Rolls-Royce is one of the most prestigious names in the world. The cars they have made are truly classics, making them some of the most sought after vehicles in the world. They garner a hefty price, and that is what The 13 has been banking on, as the embattled hotel in Macau has opted to sell 24 of their 30 Rolls-Royce vehicles in order to pay down a portion of their bank loan.

On Thursday, South Shore Holdings, the parent company of The 13, announced that it had entered an agreement to sell a large portion of its bright red Rolls-Royce Phantoms fleet. It was expected that each of the 24 vehicles sold would generate a total of HK$24 million (US$3.1 million), or about HK$1 million each.

It has been less than three years since they took delivery of their fleet of 30 vehicles, paying a total cost of about $20 million. However, this has become a necessity as the project has found itself mired in a litany of troubles, including delays and financial setbacks.

The purpose of selling the vehicles is to pay down the substantial loans that the company has related to the hotel complex.

On Thursday, Konami Gaming announced the appointment of Greg Colella as their new VP of product management.

According to a statement released by the company, Colella has over 20 years of experience within the gaming industry, working in a large array of regulated markets. This includes in the areas of product lifecycle planning, strategy, and marketing, working in some of the most well-known companies on the globe.

Colella had most recently served as vice president of product marketing at Scientific Games. However, he left that position in December 2018. He has a proven track record of expertise and gaming product market analysis, as well as in strategic marketing, sales and business support, as well as lifecycle development. He holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration from the University of Nevada (UNLV).

In a statement provided by Victor Duarte, senior vice president and chief officer for product and strategy, the company welcomed their new vice president and sees him as a key player in helping to develop a comprehensive strategy moving forward. “As Konami continues its focus on advancing our product portfolio to enable customer success, we are pleased to welcome Greg Colella’s demonstrated industry knowledge and expertise to the organization,” Duarte explained. “His strategic leadership will be a direct support to the company’s immediate and long-term objectives.”

WGES 2019

Don’t miss the World Gaming Executive Summit 2019, taking place at the W Hotel in Barcelona on July 2-4. The three-day event, now on its 13th year, remains as one of the most senior and high-level events for online, land-based and lottery gaming communities.

This year, over 800 C-level executives are expected to attend WGES 2019 for three days of learning, debate and networking. The agenda is developed by an expert “operators-only” advisory board made up of C-level representatives from Caesars, Mr Green, Jackpotjoy and Kindred Group, among others. Aside from discussions on technology and strategy to boost innovation in the industry, WGES will also focus on topics including regulation, lottery, U.S. sports betting, integrated resorts, and CSR.

What: World Gaming Executive Summit 2019

Philip Hui joins a stellar cast as a winner of the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship, and Team Israel take down the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Tag Team contest during the 50th anniversary of the World Series of Poker. 

Philip Hui joins the hallowed hall of fame belonging to people who have won the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship (PPC), one of the most sought after titles in the world of poker.

Hui paced himself well, allowing Josh Arieh and Phil Ivey to lead from the front as he waited patiently, like mould beneath the floorboards, and when the time was right, he rose, and the rest couldn’t breathe.

Humble Hui conquered a field of 74-entrants to bank the $1,099,311 first prize, his most significant score to date. He came into the PPC feeling the heat after finishing seventh in the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship 6-Handed, and third in the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet, putting him in a prime position for a run at Shaun Deeb’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year crown.

Anthony Zinno wins his second World Series of Poker bracelet in Event #60: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, and Joe Foresman cashes for the first time in a poker tournament while taking down Event #60: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better.

[Image credit: WPT flickr]

Fortune tellers in Downtown Las Vegas are in harmony – Anthony Zinno will one day become a World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year.

It may be sooner than they think after Zinno found a stepladder big enough to climb on top of a field of 1,117-entrants in Event #60: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better.

Inspired by Chapter 1 of Brené Brown’s ‘Daring Greatly’, Lee Davy shares his personal experience of interviewing poker players and offers a salute to the people willing to climb into the arena.

In 1910, the former president of the United States of America, Theodore Roosevelt, gave a rousing speech at the Sorbonne, Paris known as ‘Citizenship in a Republic’ or ‘Man in the Arena,’ and earlier today, it jumped into my mind from Page 1 of Brené Brown’s ‘Daring Greatly’.

Here it is:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”