Tag Archives: igaming

Tri Nations Rugby Round 6 Preview & Tips

Australia and Argentina will be playing for pride in the final match of the Tri-Nations Championship this weekend in Sydney. Barring a miracle, both sides remain out of contention for the trophy, after the All Blacks scored a convincing 38-0 win over the Pumas, in Newcastle last weekend.

Despite back to back losses, the All Blacks claim the trophy thanks to the bonus-point victory. Australia or Argentina would need to win by 101 points to steal the Tri-Nations Cup.

Both the Wallabies and the Pumas will be desperate to finish the international season on a positive note. Its been a case of two steps forward and one step back for the Wallabies, who have struggled to put together two consistent performances across the competition.

Argentina have performed beyond expectations for a side that has been starved of match practice. Mario Ledesma’s side campaign will be remembered for his country’s first ever win over the All Blacks.

Australia aiming for clean sweep in ODI series finale

Australia are set to take on India in the final match of the One Day International series in Canberra. The Aussies will be aiming for a clean sweep after outclassing India twice in Sydney.

Australia put in a commanding performance over the opening two matches, with Steve Smith scoring consecutive centuries. The only concern for the home side was the injury to opening batsman David Warner. Warner is set to miss the remainder of the white-ball series after picking up an abductor injury, fielding in game two.

The injury to Warner has forced Australia to bring in Western Australian batsman D’Arcy Short as a replacement. Short has been in prolific form for the Hobart Hurricanes but has struggled to cement a place in the national side over the last 12 months.

Warner isn’t the only injury concern for Australia, with allrounder Marcus Stoinis unable to bowl due to a side-strain. Australia have also opted to rest fast bowler Pat Cummins for the remainder of the series.

NFL Week 12 action leads to more uncertainty in the playoff race

The NFL made it through 11 weeks of football with only minor problems from COVID-19.  The Tennessee Titans suffered an outbreak earlier in the season that forced a few changes to the schedule, but everything was relatively smooth since then – until last week.  The Baltimore Ravens have seen a major outbreak that led to their Thanksgiving game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to be postponed until tomorrow, but that is now in jeopardy, as well.  While this important game will have to sit on the back burner, the rest of the Week 12 action found a few surprise outcomes that are making sports fans, and gamblers, question their predictions on who will land where in the newly-expanded playoffs. 

It looked like the New England Patriots were going to go down once again.  They got off to a very slow start against the Arizona Cardinals, with quarterback Cam Newton held to less than 40 yards passing in the first half.  He didn’t get much better in the second half and ended the day with no touchdowns and two interceptions, connecting with receivers for only 84 yards.  The Cardinals had the better stats throughout the game, but the Pats still managed to pull off the win.  It took a 50-yard field goal by Nick Folk with four seconds on the clock to break the 17-17 tie, but it was enough to keep the Pats alive for the postseason.  Gamblers who backed the Pats scored, as well, as the +100 moneyline at BetRivers.com gave them some extra holiday spending money.

The Carolina Panthers were able to get QB Teddy Bridgewater back in the game following an injury that kept him out for a couple of weeks and he gave everything he had to try to beat the Minnesota Vikings.  He had a lot of help, too, as safety Jeremy Chinn picked up two fumbles on two consecutive series, running them both back for touchdowns.  It wasn’t enough, though, and the Panthers lost 28-27 after the Vikings came from behind with less than a minute on the clock to move ahead.  For Vikings backers, they did well, with their team sitting on a moneyline of -157 ahead of the game.

Someone forgot to tell the Las Vegas Raiders they had a football game yesterday.  That’s about the only explanation for the horrible performance they gave against what, by all accounts, is a massively inferior team.  However, the Atlanta Falcons found their stride and dominated in almost every stat.  The Raiders recorded four lost fumbles and one interception and allowed their QB to be sacked five times as the Falcons walked away with a 43-6 win.  The Raiders were getting -175 ahead of the game and most of the money was put on them to win, but the few diehard Falcons fans who took their team at +150 picked up a nice payday.

Who are favourites to win all four tennis Grand Slams in 2021?

With only three Grand Slams taking place in 2020, the spoils were very evenly split. Novak Djokovic won the last Grand Slam that took place before Coronavirus hit, winning the Australian Open Men’s Singles. It was Dominic Thiem who won the hastily rearranged U.S. Open at Flushing Meadow in September, and shortly afterwards, Rafael Nadal took down the French Open to move level with Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slams, becoming the ‘GOAT’ (Greatest of All-Time).

Who will win the four Grand Slams that are scheduled to take place in 2021? Let’s take a look at the betting favourites and look for some value.

The Australian Open

Taking place between Monday 18th January and Sunday 31st January, the 2021 Australian Open is sure to be a Grand Slam that is fiercely battled for. Current world number one Novak Djokovic has recently contacted the Tennis Australia authorities to make sure that players will be allowed to train for a fortnight before the tournament kicks off, and Russian Grand Slam finalist Daniil Medvedev has spoken about the dangers of players not training and going straight from their hotel rooms to the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park. Either way, the event is likely to come too soon for Roger Federer and it would be a shock if the Swiss got anywhere near the final.

Poker idols – Phil Hellmuth

The name of Phil Hellmuth will be synonymous with poker in 50 years’ time. From being known as the youngest-ever World Champion to his ‘Poker Brat’ phase to becoming the record-holding WSOP bracelet winner, Phil Hellmuth Junior is a living poker legend. But how did the man who currently lives in Las Vegas but hails from Madison, Wisconsin become the man he is today?

Today we look at the Poker Idol that is Phil Hellmuth.

The Origins of a Record Breaker

Hellmuth might one day become a World Champion, but he began life as a self-confessed ‘ugly duckling’ of his family, struggling for grades and a place in the world. That all changed during further education, however, when his prodigious mathematical knowledge would lead to him eventually leaving the University of Wisconsin to become a poker player.

Premier League Review – Gameweek #10

The action in the weekend’s Premier League gamed has been intense, with sides at the top and bottom of the Premier League under increasing pressure to get three points in every game.

Who succeeded and who failed in the 10th week of the EPL Season so far?

Let’s take a look back at the drama as it unfolded in the biggest games.

Brighton 1-1 Liverpool

How 10 poker legends celebrated Thanksgiving

While the United Kingdom and Europe continue on the remorseless hype building up to Christmas Day, the United States took time out from pounding the online felt over the weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. But how did some of the superstars of the stars and stripes – or nearby North American countries – celebrate?

Let’s check in with 10 bona fide poker legends, pull up a chair and go hunting for the biggest turkey and lashing of gravy… before saying ‘Thanks’.

Scotty Nguyen

The 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event winner, who took home $1 million when he beat Kevin McBride to the title 22 years ago, reached out to his fans to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Petr Cech, Kirsty Gallacher and Vinnie Jones confirmed for star-studded SBC Awards 2020

Goalkeeping legend Petr Cech and sports broadcaster Kirsty Gallacher have been confirmed as the hosts of the SBC Awards 2020 on 9 December, while Premier League footballer turned Hollywood star Vinnie Jones is set to make a special guest appearance.

This year’s prestigious betting and gaming industry awards will be broadcast live from Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge home, with an audience of 800 guests joining the virtual ceremony from around the world. 

The SBC Awards recognise excellence among sports betting and igaming operators, affiliates and suppliers, and the evening will see 44 honours handed out to the industry’s top performers. 

In conjunction with official charity partner GVC, the event will also raise money for Harefield Hospital, one of the world’s largest and most experienced centres for heart and lung transplants. 

Kenya betting regulator not done harassing SportPesa just yet

Sports betting operator SportPesa’s fight with Kenya’s gambling regulator appears far from over, while financial revelations have finally shone a light on just how massive the company was before its legal troubles began.

After finally relaunching its Kenyan-facing operations this week, SportPesa learned this week that the Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB) had summoned the company’s new BCLB-licensed partner Milestone Games Ltd to explain why its gaming license shouldn’t be withdrawn.

If you’re just joining us, SportPesa exited its home market in October 2019 following a still unresolved back-tax dispute with the Kenya Revenue Authority. With its license having been suspended, SportPesa attempted to restart its Kenyan operations last month by lending its brand to Milestone, which is majority owned by SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri.

The BCLB initially blocked Milestone’s attempt to use the SportPesa brand but appeared to temporarily give up the fight following a High Court ruling, which set a January date for resolving this issue. Now Kenyan media is reporting that the BCLB is once again looking to halt SportPesa/Milestone’s efforts to continue their Kenyan business.

Football Index donate sports sponsorship rights to promote YGAM during UK’s Safer Gambling Week

To mark the U.K.’s annual Safer Gambling Week campaign Football Index donated its shirt sponsorship rights for leading Championship clubs Nottingham Forest and Queens Park Rangers to the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM). Shirts emblazoned with YGAM’s distinctive logo were worn by Queens Park Rangers in their 1-1 draw with Watford (21 November), with Nottingham Forest wearing the YGAM branded shirts in the 2-0 away defeat to high-flying Bournemouth, which was broadcast live by Sky Sports to an international television audience on 24 November. Football Index is also supporting the ground-breaking work undertaken by YGAM courtesy of a £5,000 donation.

This follows an initiative undertaken by Football Index earlier this year which saw it launch a new Gambling Awareness Initiative with Nottingham Forest Football Club, highlighting the importance of safer gambling and helping to educate football supporters within local communities.

Daniel Bliss, Director of External Affairs at YGAM said: “We’re enormously grateful to both clubs and Football Index for their fantastic support. It is vital that we educate our future generations about the potential risks associated with gambling so we can collectively help prevent harm. The two games provided an important opportunity to raise the profile of the charity and help us support parents, teachers and young people across all communities.”

David Cook, Chief Commercial Officer at Nottingham Forest said: “This builds on last year’s activities, and we are once again very supportive of Football Index’s desire to highlight and promote the safer gaming message, in particular through this promotion of the YGAM charity. It’s great to work with a brand that takes responsibility in how they work, and who always look to stress the importance of responsible gaming for the wider fan base.”

BitBoss innovates for Bitcoin gambling with blackjack, exchange services

BitBoss is continuing to break new ground in the Bitcoin gambling space. The gambling service provider has rolled out the first blackjack game run entirely on the Bitcoin SV (BSV) blockchain, while also offering a new exchange service, allowing customers to exchange several digital currencies for BSV.

Both new features come to their Dragon BSV Casino, BitBoss’ Android mobile casino service. “Like with our other offerings, every single bet and bet result for our blackjack game is a transaction on the Bitcoin SV blockchain,” explained Alex Shore, CTO at BitBoss in an interview with Bitcoin Association.

Blackjack’s challenge to the blockchain will create new opportunities

But blackjack offered a few new challenges for BitBoss to figure out. “Blackjack is a multi-action game; choosing to buy insurance, doubling, splitting, standing – every action is recorded as a blockchain transaction. This has a ton of benefits because everything is provably fair, you don’t have to build off-chain technology and try to scale it. Everything is on the Bitcoin SV blockchain.”

Sweden to go paperless with lottery options

For those who can pick up on the subtleties and envision the larger picture, they can see that major changes are coming to the global gaming space. The shift won’t happen overnight, but, when the gaming industry looks back ten years from now, it’s going to see a completely different environment. The latest hint of what’s to come is being provided by Svenska Spel in Sweden, which is now testing paperless lottery ticket purchases. The move to a more digital-focused gaming ecosystem continues.

Svenska Spel has teamed up with a local convenience store chain, Pressbyrån, to introduce a pilot program that will use “coupon free” lottery purchases. In four of the company’s stores – those in Kalma, Jönköping, Östersund and Stockholm, lottery players will be able to select their numbers and have them registered through digital devices that are connected to Svenska Spel’s network, foregoing the printing of any ticket stubs to be carried around in wallets.

Upon registering through the system with Svenska Spel’s system, which will require players to verify themselves with their social security numbers, the lottery numbers will then be stored in the player’s own digital account. Explains Svenska Spel’s Torgny Lilja, “We had a meeting with [Pressbyrån operator] Reitan about a year ago where we presented the self-service screens connected to a new surface-efficient platform. Reitan felt that this should suit their customers and staff. The advantage for Pressbyrån’s employees is that they also save time by not having to top up coupons and update campaign material.”

That study revealed that the physical lottery machines are starting to become more of a nuisance than an aid for retailers. They take up too much space and require employees to be involved in the issuance and processing of tickets, taking away valuable time that could be spent helping other customers. It also frees up counter space that could be used for other products or services.

Genting Malaysia warns of tough times ahead in Q3 results

Genting Malaysia Bhd have improved their margins, but are still operating at a significant loss and aren’t sure when recovery will truly come. The casino operator reported a MYR704.6 million ($173.2 million) loss for the third quarter, a 22% improvement from Q2.

[Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]

The operator of Resorts World Genting revealed their financial results in a November 26 filing with Bursa Malaysia. While the company improved from their previous MYR900.4 million loss ($221.2 million), they admitted that times continued to be hard, in part because “business volumes continue to be impacted by the pandemic.”

Operations at Genting Malaysia was suspended entirely between March 18 and June 19, due to broader efforts in Malaysia to contain Covid-19. While the casino was open throughout the entirety of Q3, reduced capacity cut into potential revenues.

Joseph Cuschieri steps down as head of Malta’s financial regulator

Malta continues to do everything it can to ensure it can enjoy a positive reputation from the global community. Always big on gaming, it has been implementing measures to ensure that there aren’t any scandals that could rock the boat as it becomes a powerhouse in the industry, and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is determined to weed out all components that could cause problems. Former CEO Heathcliff Farrugia left in a hurry at the end of last month and the gaming regulator has been driving home its plans to prevent match-fixing. In another move that is indicative of Malta’s desire to maintain a cleaner profile, the head of the Malta Financial Service Authority (MFSA), Joseph Cuschieri, has now given up his position, as well.

Cuschieri’s resignation won’t come as a surprise to most. He is the former chairman and CEO of the MGA and was found to have some type of link to a supposed criminal, Jorgen Fenech, who is said to have been behind the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana. Fenech was a casino operator who, along with several other high-profile Maltese figures, was concerned about an exposé being developed by Caruana that was reportedly going to blow the lid on corruption and bribery at the highest levels of government and business in the country. 

After moving from the MGA to the MFSA, Cuschieri, at one point, felt it was okay to travel with Fenech to Las Vegas on a trip that was paid for by the casino mogul. In light of the ongoing murder scandal and talk of conflicts of interest, the man charged with leading Malta’s financial regulations had already stepped away from his responsibilities earlier this year, but had not officially resigned until now. 

In a letter he wrote two days ago announcing his resignation, Cuschieri asserted that he still didn’t feel that he had done anything wrong, but that extricating himself completely from Malta’s political and financial activity was the best course of action. He explained that he wanted to “avoid any unnecessary media attention and external pressures at such a critical juncture” and added that his resignation “should in no way be interpreted as an admission of any wrongdoing and/or misconduct.” That sounds oddly similar to what Steve Wynn said when he “voluntarily” decided to resign as CEO of Wynn Resorts following his sexual misconduct scandal. Cuschieri further offered, “I came to this conclusion following a period of deep reflection – that in the circumstances it is both in the interest of the Authority and myself to part ways.”

Casino workers in Peru protest as shutdown enters its 8th month

Casino employees in Peru have had enough. After being forced to be out of work for eight months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are becoming increasingly frustrated and want the government to figure out how to let them back on the job like other countries have been doing. They have been more and more vocal as the shutout wears on and decided that rallying in from the country’s Congress yesterday would be the best way to make sure their collective voice was heard.

Local news outlets in Peru report that more than 50,000 workers took to Peruvian streets in various parts of the country yesterday to protest the ongoing shutdown. Many countries have figured out how to let their gambling industries begin to open, as long as they comply with certain health protocols, but Peru is still ignoring the possibilities. Despite the fact that certain casinos, like those in some U.S. states, have had to backtrack as new COVID-19 cases mount, there has still been a lot of progress made since this past July.

At the beginning of this month, Peru’s National Chamber of Tourism sent a letter to the country’s then-president, Manuel Merino, asking that the casino industry be allowed to reopen, citing health protocols and measures that had been established by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. Merino never responded and, as the country became gripped with protests over what was seen as a lack of support for the people, he resigned less than a week into his tenure. His predecessor, Martin Vizcarra, didn’t do a much better job, and was ousted in a major bribery scandal that hit the country.

Speaking to local media, a spokesperson representing the frustrated casino employees, Johan Escalante, asserted, “We’re already in compliance with protocols. All betting rooms have been adapted to comply with the guidelines established by the Ministry of Health and by Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. We already have an approved pre-protocol the [authorities] haven’t published it yet.”

Gaming Industry News Weekly Recap – Week of November 23

The Americas

Nevada continues to come under pressure from the pandemic. A new order passed by Governor Steve Sisolak will force all gambling facilities, bars and restaurants to reduce their capacity down to 25% due to the spike in COVID-19 cases. Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is the favourite for his comeback match. Iron Mike is set to take on Roy Jones Jr in an eight-round exhibition match. Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City has shown signs of recovery in the third quarter of 2020. Figures released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement show that it was the only Atlantic City Casino to post a narrow profit. Responsible gaming remains a hot topic in Iowa. Local authorities have come down hard on DraftKings for not following state guidelines. The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) still has Steve Wynn in its sights. The local body wants to impose a lifetime ban on Wynn following the fallout of his misconduct scandal.

Europe

Swedish gaming authorities have been forced to revise their COVID-19 strategy. Land based casinos have been forced to shut early in the face of a surge in cases. U.K. National lottery operator Camelot posted near record sales in the first half of the fiscal year. The U.K. operator generated sales of £3.85b in the six months ending September 26. Europe has yet to take full advantage of the benefits of integrated resorts. The SIGMA Europe conference tackled the question on how the European market can embrace the benefits of larger integrated resorts. France’s online gambling market continues to shake off the pandemic cobwebs. Figures released by France’s Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) gambling regulator show locally licensed online gambling operators generated combined revenue of €405m in the three months ending September 30.

Stats Perform agrees six-year partnership with GVC Holdings for official WTA tennis data

Stats Perform has reached a six-year agreement with GVC Holdings, soon to become Entain plc and one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming operators, to provide a new and exclusive, official WTA tennis data service enabling in-play bets to be placed across GVC sportsbooks.

The news follows this week’s announcement from the WTA that SportsTech AI leader Stats Perform had acquired the exclusive rights to distribute umpire data from 2021-2026, to collect ultrafast shot-by-shot data across the entire tour, and to produce thousands more live video streams from its expanded tour.

“We’ve long discussed the opportunity with our customers to improve the fan and betting experiences for sports such as tennis through applying our data collection and AI expertise, and are delighted that GVC are aligned with our vision,” said Andrew Ashenden, Chief Betting Officer at Stats Perform.

Jamie McKittrick, Commercial Director at GVC said “the WTA tennis tour is very popular for bettors across our territories and using the best available in-play data means we can offer the best in-play experiences. We’re looking forward to creating a variety of innovative new betting experiences for our bettors. Stats Perform have long been a trusted partner in the delivery of high-quality official data and we’re delighted to extend our partnership across to this new product.”

Thanksgiving Day NFL games give football fans a fun-filled afternoon

It could be said that the NFL games featured on Thanksgiving Day yesterday were not among the most popular ones that could have been selected, but they both still proved to keep football entertained. With COVID-19 keeping holiday plans to a minimum, at least there was a great way to spend several hours watching four teams tear it up on the gridiron. If it hadn’t been for the Baltimore Ravens, there would have been six teams.

The Detroit Lions, featuring Matthew Stafford and his record for most Thanksgiving Day yardage, and the Houston Texans met up yesterday, and the game started with the Lions jumping out to a 7-0 lead a little more than halfway through the first quarter. The Texans responded almost immediately, thanks to their big defensive man J.J. Watt, who snagged a Stafford pass out of the air and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown. As the Lions got the ball back following that embarrassment, they fumbled on the series and the Texans scored another TD – two in about a minute and a half. Before heading to the lockers for the mid-game break, the Lions would rack three consecutive turnovers.

After that, it was a Texans ball game for the rest of the afternoon. Starting in his first Thanksgiving Day game as quarterback for Houston, Deshaun Watson ended his day with four touchdown passes and a passer rating of 150.4, the fourth-highest for Thanksgiving NFL football. Detroit continued to become unglued in the second half, and all the team could do was try to hold on until the clock ran out. By the time it did, they were looking at a 41-25 loss.

The Washington Football Team continues to fight in order to show its appreciation for head coach Ron Rivera, who has been battling cancer. As they took the field against the Dallas Cowboys yesterday, they showed no mercy. The defense sacked Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton three times, intercepted him once for a touchdown and otherwise just had one of the best games it has had all year. The offense did an excellent job, as well, with rookie running back Antonio Gibson recording 20 carries for 115 yards and three touchdowns.

The Industry Eye – Season 8 Episode 2

Ed Pownall applauds Sweden, PlayOJO, whilst furrowing his brow in confusion at GVC and YGAM.

https://youtu.be/W9Rkze3_B4EVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: The Industry Eye – Season 8 Episode 2 (https://youtu.be/W9Rkze3_B4E)

The post The Industry Eye – Season 8 Episode 2 appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

Betcris launch Brazilian betting site as gov’t slow-rolls gambling regs

Online sports betting operator Betcris has launched a dedicated site for the Brazilian market as it waits for the country to finally launch its regulated wagering regime.

On Thursday, Betcris announced the launch of br.betcris.com, a Portuguese-language site that offers Brazilian customers a variety of sports betting and casino options, along with access to the company’s Betcris Arena loyalty program. Site visitors will even find the grinning face of Brazilian football great (and Betcris brand ambassador) Ronaldinho grinning out at them.

Betcris has prioritized its Latin American operations, as evidenced by the official betting partnerships the company signed this summer with the National Football League and Major League Baseball for LatAm markets. But Betcris CEO JD Duarte called Brazil “priority number one” for his company this spring as Betcris signed on to sponsor Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top flight of Brazilian football.

There’s no question that Brazil, with a population of around 213m sports-mad souls, is LatAm betting’s great white whale. Brazil approved betting legislation two years ago but has dragged its feet ever since on determining the appropriate licensing model and crafting the necessary regulations.