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The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, a group of legislators from states with legalized gambling, has come up with a proposal of standards which could potentially be adopted by states which are on the fence about online gambling legalization. This happens at a crucial point for online gaming in the US, with the bill to restore America's Wire Act introduced to both Houses of Congress. If passed, a categorical ban on online gambling will be placed at the federal level. The standards proposed by the council shed a different light on the issues related to by the opponents of online gambling in the US. The legislators consulted with New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement which has been dealing with online gaming since legalization in the state last November. Geolocation Laws One major concern voiced by online gaming opponents has to do with geographical gripes, with technologies breaking the physical boundaries between states. For that, the council proposes the forming of clear geolocation laws which would prevent any gambling outside the state - these will be based on the existing laws used by Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada. Underage Gambling Another major is the potential threat for children and teenagers to get drawn into online gambling. The council proposes the installation of protection measures which will bar children and teenagers from online gambling, actively saying that this can be tackled technologically. Credit Card Issues More payment methods should be made available for players in stats which legalize online gambling. This is due to the many problems encountered with credit cards in New Jersey online casinos since these started accepting players. One major proposal is the establishment of a broad framework for states which adopt legal gambling. The council will convene again to discuss the recommendations next month in San Diego.
The 45th Annual World Series of Poker 2014 tournament will kick off Tuesday, May 27th, taking place at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. With the legalization of online poker in the state of Nevada last year, this year marks the first time when players can play both live poker and online poker at the event. This has driven WSOP to integrate the live poker experience with the online poker experience found on WSOP, this according to a media call officials from WSOP made. An Ambitious Undertaking WSOP players will be able to try and secure a seat for the Main Event through a variety of price tags. Bill Rini, head of online poker at WSOP, has said he anticipates another 100 or so Main Event seats which will be awarded until its beginning on July 5th. According to Rini, satellites of nearly every flavor would be available on WSOP, including $5k heads-up Sit 'N' Go satellites. The schedule is quite ambitious, especially when looking at the online next-day satellites planned at WSOP: These are scheduled to target events which will run at the live tables at the Rio the following day. The Grind Room WSOP has revealed that a room equipped with computers, WiFi networks and other means will be made available during the events, to let players play online poker while they're in a live poker event. The online events will be set to coincide with the live action events, like online turbo tournaments which will be interlaced between dinner breaks at the live tournament. WSOP officials said players are welcome to bring their laptops and other devices to the event. Online banking will also be available at the live cashier, with service both for deposits and withdrawals.
Sports betting has become a multi-billion Euro part of the sports/entertainment industry. Never in history has the range of bets that can be placed on various sports and on different platforms, been as wide-ranging as in its current form. Expectation is that this upward trend of sports betting will continue. With such vastly increased betting activity, opportunities for match-fixing by unscrupulous parties becomes ever-more possible. Where Does the Money Go? The authors of the EU report attempted to set down the rights of sports organisers, in relation to sports betting operators and assess the merits of a betting right. They also looked at the example of France, where sports betting operators must obtain the consent of sports organisers to offer bets. Part of the remit of the report was to try and understand the phenomenon of match-fixing and how gambling on sports events might be better organised to alleviate what is a significant Europe (and world)-wide issue. One of the principle findings of the report was that the corollary of a regulated betting scene where money flows from sports betting operators, through organisers to benefit the grassroots, was unproven. Conflicting Interests The EU report highlighted its concern that a "sports betting right" would not be sustainable for the less popular and visible sports. It argued, "for most sports organisers the financial return would be insufficient to cover their own integrity costs." The report also mapped out that, "It is not evident that safeguarding the integrity of sports events constitutes the principal rationale of the French right to consent to bets." There were also concerns about anti-competitive monopolies being established as well as an unjustified restriction on the free movement of services within the EU. Positive Response The Secretaries General of the EGBA and ESSA as well as the Chief Executive of the RGA welcomed the report's findings, stating that a sports betting right had been shown not to safeguard the integrity of sports events as had been intended - and that there was shaky legal basis on which to try to implement it within the EU.
Australian game developer NextGen Gaming, subsidiary of NYX Gaming Group, has announced the launch of its popular video slot Foxin' Wins for Gala Coral. The game will be made available in over 1,800 Coral betting shops spread across the UK, with instant availability also in online and mobile formats. Speaking about the launch of Foxin' Wins, NYX commercial director David Johnson expressed his pride at the partnership struck between his company and Coral, and the ability of both companies to produce a day one multi-channel launch across land based terminals, mobile and online formats. According to Johnson, the land based version of Foxin' Wins features a modified math model for the UK slots market. Johnson expressed his belief that Foxin' Wins will replicate its online success. e-Gaming director at Coral, Mark Kemp, had this to say on the practical launch of the partnership: "This extension with NYX Gaming Group means we can support our aim of having the best online & mobile games like Foxin' Wins exclusively in our shops, so our customers can play the best slots games in all of our channels. Customers will also be able to use our multi-channel wallet Connect when they play Foxin' Wins in shops and any other channel. We are excited to have achieved a true multi-channel launch from day 1 and look forward to more releases with NYX in the future". More Slots to Come The launch of Foxin' Wins kicks-off the extended partnership between NextGen and Coral which will see a significant number of additional NextGen slots made available in Coral's services in the future, including the company's hit video slot 300 Shields.
It's all change, though with more than a hint of as you were at Bally Technologies, with the shock announcement that Ramesh Srinivasan is leaving his role as President and CEO - to be replaced by the returning Richard Hadrill. What's Behind the Mystery Move? Hadrill left his role as CEO 17 months ago to take on the challenge of Chairman of the Board at Bally, while Srinivasan, as the new President and CEO oversaw the acquisition and integration of SHFL. He was thought to have performed more than capably, especially given that in a sector that has witnessed falling revenues and profits, Bally has returned very healthy results for its shareholders. No official reason has been given for the departure of Srinivasan, who has worked at the company since 2005. On his departure he said, "I am very proud of our wonderful team and what we have accomplished together during the past nine years at Bally. I am confident that the Company is extremely well positioned to build on some fantastic opportunities." - leaving us none-the-wiser as to why he left. Support from the New CEO David Ronbins the new Chairman of the Board thanked Srinivasan for his nine years of service, while helping Bally to transition - in particular his implementation of business systems that have in part helped to make it an industry leader. He was also excited that Hadrill was returning to his former role as CEO saying, "Dick's depth of knowledge about our Company and our industry is unparalleled," adding, "he is uniquely qualified to lead Bally through its next era of growth." Hadrill himself was bullish about Bally's immediate and longer-term prospects, acknowledging the company has some truly exceptional up-coming opportunities. He emphasised the global nature of the attempt to encourage further growth. What Does the Future Hold? There has been speculation in the industry that this could be a stop-gap appointment at Bally and that anything less than better-than-expected results could encourage shareholders to seek a new-CEO for the medium-to-long-term. Only time will tell.
Pennsylvania is one of a number of states considering legalizing online gambling, following in the footsteps of Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey. However, lawmakers seem to have differing opinions on whether or not to move ahead. Those that do want to move ahead with legalization need to move quickly, as the state's final budget is due on June 30, 2014, and if there is no amendment for iGaming, it will not be included.Ups and DownsIn April, there was an online gambling hearing that took place in Pennsylvania, and the results sounded quite positive. However, there lacked a sense of urgency, which showed analysts that legislation for online gambling in 2014 was a far cry away.A week after the hearing, though, the legislature heard findings from the online gambling study they had commissioned way back in December 2013, which was also very positive. Analysts then thought that 2014 might indeed be a possibility. Of course, one of the main benefits that the report was the potential revenue from online gambling, which was estimated to be as high as $300 million. Advantages and DisadvantagesOpponents to online gaming, such as Representative Bryan Cutler, claim that online gaming will simply take money away from land-based casinos, not create a new market. Proponents of online gambling say this is simply not true. Moreover, representative Mike Sturla pointed out that online gambling revenue could be easily tracked, which means that the state would be able to see whether players report all their earnings (and of course, all earnings need to be taxed). He added, "Someone winning small amounts of money at a casino on, say, slots, may not file taxes, but such winnings could be tracked with online gambling."
This past Friday saw the launch of the PokerStars Canada Cup at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal, Canada. This massive poker series consists of twelve events, taking place between May 16 and May 28. The main event will be held on Thursday, May 22; the standard buy-in is $3,300 and the buy-in for high-rollers is $10,400. The best part - a guaranteed win of $2 million. As you can imagine, this series is only for serious poker players!Playground Poker ClubOpened in 2010, Playground Poker Club has quickly gained a reputation in the poker world for its large events, hefty prize pools and luxurious amenities. It is located less than twenty minutes south of downtown Montreal, making it very accessible to any poker player who wishes to participate in the PokerStar Canada Cup.Playground Poker Club ambassador Jeff Gross commented, "Playground has to be one of my favorite venues in the world to play cards. These guys have the formula down to a T."EventsThe PokerStars Canada Cup launched with a $150 No-Limit Hold'em Reentry event with four entry flights and a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. Then, in addition to the main event, other events will include a $330 Pot-Limit Omaha/No-Limit Hold'em mixed event and a two-day $550 Pot-Limit Omaha Three Lives event. Rounding out the series will be the popular six-max and eight-max No-Limit Hold'em formats as well as a $300 Bounty event.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has announced that it will pull its support for online gaming regulation in the USA. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, AGA president and CEO Geoff Freeman said that the group can no longer support online gambling as the casino industry in America has become too divided on the issue. This, according to Freeman, has rendered online gambling "an issue that the association cannot lead on." Freeman did not sound very pleased with the decision and its causes, adding: "One of the things I've learned in this industry is we are extraordinarily competent at shooting at one another". Freeman stepped into the shoes of the AGA presidency in April 2013, replacing long-time chairman Frank Fahrenkopf who served in the position since the group's establishment in 1994. Freeman's cadence saw the AGA shift its position on online gambling from impassiveness to an active fight for legalization, so this latest twist comes as quite a shock to many. A Loss of a Strong Ally While the statement does not mean that the AGA will oppose online gambling from now on, it does mean the group will be withdrawing from the debate and its lobbying activity to further online gambling regulation across the US. The AGA is the casino industry's top lobbying group on Capitol Hill, consisting of some of the industry's titans such as Caesars Entertainment, Boyd Gaming, MGM Resorts and Las Vegas Sands, with the latter strongly opposing online gambling, its CEO Sheldon Adelson vowing to spend whatever amounts it takes to fight online gambling in the USA. While it remains to be seen what's in store for the fight to regulate online gambling in the USA, there is no doubt that it has lost a strong ally with AGA's withdrawal.
HSBC in Malta has disallowed the use of their credit cards for online gambling due to the concern about unauthorized gambling. Additionally, agents of Maltco, Malta's lottery organization, have been told to use another bank. David Hall, the group public affairs manager of HSBC Malta, commented that the bank is acting based on legal advice, and in actuality, the bank stopped authorizing gambling transactions a year ago. Customers, however, did not report any problems using their HSBC credit cards on gambling sites until about a week and a half ago; specifically, one customer reported having problems depositing funds at the William Hill site. Surprisingly, many customer service representatives at HSBC did not know about the bank's new policy regarding online gambling transactions. Hall said that the representatives were contacted by the bank's credit card hotline, but only one employee was aware of the new change. When asked why HSBC Malta did not issue a public statement about their new policy, Hall said that they did not see the need. "We did not issue a press release on the ban. If you have an illegal site and you put out a notice saying you won't allow transactions involving an illegal site, it would be perverse." Online Gaming in Malta Malta has been licensing online gambling sites since the year 2000, and the Lotteries and Gaming Authority is responsible for the governance of gaming in Malta and developing policies. A Malta License is respected throughout the online gaming world, and its online gaming industry continues to thrive.
A series of flat horse racing events will take place this evening over at Sandown Park, which will be transmitted live on Winner Sports with a wide selection of betting opportunities. There will be 6 races in total with the action beginning at 5:55pm UK time sharp as the 5 furlongs Dynamix British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes commences. Dynamix British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes (5:55pm) For this headline race there are two outstanding favorites at Winner Sports: The two year old Russian Heroine with 11/8 odds on Win or Each-Way and the two year old Zuzinia who finished 6/9 in Warwick two weeks ago, in a 5f class five chase. Russian Heroine's premiere race last week in Windsor saw the horse finish positioned 2 out of 6 in a 5f class 5 five chase. In addition to racecard bets, punters can place forecast bets on this race. The Mezzanine International Handicap Stakes (6:30pm) The British Stallion chase will be followed by the 1 mile 6 furlong Mezzanine International Handicap Stakes race pitting 8 horses. Competing in this are some strong favorites like Poker Gold with 28/1 odds on Win or E/W, Alzammaar with 14/1 and Template with 13/2. Punters are also able to place Forecast and Tricast bets for this race. The Mezzanine handicap chase will be followed The Waterloo Handicap Stakes at 7pm and the Surbiton Handicap Stakes at 7:35pm. After a short intermission, The Breeders Back Racing EBF Maiden Stakes will begin 8:10pm with the last race for the evening starting 8:40pm, The Foxwarren Fillies' Handicap Stakes. Punters can find a variety of betting markets on these. Tune in to Winner Sports, pick your winning horse and enjoy an evening at the races.
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