Monthly Archives: September 2020

Circa Sports Million proves enticing, wallops Westgate’s SuperContest

The NFL is back, and all those who thought the season would suck because of COVID-19 have been proven wrong. There has been no shortage of interest on the part of fans – the season opener garnered the largest viewing segment of any show of the night and yesterday’s games saw a huge number tune in, based on initial data. The return of the league has also been great news for sportsbooks in the U.S., ready to capitalize on the growing demand for sports gambling action and larger audiences. The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas has always welcomed the season with its football SuperContest, but has had some competition the past two years. This year, its biggest rival, the Circa Sports Million II, drew a larger crowd that was almost double that of the SuperContest. 

Last year, the SuperContest recorded 3,328 entries, but could only muster 1,172 this year. This was due, in part, to the Circa Sports sportsbook, which saw 3,148 entries sign up for its Million contest, which is in just its second year of existence. Given the fact that the Million II had a buy-in of $1,000 and the SuperContest cost $1,500, there definitely seems to have been a preference to go for the lighter event. 

In 2018, the SuperContest, which was then holding its third event, attracted 3,128 entries. It was the largest field ever, but has now been relegated to second place because of the turnout to Million II. However, Westgate lost on two fronts, as the Circa Survivor, a $1,000 buy-in, weekly single-bet contest that runs throughout the season, picked up 1,390 entries. That contest will award almost $1.4 million to the player who makes the most correct weekly predictions and survives the longest. 

Both the SuperContest and the Million II operate similarly. They center on participants making five NFL picks each week against the spread, with the contestant proving to be most accurate the longest winning the grand prize. Says Jeffrey Benson, Circa sportsbook operations manager, “While we don’t have any overlays, we are overwhelmed by the support of bettors and the gambling community at what we believe are the best two contests in the world. Our motto at Circa Sports is ‘Sports Betting the Way It Should Be’ and we strongly believe both of these contests embrace those ideals.”

The first Sunday of the NFL 2020 season is a hit with fans and oddsmakers

For most NFL fans, yesterday was everything they had hoped it would be, despite concerns over how the lack of preseason games due to the coronavirus, empty stadiums and pre-game protests might impact the action. True football fans know how to focus their energy on the important stuff and won’t anything stand in their way of enjoying their favorite game. Yesterday provided more than a few surprises and upsets, some questionable calls and crazy outcomes – everything anyone could hope for in a day packed full of football. For those who enjoyed a little wager action, there were also a couple of nail-biting moments. 

The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions, and one could only guess what would have happened if Lions linebacker Jamie Collins hadn’t been ejected in the first half. The Lions roared throughout the game despite his absence, a result of contact he made with referee Alex Kemp, but would ultimately give up a major lead of 17 points to take the loss. The Bears had been the underdog to win, and did gamblers a favor by launching their massive comeback. They also covered the 2.5 spread and broke the Over/Under of 42.5 points. 

Everyone was waiting to see how Tom Brady would perform with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after giving up on the New England Patriots in the offseason. It’s too early to call it, but throwing three interceptions against the New Orleans Saints isn’t a good way to get started. As a result, the Bucs went down, 34-23, and the Saints took the moneyline, the 4-point spread and crushed the Over/Under of 48. 

Cam Newton made his debut with the Pats yesterday as the team met the Miami Dolphins. The former quarterback of the Carolina Panthers is returning from a number of injuries from last season and, when he walked it in for a touchdown early in the game, it seemed like he may have bounced back. However, his performance after that, including a scuffle with Miami players, was lackluster. Still, the 21-11 victory was enough to win the moneyline and take the spread of seven. It wasn’t, however, enough to cover the Over/Under of 41.5 points, falling well short.

PointsBet slides into Illinois just ahead of NFL Sunday

The 2020 NFL season is officially here, and yesterday’s card was full of awesome action for football fans. The start also brought with it more sports gambling opportunities across the U.S. than ever before, with plenty of states now offering regulated markets. Illinois entered into the mix earlier this year when the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) laid out the rules of the game, and there hasn’t been any shortage of interest. The latest to join the state is PointsBet, which got its mobile gambling app up and running only one day before most of the NFL action commenced.

The Kansas City Chiefs played against the Houston Texans last Thursday, and PointsBet wasn’t able to capture any activity in Illinois, but it made up for it yesterday. The Australia-based sportsbook teamed up with Hawthorne Race Course to make it possible, sealing a deal that was announced only a few days after the state’s governor, J.B. Pritzker, greenlighted sports gambling in the state. Johnny Aitken, the CEO of PointsBet’s U.S. arm, PointsBet U.S.A, said in a statement about the operator’s launch, “PointsBet possesses competitive advantages by owning our technology environment from end to end, such as unrivaled speed and ease of use on a personalized platform. We, together with our partner Hawthorne Race Course, are thrilled to provide the Illinois consumer with exactly what they’ve been craving.”

PointsBet wasn’t the first to get in on the action – BetRivers, DraftKings and FanDuel are already vying for position. However, its entry was made easier by Pritzker’s decision to allow sports bettors to register online, instead of having to make a special trip to an authorized casino. The governor had flip-flopped on that order before reinstating mobile registration, but, as of this Friday, the mandatory trip might be back on the table.

Should Pritzker decide to force in-person registrations again, PointsBet isn’t overly concerned. It will have a retail sportsbook at the Cicero racetrack, as well as three off-track gambling venues around Chicago. Between the four properties, PointsBet will have access to more than nine million residents, accounting for around two-thirds of the state’s population.

City of Dreams Manila testing casino ops, still no relaunch date

City of Dreams Manila (CoDM) would like nothing more than to swing open its doors and start welcoming back patrons to its casino floor and entertainment options. The Philippines has been working on bouncing back from the coronavirus pandemic and only recently saw movement toward a quasi-resumption of what could be considered normal routines. Casinos and other businesses are desperate to return to their former selves and CoDM is now working on trying to make that happen. GGRAsia reports that the casino resort is now warming up its casino operations in accordance with government guidelines in anticipation of a full-scale relaunch. 

The media outlet talked to CoDM’s chief operating officer, Kevin Benning, who confirmed that the property is actively testing its equipment and internal procedures, and that it’s ready to go full speed ahead as soon as all the proper elements are in place. Benning added, however, that a date for the Melco Resorts and Entertainment-run property to resume normal operations is still not available, but that it is seeing success with the 30% capacity restriction implemented by the government. He explained, “The trial run, as permitted by Pagcor, with invited guests at 30 percent capacity, continues, enabling us to fine-tune our services in compliance with government guidelines.”

CoDM reportedly has 301 table games and 2,273 gaming machines, according to information supplied by Melco Resorts when it reported its second-quarter financials. Because of its strong presence in Manila and Macau, Melco is “well positioned to speed its revenue recovery cycle because it has strong footprints in both Macau and Manila,” according to Smartkarma Innovations Pte Ltd. The investment research firm out of the Singapore made its call in a report released last week on gambling operators.

CoDM has a number of entertainment and dining options, and they all hope to be back in business before too much longer. Four restaurants, Crystal Dragon, Noodle 8, Red Ginger and Wave, are expected to open at 30% capacity once the resort reopens, with other dining options to relaunch after that. The Hyatt Regency, the Nobu and the Nuwa hotels will also be ready to resume normal operations, as will these venues’ stores, on-site banks, swimming pools and other amenities. 

Sands China asks bank to relax credit terms to ease the COVID-19 sting

Sands China, the Asian arm of Sheldon Adelson-run Las Vegas Sands, reportedly had around $2.4 billion in liquid assets at the end of May, enough, by some estimates, to allow it to run for a full year without any incoming revenue. This, however, hasn’t stopped the company from continuing to seek different ways to not have to touch its own resources. It decided to issue some senior notes worth $1.5 billion in May to avoid tapping into the piggy bank and also, in March, had talked a lender, Bank of China Limited, into reworking some terms on a revolving line of credit worth $2 billion. It didn’t take long for Sands China to try to renegotiate the renegotiation of those terms, and has now convinced the lender (pdf) to offer it additional waiver extensions for those obligations. 

The casino operator and the Bank of China, through its Macau branch, had agreed to extend waiver periods related to the Sands China’s Consolidated Leverage Ratio on the revolving line of credit. The two arranged to not be strict on keeping that ratio at 4 to 1, and also agreed to be lenient with the 2.5-to-1 ratio in the Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio. The lender extended the waiver on both covenants until July 1, 2021, pushing it out from the previous limit of January 1, 2020.

Now, however, Sands China will have another six months on the waiver, with the Bank of China agreeing to extend the timeframe until January 1, 2022. It also decided that the company deserved a little more economic boost and would be allowed to increase its commitment by as much as $1 billion if Sands China thinks it’s necessary. In exchange, though, the casino operator won’t be able to declare or issue any dividend payments until the end of the new extension period if it calls on more than $2 billion of the revolving line of credit. 

In the announcement, Sands China brass issued a warning to stockholders. It asserted, “Holders of our Company’s securities, potential investors and readers are advised to exercise caution in dealing in securities in our Company.”

Aspire Global hires Antoine Bonello from William Hill as new COO

Aspire Global continues to strengthen its senior management team, with Antoine Bonello joining as Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director for their Malta business.

Up until recently, Bonello led the Product and Business Development functions, together with the Sportsbook and Gaming Verticals at William Hill International and prior to that was the COO for the MRG Group, joining Mr Green Ltd. in 2017. He also held key positions as Managing Director (Malta) for Flutter and Integration Director for the Betfair-Paddy Power merger, having joined Betfair in 2008.

Tsachi Maimon, CEO of Aspire Global, said: “We are very happy to welcome Antoine Bonello to the Aspire Global family. He has a proven and successful track-record of driving operational excellence and has a thorough knowledge of the iGaming industry. Antoine Bonello will play an important role in our continued focus on efficiency and operational excellence.”

Antoine Bonello said: “I’m excited to join Aspire Global at such a pivotal stage. The business has a sound strategy and a proven business model in place with Aspire Global consistently strengthening its market position and delivering against this plan.  I look forward to bolster the continued development by blending in my experience with the strong stature of the current team and Board, focusing on efficient execution to enable further profitable growth.”

How to start your eSports company: From zero to operational

This is a guest contribution by Ron Mendelson, CEO of Fast Offshore. Ron has 22+ years’ experience in corporate online gaming services and licensing, offshore banking and International Business.

Over the last few years, the eSports industry has been growing gradually, making a shift from the underground to the mainstream. Now, we know that it has become one of the most in-demand sports of the year. Of course, when the stakes are high on the outcome of events, gambling inevitably becomes a part of the industry.

As we saw conventional sports taking a nosedive this year due to the current situation, eSports moved to fill the gap. More and more people started betting on the outcome of eSports tournaments or in-game events. The pandemic was something of a catalyst to the success of this once niche industry.

If you want to get involved in this dynamic and rapidly evolving market, now is a great time to consider setting up an eSports company.

Parimatch named new Leicester City training wear partner and betting partner

11 September 2020 – Parimatch has been confirmed as Leicester City’s new Official First Team Training Wear Partner ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.

Parimatch, an international betting and technology company based in Cyprus, will see their branding appear on the training and warm-up wear of Leicester City’s First Team squad during all domestic and UEFA Europa League fixtures for the upcoming season.

The partnership will also see the company’s branding visible on pitch-side LED advertising boards at all home Premier League, Emirates FA Cup and Carabao Cup games, as well as on interview backdrops for all top-flight fixtures at the King Power Stadium and on the Club’s social media channels.

Harj Hir, Head of Partnerships at Leicester City, said: “We are really pleased to partner with Parimatch, an exciting international brand. We look forward to working together and helping to grow each other’s international profile.”

Shaun Deeb falls short but Niklas Astedt wins second WCOOP title result

Two more WCOOP titles were won over an important weekend of WCOOP action as one of the best poker players in the world was denied a record-equaling victory and another bagged his second WCOOP win.

Event #37 – $5,200-entry Pot Limit Omaha 6-Max

Hungarian player Andras Nemeth won $140,506 in taking down this PLO event, which had he won, Shaun Deeb would have equaled a long-standing record in WCOOP history.

The final day begun with Shaun Deeb, WCOOP legend, looking to clinch a ninth and record-levelling title, but he wasn’t the only one desperately chasing the title, and so the early orbits proved. The final table saw some stellar names battling it out in the famously swingy format, and it would be Deeb who left the part in 7th place, earning just $28,596 for his efforts rather than the moment of online poker history that he surely craved.

Premier League review – Gameweek #1

An exciting weekend of Premier League action saw the champions of the Premier League edge out the Championship title-winners in a seven-goal thriller, while there were wins for Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Newcastle United among others.

Let’s take a look at the shocks, the goalscorers and the big decisions that went one way or the other in the games that took place across the first weekend back in Premier league action.

Liverpool 4-3 Leeds United

A topsy-turvy game took place at Anfield as the reigning league champions were made to look ordinary at the back by Marcelo Bielsa’s crusading Leeds side. In the end, that wasn’t enough to deny Liverpool all three points as Jurgen Klopp’s men won two penalties, the first of which was highly debatable.