Swintt, the innovative and forward-thinking game provider, announcing their new partnership with online operator Twin and continuing their strong start to 2020.
The agreement covers distribution of over 50 games from Swintt’s portfolio, covering proprietary content such as top perfomers ‘Panda Warrior’ and ‘Wild Wild Tiger’, land-based classics from major European markets including ‘Master of Books’ and ‘Heart of Earth’ and the upcoming ‘Bollywood Billions’ game inspired by Indian themes.
Players on Twin will also be able to enjoy features from the SwinttGamify promotional product, as well as help raise money for good causes via SwinttPlay-it-Back, the CSR-focused product.
David Flynn, CEO of Swintt commented: “We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Twin. Their player base aligns perfectly with our product suite, and we are sure that we can help each other grow in our respective target markets in a long and prosperous partnership.”
Supplier agrees slot content deal with prestigious casino
Malta, 28th January 2020 – Casino software developer Playson has signed an agreement with Casumo to supply its suite of games to the popular online casino, in a move that further strengthens its presence in Sweden and across Europe.
Founded in 2012, Casumo has grown to become one of the leading operators in Swedish regulated market, while also holding a strong position in the UK and other markets across Europe.
The supplier’s latest operator partnership will see its slots made available to Casumo’s customer base for the first time.
Uni was large in accomplishment in 2019, winning the First Lady Stakes Presented by UK Healthcare (G1T) and defeating males in the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1T) to secure a championship as the Eclipse Award-winning female turf horse of 2019.
Betfred, the world’s largest privately-owned retail bookmaker, and Saratoga Casino Black Hawk have signed an agreement to offer Sports Wagering throughout the state of Colorado.
Subject to regulatory approval, Betfred and Saratoga Casino will be opening a full sports book at the casinos Black Hawk, Colorado property, as well as offering mobile and internet betting for customers within the state of Colorado.
“We are delighted to partner with Saratoga Casino Black Hawk,” stated Mark Stebbings, Betfred Group Chief Operating Officer. “This is an exciting opportunity for both companies and we look forward to sharing our joint expertise to provide excellent service and value for sports bettors both on premise in Black Hawk and online to the people within the state of Colorado.”
Betfred has been established since 1967 and is one of the biggest sports betting brands in the United Kingdom with over 1500 retail outlets and a leading online platform. Betfred will also provide compliance, support, marketing and trading as part of the business partnership.
“We are excited to have Betfred as our sports wagering partner,” said Daniel Gerrity, President of Saratoga Casino Black Hawk. “With over 50 years of international experience in the industry, it’s a great opportunity to leverage their expertise along with the Saratoga brand to become the market leader in sports wagering in Colorado.”
The latest Super High Roller took place at the Crown Casino in Melbourne as the Aussie Millions ANTON Championship ring went to Michael Addamo, who beat Poker Central’s Cary Katz heads-up.
With a massive AUS$1,073,790 top prize, Addamo’s result propels him up the charts for cashes this year, with a massive seven-figure win under his belt already. It also marked the first time that Addamo had won an Aussie Millions event, having previously reached four final table appearances without sealing the deal.
With 82 players taking part, it was Michael Soyza who would be the last player not to cash, with other luminaries such as previous 2020 Aussie Millions event winner Jorryt van Hoof, Dan Smith, Stephen Chidwick, George Wolff, Kahle Burns, Matthias Eibinger, Mikita Badziakouski and Elio Fox also failing to cash. Kristen Bicknell from Canada made the first profit of the event, finishing 10th for A$119,130 and once everyone was at the final table Erik Seidel busted Yong Wang in 9th place for A$159,080. Seidel had put himself back into contention, but no sooner had he done that was his tournament over. Cary Katz took out Seidel and was threatening to take over, grabbing the chip lead, but Sam Greenwood had other ideas.
Greenwood went on a double elimination burst when he busted both the German high roller Rainer Kempe and the similarly highly-respected player Timothy Adams in the same hand. Adams had pocket jacks, while Kempe had king-queen, but Greenwood sent them both to the rail as he found a set on the turn, then held to reduce the field still further. When Addamo busted Ben Lamb, just four players remained as some serious dust had to settle.
I hope you’re reading this, Dominic Cummings. You recently came out with a blog post looking for assorted weirdos to help out with a complete overhaul of Downing Street. I applied under the “weirdo” title just for the hell of it. I’m writing to you now because you seem to have a brain and can listen. I’ve been waiting for someone like you to take the reins behind the scenes for years – someone with a deep mistrust of the political establishment and the strategic strength of mind of to take it on with courage. Your goal to flip the U.K. government on its head and gut Downing Street is exciting, and I’m watching your moves with much interest. Please don’t mess this up, Cummings.
I’m pretty lousy at a lot of things, but one thing I’m exceptionally good at is spotting dishonesty and policy sleight-of-hand. Here I’m talking about a new directive by the Gambling Commission to ban gambling with credit cards by April. Let’s talk about that in the broader context of the casino that nearly all capital markets have become over the last 12 years. Admittedly, the issue of whether punters can use their credit cards for gaming is a relatively minor one, but nevertheless it epitomizes what you and your team need to be on the lookout for in a broader sense in the years to come, if you are to have even a slim chance of success.
If gutting and cutting dangerous bureaucracies is your modus operandi, and I sincerely hope that it is, I recommend that you get rid of the Gambling Commission entirely. If you can’t do that outright because of the political repercussions to your boss, then at least defang the thing, let them write their reports and recommendations, let them keep their paychecks so they don’t whine too loudly, tell them reassuringly that you’re considering everything they say, and then feed all of it through a paper shredder.
Let’s go over this little announcement of theirs with a blunt-tooth comb. We need not even waste a fine-tooth comb on it. Or better yet, a rusty fork out of a dumpster will suffice. The key justification for this credit card ban is the following paragraph:
Four-time champion and three-time Breeders’ Cup winner Beholder delivered a dark bay filly by War Front the night of Jan. 15 at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington, the farm announced Jan. 16.
Vardy, whose victory in last weekend’s L’Ormarins Queens Plate (G1) coincided with the birthday of his Leicester City footballer namesake, has a half brother to be offered at the Jan. 16 Cape Premier Yearling Sale in South Africa.
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced a landmark partnership with Roar Digital – a joint venture between global gaming industry leaders MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings – making Roar’s sports betting brand, BetMGM, the official and exclusive gaming partner of the NLL. It is the first-ever gaming partnership for the sport of lacrosse in the United States.
“We
are so proud to welcome BetMGM as yet another world-class brand to
our family of national partners,” said NLL Commissioner Nick
Sakiewicz. “The growth of our league as a sports and entertainment
property and the amount of engagement we will be able to generate
through this innovative partnership with MGM Resorts and Roar Digital
will be very exciting and add tremendous value to avid, casual and
new fans. The like-minded vision both our organizations share will
continue to increase the relevance of the NLL and draw a wider
audience of fans as we continue the momentum we enjoyed over the last
four seasons.”
“Lacrosse
is a fast-paced, high-scoring, growing sport that presents exciting
sports betting opportunities. We are greatly impressed by the
management and operations of the NLL as evidenced by its strong
roster of team owners,” said Scott Butera, President of Interactive
Gaming for MGM Resorts. “The NLL is an ideal partner for BetMGM in
accessing a fast-growing Lacrosse fan base.”
BetMGM
will have commercial visibility and other promotional opportunities
throughout the NLL regular season and playoffs. In addition, will
create weekly betting lines distributed across all NLL platforms and
channels.
Accessible
via desktop and mobile, BetMGM features GVC’s state-of-the-art
betting engine and technology platform. Not only can users play the
traditional casino and poker games they’ve come to love, but sports
fans can place an expanded range of pre-match and in-play bets with
more than 100 leagues, as well as individual sports, tours and
events.
The
NLL is the premier professional lacrosse league, ranking third in
average attendance for pro indoor sports, with 13 teams in key
markets across North America. The NLL experienced substantial growth
last season with nearly a million total ticket sales, a 28 percent
increase from 2017-18. Digital viewership also rose significantly
through B/R Live the NLL’s streaming rights partner, showing
substantial increases in total unit sales (+151 percent from last
year), average unique viewers (+27 percent), and average minute
audiences (+14 percent). Sponsorship revenues are projected at a 29
percent increase from 2018 into 2019.
New Jersey’s sportsbooks and online casinos performed in December in much the same way they spent the rest of 2019: With new records and more growth. Retail and online sportsbooks combined with online casinos and poker to generate nearly $800 million in revenue in 2019, sending New Jersey into 2020 with plenty of momentum, according to PlayNJ.com analysts.
“Online sports betting and casino gambling should continue on or near its current growth trajectory in 2020,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayNJ.com. “Online growth will continue to be a net win for New Jersey’s gaming industry.”
New Jersey’s online and retail sportsbooks collected $557.8 million in bets in December, short of the record $562.2 million handle set in November, according to official reporting. December 2019’s handle was up 74.7% from $319.2 million in December 2018.
Revenue from sportsbooks reached $29.4 million, down from $32.9 million in November and up 41.4% from $20.8 million won in December 2018. December’s revenue yielded $3.7 million in tax revenue for the state.
For 2019, New Jersey’s sportsbooks combined to generate:
$4.6 billion in bets. Of that $3.8 billion, or 83.7%, was generated online.
Revenue of $299.4 million, including $244.5 million online.
State tax revenue of $36.5 million.
New Jersey will fall short of Nevada, which has generated $4.7 billion in bets through November, in the race to be the country’s largest legal sports betting jurisdiction.
“2019 could very well go down as the last year that New Jersey was eclipsed by Nevada,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for PlayNJ.com said. “From its proximity to the New York market to its pioneering online sports betting infrastructure, New Jersey’s positives as a sports betting market will continue to fuel its growth.”
In December, online betting generated $488.9 million, or 87.6% of the state’s handle, up from 86.5% in November. FanDuel Sportsbook/PointsBet continues to pace the online market, tallying $12.1 million in gross revenue, down from $12.2 million in November.
FanDuel Sportsbook at The Meadowlands lead the retail market with $2.4 million in November gross revenue.
“In addition to constant growth, one of the constants in New Jersey’s sports betting market has been FanDuel’s dominance,” Gouker said. “The brands under Resorts Digital have made it a relatively close second in the online market, but it has proven difficult to overcome FanDuel’s advantages, despite the brand recognition that comes from DraftKings and Fox Bet.”
As much as the Juddmonte Farms duo of Tacitus and Hidden Scroll are both on the comeback trail for trainer Bill Mott, they could not have more diverse targets.
Indiana retail and online sportsbooks capped their inaugural year in the state by surpassing $160 million in bets in a month for the first time. Indiana’s record handle in December pushed the state to more than $430 million in bets since the first wager was accepted in September, a staggering pace that has set the stage for a momentous 2020, according to analysts from PlayIndiana.
“Indiana’s ascent to one of the largest sports betting markets in the country has been impressive by most any measure,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayIndiana. “The question for 2020 is whether Indiana can sustain its rate of expansion, especially as neighboring states become more likely to legalize sports betting. That has already happened in Michigan, which could take a bite out of the handle at some of northern Indiana’s retail sportsbooks.”
In December, the state’s retail and online sportsbooks generated $161.8 million in bets, up 10% from $147.3 million in November, according to official reporting. December produced $12 million in adjusted gross revenue, up 29% from $9.3 million in November. The “win” yielded $1.1 million in taxes for the state.
Indiana sportsbooks have now generated $433.4 million in bets and $42.7 million in revenue since launch, and is easily the fourth-largest sports betting marketing in the country. January should bring more growth. Football betting has accounted for $178.6 million since launch and $59.1 million in bets in December, and that will likely surge with the NFL Playoffs. Basketball, which has tallied $82.2 million since launch and $42.3 million in December, should grow as college basketball enters conference season and the NBA season heats up.
“With the NFL Playoffs at hand and college basketball in full swing, it is possible that Indiana will surpass $1 billion in bets by March, making Indiana one of the quickest legal U.S. jurisdictions to reach that mark,” Gouker said.
The relatively rapid growth of Indiana can be attributed to the adoption of online sports betting earlier than states such as Pennsylvania. In Indiana, $110.6 million of December’s bets were made online representing 69.5% of the state’s total handle, up from 65% of the November handle.
BetAmerica, operating under the Rising Star Casino license, became Indiana’s fourth online sportsbook when it launched in late December. Still, DraftKings, which operates under the Ameristar Casino license, led the online market once again in December. DraftKings attracted $66.7 million in bets, up from $64.1 million in November, and generated $5 million in gross receipts, up from $4.3 million. DraftKings was followed by FanDuel/Blue Chip Casino, which generated a $36 million handle in December, up from $23.7 million, and a $2.2 million win.
Once again, the top retail sportsbooks were those closest to large out-of-state markets. The top retail sportsbook in Indiana continues to be Horseshoe Hammond, near Chicago. The market leader generated $13.4 million in December, up from $13 million in November. Those bets generated $1.1 million in gross receipts, up from $800,208.
“Indiana’s strong start is unquestionably tied to the state’s relatively early launch of online sports betting,” Gouker said. “Online sports betting should make up an increasing share of the state’s handle, too. That will help steady Indiana’s sports betting industry, even as increasing competition from neighboring states affect retail sportsbooks, which is inevitable.”
FanHub, the largest provider of casual, free to play sports-focused
digital gaming platforms in the world, today announced a new
multisport collaboration with Buffalo Wild Wings. The collaboration
will expand upon Picks & Props, the existing game co-branded
with their partner BetMGM, operated by ROAR Digital – a joint
venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holding. The
platform launches as both the NFL Playoffs and the 2020 College
Football Playoff National Championship between Clemson and LSU come
into focus. It is the second time that FanHub and BWW have
collaborated on a first-class, user-friendly mobile gaming
experience. The multisport Picks & Props game comes after a
successful NFL-only version of the game had approximately 300,000
users this fall.
“We are pleased
to be able to work with Buffalo Wild Wings and launch what we think
will be the standard fan engagement platform for consumers going
forward – a simple, multisport user friendly experience that will
really grow interest in each day,” said Phil de Winter, Head of
Business Development, Americas, FanHub. “People want to be able
to have fun and build rewards that have value, and this game does all
that for whatever team, league or sport you enjoy.”
“With this next
phase of Picks and Props, we continue our great partnership with
FanHub and press forward in building out a top tier, free-to-play
experience for our guests,” said Brandon Gill, Director of
Experience and Gaming, Buffalo Wild Wings. “In addition to new
features and sports, we continue to build a unique and seamless
experience connecting our guests to our betting gaming partner,
BetMGM.”
Going all the way through the Super Bowl, Picks & Props will run
daily contests on a variety of sports, offering a private jet to six
games of the winner’s choice through a partnership with Wheels Up.
Throughout the game, contests can be based on NFL, NBA, NCAA
Football, NCAA Basketball or NHL games. The multisport version of the
game will also continue to have integrated odds and betting
functionality for New Jersey-based users through the BWW and BetMGM
partnership.
The co-branded
game displays live BetMGM odds to all users so that they can make
picks based on real lines and props. Users in New Jersey can place
bets and get a pre-filled parlay bet slip based on their predictions.
The top weekly
winners win free wings for a year that can be redeemed at any Buffalo
Wild Wings location. Certain days will see the addition of a Blazin’
Bonus Question that offers users a massive amount of points if they
correctly pick the underdog compared to the favorite. Scoring a
perfect contest will unlock a streak points multiplier, giving users
the best possible chance to get a high scoring week. The final
contest will be published for the Super Bowl on February 2.
The latest
partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings follows the success of similar
global sporting platforms and brands, which have embraced digital
games and fan experiences as an entry point for the engagement of
millions of new fans. FanHub’s partners, from the NFL and Major
League Baseball to the AFL and the ATP, have enjoyed a world class
delivery of innovative digital sport experiences that have been
seamless and beyond reproach. Even more growth for these products and
more are coming in 2020.
The UN has a strict policy that prevents North Korean nationals from working in Cambodia. The action comes as part of a sweeping package of sanctions against North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un, but this didn’t stop a group of individuals from the country from trying to skirt around the rules. According to a report by The Khmer Times, 16 North Koreans have been busted for their role in an illegal gambling outfit that was targeting mainly Chinese gamblers.
The individuals were reportedly working in Cambodia as IT employees for the gambling operations. They had entered the country legally on tourist visas before landing their jobs and remaining in the country after their visas had expired. According to law enforcement, they had been in the country for over a year.
The chief of the provincial immigration police department, Brigadier General Chea Kimsan, indicated that the arrests took place last Friday during a sweep in the city of Siem Reap. He explained to the media outlet, “Cambodia is a member of the United Nations and has to follow the sanctions. According to UN sanctions, North Korean nationals are not allowed to work in Cambodia, but these 16 men used tourist visas and worked illegally for nearly a year in the Kingdom.”
Cambodia rose quickly over the past two years as a hub of online gambling activity, both legal and illegal, that primarily targeted Chinese nationals. After things got out of control, with operators ignoring a number of health, construction and employment laws, the country clamped down on online gambling, refusing to issue any new licenses and unwilling to renew any current permits. By this August, all online betting activity is expected to be gone (except for the underground sites).
Sports is all about excitement—sportsbooks count on it. As legal sportsbooks across the U.S. grew over the decade, automated video highlights production platform Thuuz culled data from more than a quarter million events to determine the most exciting games of the last 10 years.
“We all have our memorable moments, but what we have been able to
do, and do every day, is measure the overall excitement in a wide
range of sports events to produce this very special list,” said
Warren Packard, Thuuz CEO. “This amazing cross section from around
the world shows the global nature of sports fandom and provides us
with a unique snapshot on what really made hearts pound the last ten
years.”
Using their
custom designed algorithms to measure real-time event excitement,
Thuuz provides a unique look into what games have gotten fans the
most excited and engaged through the close of 2019.
The game
excitement ratings are measured on a 0 to 100 scale and take into
consideration game pace, team parity, play novelty, momentum shifts,
social buzz, and historical context. The algorithms behind the
excitement ratings are statistically calibrated to insure the
appropriate distribution of ratings across the duration of a season
or course of a tournament.
Using the Thuuz
excitement measurement platform, the top ten most exciting games of
the decade were:
New England
Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28 (NFL): 2/5/2017. The Patriots
rally to claim their Super Bowl title in one of the greatest
comebacks in NFL history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=016LXFHpFCk
St. Louis
Cardinals 10 Texas Rangers 9 (MLB): 10/27/2011 David Freese late
game heroics created an instant heart stopping classic and helped
lead the Cardinals to the World Series title.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4cd3XzzqMw
FC Barcelona 6
PSG 1 (UCL): 3/8/2017 Barca was down 4-0 after 1st leg and had to
rally with a massive comeback, the greatest comeback in Champions
League 2 leg history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CgHT6_leeI
Novak Djokovic
vs Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 (ATP): 1/29/2012:
Probably the greatest tennis match ever in 5+ hour epic took place
Down Under in the Australian Open final Aussie Open Final.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kaaXz4IgrA
Villanova
Wildcats 77, North Carolina Tar Heels 74 (NCAAMB): 4/4/2016:
Villanova goes end to end with Kris Jenkins buzzer beater giving the
Wildcats the national title.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFKZ84aV-qw
The 2020 Aussie Millions has kicked off in fine style as the opening event has been joined in the Crown Casino in Melbourne by other side events as the famous yearly festival builds up to the Main Event.
Williams welcomes the world
With the tragic Australian bushfires still raging, air quality has been in question not only at the Australian Open tennis festival, but by players taking on the Aussie Million. Former WSOP Main Event champion Martin Jacobsen posted this evocative picture of just how the air quality has changed from a different year to this January’s event:
The air quality in Melbourne has reached hazardous levels. Contrasting view from my apt. pic.twitter.com/bKwALPcYYD
The man in charge of leading gaming operator Codere’s efforts in Latin America, along with a small group of cohorts, decided that it wasn’t necessary to actually report real figures on revenue statements. Codere uncovered the creative accounting late last year and discovered that full-year earnings could be forced to be lowered by as much as $22 million. Partly as a result of the misleading profit statements, Spain-based Codere had to make up the difference and has now worked out a solution. According to a filing by the company with the Spanish Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (the National Securities Market Commission), it has secured about $40 million (€36 million) in corporate credit lines.
The availability of the funds will allow Codere to upgrade its operations in Mexico and Uruguay. The creative accounting debacle revealed that around $16.5 million of the $22 million was losses out of Mexico, and the new credit lines will be used to make improvements to existing facilities in the countries.
In Mexico, that includes 85 arcades and 90 betting locations. In Uruguay, Codere operates six arcades, 26 betting locations and two racetracks. Any improvements to the properties in Uruguay will be designed to make those venues more attractive to buyers, as Codere is currently looking to offload those operations to another company. It was reported in October of last year that the company was considering selling 50% of the in-country operations to Chile-based Sun Dreams.
Codere is already reportedly sitting on a revolving credit facility of about $100 million, of which it has pulled around $44.5 million. It also has a refinanced bond worth over $858.5 million, which will mature next year.
As the 2020 session begins in the Philippine legislature, the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development has made the investigation of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) a major priority This according to the chairman of the committee.
In a recent phone conversation with media outlets in the country, Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva explained that the committee has concerns about the way that these offshore gaming establishments have been operating, and has dedicated his committee to conducting a full “inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the unusual influx of illegal foreign workers in the country, especially in the POGO and POGO-related industry.”
Recent statistics provided by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) reported that 111,583 Alien Employment Permits were issued this past year. Of that number, 83,764 were issued specifically to POGO related businesses. The DoLE also added that of the 118,239 registered workers involved within these operations, 97,283 are foreign workers. This, as of December 10.
The committee will not only be looking into these numbers but has concerns about unregistered POGO employees as well. The committee was authorized under Senate Resolution No. 67, which was filed near the end of last year, to investigate not only the industry’s failure to provide proper documentation for employees but also on the failure to remit the proper amount of taxes to the country’s Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
