Monthly Archives: January 2019

BtoBet announces partnership with Jamaican licensed Islandbet

BtoBet continues consolidating its Latin American and Caribbean presence, announcing a partnership with “Islandbet”. Through this long-term agreement the service provider will be providing its integrated technology for sports betting and iGaming solutions to the Jamaican based operator.

Islandbet’s Director, Adam Epstein, stated that “we are very excited about this partnership through which we will be provided with industry leading technological solutions to offer an innovative product to our clients.” He further stated that “through this agreement we have the opportunity to take advantage of the knowledge and experience that BtoBet already has in the region, and we look forward to work with such a renowned global technology leader.”

BtoBet’s Chairman and CEO Alessandro Fried stated that “Islandbet is another thrilling partnership as BtoBet seeks to further cement its leadership status in the Latin American and Caribbean region and be the first option for those companies seeking to establish their iGaming operations in this exciting market.” Fried further stated that the unicity of the Islandbet brand will surely appeal to its fold of punters, and both companies will seek to replicate the numerous successful partnerships synonymous with BtoBet in the Latin American region.

Fried also regarded highly the regulatory evolution that is characterizing the region, with the Latam and Caribbean scenario set to garner a lot of interest from the iGaming community and register an exponential growth in the short term.

WhichBingo tells us their 2019 predictions ahead of LAC

The air is electric as the London Affiliate Conference is nearly here, and top experts are putting the finishing touches on the speeches and presentations they will be delivering next week. WhichBingo.co.uk, the U.K.’s leading bingo review community, has given us an exclusive sneak peak of their 2019 Online Bingo Annual Report, and we’d like to share some of their predictions for the upcoming year.

Ben Starr

Ben Starr, managing director of 15 Marketing Ltd, thinks the focus this year will be on keeping pace with regulations. He tells us, “Despite the raft of fines and actions issued in 2018, compliance and regulation haven’t peaked and will remain hot topics throughout 2019. In a world of unlimited resource, these topics go hand in hand with innovation and user experience.”

Although he doesn’t think operators will have much time for major innovation as they navigate regulatory waters, Starr believes the rollout of 5G data networks will mean better mobile content.

Wynn Palace lifts operator’s Q4 revenue

Wynn Resorts, Limited reported an operating revenue of $1.69 billion in the fourth quarter last year, 4.0% higher than the same period in the previous year.

Casino operations made up $1.22 billion of this, and was 3.7% higher year on year.

The operator’s Wynn Palace in Macau contributed the most to revenue, with $740.6 million, increasing 12.8% from the fourth quarter of 2017. This is in spite of VIP table games turnover roughly the same year on year, at $16.16 billion. Mass-market table drop in the casino increased 15.6%, to $1.30 billion.

Las Vegas operating revenue was $393.6 million, increasing 3.1% year on year, with table drop up 18.0% to $508.5 million.

Becky’s Affiliated: Opportunities to learn about Bitcoin SV at ICE 2019

Several days ago I conducted an interview for CoinGeek.com with Coinify, a trusted cryptocurrency payment gateway that recently announced its decision to add Bitcoin SV to its portfolio of currencies. Platforms such as Coinify make it possible for merchants (ie iGaming operators/suppliers), payment service providers and others to trade, accept and pay out in crypto compliantly, while getting credited in fiat if they wish.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UELOYJyuvcg]

After talking with Coinify’s COO Hans Henrik Hoffmeyer, I was reminded of just how easy it is for companies to manage payments using crypto when partnering with services such as Coinify, especially online gambling operators.

“While there is still a need for regulatory clarity in the use of virtual currencies in online gaming, it is undoubtedly an industry where there is a viable and growing use case for them”, Hoffmeyer shared exclusively with CalvinAyre.com.

Macau hotel guests increased 7.2% in 2018

The number of guests in hotels and guesthouses in Macau reached 14.11 million for 2018, 7.2% higher than the previous year.

The data from the Special Administrative Region’s (SAR’s) Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) also showed visitors on package tours increased 5.5% year on year, to 9.10 million.

Mainland China contributed the most to the number of guests, with 9.72 million, a 12.5% increase year on year, followed by those from Hong Kong, with 1.52 million, 5.9% less than in 2017.

Among visitors on package tours, Mainland China was also the largest group, with 7.10 million, a 2.6% increase year on year. However, the number of those from the Republic of Korea and Taiwan rose at a larger rate, at 28.3% and 53.8% respectively.

Gaming Innovation Group powers Hard Rock’s omni-channel sportsbook launch in New Jersey

Today, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City launched its land-based and online sportsbook in New Jersey at HardRockSports.com and HardRockCasino.com, powered by Gaming Innovation Group.

“The launch of the sportsbook at HardRockSports.com is another milestone on our journey to becoming the most innovative and comprehensive online gaming service for players in the State of New Jersey,” said Kresimir Spajic, senior vice president of online gaming at Hard Rock International. “Sports are integral to New Jersey’s culture and HardRockSports.com provides fans with the best platform to bet on their favorite teams and sporting events.”

With the introduction of the sportsbook, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City continues to further develop and enhance its status as a leading brand in New Jersey to experience, play and earn rewards. Hard Rock players and New Jersey residents and visitors can now place bets on football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, college sports (excluding New Jersey-based colleges or games taking place in venues within state lines) and more at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, as well as online at HardRockSports.com and on their mobile devices via the Hard Rock Casino iOS and Android apps.

“We couldn’t be more excited to launch our online and land-based sportsbook, providing our guests and players the opportunity to bet on football’s big game this weekend,” said Joe Lupo, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. “Players will be able to enjoy a full range of bets on the game, as well as all other major sporting events across the calendar, with exciting promotions and events coming soon. Continued development and the provision of a full-service array of amenities and entertainment for our customers is our consistent priority.”

Thursday NBA Odds: Marquee matchups on the slate

The last Thursday of January features one of the best TNT NBA doubleheaders of the season. Before the doubleheader, the NBA All-Star reserves also will be announced.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

On-court action tips off at 8pm ET from Toronto as the Raptors host the Milwaukee Bucks as 3-point favorites in what could easily be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals – the Bucks and Raptors have the conference’s top two records as things stand and figure to stay there barring injury to either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kawhi Leonard, respectively. Both were named All-Star starters, with Antetokounmpo one of the two captains along with LeBron James. The All-Star “draft” is February 7.

Thursday’s game is huge because it could decide the head-to-head tiebreaker and home-court advantage in a series should the teams finish with the same regular-season mark. Milwaukee is 2-1 against Toronto and thus would clinch the tiebreaker with a victory.

PokerStars Live returns to Madrid; dates announced for Manila & Korea events

A round-up of PokerStars Live news including a return to Madrid for the European Poker Tour and 2019 Asia-Pacific Poker Tour stops in Korea and Manila.

PokerStars’ busy beavers have been constructing new live tournament experiences for customers new and old, and we begin with news of PokerStars Live events in Spain.

Madrid lovers are in for a surprise after the announcement to partner with Gran Casino Madrid for a PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Open Madrid.

The nine-day festival starts on June 22 and culminates with the €1,100 buy-in EPT Open Madrid Main Event. It’s the second EPT Open after Vyacheslav Bondartsev conquered a field of 649-entrants to take the $183,991 first prize at the EPT Open Sochi Main Event in September. The last time the EPT brand fell onto the Lillywhite Gran Casino Madrid was in 2011 when Ivan Freitez controversially won the €1.5m first prize in the EPT Grand Final.

CoinPoint: Marketing a blockchain decentralized application (dApp) in a hyper iGaming competitive environment

Sofia, Bulgaria – It’s a beginning of a very successful year for CoinPoint Group INC. Being a premium multinational digital marketing agency earned them the sough-after reputation with an outstanding place on the global blockchain and crypto map that they have been a part of since 2013.

CoinPoint is a well-known partner within the iGaming industry which they stood behind and provided an array of marketing services for in terms of brand development, blockchain consultation, business development, decentralized social media management, content marketing, and many other tailor-made services. Having the offices in both Philippines and Bulgaria has allowed them to sustainably support their customers both online and on the ground.

CoinPoint have become an annual attendee of ICE conference in London where they attempt to help iGaming industry progress in the right direction by using blockchain technology, and on top of it, they provide business consultancy to all participates, that is, operators, providers, affiliates, legal experts, security and hosting providers, etc. After ICE, CoinPoint will also attend LAC (London Affiliate Conference) where they aim to grow their coveted network of affiliates, but also share their knowledge and experience with others.

“It’s simply staggering to see how much iGaming industry blossomed, and knowing that we have contributed to such a conglomerate makes me very proud and it motivates me to keep on going. However, don’t be mistaken. Finding clients, creating hype around them, maintaining their reputation, and simultaneously spearheading their marketing campaign have never been easy, still isn’t and never will be! And that’s exactly what defines and motivates us. We don’t succumb to peer pressure nor stop at a sign of an obstacle, no matter how big it is. We overcome and strive towards making our client’s business move forward.” – Oron Barber, CEO at CoinPoint

ComeOn! ambassador and former Arsenal and England star Ray Parlour to appear at LAC

Ahead of the 2019 London Affiliate Conference next month, award winning casino and sports betting site ComeOn! have confirmed they will be joined at the event by brand ambassador Ray Parlour.

The three time Premier League winner will be present at the stand on the afternoon of Friday the 8th to meet and greet, and there will also be the opportunity for attendees to win signed Ray Parlour merchandise, including Arsenal and England shirts and copies of his autobiography.

Visitors to LAC can meet members of the Comeon Connect team at stand H8 on both Thursday 7th and Friday 8th, February. To book a meeting please contact us at meeting…[email protected]

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Jackpot.com expands lottery and games offerings based on its insured random number generator

31st January 2019 – Global Online Lottery Platform Jackpot.com is today announcing that its offering has been expanded to include custom lotteries and new games based on its proprietary, innovative insured random number generator (iRNG).

The new technology enables customers to win huge jackpots, with the prizes backed by Jackpot.com’s trusted insurance policy, led by the top London Market (Lloyds) prize indemnity writers.

The iRNG technology is based on a combination of in-house technology and industry-leading hardware, with the hardware being the Quantis Random Number Generator – a global trusted and certified source of quantum randomness. The infrastructure includes two devices to guarantee redundancy, with a secure environment to ensure trusted, interference-free results.

The iRNG is already in place, providing results to two new custom lotteries developed and rolled-out exclusively on Jackpot.com. These are the JackpotLotto; a twice-daily €100,000 draw, and the JackpotMillions; a daily €1 Million draw.

EPL week 24 review: Liverpool held at home; Bournemouth batter Chelsea

Week 24 of the English Premier League is over after Leicester held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at Anfield, and Bournemouth battered Chelsea in a defeat that saw them fall from the Champions League places.

There’s a common theme you see in a title race. A team loses ground against a weaker team, and the next night, with the opportunity to streak ahead lying legs spread before them, the only side who could benefit from the lapse becomes impotent.

And.

It.

Aussie Millions: titles for Bouskila & Angelou-Konstas; Karamalikis PHOF

Three Aussie Millions stories combined into one with two side events victories and news that Jonathan Karamalikis joins the Australian Poker Hall of Fame.

A bent back caused by too many golf club memberships. A car horn full of harmonious madness milling through the mind. An inability to focus on the sweetest songs, with thoughts diving this way and that like a fly born and raised in Los Angeles.

Maybe Melbourne will be better?

Give me the car keys.

Tony Hawk’s thoughts on preparation, practice and poker

An interview with the God of the skateboarding world, Tony Hawk, on preparation, practice and how poker makes him feel.

[Image credit: Neil Stoddart]

A pipe is a pipe.

It moves water from one place to another; sometimes gas, which, you don’t want breaking in the middle of the birthday party birthday song, and I know people who also like to smoke them.

Online slots games for Millennials with Nadiya Attard (NetEnt) at Prague Gaming Summit 3

Prague Gaming Summit has a special focus this year to bring a wealth of information about innovation and marketing with an emphasis on Millennials.

As announced earlier, some of the leading experts of the millennial gaming and gambling industry will join a unique panel discussion that has the mission to share insights about how to market the new generations.

Nadiya Attard is Director of Business Development in EMEA and Asia at NetEnt and has well over 12 years of experience in B2B and B2C, entering the gambling industry via land-based bookmaker Pari Match while juggling studies in programming.

She continued her career at Betfair when her potential was noticed by NetEnt. Nadiya holds a Masters degree in Programming, thus fully understands the commitment of NetEnt as a leading supplier of the gambling industry.

Metric Gaming and Bethard Group enter U.S. market joint venture

31 January 2019 – Metric Gaming, the sports betting platform and services provider licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, has entered into a joint venture with the Bethard Group in a bid to take on the nascent U.S. market.

The joint venture, named Hard Metrics, provides operators with a turnkey solution to enter regulated sports betting and iGaming markets across the U.S. efficiently and effectively via a single contracting entity.

Hard Metrics provides a compelling solution for both large operators, already established in other territories, or those looking to get in on the action for the first time.

Metric Gaming provides a full sports betting solution with focus on American sports as well as Metric’s own proprietary golf, racing and just-launched soccer product.