Tag Archives: igaming

The Secret Coach: United triumph in Paris again

The Secret Coach: United Triumph in Paris Again

Last night, Manchester United travelled to the scene of one of their most famous recent triumphs in Europe, Paris. Having beaten Paris St. Germain on away goals to knock them out of the Champions League two seasons ago, it was poetic justice that United’s first game back in the competition since a year of exile would be against Thomas Tuchel’s side.

We enjoyed the game in the company of The Secret Coach. Last time we spoke to The Secret Coach, they were critical of Gareth Southgate’s England as they lost 1-0 to Denmark. This week, covering the Champions League was a different ball game all together. The Secret Coach knows plenty about the game at all levels, being a professional football coach in English football. Throughout our series of article, TSC will remain anonymous. They’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the game, going through the coaching process, and is currently part of the team at an English league side… and that’s all we’re telling you. They’ll be honest each week about what they see as they see it.

As ever this week, The Secret Coach pulls no punches!

Hills hail ‘robust’ Q3 despite underwhelming online performance

UK bookmaker William Hill is hailing a “robust” third-quarter performance despite fairly underwhelming online gambling gains.  

In a trading statement issued Wednesday, Hills said its net revenue in the 13 weeks ending September 29 was down 9% from the 13 weeks ending October 1, 2019, while its year-to-date group revenue is off by one-quarter from the first 39 weeks of 2019.

The Q3 stats did demonstrate an “encouraging” bounce from the 32% revenue decline the company posted over the first half of 2020, a period that saw the total shutdown of its UK retail division and the suspension of major sports activity due to COVID-19.  

Hills’ online operations, which accounted for two-thirds of its H1 revenue, posted net revenue growth of only 4% in Q3, with the UK up 4% and international online rising 6%.

Continent 8 Technologies moves into Latin American market

Expansion begins next month with launch of cloud solution in Colombia 

 Continent 8 Technologies – the ISP with a global network spanning over 60 locations and a client portfolio featuring many of the world’s biggest iGaming brands – has announced a strategic expansion into the Latin American market.

Gabriel Szlaifsztein, General Manager (LatAm) at Continent 8 Technologies.

It begins with the launch of their cloud solution (which offers a multi-tenanted, scalable and resilient IaaS platform to host customer infrastructure as virtual machines) launching in Colombia in November 2020. The Colombian platform – connected to the ISP’s Backbone Global Network – is based in Bogotá’s free trade zone just minutes away from the capital’s international airport. Offering a fully regionalised product, the company’s Colombian entity will be able to conduct business with local customers in Colombian Pesos.

Betsson pulls eight brands from UK to focus on Rizk, reduce costs

It’s not quite a full Brexit, but Nordic online gambling operator Betsson AB is significantly reducing its UK market presence as it streamlines an overly busy brand strategy.

On Wednesday, the Stockholm-listed Betsson announced that it was reducing its current UK market presence from “nine brands, on three different platforms, and under four licences” to a single brand. That brand, Rizk, was acquired from Gaming Innovation Group earlier this year along with three other gaming brands.

Betsson said the closure of the eight UK-facing brands – Betsafe, Betsson, Casino Euro, Guts, Kaboo, Live Roulette, Jackpot247 and Racebets – would take effect immediately with no further deposits or bets accepted on these sites. Customers have been reassured as to the safety of their account balances and all outstanding bets will be paid out as winning bets.

Betsson will be handing back three of its UK licenses to the UK Gambling Commission, while the now dormant UK brands will be retained for use in other markets, eliminating the need for any goodwill or trademark write-downs.  

IPO Dublin Heading Online at Unibet Poker

Last year’s International Poker Open event in Dublin took place at the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin, the capital of Ireland. However, with many hotspots in Europe on Lockdown – mainland Ireland currently among them – on lockdown or experiencing restrictions that severely hamper the viability of a live poker tournament, the IPO Dublin has been forced online.

Thankfully for all concerned, the IPO is heading to Unibet Poker, frequent sponsor of the event and one of the most popular player-friendly poker sites, with everyone at Unibet creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for their poker festivals whether that’s happening live or online.

The IPO Dublin Main will take place between the 19th and 26th of this month, and hopes will be high that the event emulates some of the success it enjoyed last year.

In 2019, Luke Boynton won the Main Event, scooping up the top prize of €24,450 after a pretty incredible six-handed deal saw all of the top half-dozen players bank a five-figure sum. Sucked to be 7th placed Shawn Morales, of course, but that’s deals for you. 

Europa League Sportsbetting Preview

The Europa League returns this Thursday and will see three English football clubs take part in the action. With Arsenal, Tottenham and Leicester City all in action, as well as both Celtic and rangers, which teams will prevail?

Let’s take a look at the three English sides then give you some of the prices on other teams shooting for glory in the Europa League.

Rapid Vienna vs. Arsenal (5.55pm GMT kick-off) 

The Gunners may come into this game on the back of a defeat in the English Premier League, but a 1-0 narrow loss to Manchester City was nothing to be ashamed of for Mikel Arteta’s men. Having scraped into this competition by virtue of winning their record-breaking F.A. Cup last season, the red half of North London will now be looking at this competition as a possible cup to win in the 2020/21 campaign.

Election Odds: How sportsbooks will decide, and perform, this US election

We’re in the final rounds of this U.S. presidential election, and it’s looking to be a big one. As President Donald Trump fights and scrapes to retain the White House, Joe Biden and his allies are doing everything they can to get him out.

With less than two weeks to go until voting ends, a debate this upcoming Thursday, and a record-breaking Twitch stream from a couple of congresswomen, there’s a lot going on. And there might be even more to come if this debate ends up being a close one. To understand what’s happening, we spoke with our sources at Bodog to see just how big a betting election this would be.

The biggest betting election ever?

According to our man at Bodog, they are seeing all-time high volume for a political event, tripling what they saw for the 2016 election. We asked them how this compares to sporting events of the recent past. “It has potential to be up there with McGregor/Mayweather,” they answered. “Betting on each state, popular vote, senate control have each taken 6 figures in bets – this only occurred by election night in 2016.”

Trouble’s brewing in New Mexico as casino expansion irks tribes

The possibility of being able to pick up as much as $62 million more in tax revenue by allowing more casino options in the state is proving to be too tempting for New Mexico. It wants to expand its gambling industry to give greater access to its racinos, and the inclusion of online gaming options could give the state an additional $15 million in tax revenue, according to some industry insiders. The biggest issue, however, comes from the New Mexico native Indian tribes, who are dead set on blocking any attempt at gambling expansion in the state.

As is the case across the US, New Mexico’s tribes have gaming compacts that give them almost complete autonomous control over gambling. The exception in the state comes via racinos, which are allowed to operate up to 600 slot machines, but only for a maximum of 18 hours per day. With the COVID-19 fiasco, the state and the tribes have seen their revenues fall, and New Mexico wants to greenlight commercial gaming in order to recuperate the losses. 

This doesn’t sit well with the tribes, who argue that any expansion would violate their existing compacts, signed five years ago. These compacts give the state anywhere from 2-10.5% through revenue-sharing agreements, but with the protection that they are allowed gaming exclusivity in their respective regions. New Mexico’s response to this is to cancel the compacts, opening the doors to commercial venues that could offer an unlimited number of slot machines, table games, online gaming options and sports gambling – all with no time constraints. 

The subject came up during a legislative hearing this past Monday, and the tribes reiterated their position that this would not be an acceptable alternative. The governor of Sandia Pueblo, Stuart Paisano, pointed out that expansion efforts are out of the question and hinted at the idea that the move could lead to serious blowback. He asserted in his comments during the hearing, “This proposed legislation presents not only a renewed challenge to our economic security, but a reckless attempt to expand private wealth at the expense of our ability to provide essential government services.”

NASA to give the moon Internet access, SpaceX to give it to Earth

When traveling, one of the top questions asked of hotels is “Do you have Internet access?” Fortunately, for those who are planning a trip to the moon, you can rest assured knowing that the question won’t be necessary. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the U.S., is teaming up with Nokia to put a mobile phone network on Earth’s satellite. That’s certainly going to take a load off of everyone who needs to have connectivity when they visit the orbiting celestial body. At the same time, SpaceX has decided its resources would be better spent targeting Earth, and has put another 60 Internet-geared satellites into orbit. These are designed to offer greater amounts of coverage to both populated and remote areas, and brings to 835 the total number of satellites the company has in orbit around the planet. 

NASA is prepared to give Nokia $14.1 million to install the first cellular phone system on the moon. It will reportedly only be a 4G network (potentially bad news for gamers who love 5G), but at least it’s a start. The network is expected to be used for data transmissions, to control lunar vehicles remotely and to stream high-definition video back to Earth. The ultimate goal is to offer complete voice and video capability to astronauts and others who visit the moon, but could ultimately be made available to those who pop onto the orb for a weekend getaway – when we reach that point. 

Nokia’s chief technology officer, Marcus Weldon, explains, “Leveraging our rich and successful history in space technologies, from pioneering satellite communication to discovering the cosmic microwave background radiation produced by the Big Bang, we are now building the first ever cellular communications network on the Moon. Reliable, resilient and high-capacity communications networks will be key to supporting sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.”

SpaceX, one of Elon Musk’s many companies, has been busy putting up a blanket of Internet access to anywhere the company’s satellites can reach. Starlink satellites are low-orbit flyers that can reportedly provide Internet connectivity at speeds as fast as ocean-based cables, and tests are already being conducted to ensure the network will be as robust as everyone anticipates. If everything goes according to plan, Starlink will provide Internet coverage to about 99% of the planet. According to SpaceX, “With performance that far surpasses that of the traditional satellite internet, and a global network unbounded by ground infrastructure limitations, Starlink will deliver high-speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable.”

Mexico yanks licenses recently issued to several casinos

It isn’t necessarily that Mexico doesn’t like casinos; it just doesn’t like casinos the federal government can’t control. The country’s president, Manuel López Obrador, has been on a warpath lately, targeting the gambling industry and, in particular, casino licenses that had been issued by former president Vicente Fox. Obrador has already stated on more than one occasion that changes were coming to Mexico’s gambling scene, and has already stated that no new casino licenses could be issued until further notice. Now, he’s shutting down casinos after ordering the country’s Secretary of the Interior to revoke their licenses. However, the fight won’t stop there. 

Obrador is mad because two licenses were issued in spite of his proclamation that no new permits could be handed out. Gaming operator Wadcor was given a license to open as many as ten properties through the issuance of a 12-year license, and True Win Group was able to secure a license for one property. Both are reportedly linked to the same company, Atracciones y Emociones Vallarta (Vallarta Attractions and Emotions), which has held casino licenses in Mexico for years. 

The president’s ire comes from the fact that the company was able to secure the licenses after taking its case to court, where a judge reportedly signed off on the requests. Obrador told the Secretary of the Interior, Olga Sánchez Cordero, to revoke the licenses, explaining, “Although I instructed that no new casino permits be issued, [the operator] managed to obtain licenses because it appealed to the courts, but I have now ordered that such permit be revoked. I requested the Secretary of the Interior to handle the matter and she has just told me that the licenses will be revoked.”

There is apparent dissension in the ranks, as well as an attempt to see who is more stubborn – the president or the casino operators. Obrador has taken a hardline stance against corruption at all levels, especially in the government, and isn’t going to be willing to roll over and give up on his ideals. He said last month, “We want no more casinos to open and no more permits to be granted that began during Vicente Fox’s administration… We are not going to grant such permits. Some licenses may have been issued but that is because we need to clean up the government, and we have been doing that for a long time now, but we are not done yet.”

Tabcorp continues to feel the COVID-19 pressure as revenue slides

Tabcorp, the Australian racing and gambling operator, saw a changing of the guards this past July with the announcement that chairperson Paula Dwyer and CEO David Attenborough would be stepping down. Their involuntary exits from the company are coming as a result of reported slower revenue, which has been caused, in part, by the still-ongoing COVID-19 fiasco. Before the coronavirus upended the gambling scene, however, Tabcorp had been on a path of growth, but this was reversed in 2020. According to a trading update just presented yesterday, the company saw a 5.7% drop in revenue for the quarter, with the gaming services segment reporting a 55.2% decline.

The gaming services activity wasn’t the only one to suffer in the third quarter – Tabcorp’s revenue from lotteries and Keno fell 6.9% from what had been reported a year earlier, and “wagering and media” dropped 2.9%. Overall, for the last six months of 2019, the company had seen a net profit of $140.1 million and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $420.4 million, which had been an improvement over the same period in 2018. That followed a first-half improvement that recorded a 4.4% year-on-year revenue gain. 

Attenborough, who is expected to hand over the company’s reins next year, remains positive that the only reason for the decline is COVID-19, and that Tabcorp is otherwise running strong. He confirmed that UBET customers, following a merger between Tabcorp and Tatts Group from 2017, are now fully integrated into the company’s TAB platform, which is expected to give the company as much as $67 million by the end of the 2021 fiscal year, and added, “The duration and severity of COVID-19 is unclear, however Tabcorp remains well placed with our resilient, diversified earnings base and strengthened balance sheet.”

Dwyer also took advantage of the attention given to Tabcorp and its financial reporting to provide her final statement as company chair. She said, “It is sobering to remember that the onset of COVID-19 followed the devastation of the National Bushfires,” reflecting on what has been a devastating year for Australia’s national psyche. In our response, the company offered its support to the relief effort through a number of actions, most notably donating the proceeds of a one-off Saturday Lotto Bushfire Benefit Draw, which exceeded $1.9 million. On behalf of the leadership team, I would like to thank our people and our industry partners for their resilience, dedication and creativity in the way they have stepped up to meet the significant challenges and respond to the rolling disruptions and uncertainty.”

Gamesys bounces back from a slow start this year to see big gains

Online gambling company Gamesys Group got off to a slow start this year, seeing its income slip in the first quarter against increased revenue. Since then, however, it has turned things around, despite having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic like everyone else. Thanks to improved performances across all of its operating segments, the company saw an increase in revenue in the third quarter of 2020, and expects to finish the year on an even higher note. 

According to a Gamesys trading update just released, the company saw its total group revenue increase by 31%, reaching $247.24 million. This was due primarily to organic growth in its operations, buoyed by stronger gains virtually everywhere it is active, including the US, the UK, Asia and Spain. While the company didn’t go into detail about each segment, the latter country provided a great deal of support, as the company introduced its Monopoly Casino brand to the Spanish market, allowing Gamesys to boast of it being “one of the most successful new brand initiatives in the history of the group.”

The company explains in its statement, “There have been notable operational highlights during Q3, including good momentum demonstrated by ‘Monopoly Casino’ in Spain, which has proved to be one of the most successful new brand initiatives in the history of the Group. In the UK, another new brand ‘Rainbow Riches Casino’ continues to deliver impressive growth since its launch at the end of 2019 and recently won ‘Best New Slots Site’ at the WhichBingo Awards 2020…The Group has made a good start to Q4 and, although it is still early in the period, trends are so far broadly in line with those experienced in the first nine months of FY 2020.”

The boost in Asian activity helped, as well, driven by the introduction of Intercasino JP to the Japanese market. It was the second brand the company rolled out in the country, and is billed as a “straight-shooting” solution with a “dedication to excellence.” Despite the country having a love/hate relationship with gambling, Gamesys has been able to attract a market that continues to show more support for iGaming options.

Sahara lawsuit against VitalVegas thrown out

The Saraha Las Vegas has egg on its face after having its defamation lawsuit against VitalVegas thrown out. The casino was suing the blog for speculating the property may shut down.

Scott Roeben, the man who runs VitalVegas.com, celebrated the decision on Twitter, retweeting his lawyer:

Current mood: Elated, exhausted and thankful. Anti-SLAPP motion granted today—Sahara’s frivolous defamation lawsuit was dismissed. Props to superstar-at-law @MarcoRandazza and big thanks to everyone so supportive during this saga. Free speech is worth the fight. https://t.co/CZTXCVOxHN

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 20, 2020https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Alessandro Valente: Brazil an easy entry point to LATAM

Latin America continues to be a market rich with potential according to Super Affiliates co-founder Alessandro Valente. Valente has proven track record of success in the LATAM region and he took some time out to share his insights on how to acquire LATAM players in a chat with our very own Becky Liggero Fontana. 

Despite the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in South America, there continues to be considerable interest in the region according to Valente. The Super-Affiliates co-founder has seen a recent influx of new affiliates in the market, “which is very healthy and it shows that Brazil is coming up in everyone’s mind and the strategy.”

Valente believes that as a new market, Brazil offers some cultural advantages to affiliates as opposed to the challenges that they may find setting up in other parts of the world. “Brazil has a very easy-going situation when it comes to cultural differences. It’s not like Asia that is completely alien to most of the Europeans.” 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUt08_N6B5c&w=1225&h=480]

Isle of Man provides blockchain clearance for operators

Gambling operators got a bit more digital asset clarity from one of the industry’s prominent regulating districts. The Isle of Man has published its guidance on digital assets and token activity, starting to reveal how they will regulate blockchain activity.

The Isle of Man Financial Services Authority (IOMFSA) has decided to take a technology “neutral approach.” The primary way they will decide on what works and what doesn’t is a “look to the substance of the activity being undertaken rather than the form.”

The IOMFSA noted in their guidance paper:

“1. it will regulate entities undertaking activity with cryptoassets and tokens that have the characteristics of securities or electronic money to the same extent as if they were issued in other forms, and

If Game 1 of the World Series is an indication, this could be a sweep

The first game of the 2020 World Series is in the bag, and the stage is already being set for a possible sweep. The LA Dodgers are facing off against the Tampa Bay Rays in the National League (NL) vs. American League (AL) showdown, and last night’s Game 1 was about as lopsided as they come. The Dodgers were able to control virtually the entire contest and, if they keep the same pressure on, this World Series could end after just four games. 

It would take four innings before the game began to see any runs on the board. Thanks to a stellar mound performance by Clayton Kershaw and some even more impressive moves by Mookie Betts, the Dodgers made the 8-3 victory look easy. Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, made up for a weak postseason by turning up the heat last night, giving up only two hits, eight strikeouts and one walk. One of those hits turned into a home run before Kershaw bowed out after six innings, but he had already done enough damage to the Rays to make a comeback virtually impossible.

All eyes were on Betts to lead the Dodgers to a win and he didn’t disappoint. A solo home run, another score and two stolen bases in a single inning helped put LA on top, and Cody Bellinger drove home the Dodgers’ position as the leading NL team with a two-run home run. Justin Turner and Max Muncy contributed to the win, as well, putting up doubles that brought players around to home plate for a bigger Dodgers advantage. As an added bonus, the first stolen base by Betts was enough for Taco Bell to honor a bet it made. It promised to give everyone a free taco if a base were stolen during the game, and there will most likely be a rush on U.S.-based Taco Bell restaurants today. 

Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow had a little difficulty, but still managed to put up some impressive numbers, including eight strikeouts. It wouldn’t be enough, though, and the Dodgers forced him to expend more energy than he would have liked. Glasnow would be taken out after five innings when the Dodgers continued to find his pitches, and he’ll have to rest a while now. For Game 2, the Rays are hoping Blake Snell can keep the Dodgers’ bats away from the ball. 

Habanero one of first to go live in newly regulated Germany

Supplier launches with Löwen Play following social casino success 

Tuesday 20th October 2020 – Premium slots and table games provider Habanero has staked its claim in Germany as one of the first suppliers to go live under the jurisdiction’s newly regulated framework. 

The provider’s immersive social casino offering has already proved popular in the country, having recently debuted earlier this year in partnership with Löwen Play GmbH.

Germany-based players can now also enjoy Habanero’s acclaimed real-money games catalogue, shortlisted for both SBC and EGR awards, which launched in the territory on October 15th, the day that its online gaming market formally opened. 

Buzz Bingo appoints Harry Lang as Marketing Director

Former Pinnacle, Mecca Bingo and Foxy Bingo experienced marketer Lang will be responsible for brand and player acquisition across retail and digital business

20 October 2020: Buzz Bingo, the U.K.’s largest retail Bingo operator with a dedicated digital output BuzzBingo.com, has appointed Harry Lang as the company’s Marketing Director.

Harry brings with him over 15 years’ experience specifically in the field of online gaming. He is a welcome addition to boost further the brand’s existing marketing team; his role specifically will be to focus on driving forward customer acquisition in both the retail and digital business plus the brand overall.

Over his extensive career, Lang has led the marketing strategy and delivery for numerous brands including WMS, bwin.party, Mecca Bingo, Foxy Bingo and Pinnacle.

Professional Fighters League and ESPN unveil 2021 regular season schedule with opener on April 23

The 2021 PFL Regular Season, Playoffs and Championship to Air on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+

NEW YORK (October 20, 2020): Professional Fighters League (PFL), the first organization ever to present MMA through a Regular Season, Playoffs and Championship format, today announced that the 2021 PFL Season will begin April 23 on ESPN2. The remaining Regular Season events will take place on April 29, May 6, June 10, June 17, and June 25. PFL will begin its 2021 season a month early as the league makes its anticipated return to action.

 

“We’re thrilled to announce an early start date for the 2021 PFL Season and we look forward to building on the positive momentum experienced in a historic first season on ESPN,” said PFL CEO, Peter Murray. “In 2021, the PFL will deliver an elevated, immersive, and interactive fan viewing experience incorporating expanded, real-time fighter data and analytics from our proprietary SmartCage technology, behind-the-scenes access, the return of ref cam, and more. Our champions return looking to earn another title, while a fresh crop of exciting new fighters will challenge for the top spot in MMA. Additional contenders will be unveiled in the leadup to what we believe will be the biggest season in PFL history.”

Kevin Martin folds the nuts live on Twitch

There have been many occasions where poker players have folded the best hand. In a heads-up duel, or against multiple opponents, any player in the world can be bluffed off a hand and figure they’re beat even when they’re not.

There’s no shame in it… unless it’s the nuts.

The nuts is the term that refers to the best hand available at that time, and no player should ever be folding the best hand when they know that it cannot be beaten at that time.

There have been other examples of players folding the nuts, one of the most infamous being Phil Ivey folding a winning flush on his way to the World Series of Poker Main Event final table. Another incident in recent memory is Phil Laak, who folded the nuts during a long cash game that saw him battle sleep deprivation as well as other professionals. Sleep got him, though Kevin Martin can’t make that claim when he was filmed for his Twitch stream folding the nuts.