Monthly Archives: July 2015

One Championship Set to Electrify Shanghai on 1 September

Igor Svirid to Defend One Middleweight World Championship Against  Vitaly Bigdash in Main Event

24 JULY 2015 – SINGAPORE: Asia’s largest and the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts organization, ONE Championship™ (ONE) has announced its second event in China this year which takes place in the vibrant city of Shanghai. The stage is set for another blockbuster night of world-class mixed martial arts action on 1 September 2015 as the Mercedes-Benz Arena is set to play host to ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (SHANGHAI). ONE Middleweight World Champion Igor “Lionheart” Svirid will headline the spectacular fight card as he defends his title against Vitaly Bigdash.

For ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (SHANGHAI) ticketing enquiries and reservation, email [email protected].

CEO of ONE Championship™, Victor Cui, stated, “Shanghai will be ONE Championship’s next destination and we are excited to bring our world-class brand of MMA action to the colorful city of Shanghai! Shanghai is the largest city in China by population and as such, it serves as the perfect setting for our second event in the country.”

Poker Taught in School: Poker Theory and Analytics Course Available for Free at MIT OpenCourseWare

MIT OpenCourseWare has released an online training course entitled Poker Theory and Analytics and it’s as free as the smog filled air that you breath. 

I would rather take the umbrella test for venereal disease than attend math class. That’s how much I hated it. But if I deploy the classic “Can-If” constraint-removing technique to this issue that I can learn math.

“I CAN learn math IF the lessons are fun.”

So how do we make math fun?

The BiG Foundation announces the second Microgaming’s BiG Sports Dinner in London. Event also coming to Malta!

Following on from the inaugural event in September 2014, The BiG Foundation has announced it’s second Sports Dinner event. The Microgaming’s BiG Sports Dinner will again take place at The Dorchester Hotel in London’s Mayfair, on Thursday 17th September 2015.

The Microgaming’s BiG Sports Dinner, the only sports dinner in the Betting and Gambling industry, raised significant funds for a number of charities. There were just under 250 attendees at the event which had it all; from mingling and banter, to on stage dancing with John Barnes and a number of uncomfortable looking gaming execs! There was an illusionist performing his magic throughout the evening and a DJ to end the night allowing everyone to throw some shapes on the dance floor!

Headline sponsors, Microgaming, are once again on board supporting the event through its Microgaming PlayItForward initiative, which serves to change the game for place and people. The event has again secured Austin Healey as MC for the evening. Sky TV’s Chris Kamara, Harry Redknapp, Jamie Spencer and a host of other sporting and non-sporting celebrities are expected to attend.

In addition, Microgaming is extending its support beyond London for the inaugural “Microgaming’s BiG Sports Dinner” to be held at MiGS in Malta on Tuesday 17th November 2015. The concept will be introduced to the gaming industry on the island; the event will combine ‘Welcome Drinks and a Dinner’.  Football’s John Barnes has again committed himself to the cause and will be present at both the dinner and at a MiGS roundtable discussion.

$50m Powerball ticket 'sold in Perth'

ONE WA player – a single ticket sold in Perth – has scooped a Powerball jackpot worth a mind-boggling $50 million, the biggest single Division 1 prize in the state’s history. Lotterywest confirmed that the sole Division 1 winning ticket in Thursday night’s draw was sold in the Perth metropolitan area, making it the largest ever win in the state.

Golden Gaming merger gets final Nevada regulatory approval

Golden Gaming, the company behind the PT’s tavern chain, three Pahrump casinos and many of the slot machines inside Nevada grocery stores, will soon become a publicly traded business that also controls a property in Maryland. The Nevada Gaming Commission today gave final approval to the merger of Golden Gaming and Lakes Entertainment, a Minnesota-based company that owns Maryland’s Rocky Gap casino.

U.S. Attorney's Office: Boston Lawsuit Against Gaming Commission Contains False Claims

Boston’s claim that private investigators working for Wynn Resorts knew of a convicted felon’s stakes in the land Wynn purchased for its $1.7 billion Everett casino is false, according to court filings on behalf of U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz’s office. The filing was made in the federal case against three men accused of covering up Charles Lightbody’s stake in the Everett land .

Ice Bucket Challenge Founders Kick Off New Effort At Yonkers

By @TheDailyPayoff

A year after the viral video Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon swept the nation, the co-founders of the charitable stunt will attempt to re-ignite the movement at Yonkers Raceway in Westchester, NY.

Co-founders Pat Quinn of Yonkers, NY and Pete Frates of Boston, MA, both ALS patients, saw their idea translate into millions of copycat videos and millions of dollars in donations toward a cure for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

They will join Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, City Council President Liam McLaughlin and Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway trackside on Sunday, August 2. Quinn will lead participants in a simultaneous ice bucket challenge to reignite the viral social media movement through the month of August to benefit ALS research. The first 1,000 participants will receive a free 2015 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge t-shirt courtesy of Empire City Casino.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano

For those unfamiliar with the process, a person dumps a bucket of ice and water over his or her head, challenging three friends to either do the same, donate to the ALS charity of their choice, or both. To date, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has generated more than $220 million in donations for ALS-oriented nonprofits, according to Yonkers Raceway officials.
Many of those donations have been invested or allocated to support new ALS research efforts, increased advocacy, and expanded and improved local care and services for people diagnosed with ALS, their families, and care providers.

“Pat Quinn’s fight and determination to combat this horrible disease has been nothing short of inspirational,” said Spano. “With Pat as our fearless leader, the City of Yonkers hopes to recharge the energy we all felt last summer as part of the Ice Bucket Challenge. We encourage any and all to join us on August 2 so we can continue to make strides in finding a cure to ALS.”

Tim Rooney, president and CEO of Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, said the casino and track were proud to be associated with the event.
“Having lost my uncle, Fr. Silas Rooney, to this disease my family is all too familiar with its devastating effects. Efforts to raise awareness and research funds are vital and must continue.”

Quinn expressed his gratitude to the Yonkers community as a whole for their support. ” We are now living by the mantra, ‘Every August Until A Cure’. Although last summer did wonders for our battle, we still have no treatment. We still have no cure.”

Anyone interested in registering to participate in the challenge can visit www.yonkersny.gov. Participants will be provided a bucket donated by Home Depot, ice and water. The afternoon also will feature music and entertainment for all to enjoy.

Thai police can’t eradicate South Korean online gambling operators

Try as they might, police in Thailand can’t seem to eradicate their country’s infestation of South Korean ex-pats running illegal online gambling sites.

Thailand police have been run ragged attempting to stamp out the hordes of South Korean nationals who decided to spend 2015 in sunny Thailand taking online sports and casino wagers from their countrymen back home. The common justification cited by most of those arrested has been the comparatively lenient punishment that Thai authorities mete out for illegal gambling offenses.

Last week, police and immigration authorities swooped down on three separate residences in Pattaya, arresting 11 South Korean nationals in the process. The three operations, all located in rented luxury houses (one with an indoor swimming pool), were all connected to the same online gambling network.

One operation reportedly handled wagers worth 11m baht (US $316k) in the previous month, while another handled 800k baht ($23k) on the day preceding the raids. In total, police seized 20 computers used for taking wagers.

Calling the Clock: Bwin Bought, Bluff Buffed and a New Bear Grylls

Lee Davy brings you all of the weeks top news stories including 888 Holding’s successful bid to buy bwin.party digital entertainment, Bluff magazine to shut down operations and Ben Warrington opens up his heart over his Venetian $5k debacle.

Last week the poker news feed was as cold as a coffin. This week things got a lot warmer after bwin.party digital entertainment plumped for 888 Holdings instead of GVC Holdings/Amaya Gaming in the highly publicized acquisition race.

The deal is not 100% secure, but for the time being it seems that bwin has accepted an £898m (€1.3bn) offer from 888 Holdings. That’s despite the joint force of GVC/Amaya offering £900m. The way is open for GVC to still make a counter offer, but CalvinAyre’s resident Gordon Gekko Rafi Farber doesn’t think that makes much of a difference.

Cue the flow of champagne bubbles blubbering up to the surface like a case of the bends. Poker players love PokerStars. That’s way everyone plays there. But there has been this growing sense that they have been getting a little too big for their boots. Let’s hope the newly formed company can be the fatted calf we all hope it will.

WPT Foundation Team Up With Pala Casino to Raise Money for Children Suffering With Intellectual Disability

The World Poker Tour Foundation and Pala Casino Resort & Spa has joined forces to create a special $1,100 buy-in event with a $100,000 Guarantee in aid of the Special Olympics Southern California charity.

Poker’s involvement in charitable endeavors continues to rip across the community like a rocketing slug fresh from the barrel as the World Poker Tour (WPT) Foundation and Pala Casino Resort & Spa team up to create further hope for the children of the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) charity.

The WPT will headline a one of a kind $1,100 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event where 10% of each buy-in will go towards the SOSC charity. To make the tournament a little more palatable for the paying public, a $100,000 guarantee has been painted onto the tin.

The event will form part of the Pala Poker Open. Scheduled to take place 4-13 Sep it promises to accommodate players of all buy-in capabilities. The aforementioned charity event will start on Sep 11, following on from an exclusive WPT Foundation party held on Sep 10th.

Arkansas attorney general issues consumer alert for scammers

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is warning consumers to beware of scam artists who are telling Arkansans they have won money in an international lottery. Rutledge says con artists are contacting Arkansas consumers through direct mail, email or by phone requesting a small fee in order to process these cash prizes.