Monthly Archives: March 2019

ORYX set for success in Swedish iGaming market

Wednesday, March 13, 2019 – ORYX Gaming, a Bragg Gaming Group company (TSXV:BRAG), announced today that it is expanding into the regulated Swedish iGaming market with the deployment of its game portfolio on the Mr Green Swedish website. ORYX also plans to roll out its content across other top international operators in the coming weeks.

On January 1, 2019, The Swedish Gambling Authority enacted new gambling regulations and a gambling licensing system and started accepting license applications. ORYX has met all the requirements for licensing, and has chosen to launch with Mr Green, to ensure the year gets off to a flying start.

ORYX will now provide its exciting library of casino games and a wide selection of world-renowned casino titles from GivMe Games, Kalamba Games and Gamomat. The Swedish iGaming market will be key to ORYX’s continued growth during 2019.

“Sweden represents a huge growth opportunity for ORYX and we’re thrilled to enter the market,” said Matevz Mazij, CEO of ORYX Gaming.  “Our games and platform are a perfect fit for Sweden’s regulated iGaming market and we expect further deployments with our international operators.”

Competition increases for Hokkaido integrated resort

Hokkaido, Japan is becoming a popular target for casino operators wishing to launch an integrated resort (IR) in the country. The latest company to announce its intention to submit an IR bid is Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, owner of the Mohegan Sun brand in the U.S. There are now at least four casino operators who have stated their desire to become part of the Hokkaido landscape.

Mohegan is expected to open an office this April in Tomakomai in the Hokkaido prefecture. The company’s VP of Corporate Finance, Christopher Jones, explains, “We hope to proceed with its use and application as the home base of information related to business PR [around an] IR.”

That office, in addition to being a home base for Japanese operations, will also serve as a type of showroom for the company and will be a vital component as Mohegan looks to attract local companies with which it can host seminars related to the IR bid, as well as the IR project.

Mohegan will most likely acquire space in the same building of another IR bidder. After announcing its intention to submit a bid for a Hokkaido IR last December, U.S.-based Rush Street opened an office in Tomakomai to lead the way. Rush Street could now have some local competition if Mohegan settles on launching its office there, as well.

Michigan takes another stab at online gambling

Michigan’s former governor, Rick Snyder, gave a one-fingered salute to the gambling industry, and his constituents, as he was leaving office last year, vetoing a bill that would have allowed online gambling to come to the state. Not surprising for a man who once pardoned a friend of his who was classified as an habitual drunk driver. Now that Snyder no longer pulls the strings, lawmakers are trying again to introduce online poker and other casino games and are hoping the new governor will be more receptive.

A House committee discussed bills yesterday that hopes to introduce legal online casinos and fantasy sports contests to the state. They would allow Michigan to bring its gaming and betting industries up to date while regulating the activity. Lawmakers have acknowledged that gambling is already taking place illegally and, as such, the state is not able to capitalize on the tax revenue that could be earned from making the activity legal.

Michigan Representative Brandt Iden explained during a committee hearing yesterday, “This is really about updates. This is about the future of the industry. This is about making sure Michigan stays competitive.”

Snyder vetoed a similar bill last year, asserting that there were “unknown budget concerns” surrounding gambling activity. This, in spite of the fact that there are numerous studies available that indicate how a gambling operation can be budgeted and how much money can be generated. Many have asserted that his true motive for the veto was concern that the Michigan Lottery might lose funds, which indicates that he had virtually no clue about the gambling that was already taking place in the state.

Valley Forge to become Pennsylvania’s latest sportsbook

Sports gambling in Pennsylvania continues to expand, despite the state once being considered no-man’s land because of extremely high license fees. Boyd Gaming Corp.-owned Valley Forge Casino Resort is expected to launch an in-person sportsbook this week, becoming the fourth casino in Pennsylvania to offer sports wagers.

The sportsbook comes about following a successful partnership agreement between Valley Forge and FanDuel. The casino secured its license from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for in-person sports gambling late last year and is now ready to get things rolling.

SugarHouse was the first casino in the state to offer sports gambling when it went live last December. In January, Parx Casino jumped in on the action and Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack didn’t waste any time, also launching its sportsbook that same month.

The new Valley Forge sportsbook is expected to officially launch today. The inauguration will see participation by several well-known figures, including former Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek. The retired NFL star and Super Bowl LII champion will make the ceremonial first wager.

Germany’s Dr. Patrick Sensberg: Grey market is no good for anyone

Gambling regulations have been hard to get straight in Germany, largely due to complications of the political system there. To help us understand their struggle, Dr. Patrick Sensberg, a member of the German Parliament since 2009 representing Hochsauerlandkreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, joined Becky Liggero to explain the situation.

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Betting on Football 2019 is coming up—here’s what you can expect

The largest sports betting industry event, Betting on Football, is making its return to the Stamford Bridge on March 19-22, bringing together industry stakeholders to address issues and opportunities in sports betting.

The four-day conference will be opened by Italian central defender Franco Baresi. The legendary AC Milan footballer is scheduled to deliver the ‘Captain’s address’ about leadership in sport, marking the official opening to the Leadership and Vision track on March 20. Baresi will also answer questions from SBC Business Development Director Jaap Kalma.

In addition to the Leadership and Vision track, Betting on Football 2019 will also feature tracks on Global Markets, The Science of Compliance, Betting on Innovation and Products in Focus, and Betting on Market. There will also be expert forums on payments, digital marketing, sponsorship, and European lotteries.

Expect major lottery operators from 17 different jurisdictions to attend the conference as the European Lotteries association (EL) is scheduled to host a meeting for members of its Sport Working Group on the first day of the Betting on Football conference. The group includes representatives from Danske Spil, Veikkaus, FDJ, Hrvatska Lutrija, Szerencsejáték Zrt., Lottomatica, SAZKA, Tipp3, LOTTO Bayern, Norsk Tipping, Svenska Spel, Loterie Nationale, OPAP and Sisal.

Dov Allin on the strategies for affiliates to succeed in Asia’s key markets

Affiliate marketing is a “growing industry” in Asia, particularly in three key markets—Chinese speaking markets, Japan, and Southeast Asia. And to succeed in these markets, operators and their affiliate partners need to take into consideration some key strategies such as having the right team and localization, among others.

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Betway to sponsor Gibraltar Open

Leading online bookmaker cues up second major snooker deal 

Tuesday 13th March 2019 – Betway has today been announced as the new title sponsor for this week’s Gibraltar Open, which gets underway on Wednesday 13th March.

Ryan Day will be defending his title at this year’s Betway Gibraltar Open

The five-day event, first staged in 2015 and won last year by Welshman Ryan Day, is the leading online bookmaker’s second major sponsorship in snooker, adding to their existing deal as title sponsor of the Betway UK Championship.

2019 G2E Asia announces launch of new website for official show newspaper G2E Asia Daily

MACAU – The American Gaming Association (AGA) and Reed Exhibitions, organizers of G2E Asia, and leading B2B Asian gaming industry media brand Inside Asian Gaming (IAG) are pleased to announce the launch of G2EAsiaDaily.com – the website of the show’s official newspaper G2E Asia Daily.

The new website brings a digital element to G2E Asia Daily, providing sponsors with year-round exposure, and will be regularly updated leading up to and during G2E Asia 2019. The site features every edition of G2E Asia Daily since the newspaper’s inception in 2017, in addition to exhibitor lists and floor plans.

G2E Asia Daily will be printed and distributed each morning of G2E Asia’s show days in both English and Simplified Chinese and will deliver the latest news from the conference and exhibition floor, showcase exhibitor products and provide information on everything from G2E Asia press conferences, media launches and various networking events.

With attendance expected to exceed 18,000 visitors this year – and copies personally handed out to delegates as they arrive – G2E Asia Daily will not only provide the most comprehensive up-to-date coverage of G2E Asia but will also present a unique opportunity for exhibitors to get their message directly into the hands of show visitors.

Wednesday NBA betting: Rockets/Warriors showdown

Incredibly rare for a team in the Steve Kerr era to sweep the Golden State Warriors in a regular-season series – much less a sweep of four games as no one has done that. It’s what the Houston Rockets, on an NBA-high nine-game winning streak overall, can do Wednesday night at home in the game of the night around the NBA and nationally televised by ESPN.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The Rockets have won by six points (without James Harden) and one point (in overtime) in Oakland this season and took the meeting in Houston way back on November 15, 107-86, behind 27 points from Harden. Golden State was without Steph Curry. That was the teams’ first meeting since last season’s Western Conference Finals. It would surprise no one if they met again there later this year, although Houston might end up on the side of the bracket where it may have to face the Warriors in the conference semifinals.

Kevin Durant left Sunday’s shocking upset loss to Phoenix with an ankle injury, and has been ruled out for Golden State for Wednesday night. The Warriors are 2-5 against the spread in the past seven meetings between the teams. Houston opened as a 2-point favorite.

The Mouthpiece: Cross-border iGaming—why not?

“We are defined,not by our borders but by our bonds.”

– Barack Obama

New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement has just confiscated the funds of Vinh Dao, a California resident. By placing online bets at the Borgata and Caesar’s Atlantic City from out of state, he violated New Jersey law. So the Garden State emptied his ADW accounts at both places, a seizure totaling $90,000.

It is unclear how he managed to evade New Jersey’s geolocation software, which is supposed to prevent non-residents from playing remotely in Atlantic City casino games. To be fair, he didn’t get away with it for long. Dao’s activities were spotted in late 2014, after the software’s initial teething troubles had been worked out.

Genesis Global expands its player offering with Red Tiger Gaming partnership

Award winning casino games now available to Genesis Global players

Genesis Global have announced their partnership with award-winning games and software supplier Red Tiger Gaming.

This new collaboration will see popular Red Tiger gaming titles integrated into the cutting-edge content of Genesis’ eight popular online casinos; Casino Cruise, Spinit, Sloty, Vegas Hero, Genesis Casino, Casino Joy, Spela and Pelaa.

Red Tiger’s portfolio includes recent releases of Daily Drop pooled daily jackpot and Thor’s Lightning which is set to be an electrifying new hit. Whilst not forgetting other hit slots such as Dragon’s Luck, Rocket Men and the increasingly popular Laser Fruit, as well as their table games.

The GPI merge the APA and EPA to form the Global Poker Awards on April 5

The Global Poker Index has merged the American and European Poker Awards to form the Global Poker Awards on April 5 with PokerStars and Poker Central providing some support.

It’s time to get out of the kitchen, stop eating those cookies, and start hitting the treadmill. You’re going to need a new grass skirt, Poker Masters can finally wear that purple jacket, and even people who can hold a birthday party in a phone booth will feel important for one night only.

It’s time for the Oscars of poker.

The Global Poker Index (GPI) is teaming up with PokerStars and Poker Central to bring you the inaugural Global Poker Awards. The GPI gets to flex its rating muscle, PokerStars gets to spread brand awareness throughout the USA, and Poker Central will pick up a few more subscribers as they plan to broadcast the event live from the PokerGO Studios at the ARIA in Las Vegas.

David “ODB” Baker wins the WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event

David “ODB” Baker defeated two World Poker Tour Champions Club members en route to the million dollars first prize in the $10,000 World Poker Tour L.A.Poker Classic Main Event Final Table at the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas.

David “ODB’ Baker said that he was ‘overjoyed’ after taking down the $10,000 buy-in Season XVII World Poker Tour (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic Main Event at the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas, last night.

545-entrants had begun this event in the Commerce Casino, Los Angeles, but only six of them flew into Las Vegas to finish things off at the new home of WPT North American Main Event Final Tables in the Luxor.

Final Table Seat Draw

The World Poker Tour to expand into Mexico after TV Azteca deal

The World Poker Tour and its sister company Allied Esports are moving into the Latin American region after cutting a deal with Grupos Salinas subsidiary TV Azteca to bring poker and Esports into the area.

Donald Trump might want to build a wall between the two nations, but that hasn’t stopped Adam Pliska and the crew at the World Poker Tour (WPT) from wanting to set up camp in Mexico.

As previously reported, the WPT and its sister company Allied Esports, both owned by Ourgame International Holdings, are expected to be acquired by the Black Ridge Acquisition Group, and will operate as Allied Esports Entertainment, Inc., and what follows is an example of how you can expect the new partnership to flourish in the coming years.

The WPT and Allied Esports has signed a five-year strategic alliance with Grupa Salinas and its subsidiary TV Azteca to spread the word of poker and Esports throughout Latin America.