Monthly Archives: September 2016

Europa League Week 1: Favourites United Falter at Feyenoord

Europa League favourites Manchester United lose their opening game away at Feyenoord; Roma draw in the Czech Republic, and Villareal comes from behind to win at home against FC Zurich.

“It’s not a competition I want. It’s not a competition the club wants. It’s not a competition the players want.” Said Jose Mourinho ahead of their opening Europa League game against Feyenoord.

Unsurprisingly, the bookmakers favourite lost.

“I am not going to criticise my players,” said Mourinho after the loss.

NFL Betting: Don’t Rush To Your Doom

Every NFL betting season is like a new relationship. There are some familiar names and faces around, but it’s a fresh start. We all know this, especially if you’re a veteran to gambling on this sport. If you’re blowing through your wallet in the first handful of weeks of the season, you’re doing it wrong.

What you should be doing is assessing what the league actually looks like. And that means being open minded to changing your perspective. The league evolves and grows with its talent and rule changes. You have to as well.

That’s never been more apparent than in the slippery slope we’re seeing out of rushing offences in the NFL. It’s ugly…and sadly it’s getting worse. Want proof, just look at the list of characters who led the league in rushing during Week 1.

The Industry Eye – Episode 1

Today’s first Industry Eye takes a look over the big stories from the Summer including the merger activity involving Ladbrokes, Coral, William Hill, Rank and 888. We also take a peek at the ‘phenomenon’ of eSports betting and the LatAm market. All comments, barbed, angry or just plain biased, appreciated.

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Betcade Appoints Leading UK Agencies for Launch Campaign

Silicon Valley, San Francisco, 15th Sep, 2016 – Betcade, set to become the first dedicated store for real money gaming apps on Android, today officially announces the appointment of its media, creative and PR agencies that will help lead the charge to launch.

For its advertising campaign Betcade has appointed The Specialist Works, an award winning independent media agency specialising in customer acquisition for mobile, multichannel and e-commerce brands. The company has several offices located across Europe and the US, with a strong roster of top clients like Mr Green, Leo Vegas, eHarmony, Ovo Energy, Boohoo, Photobox, Graze, and The White Company, among others.

Working closely alongside them will be Wordley, a 2015 ‘Campaign Top 30’ creative and production agency based in the UK also specialising in e-commerce, retail and challenger brands. Wordley will be creating a multi channel campaign for Betcade that’s set to break in early 2017, and also boasts a strong portfolio of clients including Moonpig, Photobox, Hungry House and globally renowned attractions company, Merlin Entertainments Group.

Continuing to support Betcade’s communications outreach will be Dimoso PR, the UK’s first agency to specialise in mobile technology, apps and games.

Calling The Clock: Hall of Fames; Holz; and GPI Horses

In this week’s poker news roundup we cover Fedor Holz winning another million dollars at the World Championships of Online Poker, the shortlist for the Poker Hall of Fame and Alex Dreyfus talking about the future of staking at the Global Poker League.

 Fedor Holz has done it again.

The young German told me he was planning to semi-retire in the summer. It seems like a smart strategy. The lad wins every time he sits down. Holz has smashed the live tournament felt with over $20m in earnings these past few years, but it was the virtual felt that he focused his attention on this week.

Holz entered the $102,000 buy-in Super High Roller at the PokerStars World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) as a 20-1 shot according to BetStars. It was a great value bet for the former 2014 WCOOP Main Event winner, but although he chopped the prize money when heads-up, banking a million dollars, he didn’t win the final hand.

Boris Becker, Sam Trickett & Roberto Romanello Confirmed For Mazagan 10 Poker Festival

Boris Becker, Sam Trickett, and Roberto Romanello are confirmed to compete in the Mazagan 10 Poker Festival, and will help raise funds for the DT38 Charity in support of testicular cancer.

I have been fortunate to work at poker festivals all over the world, and my favourite place to visit is Mazagan Beach Resort in Morocco. It’s not even close. For the 10-days I was there for the World Poker Tour (WPT) Season 11 WPT Mazagan event the hosts treated me like a king.

And I am a mere blogger.

Imagine, how well they look after the players.

Turkey’s president asks Republic of Georgia to close its casinos

The president of Turkey wants the Republic of Georgia to close its casinos, apparently because too many Turks are crossing the border to get their gamble on.

On Tuesday, Georgian media reported that Turkish President Recep Erdogan Tayyp (pictured) had asked former Georgian Prime Minister and current billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili to use his influence to help close casinos that sit tantalizingly close to Turkey’s border.

Ivanishvili said he’d close all casinos if it were up to him, but it’s not, and besides, the casinos contribute a lot to the Georgian economy, particularly in the Adjara region, which lies just across Turkey’s northeastern border and contains the city of Batumi, a major tourist hub on the Black Sea coast.

According to official government data, 11 casino permits have been issued in Batumi compared to just three in the capital Tbilisi. Batumi’s municipal budget derives GEL 20.2m (US $8.7m) from all gambling fees and taxes, of which 81% comes from its casino operations.

Manitoba premier rejects tribal casino relocation plan

Manitoba’s premier has flatly rejected a plan by six Manitoba First Nations to move their casino from the rural north to the provincial capital Winnipeg.

The tribal operators of the Aseneskak Casino have been trying for years to move their gaming operation from the Opaskwayak Cree Nation near The Pas to a more populous region of the Canadian province, with Winnipeg their preferred destination. On Thursday, Premier Brian Pallister (pictured) gave them his answer: “Absolutely no.”

Pallister, whose Progressive Conservative government took power in April after nearly 17 years of NDP rule, said Winnipeg’s market was already saturated with gambling options, including the Shark Club Gaming Centre, which opened in 2013 as a partnership between the provincial gaming monopoly and True North Sports & Entertainment.

Pallister slammed the NDP for its major expansion of gambling, saying it “hasn’t solved our social problems. In fact, it’s actually made more of them worse.”

Philippines eyeing lottery privatization

The top-to-bottom remaking of the Philippines’ gaming industry shows no signs of letting up as the government takes steps to privatize the state lottery.

On Thursday, Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia announced that the government planned to privatize the lottery operations of the state-owned Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

The Standard quoted Pernia saying the government’s plan was to “privatize and then regulate.” But Pernia also suggested that the government’s intent was to allow additional private lottery operators to enter the market. “Those who want to set up, they can also set up.”

This isn’t the first time politicians have suggested privatizing the PCSO. In 2011, Senator Franklin Drilon attempted to push through a privatization program following allegations of the misuse of government funds but these plans never gained traction.