Yet another California online poker bill has been reintroduced. AB 1677, sponsored by State Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D-59th District), was proposed again on February 17. The measure would allow the […]
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Nordic online betting operator Cherry AB saw its online revenues triple in 2016 following the acquisition of sports betting operator ComeOn Malta.
On Tuesday, Cherry reported that its Q4 revenue had spiked 201% to SEK 519m (US $57.9m), while earnings were up 353% to SEK 106m. Full year 2016 group revenue gained 109% to SEK 1.1b, while earnings rose 393% to SEK 177.7m.
The surge came largely as a result of the May 2016 acquisition of Malta-based ComeOn.com, a deal that transformed Cherry into the “third largest player in the Nordics.” ComeOn’s impact drove Cherry’s online revenue up 294% while active customer ranks rose 339%.
New CEO Anders Holmgren, who was officially appointed permanent CEO this week after taking over active CEO duties from the retiring Fredrik Burvall in January, said the combination of Cherry and ComeOn made the tandem “a serious player for the future.”
The battle for the individual favorite in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3 is expected to be tight between reigning 2-year-old champ Classic Empire, unbeaten rising stars McCraken and Mastery, along with Irish War Cry.
Swedish mobile gaming operator LeoVegas has acquired Italy-licensed online gambling operator Winga.it from Finnish gambling operator PAF.
On Tuesday, LeoVegas announced that it had agreed to pay €6.1m cash for the Milan-based Winga, which offers a complete range of gambling products to its Italian customers. LeoVegas expects the deal to be complete by March 1, subject to approval by Italian authorities.
Winga reported revenue of €8m – half from its live casino operation – in 2016, and while it’s currently showing “a negative result,” LeoVegas says it has “identified a number of factors” that will turn that frown upside down.
PAF acquired Winga for an undisclosed price in 2015, and claimed at the time that Winga earned €10m in 2014, suggesting that Winga’s fortunes have dimmed. PAF CEO Christer Fahlstedt issued a statement on Tuesday saying PAF had lost interest in the Italian market and decided to sell after receiving “a generous offer.”
In his final move in advance of the Feb. 25 $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2), Guest Suite stated his readiness for his next challenge on the Triple Crown trail, covering four furlongs in a bullet :48 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Feb. 21.
Southwest-based trainer Clinton Stuart picked up the 1,000th victory of his career Feb. 20 when he sent out Stewart Levine and Curtis Culver’s Crossbow Star to a victory in a maiden-claiming race at Sam Houston Race Park.
A football goalkeeper’s consumption of a meat-and-potato pie on live television has sparked a UK Gambling Commission inquiry.
This weekend, UK sports fans were treated to the sight of Sutton United reserve keeper Wayne Shaw riding the pine during his team’s FA Cup match against Arsenal. At one point late in the match, the 23-stone (322 lb.), 45-year-old Shaw can be clearly seen consuming a meat pie.
Trouble is, Sun Bets, the UK-licensed online betting brand of Australian wagering operator Tabcorp, had a prop betting market offering 8:1 odds that Shaw would indeed eat a pie during the game. Sun Bets had also sponsored Sutton for the match.
Shaw later told the media that he was aware of the Sun Bets market and that, while he himself didn’t place a bet, “a few of the mates and a few of the fans” may have wagered that he would eat as advertised. Shaw claimed that he’d only decided to eat the pie once his team had made all its substitutions.
Churchill Downs and Norton Cancer Institute announced a new charitable partnership to raise funds to help provide care for women in our community who lack access to necessary breast health screenings and services.
Delay in approval of cabinets and game software chipped away the net profit of Australia-based slot machine supplier Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd by as much as 37.8 percent.
In a filing before the Australian Securities Exchange, Ainsworth’s net profit from operations in the first half of its financial year 2017 was at AUD$20.6 million (US$15.8 million), down from AUD$33.1 (US$25.36 million) a year earlier.
On the other hand, Ainsworth’s total revenue tumbled by 14 percent to AUD$122.7 million (US$ 94.02 million) for the six months to December 31, 2016.
The pokie developer attributed the dismal net profit to tough competition and delay in the approval of cabinets and gaming software.
Delay in approval of cabinets and game software chipped away the net profit of Australia-based slot machine supplier Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd by as much as 37.8 percent.
In a filing before the Australian Securities Exchange, Ainsworth’s net profit from operations in the first half of its financial year 2017 was at AUD$20.6 million (US$15.8 million), down from AUD$33.1 (US$25.36 million) a year earlier.
On the other hand, Ainsworth’s total revenue tumbled by 14 percent to AUD$122.7 million (US$ 94.02 million) for the six months to December 31, 2016.
The pokie developer attributed the dismal net profit to tough competition and delay in the approval of cabinets and gaming software.
Tuesday, 21st of February 2017 – The organizers are proud to announce that Mr. Angelo Dalli (CEO and Co-Founder at Bit8) will be among the key speakers during the Innovation talk at Vienna International Gaming Expo and will highlight a revolutionary new mobile friendly lottery game.
The Innovation Talks panels will be held within the Vienna International Gaming Expo 2017 in the second half of Day 2(21.03.2017) starting from 2:00 PM (Vienna local time).
As Bit8’s chief executive officer, Angelo is responsible for leading the company’s product development, business and technology strategy. Angelo co-founded Bit8 with Keith Galea and Brian Fenech after identifying the need for an intelligent backend system that positively impacts the operator’s bottom line while providing an awesome player experience. Angelo has joined Bit8 as its CEO in 2013 and has led the company through its initial growth phase and its first external financing round.
Angelo holds a bachelor’s degree in IT and a master’s degree in Computational Linguistics from the University of Malta, together with a doctorate in Computer Science and Search Engine Technology from the University of Sheffield. Angelo has published over 23 publications in Europe and the US since 2001 and has over sixteen years of experience in various executive positions in technology, entertainment and gaming companies. Angelo has also won a bronze medal at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in 1995.
Tuesday, 21st of February 2017 – The organizers are proud to announce that one of the most successful global betting service providers will be exhibiting their products at the Vienna International Gaming Expo between March 20-22, 2017 at the Austria Center Vienna.
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Tuesday, 21st of February 2017 – The organizers are proud to announce BtoBet as their newest Bronze Sponsor at Vienna International Gaming Expo 2017, which is going to take place in Vienna, Austria between 20-22 March 2017 at the Austria Vienna Center.
Zoltan “Hawkie” Tundik, Founder and Head of Business at EEGMedia/EEGEvents, stated: “We are really proud to have the support of such great companies which shape the future of the online gambling industry. Just the fact that so many companies that are headquartered in Central Europe and the Balkans are showing interest for the event is bringing us closer to achieving our mission of organizing a crown exhibition and making great things happen in the industry.“
“As a multinational company, based in Malta and expanding into emerging new markets worldwide, we are keen to take part to this significant event in Europe. VIGE 2017 is an excellent opportunity to share experience and vision about the industry with other technology providers and top iGaming market professionals, to cement existing partnerships and explore new potential. All these facets drove the company to support this extremely interesting exhibition and to become a Bronze sponsor of the show where we also have been invited as speaker in two conferences related to Innovation in Sports betting”, stated Kostandina Zafirovska, BtoBet’s CEO.
About BtoBet
Taking cues from the Philippines and China, the government of the United Arab Emirates says it is considering forming a regulatory framework that will focus on the usability of bitcoin and operations of digital currency exchanges.
Several weeks ago, the Central Bank of UAE published a document, the “Regulatory Framework for Stored Values and Electronic Payment System,” containing its “vision of leading market adoption” of digital payments and fintech technologies within the country. One section of the document explicitly prohibits the use of virtual currencies, which, of course, resulted in controversial discussions and companies asking the central bank if the bill considers bitcoin and other digital currencies currently in existence.
Central Bank Governor Mubarak Rashed Khamis Al Mansouri confirmed that the document doesn’t consider digital currencies, but he stressed that the central is carefully considering legalizing bitcoin as well as “developing necessary regulatory frameworks for businesses and exchanges to comply with.”
The legality of bitcoin in UAE is a case similar to that of the Philippines, before the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recognized the digital currency as a remittance network and legitimate payment method. And the Central Bank of UAE releasing a nationwide regulatory framework on bitcoin will be an approach similar to that of China, which recently started regulating the digital currency to ensure that traders remain in the exchange market.
Getting a slice of Japan casino industry may come with a hefty price tag.
This was according to no less than Las Vegas Sands Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Sheldon Adelson who said that a resort hosting casinos in Japan could cost up to US$10 billion to build.
Reuters reported that constructing a casino resort in Japan is more expensive that in Singapore, where the casino mogul only shelled about US$6 billion to construct the Marina Bay Sands casino.
“It would be at least what we paid in Singapore, US$6 billion including the land, but it could be as much as US$10 billion,” Mr Adelson said in a forum organized by CLSA Ltd. brokerage in Japan.
Tuesday 21st February, 2017 – Blueprint Gaming has signed a major content agreement with Gamesys, giving the leading operator full access to its proven slots portfolio.
The agreement covers all Gamesys operated European brands, providing top performing content to their online and mobile platforms.
Blueprint Gaming, which is part of Germany’s Gauselmann Group, will make available premium branded slots such as Top Cat as well as Wish Upon a Jackpot and The Pig Wizard, three of the most popular in the online casino industry.
Matt Cole, Managing Director of Blueprint Gaming, said: “We have seen fantastic growth over the past 12 months and to start the year by signing a deal with a huge operator like Gamesys is a real boost.
On April 19, the most well-known global specialists in the sphere of blockchain technologies will come to Moscow. Together with Russian bankers and entrepreneurs they will discuss Russian and foreign blockchain projects in financial and non-financial spheres.
The meeting will be driven by the annual Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Russia that features presentations from the representatives of IBM, Microsoft, Sberbank, NRU HSE and State Duma.
The last Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference, which took place at Digital October on November 10, brought together 500 players of blockchain and bitcoin markets. This year, organizers, Smile-Expo event company, are expecting to see even more foreign attendees.
“Many speakers, with whom we are in discussions now, actively present at blockchain conferences on the West, but have never visited similar events in Russia,” said conference curator Pavel Likhomanov.
On April 19, the most well-known global specialists in the sphere of blockchain technologies will come to Moscow. Together with Russian bankers and entrepreneurs they will discuss Russian and foreign blockchain projects in financial and non-financial spheres.
The meeting will be driven by the annual Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference Russia that features presentations from the representatives of IBM, Microsoft, Sberbank, NRU HSE and State Duma.
The last Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference, which took place at Digital October on November 10, brought together 500 players of blockchain and bitcoin markets. This year, organizers, Smile-Expo event company, are expecting to see even more foreign attendees.
“Many speakers, with whom we are in discussions now, actively present at blockchain conferences on the West, but have never visited similar events in Russia,” said conference curator Pavel Likhomanov.
Never underestimate Chinese paranoia. The degree to which the Chinese government can shoot itself in the foot has no bounds. Give them a reason to be paranoid and they’ll take it to the umpteenth degree to suffocate themselves in a furor. Imagine preparing for a moderate hurricane by not only putting up shutters, but by erecting an adamantium fortress with lookouts armed with tactical nuclear missiles instructed to unload all munitions if they see an ant carrying a piece of sawdust that looks suspiciously large when viewed under an electron microscope.
Donald Trump is certainly enough reason for the Chinese government to exhibit some form of healthy paranoia. I would too if I were in charge of the People’s Republic. But the more bellicose Trump gets, the more China will lock itself down and suffocate its own economy.
A piece from Bloomberg came out last week warning of danger in Macau stocks. This is true, there is danger, and much of the analysis is spot on. It focuses on the possibility of oversupply – and in a country full of real estate ghost towns this is actually quite likely – to copious bets on call options, to price to earnings ratios being 10% higher than they were at the 2014 peak. This is all true, but it misses the central point of why Macau is so dangerous particularly now.
The Bloomberg piece starts out with this paragraph (emphasis mine):
Never underestimate Chinese paranoia. The degree to which the Chinese government can shoot itself in the foot has no bounds. Give them a reason to be paranoid and they’ll take it to the umpteenth degree to suffocate themselves in a furor. Imagine preparing for a moderate hurricane by not only putting up shutters, but by erecting an adamantium fortress with lookouts armed with tactical nuclear missiles instructed to unload all munitions if they see an ant carrying a piece of sawdust that looks suspiciously large when viewed under an electron microscope.
Donald Trump is certainly enough reason for the Chinese government to exhibit some form of healthy paranoia. I would too if I were in charge of the People’s Republic. But the more bellicose Trump gets, the more China will lock itself down and suffocate its own economy.
A piece from Bloomberg came out last week warning of danger in Macau stocks. This is true, there is danger, and much of the analysis is spot on. It focuses on the possibility of oversupply – and in a country full of real estate ghost towns this is actually quite likely – to copious bets on call options, to price to earnings ratios being 10% higher than they were at the 2014 peak. This is all true, but it misses the central point of why Macau is so dangerous particularly now.
The Bloomberg piece starts out with this paragraph (emphasis mine):