Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) in Louisville, Kentucky recently promoted three executive employees. CDI named Mike Anderson the 14th president at Churchill Downs Racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby. Anderson joined CDI in 1996 as controller and has served as vice president of corporate finance and treasurer. Most recently as vice president of operations, he managed… Read more »
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Longtime gaming industry veteran Ron Lurie died December 22 at the age of 79. A Las Vegas lawmaker for almost 20 years, Lurie also served a single term as the city’s mayor. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Lurie suffered from blood cancer and associated health problems complicated by Covid-19. Tributes poured in from public… Read more »
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A Legislative Assembly member in Macau believes the city’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ, for its Portuguese acronym) is too cozy with Macau’s casino operators. It would be hard not to have a close relationship, since the DICJ works with the six entities work on almost a daily basis, but José Pereira Coutinho thinks it goes beyond maintaining a necessary working connection. He accuses the DICJ of “permanent collusion” with the casino operators.
Coutinho wants Ho Iat Seng, Macau’s chief executive, to step in and play a bigger role in the DICJ’s operations, at least as far as some activity is concerned. He feels that casinos have too much leeway when it comes to how they treat their employees and that the DICJ is, directly or indirectly, facilitating their ability to pressure staff into resigning to avoid being fired. A portion of that group of employees includes former nonresident casino workers who now just “drift about the streets of the city, some asking for money to buy food, and others asking for support from local associations,” according to a statement made by the legislator.
There are also “systematic abuses” going on that the government knows about, but of which it has no interest in curtailing, explains Coutinho. He adds, “Incredibly, the government is aware of these situations, but it does not act in time to alleviate the suffering of the workers made redundant… One cannot understand why the competent authorities in the area of the Secretariat for Economy and Finance close their eyes to these systematic abuses as if they had nothing to do with their professional skills, obligations, and responsibilities. The abuses practiced by some gambling concessionaires have been widely denounced … [but] the competent authorities, out of stubbornness, do not intervene and are not even interested in knowing.”
It isn’t clear what the legislator bases his accusations on, but there is mounting concern that some businesses in Macau aren’t taking their employee responsibility issues seriously enough. A report surfaced earlier this week that one satellite casino, which is tied to an unidentified casino operator, has been strongarming some employees into taking early retirement so it can avoid looking like a bad guy. It has also resorted to threatening them if they don’t comply. However, there has been no indication that the DICJ had previous knowledge of the activity before it was revealed to Macau’s Labour Affairs Bureau. Macau is getting a new Legislative Assembly this year, just ahead of the introduction of new casino concessions, currently expected to happen next year, and new gaming regulations. The COVID-19 situation has forced the city to take a closer look at its long-term economic and financial goals, and it would appear that the stage is being set for major changes in the local gaming market.
Online gaming operators serving gamblers in Russia might consider treading very lightly. The country’s central bank is reportedly targeting the online gaming segment with new controls that make it difficult for gamblers to cash out or place wagers and, while the bank’s end game isn’t totally clear, there are plenty of plausible theories. Given the fact that gamblers have lost access to virtually all online gambling-related payment channels, except for Bitcoin (BTC), there seems to be a definite and concrete plan unfolding.
Inside Asian Gaming reported on some news coming out of the Russian business media source The Bell, which indicates that the country’s central bank is looking to thwart illegal online casinos and sportsbooks that are accessible in Russia. The past couple of months have seen a number of payment solutions, such as Qiwi and Yoo.Money, that have had their ability to send or receive cross-border transactions completely blocked, and ten financial and payment solution companies have reportedly been fined. Others, including Fintekh and Onego, have seen Russian authorities cancel their business licenses.
The Bell reportedly did a little undercover investigative work and was able to confirm that it is now possible to place bets with some of the largest online casinos only with BTC, not with any other payment method. The news source tested its theory on Admiral777, Gaminator and JoyCasino and, at all three, no Russian bank-issued cards (the test included cards from Sberbank and Tinkoff) or online payment solutions were accepted, only BTC.
This is an interesting development for several reasons, including the fact that there have been rumors of Russia considering a switch to crypto in order to thwart international sanctions. In addition, given the fact that crypto is nowhere near as anonymous as some would like everyone to believe, it is plausible that authorities will be able to track the source of transactions to determine where crypto can be found in the country. Since crypto addresses can be traced, it also becomes a great way for Russia to uncover any other platforms casino operators may have attempted to launch under the radar. The country might be attempting to destroy an underground online gambling market that is said to be worth well over $20 billion annually.
Everything is moving forward for Trump Plaza to finally be erased from the Atlantic City’s skyline. The casino has sat vacant for almost seven years and there’s virtually nothing that can prevent it from being imploded next month. The crumbling building is part of a larger legacy that is coming to an end and, even as D-day for the implosion approached, the property was not without controversy. An auction to award the rights to push the big red button to trigger the explosives was pulled at the last minute, but a new auction is now taking its place.
It might seem apropos to some that Wednesday, February 17 marks the day Trump Plaza turns into dust. That day also marks Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent that symbolizes the Christian belief that all humans came from dust. It also marks the end of former U.S. President Trump’s foray into the gambling business, which has effectively been dead for years.
Atlantic City has tried for the past couple of years to have the casino razed, but found resistance from its current owner at almost every turn. Carl Icahn, the billionaire casino investor, purchased the property in 2016, but was never able to formulate a solvent plan to see the property come back to life. Icahn has been a strong supporter of Trump over the years, but will now say goodbye to the last bastion of the former president’s once-thriving empire.
In preparation for the implosion, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small created a campaign last month to benefit the city’s local Boys & Girls Club chapter. An auction would be held that would allow the highest bidder to trigger the explosion, but someone in Icahn’s group decided, just as the auction was coming to an end, that there were “safety concerns” that forced the event to be canceled. With it, the $175,000 highest bid that would have gone to the non-profit organization was lost.
Presented by William Dunn
President of Dunn Gaming Solutions (DGS) &
Creator of the Slotfocus Performance Analytics Solution
Monday to Friday, March 22-26, 2021
This is a guest contribution by Dmitry Marketing Manager of Inbet Games. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.
The popularity of betting business increased substantially within the territory of CIS countries. The betting companies will always bring income to their founders due to demand on the gambling market and possibility of acquisition of customers of various categories. This is proved by the official studies of experts in the economic area and gradual legalization of gambling business in many countries. In all cases success is based upon the choice of reliable software, customer-oriented approach and consideration of lines distinguishing the bookmakers’ facilities from the other competitors.
High revenues and continuous flow of betters attract the tax services and competent authorities of the countries, resulting in the implementation of new draft legislations. According to the European practice, the deductions from the bookmakers’ facilities increase the federal budget substantially and enable to raise new investment opportunities into the sports sector of certain country.
The legislative innovations
Just two days from now, the NFL will settle the argument of who are the best teams in the AFC and NFC this year. The Conference Championship Games are coming this Sunday and the last four teams standing in the league this season now have everything they worked for all season on the line. There were some definite upsets along the way, which had sports gamblers more than a little upset, but it’s time to focus on what is going to happen this weekend.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers get the show rolling on Sunday when they take to the gridiron to determine the NFC winner. This is going to be a rematch of Week 6, when the two teams last met. However, no one should expect the Bucs to have things too easy. In that game, the Packers came out strong, scoring ten unanswered points in the first quarter before being shut down by the Bucs the rest of the game. Tampa Bay went on to win 38-10, but this is going to be a different ballgame.
The Bucs are looking at possibly taking the field without wide receivers Antonio Brown and Mike Evans, as well as running back Ronald Jones. These three, and a few others, are being closely watched to see if they’ll be ready for the big game. On the other side, the Packers have a healthy squad with no one sitting out, although several key players are taking it easy this week. Bodog and other sportsbooks give the Packers the advantage, with Bodog listing them as -180 against the Bucs’ +160. The spread is only 3.5 (-105) in favor of the Pack, while the Over/Under of 51.5 would seem to indicate that this is going to be a battle. With potentially bad weather in Green Bay coming this weekend, this could end up being a real snowball game.
The Kansas City Chiefs have already proven themselves under head coach Andy Reid. The team has now gone to three consecutive AFC championship games, using last year’s contest as a springboard to a Super Bowl win. This time, they’re facing the Buffalo Bills and the big question on most people’s minds is whether or not Patrick Mahomes will be able to lead the Chiefs to another Super Bowl appearance. The answer is, maybe.
Ray N. Yumul has to know what he’s getting into as he prepares to become the next CEO of Imperial Pacific International (IPI). The former senator in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is reportedly set to take the helm as soon as all the T’s are crossed and the I’s dotted, but will have his work cut out for him moving forward. IPI never seems to get out from under the blanket of controversy surrounding its Imperial Palace casino in Saipan, and a new court order has been handed down for IPI to bring almost all of its operations to a grinding and sudden halt. According to the Saipan Tribune, the company has been held in contempt of court following the latest salvo against it, this one coming from the US Department of Labor (DOL).
IPI hasn’t been able to properly pay its employees for months, a serious flaw that led the DOJ to view the employees’ current situation as a humanitarian crisis solely caused by IPI’s inability to put its affairs in order. Employees have gone months without receiving pay and, according to the complaint against IPI, have been forced to live in squalor after the company cut off their access to basic necessities such as food, electricity and water. The DOL asked CNMI Chief Judge Ramona Manglona to intervene, and she now has. The judge has ordered IPI to stop all construction on Imperial Palace, as well as to halt all of its operations, with the exception of those tied to payroll and security.
Judge Manglona agreed with the DOL that the company, as well as chairman Cui Li Jie, should be held in contempt of court. However, Cui avoided being arrested, as per the judge’s earlier threat, after he showed up in court to participate in the DOL hearing. Donald Browne, IPI’s former CEO who had also been under threat of arrest, seems to have avoided the judge’s wrath, as well. Browne just relinquished his position last month, paving the way for Yumul to be considered for the unstable position.
IPI will have to take a break for a week, according to Judge Manglona’s order, after which she will expect a new update from the company. That update is expected to show that IPI has finally been able to comply with the sanctions that led to the contempt of court claims, or if the company can show that it has compensated all of its workforce for the five missing payrolls that are due. IPI will also have to show that it has been able to give its employees acceptable living conditions.
Ed Pownall puts naughty SkyBet, UK regs, more mergers & PlayTech through the Gambling Colander of News.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQDuLEDlco?feature=oembed&w=640&h=360]
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Mike Postle had many keyboard warriors defending him against cheating allegations, but those Twitter accounts have gone noticeably silent for months. And the accused poker cheater is having issues presenting his civil lawsuit against those he claims defamed his character.
Mike Postle isn’t having much luck these days. (Image: YouTube)
Veronica Brill, a player and commentary at Stones Gambling Hall, accused Postle of cheating in Sep. 2019. She alleges the Northern California poker pro somehow had access to his opponent’s hole cards during Stones Live streams.
Postle instantly denied the accusations and has stood by that stance ever since, although he’s avoided the public eye for quite some time. He told CardsChat News back in 2019 that Brill was just “jealous” of his greatness. Many poker players began investigating by watching countless hours of Stones Live streams. Most came to the conclusion that he cheated based on his uncanny ability to seemingly never make an incorrect decision on the river.
January 21st, 2021 – London, U.K. (Press Release): Innovative U.K. based sportsbetting technology company Algosport are pleased to announce that they have signed an agreement to provide Bet Builder products to industry giant INTRALOT.
Under the terms of the deal, current and future INTRALOT customers will benefit from market-leading Bet Builder products initially for pre-match football, but with the ability to expand to include In:Play betting options across a wide variety of sports, with Cashout supported as standard. Unlike some other providers, Algosports proprietary technology will be housed within INTRALOT’s current platform infrastructure, increasing accuracy and robustness, plus reducing the latency and other problems seen with some API or feed-based solutions.
Leigh Heardman, CEO at Algosport, said, “This is a really exciting deal for Algosport, and we are really pleased to be working with INTRALOT, who are one of the biggest names in betting and gaming”
Alongside traditional same game multiples for sports such as soccer and basketball, Algosport are also continually enhancing the service and recently added innovative products for handball and snooker betting markets. In addition, Algosport recently became one of the first providers to offer Bet Builder products for eSports titles such as FIFA 2020. These innovations have proved incredibly popular with operators, as eSports betting replaced some of the revenue lost due to Covid-related reductions in the sporting calendar.
The Americas
Hustler founder Larry Flynt scored a minor court win in his battle to keep his card rooms open. Flynt’s legal team continue to battle the state of California over the ownership laws relating to card rooms; Dan Gilbert has sold his interest in the Ohio casino market to Jack Entertainment. Jack Entertainment will oversee the management of three casinos in the Cleveland area; MGM Resorts has abandoned its bid to acquire Entain PLC. The speculation led to a steep plunge in Entain’s share price; Atlantic City casinos continue to come under enormous economic pressure. The city’s casinos have been forced to extend their closure policies for a further month; Former U.S. President Donald Trump has given notorious sports gambler Billy Walters a lifeline. In one his final acts as president, Walters five-year sentence for securities fraud was commuted; Grupo Caliente is set to expand its partnership with Genius Sports. Grupo Caliente is set to extend its partnership in Mexico and the Latin American region to include all sportsbook activity for the Caliente.mx brand; The lawyer for Mike Postle has announced he is stepping off the case. Postle’s lawyer stepped back as two defendants in the case hit Postle with an anti-SLAPP. America’s online gaming marketing court a break with a ruling on the 1961 Wire Act. A two-judge panel of the U.S. Court of the Appeals for the First Circuit sided with the New Hampshire Lottery Commission in a historic ruling;
Europe
Genting U.K. continues to struggle with the COVID-19 situation, closing casinos in Bristol, Margate and Torquay, as well as reducing staff at several other locations across the UK; Former Responsible Affiliates in Gambling Chairman Clive Hawkswood has joined Gambling Integrity. Hawkswood has spent decades in the industry developing best practice across a range of regulatory and social issues; Entain’s plan to buy Enlabs AB has run into trouble as Texas hedge fund Alta Fox Capital Management is refusing to sell. The battle is set to continue with the Texas fund finding enough support to halt the sale; Danske Spil has struck a deal with Playtech Sports to introduce sports gambling products. The Danish lottery is set to add titles to the local lottery market; Entain plc have appointed a new CEO to replace the outgoing Shay Segev. Independent Director Jette Nygaard-Andersen is set to take over in the top job, with CFO Rob Wood named as her deputy.
Reversing its vote from last month, the California Horse Racing Board extended the 2021 license granted to Los Alamitos Race Course for its Quarter Horse and lower-level Thoroughbred racing from six to 12 months.
The latest round of Premier League fixtures has seen the big clubs and the best players step up to the mark. With atrocious weather conditions, the most talented players often dictate play and in James Maddison, Bernardo Silva and Paul Pogba, Leicester City, Manchester City and Manchester United had artistry in abundance as they wrapped up three points against tough opposition.
Let’s go back through the action and pluck out the best of it.
Leicester City 2-0 Chelsea
A convincing win for The Foxes saw Chelsea fall apart without the protective influence of N’Golo Kante in midfield. Leicester, fresh from a 2-0 win against Southampton just a few days earlier, were on the front foot from the first whistle, taking the game to their more decorated opponents with flair and steel in equal measure.
Rachel Doran and Ciara Russell have been awarded a placement at Springhouse Farm near Lexington.
Virginia’s legal sports betting market is off to a sputtering start following confusion over why FanDuel is the only brand to have received permission to launch.
On Thursday afternoon, Flutter Entertainment’s FanDuel brand officially began taking online wagers from Virginia bettors. Flutter subsidiary Betfair Interactive US received its betting permit on Wednesday from the Virginia Lottery, which oversees gambling activity in the state. Virginia is now the 17th US state (18 if you count the District of Columbia) to launch some form of legal wagering.
The launch followed a day of confusion in which FanDuel’s Twitter feed excitedly announced the brand would be “LIVE in VA in less than 24 hrs,” only to revise that proclamation minutes later to a launch coming “soon” followed by abject silence. Neither the company nor the Lottery has since shed much light on this apparent messaging cockup.
Last November, the Virginia Lottery said it had received 25 applications for a maximum 12 mobile sports betting licenses, but FanDuel is the only brand so far to have received its launch signal. Most states aim for a simultaneous launch of all or at least a majority of successful applicants to ensure no operator gets an unfair first-mover advantage.
A Georgia man who won the top prize of a C8 Corvette in a scratch-off lottery game is having trouble claiming his prized car, as the Georgia Lottery is unable to locate a car to award him.Georgia, Winner Stories, Unusual, Scratch Games
One Powerball lottery ticket sold in Maryland won the sixth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history on Wednesday night.Powerball, Maryland, Jackpots, Winning Ticket Announcement, Multi-State Game
On the Meydan dirt, Military Law came from a pace-stalking trip, found a gaping opening at the top of the stretch and went on to win the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 Stakes (G2) by 1 1/4 lengths from Thegreatcollection.