Monthly Archives: February 2017

Leander welcomes new Sales Director

Platform and content provider appoints David Newstead to lead European expansion plans

LONDON, UK, 6th February, 2017 – Leading platform and game provider Leander Games has named David Newstead as its first Sales Director, as the firm looks to expand its footprint.

Newstead brings 10 years of industry experience, much of which has been spent in senior positions within gaming.

He will take up his role immediately, reporting to CEO Steven Matsell, and will be responsible for leading Leander’s commercial propositions and new market strategies in key regulated markets, with a particular focus on Europe.

3: Barrels: Joey Ingram eBook; Sammy Touil pays; Bryan Paris earns $10m

3 Barrels of love and joy as Joey Ingram writes, edits, and publishes a poker strategy book in 11-days; Sammy Touil pays Phil Galfond, and Bryan Paris becomes only the second man to win $10m playing online MTTs.

There is no justice in the world.

Dan Bilzerian pays Jeff Gross $500,000 for having a small tattoo seared below the back of his neck, and Joey Ingram receives $2,000 for writing a poker strategy eBook in 11-days.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h1ZLpgB4-E]

3: Barrels: Joey Ingram eBook; Sammy Touil pays; Bryan Paris earns $10m

3 Barrels of love and joy as Joey Ingram writes, edits, and publishes a poker strategy book in 11-days; Sammy Touil pays Phil Galfond, and Bryan Paris becomes only the second man to win $10m playing online MTTs.

There is no justice in the world.

Dan Bilzerian pays Jeff Gross $500,000 for having a small tattoo seared below the back of his neck, and Joey Ingram receives $2,000 for writing a poker strategy eBook in 11-days.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h1ZLpgB4-E]

Macau contingent eyes VR innovations at ICE 2017

A group of gaming industry executives is flying to London for ICE Totally Gaming 2017. Their goal? Look for virtual reality innovations.

The 20-person Macau delegation includes senior officials from eight commercial gaming organizations and led by Jay Chun, president of the Macau Gaming Equipment Manufacturers Association (MGEMA), GGRAsia reported, quoting a statement from the group.

MGEMA, if you recall, is the group behind the annual Macao Gaming Show.

At ICE 2017, the delegation plans “to explore advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) and how they impact gaming,” according to the news outlet.

Coinbase court battle vs IRS pushed off to March

Bitcoin exchange Coinbase will have to wait a little bit more before it can have its day in court against the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

This was after U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley granted the federal government’s request to move the hearing from Feb. 16 to March 23, according to the Feb. 3 court order sent by Jeffrey Berns’ office to CalvinAyre.com.

Berns was the Coinbase customer who challenged the legitimacy of IRS’ John Doe summons on grounds that they “would constitute an abuse of process.” The lawyer and managing partner of Berns Weiss also described the IRS’s request to obtain the user records as “overboard.”

The hearing was for the “motions to intervene filed by Berns and Coinbase in their efforts to challenge the summons served by the IRS.” If you recall, the California district court allowed the tax agency to require Coinbase to submit records of its customer transactions as part of an investigation into possible tax fraud committed by U.S. residents who engaged in business with or through the bitcoin wallet service.

Coinbase court battle vs IRS pushed off to March

Bitcoin exchange Coinbase will have to wait a little bit more before it can have its day in court against the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

This was after U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley granted the federal government’s request to move the hearing from Feb. 16 to March 23, according to the Feb. 3 court order sent by Jeffrey Berns’ office to CalvinAyre.com.

Berns was the Coinbase customer who challenged the legitimacy of IRS’ John Doe summons on grounds that they “would constitute an abuse of process.” The lawyer and managing partner of Berns Weiss also described the IRS’s request to obtain the user records as “overboard.”

The hearing was for the “motions to intervene filed by Berns and Coinbase in their efforts to challenge the summons served by the IRS.” If you recall, the California district court allowed the tax agency to require Coinbase to submit records of its customer transactions as part of an investigation into possible tax fraud committed by U.S. residents who engaged in business with or through the bitcoin wallet service.

Yggdrasil partners Marathonbet

6th February, 2017 – Yggdrasil Gaming has put pen to paper in a deal with Marathonbet to supply the operator with its full suite of video slots across UK and dot com markets.

The games will be integrated via the supplier’s industry-changing iSENSE 2.0 HTML5 framework, allowing them to be launched simultaneously on desktop and mobile.

Marathonbet, which last year launched a co-branded Marathonbet / Manchester United online live casino, will also gain access to the supplier’s collection of in-game promotional tools, BOOST™, including the recently-launched Missions feature, and the social sharing tool BRAG.

Fredrik Elmqvist, CEO at Yggdrasil Gaming, said: “We are thrilled to have joined forces with Marathonbet to put our portfolio of games in their player’s hands.

Main Event Travel named as official travel partner of the Super Stack poker tour

Poker logistics and entertainment outfit Main Event Travel has added the Super Stack poker tour to its growing collection of relationships.

Main Event Travel (MET) has shaken hands on a deal that will see them become the Official Travel Partner for the Super Stack poker tour. The Airbnb/Kayak of the poker world will get right down to business helping players reduce their overheads for the tour’s next tournament in the Costa Del Sol.

The Super Stack poker tour plans to hold six events at the Casino Torrequebra in Malaga. The new partnership begins February 23-26, with a €170 buy-in, 30,000 starting stack, 30/40 minute blinds tournament. The casino also promised some juicy cash game action.

Players interested in competing in the February event, or any of the other five events in the calendar, should contact MET. The one-stop shop poker courier service of sorts offers help with your travel requirements as well as offering some great hotel deals. They are even in the process of working with third parties to deliver an All-In package where travel, hotel & buy-in are managed in a single transaction.

Main Event Travel named as official travel partner of the Super Stack poker tour

Poker logistics and entertainment outfit Main Event Travel has added the Super Stack poker tour to its growing collection of relationships.

Main Event Travel (MET) has shaken hands on a deal that will see them become the Official Travel Partner for the Super Stack poker tour. The Airbnb/Kayak of the poker world will get right down to business helping players reduce their overheads for the tour’s next tournament in the Costa Del Sol.

The Super Stack poker tour plans to hold six events at the Casino Torrequebra in Malaga. The new partnership begins February 23-26, with a €170 buy-in, 30,000 starting stack, 30/40 minute blinds tournament. The casino also promised some juicy cash game action.

Players interested in competing in the February event, or any of the other five events in the calendar, should contact MET. The one-stop shop poker courier service of sorts offers help with your travel requirements as well as offering some great hotel deals. They are even in the process of working with third parties to deliver an All-In package where travel, hotel & buy-in are managed in a single transaction.

888Live Festival News: Matuson beats Kassouf; Kraft takes High Roller

The 888Live Festival Kings Casino is underway, and we bring you the result of the Stacy Matuson vs. Will Kassouf Grudge Match, a High Roller victory by Jonas Kraft, and Main Event news.

Grudge?

What grudge?

The William Kassouf vs. Stacy Matuson Best of Three Heads-Up match was more Jack and Rose on the deck of the Titanic than Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield in the squared circle. Matuson didn’t even get her ear chewed off.

Alexandre Tomic: Virtual Reality is the “mobile” of tomorrow

In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Becky Liggero, Alexandre Tomic of Slots Million tells us why gambling operators should invest in Virtual Reality right now.

Loading the player…

jwplayer(‘camediasplayer-321441’).setup({

file: “http://30.cdn.bit2host.eu/videos/alexandre-tomic-virtual-reality-mobile-tomorrow-video.m4v”,

Playtech launches first-of-its-kind Omni-channel game

Tiki Paradise rewards customers as they unlock enhanced features in-shop, online and on mobile

London: February 6th 2017 – Playtech, the world’s leading gaming content and software, systems and services supplier, has launched a spectacular new slot game that rewards customers with unique enhanced experiences, features and bonuses through the use of Omni-channel play.

Launched across all channels and devices exclusively with Coral this week in more than 300 shops and in all 1800 UK outlets later this month, Tiki Paradise is a true Omni-channel game that rewards players as they unlock enhanced features and functionality by playing in-shop, online and on mobile.

Tiki Paradise is a five-reel, 10 win-line slot game with wins awarded when three or more symbols are in view from left to right. Features include:

Sands China CFO quits after 4 months: report

Four months on the job, and one of Sands China’s key executives has already called it quits.

Last week, South China Morning Post reported that Stephen Law Cheuk-kin resigned from his position as chief financial officer of the Macau casino operator. A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed Sands China confirmed the news, telling the news outlet that Law stepped down “in January 2017.”

The casino operator declined to reveal the reasons behind Law’s resignation, saying that it “does not comment on the movement of personnel.”

Law, 53, previously worked as finance director of Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation but decided not to renew his contract and instead jumped ship to Sands China in September 2016. During his tenure at MTR Corp, Law has been noted for playing a key role in the Express Rail Link project between Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

Sands China CFO quits after 4 months: report

Four months on the job, and one of Sands China’s key executives has already called it quits.

Last week, South China Morning Post reported that Stephen Law Cheuk-kin resigned from his position as chief financial officer of the Macau casino operator. A spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed Sands China confirmed the news, telling the news outlet that Law stepped down “in January 2017.”

The casino operator declined to reveal the reasons behind Law’s resignation, saying that it “does not comment on the movement of personnel.”

Law, 53, previously worked as finance director of Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation but decided not to renew his contract and instead jumped ship to Sands China in September 2016. During his tenure at MTR Corp, Law has been noted for playing a key role in the Express Rail Link project between Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

iSport Genius scores international deal with Unibet

Global expansion for consumer-facing sports data product

Melbourne, Australia, February 2017: Sports data platform provider iSport Genius is delighted to announce that Unibet will license its offering in Australia and the United Kingdom with the potential to expand into continental Europe.

iSport Genius provides an interactive consumer-facing tool, leveraging trillions of pieces of data into powerful, easily understandable facts that help inform and educate online customers on their choice of bet. The unprecedented depth of the platform creates a large volume of highly engaging calls to action.

Nathan Rothschild, co-founder and partner at iSport Genius, said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with Unibet, a leading global sportsbook with significant operations in a number of jurisdictions. iSport Genius is a proven product and a perfect fit for Unibet with its ‘Luck is no coincidence’ slogan. The depth of our product will see Unibet take their data-driven angle to a whole new level. They are an excellent fit as we continue our global expansion.”

Patriots blindsides sportsbooks with a second half rally

Many sportsbooks thought they have the Super Bowl LI results in the bag with the Atlanta Falcons winning the title.

The results were looking bad for the New England Patriots at the start of the Super Bowl as the team struggled 21-3 against the underdogs. Even the face of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is painted with dejection as he look up at the end of the first half.

But something happened to the Patriots in between the halftime that awakens the fire inside Brady and his teammates, including Julian Edelman. Was it because of Lady Gaga’s less politically charge and more shiny, shimmering diverse Super Bowl halftime party? Or was it the pessimism of their fans, who poked fun of the team on the internet.

Whatever that it is, it sure helped the patriots turn the tide in their favor and stunned the Falcons like danger in the second half, before sending the underdogs a devastating tsunami to end the game 34-28 in overtime.

GamCrowd sign strategic partnership with Clarion Gaming to become Global Tech partner

Building on an already successful partnership with Clarion Gaming through start up initiatives over the past three years with Pitch ICE, EiG and GiGse launch pads, GamCrowd and Clarion Gaming have signed a Strategic Partnership to expand their relationship to include other elements of their businesses.

Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming Division, said: “The learning and knowledge-exchange opportunities that are available at ICE are widely recognised as being amongst the very best in the industry. The ability to engage with the industry’s pre-eminent authorities and thought leaders and then meet with the people responsible for creating the very latest on-line and off-line gaming technologies on a show floor of over 500 exhibitors, is unique to ICE. Our partnership with GamCrowd, will reinforce these stand-out credentials at the same time as reaching out to new communities of knowledge hungry gaming professionals.”

GamCrowd the leading voice on gambling technology and tech in general, was founded in 2013 when Chris North and Ian Hogg, two experienced gambling industry entrepreneurs, launched the first crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform for the gambling industry. Since then GamCrowd has grown into promoting the gambling technology sector to the wider tech community and covering tech trends that could be applied or disrupt the gambling industry. They do this through GamCrowd News a popular weekly newsletter, GamCrowd Academy, as well as the GamCrowd Reports and Events channels. Chris North, Managing Director and co-founder of GamCrowd, said: “We are entering into a truly transformational time where we are at the start of the fourth industrial revolution. The pace and type of technological change will be like nothing we have seen before. GamCrowd has positioned itself at the forefront of the tech curve to cover this change and help navigate the industry through the opportunities and disruption that it brings. Our partnership with Clarion Events enables us to do this by reaching out to a bigger crowd.”

To kick off the partnership, GamCrowd and Clarion Events will be hosting a free session at next week’s ICE Totally Gaming about the impact of block chain on the industry with a leading panel of experts and case studies from two start-ups who are using the blockchain to disrupt the industry.

GamCrowd sign strategic partnership with Clarion Gaming to become Global Tech partner

Building on an already successful partnership with Clarion Gaming through start up initiatives over the past three years with Pitch ICE, EiG and GiGse launch pads, GamCrowd and Clarion Gaming have signed a Strategic Partnership to expand their relationship to include other elements of their businesses.

Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming Division, said: “The learning and knowledge-exchange opportunities that are available at ICE are widely recognised as being amongst the very best in the industry. The ability to engage with the industry’s pre-eminent authorities and thought leaders and then meet with the people responsible for creating the very latest on-line and off-line gaming technologies on a show floor of over 500 exhibitors, is unique to ICE. Our partnership with GamCrowd, will reinforce these stand-out credentials at the same time as reaching out to new communities of knowledge hungry gaming professionals.”

GamCrowd the leading voice on gambling technology and tech in general, was founded in 2013 when Chris North and Ian Hogg, two experienced gambling industry entrepreneurs, launched the first crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform for the gambling industry. Since then GamCrowd has grown into promoting the gambling technology sector to the wider tech community and covering tech trends that could be applied or disrupt the gambling industry. They do this through GamCrowd News a popular weekly newsletter, GamCrowd Academy, as well as the GamCrowd Reports and Events channels. Chris North, Managing Director and co-founder of GamCrowd, said: “We are entering into a truly transformational time where we are at the start of the fourth industrial revolution. The pace and type of technological change will be like nothing we have seen before. GamCrowd has positioned itself at the forefront of the tech curve to cover this change and help navigate the industry through the opportunities and disruption that it brings. Our partnership with Clarion Events enables us to do this by reaching out to a bigger crowd.”

To kick off the partnership, GamCrowd and Clarion Events will be hosting a free session at next week’s ICE Totally Gaming about the impact of block chain on the industry with a leading panel of experts and case studies from two start-ups who are using the blockchain to disrupt the industry.

GamCrowd sign strategic partnership with Clarion Gaming to become Global Tech partner

Building on an already successful partnership with Clarion Gaming through start up initiatives over the past three years with Pitch ICE, EiG and GiGse launch pads, GamCrowd and Clarion Gaming have signed a Strategic Partnership to expand their relationship to include other elements of their businesses.

Kate Chambers, Managing Director of Clarion Gaming Division, said: “The learning and knowledge-exchange opportunities that are available at ICE are widely recognised as being amongst the very best in the industry. The ability to engage with the industry’s pre-eminent authorities and thought leaders and then meet with the people responsible for creating the very latest on-line and off-line gaming technologies on a show floor of over 500 exhibitors, is unique to ICE. Our partnership with GamCrowd, will reinforce these stand-out credentials at the same time as reaching out to new communities of knowledge hungry gaming professionals.”

GamCrowd the leading voice on gambling technology and tech in general, was founded in 2013 when Chris North and Ian Hogg, two experienced gambling industry entrepreneurs, launched the first crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform for the gambling industry. Since then GamCrowd has grown into promoting the gambling technology sector to the wider tech community and covering tech trends that could be applied or disrupt the gambling industry. They do this through GamCrowd News a popular weekly newsletter, GamCrowd Academy, as well as the GamCrowd Reports and Events channels. Chris North, Managing Director and co-founder of GamCrowd, said: “We are entering into a truly transformational time where we are at the start of the fourth industrial revolution. The pace and type of technological change will be like nothing we have seen before. GamCrowd has positioned itself at the forefront of the tech curve to cover this change and help navigate the industry through the opportunities and disruption that it brings. Our partnership with Clarion Events enables us to do this by reaching out to a bigger crowd.”

To kick off the partnership, GamCrowd and Clarion Events will be hosting a free session at next week’s ICE Totally Gaming about the impact of block chain on the industry with a leading panel of experts and case studies from two start-ups who are using the blockchain to disrupt the industry.

Frontier Capital’s ‘aggressive expansion’ dream ends after Clark casino closes

Failure to settle its remaining escrow has caused the demise of another casino in the Clark Freeport Zone in the Philippines, local media has reported.

State regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) reportedly ordered the closure of Casablanca Casino at the Stotsenberg Hotel last week because its new operators failed to settle the remaining escrow amount of PHP255 million (USD5.13 million).

PAGCOR Chairman Andrea Domingo was quoted by SunStarsaying, “After several extension, they were not able to meet the escrow requirements.”

The shutdown has left close to 200 workers without jobs, according to the report. Stotsenberg Hotel, however, is still operating normally.