Monthly Archives: March 2020

UK, Malta gambling regulators warn ops not to let standards slip

Online gambling regulators in the UK and Malta have warned operators not to let their standards slip during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic … or else.

On Thursday, UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) CEO Neil McArthur issued a public message to the nation’s online gambling licensees, noting his recent discussions with industry representatives regarding how the current crisis has impacted their operations.

While the UKGC is currently drawing up an initial assessment of how its own work will be impacted by COVID-19, McArthur wants UKGC licensees to be “very mindful … of the fact that the risks of harm arising from online gambling have increased as a result of recent events.”

McArthur made it “absolutely clear” that the UKGC has three expectations of its licensees at present: consumer protection, responsible marketing and compliance with license conditions and codes of practice.

MLB MVP odds: Favorites are Trout, Betts

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Just like those who vote for the Cy Young Award in the American and National League, it’s going to be much more difficult than usual to pick an MVP in each league this year simply because there will be less of a sample size with the season obviously going to be shortened significantly due to the coronavirus delay. Opening Day was originally scheduled for Thursday, March 26 but likely won’t be before June 1 and that’s being incredibly optimistic.

Pretty much every year Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is the AL MVP favorite, and it’s no different in 2020 as he is priced at even money. Last year, Trout won it a third time – he’s still only 28 – by hitting .291 with a career-high 45 home runs to go with 104 RBI while leading the AL in slugging (.645) and on-base percentage (.438).

Trout simply has no peer and could go down as the best player ever. Via Baseball Reference, Trout’s career wins above replacement number of 72.8 is already the 86th best in history and ahead of two members of the 2020 Hall of Fame class in Larry Walker (72.7) and Derek Jeter (71.3). Trout’s first full season in the majors was in 2012 and he has either won the MVP or been second every year but 2017 when he was fourth because he was limited to 117 games due to injury.

Resorts World Genting and Sentosa brace for COVID-19 impact

Malaysia’s Resorts World Genting has already been closed, and Signapore’s Resorts World Sentosa has put restrictions in place. But as the COVID-19 situation continues to worsen in both countries, restrictions are becoming equally strict.

Genting Malaysia posted a notice to their website, extending their shutdown to April 14. This comes as an immediate and direct reaction to Malaysia Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who announced Malaysia’s Movement Control Order (MCO) will be extended an additional two weeks. Malaysia has been the country hardest hit by COVID-19 in South East Asia, with a current tally of 1,796 cases, and 19 dead.

Resorts World Awana, Resorts World Kijal and Resorts World Langkawi, which are also closed due to the MCO, will re-open along with Resorts World Genting, the notice promised, as soon as the MCO ends.

Initially, Resorts World Genting was closed on March 18, and expected to open on March 31. At that time, Malaysia had 790 total positive cases.

ASEAN Gaming Summit 2020 postponed to September

I asked my family and friends recently when they felt it might be wise to start planning trips again, for work or pleasure. While a few hopeful people suggested the end of April, and others said next year, one colleague suggested August would be a good time to return to normalcy. The folks at Asia Gaming Brief & ASEAN Gaming Summit might have been listening, as they’ve announced the ASEAN Gaming Summit 2020 has now been postponed to September 22-23.

Originally scheduled for this month, ASEAN was one of the first conferences to have to be postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic. On February 18, they announced it would be postponed to July 28-30, but would continue monitoring the situation. They then later suggested those dates might not stick, as event attendees might have to choose between ASEAN and an also postponed G2E Asia.

Now, they recognize there’s no way a July date makes any sense. “Unfortunately, things have got worse rather than better, and with the recent announcement that even the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed to next year, it now looks as though the July date might still be too early for people to plan,” they wrote.”

In addition to announcing the new dates, they clarified that ASEAN Gaming Summit 2020 will now be two days, rather than three, and may feature no exhibition. In its place will be “alternative networking formats.” As many in the industry are likely stuck at home for the moment, I’m sure we’ll have a few ideas before the time comes.

Greentube offers RET donation to BetBlocker

Vienna, 24th March 2020 – Greentube, the NOVOMATIC Interactive division, has made a donation to BetBlocker as part of its annual Research, Entertainment and Treatment (RET) contributions to support the organisation’s development of self-exclusion software.

Funded entirely by donations and officially approved by the U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC), BetBlocker provides a free-to-use application that players can install on their devices to block access to a vast number of gambling websites. Greentube’s donation has been invested in improving the company’s iOS app and will allow users to restrict adult-rated applications. It also supports security system upgrades that make it more challenging to bypass the app’s protections.

Greentube’s RET donations are part of a voluntary funding model required by the UKGC through which it promotes work in advancing player protection measures and research into treatment of gambling-related harm. The company also donates to Gamble Aware.

“This RET donation from Greentube underlines our dedication to strengthening our player protection initiatives and ensuring that a responsible gaming focus runs through the core of our business,” said Trevor De Giorgio, Chief Legal Officer at Greentube. “We fully support BetBlocker’s commitment to providing their software free of charge to both users and operators. We will continue to work with the organisation to ensure that their appliFcation is as effective as possible in helping users control their access to online gambling.”

Assistance for small businesses affected by Covid-19

The pandemic that is affecting each and every one of us is not only a serious health hazard, but it has caused strain on many small businesses that have been closed due to lockdowns. At Casinomeister, we will try to do what we can to mitigate this stress that is unsettling not only to our members and friends, but to their families, and even to strangers.

Casinomeister, one of the most popular online casino information websites, has one of the largest and most active player communities on the planet. We have created a new section of the forum to allow small non-gambling related businesses to create threads and post links to their online or offline stores. There is global traffic at Casinomeister, and even a few visitors through these links might make a difference. Every little bit counts.

Bryan Bailey, director of Casinomeister stated, “We are doing what we can to ensure that small businesses that are affected by the Covid-19 virus restrictions can have a life-line to weather out this storm. Many of our members either work, own, or rely on small businesses for their livelihoods. If you are a shop owner or work in a shop, or you have close friends or relatives that fall into this category, please post whatever you like about the business to include photographs and links to its online store.”

Please visit this section of our forum for more details:

BetConstruct builds a bespoke live casino studio for VBet

While the constant tie to technology may come in a way of artisanal, BetConstruct successfully marries the two in its Live Casino project for the international brand VBet.

Live Casino is perhaps one of the fewest igaming products which allows for the most room for artistic and creative expression. This goes to say that while the software is always there to deliver the games to end-users and guarantee the operator’s turnover, it takes an extra mile to secure a player’s interest in the first place. Here the aesthetic factor comes in.

Together with VBet, BetConstruct carried out the designer vision for their brand and implemented all decisions while constructing a dedicated live casino studio on the premises of its studio. The custom-made aspects of the hall include interior design with personalized details like neon signs and LED displays, dealer outfits, table cloth design, etc.

Another project under BetConstruct’s roof that received a special custom hall design from the developer is FashionTV Gaming Group. The band was successfully launched in 2019 attracting its following into igaming entertainment. BetConstruct is fully equipped and ready to offer the same services and more to any brand that wishes to obtain a live casino with professional staff and high-end design of their own.