The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has given $9 million to the University of Nevada Las Vegas to fund education and innovation related to tribal gaming operations and law. This gift—the largest out-of-state philanthropic gift that the California-based San Manuel Band has bestowed on an educational or health care institution—will support course development and… Read more »
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International gaming testing company BMM Testlabs has appointed Tracy Hecker as director of business development for BMM North America. Hecker brings more than 15 years of gaming experience to BMM Testlabs, including roles focused on client relations, project management and account management at DiTronics Financial Services, where she was national account manager for three years,… Read more »
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Gun Lake Casino, based in Wayland, Michigan, has promoted Virginia Vanderband from director of training to executive director of operational development and training. Vanderband is a citizen of the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi. In her elevated role, she will be responsible for strategic workforce planning activities, including the overall administration, coordination and evaluation of the… Read more »
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Christine Thurmond, a former senior business contributor at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling, has been named the first director of responsible gaming at DraftKings. Thurmond will “lead the expansion of DraftKings’ already robust responsible gaming framework for its iGaming, sportsbook, and fantasy sports products,” according to a DraftKings news release. She spent almost 20… Read more »
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Sands China has reappointed Wilfred Wong as the company’s president in a series of executive moves that saw Grant Chum named chief operating officer and Dylan James Williams assuming the post of general counsel and retaining the position of secretary. Wong, 67, a Hong Kong businessman, has served as president of Las Vegas Sands’ Macau… Read more »
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Wind Creek Bethlehem in Pennsylvania recently announced changes in top management, part of a leadership shakeup in the wake of the casino’s purchase from Las Vegas Sands by Wind Creek Hospitality, a branch of Alabama’s Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Carr, who headed the casino when it was… Read more »
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Novomatic CEO Harald Neumann announced his resignation last month for family reasons, effective immediately. Neumann had served as Novomatic’s leader for the past six years, and led the impressive growth of the European manufacturing giant. He was appointed CEO in October 2014 after serving as the leader of Novomatic subsidiary Austrian Gaming Industries. Although he’s… Read more »
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James Murren, MGM Resorts International’s chairman and CEO, announced in February that he would be stepping down after 22 years with the company, 12 of them as its leader. During his tenure with MGM, Murren oversaw the development of CityCenter in Las Vegas, MGM Cotai in Macau, MGM National Harbor in Maryland, and MGM Springfield… Read more »
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No sports league would have ever been willing to call off a season for virtually any reason. To do so would be to shoot itself in the foot and lead to billions of dollars in lost revenue. However, the coronavirus is proving to be a beast of an enemy, and all sports leagues have found themselves doing the unimaginable. With a lot of uncertainty still surrounding the possibility of getting things back to normal, sports fans can only sit back and wait. Today should have been an epic day for baseball fans, as it was supposed to mark MLB’s Opening Day. COVID-19 squashed those plans, but the league has figured out an alternative that it hopes will be received well by fans. Welcome the first-ever MLB Opening Day at Home.
Starting at 8:30 AM Eastern Time (ET) today, MLB will be providing reruns of baseball games for each of the 30 teams in the league. The games are available on MLB.com and the league’s social media channels, and MLB explains on its website, “All games will be streamed on MLB.com, as well as through one of MLB’s social media channels, on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, and by using the hashtag #OpeningDayAtHome, fans can connect with each other while watching their team’s selected game at a set time. In addition, on MLB Network, you can watch classic Opening Day games all day, beginning at 1 p.m. ET with Derek Jeter’s first Opening Day in 1996, and ending at midnight with Tuffy Rhodes’ unforgettable three-homer day for the Cubs against Doc Gooden and the Mets in 1994. Meanwhile, ESPN2 will air a Home Run Derby marathon beginning at 6 p.m. ET, starting with Pete Alonso’s 2019 triumph, followed by the derbies from 2018, ’17 and ’15.”
It probably would have been better kept a secret, but MLB already let the cat out of the bag. Each game is designed to showcase a team; therefore, the game will obviously be one that has that team as the winner. Still, it will be a great opportunity to catch up on highlights and see some incredible plays while stuck at home with nothing else but afternoon soap operas and talk shows on TV.
MLB is also taking advantage of the opportunity to try to source funds for several charities that are supporting coronavirus victims. The league, along with the MLB Players Association, has already donated $1 million to Meals on Wheels and Feeding America, and will contribute $30 million to different ball clubs so they can pay their employees. During today’s game schedule, MLB will be promoting the charities, as well as others, in an effort to find additional contributions.
Today is March 26, and you know what that means, right? It’s the start of the MLB season! All 30 teams should be taking the field to play America’s favorite pastime.
But they won’t be.
Major League Baseball is doing everything it can to keep baseball starved fans entertained on March 26, airing classic baseball games for all 30 clubs, and making the 2018 and 2019 seasons free on MLB TV.
But that’s not much help for sports books. We all know how these games ends, and it offers nothing to gamblers and baseball fans who want something fresh. For all of us hoping for some promise of normalcy in the near future, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred joined Scott Van Pelt on ESPN:
It’s a time for helping others, and Serbian Esports producers Relog Media are doing more than their bit, hosting a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament with a difference.
The Esports data providers GRID have teamed up with Relog to put on an event called Home Sweet Home (use the hashtag #HomeSweetHome on social media) where the series has a massive prize-pool of $320,000.
All the action takes place across eight weeks from the end of this month, with the first tournament dates confirmed as March 31st to April 5th. As you might expect, all the action takes place online, with 16 teams playing in each tournament, with $40,000 in cash up for grabs in each weekly event.
With the final tournament likely to take place between the best eight teams, more information is to be provided on that in the next few weeks once the action gets underway.
The NBA started it all. The league would have been happy to allow games to continue while the coronavirus battle was being fought elsewhere, but, when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus earlier this month, it started a chain of events that would lead to all major sports organizations canceling their activities. There’s little doubt that leagues are desperate to get things running again, as they stand to lose more than $12 billion combined, and fans would like to have something to see other than news coverage on COVID-19, as well. Fortunately, if things go well, the wish may be granted sooner than expected.
The NBA is closely monitoring what information is being distributed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and would like nothing more than to see the agency give the all-clear. This is most likely not going to happen anytime soon, though, especially as some states are reporting an increase – not a decrease – in suspected coronavirus cases. Still, the league is exploring alternatives and would not be opposed to seeing some limited hoops action later next month, but no one should expect fans to be allowed to attend.
The issue is bigger than just the NBA and its desire to put players back on the court, though. Ultimately, neither team owners nor league commissioner Adam Silver can make the final decision. Some jurisdictions across the country have implemented restrictions that limit any type of gathering, in some cases, of ten or more people. This automatically disqualifies any sporting event from being held in that jurisdiction.
At some point, sports activity will pick up again and, according to several sources, May is a more optimistic goal. Realistically, though, regular action that includes basketball fans being able to watch games in person most likely won’t start until June, at the earliest. A more depression notion exists that doesn’t see games getting underway until August or September, but there’s little chance things will have to be delayed so drastically.
Esports has always been driven by the fans, but with this week’s Dota 2 WeSave! Charity Play Tournament, not only has the action been something to give pleasure to gaming fans all around the world, but money has been raised in the fight against Coronavirus. If the health professionals have the passion and attention of Dota2’s phenomenal fanbase, then COVID-19 will shortly be flamed into the abyss.
You can watch Dota2’s crowning glory as the finals all take place in the next couple of days, with some of the best teams in the world of Esports coming together to play some incredible best-of-five events.
Virtually every great Dota2 team has been present in the charity tournament, but the clash between Team Liquid and Nigma is the match many fans have been looking forward to. These two have massive history.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkKwFyXku4Y?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
While football is suspended indefinitely, many fans thoughts have started out being focused on those who have contracted Coronavirus, and how quickly they have overcome the virus. From the Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, to Zlatan Ibrahimovich, there are dozens of players who have contracted the virus and the sport has seen every major league now suspended after the Australian leagues closed down today.
It’s got so serious that the World Health Organisation (WHO) have put out a new video showing football fans – and anyone else – which five steps you can take to prevent Coronavirus.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTl-5AjDb48?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
There have already been a great number of touching, humorous and helpful videos featuring footballers arriving in cyberspace during these worrying times. Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti called up reached out to a Toffees fan called Mark who suffers with Motor Neurone Disease and who had been living off Netflix for a few days in isolation until he got a surprise call:
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
The oldest player to win the NFL MVP Award was Tom Brady in 2017 when he won it for the third time in his career. Of course, those all came as a member of the New England Patriots. Last week, Brady left New England in free agency for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have never had an NFL MVP or really even come close – shoot, they have never had a true franchise quarterback until now.
Could Brady in 2020 become only the second player to win the award four times, joining former rival Peyton Manning (5)? Considering Brady will be 43 when the season begins, that’s very, very unlikely but he’s only +1400 to do it. Brady will have arguably the best receiving duo he has ever had in Pro Bowlers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, both of whom exceeded 1,000 yards receiving a year ago with a much more inaccurate quarterback in Jameis Winston.
Speaking of receivers, one has never won the NFL MVP Award, which is moderately surprising considering some of the historic seasons put up by the likes of Jerry Rice, Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones
Everybody with an ounce of common sense knew this was coming. As most of the world shelters in place and watches anything semi-interesting on Netflix, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics stubbornly refused to admit they might have to postpone their July 24 start date. But a series of dominos quickly fell, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the Olympics will be postponed to 2021.
In a joint statement with the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, the IOC recognized that the continuing spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus made a July-August event reckless. “In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community,” they wrote.
To safeguard the health of the athletes and everyone involved in the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will now take place no later than summer 2021.
“My marble is faster than yours!” It doesn’t sound like much of a taunt, but in the age of people being desperate for sports and events to bet on, you may be hearing these kinds of comments on a more frequent basis.
Sports network and many sportsbooks are looking for events to try to keep the action going. Sports fans can now enjoy marble racing, sign spinning, and stone skipping.
ESPN has already jumped into the fray, bringing back The Ocho, a show that was inspired by the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. The Ocho will bring back a whole group of obscure competitions, like wiring a shack.
But without major league sports to bet on, what is the average gambler going to enjoy? Marbula One is here for your entertainment pleasure.
Some periods of domination in the English Premier League, or 1st Division as it was called before the 1992/93 season were a complete surprise. Manchester United’s lackluster 1980’s followed by the hiring of a fairly unknown Scottish manager constantly erroneously referred to as ‘Alec’ Ferguson might not have provided many with the hope that here was a man who would dominate the English game for a quarter of century, sweeping up 13 Premier League titles. Managing in the Japanese J-League might not have heralded many to pronounce the professorial Arsene Wenger the new Messiah at Arsenal, though he changed the game.
One man who did come to the Premier League as someone fancied to change the fortunes of the club he was joining was one Portuguese manager, who came from F.C. Porto. Jose Mourinho was the new Chelsea manager, taking over from Claudio Ranieri.
If there was a result that symbolized what Mourinho would bring during the season, it was the opening one, as his Chelsea side drew Manchester United as their opening opponents. With another 1-0 win away at Everton and a 2-2 draw at Arsenal, Mourinho’s Chelsea blueprint was clear for fans of both his side and others to see:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Ml3K2mRYY?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
By far the biggest news around the NFL so far this offseason came last Tuesday when it was reported that arguably the greatest quarterback in league history, Tom Brady, was leaving the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He officially signed a two-year, $60 million deal on Friday.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
Yes, Brady left a team he had led to nine Super Bowls and six championships since his first season as a starter in 2001 for a franchise that has six all-time playoff victories, one Super Bowl, and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2007 – the second-longest current drought in the NFL behind the Cleveland Browns. Shocking isn’t a strong enough word.
Even though Brady will be 43 by the time the season kicks off – assuming there is one in the wake of the coronavirus crisis – and that he regressed a fairly significant amount in 2019, the Bucs took a huge jump in the odds to win Super Bowl 55, and now sit at +1200.
Even before the coronavirus disrupted global sports activity, eSports had attracted major attention and had exploded as a multibillion-dollar industry. With COVID-19, it has gained a lot more ground and has become the go-to alternative for sports fans, as well as for some sports industries. Still, there are those who would argue that it isn’t possible to view video game competitions as a real sport, but the real world is proving them wrong. High schools and universities in various countries have already established eSports as part of their official extracurricular programs, and the legitimization of the activity was just taken to a new level in New Zealand. The New Zealand Esports Federation (NZESF) has been recognized as an “official” National Sporting Organisation by Sports New Zealand, the government body that oversees sports in the country.
NZESF, a not-for-profit eSports initiative, is part of the larger, International eSports Federation. It has been trying for several years to receive recognition by the government as a legitimate sport, and has finally reached its goal. Sports New Zealand (SNZ) reportedly wrapped up an assessment of the group recently, and approved it as a sports organization at the end of last week.
With the acceptance of NZESF, there are now reportedly 21 countries across the globe that have approved a national body for eSports. The president of NZESF, Ben Lenihan, is excited about the future of the activity with the approval of SNZ and asserted in a statement after the announcement was made, “We are absolutely thrilled with this decision by Sport New Zealand. Recognition of the NZESF as the official National Sporting Organisation for esports is a key step in moving esports forward.”
Receiving approval is more than just a simple recognition of eSports; it brings with it a lot of legal and regulatory advantages that will help propel the industry even further. The legitimization in New Zealand paves the way for visas and tax statuses, regulations for the distribution of prize money, education resources and more.