Monthly Archives: January 2020

Lottery betting firm Lottoland add Altenar-powered sportsbook

Online lottery betting operator Lottoland has struck a deal for a global sports betting product courtesy of Malta-based B2B tech provider Altenar.

On Tuesday, Lottoland announced that it had quietly launched a sports betting platform in ‘select markets’ – aka Austria and Germany – and has plans to “expand globally throughout 2020.” Lottoland’s main activity is offering betting markets on the results of numeric lottery draws.

Lottoland CEO Nigel Birrell sounded positively giddy at the prospect of providing “a one stop shop for lottery betting, gaming and sports.” Birrell said Lottoland had chosen Altenar, whose other clients include Finnplay, Golden Palace and Colombia’s Wplay, for its “flexible approach and customization of the software.”

Altenar CEO Stanislav Silin said his group was pleased to have popped Lottoland’s sports betting cherry and the company was looking forward to a “long-term cooperation” with Lottoland.

Crown Resorts says Sydney casino to open by Christmas 2020

Australian casino operator Crown Resorts will open its new Sydney VIP gaming venue ahead of schedule, according to company founder James Packer.

On Wednesday, Crown’s single largest shareholder James Packer toured the site of the in-development Crown Sydney project, which was scheduled to open sometime in H1 2021. However, Packer told local media that the towering structure going up in Sydney’s Barangaroo district will now open its doors before Christmas 2020.

Packer, who intends to spent at least part of his time living on site in the two-story penthouse he purchased for AU$60m, said word of the advanced launch date was “really pleasing” and “a credit to the Crown team, [developers] Lend Lease and our architects Wilkinson Ayre.”

Packer’s tour of the project was marred by thick clouds of smoke generated by Australia’s ongoing wildfire crisis, which Packer called “the worst thing I’ve ever seen .. to happen to Australia.” The Packer family and Crown have collectively donated AU$5m to Australia’s fire relief and recovery efforts, the biggest single public donation to date.

XFL signs integrity deal, releases rules for 2020 season

Professional wrestling, or asw would like you to call it, sports entertainment, is essentially rigged. Although plenty of sites offer wagering on the outcomes, the integrity of betting on it can be fishy considering the outcome could be changed by the whims of one man. To protect the perception of the re-born XFL, McMahon isn’t taking any chances, now having agreed to launch a betting integrity program with Genius Sports.

Under the deal, Genius Sports will provide 24/7 monitoring of all betting markets offering XFL lines, alerting them to significant movements. They will also conduct integrity workshops for players, coaches and game officails, and provide information to league leaders on betting levels. A reporting process will be established, and Bet Genius will assist into any investigations needed for fishy betting.

The XFL may need an integrity program more than most other leagues. Not only does it have the Vince McMahon connection, but its players are guaranteed to make less money than their NFL counterparts. Taking a little money on the side to affect a game, which can easily be done on just something like a prop of how many yards a running back will gain, could make a big difference to a player’s take home pay.

Following news of this integrity deal, the XFL also released their new rules, which they promise will make for a better product than the NFL, but not as silly as the original incarnation of the XFL that came in 2001.

Cambodia busts group of North Koreans assisting illegal gambling ops

The UN has a strict policy that prevents North Korean nationals from working in Cambodia. The action comes as part of a sweeping package of sanctions against North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un, but this didn’t stop a group of individuals from the country from trying to skirt around the rules. According to a report by The Khmer Times, 16 North Koreans have been busted for their role in an illegal gambling outfit that was targeting mainly Chinese gamblers.

The individuals were reportedly working in Cambodia as IT employees for the gambling operations. They had entered the country legally on tourist visas before landing their jobs and remaining in the country after their visas had expired. According to law enforcement, they had been in the country for over a year.

The chief of the provincial immigration police department, Brigadier General Chea Kimsan, indicated that the arrests took place last Friday during a sweep in the city of Siem Reap. He explained to the media outlet, “Cambodia is a member of the United Nations and has to follow the sanctions. According to UN sanctions, North Korean nationals are not allowed to work in Cambodia, but these 16 men used tourist visas and worked illegally for nearly a year in the Kingdom.”

Cambodia rose quickly over the past two years as a hub of online gambling activity, both legal and illegal, that primarily targeted Chinese nationals. After things got out of control, with operators ignoring a number of health, construction and employment laws, the country clamped down on online gambling, refusing to issue any new licenses and unwilling to renew any current permits. By this August, all online betting activity is expected to be gone (except for the underground sites).

Chiba opts out of casino bid as commission ready to convene

With the Japanese Casino Commission just days away from holding their first session to issue new licenses, one city has opted to no longer seek to receive one of these licenses. According to Chiba Mayor Toshito Kumagai, the city has decided that would no longer apply to host a resort-casino.

The mayor recently issued a statement regarding opening an integrated resort (IR) in the city. He explained that there is not enough time to prepare a proper IR bid for the city, especially in light of a recent typhoon, which the city has not recuperated from.

In his statement, Mayor Kumagai explained, “Campaigning to host an IR would take a lot of energy at a time when we need to place our top priority on post-disaster reconstruction and restoration.”

He did make it clear that an ongoing investigation into bribery involving several lawmakers had nothing to do with the decision. This investigation includes a former state minister who was in charge of the Japanese government’s resort-casino policy.

UK media loses narrow minds over Bet365’s FA Cup livestream

The UK’s anti-gambling media has turned its outrage volume to 11 after learning that online betting operator Bet365 has been streaming English Football Association (FA) Cup matches to its customers.

On Tuesday, the usual media suspects, led by the reliably hyperbolic Daily Mail, lost their narrow minds after learning that Bet365 had been streaming some FA Cup third round matches to customers via its website and betting app.

The FA, the governing body of UK football, famously broke with its former betting sponsor Ladbrokes in 2017, three years before their deal was to expire, after determining that relationships with gambling and alcohol companies were inappropriate. The FA said at the time that it would forego any future deals with betting operators.

But the FA has a media deal with sports rights agency IMG that predated the Ladbrokes sponsorship’s demise, and IMG struck a six-year streaming rights deal with Bet365 that took effect at the start of the 2018-19 season. To stream the FA Cup matches on Bet365’s site or mobile app, customers would either have to place a pre-match wager or open an account with a minimum £5 deposit.