Monthly Archives: April 2018

Live Gaming Awards makes its debut on April 26

Live Gaming has become a game changer in the gambling industry. Live gaming itself was a product of the operators desire to innovate and improve the way people play the games.

Recognizing the talent behind every live games, organizers of the second annual Live Gaming Summit will fete the best performing live gaming operators with the inaugural Live Gaming Awards on April 26, 2018, at the Casino Barcelona.

“Live Gaming has become a mainstream product. From the pioneer work 10 years ago–Live Roulette & Blackjack have become a key income generator for the Remote Gaming Industry,” Live Gaming Summit 2018 organizers said. “For the first time ever, the fast-growing live gaming industry will be able to celebrate its very own award show.”

The first Live Gaming Awards will feature three categories: Best Overall Live Dealer Overall Product; Best Branded Studio; and Best In-Casino Streaming Provider.

Daniel Negreanu publishes summer schedule, will spend $2 million

“You gotta be in it to win it.” To make it in the big time poker world, just like in a marathon, participants have to push a little harder. “Kid Poker” Daniel Negreanu has set himself on a grueling course of poker action that will kick off in May and run through the summer, investing $2 million to participate in some of the year’s biggest games. Of course, with over 20 times that amount to be won, it’s a small price to pay.

Negreanu has already racked up more than $36 million in live tournament action. He’s poker’s winningest player, and certainly isn’t afraid to bet big. He is set to participate in 39 WSOP tournaments between June 1 and July 15, and has several other games lined up both before and after he sits down at the WSOP felt.

With the hectic schedule, Negreanu may have bitten off a little more than he can chew. He seemed to surprise even himself with his schedule, posting on Twitter, “Just going over my proposed poker schedule for May and beyond and yikes are there ever a boatload of high buy in [sic] tournaments. Pre-Exhaustion before the WSOP even starts. Also FYI $25k WSOP Fantasy draft date likely May 30th. May have a guarantee on it too!”

Just going over my proposed poker schedule for May and beyond and yikes are there ever a boatload of high buy in tournaments. Pre-Exhaustion before the WSOP even starts.

NBA playoff odds: betting preview for first-round series

The Toronto Raptors came into existence for the 1995-96 NBA season. The franchise has never reached the NBA Finals and just once the Eastern Conference Finals, losing in 2016 to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. Then again, the Raptors never had been the East’s top seed before, either, but they are for the 2018 playoffs, which tip off this weekend.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Behind their All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors won a franchise-record 59 games to easily finish atop the East along with having the conference’s best point differential by a mile at plus-7.8. They will have home-court advantage against any team they would face in the postseason other than the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals.

The Raptors are +155 second-favorites in the East and -590 to win the first-round series against the No. 8 Washington Wizards (+485 on the series line). The teams split four regular-season meetings and have met just once in the postseason, a Washington first-round sweep in 2015.

ICE Africa registration goes live

The visitor marketing campaign for ICE Africa 2018 (24-25 October, Johannesburg, South Africa) is officially underway with registration going live at www.iceafrica.za.com. The much awaited event, which will be the first occasion the ICE brand has been deployed outside of the United Kingdom, will comprise an exhibition and co-located ICE VOX style conference programme dedicated to the development of the industry on the Continent, which has a population of 1.6 billion people, 68% of whom are under the age of 27.

Dan Stone, Senior Marketing Manager at Clarion Gaming, said: “At ICE London 2017, we were asked by prominent members of the industry if we would explore the feasibility of organising and launching a professional B2B event for what is one of world gaming’s most dynamic and exciting growth markets. Our first step was the launch of Gaming Africa in 2017, which we have transitioned to ICE Africa, the first time the ICE brand has travelled outside the UK.  More than six months ahead of the opening ceremony, the level of interest is significant with key supporters, speakers, sponsors and media ready to engage with gaming’s newest event brand.”

He added: “Whilst the scale of ICE Africa will not be the same as ICE London, we will be bringing the same level of commitment, thinking, creativity and professionalism that has made ICE London the world’s favourite B2B gaming event.”

ICE Africa is part of the Clarion Gaming stable of events and publications for the international gaming community, including: intelligence resources Totally Gaming and iGaming Business; the Totally Gaming Academy training series, and a full portfolio of conferences and exhibitions, including ICE London, iGB Live!, regional Gaming Congresses, the WrB series and the Affiliate Conference series.

GiGse Early Bird closes tomorrow

The Early Bird discount for this year’s GiGse, which for the first time has been co-located with the Latin American facing Juegos Miami, closes this Friday, April 13 at Midnight GMT. GiGse’s Early Bird promotion, which provides delegates with up to $500 saving on registration, enhances the value of participating in what is renowned as the networking, commercial and knowledge exchange event for gaming’s North American facing C-Level influencers.

GiGse, which takes place The Biltmore Hotel, Miami from May 31 – June 1, has confirmed a number of developments recently, adding to its packed two-day programme by securing a further five inspiring speakers, including Kevin O’Toole, Executive Director at Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, with specialisms in demographics, legislation and sports betting. The full agenda can be found via www.gigse.com/download-agenda

GiGse’s programme will feature C-Level debates including the monetization of sports betting and an examination of the Tribal Gaming stance, the role of technology in growing the gaming industry outside of regulatory boundaries, the utilization of behavioural data in tracking players from mobile to the casino floor, personalization and artificial intelligence as methods of engaging with digital users, as well as a panel looking at the pace of online gambling regulation and consumer attitudes towards it. Key events taking place include the GiGse LaunchPad, where five start-ups will present in front of an investors panel with the eventual winners determined by the GiGse audience, and the Game Content Theatre, where operators will be given the chance to experience new game content concepts.

For more information, and to take advantage of GiGse’s Early Bird discount, visit: www.gigse.com or book directly at secure.smartregister.co.uk/events/clarion/conference/2018/GIGSE/launch.aspx

Vizexplorer installation underway at Hard Rock Rocksino

Ohio’s premier gaming destination banks on operational intelligence to increase marketing effectiveness

April 12, 2018, San Diego, CA – VizExplorer, a leading provider of operational intelligence solutions to the gaming industry, today announced that it has signed an agreement to deploy its marketing campaign management solution at Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park, a 200,000-square foot venue paired with the area’s only harness racing track.

Known as Ohio’s premier gaming, dining and entertainment destination, Rocksino management sought to improve the property’s marketing campaigns to attract and retain the right players, while ensuring optimal return on marketing investment. campaignViz™ from VizExplorer simplifies player segmentation, streamlines campaign creation and analysis, and automates offer management and optimization––helping marketers save time and grow the effectiveness of their marketing activities.

“We are pleased with VizExplorer’s robust analytics and state-of-the-art systems for automated campaigns,” said Jamie Brown, Chief Marketing Officer, Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park. “After assessing many options, we decided that campaignViz™ was the solution and VizExplorer was the partner for us––one that would continue to meet our data needs well into the future,” she added.

12-Episode Boxing Competition Series Will Premiere Later This Year on EPIX®

by: Tanner Simkins @TannerSimkins

Undefeated boxing champion Andre Ward will be host of new Mark Burnett production, “The Contender”; Freddie Roach and Naazim Richardson take sides as trainers. Premium pay television network EPIX®, an MGM company, has announced that undefeated boxing champion Andre “Son of God” Ward will host the new version of the seminal The Contender boxing franchise. Legendary boxing trainers Freddie Roach and Naazim Richardson join as trainers in the iconic series that has launched multiple boxers into contention for world titles.

The all-new 12-episode season of the boxing competition series, the first of its kind to air on EPIX is produced by Mark Burnett and his longtime executive producer Eric Van Wagenen. MGM Television has joined forces with Paramount Television to produce, and filming will begin this Spring 2018 in Los Angeles.

As host, Ward brings his undefeated record and undisputed boxing expertise to The Contender. Throughout his incredible 13-year undefeated career, he’s held multiple world titles in two weight classes including, unified WBA (Super), WBC, Ring magazine, and lineal super middleweight titles between 2009 and 2015 as well as the unified WBA (Undisputed), IBF, WBO, and Ring’s light heavyweight titles between 2016 and 2017. Ward also won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Said Ward, “I have faced the unique challenges of professional boxing firsthand and know the focus required to succeed at the highest level. Hosting a show that has enabled so many talented fighters reach their dreams is an honor and I look forward to giving the fans unique insight into the life of a fighter and leading the audience through the thrills of this competition.”

“It is so important for The Contender to have the best and most trusted boxing experts which is why we reached out to Andre, Freddy and Naazim,” said Burnett. “They are the very best and can help create an experience almost never seen before. Eric and I are really excited to exceed the fans’ expectations. We love The Contender and we love boxing.”

Esteemed coaches Roach and Richardson will each oversee a team of eight fighters, pushing their fighting skills, strength and endurance to the limit in preparation for elimination competitions. The coaches will also act as the fighters’ mentor, helping them to navigate their everyday life as the competitors live and train together and fight each other in the ring. Each fighter will be vying to become the ultimate Contender and take the winner’s six-figure purse.

Roach is widely regarded as one of the most successful boxing trainers of all time. His roster includes the eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, five-time and four-division World Champion Miguel Cotto, former WBC Middleweight Champion Julio César Chávez, Jr., defensive master and three-time world champion James Toney, former UFC Middleweight and three-time Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, as well as top prospects Jose Benavidez, Peter Quillin, and Vanes Martirosyan, among many others.

One of the most respected trainers from the boxing hotbed of Philadelphia, Naazim Richardson has helped shape the careers of some of the biggest names in the sport over the past 30 years. From Bernard Hopkins to “Sugar” Shane Mosley, as well as others like Travis Kauffman, and prospect Khalib ‘Bigfoot’ Whitmore, Richardson’s work and his spirit continue to be part of boxing lore. The father and trainer of boxing twin brothers Rock Allen and Tiger Allen Richardson, Naazim is also known for discovering plaster hidden in Antonio Margarito’s wraps before the January 24, 2009 fight between Margarito and Mosley.

Eric Van Wagenen serves as executive producer and showrunner alongside Burnett. The format is owned by MGM Television and Paramount Television.

EPIX is available nationwide through cable, satellite, telco and streaming TV providers including Charter Spectrum, Cox, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse, Dish Network, Sling, PlayStation Vue and, later this year, Comcast.

Atlantic City’s weather and gaming tables turn cold in March

Atlantic City casino revenue fell for the second straight month in March as the weather gods conspired to keep gamblers away.

Official numbers released Thursday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) showed the seaside gaming hub’s seven casinos generated brick-and-mortar gaming revenue of $192.9m in March, down 3.6% from the same month last year but up substantially from the $170m earned in the short month of February.

Counting March’s record performance by the state’s licensed online gambling operators, the overall revenue figure was down a slightly more tolerable 1.5% year-on-year to $218.5m.

March’s brick-and-mortar revenue decline was entirely due to the casinos’ gaming tables. While total slots revenue of $137.2m was virtually unchanged from March 2017, table game revenue dropped 11.5% to $55.6m.

Marathonbet relaunch Russian site; Bwin.ru scores on Instagram

Online gambling operator Marathon has relaunched its Russian-licensed site after suspending operations earlier this year.

On Thursday, Betting Business reported that Marathon had restarted its Marathonbet.ru site after temporarily suspending operations in early February. The site, which launched in July 2017, originally claimed that “technical reasons” were behind the time out, but admitted last month that it needed to renew its license after changing the location of its “processing center of interactive rates.”

Meanwhile, the first Western betting brand to operate legally in Russia got off to flying start thanks to some timely social media branding. Bwin, the flagship online betting brand of UK-listed GVC Holdings, teamed with Russian operator Digital Betting LLC to launch the Bwin.ru joint venture last November.

Digital Betting is controlled by Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut, who also owns the sports-themed portal Championat. On Thursday, Championat offered some insights from Digital Betting CEO Dmitry Sergeyev into how Bwin.ru marketed itself in its early days.

New Jersey, Golden Nugget smash online revenue records

New Jersey’s regulated online gambling market utterly demolished its previous revenue record in the month of March, as did its leading online operator.

Figures released Thursday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) show the state’s licensed online gambling operators generated revenue of $25.6m in March, 17.6% higher than the same month last year and $3.6m more than the previous record set in February 2018. It’s the 13th consecutive month that the market has topped the $20m mark.

Stop us if you’ve heard this one, but the state’s online market has long been dominated by its casino vertical, and that discrepancy is growing larger. Online casino revenue shot up 21.1% year-on-year to $23.6m in March, while the online poker vertical fell 12.7% to $1.97m.

Everyone also knows that the Golden Nugget’s family of casino-only gambling sites – the Nugget’s own site, plus Betfair and PlaySugarhouse – is the undisputed king of the market, and the Nugget put an exclamation point on that claim by generating $8.65m in March, a 40% year-on-year improvement and besting its previous record of $7.88m in February 2018.