Monthly Archives: September 2017

Baha Mar forced to ‘evacuate’ guests ahead of Hurricane Irma

The Baha Mar integrated resort ordered its guests to ‘evacuate’ the premises this week as the Bahamas braced for Hurricane Irma’s arrival.

Baha Mar officially shut down its operations Thursday night as Irma’s path brought its Category 4 fury to the southeastern portion of the Bahamas. Two days earlier, Baha Mar’s Grand Hyatt Hotel informed customers that it would “require all guests to evacuate the property either to local shelter or to evacuate the island.”

On Thursday, Baha Mar senior VP of government and external affairs Robert Sands told the Bahamas Tribune that the property had arranged early departure for “almost 100%” of its guests before the Lynden Pindling Airport was slated to close that night.

The evacuation caused some observers to arch their eyebrows, particularly since many of the Bahamas’ other resorts are traditionally viewed by local residents as the best places to ride out the region’s frequent bouts of inclement weather.

Italy’s online sports betting growth outpacing retail wagers

Italy’s sports betting revenue nearly doubled in the month of August, with online betting growth handily outpacing that of its retail rival.

Official figures published by Italian gaming news agency Agimeg show August’s overall sports revenue coming in just shy of €83m, up 89% from the same month last year. Retail betting revenue improved 74.7% to €43.8m while online betting shot up 108.6% to €39m. For the year to date, retail wagering revenue is up 7.65% while online bets are 34% higher.

Bet365’s Italian site maintained its status as online sports betting’s top dog with nearly 18% of the market, with SKS365’s Planetwin365 brand not far back at 16%. Planetwin365 hopes to close that gap through even greater brand exposure, including this week’s announcement of a two-year official betting partnership with Serie A footballers Napoli.

Italy’s online casino operators also enjoyed a healthy August, reporting revenue of €44.8m, a 30.6% year-on-year improvement. Lottomatica earned top marks with a 9.08% casino market share, narrowly outpacing The Stars Group’s PokerStars.it at 8.93%, although Sisal is nipping at both companies’ heels with 8.81%.

Australian online bookies face new taxes, bonus restrictions

Australian online sports betting operators are facing new taxes and promotional restrictions as state governments continue efforts to rein in the nation’s only authorized online gambling activity.

On Thursday, the state government in Western Australia (WA) unveiled its latest budget, which included a 15% point of consumption tax (POCT) for online bookmakers who generate revenue from WA punters. The new tax, which will take effect January 1, 2019, makes good on a promise the WA government announced one year ago.

South Australia was the first Aussie state to introduce an online POCT, based on its belief that Northern Territory-licensed online bookmakers weren’t paying their fair due. This view was supported by domestic operators Tabcorp and Tatts, who have a physical presence across Australia and thus face a much higher tax burden.

The Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA) industry group protested WA’s plans, claiming that a go-it-alone approach will complicate the federal government’s plans to develop a national POCT policy.

Bitcoin recovers from price slump after China’s ICO ban

Well, the slump didn’t last long.

This week saw Bitcoin hitting its lowest price range since July, after China’s central bank ordered companies to stop selling new cryptocurrencies to raise funds, a practice commonly known as initial coin offering (ICO).

The People’s Bank of China deemed ICOs as illegal and prohibited digital token financing and trading platforms from converting the cryptocurrencies to fiat currencies and vice versa. The tokens were also barred from being used as currency on the market, while banks in the country were told to stop offering services to ICOs.

The ICOs offer tokens that are based on the ethereum network, which means that the ban may not directly affect bitcoin. However, the news resulted in the price of bitcoin dropping to $4,200 on Tuesday—its lowest since July.

Philippine DOJ clears junket operators in Bangladeshi bank heist

The Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) has affirmed the dismissal of a criminal case filed against two junket operators earlier tagged in last year’s Bangladeshi bank heist.

DOJ Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Emilie Fe De Los Santos has dismissed the criminal complaint that the anti-money laundering watchdog filed against casino junket operator Kim Wong and Weikang Xu due to insufficiency of evidence, according to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report.

The criminal complaint against Wong and Xu stemmed from the February 2016 unauthorized transfer of $81m from Bangladeshi Bank accounts at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York to accounts at the RCBC branch managed by Deguito.

The identity of those who initiated the transfer remains unproven, but suspicions have focused on hackers working for the North Korean government.

Landing International OKs Les Ambassadeurs Club and Casino sale

HongKong-listed casino investor Landing International Development Ltd. has given the sale of its upmarket gaming venue in United Kingdom the greenlight.

In a regulatory filing, Landing announced that has put the Les Ambassadeurs Club and Casino on sale for a total consideration of HK$2.5 billion (US$320.16 billion) in order to enhance the Company’s cash flow and to allow it to focus its resources to develop Jeju Shinhwa World in South Korea’s Jeju Island.

The sale, according to the firm, signals its pivot toward the emerging markets in Southeast Asian regions.

“The leisure and entertainment industry in Southeast Asian markets has high potentials with ample business opportunities. The vibrant economy in the region has created an affluent of tourists demanding for high-quality leisure and entertainment experience to visit world-class tourism destinations in various regions,” Dr. Yang Zhihui, Chairman and Executive Director of Landing International Development Limited. “We are looking for opportunities to diversify into emerging markets in Southeast Asia by investing in projects with high growth potential and favorable investment terms, including seeking out opportunities in the Philippines, so as to establish “Landing” into a renowned leisure and entertainment brand.”

Play’n GO nominated for prestigious EGR game of the year

8th September, 2017 – Award-winning slots specialist Play’n GO has been nominated for the 2017 EGR Game of the Year, for its game Viking Runecraft.

The innovative grid slot, which transports players to a world of Norse Gods and Viking mythology, has been a smash-hit since its launch in April, with players enticed by its superb graphics and extensive gameplay.

The level-based game features a number of unique features in keeping with the theme, including the Charge of Destruction, Ragnarök free rounds and gift of the gods bonuses, all of which make it a truly immersive experience.

Players have taken to the game considerably since its release, with its omni-channel appeal ensuring it’s as exciting on mobile devices as it is on desktop. Likewise, operators have experienced the benefits to their bottom lines, with its popularity increasing week-on-week.

Betgenius partners with Sportcast for game-changing ‘BetBuilder’ product

Betgenius and Sportcast have joined forces to offer sportsbook operators the most compelling and user-friendly pre-match betting experience on the market today.

By combining a slick interface with instant pricing driven by the latest technology and machine learning methods, BetBuilder revolutionises pre-match betting by enabling punters to instantly build accumulators made up of dozens of different player, team and event markets within the same game.

The fully-automated product takes single event accumulators – the hottest trend in sports betting – to the next level, with the most complete and advanced solution for operators and customers alike.

The first wave of leading sportsbook operators will be launching the product, which will feature all major sporting events globally, this month.

Benoit Pagotto: Brands must put their feet in the water

In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Becky Liggero, Benoit Pagotto of Fnatic explains why only a few brands are jumping into eSports despite its popularity.

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One Championship announces full bout card for return to Jakarta on 16 September

September 2017 – Jakarta, Indonesia: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced additional bouts for ONE: TOTAL VICTORY, set for the Jakarta Convention Center on 16 September. In the main event, former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov of Kazakhstan takes on Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio of the Philippines. In addition to the blockbuster headline bout, a series of compelling matchups have been put together featuring the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent.

Ticket information for ONE: TOTAL VICTORY is available at www.onefc.com

Former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov is a veteran martial artist from Almaty, Kazakhstan. The 29-year-old boasts a solid 23-1 professional record amassed during a stellar martial arts career which has seen him dominate his opponents with tenacious wrestling and powerful striking. In his most recent appearance inside the ONE Championship cage, Akhmetov faced divisional rival Adriano Moraes for the right to be crowned the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion. Akhmetov fell just short of victory, losing by unanimous decision in a close bout. Determined to earn another shot at ONE Championship gold, a victory over Geje Eustaquio, whom Akhmetov will challenge in his next contest, could be the ticket to another title opportunity.

Top flyweight contender and former world title challenger Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio of  Baguio City, Philippines, is one of the most skilled martial artists in Asia, and a highly-decorated wushu practitioner. His solid striking and grappling skill set has led to huge victories over the course of a six-year professional martial arts career. Training in the high altitudes of the Philippines’ mountainous region, Eustaquio hones his craft alongside world-class teammates at the fabled Team Lakay. In his most recent bout, Eustaquio defeated fellow striker Anatpong Bunrad via split decision in a rematch. Known for his incredible ability to keep calm in the face of adversity, Eustaquio is set to headline ONE: TOTAL VICTORY opposite former ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov.

Five top class London venues for networking focused Betting on Sports

Betting on Sports 2017 (12-15 September) will deliver an unrivalled source of networking and business opportunities across five top class London venues.

Starting with a pre-registration event at Hilton Olympia Hotel on Tuesday 12 September, which includes networking drinks and Champions League football, #boscon2017 delegates can take advantage of the full industry gathering with numerous opportunities to learn from the brightest minds, generate new business leads and reignite existing relationships.

Following the first full day at Olympia Conference Centre on Wednesday 13 September, a venue chosen in part for its lively 1,768 sqm networking and exhibition area, there will be networking drinks from 16:30 to 19:00 before the 1,200 senior executives in attendance move on to one of two spectacular capital city venues.

The world class Altitude 360, located on the 29th floor of Westminster’s tallest building, has been selected as the host venue for the official networking party on Wednesday 13 September, while Skyloft, another of the amazing Altitude London venues in Millbank Tower, has also been booked by SBC Events for its renowned dinners on the same night.

Btobet confirms the success of its expansion in Romania and proceeds with new partnerships in central-eastern Europe

After the Bucharest roadshow, the multinational iGaming and sportsbook software provider BtoBet is now ready to bring its technological platform in Budapest and Cyprus, meeting the major farsighted local operators. 

Commenting BtoBet’s team participation to the Central-Eastern Europe show, CMO Sabrina Solda’ stated:

“I address my congratulations to our team in Bucharest, for the great job done during the Entertainment Arena Expo. They tightened the link with authorities and relevant components of the gambling industry – such as the Association of Gambling Organisers ROMBET – and also had great feedback from companies willing to develop their business in Central-Eastern Europe with BtoBet s sportsbook and iGaming platform tech tools.” 

Solda’ anticipated the next moves of the company: “Now, we are looking forward to continuing our fruitful partnership process and new operations development moving also in Budapest and Cyprus.” 

The Staples brothers evacuated as Irma reaches the StreamBoat

PokerStars and Bill Perkins have been forced to cancel StreamBoat 2, and evacuate Jaime and Matt Staples after Hurricane Irma menacingly made it way to the British Virgin Islands.

Not since 2005, when Hurricane Wilma came crashing into the United States killing 87 people in its wake, and creating 29.4 billion dollars in carnage, has a hurricane set a windy foot on American soil, and now, we are about to have two in a matter of weeks.

Americans still hadn’t come to terms with the 60+ dead in the Houston area following the cataclysmic attack on the region by Hurricane Harvey, before Hurricane Irma began whipping up the warm deep waters of the Atlantic.

The Category 5 hurricane (one of only 32 since 1924), has ripped through the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos, Cuba, Barbuda, and St Martin, killing at least ten people.