Monthly Archives: February 2021

Sponsors of NY sports gambling increasingly optimistic on 2021 launch

After New York Governor Andrew Cuomo finally admitted in December that expediting sports gambling activity in the Empire State would be a good thing, those who have been supporting the idea for the past couple of years found renewed hope in achieving their goal. Senator Joseph Addabbo and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow have been trying to get the state to speed up its rollout of sports gambling, but Cuomo repeatedly made it difficult. Now, facing a massive budget pothole, Cuomo has opened his eyes to reality and Pretlow is optimistic that the governor’s change of heart is going to help New York see sports gambling appear before the end of the year. 

Cuomo, who has repeatedly come under fire for decisions that didn’t seem to be in the best interest of New Yorkers, was adamant that introducing more sportsbooks would be counterproductive and that online sports gambling, in particular, would require an amendment to the state’s constitution. However, he has completely changed his tune lately as he stares down at a multibillion-dollar budget shortage. Sports gambling and marijuana are seen as a way to offset those losses, and Addabbo is thankful. He recently told Casino.org, “I remain optimistic that should it be in the budget April 1st, with a little initiative, our state government can get it up and running by Sept. 9th, which is the first day of the NFL football season.”

New York has missed the boat when it comes to the potential revenue sports gambling could bring. The state has four sportsbooks, all upstate, that combined for $3.6 million in revenue this past January. Indiana, in the same month, saw $29.3 million in sports gambling revenue, and the state is only about one-third the size of New York in terms of population. At any time since legislation was approved in New York to allow sports gambling, the state could have expanded the number of approved operators, which would have gone a long way to combatting the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Fortunately, New York hasn’t reached the point yet of being completely unstable. Addabbo believes, with the right mechanics, the state can get back on track, but adds, “We’re that car in the right lane with four wobbly wheels, and we’re limping along. And these other fast cars like (New) Jersey and Pennsylvania are whizzing by us. That’s an odd spot for New York to be in.”

Kansas debates how they should offer sports betting

Kansas has taken some tentative steps towards legalizing sports betting, and if a Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee meetings on February 10 and 11 are any hint, they’ll get there soon. Lawmakers kicked off the discussion with proponents of their effort, speaking with Jeff Morris, director of government affairs for Penn National Gaming, on the topic of Senate Bill 84, which would legalize mobile betting.

Morris praised what he sees in the bill. It’s got low tax rates (7.5% on gross gaming revenue for retail, 10% for digital)) and doesn’t have an official league data mandate, for which he prefers to allow the status quo to remain. “These deals can be reached privately and should not be legislatively mandated at what third parties declare to be ‘commercially reasonable’ terms,” he told the committee. “What may be ‘commercially reasonable’ to the leagues –- who face no competition –- may be inconsistent with the thin margin reality of sportsbook operators in a hyper competitive environment.”

Morris was the only sports betting representative to show up to the hearing, but others submitted testimony. Ryan Soultz of Boyd Gaming celebrated the mobile betting component of the bill. “Not only is mobile necessary to compete against the unregulated, off-shore sites but it is also an option that bettors demand,” he said.

Derek Hein, lobbyist for DraftKings and Fanuel, also added testimony that noted how important it was for Kansas to keep up with its neighbors, with Missouri and Nebraska considering legalization.

Social media no longer social for UK soccer clubs as the BGC steps in

It’s difficult to imagine a more vanilla gambling industry than that which some want to create in the U.K. As the country emerges from Brexit and struggles to stand on its own two feet, it doesn’t seem to be too concerned with shutting off potential wellsprings of revenue. Most notably, there appears to be an overzealous push by certain individuals in positions of power to hobble the gaming industry, with new restrictions, regulations, prohibitions and more constantly being introduced. Some authority figures must lay awake at night trying to think of how else they can go after gambling. In the latest move, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has implemented new rules for soccer clubs that essentially prevent them from using social media platforms to discuss sports gambling.

SBC News reports that several soccer teams have acknowledged receipt of a letter from the BGC that describes a new code of conduct. In it, the clubs aren’t to use their official social media accounts to promote gambling offers or sports gambling operators. The new code will become effective as of March 1 and will prohibit the use of calls to action or gambling website links in organic tweets from the clubs, and will also prohibit the clubs from displaying any type of direct bonus or gambling odds in organic tweets. The only exception to that is if the club can guarantee the campaign won’t be seen by anyone under the age of 18 – something that is impossible unless social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter become more socially responsible.

The BGC’s move was reportedly prompted by concerns that some social media users with gambling problems might feel “distressed” if they were to see gambling info while perusing their social media feeds. If that’s the case, then perhaps any type of advertising that displays junk food should be dismissed, as well, since it would undoubtedly distress those with weight issues. Or, perhaps no Valentine’s Day advertising should be allowed, as it might distress those who are suffering from a break-up.

The latest code of conduct follows initiatives introduced last year that were designed to reduce gambling exposure. Gaming operators “voluntarily” began suspending TV and radio ads as a result of the COVID-19 and, at the insistence of the BGC, provided alterations to their advertising programs in order to target marketing efforts away from those under 18 years of age. The new implementation is an extension of that, and likely not the last, and BGC Chair Brigid Simmonds asserts, “Football clubs are an important part of the sporting fabric of this country, followed by millions of all ages on social media. Our members rightly have a zero tolerance approach to gambling by under-18s, so as an industry we are understandably concerned that children may be exposed to betting adverts on social media platforms. Our new guidelines make clear the standards expected of football clubs when they post gambling promotions on social media, and I look forward to them being put into practice as soon as possible.”

Gambling Industry Announcement and Partnership Roundup – February 16, 2021

In the fast-moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure you’re all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, we’re rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.

Don’t miss out on all of the latest announcements from the gambling industry. Our Press Release section is updated constantly, and we publish roundups of the latest partnerships twice a week.

Footstock Relaunches Affiliate Programme with Paysafe’s Income Access

Fantasy sports brand to leverage Income Access’ in-house affiliate management team and network

Why Charlie Carrel’s online challenge is an epiphany

Many YouTube series featuring poker players are the same. They feature a challenge where the poker player begins with a nominal amount to put down, say, $50 and they propose to turn it into a five-figure bankroll, like $10,000.

That’s exactly the premise of the latest Charlie Carrel video series on YouTube, so why is watching Charlie Carrel so different to watching any other player, both online or live?

For a long time, Charlie Carrel existed in a world of poker players I personally had no knowledge of – the high roller set. It had only passed me by due to pure chance really; at the start of my poker reporting career, I was rightly tested out in some smaller events that had less eyes on. In fact, sometimes, just my eyes. But that’s the right way for it to be and sooner rather than later, I found myself in Prague in the presence of Charlie and his good friend Ben Heath.

Together, Carrel and Heath socialized on breaks, studied poker hard together and often swapped action, so it made sense to watch what they were both doing. Both were young, precocious and at a level of poker so far above players their own age that it struck me as fairly unique, and certainly in terms of British players.

Fox, Boivin and Cheong all bag top 10 stacks for partypoker mini main event day 2

The stacks are in the bag for Day 1 flights on partypoker and the MILLION Mini Main Event, which has a guarantee of a cool million dollars has just 169 players left fighting for the title.

With 28 events taking place across the MILLIONS Online festival on partypoker, the opening event saw Day 1a and !b take place on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

At the end of those two Day 1 flights, so e very big names were assembling at the top of the leaderboard.

Featuring a $1,100 buy-in, the MILLIONS Online Mini Main Event saw 1,127 entries overall whittle down to just 15% of the field, putting each of the Day 2 players in the money for a min-cash of $2,105.

March Madness odds: Gonzaga, Baylor lead pack

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

There are just two teams left in college basketball that are unbeaten, and they are the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs of the West Coast Conference and No. 2 Baylor Bears of the Big 12. Neither program has won a national championship in the sport, but they are the two clear favorites to cut down the nets on April 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Selection Sunday is March 14, with the First Four taking place on March 18.

Gonzaga (+275) probably will reach the NCAA Tournament – which this season due to COVID is being played entirely in the greater Indianapolis area – unbeaten simply because the level of competition it faces in the WCC is rather weak overall. The Zags have two regular-season games left and both are at home: Thursday against Saint Mary’s and Saturday against San Diego. Gonzaga has won 47 straight games at home and 24 in a row overall dating to last season.

The Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring (93.1 ppg) and shooting (55.1 percent). They are essentially a lock to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga reached the national title game in 2017 and lost to North Carolina. The Zags were the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee’s mock bracket reveal Saturday.

Poker on Screen special: Polk guests on The Lock-In to break down Heads-Up victory

If you’ve never seen Dara O’Kearney and David Lappin hosting The Lock-In before, then you’ve already missed out on some of the best poker content that has been out there during your country’s version of lockdown.  

If that’s the case, then head here for a more general look at The Lock-In and enjoy the whole canon. If you’re already a confirmed fan, however (guilty as charged), then this week’s detailed look at the action between Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu by the challenge’s winner – Polk if you’ve been living under a soundproofed rock at least a continent away from Las Vegas – is just for you.  

In it, Doug Polk answers a range of questions from the Irish poker legends as he goes deep in terms of analysing his win and talking the boys and viewers through how he did it. Crib notes – it was a lot of hard work. 

In this episode of the Lock-In, it would be easy for Lappin and O’Kearney to simply gloat at Negreanu, especially as the Canadian six-time WSOP bracelet winner was both ignorant and disparaging in equal measure to their award-winning podcast when The Chip Race (presented by the Irish duo) was given due credit by their peers at The Global Poker Awards of 2019.   

Bwin’s Russian-licensed betting site officially shuts; Bet365 waits in wings

Bwin’s Russian-licensed online gambling site has permanently shut its digital doors, while Bet365’s Russian plans appear to be just getting started. 

This weekend, the Bwin.ru site stopped working for local bettors, who found the site’s home page displaying a message saying only that the site was “unavailable at present,” citing unspecified “system maintenance work.” The site’s social media feeds went silent and questions regarding the outage went unanswered. 

On Monday, Bwin.ru confirmed that its closure was permanent, based on “rapidly changing realities and new legislative initiatives.” In order to “make Bwin’s withdrawal from the Russian market as comfortable as possible for all customers, we have reached an agreement with one of the industry leaders, Parimatch.”

Bwin customers will reportedly find the funds held in the Bwin.ru accounts transferred to Parimatch.ru, and customers who decide to wager with Parimatch “will be able to receive a unique bonus offer.” The migration to Parimatch will reportedly be complete by the end of the month.   

Champions League sportsbetting preview

It’s been months since the end of the Champions League group stages saw clubs such as Manchester United, Inter Milan and Ajax all missed out on the knockout phase. Clubs who made it through included some of the biggest sides in Europe such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Who will survive the Round of 16, however, with two-legged ties testing the very best to the end of their limits? Let’s take a look at the sportsbetting picks on off this midweek.

Barcelona vs. Paris St. Germain (Tuesday, 8pm GMT kick-off)

Three years ago, one of the best matches in Champions League history took place as Barcelona recovered from a 4-0 defeat in Paris to win the return leg 6-1. Just 3-1 up with two minutes plus injury time to play at Camp Nou, the Catalans’ second penalty, a stunning free-kick (both goals from Neymar) and a last-gasp 95th minute winner from Sergei Roberto gave them the most improbable of victories.

PokerStars to Party in Southern Europe with €15 Million Carnaval Series

PokerStars is looking to reassert its dominance in the Southern European poker market a month after Winamax made waves with a record-setting series.

PokerStars is aiming to reassert its dominance in the Southern European poker market with a €15 million Carnaval series. (Image: Ecotrans)

Liquidity sharing pacts between France, Spain, and Portugal have made Southern Europe a lucrative market in recent years. PokerStars has been the dominant force since connecting the three regions in 2018.

However, Winamax applied some pressure to its local rival when it hosted a €20 million MTT series in January. In response, PokerStars has hit back with a multi-million-Euro event of its own.