Monthly Archives: January 2015

Marina Bay Sands sues For You Group boss over debts in Hong Kong; NagaCorp storage removed from Buddhist land in Cambodia

Marina Bay Sands has put on the gloves and sued China For You Group chairman Chen Huaide for running away from S$3.9 million in debts. The Singapore subsidiary of US casino operator Las Vegas Sands filed the lawsuit in the Hong Kong High Court late last week.

According to Marina Bay’s filing Huaide, who replaced He Jianhong as chairman of the investment holding company, could be responsible for Marina Bay Sands’ unusual share price movement, which plunged 27.4% to 45 Hong Kong cents last Thursday before falling another 11.1% to 40 Hong Kong cents on noon last Friday.

“A charging order may have been made restraining Mr Chen from transferring certain shares of certain company or companies on January 7,” the company said in its filing.

For its part, China For You Group, which changed its name from China Packaging Group in November 2014 explained that the issues involving its chairman “is his personal matter.” According to a statement released by the company, the shares of one of Huaide’s private companies are the subject assets of the changing order and that the company “had no involvement in the matters.”

Over in Cambodia, a storage facility belonging to casino operator NagaCorp was removed after protests from hundreds of monks caused a ruckus in the country as fears grew that the casino company was planning to develop the land located on the Buddhist Institute. The removal of the temporary structure was ordered by Cambodia’s National Assembly’s commission on religious affairs after hearing from outraged Buddhists over the presumed plans of NagaCorp to use the land to develop a gaming facility.

Seng Somony, an undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Cults and Religion, didn’t specify as to when the structure was removed but the fact that it was suggested that the Buddhist Institute wasn’t under threat from NagaCorp’s ongoing casino development.

Yem Po­nhearith, the head of the National Assembly’s commission on religious affairs confirmed the reports of the structure’s removal after visiting the site late last week.

iGaming Business signs deal to accept crypto currency payments

Business publishing and events business to accept bitcoin and emerging altcoins from advertisers, exhibitors, delegates and research clients

12th January 2015, London – iGaming Business, the leading publishing, research and events company for the iGaming sector, has signed a deal with GoCoin to accept crypto currency including bitcoin.

The deal will allow iGaming Business to take virtual currency payments from all of its clients making it the first business-to-business publishing and events company to accept these types of payments.

“Crypto currency offers the ecommerce and particularly the iGaming market huge opportunities whether this be minimizing fraud or lowering fees, so we are extremely happy to embrace and support this technology,” commented Alex Pratt, Head of iGaming Business. “From today all our clients can pay us in bitcoin and other digital currencies, which is really exciting as it not only provides our current clients with a new way to pay us, it will also help drive our products into new markets.” Pratt continued.

GoCoin is the first digital currency payment platform offering a tailored solution for regulated iGaming operators to benefit from bitcoin and emerging altcoins with international casual and real money games.

“For such an incredible company like iGaming Business to realise that crypto currencies are the next best thing, is a testament to their vision and understanding of where this industry is heading,” commented Eric Benz of GoCoin. “Removing friction and lowering fees has been a major quest in gaming for years and now we finally have solutions to these obvious problems,” continued Benz.

iGaming Business clients including advertisers, exhibitors and information buyers will be able to pay in digital currencies including bitcoin and emerging alt coins from today.

Imagine Dragons, Killers kill it for Alice Cooper; Roger Clemens shakes off Hall of Fame questions

Rock legend Alice Cooper is shown with a guitar up for auction at the 16th Annual Canon Customer Appreciation Reception/National Center for Missing Chris Phillips of Zowie Bowie is shown at the 16th Annual Canon Customer Appreciation Reception/National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Benefit Fundraiser held at the Bellagio on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. Headliner Frankie Moreno is shown at the 16th Annual Canon Customer Appreciation Reception/National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Benefit Fundraiser held at the Bellagio on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015.

CAP Network to Sponsor Acquisition Zone at London Affiliate Conference

CAP Network to Sponsor Acquisition Zone at London Affiliate Conference Market-leading affiliate network, CAP Network, to take lead sponsorship of zone dedicated to player acquisition in the gaming market 9th January, 2015, London, UK (Press Release): Leading publishing, research and events company iGaming Business has confirmed the CAP Network will take the lead sponsorship of the new acquisition zone within the London Affiliate Conference (LAC).

Targeting senior marketing executives working within both operator and affiliate brands, the acquisition zone is a premium area within LAC that is focused on all areas of player acquisition and not just affiliate marketing. The zone will include a dedicated lecture theatre open to all attendees, which will include speakers talking about subjects such as media buying, responsive advertising, real-time email marketing, social media monitoring, why direct mail isn’t dead and advanced conversion and retention techniques.

“Over the last few years we have seen our affiliate events attract lots of new attendee types such as rights holders, media buyers, agencies, ad networks and media owners. This has meant our events are fast becoming a central place to negotiate all acquisition deals and not just affiliate, so launching the acquisition zone was a logical step for us,” commented Alex Pratt, Head of iGaming Business.

In addition to the lecture theatre the zone will also have a dedicated exhibition zone with companies such as AdCash, Dynamic Messaging, Social Monitor, MyAffiliates, Silver Pop, the Isle of Man Post Office and the official zone sponsor—the CAP Network. As the zone sponsor, the CAP Network will have a major presence within the area where they will present their acquisition solutions that deliver thousands of players to operators in over 20 countries.

“CAP Network is excited to be exhibiting at LAC to showcase the breakthroughs we’re making in player acquisition methodology. Since June 2014, the CAP Network has sent 14,000 new depositing customers across 20+ different countries to the operators we are partnered with,” commented Allan Stone, General Manager, CAP.  “Like CAP, iGB has recognized the shifting demands of the delegates, which now includes player acquisition channels beyond traditional iGaming affiliates. CAP’s sponsorship of the LAC Acquisition Zone complements this shift, and is an awesome opportunity for us to share how we’re paving the way for both operators and affiliates,” Stone Continued.

 

To find out more about the London Affiliate Conference, please visit http://www.igbaffiliate.com/events/londonaffiliateconference/

Travellers International remains bullish on PH gaming market

Travellers International Holdings Inc, the joint venture controlled by Genting Bhd and the Philippines’ Alliance Global Group remains confident that the Philippines will continue to get robust returns, even as Macau continues its tailspin amidst China’s continued crackdown against corruption.

In an interview last week, Alliance Global Chairman Andrew Tan spoke about the status of the Philippine’s gambling industry, emphasizing that it would remain insulated from Macau’s current woes because the former is catering to a different market.

Tan said that the Philippines’ isn’t as reliant on the high-roller segment as Macau is but more on the growing mass-market segment in the region.

“We don’t have [the VIP] segment of the market here and I think that ultra-high rollers now are thinning out that’s why their [Macau] growth has been slow last year,” Tan said.

Instead, the Philippines’ strategy of attracting what Tan described as “regular customers” could be more than enough to keep the gambling industry in the country as healthy as it can be. A key strategy in the Philippines is to build a stout tourism infrastructure that will be heavily complemented by the gambling industry.

“That traveler market is still growing with so many hotels being built now,” Ta pointed out. “In the industry, all of us have been building quite a number of hotels, giving a lot of room and opportunity for more tourists to come,” he added.

With so many destination options for tourists all over the world, Tan believes that the Philippine gambling industry is well-poised to take full advantage of these benefits, allowing it to attract a trove of mass-market gamblers to help offset the lack of high-rollers, at least compared to the number of VIP gamblers Macau still attracts given its current situation.

On Deck: Federer’s 1000th match win; Tiger’s Return; Floyd-Manny close?

The sign of true greatness is repeated success at the highest level of somebody’s chosen field or profession. Quite frankly, I have yet to win 1,000 times at anything in my life but Roger Federer certainly has.

You’ve probably read or heard about it over the weekend. Federer won his 1,000th tennis match when he outlasted Milos Raonic to win the Brisbane International, the warm-up tournament to the 2015 Australian Open.

Winning the Brisbane International isn’t exactly a big deal, but Federer made sure to make it matter by becoming only the third player in men’s tennis to break the 1,000-win barrier. He’s still got a long ways to go to eclipse Jimmy Connors’ record of 1,253 match wins, but if he keeps up this form, he could jump past Ivan Lendl’s 1,071-win mark before the year ends.

The accomplishment is a testament to Federer’s status as arguably the greatest tennis player of this generation. Doing it at the Brisbane International also relieves the pressure of breaking the mark, something that would otherwise be blown up at the Australian Open. That’s unwanted pressure from a man who is looking to win his first Grand Slam title since Wimbledon in 2012.

At the very least, this sets him up nicely heading into the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Right now, Federer, the number 2 ranked player in the world, is priced to win the Australian Open at 6/1 odds, behind only world number 1 Novak Djokovic, who is the favorite to win at 11/10.

It’s the perfect way to wrap up a warm-up tournament heading into the Australian Open. Doing so while notching his 1,000th win is the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae.

 

WSOP.com and 888Poker to Begin Sharing Player Pools

After a successful first year in New Jersey, WSOP.com and 888Poker have decided to partially combine player pools in an effort to increase liquidity. The announcement was made late last week as State Senator Ray Lesniak hinted that PokerStars might go live sometime in March. CBS Philadelphia reports that both sites will begin partially sharing player pools on Monday.

The partial combining of player pools will help the sites improve player liquidity and help to remain competitive in a market where only 25% of revenue is based on online poker. According to All-American Poker Network CEO David Licht, “Shared liquidity will help create a better player experience that we hope will attract a diversity of players and begin to bring poker to a broader audience once again.”

Low Limit Cash Games and Select Tournaments to Share Players

Players at low limit cash games and selected tournaments will be those pooled at the beginning. Tournaments with guarantees of over $130,000 will now consist of players from both sites, making the events comparable to those currently held at PartyPoker.com and BorgataPoker.com.

Inside PokerStars Episode 5: Data Center

Continuing in their series that reveals the inner workings behind the world’s largest online poker site through informative videos, PokerStars recently released “Inside PokerStars Episode 5.”

The latest release was prompted by a player’s question that went like this: “When I’m playing online at PokerStars, where do the games actually take place and is it secure?”

A very good question, considering that 700 poker hands are dealt every second, every day at PokerStars. If you’re looking for a tournament to enter at the site, your choices total 3,500 each day that collectively funnel over $25 million into player accounts each week.

With numbers of that magnitude, one would hope that the PokerStars data center on the Isle of Man is up to the challenge. And in the newest Inside PokerStars video, the site’s Director of IT Operations, Gary Hill, explains that the technical infrastructure of the software has been designed to meet the needs of PokerStars’ massive customer base.

Video: Andy Ruiz Talks Stiverne-Wilder, 3/7 Return

Texas Station Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas – Ryan Burton catches up with undefeated heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz to discuss his return to the ring against March 7th in Macau, China. Ruiz talks about his plans for 2015, the upcoming heavyweight battle between WBC champion Bermane Stiverne and mandatory challenger Deontay Wilder, taking place at the MGM Grand.

Bill Mummery on SBOBet Exiting the UK Market

Rebecca Liggero talks to Bill Mummery of SBOBet as he talks about  the new rules and laws coming in to the UK from the gambling perspective.

Asian sports betting giants SBOBET  has told its UK players their accounts will be closed as of Sept. 15 to accommodate the UKGC’s new regime. In an email to players, SBOBET said the “unfortunate circumstance” was a direct result of the UK’s new gambling laws.

“It’s a decision that we  arrived at after a considerable discussion, debate and analysis. The fact for us is, as a major operator for the Asian handicapped system which is predicated on the value proposition. For every £100 we take as a stake, we pay £ out on the winnings. so we have a gross margin of 1%. The end of the day, we can’t run high-tech business like ours or any other iGaming company with these associated costs. Out of the 1% margin and then pay 15% gross tax. Simply doesn’t work,” said Bill Mummery.

SBOBet has quite a few Premier League sponsorship and following the rule changes, the UK Gambling Commission indicated in a letter sent to sports governing bodies: “We [the commission] are aware that in some cases commercial partnership arrangements [which include sponsorship] are in place between sports clubs or bodies and remote gambling operators who do not hold a commission licence. Those operators cannot, in our view, advertise their betting services without both making it clear in the product as advertised and in reality that betting is not available to those in Britain.

The body warned that clubs now risk prosecution if their sponsor failed to prevent gamblers in the UK accessing these sites or they were deemed to be failing in the “overall effort” to combat match-fixing through corrupt betting on “unlicensed operators in foreign markets”.

Following the rule changes another major operator, SBOBet, which has previously sponsored Southampton, Swansea City, Hull, Norwich and West Ham United, was forced to exit the Premier League this year.

“If there is one good thing that comes out from this is the timing was actually favorable; that we’ve been there for five years. We certainly had built the brand, built the recognition, built the trust. So we don’t have to act with haze. We have time to stand back and look at the alternatives. I guess the key things in Premier English football is, one it’s broadcast by 200 broadcasters every weekend so the global reach, more important to the player; it’s trusted. There isn’t another league in football, globally that is trusted as English Premier League, therefore if you’re betting on that product, you absolutely want to know that it’s clean as clean can be.”

Online Casino Player from Blackpool Scoops Dream New Year Jackpot Win

A local online casino player has experienced the dream start to 2015 after hitting the jackpot to win a staggering £100,000.

Sarah Pugh (38) from Blackpool, who plays games such as Blackjack and Roulette on one of Europe’s leading mobile casino sites, LeoVegas.com, learnt of her life-changing win via the company’s Facebook page and is now set about the task of spending her winnings.

LeoVegas had been rewarding its loyal players throughout December by giving away a daily prize jackpot of £1,000 – culminating in Sarah winning the overall prize pot of £100,000 on New Year’s Day.

Sarah, who works for a clothing retailer in nearby Poulton-le-Fylde, is still in shock after hearing of her win and commented: “I’ve only been playing online casino with LeoVegas for around four months, so it’s fair to say that the win came as a massive surprise and has not really sunk in yet.

“I’ve not had chance to think about what I’m going to spend the money on but my immediate priorities are obviously my three children. It has given the family real financial stability for the future and is genuinely a life-changing amount, although I’m sure I’ll be able to treat us to a nice holiday, once it’s all sunk in.”

Shenaly Amin, UK Country Manager for LeoVegas.com: “We really appreciate and value our loyal players and love turning them into big winners, so thought the start of the New Year would be the perfect time to give away one of our biggest jackpots yet.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sarah on her fantastic win and are really chuffed that the money is going to offer some financial stability and have a life-changing impact on her and her family. It’s brilliant news to start 2015!”

Social Media Post Led to Felony Charges for Dan Bilzerian

Poker certainly has an abundance of colorful and controversial characters, some who have developed an image or reputation, either wittingly or not, that defines how they are known to the public at large.

Whether behaving like a brat, finishing every sentence with the word “baby,” being known for having an icy stare at the tables, or choosing to avoid the media after winning millions, the players that make up the world of poker develop a following of both fans and critics. But none have a greater following or seem to stir up opposite feelings of love and hate more than Dan Bilzerian.

The ‘King of Instagram,’ who can boast of social media followers totaling more than six million, has become an Internet sensation simply by sharing his life with the rest of the world. Posting photos, tweets and videos that favor guns, girls and expensive cars, Bilzerian is thought by many to have used social media perhaps better than any other in establishing an image and gaining considerable fame and notoriety.

Instagram Post Leads to Arrest