Monthly Archives: January 2019

Booming Games appoints Richard Harris

Innovative Malta based game provider, Booming Games, is proud to announce the appointment of Richard Harris as its new Product Owner for Platform.

Richard brings with him a wealth of Industry experience, having previously worked in NetEnt for 9 years, as well as Bonnier and BWIN.

Max Niehusen, Booming Games CEO, said “We are very happy to have Richard join us. With his wealth of experience from both a technical and customer-facing perspective, he is the perfect person to help build our new Back Office and drive our upcoming promotional tools and gamification. It’s also exciting to see yet another hugely experienced industry name make the move to Booming Games”

Richard said, “I am very happy and honoured to join Booming games. It’s an exciting time for the Company as we become a force to be reckoned with, and the new game provider of choice for a large number of top-tier Operators. Our platform will introduce new features and functionalities, all designed with our Partners’ needs in mind. I have been fortunate, having spent many years as both a Provider and an Operator, to have gained a comprehensive understanding of operator needs, and It’s a real pleasure to be able to use this insight to create the Platform our partners deserve”

Planzer Law announced as European Regulatory Sponsor at Prague Gaming Summit 3

Prague – 28 January 2019 –

With less than 45 days to go until the 3rd edition of Prague Gaming Summit will open its doors, the organizing team is honored to announce the support of PLANZER LAW as EUROPEAN REGULATORY SPONSOR.

Prague Gaming Summit is going to take place on the 12th of March in Prague at Vienna House Andel’s Prague (Andel’s by Vienna House Prague) and the team behind the conference promises to once again bring the latest information about some trending topics, including highly relevant regulatory inputs. Among them are the relationships between Regulators, Operators – Affiliates, MasterCard’s new requirements for Online Merchants (CFD, FX, Gaming, Crypto), understanding millennials (with emphasis on eSports, Daily Fantasy Sports an Virtual Sports), outsourcing for gaming companies, IT security, AML, KYC, CSR.

“We are honored to announce again the sponsorship support of PLANZER LAW and also have the opportunity to welcome Dr. Simon Planzer in Prague. He has supported the event with his network and expertise from its early days. Prague Gaming Summit has become a must-attend conference in the region and in 2019 even more companies are understanding the mission of the event. We look forward to welcoming many delegates in Prague and are keen to hear the insights that our European Regulatory Sponsor will bring to the event.” stated Zoltán Tűndik, Head of Business at European Gaming Media and Events.

Img Arena launches the aliance partnership programme

LONDON (28th January 2019) — IMG’s IMG ARENA, a leading sports betting and content hub, today announced the launch of ‘The Alliance,’ an integrity-focused partnership programme for the sports betting industry’s leading organisations.

Programme membership requires partners to commit to only using official data and streaming services for IMG ARENA-represented events. Furthermore, they will agree to provide integrity information to governing bodies and integrity units, pass strict KYC approvals, and abide by terms and conditions imposed by rights holders.

The collaboration is being implemented across IMG ARENA’s network, which sees the company distribute sports content, including fastpath data, live streaming and virtual sports, both directly to operators and indirectly through trusted distribution partners that provide trading solutions and software platforms. Current members include Kambi, SB Tech, Bet Genius, Sporting Solutions, JA and Paddy Power Betfair B2B.

The Alliance utilises a three-tiered accreditation system to ensure the highest standards of practice and integrity by IMG ARENA partners. One star is given to a partner that utilises at least one of IMG ARENA’s fastpath data services, two stars for partners that take all fastpath data services, and three stars for all fastpath data services and IMG ARENA’s certified suite of virtual sports and casino games.

Sports betting and eSports worry NCAA president

If you listen to NCAA President Mark Emmert, sports betting is a huge threat to his organization’s well-being. The Associated Press has reported on comments Emmert made at the NCAA’s annual convention in Orlando, Florida, and he continues to oppose legalized sports wagering, as well as the introduction of eSports to the college scene.

Emmert is specifically worried about the impact sports wagering will have on colleges. He said, “Sports wagering is going to have a dramatic impact on everything we do in college sports. It’s going to threaten the integrity of college sports in many ways unless we are willing to act boldly and strongly.”

The logic of how wagering could corrupt college sports is easy to deduce. If wagering on NCAA sports is offered, athletes could potentially make wagers on their own activities, which could potentially lead to match fixing. It’s a threatening problem specifically because the athletes are prohibited from earning profit from their play.

It’s also a very hypocritical stance from the NCAA. On average, an American college will earn $31.9 million yearly on their football team alone, none of which goes to the players. Even less popular sports, like women’s lacrosse, brings in $709,000 for the average college.

GentingBet starts European expansion with Spanish licence application

MALTA – 28 Jan, 2019 – GentingBet has applied for a Spanish casino and sports betting licence, with the intention of operating in the market by the end of 2019.

A company statement said GentingBet was well positioned for the market opportunity in Spain, with over 50 years of gaming experience and covering all main product verticals such as Casino, Live Casino and Sports betting.

Jeremy Taylor, Managing Director of Genting Online, said: “Gambling is an important part of Spanish culture. The country is of significant size, has one of the highest per capita spend in Europe and has consistently grown during the past 10 years or so.

“Genting is a huge global business with a significant UK casino estate and has big ambitions for its mobile, live casino and sportsbook products. We believe GentingBet’s wonderful heritage, social responsibility focus, live casino expertise and comprehensive betting and gaming suite will resonate well in Spain – as it will other European markets.

EvenBet to showcase world-leading poker portfolio at ICE London

Leading developer delivers the tools to “make poker great again” at ExCeL London

28th January 2019 – Leading online gaming software developer EvenBet Gaming is all set to showcase its multi-faceted poker portfolio at next week’s ICE London 2019.

The industry’s definitive igaming summit is held between 5-7 February at the ExCeL London, and EvenBet is on hand to demonstrate its growing global reach at Stand S3-200.

The company’s award-winning poker portfolio scaled new heights in 2018, optimising omnichannel variants of the game and breathing new life into a vertical which is set to reclaim its former glories.

SIS to unveil ground-breaking new live betting product at ICE London 2019

Leading betting provider to launch innovative betting product

Monday 28th January 2019 – SIS, the leading provider of 24/7 betting services, will unveil a new ground-breaking betting product at ICE Totally Gaming 2019, alongside a showcase of its recently launched 24/7 Live Betting Channels.

At ICE Stand S2-180, delegates will be able to find out more about the innovative new gaming product, optimised for sportsbooks.

The new short-form betting product, will help drive customer acquisition and retention for operators across the globe, with its innovative live gaming experience, optimised for both pre-play and in-play betting.

Pragmatic Play secures VSoftCo acquisition

Leading B2B provider extends multi-product approach with landmark agreement

28th January 2019: Pragmatic Play, a leading multi-product provider to the iGaming industry, has completed the acquisition of virtual sports supplier VSoftCo.

VSoftCo offers a wide selection of virtual sports products for retail and online customers worldwide, including Fantastic League, a pioneering virtual football game with richly detailed graphics and immersive sound design.

The deal marks Pragmatic Play’s second major corporate acquisition, having taken control of live casino provider Extreme Live Gaming from Novomatic Group in 2018.

Massachusetts in line to legalize sports gambling

Governor Charlie Baker said he wanted it and now lawmakers are hoping to make it happen. Massachusetts legislators are considering five different sports gambling bills with hopes of finding approval within the next couple of months. If sports gambling is legalized, some analysts forecast that the state could earn as much as $35 million in tax revenue next year.

Revenue would be generated through a combination of licensing fees and tax payments. To apply for a sports gambling license, an operator would have to pay an initial fee of $100,000 and another $500,000 every five years to keep the license active. Sports wagers made in person at sportsbooks would be charged a tax of 10%, while online bets would be subject to a 12% tax. Only current gambling operators – casinos and slot parlors – would be allowed to apply for their sports gambling licenses.

As is the case in other states, such as New Jersey, wagers on collegiate sports events would be prohibited.

Apart from the bill presented by Governor Baker, Senate Bill (SB) 882 was sponsored by Senator James Welch. It seeks approval for both offline and online sports gambling and is similar to another bill, SB 903, which was sponsored by Senator Brendan Crighton. Senator Bruce Tarr is working on a bill that would give the states gaming bureau, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, 180 days to study sports gambling and its impact to the state. Another bill, Senator Michael Rush’s SB 1110, also hopes to find the green light for offline and online sports wagers.

India’s RummyCircle launches new fantasy sports website

RummyCircle, a popular online rummy site operated by Play Games24x7 Private Limited in India, is placing a bet that daily fantasy sports (DFS) will prove to be a big winner. The company has announced the launch of its new My11Circle site, a site that offer a variety of DFS wagering opportunities. The platform is expected to launch February 1.

According to a company press release, the site will begin by offering DFS contests on domestic and international cricket games. It will then add other sports as the platform evolves. In the release, Play Games stated, “The platform offers a simple and fun way to experience fantasy sports. Fans can pick and select players from both sides in a match and create a fantasy team of their own. Basis the performance of their selected 11 cricketers, a team owner can win exciting cash prizes. This doubles the fans’ engagement and excitement for any cricket match now that every fan can create his/her own fantasy team.”

Cricket is a smart choice to launch the site. The game is undoubtedly one of the most popular in India and there has been substantial growth of DFS in the country that make the two a perfect tie-in.

Play Games Co-founder and Co-CEO Bhavin Pandya adds, “Today is a very important day for Play Games24x7 as we launch our first ever fantasy game. We, of course, start with cricket but the goal is to offer multiple games in this format. Our focus on understanding player behavior has enabled us to provide awesome game playing experiences and we shall continue that endeavor by providing awesome fantasy cricket experiences to our players.”

Helio Gaming delivers complete lottery solution

Multi-product portfolio suitable for both existing and new operators

Malta, 28th January 2018 – Helio Gaming is to showcase its expanded range of lottery products at ICE 2019 and believes there is something for all operators within it.

The Malta-based provider debuted its Lotto Hero product this time 12 months ago and has since signed up a number of partners in Europe and Africa.

But it has now added a range of complementary products which will appeal to existing lottery brands looking to diversify their portfolio, or sportsbooks and casinos hoping to offer their customers a new experience.

Another South Korean form announces Russian IR bid

The Primorye special economic zone in Russia could soon have a new integrated resort (IR). A press release distributed by the Primorsky Krai Development Corporation (PKDC), the entity charged with developing Primorye, Ramid Hotels & Resorts has apparently been meeting with local officials and is considering the construction of an IR that would include a golf course, and a memorandum of understanding has reportedly already been drafted. The company could potentially become the third out of South Korea to develop an IR in the economic zone. The other two are K International Inc. and Dongnam Industry Co. Ltd.

The new IR would be “at the level of recognized world entertainment centers Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Dubai.” Primorye’s governor, Oleg Kozhemyako, pointed out that officials “are ready to provide land plots,” including some in and around Vladivostok.

In addition to Ramid, K International plans on building a $300-million IR in Primorye. A recent announcement by Dongnam Industry indicated that the South Korean company was considering the development of a $30-million IR, which would also include a golf resort.

Ramid certainly isn’t short on experience. It operates a number of hotels around South Korea, including the Ramada Seoul Hotel, the Miranda Hotel Incheon and the Ramada Songdo Hotel. It also develops golf facilities in the country.

Hard Rock Atlantic City now with sports betting

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City has opened its sportsbook, possibly the last casino operator to do so for the time being.

Associated Press reported that the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement gave its approval late last Friday for the casino to start tests of its system for online sports wagering. Hard Rock then commenced operations the following day, roughly a week before the much-awaited Super Bowl.

Hard Rock President Joe Lupo said that an announcement will be made on in-person sports betting at the casino, which has already scheduled for both in-person and online sports betting to be available prior to the February 3 National Football League championship game.

Hard Rock Atlantic City is the eighth casino in the city to offer sports betting, out of nine casinos. Caesars Entertainment offers sports betting through Bally’s Atlantic City rather than with its other casino, Caesars Atlantic City.

Only 3 Japanese local governments have confirmed IR interest

The Kyodo news agency recently completed a survey on the subject of integrated resorts (IR) in Japan and it appears that most possible destinations have no interest in grabbing a piece of the billion-dollar industry. According to Kyodo, only three locations – Osaka, Wakayama and Nagasaki – have expressly shown an interest in hosting an IR. Around 67 are actually eligible.

The news outlet conducted its survey from November to December, contacting all of the country’s 47 prefectures and 20 major cities that would be eligible to host an IR. Kyodo acknowledges that only the three aforementioned locations responded favorably, while “no plans to apply” was the response of 40 local governments. The agency added, “Dozens more are reluctant to do so amid concerns over public safety.”

When the IR Implementation Bill was approved last June, it stipulated that all local governments wishing to seek an IR must provide their interest in writing. In the initial wave of IRs, only three licenses will be allowed and the local governments must submit a plan that includes details on how the IR will operate, as well as with which casino operator(s) it will operate.

Kyodo points out that the Aichi Prefecture city of Nagoya is “positively considering making an application” and that it is currently seeking “a suitable location” for the venue. Other areas that also indicated that they were open to an IR are Tokyo, Obaraki Prefecture, Hokkaido and the cities of Yokohama and Chiba. An additional 17 local governments still haven’t made up their mind on the subject, according to the news outlet.

Cyprus believes Melco casinos will be a tourist magnet

Cyprus is betting on casinos to boost the nation’s tourism. Casino News Daily reports that Savvas Perdios, the first minister for tourism of the Mediterranean island country, gave remarks on the importance of Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s upcoming casino there.

The minister met with Melco’s CEO Lawrence Ho on January 24. After the meeting, Perdios commented that Melco is “an important contributor” to tourism for the country, and would confirm them as a “popular and must-visit destination.”

Melco’s CEO was similarly complimentary. He said of the country, “[Cyprus] has all the prerequisites to enhance its reputation as a regional and global premium destination.” He believes it will “emerge as a genuine point of reference for luxury tourism and responsible gaming.”

Cyprus’ only casino license was granted to Melco, in partnership with Cyprus Phassouri in 2016. The license grants them a main resort in Limassol, the second largest city in Cyprus and a tourist draw in its own right, and four satellite casinos around the island.

‘Severe’ business climate drags down Dynam Pachinko sales

Dynam Japan Holdings Co., Ltd. reported revenue of ¥109.82 billion ($1.00 billion) for the nine months ending December 31, 2018, a 4.6% decline from the corresponding period in 2017.

In a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the firm attributed the fall in revenue to a continuing “severe business environment,” under which “the Group has made efforts to grow and develop with local communities and to improve the machine utilization through various kinds of business measures under the important policies of setting up our halls from the customers’ viewpoint and operating each of our halls with a focus on customers’ needs.”

High playing cost machine Pachinko halls, totaling 180, had a combined revenue of ¥54.92 billion ($502.41 million), 6.8% less than April to December of 2017.

Low playing cost halls, numbering 270, brought in ¥54.90 billion ($502.23 million).

Betsoft Gaming strides into Colombia through content partnership with platform provider R. Franco Digital

28/1/2019 – Valletta, Malta –Betsoft Gaming will reach a brand new audience in Colombia through a strategic content partnership with platform provider R. Franco Digital. This is an important pillar of Betsoft’s expansion into Latin American markets through 2019.

Under the terms of the agreement, R. Franco Digital will make Betsoft games available to its online casino customers in the rapidly-growing market – including Betplay Colombia, the region’s biggest operator. This will include highlights from the innovative Slots3™ series, as well as established player favourites popular in other global markets.

Rigorous certification processes conducted by Gaming Labs International recently confirmed that the Colombian jurisdiction will allow Betsoft titles to be used by locally licensed operators.

Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, R. Franco Digital was established in 2014 as one of the pioneers of the platform approach to iGaming. Today, its omni-channel IRIS platform – which packages outstanding content and other casino support into a complete digital gaming solution – powers various operations in its native Spain, as well as working behind the scenes to support Colombia’s leading online casino.

Shafikov wins partypoker LIVE WPT Russia; Filatov wins the High Roller

The action from the World Poker Tour’s first Russian stop has come to a halt with Denys Shafikov winning the Main Event, and partypoker ambassador, Anatoly Filatov, winning the High Roller.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) ticked another item off the bucket list after hosting an event in Russia for the first time in the tour’s illustrious history.

The partypoker LIVE WPT Russia Main Event took place at the Casino Sochi, and it was a resounding success with 503-entrants, creating a top prize of $255,259 and a seat in the season-ending Baccarat Crystal WPT Tournament of Champions.

The final table of six threw up three split ends each with a poker story to tell.

The PLON photoshop debate: views from Aleeyah Jadavji and Lena Evans

PokerStars Media Platinum Pass winner, Aleeyah Jadavji, and Poker League of Nations co-founder, Lena Evans, share their views on the allegations that Evans photoshopped an image of Jadavji without her consent.

Intestines tighten. Fingernails fight for the right to turn into horror movie claws. I want to turn them into lamb chops and feed them to people who like eating lamb chops. But like wanting to kiss with my eyes open so I can see if the other person is kissing me with their eyes open, I don’t budge.

It’s not my responsibility.

My son will have to deal with the body shamers, his way.