Category: Gambling

Pennsylvania Online Poker May Go Live by the End of the Year

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This week, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) announced that manufacturers and suppliers will be allowed to apply for online gambling licenses as from April 2. The development follows the state’s legislation last October to pass the legislation to legalize online poker and other forms of online gambling in Pennsylvania.

Poker enthusiasts are hopeful that this implies that online poker games could be a thing by the end of the year if everything goes smoothly. It took so long for lawmakers in the state to agree on the details of expansion that it came as a surprise when they finally settled on a bill and passed it. It will certainly take a little more time before online casinos and online poker become a reality in the state but since the process has already kicked off, stakeholders will have to be patient and see how it all plays out in the end.

The PGCP is yet to announce dates for when online gaming operators will be able to apply for licenses – this makes the timeline a little uncertain but this is probably because the state is also moving forward in other areas of the planned expansion. This includes applications for the Video Game Terminal Operators and Establishments that the board has placed on their website.

The manufacturers and suppliers who will apply for the online casino licenses are expected to team up with Pennsylvania’s land-based casino operators in coming up with internet versions of the games they offer. Sounds familiar? Well, it should – the same model was implemented in the neighboring state of New Jersey which now boasts of $250 million per annum online gambling market.

The PGCB further outlined that the process for the applications involving Interactive Gaming will require the submission of an application after which it will provide instruction on how to be fingerprinted. After the fingerprint results are provided and all the other steps are followed, the application process will be considered to be complete. Also, background checks and investigations will be carried out for each every individual and entity that will be part of the applications.

Online poker will most certainly boost Pennsylvania’s live poker market which presently stands at about $60 million annually but seems to be stagnated.

Iowa Sports Betting Bill Facing Opposition from NBA and MLB

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As it turns out, the state of Iowa has been preparing a House bill that is aimed at legalizing sports betting in case the U.S. Supreme Court lifts the nationwide ban on sportsbetting, but the Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball League are not too happy about it. Both leagues have officially registered an opposing bill against the Iowa House bill.

However, it is more complicated than it seems – the leagues are not actually opposed to the state’s bid to legalize sports betting, per se. Apparently, the real problem is a provision of the bill that points to a proposed “integrity fee.” The integrity does not guarantee the leagues a piece of the profits that will be amassed from sports betting once it is legalized. According to the Iowa Gaming Association, while the leagues are not being forward about it, NBA and MLB are essentially demanding for major league sports fees.

Members of the Iowa casino industry have unanimously pointed out that the fees that the leagues are demanding is not only unrealistic but will also make sportsbooks unprofitable in the long run.

“It would kill sports betting in any state,” said Iowa Gaming Association president, Wes Ehrecke in an interview with a news outlet.

“It is unfortunate there wouldn’t be a good partnership with all the leagues because they will benefit from people watching games and betting on games,” Ehrecke told the news outlet. “But there certainly doesn’t need to be an integrity fee.”

Ehrecke further pointed out that in case the leagues are allowed to have the 1 percent fee that they are asking for, they would be walking away with about 20 percent or more of what is left after pot money is paid out. In addition to this, he also based his reasoning on the fact that 95 percent of the money wagered would be returned to the gamblers, and the remaining 5 percent is divided among the state, overhead expenses, federal taxes and a small share of the profits for the casinos and community groups.

Iowa’s sports gambling legislation is scheduled for consideration today (Wednesday, 7th )and if passed will establish a framework to legalize sports betting on college and professional sports which would then be regulated by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

DraftKings Hoping to Get Into Legal Sports Betting by 2019

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DraftKings has always argued that its business, a daily fantasy sports game where customers play to win cash prizes in exchange for cash entry fees, is a game a skill and not chance – the former being legal and the latter being illegal in the United States. However, for those who have been looking forward to it, the operator is now officially preparing to cross over to the other side with a new sports betting product that they hope to get off the ground by 2019. Hopefully, by that time the United States Supreme Court will have already delivered a ruling regarding the bill that intends to legalize sports betting in the country. From the looks of it, it is likely that the court will rule in favor of New Jersey and abolish the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).

“We’re certainly going to go after it,” DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said in an interview. “I think the Supreme Court — I’m hopeful — will rule that way. You can’t really predict what the government will do, but you have to be prepared.”

“For me, it was always, ‘this is going to happen, it’s just [a matter of] when. We’ll be prepared,” he added.

By branching out from the full-slate, roster-drafting contests that made it the top spot for daily fantasy sports competition the company hopes to achieve the same level of success in the legal sports betting industry. In fact, it has already created a single-game contest which will allow DraftKings’ customers to participate in 2018’s NFL title game. By 2019, DraftKings hopes to have a curved up a solid reputation and attracted enough customer recognition that will be very helpful in securing a portion of the Super Bowl action.

The company will also keep running their daily fantasy sports platform which Robins says will continue to grow, and may even grow faster thus dispelling the need to constantly keep tabs on it. The company thinks that the new venture is just as important as the business they have been running all this while. While DraftKings has always distanced itself from sports betting in the past, it is quite clear that the opportunities that legal sports betting presents are just too enticing to be ignored especially considering the huge revenue potential of the market. After all, it’s business.

Mansion Ventures Into Sports Betting With SBTech

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Renowned sportsbook solutions provider SBTech has unveiled its new sportsbook offering with iGaming operator Mansion Group. The Gibraltar –licensed iGaming operator launched with SBTech’s sportsbook and full platform solution as it makes an entry into the European sports betting market with MansionBet, its new brand. This deal is a pretty huge one for the technology provider as it also comes with such perks as SBTech’s Managed Services that Mansion will have access to alongside the sportsbook platform. The Managed Services solution provides operators with protocols for payment services, compliance and fraud detection, and prevention.

Furthermore, Mansion will be able to access a variety of key tools that will include trading and risk management services, price differentiation, controls for bespoke payouts as well as giving the customer control over their betting limits – this will be through Chameleon360, SBTech’s multi-award-winning iGaming platform. Mansion intends to give a lot more attention to mobile-first products like Action Betting and Add2Bet, both of which are designed to improve the in-play betting experience for the users.

“SBTech’s full platform solution is widely acknowledged as the industry’s leading iGaming product, delivering greater engagement, increased brand loyalty and higher lifetime value to our many clients around the world,” said Richard Carter, the SBTech Chief Executive. “This launch confirms SBTech’s position as the leading supplier of sports betting solutions for the sector’s top operators. We’re anticipating significant growth for all of Aspire Global’s partners, thanks to our expertise in deploying flexible trading and content solutions, with a unique focus on cross-selling from casino to sports.”

Mansion Group chief executive, Karel Manasco, also expressed his appreciation of the all-round strength and flexibility of the SBTech platform. He pointed out that these factors, coupled with the sheer quality of the iGaming provider’s products and the scalability of its solution, influenced the company’s decision to select SBTech as their main provider.

888Poker, Poker Central Partnership Renewed for Third Year

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888Poker continues to be the leading face of American online poker with the extension of the poker operator’s partnership contract with Poker Central for the third year in a row. Poker Central, which is a renowned online poker content hub made the announcement that their huge sponsorship deal had been extended and expanded to allow 888Poker to be the exclusive in-show sponsor of the Super High Roller Bowl that will take place this spring. Furthermore, 888poker will feature, to a very large extent, during several broadcasts of poker events such as the U.S. Poker Open, the ARIA High Roller Series and Poker Masters throughout 2018. The World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker were among some of the most notable events that were not included in the list even though both have partnered with PokerGO before. At the moment, there is nothing but speculation surrounding the choice to leave out both events but a likely scenario is that both prominent series are basking in lucrative sponsorship deals that have effectively taken them out Poker Central’s league. Still, nothing is certain at this point.

“This is our third consecutive year partnering with 888poker, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have them on board for our growing slate of prestigious events. Together, we’re looking forward to further growing the sport by offering more tournaments that poker fans and professionals alike will enjoy,” Poker Central Vice President, Sam Simmons said after the announcement.

888Poker is also quite excited about the renewal and expansion of the partnership – they are showing it by offering reciprocal opportunities to Poker Central. Some of 888Poker’s broadcasted events are owned by Poker Central – these include Poker Masters and Super High Roller Bowl. 888Poker will now be giving gamblers opportunities to qualify for some of the exclusive tournament events through highly sought-after packages.

All Thanks to NBC?

Poker Central’s renewed contract with 888Poker coincides with another huge reveal. NBC Sports Group will be incorporating more Poker Central programming into its US schedule all through 2018. This further applies to both NBCSN’s linear and digital platforms and the programming partnership will run through to 2020.

All of the three Poker Central events that we mentioned earlier will be covered by all of NBC Sports Group’s online platforms and will be available for streaming on internet-connected TVs, tablets, desktops and mobile devices. Tournament dates and broadcast schedules are set to be officially announced later in the year.

Great Times Ahead for Luckbox.com As It Heads to Token Sale

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Luckbox is the latest Esports betting venture that is upping its game with its very own initial coin offering (ICO). Regardless of the fact that Initial Coin Offerings have always been known to be quite stormy, the chief executive officer of the Isle of Man-based startup, Lars Lien is quite confident that the company will not back down from the token issuance endeavor. Being a pro in the gambling space, and having previously worked as part of PokerStars operational team, Lien definitely has a great deal of experience and expertise that will help steer the startup out of the choppy waters of ICOs.

Initially, Lien intended to persuade the PokerStars management to let the renowned casino operator branch out and provide a dedicated Esports offering but this particular opportunity flew out the window when a new owner came along. The primary cause for the dismissal of Lien’s proposal was, however, the emergence of newer and wider developments that had huge impacts on PokerStars as a whole.

“I wanted to build an Esports platform,” Lien says. “And it just so happens that my experience means I have helped to build something unique.”

His dream came true when he joined forces with Mike Stevens, a fellow PokerStars veteran, to finally realize his goals which also included a desire to recreate something that he refers to as the “Scheinberg ethic” of business. In essence, this implies that the two poker pros platform will strive to offer better services and use practices that rise above what regular sports betting operators have to offer. According to them, the Esports betting community is a totally different demographic and thus what Luckbox offers is intended to cater specifically to that population – Luckbox is, by all means, a social experience that features a variety of goals, unlockable achievements as well as nicely implemented social interaction capabilities.

The Token Effort

Already, there are a couple of Esports-only offerings available in the mainstream market with ESP.bet and Unikrn having the largest stakes – like Luckbox, both of them also have opted for the token route as a means of attracting more players and gaining liquidity. While it is definitely a bold move for Luckbox, the decision comes at a time when the whole ICO market is undergoing some major issues. For instance, bitcoin’s vicious fluctuations have had huge ramifications on token markets especially in cases where bitcoin is the buy-in currency.

As it stands, Luckbox has already drawn a larger number of users to buy into LuckCash, its utility coin, and raised about $1.8 million in bitcoin via a private sale. During the February sale, the startup hopes to double down and raised up to a further $20 million ahead of its much-anticipated product launch by the third quarter of 2018. Luckbox tokens were designed with a variety of great features that will leave most of the existing tokens in the dust.

Roger Ver Expands His Online Gambling Site to Accept BCH

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Renowned online casino operator and die-hard cryptocurrency champion, Roger Ver has upgraded his online gambling platform to allow wagers to be made using bitcoin cash (BCH). In September last year, Bitcoin.com, which is Ver’s cryptocurrency portal launched Bitcoin Games – an online casino that used the old Segwit Bitcoin token. Owing to its success, the platform is now branching out in a bid to offer the same services to more cryptocurrency users with its newly launched BCH-powered variation that has been named Bitcoin Cash Games and will feature significantly lower prices than those of its older counterpart.

Ver expressed his confidence in Bitcoin Cash as the core reason for his decision to branch out and venture into an online casino that supported the relatively young cryptocurrency.

In his official statement, he pointed out that “the BCH network and currency has proven itself to be reliable while also offering transaction fees ($0.01 or less) they are practically non-existent.”

This is where Bitcoin Cash has managed to best its older counterpart that is currently the market leader in the cryptocurrency world. So far, the bitcoin fork has managed to hold its ground quite well and it is already making waves in the gambling industry as well as in crypto-trading spaces.

Games offered at Bitcoin Cash Games include provable fair video poker, roulette, keno, blackjack, slots, dice, and craps, all of which feature a 99 percent expected return. The platform further has a referral program that allows players to earn themselves up to 25 percent of the platform’s house edge by enlisting new players.

No registration is required for non-US players using the platform since Ver and company are rather serious about anonymity. The only reason why the US is an exception is the government’s rather paranoid regulations – however, the games are still available to US customers in the form of free-play action.

NBA Expects a Cut Should Sports Betting Be Legalized

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The United States Supreme Court is still chewing over the legality of Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), the 1992 federal law that imposed a ban on sports gambling in the country. However, in anticipation that the ban will be lifted and that sports betting will finally be legalized, a number of states are already laying the groundwork for statutory frameworks in the form of various legislations. New York is among these states and it is where hearings hosted by the Senate’s Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee were held earlier this week, on Wednesday.

It was at this hearing when a top NBA official revealed the league’s thoughts on what they considered to be an ideal sports betting environment. The NBA wants in on the profits amassed from wagers on professional basketball games in the United States. According to NBA senior vice president, Dan Spillane, the league will be taking on “risk that sports betting imposes” and should, therefore, receive the 1 percent compensation of the total amount wagered on the league’s games.

“Without our games and fans, there could be no sports betting. And if sports betting becomes legal in New York and other states, sports leagues will need to invest more in compliance and enforcement, including bet monitoring, investigations, and education,” Spillane told the committee. “To compensate leagues for the risk and expense created by betting and the commercial value our product creates for betting operators, we believe it is reasonable for operators to pay each league 1% of the total amount bet on its games.”

Who Is Buying It?

Well, at least the league is being halfway honest about it. The NBA is very smart and while it may seem like it, the league is definitely not a victim of circumstance in this case. Case in point, it has been the only league that has been very open about embracing the possibility of a legalized-sports-betting future. Seemingly, the true intent was backed by their vision to use sports gambling as a quasi-revenue stream – which makes their logic pertaining to the whole issue quite assailable. Spillane further argued that a similar model was already in place in countries like Australia and France where there is legalized sports betting and the leagues in said countries are compensated.

The fee represents a colossal financial windfall for the NBA, as well as other leagues which are likely to make similar requests if NBA’s is approved. A renowned gaming research firm estimates that in case states where sports betting is legal or will be legalized agree to compensate the leagues, the total annual revenue will be about $2 billion. At the moment, NBA’s proposal is still nothing more than a statement to kick off a negotiation – on Wednesday, it was greeted with a lot of skepticism thus making its future rather uncertain.

Ex-Revel Casino Customers Tell What They Want In New Casino

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Atlantic City’s former Revel Casino failed due to a number of reasons after being in operation for just a little over two years – these included huge debts, a relatively over-saturated casino market in the northeastern United States as well as what can only be defined as a fundamental misreading of their main clientele base.

However, the casino is set to be reopened with a different name under the leadership of Colorado developer Bruce Deifik who purchased it from Glenn Straub for over $100 million more than Straub got it for. With Deifik at the helm of this new project, there are a lot of exciting prospects for the Atlantic City casino market especially because there are a lot of expectations pertaining to the new casino. Former Revel casino customers have been quite vocal about what they expect from the new casino, all of which revolved around five key factors:

The Casino’s Accessibility Needs To  Improve

Revel casino’s layout seemed to be quite an issue for the customers. For instance, the giant escalator that ran from the ground floor to the casino level that was expected to be an eye-catching feature turned out to be rather annoying to the customers. Similarly, navigating through the casino itself was a rather daunting task thanks to the interior layout of the casino floor which ebbed and flowed in several different directions.

The Ban on Smoking

While this would normally seem to be a marketing advantage to the general population where smoking is getting less and less prevalent every year, the gambling population does not really reflect the dynamics of the general population. In fact, it is more likely for gamblers to be smokers than it is for the non-gambling population – as such, many of them smoking gamblers felt that the casino which they were patronizing could at least allow them some room to enjoy a smoke or two. However, there is no official word from the new owners in regards to lifting this ban or at least changing it.

The Food in the Restaurants

Revel casino owned a decent number of celebrity restaurants that would draw legions of loyal high profile customers as well as great reviews from the clientele. The buffet, a casino staple, was however not present and customers were quick to point this out hoping that the matter will be handled before the casino reopens.

The customers want more affordable dining options which may even get better if they bring back some of the customer-favorite eateries.

Initially, Revel casino opted not to have a buffet so as to set itself apart from all the other casinos in its attempt to appeal to the luxurious market of high rollers, financial professionals, and luxury tourists. The management soon came to a realization that that particular market was not large enough to sustain the casino resort.

Entertainment

Revel was already a pretty a popular name among concertgoers who were drawn to it by some of its outstanding features such as the layout and acoustics as well as its marquee events which raised the price bars for the market. Many of former Revel casino’s customers hope to see the return of HQ, the outdoor pool, and day-club.

HQ was one of Atlantic City’s most popular entertainment offerings.

Shopping and Rewards

While a considerably large number of customer revealed that they were happy with Revel casino’s retail outlets, an even more significant number of its former customers want to see more generous offers for all player levels.

Indian Boxer Vijender Singh Joins PokerBaazi as Ambassador

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Poker has been rising in popularity for quite some time in many parts of India with many online poker operators nabbing the opportunity to get a piece of the growing market. PokerBaazi is the latest poker operator that is making tremendous effort to market itself to the Indian poker-playing market through various endorsements with the most recent being their move to sign Indian Super Middleweight boxing champion Vijender Singh.

The signing of sporting figures has proven to be quite an effective marketing method especially in the west where the likes of Neymar Jr, Usain Bolt, Christiano Ronaldo, Boris Becker and Rafael Nadal have represented PokerStars as ambassadors at one time or the other. On a similar note, British former World Super Middleweight champion Carl Froch is currently the PartyPoker ambassador and Brazillian soccer star Denilson is currently representing 888poker. Evidently, the success of the endeavors have attracted the interest of other online casino operators both in the West and the rest of the world – India is just one of them and we should see the trend continue with even more public figure endorsements in the near future. This move is particularly important for markets that are similar to the Indian market where poker is still disregarded because it is not considered to be a game of skill and it is also still illegal. The goodwill that public figures, sports figures, and celebrities attract is rather a big deal when it comes to ensuring that poker is legitimized in the country and that it eventually appeals to the mainstream audience.

In addition to bridging the gap between PokerBaazi and Hindu-speaking states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, PokerBaazi founder Nakivran Singh also believes that Vijender’s sporting background will play a significant role in the campaign to take poker to the next level in India.

“It gives me immense pleasure to welcome Vijender Singh on board as the brand ambassador of PokerBaazi.com. As a professional boxer, he has already won tremendous accolades for India in the past. His reputation as a serious sportsperson and champion will help us in promoting poker as a serious sport that only flourishes on sheer skill and talent. We are looking forward to a long-term association with Vijender Singh,” the PokerBaazi founder said in a January 22 press release.

Why Singh?

After winning multiple medals as an amateur boxer, Singh went ahead to win all of his ten professional fights, seven of which were through knockouts. His success on the global stage made him one of India’s leading sports figures and amassed him a Twitter following of over 3.2 million. While the Indian boxer’s social media presence may not be at par with those of former sportsmen and now poker players like Usain Bolt or Christian Ronaldo, his new deal with PokerBaazi will work in both their advantages – 3.2 million followers is still a pretty big deal.

Singh himself is quite happy with his sponsorship deal saying, “As a sportsperson, it is always an honor for me to be part of campaigns or associate with brands that endeavor to promote sports in the nation. PokerBaazi is doing a great job of utilizing technology and letting Indians play online a game that they adore.”