New Zealand's TAB Announces Record Turnover Of $1.7B Thanks To World Cup

More than NZ$2B ($1.6B) was gambled at betting agency TAB last year, "the most in history, as punters splurged" on a record World Cup for TAB, according to Hamish McNicol of STUFF. The New Zealand Racing Board said on Thursday that its net profit for the year ended July 31 was NZ$137M, "up slightly" from $136.7M last year. The board, "established under the Racing Act to run the TAB," achieved a record NZ$2.088B in turnover, surpassing NZ $2B for the first time in its history (STUFF, 10/16).

BWIN REVENUES UP 11%: In London, Roger Blitz reported betting provider Bwin's revenues were up 11% in the quarter that "included the late stages of the World Cup." The revamped Bwin.party is "making headway in sports betting" as the online gambling operator absorbed a 25% fall in poker revenues. The volume of sports-betting wagers "was down in the third quarter," but revenues were up 11%. This period included the late stages of the World Cup (FINANCIAL TIMES, 10/16).