Mazen Abdallah Leads 333 Players into WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Day 2

Mazen Abdallah snatched the chip lead late into Day 1B to lead 333 hopefuls into WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open’s next stage

Poker action is heating up at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood where the latest edition of the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open is currently taking place. The two starting flights of the $3,500 event are now complete and figures show that 333 survived through Days 1A and 1B to advance into the second day of action at the host casino.

This year’s WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open drew a record-breaking field of 898 entries, of whom 417 registered through Day 1A and the other 481 came into the event through Day 1B.

Mazen Abdallah, a player from Houston, Texas, will lead the remaining survivors into today’s Day 2. The player accumulated a stack of 469,500 on Day 1B to come atop the temporary leaderboard. Abdallah was also the only player to pass the 400,000 mark. He secured his chip lead late into the day. The player eliminated two fellow contenders on two consecutive hands to multiply his stack and emerge as the chip leader.

If Abdallah makes it to the paid positions, he will secure his largest ever cash from a live tournament. Speaking of money, the event’s field smashed the $2 million guarantee to generate a prize pool of $2,873,600. The money will be split into payouts for the top 113 finishers, min-cashes sitting at $5,845. The bubble is on pace to burst at some point today.

The six final tablists will each secure a min-cash of $103,310. And awaiting the champion is a top prize of $504,820 as well as a seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions.

Notables Still in the Race for the Title

No other player passed the 400,000 mark on Day 1B and no other player even passed the 300,000 mark. However, there were a number of notables who made it through the day, including Caufman Talley, Vinny Pahuja, Jeff Trudeau, and Nick Yunis. All four bagged more than 250,000 worth in chips at the end of the second starting flights.

They will be joined by the likes of Day 1A chip leader Ajay Gnanasambanthan, and former WPT champions Anthony Zinno, Phil Laak, Jonathan Jaffe, and Sam Panzica, who all locked a seat into Day 2 through the tournament’s first starting flight.

Day 2 of the tournament is scheduled to take place today starting at noon local time. The remaining players will play ten 60-minute levels, during which the money bubble is expected to burst. The Action Clock will be introduced one table from the bubble to add extra thrill to those battling for the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open title at the host casino.

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Sports Betting Arrives in Rhode Island in Historic Year for US Gambling Industry

Rhode Island becomes eighth state to offer legal sports wagering in an eventful week for the US betting industry

Sports betting is coming to Rhode Island starting Monday, November 26, at Twin River Casino in Lincoln. The state will thus become the nation’s eighth one to be offering legal sports gambling and New England’s first one in a landmark year for the US gambling industry.

The Rhode Island General Assembly enacted a sports betting law back in June, and legal wagering services were expected to commence by October. However, delays of different nature pushed back the start of sports betting to the end of November.

The announcement about the official start of sports betting in Rhode Island arrived as the latest big news in an eventful week for US sports betting. Pennsylvania’s first wagering facility opened doors a few days ago. A new sportsbook was launched in West Virginia, as well. The state’s first legal betting operations commenced in late August.

Twin River Casino officials have previously said that the property will begin offering sports betting to its customers around Thanksgiving. As it can be seen they have almost lived up to that promise.

Sports betting operations will commence at the casino at 3 pm local time on Monday, when House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, and Twin River Worldwide Holdings Chairman John Taylor Jr. will place a ceremonial first bet.

Wagering services will initially be provided at a temporary facility on the third floor of the casino complex. Officials have called that temporary facility Phase 1. Customers will be serviced there while the main sportsbook is under development.

At first, gambling customers will be able to place wagers on US-based games. International competitions such as English Premier League and other European leagues are expected to be added later. Patti Doyle, a spokeswoman for Twin River Casino, has also said that “more exotic” bets will also be available in the betting lounge at a later date.

Under Rhode Island’s newly adopted sports betting law, gamblers will only be able to wager at physical sportsbooks. Online and mobile betting were not included in the state’s sports gambling framework.

Estimated Economic Impact

According to estimates, the state will collect $11.5 million in tax revenue from sports betting through the end of the fiscal year on June 30. The above-mentioned amount is significantly less than the original projection for tax revenue of $23.5 million that was based on the previously announced October 1 launch of Twin River Casino’s sports betting operation. The state expects to get $27.3 million in tax revenue next fiscal year.

Under Rhode Island gambling laws, legal sports betting operations are taxed at 51% on betting revenue.

According to projections, Rhode Island’s two Twin River casinos will annually handle $814 million in wagers. Twin River Casino in Tiverton is expected to launch its sportsbook sometime in December. The Tiverton casino complex opened doors to the public on September 1. Aside from an 85,000-square-foot gaming floor, it also features an 84-room, three-story hotel, and multiple entertainment options.

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Atlantic City casino profits tumble after new venues launch

Atlantic City casinos posted double-digit profit declines in the third quarter of 2018, as the market’s two new gaming venues cut into the other seven’s bottom lines.

Figures released Friday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) show Atlantic City’s nine casinos generated net revenue of $920m in the three months ending September 30, a 17.8% rise over the same period last year. For the year-to-date, revenue is up 6.4% to $2.2b.

However, the gross operating profit of these nine venues totaled $213.7m in Q3, a 15.3% year-on-year decline. The figure is only slightly better on the year-to-date front, in which profits fell 9.3% to $508.7m.

The late-June openings of two new AC venues – Hard Rock Atlantic City and the Ocean Resort Casino – clearly impacted the Q3 figures, as the two properties generated combined revenue of $178.5m. Their profits were miniscule — $8.2m for Hard Rock and $1.4m for ORC – as startup costs will have kept a lid on black ink.

Of the ‘original’ seven properties, none of them posted revenue gains in Q3, while only two reported increased profits. The Golden Nugget’s profits were up 6.6% to $13.6m, although this was at least partially due to the property’s market-leading online casino operation. The other profit gainer, Bally’s, barely qualified for that designation, rising only 0.5% to $18.4m.

In percentage terms, the Tropicana suffered the biggest profit decline, falling 31.1% to $31.8m, while the market-leading Borgata was down 21.7% to $63.2m.

Even the online-only operations of Caesars Interactive Entertainment New Jersey and Resorts Digital were in negative profit territory in Q3. Actually, seriously negative, as CIENJ’s revenue fell 10.5% while profit tumbled 69.4%. Resorts Digital fared even worse, with revenue down 51.4% and profit sliding 83.3%, even as the state’s overall online market continued to post solid numbers during the period.

The numbers are a far cry from Q3 2017’s results, which saw profit shoot up 17.6% despite a modest revenue dip, and that dip was due to the soon-to-be-closed Trump Taj Mahal reducing its operations as its closing date drew nearer.

At the time, the fact that AC’s market had seen five casinos close in rapid succession was described as the market’s ‘right-sizing,’ although that narrative suffered a hiccup when Q1 2018’s profits fell 11.7%. However, Q1 saw the region suffer a string of winter storms that kept customers at home, a phenomenon that clearly wasn’t at play in Q3. Moreover, Q2’s profit decline was a more modest 4.6%.

While the market’s hotel occupancy over the first nine months of 2018 was down 5.1 points to 84.1%, at least part of the profit decline is likely due to all operators having to step up their marketing game in the wake of shiny new competition.

The question that hung over the launch of AC’s new properties was whether they could grow the overall financial pie or just nibble away at the seven ‘original’ properties’ slices. Revenue is clearly growing, although some of that growth is goosed by the state’s new legal sports betting options, and it remains to be seen whether the market as a whole will continue to suffer from having two extra mouths to feed.

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Kevin Gerhart Wins Debut WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Planet Hollywood

A Pot-Limit Omaha expert takes down the only PLO event on the schedule of the WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood stop

Pot-Limit Omaha specialist Kevin Gerhart has won earlier this week his first WSOP Circuit gold ring by taking down namely a PLO tournament at Planet Hollywood. The player, who hails from Ohio but now resides in Las Vegas, emerged victorious in the $400 Pot-Limit Omaha Re-Entry for a cash prize of $10,493 and the gold piece.

The two-day tournament saw 106 entries register to create a prize pool of $34,980. The final 12 players received a share of that prize pool.

Gerhart was one of the four players who bagged chips at the end of Day 1 of the event to progress into its second day. The eventual winner had the third largest stack at the time Day 2 action kicked off. However, he told WSOP Circuit staff after his victory that he had had a feeling that it would be him and the start-of-the-day chip leader, Mesha Zakharov, who would play the heads-up. The two players indeed ran into each other at the tournament’s finale to determine who would take home the gold ring and the first-place prize. Zakharov was too going for his first gold ring from the series, but it was not meant for him this time and he had to settle for a second-place finish.

Pot-Limit Omaha Specialist

Pot-Limit Omaha is Gerhart’s favorite poker game and he has been playing it a lot over the past several years. The player told WSOP staff that he has been trying to play as many PLO tournaments as possible. He won a PLO tournament and finished runner-up in another one in the months prior to his victory at Planet Hollywood.

The player attributes his success in that particular game to his good feel for PLO as well as to the fact that most of his opponents are less experienced. Gerhart went on to say that it is much harder to find information on PLO than it is on No-Limit Hold’em.

Of his plans for the rest of the Planet Hollywood series, the brand new WSOP Circuit champion said that he had originally intended to play the Main Event over the weekend, but after his triumph, he decided to try to snatch a bit more points for the Casino Championship race by playing a few more tournaments. The player who accumulates the most points by the end of the stop will secure a seat into the season-ending $1 million guaranteed Global Casino Championship.

However, Gerhart will have to play No-Limit Hold’em tournaments until the end of the Planet Hollwood series, as its schedule does not include any other Pot-Limit Omaha events. It is to be seen how the player will cope and whether he is just as good in No-Limit Hold’em as he is in the poker game he loves so much.

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Throwback: Phil Ivey vs Tom Dwan on Million-Dollar Pot

David Tuchman, who specializes in sports commentating for football and poker, recalls the awesome moments he witnessed as he commentated on a remarkable hand between Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan. It was in the Full Tilt Poker Million Dollar Cash Game around nine years ago that there were only three men, namely Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius battling it out at a poker table as midnight drew near. David Tuchman, renowned poker commentator, fondly described his personal experience about the [...]

Traffic Label Launches Affiliate Programme with Income Access for SlotsAffiliates.com

Traffic Label, a UK-based firm specialising in the development of comprehensive marketing strategies, has announced the launch of an affiliate programme for its SlotsAffiliates.com network with Income Access, Paysafe’s marketing technology and services provider. Through its integration with Income Access’ affiliate software platform, SlotsAffiliates.com will look to optimise growth and acquisitions across its six network brands. SlotsAffiliates.com was launched in ...

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PAGCOR official drops Wynn Macau lawsuit appeal, might sue in US

This past May, Rogello Bangsil submitted a lawsuit in Macau against Wynn Resorts, operator of Wynn Macau, alleging that the company had distributed his personal information with others. The former executive with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) lost the case in July and asserted that he would file an appeal. It now appears that Bangsil has changed his mind and won’t move forward with the appeal. He might, however, decide to try to fight his battle in the U.S. court system.

In an exclusive report by the Macau News Agency, Bangsil is not going to follow through with an appeal of the verdict that was handed down by the Court of First Appeal in the case, which sided with Wynn Resorts. He explained that the decision was based on the fact that the legal fees associated with an appeal would have been too much of a burden.

As a PAGCOR officer in charge of gaming, Bangsil and his wife found both of their names listed on an FBI report from 2011 that dealt with an “improper relationship” that revolved around several PAGCOR officials and Kazuo Okada, then a shareholder in Wynn Resorts. Bangsil unsuccessfully argued that, per the Office for Personal Data Protection (OPDP), Wynn Macau had illegally provided the names to Wynn Resorts. The OPDP had recognized that information was shared and fined Wynn Macau $2,500.

Bangsil sued for $1.2 million in 2014, but lost the case. It only lasted across three hearings, but apparently that was enough for the courts to decide the outcome, which determined that Bangsil had not been able to prove that he didn’t offer the information voluntarily. He had between 30 to 40 days to file an appeal, but that timeframe has already passed.

The former executive asserts that he was not able to properly argue his case due, in part, to “faulty” Chinese to English translations. As such, he might take his case to the U.S. He stated, “Since in my case the violation was actually done in the U.S., I may have better chances of getting justice there. I’m consulting now with U.S. lawyers to file the case there.”

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Cosmin Joldis Joins WSOP Circuit Winners Club with Victory at Planet Hollywood

Joldis, a good friend of 12-time gold ring winner Valentin Vornicu, took down the $600 Double Stack No-Limit Hold’em for his first piece of WSOP Circuit gold

Cosmin Joldis from Romania has become the latest player to capture a gold ring from the ongoing WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood series. The player was crowned the victor of Event #5: $600 Double Stack No-Limit Hold’em to claim his first piece of Circuit jewelry and a first-place prize of $19,758.

The event drew an international field of 137 entries who created a prize pool of $70,555. Players battled it out for two days until there was just one last contender left. Day 1 of the event ended with 27 hopefuls still in contention for the gold piece. They had two important tasks ahead for Day 2 – to burst the money bubble and then to determine the champion.

There were payouts for the top 15 finishers, min-cashes were worth $1,191. Action unfolded quite quickly on Day 2 of the tournament and it was not long before the money bubble burst. Players then kept leaving the poker tables at the host venue until there were just four of them left at the time when action stopped for dinner break.

Joldis was the chip leader at the time with 2.3 million and a good advantage over his three remaining opponents. Daniel Perkins had the second largest stack at that point, but he only had 1.2 million worth in chips.

Joldis Eyes Global Casino Championship Seat

The final stage of the tournament was quite a race. It took relatively quickly for the final four to be whittled down to just Joldis. Martin Logue was the Romanian’s final challenge before claiming the title. Logue was eyeing his first gold ring from the series, but eventually finished second to scoop his first WSOP Circuit cash of $12,210.

As for the winner, he came into the Double Stack event fresh off a fourth-place finish in a $400 buy-in event at Planet Hollywood. The player now has 77.5 points from the stop and holds a firm lead in the Casino Championship race. The player who becomes the Planet Hollywood Casino Champion, that is the one who accumulates the most points throughout the stop, will secure a seat into the season-ending $1 million guaranteed Global Casino Championship.

Joldis told WSOP staff that he will be playing the Main Event over the weekend in a bid to cement his top spot.

The Romanian player is a good friend of WSOP Circuit star and record-breaking gold ring winner Valentin Vornicu, who himself hails from Romania. Aside from his participation in WSOP Circuit events, Joldis has also had quite the run in the WSOP. The player cashed for over $225,000 during last year’s edition of the summer poker series. Most notably, he finished 50th in the 2017 WSOP Main Event, collecting $145,733 for his deep run.

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partypoker Launches New and Improved MTT Lobby

partypoker aims to make their players' poker gaming experience easier and enjoyable, and that's why they always come up with new updates and improvements each time. In August, the poker room released a software update which included a new and improved table. partypoker has now released yet another cool software update, and this time it's geared for their valued players who love online multi-table tournaments (MTTs). It is perfect timing for their upcoming MILLIONS Online, which will be the bi[...]

SiGMA 2018 launches in 1 week

As a well-established staple on the iGaming calendar, it is unsurprising that the interest from the iGaming industry has been intense. In 1 week time the super-show plans to welcome 12,500 guests, including 400 sponsors and exhibitors and 200 speakers through its doors. To keep pace with demand, the sold-out MFCC floor space has been expanded and an extra day ...

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Macau’s off-duty casino staff ban to be enforced via random checks

Macau has been considering implementing a ban that would prevent employees from visiting casinos when they’re not on the clock—a move that is similar to one seen in other countries. What they still haven’t been able to figure out, however, is how best to establish the controls to enforce the ban. The latest option would be to conduct random checks on personnel, instead of facial recognition, which had previously been suggested.

Lawmakers are said to be discussing the possibility of employing a dedicated inspector to conduct random checks on casino staff. The decision comes following a meeting of the Macau Standing Committee, which was convened to discuss the ban and its implementation.

The inspector, or inspectors, would be appointed by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ, for its acronym in Portuguese), the agency that regulates casinos, and would be responsible with conducting random checks at casinos throughout the city. The individual would be required to file a report on any worker that is found to be in violation of the ban, if and when it’s enforced.

In speaking with local media outlets, First Standing Committee Chairman Ho Ion Sang indicated that there would also be third-party reports accepted. He stated that there could be a 24-hour telephone hotline that would allow individuals to provide tips, as well as the distribution of campaign material to educate casino personnel about the ban and the measures being implemented to enforce it.

The ban is expected to be considered by the city’s Legislative Assembly this December. If approved, it would cover approximately 54,000 casino workers across Macau and is designed to prevent them from being overexposed to gambling. The ban covers floor employees, cashiers, food and beverage personnel, public relations employees and security and cleaning staff. It might also include 8,000 individuals employed by junket operators.

54,000—or 62,000, if the junket employees are included—is a big number. The chances of the program being effective if only one inspector is employed are lower than the chances of winning the Power Ball lottery. While the purpose of the program—to help ensure employees don’t turn into gambling addicts—is a noble one, the design of the program is impractical and won’t be able to meet the goal.

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Virginia Legislature to Open Sports Betting Legalization Debate Next Year

Two Virginia lawmakers to introduce sports betting bills during next year’s legislative session

Virginia has made first solid indications that it is ready to get on the sports betting bandwagon as the practice is cementing itself as the hottest US gambling industry topic. Local news outlet the Virginia Mercury reported on Tuesday that two state lawmakers have announced plans to introduce sports betting bills during the Virginia Legislature’s 2019 session, which starts in January.

State Sen. Chap Petersen revealed yesterday that he would introduce a legislation to legalize wagering as part of a plan to reduce tuition fees at Virginia’s community colleges. Under his bill, titled Virginia Sports Gaming Tuition Reduction Act, state cities and counties would have to hold a referendum in order to decide whether they want sports betting services to be provided on their territories.

Betting on college games would not be allowed under Sen. Petersen’s piece. Tax revenue from legal wagering services would be split between localities and the state’s community college system, it became known on Tuesday.

Another Virginia legislator said yesterday that he would table a sports betting bill once the new legislative session is under way. Del. Mark Sickles explained that under his piece, legal sports betting would be taxed at 15% on revenue. According to initial estimates, wagering services could generate up to $41 million. The money would be used to fund research activities at Virginia’s universities.

Under Del. Sickles’ bill, the Virginia Lottery would be tasked with regulating and overseeing the state’s sports gambling industry. There will be five sports betting licenses for grabs, if that particular legislative piece is enacted. Del. Sickles’ proposal would ban wagering on Virginia college and university games, but would allow “wagering on collegiate athletic tournaments in the commonwealth if allowed by the sporting league.”

Commenting on his plan to introduce a sports betting bill, Sen. Petersen said in a Tuesday statement that he sees no reason why betting should be kept illegal when neighboring states are “already moving to legalize.” West Virginia went live with legal sports wagering in August, while North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky lawmakers are all expected to discuss the matter next year.

In a separate statement, Del. Sickles said yesterday that with his legislation, he aims to provide a “framework for an open, transparent, and responsible market for legal sports betting.”

A Handful of Gambling-Related Topics to Be Discussed

The apparent start of a sports betting debate in Virginia should surprise no US gambling aficionado. The state was the first to legalize daily fantasy sports back in the spring of 2016 after the activity had taken center stage in prolonged and heated debates and legal actions in multiple states around the nation.

Bearing the above in mind, Virginia could certainly become a target for a concerted effort for the legalization of sports gambling. Companies like DraftKings and FanDuel have already gained foothold in Virginia with their daily fantasy sports product, but they have also been expanding their sports betting operations across the states where the practice is legal to secure a chunk of the lucrative wagering market. As a result, they can have a particularly smooth entry into Virginia when and if the state moves to legalize sports gambling.

It should also be noted that sports betting would not be the only gambling-related topic to be discussed in the Virginia General Assembly next year. A business group in Bristol is lobbying for the legalization of casino gambling in the state in order to be able to build a $150-million casino resort at the site of the vacated Bristol Mall, arguing that a development of this kind would have a “transformative” impact on the city, the region, and the state as a whole.

And while the Virginia Legislature has traditionally been against any form of gambling expansion in the state, it seems that following the latest gambling developments around the nation, it might have adopted a little bit more relaxed stance on betting and casino gaming.

Earlier this year, lawmakers authorized the new owner of the shuttered Colonial Downs racetrack to add historical horse racing machines at the property as well as at up to ten off-track betting facilities around the state.

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Wazdan shortlisted for Malta Gaming Awards

Innovative slots-maker Wazdan has been shortlisted for the Malta Gaming Awards in the Games Vendor category. Wazdan have gathered a lot of interest around them this year due to numerous nominations, shortlistings and awards. The company took the prestigious ‘Online Casino Innovator Award 2018’ at the Central and Eastern Europe Gaming Conference (CEEGC) held in Budapest as well as the ...

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partypoker's Caribbean Poker Party $10,300 High Roller event won by Roberto Romanello for $450,000

On the last day of partypoker's 2018 Caribbean Poker Party festival, one of the poker room's very own ambassadors nabbed the top spot of the $10,000 High Roller event for a whopping $450,000 payday! The event drew a field of 196 players in total, and Romanello from Wales beat Italian Mustapha Kanit in a heads-up match after they agreed on an ICM (independent chip model) arrangement. A bit of money was still at stake aside from the trophy, and both players went on with the match in a friendly [...]

Melco Studio City stake reduced as additional US shares sold

Another 4,312,500 million American Depositary Shares (ADSs) of Studio City International Holdings Limited was sold during the company’s initial public offering (IPO) at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), making for a total of 33,062,500 ADSs issued.

Parent company Melco International Development Limited said in a filing that Studio City’s underwriters for the offering had exercised their over-allotment option in full, purchasing at $12.50 per ADS, which are equivalent to four Studio City Class A ordinary shares. The ADSs were introduced to the public just last month.

Underwriters for the IPO were Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. Macau Branch, and ICBC (Macau) Capital Limited. They exercised the over-allotment option on November 19, at the end of the 30 days in which they were allowed to exercise it.

With the purchase of the additional shares, proceeds of the IPO totaled $406.7 million, up from $359.4 million previously.

“As at the date of this announcement, after the Underwriters’ exercise of over-allotment option as above-mentioned, Melco Resorts’ interest in Studio City is approximately 54.1% and Melco Resorts remains as Studio City’s majority shareholder,” the statement read. Prior to the additional purchase, Melco Resorts’ stake in Studio City had decreased from 60% to 57.3%.

For the IPO, Melco Resorts’ MCE Cotai Investments Limited had agreed to purchase 15,330,000 ADSs, while its affiliates purchased 10,220,000 ADSs.

Studio City shares last traded for $16.33 a share.

Early this month, it was announced that 1.5% of the IPO’s proceeds were to be distributed to shareholders, about $5.4 million. This was before the dilution of shares, however, so does not include the later proceeds. Melco International Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho, as majority stakeholder, made $2.9 million from the payout.

For its third quarter, Melco Resorts reported net revenue of $1.22 billion, down 11% from the same period last year. Adjusted earnings fell 26% year on year to $295.4 million, while net income was $9.6 million, down 91.7% from the same period last year.

While VIP gambling turnover was up in the company’s Macau casinos, VIP win rate was lower. Mass market table drop and mass table win rate, meanwhile, went up during the period.

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Nevada Judge Temporarily Blocks Release of MassGaming Probe into Steve Wynn Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Release of MassGaming’s probe into sexual misconduct allegations against casino mogul Steve Wynn temporarily blocked

A Clark County District Court Judge has temporarily blocked the release of a report by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission into sexual misconduct allegations leveled against former casino boss Steve Wynn, a court official said on Monday.

The Massachusetts gaming regulator opened a probe into Mr. Wynn and Wynn Resorts, the company he had found, shortly after the publication of a report by the Wall Street Journal back in January, detailing an alleged decades-long sexual misconduct pattern by the embattled businessman. The investigation aimed to discover whether Wynn Resorts had any knowledge of the allegations raised against its former boss, how it had responded to those allegations, and whether it was suitable to be the holder of one of the state’s commercial casino licenses.

Wynn Resorts is currently building the $2.4-billion Encore Boston Harbor integrated resort in the Greater Boston area. The hotel and casino complex is scheduled to be launched next summer, although the latest developments may delay its opening.

Mr. Wynn’s attorneys filed two motions in the Clark County District Court earlier this month, seeking to block the release of MassGaming’s report. The businessman’s legal team argued that Wynn Resorts had communicated privileged information about its former boss to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. According to the motion, the information provided included communication protected by “Mr. Wynn’s attorney-client privilege and/or the common interest agreements he entered with Wynn Resorts.”

Judge Wants to Hear Arguments about the Contents of MassGaming’s Report

Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez informed attorneys yesterday that she wants to hear arguments about whether the report indeed contains privileged information. A date for a hearing is yet to be determined.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission planned to release the findings of its probe in December, but it seems that it will have to do that at a later date, or it might even not be allowed to do that, if Judge Gonzalez sides with Mr. Wynn.

According to Massachusetts and MassGaming attorneys, the Clark County Court Judge lacks jurisdiction to rule on whether the Massachusetts gaming regulator is exercising oversight in a proper manner. They also pointed out in a court filing from last Friday that the ongoing legal argument will “almost certainly” delay the opening of Encore Boston Harbor, which will in turn delay “4,500 full-time job opportunities” and would deprive Massachusetts of millions of dollars in monthly tax revenue.

Encore Boston Harbor will be the state’s second integrated resort with a full-blown casino. Under original plans, the property was called Wynn Boston Harbor, but Wynn Resorts decided to replace Wynn with Encore, another popular brand owned by the company, to distance itself from the sexual misconduct scandal. As mentioned earlier, the luxury complex, currently under construction along the Mystic River in Everett, was scheduled to swing its doors open in the summer of 2019.

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Nominations are open for BSG Awards 2019 Vilnius

Nominations are open for the Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Awards (BSG Awards 2019 Vilnius). The team at European Gaming Media and Events has announced the launch of the inaugural BSG Awards. The BSG Awards stands for Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Awards and will recognize highly ranked, trustworthy, hard-working companies for their respective field of activity in the the online gambling ...

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partypoker's CPP $250K Super High Roller Championship won by Steffen Sontheimer for $3.6M

German Steffen Sontheimer emerged as the top winner in partypoker's Caribbean Poker Party $250,000 buy-in NLHE Super High Roller Championship, earning a humongous $3,685,000 cash prize which is by far his biggest ever live tourney score. The event drew in 34 players with a prizepool of over $7.5 million. However, only 4 players would end up getting a payout. On the final day of the event, there were only six players remaining: Nick Petrangelo, partypoker ambassador Isaac Haxton, Mikita Badzi[...]

British Columbia makes another attempt at money laundering crackdown

Casinos in Canada, in particular in British Columbia, have been reeling from the fallout of a money laundering scandal that has now spanned more than three years—and counting. The scandal has left both casino operators and regulators red-faced and, seemingly at every turn, a new development surfaces that expands the embarrassment. Regulators have already attempted to introduce new policies to try and curb money laundering while, at the same time, some casino employees were found to still be trying to shred records in an effort to hide money trails. Now, regulators have come up with a new scheme that they hope will clean up the province’s image.

The province wants its citizens to report any questionable activity. It has created a web page where people can leave tips on a variety of subjects that can then be investigated by regulators. While it sounds like a good plan, it undoubtedly won’t go far enough—the web page will only be active for two months.

Many have already argued that attempts at thwarting money-laundering activity have been nothing more than superficial in an effort to appease the public, and this latest endeavor seems to follow suit. If regulators were seriously interested in cleaning up the province’s gambling image, it wouldn’t feel the need to pull the web page after only two short months. It would allow it to gain traction and make a real difference.

The provincial government has already announced plans to bring in a third-party auditor to provide monitoring of at least three casinos. That move came after the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) conducted its own investigation into the casinos’ compliance and discovered that additional oversight was needed. If the BCLC determined through its investigation that the venues were still not cooperating—despite having a year to get things under control—then perhaps the venues should have been shut down, at least temporarily until a more permanent solution could be found.

The BCLC introduced new rules in January that would require gamblers to complete a source-of-funds document for any exchanges above $8,000 in a 24-hour period. This response on the part of casinos has been lukewarm, at best, and the BCLC seems to be apathetic to strictly enforcing the rules.

The post British Columbia makes another attempt at money laundering crackdown appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

British Columbia makes another attempt at money-laundering crackdown

Casinos in Canada, in particular in British Columbia, have been reeling from the fallout of a money-laundering scandal that has now spanned more than three years – and counting. The scandal has left both casino operators and regulators red-faced and, seemingly at every turn, a new development surfaces that expands the embarrassment. Regulators have already attempted to introduce new policies to try and curb money laundering while, at the same time, some casino employees were found to still be trying to shred records in an effort to hide money trails. Now, regulators have come up with a new scheme that they hope will clean up the province’s image.

The province wants its citizens to report any questionable activity. It has created a web page where people can leave tips on a variety of subjects that can then be investigated by regulators. While it sounds like a good plan, it undoubtedly won’t go far enough – the web page will only be active for two months.

Many have already argued that attempts at thwarting money-laundering activity have been nothing more than superficial in an effort to appease the public, and this latest endeavor seems to follow suit. If regulators were seriously interested in cleaning up the province’s gambling image, it wouldn’t feel the need to pull the web page after only two short months. It would allow it to gain traction and make a real difference.

The provincial government has already announced plans to bring in a third-party auditor to provide monitoring of at least three casinos. That move came after the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) conducted its own investigation into the casinos’ compliance and discovered that additional oversight was needed. If the BCLC determined through its investigation that the venues were still not cooperating – despite having a year to get things under control – then perhaps the venues should have been shut down, at least temporarily until a more permanent solution could be found.

The BCLC introduced new rules in January of this year that would require gamblers to complete a source-of-funds document for any exchanges above $8,000 in a 24-hour period. This response on the part of casinos has been lukewarm, at best, and the BCLC seems to be apathetic to strictly enforcing the rules.

The post British Columbia makes another attempt at money-laundering crackdown appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

Microgaming starts a new era of prestige table games with Switch Studios

Microgaming is to shake up the table games vertical with Switch Studios, a new independent game studio that will develop content exclusively for the online gaming supplier. Based in Ipswich, UK, the close-knit group of online gambling and social gaming experts are driven by a collective passion for games and building dynamic features with the latest technology to personalise gameplay. ...

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Two Tribes Sue Southern California Cardrooms for Providing House-Banked Card Games

The complaint filed by the two tribes seeks to stop non-tribal cardrooms from operating house-banked card games

Two tribes are suing several Southern California cardrooms, claiming that they have been violating state laws by providing house-banked card games, including blackjack, as well as percentage card games, local news outlets report.

The federally recognized California-based Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians filed a lawsuit on Friday against twelve private, for-profit corporations operating cardrooms across Southern California and a number of unnamed third-party proposition player firms.

The Chumash and Luiseño tribes explained that their suit did not aim to challenge the right of the cardrooms to operate but to challenge the operation of house-banked and percentage card games. Back in 2000, state voters approved Proposition 1A, under which only federally recognized tribes were allowed to offer the above-mentioned card games on tribal land.

In their lawsuit, the two Indian nations said that they would not have taken legal action, if the state Department of Justice and the Gambling Control Commission had moved to enforce the provisions of Proposition 1A. The Chumash and Luiseño tribes further noted that they had been trying to solve the issue for well over a decade now, but with no success.

The legal complaint, filed in the San Diego County Superior Court late last week, stated that by offering house-banked and percentage card games, the defendant card rooms breached the California Constitution and existing gambling laws.

Legal Remedies

The complaint seeks injunction to compel the defendants to stop offering house-banked and percentage card games and legal relief for the financial losses sustained by the two tribes, which has also resulted in the loss of revenue for the government, employment opportunities for tribal members, and goodwill. Allegations in the lawsuit further included unfair competition and public nuisance, among others.

Hustler Casino, Oceans 11 Casino, Hollywood Park Casino, and Hawaiian Gardens Casino were among the defendant card rooms named in the lawsuit. Defendant players were named John Doe 1 through 25 and Green and Red Companies I through XXV.

California tribes and the state’s cardrooms have been in a turbulent relationship for nearly two decades now. As mentioned earlier, the tribes were given the exclusive right to operate house-banked card games back in 2000. A year later and following mounting pressure from California’s non-tribal cardrooms, state lawmakers allowed them to offer card games as long as players acted as the bank, not the house as it was at tribal casinos.

Shortly after, cardrooms started hiring proposition players to act as the bank, thus circumventing the law. A whole new industry emerged as a result, with third-party proposition player companies penning agreements with the cardrooms to provide players. There were also cardrooms that later on started banking their card games, dismissing the law altogether.

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The post Two Tribes Sue Southern California Cardrooms for Providing House-Banked Card Games appeared first on Casino News Daily.

partypoker's Caribbean Poker Party $5300 Main Event won by Filipe Oliveira for $1.5M

Portuguese Filipe Oliveira emerged as the top winner of partypoker's 2018 Caribbean Poker Party $10M guaranteed $5,300 buy-in NLHE event. The event attracted a player field of 1,815 entries which means that the organizer needed to add about $925,000 as an overlay, despite the last-minute surge of entrants (they needed at least 2,000 entries to reach the guarantee; rake not counted). Oliveira happily took home a huge $1.5 million payout as the champ of this event, tremendously surpassing his [...]

Day 2 of WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood Event #2 Kicks Off with 70 Hopefuls

The tournament drew 712 entries, 70 made it through their respective flights to secure a spot among those returning for Day 2

All six starting flights of the $400 No-Limit Hold’em or Event #2 on the schedule of the WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood stop are now complete and those who managed to survive through their respective Day 1s are set to return at the host casino today at 3 pm local time to play Day 2.

Days 1E and 1F took place at the poker room at Planet Hollywood on Saturday. And it should be said that it was a busy, action-packed day. Flight E kicked off at noon local time to draw 221 entries who added another $72,930 to the prize pool.

The tournament’s fifth flight was scheduled to end once all 18 levels were played or until there were ten players left at the tables of the host casino. The top 24 players were to cash from Day 1E, min-cashes starting from $673, and the money not paid out throughout that day was to be added to the overall prize pool.

Once all 18 levels were complete, there were eighteen players left. They will join the survivors from the previous days to resume competition for the title and the first-place prize later today.

Flight F

The final flight was scheduled to feature 18 levels, just as the ones that had already taken place. Day 1F drew 157 entrants, of whom the top 18 were to make the money. Action was slated to continue until there were ten players left or until all scheduled levels were marked as complete. Flight F’s min-cashes were worth $695. Only 16 players managed to put chips in their bags when all 18 Day 1F levels were done.

All in all, the tournament drew a field of 712 entrants throughout its six starting flights and they generated a prize pool of $234,960, thus crushing the $200,000 guarantee. While the first-place prize and the rest of the payouts are yet to be revealed, organizers confirmed that all players that are to cash from the tournament would leave with no less than $788.

As many as 70 players made it through their respective starting flights and will return at the host casino later today to continue their participation in the exciting tournament.

James Millman, the player who bagged the chip lead at the end of Flight C, will be leading the pack of 70 hopefuls. He will start Day 2 with a hefty stack of 502,000 and a significant advantage over his remaining opponents. Jason Alvarez with 373,500, Volha Burdukouskaya with 325,000, Terrence Teo with 305,000, and Thomas Minnich-Weber with 277,000 are the other contenders who represent top 5 of the temporary chip counts chart.

As mentioned earlier, action is set to resume at 3 pm local time at the poker tables of Planet Hollywood. The first-place prize will be announced later on Day 2. Those who make it through the day will return Monday for a final day of action.

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Churchill Downs and Partner Get OK to Build New Kentucky Racetrack with Gambling Parlor

Churchill Downs and Keeneland will operate jointly Kentucky’s first new harness racetrack in 25 years

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission selected on Friday Churchill Downs and Keeneland Inc. as the winning bidders for the construction of a harness racetrack and a gambling parlor in Western Kentucky. Their joint venture will be the first racetrack to be built in the state in 25 years.

Churchill Downs and Keeneland have presented a plan to jointly develop and operate a $150-million racetrack in Oak Grove in Chistian County. The latter company will only own 5% in the project.

The winning bidders will build a five-eighths of a mile racetrack that will host 12 days of standardbred races. Construction is expected to begin as early as next year. The new complex will also feature 1,500 historical racing machines. Last month, a Circuit Court Judge ruled that these machines were pari-mutuel, which made them legal under Kentucky laws that guard gambling on horse racing. Churchill Downs opened a gambling parlor with historical racing machines at its Louisville property earlier this year.

The machines have been estimated to have produced over $21 million for the state’s coffers since 2010. Churchill Downs Racetrack President Kevin Flanery told media that they expect the machines at their new property to annually generate $10 million.

The new racetrack complex will also include a 125-room hotel with an event center, food and beverage facilities, a 3,000-person outdoor amphitheater, a 1,200-person seat-grandstand with space for indoor events, and a modern equestrian center, among other facilities.

The new Oak Grove track is expected to create 800 construction jobs and 400 full- and part-time jobs once operational. The venue will be located along I-24 on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, aiming to draw visitors from Nashville.

Losing Bidders Voice Disappointment

Kentucky Downs in Franklin and Caesars-Bluegrass Downs in Paducah were the other two bidders for the new racetrack license. Both expressed disappointment and frustration with the bidding process.

News emerged earlier this week that racehorse owner Ron Winchell and former casino analyst Marc Falcone would buy a majority interest in Kentucky Downs for an undisclosed purchase price. Mr. Falcone told local media on Friday that they felt the selection process needed more time to be well thought out.

The new Kentucky Downs owners also revealed that they would enhance a previously announced expansion plan at the racetrack in order to make it more competitve now as a new player is entering the state’s horse racing field.

Comments by Caesars Entertainment executive Dan Real showed that the company was frustrated with losing the bid, arguing that Churchill Downs and Keeneland had no signed horsemen agreements and no history and relationships in the region, something the other bidders clearly had.

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First Four Flights of WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood Event #2 Draw 334 Entries

As many as 334 entries registered into WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood Event #2: $400 No-Limit Hold’em through first four flights; only 36 made it into Day 2

The longest event on the schedule of the ongoing WSOP Circuit Planet Hollywood series is under way and its field has already swollen to 334 entrants after four starting flights. The tournament kicked off with a guaranteed prize pool of $200,000, but with two more flights left to be played, that guarantee could and probably will be crushed.

The $400 buy-in event commenced on November 15 with two of all six starting flights. That first starting day drew 74 entries who generated a total of $24,420 in prize money. The top eight finishers of the day were to be paid a portion of the money. The players who registered into the event through Flight A were supposed to play eighteen 30-minute levels. However, if the bubble burst before the end of those eighteen levels, play was to stop. In that case the full Flight A prize pool was to be transferred to the overall prize pool.

Action wrapped with 3:15 remaining in Level 16, as that was when a player was eliminated in 9th place. Patten Lewis bagged the largest stack of Flight A, good for 215,000 in chips. The player was followed closely by Robert Fulford with 214,000. The Flight A survivors, together with the remaining hopefuls from the other five starting flights are set to return together at the host casino on Sunday at 3 pm local time for Day 2.

Flights B, C, and D

Flight B was, too, played on Thursday at the host casino. It saw 48 players register, generating a prize pool of $15,840. The top five finishers were to receive a share of the money, provided that all 18 levels were played. However, the money bubble burst deep into Level 17, so the final five players bagged and tagged for the night and the full Flight B prize pool went to the tournament’s overall prize pool.

Patrick Wall put the largest stack into his bag. The player had accumulated a total of 193,000 by the time action wrapped up on Day 1B.

Flights C and D took place yesterday at Planet Hollywood’s poker tables. The third starting flight of the tournament drew 141 entries. The top 15 players were to receive a share of the prize money generated through that flight. The plan was for the contenders to play until all 18 levels were completed or until the field was reduced to just 10 players.

All 18 levels were played on Day 1C and there were 15 players left when the clock showed the end of the starting flight. James Millman was the chip leader at the time with a hefty stack of 502,000 that also placed him on top of the overall chip counts leaderboard.

Last but not least, Flight D attracted 71 players, but only eight of them survived through all 18 levels of the day, bringing the total Day 2 count to 36 players. Steve Foutty ended Day 1D as the chip leader with 225,000 in prize money.

Action resumes today at the host venue with the final Flights E and F. Flight E is slated to kick off at noon local time with the first of 18 levels.

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North Dakota Looks to Legalize Charitable Sports Betting

North and South Dakota make first steps toward legal sports betting

North Dakota is looking to jump into the sports betting bandwagon as a local legislator is crafting a bill that would allow the practice, and proceeds from it would go to charities.

Local news outlet KFYR-TV reported on Friday that House Rep. Jason Dockter is planning to introduce a bill that would authorize charitable sports betting, thus providing an additional revenue source for the state’s charities.

Charitable gambling is a popular activity in North Dakota. Under state laws, it can only be conducted by non-profit corporations that hold a State Gaming License issued by the Office of the Attorney General or an organization or group of people who have been granted a Local Permit from a county or a city. Charitable gambling first became legal in North Dakota in 1977. The state is also home to several tribal casinos, but those are operated under separate rules and regulations.

Rep. Dockter has told local media that with sports betting, charities will be able to offer around 20% of all gambling options available in Las Vegas and this would save the state quite some money. The legislator went on to explain that:

“It puts less burden on the state because those charities and other entities would come to the state and ask to appropriate money for their services. Well this is a way for people already spending their money, you can put some of that money toward sports gaming. They can use that so they don’t have to come to the state and put burden on the general fund.”

If sports betting gets legalized in North Dakota, almost all proceeds from the practice would go for charities. As explained by Rep. Dockter, the only sports betting money the state would get would be used to offset costs by the Attorney General’s office.

The House lawmaker has said that he is yet to finalize his bill. Rep. Dockter has expressed confidence in the success of the piece, although some opposition is expected to be raised.

Neighboring South Dakota Could Too Move to Legalize Sports Gambling

News have emerged that North Dakota’s neighbor could too legalize betting, taking advantage of the mid-May SCOTUS ruling that lifted a long-standing federal ban on sports wagering. However, sports betting cannot become legal in South Dakota before 2020.

South Dakota gaming officials have recently submitted a proposal for a constitutional amendment that would legalize sports betting. They seek to place the measure on the 2020 ballot and will need about 34,000 valid signatures to secure that it would be voted on in the election.

If the proposal gains support from the majority of voters, it will then be debated in the South Dakota Legislature. Lawmakers will have to craft and approve regulatory and taxation frameworks. According to experts, it would not be before mid-2021 when first legal sports bets will be placed in South Dakota.

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