Gambling Affiliate News Roundup: September 15-21, 2013

Regulated online gambling is roaring toward the United States in a big, big way but it’s definitely not the only game on the planet. And in the SEO world, Google continues its Borg-like assimilation of everything on the Web. These are just a few of the headlines that had an impact in online casino news.
Caesars Launching Nevada Online Poker Product – The Nevada regulated online poker market is about to get its first taste of real market forces as Caesars Interactive launches its WSOP-branded poker site this week. It’s a big move for the troubled casino giant and the first real test of how competitive the Nevada market is going to be.
Bulgaria Issuing Online Sports Betting Operator Licenses – Bulgaria issued its first online sports betting operator license to a site called Eurofootball.com this week. It’s a process that’s been a while in the making and not without controversy. This week’s announcement brings the ratio of licensed operators to blacklisted operators to something like 1:131.
Singapore Busts Soccer Fixing Ring – Authorities in Singapore have taken 14 people into custody as part of a crackdown on match-fixing in the soccer world. One of the men behind bars today is Dan Tan, who is alleged to be the top match-fixer on the planet. The group’s alleged activities stretched far beyond their homeland and into European countries like Finland.
Paddy Power Backs Gay Rights – Paddy Power has become the first online sportsbook to throw its support behind gay soccer players with a new advertising campaign. The ads, which are being done in conjunction with a gay rights group, ask why there are no out-of-the-closet professional footballers in the UK (there’s just one the United States). As part of the campaign, the cheeky operator is sending rainbow shoelaces to players on UK clubs.
Credit Cards Declines on Regulated Poker Sites – “When will online poker be legal?” is becoming a question of the past. It already is in Nevada, but someone forgot to tell the banks. Silver State online gamblers are reporting that their credit cards are being declined when they try to use them on legal online poker sites. It’s all a hangover from the much-maligned UIGEA though there is a workaround available.
A similar story is playing out in Colorado where legal medical marijuana providers are conducting their business, and paying taxes, in cash because banks won’t take their money. The situation there is so bad that the Feds are stepping in…on the marijuana provider’s side.
Yahoo! Answers Revamped for Social & Mobile -Marissa Mayer is continuing her overhaul of Yahoo! with a revamping of the low-key, but very popular Yahoo! Answers site. The new look-and-feel includes lots of social-friendly features and a new mobile site.