Galaxy’s $500-million Boracay casino on hold

Galaxy executives clearly have a monumental task in front of them. They want – still – to try and convince Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte that Boracay is the perfect spot for its $500-million casino resort. Duterte has repeatedly called the once-popular tourist destination a “cesspool,” ordering it closed for six months. He has also gone so far as to declare, “There will never be [a casino in Boracay].”

It had previously been announced that the project was being pulled completely, but now it is simply “on hold” according to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR), which oversees gaming regulations in the country. Galaxy was already given a provisional license for the casino by PAGCOR, but once President Duterte took his stance on Boracay, everything halted. In an interview with Reuters, PAGCOR’s president, Alfredo Lim, said, “They (Galaxy) have to probably explain to the president the advantages and that they will comply with the environmental laws.”

President Duterte has apparently decided that gambling is evil, and has gone so far as to say that he wouldn’t approve any casino project in the country. Galaxy’s chairman, Lui Che Woo, along with the director of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and other representatives recently met with Duterte to try and convince him of the benefits of the entertainment complex Given Duterte’s propensity for stubbornness, that meeting probably didn’t go as the casino backers had planned.

At the beginning of the month, Duterte announced the closure of Boracay Island for a “six-month rehabilitation project” beginning on April 26. The result is the possibility of about 30,000 employees in tourist-related positions losing their jobs. However, Duterte has gone further, stating that he plans on giving the land to the farmers following the end of the rehabilitation period.

The Galaxy integrated casino project, if it’s allowed to proceed, would supposedly generate $100 million in revenue annually for the company. The company had already acquired the land and had begun working on the final designs before the axe dropped, with Duterte stating that gambling has “deleterious effects” on gamblers.

On a positive note, Duterte announced on April 29 that the six-month closure could be reduced. He said that he will defer the decision to his Cabinet, explaining, “I do not interfere in the work of the Cabinet members.” If Boracay is indeed closed for six months, it could mean the loss of $38.72 million in revenue to the region.

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Nevada casino sportsbooks set new basketball betting record

Nevada casino revenue topped the $1b mark for the third straight month in March, thanks in part to record basketball wagering.

Figures released Monday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board show Nevada’s statewide casino gaming revenue hit $1.024b in March, nearly 3.4% higher than the same month last year while surpassing both February 2018’s $1.02b and January’s $1.15b.

Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip led the charge, with revenue rising 9.1% to just under $574m. The Strip’s gains offset sharp declines in Downtown and North Las Vegas, which were down 14.2% and 9.4%, respectively.

Slots revenue fell 1.85% year-on-year to $643.3m despite slots handle rising 2%, while total Games & Tables revenue improved 13.5% to $381m. Baccarat had a stellar month, more than doubling its total from March 2017 to $117.2m, as handle rose 44.7% and win rate rose four points to 14%.

Blackjack wasn’t so lucky, falling 15.5% to $95.2m, and neither was craps, which declined 2.5% to $34.2m, while roulette eked out a 1.6% rise to $29.1m. ‘Card games’ aka poker (and online poker) was up 5.7% to $10.1m.

The state’s sportsbooks had another stellar March, with revenue rising 8.7% to just under $34.2m. The NCAA March Madness tourney drove the basketball numbers as usual with $38m in revenue, although this was down 7.9% year-on-year. Regardless, basketball betting handle hit a record $436.5m, the seventh straight March of record roundball wagering.

The state’s books would have performed much better overall were it not for an insanely high number of football bettors cashing overdue winning tickets. The books doled out over $11m in football winnings in March, a nearly 910% increase over the same month last year.

Parlay card betting also enjoyed a b-ball bounce, rising over 617% to $3.85m. Baseball shot up 472% to $2.1m while ‘other’ sports were down 45.3% to $1.24m. The state’s race betting operators reported a relatively flat month with revenue of just under $4.1m.

Looking ahead to April’s sports numbers, ESPN reported that Nevada’s second year of taking wagers on the NFL draft was a money loser for the books, thanks in part to the New York Giants’ surprise pick of Penn State RB Saquon Barkley at #2 overall.

The Westgate reported draft wagering handle up 350% from year one, but the limited number of Nevada-approved wagering options also limited the books’ ability to hedge.

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EPT Monte Carlo €100k SHR won by Sam Greenwood for €1,520,000

The year 2018 is definitely an incredible one when it comes to the live tournament circuit for the likes of poker pro Sam Greenwood, as he has managed to get four 7-figure live tourney scores in his career, and three of them have just come in the past 6 months! The most current big payday for the Canadian poker pro came from the 2018 European Poker Tour Monte Carlo €100,000 Buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Super High Roller. He outlasted a field of 46 players in this event to win a nice sum of &#8[...]

Ocean Resort Casino Owner Promises Difference-Making Experience upon Property’s Reopening

Days after reports emerged that Ocean Resort Casino, formerly Revel, will open doors on June 28, the property’s owner, Bruce Deifik, revealed important details about their plans of how to prevent it from failure.

The former Revel launched in 2012 to much fanfare, but survived in the highly competitive East Coast casino landscape for just over two years. The property was shuttered in 2014 to become one of four Atlantic City Boardwalk casino properties to close doors that year.

Revel was purchased by Florida developer Glenn Straub in 2015. The businessman announced back then plans to reopen it as a casino resort but missed several self-imposed deadlines, while bickering with the owners of the power plant that serviced the property and with city officials and casino regulators over whether he needed a casino license or not.

Mr. Straub eventually accepted a $200-million offer from Mr. Deifik late last year after previously being approached by several other interested parties with similar bids. It became known earlier this year that the property will reopen doors as Ocean Resort Casino sometime this summer.

A Difference Maker

According to reports from local news outlets, the property might open on June 28, along with Hard Rock’s redesigned and rebranded Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, or the former Trump Taj Mahal. In his conversation with The Associated Press, Mr. Deifik did not confirm those reports. However, it became clear that the property is still targeting a summer 2018 opening, just as previously announced.

Mr. Deifik said that they have been paying close attention to what people have to say about Revel, both positive and negative and transfer that into their work on turning Ocean Resort Casino into an attractive destination. Listening to what people say and treating them with respect, Mr. Deifik believes, will be the difference-maker.

The property’s new owner will look to learn from mistakes and to broaden Ocean Resort Casino’s accessibility to different groups of visitors. For instance, there will no longer be a two-night stay requirement, a wall that previously blocked access to the casino floor from Atlantic City’s Boardwalk will be replaced by stairs that will welcome foot traffic, and there will be more facilities dedicated to children.

Customers of the former Revel have said that they felt unwelcome there and that higher-end visitors and guests were seemingly treated with more respect. Mr. Deifik said that customers and gamblers of all levels will be welcome to Ocean Resort Casino.

There were previous complaints that smoking patrons felt unwelcome at Revel as they were not able to smoke at the property. Mr. Deifik said that while he is not a smoker himself, he understands that group of customers deserves to be treated respectfully and that it will be welcome at Ocean Resort Casino, once it opens doors this summer.

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Bring back The Typewriter

My connection on the Internet broke down today -- again.

I am nowhere near an expert when it comes to repairing my personal computer. I leave that job to Jeff, one of my two roommates, who is the house expert and who can fix anything electronic.

Now I realize the Internet is a great boon to humanity. The people living in the Caribbean on the islands where I once worked -- St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Maarten -- think the Internet is a gift to mankind and they are correct.

The islanders use their computers to set up businesses, make friends, and earn money in a variety of ways. The Internet supplies them with the knowledge that mankind has been able to accumulate over the centuries between wars and rumors of wars.

But -- and this is a big but -- computers are not perfect.

In the early days of the Internet I remember how a bolt of lightning on a clear day could instantly wipe out all the words of a story I had been writing. It was not saved. That technology had not yet been worked out, so I would have to go back to the drawing board and do everything over.

It was a pain I had to learn to live with.

I use my computer for so many things. When I want to brush up on my strategy for poker, horse racing, or controlling my throws at a dice table, I do a simple search and the knowledge appears instantly on the screen. You can't beat that kind of service.

I write my stories for these websites on my computer. In the old days when I used my Remington typewriter, I would sometimes struggle for a lead and throw away sheet after sheet of paper until I came up with the proper words.

Early in my college days, I came across a magazine article that stated Ernest Hemingway, my hero, wrote his books standing up. He claimed it kept the oxygen flowing properly to his brain and helped him think. I tried that a few times but it tired me and I gave it up.

I loved using a typewriter to create my stories. There was a rhythm and flow of words on a typewriter that just don't exist on a computer.

Progress is wonderful, but it does have its limitations. Today I can take my PC with me wherever I go. I can instantly pull up whatever information I need for whatever subject that interests me.

The first typewriter I ever used belonged to a neighbor named Mary. I was 15 and my father had built our family a house on Sutersville Hill in Western Pennsylvania.

Mary was a sweet young woman who lived in the house next to ours. When she learned I was an aspiring author, she insisted I use her typewriter to compose my stories. I will never forget her generosity. I borrowed her typewriter and didn't return it until the summer ended and I returned to school where typewriters were available.

I used a typewriter to cover breaking news stories for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner for four glorious years. I covered murders, earthquakes, criminal trials, fires and plane crashes. It was heady stuff for a young journalist and my typewriter never let me down.

But when the Internet breaks down through overuse by the people of the world or for whatever reason, I find myself secretly wishing that the world would bring back the typewriter. It will never happen, of course. The typewriter belongs to the ages. But it's a nice thought.

Sam Greenwood Takes Down EPT Monte Carlo €100,000 Super High Roller

Canadian poker pro Sam Greenwood was the first player to register into the 2018 EPT Monte Carlo €100,000 Super High Roller event and, in the early hours of Sunday, he became the last man standing after besting a field of 30 of the world’s best high rollers.

Greenwood collected €1.52 million after a lengthy final day of play, which included an action-packed heads-up battle against Germany’s Christoph Vogelsang. The German received €1.046 million for his runner-up finish.

It was in fact Vogelsang who led the final six players into Day 3 of the Super High Roller tournament. He had a massive chip lead over the rest of his opponents, but it should be said that all six survivors were running quite deep at the start of the day.

The first elimination of the day occurred quite quickly. Isaac Haxton fell out in sixth place, after clashing against Vogelsang. The player collected €313,000 for his performance.

It then took hours before another player left the final table. The remaining survivors were all careful during those several hours, playing small pots and trying not to get themselves into trouble. Justin Bonomo, who was vying for his second EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller title was the next to leave, good for €401,000.

Bonomo was followed by the other former EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller champion at the final table, Germany’s Ole Schemion. His share of the prize pool totaled €513,000. The elimination of recreational player and businessman Ali Reza Fatehi in third place marked the beginning of the heads-up match. Fatehi meanwhile scooped €669,920 from the tournament.

Greenwood vs. Vogelsang

An action-packed four-handed play which involved all four players taking the lead at some point was followed by an even more exciting heads-up duel. The match began with Greenwood holding 7.61 million in chips to Vogelsang’s 3.89 million.

However, the German spotted an opportunity to even and then take the lead which he played beautifully. At one point, Vogelsang was just a river card away from the title, but that river card went Greenwood’s way to save him from busting out in second place.

It was a lengthy heads-up battle which extended into the early hours of Sunday. It was half an hour past midnight when the job was finally done and the EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller had its new champion.

On what turned out to be the final hand in play, Vogelsang’s [Ah][5h] clashed against Greenwood’s [Ks][Jc]. A [Js] on the flop and a [Jd] on the river sealed it for the Canadian player. Vogelsang received €1.046 million for his excellent performance and deep run.

Last night’s victory marked Greenwood’s largest live tournament win. It is also interesting to note that the Canadian player came into the EPT Monte Carlo festival fresh from two tournament wins earlier in April. The player first topped the field of the partypoker Millions Grand Final Barcelona €50,000 Super High Roller for €1 million in prize money and then won the WPT Amsterdam €6,000 High Roller for €125,785.

Including his latest in-the-money finish from last night, Greenwood’s live tournament winnings currently exceed $11 million.

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Erik Seidel, John Juanda and Zachary Clark Sue Ali Fazeli in $1.3 Million Super Bowl & World Cup Ticket Scam

Last month, Aria High Roller regular Seyed Reza Ali Fazeli got indicted over a $6.2 million Super Bowl and World Cup ticket scam, which involved obtaining huge sums of money from investors meant to buy World Cup and Super Bowl tickets, but instead he used the cash to fund his lavish gambling and personal lifestyle. Sure there were a few notable victims mentioned before, including Republican donor Mel Sembler and his family who shelled out $5 million to Fazeli but in the end received nothing fro[...]

The Night Nevada Went Black

You gotta say one thing for human nature: it wins every time.

Take prohibition. America's political leaders put their pointed heads together and decided to yield to the pressure of women across the country who wanted to stop their husbands, sons and uncles from drinking, so they passed legislation that prohibited alcohol from being sold.

That, of course, opened the floodgates for people like Al Capone and Dutch Schultz to load up their liquor trucks and warehouses with illegal booze and make a fortune in the process.

Prohibition didn't last very long. But during its heyday, there were murders, hijackings, bribery of law enforcement officers and prosecutors and enough corruption of public officials to keep the presses rolling and sell millions of newspapers.

Eventually and inevitably, human nature triumphed and the politicians retreated and gave the public what it wanted -- the right to purchase and drink alcohol.

Something similar to prohibition occurred in Nevada in 1910. By the end of the 19th century, political leaders in nearly every Western state or territory had passed laws prohibiting gambling. Only one state -- Nevada -- permitted gambling.

Nevadans have always prided themselves on being different. They resisted the pressures of the anti-gambling crowd as long as they could, but it finally caught up to them. In 1909 with great reluctance, the Nevada legislature joined the crowd and passed a law making it illegal to gamble in the Silver State.

The law stunned the citizens of Nevada. It went into effect on Oct. 1, 1910.

On Sept. 30, all the casinos and card rooms in Nevada were filled to capacity. Even people who had never gambled crowded into the dens of iniquity to see what a gambling establishment was all about. They drank, smoke, and bet their money on spinning wheels, cards, dice and green felt tables operated by smiling men with mustaches.

The games were so crowded you had to stand in line to make a wager. It was bedlam and the casino owners made more money on that final day of legal gambling than they would have made in a week of normal operations.

On Oct. 1, the lights went out in all the casinos. Nevada went black.

Well, sort of. The gambling went underground. There were people who knew where the illegal games were operating and word got around fast. All you had to do was ask and somebody would give you the correct information and directions on where to go.

The illegal games continued for the next two decades. Finally, tired of losing all those millions of tax dollars they would have collected, the state legislators passed laws that once again made it legal to gamble in Nevada. And it's been that way ever since.

When it Rains it Pours

The month of April is a great month for one of our LCB, 'Hero Members!'' She had to make several withdrawals this month to collect her winnings. So, there was no doubt that she was our April's first, 'Biggest Weekly Winner!"

Krystalkitty, aka, kathy.anderson had some of us doing a double take when she recently, posted screenshots on the forum. The first screenshot was a wonderful surprise to us and undoubtedly to kathy too! She was playing RTG's, Nova 7s and hit the bonus round. 

At the end of the bonus, the following statement appeared, 'FEATURE COMPLETE, you've won $3,317.75!" This was great, but it was just the beginning! Her next win was much smaller, $413.76, also on Nova 7 and soon after, our winner decided to cashout, leaving some playing cash behind.

The following day, we were surprised to see her post another screenshot. Along with the screenshot she said, "Withdrew a nice amount of money, and get some to play with and then got this:" A nice win from the bonus feature of 'Shark School' for $1,392.88!

The next screenshot our hot spinner posted, left us almost speechless. It was a single line winner, on a $5 spin! The win totaled $3,365.25 on Ronin! Now, you'd think this was time to count our blessings or count our winnings, but she continued to spin. When she hit the single line win on Ronin, she said, "Guess you just never know."

Believe it or not, our Hero Member continued to spin and several hours later, posted another screenshot. This one was from Ricky Valens, La Bamba. This was a $7.50 single spin with a reward of $2,250.00.

Kathy was not ready to call it quits and I guess she knew best. On April 1st, she posted her final screenshot from the RTG game, Fantasy Mission Force! The win was on one of the bonus features an ended in wins totaling, $1,207.75. After the screenshot, the winner posted, "Here is another great screenshot on the new game! I bet I got over 100 free spins. It's called the Kaboom feature. Like it a lot:)"

Wow, over 100 spins, sounds like a great game!

We asked Ms Anderson how much she cashed out and she replied " I never kiss and tell;The casino and I are the only ones who know what I withdraw:)"

This is the second time our member was playing at Grande Vegas Casino when she was winning, so we asked her if this was her favorite casino and she replied, "Is Grande Vegas my favorite? At this time I would have to say YES! RTG are for sure my fav Platform."

Even though we don't know exactly how much our big winner cashed out. We can say for sure that the amount was big! Did she pick all the right games? Were all the games, the right games to play that day? We may never know! In our member's case, there is only one thing that we can say for sure. When it rains it pours!

Congratulations girl, great job!

Wynn Resorts strips Wynn name from Boston Harbor project

Casino operator Wynn Resorts is renaming its half-finished Massachusetts casino project to further distance itself from its former chairman’s sexual harassment allegations.

On Friday, Wynn CEO Steve Maddox met with members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to discuss removing Wynn Resorts founder Steve Wynn’s name from the gaming license of the $2.4b Wynn Boston Harbor resort casino project in Everett, just north of Boston, which is scheduled to open in June 2019.

Wynn Resorts suggested in March that a rebrand of the property was likely. At Friday’s hearing, Maddox announced that the property would now be known as Encore Boston Harbor. Encore is the name of a resort property that opened in 2008 as the second phase of the Wynn Las Vegas resort.

Maddox told the MGC members that while “the Wynn brand is strong,’ he also understood “the cultural sensitivity” surrounding the numerous harassment allegations brought against Steve Wynn this year by female staff members.

Steve resigned in February and has sold off his entire holdings in the casino company. Maddox told the MGC that the company now had “no business association with Steve Wynn,” yet this separation, whether in terms of business and branding, may not be enough to ensure the company retains control over the Everett project.

The MGC hope to make a ruling on removing Steve’s name from the gaming license next week, but that’s a separate issue from the ongoing probe the MGC is conducting into how much Wynn’s senior management knew about the allegations against their former leader. Should the MGC not like what its probe uncovers, it could declare Wynn Resorts unsuitable to operate gaming in Massachusetts.

Should that worst-case scenario play out, it’s unknown who might take over the unfinished Everett project. On Thursday, rival MGM Resorts, which is opening its own Massachusetts casino this August, played down reports that it was planning on swapping projects, insisting it was committed to its own MGM Springfield project.

The Mohegan Tribe, whose casino properties include the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and which unsuccessfully vied for the sole Boston-area casino license that Wynn received, told The Day that it remained interested in setting up shop in Boston, should that sole license go back on the market.

However, the MMCT Joint Venture between the Mohegans and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation that is building a casino in northern Connecticut close to MGM Springfield, shot down media reports that it would be interested in taking over the Springfield property should MGM take over the Everett project. An MMCT spokesperson called such reports “rumor mill trash.”

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Vogelsang Heads Final Table, Schemion and Bonomo Eye Second EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller Title

The EPT Monte Carlo is among the most exciting festivals on the poker calendar. This year the excitement is doubled as the festival is making its comeback under the EPT brand after a two-year hiatus.

And the highest buy-in event on what is currently officially running as the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo Casino EPT is under way at the host venue. The €100,000 Super High Roller has always drawn poker’s finest talent and this year makes no difference.

Day 2 of the major event was played on Friday. It started off with 24 players, including Orpen Kisacikoglu and Daniel Dvoress who re-bought into the tournament shortly before the beginning of the second day of play. This year’s EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller attracted a field of 46 entries, including 16 re-entries, to create a prize pool of €4,462,920. The top six places are paid, min-cash is worth €313,000. Aside from the very prestigious title of a Super High Roller victor, the winner will also receive a first-place prize of €1,520,000.

It was a rather short day at the host casino on Friday. Half of the 24 players who entered Day 2 of the Super High Roller were eliminated within the first four hours of action. Play lasted until the final six players were determined. Mikita Badziakouski, who bagged the largest stack into Day 2 and thrived for a big part of the day, eventually became the unfortunate bubble boy. He was knocked out in seventh place by German poker pro Christoph Vogelsang. The latter thus cemented his position as the overnight chip leader.

Aiming for Another Big Title

Vogelsang has recorded more than $15 million in live tournament earnings since October 2013, when he cashed for the first time in a live tournament event. Last year, the young German took down the highly competitive field of the $300,000 Aria Super High Roller Bowl for a first-place prize of $6 million. It is also important to note that back in 2014, he finished third in the $1,000,000 Big One for ONE DROP, leaving it to Dan Colman and Daniel Negreanu to square off for the title. Vogelsang collected $4,480,001 for his deep run in that event.

The player now has the chance to win big on European soil. Vogelsang ran quite well during Day 2 of the Super High Roller. The player emerged as the chip leader at some point in play to become the first to crack the 2 million mark. He then lost some of his momentum to regain it towards the end of the day and become the first and only player to crack the 3 million mark.

Vogelsang is thus leading the pack of six Super High Roller finalists into the final day of play with a stack of 3.02 million, well ahead of Sam Greenwood, who bagged the second largest stack last night (2.065 million) and Isaac Haxton (1.68 million), who rounded out the top three stacks.

Ali Reza Fatehi (1.84 million), Ole Schemion (1.49 million), and Justin Bonomo (1.405 million) are the other three players who are still in contention for the title and the first-place prize. It is important to note that Schemion and Bonomo are former EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller winners.

Schemion won his title in 2016 for €1,597,800, while Bonomo became a Super High Roller champion back in 2012 for €1,640,000.

Super High Roller Action is set to resume at the host venue today at noon local time. The remaining contenders will play down to a champion.

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Betsoft Gaming launches Reels of Wealth slot

Betsoft Gaming launches a brand new Reels of Wealth slot. The bew game is a multi-layered 5×3 slot game continuing Betsoft’s tradition of innovation. Reels of Wealth slot takes the proprietary ‘Trail System’ to the next level – providing a sense of progression as players hop into a hoard of different bonus features and begin collecting symbols. Designed to match ...

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Norwegian Scholar to Review Whether Loot Boxes Constitute Gambling

A Norwegian scholar will open loot boxes in video games to determine their nature and whether these constitute gambling, Norwegian media outlet Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) reports.

Norway is the next to review the in-game items after the gambling regulators of the Netherlands and Belgium have recently published the results of their own investigations into the widely publicized matter. The two regulatory bodies have found that the loot box systems of a number of popular video games violate Dutch and Belgian gambling laws.

Rune Mentzoni, an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychosocial at the University of Bergen, will purchase loot boxes featured in the FIFA Ultimate Team video game worth NOK50,000 (approx. $6,248) as part of his study. Mr. Mentzoni told media that this would help him determine whether loot boxes should be considered a form of gambling. His findings will be presented to the Norwegian Gaming Authority (Lotteri- og stiftelsestilsynet) and other regulators.

The scholar explained that he believes the purchase of loot boxes and the fact that they contain a random selection of items in terms of their value very much resembles playing on a slot machine. According to him, the in-game purchasable items are often a loss disguised as a win. The Dutch Gambling Authority drew a similar conclusion in its review of the nature of loot boxes, saying that these acted like slot machines as they could be opened unlimited times and deployed the “near-miss” effect.

The Norwegian Ministry of Culture has assembled a special committee to probe into the matter and determine whether loot boxes should be considered a form of gambling.

Trude Felde, a Senior Advisor to Norway’s gambling regulator, told NRK that an investigation could provide good arguments for a change in the country’s current law. She further pointed out that when crafting new regulations, regulators and legislators need to bear in mind that circumstance and technology change very quickly, therefore any new rules need to be developed in a more “technology-neutral” manner.

New Gambling Law

News emerged earlier this week that a coalition of four parties has submitted a legislation aimed at preventing unlicensed gambling operations from targeting local gambling customers. The new rules secured a majority at a Tuesday vote, but legislators are yet adopt them. This is expected to happen by May 7.

Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are the two state-run entities that are authorized to provide gambling services in Norway. Despite previous proposals for the creation of a regulatory framework that would allow foreign operators to obtain licenses from the national regulator and operate in a regulated environment, the country’s government has maintained that the monopoly system is the most socially responsible one and there is no need for it to be replaced.

Under the new rules, the Norwegian Gaming Authority will be able to penalize foreign operators targeting local players despite the existing ban. In addition, DNS blocking will be introduced to ensure that local players are not targeted by unlicensed companies.

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Casino relief bill gets Delaware Senate approval

Cash-strapped casinos in Delaware have inched closer to getting financial relief as a bill seeking to slash their taxes moved forward in the Senate.

Delaware State News reported that Senate Bill (SB) 144 breezed through the Senate after majority of its members voted in favor of the bill, sending it to the State House of Representatives for consideration.

The senators believe that SB 144, now known as Senate Substitute 1 after the latest vote, will give the casino industry a new lease in life to run a healthy business and, at the same time, continue to provide jobs for residents of Delaware. The state’s three casinos have been struggling to earn a profit due to stiffer competition from other states and back-breaking tax rates.

“The simple fact is that the casino industry is very, very important for the local economy here in Kent,” main sponsor Sen. Brian Bushweller said, according to the news outlet. “Yet over the years our practice of increasing the state’s take … has put Dover Downs and the industry in a precarious situation.”

The state, however, could see a reduced take from the gambling industry if SB 144 is passed, although gaming analysts believe that the prospects of the casino tax relief bill to pass the State House is less certain.

Currently, Delaware gets 43 percent of slot machine revenue and nearly 30 percent of the casinos’ table game revenue. On top of that, the state also takes another $3 million in table game licensing fees annually.

If the legislation is enacted into a law, Delaware is expected to lose $15 million in the next fiscal year and $20 million in 2020. The bill intends to trim the slot tax level of Dover Downs and Delaware Park casinos   from 43.5 to 41.5 percent, while Harrington Raceway & Casino will see a slot tax level reduction from 42.5 to 40.5 percent.

House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf had already expressed his opposition against the bill and the way the piece of legislation was drafted. He pointed out that the Senate didn’t take the House’s input when they drafted the measure. Schwartzkopf admitted he wasn’t aware about the bill until he read about it on the newspaper last Thursday.

“I feel pretty out of it on this one, I’m telling you,” Schwartzkopf said. “For being an equal part in this thing, we have been left out. … Not just the bill but the discussion that would help craft the bill.”

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UPayCard Now Supports Ripple

Since its inception in 2013, UPayCard has achieved quite a lot during its short existence so far. With security being its utmost priority and online and prepaid services available to business and personal users, this increasingly popular banking system is taking on the main hot topic of today's finance: cryptocurrency. The innovation and revolutionary spirit is their forte, and it gladdens us that this cutting-edge UK company continues to blaze the trail for everyone else in the business.

Last month, we reported on their inclusion of Litecoin that now has their full buying and selling support. Previously, the cryptocurrency wave with UpayCard was led by Bitcoin and Ethereum, and now another rising star in the crypto world has entered their domain: Ripple!

Now you can open your UpayCarrd crypto wallet (totally free of charge!) and load it with Ripple (XRP), which is a payment protocol released in 2012 and based on a shared and public database or ledger. Ripple is already used by such finance companies as uniCredit and Santander and its reputation is on the steady increase in the banks' and payment networks' circles, especially since Ripple Labs focused on penetrating the banking market since 2014.

In its core, Ripple is an open-source protocol and is described by its creators as a “basic infrastructure technology for interbank transactions – a neutral utility for financial institutions and systems.” As the coin's Wiki page explains: “users make payments between each other by using cryptographically signed transactions denominated in either fiat currencies or Ripple's internal currency (XRP).”

It's great to see one such mass-used system as UpayCard getting with the program and providing technical support for cryptocurrencies – we hope more payment methods and banking systems follow their lead.

Source:

“Make your first XRP transaction with UpayCard!”, UpayCard Newsletter, April 24, 2018.

Yggdrasil launches first exclusive White Label Studios game, Royal Family with LeoVegas

Yggdrasil is proud to launch its first co-produced, White Label Studios slot, Royal Family. The game has been launched exclusively on LeoVegas. The five-reel, four-row, 25-payline Royal Family offers collectable Feature Prizes, a Royal Chest and a Free Spin mode with sticky wilds, with a choice of 12 bonus features. The game will be marketed as part of the LeoVegas ...

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Triton Super High Roller Series Returns to Maestral Resort & Casino in May

Located in one of the most spectacular parts of the Adriatic coast, the recently renovated Maestral Resort & Casino near Budva, Montenegro is just weeks away from swinging its doors open to one of this year’s hottest poker events – the Triton Super High Roller Series 2018.

The thrilling poker festival will run from May 12-18, 2018 at the resort and will feature four different events. It will represented the highly anticipated continuation of the extremely successful Triton Super High Roller Series 2017 poker extravaganza that took place at the same resort last July.

The festival is set to kick off with a two-day HK$250,000 (approximately $31,859) buy-in Short Deck Ante-Only tournament. Another tournament with a buy-in fee of HK$250,000 is set to start on May 13. It will, too, take place over two days and will feature a 6-Max structure.

There will be one more Short Deck Ante-Only event to be played within the festival. However, players will have to pay HK$1 million (approx. $127,435) in order to be able to enter it. The tournament will be played on May 17-18 and will actually mark the end of the festival.

Main Event Action

As in its previous edition last summer, the Triton Super High Roller Series Main Event will take place over three days starting May 15. The buy-in for the tournament amounts to HK$1 million, which provides for the creation of a massive prize pool and an attractive first-place prize for the winner, in addition to great excitement for both tournament entries and viewers who will be following the action from the host casino’s rails or from home.

German poker pro Manig Loeser topped the event’s field last year to collect more than HK$16.8 million (approx. $2.16 million) and the accompanying champion’s trophy. Loeser was the last man standing from a field of 52 fellow entries, who created a prize pool of HK$48,921,600.

Winners of other Triton Super High Roller Series events over the years include Fedor Holz, another German high roller super star, Daniel Cates, Dan Colman, the winner of the 2014 WSOP Big One for ONE DROP, and John Juanda.

It is also important to note that the upcoming festival will be the first one of the Triton Super High Roller Series to be livestreamed on Twitch. Organizers have previously revealed that there will be separate streams in English, Chinese, and Russian. It has also been understood that Randy ‘nanonoko’ Lew and Kane Kalas will host the English-language stream.

The Short Deck Ante-Only format will be another innovation to be introduced during the series in May. The format has gained quite some popularity in Asia and now has the chance to make its debut on the European poker scene. It features a smaller deck comprised of 36 cards. The 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s are removed from it and the Aces double as 5s. Aside from that, the game is played as a traditional Texas Hold’em.

The post Triton Super High Roller Series Returns to Maestral Resort & Casino in May appeared first on Casino News Daily.

Casino News Report - April 2018

What are this month’s featured casinos and what they have going on for you? We show you the proven ways LCB members can meet their appetite for contests and new casinos. And find out how the games developer Nolimit City plans to conquer the industry in the near future.”

This is LCB News and here’s our monthly review.

 

Hi LCB’ers, it’s great to see you again and thanks for tuning in for April’s report because we have another exciting month-long journey with the Easter holidays behind us. Now, here are some of our top casino picks to cool you off during the much-awaited warmer season. 

Liberty Slots is our #1 pick among US-friendly casinos, they’ve enjoyed a steady ride of excellent player feedback since 2015. If you’re new to this Wager Gaming casino, then we have an exclusive signup bonus for you that you can pick up right here!

For all those crypto currency users out there, we recommend taking a closer look at Superior Casino. They offer VIP treatment to all our members with direct support on our forum and a $3 LCB chip in rewards when making a first deposit.

Breakout Casino is our third pick for the month and it also accepts players from the UK. Read more about its perks in our full review or quickly reach out to the rep on the forum if you need any additional assistance.

 

This month’s 14-day “Spring is in the Air” LCB contest has now come to an end: thank you to all who’ve participated and congratulations to our lucky $250 prize pool winners! If you’ve missed or didn’t win this time, then our moderator “Lipstick” will be back soon with another exciting competition, so keep your eyes open for the next one. We recommend you subscribe to the ‘Members only’ section so you don’t miss out next time.

 

For all of you who enjoy competing, we have great news in our “Exclusive LCB Contests” forum where you’ll find more quizzes and races which are hosted by reputable casinos like BetRebels, Ikibu, JumbaBet, and Energy Casino.

There’s still time to join some of them to get those exclusive freebies, with many more to come this May, so be sure to subscribe to the threads to receive notifications. It’s that easy!

 

We have a bunch of new casinos for you to try out as well! Including the Bitcoin-friendly Jetspin which has an active rep on our forum for quick assistance and boasts a huge list of games that are also linked to their exclusive on-site tourneys.

Also, be sure to check out Roaring 21 Casino, it’s a sister brand to Casino Max and Cherry Jackpot. It is USA friendly and has an awesome $21 exclusive no deposit bonus. It expires end of April so hurry and get the code from our no deposit bonuses page or the review page.

Be sure to let us know what you think of them in our full reviews and subscribe to notifications to be the first to know when we add a new casino!

 

Still with me? – Great! At LCB we love talking to new developers and getting to know them better. So, we spoke to the co-founder of Nolimit City, Jonas Tegman, and asked him about the company’s history, new slots, plans for the future and if he gambles in his spare time. We got the answers and invite you to share feedback and ask your own questions in the comments section!.

 

That’s the report for this month.

Hope you liked it and be sure to share your thoughts on it in the comments section so we can continue to deliver the best content possible.

You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and YouTube.

Stay tuned for more news soon!

Norway to Enforce Firmer Payment Restrictions on International Gambling Sites

The government of Norway is planning new methods that will strengthen restriction of online gambling payment processing to help limit the competition of the state-owned Norsk Tipping gambling monopoly. Gambling in Norway is heavily regulated and its provision is restricted to only government-owned agencies. Playing poker for money is not permitted, whether this is live, online, or in private homes. Currently, there is no legal means to play poker in Norway. However, there is a bill that aims[...]

Mr Green adds Pragmatic Play content to their offering

Leading online operator Mr Green adds Pragmatic Play content to their offering. As Mr Green adds Pragmatic Play content, the multi-award-winning casino games developer Pragmatic Play’s games will go live with Mr Green. The fact that Mr Green adds Pragmatic Play content is yet another significant operator integration. From now on Pragmatic Play games including Wolf Gold, Diamond Strike, Gold Rush and Hot Safari are now available ...

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Three Video Games with Loot Boxes Violate Belgian Gambling Law, Regulator Finds

At least three video games featuring loot boxes have been breaching Belgian gambling laws, an investigation by the Belgian Gaming Commission has shown. The news about the regulator’s position on the widely publicized issue comes shortly after its Dutch counterpart released its own findings regarding the virtual items just days ago.

Loot boxes gained broad attention with the fall 2017 release of the Star Wars Battlefront II video game. The latest installment of the popular Star Wars: Battlefront series quickly became the subject of major controversy due to the fact that it included a loot box monetization scheme.

Generally speaking, loot boxes are special items can be purchased in-game. They contain further items that can be extremely helpful to a player within the game, but can also be of little value. Each loot box includes a random selection of items and its contents only become known to a player after its purchase is completed.

The Belgian Gaming Commission was among the gambling regulators to question the nature of loot boxes. The regulatory opened a probe into the matter, the results of which were made public earlier today.

The Gaming Commission investigated four video games – Star Wars Battlefront II, FIFA 18, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and Overwatch. The regulator found out that loot boxes in three of the games – FIFA 18, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and Overwatch – violated Belgium’s gambling law. The Commission said that developers of Star Wars Battlefront II have addressed the issue following the controversy the game was embroiled in and that its loot box system no longer violated Belgian gaming regulations.

Under the country’s gambling law, spending real money on an item that could influence a player’s performance in a game constitutes a game of chance if the contents of such an item are determined by chance.

Teenagers at Risk

The Commission expressed concerns that loot boxes in video games and their gambling nature are putting vulnerable players at great risk. Video games are often played by players under the allowed age for gambling but being exposed by products that resemble gambling risks normalizing the activity.

The gambling regulator said today that developers of games with paid loot boxes violate Belgium’s gambling law and can be fined or even sentenced to prison for such a violation. They thus must remove the controversial in-game items or can otherwise face fines of up to €800,000 and or prison time of up to five years.

In a similar move, the Netherlands Gambling Authority, Kansspelautoriteit, announced last week the results from its own probe into loot boxes. The regulator investigated ten video games that featured loot boxes and were available to Dutch players.

Kansspelautoriteit found that four out of the ten games violated the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act as their loot box systems incorporated elements of games of chance into skill-based games. The provision of games of chance without the necessary authorization from the Dutch gambling regulator is strictly prohibited in the Netherlands.

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A Bevy of Novelties at Cashmio Casino

The hard-working people of Japan will soon embark on a much-deserved vacation – in their country, this is known as a Golden Week, which marks the beginning of the longest vacation period for workers in Japan. So, what does this have to with casinos or gambling, you might ask; the fact that Cashmio Casino is hosting Lisa's Golden Week Lotto, packed with all sorts of goodies!

This promotion coincides with the mass vacationing period in Japan, so people there can just sit back and relax playing these games that will award them with wager-free cash, Mega Dega Spins and extra spins! The promotion runs from April 27th to May 6th, with the main draw taking place on May 7th at 12:30. For every win on any of these slots – Aloha, Asgardian Stones, Drive, FruitSpin, Jack Hammer 2, Planet of the Apes, Reel Rush, Starburst and Steam Tower – players will get 1 lottery ticket. The minimum bet required is €0.40. The first prize is a $200 wager-free cash prize. The second-ranked player gets 100 MDS on Aloha, the third player gets 50 MDS on Aloha, while the fourth, fifth and places six to ten get 100, 50 and 20 free spins. Full T&Cs apply.

Also this week, there is the major introduction of 14 new games for casino's punters to enjoy. Some of the brand new titles to see the light of day there are NetEnt's Archangels: Salvation, Yggdrasil's Lucha Maniac's, Play'n GO's Legacy of Egypt, Betsoft's Reels of Wealth, Blueprint's Inspector Gadget, SGI's Celestial King etc.

Source:

“Golden Week For Japanese Players”, Cashmio Casino Newsletter, April 20, 2018.

Delta poised to emerge from Goa license fee debate ‘in better shape’

India’s only publicly listed company in the casino gaming industry, Delta, had an impressive run in the last quarter of 2017. Its revenue climbed by 11%, while its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) rose a modest 5%. Net revenue year on year was up by 64% and its EBITDA ticked up 6%.

As reported by Union Gaming Asia, Delta’s casino operations, which are composed of Goa riverboat casinos, contributed the most to the increase in revenue. Online gaming and hospitality ventures assisted, but not to the levels of the riverboats.

Due to a strict political environment in the country, India’s gaming industry is much smaller than what is found in other countries. However, it’s a growing market that is expected to see rapid growth in the near term. Already in the first quarter of 2018, the industry as a whole saw an increase in revenue of 73%.

Although it has experienced growth in the past year, Delta is limited from large-scale expansion due to the riverboats. The confined spaces don’t allow for additional offerings, and Delta will need to move onshore if it wants to continue growing, according to Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen. Nonetheless, Delta’s casino revenue growth is expected to grow by 29% in the next fiscal year (FY) and 22% in FY2020. Delta could launch land-based casinos as early as FY2022 once integrated resorts begin to be offered in the country.

After Delta acquired one of India’s premier online gaming operators last year, revenue for online gaming, comprised almost exclusively of poker, grew 18% across the final three quarters of the fiscal year. The hospitality segment saw an increase of 20% year on year, fueled primarily to increased tourism to the country and, in particular, Goa.

Delta shares took a hit following the announcement by the Goa government that it planned on quadrupling the licensing fees for casinos in the area. The entire casino industry is now working together to try to force either a complete or a partial rollback. That struggle is still ongoing, with no substantiating information for or against the move.

Union Gaming expects Delta to “come out on the other side in better shape” whether or not the fee increase goes forward, and based its analysis on the fees being intact. The company feels that, should the fees remain, Delta competitors will have to exit the game, and Delta will stay ahead. If the fees are reduced, Delta obviously wins.

“We continue to view Delta as a transformational story with the eventual move to land-based casinos in Goa, in addition to the go-ahead for casino gaming at its existing resort in Daman,” Govertsen said in a note.

The post Delta poised to emerge from Goa license fee debate ‘in better shape’ appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

Goa’s land-based casinos want live gaming to offset fee hikes

Land-based casino operators in the Indian state of Goa are demanding a reduction in recent license fee hikes while simultaneously seeking an expansion of their list of gaming options.

Last month, Goa’s state government approved stiff hikes in license fees and other mandatory payments for both the land-based casinos operating out of hotels and resorts as well as the floating casinos plying their trade on the Mandovi river.

But the land-based operators are crying foul, saying the floating casino fee hikes were proportionally smaller than the hikes imposed on the land-based gaming venues. Last Friday, Grand 7 Casino partner Kundan Shetye told local reporters that he supported the government’s right to impose the hikes, but warned that the proposed land-based fee hikes “will kill the onshore casinos.”

In reality, the government’s new fee structure is based on a sliding scale. For land-based venues, fees increase with the size of their gaming floor, while the floating casino fees increase based on the capacity of the vessels. In each case, the maximum annual fee tops out at Rs400m (US$6m).

Shetye’s argument of a double-standard is based on his claim that the ships “violate the condition of entry of passengers to their vessels … only when the ships touch the seabed, the entries are closed.” Land-based venues have no such overloading option available to them, hence the impression of a fee disparity.

Regardless, Shetye does have a legitimate bone to pick with the disparity of gaming options available to land-based and shipboard casinos. The floating casinos can offer live table games, while land-based venues are restricted to electronic gaming only.

Shetye said he’d have no problem paying the new license fees if land-based casinos were allowed to introduce live table games. Shetye claimed the government could boost its coffers by up to Rs1.5b ($22.6m) “if they do away with this live gaming and electronic gaming differentiation.”

The land-based operators are also pressing the state government to at long last authorize the formation of a proper gaming commission, which they hope will standardize practices and eliminate surprise announcements like the fee hikes. Successive state governments have initially promised to form such a commission, only to reneg on these promises once in office.

The post Goa’s land-based casinos want live gaming to offset fee hikes appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

Yggdrasil Gaming deals with Stanleybet to offer its games in Italy

Yggdrasil Gaming deals with Stanleybet, a major operator to supply its extensive range of gaming content in Italy. As Yggdrasil Gaming deals with Stanleybet, the operator will also receive Yggdrasil’s range of complementary in-game promotional tools, BOOST™, and social sharing tool, BRAG™. Stanleybet is one of the leaders in retail betting and is now attracting its extensive customer base online, ...

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Online Gambling Surpasses Land-Based in Denmark

2017 was a pivotal year for online gambling in Denmark. The country's chief gambling regulatory body, Spillemyndigheden, has published the official annual report showing more than half of the total gambling in this Scandinavian country has been executed via internet. This is the first time in the country's history that the total share in online gambling surpasses land-based casino gambling.

The online gambling market takes up 51.5% of the total gambling revenue for 2017 which netted a total of $1.53 billion – for the sake of comparison, the online revenue in 2016 was 47.4%.

A main source of gambling revenue in Denmark in 2017 was lottery. Sports betting was the second-biggest revenue contributor, while general online casino gambling was the third most significant factor, making the biggest leap of all of these categories – its year-on-year growth was 15.5%.

The report also finds that 50% of online betters are males under 35 years of age. Denmark is among the countries that spend most in terms of the average gambling budget across betting and casino games. In gross gaming revenue per capita, Denmark holds a high third place for betting and casino games. Also, the sports betting percentage is much higher in Denmark that EU's average: 26.5% compared to 15.6%

When it comes to customer behavior in online casinos, gaming machines (such as slots) are by far the most popular type of gaming – they account for 61.5% of total online casino gambling. The second most popular is Roulette (11.3%), followed by Blackjack (10.4%).

Source:

“The Danish Gambling Authority's Annual Report is Now Online”, Spillemyndigheden.dk, April 17, 2018.

China Black Friday - Chinese Government Bans all Online Poker Apps

Beginning June 1, 2018, all apps that offer any type of poker will be banned in China. Playing and promoting poker on all forms of social media channels will be banned. Therefore, it is expected that the number of Chinese players at legal regional games will drop dramatically. The poker game has been nothing but popular in mainland China and other parts of Asia. Even if the Chinese weren't allowed to play with real money, that didn't stop them from playing as they were allowed to play with play[...]

LeoVegas Sets Sights on €600M Revenue

LeoVegas has made a public declaration concerning the company’s business and financial goals for the future.

Recent financial perofmances, partnership results and acquisitions have set the tone for new expexcations that are deemed realistic by the company’s board of directors, who are not eyeing the total annual revenue of at least €600 million for the year of 2020! Another profit goal that has been set is achieveing at least €100 million in EBITDA by the same year.

The company has listed some of the key long-term financial targets, as well. LeoVegas is looking for a long-term organic growth that outperforms the online gaming market, as well as the long-term EBITDA margin, “no less than 15% assuming that 100% of the revenue will be generated in regulated markets subject to gambling tax.“ Finally, the brand is hoping to by paying a divident of at least 50% of profit after tax. A full financial report for the first quarter of 2018 will be publicly announced on May 2nd.

Mobile Gaming Group CEO, Gustaf Hagman, commented on these latest ambitions: “Following our acquisitions we have now drawn up new financial targets. In 2015 we set the target to achieve EUR 300 m in revenue by 2018. The new revenue target entails a doubling to at least EUR 600 m by 2020 and does not include potential major acquisitions. At the same time, we are aiming for EBITDA of at least EUR 100 m, which implies adjusted* earnings per share of at least SEK 8† by 2020. The new targets confirm our continued focus on strong growth combined with a sound view of profitability. The targets create transparency regarding where we are headed, both internally and externally.“

Source:

“LeoVegas announces financial targets for 2020“, leovegasgroup.com April 19, 2018.