Monthly Archives: March 2018

Cryptocurrency joins porn in Google’s list of banned ads

The latest wave of policy changes at tech giant Google is about to hit the cryptocurrency sector—and skins gambling, too.

On Tuesday, Google announced that it is changing its advertising policyto target selected financial products and services. The updated policy, which will take effect in June, specifically bans advertisements for binary options and all cryptocurrency-related content, including initial coin offerings (ICOs), cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency wallets, and cryptocurrency trading advice.

The policy will also prohibit content advertising for “unregulated or speculative financial products,” which include financial spread betting as well as contracts for difference and rolling spot forex. Advertisers offering promotions for the listed products will have to secure a certification from Google before they can advertise via AdWords. The certification, according to the tech giant, is only available in select countries.

The limits placed on cryptocurrency-related promotions mirror that of the restrictions placed on ads that promote say, sexually explicit content or counterfeit items.

‘Positive’ gambling reforms attracting more investors to Cambodia

Cambodia, which once hid behind the shadows of its Southeast Asian peers, is slowly stepping in to the investors’ radars amid positive gambling reforms.

The Voice of America reported that Cambodia is making a sweeping legislative reforms in order to corner a large chunk of gambling investments in the country. The reforms include the likely enactment of a key casino bill that will set a 4% to 5% tax rate for the brick-and-mortar facilities.

There are 65 licensed casinos in Cambodia but the sector is dominated by HongKong-listed Naga World Hotel and Entertainment.

Ben Reichel, executive director of Australian-listed casino operator Donaco International, pointed out that the Cambodian government’s decision to ease visa rules for Chinese visitors has contributed to the rise of VIPs from mainland China who wanted to get away from President Xi Jinping’s corruption crackdown.

Let bygones be bygones: Wynn Resorts withdraws legal claims vs. Okada

Casino operator Wynn Resorts has finally decided to bury the old hatchet with Japanese gambling mogul Kazuo Okada, dropping all legal claims that it filed against the businessman.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Wynn Resorts declared before a Nevada court that it will no longer pursue the breach of fiduciary responsibility and other offenses claims it filed against Okada.

Okada, who initially invested $260 million when Wynn Resorts was still at its infancy, welcomed the legal developments in Nevada, saying that “the world knows what I have known all along—I am innocent.”

The public fallout between Okada and Steve Wynn stemmed from Okada’s decision to sue the Wynn Resorts founder for blocking access to financial documents related to a $135-million donation by Wynn Resorts to the University of Macau.

Yggdrasil continues Italy expansion with Lottomatica agreement

14th March, 2018 ­­– Yggdrasil Gaming has further expanded its presence in Italy after agreeing a deal with the country’s largest online operator, Lottomatica.

Yggdrasil’s portfolio of certified slots will be available to customers of the lottomatica.it and totosi.it brands, with the operator also gaining access to Yggdrasil’s collection of in-game promotional tools, BOOST™.

Yggdrasil Gaming CEO Fredrik Elmqvist said: “Italy has quickly emerged as one of Europe’s most important igaming markets, and major operators like Lottomatica have played an important role in this process.

“This partnership enables us to build upon our favourable growth in Italy, and develop a long-lasting and fruitful relationship with Lottomatica.”

Play’n GO to showcase omni-channel content at ENADA SPRING

14th March 2018 – Omni-channel slots specialist Play’n GO will exhibit its award-winning, certified slots content at this year’s ENADA SPRING, Italy’s leading gaming trade show, starting today and running until the 16th March at the Rimini Expo Centre.

The supplier will showcase its extensive gaming portfolio, along with other products on stand 14 in hall C7, with senior personnel on hand to demonstrate how its varied range can benefit both land-based and digital operators.

A highlight on the stand will be Sweet Alchemy, Play’n GO’s imminent release which is highly-anticipated, having seen successful demonstrations at previous trade shows.

The title will be available to test on various devices, showcasing the game’s omni-channel viability which allows players to jump from land-based to remote gaming channels carrying progress with them.

Habanero agrees Solid Gaming deal

14th March 2018 – Premium slots and table games provider Habanero has struck a deal to supply its content to casino brands via Solid Gaming, one of Asia’s largest aggregators.

Under the agreement, Solid Gaming will distribute Habanero’s full suite of games, including its latest releases London Hunter, 5 Mariachis, and Rolling Roger, to operators in the region.

The titles will join a large portfolio of games from a select group of suppliers and will be available in a host of different currencies and languages.

Daniel Long, Head of Sales at Habanero, said: “We are delighted to have struck a deal with Solid Gaming who have a wide range of customers that will benefit from the popularity of our games with players.

PokerLion roars into life on the MPN’s Indian Poker Network

ISLE OF MAN – Microgaming welcomes PokerLion to the MPN’s growing Indian Poker Network.

PokerLion is the latest operator to join the MPN’s Indian Poker Network. Owned by Stuti Hardware Pvt. Ltd. (Ability Games), PokerLion went live on 8 March 2018 and supports all major poker variants on desktop and mobile.

Jean-Luc Ferriere, Director of Network Games at Microgaming, comments: “PokerLion joins the MPN’s Indian Poker Network with aggressive plans for growth and a commitment to entertain. Passionate about developing and promoting poker in India, the team are a welcome addition to the network.”

Powered by Microgaming’s award-winning software, which delivers popular features, promotions and games, including licensed branded content and Fish Party, the industry’s only progressive jackpot SNGs, PokerLion targets a broad demographic of players.

MLB wants a slice of sports betting revenue in Kansas, too

Lawmakers are setting their sights on the multi-million dollar potential of sports betting business in Kansas—and so is the Major League Baseball.

The Associated Press reported that a bill seeking to legalize sports betting in state-owned casinos, over the internet and with mobile apps, has been introduced before the House Federal and State Affairs Committee this week, in anticipation that the Supreme Court will lift the federal ban on sports wagering.

But even before the bill was scrutinized by House committee members, MLB made its presence felt by saying that it wants to partake some of the revenues that Kansas will get from the sports betting business.

Aside from the revenue, MLB Senior Vice President Bryan Seeley said they also want casinos to share their sports betting data with the league in a bid to prevent game fixing in future sporting events.

Lightning Box charges ahead with Respin Rhino slot

GVC brands to debut new release ahead of general roll-out

Sydney, 14th March 2018 – Specialist slot developer Lightning Box is on the rampage round the reels with its latest slots release Respin Rhino.

The 4×5 reel, 40-line, slot’s authentic African soundtrack and realistic graphics take players across the continent’s vast plains in search of the elusive horned creature.

Along the way they’ll encounter plenty of wildlife including tigers, chimps, and exotic dancers. But when they locate the matching stacks of wildlife, the elusive rhino appears and they can expect big bonus rounds as they hunt the jackpot.

Wazdan reach a new range of customers with iSoftBet’s Game Aggregation Platform

March 14, 2018, Malta – Wazdan, the major casino games producer with products covering slots, table games and video poker has signed a content deal with leading online and mobile casino software provider iSoftBet. Under the new deal, Wazdan will be providing their complete portfolio of over 100 HTML5 titles to iSoftBet’s Game Aggregation Platform (GAP) powered by Wazdan’s innovative suite of added-value accessible for players on mobile, tablet and desktop.

Wazdan, the major casino games producer with products covering slots, table games and video licensed in the UK, Malta and Curacao has sealed a content deal with iSoftBet’s Game Aggregation Platform.

iSoftBet’s GAP is an advanced platform which offers operators a diversified and robust portfolio of content through a single, seamless integration. iSoftBet GAP has an archive of more than 2000 games sourced from over 35 suppliers and will now gain access to Wazdan’s rapidly expanding library of innovative slots titles.

Wazdan’s popular portfolio includes titles such as Great Book of Magic Deluxe, Magic Target Deluxe, Valhalla and Wild Guns. Upcoming titles include Los Muertos, Mayan Ritual and Captain Flynt, among others. They will all feature on iSoftBet GAP together with over 100 other games from the popular games developer whose ‘Passion for Games’ is quietly spreading across the industry; to operators, platforms, aggregators and affiliates. Recent new game releases from Wazdan include Dracula’s Castle, Tetri Mania Deluxe, Fruit Fiesta, Mystery Jack Deluxe, Magic Fruits 4 Deluxe and Magic Hot 4 Deluxe to name just a few. With over 100 game assets currently in production, Wazdan’s portfolio will be expanded to over 200 titles by the end of 2019.

Crypto experts to discuss the future of blockchain in Israel on March 28 at Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Israel

On March 28, Tel Aviv will host Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Israel, a large conference dedicated to blockchain, cryptocurrencies and ICO. Speakers will discuss the future of the crypto industry, and blockchain companies will present their new developments.

Why Israel?

Blockchain community said that Israel is the startup nation. The country started to develop blockchain in 2015, and a year later, according to the audit company Deloitte, there were about 500 fintech startups.

In addition, according to the Bloomberg 2017 Innovation Index report, the economy of Israel is among the Top 10 most innovative world economies. It is not surprising, since the country allocates 4.25% of annual GDP to research and development.

Prague Gaming Summit 2018 announces SBTech as registration sponsor

Prague – 14 March 2018 – The team at European Gaming are honored to announce the support of SBTech as Registration Sponsor at the second edition of Prague Gaming Summit which will be held at Andel’s by Vienna House Prague on the 29th of March.

As the organizers have announced in earlier press releases, the event will be fully packed and the content of the seminar promises to set the bar even higher than usual.

With 30 experts speakers sharing information about legal updates from Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria and also focusing on Responsible Gambling, Effective Marketing, AML, Blockchain, Conversion, Retention and Gambling Licensing Procedures in the European Union, the program of the event is unique in the industry.

Make sure you register in order to get a chance to networking with the representatives of Fortuna Group Entertainment, Sazka, Superbet, NetEnt, Cubits, Payout s.r.o., Nmi Gaming, Data Bet, Pangea Localization Services, PMU, BMM Testlabs, ROMBET, All-In Translations, Betgenius, Endorphina, Vemantia, Kajot, Genii Limited, Quickspin, Apollo Games, Astra Games, Ladbrokes Coral, Mr.Green, Boston Link and much more.

Teams most likely to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup

This is a guest contribution by Valentyn Kyrylenko. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

The teams with the highest preference for the World Championship 2018 are the national teams of Brazil, Germany, France and Spain.

Brazil passed its qualification without any hitches and outran their nearest competitor by 10 points. However this is not surprising. Their line-up are powered by a series of talented individuals, and team coaches. Tite partially announced which players will hit the field: Alisson, Dani Alves, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Miranda, Marcelo Vieira, Casemiro, Renato Augusto, Paulinho, Philippe Coutinho, Fernandinho, Willian, Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino.

Half of the above mentioned players may decide the course of any match by themselves. If the Brazilians ultimately manage their team play, they will be extremely hard to stop.

Champions League review: United players selling lemons; Sevilla go through

A round-up of the action from the knockout stages of the Champions League sees Man Utd lose at home to Sevilla, and Roma beat Shakhtar Donetsk on away goals. 

Manchester United stumbled into the Champions League after winning the poor man’s title – the Europa League. One is the home of the crack commandos. The other is the hangout for the ‘not good enough.’ Last night, United showed the true colour of their blood, and it wasn’t crack commando.

There was a time when visiting Old Trafford to compete in a Champions League knockout game was as daunting as bending over to pick up your pen in prison. When the Sevilla players meandered into Manchester in their Chinos and cans, United’s players must have been sitting around the TV playing FIFA and getting stoned. On a night when the United faithful needed to see gladiators, they saw 11-boys selling lemons in the rain.

And maybe we shouldn’t have expected anything different?

NetEnt’s Mega Fortune Dreams changes another life with €4m windfall

NetEnt, leading provider of digital gaming solutions, has continued its great start to 2018 after another lucky player secured a €4,084,430.35 jackpot while playing Mega Fortune Dreams™.

The life-changing amount of money was won by a Sweden-based player whilst playing the progressive jackpot slot on Unibet casino.

Mega Fortune Dreams™ is a popular game with players and has a global fan base. It is a 5-reel, 3-row, 20-line video slot featuring a triple progressive jackpot Bonus Game, which gives the players more chances to win big.

This is NetEnt’s second multi-million euro jackpot in 2018 after one lucky player won €2.5m playing Mega Fortune™ in January.

Gus Hansen sits down for high-stakes action in Bobby’s Room

What do poker players do when they’re not playing poker? Apparently, they play poker.

Gus Hansen made his way to Las Vegas last week to take part in the Poker After Dark series, and then found some time to take in a few more hands with some other high-stakes pros in Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio. Bobby’s Room is notorious for not allowing anyone to snap pictures during the games, but Hansen still managed to get a couple of shots, which he uploaded on his Instagram account.

The Great Dane sat down for the action against players such as Daniel Cates, Andrew Robl, Eliot Sion, David Oppenheim and “Texas Dolly” Doyle Brunson. Whether or not Hansen played well is anyone’s guess, as he didn’t provide much detail on his social media post. Stakes in the games reached to as much as $1,500/$3,000.

In one shot posted by Hansen, the multi-million dollar player was seen standing behind the table, watching over the action. The question remains, however, if he had excused himself from the game due to his performance, or if he was just stretching his legs. We may never know.

Danish gambling revenue up almost 7% year-on-year in Q4 2017

Denmark’s gambling community continues to thrive. Following the release of data by the Danish Gambling Authority (DGA), gambling revenue for the final quarter of 2017 is up across the entire market. This includes online and land-based casinos, betting facilities and gaming machines.

According to the DGA report, overall gross revenue climbed by about 6.9% year on year between 2016 and 2017. Online casinos reported a 16.7% year-on-year increase for around $3.79 million (DKK22.8 million). This was also a 5% increase from the third quarter of 2017. The rise in online activity in the country is congruent with what the global online gaming community has been reporting.

Sports betting also picked up steam last year. In the fourth quarter of 2017, the industry saw a jump of 23.8% over the third quarter, and a little more than 29% over the last quarter of 2016. Sports betting, including prop betting, has continued to gain favor in many regions of both North America and Europe, but more so in Europe as the U.S. awaits the Supreme Court’s decision on the possible reversal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992.

There would appear to be a shift to online gambling over live action in the country. Denmark’s seven land-based casinos reported a revenue decline of 4.4% from the previous quarter. That also represents a 3.3% decrease year on year. It’s a surprising shift downward given the 21.7% increase the industry has seen since 2014. Arcade and restaurant gaming machine profits were also down, showing a 2.5% dip over the third quarter figures for a loss of $1.33 million (DKK8 million).

High court ruling may pave way for legal fantasy sports betting in India

India’s top court has, in a roundabout way, signaled its acceptance of online fantasy sports betting in the country. While it hasn’t specifically given the green light, the court has provided the opinion that fantasy sports is not gambling, and requires a great amount of skill. The decision provides greater clarity of the highly-debated topic of daily fantasy sports (DFS) in India, but it’s still too early to claim victory.

It all began in April of last year. Lawyer Varun Gumber had submitted a complaint to the courts in hopes of having criminal charges brought against online fantasy sports betting website Dream11, according to GLaws.in report. Justice Amit Rawal ruled that DFS does not constitute gambling and that it requires a significant amount of skill. He explained that DFS participants had to continuously track player activity, sporting events, previous records, weather, among other factors, in order to properly wager their bets.

Not content with Justice Rawal’s decision, Gumber took the case to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in August. On the bench were Justices Rohinton F. Nariman and Sanjay Kishan Kaul. They announced their decision in September, backing their fellow justice’s position on the matter. With that, Gumber’s petition was summarily dismissed.

The dismissal of the petition only provided enough leverage to indicate that there is potential for DFS to be legalized at some point. The court’s decision only addresses the criminal complaint, but doesn’t go into the legal issues involved, according to GLaws.in‘s Jay Sayta. There would still need to be legislation entered into law to fully back DFS in the country. However, provisions in the Public Gaming Act of 1867 are current roadblocks to DFS gaining nationwide favor.

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