Monthly Archives: January 2015

Fast-Fold Poker Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary

This month marks five years since fast-fold poker made its debut with Rush Poker on Full Tilt.

Since that time, the copycats have come out in full force with similar names such as Blaze Poker, Speed Hold’em, Zone Poker, FastForward, Zoom Poker, Fast Poker, etc. You get the idea.

It is safe to say that fast-fold poker is now a staple of the online poker industry, providing impatient players with the option of being quickly jettisoned to a new table and a new hand when their starting hole cards are deemed unworthy of playing.

PokerScout.com reports that at present almost 45% of cash game action on Full Tilt takes place on Rush Poker tables. That presumably includes Adrenaline Rush, an even faster version of Rush Poker that Full Tilt unleashed one year ago. Adrenaline Rush allows a maximum of only four players per table and no post-flop betting.

Todd Brunson Wins $5 Million from Billionaire Andy Beal

Andy Beal is apparently not done with high stakes poker after all. On Friday, the billionaire that took on poker’s elite during the early years of the Poker Boom returned to Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio to play some high stakes Limit Hold’em.

Beal’s opponent was Todd Brunson, son of the legendary Doyle Brunson. Both players sat down with $5 million apiece, playing blinds of $50k/100k. However, by the end of the night it was Brunson that walked away with $10 million.

Pro poker player Kyle Loman notified the poker world of the epic clash between the two players via Twitter and provided regular updates throughout the night. In the early hours of the confrontation, nearly 20 people were railing the game in Bobby’s Room, including Doyle. However, as the match continued through the night, only Doyle remained and he eventually went to bed.

The Win is Only Mildly Epic Considering the Stakes

Get Ready for ICE Totally Gaming 2015!

Ice Totally Gaming, which has been the launchpad for many of gaming’s landmark products and services, will take place on February 3rd-5th at Excel, London.

Every sector is present, whether it’s be it betting, bingo, casino, lottery, mobile, online, social or street gaming, and whichever of these you belong to, you will find products and content to drive your business forward in 2015.

This year, for the first time ever, we’ll be seeing a dedicated space at ICE for start-up pitches, hosted by Clarion and organized by GamCrowd.com. Pitch ICE 2015 is a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas in front of attendees and potential investors.

The final line-up of entrants has been announced and will take place at Stand N7-460. See the shortlist here.

“This is a unique opportunity for start-up gambling businesses to get their idea off the ground in front of key industry decision-makers and potential investors at ICE Totally Gaming,” said GamCrowd CEO, Chris North. “The response to Pitch ICE has been incredible. As delegates will see, the program is diverse, with concepts that could have an impact on many different areas of the gambling industry. We believe there are numerous stand-out ideas that have the potential to be very successful.”

ICE’s show-floor seminars are free to attend and can give you up-to-the-minute industry information and engaging debates around what the gaming industry is talking about.

ICE Totally Gaming is the one of highlight of the gaming industry’s calendar. Make sure you are there, to see and to be seen

The London, Baby Party is back!

The fifth annual London, Baby will again be held on the first night of ICE Totally Gaming in London, Feb 3 at Café de Paris in London’s Piccadilly.

Organized by Sports Betting Community (SBC) and the iGaming Super Show, London Baby will be one of the biggest networking events around the ICE Totally Gaming show with an estimated 1,000 industry professionals expected to attend.

Formerly known as ICE ICE Baby and rebranded as London Baby will be one of the biggest networking events around ICE with an estimated 1,000 industry professionals expected to attend, providing sports betting and iGaming professionals the chance to network in a fun and relaxed environment, away from the show floor at ExCeL.

“We are proud to be associated with London Baby! which is well recognised as one of the best events around ICE Totally Gaming for sports betting and iGaming professionals. London Baby! has provided the perfect platform for us to highlight our new improved platform OptimaMGS, powered by MarginMaker to the key people in the industry,” said Jacob Curciel, CEO of Optima MGS—this year’s London Baby’s Headline sponsor

Shona O’Donnell, Head of Operations at iGaming Business and organizer of the iGaming Super Show, also commented, “I am looking forward to this year’s event so much as it is in such a wonderful venue. Café de Paris will provide the perfect backdrop for people to socialize and network, with the perfect balance between business and fun.”

Other firms supporting the event are; Ali Quantum Gaming, EveryMatrix, EvoPlay, iforium, Magnet Gaming, Oddslife, Realex Payments, Sure International, Vermantia and XB Net.

The event is free to attend plus the bar is totally OPEN, Baby! Click here to register.

Man Wins $10 Million in Lottery Trying to Buy a Sandwich

An unwitting man in East Boston walked into a grocery store early last week, buying two $20 “Platinum Millions” lottery tickets to break his $100 bill so he could buy a sandwich for lunch, WNBC-TV reported . The Revere, Massachusetts, man, Richard Noll, and his wife claimed a one-time payment of $6.5 million at the lottery headquarters on Thursday, WNBC reported.

Police investigating death of woman found near Stratosphere

Our eNewspaper network was founded in 2002 to provide stand-alone digital news sites tailored for the most searched-for locations for news. With a traditional newspaper format, more than 100 sites were established each with a newspaper-type name to cover the highest-ranked regions, countries, cities and states.

Fire & Ice 2015 takes guests back to the golden era of Victorian England

In less than two weeks away, Fire & Ice 2015 takes all it has learned to make its 14th year its most memorable yet. From the freak sideshow to the Royal Court, from the streets of London to the grandest ballroom. This year’s performances are daring, dangerous and decadent as the cream of iGaming society mingle in the opulence of the Victorian ball.

Fire & Ice 2015,  one of the most anticipated event in the iGaming social calendar, will be held on the 4th of February at the Troxy 490 Commercial Road, E1 0HX, London with 2,000 of the who’s who in attendance throughout the night.

Fire & Ice—produced by iGaming PR and events specialists Lyceum Media and sponsored by Asia online gaming company, Dafabet, and technology provider for online gaming solutions, Play’n GO—is held between the London Affiliate Conference (LAC) and ICE Totally Gaming.

Other sponsors of Fire & Ice: Reign of Queen Vic, includes: CalvinAyre.com, Bally Interactive, EveryMatrix Affiliate REPUBLIK, Bluff Europe, Callcredit Information Group, CORE Gaming, Dafabet, Gamesys, Gaming Realms, iGamingBusiness Executive Conference, iGamingCalendar, iGaming Capital, Income Access Group, Magnet Gaming, Openlot, Picante Gaming/GGL, Plain Gaming, Scientific Games, Secure Trading, Sure International, VegasKings.com, WPT Europe.

The party is free for all igaming execs to attend. Doors will be open for general admission at 9:00 p.m.with the Stage Show commencing at 10pm

Companies wishing to entertain their VIPs to the best show in iGaming, should visit www.fireandiceparty.com for further details.

Visit http://www.lyceummedia.com/fireandice/2015/ for more details.

London Affiliate Conference 2015 is just one week away

In a week, the 9th London Affiliate Conference will be held from January 31st to February 3rd at Olympia National, London at Hammersmith Road.

This year sees a number of new features including an Acquisition zone—a dedicated area for service providers involved in the entire marketing mix from email service providers and tech companies, through to performance marketing and creative agencies. LAC 2015 will be co-located with the Financial Partners Expo, for affiliates and introducing brokers within the retail finance sector.

LAC 2015 is expecting to top the 3400 attendees last year, giving plenty of opportunities to network with affiliates, affiliates managers, operators, and speakers.

The event is set to bring you discussion panels and presentations with industry’s expert speakers such as Adam Grunwerg (ARG Media Ltd.), Andrew Daniels (Degree 53), Bastian Grimm (Grimm Digital), Chris Morton (Binary Options Pty Ltd.), Dave Naylor (Bronco Ltd.) and more.

The iGB Affiliate Awards will again be held during LAC on the 1st of February at Stamford Bridge on the 1st February 2015. Players Choice Finalists for iGB Affiliate Awards has been released after months of voting and debate. Check the shortlist here.

This four day event offers its attendees a wide selection of stimulating conferences, exhibitions and networking events. Free admission for all affiliates and introducing brokers! Click here to register.

About London Affiliate Conference

Gaming Industry News Weekly Recap – Stories You Might Have Missed

THE AMERICAS

A new California online poker bill offered hope for PokerStars while a new Nevada bill may threaten poker staking; Full Tilt’s premature digital ejaculation disappointed New Jersey poker players while the new WSOP.com/888Poker tandem surpassed PartyPoker New Jersey’s liquidity; a judge said Caesars Entertainment’s controversial asset transfers violated federal law and Caesars’ Linq property closed its poker room; Amaya Gaming poached OLG’s digital chief; Ladbrokes’ Sportium JV entered the Mexican online gambling market; Hawaii proposed duty-free slots at airports; fantasy sports operators DraftKings and FanDuel revealed their earnings reports; the American Gaming Association said sports betting bans don’t work; a judge okayed Glenn Straub’s purchase of Atlantic City’s Revel casino; Bluff Magazine switched to an all-digital format and Lee Davy threw popcorn at Mark Wahlberg’s The Gambler.

EUROPE

William Hill profit fell in Q4 but rose in 2014; UK internet service providers imposed porn and gambling filters; Russia threatened to payment-block online gambling sites; the Senet Group launched its new responsible gambling campaign; Global Reviews caught William Hill poaching Ladbrokes’ digital customers; Sky Betting & Gaming launched its new social casino; Stanleybet lost its Italian betting license dispute; Greece’s likely next prime minister warned that the sale of OPAP was “not a done event;” Olympic Entertainment signed on to manage Malta’s largest casino; Boylesports boosted its Irish retail presence; WSOP bracelet winner Darren Woods was sentenced to 15 months in prison; World Poker Tour president Adam Pilska believes your job sucks donkeys compared to his; futurist Martin Kruse analyzed the impact on online gambling of Big Data and Augmented Reality; Compact Global’s Chris Searle told Rebecca Liggero how to improve her public image; Robbie Davies told affiliates how to maximize their time at the London Affiliate Conference and ICE Totally Gaming wants startups to make them an offer they can’t refuse.

ASIA

Galaxy Entertainment vowed to spend another $7b expanding Galaxy Macau; David Group revealed its plan to hibernate’ until Macau’s VIPs return while Gold Moon Group closed another VIP room; China ordered online lotteries to go offline by March 1; South Korea vowed to issue two more casino licenses in 2015; Vietnam busted an online gambling ring linked to 12Bet.com; Sands China CEO Ed Tracy called it quits; City Of Dreams was forced to halt expansion work after a worker died; Japanese lawmakers geared up for another casino push in 2015: Nepal gave a casino license to Silver Heritage and Stamford Law’s Wai-Ming Yap analyzed Singapore’s new online gambling prohibition.