Monthly Archives: May 2017

Indiana casinos blame VGTs for poor April revenues

The numbers are down for most Indiana casinos in April and operators has one thing to blame for a lackluster month: video gaming terminals (VGTs).

The Chicago Tribune reported that Northwest Indiana casino revenues sank by 6.9 percent to $80.79 million in April from $86.3 million they raked in during the same period last year.

According to the Indiana Gaming Commission, all but Majestic Star I saw a drop in their revenue.

Majestic Star raked in $8.65 million casino revenues last month compared with $8.55 million in April 2016.

BetStars deliver £50,000 to postman who bet £10 on Chelsea to win league

PokerStars sports betting arm, BetStars, made one Sunderland fan happy this season when they granted Ben Scott 5,000-1 odds on his £10 bet that Chelsea would win the Premier League.

As a lifelong Manchester United fan, I never placed any money on them winning the Premier League because their odds were always too short. I am not a sure thing type of guy. I’m more of a long shot specialist.

At the start of the 2013-14 season, I decided to change my mind. Looking at the stats, I realised in the past 22-years my beloved Red Devils had ended the season outside of the top two on three occasions, so I lumped on them to do just that.

They finished seventh.

Betradar rolls out Digital Sports Tech player props

Betradar have put pen to paper and partnered with Digital Sports Tech on an agreement that will see the leading solutions provider to the sports betting industry provide an exciting range of player proposition betting markets (“Player Props”) to operators across the world.

Player performance betting — which is an almost untapped segment of the sports betting landscape — allows operators to offer customers hundreds of additional markets as all initial odds, odds updates and full resulting is delivered by Betradar via their usual XML feed format.

Betradar will offer Player Props on four European football competitions including the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, as well as the NFL, NBA, MLB and AFL.

Some examples of markets that operators will be able to offer their customers include:

Videoslots enjoy successful Women in Gaming Awards

Sini Rantala wins Hidden Talent of the Year at lavish awards ceremony

16th May, 2017 – Award-winning online casino Videoslots.com has scooped an award at The Women in Gaming Awards 2017, with Sini Rantala winning ‘Hidden Talent of the Year’.

The Finnish Content Writer was presented with the prestigious title at a ceremony held at the Savoy Hotel, London, on 12th May, 2017.

Rantala was initially nominated by Videoslots due to her impeccable working manner, in which she excels in her role of creating content relevant to Finnish customers. Her professionalism and creativity in translating and appropriating foreign content into Finnish with local nuance was highly-regarded by the judging panel.

Turmoil: Connecticut Lottery interim CEO quits

The Connecticut Lottery Corp.’s board chairman and interim CEO resigned from both positions Monday after drawing heavy criticism during a legislative inquiry into lottery officials’ handling of the fraud-plagued 5 Card Cash lottery game.Connecticut, Administration, Canceled Lottery Game, Scandal, Poker, Fraud, Resignation, Crime, Director

Political turmoil in South Korea drags Kangwon Land’s Q1 net income

The political heat in South Korea during the first quarter of the year proved to be too hot to handle as far as casino operator Kangwon Land Inc. is concerned.

Kangwon Land, the only one of South Korea’s 17 casinos that had been legally allowed to cater to local residents, saw its net income tumble by 9.1 percent in the first three months of the year due to an internal political crisis that scared tourists from flying in the country.

In a filing before the Korean Stock Exchange, Kangwon Land announced that its first quarter income dropped to KRW129.79 billion (US$116.0 million) compared to KRW142.81 billion (US$127.85 million) in the prior-year period.

The casino’s total sales for January to March 31, 2017 was down 3.1 percent to KRW422.97 billion (US$378.67 million) compared to the previous year while its quarterly operating income also dropped 8.7 percent to KRW162.41 billion (US$ 145.4 million) from KRW177.88 billion (US$159.25 million) a year earlier.

Strong VIP segment lifts Bloomberry Q1 net profit

Philippine casino operator Bloomberry Resorts Corp.’s net profit jumped to PHP2.15 billion (US$43.27 million) in the first quarter on the back of a record VIP volume.

Bloomberry announced that the company managed to reverse the PHP1.16 billion (US$23.35 million) net loss it incurred in the same period last year, thanks to a robust gross gaming revenue, which grew 39.7 percent to PHP10.66 billion (US$214.6 million) in January to March 31, 2017 period.

The operator of Solaire Resort & Casino and Jeju Sun Hotel and Casino said in a regulatory filing before the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday that its revenues from the VIP segment grew 60 percent to PHP5.13 billion (US$103.25 million) during the first three quarters of the year.

Mass tables and slots machines remain vibrant, according to Bloomberry, as both grew 27.1% and 22.4% to PHP2.77 billion (US$55.8 million) and PHP2.75 billion (US$55.3 million), respectively. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), meanwhile, grew 161% to P3.157 billion (US$63.54 million).

Klas Winberg (Catena Media) is set to join the Affiliate panel at Prague Gaming Summit

May 2017 – Prague – The organizers of Prague Gaming Summit are honored to announce that Klas Winberg (CCO at Catena Media)is going to join the “Affiliates in regulated markets” panel as a keynote speaker at the inaugural Prague Gaming Summit, held between between  8-9 June, 2017 in Prague at the Andel’s by Vienna House Prague.

The “Affiliates in regulated markets” panel is scheduled to take its course between 2:45 – 3:45 PM (Prague local time) and will be moderated by Tal Itzhak Ron(Tal Ron, Drihem and Co. Law Firm).

For the first time ever, we are planning an exclusively dedicated panel for the affiliate industry. The guest speakers of the panel will discuss the positive and negative aspects of having 2nd tier licenses present for affiliates in some newly regulated emerging markets.

Klas Winberg

Thomas Willomitzer (‎Founder and CEO at Snapscreen.com, Co-founder of Last.fm) to speak at Prague Gaming Summit

May 2017 – Prague – The organizers of Prague Gaming Summit have released a second press release today where they announce the continuation of the Innovation Talks series.

From suppliers to operators, in every sector, companies sooner or later declare themselves ‘innovative players’. This is sad but true, however, ‘innovation’ too often becomes a catchphrase devoid of meaning.

Prague Gaming Summit will host the 3rd chapter of the Innovation Talks, a series of panels organized by EEGEvents which has started in 2017 at VIGE 2017 and continues to bring new information to the ears and eyes of the delegates with top products and trends being explained by globally recognized brands.

By attending the panel you will surely find the core meaning of the word innovation.

Ronald McDonald turns WSOPC title into a happy meal; Noori charity turn

Poker player turned fast food aficionado Mike Noori turns a stupid prop bet into a charitable endeavour, and Ronald McDonald wins a World Series of Poker bracelet.

One of the most challenging aspects of writing about poker for a living is finding something to write about. But these past few weeks have been insane with more stories than Hans Christian Andersen.

Amaya Gaming decided to change their name to The Stars Group, the World Poker Tour (WPT) unleashed plans to wander into India and Uruguay, and Kevin Hart signed up to compete in the $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl.

Alex Dreyfus announced plans to create the Gaming Player Index, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) created a controversial rule change, and PKR shut down leaving players in a cave.

Giveaway: Two tickets to RGW Moscow from Slotegrator

The company Slotegrator, a leading distributor of iGaming content for online casinos announced about its participation in a renowned expo-forum Russian Gaming Week. The said event will be held in Moscow on June 7-8.

RGW traditionally calls upon providers, distributors and operators working in the iGaming industry. The leading experts of this field will share more about effective ways of obtaining sustainable earnings from this very type of business.

Right before this significant event Slotegrator announces a draw for two tickets to RGW Moscow. In order to take part in a giveaway fill in a registration form on the official webpage of the company. The winner is going to be announced on May 19.

Follow Slotegrator’s news and stay informed about the recent events of the iGaming industry!

Postman Ben wins £50k with Betstars as Chelsea deliver Premier League win

Ben received enhanced odds of 5,000-1 and “life-changing” sum will buy house for him and partner Laura

ONCHAN, Isle of Man – May 2017 – UK postman Ben Scott, 26, of Roker, Sunderland, has won a “life-changing” £50,000 after odds on his £10 bet for Chelsea to win the Premier League title were enhanced to 5000-1 by online betting site BetStars, an Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand.

“I can’t really believe I’ve won £50,000 with BetStars,” Ben said. “It hasn’t sunk in at all yet. The first thing I plan to do is take my family for a nice meal. A steakhouse or something like that. Then we plan to buy a house.”

The Sunderland fan said the huge prize will be a “life-changing” amount of money for him and his partner Laura, who is a nursery nurse.

FUN88 announced as the new shirt sponsor of Newcastle United FC

Online gaming company agrees 3-year partnership upon return to the English Premier League

LONDON, ENGLAND (May 2017) – FUN88 is delighted to announce a three-year partnership with Newcastle United as the Magpies’ official shirt partner in the Club’s first season back in the Premier League following their Championship title win.

FUN88’s logo will be featured across the club’s famous black and white striped shirt in what will be a historic year, as Newcastle United celebrate their 125th Anniversary. The brand will be given access to advertise within St. James’ Park stadium at the Club’s home matches and across online and social media channels in the UK and internationally.

Working together with Newcastle United, FUN88 will be given a chance to build strong relationships with the ‘Toon Army’ fans in Newcastle and globally. In celebration of signing the partnership, Newcastle United will be launching three new social media channels in Asia – WeChat, Weibo & Dongqiudi – targeting the Premier League’s biggest international fanbase in China with all the latest club news and exclusive content.

Red Bull may not really give you wings, but it could give you balls

Young men who think they’ve got artificial stimulants in their cocktails take greater risks than those who think otherwise, so you more predatory casino operators out there should start slapping Starbucks logos on your bar glasses ASAP.

A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology sought to determine why the consumption of alcoholic beverages mixed with energy drinks like Red Bull is associated with higher rates of car accidents, sexual assaults and other sketchy behavior. The study, conducted by researchers in Canada, France and the United States, is subtitled “Placebo Effects of Marketing Labels on Perceived Intoxication and Risky Attitudes and Behaviors.”

It worked like this: 154 heterosexual male social drinkers with similar body mass were given identical cocktails consisting of vodka, Red Bull and fruit juice. Some of the group’s drinks featured labels reading ‘Vodka cocktail,’ others read ‘Vodka-Red Bull cocktail’ while the final group’s drinks just said ‘Exotic fruits cocktail.’ But everyone understood there was hooch in their glass.

After a pause to allow the booze to kick in, the participants undertook a series of tasks on a computer, including viewing photos of young women, after which the men were asked whether they’d attempt to chat up each woman and what type of reaction the men expected from each woman.

Hard Rock International and Rideau Carleton Raceway announce Hard Rock Casino Ottawa

Orlando, FL – May 2017 – Following a competitive procurement process, “HR Ottawa, LP,” which will be known as Hard Rock Casino Ottawa, announces it has been selected by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) to be the service provider for the Ottawa Area Gaming Bundle 1, transitioning the existing structure and operations into Hard Rock Casino Ottawa. The Hard Rock Casino Ottawa partnership consists of HR LP Investor Inc. (owned by Hard Rock International) and RCR Investor Inc. (owned by Rideau Carleton Raceway Holdings Limited). Pending required approvals, Hard Rock International and RCR plan to potentially invest more than $320 million during a multi-phase construction process to ultimately create an electrifying,

integrated entertainment destination incorporating thrilling nightlife, world-class gaming, decadent cuisine and the heart of the Hard Rock brand, music.

Working in close collaboration with OLG, HR Ottawa, LP will enter a transfer period to allow for a transition of current day-to-day operations, resulting in a seamless evolution of the property. Additionally, HR Ottawa, LP will be a key proponent of responsible gaming, integrating leading educational tools and resources to help guests keep gambling safe and fun, and to provide assistance and referrals for those in need of support.

“We’re thrilled to have been chosen by OLG to create Hard Rock Casino Ottawa,” said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International. “This is a crucial first step towards a larger strategic vision of our world-class brand’s expansion efforts in Ontario and throughout Canada. We are honored to partner with RCR, a reputable and longstanding member of the Ottawa community, and look forward to working with both the RCR and OLG team members through the transition and beyond.”

Poker Central acquires WSOP TV & digital media rights; Nukes Nov Nine

The World Series of Poker and Poker Central has entered into a partnership for the next four years that includes live coverage of the Main Event from Day 1 and the abolition of the November Nine concept.

For the past eight years, the decision by the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to create the November Nine has divided opinion, until today.

Poker Central, the ultimate poker lifestyle destination, has acquired the global television and digital media rights to the WSOP coverage for the next four years. At the same time, they have also brokered a deal with ESPN to provide live coverage (30-minute delay) of the WSOP Main Event from Day 1 through to the winner’s photo.

The WSOP Main Event will run July 8 – 17, with a two-day break for the final nine players July 18 & 19 so they can assemble their rail and allow Poker Central, ESPN and the WSOP to give the finale a final shot of marketing muscle.

King’s Casino enter esports business with Kings Poker Gamers Contest

The King’s Casino is dipping their toes into the jacuzzi like waters of the esports industry after announcing plans to hold a two-day poker event for esports athletes past and present called the King’s Poker Gamers Contest.

The video game industry is worth $108 billion. The poker industry comes in at $2 billion.

$108 billion.

$2 billion.

SIS eyes international push with new Sales Director

May 2017 – SIS, a leading supplier to the retail and online betting industry, has appointed Sandra McWilliams as its new Sales Director.

The move supports the company’s on-going efforts to further drive its offer internationally, as well as expanding its customer base in the UK and Ireland.

McWilliams has over 15 years’ experience in various sales roles, most recently as Director of Sales with payment firm Equiniti.

She has previously worked in the online gambling industry, having enjoyed a four-year spell as Sales Director at Experian, providing data and security services to online operators.