Monthly Archives: April 2017

Leicester City legends Emile Heskey and Steve Walsh go head-to-head in Betstars rugby kicking challenge

Foxes legends team up with Leicester Tigers’ European Cup winning duo Tim Stimpson and Andy Goode for the latest edition of the BetStars Face-Off series

ONCHAN, Isle of Man – April 20, 2017 – Leicester City legends Emile Heskey and Steve Walsh swapped a football for an oval ball in a special rugby kicking challenge by online sports betting site BetStars, an Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand.

Rugby skills are the focus of the latest video in the Face-Off series from online betting site and the Foxes’ official betting partner BetStars. The BetStars Face-Off series takes champions from the comfort of their sporting field into challenging situations where their skills and discipline are put to the test. The video can be viewed on BetStars social media channels here: http://bit.ly/2n7qNyO

The Foxes duo were joined by Leicester Tigers legends and European Cup winners Tim Stimpson and Andy Goode, who gave the pair a goal kicking masterclass before Heskey and Walsh went head-to-head to see who could convert the most kicks.

Btobet ready to meet major Latin American operators at FADJA Colombia on 26th – 27th April

After the excellent business opportunities and partnerships fasten last year in Bogota, Btobet confirms its presence at Fadja 2017, providing the possibility to all LatAm operators to have a live demo of its clever omnichannel, multi-currency, multi-jurisdiction and multi-brand iGaming platform and Sportsbook software.

BtoBet’s expert will be showcasing at stand number 49 at FADJA- Bogota to explain operators how to manage their gaming and sportsbook content everywhere and anytime, from land based to online, including mobile.

At the stand, licensees will also have the possibility to book their personalised demo to discover how BtoBet’s multi-jurisdiction platform, compliant with several countries’ requirements can help them with their operations in strictly regulated, including Latin American ones.

Additionally, operators at Fadja will see how to manage quick and safe transactions through BtoBet’s multi-currency platform, which permits over 200 types of payment methods in all currencies.

Multilotto granted Republic of Ireland license

Online lottery betting company’s expansion continues with the launch of Irish website www.multilotto.ie

Thursday April 20th 2017 – Multilotto have been granted a Remote Gaming License from the Republic of Ireland National Excise License Office.

Established in 2012, Multilotto’s key markets to date have been in the Nordics, however the business is now entering a period of international expansion.

Customers at www.multilotto.ie can choose from 11 different international lottery jackpots, including America’s Powerball and Mega Millions and Europe’s top two EuroMillions and EuroJackpot.

Don’t count on bitcoin mining pool viaBTC to support SegWit

As the debate over bitcoin’s block size scaling heats up, bitcoin mining pool viaBTC is not budging on its stance that Segregated Witnesses (SegWit) cannot solve the network’s capacity problem.

F2Pool recently surprised the community when it announced that it had begun signaling for SegWit, a controversial proposal that seeks to boost the blockchain’s transaction capacity while facilitating layer two protocols. However, F2Pool’s decision didn’t trigger a price reaction in bitcoin, indicating that the market doesn’t think the Chinese mining pool’s announcement has caused any change. F2Pool has around 9 percent network hardware share, but SegWit still requires the support of 65 percent of miners.

viaBTC refuses to join bandwagon

Unlike F2Pool, viaBTC has publicly reiterated that it will not support Segwit for a number of reasons. viaBTC ranks among the top mining pools in the world and has recently raised $2.91 million to launch a new global bitcoin exchange.

‘Vegas Dave’ pleads not guilty to Social Security misuse charges

Professional sports bettor David Oancea, known to many as “Vegas Dave,” has entered a not guilty plea before a federal court in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The prolific gambler made his federal court appearance to deny the charges that he used fake or different social security numbers on more than 170 large transactions, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

He stood in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Koppe for a few minutes before the Metropolitan Police Department officers took him into their custody. Judge Koppe has scheduled the trial of Oancea’s case on June 20.

In a press statement he posted on twitter, Oancea decried what he described as “dubious criminal charges” that Federal authorities lodged against him. His lawyers, on the other hand, called out the government’s actions as vindictive.

FA Cup semi-final odds review: bookmakers can’t split Chelsea & Spurs

Football fans are in for a treat this weekend as four of the best teams in English football descend on Wembley Stadium for the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the bookmakers are having a difficulty picking a winner.

This weekend, football fans are in for a real treat as four of the best teams in English football battle it out for a place in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.

Man City v Arsenal

Chelsea v Spurs

Playtech-Rank Group agree major casino contract extension

All 54 UK Grosvenor properties to integrate Playtech table and slot management system – only a year on from initial casino management deal

London: April 20, 2017 – The Rank Group, one of the UK’s most established gaming operators, has agreed a significant contract extension with Playtech to include the full integration of its table and slot management systems across its entire 54 land-based UK Grosvenor casino estate.

This agreement further strengthens Playtech’s status as market leaders in delivering the industry’s best-in-class omni-channel gaming solutions and the ultimate gaming experience via its pioneering Playtech ONE suite of software.

Today’s announcement comes just a year on from an initial deal to implement Playtech’s Neon casino management system across the casino estate which has since driven significant revenues for the group.

Becky’s Affiliated: The secrets to Pinnacle’s success with Paris Smith

I’ve always regarded Pinnacle one of the online gambling industry’s strongest operators backed by one of the industry’s most respected leaders.  Put aside the fact Pinnacle’s CEO is a rare female in a C-level position within iGaming, Paris Smith has been successfully leading her organization for over a decade and has rightfully earned the respect of internal and external iGaming professionals alike.

Pinnacle has maintained its position as a powerhouse in online sports betting since its inception in 2004 and is now recognized as the leader in eSports offerings, an area of sports betting Pinnacle has built up since 2010.

Running such a finely oiled machine is quite an accomplishment for Smith and learning what goes on behind the scenes at Pinnacle was the purpose of this interview.  Smith and I have plans to meet in person shortly, so stay tuned for an on-camera follow up conversion coming soon.

Becky Liggero (BL): Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with me today, Paris.  We all recognize Pinnacle as an industry leader in sports betting, how have you managed to maintain one of the best offerings on the market for so many years?

Fitch Ratings projects 12% GGR growth in Macau for 2017

International credit debt watcher Fitch Ratings projects Macau’s gaming revenue to grow 12 percent this year amid the possible monetary tightening and increased real estate restrictions in mainland China.

Fitch issued its latest note just a day after Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau announced that the former Portuguese enclave’s VIP gambling market grew twice as fast as the mass market casino revenue in the first quarter of this year.

Analyst Alex Bumazhny, Senior Director Corporate Finance of Fitch, said they have already taken into account the tougher year-over-year comparisons in the second-half of 2017 and the possibility of China’s implementation of a tight monetary policy in making its projections.

Increased real estate restrictions – which may slow economic growth on the mainland – will also have little effect on Macau’s GGR for this year, according to Fitch.

China warns live-streamers to knock off the gambling

China has gone mad for live streaming but some streamers have earned the ire of the authorities for allegedly conducting illegal gambling.

A report by Chinese consulting company iiMedia Research put the number of China’s live-streaming platform users at over 312m by the end of 2016. There are over 200 live-streaming apps and platforms, even after China imposed new restrictions on their use last year, including requiring all performers to register with the authorities.

Some of China’s more extroverted performers have become online stars, and fans have a variety of ways in which to interact live with the performers, including sending them virtual gifts. And here’s where things get messy.

According to a report in the state-owned English-language China Daily, an online platform called Xingqiu has been hiring young women to host live-streamed guessing competitions and soliciting virtual gifts from viewers who wish to submit guesses.

How long will trading be the heartbeat of betting? Betting on Football takes a look

The trading operation of a betting company is the heartbeat of the operation – at least for now. Marketing has long been eating into its functions, although the emergence of the live betting phenomenon means that the pendulum has swung back the way of trading teams. But for how long?

Betting on Football 2017 (3-5 May) will deliver a comprehensive update on trading and operating within the fast-moving sports betting industry.

Trading & Operations is one of four tracks across the three-day conference at Stamford Bridge, which also includes separate tracks for Leadership, Market Profiles and Marketing & Media.

Starting with a look at the future of the trading floor, and whether traders will ultimately become distinct within fully automated bookmaker operations, the seven-panel agenda also includes a close look at the challenges of live betting data, and how traders are ceding more and more control to punters via promotions such as cash out, edit bet and edit my acca.

Comment on the UK’s snap General Election

In the wake of Brexit, UK business desperately needs security, stability and a clear vision.

Today’s announcement is not going to help to sustain such stability in the short term. However, in the longer term, if decisively won, the General Election would bring Mrs. May a strong mandate to move forwards with her plan to secure the best possible deal for the UK, without distraction.

Britain is, and will continue to remain, the gateway to the rest of the world. It is a stepping stone for Far East businesses like ours seeking to break into and expand within European and American markets. This is why, on deciding where to establish our international headquarters three years ago, the pull of the UK was strong and remains so, despite Brexit.

As a UK-based business with a global remit, we hope the UK government can move forwards quickly to provide the country with a clear direction of travel.

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) provides customized regulator training to Argentina’s Loteria Nacional Sociedad del Estado

LAKEWOOD, NJ (April 2017) – Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) experts traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to perform a series of training sessions for the Loteria Nacional Sociedad del Estado, the gaming regulatory entity for the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The City of Buenos Aires is home of three casinos that are regulated by the Loteria Nacional Sociedad del Estado, and more than 6,000 gaming machines are in operation. The regulatory entity contacted GLI to provide expert and customized training as part of its efforts to continue their strong inspection department personnel’s professional development and skills.

Produced by GLI’s world-renowned education program – GLI University® – the training was tailored to meet the jurisdiction’s specific needs. The Loteria Nacional’s objective in requesting training was to build on its inspectors’ and professionals’ knowledge in order to continue to guarantee regulation compliance in the jurisdiction’s casinos, which, in turn, protects public trust, public order and due taxes.

GLI’s Director of Latin America and Caribbean Government Relations and Business Development Karen Marcela Sierra-Hughes said, “We are grateful to the Loteria Nacional Sociedad del Estado for trusting GLI in this very important effort and for considering the GLI University curriculum as a step in their plans to continue to strive for excellence.

NBA playoff betting: Cavaliers, Spurs seek 3-0 series leads

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs will both be trying to take commanding 3-0 leads as small road favorites in their respective first-round playoff series on Thursday. The Milwaukee Bucks will host the Toronto Raptors as 1.5-point home chalk in the other Game 3 scheduled for Thursday, with that series tied at 1-1.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

In the Eastern Conference, the second-seeded Cavaliers are listed as 2.5-point road favorites for Game 3 versus the seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers, who are 11-2 against the spread in the past 13 meetings despite losing nine of them straight up.

Cleveland beat Indiana 117-111 in Game 2 on Monday but failed to cover as a nine-point home favorite for the second straight time in the series. The over has cashed in each of the first two games of the series as well along with seven of 10 dating back to the regular season. The Cavaliers were just 20-21 SU on the road during the regular season, going 17-24 ATS.

Australia mulls “siren to siren” sports betting TV ad ban

Australian betting operators are potentially facing a “siren to siren” ban on advertising during televised live sporting matches, according to local media reports.

On Wednesday, The Australian reported that Communications Minister Mitch Fifield would present a proposal to cabinet on Tuesday that would prohibit television networks from airing betting ads at any time during a live sports contest. Cabinet is expected to approve the proposal.

A similar prohibition was part of a group of gambling initiatives proposed by Independent Sen. Nick Xenophon but these were rejected by a Senate committee last month on the grounds that the federal government had things under control.

Australian free-to-air broadcasters will reportedly be offered reductions in license fees to help offset the expected loss of advertising revenue, but it’s unknown whether subscription TV services will be offered similar incentives to win their support.

Champions League semi-final review: Monaco march on; Barcelona blank

Ligue 1 leaders Monaco slammed another three passed Dortmund on their way to the semi-finals of the Champions League, and Barcelona drew a blank at home to Juventus to exit in the quarter-finals for the second successive season.

Borussia Dortmund was a dark horse in the race to Cardiff for the final of the Champions League. The German side dominated a group that contained the champions, Real Madrid, scoring a record 21 times, without losing a single game.

They swatted Benfica aside like an irritable fly in the Round of 16, and they were the bookmaker’s favourites to make light work of Monaco in the Quarter-Final.

And then the club’s Champions League hopes were literally blown apart after the team bus heading to the Westfalenstadion for the first leg was struck by three roadside bombs, shattering the windows and fracturing the arm of defender Marc Batra.