Monthly Archives: March 2015

Japan casino legalization bill delayed again in latest setback

Prospects for legalizing casino gambling in Japan suffered another blow on Monday as proponents said they would delay a bill allowing full-scale resorts as the ruling coalition remains divided on the controversial measure. Pro-casino lawmakers had said last week they would resubmit a previously failed bill by Tuesday, the end of the fiscal year.

DeckMedia Affiliates Get Their Running Gear on for Apple Watch Sport Giveaway

Affiliate program to award sought-after gadget as part of its April promotion

26 March 2015, London, UK (Press Release) — April is a huge month for fitness fans, with marathons running in London, Paris and Madrid, and affiliates promoting DeckMedia’s eight online casinos have every reason to stay active throughout the month.

The affiliate program is offering them a chance to win the highly sought-after Apple Watch Sport, the tech company’s prestigious new timepiece, for any affiliate who shares a photo of themselves in their running gear.

Those who share a photograph of themselves being active will earn five tickets for a prize draw taking place on May 6th. The winner will be announced the following day in the DeckMedia newsletter.

Economists as Well as Boxing Fans Should Watch Mayweather vs. Pacquaio

Want a useful economic indicator more valuable than any of the jargon-filled nonsense that comes out of mainstream financial news? Keep a close eye on how much money will flow through the boxing ring, how much people will pay to see two people beat the crap out of each other.

For the third time, Floyd Mayweather will be involved in the highest grossing boxing fight in world history. In May 2007 it was Mayweather vs. De La Hoya, which raked in $136M. Then it was Mayweather vs. Alvarez in September 2013 at $150M, considered the most profitable single sporting event ever. Now it will be Mayweather vs. Pacquaio in May 2015. Forbes has a piece out detailing the mindblowing insanity surrounding the pricing of this event.

Here are a few snippets, the first a quote from Bob Arum, the fight’s promoter:

“Because of the price of the tickets, MGM, for example, will only give ringside tickets to its customers who have a $250,000 line of credit.”The cheapest seat listed for the fight is $4,116 with a median price of $9,218. Floor seats start at $22,441. This compares to an average secondary price of $2,168 for Mayweather-Alvarez. Gregoire expects tickets for Mayweather-Pacquiao to eventual settle in at least twice as high The One.

New Jersey lowers 2015 lottery revenue projections

Andrew Sidamo-Eristoff did not say specifically how much the expected revenue dropped on Monday during an Assembly budget hearing but attributed the decrease to industry-wide trends. State documents show that initial revenue forecasts projected $1.037 billion in revenue for the current fiscal year, but Christie’s 2016 proposal reflected lower receipts at $955 million.

GoLocalWorcester | News | The 25 Best Places to Play Mass Lottery in Worcester

Two of those businesses, the Edgemere Mini Mart on Grafton Street, and Honey Farms on West Boylston Street awarded more than $2 million each in prizes. Lottery retailers on both Grafton Street and West Boylston Street make up nine of the 27 retailers that paid out over $1 million in 2014.

Current NBA Title Odds as Playoffs Loom

This time of the year is always earmarked for March Madness but as the tournament winds down and the calendar flips to April, the sports world will turn its attention to the upcoming NBA playoffs. I figured we’d get an early jump on the proceedings since the NBA season is already winding down.

So let’s look at the hardwood where NBA teams are currently jostling for playoff spots or in some cases, lottery balls. But I’m not paying too much attention on the teams that are tanking; my focus is solely dedicated towards those who are gearing up for the playoffs.

As it stands right now, the Cleveland LeBrons, I mean the Cleveland Cavaliers are penciled in as the favorites to win the NBA title at 2/1 odds, despite being the second best team in the Eastern Conference. The best team in the conference – the Atlanta Hawks – are only 10/1 odds. This shows that regular season records really don’t matter in predicting what happens in the playoffs. Everybody starts clean and match-ups usually dictate who is tabbed the favorite. That said, the Cavs have LeBron James and, well, the Atlanta Hawks don’t. Just below the Cavs at 12/5 odds are the Golden State Warriors, followed closely by the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs at 6/1 odds.

These four teams are being heavily billed as the teams that will make up the conference title series in the East and the West, but just because everybody assumes they’ll make it, that doesn’t mean other teams are just going to lay down and let that happen.

Play ‘n GO integrates with Worldpay; BetOnline now accepts Bitcoin

Play’n GO has partnered with WebDollar payment solution Worldpay to deliver a new platform supporting a broader range of payment methods and currencies for a more customized gaming experience.

The new Play‘n GO platform supports 11 different languages, 30 local currencies and 60 preferred payment types, helping operators to drive customer conversions across a wide range of European markets.

The combined game account toolkit will enable gaming operators to become more independent and flexible when selecting what games to offer. Play’n GO will also be able to offer more choices to players in the form of engaging premium content and access to additional games from third party developers.

“We were the first online game developer to move into the mobile arena, and this partnership takes us one step further in pioneering that field,” Play’n GO Business Development Director Robert Skogh “We view these advances as crucial to mobile gambling, especially when it comes to delivering a seamless player experience.”

Landing’s proposed purchase of Pyeongchang casino falls through; Singapore’s NRA appoints new chairman

China real estate developer Landing International Development Ltd’s plans to acquire the Alpensia casino at Holiday Inn resort in Pyeongchang, South Korea has fallen through and there doesn’t appear to be a deal in place in the near future.

In a filing the company released last week, Landing International said that some conditions in the sale and purchase agreement between the two companies didn’t get resolved before the agreed-upon deadline.

Under the proposed business transaction, Landing had agreed to pay HKD869 million ($112 million) to Wealth Seed Group Ltd, the firm that operates the foreigners-only Alpensia casino through a Korean subsidiary.

The casino only has a total of 16 gaming tables, including 9 baccarat tables, and 42 slot machines but Landing had plans to expand the casino to include as many as 70 gaming tables.

BTC Entrepreneur Charlie Shrem Begins 2-Year Sentence; Fed agents charged for BTC theft

Bitinstant CEO Charlie Shrem begins his two-years sentence on March 30 at Lewisberg Federal Prison Camp in Pennsylvania.

Shrem used his Bitcoin exchange, to transfer money deposited in bank accounts by customers of the Silk Road—the notorious deep web drug marketplace.

The entrepreneur was arrested at New York’s JFK Airport and was charged with failing to report suspicious banking activity and laundering over $1 million worth of BTC to Silk Road users in April. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aiding unlicensed money transmitting service and was sentenced to two years in prison in December. He was set to surrender in 90 days.

Shrem told CoinDesk that he was hoping to only serve 9-10 months and that “while it’s hardly going to be a pleasant experience, it could be a lot worse.

Kentucky lawmaker plans to bring back expanded gambling proposal in 2016

House Speaker Greg Stumbo made the proclamation at the close of the state legislative session last week, essentially making it his “personal agenda” to push Kentucky casino bill at the 2016 General Assembly next January.

Stumbo filed casino bill HB 300 during this year’s session that if approved, would allow up to six casinos in counties of at least 85,000 people that have approved expanded gambling in a local-option vote. No congressional district could have more than one casino. The casinos would be overseen by the Kentucky Lottery Corp.

But the casino bill never called for a hearing, perhaps understanding the tricky nature of talks in a state that has repeatedly pushed off discussions of expanded gambling in recent years, be it due to the horse industry’s incessant squabbles or the reluctance by other lawmakers to talk about the issue.

Stumbo sees an opportunity in bringing back talks to the table in 2016, citing the upcoming gubernatorial elections as an opening to get the new governor on board with his proposal. It’s easier said than done and some analysts even believe that he’s only wasting his time pressing the issue in a climate where there doesn’t appear to be enough support for his proposal to gain any sort of legitimate traction.

SBOBET In-Play Betting

Have a knack for guessing football scores or the particular players who have higher chances to score a goal? Do you always predict things right while watching a live sports game? In-Play Betting must be the perfect companion you need. This intense, thrilling form of sports-betting lets you bet on the game while it is ongoing.

Now, if you are looking for a company with the best In-Play betting services, look no further because SBOBET is here. SBOBET, one of the pioneers in online sports betting and a two-time winner of the Asian Operator of the Year Award, offers competitively priced odds for in-play better. Not only that, they can provide you with instant access to live games through its very own streaming service called SBOBETV. In-Play betting requires you to watch the game intently, and this is where SBOBETV comes in handy. Just check the company’s In-Play betting schedule to see which ones you can enjoy.

What are the advantages of In-Play betting? First, engaging in this exciting game lets you assess the match first before you place your bets. You can take care of your budget because you don’t have to make haste decisions. This game means money management. The second advantage of this game is you don’t have to choose sides. All you need to do is anticipate who will score in a certain period of time. If you think your team is losing big and you can’t take it anymore, you can walk away anytime you want.

First rule here though is do not watch and bet on games that you dislike. Just bet on the teams or players you follow closely or familiar with. Knowledge is power and the same thing goes for In-Play Betting. How can you predict who will score if do not know anything about the players inside the pitch? How can you guess who will score first if you don’t know if the team prefers offense over defense? If you are looking for updates about your current team, just check SBOBETimes which is complete with stats, standings, and schedules of your favourite clubs and leagues.

ONE: Warrior’s Quest Set to Take Place in Singapore on May 22

SHINYA AOKI TO DEFEND ONE LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST KOJI ANDO

LIGHTWEIGHT CLASH BETWEEN LOWEN TYNANES AND KUAT KHAMITOV ALSO ADDED TO EVENT

31 MARCH 2015 – Singapore: Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization with a 90% market share, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has announced its return to Singapore with another blockbuster event. ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST is set to take place on 22 May at the state-of-the-art Singapore Indoor Stadium. ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki will put his title on the line against the number one contender, Koji Ando, in the main event. A lightweight bout between Kuat Khamitov and Lowen Tynanes has also been added to the card.

Tickets for ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST are on sale now at http://www.sportshub.com.sg/. Ticket categories begin with the full cageside experience at S$1,488. Tickets priced at $158, $58 and $38 are also available. Early bird promotions are available until 17 April. Prices include ticketing fee.

Doyle Brunson Believes Devilfish Should be in the Poker Hall of Fame

The Godfather of poker, Doyle Brunson, has suggested on twitter that Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott should be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, after news spread, via social media circles, that Devilfish was battling cancer.

Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott is one of the reasons that I got involved in poker, and am doing what I do today.

I won’t be alone.

Each story will be a little different, but they will all share a theme.

Mustapha ‘potta_x_potta’ Kanit Wins the FTOPS XXVIII Main Event

Mustapha ‘potta_x_potta’ Kanit continues his tremendous run of form with victory in the Full Tilt Online Poker Series XXVIII Main Event.

Mustapha Kanit has won the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) XXVIII Main Event.

The young Italian, who has amassed over $2.8m in online tournament earnings, picked the title up after wading through a field of 1,260 entrants, in the $1,000 single re-entry main event. The prize pool of $1,197,000 ensuring the million-dollar guarantee was met.

It’s Kanit’s best online score since picking up $392,375 for finishing third in a World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) event, on PokerStars, back in the autumn.

Eureka Poker Tour Heads to Germany

The PokerStars sponsored Eureka Poker Tour is heading to Germany after the tour announced that they will be heading to Hamburg for the second leg of the Season Five extravaganza.

The PokerStars sponsored Eureka Poker Tour have taken a leaf out of the World Series of Poker’s (WSOP) books, by deciding to take their brand to Germany.

Season 5 of the Eureka Poker Tour will take place in Hamburg. Germany’s second largest city will entertain poker players from all over Europe during a 14-event festival held at the Spielbank Schenefeld 22-31 May 2015.

It’s the first time in the tours history that Germany has been selected as a host country, and comes on the back of the WSOP’s decision to host the 2015 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) festival in Berlin.

Byron Kaverman Wins Back-to-Back Aria High Roller Events

Byron Kaverman wins back-to-back Aria $25k High Roller events, Anthony Gregg cashes in both, and Jason Koon continues his fine 2015 form.

Byron Kaverman has been the subject of much conjecture this week.

[Image Credit: PokerNews / Joe Giron]

Numerous top professionals went to Twitter to vent their frustration over the time some players take when making their decisions. Kaverman was one of the tankers that seemed to occupying most of the water.