Monthly Archives: November 2020

Northern Ireland public backs casinos, online gambling, Sunday betting

Northern Ireland’s gambling options appear in for major expansion following the publication of a public consultation that found major fault with the status quo.

This week, Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities (DfC) released the results of the public consultation it launched last December to gauge the public’s attitudes towards the current gambling regime. The results, highlights of which were previewed in September, show broad support for loosening the current limits while ensuring adequate consumer protections.  

The survey was conducted online and attracted only 382 responses from a mix of individuals and organizations, so it could be a stretch to say that the results are truly representative of the population as a whole.

Nevertheless, after being briefed on the findings, the NI Assembly’s Committee for Communities wrote to the Minister for Communities saying it “favors new NI specific gambling legislation.” Ideally, this would include authorizing land-based casinos, online gambling, poker in clubs and the creation of a “wholly independent regulatory body for gambling here.”

Suspicious sports betting alerts jumped as major league play resumed

The number of suspicious sports betting alerts jumped in the third quarter of 2020 following this summer’s resumption of major league play.

The latest report from the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) found 76 suspicious betting alerts in the three months ending September 30, up from just 50 in the same period last year. The number is also significantly higher from the 58 alerts reported in Q2 2020, during which many sports were dormant due to COVID-19.

As usual, football (soccer) and tennis led the way with 25 alerts apiece, while the pandemic focus on alternate sports led to seven alerts regarding Russian and Ukrainian table tennis matches.

The pandemic also led to 14 eSports betting alerts in Q3, but this number is likely to recede in future reports given statistics showing steep declines in eSports betting activity following the resumption of real-world sports this summer.

Super MILLION$ won by Sebastien Grax for $321,948

This week’s $10,300-entry Super MILLION$ final table was won by former French footballer Sebastien Grax, who stole a march on fellow Frenchman ElkY, a.k.a. Bertrand Grospellier, by winning $321,948 and the title.

 

With the poker world gambling their money away on the outcome of Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s clash at the polls, the only victory the final nine players wanted to see at the final table of GGPoker’s flagship high roller event was their own.  

Having come into play with the shortest stack, it was perhaps no surprise that Canadian player Ami Barer busted first, cashing for $42,160 in the process. He was followed out of the tournament by American player Timothy Nuter, as the lowest two stacks at the start of the day proved decisive in who went out earliest.  

Poker on screen: Lucky You (2007)

Each week, we look at a movie or television programme that features poker. This week, it’s a 2007 film called Lucky You. Would you be lucky to watch it? We’ll explain how and why, or why not.  

Directed by the man behind L.A. Confidential and 8 Mile, the movie itself was a financial disaster, with a budget of $55m and box office receipt totalling just $8.4m – a loss of $47m but in and of itself, it’s actually a decent poker movie. Eric Bana is a convincing lead character as Huck Cheever, even if he lacks a little of the charisma needed to carry off winning at poker and love at the same time.  

The plot centres around Huck’s ability as a poker player and his relationships with aspiring singer Billie – played by Drew Barrymore – and Huck’s father L.C., from whom Huck is at times distant and others best pals. Huck is a bit of a rogue, but you get the feeling that his luck is always going to come out on the right side of the coinflip.  

The film’s issue might have come with the romantic interest side of the script, with Drew Barrymore playing Billie Offer, one of the worst names in celluloid history. They might as well have called her Yvonne Buy-One-Get-One-Free. Think of the greatest poker couple relationships that you can think of and you can probably count the legendary romances on the fingers of one finger. This is true of the journey between Huck and Billie, who sound more like a boy and his stray dog best pal rather than a man and a woman. Sadly for Eric and Drew, the chemistry is severely lacking between the pair of them.  

UK regulator revokes Park Lane Casino license on ownership concerns

UK gambling regulators have revoked the license issued to the Park Lane Casino due to concerns over how the company’s new ownership financed the deal.

On Wednesday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced that it had revoked the gaming license issued to Silverbond Enterprises Ltd, which operates the swanky members-only (£1k fee per year) Park Lane Casino at the Hilton Hotel in London’s Mayfair region.

The decision, which was made October 21 but only made public this week, came following a hearing with the UKGC’s Regulatory Panel. The revocation will become official on November 18 unless Silverbond mounts an appeal of the decision. The casino’s website currently features a notice saying it was closing “for a while” but this is likely a reference to the government’s second pandemic lockdown of non-essential retail operations. 

The UKGC said there’d been a “change in corporate control” at Silverbond and the regulator was “not satisfied” that it would have issued the venue a gaming license had the new controller been in control at the time the license application was first made.