Monthly Archives: September 2016

The BiG Africa 2016 Speaker List: Growing Ever Bigger and More Impressive

BiG Africa, the Gaming industry’s premier and most influential opportunity to gather under one roof and exchange knowledge and experiences about the African Betting and iGaming markets, signs Robin Le Prevost, former Director for Business Development for the highly successful Alderney eGambling jurisdiction, and current head of the Le Prevost Consultancy in the UK, to its growing list of speakers.

The African Gaming industry is developing at a pace on the continent, bringing with it challenges and opportunities alike. In order for the industry to be a success, the commercial needs of online operators must marry and closely interlink with responsible and thorough regulation, which requires a high level of inter-regulatory co-operation. Hailed as a breakthrough in the regulation of eGambling legislation and often regarded by regulators as the benchmark across the globe, there is no better example than the Alderney framework to take key learnings from.

During Mr. Le Prevost’s time with Alderney Gambling, the jurisdiction grew to be the largest hub for offshore eGambling services globally. As the leading architect of the licensing regime which is now being replicated throughout the world, Robin brings to BiG Africa a wealth of knowledge with regards to the Alderney licensing regime, business strategy, regulatory relationships and frameworks, and high level management consultancy.

Taking place 24 – 26 October 2016 at the Century City Conference Centre and Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, BiG Africa 2016 offers a unique platform for exhibitors, visitors, key industry operators, partners, suppliers, and legislators to congregate in an effort to capitalise on the growing and voracious consumer demand exhibited on the African continent.

Seven West Media inks deal to bring Australian DFS to free TV

Daily fantasy sports is coming to free-to-air audiences in Australia.

Reports recently surfaced that online betting operator CrownBet and News Corp Australia’s Fox Sports are negotiating a partnership with Seven West Media in hopes of bringing daily fantasy sports to free television. Now, The Australian is reporting that Seven West Media has finally signed the agreement.

Under the partnership, Seven takes a 33 percent stake in Draftstars, which was launched in March after CrownBet inked a deal with Fox Sports in time for the March 24 kickoff of the new Australian Football League season.

The three parties had been aiming to sign a partnership before the start of the AFL finals series.

Seven West Media inks deal to bring Australian DFS to free TV

Daily fantasy sports is coming to free-to-air audiences in Australia.

Reports recently surfaced that online betting operator CrownBet and News Corp Australia’s Fox Sports are negotiating a partnership with Seven West Media in hopes of bringing daily fantasy sports to free television. Now, The Australian is reporting that Seven West Media has finally signed the agreement.

Under the partnership, Seven takes a 33 percent stake in Draftstars, which was launched in March after CrownBet inked a deal with Fox Sports in time for the March 24 kickoff of the new Australian Football League season.

The three parties had been aiming to sign a partnership before the start of the AFL finals series.

ORYX adds Intervision Gaming content

Wednesday 14th September 2016 – ORYX Gaming has strengthened its slot game offering by launching games from content supplier Intervision Gaming.

The deal sees ORYX’s clients gain access to a number of the highest standard products, with quality service and reliability in equal measure.

Integrated library initially includes 10 games, among them are popular titles like Jester, 101 Lions, and Buffalo Run. The slot content has been made available to customers across a variety of international markets.

Intervision Gaming slots have been added to ORYX’s portfolio that now includes QuickFire, NYX, Gamomat, EGT and other leading content providers.

Adelson shifts bet to Europe, Asia as Macau loses economic luster

As if learning from his experience in Macau, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is no longer putting all his eggs in a single basket.

Bloomberg reported that Adelson is now seeking investment opportunities outside Macau as he no longer finds the former Portuguese enclave economically attractive. While he has some ideas for additional growth in China’s premier gaming hub, Adelson said it will not be as grand as the Parisian Macau.

Instead, Adelson is now setting his sights on Macau’s neighboring countries, particularly Japan and South Korea. Adelson was reportedly helping pro-casino groups in Japan to lobby for the legalization of the industry in the island nation.

“We’re aggressively and continually lobbying for other locations throughout the Asia Pacific countries — we’ve been looking at Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand,” Adelson said. “There doesn’t seem to be too much more growth here.”

Adelson shifts bet to Europe, Asia as Macau loses economic luster

As if learning from his experience in Macau, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson is no longer putting all his eggs in a single basket.

Bloomberg reported that Adelson is now seeking investment opportunities outside Macau as he no longer finds the former Portuguese enclave economically attractive. While he has some ideas for additional growth in China’s premier gaming hub, Adelson said it will not be as grand as the Parisian Macau.

Instead, Adelson is now setting his sights on Macau’s neighboring countries, particularly Japan and South Korea. Adelson was reportedly helping pro-casino groups in Japan to lobby for the legalization of the industry in the island nation.

“We’re aggressively and continually lobbying for other locations throughout the Asia Pacific countries — we’ve been looking at Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand,” Adelson said. “There doesn’t seem to be too much more growth here.”

Adelson’s poker swipe prompts pro player to issue $2M challenge

Well, he’s consistent. Let’s give him that.

Sheldon Adelson, one of the richest men in the world, has kicked up yet another poker controversy with his latest anti-poker comments. In a recent interview with Yahoo Finance, Adelson—the man who made his billions off of gambling—insisted that like daily fantasy sports, poker is not a cerebral pursuit, and most definitely, is not a game of skill.

The Las Vegas Sands CEO asserted how he finds it hard to understand “how skill can apply to somebody shuffling a deck of cards and randomly giving them out” to players, telling the news outlet: “You don’t have any control over it. Can somebody bluff and can somebody place bets better than somebody else? Yes. But that doesn’t make poker a game of skill.”

Of course, a comment like this—especially since it came from Adelson, a staunch online poker opponent—will catch the ire of the poker community, some of whom have taken to questioning the businessman’s intelligence.

Adelson’s poker swipe prompts pro player to issue $2M challenge

Well, he’s consistent. Let’s give him that.

Sheldon Adelson, one of the richest men in the world, has kicked up yet another poker controversy with his latest anti-poker comments. In a recent interview with Yahoo Finance, Adelson—the man who made his billions off of gambling—insisted that like daily fantasy sports, poker is not a cerebral pursuit, and most definitely, is not a game of skill.

The Las Vegas Sands CEO asserted how he finds it hard to understand “how skill can apply to somebody shuffling a deck of cards and randomly giving them out” to players, telling the news outlet: “You don’t have any control over it. Can somebody bluff and can somebody place bets better than somebody else? Yes. But that doesn’t make poker a game of skill.”

Of course, a comment like this—especially since it came from Adelson, a staunch online poker opponent—will catch the ire of the poker community, some of whom have taken to questioning the businessman’s intelligence.

The importance of the Eastern European an Balkans panel – regional co-operation

Wednesday, September 14  2016, Budapest – The organizers discuss the importance of having the Eastern European update panel along with the Balkans update panel.

The Eastern European online gaming market has witnessed a significant growth during the last two years with the Bulgarian market being the first to regulate accordingly and setting the standard for remote gaming operators that are looking to attract players from the demographic.

This market regulation was expected and it seems that the further we go and anticipate the future of the Eastern European markets, we shall find that all markets are slowly opening up, are being regulated and each of these countries improve the regulations set by its predecessor.

Such is the case of the Romanian market, which can be named as the crown regulated market during the last two year. The market has managed to attract 19 online operators and +200 service provides in just one year and the numbers are expected to triple by the end of 2017.

Champions League Week 1: Barca & Bayern Battering

The Champions League returns and Barcelona and Bayern Munich hit the ground running, scoring 12 goals between them in opening night victories against Celtic and Rostov.

The last time Celtic appeared in the Champions League group stages they suffered their worse European defeat in history going down 6-1 to Barcelona at The Nou Camp, so it wasn’t the best place to start their 2016/17 campaign.

And guess what?

Barcelona rewrote Celtic’s european record books once more with a 7-0 annihilation.

New trends and challenges on focus at 9th Eastern European Gaming Summit

Where is the gaming industry heading to? What are the latest trends and regulatory changes in the sector? And how the important political changes, like Brexit, will affect the sector? If there is a place on the Balkan Peninsula to get in-depth answers to all those and many other important questions for the gaming industry, it is the traditional Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS) that will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria at the end of November. The Summit is organized as an intitiative of the Bulgarian Trade Association of Manufacturers and Operators in the gaming industry.

Exploring the future development of the industry, highly respected experts, professionals, international association representatives will gather for 9th consecutive year at Inter Expo Center, Sofia. Previewing key regulatory changes, industry trends and product developments are the main agenda that brings together the best minds in the gaming sector at the EEGS.

Starting with overview of the developments and the new opportunities on the European market, key speakers will make profound presentation of regulatory changes and current legislative situation in Netherlands, Malta, Belgium, Greece, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Poland and Romania, moderated by the prominent gambling consultant Steve Donoughue. A special session will examine the standards and certification required from a specific emerging European jurisdiction.

A detailed sectional discussion on the EU anti-money laundering enforcement will be led by Dr. Simon Planzer, lecturer in Law at the University of St.Gallen and a practicing attorney at law in Zurich, Switzerland. Knowing that of great importance to the sector is facing challenges to keep the business crime free, a thorough analyses will be made during the module. As an important part of this year agenda, the matter will be debated later on a Regulators’ Roundtable on closer doors between regulatory bodies from some of the main EU countries.

UltraPlay is now providing odds on Crossfire and HALO

The leader in eSports UltraPlay is now providing prematch odds on Crossfire and HALO. The advanced betting solutions company has announced that they are releasing the two new extra games which can be found on UltraPlay’s partners ggBet, VitalBet, BetEast and eBettle.

Being the first in releasing betting oppotunities on HALO and Crossfire worldwide, the company has developed one of the best trading platforms for eSports betting and continues to grow everyday. Its dedicated trading team operates to create the best options for every client.

“We are delighted to present two new e-sport headings in our portfolio. The long hours of analyzing both games have finally repaid and the fans of HALO and CrossFire should be eager to find out what we have created for them”, said Peter Ivanov, head eSports trader at Ultraplay. He also mentioned that the Ultraplay’s trading team will be providing coverage for all major competitions and will be bringing new exciting markets for the fans in the near future so stay tuned.

 

Blockbuster Fight Card Confirmed For One: State Of Warriors

14 September 2016 – Yangon, Myanmar: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), returns to the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium on 7 October for ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS. In the global main event, ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka Naito will make the first defense of his belt against the Philippines’ Joshua Pacio. In the local main event, Aung La “Burmese Python” N Sang goes to battle against Poland’s Michal Pasternak. Additional bouts to complete the blockbuster fight card have also been confirmed.

Tickets for ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS are available at http://bit.ly/oneyangon.

Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito of Chiba, Japan, is an unbeaten mixed martial artist with a perfect 11-0 record. He owns five victories by submission and one by knockout. The 32-year-old, who made a name for himself at Japan’s world famous Korakuen Hall competing for Shooto as its Flyweight Champion, captured the ONE Strawweight World Championship in his last bout, submitting the defending Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke. Naito makes the first defense of his strawweight belt against Joshua Pacio in the evening’s global main event.

Unbeaten strawweight Joshua Pacio of Baguio City, Philippines, owns a stellar 8-0 professional mixed martial arts record and is one of the country’s most highly-regarded mixed martial arts prospects. A member of the famed Team Lakay MMA gym, Pacio is a wushu specialist with a solid grappling skill set. All eight of his victories have come by finish, including three wins by knockout and five wins by impressive submission. Pacio takes on the toughest test of his young career next against ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka Naito.

Bitcoin Gambling Guide Builds Solid Reputation with 500 Reviews and Improved Services

Bitcoin Gambling Guide, the no. 1 source for Bitcoin gambling, strengthens its services with 500 reviews and improved complaint system and ranking mechanism.

Sydney, Australia—Bitcoin Gambling Guide takes steps forward with upgraded content, player support, and other services. The top Bitcoin gambling review and news site positively impacts the industry through its constantly improving services since the revamp in Q4 2015.

The three years of operation equips the Bitcoin Gambling Guide team to pinpoint effective ways to fully engage players and provide them with quality assistance and information. BitcoinGG achieves this by expanding its roster of casino and game reviews, as well as developing on-site functions for complaints, ranking, and more.

“BitcoinGG has always been at the forefront in terms of content and value. We’re dedicated to delivering relevant info to create interactive relationships among the players,” said Chris Evans, Business Development Manager at Bitcoin Gambling Guide.

NFL Power Rankings Week 2

I essentially had no choice but to move the Patriots in to the top spot this week because they beat a really good team without their best player. Doing power rankings (or just regular non-powered rankings) this early is a bit of a tough challenge; so don’t take how I’ve stacked teams too personally. By Week 4 we’ll have a much better sense of the league as a whole. Until then, let’s try and figure out who’s worth your time and who isn’t.

As always, gambling matters in these rankings, which is why ATS records impact where teams fall. The matchups for next week are listed with opening lines, which are obviously subject to change. And don’t forget these are my rankings and not yours so I can do whatever I want. Like put Tampa in the top-10. Enjoy.

1. New England Patriots (1-0 SU and ATS)

Edelman has to be one of the most entertaining receivers in the league. Whenever he’s in the open field and has a chance to do something safe, like running out of bounds, he almost always chooses to do the most dangerous thing possible. I love it. And if the Pats are this good without their two best players, then I can’t imagine what they’re going to be like in October. Even with LaGarrette Blount as their feature back.

WCOOP Round Up: Holz Bags a Milly; Roman For REG; Colisea COOP #4

A short round-up of the latest action at the PokerStars World Championships of Online Poker including another seven-figure score for Fedor Holz; a victory for charity, and a young Pole sweeping all before him.

When I saw Fedor ‘CrownUpGuy’ Holz was 20-1 to win the PokerStars World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) $102,000 Super High Roller (SHR) it struck me that the bookmakers have a lot to learn about the betting odds in poker.

Fortunately, my retirement from sports betting means I never took the bet, because although he made it to heads-up, and chopped the remaining $2.24m with the Swedish Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) winner, Bencb789, he didn’t win the final hand.

Still, it was another headline-grabbing moment for a man who seemingly can do no wrong. He has zoomed towards the top end of the All Time Live Tournament Charts on Hendon Mob with over $20m earned in the past couple of years, but he doesn’t do bad online either, winning the 2014 WCOOP Main Event along with his most recent $1,067,639.40 consolation prize.

Imperial Pacific issues 1B shares to settle debt

Casino operator Imperial Pacific International Holdings, Ltd. is set to issue one billion shares worth HK$150 million (US$18.7 million) meant to cover outstanding loan obligations.

In a disclosure to the HongKong Stock Exchange on Monday, Imperial Pacific announced that Ally High Limited will subscribed for the one billion shares at a price of HK$0.15 (US$0.02) per share. Imperial Pacific is optimistic that the market value of its shares will fetch up to HK$142 million (US$18.30 million) on the last trading day.

“The consideration in the aggregate sum of HK$150 million shall be satisfied by setting-off the loan due from the company to the subscriber of the same amount upon completion,” the casino operator explained. “The directors are of the view that the subscription will provide a good opportunity to strengthen the financial position and broaden the shareholder and capital base of the Group so as to facilitate its future development.”

As of last Friday, the company had some 140.6 million shares in issue. Of the total, 64.7 per cent were held by Inventive Star Ltd.

PAGCOR reveals tough new ‘offshore’ online gambling licensing plans

The Philippines’ gaming regulator has released more details on its plan to license ‘offshore’ online gambling operators, and operators probably aren’t going to like them.

In August, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) announced that it planned to begin licensing online gambling operators. On Wednesday, PAGCOR announced that it would soon start accepting letters of intent from companies looking to acquire an ‘offshore’ online casino or sports betting license.

Under PAGCOR’s plan, companies looking to become an officially licensed Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) must strictly observe existing rules on not accepting Philippine customers, be they at home or abroad. Foreign nationals visiting the Philippines are also out of bounds.

But the most problematic item on the prohibited list is accepting wagers from “individuals in countries which have laws prohibiting participation of their citizens in online gaming activities.” Which pretty much rules out 99% of Asia. Thud.