Monthly Archives: August 2018

PokerStars Releases 2018 WCOOP Schedule Shortly After Launching Cringe-worthy ‘Unfold Hold’em’ Game

PokerStars released the schedule for the 2018 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) a day after launching its new “Unfold Hold’em” gimmick, a game that allows players who fold pre-flop […]

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Mikita Badziakouski Wins Second Straight Triton Super High Roller Main Event for $5.2 Million

The quiet assassin, Mikita Badziakouski, has done it again, winning his second straight Triton Super High Roller Series Main Event, this time for $5.25 million. Silent Assassin Mikita, who also […]

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Perform Group joins ESSA as their first affiliate member

Brussels, 2 August 2018: ESSA (the not for profit integrity body that represents many of the world’s largest regulated sports betting operators) today announced that Perform Group has joined the association as their first affiliate member. Perform Group is the digital leader in global sports media, touching every aspect of the way fans engage with sport.

Under the terms of the agreement, Perform Group’s dedicated global integrity team will work with ESSA on both operational and strategic issues, with the aim for both organisations to share their experience on betting integrity issues.

Khalid Ali, Secretary General of ESSA, stated: “Data has become an increasingly important part of the sporting experience for consumers and that includes related betting activity. The inclusion of Perform and its globally recognised sports data business, which includes partnerships with major sports such as the NFL, WTA and La Liga, further enhances the interaction and mutual interest between our sectors in maintaining the integrity of sporting events. We are proud to include Perform Group as the first affiliate member of ESSA and look forward to welcoming other integrity focused businesses within our association in the near future.”

Jake Marsh Head of Integrity Operations at Perform, stated: “We are delighted to have been announced as the first data provider to join ESSA as an affiliate member. Like ESSA, we live by a fundamental commitment to sport and betting integrity that is at the core of everything we do as a sports business. Perform works with a number of stakeholders on a 24/7 basis to share intelligence and advise of threats and our collaborative and not-for-profit approach is always the same and demonstrably effective. The ability of different sectors to effectively work together is critical to maintaining the integrity of sport, and we look forward to working closely with ESSA to protect sport and betting from manipulation.”

Norway gets Apple to purge gambling-related apps from App Store

Tech giant Apple has blocked Norwegians from accessing 38 unlicensed gambling apps upon the request of Norwegian Gaming Authority (NGA).

Norwegian news website Adessa reported the state gambling regulator successfully convinced Apple to remove the online gambling apps from its Norway-facing App Store on the basis that the operators do not have the license to operate in the country.

The applications that were included in NGA’s online gambling blockade were The Netherlands, Betsson, NordicBet, Coolbet, Comeon, LeoVegas, Mr Green, Unibet and Norway’s Automation. Gambling operators Coolbet and ComeOn maintained it’s legal for Norwegians to play their offerings since they were licensed under the EU Free Trade Zone.

In its take down request, NGA pointed out that Apple App Store guidelines prohibited gambling apps from operating without licenses. Norwegian Lottery Authority Senior Advisor Frank Hoff Hana lauded Apple’s decision to remove the unlicensed gambling apps, saying the move “will contribute positively to reducing the illegal gaming offer aimed at Norwegians.”

LeoVegas fights Italian politicos’ gambling ignorance with education

Swedish mobile casino operator LeoVegas is pushing back against Italy’s proposed ban on all gambling advertising by educating politicians on sustainability and responsible gaming.

LeoVegas made an update on the Italian gambling market on Wednesday right after it announced that its revenue jumped 76 percent in the second quarter of 2018.

In its Q2 report, Leo Vegas reiterated its position to its stockholders that the blanket ban on all gambling advertising in Italy will only benefit unlicensed gambling operators. The good news for investors is that the proposed ad ban in Italy remains to be highly uncertain, according to LeoVegas.

With time on their side, LeoVegas pointed out that it has taken steps to persuade Italian politicians not to push through with their proposed ad ban. In July, LeoVegas filed a formal complaint with the European Commission (EC) regarding Italy’s plans to ban all gambling advertising and sponsorships.

Vegas room rate pressure steals Caesars upbeat Q2’s thunder

Stocks of Las Vegas-based casino operator Caesars Entertainment Corporation (CEC) plunged to its lowest since its debt restructuring in 2017, as worries on Vegas hotel bookings overshadowed its upbeat second quarter results for 2018.

Initially, investors were in a festive mood as CEC reported a net income of $29 million in the second quarter of 2018 from a 1.43 billion net loss in the same period last year. CEC’s net revenues also grew more than 100 percent to $2.12 billion in the three months ending June 30, 2018, from $1.01 billion to $2.12 billion.

CEC quarterly earnings of $0.04 per share surpassed Zacks Equity Research Consensus Estimate of $0.01 per share and topped “consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters.”

The casino operator also reported that same-store net revenues expanded 2.8 percent to $2.12 billion from $2.06 billion, while marketing costs dropped 6.6 percent, or $34 million.

CashBet expands advisory board to include crypto and iGaming leaders

Appointments include world-famous crypto pioneer Charlie Shrem, former IGT SVP of Global Digital Products Matteo Monteverdi, and former Playtech UK operations head Dan Phillips

Oakland, California – 02 August 2018 – Leading mobile-first iGaming platform provider CashBet has continued its unprecedented expansion by appointing three senior advisors to its Advisory Board.

Charlie Shrem, successful crypto entrepreneur, will advise CashBet on the development of its crypto operations following its US$38 million ICO earlier this year. Shrem is celebrated as one of the first investors to embrace Bitcoin during its infancy and is a founding member of the Bitcoin Foundation, as well as co-founding BitInstant in 2011, one of the world’s first Bitcoin exchanges.

Shrem’s wealth of experience will bring unparalleled access to services and partners within the blockchain ecosystem, as well as advising on CashBet’s continued rapid expansion as one of the iGaming industry’s pioneers in the blockchain and crypto ecosystem.

Bots odds-on to beat Humans at Dota 2

OpenAI Bots team backed at 1.28 to triumph in 5v5 clash

Thursday 2nd August, 2018 – OpenAI’s team of bots is 1.28 on with Betway to triumph over a professional team in a 5v5 game this Sunday 5th August.

A year after unveiling a bot that could win a 1v1 game, OpenAI will take on a team of five professional human players this Sunday and the leading online bookmaker expects the bots to come out on top once again.

The OpenAI team, working off neural networks, average 150-170 actions per minute, ‘train’ for approximately 180 years a day at an accelerated rate, and naturally possess a much quicker reaction time than humans.

Albanian president throws out proposal for unified gambling tax rate

Albanian President Ilir Meta threw out a bill seeking to lower gambling taxes earlier this week, saying the proposal would do more harm than good to the country’s economy.

Tirana Times reported that Meta vetoed the latest gambling tax measure that could have significantly reduced the tax burden on gambling operators. Instead of taxing the usual turnover, the Socialist party-backed measure sought to impose at 15 percent tax on gambling operators’ gross earnings—essentially the amount left after winnings were paid out to players.

The bill defines gross earnings as the amount remaining after winnings are paid out to gamblers.

The Austrian Lottery would have been the biggest winner if Meta approved the latest gambling tax bill. The company, which has been operating Albania’s loss-making National Lottery since 2013, is levied with a 10 percent tax on turnover. But under the proposed unified tax rate for the gambling industry, the 10 percent turnover tax burden of The Austrian Lottery will be reduced to 15 percent tax on gross earnings as well.

The 13 hotel to finally launch by August’s end, casino still delayed

South Shore Holdings Ltd., which is building a resort called The 13 in Macau, doesn’t expect to have the casino operations ready to go until 2019. However, after missing an end-of-July deadline, the hotel operations will definitely be ready by the end of August.

In a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last Tuesday, South Shore said that the project, which is being built on the Cotai-Coloane border, is now targeting August 31 for the hotel’s grand opening. The company said, “On July 23, 2018, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) commenced the re-inspection process [of the property]. It is expected that all the required licences (namely the licences for hotel, food and beverage, health club and bar) will be granted by mid-August 2018.”

The MGTO conducted a new inspection of the facilities last week and is waiting for additional information. It said last Friday, “The Macao Government Tourism Office is currently awaiting opinions soon to be given by the technical departments, which will be crucial to the issuance of the hotel licence.”

When the MGTO inspected the facilities in June, it determined that another inspection was needed. That decision came as a result of unfinished work still being completed in the hotel.