Monthly Archives: February 2019

Raptors, Thunder favored on Friday NBA odds

The best player in Toronto Raptors history is probably Chris Bosh, followed by Vince Carter and maybe current point guard Kyle Lowry. However, the franchise’s all-time points leader – among other categories – is DeMar DeRozan, and he makes his return to Toronto on Friday night for the first time since his stunning trade this summer to the San Antonio Spurs.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

In July, the Raptors sent their All-Star guard DeRozan along with young center Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 protected first-round pick to San Antonio for Spurs All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, guard Danny Green and some cash. It might have been the rare trade to work out for both teams.

Leonard is the better overall player and is playing at an MVP level as he has the Raptors battling for the NBA’s best record. Green is also having a good year. DeRozan is having his probably best overall season and has San Antonio currently seventh in the West – still better than many projected following the trade.

Champions League review: Man City beat Schalke; Atlético beat Juventus

Ten-man Manchester City stage a remarkable comeback to beat FC Schalke in Gelsenkirchen, and Atlético Madrid stun Juventus at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. 

A blinding array of zeroes dominated the Champions League headlines on Tuesday night, and VAR took over on Wednesday night.

“We are still not ready to fight for the latter stages, that is reality, but the result is good.”

Those are the words of Pep Guardiola after his Manchester City side escaped from Gelsenkirchen with a 3-2 victory after coming back from 2-1 down, and a man light.

Kentucky one step closer to legalized sports gambling

Kentucky continues to inch forward with its plans to introduce sports gambling. A House committee in the state unanimously approved a bill this week that could conceivably open the doors to the activity, but there is still a long road ahead before it finally is given the green light.

Representative Adam Koenig introduced House Bill (HB) 175 in an effort to allow the state’s residents to gamble on sports at the horse racetracks, as well as the Kentucky Speedway and through mobile applications. The last is always the most contentious part of virtually any sports gambling legislation and, as has been seen in other states, gamblers would first be required to register in person at one of the new sportsbooks. In addition, the bill would allow both online poker and daily fantasy sports wagers, as well.

Also included in the bill is a provision that would prohibit wagers on collegiate-level sporting events. This could be changed as HB 175 makes its way through the political obstacle course, but Koenig would prefer to keep the bill mostly unchanged.

Sportsbooks would pay a 9.75% tax on all land-based revenues, as well as 14.25% on wagers placed through mobile devices. Those taxes, according to research firm Commonwealth Economics, could give Kentucky as much as $48 million each year in tax revenue – provided neighboring states don’t get into the fray. If they do, the tax revenue could possibly drop to $20 million a year.

Uniform GST rate on lotteries could be coming to India

A panel comprised of ministers in India who had been tasked with exploring the goods and service tax (GST) levied on lottery operations in the country has finished its research and turned in its results. They recommend that India introduce a uniform tax for all lottery operations and suggest that the rate should be either 18% or 28%. The new tax could become effective as soon as February 24.

A dual-rate tax system currently exists on lottery products in India. Lottery tickets sold directly by state governments are assessed a 12% GST on their face value, while those offered through private distributors or marketing agents are charged 28% on their face value.

The panel was created by the GST Council and comprised ministers from across the country. These included Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mugantiwar (chairman); West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra; Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac; Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma; Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal; Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho, all of whom were responsible for studying the tax structure on lotteries and evasion of taxes by private entities, as well as other issues.

Subsequent to the submission of the group’s findings, the GST Council attempted to hold a vote on the tax via a video conference. However, as is to be expected from almost all government working groups, there were multiple differences of opinions and a consensus wasn’t found. The meeting was adjourned with no resolution, and a physical meeting of the Council this Sunday could decide the tax’s fate.

Daisy Ho: Shareholder alliance improves SJM’s chance for new Macau license

The chairman of SJM Holdings and also the daughter of its founder, Stanley Ho, believes that a newly-formed alliance among the company’s shareholders are going to be key to the company’s ability to receive a new gaming license in Macau. Daisy Ho, along with sister Pansy Ho, joined up with the Fok Foundation in January to create a consolidated partnership that controls STDM, the family’s primary holding company and owner of SJM.

According to a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE), the alliance now controls 53% of STDM, which, in turn, controls 54% of SJM. The controlling stake in STDM was previously owned by Stanley Ho’s fourth wife, Angela Leong.

The Ho family has been fighting over the past several years in an effort to win control over the Ho empire. In addition to casinos, the 97-year-old Stanley Ho is also behind a number of shipping operations, as well as real estate investment deals. Stanley has 17 children from four women, providing a lot of tinder to stoke the power-struggle fire.

The Fok Foundation is the creation of Henry Fok, a former business partner to Stanley. It was formed to hold his stake in the company after he passed away, and it is now controlled by his son, Timothy Fok, SJM’s co-chairman.

Genting Singapore sees increase in 4Q18 profit, but analysts aren’t impressed

For the last quarter of 2018, Genting Singapore saw a 13.1% increase year-on-year for its net profit. It reached $111 million, compared to the $98.17 million a year earlier, propelled by a 20.1% increase in gaming revenue during the quarter. That revenue jumped to $328.37 million. Despite the better performance, some analysts are showing reservations and at least one has downgraded the company’s stock to “hold.”

Non-gaming revenue for the company increased by 4.9% year-on-year to $162.63 million – that revenue was just $155 million a year earlier. In its latest filing, the company didn’t provide a breakdown of VIP revenue against mass-market earnings, but that information had already been distributed.

The net profit calculations for the quarter included an impairment on trade receivables of $26.31 million. In the same period a year earlier, that amount was only $3.47 million. The company added in its filing, “As at December 31, 2018, allowance for impairment amounted to SGD239 million [US$176.64 million] and an impairment charge of SGD58 million [$42.86 million] was recognised for the year ended December 31, 2018.”

Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen explained of the company’s performance, “VIP volume grew 11 percent, or broadly in line with our expectations of +12 percent. VIP gross gaming revenue grew nearly 40 percent on the heels of a 70-basis-point increase in win rate to 3.4 percent.”

Paradise Co enters into a new Chinese tourist deal

The best cure for sagging revenues always seems to be the same trick. South Korean casino operator Paradise Co has entered into an agreement with Suncity Group Holdings Ltd to bring in more high-value Chinese tourists to its resort, GGRAsia reports.

Suncity broke the news in a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In it, they declared they’d entered into a non-legally binding memo to cooperate with the South Korean casino operator. Suncity is best known for bringing Chinese gamblers to Macau, but has recently broadened their scope to create tourism deals with other hot spot gambling locations.

Recently, SunCity declared:

“The company has been focusing on expanding its tourism-related businesses and the board believes that should the possible cooperation materialise, it can enable both parties to form a synergy and develop… strengths, resources and expertise…”

The 91st Academy Awards: Roma a favorite in Oscar odds

The 91st Academy Awards is coming this Sunday, and this year’s installment might be the most interesting one in a long time. If you’re looking for some action on this year’s event, we’ve got the latest odds for you from Ladbrokes.

Overall, look to Roma to be tough to beat all night. The foreign language film is 1/2 odds to take home the most little gold men.

Best Picture

If you’re looking for any help from this year’s Golden Globes winners, this category won’t be much help. The odds on favorite, Roma (4/7) won Best Foreign Language Picture, Bohemian Rhapsody (16/1) won Best Drama, and Green Book (11/4) took home Best Musical or Comedy.

Ganapati steals the show at ICE 2019

ICE Totally Gaming 2019 saw another year of exciting developments in the iGaming space, with Japanese-themed content provider, Ganapati, stealing the show when it came to slots.

The innovative, international supplier went louder than ever this year with its impressive new releases for 2019 – flagship game New Tokyo, Onmyoji and Samurai Girl, amongst well-loved favourites such as Ukiyo-E and Wild Sumo.

Neo Tokyo was the game which attracted most attention from attendees. Based on an immersive backstory about a fated cyberpunk love story and featuring striking anime-style graphics, the game is a real highlight of the Ganapati portfolio. The slot boasts 12,348 ways to win and expanding reels in the bonus round, as well as numerous other unique features.

Ganapati’s games weren’t the only thing making an impact at ICE. Designed around the Neo Tokyo concept, the Ganapati stand was as eye-catching as the games it was showcasing, with a futuristic cyberpunk style, neon lights and a dedicated stage for performances.

Matrix Holdings to build horse racing complex in Vietnam

Looking to become a more attractive destination for tourists, Vietnam has revolutionized many of their industries including, most recently, the inclusion of gambling on a grand scale. That was on full display on Thursday when it was announced that Matrix Holdings was in negotiations to build a $200 million complex in the city of Da Nang specifically dedicated to horseracing.

In November of 2018, authorities in Hanoi approved a $500 million entertainment complex set to open in 2021. This entertainment complex would include horseracing as well as other gaming operations. This came almost exactly 12 months after the National Assembly made sports betting legal.

Another horseracing venue is already under construction in Dai Nam Park. This 1.5 km track will not only be used for horse and dog racing but will provide facilities for Pro-kart and jet ski racing as well. The stadium is expected to hold 20,000 initially with upgrades reaching 60,000 for future events.

Matrix Holdings has agreed in principle to create the complex in Da Nang, but there is still a hurdle to be overcome. The construction of the proposed complex must be confirmed by the National Assembly before finalization of any agreement.

UK Minister considering raising the age on lotteries, scratch cards

When I was a kid, every Christmas and Birthday meant my grandfather would give me a nice card and some lottery scratch cards. It didn’t matter that I was just eight years old, they were a fun and simple way to get me to shut up for a few minutes.

I always wondered if I could buy them for myself. I had a pretty good idea that things like booze, cigarettes and lottery tickets were meant for adults, but I didn’t know if there were any rules about buying those things. Ultimately though, I never got up the courage to find out, because I found the old Korean man at the corner store to be a little too intimidating to challenge.

If any 16 or 17 year olds in UK are having the same feelings that I once did, they better enjoy their freedom to buy scratch cards while it lasts. Sport Minister Mims Davies wants to restrict scratch card sales, and all other lotteries, to 18 and above, she revealed in an interview with The House magazine.

“We need to be very clear that gambling starts at 18 … It’s not to stop people from having fun, but it’s also to protect those most vulnerable people. That’s where the government needs to step in,” Davies said. She specifically mentioned scratch cards as well, which considering my history as a vulnerable eight-year-old, seems fair.

Portugal’s online gambling market sustains post-World cup gains

Portugal’s online gambling operators reported revenue growth of nearly one-quarter in the second full year of the regulated market’s existence.

Figures released this week by the Serviço Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos do Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ) regulatory body show the state’s nine online gambling licensees (recently expanded to 10) generated combined revenue of €43m in the final three months of 2018, a nearly 18% improvement over the same period last year.

The country’s sports betting licensees reported revenue of €21.6m in Q4, a modest €1.1m rise from Q4 2017. Betting turnover was up nearly one-third to €110.6m, significantly higher than operators reported during last summer’s FIFA World Cup months, but the revenue figure failed to match pace thanks to a spate of punter-friendly results in December, during which operator revenue fell 9% year-on-year.

Online casino revenue – into which the SRIJ bundles online poker – hit a record €21.5m in Q4, one-third higher from Q417 and €1.1m higher than Q318. Slots accounted for more than three-fifths of this bounty, while roulette and blackjack claimed 14% and 8.5% shares, respectively. Poker cash games earned a 10.6% slice while tournament managed a 5.3% share.