Tag Archives: igaming

Premier League preview Gameweek #3

A busy weekend of Premier League action is all set to take place across the weekend as huge clashes at the top and bottom of the division are sure to give some fans the best weekend of the year and others that horrible sinking feeling.

Who’ll win when Liverpool and Arsenal clash at Anfield? Can Manchester United overcome Brighton on the South Coast? There are some very tasty games lined up across Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Manchester United (Saturday, 12.30 GMT kick-off)

In-form Brighton host Manchester United in what should be a very entertaining game on the South Coast. With Tariq Lamptey starring against both Chelsea and Newcastle, the right-back in likely to terrorise Luke Shaw as Manchester United’s much-maligned left-hand side is going to be under close scrutiny.

Penn National cashes in shares, hails Barstool Sportsbook numbers

Casino operator Penn National Gaming (PNG) saw its shares tumble on Thursday despite the initial success of its Barstool Sportsbook app in Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, PNG announced that it had commenced an underwritten public offering of 14m shares, with a 30-day option for the underwriters to acquire an additional 2.1m shares. PNG says it will use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, which hopefully includes paying back some of the debt it took on when the pandemic hit.   

Investors (perhaps even some of those Robin Hood types) promptly ran for the exits. PNG’s shares closed Thursday’s trading down 7.3% to just under $64 and lost slightly more ground in after-hours trading. The shares are now well below Tuesday’s peak of $74.36 but remain considerably better than their $4.52 nadir in March as COVID-19 forced the shutdown of nearly all US casinos.  

In announcing its share sale, PNG offered some updates on its recent activity, including the performance of its reopened casinos in the third quarter through September 21. Pandemic health and safety restrictions resulted in revenue falling 11% from the same period last year, while earnings were down 18%.

Hellmuth topples Esfandiari a second time in PokerGO High Stakes Duel

After a tumultuous battle Phil Hellmuth triumphed for a second consecutive time against Antonio Esfandiari in the $200,000 game High Stakes Duel on PokerGO.

In the first bout back at the start of August, Hellmuth reigned supreme, and it was a case of same again this time round as The Poker Brat beat The Magician into the proverbial top hat.

The freshest of a raft of great shows on PokerGO, the series features a $50,000 buy-in for each player, which upon one player losing, can be doubled if the two want to go at it again. At any stage, should the loser drop out, someone else can take their seat, with a potentially huge $12.8 million prizepool being on the line by Round 8.

This, of course, was Round 2, and Esfandiari was more than confident in the weigh-in, hosted by Nick Schulman. Declaring himself, “Ready to tie it up and see if he challenges me for Round 3”, said the man known as ‘The Magician’. “When its poker, its war, and there is nobody I want to beat more except for maybe Phil Laak – they’re a very close first and second.”

WCOOP Main Event won by Andre Marques for $1,147,271

The PokerStars WCOOP Main Event concluded in dramatic fashion as Andre Marques was crowned champion, winning the lion’s share of the $10 million prizepool in the process.

It was an exciting final day that took six hours to wrap as Portuguese player Marques came out on top of the 1,977 total entries in the online behemoth in terms of poker tournaments.

It was Dutch player Teun Mulder who started the day as chip leader, but neither Marques or Robin Ylitalo were too far off the leader and the trio all held their chip control as both short stacks busted first. Cecilia Cafaro finished in 9th place for $99,997 – why they don’t round-up all amounts by the odds $3 in $10 million on the final table we’ll never know – before ‘77atlant77’ cashed for $140,280 one hand later.

It was Andre Marques who dealt death each time to those to two opponents, but he had nothing to do with Michael Telker’s tournament demise in 7th place. His suited ace was no match for Andriy Lyubovetskiy’s pocket tens and the field was reduced further when Denys Chufarin busted in 6th place after losing out to Robin Ylitalo. When Andriy Lyubovetskiy’s king-jack was dominated out of contention by the ace-jack of German player Tonio Röder, only four players were left.

Kentucky’s pseudo-slots under threat after Supreme Court ruling

Kentucky’s pseudo-slot machines are under threat after a court ruled that they don’t fit within the state’s pari-mutuel wagering definition.

On Thursday, the Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously declared that some ‘historical racing’ (alternately known as ‘instant racing’) machines currently operating in the state do not constitute pari-mutuel wagering as defined by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC).

Specifically, the Court found that the Encore system (formerly known as Exacta) “does not create a wagering pool among patrons such that they are wagering among themselves as required for pari-mutuel wagering.” Bettors are also not betting on the same event in the same race.

The machines feature virtual replays of real-world races with all the identifying information stripped out, making wagering on the outcome essentially the same as betting on a random number generator (RNG) slot machine.

Northern Ireland casino legalization hope; Republic bookies face tax hike

Northern Ireland’s gamblers are just fine with legalizing casinos while bookmakers in the Republic of Ireland are anything but fine over yet another tax hike.

Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities (DfC) launched a consultation last December to gauge public sentiment toward gambling. The public was invited to weigh in on everything from allowing casinos (land-based and online), the role of gambling marketing and whether Northern Ireland needed its own gambling regulator.  

On Wednesday, DfC official Michael McAvera informed the government that the consultation had received 382 responses, of which three-quarters came from individuals. Around 60% of these responses favored casino legalization, while nearly two-thirds want to give retail bookmakers the right to open on Sundays.

There was also overwhelming support (97%) for requiring gambling operators to fund responsible gambling efforts and addiction programs. Full details of the consultation’s findings won’t be released for a few weeks, after which legislators will decide what actions are appropriate.

Casinos Austria layoffs loom as rivals seek end to online monopoly

Casinos Austria plans to lay off up to 600 staff as the scandal-plagued firm deals with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations.

This week, Casinos Austria AG (CASAG) informed Public Employment Service Austria (AMS) that it could turf as many as 600 staff – roughly one-third of its payroll – due to the financial blow suffered from the pandemic-related closure of its 12 casinos and sports betting shortfalls as major leagues halted play this spring.

Under AMS rules, layoffs can proceed 30 days after notification. It’s unclear how many jobs will actually face the axe, as the company is negotiating with its unions over potential buy-outs and shifts to part-time employment. CASAG originally announced plans for up to 500 layoffs this summer as part of its ‘ReFIT’ restructuring plan but said this week that it hopes the number will be “significantly fewer than 600.”

CASAG booked a €112m profit in 2019 but the company said it expects to book a net loss of around €65m this year and the layoffs are intended to help trim €40m from the expenses column by 2022.

Baidu co-founder arrested for promoting online gambling

China’s cross-border gambling crackdown has led to the arrest of a co-founder of search engine giant Baidu for allegedly facilitating promotion of illegal online gambling sites.

On Thursday, Chinese media reported that Shi Youcai, a Baidu co-founder who left the company in 2011 but was recalled to a sales role in 2019, was detained several days ago by police in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province. Baidu has so far declined to comment on the arrest but reports are that Shi is suspected of promoting online gambling sites based outside China.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Baidu has been accused of allowing gambling sites to promote their wares on the search engine, which handles 90% of online queries in China. In 2016, Baidu was accused of turning a blind eye to ‘stealth’ marketing, in which users clicked on an innocuous link returned via a search query and instead found themselves directed to internationally based gambling sites.

Last year, Baidu and rival Sohu had their news portals suspended for a week after China’s cyber watchdogs found fault with their efforts to purge ‘vulgar’ information, including gambling, porn and political views that clash with Beijing’s worldview.

22BET sign as PSG’s African betting partner

22BET has been named as the new African betting partner for French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint Germain (PSG). The deal is set to cover the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons of Ligue 1 football in France. The deal between the French Champions and 22BET was facilitated by Sportstradar, capitalising on the PSG’s popularity throughout Africa.

Sportstradar Global Sponsorship Director Hampus Lofkvist was delighted with the partnership announcement. “This is a significant strategic move to tap into the popularity of PSG in Africa. Through one marquee partnership, the use of digital and virtual advertising technology, 22BET will benefit from exposure and engagement opportunities with fans in some 30 plus countries,” Lofkvist said.

“We congratulate our client on their official partnership with Paris Saint-Germain. This is a great fit between two ambitious brands who share exciting plans for the future. We look forward to supporting 22BET leverage this opportunity and achieve growth throughout a continent that has a deep passion for football,” he added.

Paris Saint-Germain Chief Partnerships Officer Marc Armstrong was quick to praise the partnership in a statement to the media:

LT named Aston Villa betting partner

English Premier League club Aston Villa have named Asian betting brand LT as their betting partner for the upcoming 2020/21 English Premier League (EPL) season.

LT have sought to establish a foothold in the EPL, signing a deal for this season. Villa Chief Commercial Officer Nicole Ibbeston praised the outcome in a statement on Aston Villa’s website:

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with LT and work with them to grow our fan base internationally. As a brand with a global reach, we are excited to see LT feature on our first team’s shirt sleeves for the first time this season on Monday night and for the rest of this campaign.”

LT CEO Ronald Tan was excited about the partnership and weighed in through a statement.

UFC 253 odds: Undefeated fighters highlight card

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

It’s very rare for any UFC fighter to reach double-digit victories without a loss simply because all it takes is one punch, kick or choke out to lose in this sport. It’s brutal. What’s almost unprecedented is a championship fight featuring two undefeated fighters, but that’s what MMA fans will be treated to this Saturday at UFC 253. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Israel Adesanya and No. 2 contender Paulo Costa.

The UFC ranks the 31-year-old Nigerian Adesanya (19-0) as its No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter behind Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Stipe Miocic. Adesanya, considered one of the best strikers in MMA history, got his first UFC title fight (interim) against Kelvin Gastelum in April 2019 and won by unanimous decision as around a -200 favorite.

“The Last Stylebender” was only a slight favorite in a title unification bout against Robert Whittaker in October of last year but won by second-round knockout (punches) to become the undisputed middleweight king. Adesanya was then scheduled to meet Costa at UFC 248, but Costa couldn’t go due to a torn left biceps. Instead, Adesanya faced Yoel Romero in March and beat the former U.S. Olympic wrestler by unanimous decision. Adesanya is priced at -185 for this fight and has 14 of his 19 wins by KO/TKO.

Watch Calvin Ayre talk blochchain and CoinGeek Live

Calvin Ayre, founder of Calvinayre.com, CoinGeek and AyreMedia, is excited about the near-future possibilities made possible by Bitcoin SV (BSV). He recently joined Charles Miller of CoinGeek to discuss the latest developments on the BSV blockchain, and discuss the upcoming CoinGeek Live conference, running from September 30 to October 2.

CoinGeek Live is the sixth conference to feature expert talks on the latest developments in Bitcoin, but the first to go all-digital, as Covid-19 sidetracked the original plan to host it in New York. Ayre discussed what we might expect to see at the conference:

We are definitely taking advantage of being in New York to talk more about the financial possibilities of this platform, but I also think we had to include the enterprise component to it because as the technology scales, and more and more people find out about it, and the few enterprise solutions that people know about, because there’s some that are being worked on that aren’t public right now, but as people get more aware of those, there’s there is a growing interest in how this technology can solve real world enterprise problems.

Ayre predicted that as interest in Bitcoin continues to grow, conferences will have to adapt as well. “I see this conference evolving to where there’s going to be channels,” he said. “So if you’re interested in consumer applications, there will be the big ones like this, there’ll be a consumer application channel, the finance side there’ll be a finance channel, if you’re an infrastructure person there’s going to be an infrastructure side.”

Gambling Industry Announcement and Partnership Roundup – September 24, 2020

In the fast-moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure you’re all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, we’re rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.

Don’t miss out on all of the latest announcements. Our Press Release section is updated constantly.

ORYX Gaming live in Latvia with Optibet deal 

ORYX Gaming, a Bragg Gaming Group company (TSXV: BRAG, OTC:BRGGF), has entered Latvia for the first time with market leading operator Optibet. 

Blockchain supports surge in online gambling and gaming

This is a guest contribution by Daniel Lipshitz, CEO of Gap 600. Gap 600 is a digital currency company that enables safe and instant Bitcoin SV transactions.

The global COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns and shelter-at-home orders, which shuttered casinos and brick-and-mortar betting stores, could prove to be the tipping point for online gaming and gambling.

A GamesIndustry.biz analysis showed that game sales across 50 key global markets rose by 63% in 2020, with sharp spikes experienced as countries went into some form of lockdown. For instance, digital downloads increased by more than 180% in France during the country’s first week of lockdown (16 – 22 March). Similarly, digital sales rose 142.8% in Spain and 174.9% in Italy as these countries went into their respective lockdowns.

Gaming portals such as Paytm First Games and Gamerji also experienced significant increases in online gaming portal users, with 200% and 50% spikes, respectively.

Watch day 3 of SiGMA Americas digital summit live

The SiGMA Americas digital summit is starting its final day. Tune in to the virtual summit to catch up on the last bits of vital information you need to know about the LATAM market.

CalvinAyre has been reporting on SiGMA Americas, you can catch all of our coverage here. In the meantime, Enjoy Day 3 below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USH55Fil7og?feature=oembed]

The post Watch day 3 of SiGMA Americas digital summit live appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

What can sportsbooks offer in Brazil besides soccer?

Brazilians love their soccer, but specially with the rocky road sports has walked in 2020, sportsbooks rather have a few more options. At Day 2 of the SiGMA Americas Virtual Summit, a panel of LATAM experts talked about what other options a bookie might want to explore, and what it will take to make them reliable.

If you look beyond the beautiful game, you’ll find several options, including a few marketing opportunities. “In Brazil in particular, I’m thinking about UFC or basketball,” said Domenico Mazzola, Comercial Director of Altenar. “Or even, I would say, regional football teams, local teams, that give the opportunity to operators that are entering the Brazilian market to evaluate the possibility to make some sponsorships or to invest in the sports teams in the market.”

Chris Nikolopolos, BetBy CCO, expanded on the options available. “It’s not only about football, there are many other sports that Brazilians are very passionate about,” he said. “Basketball, volleyball, futsal, esports, Formala 1, different things.”

Mazzola spoke about the need for infrastructure to improve. “The more the internet connection will penetrate that market, the more users, the more players we’ll see using that product as well.”

BetConstruct’s Agapi Abroyan breaks down why mobile matters to LATAM

The SiGMA Americas Virtual Summit continued on day 2 by looking at how the Latin American market is evolving. As we learned from the first speaker of the day, Agapi Abroyan, Operations Manager at BetConstruct, pretty much everything depends on what happens next with mobile phones.

“Statistics state that the Latin American people like to play with mobile phones, because it is comfortable, convenient and safe,” Abroyan said. That’s not going to change anytime soon either. “It is obvious that with this new reality linked to Covid-19, the extreme necessity of mobile solutions has grown.”

LATAM mobile internet penetration might not be at the same level as other areas of the world yet, but it’s growing very fast. “As general information to consider, according to the constant studies carried out, in 2019 about 55% of Latin America had access to mobile internet. That number is growing this year, and is expected to increase to 77% by 2025.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY1P9ulk5_U?start=1934&feature=oembed]

WhichBingo announces 2020 award winners at star-studded online event marking 20 Years

This year’s award ceremony went virtual, showcasing an array of UK television personalities and celebrating prominent bingo brands.

[London, UK, September 17, 2020] – WhichBingo, the UK’s number one, independent online bingo reviews and affiliate site, owned and operated by XLMedia, today announced its 2020 WhichBingo Awards winners at an unprecedented pre-recorded video ceremony. The highly anticipated event featured UK television personality and chef Rustie Lee, actress and presenter Linda Lusardi, and actor and presenter Christopher Biggins as its co-hosts, while taking a virtual trip to destinations around the globe to announce the winners.

The WhichBingo Awards is one of the annual highlights for the UK online bingo industry and a collective celebration of the best brands in the gaming business. This year was particularly memorable as WhichBingo marked its 20th year of operation. With almost 200,000 votes cast across 18 categories and brand submissions for the judging panel categories, the WhichBingo Awards continue to grow in prominence and has sealed its place as a major event on the online bingo calendar.

Buzz Bingo led the event, capturing four of the bingo industry’s esteemed awards and claiming the coveted prize of the ‘Best Bingo Site’. Buzz Bingo remains a relatively new player to the online bingo space, winning the ‘Best New Bingo Site’ category only last year. Dream Bingo was awarded ‘Best Microgaming Bingo Site’ for the fourth consecutive year, while Wink Bingo picked up ‘Best Dragonfish Bingo Site’ for the fourth year running.

Miami Heat one game away from NBA Finals appearance

The Miami Heat haven’t won an Eastern Conference title since 2014. They’ve done consistently well in their division, but winning the conference has eluded them, as has an NBA Championship, which they last won in 2013. This year, things are looking up for the team and it’s now just one game away from taking the East, with three games left in the best-of-seven series. They handed the Boston Celtics another defeat last night to take a 3-1 lead, and are closer than ever to an NBA Finals appearance. 

Last night’s game was poised to be a tight match from start to finish, and the Celtics were favored to win. The team’s ringer, Gordon Hayward, was out for the first two games due to injury, but was able to come back in Game 3 – the game that put the Celtics on the board. He wasn’t at 100% for the last game, but his presence was seen as enough to motivate Boston to grab the victory. Hayward was expected to bring much of that same fire last night, but he wasn’t able to find his rhythm. In the first half, he and Marcus Smart, another go-to man for the Celtics, went 3-for-12 – combined. 

The Heat kept the pressure on in the first half and moved up by 12 in the third quarter, seemingly a sign of the eventual win. However, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who had a goose egg in the first half, woke up and tried to put his team back in the game. He scored 28 points in the second half and brought the Celtics to within just a point as the game entered the final quarter. Boston would move ahead by a point a little more than halfway through the quarter thanks to a hook-up between Jaylen Brown and Daniel Theis, but it was, by this point, too little too late. 

The star for the Heat was someone that many didn’t think needed additional coverage. Tyle Herro scored 37 points, 17 of which came in the fourth quarter, to be Miami’s star. The rookie guard was picked by Miami in the first round of the 2019 draft, and he was on fire last night. Even Celtics coach Brad Stevens was mesmerized with his abilities, saying after the game, “Herro’s shot-making tonight was the difference in the game. Herro was ridiculously good tonight. The rim must have looked like the ocean to him.”

DFS gambling continues to win over the European market

Sports gambling has enjoyed success across Europe for years, and it wasn’t until recently, after the Supreme Court reversed PASPA, that it began to make waves in the US. Daily fantasy sports (DFS) gambling, however, has been more popular in the US than in Europe. The vertical had seen some interest across Europe, but has begun to enjoy greater success more recently. Now, it’s gaining even more traction and is becoming a huge hit with sports gambling fans across the continent, according to industry affiliate Leadstar Media.

The fact that PASPA was repealed in the US could be seen as the impetus for more attention being given to DFS gambling in Europe. As companies like DraftKings and FanDuel took hold of the segment and turned it into a major attraction, European sports gambling fans began to take notice, as well, leading to iGaming operators quickly expanding their offerings to give their users more content. European Gaming points out that Leadstar has been actively pursuing new DFS gambling options in response to this growing interest, including the introduction of new products for its customers in Sweden. 

According to Leadstar’s product director, Jacob Ljunggren, “I can’t for certain say that what has happened in the US is the reason for the growth we see in Europe. But from what we’ve observed there’s been a growing interest in DFS since PASPA was overturned. In several of the European markets where we operate, the demand for DFS is higher than ever, especially in Sweden.”

Leading the way, at least in Sweden, is Scout Gaming, which provides DFS options for its B2B customers. There are only two in the country that are licensed to offer DFS gambling, and Scout has them both locked up. Adds Ljunggren, “The products that Scout Gaming offer are really solid and the number of sports you can play on their platform are constantly increasing showing that they are really invested in what many people believe is the future of iGaming. However, there are still some areas that can be improved before they are comparable to FanDuel and DraftKings.”