Monthly Archives: July 2017

Macau mulls amending terms for casino concession renewal process

A possible “refreshment” of gaming rights is on the horizon for Macau’s current concessionaires and sub-concessionaires.

Lionel Leong Vai Tac, Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, told reporters that the government plans to “analyze various options—including the possibility of amendment to terms and conditions—regarding any refreshment of gaming rights” for concession license holders in the special administrative region, according to Macau Daily Times.

Macau’s concessions come with a 20-year expiration date, which means that beginning in 2020, SJM Holdings and MGM China will be up for renewal, followed by Galaxy Entertainment, Sands China, Wynn Macau and Melco Resorts Entertainment in 2022. The licenses don’t renew automatically, but they can be extended in increments of time to a maximum of five more years from the time of the original expiry. After that, the government must initiate a new concession process, which involves a new public tender.

Leong said the government will have to “cautiously assess such matters,” especially since the gambling hub is pushing for diversification. In addition, current conditions are also “significantly different” from when the city state first granted the licenses.

Hot VIP market fuels NagaCorp 2017 H1 profit

Net profit of Cambodian casino operator NagaCorp Ltd. jumped 20.3 percent in the first half of 2017, thanks to a sizzling hot VIP market.

In a disclosure to the HongKong Stock Exchange, NagaCorp announced that it posted a $150.6 million net profit in the first six months of the year due to a robust growth across all of its business segments.

Gross gaming revenue also rose 40 percent to US$386.8 million in January to June 30, 2017 period, according to the casino operator.

NagaCorp cited at least three reasons for the company’s growth in business volumes and GGR.

PlayUp seeks $7.6M capital for fantasy sport start-up expansion

An Australian businessman is eyeing to bring his advertisement-paid version of daily fantasy sports beyond the land down under.

To make it possible, Business Insider Australia reported that Sydney entrepreneur Daniel Simic will need to raise AUD10 million ($7.62 million) as capital.

He said daily fantasy has caught on with wider appeal than traditional fantasy games because there was no season-long commitment.

“We’ve already signed up over 100,000 people to play, which is well beyond our initial expectations. We’re also seeing strong retention rates, so fans are coming back for more competition and prizes,” he said. “Millions of new daily fantasy sports players have come into the market in just the past few years alone. By making it more accessible and offering the opportunity to win real prizes, without any entry fees, we hope to take fantasy sports to the next level in Australia and around the world.”

Tabcorp Tatts merger in jeopardy as politics threatens deal

The ongoing drama in Australia over the impending (or mayby now not so impending) Tabcorp/Tatts merger is nothing but a show of juridical pretentiousness. It’s hard to tell who even to root for because everyone is clothing their actual wishes and intentions in legalistic nonsense. All sides say they are concerned for consumer safety and fair competition, yet nobody is at all. All sides are concerned with how much money they will come out with on the other side. Nothing else.

There’s nothing wrong with that by itself. That’s everyone’s goal always. What’s wrong is that everyone is pretending otherwise and all sides are using the pro-competition argument to actually stamp out competition.

Now one state competition body, the ACCC, is challenging another state competition body, the ACT, for approving the merger. The challenge is coming on the grounds that the ACT calculations about competition were wrong, and this supposedly imperils consumers. Why there should even be two of them, let alone one, is a big question.

The elephant in the room here, one of many, is that if either of these Australian acronyms were actually concerned about fair competition, they would break up the monopolistic relationship between Tatts and the Australian government. Tatts’s biggest business is operating state lotteries. Who else can operate lotteries in Australia? Nobody. Only the state. Anyone else who tries gets arrested. Is that fair competition? Is that consumer protection? No. But the Australian government is the boss of both of these acronyms, so neither can fight the actual source of real monopoly.

Mark Blandford on making the right investment

In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Becky Liggero, Mark Blandford of Burlywood Capital tells us why investing on a blockchain incubator is better than focusing on the technology.

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Will the Supreme Court give gambling back to the States?

The post originally appears on http://www.gamblingandthelaw.com/ and we republished with permission.

Should betting on sports, or any other form of gambling, be legal?

The first question is: Who decides?

Until a few decades ago, no one would have thought the decision-maker was the federal government. In fact, for the first 150 years of American history, Congress had almost no role in matters that affected people’s daily lives. It was entirely up to the states to decide not only whether gambling should be a crime, but whether anything should be a crime.

Playtech launches iconic Dirty Dancing progressive slot

Classic dance romance comes to life in new multi-jackpot game with array of incredible features

LONDON – July 11, 2017 – Playtech has launched a premium branded progressive slot game based on the 1980’s classic film Dirty Dancing loved by millions worldwide.

The hit dance romance was the first film to sell more than one million home videos when it was released in 1987 and celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The property was licensed to Playtech by Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B).

Playtech’s new slot remains true to the original film and contains a host of memorable scenes, including the film’s climactic lift set to a classic ballroom soundtrack.

Gamevy and Glück Games announce strategic partnership, jointly forming an instant-win portfolio unparalleled in the industry

Gamevy and Glück Games are two industry newcomers who share a determination to innovate in real money gaming. Both have won the ICE Game to Watch award, and both are known for beautiful, high-quality instant win games which are a hit with lottery players. They have previously collaborated together – sharing a stand at ICE and gaining attention with their irreverent approach to ‘promo staff’, a pair of delightful grannies and adorable micro-pigs!

Today, at the Global Lottery Messenger Forum, the two companies are announcing a strategic partnership where they supply one another’s content to key operators and may even develop specific products jointly.

“We realised it made sense for two small companies to collaborate,” explains Chief Commercial Officer of Gamevy, Helen Walton. “Rather than competing, it makes sense to grow the market together. Glück Games have a fantastic range of scratch cards, instant wins and popular bingo and keno games, while we have been concentrating on more strategic games where players make choices and really engage with the play experience. Together our range encompasses over 100 games – more than enough to offer players an exciting choice and to ensure operators can deliver a fun and engaging new tab.”

Gamevy and Glück Games deliver games that help increase dwell time and life-time value for operators. For lotteries, players who have previously only bought a lottery ticket are happy to add on a scratchcard purchase and play a few games of one of the more entertaining instant win games. While for casinos looking to expand their customer base and attract a broader, younger demographic, a new instant win tab can offer incremental revenue and improved conversion rates.

Ex-CEO pleads not guilty to embezzling Mt. Gox bitcoin, cash funds

Mark Karpeles, the chief executive of the now defunct Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange, has denied the embezzlement charges slapped against him in connection with the disappearance of millions of dollars’ worth of virtual currency and cash.

The 32-year-old French national filed a not guilty plea on Tuesday at the Tokyo District Court in response to charges of data manipulation and embezzling a total of JPY341 million (US$2.98 million) in customers’ money between September and December 2013, Nikkei Asian Review reported.

After listening to the charges against him, Karpeles read out a prepared statement in Japanese, saying, “I swear to God I am not guilty.”

Karpeles made international headlines in 2015, when he was arrested in Tokyo on charges of unlawfully extracting and using private electromagnetic records. Japanese authorities said the man accessed Mt. Gox’s U.S.-hosted trading platform in 2013 and altered the data in his personal account twice.

Hard Rock International reveals details of Hard Rock Entertainment World proposal

Orlando, Fla. – July 2017 – Hard Rock International announces details of its Hard Rock Entertainment World proposal, which is slated to be one of the largest resort destinations in Europe. The project, located in Vila-seca and Salou (Tarragona), Spain, will consist of a unique combination of hotels and convention areas, with world-class entertainment, dining and shopping. This project is defined through a complete Zoning Plan already approved by the Catalan Government, with a maximum capacity of 745.000 sq. meters for all the different uses and an estimated global investment of €2,000 million, including the cost of the land and infrastructures needed, to be developed by phases in the next years.

Phase 1 will be headlined by the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tarragona integrated resort. The Hard Rock integrated resort will also include a collaboration with PortAventura on the development of a family-oriented hotel of up to 500 rooms, and Value Retail on a luxury tourism shopping destination of approximately 10,000 square meters, featuring more than 75 shops. Hard Rock Entertainment World will bring thousands of new jobs and significant foreign direct investments. Phase one minimum investment is expected to exceed €600 million and is estimated to create more than 11,500 direct and indirect construction and ongoing jobs and an economic impact to the region of more than €1.3 billion.

“We’re honored to work with the Catalan government on the creation of Hard Rock Entertainment World and look forward to bringing first-class entertainment and hospitality experiences to the region,” said Jim Allen, chairman and CEO of Hard Rock International.

The iconic guitar shaped Hard Rock Hotel will be a focal point of the Hard Rock Entertainment World and will offer 600 rooms within approximately 100,000 square meters. Among the largest in Europe, the casino destination will boast 1,200 slot machines and 100 table games. The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tarragona will also provide guests with a 6,000 square meter pool and pool deck.

Aristocrat’s new Midnight Stamped e-series family of games charges into casinos across N. America

Players everywhere who love Aristocrat’s E*Series™ line of entertainment-style games now have two new reasons to stampede to your casino: Aristocrat’s new Midnight Stampede™ family with the launch titles Midnight Rumble™ and Super Stampede™.

Both titles in the Midnight Stampede family offer a two-level “Must Hit By” jackpot with achievable levels of $1,250 (major) and $250 (minor). Jackpots can be won randomly on any bought game, and when the player increases the wager, it proportionally increases the odds of winning jackpot prizes.

Adding to the fun, both titles have a new game mechanic – 2X Symbols that multiply multipliers with up to 32x wins on each pay line.

Players will be entertained with the exciting STAMPEDE, MAX Stacks, and Free Games features. Plus, two mini-games replace all of the major symbols on the reels with a randomly selected major symbol or player-selected major symbols. What’s more, a new “blackout” win cycle shows winning symbols and blacks out non-winning symbols.

Pokerstars Megastack makes debut in New Jersey in October

Resorts Casino to host first ever $100,000 guaranteed Sunday Special Live

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – July 2017 – PokerStars’ popular new live poker tournament series MEGASTACK is coming to New Jersey after a successful debut in Europe, PokerStars, an Amaya Inc., (NASDAQ: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand, announced today. The Sunday Special Live is a part of the brand’s MEGASTACK schedule and brings a Championship-like structure to low buy-in tournament events in select local markets around the world.

The series which launched in the UK in The Hippodrome Casino in April, attracting over 520 entries, twice the normal field, will now expand its new live tournament series aimed at recreational players to New Jersey from October 6-8, with over $100,000 guaranteed. The U.S. MEGASTACK will debut in the Garden State with the $220 Sunday Special Live at Resorts Casino Hotel, New Jersey. The Sunday Special Live name originates from PokerStarsNJ.com most popular weekly tournament, the Sunday Special, which has the highest guarantee ($50,000) of all the Sunday Majors.

“We are excited to host the first-ever Sunday Special Live New Jersey, and we look forward to welcoming players to the property for an exciting gaming experience,” said Mark Giannantonio, President and CEO of Resorts Casino Hotel.

Betcartpartners relaunches affiliate programme with Paysafe’s Income Access

Income Access technology to power expanded programme covering online sportsbook and casino Betcart and suite of iLottery and online poker brands

Montreal, QC  July 2017 – Betcartpartners, the affiliate programme for the Betcart online sportsbook and casino and a portfolio of imminently launching online lottery and poker brands operated by BCourt Group, has relaunched in partnership with Income Access, Paysafe’s marketing technology provider. Under the partnership, Income Access’ software platform will be used to manage the revamped, multi-vertical affiliate programme.

Founded in 2010, BCourt Group’s flagship brand is Betcart, a cutting-edge online sportsbook and casino powered by BetConstruct and fully regulated in multiple jurisdictions. The brand offers players a comprehensive range of sports markets, including UEFA, Premier League, FIFA and other international football matches, tennis, basketball, volleyball, American football, Aussie Rules football and ice hockey. Featuring live odds updated in real-time, Betcart provides players with live-betting functionality on an array of sporting events.

To complement its sports-betting offering, the brand boasts a state-of-the-art online casino with over 500 online slots from 1X2 Gaming, Casino Technology, NextGen Gaming, and Playson among others. More than 50 different table games, including various versions of blackjack, roulette and baccarat also feature.

GameArt to supply EvenBet Gaming Games Content

GameArt, the premium developer of slot games to the online and land-based gaming industry, today announced that it has signed an agreement with EvenBet Gaming.

The deal allows EvenBet Gaming to access forty-four GameArt games which include in-house HMTL5 slots such as Castle Blood, MoneyFarm2, Tiger Heart, and Texas Ranger’s Reward, Magic Dragon and the up and coming thirty-two jackpot games series which are available in both versions as a normal video slot and as a jackpot game.

GameArt CEO, Maja Lozej, said “I’m delighted with the agreement of EvenBet Gaming, who are a very forward thinking gaming platform solutions provider, who have and continue to deliver genuinely exciting gaming content within the gaming industry. We are thrilled to distribute our games catalogue on their portfolio of partner websites.”

Dmitry Starostenkov, CEO EvenBet Gaming, said: “In partnering with GameArt, we have significantly enhanced our casino games and integration offerings. As the iGaming industry is constantly moving towards cross-platform and mobile-centric solutions, their innovative HTML5 games are sure to be a huge hit with our partners and their players.”

Marathonbet to become official sponsor of Dynamo Moscow FC

Marathonbet has become an Official Sponsor of Dynamo Moscow after signing a three-year agreement taking effect from the 2017/2018 season.

The partnership will give Marathonbet wide-ranging opportunities for branding – the company logo will appear on the players’ jerseys and in the club’s Home ground as well as its training facilities. In addition, Marathonbet will feature on the club’s various digital platforms.

Ekaterina Zemskova, Marathonbet representative: “Dynamo Moscow is a club with a great history – it is the first Soviet champion, the first Soviet Cup winner. It is a brand recognized all over the world. I am confident that together we will achieve excellent results. We have been partnering with sports clubs for a long time, with a portfolio now including Manchester United, Malaga and Hibernian. We are pleased to have such a prominent club as Dynamo joining these names. We are thankful for the perfectly organized negotiations process.”

Yevgeniy Muravyov, General Director of Dynamo Moscow FC: “Sponsorship is an important part of the club’s make-up and we are therefore glad that our search has ended with a partnership with Marathonbet, a leader in the betting sector and one that is confident and optimistic about the future. We share our partner’s goals and values in fair play and great customer experiences.”

Betting on Sports on course to be biggest ever

Famous sportsmen, spectacular venues, and new exhibitors lined up for 2017

10th July, 2017 – Betting on Sports 2017 (BoS) will be the biggest in its history when held on 12-15 September, with two exclusive networking events and an appearance from England’s most successful test cricket captain, Michael Vaughan, already announced.

Vaughan will be attending the show as Mr Green’s first ever ‘Sports Gent’, and will be available for a 20-minute Q&A session at the operator’s stand during the first day’s mid-morning break.

Meanwhile, the event organiser, SBC Events, will host a record number of delegates at Altitude 360 and Skyloft bar – both within Westminster’s tallest building, Millbank Tower – on 13th September.

PokerGO to launch a new live series of Poker After Dark

Poker Central’s streaming video on demand (SVOD) service PokerGO, will begin a new live series of Poker After Dark starting August 7 and running the whole year. 

Poker Central is fast becoming the Netflix of poker. Both companies launched their digital product by showcasing a lot of old crap we had all seen before. Both realised that people wanted something more, and delivered.

Netflix studied their customers and came up with some of the most absorbing original content in the business. Poker Central sent their 24/7 TV channel to the rail and replaced it with a new online presence, and the streaming video on demand (SVOD) service PokerGO.

Instead of watching reruns of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), PokerGO struck a deal with the hosts and ESPN to provide over 60 hours of live coverage of the WSOP Main Event and most interesting side events. Instead of watching High Roller tournaments from the early 2000s, PokerGo added the Aria High Rollers to the TV Guide. And instead of watching reruns of Poker After Dark, PokerGO is launching a new season of Poker After Dark.

China adds more digital bricks to its ‘great firewall’

China’s online gamblers are facing fresh challenges as the country adds more digital bricks to its ‘great firewall.’

In January, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information announced a new crackdown on “disordered” internet activity in a bid to make it even more difficult for China’s netizens to access content the government views unkindly (including internationally licensed online gambling sites).

The crackdown, which included restrictions on the use of unauthorized virtual private networks (VPN), appears to be ramping up. Late last month, popular VPN service provider Green abruptly informed its customers that it would “cease our service on July 1st, 2017” after having “received notice from the higher authorities.” Meanwhile, a host of other VPN providers’ apps have been slowly vanishing from Android and iOS stores.

On Monday, Bloomberg reported that all Chinese state-run telecom carriers have been ordered to block VPN services by February 1, 2018. That timeline is slightly ahead of the 14-month implementation the government envisioned when it first announced its crackdown.