Monthly Archives: March 2019

Venetian Reg Ben Palmer wins WPT title in his own backyard

The World Poker Tour’s inaugural Main Event at The Venetian is a success after Ben Palmer wins the 734-entrant Main Event, overcoming a final table including the likes of Tony Gargano, Danny Qutami and Will Givens.

There were a few arched eyebrows when one of our most beloved brands announced plans to enter the devil’s playground and organise a Main Event at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

The World Poker Tour (WPT) did what they did, and judging by the 734-entrant field, they weren’t the only ones who comfortably took a steak knife to their cognitive dissonance, slicing and dicing, so they could only focus on the icing.

Sheldon Adelson doesn’t bother Ben Palmer.

GVC Holdings keeps making it rain for CEO Kenny Alexander

UK-listed gambling operator GVC Holdings has made it rain (again) for its chief executive Kenny Alexander, just weeks after the CEO sold three-quarters of his shares in the company.

On Wednesday, GVC announced that its remuneration committee had awarded Alexander nearly 454k shares in the company as part of its long-established incentive and deferred bonus plans. GVC’s shares closed out Wednesday’s trading up nearly 5.5% to 539.5p, which would put the total value of Alexander’s new holdings at around £2.5m.

Alexander’s latest windfall comes just three weeks after he sold 2.06m GVC shares worth £13.7m, which temporarily lowered his GVC holdings to a mere 666,666 shares. At the same time, GVC chairman Lee Feldman sold 900k GVC shares. Last week, word broke that Feldman planned to exit the company on or about the company’s annual general meeting on June 5.

Alexander issued a statement Wednesday saying he remained “totally committed to GVC for the long-term, and as such I will not sell any further shares in GVC while I am CEO.” Alexander added that the company was off to an “excellent start” to the year, details of which he promised to reveal when the company issues its Q1 trading update on April 5.

WH Partners’ James Scicluna on board to speak at AffiliateCon Sofia 2019

AffliateCon Sofia has added expert speaker James Scicluna, Co-managing Partner at WHPartners, to its stellar line-up for the show in May.

Scicluna is a Malta Advocate and Solicitor of the Senior Court of England and Wales, and regularly advises the gaming, financial services, real estate and hospitality sectors.

The lawyer will offer AffiliateCon attendees considerable insight, specialising in topics such as government relations, gaming regulation, sport sponsorship and brand development.

Scicluna’s past roles include Chief of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs with the Betclic Group and General Counsel of Betclic and Expekt; he currently lectures on gaming law at the University of Malta.

NWM Marketing to showcase products at AffiliateCon Sofia 2019

NWM Marketing is the latest exhibitor to confirm its place at AffiliateCon Sofia 2019.

NWM will showcase its portfolio of unique, high-performance casino and sportsbook affiliate programmes at the Sofia Event Center on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 May, joining the likes of Kindred Group, Lapalingo, 7StarsPartners and Genesis Affiliates.

A Malta-based specialist online gaming marketing management company, NWM offers affiliate programmes for popular gaming and betting brands, including EnergyCasino, EnergyBet, 199Games and LV Bet – offering rewarding, high-quality, fully-compliant gambling products across many regulated markets.

Director of NWM Marketing, Norbert Varga, said: “Though this is the first time NWM will be exhibiting at Sofia, I’m no stranger to the event, and I can tell you it is one of my favourites.

partypoker follow Triton’s ShortDeck blueprints, includes money removal option

partypoker has launched a beta version of Triton Poker’s ShortDeck across their global dotcom market, adding the ability to partially remove funds from the game without having to leave your seat. 

Tears fall as those with bruised shoulders lower the coffin into the ground. As you stand, beneath the azure sky, wondering why the heavens haven’t opened, you think about the absurdity of life and death. The sounds of ‘here today, gone tomorrow’, ringing in the distance on an old-fashioned banjo.

Give it a few days, and things return to normal — pain and suffering waste away. Life goes on. The bump and grind of the train make you feel horny. The cubicle gives you the need to break into your ribs, and stick the paddles on your dying heart.

Exiting a poker tournament feels the same.

Release the white smoke: Pope takes down the WSOPC Main Event in Tulsa

Phillip Pope has taken down the 533-entrant, $1,700 World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event defeating Casino Champion, Maurice Hawkins, along the way. 

Poker is a series of mountains and valleys, and if you want to survive the rough terrain, it helps if you are the owner of a small trucking company – like Phillip Pope.

Pope took down the 533-entrant $1,700 buy-in World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Main Event at the Hard Rock Tulsa to register the first live tournament win of his career.

The field size was lower than the organisers expected, having slapped a million dollar guarantee on the side of this particular tin meaning a six-figure pain in the arse, but Pope will be nonplussed.

BtoBet strikes deals with operators in Kenia, Nigeria, Namibia and Uganda

• Leading iGaming tech provider furthers its footprint in the African continent as it prepares for SBEA

BtoBet’s footprint in the African iGaming industry has been further bolstered, with its regional Certified Partner – STM Group – expanding the company’s provision of its technologies to White Label Operators in Kenia, Nigeria, Namibia and Uganda.

With reference to BtoBet and STM Gaming’s participation in next month’s SBEA Expo in Kampala, STM’s Alessandro Pizzolotto stated that in Uganda “Innobet” and “Ugabet” are already basing their operations on BtoBet’s technology. He stated that the White Label Partnership Program has had a big impact amongst White Label Operators who do not have the local knowledge to enter or diversify into the online channel. “Apart from Uganda’s Innobet and Ugabet, BtoBet’s technologies will also be provided to White Label Operators in Kenya, Nigeria, and Namibia. The White Label Partnership Program’s simplified approach coupled with the provision of advanced technology tailored for the local context, regional know-how and operational support are driving factors in the Program’s continuous expansion.”

Further delving in the unique characteristics that constitute the African market, Sabrina Solda, BtoBet’s CMO stated that “knowledge is a very important asset for operators given that generally speaking the African sportsbetting industry is still predominantly retail based and only now are operators shifting their attention towards the online and mobile channel. This lack of knowledge in the online sector requires a strong partner who will not only guide them, but more importantly provide and handle all activities related to the day to day running of their business, such as aspects related to player support, payment methods, and the games and sportsbook content.”

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 betting preview

The NCAA Tournament field of 68 is down to its Sweet 16, and it’s chalk central with the top-three seeds in every region still standing. In a way, that’s a good thing because it means all of the best schools will be playing one another for a trip to the Final Four this weekend.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

It’s certainly rare for no team to be a double-digit favorite in the Sweet 16. The biggest is South Region No. 1 Virginia at -8.5 over No. 12 Oregon in Thursday’s late start from Louisville. Should the Ducks be such big underdogs? They were Pac-12 Tournament champions and are on a 10-game winning streak. Expect a very low-scoring matchup as Virginia is No. 1 nationally in points allowed per game, while Oregon – the only double-digit seed left – has been spectacular on defense during this run.

The Virginia-Oregon winner faces either No. 3 Purdue or No. 2 Tennessee on Saturday, with the Volunteers as 2-point favorites. It’s the second straight Big Ten opponent for the Vols as they blew a 25-point lead in the second round against No. 10 Iowa but won 83-77 in overtime. Expect the UT defense to focus on Purdue All-American Carsen Edwards. In the Round of 32 blowout of defending national champion Villanova, Edwards exploded for 42 points after 26 in the first round. The junior certainly has boosted his NBA draft stock should he declare.

Kambi signs multi-channel sportsbook deal with Integrated Entertainment Resort Developer, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE)

MGE selects Kambi to power its online and on-property sports betting products at Mohegan Sun, Connecticut 

Kambi has signed an agreement to provide its online and on-property sportsbook to Mohegan Sun, MGE’s signature US integrated entertainment resort located in Connecticut – one of the most successful integrated resort casino and gaming destinations in the western hemisphere and one of only two Native American tribes operating commercial casinos in Connecticut.

Introduced in 1996 by the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, Mohegan Sun has since built a global reputation for its first class gaming and entertainment facilities, consistently being ranked among the world’s top resort and entertainment destinations.

The 3.5 million square foot Mohegan Sun property is situated in south-eastern Connecticut, where 60% of the state’s tourism is located, and boasts both Casino of the Earth & Casino of the Sky, a state-of-the-art poker room and three major entertainment venues.

Degree 53 appoints Digital Director to drive client services and commercial growth

Degree 53, specialists in UX, design and software development, are pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Benstead as Digital Director. He will be overseeing the day-to-day digital delivery for clients and working alongside the commercial team and prospective clients to ensure they get the most out of their digital strategy. This appointment follows significant business growth and diversification for Degree 53, which has led to the requirement to provide greater support to client services.

Chris has been working as Digital Strategist at Degree 53 since its foundation in 2013 and has been playing a key role in advising on product development strategy for the company’s clients. He brings over 10 years of digital experience, having previously worked at Betfred and HP. Chris’ background is in the identification of the client’s core business requirements and understanding how and where value can be added to a proposition through the use of digital.

Chris Benstead, Digital Director at Degree 53, comments: “I have been working at Degree 53 since our launch and I’m excited at this opportunity to continue the great work our team has been producing over the years. It’s amazing to see how our company has grown and developed since we first started. We’ve gone from working with online gambling clients to those in finance, travel, utilities and education to name a few. I remember when there was only 20 of us in the office and now, there are more than 130 – the company has been growing thanks to our transferable digital skills and a variety of services we are able to provide – from design and development to consultancy and ongoing support. I am lucky enough to see the work the team produces every day for our clients and am excited to help us progress and to lead the team to new opportunities.”

Andrew Daniels, Managing Director at Degree 53, says: “I’m excited that Chris is stepping into this role and will no doubt do a fantastic job, leading the company to deliver great projects. Degree 53 has been going through major growth, which led us to taking two directions as a business – providing core services to our clients and building our own products. Chris’ role is to ensure we have a director focused 100% on the client side of the business, providing support to the wider team. These two areas have attracted talented individuals for a variety of roles. We pride ourselves in our technical expertise and skill set, and it’s reflected in the type of work we get. I’d like to congratulate Chris on behalf of the whole company and look forward to reaching new milestones with Degree 53.”