Monthly Archives: May 2015

Romania seeking 20% back tax from online gambling operators

Romania will require all would-be online gambling licensees to pay back taxes on revenue earned from the country’s punters.

Romania’s Chamber of Deputies approved the country’s new online gambling framework on Wednesday, opening up the possibility for international operators to apply for licenses. But many prospective licensees are likely reconsidering whether they want to apply for licenses now that the government is demanding back taxes of 20% on all online revenue earned from Romanian punters since 2009.

The back tax plan was one of a number of amendments to the revised Gambling Act approved on Wednesday. The Monitoring Committee of the National Office of Gambling has been tasked with figuring out how much each individual operator owes the government, a process that could require operators to submit to a financial audit.

Once these tax bills are calculated, operators will be given 90 days in which to make with the money. Only then will these operators’ past criminality be forgiven and thus be considered worthy of consideration for a new Romanian license. Failure to abide by these terms will land operators on the country’s online gambling blacklist.

PokerStars adds Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr. to Team SportStars

Amaya Gaming’s marquee online gambling site PokerStars has signed up Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr. as its new ambassador.

In addition to being a demon on the pitch, Neymar is a known poker fan, routinely entertaining his 14.5m Instagram followers with pictures of he, his buddies and his dog ‘Poker’ enjoying the other beautiful game. Neymar also has over 18m Twitter followers and 51.2m Facebook fans, offering PokerStars a suitably enormous megaphone with which to promote their brand.

In making the announcement, Neymar stressed his love of poker and claimed that achieving success on the felt required many of the same skills – mental strength, resilience, patience, composure and focus – that made him successful in his day-job. (Okay, but good luck trying to head away a threatening river card.)

PokerStars interim CEO Michael Hazel celebrated the signing as part of Stars’ plan to sign “mainstream athletes who want to leverage their success in competitive sports to become successful poker players.”

NSA program that collects Americans' phone records is illegal, appeals court rules

The house offered in the 2015 Pacific National Exhibition Prize Home Lottery is a 3,080-square-foot contemporary home that was inspired by the lake views of Naramata, in B.C.’s wine country, where it will be relocated after the Fair. The home features three bedrooms, expansive windows, top of the line finishes, home automation and a living green roof.

Neymar Signs with PokerStars

Neymar Jr. is one of the world’s great soccer stars, and has been responsible for leading Brazil and his club team, FC Barcelona, to numerous victories over the years. Now, the sporting legend is joining up with another team that seems to score plenty of wins: PokerStars. PokerStars announced Thursday that they have signed Neymar […]

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Sixth Wave of Full Tilt Remissions Expected in August

The next wave of Full Tilt remissions can be expected before the end of August at the very latest, according to information received by John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance. Pappas had reached out to the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the Department of Justice, which is overseeing the case […]

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William Hill, Ladbrokes “giving the finger” to Australia’s online in-play betting ban

Australia’s communications regulator is probing bookmakers’ recent efforts to circumvent the country’s ban on online in-play sports betting.

Under Australia’s 2001 Interactive Gambling Act, punters looking to place in-play sports betting can do so only via telephone or in person at a betting shop. Then, late last month, William Hill Australia launched its ‘click to call’ feature, which uses voice recognition technology to enable Aussie punters to place in-play wagers from their mobile devices without the need to make a traditional phone call.

Hills was followed more or less immediately by Ladbrokes Australia’s ‘QuickCall’ feature, which also digitally synthesizes punters’ voices to make a live bet on the punter’s behalf. Lads humble-bragged that their system was “easily the most convenient way of placing a bet on a live sporting event that has ever been available with a bookmaker.”

However convenient or creative these workarounds might be, their legality has yet to be determined. On Thursday, The Australian reported that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) had received complaints about the new betting apps and that these complaints were “under consideration.”

Coming Up on the Rail…You Decide the Filly’s Name

By @TheDailyPayoff

If you ever wondered where folks get those clever names for race horses, this could be your chance to get in on the action.

Who named Soapstone Prairie, for example, and why?

America’s Best Racing and Ninety North Racing are letting the public in on the process and are hoping you can name a two-year-old filly by reading up on its background and pedigree and then coming up with a creative name.

The person who submits the winning name will receive, along with a guest, the opportunity to experience a full day of racing fun when and if the horse being named races.

“We’re strong believers in the value of showing people that horse racing is approachable, accessible and, ultimately, a lot of fun,” said Dan Tordjman, brand ambassador for America’s Best Racing. ” Our partners at Ninety North Racing stand behind that message and behind our push to strengthen the sport at every level.

“We thank them for allowing us the opportunity to share in a big part of the experience of what it’s like to own a racehorse,” Tordjman continued. “In fact, some might say naming a horse is the best part of ownership, and the thrill of winning is only eclipsed by thrill of hearing a name you came up announced in the winner’s circle.”

The day will include watching morning training along the backstretch, meeting the horse named by the winner, and spending the day enjoying the races from a box at either Saratoga Race Course or Belmont Park in New York.

First suggestion is to look at the horse’s pedigree and backstory below, follow The Jockey Club guidelines for horse names, come up with a creative name for the horse and email it to [email protected], along with your name, age and location.

Entries must be submitted by May 29, 2015. The person who submits the winning name will be contacted via email and announced on America’s Best Racing social media platforms as well as AmericasBestRacing.net.

DanContestInsideThe horse was foaled, or born, on March 15, 2013. She’s a 2-year old filly, a female horse, and she’s the daughter of Proud Citizen and Tiz Maie’s Day. That makes her a full-sister to Went the Day Well, who finished fourth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in 2012 after winning the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes.

Ninety North Racing purchased the filly in January 2014. She has trained in Florida and recently shipped to New York, where the owners plan to race her. If all goes according to plan, she could be running as soon as June or July at Belmont Park.

So, do you have a name you’d like to submit? See if it’s eligible by testing it out in The Jockey Club Online Names Book, which allows you to check a name to see if it is currently in use or otherwise unavailable. (Hint: Beat the Odds, Dack Janiels, Babyneedsnewshoes and Soap Town Road, for instance, is already taken.)
https://www.registry.jockeyclub.com/registry.cfm?page=namesrch

For more details on naming a horse, check out The Jockey Club’s official guidelines.

– See more at: http://www.americasbestracing.net/en/the-latest/news-stories/2015/5/6/ninety-north-racing-abr-name-the-horse-challenge/#sthash.fQyEo299.dpuf

Melco Crown Q1 profit falls 75%

Casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment (MCE) saw its Q1 profit fall 75% as Macau’s ongoing revenue slump continued to weigh heavy on the city’s casino concessionaires.

For the three months ending March 31, MCE reported revenue down 22% to $1.05b, adjusted earnings down 35% to $253.3m and net income down by three-quarters to $60.6m. MCE CEO Lawrence Ho blamed the decline on Macau’s “challenging” environment, which had resulted in decreased action at both VIP and mass market gaming tables.

MCE’s flagship property City of Dreams reported revenue down 25% to $806m, while earnings fell 31% to $235.8m. VIP turnover was down 44% but win percentage improved 0.2 points to 3%. Mass market table drop was down a far more reasonable 7.5% but win slipped 1.6 points to 35.9%. Gaming machine handle was down 15% and non-gaming revenue fell 5.6% to $66.7m.

Altira Macau revenue fell nearly 35% to $148.7m and earnings swooned 80% to $6.8m. VIP turnover was down over one-quarter and win rate fell 0.4 points to 2.5%. Mass market turnover fell 22% but win improved nearly four points to 17.2%.