Monthly Archives: August 2016

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Main Event to Play Down to Final Table Monday

The $5 million guaranteed Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida will play down to the final table on Monday. Gulfport, Mississippi’s Patrick Eskandar will head into Day Three with the chip lead at just over 1.9 million. This $5,250 buy-in Main Event tournament is one of the biggest on the east coast of […]

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David Baazov Officially Steps Down from Amaya CEO Role

David Baazov has formally resigned as CEO and chairman of PokerStars’ parent Amaya Inc. The news is the latest blip in what has been a painfully long unfolding for the man once hailed as the wunderkind of the online poker world. Baazov, who co-founded Amaya in 2004 and grew it into one of the world’s […]

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KPMG Appointed To Support The Development And Introduction Of The New Scheme

The Remote Gambling Association (RGA) announced today that it has retained the services of KPMG to (i) undertake a scoping study which will help to shape the development of NOSES; and (ii) to support and advise the RGA during the implementation process.

In February this year the Gambling Commission wrote to all remote gambling licence holders to inform them that it had decided that the industry should now take forward the project to design, introduce and run a national online self-exclusion system. The aim of the project is to provide consumers with a single process whereby they can self-exclude themselves from all online gambling operators that are licensed by the Gambling Commission. The website will also set out other measures that are available to help people to manage their gambling and will signpost specialist advice and support services for those who might benefit from them.

Clive Hawkswood, Chief Executive of the RGA commented that: ‘Self-exclusion can be a vitally important tool, especially for problem gamblers or those who are at risk of developing problems. Self-exclusions have long been offered on a company basis, but in terms of consumer protection it will be a huge step forward to have a single national scheme of the type envisaged by government and the Gambling Commission.

Establishing a cross industry system of this kind raises a host of complex legal, technical, and governance issues. We are therefore delighted to have retained KPMG to help us successfully navigate our way through all of these details with a view to having everything in place before the end of 2017.’

ORYX Gaming strikes deal with Gold Club

Monday 15th August 2016 – ORYX Gaming has signed a partnership agreement with Slovenian slot manufacturer and game designer Gold Club.

Under the agreement, ORYX will aggregate a selection of Gold Club’s online and mobile slot games, which will be made available to online and mobile clients through the ORYX Games platform.

Gold Club joins ORYX’s growing list of partners that now incorporates Quickfire, NYX, Gamomat, Ortiz Gaming, EGT and other international content suppliers.

ORYX Gaming CEO Matevz Mazij commented: “Gold Club is a highly respected content provider in our target market and this deal represents an excellent opportunity for both parties. Their content is highly engaging and an easy integration process means our clients can quickly gain access to their portfolio.”

DraftKings punts on season-long fantasy sports

Daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings is gearing up to start running “all season long.”

After making its mark among the leaders in the “daily” variety, the DFS operator is now dipping their toes into the much larger season-long fantasy sports market.

DraftKings on Sunday introduced a new feature, called Leagues, which allows players to set up private groups and create recurring contests. The “season-long” phrase may sound strange at first, especially for the Boston-based operator that made its name as a daily fantasy sports provider—one that offers a weekly alternative to traditional fantasy sports.

DraftKings co-founder and COO Paul Liberman told Yahoo Finance that the platform already has an option that lets users create contests and invite friends to play in it, although “it was buried, and really difficult to use.”

China cracks down on bitcoin exchanges as court tells OKCoin to pay up in 2014 case

A landmark court ruling against one of China’s largest bitcoin exchanges poses far-reaching ramifications in the country’s digital currency sector.

Last July 29, a Chinese civil court ordered the parent company of bitcoin exchange OKCoin, Lekuda, to pay up in connection with a 2014 case that Lekuda. In its lawsuit, defendant Huachen Commercial and Trading Co. Ltd. claimed it lost some $1.8 million to a fraud, who laundered the money by buying bitcoin, which was then withdrawn to an account in Macau.

The initial ruling awarded Huachen Commercial 80 percent of the damages, but the appeal reduced the amount to 40 percent.

In its appeals ruling, the Heilongjiang Provincial Higher People’s Court called out OKCoin for failing to strictly review its users “real identities.” The court said the person who defrauded Huachen Commercial was “able to set up a number of accounts on OKCOin using fraudulent identity documents purchased online.”

Invalid signatures deny tribe of having a casino in Nebraska

Winnebago tribe’s plan to put up a casino in Nebraska has been put in the back burner after a proposal to allow casino gambling in the state failed to qualify for the November general election ballot.

For the proposed constitutional amendment to be included in the fall election, proponents needed at least 117,188 valid signatures.

But the more than 41,000 invalid signatures dashed the dream of Ho-Chunk Inc. – the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska’s economic development corporation – of putting up casino in the state.

Des Moines Register reported that proponents pushing for casino gambling failed to submit enough verified signatures to put the issue before voters.

Trump Taj Mahal’s closure spells bad news for cash-strapped Atlantic City

Wall Street credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has a good news and bad news for the financially struggling Atlantic City.

For the good news, Moody’s pointed out that the loan that the state of New Jersey injected to Atlantic City has prevented the state’s gaming capital from defaulting on its debts.

Moody’s, on the other hand, summed up the bad news in three words: Trump Taj Mahal.

According to news website NJ.com, Moody’s has sounded alarm that the closure of Taj will spell disaster to the already cash-strapped Atlantic City.

Announcing NSoft as a Bronze Sponsor of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference 2016

Monday, 15 August 2016, Budapest – The organizers are proud to announce NSoft as one of the Bronze Sponsors of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference, which will take place in Budapest on the 20th of September 2016. The event is a Seminar type conference which is designed to encourage a Pan-European dialogue and create an in-depth report of the Central, Eastern and Northern European markets, with an additional Balkans gambling market overview allowing operators and suppliers to monetize the value of their reputations.

Stjepko Čordaš, Chief Executive Officer at NSoft, stated the following: “NSoft is rapidly growing and expanding its business to Eastern European markets. EEG is our key partner in spreading the word of NSoft out there. We have been working together for about nine months already and are extremely happy with the collaboration that we have established. EEG has shown high professionalism and genuine desire to help us expand our business. Taking part in CEEGC sponsorship is just one small sign of our appreciation. Of course, we are supporting their initiative to organize this kind of conference which will put the focus on the Eastern European region that needs to have the firsthand information on the latest trends in gaming and betting industry. We are really looking forward to CEEGC 2016, and a long and successful cooperation with EEG.”

NSoft provides top quality software solutions for gaming and betting industry, including platform, virtual games, sportsbook, and lotteries. Our unique approach to customers and creative software solutions positioned us as one of the top providers of innovative products for gaming industry. A combination of great products, great people, and great culture played a key role in our growth. We understand that strong and long-term partnerships are essential for further development, so we joined forces with world’s leading sport data provider – Sportradar.

This means our products are available through Sportradar’s sales channels.

Resorts World Manila operator books a $13.7 million Q2 profit

Improved gross gaming revenue lifts the second quarter profits of Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. – the joint venture controlled by Malaysia’s Genting Bhd and the Philippines’ Alliance Global Group – by three percent.

The operator of Resorts World Manila said in a filing before the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday that it posted a PHP638 million (US$ 13.7 million) for the April to June 30, 2016 period as a result of the strong performance of its gaming business.

Data shows that the casino operator’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) increased by nine percent to PHP6.2 billion (US$133.18 million) this year compared to the same period last year due to the increased volumes across all segments and an improved win rate.

Meanwhile, non-gaming businesses, which include hotel, F&B, and other revenues, posted positive year on year results with a 7% increase ending the quarter at PHP 920 million (US$ 19.76 million).

Sportradar, Second Spectrum close to inking $250M deal with NBA

The NBA is about to take another major step towards its big data and streaming ambitions.

According to Bloomberg, the league is close to signing a deal worth $250 million with sports data companies Sportradar and Second Spectrum.

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg’s Scott Soshnick that the deal, if its pushes through, will cover an arrangement of rights, including “selling official league data to betting houses, data analytics to teams and the development of a streaming product.”

Sportradar’s involvement with sportsbooks worldwide is consistent with the NBA’s pro stance on legalized sports betting. Though still illegal in the United States, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been very vocal in his support for legalized sports gambling.

Maine’s attraction to daily fantasy sports (DFS) prompts a closer look on legalization

The popularity of daily sports fantasy in Maine is now making the heads of state legislators turn, vowing to take a closer look on regulating fantasy sports gambling in the 10th least populous state in the U.S.

Bangor Daily News reported that a meeting took place between representatives of DFS operators and state lawmakers at the recent National Conference of State Legislatures in Chicago, to discuss the possibility of regulating fantasy sports gambling in Maine next year.

Legislators say that DFS regulation in Maine deserve a closer look to protect the interests of both the players and the state government.

Republican state Sen. Roger Katz of Augusta has submitted a bill title for consideration in the next session, which aims to scrutinize the issues surrounding the regulation of DFS. He does not have to submit a detailed proposal until after the session is underway.