Monthly Archives: September 2018

Report: Cavs owner Dan Gilbert looking to sell casino holdings

Billionaire Dan Gilbert is reportedly looking to divest his JACK Entertainment casino holdings, and Caesars Entertainment is being touted as a likely buyer.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Gilbert, who founded America’s largest mortgage firm Quicken Loans, is looking to offload his stake in JACK Entertainment, which was formerly known as Rock Gaming until its rebranding in February 2016. Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse are reportedly steering Gilbert’s hunt for a buyer.

The Detroit-based JACK’s gaming portfolio includes six casinos and racinos, including three JACK-branded venues in Ohio, the Greektown Casino in Detroit, Horseshoe Baltimore in Maryland and the Turfway Park racetrack in Florence, Kentucky. The report claimed the venues could be sold all in one go or on an à la carte basis.

Gilbert (pictured) already has a relationship with Caesars, as Rock Gaming purchased Caesars’ stake in the Ohio venues in 2015. JACK is also partners with Caesars on the Horseshoe Baltimore property, which habitually ranks third in Maryland’s monthly casino revenue charts.

China busts more illegal online sports betting, casino operators

China’s online sports bettors have one less viable option following the bust of a major illegal online gambling operation.

On Thursday, Chinese media reported that the Ningbo City Police in Zhejiang province had disrupted a “large-scale” online betting ring that reportedly handled RMB3b (US$439m) in wagers over an unspecified period.

The police first got word of the ring’s existence following tipoffs received from the public – including some of the ring’s disgruntled customers – in April. The Fengshua Public Security Bureau opened an investigation, leading to simultaneous raids on the ring’s operations in Zhangzhou, Haishu and Fengua in July, during the height of the 2018 FIFA World Cup action.

To date, police have arrested a total of 63 individuals suspected of involvement in the ring, including 14 of the alleged ringleaders, while a further 10 suspects remain at large. The big boss was identified as a man surnamed Dai, although the reports failed to specify whether Dai was among those who remained free.

Dallas Cowboys ink NFL’s first official casino partnership

The Dallas Cowboys have inked a sponsorship deal with a tribal casino operator, becoming the first National Football League club to take advantage of the league’s newly relaxed stance on gaming.

On Thursday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced that the Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma was now the team’s official casino partner. The Winstar family of casinos is operated by the Chickasaw Nation, whose governor Bill Anoatubby joined Jones at the podium.

The deal is the first of its kind since the NFL relaxed its prohibition on its teams having any marketing relationships with brick-and-mortar casinos. However, the famously gambling-phobic league continues to prohibit teams from having any connection to casino sportsbooks. Oklahoma has yet to legalize sports betting, despite wagering legislation having been considered in the previous session.

In a press conference on Thursday, Jones (pictured left, alongside Winstar GM Jack Parkinson) said his team took “great pride in aligning themselves with one of the best brands in the world,” and said it was a “privilege to stand shoulder to shoulder as partners” with the Winstar venue.

UK problem gambling rates hold steady despite media drumbeat

The UK’s ranks of problem gamblers remained constant in the most recent survey of gambling behavior, despite the constant media narrative that gambling is pushing society into anarchy.

On Thursday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) released the results of its Gambling Behavior in Great Britain 2016 survey, which crunches data from health reports in England, Scotland and Wales to determine gambling participation, frequency and problem gambling prevalence.

The headline figure is the 1.2% of gamblers who were designated as problem gamblers, equal to about 0.7% of the overall population. These numbers are on par with the numbers in similar surveys for 2012 and 2015, and equivalent to figures cited in international markets, despite the UK having by far the most legal gaming options of any developed market.

Moreover, the overall gambling participation rate for UK residents aged 16 or older was 57%, down from 63% in 2015 and 65% in 2012. Excluding individuals who only gamble on National Lottery draws, participation was down three points from 2015 to 42%.

Scout Gaming client StarPick reached 1 million registered

StarPick ltd reached 1 million registered users just 5 months after launch.

Scout Gaming is pleased to announce that our first ever Indian client, Starpick ltd, has reached 1 million registered users. The achievement was reached in less than 5 months after launch. Having initially operated tournaments exclusively for Starpick players only, the Indian DFS operator has now been integrated into the Scout network, sharing player liquidity with Scouts other network clients on certain international events. During the autumn Starpick plans to gradually join a larger part of the internationally shared tournaments.

“It’s impressing that StarPick managed to reach such a high level of user attraction within only a couple of months. With Scout Gaming being the sole game provider for Starpick, it clearly demonstrates the strong product offering that we have” commented Scout Gaming CEO Andreas Ternström.

“We are extremely happy to have chosen Scout Gaming as our provider. It’s been a true pleasure working with technology that offers the highest level of flexibility and delivers innovative groundbreaking features. Scout Gaming being able to offer us any sport that we need, has enabled us to reach this important milestone. We look forward continuing working together towards our goal of increasing our player database 10 times over in the coming years and expanding the business into other continents “commented Starpick Co-Founder Ulf Ekberg.

BtoBet shortlisted for 3 different categories at the CEEG Awards

• Sabrina Solda: “An acknowledgement to the research and development direction that the company has undertaken”

BtoBet is pleased to note that it has been shortlisted in three different categories for the Central and Eastern European Gaming (CEEG) Awards, namely in the Best Sports Betting Innovation, the Rising Star in Sports Betting Technology, and the Best Overall Sports Betting Provider categories.

Sabrina Solda, BtoBet’s Chief Marketing Officer, stated that throughout the years BtoBet has established itself as a leader in providing new technologies for iGaming operators, and to be shortlisted in these three different categories demonstrates not only the validity but also the level of excellence of its iGaming platforms.

She further stated that in such a fast-paced industry research and development is an ongoing process to anticipate the industry’s future trends and consumer demands, and to be considered amongst the finalist for these categories acknowledges the direction that the company has undertaken.

Best retail software award goes to BetConstruct

BetConstruct was recognized for its outstanding Retail Solution at GI Awards 2018 which took place on September 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Specially developed for managing land based operations, BetConstruct’s retail software package enables operators to set up from scratch or grow an established business. Not only we offer a great betting experience for players, but also enhance our partners’ business with a complete range of robust technology, business and operational management tools and support.

“It is very symbolic for us to receive the Best Retail Software award, as we are pushing forward with further improving our retail solutions and tailoring them to the specific preferences of the regional markets,” comments Hayk Sargsyan, BetConstruct Business Development Executive. “Now, with our own manufacturer licence we will be able to provide our solutions to operators in South Africa and significantly extend our presence in the country.”

BetConstruct is an award-winning developer and provider of online and land-based gaming solutions with development, sales and service centers around the globe.