Monthly Archives: March 2017

VIGE2017 announces Lotto Hero as networking breaks – Beer sponsor during VIGE seminars

Tuesday, 7th of February 2017 – The organizers are proud to announce Lotto Hero as the Beer Sponsor for Power Delegates during the Networking Breaks, which are planned to help VIGE Seminar attendants to exchange ideas next to “a cold one”.

Lotto Hero is an innovative interactive lottery game which features a guaranteed jackpot of €1 000 000 and draws taking place every single hour, 24/7, 365 days a year.

Lotto Hero has been launched to appeal to Millennials and players across multiple verticals, it is set up to boost acquisition, retention and conversion, as well as to increase player life-time value and strengthen cross-sell.

Players, who require no skill to play the game, just need to purchase a €2 Lotto Hero coupon ahead of each draw, which will be held on the hour, every hour.

Habanero strikes iSoftBet deal

7th March, 2017 – Quality slots and table games developer Habanero has signed a deal to distribute its games via iSoftBet, a fellow software provider of online and mobile casino games.

As part of the deal, Habanero will make its portfolio of slots, table games, and video poker titles available on iSoftBet’s advanced Game Aggregation Platform (GAP), including blockbuster titles Koi Gate, Jugglenaut, Fenghuang, and Roman Empire.

Habanero’s games deliver great graphics, intelligent math, and exciting gameplay that keeps players both engaged and entertained.

iSoftBet’s Game Aggregation Platform (GAP) has a vast library of third-party games from more than 25 software providers, and offers operators a diversified and robust portfolio that can be used with a single, seamless integration.

Football Form Labs pens deal with Betfair Australia

Tuesday 7th March 2017 – Football Form Labs, the leading football betting software on the market, has signed a content partnership agreement with Betfair Australia.

As part of the deal, Football Form Labs are providing editorial previews for every Premier League fixture which is hosted on Betfair Australia’s The Hub.

Football Form Labs are suggesting at least one bet for every game, which have already made a profit of 7.5% ROI to date for exchange punters. Betfair Australia join an ever-expanding portfolio which already includes Oddschecker.com.

A range of products can be integrated simply and used across web, mobile and affiliate platforms.

Comtrade Gaming’s newly integrated platform expands Dafabet’s player engagement

Technology advancement to drive business evolution of prominent Asian operator Ljubljana, Slovenia – Comtrade Gaming, the leading technology supplier to the gaming industry, announces the integration of its iCore – The Enterprise Gaming Platform as Dafabet’s complete back-end solution. After a multi-phase approach and no downtime deployments, the platform introduces new features that continue Dafabet’s distinguished player experience.

iCore – The Enterprise Gaming Platform manages multi-channel customer relationships, analyses online activity and improves operational strategies to unlock business value. Through a high degree of customisation, iCore targets players to sharpen industry practices and optimises the digital gaming experience.

“Migrating the entire back-end platform as a live operator involves massive risks if not done correctly. Comtrade Gaming seamlessly managed the process for us and the transition created an instant, positive effect on our business,” explains Dimi Karatzas, Online Betting & Gaming Director at AsianLogic. “The new platform will helps us grow and meet business demands as the market becomes more competitive.”

The modernised infrastructure replaces Dafabet’s legacy system to enhance their competitive advantage through superior player management features. From a single back office tool, iCore’s platform capabilities include scalability for the highest player volumes and casino and betting product diversification. Comtrade Gaming’s system is capable of thousands of bets per second, automates real-time bonusing features and collects player data to intelligently respond to individual consumer profiles.

Beehive expands Romania footprint with BaumBet launch

7th March, 2017 (Tel Aviv) – Data-driven marketing specialist Beehive has successfully expanded its footprint in Romania after going live with leading operator BaumBet.

BaumBet, one of Romania’s most established retail brands, has recently ramped up its online presence in the market, which was re-regulated last year.

It has drafted in Beehive to manage its omni-channel marketing activity, and has already completed a successful implementation of the Beehive marketing platform.

Octavian Manu, CEO at Baum Online, said: “The Romanian gaming market is thriving and competition is intense, which is why we have brought in Beehive to help us gain an edge through data-driven marketing.

LVbet supports International Womens’ Day and FORWARD

LVbet is proud to announce its support of International Women’s Day (8th March), by donating a percentage of player deposits to FORWARD (Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development). 10% of all player deposits on a special promotion, running from Friday 3rd to Wednesday 8th March, will be donated to the charity.

FORWARD is working to safeguard and promote the rights of girls and women across Africa, through partnerships in the UK, Europe and Africa. Particular focus is placed on tackling discriminatory practices that affect female health and dignity, especial female genital mutilations (FGM), child marriage and obstetric fistula.

LVbet PR Manager, Simona Pinterova explained “The team at LVbet is a vibrant mix of sexes, nationalities and ages, and respect and equality are central to the workplace ethos – so the issues tackled by FORWARD strike a chord with our team, and we are delighted to be able to do something to help change lives for the better.”

The specific promotion is offering LVbet customers a 25% Reload Bonus up to €200 + up to 200 Free Spins on popular slot game Fairytale Legends: Red Riding Hood – and LVbet will donate 10% of all deposits made using the bonus. As expected, LVbet customers have stepped up and embraced this great cause. LVbet will be announcing the total to be donated after the offer has finished.

Oakland Raiders punt on Bank of America to bankroll Vegas stadium

Since then, there have been multiple efforts to find investors for the stadium, most recently from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones NFL Oakland Raiders have finally found someone to finance the development of its $1.9-billion stadium in Las Vegas.

Raiders owner Mark Davis reportedly told fellow NFL owners on Monday that Bank of America will back the 65,000-seat domed stadium, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, noting that the bank’s $650 million stake will be a loan and will not include an equity stake in the team or the stadium.

The Raiders have been seeking a new partner for the proposed stadium in Las Vegas after casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson backed out of his pledge to help build the stadium.

The initial plan was for Adelson to shell out $650 million toward the stadium’s construction while the Raiders will commit $500 million. The remaining $750 million would be funded by a 0.88-percentage-point increase in Clark County’s hotel room tax. Adelson, however, backed out of the project, followed by Goldman Sachs, putting the Raiders relocation plans on shaky ground.

IGT doing well, But that might not be good enough

International Game Technology may be doing the best with the hand it has been dealt. The problem is, that may not be good enough. Its huge 113% move since February reflects is slow crawl out of its losses, and it is now almost breakeven. In terms of pure net income, IGT has swung from a $139M loss in the first 3 quarters of 2015, to a positive $15M. That is quite a turnaround and it is thanks to its merger with GTECH and some smart management moves. But as for shareholders of IGT PLC proper, the company is still operating at a net loss for shareholders because most of that income is attributable to noncontrolling interests, once again from the GTECH deal.

That’s not so bad by itself considering the positive direction, but factor in a P/E ratio of over 100, debt leverage of 150% in the face of a spectacular run since February and things look a little off-kilter to a fundamentalist investor. We can try to do some accounting magic and play around with the numbers to make things look better, but in the end it doesn’t quite work out.

Say we shave off the protected debt not subject to interest rates. As of the last annual report, 28% of IGT’s $8.3B debt is subject to floating rates. That puts it at leverage of 42%, not bad, but that takes into account the huge run in shares since February. If we put IGT back at its lows, leverage goes back up to 100%.

Maybe that’s not fair, and we can just count it at 42%. Fine, that sounds OK, but dig a little deeper into its debt repayment calendar and there could be some big trouble ahead over the next 3 years. $551M in principle is due in 2018. Another $888M is due in 2019. That’s $1.44B over the next two years. They may need to refinance, but at what interest rates? By the end of the year rates almost certainly be much higher as the Fed is on a rate hike path and other central banks could follow. But the big trouble is in 2020. Over $2B in principle will be due then. Almost definitely they will need to refinance at that point, and by 2020 this will be a very different world. All these numbers will change once we have the new annual report in a few days, but it’s not likely to show huge changes in debt structure.

PokerVision add Canadian broadcaster Chantal Desjardins to the team

PokerVision Media, the newest broadcast beast on the block, has hired Canadian sports broadcaster and comedienne, Chantal Desjardin, to join the on-air broadcast team.

PokerVision Media is rolling out more press releases than Jimmy Choo rolls out high heels.

A few day ago, the subsidiary of ePlay Digital Media Inc. announced a marathon poker streaming session involving Bill Perkins, Jeff Gross, and the brothers Staples. Today, they announced a new hire in Chantal Desjardins.

Desjardins joins the on-air broadcast team. She has extensive sports broadcasting experience both on radio and TV and most recently hosted all the regional matches for the NHL side Montreal Canadiens on Sportsnet.

Lawmaker wants to give Texas residents right to own, use bitcoin

Some areas in the United States may have been tightening their policies over the use of digital currencies, but there are those who want to look after the bitcoin users in their state.

Take Texas for example.

Last week, a lawmaker proposed a constitutional amendment seeking to protect the right to own, hold and use digital currencies like bitcoin in the state. Rep. Matt Schaefer sponsored the Texas House Joint Resolution 89, which will amend Article I of the Texas state constitution to protect the right to use any “mutually agreed upon medium of exchange,” according to a CoinDesk report.

If passed, the amendment will stop the government from interfering with the use or ownership of digital currencies in the state.

EPL Week 27 Review: Chelsea beat West Ham at the Olympic Stadium

Chelsea’s boss Antonio Conte keeps an unsettled side as the Blues beat West Ham by 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium to move closer to a Premier League triumph.

Chelsea warmed up for their FA Cup quarter-final tie against Man Utd with another London derby victory, this time at the Olympic Stadium.

The Blues are majestic when it comes to taking on their neighbours from the smoke. Last nights, 2-1 win over West Ham was their 118th London derby victory, more than any other London team.

West Ham began the match with optimism in their pre-match cup of teas. Andy Carroll returned to the side after a month out with a dodgy groin, and they were aware the two previous times Chelsea had visited their new stadium they had beaten them on both occasions.

NSW Premier thumbs down pokies in Bangaroo Crown casino

The scepter of the October 2016 arrest of 15 Crown resorts staffers in China continues to haunt Australian casino mogul James Packer even up until now.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has rejected the request of Crown resorts to put poker machines inside Sydney Bangaroo Crown casino’s VIP rooms, according ABC News 24.

Berejiklian affirmed the policy of then Premier Mike Baird, which permitted a VIP-only casino in the AUD2 billion (US$ 1.52 billion) Barangaroo apartment, hotel and entertainment complex to operate from November 2019.

Back then, Crown is confident with its so-called “restricted gaming facility” business model that relies on attracting wealthy high rollers, predominantly from China.

LCB strikes $1.7 million deal to purchase World Casino Directory

What once started out as LatestCasinoBonuses.com (LCB) in 2006 has exploded into a network of online related gambling sites under one umbrella. The most recent acquisition of WorldCasinoDirectory.com (WCD) is breaking news and another smart investment for new proprietor Joshua Chan, CEO of the LCB Network.

WCD, founded in 2002, is the premier go-to site that is a commonplace among the gambling community, encompassing a resourceful global market of land based and online casinos directories. Players will find up-to-the-minute news, lottery results, casino reviews, games, sports, hotel bookings at your favorite casinos, and a host of other information to keep their viewing audience up to speed.

Passing the Baton

Negotiations didn’t happen overnight and took some time to finalize. Joshua stated:

Law panel ‘seriously’ considering allowing casinos, sports betting in India

The idea of legalized gambling in India has been floating for some time, but officials are now reportedly “serious” in their attempt to examine whether sports betting and casino gambling can be legalized in the country.

India’s top law panel, the Law Commission of India, is reviewing the possibility of making sports betting and gambling in casinos legal, according to the Hindustan Times. Insiders told the Indian news outlet that the panel has yet to make up its mind, but a draft gambling bill is “under serious consideration.”

The motivation, of course, is financial as India’s gambling industry—currently worth an estimated INR300,000 crore (USD45.01 billion)—is expected to “bring in thousands of crores in revenue.”

This isn’t the first time that the law panel has discussed the feasibility of legalizing gambling in the country.

Paradise Co. Ltd casino revenue grows 13.5% in Feb

South Korea’s foreigner-only casino operator Paradise Co. Ltd posted a KRW42.62 billion (US$36.9 million) casino revenue in February 2017.

GGRAsia reported that Paradise Co. announced that it chalked a 13.5 percent casino revenue growth in February 2017, reversing the slump it had in the previous year.

But Paradise’s casino revenue for February is lower than the KRW44.12 billion (US$38.45 million) it reaped in January 2017. Table game revenue, which makes up 93.9 percent of all casino revenues, provided the lift that the company needed in February 2017.

Data showed that Paradise saw a 14.7 percent increase in its table revenues in the second month of the year. Paradise’s table revenue, however, was 2.7 percent lower than the January 2017 record.

Gymnastics darling Biles is Dancing with the Stars Season 24 fave

The stage is set for 24th season of Dancing with the Stars.

In this season’s bag of superstars, they threw in a retired professional wrestler, a figure skater, and yes, another gymnast.

It is no surprise that America’s gymnastics darling Simone Biles has decided to try her luck on the dance floor, especially after her bff (best friends forever) and fellow gymnast Laurie Hernandez has taken home the coveted Mirrorball trophy just four months ago.

What are the odds of two gymnasts winning back to back in one of the most popular reality dancing showdown in the U.S.?

Innovators Launchpad: Real video gaming

The gambling industry is notorious for being slow to innovate—in the past, that is. Now, ask any gaming veteran or executive, and they will say that the industry is ripe for innovation and ready for that spark of creativity. And since we like to make things easier for you guys, we’re featuring innovators and their ideas that are about to shake up the industry.

The first innovator who piqued our interest is Dan Morgan, who developed a technology that could pave the way for the creation of an offline gambling environment.

In 1994, Lee Iacocca, who was known for heading Chrysler Corp., put forward an idea. And that idea was in-flight gambling. At the time, Iacocca said gambling on airplanes has the potential of becoming a cash cow, with the possibility of generating $1 billion a year for a single airline, if only someone could figure out how to make it work. Of course, U.S. law prohibits domestic carriers from providing gaming on any flights within the country or internationally, but if we put that aside for a moment, the idea—admit it—has merit.

There have been efforts to bring real money gambling to the sky. The World Poker Fund Holdings Inc. (WPFH), for instance, recently acquired a 49 percent stake in the online gaming assets of Universal Entertainment Group in hopes of netting $143 million in annual in-flight gaming and online revenue from their “initial offerings.”

Lotto Warehouse granted first ever B2B betting on the outcome of lotteries license by the MGA

Malta, March 2017 – Lotto Warehouse Ltd. have been granted the first ever B2B Class 4 platform license to host and manage betting on the outcome of lotteries by the Malta Gaming Authority.

The license allows Lotto Warehouse to offer other operators the chance to add a portfolio of lottery betting products to their platforms, including the world’s biggest jackpots – an industry first in terms of jackpot coverage.

Based in St. Julian’s Malta, Lotto Warehouse was set up in the last Quarter of 2016, specifically to allow B2C operators to add secondary lottery products to their portfolio of games with ease and integration flexibility. Operators signing up to Lotto Warehouse shall have the opportunity to either run the standard betting platform, or to run a design customised portfolio of secondary lottery games.

Thomas Biro, Lotto Warehouse CEO, said, “We are very excited to be able to offer licensed B2C operators the chance to add an exciting new lottery betting vertical to their platforms.

Jamie Cummins wins ICE Trophy at NCF hosted UK Dealer Championship

Champion Jamie Cummins (centre) and two runners-up at the National Casino Forum hosted annual UK Dealer Championship

Jamie Cummins of The Ritz, London, has been crowned the ‘best croupier in the business’ following his success in the National Casino Forum hosted annual UK Dealer Championship held at the Playboy Club London. Jamie, together with first Runner-Up, Stuart McCallum of Les Ambassadeurs, will now go forward to represent the UK in the prestigious European Dealer Championship being held at The Hippodrome Casino London, Leicester Square, on the 9th & 10th May. This will be the first time the European Final has been held in London and will comprise 32 participants from 20 countries.

The UK leg featured a series of tasks including technical skill, game control and hospitality, with talented dealers submitted from some of the biggest Casino operators in the UK, including The Hippodrome, Aspers Group, Grosvenor Casinos, The Ritz and Clermont Club. The championships concluded with the announcement of the winners in the Playboy Club London’s famous Tale Bar with sponsors Clarion Events awarding the much coveted trophy and Rob Saucier, CEO from cash prize sponsors Galaxy Gaming, presenting the £2,000 top prize.

Kate Chambers, Managing Director of the Gaming Division at Clarion Events said: “As an organisation which is steeped in gaming and responsible for a number of leading brands, not least ICE Totally Gaming, which is the biggest gaming technology event in the world, I am delighted to be able to work with our friends and colleagues at the National Casino Forum and support this blue riband event.

Pokerstars sponsors biggest ever poker tournament in Russia

Sochi, Russia’s luxury holiday location, hosts PokerStars Championship event in May 2017

ONCHAN, Isle of Man – March 2017 – The biggest poker event Russia has ever seen, PokerStars Championship Sochi, will take place from May 20-31, 2017 at the Sochi Casino & Resort, PokerStars, an Amaya Inc., (NASDAQ: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand, announced today.

The PokerStars sponsored event will bring dozens of exciting poker tournaments to Russia’s premier holiday resort from May 20-31, including a guaranteed PokerStars Championship Main Event worth RUB 150,000,000 (approx. $2,600,000), the largest guaranteed prize pool ever featured in a Russian poker tournament.

The glamorous location, which played host to the 2014 Winter Olympics, is also famous for its beaches, lively nightlife, beautiful mountainous coastline and, of course, excellent skiing during the winter season, making it a favourite destination among Russian holidaymakers. The latest addition to the PokerStars Championship schedule will be one of the most exciting stops of the PokerStars Championship’s maiden season.