Author Archives: The Daily Payoff

Why gaming needs blockchain

This article is a guest contribution from Nick Hill, Executive Director of PremierConsultingGambling and a member of the Bitcoin Association. This article originally appeared on CoinGeek. 

Since the dawn of mobile gambling, gaming has gone from strength to strength. Player numbers around the world have soared in recent years, fueled by the convenience and flexibility of online options. Compared to the pre-mobile days of exclusively physical, in-person gaming, the industry has already benefited hugely from advancing technologies.

Yet even still, technological barriers exist within the gaming sector that holds back progress. Trust and transparency remain a significant issue for some players, and for operators. Compliance with the licensing standards set by regulators and lawmakers pose their own problems for operators to solve. The gaming experience is reliant on often centralised systems, in themselves vulnerable to manipulation and hacking.

This is where blockchain comes in. Blockchain is already shaping the future of gaming, and is set to be the next big technology to ring sweeping changes through the sector—for the better. But why does gaming need blockchain, and what are the advantages of the technology for both operators and players?

‘Mattress Mack,’ Famous Houston Businessman, Wins $3.46 Million on Super Bowl Bet

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale put Doug Polk’s $1.2 million win over Daniel Negreanu to shame. The Houston businessman who famously places massive wagers on big sporting events, collected $3.46 million for his bet on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to beat the 3.5-point spread in the Super Bowl.

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale posted yet another massive sports betting win. (Image: chron.com)

McIngvale is the founder and owner of the Gallery Furniture, a Houston-based furniture retail chain. The 69-year-old wealthy owner still works in the store he originally built, greeting customers daily.

He loves to work as much as he loves sports and gambling. The businessman is famous for placing huge wagers on major sporting events. In 2017, he made one of the craziest wagers ever, except it wasn’t at a sportsbook.

Canadian Gaming Association launches partnership with iGaming Academy

Gaming industry training leader iGaming Academy has partnered with the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) to offer up-to-date compliance and product training across Canada via the CGA Academy.

As part of its commitment to expand services to the Canadian gaming industry, the CGA has partnered with the iGaming Academy to launch a full online training solution, including up-to-date compliance and skills training courses and a robust Learning Management System (LMS), all specialized for the gaming industry. The CGA has been planning this expansion into training for some time as part of its mandate and has chosen to partner with the iGaming Academy because of their focus on up-to-date content, customized solutions, and superior services.

iGaming Academy, part of The Conexus Group, currently trains over 40,000 professionals every year across 100+ companies in 45+ countries. The company specializes in industry-specific compliance and product eLearning and has extensive experience training professionals of all levels within online gaming, land-based casinos, lotteries, and betting shops.

This new collaboration will ensure that gaming companies in Canada are able to easily access high quality, regulator-approved training content year-round. Training will be available in an interactive online format, and companies will have the option to create their own bespoke online learning portal from the ground up, with the ability to customise course selection, training variables and assign, track and easily report on employee progress.

Midweek F.A. Cup Preview

With both Manchester clubs in action, the fifth round of the F.A. Cup features some of the strongest teams in the country. It will also see some of this season’s minnows attempt to cause a ‘Cupset’ and progress to the quarter-finals of a competition that can be a lifeline to smaller teams.

Who will win and who will crash out at the last 16 stage? Let’s take a look in our crystal ball and pick some winners.

Manchester United vs. West Ham United (Tuesday, 7.30pm GMT kick-off)

This could be a cup classic. United host West Ham in what many will tell you is a home banker but in actual fact is anything but.

Daytona 500 betting: Hamlin leads early odds

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Just about every team sport on the planet concludes its season with its biggest event. The 2020 NFL season, for example, just concluded Sunday with Super Bowl 55. NASCAR handles things differently as it stages its biggest event to kick off the new season and that’s the Daytona 500. The 63rd running of the Great American Race is Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET from Daytona International Speedway on the east coast of Florida. There will be limited fans (around 30,000) allowed. It’s 200 laps around the 2.5-mile track.

One big storyline at this year’s race is who isn’t in it: Seven-time points champion Jimmie Johnson, who retired as a full-time competitor after last season. He won this race twice, in 2006 and 2013.

The clear-cut favorite (if there is such a thing in a NASCAR race), is two-time defending champion Denny Hamlin at +700. The 2019 race won by Hamlin was the last at the track with restrictor plates, and last year’s race was postponed by a day due to rain. Hamlin edged out Ryan Blaney by 0.014 seconds to become the first repeat winner since Sterling Marlin in 1995.

WSOP.com Pennsylvania Set to Launch in Time for 2021 Summer Series

Pennsylvanians may be able to play for WSOP bracelets online this summer, according to Vice President of 888 Holdings Yaniv Sherman.

WSOP.com is getting ready to go live in Pennsylvania and offer online bracelet events this summer. (Image: WSOP)

As the official online partner of Caesars Entertainment, 888 is responsible for powering WSOP.com’s US platforms. With sites already active in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware, Sherman wants to add Pennsylvania.

Speaking to Pokerfuse, the 888 executive said WSOP.com PA should go live in the first half of 2021. If all goes to plan, he wants online bracelet events to be available in the Keystone State this summer.

Kindred Group reveals share of revenue from ‘high-risk’ gamblers

Online gambling operator Kindred Group has gone public with the share of revenue it derives from ‘harmful gambling’ by its high-risk players, while explaining its efforts to eventually reduce this share to zero. 

Last Friday, Kindred announced that while around 98% of customers of its various online brands were deemed to gamble responsibly, the company still derived 4.31% of its Q4 2020 revenue from so-called ‘high-risk’ players. Kindred said it would continue to release such statistics in future as it strives to reduce the percentage to zero by 2023.

Kindred released stats showing that Q4’s ‘high-risk’ revenue rate was a modest improvement from 4.39% in Q3 and the 4.72% in Q2, but represented a significant gain from the 3.88% in Q1. The company said Q4 showed a 75.7% improvement in the share of detected ‘high-risk’ customers who changed their behavior after the company intervened in response to signs of excessive play. 

The stats show more significant decreases in ‘low-risk’ and ‘medium-risk’ revenue share, with a corresponding rise in the ‘social’ category, suggesting Kindred’s responsible gambling tools have a far greater impact on individuals who already possess the personal tools needed to keep their gambling in check.