Monthly Archives: February 2017

Becky’s Affiliated: Favorite five highlights from ICE and LAC 2017

As we all settle back to normality after last week’s ICE Totally Gaming and London Affiliate Conference madness in London, I’d like to do a little reminiscing.  For me, this was my 11th installment of ICE and LAC (in fact, what is now called the “LAC” was launched 11 years ago in 2006, I believe) and both events have maintained their status of “must attends” throughout all this time.

2017’s ICE and LAC lived up to our expectations once again and the ExCeL as a home for both events has greatly alleviated some of our commuting woes.  Yes, there were some delays getting into the LAC on the AM of Day One, but you can rest assured our friends at iGaming Business will sort that one out for next year.

To give you an idea of what I learned and enjoyed the most throughout CalvinAyre.com’s intensive coverage of ICE, LAC, Fire & Ice and the iGB Affiliate Awards last week, here are my favorite five highlights from the events.

Celebrity Appearances

INBET – media sponsor at Georgia Gaming Congress

INBET – a company that develops software for landbased and online business – has become a media partner at Georgia Gaming Congress.

For over 15 years INBET has been producing products, used to make profit by owners of terminals and halls, betting clubs and online casinos all over the world. Company provides customers with a full range of solutions for business development: high-paying slots, virtual games (lotteries, roulette, card games, horse and dog racing) sports live and pre-match betting. All of it is available on a single interface and at a flexible interest rate.

INBET is a team of highly professional programmers, analysts, mathematicians, engineers and lawyers. Account managers and specialists of technical support provide 24/7 support of your business.

Partnering with INBET, we will hold Georgia Gaming Congress at top level.

The Star’s super lucky win rate masks China VIP slowdown

Australian casino operator The Star Entertainment Group says it has become collateral damage of China’s crackdown on rival Crown Resorts.

Figures released Thursday show The Star’s net profit after tax shooting up 135.2% to A$141.8m in the six months ending December 31. However, ‘normalized’ profits – so named because they smooth out variance in VIP win rate – totaled A$107.1m, which was 17.7% less than the same period a year earlier.

The Star, which operates the Sydney casino of the same name, says the statutory profit rise was due to a serious run of good luck at its International VIP Rebate business. The Star’s benchmark VIP win rate is 1.35%, while this H1’s number was 1.62%, which further distorts the year-on-year comparison when you consider that the previous reporting period’s win was unusually low at 0.88%.

Similarly, statutory VIP revenue was up 63.6% to A$339.4m, while normalized VIP revenue was down 11.2% to $283m. VIP turnover was down 11.9%, partly due to the fact that VIPs were losing so much, but also due to “uncertainty” following the October 2016 arrests of 18 Crown staffers by Chinese authorities.

ICE salutes ‘phenomenal’ exhibitors as signs indicate another positive edition

Kate Chambers, Managing Director of the Gaming Division at Clarion Events, has heralded the ‘phenomenal contribution’ made by the world’s leading gaming innovators to the success of ICE Totally Gaming 2017.

Speaking after the culmination of three days’ intense business activity, networking and knowledge exchange at London’s ExCeL Centre, she said: “ICE week in London has seen the international gaming industry at its inspirational best. The 527 exhibitors who travelled to London from 67 jurisdictions and sovereign states set new standards for energy, positivity and sheer creativity. Their contribution to the ICE success story is nothing short of phenomenal and they have made a major contribution to helping us achieve our core objective of ensuring that ICE remains the most influential gaming event in the world.”

She added: “The outline figures, that we are processing prior to submitting them for independent audit, are positive and I am confident that we will be declaring another year of growth which, if correct, will be our sixth in succession.”

ICE Totally Gaming 2017 was the largest on record comprising 40,925 sqm of net floor space, an 82% growth since 2012, the last year ICE was held at Earls Court. The 2017 edition hosted 557 regulators and 51 CEOs of international trade associations and representative bodies earning its title as the ‘Davos of gaming’.

KamaGames® expands its portfolio with an all new social casino title, Baccarist

Dublin, Ireland – February 16th 2017 – Global developers and publishers of social casino games for mobile platforms the KamaGames Group, today announced the launch of Baccarist, an all-new 3D Baccarat game and the latest addition to their hugely popular portfolio of social casino titles, via the App Store and Google Play.

Baccarat (also known as Punto Banco) is one of the most popular games on the casino floor from Macao to Las Vegas and is also James Bond’s game of choice too! As one of the oldest and most elegant and sophisticated of all casino games, it was first played in the early 1400’s and was a favourite amongst French royalty.

In Baccarist you follow the easy to track statistics, place your bets and await the cards as you join millions of players in the most realistic and social Baccarat title in the world that puts you at the very heart of the casino floor.

Boasting to be THE best baccarat game in stores, Baccarist has been developed in close partnership with professional consultants from Macau, and comes from the same studio that created the hugely popular social casino hits Pokerist and 3D Blackjack.  Built on the leading multiplatform engine Unity 5, Baccarist features stunning 3D graphics and a host of features including Daily Bonuses, Daily Quests and Achievements. As with all other products in the KamaGames portfolio, Baccarist will take full advantage of the single account and shared login system which means players can seamlessly move their profile across all of the KamaGames titles.

Georgia Gaming Congress to end with party in intimate restaurant of old Tbilisi

On March 1, participants and attendees of the Georgia Gaming Congress will enjoy a varied program. Party in the restaurant “In the Shadow of Metekhi” will help them to relax after an active day and forge business relationships in informal atmosphere.

The restaurant with traditional Georgian design and national cuisine is located in the historical part of Tbilisi – Metekhi. Chefs and sommeliers will offer the best meal to amaze the international team of Georgia Gaming Congress with their skills and tastes of local gastronomic specialties. Together with fascinating ethnic music, it will create a perfect atmosphere for further communication with conference experts, partners and colleagues.

Sponsor of the party is Ftoros – developer of games for offline and online casinos. Its products are well-known and popular among players and operators in Russia, Europe and CIS countries. Their distinctive features are high quality, reliability, safety and efficiency of technical support.

Georgia Gaming Congress will take place on March 1. Read event program here.

Social media and casinos in report of Sofia Karapetyan at the Georgia Gaming Congress

Sofia Karapetyan, a head of marketing at Ambassadori casino, will tell about special features of social media and ways of promoting gambling venues using them.

The speaker started her career in the gambling industry eight years ago as a project manager assistant at Storm International casino operator. Three years later, Sofia became a head of marketing department at Shangrila Casino Tbilisi owned by the same company. Then, she focused on the same activity at Casinos Austria International and afterwards obtained her current position.

Let us recall: Georgia Gaming Congress will take place on March 1. Besides Sofia Karapetyan, nine experts from Georgia, Russia and the EU countries have confirmed their participation in the conference. You can review topics of their presentations on this website.

Tickets to the event are available here.

High stakes poker player Brandon Steven subject of FBI investigation

High stakes poker player, and businessman, Brandon Steven, is the subject of an FBI investigation, that includes his high stakes poker activities and his failed attempt to open a casino in Kansas.

High stakes poker player and businessman, Brandon Steven, is the subject of an FBI investigation according to the Wichita Eagle.

Steven confirmed with reporters of the Eagle, on Tuesday, that the rumours were true. When questioned as to what their line of enquiry was, he responded that it was related to his poker adventures and his role in an unsuccessful attempt to open the Castle Rock Casino in Kansas back in 2015.

@CastleRockKS We Lost. Not quite sure how yet. The state of Kansas lost as well

EquiLottery and Charles Town Racing reach broadcast rights agreement

Lexington, KY – EquiLottery has come to an agreement with Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia that will allow its game based on the results of live horse racing to use video feeds from its nearly year round racing calendar. This agreement provides for potentially hundreds of days of racing in West Virginia and opens the door for these races, and others from Penn National Gaming, Inc. owned tracks to be used in West Virginia and other states as EquiLottery expands its reach across the country.

“It is a great honor to be working with such a well-regarded racing and gaming operation as Charles Town Races,” said EquiLottery Founder and CEO Brad Cummings. “Their leadership team and their association with Penn National Gaming’s network of racetracks make this a perfect agreement to help us continue our early momentum. We hope others will recognize the significance of their willingness to support our mission to generate unprecedented reach for the sport of horse racing as well as deliver new revenues to racing and the good causes supported by state lotteries across the U.S.”

The agreement allows EquiLottery to utilize video feeds for races held at Charles Town in exchange for a broadcast rights fee and recognizes an even split of this fee between the racetrack and purse funds. Per this agreement, West Virginia racetracks and purse funds will realize revenues for both in-state and out of state races featured through EquiLottery in West Virginia.

Since its public announcement over the summer of 2014, EquiLottery has worked diligently to develop its lottery product based on the results of live horse racing. During that time, this innovative company has structured agreements with lottery industry leader IGT Global Solutions and tote system leader AmTote International to be able to deliver a cohesive lottery experience for state lotteries and their players. EquiLottery is also in development on its IOS and Android mobile app which will allow players features such as watching races live and on replay, scanning tickets and setting push notifications for upcoming races all from the convenience of their mobile devices.

PokerStars prepare to launch industry-changing product PokerStars Power Up

As PokerStars prepare to launch their industry-changing product, PokerStars Power Up, Lee Davy gives his two cents on why he believes it’s going to be a game changer.

I was reading an article about the games the World Series of Poker (WSOP) need to introduce to shake things up a bit. One of them was Badugi. It made me think of innovators in the world of eSports considering bringing out a new version of Frogger or Manic Miner to spice things up a bit.

Real innovation in poker is as rare as a witch without a broomstick. Full Tilt’s Rush Poker falls into that category. Expresso Poker by Winamax is another. And now it’s the turn of PokerStars to take the game to another level.

Writing in the PokerStars Corporate Blog, Severin Rasset, PokerStars Director of Poker Innovation and Operations, has given the poker community a voyeuristic peek at a new game called PokerStars Power Up.

Tatts profit dips; Tabcorp $45m money laundering settlement

Australian betting and lottery operator Tatts Group saw its fiscal H1 profit drop by double-digits due to a dearth of large lottery jackpots and the cost of staying relevant in the hyper-competitive Aussie wagering market.

Figures released Thursday show Tatts’ revenue fell 7.2% to A$1.42b (US $1.1b) in the six months ending December 31, while net profit after tax slipped 16.5% to A$122.7m. Discounting contributions from Talarius, the UK-facing slots division Tatts sold to Novomatic Group last June, net profit fell 15.2% to A$123.5m.

Tatts blamed the profit slide on a lack of big lottery prizes to goose lottery sales, higher marketing spending and A$10.4m in costs related to Tatts’ proposed merger with rival Tabcorp Holdings.

Tatts’ mainstay lottery business saw revenue slip 8.2% to A$1.02b, in part due to this year’s H1 featuring 15 jackpots over A$15m compared to 24 in the same period a year ago. Lottery earnings were down 10.7% to A$147m, reflecting marketing costs related to the launch of Tatts’ new ‘the Lott’ brand.

Ema Zajmovic Makes History by Becoming First Woman to Win WPT Open Event in 15 Seasons

Nine years after Van Nguyen won the World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational to become the tour’s first female champ, Ema Zajmovic emerged victorious in the $3,500 buy-in partypoker.net WPT Playground […]

The post Ema Zajmovic Makes History by Becoming First Woman to Win WPT Open Event in 15 Seasons appeared first on .

Kambi enjoy double-digit revenue gain despite lucky punters

Sports betting technology provider Kambi Sports Solutions posted double-digit revenue gains last year despite a late surge of punter-friendly results.

Figures released this week show Kambi’s revenue jumping 17% to €56m in 2016 while earnings gained 19% to €8.8m and after-tax profits rose 21% to €7.5m. The results were less impressive in Q4, in which revenue was basically flat at €14.3m while earnings were cut in half to €1.8m and profit slid nearly 59% to €1.2m.

Kambi CEO Kristian Nylén attributed Q4’s slide to December’s sporting calendar, which produced “many events with player-friendly outcomes” and a corresponding decline in Kambi licensees’ average margins. However, Nylén celebrated the fact that licensees collectively reported 19% increases in turnover during Q4, which Nylén noted came despite a comparison with strong Q4 2015 numbers.

Q4 was an active period for Kambi, including a dramatic expansion of its Latin American omni-channel deal with the PlayCity brand of Mexico’s Grupo Televisa. Spanish operator R Franco also launched its Kambi-powered Wanabet online product in November