Tag Archives: the daily vice

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.

AG nominee Lynch unlikely to reverse Wire Act opinion

President Barack Obama-nominated, as the next attorney general, Loretta Lynch said that she likely wouldn’t alter the Justice Department’s opinion that the 1961 Wire Act only applies to sports betting.

During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary last month, she was asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham, who sponsored the Sheldon Adelson-backed Restore America’s Wire Act (RAWA), whether she was familiar to 2011 Department of Justice opinion to the 1961 Wire Act. Lynch said that she was familiar with the opinion but hadn’t studied in detail.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, has reintroduced the “Restoration of America’s Wire Act,” or RAWA, which would restore the effective ban on Internet gambling by rolling back the legal landscape to what it was before the Department of Justice issued its opinion.

In a follow-up written response, Lynch further explains her views to the Senate Judiciary Committee saying that if confirmed, she would review the 2011 memo from the department’s Office of Legal Counsel that reinterpreted the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, the federal law that restricts the transmission of wager information.

“It is my understanding, however that OLC opinions are rarely reconsidered. Unless in the course of my review I conclude that OLC’s interpretation of the Wire Act is unreasonable, I do not intend to take any action to suspend or revoke the opinion. I would, of course, welcome the opportunity to work with you and other Members of Congress to address concerns about online gambling through legislation,” Lynch added.

She was also asked if she thinks it is appropriate for OLC “to effectively open the door for the states to offer Internet gaming without involvement of the Congress, the public, law enforcement, and state and local officials?”

Lynch answered, “OLC exercises the Attorney General’s authority to provide the President and executive agencies with advice on questions of law. Because OLC helps the President fulfill his constitutional obligation to take care that the law be faithfully executed, it is my understanding that the Office strives to provide an objective assessment of the law using traditional tools of statutory interpretation.”

Global Poker Conference North America 2015 coming this February 27

The Global Poker Conference North America 2015, which will be held on February 27 at SLS Hotel, Beverly Hills California, United States, is a one day North American Poker Industry summit that is held together with its sister event—the Global Poker Conference: Europe—which will be held on March 25th at the Portomaso Marina Hilton Hotel, St. Julians, Malta.

The goal of the diverse conference is to give poker world representatives more easily discuss and address trending industry topics, offer them a place to network and become more tightly inter-connected, and discover the Global Poker Index’s many new and existing initiatives. The conference will be held at the same time as the American Poker Awards for North America and European Poker Awards for Europe.

The Global Poker Conference is set to be held in two tiers – with one leg in conjunction with the American Poker Awards in North America and a second in conjunction with the European Poker Awards in Europe.

Participants will have a chance to meet players and tournament organizers, to networking with new prospective projects and partnerships between poker rooms, tournament tour/ event managers, and industry stakeholders, to gain knowledge on new technologies to better equip professional cash games and live tournaments to operate more effectively and more seamlessly and to hear more of GPI’s latest updates and many new industry initiatives.

One of the highlights of the event is being col-located with the American Poker Awards to celebrate the achievements of players, industry operators, and personalities within the thriving North American poker scene.

For further information about the American Poker Awards and the Global Poker conference, please visit: http://www.americanpokerawards.com

Click here to register.

Online Poker – Unleash the Niche

The term ‘niche market(ing)’ is extremely overused in online gaming.  I find that ‘niche’ is a pretty term to jump behind when struggling to explain this industry to others. In poker specifically, I can think of every conceivable niche being attempted. The copycat – innovation – abject failure cycle has been fast and furious in poker. Seriously, what didn’t the industry try?

Let us not forget that:

Poker is a game that someone else created.

Poker wasn’t invented by PokerStars or anyone else in the industry for example.

The savvy companies and individuals in poker that have been successful are so because they have found their respective niches within poker as a whole.

The online gaming industry is worth billions of dollars. It is not going anywhere and is growing. Based on this gaming growth chart, the outlook is pretty good. I wanted a second source, so this business insider article confirms that the gaming industry in the USA is worth 240bn.

For perspective, the National Hockey League (NHL) is about to set a record with 3.7bn in revenue.

EastEnders Change Face of Novelty Betting

The biggest whodunit in UK television history draws to its conclusion this Thursday, as EastEnders celebrate their 30th Anniversary. The “Who Killed Lucy Beale” storyline, which started on Friday April 14th 2014, took an exciting turn today, as EastEnders producers at BBC Television, showed the rest of the television world how to use social media in mobilising their viewers.

Ten whole months and three days of clues, twists, turns, teasers and red herrings sees the BBC EastEnders’ social media campaign step up a gear as the shows producers make the unprecedented move of distributing a Facebook (852 x 315) cover image showing the list of suspects along with the arrow pointing to the fans profile picture: “I know who killed Lucy”.

Thursday’s hour-long episode will contain live segments (BBC 1 @ 7:30 – 8:30) which finally concludes the long running whodunit in a much-hyped big reveal. The reveal is followed in true “whodunit” Columbo style by a prerecorded flashback show, with live inserts, which details the last 24 hours of Lucy’s life.

The EastEnders PR machine has set the finale up beautifully, and singlehandedly brought betting to an entirely new audience, yesterday BBC NewsBeat editorial pushed: How to throw a ‘Who Killed Lucy Beale’” party in which they suggested having a punt on the outcome.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an EastEnder push the boundaries by bringing soft gaming to a wider mainstream. On 8th September 2010, it was announced that Barbara Windsor would front a TV campaign for Jackpotjoy as the Queen of Bingo, Babs, EastEnders’ matriarch Peggy Mitchell is best known for the iconic scene in Carry On Camping in 1969, where her bikini top flew off during outdoor aerobic exercises.

Move Over X Factor – Watch BBC TV, Learn How it’s Done!

In the lead up to the 100% live episode on Friday, tonight, tomorrow and Thursday ’s big one hour reveal show are set to contain live segments, supported by live tweeting from character Tamwar Masood (played by Himesh Patel), with live segments clearly indicated by the hash tag #EELive in the corner of the screen. Viewers will engage and interact with the characters, and each other on a scale never previously accomplished.

World Poker Tour Fallsview: Title No. 2 for Anthony Zinno

Photo Credit: Bluff.ccom

Anthony Zinno captures the top prize of $399,579, and his second World Poker Tour Main Event title after defeating Mark Bailey, in heads-up action, at the Fallsview Poker Classic.

Anthony Zinno is a two time World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event champion.

The 33-year old from Cranston, Rhode Island, overcame a field of 419 players to take the CAD$399,579 first prize, after a tough heads-up encounter, with Mark Bailey, that lasted 75 hands.

He looked every inch the winner. The shades, the suit, the tie; with nearly twice as many chips as his nearest rival, Corey Hochman, one could say he was confident. And why not? He was a WPT Champion. Now he’s done it twice.

“Everything has been going so well,” Zinno told the WPT after his win. “It’s a combination of blessing, luck and hard work. The win is huge for me.”

When the action started it was a case of ‘Falling From View’ as both Erik Cajelais and Jeremy Halaska were eliminated in the first two hands of play. Zinno would have been particularly glad to see the back of Cajelais. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner is a tough opponent. But it doesn’t matter how big your guns are. If you get it in with A2 v A8 you are going to end up on the losing end more often than not.

“PokerStars Are a Strong Ally,” Says Caesars Exec.

Caesars Entertainment Corp. have decided to let bygones be bygones and form an alliance with PokerStars as they ready themselves for the next wave of Sheldon Adelson engraved bombs.

When PokerStars woke up on Valentine’s Day they would have expected a lot of cards. Not from Caesars Entertainment Corp. though.

But, that’s exactly what they got.

It’s been a good few weeks for PokerStars. They have walked away from a series of gaming awards with more gold than B.A. Baracus, and they have found some new friends on U.S soil.

The Rincon and Pala Bands of Luiseno Indians, and the United Auburn Indian Community have softened their stance on the so-called ‘bad actor’ provisions that are the only reason Americans aren’t fiddling with PokerStars buttons on American soil right now.

It’s positive news.

The trio were amongst the 13-tribes who supported a 2014 bill that would have kept PokerStars out of the American action. Perhaps, people are starting to realize that although PokerStars may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to take a bit out of the Indians.

Content Marketing Tip of the Week: Develop Personas

theMediaFlow Managing Director Nichola Stott gives an overview on Developing Personas in this edition of CalvinAyre.com’s Content Marketing Tip of the Week.

This content marketing tip is really useful for helping you define your editorial style and brand voice (which was a previous ToTW), resonate with your reader and expand your readership.

By creating personas you can really immerse yourself into the reader. You may have a very typical audience or perhaps two or three strong types. Try giving an audience type a name and personify them. For example we might have a “Dave” who reads our horse racing content:

Is he married?

Does he have kids?

Where does Dave go of an evening? To the gym or a pub?

Flesh out this persona and write for this person to really help shape your style and tone of voice.

Best Affiliate Program Newcomer Award Goes to CasinoCruise

London, England – February 17th 2015 – Casino Cruise received the highest honour in online gaming for its Affiliate Program at the recently held iGB Affiliate Awards 2015. Scores of contenders were vying for the Best Newcomer Affiliate Program Award, but it was to be a night of celebrations on deck at CasinoCruise.com. Hosted at the posh Stamford Bridge, Chelsea Football Club in London, the iGB Affiliate Awards brought together the biggest names in the iGaming affiliate community.

This is the 8th such iGB Affiliate Awards ceremony, where well over 500 key players from the online gaming affiliate community congregate to recognise and reward excellence and innovation in online gaming. The iGB Affiliate Awards is unique in this sector of online gaming and this year’s ceremony was streamlined for online gaming companies to enjoy maximum coverage at the highest level.

The 2015 iGB Affiliate Awards offered multiple enhancements for a smoother and more enjoyable evening of celebrations. CasinoCruise made it onto the shortlist of Best Affiliate Newcomers. Following the decision of a judging panel, CasinoCruise was selected as the overall winner of that category. The black tie evening featured the acclaimed entertainer Tom Stade, a three course dinner and a late night after party.

The judges decided that Casino Cruise offers patrons maximum efficiency and performance in its affiliate program. One judge added, ‘…this is precisely how to build and execute a new [affiliate] program and the results Casino Cruise has garnered to date are testament to that. This iGaming provider is an interesting new proposition for affiliates and it holds great promise. It offers a good range of languages, currencies and products. Together with some creative marketing opportunities, affiliates have something new and fresh to promote.’ Lloyd Apter, an iGaming Account Manager heaped praise upon CasinoCruise for being a reliable online gaming provider with great ethics and rapid affiliate payments.

Casino Cruise graciously accepted the award from the judges, ‘We are absolutely delighted with this fabulous award. We work hard in providing iGaming excellence at all levels. The Best Affiliate Program Newcomer Award makes us especially proud of what we’re doing behind the scenes to ensure the highest possible standards of excellence for our affiliates.’ CasinoCruise offers 600+ games from multiple gaming providers including Microgaming, Nyx, Net Entertainment, Play ‘n Go and Vivo. Games span the full spectrum of Vegas-style titles including blackjack, roulette, slots and progressive jackpot games.

Ronna Shilon is the Affiliates Director of CasinoCruise based in Malta.

Michelle Orpe: The New Face of partypoker UK Social Media

Michelle Orpe: The New Face of partypoker UK Social Media Video

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Mongolia casinos to target Chinese, Russian and Japanese gamblers

Mongolia is set to become the latest Asian jurisdiction to hop on the casino bandwagon as the country attempts to diversify its economy. On Feb. 12, Mongolia’s Cabinet Secretariat approved draft legislation that would authorize the construction of two casino projects targeting Chinese high-rollers.

The Mongolian Ministry of Finance told Reuters that parliamentarians would have the opportunity to vote on the bill this week. However, the timing of the Lunar New Year celebrations makes it likely that the vote will be delayed until after parliamentarians return from their new year’s holiday.

This isn’t the first time Mongolia has attempted to pass casino legislation but the previous bill was annulled in 2010 over concerns that casinos would increase corruption. The new bill was crafted after careful study of casino laws in France, Singapore, Korea and the United States.

The new casinos would be privately owned and operated. No building sites have been officially designated but a member of the working group that crafted the casino bill suggested somewhere near the Khushigt International Airport, which two Japanese firms are currently constructing outside Mongolia’s capital Ulan Bator.

Like many other Asian nations, Mongolia doesn’t intend to allow local residents to gamble in its casinos. The Ministry of Finance plans to rely on a steady stream of gamblers from China, Russia and Japan, which an unidentified official at the ministry called “some of the biggest gamblers in the world.”

Despite Beijing’s public criticism of other countries luring its citizens to their casinos, Cambodia believes it can benefit from the increased visa restrictions imposed on Chinese visitors to Macau. Chinese with valid passports can already enter Mongolia without a visa and visas aren’t required for visitors from Russia and Japan.