery. Gaming products include roulette, virtual horse and greyhound racing, blackjack, bingo, poker and a wide range of casinos and live casino experiences.

William Hill looks forward to a smooth transition

A William Hill spokesman said: "William Hill has decided to sell its 33 stores in Northern Ireland and two stores on the Isle of Man to BoyleSports, Ireland's largest independent bookmaker. "It is important that colleagues in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man switch to BoyleSports while retaining all existing conditions. "We look forward to working with the BoyleSports team to ensure a smooth transition and to delivering a great customer experience with businesses that retain the William Hill branding until the end of the first quarter, when the process will be completed." William Hill was hit hard by the UK government's decision to reduce the maximum amount of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) from £100 to £2 and shortly afterwards announced plans to close 700 stores. Please read this article

William Hill Online Casino

William Hill is one of the most famous names on the High Street when it comes to betting and gambling in the UK. Since the launch of their website in 1998, they have also been present online. Since then they have enjoyed great popularity with their online casino, which is now one of the best in the world. The William Hill Online Casino was founded in 2008 and is licensed and regulated by the Government of Gibraltar and the British Gambling Commission. It stands for unparalleled service, award-winning casino software, industry best payouts,