Monthly Archives: March 2015

Sweden’s Betsson – An Island of Calm in Stormy Seas

With all the confusion in the Eurozone (Greece gets an extension, Greece doesn’t get an extension), Chinese crackdowns on Macau, war in Russia, and the extremely volatile monetary environment in the US, it’s time to take a look at a (relatively) quiet, nice, sane, stable region where there does not seem to be any potentially explosive development on the horizon: Sweden, with a closer look at Betsson AB. What a relief.

First a look at the monetary environment in Sweden. We’ll need several charts for this.

First, and perhaps most impressive, is that Sweden is one of only a tiny handful of countries whose debt to GDP has not gone up since 2008.

That alone tells you something about the stability of the place. Its economy is on an even growth trajectory, notwithstanding that GDP is not one of my favorite economic indicators.

Seminole Tribe continues ad campaign to extend gambling compact

Florida’s Seminole Tribe launched another statewide TV campaign on Monday urging the state to extend its gaming compact, which will expire on July 31st.

Titled “Partnership,” the second in a series of ads features Florida Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Wilson and Restaurant and Lodging Association CEO Carol Dover saying that Seminole compact has been good for Florida and the economy, while controlling the expansion of gaming.

“Florida is changing, which is why we need to extend the compact and limit gambling. Changing it could lead to the expansion of gambling, which simply is unacceptable for a state that has worked hard to grow its economy and develop a family-friendly image,” Wilson said.

“Since the Seminole compact went into effect, it has generated more than $1 billion in state revenue for education, health care and veterans’ services,” said Dover. “We cannot afford to lose these vital dollars.”

Winning Ticket of Largest Instant Ticket Top Prize Sold in Union County

Winning Ticket of Largest Instant Ticket Top Prize Sold in Union County
The largest winning ticket ever offered by a New Jersey Lottery instant ticket was sold in Union County.

The winner of the largest top prize ever awarded by a New Jersey Lottery instant ticket was sold in Union County, lottery officials announced.

The winning instant ticket won $5,000,000. It was sold at Krauszer’s, located at 1114 South Wood Ave. in Linden, officials said.

New Jersey Lottery Executive Director Carole Hedinger will be introducing the winner on Monday, March 9, at 11 a.m. and the Lottery Promotions team will celebrate with customer giveaways.

‎Empire City Casino honored with four “Best of Dining and Nightlife” Awards by ‎Casino Player Magazine‎‎

‎Empire City Casino honored with four “Best of Dining and Nightlife” Awards by ‎Casino Player Magazine‎‎

Empire City Casino has been awarded four distinctions from Casino Player Magazine, America’s premier gaming lifestyle magazine based in Las Vegas, NV, in its “Best of Dining and Nightlife” Awards in 2015 (March issue).‎

Nonno’s Trattoria, Empire City’s “must-stop” for Italian cuisine, was the big winner, taking home two separate honors. The restaurant was awarded “Best Italian,” thanks to the culinary work of Executive Chef Gaurav Navin, who is also the executive chef of Empire Terrace Restaurant. Nonno’s was also selected for the “Best Happy Hour” category.‎

Dan Rooney’s Sports Pub took home the “Best Place for Cocktails” award. The $50 million expansion that added DanRooney’s to Empire City in 2013, has step-back-in time ambiance and atmosphere. Patrons can watch sporting events from the 40 HDTVs offered, a plethora of seating options, as well as a varied menu.
‎Empire Terrace Restaurant was selected for the “Best View” award, thanks to the great view overlooking historic Yonkers Raceway and its century-old half-mile harness oval.‎

About Empire City‎ Casino: Empire City Casino, one of the largest entertainment and gaming destinations in the northeast, features 5,300 of the hottest slots, electronic  craps, roulette, baccarat and sic bo; year-round harness racing & International simulcasting; live entertainment including the best party, tribute and Latin bands, comedy, & more. A plethora of dining options will satisfy even the most discerning palate with Italian cuisine at Nonno’s Trattoria; trackside dining with live betting at Empire Terrace Restaurant; and convenient delicious options at the International Food Court or Lil’ Cocina. A new $50 million expansion added Dan Rooney’s, a high-energy sports bar, and Alley 810, a craft cocktail lounge, is another entertainment option with retro bowling lanes. Empire CityCasino at Yonkers Raceway is located at 810 Yonkers Avenue (off I-87 at Central Avenue) Yonkers, NY, Westchester County, open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 6:00 am.

 

Visit www.empirecitycasino.com

Virgin Casino Launches Nation’s First Licensed 90 Ball Bingo Game for players in New Jersey

Play for Free! Or purchase strips for an opportunity to also win from a Guaranteed Prize Pool

JERSEY CITY N.J., March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Virgin Casino is proud to introduce 90 Ball Bingo to New Jersey, becoming one of the first online casinos in the U.S. to offer real money 90 Ball Bingo. The game was developed by Gamesys, the leading developer of online bingo games.

Virgin Casino’s 90 Ball Bingo is available to play on desktop every day between 10am and 11pm and guarantees more than $90,000 in Bonus Money prizes each month. As part of the launch, there will be FREE games available to play every day at VirginCasino.com.

Lee Fenton, COO at Gamesys said, “We are delighted to introduce 90 Ball Bingo to our players in New Jersey. Gamesys operates the leading online bingo site in the U.K. market and we’re confident that we can bring the best online 90 Ball Bingo experience to Virgin Casino in the U.S.”

Record Breaking Florida Lottery Sales Generate $17 Million for Schools

The Florida Lottery announced today that Scratch-Off ticket sales for the week ending March 8, 2015, exceeded $95.6 million, the highest, single-week Scratch-Off sales of any lottery in the country. This record-breaking Scratch-Off sales week resulted in $17 million being generated for the benefit of Florida students and schools.

Lottonetix in association with Kootac Releases Live Lottery Games

Leading Lottery Platform provider, Lottonetix in association with Kootac has unveiled its range of live lottery games, hosted by real-life dealers via its online lottery platform – A move highlighting the software developer’s status as one of the most innovative in the market.

With the online lottery industry currently in heavy growth, worth $275 billion in 2012 according to La Fleur’s World Lottery Almanac, serving this ever expanding vertical in innovative ways is imperative to maintain player retention. The market potential is greater than ever, with global leading lottery products now available to entrants from all over the world.
 
Lottonetix- Kootac have positioned themselves clearly at the heart of the market with their ‘always innovating’ approach to their leading lottery platform. Their developments in the industry are geared specifically towards increasing player value and player loyalty through high player engagement. Their latest innovative feature adds the provision of live games, where real presenters host real lottery draws. Players can now buy their tickets remotely and watch the draw take place live every few minutes.

Offering players a diverse range of live games the platform maintains fresh appeal and interest. There are two live lottery draw products in the offering, Lucky 7 and Lucky 5. In addition, the platform offers related live games like Wheel of Fortune, Bet on Poker, Dice and Baccarat. These games usually found in the casino have proved popular and have shown increased online play with lengthier visits.

The live games are simple, easy and fun to play via the Lottonetix Live Screen. Simply click a game and the video feed and game options change to the required type enabling you to see the live presenter, game controls and odds for various outcomes. 

Live-Play has been a major trend on online gambling, with operators offering Live Dealers for Table games like Roulette, Blackjack, Poker and Poker. This new addition to the Live Product range will surely increase the attractiveness of operators offerings, while also benefitting the players with more choice.

Constantly developing innovative features and software solutions, Lottonetix-Kootac have supplied white label software to many operators, including Lotto Booking, Lotto Dealer, Play Euro Lotto, Lottobird, Gigalotto, as well as others. Operators choose Lottonetix as their solutions partner due to their ‘ Always innovating’ approach and their proven software.

For further info please visit: www.lottonetix.com

European Poker Awards: “Next Year to Have Online Awards, Again” Says Alex Dreyfus

Global Poker Index, CEO, Alex Dreyfus has agreed to reintroduce a European Poker Award category for best Online Player of the Year after a former winner called for its inclusion.

The 2016 European Poker Awards (EPA) will include a category for Online Player of the Year, after former winner Andreas Torbergsen took to Twitter to voice his displeasure at the category being missing from the 2014 ceremony.

Andreas Torbergsen spoke. Alex Dreyfus listened. The advent of social media has closed the gap between company owners and customers. The same is true in poker. Over the past years I have seen the big three poker tournament organizers interact with their customers through this channel to great effect. It has just happened again.

In 2010, Andreas ‘Skjervoy’ Torbergsen won the EPA for the Best Online Player of the Year. In 2014 there isn’t even a category for online players. Torbergsen decided to create a poll to see what his twitter follower’s thought of the omission. The answer was a 92% yes vote for an online poker award (36 people voted).

Owner of winning $50M Lotto Max ticket comes forward almost one year later

At one time, the Vancouver region had a rail transit system that reached farther than the SkyTrain and Canada Line. The BC Lions Felions Dance Team played host to about 100 hopefuls from all over the Lower Mainland who showed off their dance moves for the 30 spots available for the dance team in 2015.

St. Baldrick's at New York-New York nets $165K; Joe Williams Scholarship Show

Three-year-old Elann Saula poses with his family, left to right, Leslie, Sami, Kinalone and dog Gadji, at his home in Las Vegas. The Kats Report Bureau over the weekend was roving VegasVille with great gusto, hitting “Frank: The Man, The Music” at Palazzo, St. Baldrick’s Day at New York-New York, the Joe Williams Scholarship Show at UNLV’s Ham Hall and a sendoff for a blazing singer in one of the city’s best shows .

Doyle Brunson Cancer Surgery a Success

Doyle Brunson, the Godfather of Poker, has recovered from his 12th major surgery, this time to have a melanoma removed, and is in good spirits recuperating at home.

Doyle Brunson, the Godfather of Poker, has emerged from successful surgery to remove a melanoma from his head, and the charm and humor is still in tact.

“Found out this big incision on my head is where @RealKidPoker paid the doc to try to extract some poker knowledge from my head. #Didn’twork.” Doyle tweeted.

And it was a big incision!

Social Media Tip of the Week: Other social platforms

The Media Image  Head of SEO and Social Darren Sheffield talks about other Social Media platforms in this edition of CalvinAyre.com’s Social Media Tip of the Week.

The following are 4 platforms that we have used effectively and got very good results for our gambling clients. Further reading is definitely recommended if you haven’t tested these commercially before.

Slideshare

This is the LinkedIn owned platform which allows brands and individuals to upload Powerpoint like slide decks on a range of topics, that are usually instructional or educational in nature. Slideshares uploaded usually receive views in thousands if the content is of a good quality and is easily shareable. They are a great way of establishing authority in a subject matter and can rank highly in the SERP’s for relevant keywords so bring ongoing long term traffic.

B.A.S.S. And Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Partner To Present 2016 Bassmaster Classic In Oklahoma

B.A.S.S. and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa have signed a “Local Partnership Agreement” to present the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro March 4-6, 2016, in Tulsa and on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees out of Grove, Okla. Under terms of the agreement, which was announced today during a press conference revealing Tulsa as the host city for the Classic world championship, the Cherokee Nation resort complex will be the exclusive casino for the Bassmaster Classic and will host private, invitation-only events for Classic anglers, sponsors and special guests.