This is a guest contribution by Julie Anderson of VegasMaster Magazine. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

Are Millennials Going to Change the Industry’s Future?

Those born between 1980 and 2000, also called millennials, are giving the gambling industry a tough time. Slot machines, the traditional favorites amongst gamblers of yesteryears, have failed to attract this new generation which seems to prefer playing games that require skill, and also make the most economic sense.

This has resulted in casinos across the country to experiment with payout models, to invent more variations with higher potential payoffs but lower odds, and many other strategies. But what exactly are the reasons for millennials to act differently, and how is it going to influence the future of the industry? Let’s find out.

Leicester City turns a blind eye to their poor Premier League form to book a passage into the knockout stages of the Champions League after beating Club Brugge at the King Power Stadium. Real Madrid is also through after victory in Portugal.

At the start of the season, Riyad Mahrez said it was impossible for Leicester City to win the Champions League. 12-months ago, there wasn’t a single person in the world who thought they could win the Premier League.

Anything is possible.

Despite playing like a Sunday league side weekend after weekend, Leicester City – the Premier League Champions – have made it into the knockout stages of the Champions League at the first time of asking.

Leicester City turns a blind eye to their poor Premier League form to book a passage into the knockout stages of the Champions League after beating Club Brugge at the King Power Stadium. Real Madrid is also through after victory in Portugal.

At the start of the season, Riyad Mahrez said it was impossible for Leicester City to win the Champions League. 12-months ago, there wasn’t a single person in the world who thought they could win the Premier League.

Anything is possible.

Despite playing like a Sunday league side weekend after weekend, Leicester City – the Premier League Champions – have made it into the knockout stages of the Champions League at the first time of asking.

Atlantic City casinos struggled to turn operating profits through the third quarter of 2016, partly due to struggles at the now dormant Trump Taj Mahal.

Figures released Tuesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) show total revenue at the city’s eight gaming venues rising 0.7% to $2.71b in the nine months ending September 30. Combined gaming revenue was up 1.1% to $1.93b.

Room revenue was also up 1.1% to $320.2m despite occupancy falling 0.7 points to 82.3%. Food & beverage revenue was down 1.9% to $335m while entertainment & other (concerts and shows, spas, retail sales, etc.) gained 1.3% to $118.1m.

Three casinos managed to post year-on-year gains in operating profits, led (as always) by the Borgata’s profit of $144.5m, up 18.4% over the first nine months of 2015. The Golden Nugget gained 23.5% to $15.7m, while Resorts improved 23.2% to $7.3m.

Maurice Hawkins has set a new World Series of Poker Circuit record after winning his third Main Event in 2016, and his eighth gold ring overall. Matthew Wright joins him in the Global Casino Championships final after earning Casino Champion honours in Palm Kennel Beach.

When it comes to setting goals in poker, Maurice Hawkins, doesn’t believe in all of that SMART nonsense – he takes a simplified approach.

“I want to win everything.”

Hawkins made his intentions clear after creating World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) history for the second time in seven months. In April, Hawkins became the first player to win back-to-back WSOPC Main Events after taking down 321 and 1,008 player fields in Council Bluffs and Cherokee. A few days ago, he set a new record of winning three WSOPC Main Events in a calendar year with a victory at the Palm Beach Kennel Club, Florida (Blair Hinkle & Chris Ferguson have won three WSOPC Main Events but not in a calendar year).

Maurice Hawkins has set a new World Series of Poker Circuit record after winning his third Main Event in 2016, and his eighth gold ring overall. Matthew Wright joins him in the Global Casino Championships final after earning Casino Champion honours in Palm Kennel Beach.

When it comes to setting goals in poker, Maurice Hawkins, doesn’t believe in all of that SMART nonsense – he takes a simplified approach.

“I want to win everything.”

Hawkins made his intentions clear after creating World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) history for the second time in seven months. In April, Hawkins became the first player to win back-to-back WSOPC Main Events after taking down 321 and 1,008 player fields in Council Bluffs and Cherokee. A few days ago, he set a new record of winning three WSOPC Main Events in a calendar year with a victory at the Palm Beach Kennel Club, Florida (Blair Hinkle & Chris Ferguson have won three WSOPC Main Events but not in a calendar year).

A Dubai-based investment fund has denied involvement in former Amaya Gaming CEO David Baazov’s bid to take Amaya private.

On November 14, the Montreal-based Amaya announced that it had received an all-cash C$24 per share offer from Baazov (pictured) to acquire the company’s outstanding shares. Baazov filed papers with the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) claiming that he’d lined up $3.65b in commitments from four investment firms, including KBC Aldini Capital Ltd.

On Monday, KBC Aldini CEO Kalani M. Lal informed CalvinAyre.com that it wished to clarify that “neither KBC Aldini nor any of its related entities are involved in this transaction.” On Tuesday, Canada’s Globe & Mail newspaper reported that KBC Aldini had filed a complaint with the SEC regarding Baazov’s claim.

The Aldini statement raises all sorts of questions regarding Baazov’s bid, including whether the offer is still viable without Aldini’s contribution. It seems hard to conceive that Baazov would have included Aldini in his filing had he not reached some understanding with the firm, yet what might have prompted Aldini to back out of the deal is anyone’s guess.

UK National Lottery operator Camelot has released a fix for its formerly wonky mobile app after nearly one month of downtime.

On Monday, Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd issued a statement saying it had released a new version of its National Lottery mobile app for iOS, promising that a new Android version was “currently being tested and is coming soon.” The statement (viewable here) contains instructions on how to download and install the new app.

Camelot was forced to pull its iOS and Android apps in late October after customers reported that both manual-entry and QR ticket scanner result-checking functions were incorrectly informing players that their tickets were losers when the opposite was true.

Camelot had come under widespread public criticism for reportedly ignoring numerous user complaints for over a week before finally admitting that the fault lay with its own technology. Monday’s message sought to reassure lottery players that, in addition to Camelot’s “usual rigorous testing” – which performed so splendidly the last time – the new iOS app had been “independently checked for extra reassurance.” (Still, one gets the sense that the National Lottery logo’s crossed fingers have taken on extra significance.)

Perform is delighted to announce the further extension of its portfolio of clients for their Watch&Bet live streaming service, agreeing a deal with French-based operator Winamax SAS.

Watch&Bet is a major supplier of live sports video and consumer-facing data to online and retail bookmakers, offering a truly 24/7 service designed to improve the acquisition and retention of players, and to drive increased turnover of in-play betting. The partnership will provide Winamax with access to over 18,000 live events per year, including La Liga Santander, the EFL Cup, FIBA Basketball and WTA & ATP Tennis.

Tristan Guiglini, Head of Betting for Winamax, commented :  “We are proud to offer a premium betting experience to our players in broadcasting, with Watch&Bet top events like LaLiga, WTA & ATP World Tour.”

Andrew Ashenden, EVP Betting at Perform, said: “We’re delighted that Winamax has chosen to take our live video streams via our Watch&Bet product. With El Clasico taking place on the 3rd December, they are joining at great time. We are confident that the combination of Winamax’s strong and our industry-leading consumer product will signal the start of a long and successful partnership.”

The impending Tabcorp/Tatts merger is a lesson in corporatism with the media playing the part of cheerleader/propagandist for rent-seeking Big Business. It’s also a lesson in the inherent stupidity of artificial laws that restrict voluntary business activity.

The main reason for Tabcorp and Tatts to merge is for them to be able to increase their leverage over the Australian government. There are other tangential banal reasons that any merger can use as an excuse such as merging clientele and cross-selling, but anyone can make that case. What Tabcorp really wants is for the Aussie government to shut out its competition. Back in April it got one step closer with the O’Farrell review of the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act (IGA).

Tabcorp had a lot to do with encouraging this “review” in the first place, the review basically consisting of recommendations on what to do practically in order to tighten the Australian gambling market and restrict it from access by non Australian operators. Protectionism scores another goal. Donald Trump would applaud. The noble review, which was initiated in order to protect the children and consumers from a gambling zombie apocalypse that would surely have occurred if the children were left alone and consumers allowed to do what they wanted, had 18 of 19 recommendations accepted by the Australian feds. Why not all 19? You have to at least give the pretense of being independent. Otherwise people might think you were just a mafia enforcer of policies advocated by business too lazy to compete on the free market.

The whole situation is quite bizarre. The act restricts in-play betting to telephone and retail channels, clearly in an attempt to cut out international operators that can most easily operate online. This artificially favors Australian companies like Tabcorp and Tatts over William Hill, Ladbrokes, and other British operators. Here’s where the situation is laid bare though. William Hill had spearheaded an attempt to technically comply with the silly law via a voice-activated phone app that technically makes the betting “over the phone” and therefore compliant with the Interactive Gaming Act. Others copies the strategy, but the reviewers are not happy about it. Why not? Because it disrespects the Act’s “original intent”.

PokerStars will sponsor the Brazilian Series of Poker Millions for the final time as tournament organisers guarantee R$5m in prize money for the R$3,500 buy-in Main Event.

People talk about the next poker boom as some catalytic future event. It’s not. There is a poker boom happening right now, and it’s not in China, it’s not in America – it’s in Brazil.

The opening event of the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) in Sao Paulo attracted 2,981 entrants, making it the largest WSOP-branded poker tournament held outside of Las Vegas since blobs became creatures.

And it wasn’t the biggest event ever held in Brazil. That accolade rests with the 2015 PokerStars sponsored Brazilian Series of Poker Millions (BSOP) Main Event. It attracted 3,457 entrants and paid out R$8,632,500 ($2,300,932) in prize money, with the winner, Andre Andreis earning R$1,380,000 ($367,829).

Businessman and high stakes gambler, Tom ‘HongKongTom’ Hall, has won a $1m weight loss bet after losing 12kg in six weeks.

Could you lose 12kg in weight if you had the added incentive of winning $1m if you succeed?

It doesn’t matter how many times I stare at that question, or how many different scenarios I create in my monkey mind; there is nothing that would stop me from dropping this weight with that kind of life-changing money at stake, and I wouldn’t be alone.

And I am not fabricating a story. It really happened. A really, really rich bored person, offered Tom “HongKongTom” Hall odds of 10-1 that he couldn’t drop the weight, and Hall snapped up the bet putting down $100,000.

Police in Thailand are dealing with a number of politically embarrassing incidents related to illegal casino operations.

On November 2, 34-year-old gambler Don Daengchantip died following a police raid on an illegal gambling den in the Huai Khwang district of Bangkok. Police said Daengchantip attempted to flee, forcing them to tackle him, and he died during the ensuing struggle.

An initial police autopsy claimed that Daengchantip had died of respiratory failure stemming from a pre-existing ischemic heart condition. But witnesses to the incident claimed that police had severely beat Daengchantip, including multiple officers kicking him repeatedly while he was on the ground.

Doubting the official police account, Daengchantip’s family commissioned an independent autopsy, which found that Daengchantip had suffered blunt force trauma, including a fractured skull. The family also produced medical certificates attesting to the fact that Daengchantip wasn’t suffering from heart disease.

The Danish state-owned gambling operator, Danske Spil, will take over as the official sponsor of the Danish national football side sparking a trip down memory lane for Lee Davy.

I would pretend to snore. Not loudly, but softly – like a real snorer. Then, after 30-minutes, I would slowly slip out of my bed, crawl along the bedroom floor like some army recruit, and then sneak downstairs to watch the 1986 World Cup with my Mum.

I fell in love with football during that tournament. If I close my eyes I can see the referee sending off Ray Wilkins, Bryan Robson nursing a dislocated shoulder and Gary Lineker scoring three goals against Poland to send us through to the knockout stages.

I see Diego Maradona.

China intends to punish dozens of online game operators as part of Beijing’s ongoing crackdown on unauthorized internet content.

On Monday, Chinese new agency Xinhua reported that the Ministry of Culture (MOC) plans to punish 36 online game operators for “disseminating pornography, aiding and abetting, and gambling.” The MOC has told the 36 operators to cooperate with law enforcement and to learn from their mistakes.

In September, the MOC launched an inspection of the online games market in a number of major cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Of 200 randomly selected games operators, the MOC discovered 36 were offering games featuring illegal content like gambling and porn, as well as content that offends the vaguely defined concept of ‘social morality.’

Chen Tong, director of the MOC’s cultural department, told a press briefing on Monday that many of the games currently available online were of low quality and had “poor social values.” Chen urged game developers to craft games that propagate “socialist core values.” Because after all, everyone knows that the kids simply go wild for educational game titles.

Australian bookmaker Tabcorp says it will appeal a broadcast regulator’s ruling that banned a Tabcorp television commercial for displaying “excessive participation” in gambling activities.

Earlier this month, Australia’s Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) ruled that a Tabcorp TV spot that aired in October had contravened Section 2.8 of the AANA Wagering Advertising and Marketing Communications Code, which says gambling marketing pitches “must not portray, condone or encourage excessive participation in wagering activities.”

The advert in question featured a man returning home from a vacation, upon which his girlfriend asks him how it went. The man then flashes back to a camping/fishing trip with a few mates who spend the whole trip using the TAB app on their mobiles studying betting odds and watching live racing broadcasts. The man responds to the woman’s question by saying only: “Yeah… loved it.”

The ASB received numerous complaints about the ad, some suggesting that the men had spent their entire weekend gambling, then lying about it to their spouses, while other complaints claimed the ad glorified gambling.

Former President of Bloomberg Sports Added To Fast-Growing North American Expansion For Global Leader In Sports Data Technology

Genius Sports, a global leader in sports data technology, has appointed former President of Bloomberg Sports, Bill Squadron, to the role of Special Counsel. Based in New York, Mr. Squadron will bring his unparalleled expertise in the sports data and analytics sector to help orchestrate Genius Sports’ strategy and business development in North America.

Mr. Squadron will work across all of the company’s core divisions, driving the delivery of data-driven solutions to sports, media and regulated betting markets. Having worked at the highest level of sports business for companies including IMG, SportVision, Bloomberg and STATS, he brings over a decade’s worth of invaluable experience providing technology solutions to major leagues, sports and media organizations.

Genius Sports’ core ethos of building partnerships with sporting organizations has driven rapid expansion throughout the Americas during the past 12 months. This includes an Integrity Services partnership with Major League Baseball to help safeguard against the threat of betting-related corruption as well as agreements to provide live statistics collection and distribution technology to over 20 professional basketball leagues across North, Central and South America.

Genius Sports now has operations in New York, Washington DC and recently opened new offices in Los Angeles, USA, and Medellin, Colombia.

Mr Squadron said: “I am excited to join the Genius Sports team, particularly given their longstanding track record in forming successful partnerships with sport. The company has the world’s strongest technology in key growth areas for the sports industry, including innovative technology tailored to the sports audience and predictive data models for performance, conditioning, fantasy and betting.”

Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports, added: “Since his days as co-founder and CEO of Sportvision, Bill has become a global specialist in sports technology and innovation, making him an ideal addition for Genius Sports. Over the last two years, we have experienced a phenomenal period of growth worldwide and I look forward to that continuing with Bill’s advice and expertise.”