Monthly Archives: June 2017

NetEnt games live in Serbia

NetEnt, leading provider of digital casino solutions, continues to grow in regulated markets globally and has now launched its award-winning games in the regulated market in Serbia.

Following successful technical integrations, NetEnt has now launched a selection of its games with Mozzart, the leading gaming operator in Serbia.

”We keep delivering on our global growth strategy by strengthening our position in regulated markets and we are very pleased that our popular games are now also available for players in Serbia,” says Enrico Bradamante, Chief of European Market Operations and MD of NetEnt Malta Ltd.

NetEnt is the online casino supplier with the largest presence in regulated markets globally in terms of number of licenses and certifications.

Lawmakers mull clipping PAGCOR’s regulatory powers after RWM rampage

State regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) could lose its licensing powers over casinos following the deadly Resorts World Manila’s incident last week.

At Wednesday’s joint inquiry on the casino attack, leaders of the Philippine House of Representatives proposed to amend PAGCOR’s chapter to remove its regulatory functions over casino operators.

Majority leader Rudy Fariñas said they will review Republic Act (RA) 9487, “with a view of amending it and repealing altogether” Presidential Decree (PD) 1869. Passed in 2007, RA 9487 extended PAGCOR’s franchise for another 25 years and also granted the state-run agency the authority to operate and license casinos as well as gaming and entertainment clubs in the country.

“By the directive of the Speaker, we will file a bill removing [the licensing power of PAGCOR],” Fariñas said during the probe.

Sky wins eGR Innovation award for Playtech Live Casino offering

New Playtech ONE Live Casino offers Sky players enhanced mobile and desktop experience, product enhancements and improved gameplay

London: June 8th 2017 – Sky has won this year’s eGaming Review Innovation in Casino award for its new Playtech-supplied Live Casino, offering players an enhanced omni-channel experience, product enhancements and richer gameplay.

Sky won the innovation award due to its significant Live Casino growth and achievements, including close collaboration with Playtech on Live product innovation, and usability and accessibility that has driven consistent uplift in Live performance.

At eGR’s B2B awards this week Playtech picked up five trophies, a record for the event, winning awards for Platform of the Year; Multi-channel supplier of the Year; Bingo Supplier of the Year; and Poker Software and Poker Network of the Year.

With over 200 visitors already registered, this will be the best-attended Gaming in Holland Conference & Expo ever

The Gaming in Holland Conference & Expo, which takes place on June 13-14, is your single stop to stay abreast of the latest developments in the entire Dutch gaming industry. Land-based, online, lotteries: everybody will be there. With over 200 visitors already registered, this will be the best-attended Gaming in Holland Conference ever.

This year’s conference theme is “An Industry in Transformation.” The highlight of the first day is an exclusive 90 minute preview presentation by a senior policy officer of the Ministry of Security and Justice on the secondary legislation that will accompany the long-awaited remote gaming bill.

Part of this presentation will focus on responsible gaming and sports integrity regulations. This is a must-attend presentation for sports associations, which will soon have to deal with the consequences of a national regulated online betting market.

The Ministry of Security and Justice, as well as the CEO of the Netherlands Gaming Authority, will address the hot topic of the latter’s tightened online enforcement policy that came into force on June 1.

Becky’s Affiliated: How to enter the sportsbetting market in Africa with Andrew Dagnall

The massive potential of the growing African market has been an important and popular topic of discussion at industry conferences for the past few years.  So popular in fact, we now have entire conferences dedicated to the market such as Clarion’s WrB Africa.  Sportsbetting in particular is in demand, therefore experienced European betting companies such as BettorLogic have done their homework and already made moves into the African market.

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WSOP Review: Mosseri denies Negreanu; Pomponio wins COLOSSUS III

In this quick round-up of the action from the 48th Annual World Series of Poker, Abe Mosseri denies Daniel Negreanu his seventh gold bracelet, and Thomas Pomponio becomes a millionaire in THE COLOSSUS III.

“It was just my time, I guess.”

Humble words from Abe Mosseri, after winning Event #9: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, and thus ending Daniel Negreanu’s search for a seventh World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet…for now.

163 entrants created a prize pool of $1.4m, slightly down on the 155 that entered last year, and the final table housed players owning 16 WSOP gold bracelets.

A virus attack on Slotegrator

June 2017 – Slotegrator’s corporate Skype was hacked. Aggregator’s Skype automatically started spreading newsletters with the following message: “Hello, we would inform you that we founded some abnormalities. Please check attachment and send me your feedback. Best Regards”.  The said letters also contain attachments named Error-Slotegrator.pif.  Under no circumstances should you open  them – it’s a virus.

We are very sorry to inform you about this and we are looking forward to preventing such situations and protecting our reputation.

Denis Dzubenko, brand manager at Slotegrator:

“Dear friends, we are really sorry about the situation. Unfortunately, in our area of business  hacking is not an occasional matter regardless of all the existing security programs. I do not exclude potential attempts to destabilize functioning of the company by our competitors using pathetic ways of destroying my reputation and the reputation of the company in general. Technical support is already working on the issue and we are looking forward to providing you with more exciting news and materials!” 

Pennsylvania pols play VGT chicken with online gambling bill

Pennsylvania’s gambling expansion push geared up for a legislative showdown on Wednesday after the state House of Representatives sent its own plan to the Senate for further revision.

On Wednesday, the House Rules Committee approved an amended version of HB 271, which the state Senate approved last week. The House version differs markedly from the Senate bill, including the contentious issue of video gaming terminals (VGT) in thousands of bars and clubs.

When the House started debate on the bill at 5pm local time, many members complained that the House computer system had only just made the bill available, and given that it’s a 675-page monstrosity – although the first 200 pages are strike-throughs – they wanted more time to read the thing.

Those who did read the bill came equipped with the day’s most popular epithet, calling HB 271 the “slots and shots” bill, referencing the proposal to allow VGTs in venues that hold state liquor licenses. If any pols had taken a shot every time that phrase was uttered, they’d have been soused enough to have voted for VGTs in daycares without giving a damn about the consequences.

Partypoker look to experience with the signing of Marcel Luske

Partypoker continues to have faith in experience after signing the Netherlands All-Time Live Tournament Money earner, Marcel Luske, as their new brand ambassador.

When I first saw Marcel Luske sitting at the poker table, he struck me at someone who signs autographs with a fountain pen dipped in the blood of a thousand virgins.

A creme coloured suit covered a pristinely ironed white shirt with the ‘cool’ button open. His fingers were ringless. A watch hung off his left wrist, and an upside down pair of sunglasses sat proudly above a pair of eyes that looked like they had seen more stories than the Mini Bar in the Presidential Suite in Trump Plaza.

I remember looking at him thinking, “That’s what a professional poker player should look like.”

Betfair strike betting partnership with Drone Racing League

UK exchange betting operator Betfair has signed on to provide betting services for the UK’s first professional drone race.

On Wednesday, Betfair announced it had inked a partnership with the Drone Racing League (DRL) to offer wagers on the final race of the Allianz World Championship circuit on June 13 at Alexandra Palace in London. The event is part of London Tech Week, which runs from the 12th to the 16th.

Betfair’s marketing maven Stephen Mault called the partnership a “great opportunity” for his firm “given the rise in popularity of the sport of drone racing.” Betfair plans to offer two different betting markets at next Tuesday’s meet: individual heat winner for each of the seven heats, plus the overall Allianz World Championship winner.

DRL founder Nicholas Horbaczewski called drone racing “a sport made for betting,” given its marriage of “the raw thrill of short track racing with the complexity and strategy of motor sports.” And don’t forget the raw thrill of having your eardrums bombarbed by those annoying little engines whining like enormous mosquitoes whacked out on a mix of Benzedrine and high-fructose corn syrup, or like NASCAR with undescended testicles.

WSOP Review: Jesse Martin pips James Obst to the first mixed game title

Jesse Martin has earned his second World Series of Poker bracelet after defeating the Australian, James Obst, in the heads-up phase of the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball event.

When the PokerGO team revealed their live streaming plans for the World Series of Poker (WSOP), it made Jesse Martin as happy as a seasickness sufferer landing a job on the Titanic.

“I won’t speculate on how they should run their business, but it’s definitely a sad change,” Martin stated on social media.

 And when you perform as well in the mixed games as Martin does, then you can understand his frustrations at (a) not getting the coverage his skills demand, and (b) no longer have the window into the soul of these great games for the recreational players to eyeball.

Doug Polk & Andrew Barber donating WSOP moolah in different ways

Andrew Barber and Doug Polk find two very different ways to give their money away during the 48th Annual World Series of Poker.

It’s vogue in poker parlance to donate a percentage of your winnings; not a Madonna-like strike a pose Vogue, but a philanthropic poker love vogue.

There was a time when Barry Greenstein was the lone Robin Hood of Poker. Today, there are more Merry Men and Maid Marions than you can shake a shakey thing at. And what better time than to demonstrate your generosity than during the annual poker playing convention that is the World Series of Poker.

Raising for Effective Giving (REG) has to take some credit for this latest craze. The effective altruists began life with Philipp Gruissem, Liv Boeree, and Igor Kurganov on the cover of that particular magazine. Then, as the padlock came off the 48th Annual WSOP, eight more players joined them to help promote the need to reduce suffering in the world: Martin Jacobson, Erik Seidel, Cate Hall, Justin Bonomo, George Danzer, Christopher George, and John Juanda.

General Election to trigger bumper week for bookies

Worldpay predicts a 40% increase in online gambling activity ahead of election

June 2017 – London — Worldpay, a global leader in payments, is expecting a significant boost in online betting volumes as political gambling takes a hold of the UK ahead of this year’s general election.

The data, looking at the increase in betting around last year’s Brexit referendum and the 2015 general election, shows that betting on political events is rising by nearly 10% year-on-year. If this trend continues, online bookmakers may see betting volumes soar by as much as 40%, compared to an average day.

Worldpay’s analysis of gambling data from last year’s Brexit vote found that online betting volume was up by 30% on the day of the referendum, and turnover was also up by 32% compared to that of an average day. With reports of wagers up to £360,000 being placed on this year’s election, there’s no doubt that David Dimbleby won’t be the only one up all night keenly watching the results roll in.

Square in the Air claims industry award quadruple

Agency named best Marketing and PR Provider at 2017 EGR B2B Awards

June, 2017 – Square in the Air has been named as Marketing and PR Provider of the Year at the EGR B2B Awards for a fourth year running.

Held at The Hurlingham Club in London, the ceremony recognises the best B2B providers in the online gambling industry.

The judges were particularly impressed by the agency’s creativity and innovation across a number of clients.

Hugo Games adds Liverpool FC to line-up of legendary soccer clubs to be featured in new “Soccer League” mobile game

Many top clubs in the world, including Real Madrid, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Dortmund, Juventus, Porto and PSG to be in game

COPENHAGEN (June 2017) – With fans around the world, almost 30 million followers on Facebook and over seven million followers on Twitter, Liverpool FC is one of the most popular football clubs on Earth.  Now fans will be able to take to the virtual pitch with their favorite players from The Reds, as Hugo Games A/S (OAX: HUGO), a mobile interactive entertainment developer and publisher of mobile games, today announced that LFC will be one the teams featured in Soccer League, its new mobile soccer game that will be released in Q3 2017.

Hugo Games also announced that Dortmund, Juventus, Porto and PSG will also be added to the game, joining the previously announced Arsenal, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, to deliver a powerhouse line-up of the best clubs in the world to be featured in Soccer League.

The Reds illustrious history dates to 1892 and the club has won five European Cups, three UEFA Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, 18 League titles, seven FA Cups, a record eight League Cups, and 15 FA Community Shields.  Top players from the team that will be included in Soccer League include: Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana.

Gamevy Scoops EGR Skill Supplier for the second year running

At the hotly contested EGR B2B Awards, Gamevy scooped the 2017 Award for best Skill Games Supplier. This is the second year running the industry newcomer has taken the prize, seeing off competition from several other well-respected i-gaming companies.

Skill and Instant Win is an area that the most innovative bookmakers and online casinos are looking at with interest – a way to broaden their appeal and offer unique content. Already, those experimenting with a more interactive type of instant win game are seeing promising results.

“This has been a busy year for Gamevy,” says Helen Walton, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, “we’ve launched a range of new games and we’re working on some really exciting projects! It’s brilliant to see the industry taking notice of new types of games – ones which really engage players and offer them a more entertaining experience.

Skills gaming is an area with enormous potential for growth – it appeals to a younger, but broader demographic, it encourages responsible play and it helps operators really stand out from the crowd. As far as we’re concerned, the skills revolution is just beginning – and we’re thrilled to be on that journey.”

NetEnt underlines another year of achievement with multiple EGR B2B Awards wins

NetEnt, the leading provider of digital gaming solutions, has reaffirmed its position at the forefront of the industry after a highly successful evening at the prestigious EGR B2B Awards.

The premium supplier was ahead of the competition, winning the ‘Mobile supplier of the year’, ‘RNG casino supplier of the year’ and ‘Innovation in RNG casino software’ categories as it was recognised for its leadership in tech and innovation.

During the past 12 months, NetEnt has delivered a number of achievements across its business. It has made key developments within virtual reality (VR) and live casino, entered several newly-regulated markets, and unveiled the first-of-its-kind employer branding campaign, The Challenge.

Per Eriksson, CEO of NetEnt, comments: “It is hugely satisfying to once again have our achievements identified by the industry and our peers at the EGR B2B Awards.