Monthly Archives: February 2020

Melco balks at giving documents to Crown regulatory inquiry

Casino operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MRE) has filed a legal challenge of an Australian gambling regulator’s authority to determine whether MRE is a suitable investor in Aussie rival Crown Resorts.

On Wednesday, The Australian reported that MRE had filed a legal challenge with the New South Wales Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA), arguing that the regulator is exceeding its authority via its inquiry into MRE’s plan to buy a 20% stake in Crown. MRE’s legal hail mary will be heard in a hearing with the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday.

To refresh your memory, MRE boss Lawrence Ho made a deal with Crown’s largest shareholder James Packer last May to buy 20% of the Australian casino operator. That deal was ‘paused’ that August after only half of the Crown shares had changed hands to “allow more time for the relevant Australian regulatory processes to be completed.”

Those regulatory processes, which included the ILGA probe, were sparked after Crown’s dealings with Asian VIP gamblers were lambasted in an episode of 60 Minutes Australia. It later became known that Lawrence Ho (pictured) sat on the boards of some companies with which Crown was forbidden to associate due to their connection to Lawrence’s father Stanley, who has been linked (rightly or wrongly) to Hong Kong triad activity.

Scout Gaming enters into an agreement with NetEnt

Scout Gaming has signed a distribution agreement with NetEnt, which will enable NetEnt’s customers access to Scout Gaming’s entire product offering. Scout Gaming is currently being integrated on NetEnt’s platform and will be available to NetEnt’s customers.

NetEnt is one of the leading industry players and has over 200 integrated B2C operators on their platform.

“I am proud that we, as selected Fantasy Sports- and “Player Performance Odds” provider, can sign this agreement with NetEnt, who are expanding its business to also include distribution. It is a pioneering deal and a clear sign of NetEnt’s true innovation ability.

This means that our products reach operators and end consumers in the shortest possible time frame, since most of the integration will already be in place.

YGAM, GamCare and Gordon Moody Association named sponsorship recipients at ICE London

YGAM, GamCare and Gordon Moody Association named sponsorship recipients at ICE London

Leading gambling charities, YGAM, GamCare and Gordon Moody Association were the recipients of the funds generated by sponsors of the ICE London Consumer Protection Zone (CPZ). A total of £67,500 was distributed among the chosen charities with YGAM and GamCare both receiving £25,000 each and Gordon Moody Association receiving £17,500. Sponsorship donations were made by 13 progressive international brands comprising 888 Holdings, ALEA, Aspers, bet365, Gamesys Group, Genting Casinos, GVC Group, Hippodrome Casino, Kindred Group PLC, LeoVegas Group, Microgaming, Sky Betting & Gaming, and Videoslots, plus a donation from sponsorship of the WrB webinar series by Onfido.

Ewa Bakun, Director of Industry Insight and Engagement at Clarion Gaming, said: “These charities – YGAM, GamCare and Gordon Moody Association – were chosen by the Consumer Protection Zone sponsors in recognition of the fantastic RET (Research, Education and Treatment) undertakings. The zone has been a great success benefitting from a bigger footprint and new location adjacent to the Red Tiger VIP Lounge.”

She added: “We are incredibly grateful for the generous support from all of the sponsors who have managed to almost double the donations made in 2019. At this year’s edition of ICE London, the CPZ has succeeded again in being the focal point for discussions and product demonstrations that advance the industry’s efforts around social responsibility and protecting the consumer. Throughout ICE we have also been hosting a number of pop-up talks around the show floor to demonstrate that consumer protection is not isolated to one area, but a commitment that is relevant throughout the gambling ecosystem.”

SIS pens Saudi Cup rights deal with Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia

Thursday 6th February 2020 – SIS (Sports Information Services), the leading multi-channel supplier of 24/7 betting services, has agreed a deal with the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia for the rights to distribute live pictures and data from the Saudi Cup.

As part of the agreement, SIS will broadcast the full two days of horse racing at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Kingdom Day taking place on February 28 and Saudi Cup Day following on February 29. Saudi Cup Day features the Saudi Cup race itself – known as the world’s most valuable horse race thanks to its $20 million prize fund and the $10 million cheque handed out to the winner.

The full Saudi Cup racing schedule will be made available to SIS’s customers worldwide via its retail and online services, including its 24/7 Live Betting Channels – an end-to-end solution which benefits partners thanks to its delivery of profitable short-form content throughout the day with a betting event every 3 minutes.

This latest rights deal further enhances SIS’s market-leading portfolio of international racing, which also includes events from the UK and Ireland, Australia, Dubai, Latin America, Mauritius and Korea among others.

Playtech BGT Sports agrees strategic SportsTraders partnership

London, 06th February 2020 – Playtech BGT Sportsa (PBS) and SportsTraders (ST) have announced a strategic partnership to distribute SportsTraders’ groundbreaking new betting product, TeamBets.

SportTraders is an Israeli B2B technology company developing new sports betting technologies and products. The cornerstone product which has been developed together by ST and PBS is branded ‘TeamBets’, and has been launched via PBS’ proprietary platform.

TeamBets is a new betting offering involving betting and trading on market trends rather than on single events.

The unique features of this new product are:

NetEnt partners with FashionTV Gaming Group

NetEnt has signed a deal with FashionTV Gaming Group, the exclusive licensor for the FashionTV brand in iGaming, to produce an innovative slot inspired by the leading fashion and style channel’s hit song ‘I Want to be a Trillionaire’, featuring FTV star Anja J.

This collaboration will enable NetEnt to actively leverage the global recognition of the FashionTV mega-brand and its international network, which reaches over two billion viewers.

FashionTV Gaming Group has rapidly taken the gaming industry by storm, connecting the online world with the luxury of FashionTV. Players are immersed in the glamorous world of FashionTV, with the opportunity to attend real-life branded events and parties and receive lavish FashionTV-branded goods straight to their doorstep.

“FashionTV has something different to offer the online casino sector – from its brand identity, its reach, the power of its global network, and its understanding of how to create engaging and unique content. Our partnership hopes to combine our unequalled ability to work with brands, with FashionTV’s sheer global recognition and marketing power,” said Bryan Upton, NetEnt Director of Games. “The ‘I Want to be a Trillionaire’ song is loved by millions of fans all over the world and we look forward to bringing ‘The Trillionaire’ game, inspired by this popular song, adding a touch of glamour and bling to our industry-leading portfolio.”

The Eternal Bridesmaid – How Dominic Thiem is stuck in the middle of tennis history

On Sunday, Novak Djokovic came from two sets to one down to break Dominic Thiem’s heart as the Serbian captured his eighth Australian Open title in the glittering finale.

While the headlines belonged to Djokovic and his indefatigable nature, the relentlessness of his performance leading to many speculating that he will end his career as the greatest tennis player of all time, the cameras were turned away from Thiem, which is surely the point.

Can Dominic Thiem ever step into the limelight as a winner, or is he destined to miss out on the sport’s top prizes, the Grand Slam victories which so far elude him?

No-one except Rafael Nadal, world number one Djokovic and Roger Federer have won a Grand Slam title in the last three seasons, and while many are speculating that this year will be the year that run ends, they are doing so when talking about the emergence of younger talents such as Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas who at 23, 22 and 21 respectively, are an exciting trio of youthful protégés waiting to take over from the old guard.

Bucks, Sixers Highlight Thursday NBA Betting Slate

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday afternoon, so the odds on some games could change should a major deal be made ahead of that deadline and the start of the five-game schedule at 7:30 p.m. ET when the Orlando Magic visit the New York Knicks.

It’s possible the Magic make an addition as they are in the Eastern Conference playoffs as things stand despite a losing record. If New York does anything, it’s selling assets for futures as the Knicks are having another lousy season and are bound for the lottery. Orlando has won and covered seven of the past 10 in this series.

Per usual, TNT has the national television doubleheader on Thursday night. The first game is a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview as the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Milwaukee Bucks, who are 9-point betting favorites. Four All-Stars, barring something unforeseen, will be on the court in Philly’s Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.

MGM Grand Detroit off the hook for crook who stole, lost $6m

Two casino-related court cases are offering further evidence of the maxim that the house always wins.

On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that found MGM Resorts’ MGM Grand Detroit casino wasn’t liable for some $6m stolen from investors by would-be developer Gino Accettola, who is currently serving seven to 30 years in prison after being convicted of fraud in 2018.

Accettola (pictured) reportedly accepted “substantial sums of money” from a dozen investors as far back as 2014 for construction projects in Michigan and Florida. Instead, Accettola blew the borrowed millions playing blackjack at MGM’s Detroit casino, a fact the investors learned through Accettola’s admissions during his fraud trial.

The aggrieved investors sued MGM, saying it should have known something was up after the scale of Accettola’s gambling increased “precipitously” in 2014. As a high-roller, Accettola was allowed to wager at the casino using credit markers, a process that allowed MGM to perform background checks on their new VIP.