Monthly Archives: January 2020

Super Bowl LIV pressure continues to build toward the big game

The final countdown to see who will be the NFL champs of the 2019-20 season has begun. The game will be held this Sunday, February 2, in Miami Gardens, Florida, and is promising to be one of the better matchups in recent Super Bowl history. It’s a close race between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, and oddsmakers are still not in complete agreement over who might actually emerge victorious.

The Niners and the Chiefs are strong on both sides of the ball, which is part of the reason neither team is running away with the odds. The Chiefs are still given a little bit of a lead and, according to Bovada, are going to score first. They’ll also pick up more than 13.5 points in the half, judging by the -130 odds they’re getting. The Niners are looking at -110 to pick up the same amount.

In the second half, Kansas City is sitting on an Over at -125 to earn 13.5 points; San Fran sits at -115. As the clock continues to roll, there’s not much doubt that the action will become more intense, and could come down to the wire. At +4500, the Chiefs winning by exactly five points would be a lucrative bet should they win, but 49ers fans might prefer the +5500 given their team to win by five.

Neither of the teams has received a lot of support for reaching more than 20 points. San Fran has odds of +145 to get to 25, while Kansas City would have to overcome odds of +120. Given the defensive capability of both teams, there’s a strong chance that the score will be kept low.

The death of Kobe Bryant extends well beyond the basketball court

Basketball fans, and the entire world, were shocked yesterday after learning that NBA legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash. Bryant was on his way to a youth basketball game when the chopper went down over Calabasas, California, killing the star, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. The death of Bryant, affectionately called The Black Mamba, impacts the game of basketball on a number of levels, as well as the sports community overall, and also hits home to Calvin Ayre.

Bryant first entered the NBA in 1996 when he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. Almost immediately, he was traded to the LA Lakers, where he spent the entirety of his long and successful 20-season career – five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, 18 NBA All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA First Team selections and more. When he retired in 2016, he was the third-highest regular-season scoring player in league history.

However, he was much more than a basketball phenom. Off the court, he founded the Kobe Bryant China Fund, which worked in conjunction with the Chinese government-backed Soong Ching Ling Foundation to bring education and health programs to China. He was also behind the Mamba Sports Academy in California, a center designed to provide a multi-sport training facility to young athletes. He was the official ambassador for After-School All-Stars, a non-profit organization that develops after-school programs for children across the US.

Bryant was also involved with the LA Lakers Youth Foundation (LALYF), which supports non-profit organizations. Calvin Ayre and the Calvin Ayre Foundation sponsored the LALYF twice, and Ayre has contributed directly to the organization, having worked directly with Bryant, Magic Johnson and others to help improve the quality of life of local children.

The death of Kobe Bryant extends well beyond the basketball court

Basketball fans, and the entire world, were shocked yesterday after learning that NBA legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash. Bryant was on his way to a youth basketball game when the chopper went down over Calabasas, California, killing the star, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. The death of Bryant, affectionately called The Black Mamba, impacts the game of basketball on a number of levels, as well as the sports community overall, and also hits home to Calvin Ayre.

Bryant first entered the NBA in 1996 when he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. Almost immediately, he was traded to the LA Lakers, where he spent the entirety of his long and successful 20-season career – five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, 18 NBA All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA First Team selections and more. When he retired in 2016, he was the third-highest regular-season scoring player in league history.

However, he was much more than a basketball phenom. Off the court, he founded the Kobe Bryant China Fund, which worked in conjunction with the Chinese government-backed Soong Ching Ling Foundation to bring education and health programs to China. He was also behind the Mamba Sports Academy in California, a center designed to provide a multi-sport training facility to young athletes. He was the official ambassador for After-School All-Stars, a non-profit organization that develops after-school programs for children across the US.

Bryant was also involved with the LA Lakers Youth Foundation (LALYF), which supports non-profit organizations. Calvin Ayre and the Calvin Ayre Foundation sponsored the LALYF twice, and Ayre has contributed directly to the organization, having worked directly with Bryant, Magic Johnson and others to help improve the quality of life of local children.

Wycombe’s Scott Kashket suspended for betting violations

Wycombe forward Scott Kashket has been banned from all soccer activity for two months and has been suspended for an additional four months following his admission that he had broken betting rules. This according to the Football Association.

According to reports, Kashket admitted to placing 183 bets, 65 of which were placed on matches where his own club was involved. This includes 19 on Orient games and an additional 10 on games where he was betting against his own club. He placed these bets from September 3, 2014, through August 22, 2016, while a member of Leyton Orient.

The 23-year-old was suspended from all football activities starting on January 21, making him eligible to return as early as March 21. However, there is an additional four months suspension hanging over his head should he violate any rules. In addition, Kashket was fined £3,446.13. The amount is the combination of the £946.13 he won betting on Orient plus the initial £2,500 the league levied.

While acknowledging his rules violations, the league made it clear that they found no evidence that he had either fixed matches or used inside information to help in his wagers. They also pointed out that he did not play in any of the matches where he placed bets.

Carabao Cup semi-final second leg preview

The second legs of the Carabao Cup semi-finals take place this midweek as Leicester City and Aston Villa do battle at Villa Park on Tuesday night before the Manchester Derby lights up Wednesday evening at The Etihad Stadium.

While one team already have one foot in their EFL Cup Final three-piece suit, the other tie is poised on a knife-edge in a game that truly could go either way.

Aston Villa vs. Leicester City – Tuesday Jan 28th, 7:45 pm GMT kick-off

There can be no question that Aston Villa go into this game the happier of the two sides after the 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium three weeks ago. With many having expected Leicester’s attack, led by Jamie Vardy and James Maddison, to blow their Midlands rivals out of the water, The Villains will be encouraged to have escaped with a draw that could even have been a victory.

Carabao Cup semi-final second leg preview

The second legs of the Carabao Cup semi-finals take place this midweek as Leicester City and Aston Villa do battle at Villa Park on Tuesday night before the Manchester Derby lights up Wednesday evening at The Etihad Stadium.

While one team already have one foot in their EFL Cup Final three-piece suit, the other tie is poised on a knife-edge in a game that truly could go either way.

Aston Villa vs. Leicester City – Tuesday Jan 28th, 7:45 pm GMT kick-off

There can be no question that Aston Villa go into this game the happier of the two sides after the 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium three weeks ago. With many having expected Leicester’s attack, led by Jamie Vardy and James Maddison, to blow their Midlands rivals out of the water, The Villains will be encouraged to have escaped with a draw that could even have been a victory.

FSB appoints Rob Wheeler as Business Development Director

London, 28th January 2020 – Award-winning platform provider FSB has appointed Rob Wheeler as Business Development Director to lead the company’s sales team as it continues to bolster both its senior team and rapidly grow its global footprint.

Wheeler joins FSB from Inspired where he was Commercial Director for its interactive division. He has also held senior positions at Playtech, IGT Interactive and Virtue Fusion.

He will be responsible for driving the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 listed company’s existing and new business across regulated and emerging markets. The fast-growing company achieved 13th place in the latest ranking with judges praising its market-leading software solutions that have generated a year-on-year sales rise of 175% in the past 36 months.

Wheeler joins just weeks after FSB announced new Chief Financial Officer Andrew Bowen (ACA) as it extends its scope and influence across the industry following a significant capital investment from Clairvest Group in mid-2019.

Swintt continues strong start to 2020 with Twin partnership

Swintt, the innovative and forward-thinking game provider, announcing their new partnership with online operator Twin and continuing their strong start to 2020.

The agreement covers distribution of over 50 games from Swintt’s portfolio, covering proprietary content such as top perfomers ‘Panda Warrior’ and ‘Wild Wild Tiger’, land-based classics from major European markets including ‘Master of Books’ and ‘Heart of Earth’ and the upcoming ‘Bollywood Billions’ game inspired by Indian themes.

Players on Twin will also be able to enjoy features from the SwinttGamify promotional product, as well as help raise money for good causes via SwinttPlay-it-Back, the CSR-focused product.

David Flynn, CEO of Swintt commented: “We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Twin. Their player base aligns perfectly with our product suite, and we are sure that we can help each other grow in our respective target markets in a long and prosperous partnership.”

Kyrgios and Nadal serve up a classic as world number one wins in four sets

While the Australian Open got off to an interesting start, it’s only really starting to get going as it enters its second week. Yesterday, it exploded into life in dramatic fashion as Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios clashed in a memorable match that eventually saw the world number one progress.

It was anything other than easy for the Spanish tennis legend.

With the total aces served during the Australian Open reaching 9,812 on the day, and creating a massive $5,657,871 fund to go towards the victims of the Australian bushfires, the official Australian Open site enjoyed its biggest day of the fortnight as everyone wanted to follow the action across all the courts, with major stars in action.

The biggest draw in Melbourne, however, was easily Nadal and Kyrgios. To say that the two men have history is a little like saying it can get a bit chilly at the South Pole in winter. The two men clearly wouldn’t invite the other to a party if everyone else on the planet was busy washing their hair. Nadal, the compulsive tidier of his hairline, his water bottles and his precision forehands taking on Kyrgios, the whirling dervish of devilry, all loud shorts and attitude, each shot seemingly made in anger at the tennis ball, is the perfect tennis match-up. Should the pair of them ever need the money after retirement, the exhibition matches would be worth any ticket price in any country.

Super Bowl odds update + news roundup

Even though the Kansas City Chiefs are taking a significant amount of the lean on the spread, it has largely stayed as Chiefs -1.5 for Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV from Miami against the San Francisco 49ers. This is on track to be the eighth Super Bowl all-time with a spread below three points and could be the fourth with one below two points.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

That tends to point to a close game because five of the previous seven Super Bowl matchups with a spread below 3 were decided by just one score. Although, last year the New England Patriots were -2.5 and beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3. While that was decided by double digits, the win wasn’t clinched until late in the fourth quarter. San Francisco, incidentally, is 3-0 straight up and against the spread this season in games it was an underdog of two points or fewer away from home. The Niners won in New Orleans, Cincinnati and Tampa in that scenario. Yes, the 49ers were underdogs at Cincinnati. Hard to believe now.

The total is up to 55 points and that opened as low as 51 at some books. The public is absolutely crushing the OVER so far, with more than 90 percent of all action leaning that way. Could the line get as high as 56? Then again, don’t be shocked if the sharps swoop in late this weekend and go against the public by hammering the UNDER, which could drop the total by kickoff.

It’s still not too late to take part in Super Bowl LIV prop bets

The countdown toward Super Bowl LIV continues. The NFL Championship game will take place this coming Sunday in Miami, Florida, and football fans around the world are getting ready to pull for their favorite teams. The San Francisco 49ers may be the underdog to the Kansas City Chiefs, but only slightly and this matchup should prove to be one of the strongest in recent Super Bowl history. With only five days and a few hours to go, it isn’t too late to get in on the prop bet action before the big game, and YardBarker has prepared a list of several of the most enticing betting opportunities.

The Chiefs are only favored by one point across most sportsbooks right now. Last year, the point spread for the New England Patriots to defeat the LA Rams was at 2.5 and, a year earlier, the Pats were favored by 6.5 points against the Philadelphia Eagles. The current one-point difference shows what oddsmakers expect to see this coming Sunday – a tight game with a flurry of activity on both sides of the ball.

For gamblers who want more than some straight-up action, a prop bet on Niners running back Raheem Mostert would be a good place to start. A surfer before taking to the turf, his ability to sway and balance himself carried over nicely. When the Niners beat the Green Bay Packers for the NFC Championship, he racked up 220 yards, his best run of the season. Expect him to do it again and put up a little extra spending money on the number of yards he’ll pick up on his first run. The Over/Under sits at 3.5 with -135 on the Over and there’s no doubt he’ll beat it. Easy money.

There’s a good chance that one of the two teams is going to forced into a fourth-and-long situation and, if this falls to the Niners, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is going to have to step up and make it count. Can he, though, is the question. The prop bet for his longest completion has an Over/Under of 36.5 yards at -110 odds. Given an average longest pass this season of 47.5 yards, taking the Over is safe.

Swintt continues strong start to 2020 with Twin partnership

Swintt, the innovative and forward-thinking game provider, announcing their new partnership with online operator Twin and continuing their strong start to 2020.

The agreement covers distribution of over 50 games from Swintt’s portfolio, covering proprietary content such as top perfomers ‘Panda Warrior’ and ‘Wild Wild Tiger’, land-based classics from major European markets including ‘Master of Books’ and ‘Heart of Earth’ and the upcoming ‘Bollywood Billions’ game inspired by Indian themes.

Players on Twin will also be able to enjoy features from the SwinttGamify promotional product, as well as help raise money for good causes via SwinttPlay-it-Back, the CSR-focused product.

David Flynn, CEO of Swintt commented: “We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Twin. Their player base aligns perfectly with our product suite, and we are sure that we can help each other grow in our respective target markets in a long and prosperous partnership.”

Yggdrasil partners with CasinoBeats and CasinoGrounds to host Slot Battle 2020

Trio of top teams to battle it out for €10k prize at ICE Lo

28th January 2020 ­­– Yggdrasil, the innovative online gaming solutions provider, is hosting a first-of-its-kind live streaming events in association with CasinoBeats and CasinoGrounds at ICE London 2020.

The Yggdrasil Slot Battle 2020, taking place at the CasinoBeats’ networking drinks during ICE, will see three teams – each made up of one operator and one streamer – compete to claim the highest single coin win in Yggdrasil’s newly-released title Temple StacksTM, which is the supplier’s first game to feature its latest Splitz mechanic.

Well-known CasinoGrounds streamers LetsGiveItASpin, Nickslots and Slotspinner will compete against each other together with Yggdrasil operator partners Rizk, Dunder and Casino Calzone.

Playson joins forces with Casumo

Supplier agrees slot content deal with prestigious casino

Malta, 28th January 2020 – Casino software developer Playson has signed an agreement with Casumo to supply its suite of games to the popular online casino, in a move that further strengthens its presence in Sweden and across Europe.

Founded in 2012, Casumo has grown to become one of the leading operators in Swedish regulated market, while also holding a strong position in the UK and other markets across Europe.

The supplier’s latest operator partnership will see its slots made available to Casumo’s customer base for the first time.

Playson joins forces with Casumo

Supplier agrees slot content deal with prestigious casino

Malta, 28th January 2020 – Casino software developer Playson has signed an agreement with Casumo to supply its suite of games to the popular online casino, in a move that further strengthens its presence in Sweden and across Europe.

Founded in 2012, Casumo has grown to become one of the leading operators in Swedish regulated market, while also holding a strong position in the UK and other markets across Europe.

The supplier’s latest operator partnership will see its slots made available to Casumo’s customer base for the first time.

Pragmatic Play to show off outstanding new product offering during ICE London 2020

28th January 2020: Pragmatic Play, a leading content provider for the gaming industry, will unveil the newest additions to its multi-product portfolio at ICE London 2020.

On display at Stand N8-120 will be the latest titles in Pragmatic Play’s Live Casino portfolio. Aside from the language dedicated roulettes (Roulette Russia, Roulette Germany and Roulette Italy) announced earlier this week, Pragmatic will also unveil its brand-new Asian studio with an impressive suite of games.

After recently announcing a landmark agreement with Endemol Shine Gaming for the rights to produce titles for the hit drama Peaky Blinders, a teaser of the first game will also be revealed to delegates at ICE.

Moreover, as the company keeps strengthening its position as leading multi-product supplier for operating partners, Pragmatic’s growing offering will soon be expanded to include Virtual Sports. The launch of Virtual Sports adds a fourth vertical to the Pragmatic Play product portfolio, joining Slots, Live Casino and Bingo.

EvenBet Gaming to exhibit new LatAm Poker network at ICE London 2020

Tuesday 28th January 2020 – Leading online gaming software developer EvenBet Gaming is set to showcase its latest product innovations at ICE London 2020, including its newly-launched South and Latin American poker network.

At Stand S3-200, delegates will be able to find out more about the new network, designed to let operators target the region’s emerging markets through its world-class omnichannel platform, which offers over 32 different games types.

Since launching, the network has gained significant traction with established operators and new start-ups across Colombia, with more integrations expected to follow in territories such as Argentina, Brazil and Peru the coming months.

In addition, the leading developer will be exhibiting the latest updates to its award-winning poker platform, including a Mini Games feature that is now available cross-platform, which has hundreds of “snackable” slots and games that can easily be integrated into an operator’s ecosystem.