Several big banks have found another use for the blockchain: identifying tags attached to traded things.

According to the Wall Street Journal, banks including Citigroup, Credit Suisse Group AG and HSBC Holdings PLC have started testing the blockchain technology—using a platform developed by start-up Axoni—to “share trade-reference data more accurately and efficiently.”

Blockchain, the technology underpinning bitcoin, makes use of cryptography to create a distributed ledger system, which is often used to hold and spend money in a more open, transparent and flexible manner compared to the traditional bank or credit card companies.

For this “experiment,” the blockchain will be used to create a ledger that parties can use “to track information, rather than maintaining their own, individual records.” The goal, according to the banks, is to reduce the costs of maintaining back-office system, which can be “complex, expensive and often troubled.”

Several big banks have found another use for the blockchain: identifying tags attached to traded things.

According to the Wall Street Journal, banks including Citigroup, Credit Suisse Group AG and HSBC Holdings PLC have started testing the blockchain technology—using a platform developed by start-up Axoni—to “share trade-reference data more accurately and efficiently.”

Blockchain, the technology underpinning bitcoin, makes use of cryptography to create a distributed ledger system, which is often used to hold and spend money in a more open, transparent and flexible manner compared to the traditional bank or credit card companies.

For this “experiment,” the blockchain will be used to create a ledger that parties can use “to track information, rather than maintaining their own, individual records.” The goal, according to the banks, is to reduce the costs of maintaining back-office system, which can be “complex, expensive and often troubled.”

Las Vegas continues to lead the global gaming market, outpacing both the U.S. regional gaming markets and Macau.

In its latest global report on the casino industry, credit debt watcher Fitch Ratings Inc., has dubbed the Las Vegas Strip as a “bright spot” in a gloomy global gaming backdrop.

Despite the weakness of its baccarat and exposure to Asian gaming, Las Vegas’ overall gaming revenues on the strip was just down by 0.6% year-to-date.

“The Las Vegas Strip continues to be the blue chip among global gaming markets,” Alex Bumazhny, Senior Director, U.S. Corporates, said in his report All In: The Global Gaming Handbook. “Without any major new supply coming to the Strip through at least 2019, Strip operators will be able to take advantage of increased convention attendance, airline capacity and domestic gaming to drive RevPAR growth.”

As I’m sure our loyal readers have noticed, Bitcoin and the blockchain technology behind it have piqued our interest here at CalvinAyre.com, simply because we believe this technology represents the biggest positive development in our industry over the past ten years.

In addition to the obvious wins such as making deposits and withdrawals secure, private, instant and cheap, we think Bitcoin has the power to democratize the online experience for everyone.

I realize these statements sound bold, but as we become more and more educated on how Bitcoin and blockchain can and will affect our industry, the revolutionary characteristics of the technology will soon become obvious.

In effort to help our readers understand how Bitcoin is shaping our universe, I’ve been spending some time with innovative entrepreneurs who have embraced the technology and launched b2b or b2c businesses in the field.  This week I spoke with Benjamin Bommhardt, Co-Founder and Sales Director of draglet, a software provider that develops, tests and operates a cryptocurrency exchange as a whitelabel solution.

This is a guest contribution by Cliff Fontenot, senior editor at Monarch Media. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

The advances in virtual reality gaming over the past couple of years have been incredible. It seems that there isn’t an industry out there that doesn’t want to get involved with this new technology, including casinos, but the big question is…how will virtual reality fit into gaming?

First off, gaming is all about the emotional and physiological experiences of the players. At a land-based casino, this can often mean the thrill of the blackjack or craps tables, but it’s been suggested that virtual reality will easily replicate this because of its use of sensory stimuli.  With VR technology, players are able to experience actually walking into the casino lobby, being greeted by a hostess, and being led onto the gaming floor.  It could, in fact, take the physical gaming experience to a whole new level. This alone, opens up a whole new dimension for gaming and demonstrates why VR devices are some of the most exciting wearable technologies for 2016 and beyond.

Microgaming Is the First Gambling Software Provider to Incorporate VR Technology

This is a guest contribution by Cliff Fontenot, senior editor at Monarch Media. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

The advances in virtual reality gaming over the past couple of years have been incredible. It seems that there isn’t an industry out there that doesn’t want to get involved with this new technology, including casinos, but the big question is…how will virtual reality fit into gaming?

First off, gaming is all about the emotional and physiological experiences of the players. At a land-based casino, this can often mean the thrill of the blackjack or craps tables, but it’s been suggested that virtual reality will easily replicate this because of its use of sensory stimuli.  With VR technology, players are able to experience actually walking into the casino lobby, being greeted by a hostess, and being led onto the gaming floor.  It could, in fact, take the physical gaming experience to a whole new level. This alone, opens up a whole new dimension for gaming and demonstrates why VR devices are some of the most exciting wearable technologies for 2016 and beyond.

Microgaming Is the First Gambling Software Provider to Incorporate VR Technology

China’s lottery sales got a serious boost from the final stages of the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament.

Figures released Wednesday by China’s Ministry of Finance show overall sales in July rising 19.8% to RMB 32.4b (US $4.8b). Welfare lottery sales gained 6.7% to RMB 16.6b while sports lottery sales surged 37.6% to RMB 15.8b.

July’s sports lottery leap is smaller than the 47.2% rise the product enjoyed in June, which contained the bulk of the Euro 2016 action. For the year to date, overall sales are up 5.6% to RMB 226.7b, driven primarily by sports lottery interest.

Meanwhile, Thailand‘s lottery players say their state lottery isn’t worth playing, according to a new survey that should give Government Lottery Office (GLO) officials nightmares.

The Global Poker League launches an online shop selling baseball caps, jerseys and hoodies, and a new cheap and easy Heads-Up Display called PStatTrack enters a marketplace doomed to die.

Fans of Global Poker League (GPL) clobber will be excited to learn that the GPL Fan Shop is open for business. I will be interested to see how this one develops. During a recent interview with Joey Ingram, on the Poker Life Podcast, Phil Galfond talked about the difficulty turning a profit with RunItOnce merchandise so it will be interesting to see if the GPL can do what the online training site couldn’t.

During a recent interview with yours truly, GPL Founder, Alex Dreyfus, said that he made a mistake by not getting the merchandise ready for the summer visit to Las Vegas and that selling GPL products is a revenue stream, ‘albeit a small one.’ There are currently three products on sale for all 12 franchises: a baseball cap, a jersey, and a hoodie.

If you are interested, click here.

The Global Poker League launches an online shop selling baseball caps, jerseys and hoodies, and a new cheap and easy Heads-Up Display called PStatTrack enters a marketplace doomed to die.

Fans of Global Poker League (GPL) clobber will be excited to learn that the GPL Fan Shop is open for business. I will be interested to see how this one develops. During a recent interview with Joey Ingram, on the Poker Life Podcast, Phil Galfond talked about the difficulty turning a profit with RunItOnce merchandise so it will be interesting to see if the GPL can do what the online training site couldn’t.

During a recent interview with yours truly, GPL Founder, Alex Dreyfus, said that he made a mistake by not getting the merchandise ready for the summer visit to Las Vegas and that selling GPL products is a revenue stream, ‘albeit a small one.’ There are currently three products on sale for all 12 franchises: a baseball cap, a jersey, and a hoodie.

If you are interested, click here.

The former Pop Idol winner, Will Young, has been installed as the 7/2 favourite to win the 14th edition of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing as they hope to avoid a repeat of the allegations of a rigged result during last year’s final.

In my gambling prime, I was well known for losing thousands of pounds on football matches, horse racing and every obscure American sport you can think of. What I am less known for are my winning bets in Reality TV contests.

I was a star.

If I could stop the tears pouring out of my eyes long enough to find the right odds, I was guaranteed to make money on the likes of the X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, and the X-Factor winnings in particular made sure Santa didn’t have to bother getting his arse burned climbing down my chimney.

The former Pop Idol winner, Will Young, has been installed as the 7/2 favourite to win the 14th edition of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing as they hope to avoid a repeat of the allegations of a rigged result during last year’s final.

In my gambling prime, I was well known for losing thousands of pounds on football matches, horse racing and every obscure American sport you can think of. What I am less known for are my winning bets in Reality TV contests.

I was a star.

If I could stop the tears pouring out of my eyes long enough to find the right odds, I was guaranteed to make money on the likes of the X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, and the X-Factor winnings in particular made sure Santa didn’t have to bother getting his arse burned climbing down my chimney.