2nd March 2017
iGaming Asia Congress 2017 will return on 27 – 29 March 2017 at the Grand Hyatt Macau, after a successful showing in 2016.
iGA 2017 has lined up top-notch presenters and panelists to provide macro and micro views of Asia’s online betting scene, supplemented with the latest insights and intelligence on business opportunities, market analysis, state-of-the-art technology and marketing solutions for Asia’s booming online gaming market.
Hear from industry leaders such as:
Australia-listed casino operator Silver Heritage posted a US$4.58 million net loss, dragged by the delays in the construction of its casino project in Nepal.
One silver lining in the data provided by Silver Heritage in its regulatory filing on Wednesday is the fact that its annual loss is 14 percent lower than it has predicted during its initial public offering in August 2016.
It would be recalled that the casino operator had earlier anticipated a U$5.32 million annual loss for 2016 due to “the unexpected delays” in the completion of Tiger Palace Resort Bhairahawa.
Still, the losses that Silver Heritage incurred in 2016 is eight percent higher compared to an equivalent loss of US$4.24 million in the prior year.
Thursday, 2nd of March 2017 – The organizers are delighted to announce a new set of profiles for the upcoming VIGE Seminar which will run in parallel with the exhibition and will be located on the same floor to maximize your networking opportunities without having to leave the area. The Seminars are planned for all 3 days (20-22) and you can still benefit of the Early Bird Rate of €300 until the 10th of March.
The online version of the full agenda can be viewed on the following link, please check back for updates.
“Recent Trends in Online Marketing” panel
Ms.Maayan M. Dana (Senior hi-tech and gaming attorney in Tal Ron, Drihem and Co., Law Firm) will join the “Recent Trends in Online Marketing” panel at Vienna International Gaming Expo.
2nd March, 2017 – Quality slots and table games supplier Habanero has strengthened its positon in Asia after striking a deal to supply mobile platform provider GWIN with its full suite of HTML5 games.
As part of the deal, Habanero will make its catalogue of slots, table games and video poker titles available to the mobile platform and content provider, including blockbuster titles Koi Gate, Jugglenaut, Fenghuang, and Roman Empire.
Habanero’s games are offered at a competitive rate via its own platform. Their games offer exciting graphics, smart math, and exciting gameplay that keeps players engaged and entertained.
Daniel Long, Head of Sales at Habanero, said: “Our goal for the year is expand our reach in key markets around the world. This deal with GWIN puts our games in front of more players than ever before, and is a major win for us.
One of China’s “Big 3” digital currency exchanges has removed trading fees—temporarily—on U.S. dollar-based bitcoin trades.
BTCC announced that effective March 1, the “BTCC USD Exchange will temporarily remove all trading fees, meaning 0% fees for both maker and taker orders. This promotion will continue until March 31st, 2017.”
The promotion, however, applies only to the company’s international exchange site. Fees will remain in place at the company’s Chinese exchange platform, BTCChina.com.
Tendai Musakwa, a representative for the digital currency exchange, told CoinDesk that the surprise promotion was a “tactical move” to outmaneuver rivals by focusing on the company’s international reach.
The fate of daily fantasy sports (DFS) in Mississippi now lies in the hands of State Gov. Phil Bryant.
Voting 46-6, the Mississippi legislature has approved a measure which will pave the way for the proper regulation of DFS in the state.
Daily Journal reported that the bill now awaits for the signature of Bryant.
Under House Bill 967, empowers the Mississippi Gaming Commission to regulate fantasy sports contests online or in casino – including the conduct of a background check and annual audit on DFS operators and the issuance of state license.
I’m sure everyone working in the online gambling industry has heard of Bitcoin and Blockchain by now, but hearing of something and understanding how this something can transform your business are two entirely different things.
Most of us have an awareness of Bitcoin and the technology behind it, Blockchain, but still need some convincing before integrating the currency and/or technology into our businesses. This week I’d like to highlight some ways we can all educate ourselves on Bitcoin and Blockchain in order to stay ahead of the curve and welcome these game-changers into the iGaming world.
Online News Sources
Here at CalvinAyre.com, Bitcoin is a big area of focus and we- including our founder Calvin Ayre– are huge believers in the currency’s imminent positive impact on the online gambling industry for a variety of reasons. These reasons include improving compliance and auditability, banishing payment processing fees and chargebacks, streamlining payments operations and more.
Over one year has passed since we last spoke with James King, Head of Business Development for iGaming Business, about his bold commitment to raise money for charity in the form of a 150 mile race in the Sahara. Now that the big day is approaching in just over one month, we caught up with King to learn about his progress and the incredible support the online gambling industry has provided to date.
King’s family and friends have been huge supporters both financially and emotionally, especially his wife Emma who has kindly put up with his training regime, chauffeured him to and from races, kept him fed and in clean gear and was always there to pick him up in the low times.
Additional support found its way to King through the generous online gambling industry, via his own company, other companies and from countless individuals working in the industry.
“iGaming Business has been brilliant, supporting me with promotions through our various media channels as well as allowing a fair bit of flexibility to train when needed”, shared King.
Unique Bella will take on two fresh grade 1 winners in her next step toward Churchill Downs on the first Friday in May in the $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) March 4 at Santa Anita Park.
Former Playtech executive to drive software provider’s international business development and sales strategy
March 2017 – Pariplay Ltd., a gaming technology company serving iGaming operators, land-based casinos and iLotteries, has announced that Gil Soffer has been appointed as the company’s new Vice President of Sales and Business Development. Joining Pariplay’s management board, Soffer will oversee the company’s global sales and business development strategy.
Bringing to Pariplay over 10 years of experience in the gaming industry, Soffer has proven himself as a highly-effective business strategist and entrepreneur. His seven-year tenure as International Business Consultant at Playtech involved expanding the Isle of Man-based software company’s presence in various European and African markets as well as broader pre-sales, sales and business development across all vertical and channels.
He also previously founded and served as CEO at various pioneering telecoms and digital companies. These include Kosmos Telecom, KIP Telecom, Kosmos Distribution, KTL, Bet3G, and 3Gital.
The unrelenting pace of technological advances set against the backdrop of regulatory reform will be a key talking point during the Activate 2027 feature, part of the GiGse symposium taking place in San Diego (26 – 28 April). US facing executives from all parts of the gambling landscape are being invited to participate, network, debate and in the process help navigate a path through the next decade of US gaming.
Clarion’s Sadie Walters, who has been responsible for curating content for GiGse said: “We’ve worked closely with members of the GiGse Advisory Board, GiGse delegates and attendees at February’s ICE Totally Gaming show in London, in order to create an event which not only deals with the here and now but which is also sufficiently self-confident to step out of its comfort zone and look to the future.
“Some industry observers believe that failure to adapt to and embrace change will see the US casino industry looking over a commercial precipice and that the pre-occupation with Baby Boomers must not detract from the needs of Generation X and the much talked about demographic, the Millennials.”
She added: “Part of the discussions we’ve had, most recently at ICE, centred around self perception, notably how the industry may need to reposition itself away from the narrow vertical of gambling to become part of the broader, more exciting and indeed more accepted entertainment industry. In the opinions that we have sought the dominant theme is how are casino operators going to engage with a future market that is very much at home being entertained watching Netflix or playing online? True to the GiGse strapline, it’s time to think differently.”
St. Julian’s, March 2017 – Hansen Malta Ltd, part of the Hansen Law Group, announces that they will host a seminar in Malta regarding the re-regulation of the Swedish gambling market after the on-going government investigation is presented no later than the last of March. The seminar will be held on 19 April at Hilton Malta.
In March 2017, the government investigation regarding a re-regulated gambling market in Sweden will be presented. On this occasion, Hansen Malta Ltd welcomes you to a seminar where we will offer our legal analysis of the proposed legislative changes.
At the seminar, relevant parts of the presented investigation will be touched upon. Following the legal review of the proposed bill, a panel including some of the most well-known members of the gambling industry will review the bill from an operative, as well as a business perspective. The seminar will proceed for approximately two hours and afterwards Hansen Law invites all attendees for drinks at the Hilton hotel.
“After opening our Malta branch in 2016, it is a natural step to try to bring all people interested in the Swedish gambling market under one roof to discuss the potential outcome of the current review of the Swedish gambling market. It is also an opportunity for us to introduce our M&A team, which is based in Stockholm, to key stakeholders in Malta, as we suspect a lot of M&A activities on the Swedish market coming years”, says Mattias Kelmeling, director of Hansen Malta Ltd.
Consignor Cary Frommer enjoyed a big evening at the March 1 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale of 2-year-olds in training, with two horses from her consignment bringing seven figures; both going to the same buyer.
The eSports Integrity Coalition has signed an Information Sharing Memorandum of Understanding with the Nevada Gaming Control Board in a bid to get ahead of any potential cheating as eSports grows as a sport in Nevada.
I saw two kids stealing soda in the supermarket, this morning.
It was almost too easy.
I nearly stole some myself.
Atlantic City’s casino count may inch back up to eight now that a consortium led by Hard Rock International (HRI) has agreed to buy the shuttered Trump Taj Mahal.
On Wednesday, the Press of Atlantic City broke the news that the Florida-based HRI had agreed to take the Taj Mahal off Carl Icahn’s hands. The media outlet quoted New Jersey state Senator Jim Whelan saying he understood the deal was a go but couldn’t get either company to confirm.
Later on, Icahn’s company Icahn Enterprises, which also controls Atlantic City’s Tropicana Casino, issued a statement saying it had “determined that we only wanted to own one property in Atlantic City. A sale of the Taj Mahal therefore represents the optimal outcome for us.”
Later still, HRI issued its own statement laying out its plans for the rebranded Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. HRI says it will invest “more than $300m to purchase, substantially renovate and re-open the casino.”
The World Series of Poker has announced plans for the WSOP Global Casino Championships and Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina acts as the host for the third consecutive year.
Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina will play host to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Global Casino Championships for the third consecutive year in August.
The three-day event, pulling down the curtain on Season 13 of the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC), takes place August 8-10, 2017, and as par for the course, the organisers have promised a minimum of $1m in prize money.
Season 13 has been bigger than ever with 47 domestic tour stops, and 14 internationally. With the Main Event winners and Casino Champions guaranteed a free seat, there will be a minimum of 122 automatic qualifiers competing in the event, with 28 of them coming from overseas.
For the third consecutive year, the World Series of Poker Circuit will hold its finale at Harrah’s Cherokee. The televised WSOP Global Championship, which offers a gold bracelet and guaranteed […]
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For calendar year 2016, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association distributed a record $1,996,200 in benevolence.
The Netherlands’ gaming watchdog has beaten back an online gambling operator’s appeal of a €180k fine for serving Dutch punters without a local license.
In late 2014, the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) gaming regulatory body imposed €180k in penalties on Bluemay Enterprises NV and Bluemay Enterprises Ltd, the companies behind the 7red.com and Royaalcasino.com online casinos. The KSA accused the sites of offering Dutch-language options and promoting their products on Dutch TV and via social media.
On Wednesday, the KSA published the text of a February 22 ruling by the Council of State rejecting Bluemay’s appeal of the fine. Bluemay had offered a number of legal arguments to support its appeal, including that Article 56 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) prohibits bans on the free movement of services between EU member states.
Trouble is, as the Council pointed out, Bluemay’s sites are licensed in Curacao, which is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (the actual Netherlands is also a constituent country of the Kingdom), but Curacao has never been considered an EU member state, making the Article 56 argument something of a non-starter.
Rank Group’s iconic Grosvenor Victoria Casino, better known as The Vic, is up for sale with owners Aprirose Investors looking for £70m and change.
So The Vic is up for sale if you have a spare £70 million in the bank.
I first learned about the significance of the Grosvenor Victoria Casino Poker Room for the UK poker community after reading Vicky Coren’s book For Richer For Poorer. So when Neil Channing’s Blackbelt Poker started running training days at the venue, myself and a few mates heading on down to the smoke to take a peek.
The training was excellent.