Monthly Archives: October 2016

Enlightened religious groups say Singapore online betting policy a “judgment call”

The religious, who earlier opposed Singapore’s newest online betting policy, is finally close in attaining nirvana after a dialogue with the government.

While they still have some reservations, members of the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) has finally acknowledged that the government’s decision to allow online betting is the best approach to protect its citizens that are drawn to numerous gambling websites.

The NCCS, which represents more than 250 churches, even described the government’s group as a “judgment call.”

“Given the data on the current remote gambling landscape, the Government deems this to be the best approach to mitigate driving remote gambling activities underground and exacerbating law and order concerns,” the group said, according to The Strait Times.

NFL Power Rankings Week 7 – After Six Weeks We Only Know One Thing

Last weekend was a pretty rigorous reminder that the best team doesn’t always win. As much as we like to pretend that we know teams, things change drastically from week to week. Now, Roethlisberger is out, the Packers are in a free fall, Denver has lost two games and Carolina’s only won one. Making sense of how all this shakes out is no easy task. Frankly, the only thing that we know for sure is that New England is undeniably the best team in the league. After that, the waters get really, really muddy.

1. New England Patriots (5-1 SU and ATS)

Bill Belichik has said that he’s done with the Microsoft Surface tablets, which I find absolutely hilarious. It would be perfect if he showed up with an iPad next week and then offered no explanation in the press conference.

Next Game: New England -7.0 at Pittsburgh

Week 7 Thursday Night Football Betting Preview

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are a banged-up team, which might bring them down to the Chicago Bears’ level. The Packers are listed as the eight-point favorite against the Bears in the Thursday Night Football matchup. The total is set at 46 points. Green Bay is a -370 heavy favorite on the moneyline, with the Bears at +285.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The Packers are 3-2 straight-up and 1-3-1 against the spread after losing to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6. Green Bay, which is 10-3 SU in their last 13 games after a loss, is thin in the running game and in pass coverage. Starting RB Eddie Lacy and backup RB James Starks are out, while top CB Sam Shields has been played on injured reserve and CBs Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins are also sidelined.

Rodgers is off to a slow start, but the Packers offensive line is thriving at pass protection and the Bears have not had a consistent pass rush since switching to their 3-4 defense. Rodgers’ main targets, WR Jordy Nelson and WR Randall Cobb, will also face a Bears secondary that could be minus starting CBs Tracy Porter and Bryce Callahan.

Justin Bieber Spotted Playing £1/2 NLHE in The Empire; Costner Set For Molly’s Game Role

Justin Bieber chills playing £1/£2 No-Limit Hold’em at The Empire Casino in London’s Leicester Square, and Oscar winner Kevin Costner looks set for a role in Molly’s Game.

I have a problem connecting with my 15-year old son.

There, I have said it.

In a last ditch attempt to gain his affection I got my friend to ring him and tell him that when I was in school, I was really cool.

Optima launches Colossus Bets pools

London, October 2016 – Optima announces the arrival of Colossus sports pools to its platform as a new member of the OPTIMA™certified partner network, with the leading African operator NairaBET becoming the first Optima client to go live with the world’s biggest sports jackpots.  The collaboration with Colossus Bets ensures that the growing Colossus product portfolio is available to Optima’s expanding client base for web, mobile and retail as part of a standard integration on the OPTIMA™ Multi Channel Gaming suite.

Jacob Curciel, CEO and founder of Optima said: “We believe that the formula of lotto-sized sports jackpots with cash-out throughout is a great addition to what we can provide to our operator clients.  Our arrangement with Colossus Bets is consistent with our goal of offering the most innovative products and solutions in the e-gaming sector.”

Bernard Marantelli, CEO and founder of Colossus Bets said: “Optima’s global customer base makes them a great partner for Colossus Bets. Through Optima, our pools are already live with a premier African betting brand in NairaBET and we look forward to growing with them the stable of partner operators offering risk free, sports jackpots of 10-20-30 million pounds to their clients. Colossus’s globally networked pools make us the only firm able to offer this prospect.”

About Optima

Optima launches Colossus Bets pools

London, October 2016 – Optima announces the arrival of Colossus sports pools to its platform as a new member of the OPTIMA™certified partner network, with the leading African operator NairaBET becoming the first Optima client to go live with the world’s biggest sports jackpots.  The collaboration with Colossus Bets ensures that the growing Colossus product portfolio is available to Optima’s expanding client base for web, mobile and retail as part of a standard integration on the OPTIMA™ Multi Channel Gaming suite.

Jacob Curciel, CEO and founder of Optima said: “We believe that the formula of lotto-sized sports jackpots with cash-out throughout is a great addition to what we can provide to our operator clients.  Our arrangement with Colossus Bets is consistent with our goal of offering the most innovative products and solutions in the e-gaming sector.”

Bernard Marantelli, CEO and founder of Colossus Bets said: “Optima’s global customer base makes them a great partner for Colossus Bets. Through Optima, our pools are already live with a premier African betting brand in NairaBET and we look forward to growing with them the stable of partner operators offering risk free, sports jackpots of 10-20-30 million pounds to their clients. Colossus’s globally networked pools make us the only firm able to offer this prospect.”

About Optima

NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions (NLS) partners with Kambi Group plc

Kambi Group plc and NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions (NLS), a wholly owned subsidiary of NOVOMATIC, Europe’s leading gaming technology Group, have signed an MoU to provide a powerful full-service gaming solution to government regulated lotteries. The service will combine NLS’s market-leading lottery platform with Kambi’s state-of-the-art sports betting service.

“This alliance is a part of the NLS ‘best of breed’ philosophy in which two modern systems are combined to deploy state-of-the-art technologies that maximize the inherent expertise of each system individually. The result: world beating/world leading system performance in highly competitive markets,” said NLS CEO Frank Cecchini. “NLS is very pleased to be working with Kambi, whom we feel is a like-minded partner in technology and an expert in sports betting operations,” Cecchini continued.

Co-branded and marketed as ‘NLS Sports Betting – Powered by Kambi’, this unique, futuristic solution directly responds to the increasing demand for a superior and consistent user experience across all channels, including interactive gaming. Through their strategic partnership, NLS and Kambi will integrate the exceptional elements of each solution to bring lottery operators the optimum growth platform. This sophisticated product will empower lotteries to capitalize on changing player demographics and behaviours rather than being marginalized by technology limitations. The solution is another example of the NLS problem-solver commitment to customers.

“We are very excited to have formed this partnership with NLS,” commented Kristian Nylén, CEO of Kambi. ”NLS is our ideal partner as we share a vision for growth and innovation within the lottery sector. The co-branded service will offer a modern, best-in-class solution. This competitive service gives government regulated lotteries the chance to leap ahead of the status quo, especially in interactive gaming across all verticals. We look forward to collaborating with NLS and are very excited to reveal ‘NLS Sports – Powered by Kambi’,” Nylén said.

Michigan Confident of Regulating Online Gambling By Year End

Cardplayer.com has been speaking to Michigan State Senator Mike Kowall and the online gambling bill creator is confident that the bill will pass by the end of the year.

With the focus squarely on proceedings on the online gambling space in Pennsylvania, the state of Michigan has thrown their hat in the ring to be the first state to legalise online gambling since New Jersey way back in 2013.

The bill’s creator, Senator Mike Kowall, told Cardplayer.com that there was still ‘plenty of time’ to get the bill underneath the noses of the right people, and firmly believes Michigan residents will be able to gamble online by the time Rudolph is put back into his stable.

Sen. Kowall first produced his online gambling bill (SB.899) in April 2016 but had been working on it for three years leading up to that point. The first phase of the plan was to legalise the much simpler online lottery. That passed into law in 2014, and it will make it easier for SB.899 to get traction.

Michigan Confident of Regulating Online Gambling By Year End

Cardplayer.com has been speaking to Michigan State Senator Mike Kowall and the online gambling bill creator is confident that the bill will pass by the end of the year.

With the focus squarely on proceedings on the online gambling space in Pennsylvania, the state of Michigan has thrown their hat in the ring to be the first state to legalise online gambling since New Jersey way back in 2013.

The bill’s creator, Senator Mike Kowall, told Cardplayer.com that there was still ‘plenty of time’ to get the bill underneath the noses of the right people, and firmly believes Michigan residents will be able to gamble online by the time Rudolph is put back into his stable.

Sen. Kowall first produced his online gambling bill (SB.899) in April 2016 but had been working on it for three years leading up to that point. The first phase of the plan was to legalise the much simpler online lottery. That passed into law in 2014, and it will make it easier for SB.899 to get traction.

7 Poker Autobiographies I Would Like to Read

After PokerNews broke the news that Phil Hellmuth was set to release an autobiography in 2017 Lee Davy explains why he won’t read it and what autobiographies he would like to read instead.

Long before the Internet came along, one of the most popular ways of improving your poker game was to read a book.

Only one poker book has ever reached the New York Times Bestseller list, and it’s Play Poker Like The Pros by Phil Hellmuth. I know. I know. It’s not the best. However, I recently did lots of research into the benefits of poker books and a lot of top professionals cite this piece as very influential and their gateway into poker.

D&B Publishing is hoping that Hellmuth still has the appeal he once did after persuading him to finish his long-awaited autobiography, Poker Brat. The life story of the most successful poker player in the history of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) will be in a bookstore near you sometime in 2017; one assumes to coincide with the greatest poker festival in the world.

7 Poker Autobiographies I Would Like to Read

After PokerNews broke the news that Phil Hellmuth was set to release an autobiography in 2017 Lee Davy explains why he won’t read it and what autobiographies he would like to read instead.

Long before the Internet came along, one of the most popular ways of improving your poker game was to read a book.

Only one poker book has ever reached the New York Times Bestseller list, and it’s Play Poker Like The Pros by Phil Hellmuth. I know. I know. It’s not the best. However, I recently did lots of research into the benefits of poker books and a lot of top professionals cite this piece as very influential and their gateway into poker.

D&B Publishing is hoping that Hellmuth still has the appeal he once did after persuading him to finish his long-awaited autobiography, Poker Brat. The life story of the most successful poker player in the history of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) will be in a bookstore near you sometime in 2017; one assumes to coincide with the greatest poker festival in the world.

Indian Poker Association protests police raid; Rummy commercial’s strange powers

A group representing India’s poker players has filed a petition against the Gujarat state government for allegedly siccing cops on its card games.

On Tuesday, the Indian Poker Association (IPA) filed papers with the Gujarat High Court accusing the state government of authorizing law enforcement agencies to break up an IPA-hosted poker game at a local YCMA club in the state’s largest city Ahmedabad.

The IPA launched a seven-table poker space at the YMCA on October 5 and, in keeping with local tradition, alerted the authorities in advance of their plans. Assuming no money is being wagered, the organizers need not apply for a ‘no objection certificate’ (NOC) from the authorities.

Yet IPA leader KN Suresh claimed the police summoned him to their HQ and ordered him not to proceed with his poker plans, threatening “dire consequences” if he failed to heed their warnings. When he refused to observe these warnings, the police raided the YMCA and prevented any shuffling up and/or dealing.

Indian Poker Association protests police raid; Rummy commercial’s strange powers

A group representing India’s poker players has filed a petition against the Gujarat state government for allegedly siccing cops on its card games.

On Tuesday, the Indian Poker Association (IPA) filed papers with the Gujarat High Court accusing the state government of authorizing law enforcement agencies to break up an IPA-hosted poker game at a local YCMA club in the state’s largest city Ahmedabad.

The IPA launched a seven-table poker space at the YMCA on October 5 and, in keeping with local tradition, alerted the authorities in advance of their plans. Assuming no money is being wagered, the organizers need not apply for a ‘no objection certificate’ (NOC) from the authorities.

Yet IPA leader KN Suresh claimed the police summoned him to their HQ and ordered him not to proceed with his poker plans, threatening “dire consequences” if he failed to heed their warnings. When he refused to observe these warnings, the police raided the YMCA and prevented any shuffling up and/or dealing.

Indian Poker Association protests police raid; Rummy commercial’s strange powers

A group representing India’s poker players has filed a petition against the Gujarat state government for allegedly siccing cops on its card games.

On Tuesday, the Indian Poker Association (IPA) filed papers with the Gujarat High Court accusing the state government of authorizing law enforcement agencies to break up an IPA-hosted poker game at a local YCMA club in the state’s largest city Ahmedabad.

The IPA launched a seven-table poker space at the YMCA on October 5 and, in keeping with local tradition, alerted the authorities in advance of their plans. Assuming no money is being wagered, the organizers need not apply for a ‘no objection certificate’ (NOC) from the authorities.

Yet IPA leader KN Suresh claimed the police summoned him to their HQ and ordered him not to proceed with his poker plans, threatening “dire consequences” if he failed to heed their warnings. When he refused to observe these warnings, the police raided the YMCA and prevented any shuffling up and/or dealing.