Monthly Archives: May 2015

Philippine regulators fine Okada’s Tiger Resorts $2.2m over project delays

Philippine regulators have fined Japanese gaming device maker Universal Entertainment $2.2m over delays in completing its Manila casino project.

Universal, which is owned by billionaire Kazuo Okada, is constructing an integrated resort in Manila’s Entertainment City gaming zone through its Philippine subsidiary Tiger Resorts Leisure and Entertainment. However, the project has encountered numerous obstacles – including serious legal investigations – prompting Tiger execs to publicly express doubts about meeting their original March 2015 opening target, suggesting a late-2016 opening was more likely.

Last October, Philippine gaming regulator PAGCOR warned Tiger that failure to stick to its original timetable could result in forfeiture of Tiger’s Php 100m (US $2.2m) guarantee. This February, Tiger asked PAGCOR for a further extension to Q2 2017 to accommodate the project’s design changes. This request was rejected and Tiger was warned that their provisional casino license could face suspension as a result of the delay.

On Monday, Tiger’s project manager informed PAGCOR that the project was only 56% complete. Suitably annoyed, PAGCOR pulled the trigger, confiscating Tiger’s $2.2m guarantee. PAGCOR VP Francis P. Hernando told Reuters that Tiger had been given a 90-day period beginning April 21 to “explain why their license should not be suspended.”

WSOP 2015 Tax Edict Says Players on Their Own for Backer Deals

WSOP 2015 is nigh upon us, and tax day is just recently passed, but the two major annual events are about to cross paths nonetheless. And players who have traditionally relied on backers may soon discover that their lives are going to be much more complicated this year than in years past when it comes time […]

The post WSOP 2015 Tax Edict Says Players on Their Own for Backer Deals appeared first on .

Macau gaming revenue down 39 percent in April, 11th straight monthly dip

Macau gaming revenue fell for the 11th straight month during April and analysts universally believe May will mark a year of declines for the world’s largest gambling market. The Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau said earlier this week that Macau casinos collected $2.4 billion from gamblers, a 39 percent drop from April 2014.

Adrian Mateos is EPT Grand Final Champion

The EPT Grand Final has once again bagged up its chips and headed for the door, with Adrian Mateos emerging as the Main Event winner. Yes, at long last, the EPT has a Spanish champion. It’s been a statistical quirk that no Spanish player has ever won an EPT Main Event. Neighboring Portugal, with one […]

The post Adrian Mateos is EPT Grand Final Champion appeared first on .

William Hill unveils new virtual reality live betting app prototype

UK bookmakers William Hill are exploring the potential of a new live betting app in conjunction with the Google Cardboard virtual reality (VR) smartphone hack.

Hills has teamed with production studio Unit9 on the ‘Get In The Race’ project, which is currently in the prototype stage. The plan is to incorporate GPS racetrack data with VR technology to allow punters to experience a race from the 360° perspective of the jockey riding their nag. Bettors can choose from a variety of wagers using a heads-up display that responds to their eye movement.

Crispin Nieboer, Hills’ director of corporate development and innovation, told The Drum that the company was always on the lookout for ways to gin up the ‘dry’ betting experience. Nieboer said Hills’ goal was to enhance “the thrill of the ride” and provide more of a “Las Vegas experience” than the passive ‘win or lose’ binary boredom.

Unit9 was given data from a past race at Kempton Park then set about recreating that race in a 3D VR engine. Google Cardboard’s £8 mobile VR workaround was chosen as the more optimal device for the prototype, as Facebook’s rival Oculus Rift product was deemed too pricey for what Hills hopes will eventually become a mass market product.

Betclic Everest Players Fined for Unlicensed Site Play by Belgian Gaming Commission

Betclic Everest poker players, beware: if you’re in Belgium, you could be in trouble for logging in to the site that’s unlicensed there. And other online poker players in Europe who thought they could evade the legal crosshairs of their national gaming commissions could be in for a shock if more countries decide to follow […]

The post Betclic Everest Players Fined for Unlicensed Site Play by Belgian Gaming Commission appeared first on .

Bodog convinces Playboy model Emma Glover to model new Ayr United purple kit

Scottish League One footballers Ayr United FC have enlisted UK lingerie model Emma Glover to help erase the past season’s disappointment from their collective memories.

Although Ayr United’s Honest Men avoided relegation via a stirring road victory over Forfar Athletic to close out the 2014-15 season, there was little else worthy of celebration in that campaign. But new manager Ian McCall, who took the reins from Mark Roberts mid-season, is keen to put the past behind him and focus on another run at the League One title in 2015-16.

The team’s plan to focus on the future includes the unveiling of a new, never-before-seen purple kit. True to form, online gambling operator Bodog, who have sponsored Ayr United for five seasons, convinced Glover http://www.emmaglover.co.uk to model the new strip. Or, at least, a reasonable facsimile thereof.

As tradition would have it, Bodog took ‘unveiling’ to its logical conclusion, convincing Glover that the best way to promote the new shirt would be to go shirtless. As Glover’s 205k Twitter followers well understand by now, Emma tends to find traditional clothing norms a little too restricting and needed little encouragement to exchange cotton and polyester for bodypaint to promote the Ayr United cause.

More

The Issuer made the Offers on April 9, 2015 to satisfy the requirements of the respective indentures governing the Notes as a result of the change of control of the Issuer which occurred as a result of the previously-announced completion of the combination of the businesses of GTECH S.p.A. and the Issuer under IGT on April 7, 2015. Pursuant to the terms of the Offers, the Issuer has accepted for purchase all Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn on the Expiration Date at a purchase price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof plus any accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the date of payment .