Monthly Archives: May 2015

“Space Guardians”, “Temple of Fortune” and “Zodiac Empire”: new Video Bingo titles go live on Akamon’s Viva! Bingo & Slots

Barcelona, 28 of May 2015.-Akamon Entertainment, the leading social gaming company specialising in traditional and casino games in Latin America and Southern Europe, has released three new Video Bingo games across portal and Facebook platforms: “Space Guardians”, “Temple of Fortune” and “Zodiac Empire”.

These new top quality Video Bingo games feature a new style of graphics and an innovative presentation that leads the market, and have been designed and developed in a joint effort between Akamon’s studios in Barcelona and Valencia by an experienced Video Bingo team under the management of Alex Cohen, Chief Product Officer.

Set in different atmospheres – Space Guardians has a futuristic look and feel while Temple of  Fortune recreates the Mayan civilization and Zodiac Empire places the player in a galactic environment- the new themes “still retain the core mechanics that make Video Bingo a popular casino game in our core Latin American markets and that is making of it a more and more engaging game across Europe ”, explains Cohen.

They all include specific bonus features and extra balls that increase the engagement of the games and position them among the top quality video Bingo products in social casino. As Cohen states, “The market for video bingo in social casino is still emerging, but is critical for our core geographies and we are establishing our position as providers of the best social video bingo products”.

Tobias Peters Wins the Eureka5 Hamburg High Roller

Tobias Peters has won the Eureka5 Hamburg High Roller after beating Timo Schneider, in heads-up action, to take the first prize of €37,548.

[Image Credit: PokerNews & Tomas Stacha]

Tobias Peters has won the Eureka5 Hamburg High Roller. He beat the German Timo Schneider in heads-up action to take the first prize of €37,548.

The Dutchman overcame a field of 81 entrants in the €2,200 buy-in event. It was the first time the Eureka Poker Tour had played out in Hamburg, and by all accords it’s been a great success.

NJ Casino Expansion Idea Heats Up

By Frank Scandale @FScandale @TheDailyPayoff

Gov. Chris Christie’s comments on 101.5 radio Wednesday has stirred visions of jackpots in northern New Jersey.

With everything from a poll by NJ.com that showed almost a 60-40 split in favor of a casino in the northern part of the state by Thursday late afternoon to a well-regarded gambling expert in the Garden State agreeing such a casino could be the most lucrative in the country, the governor’s statements fueled more speculation for an upcoming referendum.

“I have absolutely no problem with that question going on the ballot right away,” Christie said on New Jersey 101.5 FM. “The competition’s only going to grow, in New York in particular. And so, if we could plant our flag firmly in the ground, I think it would make the project even more successful.”

His comments came a day after New Jersey Sen. Ray Lesniak, whose district sits in the northern part of the state, said he would push for a referendum in November that would also call for $1 billion in revenue from such a casino to be redirected to South Jersey, according to The Press of Atlantic City. Gov. Christie also said he would approve the ballot measure if it had a component such as the one Lesniak outlined.

And his comments come against the background of an announcement that next Wednesday the Hard Rock International and Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment will detail their concept of a Hard Rock Casino in the Meadowlands. The pitch will be a potential of $400 million in annual revenue that would provide tax relief and rebuild Atlantic City, says the HudsonReporter.com

A separate poll by The Press of Atlantic City shows overwhelming opposition to the proposal, with 63 percent against the idea, 21 percent for it as long as revenue gets funneled to the South, and almost 16 percent voting for secession from North Jersey. http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com

The difference in the polls could be explained by the fact that NJ.com draws much of its readership from the central and northern parts of the state. It is affiliated with the Star Ledger, which is based in Newark in the north.

Just how realistic is the concept of a casino or more in North Jersey depends on how serious those with money want to push the issue, according to a state expert from Stockton University, located in the southern part of the state.

“It is true that a pole we did a year ago had far more people who expressed their opinion opposed to the idea,” said Izzy Posner, Executive Director, Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University. “When it comes to these issues, a lot of big money will support one side or the other.”

The Washington Post reported that when Maryland proposed building a casino on the edge of the nation’s capital, approximately $90 million was spent by parties supporting and opposing the measure. Posner sees that scenario shaping up in New Jersey.

At the heart of the debate is the division between North Jersey, which is densely populated and located just miles from New York City, and South Jersey, where Atlantic City casinos reside. As the city and the casino business have battled erosion these last few years, those with interests in the south fear a casino beachhead say in The Meadowlands of Bergen County, would further exacerbate the problem. The olive branch seems to be the redirection of large amounts of northern New Jersey casino revenue to the south, as proposed by Sen. Lesniak and endorsed by the governor.

Posner added: “Many interests will see southern New Jersey as a loser if casino gambling comes to North Jersey. Others see the benefits mitigated by some of tax revenue coming back to South Jersey.”

Currently, a contingent of South Jersey state legislators are expressing opposition, as well.

What Posner does see is a geographic competition ramping up as the fight for gambling dollars becomes more central to states’ economic health.

“You certainly  are seeing Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut competing for gamblers. And the comments about a casino in North Jersey possibly being the most successful in the country is not hyperbole, says Posner.

Citing Aqueduct Racetrack’s casino, Resorts World Casino, in Queens, NY, Posner said that casino’s success suggests a fully licensed casino in the Meadowlands in New Jersey, for instance, could set records.

“It’s the most densely populated piece of real estate in the US and one of the most wealthy between North Jersey and Connecticut, so that kind of money would not surprise me,” Posner said.

View additional sources: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/05/poll_do_you_favor_allowing_casinos_being_built_in.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/politically-connected-firms-hit-jackpot-in-maryland-casino-fight/2012/11/17/f377cfb4-2e76-11e2-89d4-040c9330702a_story.html

 Hudson Reporter – Hard Rock Casino Meadowlands a possibility

 

California online poker ‘shell’ bill clears another procedural hurdle

California’s online poker ‘shell’ bill survived another committee vote on Thursday despite the apparent abstention of its Republican members.

Assemblyman Adam Gray’s AB 431 bill made history last month by garnering the approval of the Governmental Organization Committee. On Thursday, the bill – which contains no details and thus serves purely as a vehicle to keep the online poker conversation going in the legislature – was released by the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee.

GamblingCompliance scribe Chris Krafcik (@cKrafcik) reported that the Committee’s five GOP members had deigned not to vote one way or the other, while the 12 Democrats had unanimously voted in favor. The day before, Krafcik had reported that AB 431 wouldn’t make an appearance on the Assembly floor until after the next round of public hearings scheduled for June 24 and July 8 with the Governmental Organization Committee.

While the hearings might offer further insights, recent public statements underscore the chasm that exists between online poker stakeholders. Before Thursday’s vote, the so-called Pechanga coalition, which has now grown to nine federally recognized California tribes, wrote to Committee chairman Jimmy Gomez, saying “the issues that divide stakeholders remain unresolved.” While the coalition claimed to be interested it resolving these differences, it also wondered “if indeed that is possible.”

Italian gambling market annual turnover dips in 2014

Italy’s gambling market recorded a small dip in 2014, according to new figures released by the country’s gaming regulator.

Italy’s overall gambling market generated turnover of €88.5b last year, according to information provided by the Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato (AAMS) to the Blue Book, the annual summary of Italy’s Agency for Customs and Monopolies. That figure is down about €250m from 2013’s total and down over €4b from 2012. The government’s share of this bounty came to €7.96b, down 7% from 2013.

The bulk of 2014’s total came from amusement with prizes (AWP) games, which generated €25.4b, roughly flat year-on-year. Video lottery terminal (VLT) turnover came to €21.4b, down around 3% from 2013. Lotto spending rose nearly 5% to €6.6b while other lotteries dipped nearly 2% to €9.4b.

Sports betting showed the effect of a FIFA World Cup year, rising 11% to €4.25b. Horseracing generated €682m, down 16% from 2013 and down one-third from 2012. Bingo was down 2% to €1.6b while the recently launched verticals of virtual betting and betting exchanges generated €1.15b and €205m, respectively.

Barthelemy, DeMarco to fight June 21 in Vegas

Former junior lightweight titlist Rances Barthelemy and former lightweight titleholder Antonio DeMarco, both eyeing title shots in the junior welterweight division, will meet on June 21 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight, announced on Thursday, will headline a Sunday afternoon Premier Boxing Champions card less than 24 hours after the MGM Grand Garden Arena hosts a PBC on NBC card the previous night with welterweights Shawn Porter and Adrien Broner meeting in the main event of a Saturday night card.

Another duel for Dotty: Slot parlor chain facing scrutiny in city of Las Vegas

A bowl of matches sets on the counter at Dotty’s near Eastern and Serene in Henderson on Thursday, March 24, 2011. Less than six months after Clark County commissioners passed sweeping new rules targeting so-called slot parlors, popular tavern chain Dotty’s is under scrutiny again over its business model – this time in the city of Las Vegas.

Triple Crown Hopeful American Pharoah has a Tale (Tail) To tell

By @TheDailyPayoff

Can Triple Crown hopeful American Pharoah win by a tail?

Does the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness have an advantage because of an abnormality in his tail end?

Read writer David Hill’s account on America’s Best Racing site to get the inside story.

view original source: http://www.americasbestracing.net/en/the-latest/blogs/2015/5/28/the-aerodynamic-advantage-of-american-pharoahs-short-tail/

– See more at: http://www.americasbestracing.net/en/the-latest/blogs/2015/5/28/the-aerodynamic-advantage-of-american-pharoahs-short-tail/#sthash.7Vld3kws.dpuf

Can Rutgers Football Beat the Oddsmakers?

searchBy @TheDailyPayoff

Facing a difficult schedule, the Rutgers football team is facing tough odds to become bowl eligible, according to a report on NJ.com.
Citing the 5Dimes Sportsbook http://www.5dimes.eu/ , the report says Rutgers must win at least six games next season to play in a post-season bowl game.

View Original Source:
http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2015/05/oddsmakers_set_rutgers_overunder_win_total_for_201.html#incart_most-comments

Amaya Set To Trade On Nasdaq Exchange

The 27th of May was a good day for Amaya Inc. It was the day its subsidiary, PokerStars, signed perhaps the most marketable man in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, to do its bidding. Amaya Inc. also announced that it has achieved a long term goal by receiving a listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The company said it […]

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