Monthly Archives: August 2015

Can College Football Carve A Fantasy Niche?

Can College Football Carve A Fantasy Niche?

College football, especially amongst the five power conferences, continues to be a media and broadcast ratings bonanza in the United States, and with the next round of college football playoffs on tap for January, there is no sign of the interest and the passion for the game slowing down. So is DFS ready to take advantage of the college game, like it is with the NFL?
The results so far appear to be mixed. While both FanDuel and DraftKings will again offer DFS college games, and a host of smaller players are trying to get in the mix, the uncertainty of knowing great amounts about the players in conferences below the majors has made college football fantasy a bit of risk for both the games operator and the player. However with more and more niche sites dedicated to stats and info. On every school from Army to Kent State, those options may be changing, and the growth of DFS as a property makes college football’s craziness all the more appealing going forward.

“It was one of the first sports we ever added on DraftKings,” said company co-founder and chief revenue officer Matt Kalish told FoxSports.com earlier this month. “There’s millions and millions of college football fans in the U.S. You see SEC stadiums packed with 90,000 fans every Saturday, Michigan Stadium 100,000 every week. We would not be doing our job if we didn’t provide an experience for those fans.”

“Daily fantasy in general attracts a younger audience of millennials, which has a natural overlap with college fans,” FanDuel co-founder and chief product officer Tom Griffiths added through a company spokesperson in the same article. “They prefer the shorter-form games with lower commitment, so as we grew, we saw strong demand from our existing audience for college sports, and we responded to that.”

There is also a cultural difference in college sports that is less of a hindrance in the NFL, as fans side with their favorite school much more than they would, say, an NFL team on a whole in fantasy. Finding Alabama fans who will take Auburn players in DFS might be much more of a struggle, and casual fans might just want to play a whole Notre Dame lineup vs. mixing it up. Still even with that issue, the amount of scoring, a key element for DFS success, is much higher in college football as teams pile up the points, making the opportunity for fun game play very strong for those who know the game and do their homework.

Unlike the NFL to some extent, and the NBA and MLB to a larger extent, the NCAA has game strongly against any fantasy partnerships for schools, teams and athletes, which can again make DFS play a challenge. However statistics are easy to come by, and with the major players in fantasy invested in the games, the opportunities for casual play, even for money, remains really high. Also the continued expansion of college football on to broadcast almost every night of the week can give the avid football fan even more opportunities to play on nights and days when there is no NFL going on, giving college football fantasy even more of a leg up going forward.

Are there hurdles to be overcome and will the games come close to the attention of the NFL on fall weekends? Probably not. However there is plenty of data, personality and passion in college football, and with simpler games becoming the norm, the rise of college football fantasy could be coming.

Israel's Natural Gas Cartel

A hint of Adelson’s link to the gas cartel can be found on the website of the US-Israel Business Initiative, a lobbying group whose stated goal is to increase American companies’ access to the Israeli market. Adelson, CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, tops the list of executive board members.

GVC threatens to ditch bwin.party bid

GVC Holdings has toughen up, saying that it could walk away from its long running pursuit of rival bwin.party if its board continues to recommend 888 Holdings’ offer.

A source close to GVC told Financial Mail that it will increase in cash-and-shares offer for Bwin if 888 Holdings raises its own bid. However, if 888 does not raise its offer but still remains in the game, then GVC might just walk out from the long-running bidding war to acquire bwin.

“Bwin has played a clever game of poker here by keeping both parties interested,’ said a GVC source. “But we are considering all options, including walking away.”

Bwin, which owns multiple online gambling brands such as PartyPoker and World Poker Tour, was put for sale in November.

Neymar wins $20K with rare poker hand

You can now add online poker hustler to Neymar’s bio.

The FC Barcelona star had just won €17,810 (over $20,000) after showing the best possible hand—a royal flush—in poker. Neymar showed off his winning hand on Instagram.

That poker haul is amazing, for us mere mortals. For Neymar, however, that’s not even 1 percent of what he makes this year. According to Forbes, the 23-year-old Brazilian superstar will haul in an estimated $31 million in salary and endorsement deals.

This footballer is not a new hand in the game of online poker. A known poker fan, Neymar has recently signed up to become the new ambassador for Amaya Gaming’s marquee online gambling site, PokerStars.

Taking the eSports Plunge

This is a guest contribution by Alex Fletcher, founder & president at Entiva Group. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

The demand for eSports betting is real. Startups like Unikrn are joining incumbents like Pinnacle Sports, which took its first eSports bet in 2010 and announced its millionth in December 2014. Major UK betting operators like William Hill and Paddy Power also have skin in the eSports game. Understanding the trends shaping eSports is the first step. In order to profit from the eSports opportunity, gambling brands must execute subsequent steps to prepare for success.

Gain understanding of the opportunity

It’s easy to mistake the recent rash of media commentary focused on eSports, for true insight on the space. However, obtaining the correct level of domain-specific knowledge isn’t an overnight process. The best approach is to categorize areas from which key details can be surfaced. Since, while the concept is simple enough: playing video games, competitively, the specifics are immensely critical. The following is a guideline for a better understanding of the eSports opportunity:

New online gambling incubator hopes to encourage start-up collaboration

mLabs seeks to showcase new start-ups and entrepreneurs

Cork, 24 August, 2015: Betting exchange Matchbook has launched a new collaborative incubator called mLabs which its hopes will foster the next generation of innovative start-ups in the online gambling sector.

The new accelerator programme has been launched with the aim of attracting new talent that Matchbook will handpick and mentor in the hope that it can develop and nurture ideas through to product launch.

David Mills, head of research for Matchbook and in charge of the mLabs project, said the hope was that through collaboration mLabs.io will help jump start new ventures and guide entrepreneurs through the process of getting a business up-and-running in the gambling sector.

Premier League Review: Man City Maintain 100% Record

Man City remain seated at the top of the Premier League charts after beating Everton at Goodison Park, Man Utd held to a disappointed goalless draw at home to Newcastle, and a Pedro inspired Chelsea pick up three points at the Hawthorns.

Their squad was old, their best days were behind them and Manuel Pellegrini was being shown the door. Those words of alarm showered the blue half of Manchester as they cut a forlorn figure chasing the coat tails of Chelsea last season. Premier league football is a fickle old thing.

Goodison Park is not for the faint hearted, but two-second half goals from Aleksandr Kolarov and Samir Nasri ensured they head into Week 4 with a faultless 100% record. It’s their third victory of the season, and a club record nine on the bounce, after ending last year with a run of six wins. Joe Hart still hasn’t picked the ball up out of the net, this term.

Whilst City tick all the boxes that Premier League champions tick, the red half of Manchester can’t even find the pen. They might be sitting in third place, they might still be unbeaten, but I’m sorry, premier league champions don’t draw 0 v 0 at home to a team as woeful as Newcastle.

Lawmaker wants probe into online gambling at Philippine economic zones

Bo Wang has left the Philippines, but not without ruffling the feathers of lawmakers in the country.

On Sunday, Party-list Rep. Jonathan Dela Cruz called for an inquiry into online gambling operations based in special economic zones such as Subic and Sta. Ana, Cagayan.

“Apart from the possible violation of immigration, investment and IT laws and regulations, these illegal gambling operators have also been allegedly engaged in massive tax evasion, gun running and other crimes,” Dela Cruz said in a statement.

The lawmaker filed HR 2255, calling for the House committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to investigate the operations that are “principally based in special economic zones and manned mainly by foreigners.”

Wynn Resorts To Incorporate Advanced Green Initiatives

Wynn announced on Wednesday morning that the $1.7 billion Wynn Resort in Everett will exceed state regulatory requirements for environmental sustainability and feature advanced green initiatives, including the use of solar power and rainwater harvesting. Along with transforming a contaminated 33-acre former chemical plant site into a five-star destination resort with a lush waterfront park that is accessible to the public, the Wynn Resort in Everett will be designed to achieve a Gold or higher LEED ranking, according to company officials.

Chad ‘lilholdem954’ Batista Passes Away at 35

The poker community loses another star as Chad ‘lilholdem954’ Batista passes away at the age of 35.

The poker industry grew a little darker, this weekend, after a true star was diminished prematurely.

Chad ‘lilholdem954’ Batista has passed away at the age of 35. His family released a statement on social media, in the wake of rumors that he had been admitted to the ICU in critical condition.

“It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved son, nephew, cousin, brother and friend,” the family’s statement over Twitter read. “Chad died suddenly this beautiful Thursday afternoon with his family surrounding him.”

Sam Razavi on Course for 4th APT Player of the Year Award; Wins 4 Events in a Week

British born poker pro Sam Razavi is on course to win an unprecedented fourth Asian Poker Tour (APT) Player of the Year title after winning four titles in a single week.

Sam Razavi is the king of the Asian Poker Tour (APT).

The UK-born player, who has been living in Asia for the past decade, is on course to win an unprecedented fourth APT Player of the Year (POY) award after winning four side events at APT Cebu this past week.

“Good deed done for the day after I took trophy No.4 under my wing and sheltered it from the rain and cold.” Tweeted Razavi.