Monthly Archives: March 2015

Melco Crown to delist from HKSE on July 3; Genting HK buys Crystal Cruises

Macau casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. is expected to withdraw its listing from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) on July 3, 2015, the company said in a filing to the HKSE.

The operator filed an application stating its voluntary withdrawal from the exchange in January 2015. Melco Crown shareholders will convene in a general meeting on March 25, where it will vote on the proposed delisting. If that ends up according to plan, the company will then seek approval from the exchange’s listing committee for the delisting.

The decision to delist from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was brought about by what Melco Crown describes as a lack of “appropriate opportunities to raise additional equity in Hong Kong” and the limited volume of trading its shares has had on that exchange.

The company added that maintaining the listing in the HKSE “requires additional ongoing regulatory compliance obligations and such requirements involve significant additional costs and administrative burden.” The company plans to focus on retaining the primary listing of American depository shares (ADSs) on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange.

If everything goes according to plan, Melco Crown shares in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will have its last trading day on June 29. Once it has delisted from the exchange, existing Melco Crown shareholders will have the option of either keeping the Hong Kong-issued shares or convert them into ADSs, with the company covering the costs of the proceedings.

Meanwhile, Genting Hong Kong has bolstered its presence in the high-end cruise market after purchasing Crystal Cruises from Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha in a deal worth $550 million. The deal, which is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2015, will be financed with existing cash and bank loans.

“Crystal Cruises offers the epitome of luxury cruising and the service standard that all other cruise lines aspire to,” Genting Hong Kong Chairman, Chief Executive and acting President Lim Kok Thay said in a statement.

Las Vegas Sands to Participate in the 2015 J.P. Morgan Gaming,…

Mr. Robert G. Goldstein, president and chief operating officer, will participate in a discussion which is scheduled to begin at approximately 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time . A webcast of the discussion may be accessed by visiting the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at www.sands.com .

Innovation in iGaming Profiles: Tradesports.com

 If you want your company profile in our innovator series, please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

In this installment of the CalvinAyre.com Innovation in iGaming profiles series we focus on Tradesports.com, a “completely different fantasy sports game”, according to Founder and CEO Ron Bernstein.

Instead of having players making up a team as we see in traditional fantasy sports sites, Tradesports contestants buy “stocks” in the form of a yes or no prediction.  Contestants are challenged with making smart picks and purchasing the right amount of shares in each of their picks, so when their “predictions accuracy” is determined after the event, they have the highest account value in comparison to the other contestants.

To learn more about the innovation behind Tradesports, I sat down with Bernstein to discuss his background, how he came up with the idea, why his product is different and the future of fantasy sports in America.

Becky Liggero: Thank you so much for joining me today, Ron. It’s always a pleasure to have a sports betting enthusiast in my chair.  Tell me about your professional background and how it led you to Tradesports? 

Rob Bernstein: I’m an old school commodity and options floor trader, having traded in the pits in New York and in London…and I really miss those days…it was always during lulls in the markets that conversation would turn to sports (and sometimes page 3!).

We were already trading March Madness basketball futures using a $1-$64 dollar scale (where the winning team paid $64) with some pretty good size at stake.  Then we heard a story about a pit in Chicago with huge pots and that a clerk entrusted to hold the stakes had run off with whole pot, a couple hundred grand is the rumor. The next convo was talk about “trading sports like stocks” on a proper exchange. Online trading and no credit risk.

Interview with John Pappas of Poker Players Alliance

Becky Liggero talks John Pappas of Poker Players Alliance as he shares what he learned at the G2E iGaming Congress and gave an update on federal online poker legislation.

Becky Liggero: I am here with John Pappas, executive director of Poker Players Alliance (PPA).This is the day of iGaming Congress. So, John, tell what have you observed today so far in the Congress. What have you learned?

John Pappas: Well it’s always great to be here as a kind of a representative of the player community. I think it is important that we have a presence here and have a voice here to interact with the companies in iGaming space and this is really the biggest gathering of iGaming companies. One of the biggest gathering of the iGaming companies in the United States. So it is important that we’re here. the panels have been excellent talking about everything from importance of knowing your customer and the trials and tribulations that players have to be able to deposit money to the site and all that goes into it is something i thought was very valuable to listen to and follow up to those people that run the panel. A lot of what happens here, happens outside of the panel, in the hallways here in the discussions that you have and how often is it that i gotta sit and talk with New Jersey regulators and California regulators alongside with heads of poker room for bwin and or for Partypoker or for PokerStars. So this is a great place for us to be. to be able to have the perspective of the players.

Becky Liggero: We know that regulations here in America for online gambling is obviously a big topic. What do you think is what were going to see in 2015 for new states jumping on board.

John Pappas: a few states that jumped out to everybody and that’s Pennsylvania and California are the two that are on the tip of my tongue, take New York will be on the shortlist as well as Illinois. You know it’s a struggle. It’s a long, slow process here in the US. And quite frankly, what I’ve always seen is it usually takes few legislative sessions for something like this. So in California, we’ve had multiple legislative sessions plus we have tribal issue that’s overhanging everything. In Pennsylvania, we had some bills introduce last year, some hearings and discussions. I think we’ve passed critical hurtle allowed one legislative to go by and now i think in 2015, we’re gonna see more bills to be introduced, more hearings and i believe there will be some votes in Pennsylvania on legislation. Which way they go right now is hard for me to say. I’m leaning to Pennsylvania state to legalize internet poker and internet gaming broadly.

Becky Liggero: I remember in the past we’re always pushing for Federal online poker. Can you give us an update on what’s happening on a federal perspective.

John Pappas: Federal bill is something i think everybody in the conference would support because of the harmonizing of multiple states. the idea of 50 different states, 50 different regulatory regimes is still very problematic for the industry, very problematic for the players but that’s what we have because we have congress that’s unlikely to pass a bill that’s licensing and regulating internet gaming nationwide. Given that, we still have a congress that could do something very bad.We’re standing here at Sands Expo and the owner of this casino is also one of the biggest opponent of online gambling. He’s been spending a lot of money in the upcoming election to ensure that he gets people in congress to support his issues. Maybe some all sort of things but internet gaming being one of them.That’s a real threat. I would put it probably below 20% right now that i’ts going to happen. That’s too high of a risk for us to just kind of sitting back and hope that it does not happen. We’re gonna be very engaged over next several months to make sure on a Federal level they do no harm. I don’t think they can do any good for us and at the minimum they can do any harm.

The Secret Blackjack Ball: A Night at the World’s Most Exclusive Gambling Club

This is a guest contribution by Michael Craig, an author, journalist, and lawyer. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

Food, Drinks, Geniuses, Fake Names, Gossip, Introductions, Reunions, a Hall of Fame Induction, an Undisclosed Location, Competition, and – of Course – Gambling

One night a year, the best blackjack players in the world convene for the Secret Blackjack Ball. Gambler, author, and consultant Max Rubin has been organizing the invitation-only gathering since 1997. Like millions of lovers of blackjack, casinos, and secret meetings, I regretfully missed out on the 2014 Blackjack Ball. It took place at an undisclosed location in late January, leaving the rest of us to piece together what happened from tidbits leaking online, my brief correspondence with Mr. Rubin, and discrete comments from some past and current attendees.

Invitation to the Ball

Nineteen years ago, Max Rubin started the Blackjack Ball in his home. “It was a way,” he explained, “for players from different blackjack teams and solo players to get together and a place to hang out.” Part of the Ball’s unique charm from the beginning was that many of its members had never met.

By 2004, the Blackjack Ball became too big for Max’s home. Attendance at the Blackjack Ball is by invitation only, and the current secret location seats only 112 (including guests). There are literally hundreds of bona fide professional gamblers vying as plus-ones or campaigning Max to get on the list. “It’s fun being a very popular guy one night a year but I still haven’t figured out how to say ‘No’ to a lot of really nice folks without sounding like an arrogant a-hole.”

Max has a special place in the Blackjack world: legendarily generous host, organizer and secret-keeper, and supposedly the only attendee of the Ball who has “crossed over” to work for the casino industry. (I’ve been told that other attendees have consulted for casinos in some capacity.) Mr. Rubin consults with Barona Casino in San Diego, which, in addition to offering some excellent blackjack rules, has a wall commemorating members of the Blackjack Hall of Fame.

Press release distribution, EDGAR filing, XBRL, regulatory filings

Eric Mullins, Chairm… )–A Voyager Innovation, uma unidade digital financeira e comercial da Smart Communications, anunciou hoje sua parceria estrategica com a Cash Credit, uma empresa … )–Voyager Innovation, unita finanziaria e commerciale digitale di Smart Communications, ha oggi annunciato la sua collaborazione con Cash Credit, una societa fin-… )–Eagle Point Credit Company Inc. today is pleased to announce the declaration of a quarterly distribution of $0.60 per share of the Comp… )–Propeller Airports entered into a public-private partnership with Snohomish County on March 2nd to develop a passenger terminal at Paine Field, in Everett, Wash.

The Grinder Launches Last Longer Betting Site Blast Longer

Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi is the face of a new last longer betting site called Blast Longer, a desktop and mobile app that allows players to create last longer bets whilst playing in online tournaments.

Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi is probably one of the greatest networkers in the poker industry.

Seriously, this man sits down at a poker table wearing more patches than an inner tube that sleeps on a bed of nails. The Grinder is that good I wouldn’t put it past him to get the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling to put him into the World

[Image Credit: PokerNews]

Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP).

His latest venture is called Blast Longer. Our man is pictured on the front of the website looking very Dan Bilzerian (minus the naked boob-jobbed ladies and goat), and the premise is a very simple one. It’s a site that allows online poker players to engage in last longer bets.

The website is currently in beta status. When you login it shows you a list of supported networks. PokerStars, Full Tilt, partypoker, iPoker, Ongame and Winamax.fr taking center stage.

Pennsylvania gets new poker-only online bill; RAWA House hearing postponed

Pennsylvania has a (sorta) new poker-only online gambling bill, courtesy of Rep. Nick Miccarelli.

In case you’re wondering, no, this is not another flip-flop on the poker-only/poker-and-casino legislation filed (and re-filed) by Rep. John Payne. Miccarelli’s HB 695 is a warmed over version of the HB 2297 he introduced in the previous legislative session.

Like Payne’s legislation, HB 695 would restrict online gambling to the state’s existing gaming licensees, licenses would cost $5m and operators would be taxed 14% of gross gaming revenue. Unlike Payne’s legislation, Miccarelli’s legislation includes a strict ‘bad actor’ clause barring casino operators from partnering with online operators that accepted wagers from US residents post-UIGEA.

RAWA HEARING POSTPONED

Meanwhile, the federal legislation that would scupper any and all intrastate online gambling will not have a hearing this Thursday after all. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations had scheduled a Thursday morning hearing to discuss the Sheldon Adelson-supported Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA).

However, the Poker Players Alliance broke the news on Tuesday that the hearing has been postponed, apparently due to the possibility of a “significant snow event” in Washington (or because Adelson expects to be too partied out after his BFF Bibi Netanyahu’s whirlwind tour of the town this week). No replacement hearing date has been announced.

Before the postponement was announced, an unofficial list of witnesses due to testify at the hearing had circulated, and it seems RAWA supporters had stacked the deck against the chance of balance, evidence and/or sanity having a seat at the table.

Interactive Articles, Game Theory and Gut Instinct With Builtvisible

Interactive Articles, Game Theory and Gut Instinct With Builtvisible Video

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Adjarabet Gets a Babelfish Makeover

The Georgian online gambling firm Adjarabet has become the first operator to migrate its poker offering to the Microgaming network via the brand new Babelfish API.

Georgia is in the news a lot lately.

I’m not talking about the women who had her execution postponed because her deadly dose of poison looked a little too cloudy, preventing her from becoming the first female to be executed in the state in 70-years. I’m talking about the country with a population of 5 million people, who seem to have a soft spot for playing poker.

A few weeks ago, I brought you news of a partnership between the World Poker Tour (WPT) and one of Georgia’s top gambling firms, Europe-Bet.com; and I can now bring you more Georgian gambling news after Adjarabet became the first online poker room to use Microgaming’s Babelfish API.

Adjarabet was founded in 1998, and they advertise the brand as the ‘Georgian market leader in poker, casino, sports betting and skill games.’ At the beginning of the month, Microgaming unveiled detailed of their new ‘Babelfish’ technology, and promised to unveil a big signing in the coming weeks.

Are Adjarabet that big signing?

“We were looking for a partner to help us grow and improve our poker offering; when Microgaming presented Babelfish we knew it was exactly what we needed,” commented Alastair Ives, Head of Poker at Adjarabet. “The Babelfish API allows us to offer a product that is completely tailored to our customer base, eliminating the pain of migrating to a new software provider. We are very happy with how the process has been handled and with the results of the migration so far.”

PokerStars Servers Crash and Bighusla Shows That Spin & Go’s Can Be Beaten

PokerStars upset a few of their customers when an unexpected two hour outage froze screens across the world, and a player by the name of Bighusla has shown that Spin & Go’s can be beaten. 

As I pulled sleep from my eyes my phone was bouncing by the side of the bed like a happy little dog.

“Have you heard?”

“PokerStars has crashed.”

“Nobody knows what’s going on?”

It was a mate of mine. And yes he did send me three different SMS messages, when one would have sufficed. He is an open loop kind of guy. We’re both X-Files fans, but whilst my only interest is Gillian Anderson, he is a real bone fide conspiracy theorist.

I leapt out of bed, removed my old man pajamas and searched the Internet for the news story of the decade. Had the Iranians decided to wipe the Adelson slate clean by invading PokerStars?

Ihre Consulting hired by Bonnier Gaming to assist with Affiliate Management

Bonnier Gaming has instructed Ihre Consulting to assist them with growing their affiliate program within the European market.

Bonnier Gaming brands include Redbet.com, Vinnarum.com, Whitebet.com, Mamamiabingo.com and Bertilbingo.com.  Their portfolio is extremely attractive and offers something for almost all igaming affiliates. Key markets include the UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Germany and Poland,which is where the strategic partnership with Ihre Consulting is formed.

Ihre Consulting have been in business over 4 years, working with operators and affiliates to partner them together in mutually beneficial deals. We are now a market leader of third party networks and affiliate management services, with a key strength within Scandinavia, and with Germany, UK, Canada and Australia closely behind.

Edward Ihre commented: “Working with Bonnier Gaming is a great partnership for us. They have great product lineup with multiple brands on offer, enabling us to work closely with them to provide key partnerships with affiliates within in these areas. Their target markets are ones we are strong in, and we are extremely pleased to be working with the Bonnier team”.

KristoferBergdahl, Head of Aquisition from Bonnier Gaming quoted: “Working with Ihre Consulting was a natural choice for us. Their strength within Scandinavia and Germany enables us to raise our exposure within these key markets.  Our flagship brand Redbet is an extremely attractive product and we are excited to take this brand to the next level. ”

Bonnier Gaming Affiliates are certified on AGD and GPWA. They have casino, poker, sports and bingo brands available for affiliates to promote, with live dealers provided by Evolution and NetEnt. Brands are available in SEK, EUR and NOK currencies as well as 5 languages. They have the UK and Malta licenses and are available on the mobile.

Affiliates can earn up to lifetime commissions with no negative carryover by promoting one or more of Bonnier Gaming’s products. Contact Ihre Consulting directly to discuss the rates available (as well as more customized deals and promotions) .

Hooters Poker Room Closes in Las Vegas

Hooters Casino Hotel in Las Vegas has closed its poker room, making it the 13th Las Vegas casino to do so in the past two and a half years.

A few years ago, during a trip to Las Vegas, a few friends and I decided to spend a bit of quality time in Hooters. I won’t beat about the bush. We thought it would be a great idea to play poker in front of a dealer with huge knockers.

We didn’t stay long.

We didn’t go back.

There were no Hooters. We felt robbed. Everything was under lock and key. I don’t even think we saw cleavage. But that’s not the reason we left. The casino was tiny. The atmosphere was morgue like. There was no poker room.

So I was a little shocked when I read on USPoker.com that Hooters had closed its poker room. According to John Mehaffey the room consisted of two tables that held a $1/2 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) cash game at 2pm every day. It must have been held in the toilet. We never went to the toilet. Like I said, there were no Hooters.

According to statistics compiled by Mehaffey, Hooters poker room is the second to close this year (The Linq closed in January), and the 13th Las Vegas poker room to close since 2012. That takes the overall number of remaining Las Vegas poker rooms to 39.