The inaugural edition of Mare Balticum Gaming Summit Riga will be held on the 8th of May at Astor Riga in Latvia. The Baltic and Scandinavian region provide a great wealth of knowledge when it comes to online gambling. The regulations in the region have been carefully adjusted and the current status of the markets show good investment potential. The ...
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Junket groups are once again bringing high rollers from the Chinese mainland to VIP rooms and casinos floors in Macau, as well as to casinos in Australia and the Philippines.
VIP junket companies such as Suncity Group are sponsoring prominent events in Macau like the region’s Grand Prix in an effort to convince government officials in China that its travel business isn’t all about gambling. (Image: Macau Sports Bureau)
The multibillion-dollar integrated casino resorts in Macau, as well as casinos in the other two countries, rely heavily on action from China’s ultra-elite. As People’s Republic President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption crusade extended in recent years to junket groups that transport such well-to-do clients to the gaming markets, traffic subsequently decreased.
But with signs that China’s anti-corruption drive is slowing, VIP junkets are resuming operations across Southeast Asia and Down Under. Analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a recent note that in addition to the anti-corruption crusade easing, a strong Chinese housing market, improved balance sheets and cash flows for junket companies, and their ability to provide credit to customers, is responsible for the resurgence.
“Our recent travels to Macau and feedback from industry contacts confirms that this growth … is expected to continue to grow further,” Morgan Stanley reported.
The VIP return, paired with Macau casinos catering more to lower-stakes mass market players, is why Morgan Stanley predicts gross gaming revenue to hit $53 billion for Macau by 2022. That would be an 18 percent increase on the gambling enclave’s record $45 billion haul in 2013.
Down Under Looking UpMacau gross gaming win is up over 19 percent through October compared to 2016. But Australia’s casinos have gone in just the opposite direction, due in part to a rapid decrease in high-roller visitation.
Australian casinos saw their VIP revenues plummet by almost 50 percent in the fiscal year 2017. Crown Resorts, one of the country’s largest gaming and entertainment groups, was responsible for the much of the financial loss.
In 2016, 18 Crown employees were detained and later charged in China for committing “gambling crimes,” specifically marketing casino services towards mainland residents. The arrests, which included Crown VIP exec Jason O’Connor, shook up the Aussie casino conglomerate, and led to billionaires James Packer and Melco’s Lawrence Ho severing ties.
Morgan Stanley believes Crown has hit rock bottom. The global financial services agency is predicting between nine and 20 percent VIP revenue growth over the next 36 months for Packer’s company.
Suncity Rises AgainSuncity Group, one of the largest touring operators that charters Chinese VIPs to casinos in Macau, Australia, and the Philippines, has recently upped the ante on its operations.
Bloomberg is reporting that the junket company has been enticing rich clientele with chartered flights to marquee events that have little to do with gambling, such as Australia’s Kennards Hire Rally motorsport race, the Macau Grand Prix, and its own 10th anniversary party held in Manila.
“Gambling is a very sensitive word on China’s mainland,” Suncity founder Alvin Chau explained. “Our business is not considered ideal because our casino takings are far more than non-gaming revenue, so we are investing hard on travel products to dilute the emphasis on gambling.”
Chau admitted, however, that the sports and entertainment events only boost betting volumes. “We don’t need to wait for Golden Week to have the Golden Week revenue,” he concluded.
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Leading slot developer Pragmatic Play deals with William Hill after it has signed an agreement to offer its portfolio of games to this leading operator. As Pragmatic Play deals with William Hill, Pragmatic Play titles such as Wolf Gold, Jurassic Giants and Pixie Wings will be made available to the operator’s William Hill Casino through the Quickfire platform. Graeme Powrie, Commercial Director at William Hill, said: ...
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Restrictions on ATM withdrawals and money transfers will be introduced in Turkey as part of the country’s efforts to combat illegal gambling, Azerbaijani news outlet Trend reported citing information from the Turkish Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency – Bankacılık Düzenleme ve Denetleme Kurumu (BDDK).
Individuals who tend to withdraw the maximum amount of money allowed per day from ATMs will have their bank accounts under scrutiny, the regulatory body has revealed. A BDDK spokesperson has explained that there are more than 5 million people in Turkey who engage in illegal gambling activities and they usually withdraw money from ATMs to gamble.
Back in July, the Turkish government announced that it would launch an illegal gambling clampdown in a bid to curb the illegal provision of gambling services in the country and the social ills arising from this. Speaking of the legality of gambling, activities of this type are prohibited under Turkish laws with very few legal exceptions.
It can be said that state-run lotteries and online gaming websites as well as certain forms of sports betting, with these too being run by the state, are the only gambling services that are allowed within the country’s borders. Here it is interesting to note that Turkey had a very profitable casino industry, but land-based casinos were eventually banned due to concerns that these were targeted by criminals for money laundering.
Ongoing Crackdown
Despite the existing prohibitions on most types of gambling, the country has been nurturing a thriving unregulated gambling industry. As mentioned above, news emerged this summer that the Turkish government would embark on a two-year purging mission in hopes to restrict the reach and scope of illegal gambling operations, including ones targeting players via the Internet.
Lawmakers pointed out that several government agencies would participate in the crackdown and that illegal gambling would be targeted at several government levels for its effective minimization.
The Turkish Ministries of the Interior and of Justice were tasked with developing a two-year strategy for fighting illegal gambling services. The nation’s Police and Revenues Departments also joined the anti-gambling campaign. It was further revealed that a special unit would be assembled to monitor for any breaches of the country’s regulations.
Prior to the official launch of the Turkish government’s two-year strategy against illegal gambling, Turkish police carried out massive raids in more than 6,000 restaurants and cafés around the country in a bid to discover illegal gambling operations.
The announcement about Turkey cracking down on unauthorized gambling drove away international operators, including GVC Holdings, which decided to dispose of its Turkish business. Earlier this month, the Isle of Man-based online gambling group sold its Turkish assets to Malta-based Ropso Malta Ltd. for a total of €150 million. GVC revealed that it would use the money to fund future merger and acquisition deals.
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Robert Hankins is eyeing WSOP Circuit gold ring number nine with his participation in the record-breaking $365 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed at Harrah’s Cherokee, which is the current host venue of the popular poker series.
Hankins bagged the second largest chip stack last night to secure himself with an excellent position for the start of Day 2 of the above-mentioned tournament. The player was one of the 17 survivors who made it through the day. Rick Drake was the player to scoop the largest stack at the end of the day. The player finished the event’s first day of play with a total of 890,000 and with commanding chip lead. As for Hankins, he collected a total of 671,000 at the end of the event’s first day to rank second in the chip counts chart.
The $365 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed or Event #4 on the schedule of the ongoing WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee is a two-day event. The tournament attracted a record-breaking field of 607 entries who generated a prize pool of $182,100. The money was split in 66 uneven portions, with min-cashes starting from $545.
The event’s structure allowed for speedy action, which eventually resulted in the original field being reduced to just 17 players. The remaining survivors will return to the host venue later today to battle it out to an eventual winner. The champion will receive the gold piece of WSOP Circuit jewelry and the amount of $36,346 in prize money.
Hankins Vies for Yet Another Title
It can be said without doubt that the Tennessee-based poker pro is among WSOP Circuit’s most prolific players in terms of gold pieces won from the series. As mentioned earlier, the player has won eight gold rings so far. He captured his first WSOP Circuit trophy back in 2010 when he took down a $230 No-Limit Hold’em tournament at Harrah’s Tunica.
It is interesting to note that it took him four years before taking down another Circuit event. The player won his second gold piece in 2014 and at the same venue he collected his first one. Hankins has been on a particularly hot streak since then, winning six more gold rings over the past three years and cashing in a number of WSOP Circuit tournaments.
To be more precise, the player has actually made 63 in-the-money finishes in WSOP Circuit events since the beginning of his poker career and has collected a little less than $650,000 in the process.
If Hankins wins a ninth gold piece today, he will tie with Alexandru Masek and Valentin Vornicu, who are the other two players to have collected that many gold rings. Here it is also important to note that Hankins will also be just a single gold ring behind the absolute record-breaker Maurice Hawkins.
Day 2 action of the Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em tournament is scheduled to kick off at 1 pm local time at Harrah’s Cherokee with 17 players hungry for quality poker action and a gold ring.
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Zitro is proud to announce the company’s great success at the last edition of the SAGSE game fair in Buenos Aires, marked a before and after in the Latin America region. The company is led by Johnny Ortiz and has been leading the Video Bingo market in Latin America for years, and since launching its new Video Slots brand Bryke ...
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Department of Justice (DOJ) Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is in receipt of a letter from US Senators Lindsey Graham (D-South Carolina) and Dianne Feinstein (D-California) that requests a review of the agency’s 2011 opinion on the Wire Act, which effectively gave states the right to decide their own online gambling laws.
The Department of Justice’s top two officials, Attorney General Jeff Sessions (right) is handing off the online gambling debate to his second in command, Rod Rosenstein (left). (Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
It’s been six years since the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel opined that the longstanding Wire Act bans the interstate transmissions of wire communications for sporting events and contests, but not necessarily other gaming activities. New York and Illinois had petitioned the DOJ for a review of the matter, as those two states wished to legalize online lottery games.
Graham has been the Senate’s most active proponent of overturning that opinion. He’s unsuccessfully introduced the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) two times (in 2015, and again in 2016), which was said to be at billionaire Las Vegas Sands founder Sheldon Adelson’s request. Feinstein, in one of the most unlikely of political alliances, was a co-sponsor both times.
The bill, which was accompanied by a House version introduced by former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), failed to make any real progress in either chamber. Graham and Feinstein are now taking their case to the DOJ, where they hope the new leadership there will be more welcoming to a review.
“Internet gambling takes gambling too far,” Graham and Feinstein wrote to Rosenstein. “It preys on children and society’s most vulnerable,” they added, which is pretty much the Adelson ongoing byline on the issue.
Citing the recent authorization of online gambling in Pennsylvania, the country’s sixth most-populated state, the senators continued that “… concerns about the proliferation of internet gambling are bipartisan and span the political spectrum. The 2011 DOJ opinion needs to be revisited and withdrawn, with the question of whether online casinos should be permitted in the United States properly returned to Congress to determine.”
Lightning RodThe reason Senators Graham and Feinstein wrote to the Rosenstein, and not his boss Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is that the DOJ chief has recused himself from the issue.
In July, Sessions admitted a potential conflict of interest, after he hired attorney Charles Cooper to help defend his actions in relation to alleged Russian meddling during the presidential election. Cooper briefly worked for the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, a lobbying group largely funded by Adelson.
That was seen as a major blow to Graham and Feinstein’s chances of having the DOJ reverse the 2011 opinion. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Sessions was asked by Graham about the topic, to which he responded, “I did oppose it when it happened and it seemed to me to be unusual.” Sessions said he would be willing to review the matter.
Rosenstein wasn’t asked about online gambling during his confirmation. However, during his time as Maryland’s US attorney, he did seize numerous online web domains, reportedly linked to online gambling, shortly after 2011’s Black Friday internet poker takedown.
Odds of ReviewThe Department of Justice has plenty on its plate, and there seems to be a growing appetite for gambling expansion in states across the US.
The 1992 federal sports betting ban, known as PASPA, will also soon be reviewed by the Supreme Court, and additional states are expected to consider online gambling measures in 2018.
Should a review, and less likely, a reversal, come, it might show just how loudly Adelson’s GOP contributions talk. So far, however, his determination to spend “whatever it takes” hasn’t panned out when it comes to reversing the tides of the American internet gaming wave.
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The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), which currently serves as both gambling regulator and operator, has contested a legislative proposal that would strip it of its authority to grant gaming licenses to interested gambling businesses.
Under House Bill 6514, co-authored by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and House Deputy Majority Leader Juan Pablo Bondoc, gambling companies will have to obtain a franchise from the Congress, known to be the Philippines’ main bicameral legislative body.
According to PAGCOR, operators obtaining a franchise from the Philippine Congress is not required under the nation’s Constitution, and that such franchises should only be obtained for the provision of public utility services.
Mr. Bondoc said during a Monday hearing that PAGCOR should not forget that its current powers to issue licenses are actually the result from the fact that it had been granted a franchise from the Congress. The legislator’s comments came after he read PAGCOR’s position paper on the matter.
The House Deputy Majority Leader went on to say the Congress could retake the gambling regulator’s powers to grant licenses if and when it finds necessary. According to Mr. Bondoc, the process of issuing licenses to gambling operators should be transparent and public and that the Congress can ensure that transparency.
He also pointed out that licenses are currently being issued privately, which makes the process vulnerable to “regulatory capture”.
PAGCOR’s Responsibilities under HB 6514
If the legislative piece gains the necessary support in the Congress, it will make PAGCOR a purely regulatory body. As Casino News Daily reported on Monday, the agency’s powers to issue licenses to interested operators will be assumed by the Congress, and it will also be stripped of its functions of a gambling operator.
PAGCOR will thus have to monitor the industry and to ensure that all licensees comply with existing regulations, including the socially responsible provision of gambling services. The agency will also have to prevent unlicensed entities from operating in the Philippines and drawing players into an unregulated gambling environment.
Under the proposed bill, PAGCOR will become the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Authority and will assume the responsibilities of several more gambling-oriented agencies, including the Gaming and Amusement Board and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Some of the other government entities will be abolished if the proposals in the legislative piece receive the necessary approval.
The future of the bill is yet to be determined. Discussions on its provisions commenced on Monday, November 27. The legislative piece is first set to be considered in the House Game and Amusement Committee before moving any forward. Here it is also important to note that HB 6514 comes as part of a planned overhaul of PAGCOR’s responsibilities. The agency is also set to have its regulatory powers and its functions as an operator split. The gambling properties currently controlled by PAGCOR are planned to be privatized under separate legislative proposals.
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Portugal’s government will review the country’s gambling laws in 2018, local media reported on Friday. The Iberian country regulated its online gambling market in 2015 and officially opened it for international operators in the summer of 2016, when the first online gambling license was issued.
Late last week, Portuguese lawmakers presented the budget plan for 2018. Among a number of other provisions, the plan also contains proposed amendments to the country’s Online Gambling Law. These are mostly concerned with the legalization of national and international liquidity for different iGaming and betting services.
Earlier this year, Portugal entered into a shared online poker liquidity agreement with France, Italy, and France. Said agreement will allow the country to merge its online poker player pool with those the other participating country.
Under the proposed amendments to the nation’s existing gambling laws, Portugal will be able to enter similar agreements for other online gambling activities. In other words, Portugal-facing operators , both gaming and sports betting, will be able to share their customer pools with fellow brands that are licensed by the local gambling regulator, Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ). What is more, Portugal-licensed operators will be able to merge their Portuguese player pools with the player pools in other regulated jurisdictions these hold licenses from.
If approved, the proposals included in the 2018 budget plan will be developed into a set of regulations by SRIJ in order to be able to be implemented. As reported by local media, a preliminary plan about the shared liquidity amendments has already been presented to the European Commission and has been received well by EU regulators.
Taxation Changes
Portugal’s new online gambling taxation regime has been the subject of bitter criticism since introduced more than two years ago. The country uses turnover as tax base as opposed to gross gambling revenue used by the majority of Europe’s regulated jurisdictions. This makes Portugal one of the most expensive jurisdictions for operators to provide their services in, and therefore highly unattractive.
The Remote Gambling Association has been among the most vocal opponents of the country’s taxation regime and has long been calling for changes in the way licensed operators are taxed. It seems that there will be certain changes indeed, but the established tax rates will likely remain the same.
At present, Portugal taxes sports betting operations at 16% on turnover, and casino operations, including online poker, at 30%.
The proposed amendments in the budget plan for 2018 call for certain changes in the tax on the so-called fixed-odds sports bets. Operators featuring such a gambling option will still be taxed on turnover, but the generated tax proceeds will be allocated in a manner different from the current distribution of the tax revenue generated from licensed gambling operators.
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Popular software provider, Wazdan stole the show with Malta Philharmonic Orchestra Flash Mob during SiGMA, one of Europe’s biggest iGaming events. Wazdan flash mob attracted crowds and called attention to Maltese culture for City of Culture Valletta 2018 and Wazdan’s own creativity. Professional dancers dressed in traditional Maltese costumes accompanied the musicians to make the event even more interesting for ...
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The Japanese government is systematically moving forward, albeit slowly, with legislation that will authorize the development of integrated gaming resorts, a major change for a country that has long prohibited casino gambling. And researchers from UNLV’s International Gaming Institute are helping Japanese officials prepare to build the best gaming industry possible.
International Gaming Institute Director of Research Brett Abarbanel was among those who authored two reports to help Japan develop its regulated gaming industry. (Image: Josh Hawkins/UNLV)
UNLV announced earlier in November that IGI Researcher Dr. Brett Abarbanel received a $289,000 grant from the US Chamber of Commerce to continue her project, “Socio-Economic Impact of the Integrated Resort in Japan and Evaluation of Nevada Gaming Regulatory Process to Eliminate Organized Crime in Las Vegas Casinos.”
It’s all part of a collaboration between UNLV and Japan, to help them formulate regulatory systems, set up programs that address problem gambling, and keep criminal elements out of an emergent casino industry.
“Japan is in a fortunate position,” said IGI Executive Director Bo Bernhard. “The government is asking all of the right questions, and the science behind the socioeconomic impacts of integrated resorts has improved significantly in the past 15 years, providing practical and powerful guidelines for many decisions.”
Earlier this year, a group of Japanese business leaders and government officials commissioned researchers at the IGI to give them guidance on how to best regulate integrated casino resorts. And earlier this month, those reports produced by Abarbanel, Bernhard, and Jennifer Roberts of the IGI, and Kahlil Philander of Washington State University, were made public.
Growth and ResponsibilityThe idea was to put together a comprehensive picture for Japan before they embarked on implementing large scale legalized gambling for the first time. Over the course of 100 pages in “Socio-economic impacts of Japanese integrated resorts – review and recommendations,” the UNLV team looked at how the Japanese government could balance the goals of growing a tourism market while simultaneously minimizing gambling’s social costs.
Among their recommendations was a call for creation of specialized law enforcement divisions for gaming investigations, and for the development of a national problem gambling council that would be “neutral” towards the gaming industry.
The report also considered previous research on the impact of different types of regulations, such as betting limits at casinos, and shared their conclusion that there was “limited information about the effectiveness of these programs in reducing harm.”
Lawmakers in the Japanese Diet have floated the idea of requiring entry fees for locals to keep problem gamblers away. However, the UNLV authors warned against this.
“Worryingly, admission fees likely increase the share of revenue from players with a gambling disorder,” the report stated. “We strongly discourage placing any constraints on the domestic market (either through visit limits or entry fees).”
Keeping Mob Influence at BayThe second report from the IGI aimed to help Japanese officials understand how they could keep organized crime out of the gaming industry.
In Japan, yakuza mobsters currently have control of many Japanese gambling activities. But using Nevada as a model, researchers showed how Las Vegas managed to move away from a mob-controlled culture, and made several recommendations for licensing process and industry regulations to have proven effective at helping keep the casino business clean.
For instance, the authors said that the regulatory system should be able to “help perform police-level overt and covert criminal investigations,” and that casinos should be encouraged to engage in vigorous self-regulation to support such a system. Regulators should also have the power to impose sanctions against operators, and exclude people linked to organized crime from even entering licensed resorts.
“For Japan to attract the desired and desirable kind of globally-competitive capital investment in its integrated resorts, which will in turn allow for the kinds of globally-competitive integrated resort destinations to be constructed, there can be no association with organized crime at all,” the report said.
The authors concluded that these steps and others would be necessary to ensure that Japan’s gaming industry could compete in the global market, which is why they contacted the academics who know this world best.
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The most recent figures about hospitality British MPs have received from bookmakers have raised additional questions and doubts whether participants in the debate over the controversial fixed-odds betting terminals have been presenting impartial and unbiased views on the matter.
The Independent reported today that Conservative MP Philip Davies has received a total of £4,354 in horse races tickets and hospitality from bookmakers since March. Most recently, the politician was treated to tickets to the York Races. The gift was courtesy of Ladbrokes Coral.
Mr. Davies is known to be one of the staunchest opponents of the now imminent crackdown on the so-called FOBTs. The UK Government announced in late October that there will be a reduction of the maximum bet the machines accept. At present, players can bet up to £100 every 20 seconds. The Government said that the maximum stake could be cut to just £2.
On the looming crackdown on the gambling machines, which have been blamed for a rise in gambling addiction rates, Mr. Davies said that the Government was simply trying to appeal to popular opinion and that there were far more addictive gambling activities than betting on FOBTs.
Fears over Conflict of Interest
While MPs who have been treated to hospitality from bookmakers have made due entry into the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, concerns have been voiced that their opinion on the FOBTs matter could have been influenced by the powerful gambling industry lobbyism.
It was estimated that Ladbrokes Coral, which operates the largest chain of betting shops with FOBTs in the country, could lose £450 million in gross gambling yield in 2018, if the maximum FOBTs stake is cut to just £2.
According to industry lobbyists, bookmakers will be forced to close shops and lay off staff as a result from the pending crackdown. It is also believed that smaller, independent bookmakers will have to shut down operations altogether.
A document obtained by The Guardian and published prior to the October 31 FOBTs debate showed that there were questions for MPs that represented viewpoints and arguments previously pushed by bookmakers and their lobbyists.
A spokesperson for Ladbrokes Coral has told The Independent that industry opponents have been carrying out a “McCarthyism type campaign” by trying to use the gifts made to MPs as an argument against the industry. The operator admitted to engaging with politicians in a bid to present them with a picture of the consequences of a FOBTs crackdown, the company representative went on to say, arguing that it granting hospitality to MPs has always been an open process and that all gifts have been registered as required.
The UK Government is currently into a 12-week consultation period during which it will receive and review input from all involved parties in the FOBTs debate. It will then announce by how much the maximum FOBT stake will be cut. The options before MPs are a reduction to £50, £20, or £5.
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Canadian poker pro Sam Greenwood made two final table appearances in the partypoker-sponsored Caribbean Poker Party within a couple of days and is poised to appear at the final table of one more tournament. The player finished Day 4 of the ongoing $5,300 Main Event as the chip leader with significant advantage over his remaining 11 fellow competitors.
Led by Greenwood, the tournament’s twelve survivors are set to return today at the host venue Meliá Caribe Tropical in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, and to play down to a champion. The last man standing will receive the amount of $1 million. Bearing this in mind, we could only expect fierce competition and quality poker action from all twelve players who will certainly be vying for the title.
The remaining players will first have to set the official eight-handed final table and then continue battling up until a winner is determined. Here it is also important to note that each of the twelve hopefuls is guaranteed a payout of $42,000.
Greenwood has been running particularly good in this year’s Caribbean Poker Party. As mentioned above, the player made two final table appearances in several days. He first finished third in the $10,300 High Roller and then finished runner-up to Chris Hunichen in the $25,500 Super High Roller. The player now has the chance to improve to a top position in the Main Event.
How Greenwood Scooped the Commanding Chip Lead
The Canadian poker pro performed quite well on Day 4 of the tournament and managed to built a nice chip stack over the course of action. He actually captured the chip lead on the very last hand played for the night. He went all-in in a confrontation against Norway’s Preben Stokkan, who was the chip leader at the time. The board gave Greenwood a nut flush to secure him with a massive pot and the overnight chip lead.
The player will enter the final day of play with 193.9 million in chips and with massive advantage over the rest of the survivors. Norway’s Jonas Gjelstad collected the second largest stack last night, which totaled 117.7 million in chips. Czech Republic’s Jiri Horak will begin Day 5 play third in chips with 104.5 million.
It is interesting to note that despite the massive blow he suffered on the last hand in play last night, Stokkan is still well-positioned for the title. The player will enter the final day action fourth in chips with 99 million. Stokkan will be vying for his second title within the Caribbean Poker Party festival. He was crowned the victor of the $10,300 High Roller Greenwood finished third in. The Norwegian poker player collected his best live cash of $275,000 for taking down the exciting tournament.
Notables like Jason Koon and Felipe Ramos are also still in contention and ready to return to the host venue for the final day of the Main Event. Action is scheduled to resume at noon local time.
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Liberal National Party politicians from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast have promised to oppose any attempts for the construction of a casino resort in the region, local media reported. Their comments came after news emerged that representatives for Cambodian gambling operator NagaCorp visited the Sunshine Coast earlier this month to explore development opportunities.
A multi-million dollar project for the development of a new Central Business District is currently being carried out in the heart of Maroochydore. The complex will occupy a 50-plus-hectare site in the central part of the town and will include office buildings, a new city hall building, multiple dining, entertainment, and convention facilities as well as different residential and accommodation options.
In 2016, Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson brought forward the idea for the addition of a casino complex to the scheme. The official pointed out that a facility of this kind would create additional jobs for residents of the area and would boost international tourism numbers.
Local news outlet the Sunshine Coast Daily reported that LNP politicians have committed to preventing any casino project from being given the green light and have encouraged the Sunshine Coast City Council not to apply for a casino license.
Kawana MP Jarrod Bleijie has revealed that LNP leader Tim Nicholls had assured him and other LNP MPs and candidates for the Queensland’s to-be-formed government that he would back any ban on the construction of a casino complex as part of the Maroochydore Central Business District project.
Mr. Bleijie has also urged the City Council to disclose details about the meeting with NagaCorp and about Sunshine Coast officials’ casino plans, if they have any.
The LNP politician has further dwelt that the construction of a casino could result in 1,000 slot machines being installed in the area in addition to the existing ones.
LNP’s Opposition to Great Keppel Island Casino Proposal
Party members have opposed another plan for the construction of a casino resort in Queensland. Sydney-based developer Tower Holdings has been looking for several years now for support to add a boutique casino to its project for an integrated resort on the Great Keppel Island along the state’s Gold Coast.
Members of the LNP and Labor parties have recently opposed the casino plan, while the One Nation party has voiced its support and has committed to doing its best to see the project completed. The Queensland state election took place earlier today and results are yet to be announced.
The new Government will have to determine whether new casino licenses would be issued to interested developers and where such developers would be allowed to build their resorts. The construction of integrated resorts with casino facilities has been seen as one of the activities that could help the state further boost its growing tourism industry.
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While Thanksgiving provides us with three NFL games, the day after the holiday has a buffet of college games with 15 of them on the television from morning running into the night.
Miami is No. 2 in the country and in line to go to the College Football Playoffs for the first time. They face Pitt in one of 15 games on the day after Thanksgiving. (Image: USA Today Sports)
The first game is Western Michigan at Toledo and kicks off at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. The final contest begins 11 hours later with UCLA hosting Cal.
In between there are rivalry games, major conference showdowns, Associated Press Top 25 teams and one team that is in the top four of the College Football Playoff Rankings.
Here is a look at some of the marquee match ups that will keep fans and bettors occupied for most of the day.
First Wave Features MiamiTexas Christian University vs. Baylor
The Horned Frogs are No. 10 in the country and earlier in the year was challenging to be one of the four teams in the college playoff. An upset loss to Iowa State, where they were a seven-point favorite, and a drubbing by Oklahoma ruined their chances.
They are still in line for a major bowl game and don’t want hapless Baylor ruining that. They are 24-point favorites to their Texas adversaries in a contest that stretches back to 1899 and is known as “The Revivalry.”
Miami vs. Pittsburgh
The No. 2 Hurricanes are listed third in the College Football Playoff Rankings and would like stay there. Pitt lost its chance to go to a Bowl game when it lost to No. 24 Virginia Tech last week.
The Panthers view this as their biggest game of the season and can play spoiler if they upset Miami, who have struggled in their last two road games, only winning by five and four points.
The oddsmakers don’t think they will lose and have the Hurricanes a 14-point favorite.
Battle of Top 25 TeamsSouth Florida vs. Central Florida
This afternoon contest features two teams in the Top 25 and one of only four undefeated teams remaining. South Florida should have been without a loss as well, but the No. 22 squad was upset three weeks ago by Houston at home. The Knights have been perfect this season, but could still only manage to climb to No. 13 in the AP Top 25.
They are also on a four-game losing streak against the spread. They opened as a 9 ½-point pick against the Bulls, but the line has moved to 11. They are also motivated, having lost the last two meetings.
Virginia vs. Virginia Tech
The No. 24 Hokies haven’t lost to Virginia since 2004 and the sportsbooks don’t think it will happen this year despite being on the road. The team is a 7-point favorite and at some places it has moved up a half-point.
Some bettors believe it is a little low, since the Cavaliers have lost four of their last five games, including a 44-28 thrashing at Miami last week. VT won last week against Pitt, but is on a three-game losing streak against the spread.
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Gambling operator MGM Resorts International has opened a career center in Springfield, Massachusetts, seeking employees for its $950-plus-million gambling resort currently under development in the heart of the city.
The Las Vegas-based company was granted a license to develop a hotel and casino complex several years ago, when Massachusetts voters approved the construction of commercial casinos within the state’s borders. Wynn Resorts, another Las Vegas headquartered gambling giant, is also building an integrated resort in Massachusetts.
MGM Springfield is slated to open doors in September 2018, and the operator has been gearing up for the opening by ramping up construction activity and starting its quest for future employees. According to the most recent information provided by MGM Resorts, construction is progressing as scheduled and they will be able to complete the complex on time.
MGM Springfield was initially expected to be launched a bit earlier but challenges related to its design and the delayed completion of nearby infrastructure eventually forced developers to choose a later date for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Job Opportunities at MGM Springfield
Under the terms of its license from Massachusetts regulators, MGM Resorts will have to make sure that at least 35% of its workforce at its casino resort is represented by Springfield residents. What is more, 90% of all employees will have to be from around the region. The gambling operator has previously pointed out that MGM Springfield would create 3,000 jobs.
At present, interested people could visit the newly opened downtown city career center. The center features a computerized lab and interview rooms. In addition, job seekers could find around 250 job descriptions online.
Being scheduled to open doors in September 2018, MGM Springfield will actually be the state’s first full-scale commercial casino property. Wynn Boston Harbor, which is currently under development in the Greater Boston area, is planned to be launched in the summer of 2019.
MGM Springfield will feature a 125,000-square-foot gaming floor, a six-story hotel, and a number of food and beverage, entertainment, and dining facilities, among others.
MGM Resorts has announced recently that it would add more poker tables at its casino floor than originally planned. According to the casino operator, table games have been making “a bit of a comeback” and have regained popularity among players. Last year, MGM Resorts launched MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
Based on the behavior of the patrons at the casino floor of the aforementioned resort, the gambling company found out that poker and table games, as a whole, were favored by millennials over slot machines. And gambling operators and providers of both software and hardware for the industry have been looking for ways to attract the attention of that particular demographic as it is set to turn into the main gambling cohort in near future.
MGM Springfield is set to feature 23 poker tables at its casino floor, up from the previously planned 16 such tables.
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A prominent online casino software supplier, Slotegrator deals with Red Rake Gaming, the Spanish game developer and has added it to its list of partners. The development company produces a casino software since 2011 and has already changed the sense of gaming. What is more, the company is a creator of the world’s first slot with Orbital Reels, named Wildcano. ...
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An analyst at the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation’s Compliance Division has joined the rapidly enlarging debate over whether loot boxes featured in video games constitute gambling or not.
Discussions on the matter emerged with the recent release of the Star Wars Battlefront II video game. The game allows for players to purchase loot boxes or loot crates, as these are also known in the gaming community, in hopes to find items that could boost their performance.
However, a number of gambling regulators, including the Belgian Gaming Commission and the Netherlands Gaming Authority, blasted publisher EA for adding the loot boxes feature as it constituted gambling. Regulatory bodies from all around Europe and later on from other parts of the world argued that making it possible for players to buy loot boxes actually trivialized gambling and made it an activity that could be easily accessed by minors and other vulnerable people.
News outlets reported on Wednesday that the issue has actually spread across the globe and that the US state of Hawaii has also joined the debate over the gambling nature of loot boxes. State lawmakers told media that they would take actions to address the situation and that the new Star Wars game resembled an online casino that lured minors into spending money for loot boxes, the contents of which could be very useful but could also be of little help to their performance in the game.
Victorian Regulators Enter the Debate
A reddit user has contacted the Victorian gambling regulator, asking for the latter’s opinion on the matter. An expert from the regulatory body’s Compliance Division has replied that to him, loot boxes actually represented a form of gambling under Victoria’s gambling laws.
Jarrod Wolfe, an analyst at the state’s Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, went on to say that they are currently contacting both interstate and international regulators in order to discuss what policy changes should be adopted in order for the matter to be addressed in a proper manner. The Commission is also planning to inform the State and the Federal Legislatures about their findings.
Mr. Wolfe explained that loot boxes or the “pay to win” aspects of games are currently his top priority, while skins and virtual currencies are considered a bit more secondary at present. The analyst shared the general view presented by a number of international regulators that loot boxes could be seen as features that normalize gambling, which he believes is “morally reprehensible” and “legally questionable” particularly given the fact that video games are played by minors.
As for a solution, Mr. Wolfe wrote that the regulation of loot boxes in video games could be a difficult task, and that the right approach to the issue could be cooperation between various competent agencies which could put pressure on game publishers.
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