Monthly Archives: June 2017

China freezes 1,000 Myanmar bank accounts linked to gambling

More than 1,000 bank accounts belonging to Myanmar traders have been frozen by Chinese authorities as part of an ongoing gambling probe in the Yunnan province.

Myanmar media outlets reported three banks based in the Yunnan province suspended the bank accounts last week. The bank accounts, which have estimated deposits of K40 billion (US$27.2 million), belong to 100 Myanmar merchants, who export rice and other food products to China through the border town of Muse in the eastern Shan state, according to reports.

Chinese trade officials were quoted by The Myanmar Times saying the Agricultural Bank of China in the Yunnan province has frozen a total of 5,000 bank accounts during the eight-month investigation into online gambling. The accounts were linked to online gambling, illegal transfers, illegal deposits and drawings in three Chinese provinces, and the Myanmar accounts were among 349 accounts closed in Ruili, according to the report.

U Yan Naing Tun, director general of the Directorate of Trade in China, said the bank accounts belonging to Myanmar traders would be reviewed and would be reopened “if not connected to online gambling.”

Esports Ad Bureau announces agenda for exclusive brand briefing at eSCon USA

The Esports Ad Bureau will present the third instalment of their “Brand Integrations and the U.S Esports Audience” research exclusively at eSCon USA 2017 during the brand boardroom briefing.

Kisaco Research have revealed that the Esports Ad Bureau will be hosting the exclusive brand briefing at this year’s eSCon USA.

The two-hour briefing will provide brands and their agencies the first opportunity to see the findings from “Brand Integrations and the U.S Esports Audience” – the final phase of the 2017 Esports Ad Bureau’s baseline study, which focuses on U.S. consumer engagement across the esports industry.

The interactive discussion will include an in-depth exploration of successful sponsor activations, and will include specific examples from brands that have worked with Esports Ad Bureau Members.

Macau’s VIP gambling to fizzle in H2, analysts predict

Looks like the party will soon be over even before things heat up in Macau.

Analysts are bracing themselves for a slower VIP gambling in Macau in the following months as the Chinese economy cools down.

Japanese credit debt watcher Nomura sounded alarm bells that Macau’s VIP gambling may be heading for a slowdown in the remaining six months of the year as China’s total social financing dropped 24 percent in May to RMB 1.06 trillion (US$155.2 billion).

The Chinese government uses the total social financing as an economic barometer while most brokerages consider it as a proxy for the performance of the Macau VIP gambling segment.

New York begins inspecting bitcoin start-ups

Financial regulators in New York have started going over the operations of digital currency companies in the state.

The inspections are part of the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) digital currency licensing regime. If you recall, New York started requiring virtual currency companies in the state in June 2015—shortly after the collapse of Japan-based Mt. Gox—to apply for a BitLicense before offering services related to digital currency, including holding customer funds and exchanging virtual money for dollars and other regular currencies.

In its recent annual report, the NYDFS stressed the importance of continuous oversight in the industry to keep up with the “speed of transactions” enabled by the blockchain technology. As such, the finance department revealed that it has begun inspecting the operations of digital currency start-ups, which “are subject to periodic examinations by DFS.”

“These technologies create risks to the extent that existing regulatory requirements are bypassed, or regulatory requirements do not keep up with the speed of transactions,” the NYDFS said, noting that “Easier facilitation of payments and anonymous movements of funds can be dangerous without the compliance and oversight designed to safeguard consumers, and to prevent money laundering and funding illegal activities.”

iGaming Executive Conference to explore future of industry disruption

21st June, 2017 (London) – This year’s iGaming Executive Conference, part of the 2017 iGaming Super Show, will see C-level executives gather to discuss how to break the mould in the fast-growing igaming space.

The event, which is the most exclusive and senior in the igaming industry, takes place on Wednesday 12th July and Thursday 13th July and includes private networking and iconic speakers from around the world focusing on this year’s theme of industry disruption.

Speakers include Lottoland CEO Nigel Birrell, Facebook Head of Real Money Gaming & Social Casino for EMEA Finbarr O’Mahony, IBM Watson Evangelist Jeremy Waite, Gamevy Chief Commercial Officer Helen Walton, Deutsche Bank Managing Director Andrew Zarnett, The Myndset Company Founder and President Minter Dial, Betspawn CEO and Co-Founder Vidar Duvnäs, Kindred Futures Head William Mace, and OpenMarket Chief Evangelist Oisin Lunny.

The conference features a thinking agenda, designed specifically around disruption. The event will inspire and entertain delegates by bringing the best speakers to talk in a private environment, facilitating learning and networking with peers.

NetEnt sparkles with launch of low poly graphic title Butterfly Staxx

NetEnt, the leading provider of digital gaming solutions, brings to life the bright world of tropical flowers and fluttering butterflies with its latest game, Butterfly Staxx™.

Created in a modern and stylish low poly design, the 5-reel, 4-row, 40-fixed line video slot is set in a paradise of glittering wings and breathtaking flora, which immerses players in a kaleidoscope of colour.

Butterfly Staxx is filled with a range of exciting gameplay highlights, including wild substitutions, re-spins and butterfly spins, which incorporates the popular SuperStaxx™ feature also seen on NetEnt’s successful 80s retro title Neon Staxx™.

Simon Hammon, Chief Product Officer of NetEnt, said: “The release of Butterfly Staxx builds on a series of fantastic NetEnt game launches in 2017.

WSOP Review: James Moore sees through souls in back-to-back title wins

In what must rank as one of the most alluring narratives in recent World Series of Poker times, James Moore successfully defends his title in the $1,000 Super Seniors event.

As a radiologist, James Moore has seen the bones of thousands of people, but when it comes to the World Series of Poker (WSOP), it seems he can see through to people’s souls.

One of the beautiful narratives of the WSOP played out in the Super Seniors event as Moore successfully defended his title to become a two-time bracelet winner, overcoming a field of 1,720 entrants, 16.53% bigger than the field he sent to the incinerators in 2016.

Speaking to the WSOP crew, eyes narrowing like a satisfied cat, Moore explained how he had put some concerted effort into improving his game since his 2016 win, and the evidence is there to see.

CEEGC2017 Budapest announces NetEnt as main stage sponsor

21st of June, 2017 – Budapest: Following the great success of the newly enabled sponsorship package which the organizers have set up for Prague Gaming Summit, the team at NetEnt have decided to support CEEGC Budapest with the same sponsor status.

The team behind EEGEvents is honored to announce that NetEnt will be the official Main Stage Sponsor during the 2nd edition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference and Awards.

About NetEnt

NetEnt is a leading digital entertainment company, providing premium gaming solutions to the world’s most successful online casino operators. Since its inception in 1996, NetEnt has been a true pioneer in driving the market with thrilling games powered by a cutting-edge platform. NetEnt is committed to helping customers stay ahead of the competition, is listed on NASDAQ Stockholm (NET–B) and employs almost 1000 people in Stockholm, Malta, Kiev, Krakow, Gothenburg, Gibraltar and New Jersey.

Sudhir Kale: Operators should dig deeper into data

In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Stephanie Raquel, Sudhir Kale of GamePlan Consultants explains how gaming operators can improve data collection in order to drive customer experience.

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ONE Championship holds inaugural event in Surabaya, Indonesia with ONE: Conquest of kings

KAIRAT AKHMETOV RETURNS TO FACE ADRIANO MORAES IN FLYWEIGHT TITLE UNIFICATION

21 June 2017 – Surabaya, Indonesia:The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced its inaugural event in Surabaya, Indonesia which is set to take place 29 July at the GOR Kertajaya Arena. The capital of East Java will play host to ONE: CONQUEST OF KINGS, featuring the absolute best in world-class martial arts talent. In the main event, Kairat Akhmetov will face Adriano Moraes to crown the undisputed ONE Flyweight World Champion.

Ticket information for ONE: CONQUEST OF KINGS is available at www.onefc.com

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “There is always a tremendous atmosphere and excitement when ONE Championship visits Indonesia, and it is a delight to finally announce our first event for fans in Surabaya. We’re coming at you live and ready to showcase the world’s most authentic display of martial arts. We have a thrilling main event planned, with ONE Flyweight World Champion Kairat Akhmetov facing Interim Champion Adriano Moraes, in a rematch of their first encounter to crown the undisputed king of the division.”

The new gaming segment at the Belgrade Future Gaming 2017

The sophisticated and very successfully elaborated gaming system on the VLT tablets– MLT one™ platform, has became the most discussed project at this year’s Belgrade exhibition grounds.

The MLT exposition has significantly differed from the others …. After a long period of time a product has arrived, which fits into the unchanged operation concept of dozens of years of land-based gaming.

A fresh impression from the entire Multiloteri exposition has been tastefully complemented by the colour and scale of the MLT one™ model lines, which together with the gaming bars in the shape of the product logo, created a harmonic whole.

Not only workshop processing of all the MLT one™ components gathered admiration, but especially the sophistication of the entire gaming system, crowned with the VLT tablets location functionality, which has been reliably capable to detect the state, motion and position of all the MLT one™  tablets in the area of exhibition grounds.

More ways to win ‘What You Want’ with GalaCasino.com

GalaCasino.com, the UK’s leading online casino brand, has launched its latest headline promotions as it continues to give consumers ‘what you want.’

Allowing its customers to enjoy the excitement of playing live casino games from the comfort of their own home, GalaCasino.com’s June promotions aim to reward regular players, and will include:

Jackpot June

Summertime fun is on the way at GalaCasino.com, as the online casino launches its latest Jackpot June promotion, giving away £10,000 over four weeks!

Online gamer scoops £1.3m jackpot from a 25P stake

A 47-year-old woman from Milton Keynes couldn’t believe her luck when she bet just 25p on an online game and netted herself the £1.3m jackpot.

Online gaming company bgo has revealed that Angela New won the staggering prize on her favourite game, Gladiator, based on the Ridley Scott movie of the same name. A busy working mum of two children aged, Angela would normally be getting her kids ready for school in the morning, but during the half term holidays Angela had a moment of downtime and decided to log onto her bgo account while her children and husband were still asleep.

As soon as she hit the multi-million-pound prize Angela ran upstairs screaming, waking up her husband who had been on a night shift from his job as a long-distance lorry driver. “I saw the amount and felt like I was in a dream,” she said. “I just felt sick and didn’t know what to do with myself. It’s just completely amazing and will change everything for us – we can pay off the mortgage, clear all of our bills and even give up work for a bit.”

Allan Turner, Head of Marketing at bgo comments: “We’ve had some fantastic wins on bgo in the past few months totaling a staggering £250m and we’re really pleased for Angela and her family – what a result! It shows that even by placing small bets you can win really big on your favourite games, whatever the odds!”

Day 3 recap and the final 8 players of the APT Main Event

Macau, China, June 2017 – We knew it would be a quick Day 3 at the APT Main Event with only 20 players remaining and two places to the money. And we weren’t wrong. In just two 60-minute rounds, the Final 8 was determined with Germany’s Kilian Loeffler sitting on top backed by 1,163,000 in chips.

Main Event Final 8 Chip Leader, Kilian Loeffler

The APT Main Event began three days ago at the Macau Billionaire Poker room in Babylon Casino with 118 players ponying up the HKD 19,800 entry fee. This generated a plump prize pool of HKD 2,039,000 with 18 players ultimately getting a cut.

Day 3 Main Event recap

2017 NBA Draft: Betting props roundup and analysis

College freshmen could be selected with each of the first 10 picks in the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday – if not more. The Over/Under on freshmen being picked in the first round is listed at 16.5, and the early part of the draft will likely determine if there are more or less than that number when the Utah Jazz make the 30th and final selection.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Leading the way are Washington’s Markelle Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, who are expected to go 1-2 to the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. The 76ers acquired the top overall selection from the Boston Celtics, who now own the third pick. After Fultz and Ball are chosen, it’s a toss-up regarding who will go next to the Celtics and Phoenix Suns, who have the fourth pick.

Boston could use some frontcourt help, so Duke’s Jayson Tatum makes a lot of sense. Tatum is listed at -140 to go UNDER 4 while former Kansas standout Josh Jackson is an even bigger favorite at -175 to go UNDER 3.5. Both are freshmen like Fultz and Ball, and so is Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac, who is -140 to be picked UNDER 6. Isaac could go to the Suns or Sacramento Kings with the fifth pick.

WSOP review: Two for Ben Yu; First for Frank

Another round up of the 48th Annual World Series of Poker including a second World Series of Poker bracelet for Ben Yu, and a first from the young German star Christopher Frank.

You know you deserve the win when you have overcome a final table containing nine gold bracelets and some of the very best poker players in the world.

Take a bow, Ben Yu.

The Las Vegas-based star has now won two Championship bracelets after taking down the $232,738 first prize in Event #34: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship.

Is Patrick Leonard feeling the pull to return to the land of muggles?

Lee Davy reacts to a recent post on 2+2 from the partypoker Ambassador, Patrick Leonard, wondering whether poker had sent him down a dark alley before eventually finding the streetlight.

As the World Series of Poker (WSOP) sprints headlong into the dreaded abyss of normalcy, Patrick Leonard has shared his thoughts after week one, and there is much we can learn from his philosophical musings.

Writing in a thread, you can read here. Leonard breaks down his thought process into two parts: Pre-Vegas & Where We’re at Now.

Pre-Vegas

Craig Wright interview part 2 – Project work

Editor Note: This is the second in a multiple-part series of interviews with Craig Wright, conducted by guest columnist Eli Afram, where he discusses some of his project work.

In discussion, I mentioned to Craig that he’s well known for being an entrepreneur who takes on many projects, when he jumped in to expand:

“I am an entrepreneur. I am proud to be one. I am proud of every one of my failures. I took a company to listing on the Australian stock exchange through backdoor listing in 1999. I was 29 years of age. When the tech crash occurred, the investors dumped the company and I bought back the fragments and made it operational again.”

“Since then, other companies that have failed at one stage in my life, back in 2010, I was tens of millions of dollars in debt. I could give up and say that’s a failure. But I won’t!”

Rex Clinkscales wins WPTDeepStacks Tampa; sets his eyes on POY race

Rex Clinkscales has won a WPTDeepStacks Main Event at the third time of asking after taking down the 704-entrant field in the WPTDeepStack Tampa event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.

Rex Clinkscales is the latest World Poker Tour (WPT) DeepStacks Main Event champion after taking down the monster field at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Clinkscales is a WPTDeepStack grinder with seven cashes and three final tables under his belt, but he had never won a title before this, and it very nearly didn’t happen.

The Texas native was grinding at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) when he decided to take a break from the Rio and make the trip to Florida to settle into one of his favourite tours.