Tag Archives: i-gaming

Tatts online wagering outperforms retail as UBET rebrand looms

Australian betting and lottery operator Tatts Group posted revenue growth in the low single digits during its fiscal H1 but cost controls and a strong online performance helped push profits up 14.6% to $139.8m.

Tatts overall wagering revenue in the six months ending Dec. 31 was basically flat at $339.2m, although earnings rose 6.4% to $91.8m. Online wagering revenue rose 13% while retail wagering fell 1.8% and phone betting slumped 12.7%. Digital operations now account for 24.8% of Tatts wagering revenue and Tatts CEO Robbie Cooke said the company was “optimistic about our potential to deliver strong growth in digital.”

In November, Tatts announced it would consolidate its Tattsbet, TAB, Tote and Tatts.com brands under the new UBET umbrella. Cooke said the first rebranded retail outlet is set to launch in early April. The rebrand will also include a “significant” marketing spend to promote the new website and mobile apps.

Tatts’ lottery operations revenue rose just 1.2% to $1.01b, but online lottery revenue rose 18%, representing 10.8% of overall lottery sales, up from 9.2% in the previous comparable period. Cost controls helped lottery earnings rise 2.4% to $161.1m.

Tatts is preparing the launch of a new Set For Life lottery, which offers players the chance to win $20k per month for 20 years. Cooke said the intention was to rope in some younger lottery players, particularly those just starting families and “looking for a life-changing outcome.”

Tatts’ gaming venue services business Maxgaming reported revenue up 1.1% to $58.8m. The Bytecraft machine services division saw revenue fall 4.5% to $51.3m and the UK-based Talarius slot machine division reported revenue up 12.3% to $59.3m.

Tatts says it has yet to book as income the $540m judgment it received from the state of Victoria over its discontinued pokies license. Two days before Christmas, Victoria appealed the ruling to the High Court of Australia. There’s no hearing scheduled for the appeal and Tatts says it will continue to treat the windfall as a current liability until it’s sure there will be no clawback.

Irish Rugby Player Loses a Pot, and Then Loses the Plot

A professional rugby player from Dublin, Ireland, has been ordered to pay a man €10,000 in compensation after flooring him during a poker game in April 2012.

I am currently in Dublin.

I was invited to play in a poker event.

After learning of the fate of 57-year old Michael Frisby, I might have to buy myself a gum shield.

Frisby suffered three broken bones, in his face, after being floored by a punch from former professional rugby player Neilus Keogh, 27, after a poker hand that went awry in April 2012.

The Irish Times reported that the pair were playing in a nine-handed poker game, in Dublin’s The Sporting Emporium, when Keogh lost a pot, stood up and floored the man twice his age. He topped things off with a chair shot whilst the Frisby was floored.

Keogh, who was playing for Nottingham at the time, did not have his contract renewed due to the ‘adverse publicity’ of the case. The Times reported that Keogh currently plays amateur rugby for London Irish and works as a building construction worker earning £350 per week.

Betboro Announces Partnership with Income Access

Montreal, QC. February 18th, 2015 – Betboro, aCuracao-based sportsbook and live betting operator, has announced a new partnership with iGaming affiliate software and digital marketing firm, Income Access. The agreement will see Betboro integrate with Income Access’ affiliate marketing software to provide their advertising partners with a robust set of reporting and marketing tools.

Operated by parent company Webmedia Development N.V., which is authorized and regulated by Curacao E-Gaming, Betboro launched in 2013. The operator is primarily focused on betting and live betting with over 30 types of bets available for each event. There are also plans to add a selection of casino products in the near future.

Betboro’s sportsbook and live betting products are powered by software provider Swissbet, which recently became a Certified Partner of Betradar. The upcoming catalogue of casino offerings will also be powered by Swissbet as well as Microgaming.

Partnering with Income Access, winner of the last two eGR B2B Awards for Best Affiliate Software, Betboro and their partners will have access to a solution that offers comprehensive campaign management and a host of features to facilitate analysis of ROI. Other software features will allow for streamlined affiliate communications and payment calculations.

“We’re very happy to have signed with Income Access and are looking forward to launching our exciting new affiliate offering,” said Danijel Savic, CTO of Webmedia Development N.V. “We have big plans that will provide our marketing partners with an opportunity to earn revenue while promoting a great product.”

Exciting affiliate incentives will be announced soon to complement generous player promotions already available through Betboro, including a welcome bonus of up to 100 Euros. Betboro also offers their players quality service through a wide-range of payment options and easily accessible live chat support.

“Betboro is a growing brand and we’re thrilled to have them join our roster of clients,” said Nicky Senyard, founder and CEO of Income Access. “We look forward to working with them more closely and playing a role in their continued success.”

Becky’s Affiliated: Why tracking solution Adge is a dream come true for iGaming Affiliates

We’ve just wrapped up the London Affiliate Conference, the largest event of the year dedicated to iGaming affiliate marketing,a segment of the industry that is more competitive now than ever.

While I was roaming the floors of the LAC, I spent some time with my good friends Charles Gillespie and Roberto Savio of KAX Media, two well-known faces in the industry with a new project up their sleeve designed to give affiliates a competitive edge.

As an affiliate, manually gathering statistics from a number of affiliate programs at the end of each month is a real pain, something I can relate to from my time with Casino City.  Keeping on top of tracking, revenue and other numbers are of upmost importance to any affiliate in the business, so there’s no way to avoid the dreaded monthly stats collection…but now there is a way to simplify it immensely.

Gillespie, Savioand their team have spent the past eighteen months developing Adge, a system automatically unifying an affiliate’s statistics from each program they work with.Adge can be described as “a passion project” for KAX Media because they know from experience how much time it takes to gather statistics manually.  Now that they’ve developed Adge, stats can be accessed automatically every day and viewed anytime on desktop or mobile devices.Literally a dream come true for KAX and other iGaming affiliates.

Savio is the Sales and Marketing Director of Adge and is incredibly passionate about the product.  During our interview Savio explained his background in iGaming, where the idea for

Adge came about, why it can greatly simplify the life of all iGaming Affiliates and how this product compares to some of its competitors.

Becky Liggero: Thank you so much for joining me today, Roberto.  Lets start with your background in the gaming industry, tell us about it. 

Crown Resorts normalizes away bad news

Australian casino operator Crown Resorts enjoyed good growth at its domestic casinos in its fiscal H1, which helped offset the dramatic downturn in the Macau casino market.

For the six months ending Dec. 31, Crown’s earnings fell 15.5% while net profit after tax fell 31.4% to A$262.4m (US $205m). That’s before $61.3m in significant items, including costs associated with the aborted Crown Sri Lanka project. Including those numbers, profit fell a whopping 47.2% to $201.8m.

However, Aussie casino operators prefer to report ‘normalized’ numbers, which smooth out the wild variance in the VIP gambling market and other occasional hiccups. Employing those normalized rose-tinted glasses, revenue rose 17.2% to $1.7b, earnings rose 14.8% to $450.2m while profits rose 2.3% to $322.4m. There, that’s better, isn’t it?

Maintaining that normalized facade, Crown’s domestic casinos saw revenue rise 16.1%. Main gaming floor revenue rose 3.5%, non-gaming revenue rose 2.4% while VIP gambling turnover rose a hefty 61.4% to $37.1b.

Crown Melbourne reported normalized earnings up 26.1% to $351.2m thanks to an 86.4% rise in VIP revenue. VIP turnover set new records in November and December as high-rollers looked for somewhere other than Macau to test their luck. Crown Perth’s earnings rose 7.7% to $127m as main floor revenue rose 3.7% and VIP rose 1.2%.

In a demonstration of how illusory ‘normalized’ numbers can be, Crown Aspinall’s normalized earnings rose 17.8% to $20.7m although actual earnings were negative $3.5m. Frankly, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn there’s someone out there who believes Seattle won the Normalized Super Bowl.

In Macau, Crown’s one-third stake in the Melco Crown Enterainment joint venture dragged even normalized profits down 21.5% to $110.4m.

Aussie greyhound racing in turmoil after hidden camera catches ‘live baiting’

Australia’s greyhound racing industry is in turmoil after an investigative television program uncovered shocking mistreatment of animals at a training facility. The entire board of Greyhound Racing New South Wales has been dismissed and politicians are calling for a temporary suspension of the industry.

The furore kicked off after Four Corners aired hidden camera footage of greyhound trainers using ‘live baiting’ to teach dogs to race. In place of the standard artificial lure, live animals – rabbits, possums, piglets, etc. – were tied to the mechanical lures. Once they caught up to the lure, the dogs would maul the animals, leading them to expect a similar ‘reward’ when they bolted out of the starting gate during an actual race.

The process of ‘blooding’ dogs has long been illegal in Australia but, as the footage demonstrates, it has a long way to go before it’s fully eradicated. Six trainers have been suspended in NSW, 10 more in Victoria and 13 in Queensland. A task force has been set up to investigate how widespread the practice of live baiting remains.

NSW Racing Minister Troy Grant ordered the dismissal of the racing board because “the community has lost confidence in the industry, and we now need the clear air in order to reform and reshape the industry.” Grant said the NSW greyhound industry was worth an annual $300m, employing or engaging over 15k individuals.

Grant’s actions weren’t enough to satisfy NSW Greens MP John Kaye, who said all greyhound racing should be suspended in NSW until the task force reveals its findings. Until then, Green believes “whatever race occurs in NSW will lack integrity,” as some dogs in competition will have been blooded while others have not. “There’s no way that can be seen as a fair gambling product.”

The government in Victoria has appointed a committee to investigate its own racing industry but has yet to take any disciplinary action against its board members.

SPORTSBET’S DOGGY STYLE

Grisly Details Emerge in Mehmet Hassan Case

Grisly details have emerged in the Mehmet Hassan case, as three people face charges of murder and imprisonment, after killing the gambler at his home in London.

When 56 year old Mehmet Hassan met 25 year old Leonie Granger, he must have thought his luck was in.

Luck was important to Hassan. He made his money gambling. His two favorite London haunts were the Palm Beach Casino and The Playboy. Two places from that rather expensive purple strip you find in a game of Monopoly.

On Sunday, 23 March 2014 his luck ran out after three people stopped his heart from beating due to their lust for money.

Leonie Granger, who rather ironically was employed as a care assistant, her boyfriend Kyrron Jackson and his friend Nicholas Chandler, both 28, are currently facing trial at The Old Bailey, charged with murder and false imprisonment.

The jury heard how Granger first met Hassan in February 2014 at the Palm Beach casino. They met again on the 15 March 2014. Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC said: “The truth, sadly, is that Miss Granger was not interested in Mehmet Hassan for anything other than his money. And that is how Mehmet Hassan came to be tied up and kicked to death in his own flat.”

On Sunday, 23 March 2014, they met again at the Palm Beach before taking a cab to Hassan’s flat in Islington. 30-minutes later Hassan booked a cab that took Granger to an address in Lewisham. Giving evidence, the taxi driver told the jury, that he overheard Granger talking on her mobile phone: “Swear down! I don’t believe it. Don’t tell me the money’s not there! I saw it. Look in the drawer. Look under cabinet.”

LCB Members Launch Playtech’s Gladiator Slot for the 2 Millionth Time

LatestCasinoBonuses.com has reached its third consecutive milestone within the last three months as the site’s free play version of Playtech’s Gladiator slot  has been played 2 million times!

Players are drawn to the Free Games section of LCB, especially Gladiator having launched it for a whopping two million play sessions. The Slot was initially released in 2008 and has become wildly popular due to the theme based on the DreamWorks blockbuster hit film, Gladiator. LCB members come to the site to try the latest online casino games including American members that are unable to access Playtech games for real money.

In December 2014, LCB had reached its 3,000th free game followed by another milestone in January 2015 of 70,000 registered active forum community members since the site’s launch in 2006. February rolled around and brought about a new record LCB.

LCB offers a wide range of free games from many providers including some of the top names in the industry such as NetEnt, NextGen, Mirogaming, WMS and of course Playtech, to name a few. Aside from Gladiator’s theme there are a few other factors that make it such a favorite. The betting range allows players to wager as low as$0.02 per spin and as high as $6,250. Not all players have the opportunity to play the maximum bet unless they are quite the high roller so free play is a way to experience the excitement. Slot players are also attracted the maximum payout of $1,250,000, which would be an amazing win on a 50-line Slot Game.

There are two bonus games including the Gladiator and Colosseum Bonuses. Three Gladiator masks trigger the Gladiator Bonus. The mask symbol is wild on reels two, three and four substituting all symbols except for the Colosseum Scatter. The Colosseum Bonus is triggered with three Scatter symbols appear on the reel. Players are presented with a series of columns featuring stones, which reveal winnings including credits, multipliers and even free spins.

Although it has been 7 years since the release of the Gladiator Slot, online gamblers continue to be drawn to the power and strength behind the mask. Playtech brought the movie to life on the reels and resulted in another record for a gladiator in the online casino affiliate industry, LCB.

A Fish Wins the WSOPC West Palm Beach Main Event

Darryll Fish has won the first major title of his career, after defeating Diosdado Icawat, in heads-up action, to take the first prize of $173,189 in the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event in West Palm Beach.

A fish has won the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Main Event at West Palm Beach.

28-year old Darryll Fish overcame a final table that contained two four-time WSOPC gold ring winners, to win his first major title since he started racking up results eight years ago.

“I’m not in the game for the titles.” Fish told the WSOP after his win. “I play for my love for the game and the ability to earn a living doing it is something that I’m really fortunate to be able to do.”

The money also helps.

Without it, the grinding ceases.

Let’s take a look at the green.

Confessions of a Poker Writer: How to Get Banned From 2+2

Lee Davy continues his confessions series by talking about his experience with poker forums, and his views on his ban from 2+2.

Spam.

A great word.

To the PlayStation posers of today, it means posting/sending a lot of junk marketing material that nobody wants to read. To the Pong prefects it’s a tin of chopped meat that your mother used to fry in lard and serve to you with chips – every night of the week.

The only form of poker spam that seems to come my way, does so when I am doing something that I shouldn’t be doing. There are a lot of online poker rooms that have cottoned on to the vast attraction of the TV and movie download/streaming services. The ones that you don’t pay for. The ones that you get to watch what you want to watch, when you want to watch it.

The ads pop up like a Saturday morning visit from the grandparents as you try to find your way through the ‘click here’ traps on your way to the next episode of Better Call Saul. It’s annoying. A simple click on the green button dispels any issues though.

There was a time when my main hobby would be a spot of Tommy Tanking. YouPorn was my website of choice. It was always a shock to see the face of Kara Scott and Giovanni Rizzo staring back at me during my moment of ecstasy. Online poker rooms used to spam those sites also. And to think. They would be married a few years later. I always knew that YouPorn could see into the future.

PokerStars Guarantee $9m for Sunday Million Ninth Anniversary and Shoot Down bitcoin Rumors

PokerStars have slapped a $9m guarantee on the side of the Sunday Million ninth anniversary, and have flatly denied rumors of any forthcoming integration with bitcoin.

PokerStars have delighted their customers by guaranteeing a $9m prize pool for their ninth anniversary of the Sunday Million.

I know $215 is a lot of money. You know that $215 is a lot of money. But on Sunday, 8 March 2015 it’s important that you juggle those financial balls. Find a way to squeeze $215 into the ‘Entertainment’ column on the spreadsheet you just loathe to update.

The first time PokerStars offered their one million guarantee was Sunday, 6 March 2006. A star was born. 5,893 players entered and Daryl Jace won the $173,844 first prize. It’s now a staple part of a professional poker players diet. The one event of the week that you need to be a part of. To miss one is akin to missing an episode of Breaking Bad. It just doesn’t happen.

In 2011, The Sunday Million was five years old. To celebrate, PokerStars, guaranteed a $5m prize pool. One year later they upped it to $6m – then $7m, then $8m and now $9m.

If, one day, you find yourself ordering a book called “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” with the intention of learning about poker, you will be sorely disappointed. The author, Harvey Mackay, knows nothing about poker. But he does know a thing or two about business.

Lesson 65 of that great book carries the title: “If You Want to be Santa Claus, Your Sled Better be able to Pull a Trailer.”

Michigan Lottery hands out first $1m prize via online scratch ticket

The Michigan Lottery has awarded its first $1m online prize since launching online lottery operations in November. Even more notable, the $1m prize wasn’t won by a regular draw ticket purchased online but by a $20 online scratch game called Diamond Payout.

Michigan Lottery spokesman Jeff Holyfield told Mlive.com that over 100k customers have registered for online lottery play since the mid-November launch and the number “grows every day.” The Lottery projects online sales will top $480m over the site’s first eight years of operation.

Online scratch tickets have been somewhat controversial over their resemblance to online slots play. The Minnesota Lottery was the first to debut online scratchers one year ago but irate state legislators are moving swiftly to strip the Lottery of its ability to sell anything online. But even if Minnesota goes down, states like Georgia are fully embracing expanded online options and other states like Kentucky are looking to join the party.

The growing number of state lotteries staking out their online turf is yet another reason why federal lawmakers are going to have such a tough time passing Sheldon Adelson’s Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA). The North American Association of State & Provincial Lottieries (NASPL) voiced its objections to RAWA’s earlier incarnations and those objections will only get louder as more lotteries come online and more revenue gets funneled into state coffers.

Meanwhile, two state legislators have introduced a pair of bills to privatize the Michigan Lottery. SB 75 and HB 4077 would require Lottery commissioner M. Scott Bowen to seek bids from private companies to manage the Lottery, although the legislation wouldn’t require Bowen to accept any of these bids.

Rep. Earl Poleski said his bill was intended to find out if the Lottery could earn more “if it had some management that was a little bit more innovative or did a better job of marketing.” Sen. Wayne Schmidt believes the Lottery “would be one of those things that should be more in the private sector.”

Prosecutors protest inadmissibility of evidence against Paul Phua

US federal prosecutors have asked a judge to reconsider a court ruling preventing them from using crucial evidence against accused sports betting operator Wei Seng ‘Paul’ Phua (pictured).

On Tuesday, prosecutors filed papers asking US District Judge Andrew Gordon to reconsider US Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen’s recommendation that prosecutors not be allowed to use evidence gained via questionable FBI tactics. Prosecutors have previously stated that the evidence in question is crucial to their case, which is supposed to go to trial on April 13.

Phua, his son Darren, poker player Richard Yong and five other individuals were arrested last July on charges of operating an illegal online sportsbook out of three luxury villas at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Suspecting chicanery was going on behind the villas’ walls, the FBI shut off the villas’ internet connection and then, when the occupants called to complain, sent in agents disguised as Caesars’ tech support wearing hidden body cameras.

The FBI agents neglected to mention their subterfuge when obtaining their warrants. For that omission and for having made other “false and misleading statements,” Judge Leen ruled that the search warrant affidavit was “fatally flawed.” Leen therefore recommended that the evidence obtained via the warrant – computers, mobile phones and other technology – be deemed inadmissible.

On Tuesday, assistant US Attorneys Kimberly Frayn and Phillip Smith Jr. argued that the FBI had presented sufficient legitimate evidence of probable cause when applying for the warrant. The prosecutors argued that the agents’ errors and omissions were neither intentional nor of a material nature sufficient to toss out the evidence obtained via the warrant.

Meanwhile, Phua’s attorneys David Chesnoff and Thomas Goldstein filed their own papers protesting Leen’s ruling that agents hadn’t violated the defendants’ fourth amendment rights by pulling the internet plug and playing dress-up. In a filing viewed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the lawyers argued that the government’s behavior – and Leen’s validation of said behavior – “would shock the conscience of ordinary Americans” and represented “an assault on our deepest constitutional values.”

Five of the defendants in this case have already reached plea deals with prosecutors, while charges against a sixth defendant were dropped, leaving only the Phuas still fighting the charges.

ResortsCasino.com prep launch after SNG Interactive gets transactional waiver

New Jersey’s online gambling market will gain another entrant this month as Atlantic City’s Resorts Casino Hotel prepares to launch its SNG Interactive-powered online casino ResortsCasino.com.

SNG Interactive – the joint venture of UK pool betting operators Sportech and Swedish software outfit NYX Gaming Group – proudly announced that it has been granted a transactional waiver by the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), allowing SNG to provide online gambling technology in the state. Resorts is promising “the largest selection of casino slots and table games in the state of New Jersey.”

Sportech’s president of Digital US Rich Roberts said receiving the transactional waiver marked “a key moment in the development of SNG Interactive.” Roberts said the launch of Resorts’ online casino would take place “at the end of the month” following a week-long free-play testing period. Resorts has a separate deal with PokerStars to offer online poker if and when the DGE gets around to granting a transactional waiver to Stars’ new owners, Canada’s Amaya Gaming.

Resorts is AC’s oldest casino and placed dead last in January’s revenue report, earning just $11m, less than the struggling Trump Taj Mahal. While online gambling will undoubtedly boost Resorts’ bottom line, it’s anybody’s guess whether Resorts will boost the overall online revenue pie or simply mean smaller slices for everyone.

There are currently four AC casinos offering an online casino product: the Borgata, Caesars, the Tropicana and the Golden Nugget. New Jersey’s online casino revenue hit an all-time high of $9.3m in January, representing 80% of the state’s total online gambling take for the month and a 54% year-on-year improvement for the vertical.

In related news, NYX Gaming has inked a partnership with gaming content supplier Realistic Games. The deal will allow NYX customers to access Realistic slots and table games via the NYX OGS distribution platform.

Betfair buys US HRTV network, lets horses drive rally cars

The US division of UK-listed exchange betting operator Betfair has acquired the HRTV horseracing television network from the Stronach Group. Betfair TVG has agreed to pay $25m up front with future payments of up to $47.8m depending on the effect of the deal on TVG’s race betting handle.

The deal expands TVG’s racing coverage by adding broadcast rights to all races at tracks owned and operated by the Stronach Group, including Santa Anita, Gulfstream Park, Pimlico, Golden Gate Fields and Laurel Park, for a seven-year term.

Betfair believes the deal “strengthens TVG’s ability to drive incremental wagering on its advanced deposit wagering platform and is expected to lead to additional advertising and distribution opportunities.”

The deal will eliminate the $4.3m annual sum TVG had been paying to the Stronach Group for broadcast rights. Betfair said the transaction would be earnings-neutral in the first year but accretive thereafter. HRTV lost $3m in 2013 on revenue of $9.5m.

Back in its home market, Betfair has unleashed a new racing-themed TV ad campaign to prepare the ground for next month’s Cheltenham Festival. The ‘Tap Tap Boom’ spot was created by WCRS, directed by Papaya’s Brent Bonacorso and expands on Betfair’s ‘This is Play’ marketing pitch.

The spot (viewable below) features horses driving rally cars, to the apparent chagrin of the jockeys sitting in the passenger seats. WCRS executive creative director Leon Jaume said the spot fit well with “the Betfair world of ping pong playing cephalopods.” Betair brand director Mark Ody said “people believe betting is exciting and that betting with Betfair is even more exciting. Our new suite of ads brings this to life in a highly distinctive, enjoyable and engaging way.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym4FdlacSjY&w=560&h=315]

MGM Resorts has best quarter stateside since before the recession

Casino operator MGM Resorts International believes its Q4 and FY 2014 results are further evidence that Vegas is back, baby. Chairman/CEO Jim Murren called Q4 earnings at MGM’s wholly owned US properties the best since their pre-recession peak while 2014 as a whole was its best in six years.

Despite the good news stateside, overall revenue fell 5.1% to $2.38b and MGM recorded a net loss of $342.3m, more than six times the loss in the same period a year earlier. The company blamed declines in Macau and a $263m income tax hit for the red ink. For 2014 as a whole, revenue was up 3% (+5% US, -1% in Macau) while earnings rose 5%.

Stateside, MGM’s US properties saw revenue rise 5% and operating income up 10%. The company credited the gains to improvements in table game turnover and win rate. Slots revenue rose 5% and room revenue rose 6% as occupancy increased three points to 88%. The MGM Grand Las Vegas was the star performer, with revenue up nearly 18% to $292m.

MGM’s partial ownership of the CityCenter in Vegas and the Borgata in Atlantic City had decidedly different fortunes, with the Borgata contributing $11.3m to MGM’s bottom line while CityCenter subtracted $18.1m.

Murren told analysts that he knew a “release valve” had been opened in Las Vegas when a party of 12 at the Bellagio’s Prime Steakhouse rang up a $300k dinner tab. Murren declined to make a trend out of one ridiculously extravagant dinner but called it “a sign people are ready to spend money again.”

Murren also referenced the possibility of boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao finally squaring off in the ring, saying MGM was “holding the date on May 2 for a fight, and we hope it’s a big, big fight.” However, Murren cautioned that he was “just responding to newspaper rumors.”

MGM China Q4 revenue and earnings each fell 22% to $719m and $185m respectively, while operating income dropped by a third to $109m. Mass market table drop fell 4% but win rate gained five points, which pushed mass table revenue up 19%. It was a different (but all too familiar) story at the VIP tables, where turnover fell 32% and revenue fell 39%.

Nevada Gaming Control Board recommends legalizing Olympics betting

Nevada casinos and sportsbooks received some good news after the Nevada Gaming Control Board acquiesced to legalize betting on the Olympics.

A proposal from a group of Nevada casinos was discussed during a meeting held earlier this week and concluded with the board recommending to the Nevada Gaming Commission to overturn the long-standing ban on Olympic betting in the state.

Gaming board Executive Secretary Marie Bell told Bloomberg that the parameters the board agreed to would make “Olympic sporting or athletic events, sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee,” legal in Nevada, albeit with the caveat that betting would still be “subject to limitation by the chairman or the chairman’s designee in his sole and absolute discretion.”

The Nevada Gaming Commission can still alter these parameters if the recommendation contains language that needs to be changed such as allowing betting on events that don’t involve judges. On that end, popular Olympic sports like gymnastics, figure skating, and diving would remain illegal whereas other sports would be deemed legal to bet on.

The Commission is set to meet on Feb. 26 and this discussion is likely to be included in that meeting. Should it eventually green light Olympic betting in Nevada, it would be a significant step forward for the state, which has long banned betting on amateur sports not including college sports, thanks in large part to the effort of Senator John McCain.

The Olympics was part of that 2001 ban, even though betting on it has been widespread in other parts of the world, including the UK, which not only offers a plethora of Olympics-related bets, but also famously rolled out a platter of prop bets tied to the quadrennial event.

Lest we forget the prop on Queen Elizabeth II’s hat during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Games? Or that a UFO would appear during the same ceremony at 1,000/1 odds?

FanDuel planning new round of financing, looking to go public in 2016

Daily fantasy sports site FanDuel is eyeing a new round of fund-raising that could end up with the company being worth at least $1 billion.

Multiple sources have told Fortune of the Scotland-based company’s short and long-term plans to continue holding its mantle as the number one daily fantasy sports site in the business.

FanDuel’s goal is to add at least another $100 million in the latest fund-raising, adding to the $88 million it has already raised through numerous fund-raising attempts, including a score of $70 million from an investor group that includes Shamrock Capital Group, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, and NBC Sports Ventures. The company didn’t disclose the valuation for that fund-raising, although sources have told Fortune that the amount reached close to $400 million.

This time, FanDuel has become more ambitious, targeting a figure that would make it the first daily fantasy sports site to be worth ten figures.

The company’s braintrust has yet to decide on a course of action, although it is reported that the board of directors will proceed with this plan in the near future with an eye towards accelerating customer growth and tying up with more professional sports teams.

FanDuel already boasts of an impressive list of partnerships with a host of NBA teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls. The company has also struck a deal with the NBA itself and the NFL’s Washington Redskins.

More importantly, the company’s revenue numbers reflect the growing popularity of the industry. Revenue from Q4 2014 reached $37 million, a dramatic improvement from the $7.4 million it earned in the same period in 2013.

NBA Second Half Preview: Championship and MVP Props

We’re still a couple of days away from the start of the second half of the NBA season. You now what all this idle time means, right?

Yep, it’s time to roll out my not-so-annual preview of what lies ahead for the NBA, complete with odds info on who goes to the Finals, who wins MVP, who makes the playoffs, and which blog Dan Gilbert will bully next. I only made up one of those so I’ll leave it to you to guess which one doesn’t really have odds attached to it, even though there should be probably be a way to bet on it.

In any case, the most intriguing thing about the remainder of the 2014-2015 NBA season is the fact that there doesn’t appear to be any clear-cut favorite to win the title. It’s not like in year’s past when you have two teams that are so above the fray that their odds are dramatically lower than the rest of the contenders.

This season, it’s all bunched up with the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers posting the shortest odds at 9/2. In fact, five teams have single-digit odds right now, including the San Antonio Spurs at 13/2, the Atlanta Hawks at 7/1, and the Chicago Bulls at 17/2.

Not too far behind are a handful of teams with 14/1 odds, 18/1 odds, and 20/1 odds. All this should tell you one thing: there’s a lot of value here, especially from contenders with double-digit odds like, you know, the Oklahoma City Thunder at 11/1 odds. If the Thunder somehow makes it to the playoffs as the eight seed, you can’t tell me that the Golden State Warriors aren’t sweating that match up.

The same can be said in the Eastern Conference where the Indiana Pacers could be a dark horse if Paul George somehow makes a successful comeback and pulls them into the playoffs. You think the Hawks aren’t worried about that match up? Oh, and the Pacers are currently 150/1 to win the title. Food for thought, right?

Outside of the title odds, the other NBA prop bet that I consider a favorite is the Regular Season MVP. From the looks of things, there’s really only four viable nominees at this stage in the season. Stephen Curry is the short favorite at 5/6 odds with James Harden and LeBron James not too far behind at 6/4 and 11/4 odds, respectively.