Monthly Archives: September 2016

Tracker fund targets index of digital currencies

DLT Financial, a start-up based in London, is planning to roll out a fund tracker targeting an index of digital currencies, including bitcoin, in hopes of making the virtual coins “a more attractive investment asset class,” Reuters reported.

The index covers 10 cryptocurrencies, according to the report. Aside from bitcoin, there’s also ether and Ripple, a digital currency for bank-to-bank payments. The company plans to use the cold storage method—essentially taking data offline and storing it in hard drives—to minimize the risk of hacks.

Dave Askey, co-founder of DLT Financial, said the goal is to “bridge the gap” between blockchain technology and the “traditional institutional investment community.”

“Currently it’s really very hard to invest in these assets as a pretty deep technical knowledge is needed to buy and manage them. We want to bring (them) to the wider community,” Askey said, according to the news outlet.

UK ad watchdog delivers double whammy to Coral

Betting shop Coral has found itself in deep trouble over “misleading” free bet deals that ran during Euro 2016.

Back in June, the gambling company sent out an email promoting free £10 bets on the outcome of Euro 2016 matches, but only if the bets were placed after 8 p.m. “on the day before the nominated game until kick-off.” A pop-up ad, which ran on Coral Interactive’s website on June 15, similarly promoted the free £10 bets.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), however, ruled that the promotions did not make the conditions “sufficiently clear,” even though the timing restriction appeared in the terms of conditions of both promotions.

Coral admitted that “it was an error not to include that information in the main body the ads,” but stressed that the promotion was advertised “in advance of it going live.”

CEEGAwards 2016 Shortlists Announced

Thursday, September 8th  2016, Budapest – The organizers are proud to announce that the CEEGAwards(Central and Eastern European Gaming Awards) 2016 have reached their 3rd stage, the shortlists.

With a total of 2707 casted votes during 16 August and the 5th of September 2016, we have created the shortlists for each individual category and we can say that we are amazed by the interest that has been shown by the voters.

The CEEGAwards 2016 – Central and Eastern European Gaming Awards 2016 aims to create an independent, fair and representative awards event that recognizes significant achievements within the Central and Eastern European gaming industry.

Below you can find the shortlists:

Scientific Games carves out interactive unit to boost channel growth

Shares of casino equipment and lottery services provider Scientific Games Corp jumped on Wednesday after the company announced that its wholly owned interactive social gaming subsidiaries have been designated as “unrestricted subsidiaries under its debt agreements.”

By designating the subsidiaries, which include Dragonplay Ltd. and Phantom EFX, LLC, Scientific Games will be able to gain profit for the interactive division without using the company’s earnings to pay off its debt agreements. The move was part of Scientific Games’ plan of “maximizing growth” for the company.

“The company will consider a range of options to solidify its leadership in this fast growing segment, including potential new joint ventures, acquisitions, IPO (initial public offering) and other growth options,” the company said in a statement.

Scientific Games’ social gaming business posted double-digit growth in each of the most recent three quarters, as well as a 68 percent increase in year-on-year revenue for the second quarter of 2016.

NFL Power Rankings – Preseason Primer Edition

You know what I hate? I hate boring blurbs in power rankings. “Denver lost a close one last weekend. Hopefully they can do better next week.” Thanks for coming out, Joe Sportswriter. I really appreciate the hard work you put in.

Instead, I’ve cobbled together my own version of the NFL Power Rankings where I basically scream and TYPE YELL about all the things I love and hate about what’s happening in the league. It’s more fun for me to write an opinionated rankings piece, and (hopefully) more entertaining for you to read.

Plus, you might learn something!

So a couple introductions on how this whole thing works:

NFL Power Rankings – Preseason Primer Edition

You know what I hate? I hate boring blurbs in power rankings. “Denver lost a close one last weekend. Hopefully they can do better next week.” Thanks for coming out, Joe Sportswriter. I really appreciate the hard work you put in.

Instead, I’ve cobbled together my own version of the NFL Power Rankings where I basically scream and TYPE YELL about all the things I love and hate about what’s happening in the league. It’s more fun for me to write an opinionated rankings piece, and (hopefully) more entertaining for you to read.

Plus, you might learn something!

So a couple introductions on how this whole thing works:

2016 BSOP Millions Schedule Released; Connor Drinan Wins a WCOOP Title

The schedule for the final Brazilian Series of Poker Millions of all time is available online, and Connor Drinan continues his hot streak with a victory in the World Championships of Online Poker.

The Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) dates back to 2006, but it was 2012 when the tour had a spit polish thanks to a sponsorship deal with PokerStars. It was a smart move by Stars. Nowhere in the world is poker hotter than in Brazil except the summer jaunt to Las Vegas.

The relationship is set to end in its current form after PokerStars announced plans to renovate their live tournament network and bring everything underneath the umbrella of either PokerStars Championships or Festivals.

Before that happens, the BSOP Millions is preparing for one final hurrah. The 2016 schedule is live. The festival will consist of 36 tournaments of all shapes and sizes, and will take place in the Sheraton WTC in Sao Paulo Nov 22 – Dec 1.

Endorphina @ CEEGC 2016 Budapest

Endorphina is participating at the CEEGC conference, taking place in Budapest this September.

CEEGC 2016, Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference is specially designed to bring the most recent updates from the industry and to discuss current hot topics that are relevant to investors, online gambling operators, software developers, press reporters and regulators. This event is taking place in Budapest, Hungary, this September and Endorphina is sure to take part in it.

Endorphina has a strong position on the igaming market and believes that keeping up with the latest trends, new gambling law amendments and information about recently regulated markets is essential for the growth and to strengthen our position on the market.

Miklos Handa, Endorphina´s Business Development Manager will represent the company at the event and he is open to schedule a meeting with business partners and prospective clients.

WSOP Nov Niner Gordon Vayo Wins River Poker Series; Sean Yu, Erik Sagstrom & Josh Turner Leave WSOPC Planet Hollywood With Reasons to be Cheerful

World Series of Poker November Niner, Gordon Vayo, warmed up for his $8m date with destiny winning over half a million bucks in the River Poker Series; and Sean Yu, Erik Sagstrom and Josh Turner leave the World Series of Poker Circuit Festival in Planet Hollywood with reasons to be cheerful.

Gordon Vayo is set to skirr into the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event with more wind in his sails than most after picking up over half a million dollars in the $2.5m Guaranteed $2,500 buy-in River Poker Series at the Winstar Casino in Oklahoma.

Vayo is the first November Niner to pick up a significant live win since the summer, although Vojtech Ruzicka came close when he finished 24th in the recent European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event in Barcelona.

The organisers met the $2.5m Guarantee after 1,054 entrants paid their $2,500 dues. Despite the huge crowd, the final table was full of quality with the likes of Layne Flack, Grant Hinkle, Chino Rheem, Jeffrey Duvall and Danny Fuhs taking a pew.

5 Podcasts Not Related to Poker That Every Poker Player Should Listen to

Five podcasts that have absolutely nothing to do with poker but deserve the attention of the professional poker player.

I once learned about the world listening to pearls of wisdom spew forth from the idiot box. I had an awakening of sorts. The idiot box emigrated to the tip and my books took over. I thought that would be it, I mean, I can’t read all the books in the world, and there is so much to read, but lately another form of education has shown me some impressive intellectual cleavage.

Podcasts.

Smart people realise that time is the most precious commodity known to man unless you are that Matt Damon character stuck on Mars and then it’s potatoes. Creative use of your day is vital, and podcasts fill the white space better than any other form of ‘stuff’.

World Cup Round Up: Portugal Humbled by The Swiss; France Draw a Blank And The Faroes Grab a Point

The opening games in the European qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia have ended with the European champions Portugal suffering a defeat, France drawing a blank, and the Faroe Islands grab a point.

Maybe it’s because they always beat my England, but I have a real dislike for the Portuguese national side. Discounting the teams who competed at Euro 2016 that didn’t stand a mouse in hell’s chance of winning the thing, Portugal were the most mundane of the lot, and yet they won  – don’t let the title of European Champions fool you.

Drawn in a group containing Switzerland, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Hungary, and Andorra, you expect Portugal to qualify with one Ronaldo tied behind their back. And yet they have started their Group B qualifying campaign with a humbling away at Switzerland, another team who played euthanasia inducing football during their Euro 2016 games.

Portugal was without their enigmatic captain Cristiano Ronaldo, and their young midfield star Renato Sanches, and yet they still managed to control most of the possession, taking 27 pot shots at the Swiss goal.

Lottery addict spent $1m at his own convenience store

A convenience store owner says he wants his life to serve as a cautionary tale about the addictive lure of lottery tickets.

Adam Osmond, a 49-year-old accountant from Connecticut, used to own a convenience store. Osmond told the Daily Mail he started buying lottery tickets from his own shop due in part to the mind-numbing tedium of manning the cash register from dawn till dusk.

For years, Osmond’s lottery jones was satisfied by playing a few dollars’ worth per day. But gradually, his habit escalated to the point where he was spending “thousands” each week and reinvesting any winnings – along with his regular income – into more lottery tickets.

Osmond says his worst lottery-playing years were between 2002 and 2008, during which he played the lottery constantly, seven days a week. Osmond estimates that he lost over $1m playing the lottery and characterized his job as “like having your own casino, it was me and the machine all the time.”

Cloud Computing for the Igaming Business: Security, Virtual Independence, Increase in Efficiency and Cost Savings

Recent researches predicted that 40% of data centers will be outsourced by 2019, this reveals the skill set within an in-house team are changing radically.

The popularity of traditional bulky servers has diminished significantly over the last few years as the benefits of Cloud servers have become far more apparent. In fact, Cloud computing has demonstrated to help companies to make businesses more profitable and viable, whilst still simultaneously offering a high level of security.

How does this play out in iGaming?

Vasilije Skoro, Btobet’s Head of Product Development, stated:

Record Highs for Delaware Online Poker, But There’s Still Room for Improvement

The Delaware online poker economy enjoyed a record-breaking July, according to the state’s latest revenue report. Despite the summer months typically being less lucrative for online operators, the Diamond State’s three […]

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Caesars first to deploy Gamblit Gaming’s skill-based games on casino floor

Casino operator Caesars Entertainment has struck a deal to be first to bring Gamblit Gaming’s skill-based gaming devices to the casino floor.

On Wednesday, Caesars and Gamblit announced a multi-year deal that will see Gamblit’s Model G and Tristation positions deployed to Harrah’s Rincon in California. Assuming all goes well, Caesars plans to add 125 Gamblit products to its casinos in Nevada and a further 100 stations in other markets.

The new gaming positions will contain multiple themes and games, including Match 3 and word matching games. Future releases will include Gamblit’s ‘gamblified’ versions of video games like Catapult King and Into The Dead.

The companies say the games will be available in “dedicated entertainment spaces” at Caesars properties, in keeping with Caesars CEO Mark Frissora’s claim last September that the company was testing a millennial-focused ‘casino within a casino’ at one of its Las Vegas venues.