Showing results for: ""
London's White Hart Lane stadium is the venue for today's first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final between home team Tottenham and Sheffield United (19:45 UK time). Pressure on Tottenham Currently ranked sixth in the Premier League table, Tottenham's performance has improved its overall performance lately. Specifically at home, Tottenham has been scoring a lot of goals with the talent of Nacer Chadli, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen. Fans and journalists are curious whether Emmanuel Adebayor will finally make his comeback today, and if he will how that will affect Tottenham's game. Spurs are definitely not expecting an easy ride at home, but they know that if they let it slip today, it'll get much harder next week at Sheffield: this is why the pressure is almost exclusively on them. Kyle Walker who knows Sheffield United his former club well, warned his teammates that they are up for an "ambush" next week if they can't win today. Sheffield Could Surprise Sheffield has already proved that it is indeed very much capable of tackling challenges from the Premier League. The Blades beat QPR 3-0 at the FA Cup back in the beginning of the month. Sheffield has had many meetings with clubs from the Premier in the last year; this is the team's second cup semi-final in one year as they were beaten 5-3 by Hull City in the FA Cup semis back in April. Sheffield is able to use the advantage of having most of the pressure on Tottenham today. Tottenham are favorites due to the standings, but differences between leagues vaporize usually in the cup games. Look for goalscorers Marc McNulty, Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Michael Higdon who netted three in the Capital One Cup competitions. Live Betting Winner Sports is offering a wide range of in-play and pre-match betting markets on today's semi-finals. Full time result odds had 7/20 on Tottenham, 7/1 on Sheffield and 9/2 for a draw. Log-in today and make your bet count.
The Czech Republic is turning up the heat on unlicensed gambling companies operating sites within the country. The Ministry of Finance revealed a new plan on Thursday to levy these unlicensed companies with a tax that will make up for the estimated profit loss to the government through these sites. That figure is estimated to be £17 million annually. Operators in the Czech Republic are scrambling to seek legal advice and see what this actually means for their companies; some think it might not be worthwhile to pay the tax, and will pull out of the Czech market altogether. The proposed plan is only in the initial stages, but should this motion be passed into law, unlicensed operators will face a tax of anywhere between 20%-30% on their profits. Betfair’s Reaction to Proposed Czech Tax Betfair general counsel Martin Lyčka confirmed that the passing of an unlicensed gambling tax could see Betfair and many of other firms leave the market. "If next year the Ministry chooses a new strategy, it is likely that the big players including Betfair could leave the Czech market and stop accepting bets," Lyčka said. Another spokesperson from Betfair commented that the company was in the process of reviewing the tax proposal, and though the operator has no “immediate” plans to leave the market, it certainly considers the country’s tax rate to be “too high." Czech Licensing Requirements As of now, one of the current licensing requirements in the Czech Republic is that the company must establish a physical presence in the country. However, last year the Czech Republic had announced plans to amend its current licensing requirements to enable companies to gain a license without having to meet this requirement. This would enable more remote companies to gain licensing. The new tax is also another step in encouraging operators to obtain licensing; but the costs might just be too high and end up driving them away.
Last week has seen speculations running rampant on the issue of online gambling regulation in South Africa and its future. In this article we will try to address the general unclarity of the situation with the info that is out in the open. The Remote Gambling Bill It began when discussion on the Remote Gambling Bill on online gambling regulation was scheduled for February 2015, when South Africa's parliament opens again. Democratic Alliance Parliament member Geordin Hill-Lewis, who also serves as shadow minister of trade and industry and is signed on the bill, expressed his optimism that this time it will go through. Hill-Lewis said he believes that the government will engage the issue properly as its interaction with online gambling so far has been superficial at best; the parliament member believes that his bill gives the government a possible solution. Hill-Lewis has received the backing of the Casino Association of South Africa (CASA) which issued a message of support. These days, CASA is running a nation-wide campaign highlighting the perils of unlawful online gambling. Speculations Perhaps Too Optimistic It seems that this optimism expressed by Hill-Lewis was taken a little too far by some as reports announcing that online gambling is going to be legalized in the country have started popping up. The backlash of these reports has brought South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to issue a joined statement with the National Gambling Board (NGB) which reaffirmed the government's opposition to online gambling and its regulation as proposed by the shadow minister. "Online gambling, or what others refer to as remote gambling, is not allowed in SA, and the National Gambling Board together with other law enforcement agencies will act on this illegal activity with immediate effect," said the statement, continuing to warn perpetrators of the punishments they face which include hefty fines and jail time. It was made clear that "Online gambling is not desirable and the DTI has raised its objection to the proposal by the Democratic Alliance to legalise online gambling. There are a number of social ills associated with gambling, especially online gambling which occurs in unregulated and unsupervised locations." Adoption of Europe Models Hill-Lewis was not surprised by the government's statement but highlighted how the DTI speaks of "social ills" related to online gambling: "There are also social ills associated with alcohol, but it is legal," he said. Despite the strong opposition, Hill-Lewis said that he hopes to change the minds of the DTI, although his bill will be discussed at the Parliament and is not up for the national government to decide. Perhaps South African lawmakers could look at the possible adoption of European online gambling regulation models, namely the recent amendments to the UK bill which show that a supervised, regulated online gambling market is not a distant utopia. We'll keep following the situation in South Africa and bring you relevant developments as they come.
Swedish online casino software developer Net Entertainment is releasing its brand new slot today, Tornado: Farm Escape. The game will be available in both desktop and mobile versions on NetEnt's signature Touch portfolio. Have Yourself a Tornado Holiday From the looks of it, Tornado: Farm Escape has all it needs to go down in NetEnt's hall of fame, with its comical theme and nifty features. Built on the classic 5-reel, 3-row, 20-payline structure, Tornado: Farm Escape takes place in a farm which was hit by a raging tornado, but there's a twist! The farm's animals are happy to take a break from their tough farmer who looks in awe as the animals pack their bags and get on to ride the tornado for a holiday. This is when the players come into the action as they are swept into the eye of the tornado to spin the reels to the happy sounds of a fast banjo. The symbols are represented by different objects such as suitcases and sofas and the happy animals themselves, including a TV wild and Hot and Cold symbols. The stormy weather comes into play in the slot's special features. Tornado Feature The Tornado Feature is activated when Hot and Cold symbols appear simultaneously on reels 1 and 5: The symbol appearing in the second row of the center reel turns into a tornado which looks to collect all other appearances of the same symbol on the reels together with any wilds. During the feature, the reels keep on spinning until the tornado symbol is out – players get wins for every symbol collected and the maximum payout is a whopping 167,000 coins. Storm Feature The Storm Feature starts randomly during spins when a thundercloud appears and randomly travels along the reels, generating wilds which substitute symbols on the reels to create the highest winning combinations on the bet lines. Where to Play Tornado: Farm Escape will be available at leading NetEnt-powered online casinos such as Casino Cruise, Slotty Vegas Casino and Tivoli Casino.
Online casinos are on the forefront of adapting to the mobilizing world, where more and more players are looking for better and faster ways to play on the go. One particular step that's becoming more prevalent with online casinos is transitioning from traditional mobile versions to offering actual real money casino apps. Apps Instead of Mobile Sites With the advent of mobile as a whole, internet sites were made accessible to people's mobile browsers with special mobile-ready sites – a practice used by online casinos as well. As smartphones became more popular with apps filling every function, sites developed specific apps for users to browse through their content smoothly and easily. Lately, online casinos themselves have started coming out with apps that offer players an enhanced mobile version much closer to that they can access on a desktop. The Legality of Gambling Apps But as it seems to always be with the over-suspicious world, the publishing of gambling apps in the popular app stores has gone through different obstacles due to legality concerns and bureaucratic foot-dragging. Perhaps one of the most relevant manifestations of these legality issues can be demonstrated in Apple's removal of the William Hill and Ladbrokes mobile apps from the App Store just two weeks ago. While the apps were restored quickly along with other sports betting apps that were removed due to what Apple called an "admin error", this comes to show that online casino apps are still subject to "special attention". But with positive winds in regulation such as that in the UK, players can use real money betting apps from online casinos so long as these are licensed; at the same time, players from a country where gambling is restricted would not see the app in the different app stores. Accessibility and Quickness – Main Keys While it's probable to assume that it'll take more time for app shops, players and online casinos to make the complete change into mobile apps, this is undoubtedly the future. Players look to utilize to the max the performance and abilities possessed by smartphones and tablets nowadays. Winner Casino's new mobile app is a good example and pioneer for what's to come in the future. Available for both iOS and Android devices in the App Store and Google Play, Winner Casino's mobile app is installed in a jiffy to offer players real money online casino games, slots, sports betting and live dealers. There are also special promotions such as unique welcome offers specifically for app users, something which we can expect to see in other real money casino apps in the future.
White label products are an interesting aspect in the world of online gambling. The term itself comes from the world of marketing and refers to a product that one company has created which is sold to another company which rebrands it for its own use. White Label in Online Casinos White label products can be found in many markets and industries, the iGaming industry included. One example is software developer Playtech which is a major white label product provider. The white label product in this case is essentially a quick solution for parties that are interested in opening an online casino or an online sports betting site easily. The white label product company provides the customer with everything they need to get a site up and running – the customer's responsibility is left with the branding and marketing of the new site. SkillOnNet is another major developer responsible for online casinos leaning on white label products across Europe. The bigger the company, its partnerships and licenses, the higher the white label customer can aim. In this case of online casinos, both Playtech and SkillOnNet are prominent names in providing white label products. Specifically SkillOnNet will be showcasing its white label solutions in next month's ICE Totally Gaming Expo at London (stand N6-222). Online Lottery Also in the Picture White label products in the iGaming industry are not limited to online casinos and sportsbooks only. One good example is the Gibraltar-based company Lottonetix which will also present at the ICE Totally Gaming Expo (stand N7-538). Lottonetix has recently teamed up with prominent online lottery platform company Kootac, setting their sights on delivering customers with a complete package within lightning-fast delivery times: in 10 days, clients can already get their online lottery site up and running. Lottonetix's solutions are an exciting peek into the future of the white label world, and that is apparent when one looks inside the package that they are offering. Customers get everything from the integration of 12 languages and multi-language customer support to access to six of the world's biggest lotteries such as Mega Millions, Powerball and Euro Millions. This is added by professionally designed themes, a flexible suite of payment methods and a full mobile version: essentially everything one needs to get the show on the road.
At long last, the popular messaging app WhatsApp is now available in a web version. WhatsApp users have been waiting long for the possibility to access the app through their desktops/laptops, something which was made available a few months ago by competitor app Telegram. Browser and Platform Limitations However, there are a few limitations which can be considered pretty big. Currently, the web version is available only via Google's Chrome browser. The bigger limitation is that iOS users cannot access the web version due to what WhatsApp called "Apple platform limitations". The web version works with Android, Nokia S60, BlackBerry and Windows devices. In order to connect themselves, users simply need to connect to a designated site via their Chrome browser and scan a QR code to get things going. Of course, the latest WhatsApp version needs to be installed and the phone needs to stay connected to an internet source for the web client to work. Windows 10 Updates In other happy tech news, Microsoft has announced yesterday that its new OS Windows 10 slated for release later this year will come as a free update for users of Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 Phone. The update will be free in the first year of release, and prices of the new OS are yet to be revealed. Among the other updates in Windows 10, users will find functionality tweaks such as the return of the Start button which will be available in full screen mode, improvements to the notification center and an overhaul to the UI. Also coming to PCs is Cortana, Microsoft's digital assistant who can be interacted with via text or voice queries. Online Gambling Apps in Windows Specifically in the case of Windows 10, we might see the integration of online gambling apps in the future as Microsoft focused on apps when it switched to Windows 8. This option is more likely seeing that real money casino apps from the biggest online casinos and operators, like Winner Casino, are overcoming the hurdles and appearing in Android and iOS app shops.
The Australian Open is already past the first two rounds and round three gets started tonight at midnight in the UK. The action thus far has been some of the best tennis to have been seen all-time with games exceeding all expectations. The world's best players continue to impress and the young guns are proving to be quite exciting to watch. Who's Got the Advantage? Rafael Nadal breezed by his first two opponents, proving that he is again in form and could easily wind up in the Aussie Open Final. Nadal is hitting the ball well and is once again a lightning bolt on the hard court leaving his opponents shaking their heads in dismay as the Spaniard hits winner after winner. That's not to say that his last match was a pushover, in fact, Tim Smyczek took Nadal to five sets but ultimately Rafa was too good for the young American. Dudi Sela is an Israeli tennis star. He is now ranked 106 in the world and is no stranger in playing the top ranked players in the world. Sela surprised everyone when he beat Likas Rosol, the 28 ranked player in the world in four sets, but now faces the toughest game he will likely play in Australia against Nadal. Dudi Sela is an interesting player to watch. When on his game he can prove a lot to handle for any player in the world. It could be the night for the Israeli star to shine, but more than posing a slight problem for Nadal, Rafa has this game locked up. Expect Nadal to win this match in the end but not before Sela takes him to his limit. Live In-Play Betting Bet365 Sports has rolled out the live in-play coverage and betting for this match, and punters are urged to watch the game interactively to try and make some lucrative cash. Rafa is the favorite tonight but it may be wise to place some strategic bets on Sela throughout the second and third sets after he gets in the game.
iGaming has made huge steps in Europe during 2014, with many countries blowing the dust off regulatory bills which have been stuck for years. The benefits of this industry which can yield billions pushing lawmakers to let people gamble online in their countries. Regulation State of Affairs in Romania While online gambling in Romania was technically regulated back in 2010, the lack of regulatory and monitoring bodies prevented iGaming to grow in the country. Following the presidential elections of 2014 which saw candidate Klaus Iohannis of the Social Democratic Party win, the country's National Office for Gambling put into force a move to completely regulate online gambling in the country through an emergency ordinance. Under the new laws, Romania has amended the licensing fees and allowed for a temporary gambling license of up to three months with possible expansion up to six months, in order to promote tourism. Romanian Players and Online Casinos Despite the regulatory difficulties, there are many Romanians who normally play at Europe's leading online casinos. Below is a list of select safe and regulated online casinos which are especially popular with Romanian players. bet365 Casino bet365 Casino's name precedes it as one of the most famous online gambling brands. Its international and all-European appeal has led bet365 Casino to offer Romanian players a site fully available in their own language. bet365 Casino's fine gaming collection is built of games from different software developers, giving players a diverse experience while being able to play slots, jackpots, traditional casino games, live dealers and more. 888 Casino One of the net's prominent online casinos, 888 Casino has many awards and crowns to its name due to its experience and wealth of games including those which the casino has developed in-house. 888 Casino caters specifically for Romanian players with full compatibility in Romanian and support for payment methods which are comfortable for Romanian players. Slotty Vegas Since it was established in 2014, Slotty Vegas has become popular with many European players. One of the major attractions at Slotty Vegas casino is its supercharged winnings which pay players more on top of their wins – that's correct for every single win. Going along with a killer combination of NetEnt and Microgaming games, Slotty Vegas is a hit among Romanian players. Casino Cruise Many Romanian players can be seen onboard Casino Cruise, a casino that takes its luxury cruise ship theme very seriously. A VIP-for-all experience is an inherent part of Casino Cruise with its huge collection of over 600 games, nifty promotions and European-trained customer service staff. BETAT Casino BETAT Casino's experience and professionalism is appreciated by players who also enjoy this casino's high customer service standards. Coupled with an impressive gaming collection composed of titles from leading companies such as Microgaming, NetEnt and Leander, BETAT Casino has also rightfully earned a place in Romanian players' hearts. EUCasino EUCasino distinguishes itself by its soothing blue EU-inspired theme, indicating that this is the place for European players although it appeals to players from other continents as well. EUCasino is available in Romanian and it caters to the needs of players from Romania who get access to an ever-expanding collection of games including new slots added every week, live dealers, jackpots and a packed promotions calendar to go with.
Unlike the special administrative region of Macau, gambling is largely restricted in mainland China. In fact, one of the only legalised activities is to play the nation’s various lotteries, of which sports lotteries and welfare lotteries are two of the most popular. In 2014, the total lottery sales in China amounted to $61.5 billion, which represented an increase of 23.6% on 2013 sales. Key to the increase last year was the presence of the 2014 World Cup. Compared to the previous year, December 2014 sales of sports lottery tickets had increased by 31.3%, while there was growth of 10.9% for the welfare lottery. Recent Inspection Conducted While conducting an inspection of China’s provincial admin centres overseeing the lottery, the National Audit Office checked that all funds were being used correctly. But another concern of the office was that unauthorised lottery operators might be benefiting from the public’s appetite for lotteries. Following the wave of inspections, letters have been sent from the ministries dedicated to finance, sports, and civil affairs with a specific directive: shut down all unlicensed lottery operators. A timeframe of 1 March 2015 has been assigned to the provincial admin centres of the lotteries. Severe penalties have been threatened for operators who continue past that date. Furthermore, the government has also promised severe punishment for any administrative staff who have failed to act effectively. Limited to Chinese Citizens At present, the Chinese lotteries are only available for Chinese citizens. However, this has limited the growth of the potential prize pools because the number of people buying tickets is not as large as it could be. China only currently has two operators handling online lottery sales. Transparency has been an issue of complaint for Chinese residents, who demand to know the winners. They want to know that the funds are being won by real people, rather than being retained by the government instead. China vs World The appeal of online lotteries is that they make lotteries around the world accessible to international players. Now, a resident of Australia is not limited to local lotteries, he can buy an online lottery ticket to lotteries anywhere in the world. However, the online lotteries in China are restricted to Chinese citizens and are not open internationally. Players who wish to buy tickets for international lotteries will still not be able to access the Chinese market.
Blackjack
Slots
Roulette
Baccarat
Craps
Poker
