OTHER NEWS: LOTTOLAND GETS THE PUNT ON AUSSIE LOTTERIES & REDCAPE BUYS UP BIG

Lottoland, the Gibraltar-based lottery betting website, will be banned from accepting bets on Australian lotteries.

The move by the Northern Territory Attorney-General Natasha Fyles, where the bookmaker is registered, bans bookmakers from accepting bets on the outcomes of Australian-based lotteries.

State Governments in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australian have moved to ban the website, blaming massive drops in local lottery tax revenue on Lottoland and the emergence of synthetic lotteries. Newsagents have also been vocal critics of Lottoland.

The ban raises questions about the future of the commercial partnership between Lottoland and the NRL’s Manly Sea Eagles announced earlier this year. The partnership sees the Sea Eagles’ home ground Brookvale Oval renamed as Lottoland, as well as Lottoland securing the top of back jersey position for at the next two years.

Lottoland Australia chief executive Luke Brill said he was “disappointed” but would respect the decision. He went on to add that there were no restrictions placed on the company’s international products, meaning its 650,000 registered customers could continue to bet on the outcome of overseas lotteries.

Sources: Herald Sun / Daily Telegraph /AGB

REDCAPE ACQUIRE HOTELS WORTH $100M

The Redcape Hotel Group have finalised a series of purchases including the Andergrove Tavern in Mackay Queensland ($13.15 million), the Crescent Hotel in Fairfield NSW ($40 million) and the freehold for the Cabramatta Inn ($45 million). Cabramatta is the current number seven gaming pub in NSW and Redcape formerly held the leasehold.

Redcape Hotel Group was purchased by Moelis in June this year for $677million and are Australia’s largest independent hotel group. They now operate 28 pubs and associated retail liquor stores across New South Wales and Queensland.

SourceS: The Shout/PubTic