Monthly Archives: July 2017

NagaCorp rebrands Primorye casino as Naga Vladivostok

Cambodian casino operator NagaCorp has once again rebranded its resort casino project in Russia’s far east Primorye region.

NagaCorp’s Primorye casino project began life as Naga Entertainment City, then switched to Mayak (Russian for ‘lighthouse’ or ‘beacon’). On Friday, Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Andrew Folomeev, general director of the Development Corporation of the Primorsky Territory, saying NagaCorp’s project would now be known as Naga Vladivostok, reflecting the gaming zone’s proximity to the famous Russian port city.

NagaCorp has said it hopes to open its Primorye casino’s doors by the end of 2018, but Union Gaming Securities Asia analysts issued a note this week that suggested that “in all likelihood,” Naga’s project might not start welcoming gamblers “until at least second half 2019.” That will be welcome news for Lawrence Ho’s Tigre de Cristal, which is currently the only casino plying its trade in the Primorye zone, and will by late 2019 be likely be ready to open its Phase 2 to help fend off the new competition.

After a lengthy delay, Russian operator Diamond Fortune Holdings broke ground last month on its Selena project, while another Russian operator, Royal Time Group, had its Primorye contract ripped up by a local court in June after failing to adhere to specified development timelines.

Heartbreak for Negreanu: Sion Captures $50K PPC Title, Hallaert Making Another Deep Run, and Does Hellmuth Have 2017 Razz Bracelet in Store?

On the 37th day of the 2017 World Series of Poker, eyes were on Daniel Negreanu, who was in pursuit of his seventh gold bracelet in the $50,000 Poker Players […]

The post Heartbreak for Negreanu: Sion Captures $50K PPC Title, Hallaert Making Another Deep Run, and Does Hellmuth Have 2017 Razz Bracelet in Store? appeared first on .

SportPesa to shut Kenya ops if tax hikes aren’t rolled back

Sports betting operator SportPesa says it will close its operations in its native Kenya if the government presses ahead with plans to impose higher gambling taxes.

In June, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta approved legislation that imposed a new uniform 35% tax on all gambling revenue. The rate was lower than the original 50% proposal but still represented dramatic hikes for gambling operators, including betting companies, which had been paying only 7.5% tax on their gambling revenue.

In response, SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri announced that the company would scrap its sponsorship of Kenyan sports teams and leagues as of January 1, 2018, the same day the new tax is scheduled to kick in. SportPesa’s total sponsorship contribution was estimated at just under $10m, the absence of which would leave local teams with large financial holes to fill.

On Friday, SportPesa Global CEO Gerasim Nikolov went further, announcing that the company would shut its entire Kenyan betting operations in the new year if the government’s tax plan went ahead. The company, which also operates in Tanzania, South Africa and the UK, is believed to support roughly 10k jobs, although how many of those are based in Kenya wasn’t specified.

Betsson formally asks EC to spank Netherlands’ gambling regulator

Nordic online gambling operator Betsson AB has formally requested that the European Commission take disciplinary action against the Netherlands’ restrictive gambling market.

On Monday, Betsson issued a statement urging the European Commission to reopen infringement proceedings that were initiated against the Netherlands in 2006. Betsson’s request was spurred by to the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) regulatory body’s plans to punish a broader range of online gambling operators the KSA determines to be serving Dutch punters without authorization.

To justify its argument, Betsson pointed to the recent Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU) ruling that Hungary’s convoluted online gambling regime meant the country had no right to impose penalties against online operators licensed in other EU member states.

On Friday, Betsson announced it had submitted an official complaint to the EC requesting the reopening of infringement proceedings based on the “continued and flagrant breach” of EU law by Dutch authorities and the country’s “continued failure to implement an EU compliant legal framework.”

History of sports betting

The history of sports betting is very interesting. Since ancient times it was difficult for a person to stay an indifferent spectator of competitive betting, he aspired to become a part of it. The kind of competition was not as important as a fact of participation in the events. At first, it was a simple betting between spectators, when the only question was who would become a winner but the complexity of betting and gambling was changing rapidly.

Even in ancient times, people couldn’t remain indifferent while watching the competition between several contenders for the winner title. It doesn’t matter what kind of competition it is, it’s very important for the punter to have a sense of involvement.

The spectator wanted to become a part of competition. At first, betting looked like a betting between spectators themselves. The only question was who would win the fight. The spectator, who guessed the winner or the final score, received the agreed amount of money. And that is where sports betting history begins.

Players could bet which of two raindrops reaches the bottom edge of the window glass first, or which of the fighting cocks will survive after the bloody fight. Since ancient times, everything could become a bet subject: homes, wives, children, cathedral’s bells and even entire states. There is a Chinese poem of the IV century BC, dedicated to two beggars, infected with the passion for dispute, who made a bet on what side the birch leaf torn from the tree, would fall. They bet their own ears. The loser resolutely cut off the ear lobes and presented them to the winner on the birch leaf.

New Jersey introduces Bill allowing New Jersey casinos to operate during state shutdown

New Jersey lawmakers are no longer taking any chances for Atlantic casinos to close in the event of another state government shut down due to a budget impasse.

Atlantic City casinos was almost forced to shut down after the state legislature and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie failed to pass a budget on time.

The casino shutdown was averted after both branches of the state government were able to reconcile their differences before the seven-day leeway given to casinos ended.

To prevent such economic inconvenience, The Press of Atlantic City reported that state Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senators Jim Whelan and Jeff Van Drew introduced a bill seeking to amend the current law that allows New Jersey’s casinos to keep their doors open for seven days after state government shuts down.

Sky Racing World to provide South Korean horse-racing to North American Market

Korea Racing Authority partnership will see Sky Racing World offering simulcast wagering from Seoul and Busan races to ADW’s across the Americas and Europe.  

Louisville, KY. July 2017 – Sky Racing World, the Louisville, Kentucky-based distributor of international horse-racing content and subsidiary of Australian wagering operator Tabcorp, has partnered with the Korea Racing Authority (KRA), South Korea’s sole racing authority. Under the partnership, Sky Racing World will distribute horse-racing content from the KRA-operated LetsRun Park Seoul and Busan-Gyeongnam tracks to advance depositing wagering (ADW) sites throughout the Americas and Europe, from August 3rd, 2017.

Distributed via the Roberts Communications with a race call in English, Sky Racing World’s Korean racing content will be simulcast 50 weeks a year. On Thursday and Saturday nights EDT/PDT, races will be simulcast from the KRA’s LetsRun Park Busan-Gyeongnam in the country’s second largest city, and from the capital’s LetsRun Park Seoul track on Friday and Saturday nights EDT/PDT. The Korean races will be simulcast from approximately 9:45 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. EDT (6:45 p.m. PDT to 12:30 a.m. PDT).

With all of the three best-ranked thoroughbreds in Seoul and Busan bred in the US, Sky Racing World’s ADW partners will offer wagering on Korean racing to their customers from Thursday evening EDT/PDT, August 3rd, 2017.

VGT and Aristocrat charge into Oklahoma Indian Gaming Show with custom content, innovative cabinets, leading licensed products

TULSA, Okla. (July 2017) – VGT and Aristocrat are coming to the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Show with an unrivaled blend of Class II and Class III products to help their customers succeed with players of all types and preferences. The show takes place July 24-26 in Oklahoma City, and VGT and Aristocrat will be in booth #726.

“VGT and Aristocrat are all in when it comes to the Oklahoma Indian Gaming market. We are proud of the work we have done to bring the best of the VGT and Aristocrat worlds to our customers, further empowering them to take full advantage of the Class II and Class III products they offer to their players. This is an exciting time in the Oklahoma gaming market, and we are thrilled to present entertaining content and innovative cabinets to our customers,” said VGT President Jay Sevigny.

Leading the way is VGT’s landmark OVATION™ Class II gaming platform. VGT’s OVATION brings player-favorite Aristocrat content to the Class II space, combining market-proven brands with field-proven math models. At OIGA, VGT will showcase nearly two dozen titles that have been customized for the Oklahoma Class II market and player preferences.

Each of the OVATION games appears in Aristocrat’s innovative Helix+™ cabinet, which has been lauded by operators for its look, performance, and ease of maintenance. The OVATION platform and its games are backed by VGT’s superior service model.