It took a little longer to get the latest figures from sportsbook Bodog for this past weekend, but they’ve finally arrived. For sports gambling fans who like to analyze what sports are attracting the most attention, there weren’t any real surprises. As has been seen since the NFL season began in September, football is still the reigning champion, aided by the inclusion of college football when the various conferences decided to join in on the fun. 

Last weekend, Bodog saw 47.11% of the action on NFL games, followed by 39.32% on college games. Combining for a total of over 86%, these two were the only sports to receive double-digit attention – everything else in the top ten was below 4%. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Fight Night drew 3.03% of the wagers, while the English Premier League captured 2.4%. Cricket made the list at number five with 2.17%, thanks to the Indian Premier League, and the Vienna Open in tennis captured 2.02% of the bets. 

Major League Soccer in the US found a little more support than normal this past weekend, grabbing 1.07% of the wagers. There were several great games on tap, including a matchup between FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo, which Dallas won 3-0, and New England against D.C. United. New England edged out D.C., 4-3. Also making the top ranks on Bodog was the President’s Cup in tennis, which had the ATP Tour holding the ATP 250 Astana Open in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Until last year, Nur-Sultan was known as Astana, and the tournament attracted 1.06% of the wagers on Bodog. The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) also made an appearance on Bodog, grabbing 0.82% of the bets. 

Breaking down which individual sports events attracted the most attention on Bodog this past weekend, almost all of the top ten spots went to NFL games, except for two – these went to college football. The embarrassing 23-9 defeat of the Dallas Cowboys at the hands (talons?) of the Philadelphia Eagles was responsible for 23.53% of the wagers. The Seattle Seahawks/San Francisco 49ers game, which saw the Seahawks improve to 6-1 with their 37-27 victory, captured 15.27% of the bets, and the New Orleans Saints gave Bodog 12.52% as they squeaked out a 26-23 win in overtime against the Chicago Bears.

2017 began the biggest phase of interest in digital currency since it had been introduced years earlier. There has been some pullback since then, but interest began to rise once again in 2020, facilitated in part by BTC’s halving this past May and by more interest on the part of regulators and governments everywhere. If anyone had previously thought that digital currency was “just a fad” that would blow over, that myth has already been busted. For anyone who thinks the current increased attention given to the digital currency ecosystem will fade away, they’re about to be proven wrong, as well. The latest research shows that adoption around the world is only going to increase in 2021 and beyond. 

The demand for digital currency is on the rise and Bendik Schei, the head of research for Arcan Crypto, expects this to continue. His belief is supported by the senior analyst of Hxro Labs, Nick Kote, who also anticipates there will be substantial growth this year and next, with large institutions looking to acquire digital currency. Adoption by large-scale entities has a huge impact on overall movement, as well as on global regulatory interest.

The recent embrace of digital currency by PayPal and the assertion by JP Morgan that Millennials are more attracted to digital assets than they are gold are definitive pieces of evidence that show how far the global currency environment has come. Add to this more interest on the part of governments to interact with regulatory-safe digital currencies, like Bitcoin SV (BSV), and a picture of complete digital currency infusion across the globe suddenly comes into focus. 

Digital assets are now more accessible than ever before, and the development of even easier forms of interaction are constantly being released. Even today, it can be argued that fiat has not been able to reach the level of stability people expect out of their money, and it has been around for thousands of years. Bitcoin has done in 11 years what generations have been trying to accomplish for ions.

While the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) segment is falling out of favor, the Philippine Inshore Gaming Operator (PIGO) alternative could take over. If a current plan being developed by gaming regulators in the country comes to fruition, land-based casinos that launch online operations will need to be prepared to give up almost half their revenue to the Philippines in the form of taxes. That compares to the 5% “franchise tax” on turnover paid by the POGOs. 

PIGOs could be the up-and-coming online gaming star in the Philippines, provided operators can get past the tax rate. PAGCOR (the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp) is working on a tax framework that would require them to give up 42.5% of the online gaming revenue to the state, and would also have to pay a 5% “gaming systems fee,” according to Asia Gaming Brief and its sources. The end result, after all deductions, taxes and fees, is just a 28% take for the casinos. 

These percentages are apparently not fixed yet, according to the sources, and could be altered before the final draft of the framework is signed. However, the rates are expected to be “very close” to what has been projected and this means that PIGOs would be facing one of the highest tax rates of anywhere in Asia. The proposal would mean substantial revenue for the Philippines, but only if land-based casino operators believe it makes sense to launch a PIGO, and the suspected tax rate will almost certainly become a big obstacle to entry. 

Online casinos typically have much lower overhead than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. However, walking away with just 28% of the take won’t be too appealing to many companies, especially considering the costs associated with introducing the activity. PAGCOR believes the tax rate is necessary in order to overcome the losses incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and to help put the country back on track, but it won’t be effective if the response is minimal. 

Casino operator Silver Heritage Group has had some difficulty the past couple of years. It entered administration this past May and brought in receivers to help sort out the mess and hoped there would be some way to stay afloat. The company behind the Tiger Palace Resort in Nepal and others hasn’t been able to make much headway toward that goal, however, and could soon be acquired. Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has determined that there is no reason to prevent gaming and technology company DFNN, Inc. to pursue its plans to buy a major stake in Silver Heritage.

HatchAsia, Inc., a subsidiary of Philippine-listed DFNN, suggested the takeover after seeing the position Silver Heritage was in. It proposed an acquisition of 92% of the company, but will need to jump through several hoops before any deal can be consummated. Since DFNN is out of the Philippines and Silver Heritage is listed in Australia, the first hoop to cross was getting approval by the FIRB. The next hoop involves approval by Silver Heritage shareholders. DFNN is behind HatchAsia, iWave, Inc., Inter-active Entertainment Solutions Technologies, Inc. in the Philippines, and Pacific Gaming Investments Pte. Ltd. in Singapore.

Should the deal make it all the way through the red-tape obstacle course, HatchAsia, though its subsidiary of Hatch Australia Holdings Pty. Ltd., will take possession of 92% of Silver Heritage through the acquisition of company shares. That stockpile will come from the consolidation of shares held by existing shareholders, as well as the issuance of new shares to Hatch Australia.

The final price could be adjusted due to several stipulations, and is cheap compared to most casino-tied acquisitions. DFNN said this past September that it was ready to pay around $379,000 (PHP 18.74 million) in cash and 3% of the Silver Heritage shares. Receiving approval by the FIRB will help push the sale along, and DFNN said in a statement, “The successful conclusion would eventually result in the HatchAsia shareholder-controlled entity being listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and DFNN owning part of the listed entity.”

The upcoming iGaming Next Online: Adventure of Change offers not only one of the best convention platforms for the gambling industry to network on, but one of the year’s best agenda’s of industry speakers. The 3 day event, from November 10 to 12, has some of the most interesting discussions you can expect to see this year.

State of the Gambling Industry

As we end the tumultuous year that was 2020, iGaming Next Online starts off the event is a Fireside Chat, featuring iGaming Next’s Co-Foudner and Managing Director Pierre Lindh chatting with Todd Haushalter, Evolution Gaming Chief Product officer, discussing “Where things are going tomorrow and beyond.”

But if you’re more into the wheeling and dealing of Mergers and Acquisitions, just come back later in the day for the Investors panel, looking at “The best deals and biggest fails in iGaming.” There’s bound to be a lot of change happening in the industry, and Moderator Lahcene Merzoug will lead a panel looking at the best offers out there.

Ukraine is already a major focus of the SBC Digital Summit CIS. With new comprehensive gambling laws on the way, opportunity beckons, and the event saw a “Welcome to Ukraine” panel on it’s first day to discuss what may be of the country’s gambling industry.

The path to a regulated market wasn’t easy, noted Boris Baum, Deputy Advisor to the Head of the President’s Office, due to Ukraine’s history with the industry. “The challenge was in two-parts as we had to form the conditions to legalize a gambling market, whilst simultaneously terminating black-market activities,” he said.

And it was a sizeable black market that Ukraine had to address. An assessment revealed over 200,000 slot halls in the country, with as many as 150 illegal casinos.

But a full framework is coming, he noted. “In a short time frame, Ukraine’s government will publish a full breakdown of regulatory requirements for “sports betting, land-based operations, lotteries, online casino and technology providers” – a tough ask for any government.”

Gartner, the leading global technology research company, just released their new Magic Quadrant or “MQ” for mobile marketing platforms and Dublin-based Xtremepush was included in the report. 

“We are now at the top of the “Challenger” in the quadrant which is pretty big news for us, for a five year old company which is non-VC backed. We’re really, really excited about it to be honest with you”, Xtremepush CEO Tommy Kearns shared.

Kearns was recently featured on a G2E Digital 2020 panel, discussing the importance of omnichannel marketing in the gambling industry, especially when it comes to bridging the gap between the land-based and online world.

“If you simplify the whole game of how to communicate with the users be them land-based or omnichannel as you call it, it all comes down to an understanding of that user, of the data”, he said.

Lottery, betting and gaming technology outfit Scientific Games Corp (SGC) lost $111m in the third quarter of 2020 but the situation would have been much worse without the company’s burgeoning digital operations.

On Wednesday, SGC announced that its revenue in the three months ending September 30 totaled $698m, down from $855m in the same period last year but up from $539m in Q2 2020. Adjusted earnings fell 31.6% to $235m and the company booked a net loss of $111m versus an $18m profit in Q3 2019.

SGC’s mainstay gaming division was the dead weight on the Q3 report, with revenue falling by nearly half to $231m and earnings down two-thirds to $77m as land-based casinos remained under pandemic restrictions. The result was a major decline in active gaming machine revenue, lower shipments of new and replacement machines and less need for gaming services.

The lottery division fared far better, with revenue and earnings each up 10% to $241m and $109m, respectively. The gains came via a 20% rise in domestic instant win ticket sales and a nearly 50% rise in international product sales.

Casino operator MGM Resorts plans to appeal a fine for allegedly failing to observe pandemic precautions at one of its Vegas casinos, while MGM’s real estate partner is eyeing up the land under Las Vegas Sands’ Venetian resort.

MGM learned Monday that it had been fined $12,617 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for a “lack of social distancing at point-of-sale terminals used by employees” at the company’s Aria property in Las Vegas. OSHA launched its investigation following an Aria staffer’s complaint regarding claims of workplace safety hazards.  

MGM issued a statement saying it “plans to contest the citation and penalty because it does not believe it has violated any safety laws.” MGM insisted that it had “no higher priority” than protecting its staff and guests and cited its Seven-Point Safety Plan’s “clear policies for maintaining safe distances and other important protocols.”

Meanwhile, the MGM Growth Properties (MGP) real estate investment trust that owns much of the land underneath MGM’s casinos – and collects millions of dollars in rent from MGM each month – suggested this week that it might be interested in striking a similar deal with MGM rival Las Vegas Sands.

With the heads-up battle between Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu just kicking off on PokerGO, the poker world is looking to Kid Poker to see if the six-time WSOP bracelet winner can beat Polk with some of the skills that he has taught poker fans over the years. 

Skills that he reveals in his 2007 book, Hold’Em Wisdom for all Players. 

With well over $40 million in live tournament earnings, Negreanu is probably the most well-known poker player in the world and has featured in Hollywood movies in cameos, too, though the less said about the 2018 film Bodied the better. Suffice it to say that Negreanu’s appearance is, well, bizarre. 

Negreanu’s first tome of poker wisdom is put together a little like Lou Krieger’s 52 poker tips, in that it has roughly 50 nuggets of information, it’s just that there’s more information at your fingertips in ‘DNegs’ book.