Monthly Archives: June 2016

Illegal racket puts Maharashtra’s online lotteries in jeopardy

Online lotteries are reportedly about to be banned in Maharashtra following allegations that the previous state government covered up an illegal racket eight years ago.

This week, local media outlets came out with reports of a “massive online lottery scam,” which was allegedly swept under a rug by the Congress-NCP government in 2008.

Anand Kulkarni, former additional chief secretary of the Maharashtra government, told The Times of India ex-finance minister of NCP Jayant Patil and senior Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Kavita Gupta sat on a 15-page confidential report, which paved the way for private operators to “indulge in tax evasion and illegal business.”

Back in 2007, the Ministry of Finance came out with the 15-page report that revealed there were “unchecked” illegal online lottery businesses in Maharashtra, many of which violate the mandated number of draws per week. The report “strongly recommended” banning online lotteries in the state of Maharashtra completely, but the Congress-NCP government—which was in power until two years ago—did not act on it.

It’s not just for money: Couple immortalizes love on blockchain

How far will you go for a marriage proposal?

Candlelit dinners and flowers are out for a couple who recently decided to go all-in on the concept of modern romance and professed their undying love using the bitcoin blockchain.

A couple of days ago, an individual named Sun Chun Yu popped the question on the blockchain network, which was mined by Chinese bitcoin company, HaoBTC. Sun posted the message, “Zhuang Yuan, will you marry me?” for which he received a resounding “Yes!” in reply.

That proposal was actually worth 25 bitcoins, or about $18,353 in today’s price—not a bad way to declare. On Friday, the price of bitcoin fell to $734.14 with close to 15.67 million bitcoins in circulation.

It’s not just for money: Couple immortalizes love on blockchain

How far will you go for a marriage proposal?

Candlelit dinners and flowers are out for a couple who recently decided to go all-in on the concept of modern romance and professed their undying love using the bitcoin blockchain.

A couple of days ago, an individual named Sun Chun Yu popped the question on the blockchain network, which was mined by Chinese bitcoin company, HaoBTC. Sun posted the message, “Zhuang Yuan, will you marry me?” for which he received a resounding “Yes!” in reply.

That proposal was actually worth 25 bitcoins, or about $18,353 in today’s price—not a bad way to declare. On Friday, the price of bitcoin fell to $734.14 with close to 15.67 million bitcoins in circulation.

Accra Welcomes Industry Thought Leaders To The Second Annual Sports Betting West Africa Summit 2016!

18 – 20 July sees the gaming world’s elite congregating at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, Ghana for the second annual Sports Betting West Africa Summit.  Hosted by Eventus-International, the leading independent global events company specialising in gaming conferences, exhibitions and trade shows, the summit focuses on the burgeoning sports betting and gambling markets in Africa.

Sports Betting West Africa is committed to delivering on their tagline ‘…the perfect entry into the African betting and gambling market…’ and this dynamic event, featuring Safaribet as Platinum Sponsor and iSolutions as Gold Sponsor, offers just that.

The two-day conference will include various exhibits and a day dedicated to workshops. Industry thought leaders from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and the United Kingdom provide delegates with invaluable insight, education and expertise in their respective sectors within the field.

Exploring trends and new developments as well as an extensive look into regulatory matter concerning West African betting and gambling markets, the subject matter will also include global market trend updates and strategies.

Accra Welcomes Industry Thought Leaders To The Second Annual Sports Betting West Africa Summit 2016!

18 – 20 July sees the gaming world’s elite congregating at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, Ghana for the second annual Sports Betting West Africa Summit.  Hosted by Eventus-International, the leading independent global events company specialising in gaming conferences, exhibitions and trade shows, the summit focuses on the burgeoning sports betting and gambling markets in Africa.

Sports Betting West Africa is committed to delivering on their tagline ‘…the perfect entry into the African betting and gambling market…’ and this dynamic event, featuring Safaribet as Platinum Sponsor and iSolutions as Gold Sponsor, offers just that.

The two-day conference will include various exhibits and a day dedicated to workshops. Industry thought leaders from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and the United Kingdom provide delegates with invaluable insight, education and expertise in their respective sectors within the field.

Exploring trends and new developments as well as an extensive look into regulatory matter concerning West African betting and gambling markets, the subject matter will also include global market trend updates and strategies.

NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions delivers keynote during The European Lotteries ‘Industry Days’ Conference in Marrakesh

June 1, 2016, Marrakech – Once every two years, EL Industry Days provides partners and suppliers the opportunity to interact with lottery executives and share their visions for the future. Experiences gained from partnering, developing and supporting markets with lotteries across the world are shared during the three-day event.

EL Industry Days 2016 was a rallying call for lottery professionals to envision the future of the retail gaming sector, as well as share their knowledge and experience of the opportunities, challenges and threats ahead for retail.

NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions Gmbh (NLS) energized the audience with bold and creative messaging that spoke of the power of disruption and the BAMM! factor. At the invitation of NLS, Dietmar Dahmen, a professional speaker and creative consultant for innovation, delivered an exciting presentation on the power of innovation, as well as creativity and the effect of disruptive forces on the status quo.

“The focus of this conference, Renaissance of Retail in Digital Times, provided an opportunity for experts from all over Europe to address the pressing issue of lottery sustainability in the retail market,” said Frank Cecchini, NLS CEO. “Mr. Dahmen spoke of the power and inevitability of disruptive market development; markets change and negative disruption comes to those stakeholders who do not anticipate and embrace the power of change. Embracing, and actually advocating, for change is the essence of the corporate culture at NLS and that was clearly demonstrated during the Industry Days conference.”

NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions delivers keynote during The European Lotteries ‘Industry Days’ Conference in Marrakesh

June 1, 2016, Marrakech – Once every two years, EL Industry Days provides partners and suppliers the opportunity to interact with lottery executives and share their visions for the future. Experiences gained from partnering, developing and supporting markets with lotteries across the world are shared during the three-day event.

EL Industry Days 2016 was a rallying call for lottery professionals to envision the future of the retail gaming sector, as well as share their knowledge and experience of the opportunities, challenges and threats ahead for retail.

NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions Gmbh (NLS) energized the audience with bold and creative messaging that spoke of the power of disruption and the BAMM! factor. At the invitation of NLS, Dietmar Dahmen, a professional speaker and creative consultant for innovation, delivered an exciting presentation on the power of innovation, as well as creativity and the effect of disruptive forces on the status quo.

“The focus of this conference, Renaissance of Retail in Digital Times, provided an opportunity for experts from all over Europe to address the pressing issue of lottery sustainability in the retail market,” said Frank Cecchini, NLS CEO. “Mr. Dahmen spoke of the power and inevitability of disruptive market development; markets change and negative disruption comes to those stakeholders who do not anticipate and embrace the power of change. Embracing, and actually advocating, for change is the essence of the corporate culture at NLS and that was clearly demonstrated during the Industry Days conference.”

NBA Finals Game 7 – Angles, Odds and Predictions

We are going to an NBA Finals Game 7. That much is certain. What’s uncertain is who’s going to win. How you arrive at your final decision depends on your perspective.

THE ANGLE FROM THE CAVALIERS

Last season, LeBron James was in the midst of putting together the greatest NBA Finals performance of all time. He averaged 35.8 points per game, along with 13.3 boards and 8.8 assists. It’s a run that we’ve very rarely seen at this stage.

In this version of the NBA Finals, LeBron is putting up equal numbers of 30.2ppg, 11.3 rebounds and 8.5 boards. In other words, he’s playing out of his goddamn mind and a ton of pressure is taken off of him offensively because Kyrie is playing at a level that we’ve never seen from him. Beast Mode LeBron is unequivocal.

NBA Finals Game 7 – Angles, Odds and Predictions

We are going to an NBA Finals Game 7. That much is certain. What’s uncertain is who’s going to win. How you arrive at your final decision depends on your perspective.

THE ANGLE FROM THE CAVALIERS

Last season, LeBron James was in the midst of putting together the greatest NBA Finals performance of all time. He averaged 35.8 points per game, along with 13.3 boards and 8.8 assists. It’s a run that we’ve very rarely seen at this stage.

In this version of the NBA Finals, LeBron is putting up equal numbers of 30.2ppg, 11.3 rebounds and 8.5 boards. In other words, he’s playing out of his goddamn mind and a ton of pressure is taken off of him offensively because Kyrie is playing at a level that we’ve never seen from him. Beast Mode LeBron is unequivocal.

PokerStars Join The #Fight4Poker PPA Campaign

PokerStars’ Eric Hollreiser urges people to join the Poker Players Alliance #Fight4Poker campaign stating that there has never been a more critical time for American online poker players to make their voices heard.

Growing up my only exposure to politics was the budget. My parents would sit irate in front of the television, watching some old guy holding a naff looking red briefcase aloft, while swearing because the price of cigarettes and alcohol were increasing for the umpteenth year.

I had two options: Labour or Conservative and it didn’t matter which ones were in office, the price of cigarettes and alcohol kept rising. At 41-years of age, I’ve never voted and doubt I ever will.

Political ignorance keeps me from writing about the shenanigans preventing American citizens from playing on the best online poker sites in the world without using a VPN. My lack of understanding of political jiggery-pokery makes me nauseous.

PokerStars Join The #Fight4Poker PPA Campaign

PokerStars’ Eric Hollreiser urges people to join the Poker Players Alliance #Fight4Poker campaign stating that there has never been a more critical time for American online poker players to make their voices heard.

Growing up my only exposure to politics was the budget. My parents would sit irate in front of the television, watching some old guy holding a naff looking red briefcase aloft, while swearing because the price of cigarettes and alcohol were increasing for the umpteenth year.

I had two options: Labour or Conservative and it didn’t matter which ones were in office, the price of cigarettes and alcohol kept rising. At 41-years of age, I’ve never voted and doubt I ever will.

Political ignorance keeps me from writing about the shenanigans preventing American citizens from playing on the best online poker sites in the world without using a VPN. My lack of understanding of political jiggery-pokery makes me nauseous.

WSOP Round-Up: Mercier Comes up Short; Soverel & Dehkharghani Win Gold

Jason Mercier runs out of steam at the finishing line of the $10,000 Seven Card Razz Championship; Sam Soverel tries a lower buy-in event and wins, and much more.

Jason Mercier has failed in his attempt to win two bracelets in the space of a week after Ray Dehkharghani denied the Team PokerStars Pro during an epic heads-up encounter in Event #20: $10,000 Seven Card Razz Championship.

It’s not a tournament that stands out. This year it had more eyeballs on it than an episode of Game of Thrones. There was one reason for that: Jason Mercier and the $1.8m prop bet with Vanessa Selbst.

Reading through the lines of various 140-character messages on Twitter it seemed Selbst had offered Mercier odds of 180:1 that he wouldn’t win three bracelets. Mercier took the bet for a $10,000 outlay meaning he stood to gain $1.8m had he managed to dispose of Dehkharghani and win one more with over 40 events remaining.