Monthly Archives: September 2017

New Jersey online poker sites grateful for summer’s end

New Jersey’s regulated online poker market enjoyed a modest bump in August after shaking off the summer doldrums in July.

Figures released Wednesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) showed the state’s licensed online gambling operators earned combined revenue of $21.3m in August, up 32.4% over the same month last year and $700k higher than July 2017. August also extended the state’s winning streak of online revenue over $20m to six straight months.

As always, August’s returns were heavily skewed towards the online casino vertical, which enjoyed a 38% year-on-year rise to $19.2m, while online poker dipped 4.2% to just under $2.1m. However, the poker result was about $75k higher than July’s number and well above June’s historic low of $1.73m, so they’re not complaining.

The Golden Nugget’s casino-only site held on to its status as top earner, generating revenue of nearly $5.2m. Caesars Interactive Entertainment New Jersey placed second with $4.44m ($3.83m casino, $610k poker), just ahead of the Borgata’s $4.3m ($3.64m casino, $650k poker).

Lottoland uses Tatts’ own words to refute cannibalization claims

Online lottery betting operator Lottoland is pushing back against Australian lottery operator Tatts Group’s ‘Lottoland’s Gotta Go!’ campaign.

This week brought a concerted effort by Tatts and Aussie retail lottery sellers to convince local lottery players that Lottoland represents an existential threat to the status quo, something Lottoland would freely admit is part of their ‘disruptive’ business model.

But to push back against some of the campaign’s more exaggerated claims, Lottoland Australia is recirculating a blog post from last month laying out what it calls the “Myths and Untruths” regarding its operations, including that the company is a ‘fake lottery,’ noting that it has been issued operating licenses by Australian’s Northern Territory and regulators in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar.

The company also took issue with Tatts’ claim that Lottoland is cannibalizing traditional lottery sales and thus reducing the amount of lottery revenue that is redirected towards community and social causes. Lottoland says its Australian operations account for less than 1% of Tatts’ overall revenue.

Michigan online gambling hearing promises little progress

Michigan’s intrastate online gambling prospects appear dim – at least, for the immediate future – after all three Detroit casinos and at least one of the state’s gaming tribes expressed opposition to new legislation.

On Wednesday morning, the Michigan House of Representatives’ Regulatory Reform Committee held an informational hearing on the new HB 4926 online gambling bill introduced this week by Committee chairman Rep. Brandt Iden (pictured).

Iden started the proceedings off with a prediction that “iGaming will become law in the state of Michigan” although he qualified that this “will not be a swift process” and no vote is expected on HB 4926 anytime soon.

At a different hearing on a different Michigan online gambling bill in March, Detroit’s three commercial casino operators – MGM Resorts, Motor City and Greektown – all expressed a neutral stance toward the bill. On Wednesday, all three operators sent notices that while they support the concept of online gambling, they oppose HB 4926 as introduced.

Bettorlogic partners with Mr Green to deliver its new customer-lead Sportsbook 2.0

Wednesday 13th September 2017 – Bettorlogic, the leading betting analytics software company, has helped build Mr Green’s new Sportsbook 2.0 using its analytical and modelling insight to provide an unmatched customer experience.

The innovative sportsbook product development was completed seamlessly through the Kambi API for a far more responsive integration. Mr Green’s customers will benefit from bespoke betting experiences tailored to individual choices under a ‘Bet Assist’ brand.

Users are to be presented with reasons to bet on Football, Tennis and other major sporting events. Whether before the match or in-play, bettors will be given numerous reasons to place bets, Mr Green’s Sportsbook now offers over 15,000 prompts on a weekly basis.

The Football Combi Spin feature, developed in conjunction with Bettorlogic, delivers an entertaining experience for players by allowing them to set their odds, choose to add, lock and spin to find their preferred selections that will generate a big priced return.

Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Stockholm brought together politicians, investors and developers

On September 7, the capital of Sweden hosted Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Stockholm for the first time. The event brought together owners of businesses related with cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based solutions. It was attended by more than 350 participants and 19 speakers from 13 countries.

The conference took place at the Elite Hotel Marina Tower, the nineteenth century majestic building near the city center. The hotel is known not only by its wonderful architecture and interiors but also by a high-end service.

Key presentations

The event allowed to discuss the prospects and technical details of blockchain integration in businesses, legislative regulation of cryptocurrencies in Sweden and the world as well as the opportunities for investing in cryptocurrency crowdsales, mining and cybersecurity.

Millwall & EnergyBet unveil 2-year in-stadia betting partnership

EnergyBet is pleased to announce a new two-year in-stadia betting partnership with Millwall Football Club.

EnergyBet are a multi-award winning sportsbook who have a commitment to offering competitive odds, a comprehensive range of sports, eSports and much more, making them the perfect choice for today’s demanding sports betting customer.

The exciting deal will enable Lions fans to make the most of EnergyBet’s mobile betting service at The Den on matchdays, and the two parties will also work closely together during the duration of the partnership on various growth opportunities, competitions and exclusive promotions.

Stuart Lock, Millwall’s Head of Commercial and Retail, said: “We are very pleased to welcome EnergyBet to the club and indeed to our family of commercial partners.

Bengals bigger home favorites with Watson starting for Texans

DeShone Kizer was the first rookie quarterback to start in 2017 for the Cleveland Browns when he faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. Deshaun Watson is expected to be next in line for the Houston Texans (0-1), who visit the Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) on the road in the Week 2 Thursday Night Football matchup.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Bettors have picked up on Houston’s anticipated quarterback change, as the Bengals have gone from opening 3-point home favorites up to 6.5-point chalk.

Fourth-year player Tom Savage had started the season opener for the Texans, but he was so bad against the Jacksonville Jaguars that he made counterpart Blake Bortles look good. Savage completed 7-of-13 passes for 62 yards before giving way to Watson, who was 12-of-23 for 102 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Melco Resorts eyeing PAGCOR’s 17 casinos

HongKong-listed casino operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment has expressed its intentions to pluck the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) casinos once the Philippine government decides to put it on sale.

Macau Business Daily reported that Melco is reportedly on the prowl for PAGCORs casinos, which the government intends to sell in the first quarter of 2018.

Melco chairman Lawrence Ho believes that the acquisition of PAGCOR casinos will put the firm in a strategic position in the country.

“If there was a big redevelopment opportunity, a whole hotel that we could redevelop, we would be potentially interested in doing that,” Ho said according to the report.

Crown Resorts defends pokies integrity in landmark suit

Australian-listed Crown Resorts Ltd. has entered the court room with full arms swinging as it fends off allegations that its poker machines are designed to cause gambling addiction.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Crown Resorts went on the offensive at the start of the hearing of a landmark lawsuit filed against the casino operator and game technology provider Aristocrat, poking holes in the arguments raised by problem gambler Shonica Guy.

Guy earlier claimed that the popular Dolphin Treasure pokie machines in Crown casinos were designed to entrap users like her. She wanted the court to declare the game to be unlawful.

Guy’s claim is based on the Dolphin Treasure machines having symbols that are unevenly distributed across its five reels. The final reel contains fewer winning symbols in order to make it harder for punters to win.

CEEGC 2017 Announces iGaming Radio as Networking Party sponsor at the hippest venue in Budapest

The organizers are excited to announce that the Official Networking Party will be sponsored by iGamingRadio and they have picked one of the hippest location in Budapest.

The Networking Party is scheduled for 19 September at 21:00 and the venue will only be disclosed to attending delegates. All you need to know is that the venue is right in the Center of Budapest, it’s colorful and is the best place for you to catch up with friends and peers from the industry.

“First of all we are really happy that we are witnessing such a large growth in 2017 at CEEGC Budapest and secondly we are excited to further help increase the presence of our newly launched product (iGaming Radio) in front of the attending delegates. Budapest has many interesting venues for networking, however we are always looking for that vibes and energy which has been felt at our earlier networking parties in Vienna and Prague. Thus, we invite all delegates to take part in this special session which we’ve designed to help unwind after the first day of conference. The drinks are on us, so be sure to stop by, everyone else will be there!“, said Zoltan “Hawkie” Tundik, Founder and Head of Business at EEGMedia.

CEEGC2017 is set to surpass all seminary type events organized by the team, with a 25% growth and a larger speaker lineup during the 2 days of the conference. Mentionable is the fact that the event is organized at one of the most prestigious venues in Budapest, the Kempinski Corvinus Budapest.

Colombia issues online gambling license to Corredor Empresarial

Colombia has issued its second official online gambling license to Corredor Empresarial S.A., the umbrella group for the nation’s 32 provincial lottery and chance game operators.

On Monday, the Coljuegos gambling regulatory agency announced it had issued the nation’s second online gambling license to Corredor Empresarial’s Betplay brand, which will operate sports betting, slot machines, roulette and other games of chance via the Betplay.com.co domain.

The move was widely expected after Corredor Empresarial inked online gambling technology deals with European tech providers Kambi Sports Solutions and R Franco Digital in June. In addition to its new online site, Corredor Empresarial operates 25k retail points of sale across Colombia.

Coljuegos president Juan B. Pérez Hidalgo said Corredor Empresarial’s five-year license was worth COP 3.3b (US $1.13m) to the regulator, and the monies the regulator earns via Colombia’s regulated online gambling market will contribute to health care funding.

Razon disposes US$74M stake in Bloomberry

Filipino tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. disposed more than three percent of his stake in Philippine-listed casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp. in a bid to boost the firm’s stock trading liquidity.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, Razon’s Prime Metroline Holdings Inc. sold 350 million shares of Bloomberry to institutional investors for an aggregate amount of approximately PHP3.8 billion (US$74.7 million).

The sale, which was pegged at P10.85 per share, was reportedly made at an 8-percent discount to the company’s volume-weighted average price on Sept. 11 in order to increase the public ownership of the casino operator.

Prime Metroline still holds 65.58 percent of Bloomberry’s shares, still making the holding company the largest shareholder after the transaction. Goldman Sachs (Singapore) Pte. acted as the sole placement agent for this transaction.

Virtue Poker’s Ryan Gittleson teaching blockchain to a bonehead

Lee Davy sits down with the Ryan Gittleson, Head of Business Development and Marketing, for Virtue Poker, to learn more about the innovative new poker room, why Dan Colman and Brian Rast have jumped on the bus, and how this particular bonehead can learn more about blockchain. 

Virtue Poker’s Ryan Gittleson teaching blockchain to a bonehead Audio

Ladbrokes Coral launches new combined Match & Player Specials football markets

Unique and exciting betting markets powered by Digital Sports Tech

September 2017 – Digital Sports Tech (DST), the award-winning provider of next generation sports betting solutions, has extended its partnership with Ladbrokes Coral Group by powering the leading sportsbook’s newly-launched combined Match & Player Specials markets.

These markets, which were launched for the new Premier League season by Ladbrokes and Coral, include DST’s proprietary player props, in addition to same-game accumulators which incorporate both the props and the most popular match markets (e.g. win/draw/win, over/under total goals, etc.).

The same-game accumulators are powered by DST’s new and ground-breaking Quick Pick Accumulators (QPAs) solution, which permits the end user to combine both match and player prop markets from the same game by appropriately accounting for any related contingencies present in the accumulator.