Don Alberto Stable and WinStar Farm’s Battle of Midway, who was retired to stud then returned to training in May after it was discovered he was subfertile, took a serious step toward his racing return Aug. 1 with a bullet workout at Del Mar.
Monthly Archives: August 2018
Mind Your Biscuits Puts Stamina to the Test in Whitney
Already established as one of nation’s top sprinters, Mind Your Biscuits will see how far his wicked turn of foot can take him when he faces a field that includes grade 1 winners Diversify and Tapwrit in the $1.2 million Whitney Stakes (G1).
Perfect Angel Tops Goffs Goodwood Sale
Goffs UK chairman Henry Beeby was upbeat at the close of the company’s inaugural Goodwood Sale on Wednesday, the event headed by the group 2-placed mare Perfect Angel (IRE) after being purchased by agency Sackville Donald for £400,000.
MGM Resorts Signs Deal to Become Official Gaming Partner of the NBA
NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Tuesday that the league had signed an agreement to make MGM Resorts the official gaming partner of the NBA and WNBA. The deal is the […]
The post MGM Resorts Signs Deal to Become Official Gaming Partner of the NBA appeared first on .
Justify Comes Home to WinStar
Stud plans are yet to be finalized for the Triple Crown winner, who broke and trained at WinStar Farm. The colt will be at WinStar for the next four to six weeks as he transitions from racing.
Illinois Lawmaker Calls for Major Gaming Expansion: Legal Sports Betting, Online Poker Included
Illinois could be the next state in line to create a regulatory framework for legalized sports betting, after a lawmaker announced his intent to push for comprehensive gaming expansion that […]
The post Illinois Lawmaker Calls for Major Gaming Expansion: Legal Sports Betting, Online Poker Included appeared first on .
Arrowfield's Snitzel Earns Back-to-Back Sire Titles
Snitzel, the son of his champion Arrowfield Stud-based barnmate Redoute’s Choice, has retained his title as Australia’s leading stallion for a second year in a row at the end of a season that saw a number of young sires make their presence felt.
Lightning Spear Strikes at Last in Sussex Stakes
So close so many times, Lightning Spear’s legacy looked destined to be that of the greatest “nearly horse” of his generation.
Keeneland Catalogs 4,538 Yearlings for September Sale
Keeneland announced today that 4,538 yearlings have been cataloged for the 75th annual Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the world’s most important sale of Thoroughbreds, to be held Sept. 10-23.
Ellis Park Sale to Saratoga Group Finalized
On July 30, the sales transaction of Ellis Park to Saratoga Casino & Hospitality Group was complete and the group became the official new owners of the property.
BetConstruct wins the Innovation Award at SBWA 2018
BetConstruct takes home the Innovation Award at Sports Betting West Africa.
The diverse and rapidly growing market of Africa requires tailor-made betting and gaming solutions which BetConstruct always delivers to its partners. During the last year the software provider has developed a number of impressive solutions for the industry among which is business management environment, SpringBME.
“We are delighted to receive the Innovation Award at Sports Betting West Africa. Bringing innovative solutions to the industry has always been a crucial component of BetConstruct’s vision,” comments Hayk Sargsyan, BetConstruct Business Development Executive. “Our dedicated team will continue its long-standing effort to provide the best quality solutions to operators around the world. We strongly believe that Africa, being a very important region for us, should be among the first ones to benefit from those innovative solutions.”
The post BetConstruct wins the Innovation Award at SBWA 2018 appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.
SJM Holdings H1 2018 profit rises 56.8% despite market share slip
Profits of Macau casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd. jumped 56.8 percent in the first half of 2018 on the back of mass market strength of its self-promoted casinos.
In a disclosure to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Tuesday, SJM announced that its net profit surged to HKD1.50 billion (US$190.9 million) in the first six months of the year, compared to the HKD955 million (US$121.67 million) reported in the prior-year period. Its total net revenue stood at HKD17.2 billion (US$2.19 billion) in the first half of 2018, up 9.7 percent year-on-year.
SJM’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for the six months ending June 30, 2018 also remained robust, growing by 29.9 percent to just under HKD2 billion (US$254.8 million) from the prior year period. Its adjusted EBITDA margin was also up 11.4 percent in H1 2018 from 9.8 percent in the first six months of 2017.
The casino operator attributed the profit rise to the strength of its mass market, which comprised 52.2 percent of the group’s total GGR. Data showed that SJM’s mass revenue climbed 13.3 percent to nearly HKD11.49 billion (US$1.46 billion) in the first half of 2018 from HKD10.14 billion (US$1.29 billion) in the same period last year.
UK Gambling Commission cracks the whip on consumer law, ad breaches
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) will no longer treat consumer law and advertising breaches with kid gloves starting October 31.
Britain’s gambling watchdog warned operators on Wednesday against breaking advertising rules or breaching consumer laws as they prepare to implement new gambling rules in autumn.
UK’s current gambling rules provides that the gambling commission may only penalize operators for their misleading advertisements. Once the new rule takes effect on October, UKGC said it will be allowed impose unlimited fines against operators for ads that glamorize gambling or promote the games to children. Gambling operators may be hit with hefty fines for the advertising failings of their third party affiliates, according to the UKGC.
UKGC will also set an eight-week deadline for operators to resolve complaints with customers. It admitted that it faced several challenges in taking actions for breaches of consumer law in the past due to the limitations of the existing gambling rules.
Luckbox receives top-tier gambling license from the Isle of Man government
Luckbox become the first crypto-based esports betting platform to receive a gambling license under the Online Gambling Regulation Act (OGRA), issued by the Isle of Man’s Gaming Supervision Commission, and Lee Davy sits down with Luckbox CEO, Lars Lien, to talk about it.
Cryptocurrency is a thing.
Esports is a thing.
Gambling tugs on everyone’s ding-a-ling.
July headwinds keep Macau casino GGR growth at 10.3%
Macau casinos’ gross gaming revenue (GGR) chalked a 10.3 percent growth in July despite the headwinds it faced last month.
Data from Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau showed that the city’s GGR rose to MOP25.33 billion (US$3.13 billion) year-on-year in July, marking two full years of consecutive growth. The latest figure also represented a 12.6 percent sequential increase from June’s MOP$22.49 billion (US$2.81 billion).
The July results brought Macau market’s GGR tally for the first seven months of 2018 to MOP175.54 billion (US$21.64 billion), up 17.5 percent from the prior-year period.
However, gaming analysts were somewhat divided over Macau casinos’ latest GGR tally. StreetAccount consensus for Macau GGR was at 9.8 percent while Bloomberg Hong Kong consensus placed it at 11.5 percent.
AI-driven compliance-first casino launches
World’s first 100% Artificial Intelligence gaming operator goes live – customers and responsible gaming central to offering
1st August, 2018 – Omnia Casino, the world’s first ever 100% artificial intelligence-built and compliance-led casino, has launched, offering players the ultimate fun, rewarding and responsible gaming experience.
Founded in December 2017 by several senior gaming executives with a successful track record in launching and running major online and mobile casinos, including Sam Hobcraft, former Director of Gaming at Betfair and MD-Casino at PokerStars, Omnia is built using the latest AI software and tech stack to both reward players and ensure they always play responsibly.
The mobile-first casino deliberately designed its responsible gaming functionality, such as deposit limits, to be as upfront, clear and simple, and customer-friendly as possible.
First in US league: NBA teams up with MGM for sports betting
Las Vegas-based casino giant MGM Resorts International stepped up its game against its rivals in the U.S. sports betting market, sealing a historic deal with the National Basketball League (NBA) that would make the casino operator the league’s official gaming partner.
While other gambling operators have been busy forging tie-ups with international sportsbooks, MGM was already ironing out the terms of its partnership with the NBA, including how much the league will get for the data that will be used in determining the outcomes of various bets. Both NBA and MGM remained mum on the terms of the multi-million deal, according to Bloomberg.
In a nutshell, the deal would give MGM access to NBA’s data feed, a valuable guide for punters especially for in-game betting. The casino company also gained the rights to team logos as well as the tag of being the league’s “official partner.”
NBA is expected to get $25 million over a three-year period in exchange for the league’s direct feed. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver described the decision to team up with MGM “as a leap of faith,” albeit one that ensures the league will be well compensated for their data.
EY & iGaming Academy collaborate on new masterclasses
iGaming Academy to join forces with EY for new iGaming masterclasses
EY and iGaming Academy have come together to offer world-class training expertise to iGaming professionals in Malta.
The collaboration will see a series of Masterclasses taking place, starting in November 2018 with the Compliance Officer Masterclass.
Jaime Debono, Managing Director of iGaming Academy, commented:
Bermuda officials staying quiet on sale of Florida lottery tickets
The Bermuda Governor’s office has stonewalled questions about whether it knew the sale of American lottery tickets in Bermuda was branded a potential breach of “numerous” laws in the United States by a top American gambling lawyer.Florida, International, Retailer, Sales, Illegal Activities, Lottery Tickets, Bermuda
Triton Poker Jeju: Badziakouski chasing back-to-back Triton Main Event wins
The Triton Poker Series Main Event in Jeju, South Korea, has reached the final table, and Mikita Badziakouski is in with a shout of winning back-to-back Triton Main Event titles, and with it, more than $5m in prize money.
I’ve spent all week asking the world’s greatest poker players to describe the state of flow. With one exception, everyone I asked spoke of the physical sensations when associated with being in the zone, but nobody spoke of the effect the environment has on finding this state.
Does it matter?
I would say it does.