BlockChain Innovations to go Public in Q3

A major company in the iGaming industry that provides blockchain technology to regulated operators, BlockChain Innovations Corp, has signed a letter of intent with Capricorn Business Acquisition for a qualifying transaction as a first step of going public in 2018's third quarter.

This transaction will make BlockChain Innovations the first blockchain-wagering public company to supply solutions to regulated gaming markets in US, Europe, UK and elsewhere around the globe. BCI will utilize the exclusive financial advisor services provided by FMI Capital Advisory who will also be the financial agent completing the capital raise. The operator will be targeting strategic and institutional investors and profits will be used to invest in development of products and technology as well as brand awareness.

As Glob News Wire states, the company will exchange all its issued and outstanding common shared for common shares in the capital of Capricorn and become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capricorn.

CEO, Matt Stafford commented: “With the US sports betting market opening and the go-public transaction set for the third quarter, BCI can bring it’s gaming-by-design blockchain technology to several regulated gaming markets. I want to extend a sincere thank all our investors for making this milestone in BCI’s history possible.”

BlockChain Innovations develops market-ready blockchain technology for real-money wagering and peer-to-peer gambling operators across the globe. Their blockchain technology has yielded a “fully functional crypto-currency wallet, a tipbot - PebbleGo for easily sending and receiving smart contracts.”

Source:

“Capricorn Business Acquisitions Announces Letter of Intent with Blockchain Innovations”, globenewswire.com, June 21, 2018.

Mike Takayama Wins 2018 WSOP $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty

Mike Takayama became the Philippines’ first WSOP gold bracelet winner after outlasting the massive field of this year’s $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty. Aside from the gold piece, which Takayama said he had always dreamt about, the player also collected $198,568 in prize money.

The $1,000 buy-in event was played on Friday at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. There were over 1,400 players to have registered when cards were thrown in the air and by the time registration closed, the field counted 2,065 persons to improve from last year’s 1,867-strong field.

A prize pool of $1,858,500 was generated and the top 310 runners left with a share of it. It is also important to note that being a bounty, the tournament awarded $300 to players for each fellow competitor they eliminated over the course of action.

The turbo format provided for quick action and great poker thrill. It took just a few hours for the 2,000-plus-person field to be reduced to the final nine who comprised the official final table. The final table itself was not a long ordeal. And it looked as if Takayama was very comfortable playing that final stage of the event.

Final Table and Heads-Up

Of all nine players left at the table, there were just two who had previously won gold bracelets from the series, with Jack Duong and Steve Jelinek being those two. Duong was eventually eliminated in eighth place, while Jelinek busted in fourth.

As for Takayama, the eventual winner was a fierce contender, playing aggressively and putting quite some pressure on his fellow final tablists. It really looked as if the player went all in more frequently than folding hands.

On two of these occasions, odds were all against him until the very last moment possible. Yet, despite all the dangerous situations Takayama put himself into, the player was the last man standing after the final hand of the day was dealt and after surviving his last all in confrontation against his Italian heads-up opponent, Lorenc Puka.

The final table lasted 49 hands, while Takayama took just ten hands to finish off Puka in their two-handed duel, despite the latter’s efforts. Puka manged to double through the eventual champion early in the match. However, he was offered no more chances to reduce the huge gap between him and his opponent.

Hand #49 of the final table turned out to be the tournament’s final one dealt, Takayama challenged Puka by moving all in and the Italian called. Takayama tabled [Kd][Jc] to Puka’s [Ad][4d]. The board ran out [5h][4h][Kh][10c][Jd] to deny the Italian player his first-ever title from the series. Puka collected $122,627 for his efforts that brought him that deep into the tournament. As for Takayama, he was ready to pose for a victory picture, celebrating his triumph and his homeland’s first WSOP gold bracelet.

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Elliniko Casino License Bidding Process Should Be Launched by August 31, Government Says

The bidding process for a casino license at Elliniko, a multi-billion-euro project for an integrated resort at the site of the former Hellinikon airport near Athens, should be launched by the end of August, according to a list of pending privatization actions issued by the Greek government.

Local news outlet Ekathimerini reported earlier today, citing government papers, that the tender should be announced by August 31 so that the preferred bidder could become known by the end of the year when the privatization of the former airport is supposed to be concluded.

The government’s list of pending privatization actions contained 35 such actions, the local media outlet further pointed out, most of which related to the privatization of the old airport, which served the Greek capital for six decades up until March 2001.

It was confirmed last summer that the Greek government has approved a project pitched by a group of investors from Abu Dhabi and China together with local partner Lamda Development for the development of an €8-billion integrated resort at the site of the old international airport.

Apart from selecting a winning bidder for the casino license at the massive complex, another important action included in the government’s list involved the relocation of facilities currently operating in the Hellinikon area.

Most of the entities are expected to depart the area by November. However, there are several of them that will have to be relocated by the end of September, with the Civil Aviation Authority being one of these.

The Elliniko Project

The integrated resort is planned to occupy a 2-million-square-meter site where the former airport had previously operated. Construction stage is expected to create 10,000 jobs, while the complex, once complete, will employ more than 75,000 people.

Lamda Development has previously said that it would look to reduce seasonality and attract visitors all year round. As many as 1 million international tourists would be welcomed annually at the resort, according to initial estimates.

The property will feature a gaming floor with both offerings for mass-market patrons and VIP players. The initial stage of the bidding process for the casino license began earlier this year, when the Greek Gaming Commission (Επιτροπή Εποπτείας και Ελέγχου Παιγνίων) announced that it had hired consultants to draft the tender process. It is yet to be announced when exactly the actual process will kick off.

The massive development scheme is expected to draw interest from some of the major players on the global land-based casino scene. Reportedly, Las Vegas gaming and hospitality giant Caesars Entertainment Corp. has already expressed interest in the project as part of its expansion strategy.

The company’s main operating unit emerged from bankruptcy last year and it is now looking for destinations to extend both its gaming and non-gaming footprint. It has recently been announced that Caesars would open two non-gaming resorts in Dubai by the end of the year. There have also been reports that the company was pursuing expansion opportunities in Australia, Brazil, and Japan.

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Imperial Pacific to miss August deadline of Saipan casino

Saipan casino operator Imperial Pacific International Holdings (IPI) continues to struggle with the construction of its US$7 billion integrated resort, and is likely to miss its August 31 deadline.

The Hong Kong-listed casino operator have asked the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) to extend the time frame for the completion of Imperial Pacific Resort until the end of December 2018, according to the Saipan Tribune report.

In a meeting with the CCC members on Thursday, IPI Vice President for Construction Eric Poon conceded that the casino operator may not be able to finish the construction of Imperial Palace by the end of August. Currently, the site is only 68 percent complete, according to the casino operator.

Failure of IPI to finish the construction on August 31 would mean another amendment of the casino operator’s license agreement. CCC chair Juan Sablan pointed out that it will be the sixth amendment to the license agreement if IPI misses the deadline.

“The development of the resort hotel experienced a big jump and we are trying to [do] everything and get ready for the inspection by the end of the year,” Poon said, according to the news outlet.

Poon said construction work is currently focused on the resort hotel, the hotel tower (including the building facade and roof), and the external works particularly in front of the hotel lobby. He added that they’re now working closely with the Development Planning Advisory Council to craft their extension package.

However, patience of CCC members is running thin due to the nitty-gritty paperwork that the amendment would entail as result of the construction delay. They pointed out that the IPI’s construction might see more delays since getting a government approval on casino operator’s extension request will take quite some time.

Sablan pointed out that IPI should have given a more realistic date on the integrated resort’s completion at the very start.

“Before it was manpower, then issue with the materials, but now you have materials here on Saipan… ask for a date that’s realistic…because if you pick a date that is unrealistic that would require another extension… violations in the agreement require sanctions,” Sablan said.

In February 2017, IPI asked for a construction extension citing delays caused by 2015’s Typhoon Soudelor and a shortage of trained workers.

Two months later, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Lottery Commission granted IPI extension request for completing the casino portion of its in-development Imperial Pacific Resort in Saipan’s Garapan region.

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Chinese Police Nab Another Illegal Gambling Ring

Chinese police busted an illegal online gambling ring in the city of Shenzhen, local news outlets report citing information provided by local authorities earlier today.

The Nanshan District police carried out on June 21 a raid that concluded with the arrest of seven individuals suspected to have conducted illegal sports betting services on the territory of China as the World Cup is in full swing in Russia.

Police seized computers and mobile phones believed to have been used by the illegal gambling ring to operate betting services. Local media reported that further probes will be carried out in relation to the latest detention of people suspected to be providing online betting services in a manner that breaches local regulations. It is believed that bettors serviced by the ring had managed to stake around CNY100 million (approximately $15.1 million) on World Cup matches.

This was not the first time raids were carried out in Shenzhen City in relation to the ongoing major sports event since it began on June 14 and even prior to that, as local police are stepping up efforts to prevent the illegal provision of gambling services across the nation.

Series of Raids

Earlier this month, a joint operation of Hong Kong and Mainland China police saw multiple raids taking place in a number of cities across China, including Shenzhen, to uncover illegal sports betting operations ahead of this year’s edition of the World Cup.

More than 20 locations were raided and 45 individuals aged between 24 and 62 were detained as they were suspected of offering illegal betting and gaming services. Police confiscated betting records for football and horse racing with a total value of HK$32 million (approximately $4.1 million).

To prevent illegal gambling operations from taking place during the World Cup, Hong Kong police and other law enforcement agencies announced earlier this year that bars and games centers across the city would be raided constantly during the major sports event and that there would be enhanced inspection across various control points. Most of the city’s anti-gambling operations kicked off about two months ahead of the World Cup in Russia.

Unlike other major markets across Asia, including Thailand and Malaysia, where online sports betting is illegal, Hong Kong has a framework regulating activities of this type. However, regulated betting entities in the special administrative region have long been complaining that their unlicensed rivals have been stealing customers creating a behemoth unsupervised market.

According to recent information provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the amount of $68 billion could be staked illegally in the city during the World Cup. This is expected to cost Hong Kong more than $1.7 billion in betting revenue this year. The Jockey Club is among the entities to receive revenue contributions from licensed betting activities conducted on the city’s territory.

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Gaming Innovation Group gets New Jersey approval

GiG – Gaming Innovation Group gets New Jersey approval and is pleased to announce that it has been authorised by The State of New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) to provide a real-money online casino platform solution to operators in the state. GiG has, as part of the standard licence application process by the DGE, received what is called ...

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2018 WSOP: Scott Seiver Wins Second Bracelet in Event #48: $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship

Scott Seiver came back from being short-stacked at the bottom of the counts during five-handed action to make it to heads-up play against fellow American Matt Szymaszek. The match was short and swingy. Seiver started with a 2-1 lead and quickly had Szymaszek down to just a few bets. Szymaszek then managed to come back from a 10-1 deficit to overtake the chip lead. Seiver fought back well and pulled off a big bluff with jacks up, which left less than 30 big bets on the table. With limits so big[...]

Loan to developers of ‘The 13’ casino project repayable on demand

South Shore Holdings Ltd. (SSH), the developers of ‘The 13’ casino in Macau, have announced that a loan with a principal value of $387.4 million is now payable to the lenders “on demand.” A covenant on the loan, originally required that the hotel operations be open by the end of July, 2017; however, SSH has renegotiated the terms several times with the lender since the original agreement was signed. In a filing from yesterday, SSH now hopes to open the hotel by July 31 of this year – instead and has contacted the lender about another extension. The unnamed lender has still not provided written confirmation by the time this story was written.

Since there has not been a response by the lender, SSH has stated in its announcement, “As a result, as at the date of this announcement, such bank borrowings are repayable on demand.” It added that it felt certain that it could “obtain all the licences for the operation of hotel business from the relevant authorities by the end of July 2018.”

In its 2017 annual filing, which was published in July of last year, SSH – then known as ‘The 13 Holdings Ltd.’ – said that it had already drawn around $384.7 million from a six-year term loan of approximately $388.5 million that it had been provided through a “mainland China-based bank.” That same month, Bloomberg reported that the company had missed its hotel opening deadline condition that had been stipulated in another loan agreement worth $382 million that was issued by the Bank of Communications Co. Ltd.

For its annual report through March 31, 2018, filed yesterday, SSH said, “Up to the date of this announcement, the group has not been rejected on the application for extension.” It also added, “The bank has frequent communications with the group on the progress of hotel opening preparation and also shows the positive support on the group. Therefore, the directors of the company do not expect the application of further extension will be withheld by the relevant bank.”

The project has met a series of delays since it was first begun two years ago. There have been a number of construction, as well as funding, delays, and the opening date has continuously been pushed back. Most recently, SSH expected to open the hotel tomorrow, but will miss that target, as well. There are now questions regarding licensing, with SSH “hoping” to secure a licensing agreement with an existing operator in Macau.

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Nolimit released Coins of Fortune slot game

Nolimit City, the online platform and software provider, has developed yet another exciting game to add to their ever growing portfolio: Coins of Fortune slot game. The company are back to prove they are committed towards delivering premium slot games with international appeal. Coins of Fortune slot game borrows from a Neon-futuristic Asian theme, taking you to the high paced, ...

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Valley Forge Casino Resort Slapped with $50,000 Fine for Awarding Excess Free Slot Play

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board slapped on Wednesday a $52,500 fine on Valley Forge Casino Resort for giving out excessive amounts of free slot play to high-volume customers in the period between 2015 and 2016.

The fine was the result from an investigation conducted by the state gaming regulator’s Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement. Gaming Control Board investigators found that unauthorized employees at the casino awarded free slot play in the period between 2015 and 2016. It was also found that authorized employees awarded free slot play beyond their limits of authorization, thus violating state gaming regulations.

The unauthorized and excess free slot play eventually resulted in the casino awarding amounts higher than the level approved by regulators, as noted by the Gaming Control Board in a Wednesday notice.

The regulator’s probe into the matter found that in 2015 and 2016, unauthorized staff performed 557 complimentary slot play transactions, with those being worth over $4000,000. As many as 170 customers received the comps and 80% of the money were awarded to 20 high-volume players, the Gaming Control Board revealed.

The transactions accounted to less than 10% of the total amount of $5.2 million the casino awarded in free slots play during the period reviewed by state regulators.

The casino said Wednesday that it has agreed to pay the fine. Michel D. Fabius, the lawyer who represented the gambling venue before the Gaming Control Board said that he was confident the transactions were carried out to real customers and there was a real business reason behind those.

Previous Fines

This was not the first time the gaming resort was nabbed by Pennsylvania regulators. Back in 2013, the property received a $200,000 fine after being found that it had offered Dining Club memberships through a special promotion of little or no financial consideration. However, under state gaming regulations, patrons are required to spend at least $10 at a casino complex in order to be admitted to its gaming floor.

It was announced late last year that Las Vegas-based gaming and hospitality company Boyd Gaming would acquire Valley Forge Casino Resort for the total amount of $280.5 million. Located in the King of Prussia, about 20 miles west of Philadelphia, the casino complex became Boyd’s first property in Pennsylvania. The fact that the state is home to the nation’s second largest commercial gaming industry was among the factors that encouraged the company to seek expansion of its footprint there.

The Gaming Control Board gave the nod to the transaction in April. During the hearing before the gaming regulator, the casino’s new owners said that they would look to expand its existing offering with online gambling services. Boyd is no stranger to remote gaming, as prior to selling its 50% stake in Atlantic City’s Borgata, the company had participated in the operation of its online casino.

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2018 WSOP: Canadian student turns $1.5k into $1M and earns first bracelet!

Tommy Nguyen, a 28-year-old Canadian student making his first appearance at the WSOP, outlasted a massive field of 6,260 entries over four days of play in Event #48: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em MONSTER STACK to win a massive $1,037,451 and his fist World Series of Poker bracelet! Once two-time bracelet winner Steve Billirakis had been eliminated in 11th place, the tournament was guaranteed to award a first-time bracelet winner. It looked like the tournament would need another day of play to be comp[...]

Atlantic City’s two new casinos jump the gun on opening day

Like kids demanding to open their presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas morning, Atlantic City’s two new/old casinos opened their doors to the public one day ahead of schedule.

Both the Hard Rock Atlantic City and the Ocean Resort Casino were scheduled to open to the public by mid-day Thursday but both venues decided to throw caution to the wind after the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement authorized their launch by mid-afternoon Wednesday.

The Hard Rock (the revamped Trump Taj Mahal) began welcoming gamblers around 3pm, while the Ocean Resort (the de-mothballed Revel) followed suit less than an hour later. Both properties insist their scheduled grand openings will go ahead as planned although the allure of these events has obviously been muted somewhat.

Todd Moyer, the Hard Rock venue’s senior VP of marketing, told the Associated Press that last-minute preparations for the grand opening were still underway, “but the heavy lifting has been done.”

The music-themed Hard Rock is planning a celebrity-filled launch party complete with a ceremonial mass guitar smashing on the Boardwalk at 11am to officially christen the venue. Carrie Underwood and Pitbull are slated to perform at the venue this weekend, while Thursday’s opening will culminate in a fireworks show on the Boardwalk at 9pm.

The Ocean Resort might not have plans to dynamite any sousaphones in the offing, but they will have an amenity that the Hard Rock won’t: sports betting. Work is still ongoing on the Ocean Resort’s 7,500-square-foot permanent sportsbook but the property’s sports betting partner William Hill US will have a temporary book open for wagering on day one.

The Hard Rock has said it’s leaning towards opening its own sports book and Hard Rock International CEO Jim Allen said this week that the company was preparing to announce its own betting partnership, but offered no timeline for when wagering might commence.

The excitement over this week’s opening celebrations, which will include a beach concert on Sunday, is expected to draw up to 1m tourists to Atlantic City over the four-day stretch. It’s the kind of hubbub that AC hasn’t enjoyed all that often in recent years, which saw the original 12 casinos dwindle to seven before new operators breathed life back into two of the shuttered venues.

Not everyone is celebrating the new arrivals. AC’s seven surviving venues had enjoyed a surge in profitability in the downsized (some say right-sized) market, and it remains to be seen if the market can support two more properties.

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Facebook Is Easing Ban On Crypto Ads

Months after introducing severe bans due to constant spamming and misleading Bitcoin ads, Facebook has decided to ease the restriction and accept some crypto ads – provided that the onboarding request has successfully specifed all kinds of services companies want to advertise. However, initial coin offerings or ICOs, as well as binary advertisements will have to wait for some better days. The prohibition on these crowdfundings using cryptocurrencies remains in effect on other major sites for social media as well, such as Twitter, Google Plus or Snapchat.

The social media giant issued an immediate ban on crypto-ads in February, due to an increased number of fake financial products and services, which started to damage not only the platform itself, but true values of BTC too. Instead of educating the world’s largest database of active users, which counts up to 2 billion people, the network has become a haven for swindlers and all sorts of crypto frauds who want to earn a fast buck by deceiving enthusiasts to invest, said Rob Leathern, product management director at the time.

Thanks to an entirely new approach to advertising cryptocurrencies, the request sheet can determine whether companies have relevant offers and licenses, including a proof of trading on at least one stock exchange. Leathern also added that not everyone who wants to advertise will be able to do so. Similarly, the company will monitor how well the adjustment works, so that additional improvements can be timely imported.

Facebook has also announced that its advertising policy could see further tweaks in the future, allowing both blockchain projects and crypto investors to get in front of new potential customers and markets. On the other side, the ban on crypto ads at Google and Twitter still remains active, due to the fact that it was only recently introduced – at the beginning of June 2018.

Source:

“Facebook Relaxes Ban, Accepts Some Crypto Ads”, Shen Muyao, coindesk.com, June 26, 2018.

Greentube slots available at Unibet in Romania

Greentube extends its deal with Kindred Group and the acclaimed Greentube slots became available at Kindred Group’s online casino brand Unibet in Romania Greentube, the NOVOMATIC Interactive division, has went live with a portfolio of Greentube slots on www.unibet.ro. A diverse selection of market-leading games, all seamlessly integrated via the Greentube NRGS platform, is now available for Unibet players in ...

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2018 WSOP: Loren Klein Wins Third Bracelet in Three Years!

On Tuesday, Loren Klein won the biggest $10,000 pot-limit Omaha championship in World Series of Poker history. The tournament (Event #49: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship) attracted 476 entries and Klein, 32, received $1,018,336 in prize money and his third WSOP bracelet! Besides Allen Cunningham and Matt Matros, Klein is the only player to have won a bracelet three years in a row in the post-Moneymaker era! Klein scored his first bracelet in a no-limit hold'em/pot-limit Omaha mixe[...]

More Casinos Join LCB Rewards Program

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2018 WSOP: Shaun Deep Wins Third WSOP Bracelet in $25,000 POT-LIMIT OMAHA 8-HANDED HIGH ROLLER

USA's Shaun Deeb, 32, bested a star-packed field in Event #42: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed High Roller to claim yet another WSOP bracelet and $1.4 million in prize money! It was the Las Vegas-based online and live poker pro's third WSOP bracelet after winning his first two in 2016 and 2017. Not to forget, the $1,402,683 winner's check is the largest of his career! "It's crazy to get here," Deeb said. "A couple of years ago, I made two PLO final tables but got seventh and eight. I really fe[...]

The Bonus You Need: Grab and Win in the Shop

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Betsoft launched The Golden Owl of Athena slot

The Golden Owl of Athena, the new 5×3, story-focused slot game from Betsoft Gaming invites players to reach for the ancient wealth and wisdom. Set in Athens at the height of the age of antiquity, The Golden Owl of Athena takes players on a guided tour of Greek mythology.  As players arrive in ancient Athens, the golden owl becomes their ...

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Timur Margolin Tops 1,248-Strong Field to Claim Gold in 2018 WSOP $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em

Timur Margolin from Israel became the latest member of the WSOP’s club of gold bracelet winners. The player bested a pack of 1,248 tournament entries in the $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em or Event #43 on the schedule of this year’s edition of the series.

Margolin collected a hefty payout of $507,274 in addition to his first shiny WSOP gold bracelet. The player emerged as the victor after roller coaster four days and after clashing against some of poker’s big names, including six-time WSOP bracelet winner Chris Ferguson who has been making quite a comeback on the live tournament scene after a five-year hiatus.

The player disappeared from the felt after being indicted for his involvement with the Full Tilt Poker and for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme that saw nearly $450 million in customer money being paid out to directors and owners of the poker room. It took seven years before Ferguson finally addressed the issue and offered an apology to those affected.

In the $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em tournament, Ferguson finished fourth for $161,371. The player was denied a seventh WSOP gold piece namely by the event’s eventual winner. Margolin won a massive pot against Ferguson during four-handed play. It took the Israeli poker pro just a few more hands to send Ferguson to the rail.

Final Day of Play

Margolin’s road to victory was quite bumpy, particularly on the final day of play. Action was supposed to take place over three days, but was extended into an additional fourth one. That last day of play started with six remaining hopefuls. They were led by Ferguson who held 5.68 million in chips when cards were thrown in the air. Margolin was second in chips at the time with 3.52 million.

Ismael Bojang with 2.61 million, Michael Marder with 1.765 million, Dylan Linde with 1.33 million, and Ryan Laplante with 700,000 were the other four players still in contention.

Day 4 action saw the chip lead exchange hands on multiple occasions. The start-of-the-day field ultimately got whittled down to just two survivors, Margolin and Bojang. The duel began with the former holding a massive chip advantage over the latter. Margolin had accumulated a stack of nearly 12 million by that point to his last opponent’s 3.68 million.

Bojang did not waste time once the match began and quickly doubled up to reduce his disadvantage. He then emerged as the chip leader just as quickly and extended his lead methodically.

However, Margolin regained his momentum and retook the lead within the span of just a couple of hands. The player’s hardships were far from over, though, as Bojang scooped the lead once again a few hands later. It seemed that the mad race would never end.

The chip lead was swinging back and forth and then again, until Margolin reclaimed it one final time to never look back. Hand #158 was the final one to be played at the final table and the 23rd to be played within the heads-up match between Margolin and Bojang.

It saw Bojang shove for 4.41 million pre-flop with [Ac][2c] and Margolin snap-call with [Kc][Qs]. The board ran out [Ks][5s][4s][Qh][8d] to help Margolin claim the title and send his final opponent to the rail for a consolation prize of $313,444.

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Play'n GO Hits Market With Cats And Cash

We recently published an article about a fresh addition to the impeccable gaming library of Play’n GO, called, House of Doom, and now the time has come to reveal yet another great release under the very same umbrella – Cats and Cash! The company has decided to top all charts this Summer by launching an improved version of a five-reel slot with plenty of chances to score big wins and activate exciting bonus features, such as the Wheel of Fortune and Pick-a-Gift. The official launch is scheduled for July 5th 2018 at all partner casinos, so get in line and learn what’s new.

Not only is the game converted to HTML5, but it outshines the previous version with enhanced graphics and a complete audio reboot, accompanied with an entirely new soundtrack and sound effects. A brand-new look and feel ensures that players can continue to enjoy a classic reel, however, the release is also optimized for both desktop and mobile devices, making it extremely accessible at any time and place, especially on the go. Players can bet up to five coins per line, and these must be activated in a numerical order.

To strike a winning combination, it is important to learn about the game’s symbols, which include a Wild (The Show Host), a Scatter (The Goldfish) and two bonus icons, that were already mentioned at the beginning – Wheel of Fortune and Pick-a-Gift. The Wild substitutes all regular symbols, and represents a key part in hitting big wins. Each combo that includes a wild symbol pays out double, whereas two or more scatter symbols anywhere on the reels bring an additional win. During bonus rounds, the Wheel can land on an orange segment with a star; this feature awards a prize and a supplementary spin of the Wheel, which ensures that more prizes are added to the total amount.

Finally, landing three or more gift box symbols on any active line from left to right triggers the Pick-a-Gift bonus round. By selecting one of the gift boxes, players will reveal the prize amounts and get the winning prize amount from the one they choose to open. Cats and Cash has an RTP at 96.07% and if you want to be one of the first players to test the game, have a look at our list of Play’n GO casinos. MEOW!!

Polish casino license derbies encourage revenue tall tales

Poland’s casino license derbies have turned nasty as two competitors accuse each other of making wildly outlandish revenue claims to boost their chances of winning new licenses.

Last week, Polish business news outlet Puls Biznesu reported on the rather fanciful claims made about the revenue potential of certain casino operations by Zbigniew Benbenek’s ZPR group, which operates 28 of the country’s 40 casinos.

Polish law allows for a maximum of 52 casino licenses and new casino licenses must be issued via public tender. The Ministry of Finance judges license applications by a point system predicated on, amongst other criteria, their expected revenue projections. But only the projections for the first three years of operations are subject to verification, meaning operators can promise the moon without fear of blowback.

In the case of an April 2018 tender for casino licenses in the Lodz region, ZPR’s application estimated that gaming revenue would total PLN38m (US$10.2m) in each of the first three years. But ZPR claims revenue will leap to PLN409m ($110m) in year four, rising to PLN4.6b ($1.24b) in year five and hitting just under PLN23b ($6.2b) in year six.

ZPR has submitted other applications for casino licenses in the Mazovia and Wielkopolska areas, claiming even wilder revenue predictions of PNL61b ($16.4b) and PLN100b ($26.9b), respectively, in the years outside the verification window.

According to official data, Poland’s entire casino market enjoyed turnover of PLN4.82b in 2017, from which the casinos earned revenue of just under PLN745m ($200.6m). The government claimed 50% of this revenue as its own.

ZPR’s revenue claims have been challenged by rival operator Casinos Poland as having no basis in reality. Casinos Poland, which operates six gaming venues, wrote a letter to the Ministry of Finance arguing that the license derby shouldn’t depend on “the auction of absurdities.”

ZPR president Tomasz Szakiel responded to Casinos Poland’s objections by noting that his company was simply adapting better to the rules of the tender than its rivals. Szakiel also noted that ZPR was merely responding in kind to Casinos Poland’s successful 2017 bid for a casino license in Silesia, which saw Casinos Poland claim that its Bielsko Biala casino would generate revenue of over PLN5b in six years.

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Philippine audit agency flags Landing International casino land lease deal

The Philippine Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned the legality of a casino land lease deal between Hong Kong-listed casino investor Landing International Development Ltd. (LIDL) and state-run Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF).

Politiko reported that the COA ordered NPF to cancel the contract it entered with LIDL’s subsidiary Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp. (LRPDC) on grounds that it was detrimental to the government.

Based on its estimates, COA warned that the Philippine government will lose as much as PHP26 billion ($486.2 million) from the deal since LIDL will be underpaying the lease relative to the market value of the land at the nearby Solaire Resort and Casino.

COA pointed out that the monthly lease rate on the NPF land that both parties agreed upon was a PHP150 ($2.81) per square meter or PHP14.36 million ($268,532), way below Solaire lot’s value of PHP600 ($11.22) per square meter.

The commission noted that the NPF approved the agreement “without conducting an independent appraisal and advertisement to the public to solicit offers from other interested parties to ensure that the proposal is the most advantageous to the government.”

It added that the agreement was made without the approval from the Philippine National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and state regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

The issue on the casino land lease stemmed from the complaint of President Rodrigo Duterte’s niece Maria Fema Duterte, who happens to be a member of NPF board. She claimed that the deal was anomalous since the lease contract favored the foreign group.

Reacting on the issue, LIDL contends that the casino land-deal was completely open and above board. The casino investor said they were not informed that the deal was already cancelled as reported by the local media last week.

“Our agreement to lease a parcel of land of approximately 9.5 hectares [23.5 acres] in size located in Parañaque City, Philippines, from Nayong Pilipino Foundation is a legally binding contract,” LIDL said, according to GGRAsia. “We are not informed that the land lease contract is cancelled, and we are not aware of any reason or ground for cancellation of the lease contract.”

Last year, LIDL announced that its plans to develop a family-oriented resort, which consists of a casino, an indoor cultural theme park featuring the Philippines’ rich history, culture and heritage, an indoor themed waterpark, Asia’s first indoor movie-based theme park, a world-class state-of-the-art convention center, luxury hotels, and international retail and dining.

LRPDC is waiting for approvals from other relevant authorities to develop and operate the integrated resort.

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Timothy Bruce named GM for City of Dreams’ Grand Hyatt

Timothy Bruce has been appointed as the new general manager for the Grand Hyatt Macau. The announcement was made last Thursday, effective immediately. The Grand Hyatt is located in the City of Dreams Macau casino resort in Cotai.

Bruce is an executive with global experience. He has been in the hospitality industry for more than 30 years, having held a variety of culinary positions in Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Belgium, Britain and the United Arab Emirates. He began working for the Hyatt company in 1999 as the Food & Beverage Director for Hyatt Hotel Canberra in Australia, and has been with them ever since.

After his stint in Australia, Bruce was sent to India, where he was appointed as the GM for the Hyatt Regency Kolkatta. From there, he moved to the Hyatt Regency Delhi, serving in the same role. Most recently, he was tasked with opening the Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort and Spa in China.

Hyatt’s Cotai property offers 791 guest rooms and 15 multi-purpose areas that cover a total of 26,247 square feet. It occupies two towers of Melco Resorts’ City of Dreams, which just saw the completion of the Morpheus, a $1.1-billion hotel located at the northern end of the property. The Morpheus was designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid and has around 770 hotel rooms, high-end eateries and gaming.

Also located at the City of Dreams are two other hotel properties. One is the Countdown Hotel, which was previously the Hard Rock Hotel. The other is Nüwa, which was known as Crown Towers until earlier this year. In total, there are over 1,400 hotel rooms and suites in the City of Dreams, as well as a 420,000 square-foot casino with 450 gaming tables and 1,512 gaming machines. Melco is also behind the City of Dreams complex in Manila, Philippines.

The Hyatt Hotels Corporation has its start in California in 1957. It has since grown to operate in 54 different countries and has 777 properties. Last year, its net income was $249 million with revenue of $4.68 billion. Thomas J. Pritzker serves as the executive chairman and Mark S. Hoplamazian, the president and CEO.

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Nicholas Seiken Claims Gold in 2018 WSOP $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship

Three days ago, Nicholas Seiken, a real estate broker from Texas, entered his first-ever standalone 2-7 Triple Draw event to eventually take it down, battling and outlasting a pack of seasoned pros. Late last night, the player joined the club of WSOP gold bracelet winners as he remained the last man standing in this year’s $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship.

Seiken also collected $287,987 for outstanding performance in a game he did not have that much experience.

The tournament drew 109 entries, including a number of Triple Draw experts. Farzad Bonyadi, a three-time gold bracelet winner, was among the notables to enter the tournament. It is interesting to note that Bonyadi’s mother, Farhintaj, became the first female winner of this year’s edition of the series just a couple of days ago. She bested the field of the $1,000 Super Seniors.

Despite his effort, Bonyadi could not claim the Triple Draw Championship title last night and add another gold bracelet to his already impressive collection.

Aside from Seiken and Bonyadi, the final day of the tournament kicked off with 11 more survivors. Quite some of the remaining players struggled quite a bit throughout the day. But it looked as if Seiken, a player with significantly less experience than some of his remaining opponents, navigated through that final stage of the game very successfully.

Final Table and Heads-Up Play

By the time the official six-handed final table was set, Seiken had already built quite a stack. The player entered that final stage of the game as the chip leader with a significant lead over the next in line, who happened to be Bonyadi.

The eventual winner had 1.661 million in chips at that point to Bonyadi’s 943,000. Seiken seemingly had an easy run at the final table. In his post-victory interview, the player said that being the chip leader helped him a lot against the plethora of experienced players he was facing and he did not take much risk that would have cost him that advantage.

The only time the player lost the lead for a very short while was during three-handed play, when Randy Ohel replaced him at the top of the chip counts chart. Seiken himself admitted that he got a bit worried by Ohel’s short momentum.

Eventually, the player regained the lead, eliminated Kristijonas Andrulis in third place to cement his leading position and headed into heads-up against Ohel with a 3-2 advantage. The structure of the tournament allowed for a longer heads-up, but Seiken finished off his final opponent relatively quickly over the span of a 45-minute duel, which concluded with Ohel heading to the payout desk for a second-place prize of $177,992.

The 109-strong field of the championship tournament generated a prize pool of $1,024,600. The money was split into portions for the top 17 finishers, min-cashes starting from $14,864.

Following his latest triumph, Seiken told WSOP staff that while he is completely done with No-Limit Hold’em, we will be seeing more of him at the tables of mixed-game tournaments.

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