Writer decides to write Book about Poker but Stops after Winning Thousands of Dollars playing it

Many of us dream of ditching our boring, soul-crushing jobs in exchange for that easier and rewarding life filled with fun, excitement, and lots of money, but of course, what kind of gig should we get to achieve that? If poker is one of those answers, we all know too well that poker is not for everyone. But, one woman has proven that it doesn't take a very extraordinary skill to be able to make that leap from that daily humdrum world into a higher, more thrilling landscape - that if you just pu[...]

Fed gov’t stops cock-blocking Connecticut tribes’ JV casino

Connecticut’s proposed joint venture tribal casino has cleared a major roadblock now that the federal government appears to have finally dropped its opposition to the project.

On Thursday, the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) announced that the revised gaming compact between Connecticut’s state government and the Mohegan tribe – which operates Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino – “is taking effect.”

The document is dated May 25, but won’t be officially published until Friday, June 1. The document tersely notes that the amended gaming compact is taking effect because the Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke “took no action” within the required 45 days.

The amendment makes no mention of the state’s compact with Foxwoods Resort Casino’s owner, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which has formed a joint venture called MMCT to build a casino off tribal lands in the northern part of the state near East Windsor.

Both tribes’ gaming compacts were amended last year to recognize that the tribes would provide the state with 25% of gaming revenue from the East Windsor casino. However, the BIA inexplicably slow-rolled what should have been a rubber-stamp approval process.

In December, the state and the tribes sued the feds over the delay, which appears to have been prompted by furious lobbying by MGM Resorts, who felt they’d been excluded from setting up a rival casino in Bridgeport. In April, the Interior Department’s inspector general opened an investigation into the delay.

While the tribes expressed confidence on Thursday that the Mashantucket Pequot approval was imminent, there was no immediate reaction from MGM, which has proven willing to use all its legal options to thwart the East Windsor project, which lies just across the border from its new $960m MGM Springfield venue in Massachusetts that’s set to open in August.

On Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who represents Connecticut in Washington, told the Connecticut Post that MGM may have already got what it was after, namely, delaying the East Windsor project long enough so that MGM Springfield can establish itself as a destination for northern Connecticut gamblers. Blumenthal insisted that the Inspector General’s probe into Zinke’s stalling tactics should proceed.

MOHEGANS WANT WYNN MASSACHUSETTS LICENSE REVOKED
Speaking of Massachusetts, the Mohegans have reanimated their 2015 lawsuit challenging the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s 2014 decision to award a casino license to Wynn Resorts.

The tribe, which has long protested the MGC’s decision, now claims that the sexual harassment allegations engulfing former Wynn boss Steve Wynn are further proof that the MGC didn’t do a proper job of vetting the company, and therefore the bidding process was flawed and needs a redo.

The Boston Herald reported that the MGC filed a reply brief opposing the Mohegan’s motion, while arguing that its investigation into what Wynn execs knew about Steve’s allegations at the time of licensing is ongoing.

In April, Wynn Resorts stripped Steve’s surname from their Boston project, which will now be known as Encore Boston Harbor. Earlier this month, the MGC agreed to erase Steve’s name from Wynn’s Massachusetts license.

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UK Gambling Industry GGY Increases According to UKGC Report

Today, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) published its latest six-month update to the local gambling industry statistics. The main regulatory body in the UK revealed some details about the market changes and latest trends in the sector, as well as about players’ activity in the period from October 2016 to November 2017.

Such statistics about the performance, customer participation and trends in the sector are published twice a year, in May and then in November. The information released by the Commission is aimed at providing the latest data about the industry, including both land-based and online gambling services offered to UK customers.

The information rolled out by the major regulator in the country has been provided by the companies which run their services under an operation licenses issues by the UKGC.

Remote Gambling Sector on the Rise

According to the Commission, the UK gambling industry generated an overall gross gambling yield of £13.9 billion in the above-mentioned 12-month period. The figures represent a 0.7% increase in comparison to the result posted for the period between April 2016 to March 2017.

The main gambling regulatory body of the UK further revealed that the market share of the country’s remote gambling sector rose by 1% in the twelve months from October 2016 to November 2017 compared to the previous period. In addition, the online gambling industry saw a 3.7% increase in its overall gross gambling yield, reaching £4.9 billion at the time.

As far as the land-based gambling sector in the country is concerned, the UK Gambling Commission reported that the total number of betting shops on the territory of the UK amounted to 8,532. According to the data provided, the figure represented a 3.2% decline from the number of betting outlets in March 2017. There was also a 0.7% drop in the overall number of gaming machines in the UK to 183,928, with the ones requiring a local authority license only being excluded from that number.

A slight 2% increase from March 2017 in the number of bingo premises in the UK was registered. As revealed by the UKGC report, there were 649 bingo halls in the country. As far as casino premises are concerned, two new casinos have started operation since March 2017, with the overall number of casinos in the country rising to 152. In addition, a 3.5% decline was registered in the number of licensed arcades in the country from March 2017, with their number reaching 1,810.

A total of 106,366 people worked in the UK gambling sector in September 2017, with a 0.8% drop registered from March 2017.

Apart from the results of the land-based and online gambling sector, the UK Gambling Commission also provided some details about the contributions to good causes generated by large society lotteries. The regulatory body explained that there was a slight 1.7% drop to £251 million in comparison to the result posted between April 2016 and March 2017.

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Casino News Report - May 2018

We’ll look at this month’s featured casinos and how you can get the most out of their exclusive bonuses. Mother’s Day recap and more contests that await you in the Members area, and the new casinos, rewards and editorials to enjoy with the warm summer breeze.”

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

 

Hi LCB’ers! The holiday vibe is upon us; so make yourself comfortable on the lounger and grab another drink as we do the heavy lifting and give you some tips on how to make the most out of our site for the upcoming month, starting with our top casino picks.

The Saucify-powered Lotus Asia is a top choice for all players in the US. It’s a sister brand to Black Lotus, both of which are highly rated, has an LCB rep and an exclusive free spins bonus which you can easily claim.

Speaking of exclusive bonuses, the Bitcoin-friendly casino Omni Slots has one more up for grabs together with our $3 LCB Chip reward. See what fellow players have said about it in the comments section and enjoy the benefit of direct support from their rep right on our forum.

For our third and last pick for the month, we have for you LCB approved and recommended RedStar Casino. This multi-software site is also part of the LCB reward program which earns you $3 LCB chips when making your 1st deposit, and has a respectfully high member rating that you can also check out in more detail in the rest of our casino review.

 

Another Mother’s Day has passed, and all our English and German forum contest participants couldn’t have made it any better. Congrats to all the winners! There were many heartfelt and wonderful stories shared by all the members who participated: thanks so much for sharing.

But it’s not over for long: subscribe to receive notifications from our “Members only” section to be the first to get notified when our moderators “Lipstick” and “HardyK” posts a new contest with more LCB prizes up for grabs.

 

Meanwhile in the same forum section, we have a bunch of exclusive kickass tournaments hosted by reputable casinos. All of them are free to join and most are US-friendly.  The next batch of tourneys start 1st of June, so get yourself ready and go ahead and pick your favourite.

 

Did you know we’ve already added over 17 new casinos in May? That’s right, and there are a couple we think you’ll really like, one of them is LetsBet Casino which has been hand-crafted by a team of experienced iGaming professionals to include unique features like live streaming, social integration and gamification. See our full review for a quick summary of the advantages and disadvantages and bonuses on offer.

Also, make sure you check out Genesis Casino. It’s a sister brand to the reputable Casino Cruise and Vegas Hero, and it promises to pack a punch with equally impressive content and new bonuses.

 

Since we love pampering you with new offers, we’ve also added new shop items to the LCB shop, one of them being free spins from Cadoola Casino. So, if you don’t have an account with them yet then this is a great chance to get more bang for your buck.

 

Before you go, if you like geeky table game strategies and live gaming, then see our recent editorial where the Wizard of Odds looks into Codeta's unique Skill Score concept to reveal some exciting approaches that you’ll find at this revolutionary and live gaming-centric online casino.

 

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.

As always, play responsibly and stay tuned for more news coming soon!

 

 

Macau Legend’s Cape Verde Casino to Swing Its Doors Open in August

Part of Macau Legend’s $300-million casino resort in Cape Verde will open doors this August, CEO David Chow Kam Fai told local media earlier today after the company’s Annual General Meeting at the Legend Palace.

Macau Legend will open a hotel and casino in the tiny northwest African nation this summer as part of what would be a multi-phase project. The Macau-based group has already invested more than $290 million in the first phase of its scheme.

The company has revealed in previous statements that the first phase of its new resort would include a 200-room hotel, a casino, and an office block, among other facilities. Further phases of the project will include a marina, retail space, a convention center, and multiple food and beverage options. The whole integrated resort will occupy a 152,700-square-meter site (1,643,649.12 square feet).

Macau Legend announced its plans to build a resort in the tiny island nation in 2015 and broke ground on he property a year later. The Hong Kong-listed company said back then that it expected it would take about three years to complete the project.

Cape Verde currently has population of around half a million people, but Macau Legend will actually be targeting foreign visitors.

Exclusive Online Gaming Rights

Under a deal between the Macau casino operator and Cape Verde officials, Macau legend would receive a 15-year tax relief and would be granted 10-year exclusivity over the operation of online gaming and sports betting as well as over the operation of land-based sports betting services.

Of their choice to expand namely into Cape Verde, Mr. Chow has previously said that it being a Portuguese-speaking country (Macau is itself a former Portuguese territory) with well-developed infrastructure and booming tourism were among the things that drew his company to that particular part of the world.

Tourism represents nearly a quarter of Cape Verde’s annual GDP and the country’s government has introduced a number of initiatives to boost that industry even further. Local lawmakers have pointed out repeatedly that Macau Legend’s integrated resort could certainly help the nation achieve that goal.

The legalization of gambling in the early 2010s was one such tourism-boosting initiative. As a result from the legalization process, Cape Verde’s first land-based casino – the €5-million Casino Royal – opened doors as part of a larger Hilton resort in May 2013 on Sal Island. Under the country’s gambling law, brick-and-mortar casinos can be built on the islands Sal, Santago, Boa Vista, and Maoi.

Macau Legend’s casino resort is currently under development in the capital Praia. It is also interesting to note that the Macau-based gaming company has submitted an application to develop a bank in Cape Verde. Mr. Chow said today that local lawmakers are currently evaluating the proposal, which aims to provide small- to medium-sized businesses with much-needed support and facilitate payments processed on the Cape Verde territory.

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Macau Legend plans expansion in Laos, Cambodia, Macau

Casino operator Macau Legend Development Ltd (MLD) has vowed to help expand infrastructure in Laos if the government will allow MLD some freedom in reallocating its gaming taxes.

The Hong Kong-listed MLD held its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, and CEO David Chow Kam Fai updated investors on a variety of topics, including plans for its operations in Macau, Laos, Cambodia and Cape Verde.

In Laos, where MLD operates Savan Legend Resorts (formerly the Savan Vegas, pictured) Chow said the company had requested the right to redirect some of the flat tax of US$10m per year it currently pays the Lao government into developing the local infrastructure, including upgrading the Savannakhet airport to facilitate direct flights from Macau.

Chow said MLD plans to develop a “bungalow-type resort” on land adjacent to Savan Legend, one of “several” projects MLD has on its mind for the Laos market. Last month, Chow suggested MLD could invest up to $500m in expanding its Laos operations.

MLD is also looking at planting its flag in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, a popular tourist area in the country’s northeast. Chow said MLD was still negotiating a land purchase but hoped to offer specifics on the company’s Cambodian plans before the year was through.

Chow further claimed that MLD’s long-awaited resort casino in Cape Verde off the west coast of Africa will finally begin construction this August. The $290m beachfront project’s first phase, which will include a 200-room hotel, office block and casino, is somewhat ambitiously targeting a 2019 opening.

All of this expansion will be funded in part with proceeds from last November’s HKD4.6b ($590m) sale of the Landmark Macau hotel-casino. Chow said Wednesday that MLD expects to realize a pre-tax gain of HKD3.3b from the recently completed sale.

The proceeds will also help fund expansion of MLD’s Fisherman’s Wharf property on Macau’s peninsula, where MLD already has two hotels and plans are underway to build a third.

MLD released its 2017 report last month, which showed annual revenue of HKD1.83b, one-quarter higher than 2016’s result. Adjusted earnings improved 29% to HKD278m, although the company booked a net loss of HKD507m due primarily to depreciation and the effects of Typhoon Hato on its Macau operations.

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Gambling industry in Bulgaria with Miglena Dimitrova (MDMI Legal) at CEEGC2018 Budapest

The organizers of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference (CEEGC) are honored to announce that Miglena Dimitrova (MDMI Legal) will join the panel discussion which focuses on the Eastern European gambling market updates. The Bulgarian gambling industry has shown significant growth in the last 10 years and in an Analysis of the Center for the Study of Democracy of ...

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Swiss Voters Seem to Support Foreign Online Casinos Ban

A nationwide opinion poll in Switzerland has shown that plans for a gambling law amendment are making progress ahead of the vote scheduled for June 10th.

Only a few weeks before the changes in the existing gambling legislation takes place, the leading polling and research institute GfS Bern revealed that 58% of a recent survey’s respondents will back the reform, which is set to include a foreign online casinos ban and tighter regulation aimed at reducing gambling addiction in the country. The result represented a 6% increase in the number of voters who are willing to support the amendment in comparison to a previous survey commissioned by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation.

According to Lukas Golder, co-director of GfS Bern, the announced result is a trend which was by no doubt in favor of the local Government. As revealed by the polling and research institute, 58% of the survey’s respondents backed the gambling law amendment, while 37% were against the change. The remaining 5% of the respondents have not decided whether to back it yet. Mr. Golder, however, explained that the gambling legislation issue has not managed to gain popularity among the general public, in spite of the massive campaign on the social media.

Youth Wings of Local Political Parties Oppose the Amendment

The increasing percentage of Swiss residents who seem to be approving the reform is considered to be due to the rising concerns over an expected lotteries and casinos’ revenue decline. The proceeds accumulated by these gambling operations are normally used to fund age pension schemes and other social services.

According to the results of a study released by the Justice ministry, a ban imposed on overseas online casinos would cost Switzerland no less than CHF250 million on annual basis. The overall proceeds brought to the country by gambling operations have been estimated to approximately CHF1 billion per year.

The country’s Parliament approved the new piece of gambling legislation in 2017. Under the law, only domestically-licensed casinos will be allowed to offer web-based games, while foreign casinos’ websites are to be banned. Center-right and right political parties, however, opposed the law and managed to gather the necessary 50,000 signatures to schedule a nationwide vote on the matter.

As mentioned above, support for the legislation amendment has been growing lately, especially in the German-speaking regions and in rural areas. The issue related to the ban that is to be imposed on the foreign casinos has not raised enough interest, with the mobilization of voters remaining relatively low.

Only residents in the age group from 18 to 29 years appeared to firmly oppose the reform. According to the research results, one of the main reasons why younger Switzerland citizens were against the amendment is the fact that they were concerned over the restrictions which may be imposed on the use of the Internet. This trend is also followed by the youth wings of the main political parties, with younger politicians backing campaigns against the legislation change.

The post Swiss Voters Seem to Support Foreign Online Casinos Ban appeared first on Casino News Daily.

Ocean Resort Casino to Feature William Hill Sportsbook

June 28th will be a major day for Atlantic City, quite possibly the most crucial in its recent history. This is the day that will see the opening of two new major casino resorts: Hard Rock Atlantic City and Ocean Resort Casino. Some news coming from the latter tells us that a sportsbook provided by the world-renowned, UK-based, William Hill is to be included in Ocean Resort's offer from day one.

Ocean Resort Casino is built on the foundations of the former Revel Casino. Their punters, which are expected to come rushing in, in the thousands the minute the new resort opens its doors, will now have the chance to try their sport wagering expertise and knowledge using one of the leading brands in sports betting. The Sportsbook alone will take up to 7,500 square feet of gaming space with suites for up-scale players for placing bets on various events – the most exciting of which will be the 2018 FIFA World Cup that will be well underway when ORC officially opens.

As we have recently reported, the US Supreme Court has passed the legislation allowing New Jersey to legalize sports betting, opening the door for all other US states to proceed as they wish in that regard, effectively launching a full-scale sports betting legalization country-wide.

Property where Ocean Resort Casino was built was sold to Colorado's developer, Bruce Deifik, for $200 million. He then invested another $200 million in renovation of premises. William Hill, on the other hand, is already well-established on the US market, currently managing 115 sportsbook operating in Nevada.

Source:

“Ocean Resort Casino partners with William Hill sports book”, Danzis David, pressofatlanticcity.com, May 24, 2018.

Poker’s Most Profitable So Far This Year

We are just five months into the year but some of poker’s finest players have already added millions of dollars to their bankrolls. They have traveled the world, faced other fine and seasoned players and have outmaneuvered them to be rewarded for their skills.

Just as many poker professionals and enthusiasts are readying for this year’s World Series of Poker, Casino News Daily has compiled a quick list of the most profitable players so far in 2018. Here is a little bit more information about how much they have won and how they have performed the past several months.

Justin Bonomo – $8,907,138

Bonomo has been on a hot streak over the past five months and it seems that he has no intention to end his winning spree. The player has cashed nearly $9 million since the beginning of the year from 15 different tournaments. There is more to the story, he won five of these and made final table appearances in most of the other.

Half of Bonomo’s 2018 live tournament earnings came from his first-place finish in the HK$2-million buy-in Super High Roller Bowl China. The popular poker pro bested a field of 75 seasoned high rollers to collect $4,823,077 from the event’s prize pool. Bonomo defeated Finland’s Patrik Antonius (who will appear later in this list) heads-up.

Aside from his Super High Roller Bowl China triumph, he also took down the Lucky Hearts Poker Open $25,500 High Roller for $556,873, a US Poker Open $10,500 event for $190,400, the EPT Monte Carlo €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em for €378,000, and the EPT Monte Carlo €25,000 Single Re-Entry for €259,700.

Jason Koon – $6,837,091

Koon is, too, having quite some year and quite a month, to be more precise. The player won high roller tournaments on two continents over a week’s span. He first outlasted 103 entries in the partypoker-sponsored HK$1,000,000 Triton Super High Roller Montenegro to scoop a hefty payout of $3,569,836.

Just a few days later, the player claimed another title and another seven-figure payout. He won the Aria $100K High roller during the WPT Tournament of Champions Festival at Aria Resort & Casino. Koon was the last man standing from a field of 31 entries. His share of the prize pool totaled $1,039,940.

Koon has cashed in seven events since the beginning of the year and has won one more tournament over the past few months. During this year’s PCA, the poker pro bested the field of the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em, good for a prize of $421,080.

Stephen Chidwick – $5,906,441

UK’s second most profitable player of all time rounds out the podium of this year’s most profitable live tournament poker players. Chidwick has finished in the money in 15 tournaments since January and has won several of them to add nearly $6 million to his already hefty poker bankroll.

The UK poker pro started off 2018 with victories in two US Poker Open tournaments, both of them $25,000 buy-in ones. He scooped more than $700,000 from those. Just a couple of days ago, the player took down a $25,000 Aria High Roller event for $300,000.

Back in April, Chidwick collected two seven-figure payouts from the partypoker MILLIONS Grand Final Barcelona festival. He first finished runner-up to Jake Schindler in the €100,000 Super High Roller for €1.1 million in prize money, and then collected €1 million for his third-place finish in the €10,300 Main Event.

Patrik Antonius – $4,537,936

We have seen more and more from the Finn over the past months which is always good, as we all know how good he is at this game. The player has cashed in just five events this year, but one of these was the above-mentioned Super High Roller Bowl China.

Antonius collected $3,153,551 from that tournament after outlasting all but one of the contenders for the title. In February, the player put up great performance at the partypoker MILLIONS Germany at King’s Casino Rozvadov to win the €25,500 Super High Roller for a first-place prize of €425,000.

Jake Schindler – $4,411,041

Schindler rounds out the list of the five most profitable players so far this year with nearly $4.5 million added to his bankroll. He has cashed in 17 tournaments since the beginning of 2018, which is an impressive number itself. In addition, he actually topped the fields of some of these events.

As already mentioned, the player emerged victorious in the €100,000 Super High Roller during the partypoker MILLIONS Grand Final Barcelona. His share of the tournament’s massive prize pool amounted to €1,750,000. Schindler has also won a couple of Aria High Roller tournaments over the past several months and has cashed in some other such tournaments.

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Chris Ferguson Issues Short Apology to the Poker Community

Seven years after the Black Friday, an event that shook the poker world with poker's big three (Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, and Ultimate Bet) getting indicted, Chris Ferguson finally re-emerged issuing an apology for his role in it. Despite re-emerging twice at the World Series of Poker as well as winning Player of the Year last year, the former founder of Full Tilt has never really spoken publicly about his involvements in the Black Friday scandal. In April 2011, the Black Friday scandal rev[...]

Betsoft Gaming deals with Casino Superlines

Leading software provider, Betsoft Gaming deals with Casino Superlines to provide a selection of slot games to growing brand. Since Betsoft Gaming deals with Casino Superlines, an extensive range of RNG titles that have been approved for key regulated markets – including many from the perennially popular Slots3TM series will be available to Casino Superlines brand. Launched in April 2017, ...

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The Star’s VIP gamblers spending (and winning) like crazy

Australian and New Zealand casino operator The Star Entertainment Group says its Asian VIP gambling segment has been on fire since the year began.

On Monday, The Star held its annual investor day presentation, which included a trading update on the year-to-date up to May 23. The company said total ‘normalized’ gaming revenue is up 16.4% from the same period last year, thanks in part to its thriving ‘International VIP Rebate’ business (aka Asian gambling whales).

The Star said its VIP turnover was up 63.7% year-on-year, due in part to the company’s efforts to expand its quest for VIP customers beyond China – or ‘North Asia’ as the Beijing-crackdown-phobic company euphemistically calls it – to other South Asia nations and also recruiting more non-junket premium mass customers.

While VIP volume was way up, the VIP win rate was below the theoretical 1.35% rate. That trend was on full display in the second half of 2017, during which VIP win sunk to just 1.06% as luck favored the gamblers for a change.

It wasn’t just Asian whales who had hot hands, as the company reported “solid” domestic gaming volume growth suffering from “lower table hold rates.” Despite the unlucky streak, domestic revenue nonetheless managed to nudge up 2.6% year-on-year.

The Star also announced that its Queen’s Wharf integrated resort project in Brisbane would now carry a price tag of A$2.4b (US$1.8b), a significant hike from the previous estimate of A$1.8b. The revised plans now include a 25% larger gaming floor, more retail and dining options, an expanded ‘Sky Deck’ and more hotel rooms.

The Star says Queen’s Wharf will eventually occupy roughly 15% of Brisbane’s central business district. Its gaming options will include around 2,500 slots, between 250 and 400 gaming tables, plus between 350 and 800 multi-terminal gaming machines.

The Star is on the hook for 50% of the Brisbane project’s costs, while its two joint venture partners – Hong Kong conglomerate Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and property developer Far East Consortium International Ltd – will split the other 50%.

The Star received local approval to break ground on the Brisbane project in February and the company is targeting opening doors to the public sometime in the second half of 2022.

The post The Star’s VIP gamblers spending (and winning) like crazy appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

NetEnt Player Strikes Whopping €3.7M Jackpot

Leading provider of premium casino content with offices all around the world, NetEnt, has successfully continued its renowned jackpot streak, after a player from Sweden managed to strike a gigantic win, totaling €3,773,845.27 while playing the company’s groundbreaking Mega FortuneTM­ slot at LeoVegas! According to the supplier, the winner had staked only €4.80 before hitting the immense sum, at the beginning of May. By announcing the latest big win, software giants have continued to lead in jackpot games with massive millionaire-making prizes, paying already an astonishing sum of €19,799,183 in 2018 alone!

Chief product officer at the company, Henrik Fagerlund, said that jackpots are an integral component of NetEnt’s business strategy and that seeing players win life-changing amounts always make them happy, as it confirms the groups dedication and good work. Providing exceptional gaming experience, as well as moments like this is the very essence of iGaming, and the company hopes that good luck will follow everyone during the summer.

Mega FortuneTM is definitely among the most popular online slots of all times, as only a few other games have managed to trigger so many jackpots, including Mega Moolah, Hall of Gods and Mega Fortune Dreams. The game’s secret lies within choosing bets and lines but also optional multi-coin line bets. Players can place up to 4 coins on each active line, toggle the 'bet level' and reconfigure the lines manually.

Earlier this year, on January 23rd, another player made his first millions after striking massive €2,553,604.67 on the same game, only a few days after signing-up at the venue SlotsMillion. A UK-based punter, who remained completely anonymous has actually won the first progressive jackpot in 2018, announcing an entire streak of further grand prizes, such as the one from May.

Star Entertainment Revenue Boosted by VIP Customers and Queensland Businesses

One of the largest Australian gaming and entertainment groups, Star Entertainment Group, shared that high-roller customers and Queensland businesses have brought larger revenue, at a time when the company has been focused on new Gold Coast- and Brisbane-located projects’ roll-out.

As reported by the operator, the strong revenue growth registered since the beginning of the year has been backed by the boom in the local tourism market, as the number of international VIP customers has also increased. In addition, Star Entertainment further announced a large increase in the amount of the transformational revamp and expansion of its Brisbane-situated Queen’s Wharf project, with a 25% boost in the gross area which is expected to bring the resort costs up from AU$1.8 to AU$2.4 billion.

The company is currently engaged with the development of its AU$2.4-billion Queen’s Wharf resort situated in the central business district of Brisbane. Today, the gambling operator revealed that its revenue increased by 16.4% in the period from January to May 2018.

As revealed by Matt Bekier, the Chief Executive Officer of Star Entertainment, official offers for the first phase of the Queen’s Wharf project are set to be released in June. He further explained that additional dining and retail areas are also planned for the resort. As previously revealed, the foundations, as well as the basement of the project are set to be laid down in 2019, while the construction above the ground expected to begin a year later, in 2020.

More Regulatory Clarity Needed for Gold Coast Tower Project

As mentioned above, Mr. Bekier revealed that the floor area of the company’s Queen’s Wharf project would be bigger than the one originally planned, due to expanded retail and dining area. According to the company’s Chief Executive Officer, the increase reflects the confidence which Star Entertainment has in Queensland and Brisbane.

The company’s boss explained that the increase marked in the number of tourists and higher interstate migration have helped the economy of the state.

The Star Entertainment Group has revealed that the construction of its Gold Coast casino’s new accommodation tower is planned to kick off in August 2018. However, the company still needed more clarity to be brought on the matter, with the State Government expected to say whether the operator would need another casino license, especially for the tourist strip. According to Mr. Bekier, Star Entertainment is absolutely fine with the planned investment in the new tower, but more regulatory clarity would be needed before further investment is given a go.

Kate Jones, the Minister of Queensland Tourism Industry Development is expected to meet with potential supporters of the new resorts in the region. Previously, Star’s CEO shared his opinion that the Gold Coast did not need another casino resort, considering his company’s plans to built four more towers of up to 74 storeys at the already existing Broadbeach venue. In any case, no more poker machines are proposed at the site in question.

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Lightning Box gets Portugal approval

The specialist slots developer, Lightning Box gets Portugal approval to launch its games in the country on the SG Digital platform. Lightning Box gets Portugal approval after the Portuguese gaming regulator, Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SIRJ), has given Lightning Box the right to release nine games from its offering. These include Silver Lion, Stellar Jackpots-Chilli Gold x2, ...

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Be part of the Netherland’s first-ever Responsibility in Gaming Awards

ENTER NOW! Be part of the Netherland’s first-ever Responsibility in Gaming Awards Make sure your organisation gets the recognition it deserves – submit your entry by 30 May to take part in the Dutch gaming sector’s only dedicated awards: Responsibility in Gaming Awards. The window for entries to the inaugural Responsibility in Gaming Awards is now OPEN. If your organisation ...

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Lincoln and Liberty Slots Casinos Prepare Goodies

June is nigh, and the time is right to step into the first month of summer with some awesome new bonuses and special offers of various kinds. Who better to turn to in such time of need than Lincoln Casino and Liberty Slots, who will be packed with tournaments, new games and extra spins.

Let's begin with Lincoln and check out what's in store for their punters. You can begin your month of June with a 200% bonus up to $200 and get 20 extra spins on Dynasty! You need to use the code, JUNEBUG, and deposit at least $25. Wagering requirements for this are 20x the deposit + bonus and this offer will be valid from May 31st until June 3rd. You can also claim an additional 50 extra spins on the Fat Cat game, using the code, WH265XR. Valid from May 28th until June 4th, this offer comes with a 40x WR.

A tournament so cool they had to repeat the word three times to name it is taking place from June 3rd - 16th. The Cool Cool Cool Tournament is played on the Cool Bananas game and is rewarding $1200 in prizes.

Moving on to Liberty Slots Casino which welcomes the month of June with a 150% up to $300 plus 30 extra spins offer on Dynasty game, valid from June 1st - 3rd. Simply use the promo code, SOAPDISH, deposit the minimum of $25 and wagering 20x of deposit plus the bonus. An additional 40 extra spins can be won on the Dolphin Reef game with the promo code, EU382WT. Wagering requirements on this offer, valid from May 28th to June 4th, are 40x.

The site also has a tournament to brag about – Japan-themed Big Blossoms tourney, in honor of the cherry blossom. That’s exactly what you'll be playing, the Cherry Blossoms game for your chance to win the $1500 prize! The tournament takes place from May 29th to June 10th.

As a final treat, both casinos will be introducing a brand-new game – Goblin's Gold. This is an exciting three-reel slot in which you'll be seeking the Goblin's treasure with the help of Wild X symbols to grant you 3x and 9x multipliers. The game also features nudge bar symbols, bonus games and more. Enter the promo code, GOBLIN50LC, and you will get 50 extra spins – but, make it snappy because this offer expires after May 31st…

Matthew Waxman Wins WPT Tournament of Champions

It started off with 80 former WPT Main Tour Main Event champions, but it was Matthew Waxman who outlasted that elite field to become this year’s WPT Tournament of Champions winner. The player claimed the title and the first-place prize of $463,375 after picking off a bluff from his heads-up opponent Matas Cimbolas.

Waxman and Cimbolas were two of the five players who returned for Day 3 of the prestigious tournament. Instead of playing that final day at Aria Resort & Casino, the remaining survivors switched venues and their final battle thus took place at the brand new Esports Arena Las Vegas at the Luxor.

Waxman entered the final day of action third in chips, while Cimbolas held the second largest stack at the time when cards were thrown in the air. The five finalists were led by Darren Elias, who won his record fourth WPT title just a few days ago.

The player maintained his momentum for a while, but then lost his chip lead to Waxman. Elias eventually busted in third place, thus missing the chance to win a back-to-back title and smash another record. He collected $177,060 in prize money.

Nick Schulman was actually the first player to leave the final table on Day 3. He was eliminated in fifth place namely by Elias. His share of the $1,365,000 prize pool totaled $89,290. David Benyamine went out in fourth, good for $123,045.

Heads-Up Action

Waxman was the player to set the two-handed match after he eliminated Elias in third place. The eventual champion entered heads-up as a chip leader with 2:1 advantage over Cimbolas. The first half of their duel saw chips swinging back and forth from one player to the other and vice versa.

Waxman then began to pull ahead of his final opponent until he took controlling advantage. On the final hand in play, the eventual champion check-called the three streets with [Qc][7d]. Cimbolas moved all in on the river with [10h][3s] on a [Kd][2h][Qs][4s][8h] board. Waxman quickly picked off his opponent’s bluff and called to claim the title and the largest share of the prize pool. Cimbolas exited the tournament in second place, good for $265,590.

As for Waxman’s first-place prize, it also includes a $15,000 seat into next season’s WPT Tournament of Champions, a luxurious Hublot watch, a JetSmarter membership worth $50,000, and the one and only WTP Tournament of Champions trophy.

Talking to WPT staff minutes after his triumph, Waxman said that it took him some time to decide whether he should play in the Tournament of Champions or not due to the high buy-in, the elite field, and the lack of much confidence in his game. It seems that he has made the right decision, though.

The event concluded Season XVI of the popular poker series. As mentioned above, it attracted 80 entries, including the winners from throughout the season and players who had won WPT titles during previous seasons. A prize pool of $1,365,000 was generated to be split among the top 10 finishers, min-cashes starting from $39,840.

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US Justice Department Investigates Bitcoin Price Manipulation

Bloomberg is reporting that the US Justice Department is preparing an in-depth criminal investigation concerning the big fluctuations of Bitcoin and Ethereum prices in the last 6 months. Bitcoin's story was one of ups and downs for a long time now and this prompted a full-on market manipulation probe. For this endeavor, the Justice Department will be assisted by numerous other agencies and helped by US Commodities Futures Trading Commission which has declared cryptocurrencies as such.

This investigation will concern such illegitimate practice and processes as spoofing, which influences the value of the currency and its price by placing false orders on exchanges that are then withdrawn. The increased volume of placing orders prompt people to buy and sell the currency in larger amounts. Another form of market and price manipulation is wash trading, which creates the illusion of increased market activity by having only certain members of the market trade the currency between themselves.

John Griffin, University of Texas finance warns against the risks in the market of digital currencies: “There’s very little monitoring of manipulative trading, spoofing and wash trading. It would be easy to spoof this market.”

Trading of cryptocurrencies is divided into a fragmented platform all across the globe, many of them unlicensed and unregistered. Due to the meteoric rise of Bitcoin in 2017 when it reached the value of almost $20,000 in December after starting out below $1,000 in January, thousands of people jumped on the investment bandwagon without being fully aware of what this entails in reality. Experts on the matter say that there are several key reasons why digital currencies are prone to fraud: huge price swings that makes valuations relative, a lack of regulations such as those that stocks have and skepticism regarding the idea that exchanges pursue cheaters.

Last week, Bitcoin fell below the $8,000 mark once again and the news of the investigation that broke out on Thursday further helped drop the cryptocurrency's value to below $7500. Its value has nosedived more than 20% since it peaked on May 4th. Despite that, cryptocurrencies still continue to be all the rage in some regions of the world and among the Bitcoin loyalists – but some countries like China and Japan have taken stern measures towards strict regulation or, in the case of China, a complete ban of cryptocurrency exchanges.

Source:

“U.S. Launches Criminal Probe into Bitcoin Price Manipulaton”, Matt Robinson and Tom Schoenberg, bloomberg.com, May 24, 2018.

Darren Elias Leads WPT Tournament of Champions Final Table, Eyes Back-To-Back Wins

The second day of the WPT Tournament of Champions was completed on Saturday at Aria Resort & Casino. It started with 29 players but just five of them survived through the very end of the day and are still in contention for the title and the $463,375 first-place prize.

Day 2 of the tournament kicked off with Dennis Blieden leading the pack of 29 hopefuls from Day 1. The player had a solid run during the first day of the WPT Tournament of Champions and methodically built a massive stack into Day 2. However, it appeared he had lost some of his momentum when he returned to the tables yesterday to eventually lose his chip advantage. The player was eliminated in 11th later on Day 2 to become the unfortunate bubble boy.

The original field of the prestigious tournament comprised 80 entries. The prize pool totaled $1.365 million and included the $15,000 buy-in fees paid by the participants and an additional $150,000 contributed by the WPT. The money was split into payouts for the top ten finishers.

The five finalists are set to resume play today at 4 pm local time. Unlike the previous two days when they played at the poker tables of Aria Resort & Casino, the final tablists will take to the felt of the brand-new Esports Arena Las Vegas at the Luxor Hotel and Casino to battle it out until there is just one player left.

Darren Elias Aims For Back-To-Back Titles

Darren Elias came into the WPT Tournament of Champions fresh off the inaugural WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic, which he took down to win a record-breaking fourth title from the series. And if Day 1 of the Tournament of Champions belonged to Blieden, it can be said that Day 2 belonged namely to Elias.

The player eventually bagged and tagged 1.4 million to top the chip counts chart. It is also important to note that he has quite some advantage over the rest of his remaining opponents.

Commenting on his run over the past several days, Elias said that “wins […] come in bunches in poker” and that when a player wins in a tournament, they become more confident and maybe play better in their next tournaments.

While Elias might have secured the chip lead, he will have a different task today as the rest of the finalists are seasoned players themselves. Matas Cimbolas collected a stack of 1.159 million last night to rank second in the chip counts chart. Matthew Waxman finished third in chips, good for 554,000. Nick Schulman, a player who boasts $3,534,047 in live tournament earnings, and David Benyamine, who has collected more than $1.8 million from different live tournaments, were the other two players to make it through Day 2 with and collect almost even stacks at the end of the day with 447,000 and 440,000, respectively.

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NetEnt Appoints Therese Hillman As New CEO

Casino game developer giant, NetEnt, has announced on Tuesday that they've named Therese Hillman as the company's new CEO, effective immediately. The decision was announced by the Board of Directors after they've expressed satisfaction with Hilman's efforts and success as the company's acting CEO since former chief executive, Per Eriksson, was dismissed in March of this year. She served as the company's Chief Financial Officer since January 2017.

Prior to that, she was notable for working in the e-commerce industry for a decade and being a CEO of Gymgrossisten. Hilman, who has an M.Sc in Accounting and Finance from Stockholm School of Economics, was also a member of Unibet's Board.

NetEnt's Chairman of the Board, Fredrik Erbing, comments: ”We are pleased to appoint Therese Hillman as new Group CEO. Therese has a clear business focus and is an appreciated leader with great energy. NetEnt is pioneering the online gaming industry and is taking the next step to be at the forefront of business focus and innovation. With Therese’s abilities, we get the right person to lead the company in the next growth phase.”

Hillman was honored to be appointed as CEO of such a successful company and said: “It is with great enthusiasm, but also humility, that I am taking on the role as Group CEO of NetEnt. I look forward to drive the development of the industry together with our customers and employees and to deliver the best player experiences. This is how we can continue to create value for our customers, shareholders, players and employees.”

Source:

“Therese Hillman appointed new Group CEO of NetEnt”, netent.com, May 22, 2018.

CoinPoker's 1st Crypto Series of Poker (CSOP) Is Just 2 Days Away

The Crypto Series of Poker (May 27 - June 3), a 10,000,000 CHP added tournament series that is the first of its kind, is set to start this Sunday at 16:00 EEST. New CoinPoker players can join the first event for free, with the an added sum of 250,000 CHP up for grabs. The series includes 17 varied tournament events where a range of 200,000 to 1,000,000 CHP added prize pools can be won. From May 27th to June 2nd, two tournaments will be held daily and build up to a final high stakes main even[...]

Vietnam issues casino license to Banyan Tree’s Laguna Lăng resort

Vietnam’s Laguna Lăng Cô has been awarded a casino license, the first such license the Vietnamese government has issued in a decade.

This week, Laguna Lăng proudly announced that its $2b resort project in Thua Thien Hue province had finally received its casino license. It’s the first such license issued in Vietnam since The Grand Ho Tram Strip, currently the nation’s only large-scale integrated resort with gaming, received its go-ahead.

The license was formally presented by Nguyen Van Cao, chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, to Ho Kwon Ping, chairman of Laguna Lăng’s managing partner Banyan Tree Holdings, at the recent Vietnam-Singapore Business Forum 2018 in Singapore.

The Laguna Lăng resort opened its $285m first phase five years ago but Banyan Tree’s Ho said “many hotel investors and development funds have been awaiting the casino license and the selection of a casino operator before finalizing their investment into our Phase 2.”

The resort’s casino operations are expected to launch by 2022. Banyan Tree remains cagey regarding who will run its gaming operations, although the local government has reached some kind of understanding with US casino operator Hard Rock International regarding gaming operations in the province.

In addition to new hotels and other amenities, the developers intend to embark on a major infrastructure upgrade, including transportation, electrical systems, water and environmental management systems to ensure the resort can handle the expected influx of tourists.

Given its expected launch date, the Laguna Lăng casino won’t be open in time to participate in Vietnam’s three-year trial of allowing local residents to gamble in casinos. The Ho Tram venue and the country’s smaller gaming halls (mostly in upscale hotels) have traditionally been off-limits to locals but the government announced it would temporarily relax these rules at select casinos to gauge the impact on society.

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South Africa’s Finest on the Forum

Hey LCB’ers; we all know and love South Africa’s, Springbok Casino, and it may be a surprise to you to learn that it has just now joined our forum with direct casino support. Representative, James, signed on Thursday, May 24th, with a greeting that was both short and sweet: “It’s great to be here on LCB forum! Please feel free to write me here if you need Assistance. I will be happy to help!”

Already have a question or burning matter that needs to be addressed? Head straight for James’ designated user profile and click right on the ‘Message’option to get started.

Catering to South African residents, Springbok also places an emphasis on the nation’s unique wildlife, revolving select promos around the topic throughout the year. Its games are powered by RTG, and users signing up for the first time gain immediate access to a full range of slots, progressive jackpot games, table games, video poker and plenty of options formatted for mobile play.

Its platform is available in an instant play version, so gaming can begin right away. New registrants can look forward to an exclusive welcome offer. Sign up and snag R250 completely free, no strings attached! Newbies will receive goodies across the first three deposits. Use code, SPRINGBOK100 on the first to get a 100% match up to R1500. On the second and third deposits, use SPRINGBOK50, and get 50% up to R5000.

Head to the site’s ‘Promotions’ page for details on a variety of other deals, including cashback opportunities, access to slot tournaments and comp points. As soon as you’re a registered member, you are automatically enrolled in the casino’s comp point system. For each bet made on your favorite games, you’ll rack up your points balance. Each time R10 is wagered, 1 point is awarded. Every 100 points accumulated is equivalent to R1.

Welcome aboard!

Hard Rock International’s Spanish casino project gets green light

US casino operator Hard Rock International (HRI) has been given the green light to proceed with its integrated resort project in Spain’s Catalan region.

On Friday, the official gazette of the Catalonia ministry of economy and finance announced that it had granted formal approval of HRI’s €2b Hard Rock Entertainment World project in the ‘tourist recreational center’ of Vila-seca and Salou in Tarragona province.

The notice gives HRI three years in which to open the resort’s €700m first phase, which will operate under the banner of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tarragona. The countdown to development will officially commence once HRI submits a €10m deposit and secures the necessary building permits.

The first phase will feature 1,200 slots, 100 gaming tables, two hotels offering 1,100 rooms in total, retail shopping, a 6k-square-meter swimming pool and a 15k-seat theater. The full project is expected to be complete within five years. A public ceremony detailing HRI’s plans is expected within the next few weeks.

The site of HRI’s project is close to Barcelona’s international airport, and the original name for the project was Barcelona World (and then BCN World) before the city’s council objected. Regardless, HRI has estimated that the resort, once fully operational, will provide an annual €1.3b boost to the local economy.

HRI CEO Jim Allen issued a statement noting that many gaming companies had expressed interest in building a Spanish integrated resort without success, and HRI was “proud” to have been given the “opportunity to bring our world-class entertainment brand to the region.”

HRI had originally teamed with Asia’s Melco International Development on a joint bid for the Catalan project but Melco backed out in order to focus on its casino plans in the Republic of Cyprus.

Spain has been a graveyard for many would-be resort developers. For years, US casino operator Las Vegas Sands pursued a Madrid area mega-resort known as EuroVegas before giving up in 2013 after failing to convince the government to relax indoor smoking rules. More recently, Cordish Gaming vigorously pursued its own €3b Madrid project but failed to secure the desired breaks on tax rates and land use.

The post Hard Rock International’s Spanish casino project gets green light appeared first on CalvinAyre.com.

Philippine prosecutors junk perjury, fraud cases vs Kazuo Okada

Philippine prosecutors have tossed the perjury and fraud cases that Universal Entertainment filed against Japanese gaming mogul Kazuo Okada straight into the trash can.

Documents obtained by CalvinAyre.com showed that the City Prosecutors of Makati and Paranaque Cities have cleared Okada from any criminal liabilities after the government lawyers failed to find any probable cause to send the complaint of Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc. (TRLEI), a subsidiary of Universal, to the lower court.

In the first complaint filed in Makati City, TRLEI accused Okada and former Tiger Resort President and Chief Operating Officer Takahiro Usui of besmirching the company’s name, claiming he made false allegations that TRLEI laid off employees in Okada Manila.

Philippine Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Renato Pambid, however, frowned at the perjury complaint of TRLEI, saying he is “not convinced that there is sufficient evidence to support a conclusion that the respondents’ assertion of a falsehood was willfully and deliberately made.”

“There is insufficient evidence to show that at the time the respondents made assertions, they were aware that such facts were false,” Pambid said.

The second criminal case against Okada stemmed from his decision to award a $7-million supply contract for the installation of LED fixtures in Okada Manila to his own company, Aruze Philippines Manufacturing Inc.

In a seven-page resolution, Paranaque City Prosecutor Romeo Bautista IV ruled that the “facts in the case are insufficient to engender a well-founded belief that a crime of Estafa (fraud) has been committed.”

Bautista also noted that the case is civil in nature and not a criminal one.

“The instant complaint must be recommended dismissed, the contractual relation being discussed being completely inconsistent with the presence and negating the existence of estafa,” the prosecutor ruled.

Kazuo Okada welcomed the dismissal of the cases against him, saying that the decision was a vindication that the allegations against him was allegedly part of Universal’s campaign to ruin his reputation.

“The documents speak for themselves. Universal has been exposed again as engaging in smear tactics designed to harm Mr. Okada’s good name. Their baseless allegation in Hong Kong has been exposed, now two more baseless allegations in the Philippines have been exposed as well,” Okada told CalvinAyre.com in an e-mailed statement.

TRLEI, for its part, asked the Paranaque prosecutor to inhibit from handling the $1 million estafa case it lodged against Okada. The TRLEI called out City Prosecutor Amerhassan Paudac’s alleged bias and gross partiality, accusing the government lawyer of leaking the resolution of his office dismissing two separate estafa complaints to the camp of Okada ahead of the official release of the ruling.

“Resolutions purportedly disposing the captioned cases in favor of respondent Okada have apparently been leaked… as shown by the unlawful publication thereof in the Facebook and Instagram accounts of his (Okada’s) close companion, Chloe Kim although said resolutions have not been officially released,“ TRLEI alleged in its pleading.

Universal launched its probe of Okada and Yoshinao Negishi, former director and general manager of Universal’s administrative division, last year due to suspicions that several directors of the company illegally released an estimated JPY2 billion ($17.74 million) from a subsidiary without going through proper internal decision-making process.

The gaming company concluded its three-month probe into the multi-million dollar illegal fund outflows in September, with investigators declaring that the Japanese billionaire had committed fraud in three separate occasions. Last month, Universal announced that the company had installed new measures to prevent a repeat of the incident.

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