Monthly Archives: July 2016

Leonardo DiCaprio Auctions Off Poker Night with Ed Norton

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation recently gave poker players and enthusiasts an opportunity to sit down at the felt with two of Hollywood’s biggest stars. In a bid to raise funds and awareness for environmental research, DiCaprio’s foundation hosted its third annual auction on July 20 and one of the prizes was a poker date with Ed […]

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Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel ordered closed for harming Macau’s image

Macau officials have ordered the temporary closure of the hotel containing the troubled Greek Mythology Casino for “harming the image of Macao’s tourism sector.”

On Friday, the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) ordered the Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel – formerly known as the New Century Hotel – to shut down on Saturday (23) due to its operator having “committed serious administrative irregularities, constituting threats to public safety.” The closure will last six months.

The MGTO claimed that past inspections of the Imperial Palace had uncovered multiple instances of illegal reconstructions that presented “serious fire safety issues,” including obstructed escape routes, use of flammable construction materials, defective lighting and smoke detection systems, inadequate number of fire extinguishers, etc.

The MGTO’s inspections had already led to the closure of a number of the property’s dining and other facilities but the MGTO claims the owners had failed to bring their building up to code. Until the necessary changes are made, the public is forbidden from setting foot on the property. The closure marks the first time that Macau officials have shut down a five-star hotel.

GOP Omits Online Gambling Ban Support from Platform as RNC Wraps Up

The Republican National Convention (RNC) may have been packed full of talking points this week, but the most pertinent takeaway for US poker players on GOP policy might be that the party will no longer call for a ban on Internet poker. It’s the first time since 1996 that online gaming prohibition has not been […]

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Amaya Gaming trims “dozens” of staff to ensure company hits growth targets

Online gambling operator Amaya Gaming is trimming its payroll in a bid to improve its organizational structure and its bottom line.

On Friday, sources told eGaming Review that Amaya was eliminating “dozens” of jobs at its London office while shifting some of these jobs to more cost-effective locales such as the Isle of Man. The cuts are a continuation of an attrition process that gathered speed following the closure in May of Amaya’s ‘B’ poker brand Full Tilt.

Amaya’s corporate spokesman Eric Hollreiser confirmed the cuts, saying the company was eliminating “a few dozen existing roles in several offices, while simultaneously creating a few dozen new roles in several offices.” Hollreiser said all efforts were being made to place the affected Amaya staffers in new roles based on their qualifications.

Perhaps the highest profile redundancy is Heath Cram, director of sports biz-dev and operations for Amaya’s BetStars sportsbook. Cram, a 10-year veteran of the Rational Group – the parent company of PokerStars that Amaya acquired in 2014 – announced via his LinkedIn page that he’d be stepping down in August to work for a B2B firm that doesn’t directly compete with PokerStars.