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Turkey started the Euro 2016 on a disappointing note after losing the opening match against Croatia. What’s even more depressing is that they failed to score a single goal, while their opponents created multiple opportunities. The road ahead is long and twisted, but the most difficult obstacle lies right ahead, in the form of the reigning champions blocking their way. Spain Has Big Shoes to Fill Spanish players are widely regarded as some of the best and the European championship, but they need to confirm their status. For the first time in a long while, Spain is credited with the third chance at winning the trophy, behind France and Germany. It is mandatory for the former world champions to win the group, so they avoid a confrontation with another group winner. Spain used to play offensive football, but apparently they took the foot off gas and are now more concerned about preventing opponents from scoring. They employed the same strategy against the Czech Republic and are unlikely to come out firing on all cylinders. They can maintain ball possession better than most of the teams and this could seriously damage Turkey, who is struggling in the midfield. A Vulnerable Backline for Turkey Croatia is clearly the better team in the opening game, but in the end they had to settle for a narrow margin victory. Their players created numerous scoring opportunities and Turkey was lucky not to concede at least three goals when the ball hit the woodwork. Against Spain, they are the underdogs and will need to defend much better if they are to avoid a humiliating defeat. Given the manner in which the two teams have performed in the opening game, punters might be inclined to back the reigning European champions to cover the spread. Risk-averse players will have to settle for odds of 1/2 at bet365 Sports on Spain to win.
The inaugural Juegos Miami came off without a hitch, and to rave reviews from all in attendance. Biltmore Convergence The Biltmore location proved the ideal locale within the LatAm geographical hub of Miami to introduce the economy the Latin and Caribbean communities to the world from May 31 to June 3rd. Professionals from all over South and Central America, the Caribbean, the US, the UK, Spain were on hand to enjoy the programming in Miami´s fantastic June weather, within an artful flow of conversation and information preceding elegant dinners and a golf tournament on the event´s last day. Day 1 Overview The majority of first day sessions were in Spanish with live translation provided to English-speaking attendees, supplemented by “mini” expo halls featured throughout the day for viewing a slate of new land-based slots from LatAm suppliers. The emerging opportunities and regulatory challenges in the potentially huge markets of Brazil and Mexico were discussed to give attendees ground-floor access to these soon to be hot Latin American regions for iGaming. Day 1 Speaker Highlight Brazilian gambling expert Osmar Moraes, who is working with the Brazilian Congress members to adapt the online gambling bill from the Senate, characterized Brazil as “keen” on gambling to increase revenues while generating more tourism. Moraes predicted substantive legislative progress by the end of summer in Latin America´s largest individual market. Day 2 Overview The second day hosted sessions from regulators, operators and suppliers who shared expertise from inside and outside Latin America. Topics focused on going mobile, sports betting integrity, regulation best practices, the marriage of online and land-based, online strategy and social gaming. Day 2 Speaker Highlight The highlight speech was YWS´ Roberto Coppola discussion of marketing to “Millennials.” The tech-savvy group born anywhere between 1980 and 2000 has been acclimated to using their mobile devices for, well, just about everything. Coppola estimated that there are 80 million Millennials in the United States, 190 million in Latin America and 200 million in China, indicating a huge opportunity for the LatAm gambling market along with the need for all iGaming organizations to adapt to the characteristics of this new driving demographic. Organisational Representation Operators and tech providers from international organisations including NOVOMATIC, Playtech, Merkur, JCM GLOBAL, Aristocrat, Quixant and Apollo Games all praised the unique relaxed environment for optimising the networking conditions while providing uncommonly high access between guests and presenters at the invitation-only event. Clarion on Juegos Clarion Event co-organiser Jo Mayer confirmed her organisation´s “delight” at the rapid positive response from exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and attendees alike, and assured that Clarion has already taken the feedback to heart in getting a jump on organising next year´s edition.
It´s official: Clarion Events has been named Official Start-Up Partner for the June 21st one-day GamCrowd conference portion of London Technology Week. Dynamism of iGaming This time around, startup event specialists Clarion and GamCrowd are set to reveal to the world at Leicester Square´s Hippodrome how dynamic the gambling tech scene has become. First for London Tech This conference will mark the first time a gambling specific conference takes place within London Technology Week, as one of over 200 total events taking place between June 20-26. Topics Insights will be shared on topics ranging from London’s impact on global gambling technology, blockchain and gambling, cloud-based services in gaming, data and personalisation, and how to deal with how the regulatory sandbox recently opened by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) applies to the gambling sector. CTO All-Stars Tech movers and shakers participating highlighting the event include leading CTO´s such as Phil Graham from Gamesys, Will Mace from Unibet and Chain Finance´ Hans Lombardo. Diverse Moderation Moderators of note include Dominic Hawken, the multi-million selling songwriter turned chief technology officer and co-owner of gaming technology specialists Grand Parade, discussing how to match the success of London’s innovative esports and entertainment industries; Gamevys Helen Walton, the winner of Clarion and GamCrowd-sponsored Pitch ICE 2015, addressing the challenges of setting up a gambling tech business; and presenter Sarah McChesney from Fresh8 Gaming, shedding light on the personalisation of sports betting. Winning Combo Clarion Events Marketing Director Jo Mayer expressed her organisation´s delight at partnering with GamCrowd, with the two organisations previously having successfully collaborated to showcase industry innovation at the wildly popular ICE Totally Gaming, EiG and GiGse conventions. External Appeal GamCrowd´s CEO Chris North expressed his organisation´s intention to address the “lack of knowledge” about the gambling industry amongst other sectors, and the content looks to have appeal to professionals and talent in just about any organization or sector looking to expand or diversify.
Portugal is credited with the first chance to win Group F after a convincing qualifying campaign and back-to-back victories in friendly games. The most recent triumph over Estonia indicates the fact that they are well capable of scoring plenty of goals against defensive minded teams. Austria falls into this category, as they lack the experience to play offensive football against a former semifinalist. All Eyes on Cristiano Ronaldo As always, Portugal depends heavily on the performance of its brightest star, with Cristiano Ronaldo being once again in the spotlight. He creates many scoring opportunities and is pretty clinical in front of the net, which makes him a serious threat for any defensive. His teammates are providing him with quality balls all the time and Austria will have no choice but to allocate at least two defenders to blocking. The problem with this gifted striker is that he suffered a severe injury less than two months ago and it’s uncertain whether he will be able to perform at its highest level. Austria will defend with all lines and has a couple of strong defenders and midfielders, capable of stopping Cristiano in his tracks. Austria Hoping for Second Place The new format of Euro 2016 makes it possible for teams to qualify even if they finish in the third-place, but this is not the group where one can take such chances. Iceland was the pleasant surprise of the qualification stage and with Austria locking horns with them in the final round, the stakes are high. Against Portugal, they’ve got no option but to defend for 90 minutes and hope that Cristiano Ronaldo won’t perform at 100%. From a punter’s perspective, this is a risk worth taking, because even if their striker struggles, there are other offensive players to step up. As long as the odds stand at 11/10 on Portugal to win, this bet makes perfect sense and players can lock on these odds at bet365 Sports.
May was good for US states. Healthy New Jersey and Delaware Fresh off its record take of April of $17-million mark, New Jersey posted a strong May, as Delaware set a record of its own. New Jersey Gains New Jersey online casinos brought in $16,546,158 from players, as reported by the state regulator New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE). Online poker contributed $2,570,853 of that figure, with both amounts representing year-on-year gains of a healthy 33 percent. Other authorized online casino games posted similar one third gains, contributing a total of $13,975,305. New Jersey Totals The New Jersey totals brought online gaming revenue for the year to a cumulative total of $78,414,058, up 30 percent from the $60,305,510 won during the first five months of 2015. New Jersey Casinos Of the online casinos in the New Jersey market, Borgata was the highest earner for the month, bringing in $3,947,111. Caesars Interactive NJ was second at $3,255,904), with Golden Nugget ($3,200,067), Tropicana ($3,147,518) and Resorts Digital ($2,995,558) rounding out the totals. Of important note is the fact that Resorts, Borgata and Caesars are the only competitors offering online poker. Remarkable Resorts The year-on-year jump for Resorts is particularly remarkable. Amaya´s new brick-and-mortar partner for online poker brought in just $324,662 in Internet casino revenue in May 2015. Delaware Driving In Delaware, figures from the Delaware Lottery trumpeted a new online gambling revenue record in May of $282,112. The figure bested April´s record of $267,801, set in April this year, and represents the third record-setting month in a row. Delaware Breakdown Slots was Delaware´s biggest revenue earner, bringing in $187,547, while table games brought in $54,227 and poker $40,337. The poker showing is the state´s strongest since April 2015, when Delaware online poker generated $48,552. Overview For online gambling to catch on in the states, existing models have to prove they can work. The success of the large and small scale models of New Jersey and Delaware certainly indicates to this point that there is a realistic possibility online market growth for US states of any size, when they are ready. When it comes to online gambling regulation in the US, the states of New Jersey and Delaware remain true pioneers.
Released just in time for UEFA Euro 2016, Yggdrasil’s new slot game Bicicleta will bring even more football related entertainment to enthusiasts of football and online casino gaming. Football Is in Season As developers promised the game will have a charming football themed atmosphere that will make this year’s tournament much more entertaining. Its theme even includes a brand new trophy feature as well as some fun sound effects that include a football style crowd reacting to in-game events. The game is a medium variance slot offering interesting bonuses such as the chance to win up to 24 free spins, coins, wild reels as well as extra free spins in its trophy feature. The game is the first by Yggdrasil to get certification for live operation from Malta, the United Kingdom and Gibraltar at the same time. The Fun Doesn’t Stop with Cool Perks The Bicicleta Slot’s launch coincides with Yggdrasil’s latest promotional tool called Cash Race. The tool will allow operators to choose a time frame where any spin can get a surprise reward from their prize pool. Players who can’t wait to try out the new slot title can do so on Yggdrasil powered casinos such as Unibet Casino, Cherry Casino or Video Slots Casino.
France won the opening game in the final minutes and can consider themselves lucky to be leading the group. In order to maintain this position and qualify as group winner, the home side needs to claim all three points in the final match against Switzerland. Their opponents are fully aware of the underdog status and wouldn’t mind splitting points, so they will play accordingly. France Unshackled After Opening Match The home side is always under tremendous pressure, trying to meet the high expectations and that’s exactly what happened to France. Now Deschamps can relax a bit and focus exclusively on improving the way his players perform against a classy opponent. Switzerland is dangerous on counterattacks, but unable to exercise constant pressure, especially against an offensive minded team. The true challenge will consist in finding the breaches in their defense and that’s why the French will start with three strikers. The recipe for success is to send an avalanche of balls towards the Swiss goal, rather than trying to weasel thei way with short passes. Griezmann is the striker that everyone is counting on to lead France to victory and this is the time for him to step up and show his class. Mixed Feelings After the Match Against Albania Switzerland picked up all three points against Albania, after scoring early in the match, yet that was anything but a convincing performance. The opponents played with one man less for nearly one hour and still managed to hold their ground and send a couple of dangerous shots. A similar performance against France is guaranteed to result in a lopsided defeat, so the Swiss need to greatly improve their game. Even though they don’t have any players injured or suspended, it is unlikely for them to turn their game around such a short notice. Add to this the fact that French supporters will create an amazing atmosphere for their favorites, and odds of 7/10 offered by bet365 Sports on France to win are simply irresistible.
While hardly any states in the US regulate online gambling, this does not mean that gambling is not gaining in popularity. Maryland Surges In Maryland, monthly revenues remains on the rise: the state´s five casinos reached an all-time high for the second consecutive month, bringing in $104.4 million in May after April´s record-setting take of $103.9, the first time state gambling revenues hit triple figures. The jump was good for an 8.3 percent jump year-on-year according to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Agency. Revenue Grows State Gaming Director Gordon Medenica acknowledged that "Maryland's casino business is on a roll" in congratulating the state´s casino partners. Horseshoe Casino Baltimore was the top earner year-on-year with a 31.3 percent increase to $28.8 million in revenue, after a record month in April of $30.2 million. Maryland Market Rounding out the 5 contributor casinos are Hollywood Casino Perryville, Maryland Live Casino (the state´s largest), Casino at Oceans Down, and Rocky Gap Casino Resort. With construction underway on the MGM National Harbor resort in Prince George's County and Maryland Live adding a hotel and conference center in Anne Arundel County, Maryland's casino market has been likened to a progressive jackpot, because it just keeps growing. The Online Argument So why doesn´t Maryland regulate online activity to increase those earnings? Analysts have attributed the upward trend to favorable economic conditions in the region and increasingly effective marketing, which would seem effectively transferable to the cyber environment. Legislative Adaptivity Some adaptivity in current legislation has been shown by the legislature, such as the state´s 2015 decision to approve the elimination of 300 slot machines each and add more profitable table games. Economic Benefit Maryland Live president Rob Norton explained how the correction matched the supply to demand, serving to increase its (Maryland state) taxable revenue as a result of the specific gains achieved in slot revenue and table revenues after the adjustment. Clear Disbursal Infrastructure There is a cohesive system in place for converting revenues to state benefits, with casino operators paying the state 20% of the proceeds from table games and 67% percent of slot machines to help fund education and other programs. Assessment These same taxation guidelines and disbursals appear applicable to online regulation, and more US states might benefit from gambling´s increasing popularity by just adapting existing taxation models to the online environment directly.
The results are in from the most recent legislative session in New York: Daily fantasy sports (DFS), which were banned in November of 2015, have been approved to be regulated, while online poker has not. Both the New York state Assembly and Senate approved Senator Bonacic’s bill to regulate DFS, which Governor Andrew Cuomo now needs to sign. Bonacic’s separate bill to regulate online poker was not included in the legislation, and will have to be shelved until next year before being examined again. What This Means for DFS In November 2015, the main two DFS companies, DraftKings and FanDuel, were slapped with a multi-charge action suit by NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, effectively barring the two companies from offering their popular services in New York. The approval of the bill will mean that these companies, as well as other DFS companies, will be able to re-enter the New York market, though Schneiderman will still go ahead with charges of fraud and misrepresentation. What This Means for Online Poker While Senator Bonacic’s online poker bill was approved just two weeks ago by the Senate Finance Committee, the bill did not pass muster during this final legislative session. The subject of online gambling is undoubtedly more controversial than DFS, and due to the end-of-the-month deadline, it doesn't seem like lawmakers were willing to tackle it. The non-inclusion of the bill in New York's end-of-the-year legislation comes as a disappointment to the state’s existing casinos, many of which had already created tentative plans for partnering with online poker sites. While the bill failed to pass this year, Bonacic is not giving up. Online poker has a plethora of benefits it can bring to the Empire State, he claims, including consumer protection, job creation, and increased revenue for New York. All of these issues will be worth pursuing come next year.
Chrissie Johnson, a chiropodist from Wales, is the latest Sky Bingo millionaire. One year after joining the network, she won £1,346,155, playing one of the video slots provided by Playtech - Chests of Plenty. The gambling operator offers an eclectic mix of bingo games and slots, including some carrying a progressive jackpot. Bingo Games and Slots Go Hand-In-Hand The popularity of online bingo rooms is on the rise and Sky Bingo presents its members with a chance of playing most of the popular versions. Video slots were relatively recently added to make the collection of games even more attractive and provide players with more options. Chests of Plenty is a five reel video game with a pirate theme and carrying a progressive jackpot. Chrissie won £300,000 after spinning its reels for less than 20 minutes and the progressive jackpot was added on top of her winnings. This happens to be one of her favorite slots provided by the software developer, with fine graphics and a friendly gaming atmosphere. It was developed by Playtech for its bingo division and it appeals to the same customer base that enjoys the social nature of bingo. The Biggest Ever Winning Bingo Prize Pot The seven digit figure is a life-changing amount for the lucky winner and also represents an important milestone for Sky Bingo. It is the biggest prize ever awarded to a bingo player and Johnson’s success is expected to reverberate throughout the entire community. One of the reasons for why online bingo has gained so much traction is that players can interact with each other using the chat feature. The fact that both games can be played on mobile devices also helps. It’s no coincidence that over the last couple of years, the bingo industry in the United Kingdom has increased by 25%.
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