Monthly Archives: May 2017

Survey: majority of Massachusetts residents cool to lottery online expansion

If residents of Massachusetts are to be asked whether the state lottery should expand over the internet, majority of them believe that the game shouldn’t be accessed that easily

This was according to the survey conducted by Save Our Neighborhood Coalition, who said that at least 80 percent of the respondents are opposed to the plan of creating online lottery games.

News 22 reported that most of the respondents opposing the online lottery expansion voiced their concern on that minors will possibly gamble illegally; that their banking information being stolen: and gambling addictions becoming worse.

On the other hand, ninety percent are against the plan for people to pay for online lottery games with credit cards or electronic transfers. Between ticket sales, the Plainridge casino, and casinos to come like MGM Springfield, the majority of respondents say the Massachusetts gambling system is already over saturated.

Paradise Co. Q1 net income plunges 92%

Net income of casino operator Paradise Co. Ltd plunged by 92 percent in the first quarter of the year, the third South Korean operator to report a dismal revenue.

Paradise reported before the Korea Exchange that its net income for the first three months of 2017 dropped to KRW1.27 billion (US$1.13 million) from KRW15.76 billion (US$14.07 million) in the same period last year.

Its operating loss in the January to March 2017 period was at KRW7.70 billion (US$6.88 million). Last year, Paradise notches an operating profit of KRW15.34 billion (US$13.7 million).

Earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of Paradise was also in the red, dropping 93.6 percent year-on-year to KRW1.44 billion (US$ 1.29 million) while its total revenue dropped by 9.3 percent year-on-year in the first quarter to about KRW142.4 billion (US$127.18 million), from KRW157 billion (US$ 140.2 million) in the prior-year quarter.

Saint Petersburg will hold a large-scale blockchain event following Moscow, Prague, and Tallinn

On June 22, Saint Petersburg will host Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference. One of the main topics there will be blockchain in the banking sector and legislative regulation of digital currencies.

The event is a part of Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference network – the first and largest network of crypto conferences in Europe. The organizer, Smile-Expo, holds similar events in five countries: Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Sweden.

Among speakers will be representatives of innovation banks, entrepreneurs, authors of blockchain startups, and experts in the field of regulation.

Apart from the main stream, the program will include two separate blocks – a banking session and panel discussion for juridical issues.

New interim CEO named at CT Lottery

A day after Frank Farricker resigned as Connecticut Lottery Corp. board chairman and interim CEO, the lottery’s governing board named a new temporary chief executive to serve until a permanent president/CEO is hired in a month or two at the end of a national search that’s now in progress.Connecticut, Administration, Director

Vermont DFS bill awaits Governor’s signature

Vermont is now just a signature away from becoming the latest state to legalize daily fantasy sports.

Law360 reported that Vermont lawmakers have approved on Friday a bill to regulate daily fantasy sports contest in the Green Mountain state despite the earlier opposition of the Vermont Attorney General’s office.

It would be recalled that Attorney General John Treadwell told legislators that daily fantasy sports violate Vermont’s gambling laws and that the state has very strict, long-standing limitations on gambling.

The state House of Representatives and Senate, however, brushed aside Treadwell’s comments when both chambers reconciled their two versions of the bill last weekend.

UltraPlay has been shortlisted in EGR B2B Awards 2017

The leading esports betting solutions provider UltraPlay has been recognized as one of the most trusted and advanced white label partners, as recently shortlisted in EGR B2B Awards 2017.

Dariy Margaritov, CEO of UltraPlay commented: “We strongly believe in the capacity of our offering with a scalable, multi-tier architecture which supports high-volume, high-traffic operators and facilitates their strategic development on the market.”

EGR B2B Awards traditionally distinguish and celebrate the very best service providers in the online gaming industry, recognizing the achievements of suppliers from across all the major egaming disciplines.

The winners will be announced on the evening of Tuesday 6 June 2017 at The Hurlingham Club in London.

The Grand Ho Tram strip takes out luxury Golf Hotel of the year

Ho Tram, May 2017:  The Grand Ho Tram Strip today announced that it has taken out the prestigious Golf Hotel of the Year Award in the 2017 Luxury Travel Awards, taking up yet another spot in the resort’s already-crowded trophy cabinet.

“It is an honor to bring this award home to The Grand Ho Tram Strip”, said Mr. Michael Kelly, Executive Chairman of The Grand Ho Tram Strip, “The Luxury Travel Guide Awards represents the pinnacle of travel and tourism achievement, championing the best in their respective fields; therefore to come out on top is truly an achievement we all should be proud of. Achieving this award is concrete proof that our guests & industry professionals have the highest appreciation and regard for the impeccable service quality we deliver to guests and golfers at the Ho Tram Strip.”

The prestigious Luxury Travel Guide Awards is organized by The Luxury Travel Guide – an exclusive resource for the affluent traveler. The Luxury Travel Guide provides readers with an objective look over holiday destinations, hotels, spas, entertainment, technology and more. Its team of experts have scoured the globe and travelled extensively in order to identify the very best hotels, airlines and tour and recognize excellence in these fields in the annual awards.

In 2016, the Vietnam’s only truly integrated resort has brought home the World Luxury Hotel Awards’ “Luxury Beach Resort” title, and the World Golf Awards’ “Vietnam’s Best Golf Hotel”, “Asia’s Best Golf Hotel”, and “Vietnam’s Best Golf Course”. The new accolades need to find space among the slew of awards already heralded upon The Grand and The Bluffs in recent years. These include: Luxury Hotel and Spa of the Year by Luxury Travel Guide Awards, UK; and Best Luxury Hotel Vietnam 2015 by Business Destination UK; World Luxury Hotel Award 2015; Luxury Coastal Resort and Luxury Casino Hotel Asia by World Luxury Hotel Award; Vietnam’s Best Golf Hotel 2015 by World Golf Awards.

Acting US solicitor general told: Back New Jersey’s sports betting bid

Saying that the case is more than just a gambler’s issue, New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone has called on the acting US solicitor general to support their bid against a federal law that blocks most states from authorizing sports betting.

Pallone, in his 14-page letter to acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, insisted that their petition in general challenges the power of Congress to compel any state under the anti-commandeering doctrine, which is bound up in the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The challenge posed by New Jersey against the 25-year-old Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which prohibits state from allowing sports betting, is merely secondary, according to Pallone.  The Democratic lawmaker further lamented in his letter that sports leagues tried to make the case turn on the balance between federal and state law.

Five states — Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia and Wisconsin — have already thrown their support behind New Jersey. West Virginia plans to follow NJ’s sports betting legislation if the state becomes successful in it is bid.

Bodog to sponsor the H2 Poker Club, Sao Paulo

Bodog, one of the biggest names in online betting and gaming have recently launched in Brazil. Bodog, famous in the online poker world for their unique product offering, have made a first poker signing of their campaign and are to sponsor Brazil’s largest poker club, The H2.

Bodog Poker have launched a media campaign but also wanted an actual presence on the ground and the H2 was an easy choice as PR Director Ed Pownall explains:

“We don’t want Bodog to be remote from its Brazilian customers and so we wanted to have a place where players can come a get the real Bodog experience and the H2 is the perfect fit. We are currently building the Bodog Lounge and over the Summer we’ll start hosting some fun tournaments with all the bells and whistles that we are famous for; models, celebrities, drinks and, of course, a party.”

Luana Bran, marketing coordinator for H2 Club, also celebrated the

Just For The Win (JFTW) set to release their first ever game, Goldwyn’s Fairies, to Microgaming and Quickfire operators

The 5-reel, 3-row slot machine, Goldwyn’s™ Fairies, is a unique and captivating gaming experience featuring Free Spins, Re-spins and Wild Substitutions.  The game’s Returning Wilds feature, found in the base game and free spins round, has been designed to leave the player in suspense.

Players visiting the enchanted forest will be on the lookout for sparkling gems and the Four Fairies of the Seasons: Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall.  When the Fairy Queen Goldwyn arrives to play, players are rewarded as she activates Re-spins and leaves an enchanted Returning Wild whenever she makes an appearance.

The game is going live on Wednesday 17 May 2017, available to both Microgaming and Quickfire operators; a distribution network of over 600 online gaming brands.

Tiger Holmgren, Chief Product Officer at JFTW, comments “This is the first chapter in the history of Just For The Win. We are very proud to release Goldwyn’s™ Fairies as our first ever game. The stunning graphics makes the forest come to life and the Returning Wild Feature in Free Spins and Re-spins creates excitement and a high-quality experience for the player. We look forward to making a long-term impact with high-quality video slot machines starting with Goldwyn’s™ Fairies.”

G2E Asia 2017 day 1 recap

It’s the biggest gaming event in Asia and we won’t let you miss it! CalvinAyre.com is at G2E Asia 2017 in Macau and here are the highlights of the first day of the event.

Loading the player…

jwplayer(‘camediasplayer-332049’).setup({

file: “http://30.cdn.bit2host.eu/videos/g2e-asia-2017-day-1-recap-video.m4v”,

Asia Gaming Awards 2017 winners announced

(May 2017 – MACAU): AGB today announced the winners of Asia Gaming Awards 2017, recognizing achievements from Asia’s leading land-based operators, suppliers and entrepreneurs.

Held at the Parisian Macao on Tuesday, each of the 12 winners on the night took home a magnificently crafted award, moulded into the shape of a dragon – a symbol of strength and good fortune.

Each of the category winners on the night were selected through a voting process by the industry, as well as input from the Judging Panel and members of the Organizing Committee. The awards were presented in three different categories:

● Land-based categories, recognizing the best operators and properties in the land-based casino industry.

Second Spin and Go millionaire crowned from just $10 stake

‘meks2410’ takes home million dollar prize as part of PokerStars Makes Millionaires

ONCHAN, Isle of Man – May 2017 – Another PokerStars player has become a millionaire after playing a Spin & Go for just $10 as part of the PokerStars Makes Millionaires promotion. ‘meks2410’ won the huge jackpot after hitting a full house in the $1 million Spin and Go tournament at PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand.

The player is the latest millionaire to be made in the journey to create 10 millionaires between April and June in the PokerStars Makes Millionaires promotion and follows on from ‘Check^On123’ who became a millionaire via a $100 Spin and Go last week . ‘meks2410’ beat fellow players ‘yreg’ and ‘gambarinasai’ to the million dollar prize in six minutes with both runners-up banking $100,000 in winnings.

Spin & Go tournaments are fast-paced, 3-max Hyper Turbo tournaments that start with 500 chip stacks. Each tournament has a randomly drawn prize pool that awards between two and 10,000 times your buy-in. PokerStars offer Spin & Go tournaments in Texas Hold’em and Omaha formats at a variety of buy-in levels between $0.25 and $100.

2017 World Series odds update: Cubs lead, Astros second

Despite a slow start, the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs remain +500 favorites to repeat this year according to oddsmakers. The Cubs have sputtered to a disappointing 18-19 start through the first six weeks of the season, putting them in fourth place in the National League Central. Chicago is 5-8 in May.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Many believe the Cubs will get back on track and still win the division, as they are currently looking for another starting pitcher to add to their rotation. The struggles of former ace Jake Arrieta (4-3, 5.44 ERA) and aging veteran John Lackey (3-3, 4.29) are real, and Chicago will likely need to add another arm to win the NL Central this year.

In the American League, the Houston Astros have proved to be the real deal up until this point of the season with baseball’s best record at 27-12. The Astros are the +650 second choice to win the World Series right now and are tied with the defending AL champion Cleveland Indians at +350 to win the pennant.

UK ad watchdog reverses ban on Ladbrokes’ Iron Man promo

UK bookmakers Ladbrokes have somehow convinced the country’s advertising watchdog that they goofed by banning an Iron Man-themed promo last year.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued a ruling overturning its August 24, 2016 ruling that upheld a complaint about a Ladbrokes email to customers in May of that year. The email featured an image of Marvel comics’ Iron Man character and a welcome offer of free spins at Lads’ casino site.

The ASA originally found that Ladbrokes has breached the CAP Code requirement that gambling ads not be designed to be of particular appeal to kids, especially by incorporating popular youth culture themes.

Ladbrokes protested that Facebook demographics indicated that just 6.4% of the Marvel brand’s fan base was under 18 years of age. Furthermore, Lads’ promo was sent only to registered customers or consumers who’d been validated as having achieved the age of majority.

Live MTT Round Up: Party set Canadian record & 9-way chop at 888Live

A quick an easy round-up of the live tournament action around the globe including a new live tournament record in Canada; wins for Matt Salsberg and Rob Wazwaz, and a nine-handed chop in the opening event of the 888Live Barcelona festival.

Partypoker has broken new ground after hosting an event with the largest prize pool in the history of Canadian live poker. The partypoker MILLION North America Main Event and the Playground Poker Club’s Spring Poker Classic created a CA$5,709,750 prize pool, $709,750 more than the promoted CA$5m Guarantee.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) held the previous record set at CA$5,133,335 during the 2007 WPT North American Poker Championship. Partypoker and the Playground Poker Club has beaten that record by CA$576,415.

One record that still belongs to the WPT is the highest payout handed to an individual player for a tournament held on Canadian soil. Scott Clement’s CA$1,456,585 beating the CA$956,000 earned by Jean-Pascal Savard in the MILLION Main Event by half a million Canadian bucks.

Media Invitation: Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) 2017 @ Venetian Macao

Mr. Paulo Martins Chan, Director of Macao Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) will present Keynote Address: Integrated Resort Operations and Marketing

Dr. Wilfred Wong, President of Sands China Ltd will be the panelist of Executive Roundtable: Content and Amenities for the Mass Market

Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia) 2017, the premier gaming and entertainment exhibition and conference in Asia, is held today till 18 May, 2017 at the Venetian Macao. Co-organized by American Gaming Association (AGA) and Reed Exhibitions, G2E Asia in 2016 gained tremendous support from the government, regulatory authorities, operators and associations, hence becoming the best platform for communication, trade and education in Asian gaming and entertainment industry. The 2017 edition presents yet another exciting line-up of onsite events, setting the stage for unrivaled networking and learning opportunities.

On G2E Asia 2017 Day 2, Dr. Wilfred Wong, President of Sands China Ltd will be the conference panelist of Executive Roundtable of “Gaming Operation and Technology” while Mr. Paulo Martins Chan, Director of Macao Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) will present the Keynote Address featuring “Integrated Resort Operations and Marketing”.

3: Barrels: PokerStars partner Genting; Negreanu sells action; SCOOP news

3: Barrels of a PokerStars flavour including a new partnership with Genting Casinos UK, Daniel Negreanu sells 5% of his Super High Roller Bowl action to the luckiest person in the world, and a quick nosey of the latest action at the Spring Championship of Online Poker.

When I was a kid growing up in Manchester, England, the hardest kid in school was called The Cock. Later, when I moved to Ogmore Valley, Wales, you were called The Cock for an entirely different reason.

The Cock didn’t have many friends, usually two sidekicks – no more. And when you carry the moniker of the largest online poker room in the world I imagine the same rings true.

But to their credit, PokerStars are starting to make friends in the playground. A few weeks back they partnered with The World Poker Tour (WPT) in a bid to increase attendances at their PokerStars Championships in Europe, and today they announced a partnership with Genting Casinos UK.

PokerStars revert to 15% live payouts; Garry Gates new player go to guy

PokerStars has appointed Garry Gates to the position of Senior Consultant of Player Affairs, and he has gotten to work immediately by changing the payout structure from 20% to 15% at PokerStars live events.

PokerStars has backtracked on their decision to move to a payout structure that pays 20% of the field preferring a return to the old model of 15%.

You won’t find the announcement on Twitter, nor Facebook, nor in the form of a personal note dropped into your email. I discovered the news after reading a blog post from Garry Gates talking about his appointment to the position of Senior Consultant of Player Affairs for PokerStars Live.

In the post, found on the PokerStars Corporate Blog, Gates talks about receiving assurances from the company’s top brass that he would have the necessary resources and support to carry out these duties authentically.