Don’t Regulate Me, Bro! Social Casino Companies Band Together to “Inform” Lawmakers.

The social casino gaming trade group ISGA wants to stop government regulation before it can start. Whether it’s going to start is another question.
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Zynga Beats by a Nickel as Monthly Users Decline

It’s a slim beat for the social gaming company, but the biggest issue is how many users the company is losing quarter after quarter.

Are Gamers Waiting for the New Consoles, or Have They Moved On?

Will it ever again be the right time to launch a videogame console?

EA and Zynga Quietly Resolve Copyright Dispute Out of Court

Terms of the settlement are confidential, so it’s unclear exactly how the two companies resolved their differences.

News Byte

Zynga’s Stock Drops Nearly 12 Percent as Investors Cash Out

Zynga’s stock lost some of its gains in the new year today, sliding nearly 12 percent, or 43 cents, to $3.24 a share. There didn’t appear to be any specific reason for the drop, other than investors were taking advantage of the recent run-up to sell the stock (trading volume was three times higher than normal). The game company’s COO David Ko and CFO Mark Vranesh appeared at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference this afternoon, where they mostly reiterated the company’s fourth-quarter results.

Seven Questions for Gree’s SVP of Studio Operations, Anil Dharni

The Japanese-based mobile games company still has ambitious plans for the U.S., although they’ve changed.

Zynga Shares Soar 11 Percent as New Jersey Moves Closer to Online Gambling

That’s the biggest spike the stock has seen in ages.

News Byte

Zynga Game Vets Raise $1.4 Million to Start Bee Cave Games

Bee Cave Games has raised $1.4 million in funding to build casino games. The Austin, Texas, company was founded by Erik Bethke, Nimai Malle and Jeremy Strauser, all of whom worked at Zynga on games, including Mafia Wars, Texas Hold’em Poker and Bingo. The round was funded in part by its own employees and from publicly held Glu Mobile. The company’s first game, Blackjack Casino, is in private beta on Facebook, and there are mobile versions under development.

Ex-Zynga Manager Lo Toney Appointed CEO of Khosla’s LearnStreet

In October, Toney stepped down from Zynga, where he was general manager of Zynga Poker.

Zynga Bringing Real-Money Gaming to Facebook in the U.K.

Allowing Zynga to conduct real-money gaming in the U.K. on Facebook will open the floodgates for gambling on the social network.