Monthly Archives: February 2019

AvatarUX Studios strengthens YGS Masters portfolio

Hong Kong-based business adds to diverse range of premier independent studios working to deliver unique Yggdrasil content

February 4, 2019 ­­– Yggdrasil has announced that AvatarUX Studios will be the latest independent studio to partner with the innovative content provider through its flagship Yggdrasil Game Server (YGS) Masters programme.

AvatarUX is a real-money and social games studio that specialises in highly interactive, portrait-first casino games with an Asian DNA for the European market, featuring action-packed 3D graphics and state-of-the-art in-game gamification.

The Hong Kong-based business becomes the fourth studio to join YGS Masters following Rabcat, Northern Lights, and Fantasma Games with each one working collaboratively with Yggdrasil to develop and deliver unique content in line with Yggdrasil’s global content roadmap.

SkyBet and bet365 revealed as launch partners of Perform’s new Opta Fast Player Statistics Feed

Perform, the complete sports content provider, has announced two major operators as launch partners of its new real-time Fast Player Statistics Feed, powered by Opta, the world’s leading provider of live, detailed sports data.

The new feed pushes high frequency in-play statistics like shots, passes and tackles to operators who can now automate pricing, live trading and fast settlement of player and team prop markets. The feed means player and team stats can now also be incorporated at scale into bet-builders and request-a-bets, for the world’s biggest football competitions and players. Detailed stats are also shown updating as they happen to the operators’ customers.

Sky Bet and bet365 are the first operators to offer their customers in-play products powered by the new fast player data.

Sky Bet accompanied their launch with a promotional campaign announcing ‘In-play, as you’ve never seen it before’.

Canadian crooks laundered money through casinos using gov’t accounts

It doesn’t appear that the money-laundering saga plaguing Canada is going to go away anytime soon. Dating back to 2015, investigations have been conducted that allege a widespread network of illicit activity regarding large financial transactions of questionable provenance at a number of casinos. Most notably, River Rock Casino Resort has been at the heart of the issue on more than one occasion, and new reports are now surfacing that indicate the amount of illegal transactions may have been in the $2-billion range. To make matters worse, the money could have been passed through government financial accounts.

According to a report by Global News, regulators investigating the incidents, which have seen River Rock attempting to shred evidence, up to $1.7 billion could have been pushed through casinos in British Columbia (BC) through corporate high roller accounts. Adding insult to injury, Global reports that many Chinese high rollers were utilizing Canadian banks, as well as the “patron gaming fund” offered by the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) to launder their funds.

Previously, it was believed that perhaps only as much as $100 million had been laundered. However, that amount is now much higher. Not only is there a massive amount of illicit activity being uncovered, the fact that government accounts could have been used only exacerbates the issue.

According to the BCLC, “Only funds sourced to a recognized financial institution may be placed in a patron gaming fund (PGF) account at account opening. BCLC monitors play activity and PGF account activity and investigates unusual activity — including by requesting proof of source of wealth.”

Prague iGaming Affiliate Conference: Smile-Expo will unite gambling specialists in the Czech Republic

On April 18, the company Smile-Expo will hold the first Prague iGaming Affiliate Conference – the event about affiliate programs in the industry of online casinos. The occasion will take place as a conference+demozone and will unite arbitrage experts, marketers and game developers from various countries.

Who Will Speak at the Conference?

At the event, leading industry specialists will focus on the topic of affiliate marketing and will also discuss gambling and online casinos.

Panel discussion will become the part of the event. Experts will talk about the regulation of online casinos’ work in the Czech Republic and other European countries.

Sands China senior notes listed on the HKSE

Sands China announced last Friday that it had requested to be able to list new senior notes on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE). The notes were valued at over $5 billion and carried different interest rates and due dates.

Approximately $1.69 billion in notes carrying a 4.6% coupon rate would become due in 2023. Another $1.79 billion, with an interest rate of 5.125%, would become due in 2025 and over $1.89 billion would become due in 2028 and carry a 5.4% interest rate.

The prices had been established by the company last August after it made an announcement about the issuance a month prior. The money received from the transactions, around $5.46 billion, is expected to be used to pay loans in accordance with a current credit facility, as well as for general corporate purposes, according to the HKSE filing.

Stockbroker firm Morningstar asserted just over a week ago that Sands China’s weak share price was providing the perfect opportunity for long-term investors. The company had a slow 2018, reporting a year-on-year decrease in fourth-quarter net income of 10.4%, or $465 million. For the year, however, it saw a 19% increase year over year, climbing from $1.60 billion in 2017 to $1.90 billion last year.

Texas looks to wrangle sports gambling

Texas has prohibited virtually all types of gambling for years. However, this may soon change with the help of a new sports gambling bill that is being sponsored by Representative Eddie Lucio III. While the legislation is solid, it is still just a first step of a long journey to receive regulatory approval.

House Bill (HB) 1275 provides guidance for how the sports industry would operate, including regulations, permit issuance, fees, taxation and definitions of criminal offenses. However, while it attempts to cover all facets of the activity, it also seeks to allow wagers on collegiate sporting events. This is often a point of opposition for a lot of individuals, including some who favor legalized sports gambling.

If the bill gains support in the House, it will be discussed by the Senate. If both chambers approve it, which could take months, if not years, the next step would be for voters to head to the polls and decide the fate of sports gambling in the state. In other words, this is not a fast-tracked process.

Nor will the sports gambling industry be as wide-open as is much of the Texas landscape. Only five companies would be allowed to hold licenses to operate in The Lone Star State, with HB 1275 stating, “If more than five applicants submit applications, the executive director shall issue permits to the five applicants the executive director determines will best.”

Monty Munford: Crypto ‘an extraordinary fit’ for gambling

Monty Munford believes that Bitcoin can make the world a better place, and it’s the right fit for online gambling. The Forbes contributor recently spoke with CalvinAyre.com’s Stephanie Towers to talk about what looks good in the blockchain space, and the road ahead to mass adoption.

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Japan begins to set requirements for IRs

A new Integrated Resort (IR) Development and Promotion Ordnance has been put forward as the IR program in Japan continues to develop. The regulations cover a range of requirements for the projects, including how large hotels must be. For any IR project plan to be accepted for review, it must include a hotel that measures no less than 1,076,391 square feet (100,000 square meters) in floor space.

The standard for the hotels was created based on a calculation of the total number guest rooms and the minimum allowable guest room floor space, as well as percentage of suites and other factors. The ordnance specifically states, “The total floor space of all guest rooms must substantially exceed 100,000 square meters.” By way of comparison, the existing Tokyo Dome hotel, which offers 43 floors above ground and three below, has 1,249,435 square feet.

The regulations also state, “The total capacity of the largest international conference room must be significantly more than 1,000 people, and the total capacity for the entire facility must be at least double that of the largest conference room.” However, the conference room can be combined with exhibition facilities to meet the requirements. The total combined space, considering the conference room and exhibition facilities needs to be between 1,291,669 and 2,152,782 square feet.

The gaming floor space will remain small compared to the rest. As was previously indicated, only 3% of the project’s total floor space can be allocated to gaming.

Efbet announces entering the Spanish regulated market powered by Optima

Spain – Efbet, leading Sportsbetting and Casino Omnichannel operator, is pleased to announce that it will enter the Spanish regulated market this year, expanding its current European operation.

Efbet group of companies, who already use OptimaMGS(tm) platform, continues trusting the platform supplier for entering the Spanish regulated market and offer their games portfolio and gaming experience to the potential Efbet’s Spanish customers. Through MGS provided by OPTIMA for both its Player Account Management platform and its Sports Betting Module, Efbet will be offering a big variety of pre-match and live sportsbetting, Live Dealer and RNG casino games as well as providing the broad range of other quality products that Efbet is well known for.

With OPTIMAMGS(TM), Efbet will be able to provide its potential customers with highly distinctive performance games and increase its variety of products. While the majority of Efbet’s target audience reside in Eastern Europe, they hope that through the international expansion of the OPTIMA platform and its compliancy in multiple countries, the current global partnership with OPTIMA will help them expand into the new market faster.

Martin Simeonov, Spokesperson for Efbet says: “OPTIMA was the natural choice for us when we looked to enhance our offering to other jurisdictions. Their professionalism and continuous partnership since we join them in 2015 were key to our decision following the growth we have experienced. Expanding our customer base in Europe, and especially in Spain, is important to us and we know that bringing again OPTIMAMGS(tm) on board will not only acquire potential players but will help exciting and keeping them too.”

Microgaming to lead with eco-friendly initiatives at ICE 2019

ISLE OF MAN – Microgaming is furthering its investment in sustainability by extending its award-winning PlayItForward CSR programme to include environmental initiatives at ICE.

The leading software supplier has committed to reducing waste across its show-stopping ICE stand at ExCeL London next week by providing extensive recycling facilities, minimising the use of plastic at its bar, and reusing and recycling stand materials following the show.

The initiatives build on existing work carried out at the company’s state-of-the-art Isle of Man headquarters, which was designed with staff in mind and to be as eco-friendly as possible, opening in July 2017 as one of the island’s first offices to have achieved an ‘Excellent’ sustainability rating from BREEAM, the world’s foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings.

Microgaming will continue to reuse more than 75% of its ICE stand structure at future events, and has pledged to recycle its stand graphics and responsibly dispose of other materials at the end of the three-day event.

The 50th Anniversary WSOP finalises live schedule; Cartwright wins WSOPC gold

Two tales from the World Series of Poker including a finalised live schedule and an eighth World Series of Poker Circuit win for Kyle Cartwright.

Comedians, Starbucks Baristas or Wall Street traders – it doesn’t matter who you are, Jack Effel and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) want you to complain about the air conditioning during the 50th Anniversary of the most iconic festival of poker across the multiverse.

From May 28 to July 16, cousins, cuckoos and crackpots from six continents will fill up their cable box hard drives, as they ignore life, and participate in 80+ bracelet events.

The WSOP organisers have released the final tranche of live events, and it’s cracking news if paying $1,000 to play in a poker tournament is a tad too fierce.

WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open: Farah leads final table; ClubWPT upgrade

Daniel Buzgon and Ian O’Hara headline the World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open final table as it moves to Las Vegas for its conclusion, and Pala Interactive gives ClubWPT a spit wash.

Hang up the phone.

Get the Sharpie out, scribble on a Post-It Note.

“I’ve booked tickets to Las Vegas. Won’t be back until late March. Take care of my goldfish.”

Dench debuts in UK with 138.co.uk deal

Dench eGaming Solutions, a turnkey gaming platform supplier to the iGaming industry announced today that it is the main driver behind the revamp of the 138 brand in UK.

The deal represents a full operational migration of 138 brands to the Dench Core platform. Both companies are determined to revitalize the gaming brand through the introduction of more modern and flexible technology and new features that will drive company’s distinguished player experience.

Committed to innovation and increased value, 138´s future strategy is based on delivering an innovative online experience that ensures customers return repeatedly. From a unified back office, Dench Core will provide more intuitive user management, advanced BI instruments delivering advanced analytics while considering all the regulatory requirements towards KYC and responsible gaming. The marketing tool Giselle V.2 will help 138 capture customer data in real time and structure it intelligently in more than 150 KPIs. Marketing initiatives will be organized through event-driven bonus automation scenarios and will include in house built communication tools deeply embedded in the campaign process.

Darren Howland commented: ‘We believe that the best opportunity to create a sustainable competitive advantage is through a redefinition of our core operational process and a greater focus on player relationship management. As such, we looked for a technology partner, which bridges the gap between core platform features and sophisticated campaign management tools. We needed software that allows us to share customer insights across different global teams and customize the experience down to the individual player while eliminating the overreliance on third-party providers.’

Join Slotegrator’s webcast of ICE London 2019

5-7 February, everybody interested in gambling industry will have an opportunity to follow live webcast of ICE London gambling exhibition and conference on Slotegrator website. The event will be attended by delegates from 150 countries, including 8,500 operators, gambling developers and other leading IT professionals. Online broadcast of ICE London will go live during 3 days on the company’s website. Thus, you could join such a grand event of the gambling industry staying at home or in the office.

In 2018, ICE London engaged 11% more visitors if compare with 2017 edition. This year, it is expected even more participants. However, the exhibition and conference will definitely surprise the guests with interesting seminars conducted by the leading gambling companies represented by:

– Alan Feldman (Executive Vice President at MGM Resorts International);

– Anders Sims (Head of Communications at Swedish Gambling Authority);

Aussie Millions Update: Bryn Kenney wins the Main Event; Katz takes the 100k

The penultimate round-up from the Aussie Millions with Bryn Kenney winning the Main Event, and Cary Katz taking down the AUD 100,000 Challenge.

Bryn Kenney has one goal: to reach the summit of The Hendon Mob All-Time Money List.

He’s two steps closer.

Kenney has won 17-titles all over the world. Until this weekend, he’d never steamed the windows of the Crown Casino; a runner-up finish in a Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) event, three-years ago, his only showing.