It’s been a seriously difficult time for a North Carolina man who just recently lost his job as a preschool teacher after 20 years and even more so after losing his father to the coronavirus a month later, but a lottery jackpot win to the tune of $250,000 was the Christmas miracle waiting to happen.Winner Stories, Scratch Games, North Carolina
Asia’s gambling markets – both land-based and online – took major hits in 2020; land-based casinos at the hands of COVID-19 and online casinos at the hands of meddling governments.
Due to its proximity to China, Macau was the first market to demonstrate both the horrors the pandemic would inflict on casino markets as well as the enormous lengths casinos would have to go to ensure customers and staff were protected once casinos reopened.
Unlike most North American casinos, which shut down for months, Macau casinos were closed for only 15 days, but their swift reopening brought anything but a return to normal.
Things hit bottom in June with revenue of only MOP716m, down 97% year-on-year, and while things have improved slightly, mainland Chinese gamblers still need some convincing to make the trek to Macau.
Upeshka De Silva is out in ninth place from the WSOP Main Event automatically due to a positive COVID-19 test ahead of the final table in Las Vegas. The three-time bracelet winner receives $98,813, but won’t be dealt a single hand on Monday.
Upeshka De Silva is the ninth place finisher in the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event. (Image: bay101news.com)
De Silva is the most accomplished player at the final table. Although he sat in eighth position heading to the Rio, he had as good of a shot at becoming world champion as anyone. But the rules this year state that any player who tests positive when the online tournament switches to the live final table format would automatically be disqualified and paid ninth place money.
Eight other players will compete on Monday at the Rio for a shot to face Damian Salas heads-up for the world title and an extra $1 million. Salas won the GGPoker (international) version of the WSOP Main Event earlier this month. He received $1.5 million for his efforts and is now just one step away from poker immortality.
2021 is almost here and, after the difficult year it’s been, now is a chance for businesses to dig in and implement strategies to ensure greater longevity going forward. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that there’s never a good time to become complacent in business operations and the new year should be viewed as an opportunity to strike out and build a consistent marketing plan that will keep consumers engaged as the new decade unfolds. Affiliate marketing can be a great, cost-effective solution to achieve that goal, targeting specific consumer segments to enhance lead generation efforts and drive conversion rates. Understanding the terminology associated with affiliate marketing, whether to grow a gambling website or any new venture, will give you a strong foundation upon which to construct a solid, forward-thinking marketing plan.
Internet marketing can be complicated because of the multitude of traffic and activity that is occurring at any given time. Being able to focus on the specific target is fundamental to ensuring the best use of a marketing budget, which is where affiliate marketers come in. They typically work on a commission basis, helping businesses control costs while still enjoying greater engagement. Since there is relatively low risk and outlay – and a lot of affiliate marketers always looking for new clients – getting started is simple.
Some of the common terminology associated with affiliate marketing is straightforward – advertiser, affiliate, offer, conversion, creative, etc. Others deserve more attention, such as the phrase “above the fold.” For new enterprises or those just getting started in marketing, this refers to the section of the website page (whether it be a blog, homepage or other) that is visible on one page without the viewer having to scroll. All the information crucial to conversions and drawing consumer attention should be included above the fold.
Action lifecycle is the window designated for events (or actions) that are responsible for directly leading to the sale on the affiliate’s website. The lifecycle is an amount of time within which transactions can be corrected, and the typical window, established by the advertiser or the affiliate (or both, in some cases) can be one to four weeks.
It’s been an interesting 12 months in the poker world; we’ve gone from live-play to moving to online tournaments to keep the game alive. A new audience has been drawn to the game and now online poker is the new black heading into 2021. Here are the top stories from the poker world that captured your interest.
Mike Matusow blows up at perceived World Series slowroll
Mike ‘The Mouth’ Matusow is never far from drama. In a WSOP online event, Matusow lost his cool after being slow-rolled (in his eyes) by Megan Milly, known as the Poker Hippie on Twitter. Event 4 of the WSOP online event was interesting viewing for Matusow’s 9000 subscribers.
calvinayre.com/2020/07/06/poker/mike-matusow-blows-up-at-perceived-world-se /
Super Spade Games, leading provider of Live Casino solutions, has announced that it is going to create their third Live Casino studio, this time in the African Continent.
Super Spade Games currently operates 2 studios in total, with a further studio — in Asia— set to open in mid 2021. The studio in Africa, first of its kind, will extend the SSG studio count still further when it goes live in Q1 2021.
The African site is designed to scale into a fully independent studio operation, mainly aimed to cater to the upcoming African market as well as it’s global diaspora. Operating as a strategic studio serving multiple SSG licensees, the new studio will add significantly to the capacity of SSG’s existing central studios located in East Europe.
SSG’s co-founder Albert Climent commented, “The new studio is scheduled to launch in early 2021 and will help SSG to achieve its ambitious growth plans. We have always been a glocal content provider, so as part of our commitment to ever improving our service to both our local and global licensees as well as to increase our USP over competition, we are delighted to announce our next studio in Africa. Besides providing very solid career opportunities locally, we are planning in the mid-term to offer customized games for the African customer, with special focus on West and East Africa. We are very excited, and we hope that with this new studio, we can expand and offer our services to additional partners.”
It was a busy Boxing Day festive schedule, with the games played on 26th and 27th of December in the Premier League yielding over 20 goals. Who got the better of the drama? Take a look.
Leicester City 2-2 Manchester United
The spoils were shared at the King Power Stadium as The Foxes twice from behind to draw with the Red Devils.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side stretched their unbeaten run away from home but failed to get all three points after Brendan Rodgers’ side showed resilience and quality to twice come back from a goal down to prevent their illustrious visitors leapfrogging them into second place at the top of the table.
Christmas may be a time for rest to many people but for footballers it’s one of the most intensive periods of the whole year. With fixtures crammed in like pigs in blankets over yuletide.
With matches at the top and bottom of the League, who’ll get three vital points to take their team into the New Year with hope for a bright second half of the season?
Chelsea vs. Aston Villa (Monday, 5.30pm GMT kick-off)
A crucial match for the home side, this could be a pivotal game in the managerial career of Frank Lampard too. Villa come into the game in terrific form, which is the complete opposite of a Chelsea side who have lost three in four Premier League games. With defeats to Everton, Wolves and Arsenal, The Blues are in a rotten run of form, and desperately need a win to put themselves back in charge of their own destiny when it comes to qualifying for the Champions League. The title looks out of reach.
On the evening of Dec. 27, President Donald Trump signed into law an omnibus bill to provide government funding and pandemic aid.
Back on her home turf in Southern California, Mucho Unusual stalked the pace from the outside then edged away from a field of seven rivals to win the $101,500 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3T) Dec. 27 at Santa Anita Park.
UK bookmaker William Hill has planted its Latin American flag by acquiring Colombian betting operator Alfabet.
On Sunday, Hills informed investors that it had secured a majority stake in Cali-based Alfabet SAS, which offers online casino and sports betting in Colombia under the BetAlfa brand. The Betalfa.co site received its Colombian license in 2018.
Hills’ brief announcement didn’t state how big a majority of Alfabet it had acquired, nor what the company had paid for said stake. Hills said only that Colombia marked the ninth regulated market in which it is active, and that the deal furthered Hills’ international expansion strategy.
Hills CEO Ulrik Bengtsson, whose penchant for acquiring underperforming assets reportedly contributed to his exit from Nordic betting operator Betsson in 2017, said Sunday that Colombia’s regulated market was “a role model for the Latin American gambling sector,” offering a hint of Hills’ primary motivation behind the deal.
Making only his second start in the U.S. after a winning debut effort at Del Mar Nov. 29, Cathkin Peak rallied three-wide down the lane to capture the Dec. 27 Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
Iran’s online gamblers could face death under a new draft law being prepared by the Islamic Republic’s elected officials.
Iranian media recently quoted Reza Taghipour Anvari, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly’s Industries Commission, saying deputies were drafting legislation to update Iran’s gambling laws to specifically address illegal online gambling and betting.
Taghipour said the aim of the legislation was to “criminalize the perpetrators of Internet gambling, the operators of betting sites and those who transfer money in this field, and the necessary punishment will be determined in accordance with this law.”
Other media outlets subsequently quoted Hassan Norouzi, vice-president of the Judiciary and Legal Commission, saying “tough punishments” would be imposed on both gamblers and the online sites they patronize. Repeat offenders whose “insistence on committing the felony and lack of remorse will be considered by judges as ‘corruption on Earth’ which is punishable by death.”
Danon the Kid becomes the first grade 1 winner for his sire after capturing the Dec. 26 Hopeful (G1) at Nakayama Racecourse.
It was business as usual the morning of Dec. 27 for Bob Baffert, less than 24 hours after Charlatan demolished his rivals with a 4 1/2-length victory in the Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, the final grade 1 race of 2020.
Mike Postle continued to make headlines around the poker world this past year. But those who hoped he would receive justice for allegedly cheating at the poker table were disappointed.
Mike Postle may have cheated, but the courts never held him accountable for his alleged act. (YouTube)
In September 2019, Veronica Brill made some bold accusations about Postle. She claims the Northern California poker pro cheated numerous times during Stones Live streams. The accused cheater instantly denied the allegations and has since maintained his innocence.
But the bulk of the poker community sides with Brill, a former friend of Postle’s who also appeared often on Stones Live.
It was the year of COVID-19, few fans in the stands and logistical challenges but, in Japanese racing, 2020 also was the year of the fillies and mares.
Its time to look back at some of the stories that interested Calvinayre.com readers. Here are the top five stories from the life section that captured the imagination of readers in 2020.
Turn on the Red Light if you want better eyesight
Red lights aren’t initially associated with healthy eyesight; most people associate red lights with negative situations – stop lights, warning lights and even the red-light district. An article that appeared in The Journals of Gerontology puts a positive spin on red lights. The study found that exposure to red lights for a few minutes each day keeps eyesight in better shape as we age.
Next Jeopardy! host odds: Ken Jennings favored over TV hosts
It took Charlatan nearly eight months to return to the races, but when he did, he brought his career full circle and reminded everyone of why he created such a fuss earlier in the year.
If, many years hence, people look back on the history of the gambling industry, 2020 will understandably have an asterisk beside it to acknowledge the unprecedented force majeure that COVID-19 inflicted on operators around the globe. The pandemic forced some major retrenchments, delayed or halted some initiatives, while accelerating other trends that might have otherwise taken far longer to achieve traction.
Naturally, the first operators to face the COVID crunch were at the retail level, as politicians – with a few notable exceptions, including the mayor of Las Vegas and the primary occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – realized that the coronavirus couldn’t be bluffed into backing down. Casinos, racetracks and even some lottery retailers were ordered into hibernation for months. (Casinos in some jurisdictions, including British Columbia, remain shut to this day.)
When gambling venues were finally allowed to reopen, it was with greatly reduced capacity and a raft of expensive add-ons like plexiglass dividers to ensure proper physical distancing. Legions of staff were trained to swoop in with Brillo pads and rubbing alcohol as one player left and another player sought to take their place.
The added costs of pandemic precaution and reduced capacity to generate revenue resulted in most operators taking a cleaver to their payrolls. Some operators opted to temporarily ‘furlough’ staff while others, realizing their theaters and nightclubs would remain empty for the foreseeable future, chose not to prolong the agony.