The World Poker Tour haven’t been running as many events as some other tours during the global pandemic, but with a tight structure, great prizepool and their historic prestige, the WPT Online Poker Open was another example of how much kudos a win on the WPT still brings.

The WPT Online Poker Open posted strong numbers from the start, and by the time the partypoker-hosted event closed its late registration for the $365+$35 event with 868 entries in the books. That meant a prizepool of $317,540, a good amount over the $300,000 guarantee that had been put up for the tournament.

It was a very special event, too. Exclusive to players physically playing from the Garden State, the most densely-populated state in the U.S.A. could take part, and plenty did, playing either on the New Jersey partypoker site, BorgataPoker.com or BetMGMPoker.com.

All the action took place on Sunday, with the trophy joined by an $11,000 VIP package from partypoker to play in the next WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic that takes place at the Bellagio in Las Vegas for the winner, that being a $10,400 buy-in and $600 towards travel and other expenses.

After 14 events of the PLO Poker Masters, the scores were totted up and a champion was announced. Many expected Finnish player Eelis Parssinen to hold onto his lead going into the final few events, but no-one would have guessed that he’d do it by just a single point.

The action has been great throughout the PLO Poker Masters, and with superb commentary by PLO and YouTube poker legend Joey Ingram as well as PokerGO’s own Jeff Platt, the series has been a blast for poker fans to enjoy.

The final five events saw a lot of twists and turns as Parssinen made his way to the overall championship. Andras Nemeth turned out to be his closest rival, and his victories in Event #9 and Event #12 helped him on that rise to the closest runner-up position in Poker Masters history.

Andras Nemeth has just won his second Poker Masters Online: PLO Series tournament OF THE DAY. His third of the series (through 12 events). WOW

These are dark times. It’s been over 6 years since I began writing for CalvinAyre. I have to say, it has been fantastic, and I couldn’t be more thankful to the staff for the freedom they have given me to speak my own voice. As I look at the world crumbling in fear, distrust, mutual recriminations and accusations; as I see trade barriers rise up higher and higher and the cloud of war get thicker; as I see reason fly out the window amid wild racial tensions and censorship intensify as more and more are afraid to speak their minds amid the gathering force of mobs; it’s sites like these that stand for economic liberty that give me hope that there are still people to talk to in this world. I know there always will be, and that keeps me from losing my mind.

True, gambling proper is not my passion. I don’t play poker, I don’t visit casinos, I don’t stake money on games of chance, and I’ve never been to Macau. But in a way, I gamble for a living. I am an economic forecaster, and I stake my own money on my own view of the world. At least in that way I know the thrill of gambling. The only difference is that instead of betting on a game, I bet on reality. I’ve always imagined in the childish part of my mind that when I ultimately win, I would have happiness and security. But now that it is actually happening and I see the world tearing itself apart, mostly what I feel is sadness. A bit of relief that at least I saw it coming, but mostly sadness. In the center of that sadness is a kernel of optimism and hope that will never be extinguished, but right now it’s hard to drill down deep enough to really feel it.

True, I did not see the trigger. I thought the coronavirus hype would blow over. I was wrong. It hasn’t. Now I smell the end game. I believe it’s just around the corner.

The very first article I wrote for this site was dated March 3, 2014. The title was The China Bubble. In it I laid out the end game, namely that Macau stocks are toast and wouldn’t survive the relentless rise in interest rates that was inevitably coming. I linked to a Bloomberg report that the People’s Bank of China was no longer interested in financing U.S. government deficits by increasing their holdings of U.S. debt. Indeed, Chinese holdings of U.S. debt securities topped out 3 months later, in June 2014.

In the fast moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure you’re all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, we’re rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.

Don’t miss out on all of the latest announcements. Our Press Release section is updated constantly.

More senior management talent finds its way to United Remote

Swiftly-growing aggregator United Remote has bolstered its Account Management team with the addition of Account Manager Daniel Cass to help shape an increasingly influential force in the iGaming industry. Daniel is responsible for managing client accounts, developing relationships and business as United Remote continues to expand across regulated markets.

In the fast moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure you’re all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, we’re rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.

Don’t miss out on all of the latest announcements. Our Press Release section is updated constantly.

More senior management talent finds its way to United Remote

Swiftly-growing aggregator United Remote has bolstered its Account Management team with the addition of Account Manager Daniel Cass to help shape an increasingly influential force in the iGaming industry. Daniel is responsible for managing client accounts, developing relationships and business as United Remote continues to expand across regulated markets.

Is a POGO exodus really happening, and if so, is it a good thing? It entirely depends on who you ask. After the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) announced that two Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGOs) and several service providers were leaving the country in an exodus due to tax disputes, one POGO is disputing exactly why they left, while a couple of senators are celebrating the demise of the industry.

Suncity Group disputed PAGCOR chief Andrea Domingo’s version of events, saying that while they are reducing operations in the Philippines, they aren’t leaving the country entirely. They told Inside Asia Gaming:

“Suncity Group spares no effort to develop itself as a global integrated VIP entertainment conglomerate. The junket business in Manila is definitely important to us and we can’t find any reason to leave Manila at this particular moment.

“In regards to the comment provided by Mdm Andrea Domingo, we think she is referring to telebetting services, which has nothing to do with the junket business that Suncity Group operates in Manila.

What should have happened two years ago is finally happening. Imperial Pacific International (IPI), which has been mired in nothing but controversy for the past couple of years over its management of Saipan’s Imperial Palace casino, was recently ordered to make a few changes to its operational infrastructure. The Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), to which Saipan belongs, laid down the law and demanded that IPI begin to act like a legitimate, responsible business. Now, it has upped the ante and, according to Marianas Variety, has given the company just two weeks to fulfill its obligations. If it doesn’t, IPI will lose its casino license, which would be good news for virtually everyone.

The CCC told IPI last week that it needed to fulfill three orders – find a new CEO by July 10, pay all of its debts to the government and vendors (the total is more than $45 million) and create an untouchable fund of over $1.4 million that would be used to cover three months’ worth of employee wages in the event the company can’t make payroll. The CEO position has been a revolving door for the past couple of years and anyone willing to get in bed with a company accused of fraud, bribery and personnel mismanagement should have his or her head examined. Coming up with $45 million on short notice won’t be easy, especially with no signs of revenue starting to be generated. Add to this the fact that workers are already reportedly owed outstanding payrolls, and a picture begins to emerge that doesn’t paint IPI in a favorable light. 

The CCC is, apparently, finally opening its eyes and taking action. The chair of the commission, Edward C. Deleon Guerrero, said yesterday that IPI will have 15 days to comply with all three of the conditions. If it doesn’t, “I’m sorry to say, we have to revoke the license and the game is over,” according to Deleon Guerrero. Failure seems almost inevitable at this point.

IPI has already tried to complain about the conditions in an effort to gain more time. The CCC wants the employee fund to be held in a bank in the CNMI or the US, but IPI has asserted that the money might be misappropriated to pay an outstanding debt owed to Pacific Rim, a former contractor working on Imperial Palace. IPI owes the company $5.6 million and a federal court has ordered IPI to make good on the debt, going so far as to freeze other bank accounts to seek restitution. 

The popularity of brand ambassadors seems to ebb and flow in the gambling industry, but when the right brand gets the right person to step forward, it’s a special kind of magic. Parimatch pulled that off when Conor McGregor stepped up for them, and Tamara Babits, Deputy CMO of Parimatch, joined our Becky Liggero Fontana to discuss how other brands could pull off their own sponsorship deals.

An important thing for any brand to understand before signing an ambassador is to know what their customers want from a brand, but that takes work. “It means that you do surveys, you do researches, you do some focus group, and based on some of the data that you’re assuming, you’re asking, ‘What do you prefer on, what do you watch while you’re watching TV or sports channels, remember when you’ve been the child. which you have?’” Babits told us. “So this is one of this step, the kind of research you should do. And the second is, accordingly of course you’re a marketing strategy, and your brand identity itself, and the culture thing. In Parimatch itself, because we rebrand in 2019, we decided to rebrand and giving such a fresh coloring, which is electric yellow, and through our strategy, we found out that on these days, we have to speak with the male audience, no sexism here, it’s based on the pure facts here that in CES regions, mostly it’s a male oriented business.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeq0AP-VRJA?feature=oembed]

But while knowing your customers might just be hard work, signing a megastar to a sponsorship deal might seem tricky. For that too, Babits advised that hard work can pay off. “First of all, what I’m usually doing, before we are contacting the ambassador and manager, we try to get connected, you know, and make some deep researches as well. Because there are some really basic facts which is, if it’s a religion might be some of the thoughts, you know, we do researches before we are directly communicate to get to know how is the mind, like are they are okay with betting?”

Constellation Brands, the alcoholic beverage giant behind names like Corona and Modelo beer, SVEDKA Vodka, Casa Noble Tequila and more, is extending a helping hand to minority entrepreneurs. The company announced yesterday that it will, through its Constellation Brands Ventures (CBV) investment arm, allocate $100 million to black entrepreneurs who want to operate, or are already working, in the alcoholic beverage space. The fund will be distributed over the next ten years.

The fund will be used to support “African American/Black and minority-owned businesses in the beverage alcohol space and adjacent categories by 2030.” Constellation explains that, according to a recent report, only 1% of venture capital-backed entrepreneurs are black, which demonstrates that there is a strong divide in the social and equity distribution of available capital resources to support minorities. The goal of the fund is to allow for greater entrepreneurial equality between ethnic groups, while supporting the communities in which the minorities operate.

Adds Constellation President and CEO Bill Newlands, “The conditions that have allowed systemic racism to persist in the U.S. have existed far too long. We categorically denounce bigotry, racism, and social injustice. They are clearly inconsistent with our company values and our commitment to embracing diversity and creating an inclusive environment where all employees feel safe, respected, and valued. We stand in solidarity with the Black community and we are committed to achieving meaningful and lasting change.”

The Focus on Minority Founders initiative will help support business growth and development among minorities by investing in areas such as sales and marketing, operations and financial guidance. Newlands adds, “These businesses serve as the fabric of their respective communities and we must make it more equitable for them to access the capital needed to have a fighting chance at success. In a little over a year, CBV’s Focus on Female Founders initiative has shifted our Ventures portfolio mix from 20% female-owned to 50% female-owned. This reinforces there is a real need for these programs, and they can drive measurable improvement in minority representation for our industry.”

Across the U.S., states have begun to lift their lockdown orders – with mixed results – and Massachusetts is one of the last to allow casinos to turn back on the lights. The state’s casinos had anticipated yesterday as the earliest date they would be able to relaunch their activities, but at least one decided it needed a little more time. Wynn Resorts’ Encore Boston Harbor won’t reopen for another week and, when it does, the majority of the employees won’t be arriving.

In an announcement made yesterday, Encore said that it will furlough about 3,000 employees at the casino, which constitutes around two-thirds of its entire staff. By furloughing, and not firing or laying off, the employees, there’s a chance that they could return to work, as being furloughed implies that the individuals are essentially still employees of the company. According to the Encore announcement, “Some employees working in the re-opened amenities and restaurants will return to work. Employees, who worked in areas for which a re-opening date is uncertain due to current restrictions, are being placed on furlough until further notice.”

Part of the reason for the lack of a larger staff is the fact that Encore isn’t going to open at 100% capacity. The number of gaming options it offers is going to be severely limited for a little while, and fewer customers will be allowed to enter at the same time. In addition, the casino doesn’t plan on bringing back poker or craps, per an order by Wynn, allowing the property to make some cuts.

It isn’t clear if the group of employees that are now going to be out of work are part of, or separate from, a group that, earlier this month, was expected to be let go. At the time, Encore said that over 10% of its full- and part-time staff would need to find new jobs as the casino looked for areas where it could save money in order to ride out the COVID-19 storm. It’s highly probable that there will be some overlap between the two groups.

Las Vegas may be losing its iconic pyramid. The Luxor Resort & Casino, the MGM Resorts property that has been part of the Vegas landscape for more than two decades, might soon be demolished, paving the way for some new casino or, as Sin City evolves into more than just a gambling hub, some other type of property to attract tourists. The possible razing of the venue hasn’t been confirmed by MGM, but the source talking about the removal is known to have his fingers firmly placed on the pulse of the Las Vegas heartbeat. 

Scott Roeben is behind Vital Vegas and is always providing updates on the state of affairs of the largest gambling city in the US. His comments and rumors are often right on the money, and he reports now that MGM brass is contemplating the possibility of erasing the Luxor permanently. He said on the Vital Vegas website, “Our sources say company officials have discussed demolition of both Luxor and Excalibur for at least five years, but have been unable to proceed due to union contracts. It’s possible the COVID-19 shutdown has paved the way for what’s to come for Luxor.”

The Luxor made its appearance in 1993 and quickly garnered a lot of attention. However, nothing lasts forever in Vegas, and the property, along with MGM’s Excalibur, has been considered for demolition for at least five years. Standing in the way were unionized employee contracts, but the coronavirus pandemic might provide the excuse needed to introduce drastic changes.

Demolition is more expensive than rebranding or upgrading; however, it’s hard to rebrand a property that is shaped like a pyramid. The Egyptian theme is embedded in the venue and, although MGM has provided updates over the years, once a pyramid, always a pyramid. While the real Egyptian pyramids have been able to withstand millennia of exposure, this isn’t the case for the Luxor, which is said to be suffering from structural issues. That concern was first raised a decade ago and the property still stands, but it might be time to permanently sunset the property and embrace a new Las Vegas.

Bodog has a wide reach across the world to provide sports gambling options to almost anyone looking to get in on the action. The past couple of months, because of COVID-19, brought a drop in what was available, but things are starting to look up again. With the NBA, NHL and MLB all ready to suit up and get in the game in July, and the NFL right behind them, there will be no shortage of choices available. Even now, Bodog is seeing a lot of success, and a breakdown of this past weekend’s action shows where sports gambling fans are turning. While the English Premier League (EPL) ruled last week, bettors turned their attention elsewhere this past weekend.

Looking at the numbers, Ultimate Fighting Championship/Mixed Martial Arts (UFC/MMA) saw the most action, driven by two different events. Dustin Poirier took on Dan Hooker and Mike Perry mixed it up with Mickey Gall in battles that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Ultimately, Poirier would win by decision on Round 5 in the UFC Lightweight Main Event on Saturday, while Perry would claim the victory following a decision in Round 3 in the Welterweight fight. Propelled by these two events, along with the matches between Brendan Allen and Kyle Daukaus and Maurice Greene and Gian Villante, UFC/MMA accounted for 21.19% of the Bodog action this past weekend.

Football – the American kind – showed that it is still one of the most popular sports around, despite no live games currently being held. The season will kick off this September and, in the meantime, football fans are enjoying a little NFL 2020 Sims action. The simulated games come by way of Madden 2020, and 13.48% of Bodog’s wagers this past weekend were on the football contests.

Despite those two taking the top sports on the list individually, soccer made a huge splash. Between Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A, they combined for almost 29% of all the wagers seen on the platform. La Liga slightly outweighed Serie A by about 3%, but the results show that soccer is still in control. Even though they didn’t make the top ten list on Bodog, Germany’s Bundesliga and the EPL would have supported soccer’s command of the sports gambling scene.