Monthly Archives: February 2016

Georgia attorney general latest to say daily fantasy sports is illegal gambling

The Georgia Attorney General’s office says daily fantasy sports are currently illegal under existing state law, a stance that likely contributed to the failure of a DFS bill to advance in the state legislature on Monday.

On Monday, the Atlanta Journal Constitution quoted a letter from deputy AG W. Wright Banks Jr. to a Georgia Lottery Corporation (GLC) lawyer expressing the sentiment that “daily fantasy sports are not authorized under Georgia law.”

The letter was written in response to a GLC request for clarification made last October, which followed letters the GLC sent to DFS operators DraftKings and FanDuel the previous month, warning them that their activities in the state appeared to be illegal.

Georgia law limits betting activity to the types offered by the GLC and defines forbidden bets as any agreement through which “dependent upon chance even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose something of value.”

Novosibirsk Man Wins Russia's Biggest Ever Lottery Prize

A resident of the Siberian city of Novosibirsk has won 350 million rubles – Russia’s biggest-ever lottery prize, the state-run lottery Gosloto said in a statement Monday. The name of the lucky winner is unknown because he has yet to claim the prize, Yulia Gavrishova, a spokeswoman for Stoloto, the distributor of state lotteries in Russia, told government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta.

Novosibirsk Man Wins Russia's Biggest Ever Lottery Prize

A resident of the Siberian city of Novosibirsk has won 350 million rubles – Russia’s biggest-ever lottery prize, the state-run lottery Gosloto said in a statement Monday. The name of the lucky winner is unknown because he has yet to claim the prize, Yulia Gavrishova, a spokeswoman for Stoloto, the distributor of state lotteries in Russia, told government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta.

eSports Crowd Funding Create $2.5m Prize Pool For Halo World Championships

The 2016 Halo World Championships is set to award the largest prize in eSports console history, and the seventh-largest prize overall after crowd funding helps spawn a $2.5 million monster.

The 2016 Halo World Championships (HaloWC) promises to be something special,

16 teams will compete for what will be the largest prize pool in eSports console history and the seventh largest in eSports tournaments proper. Microsoft originally guaranteed $1m in prize money but opened it up to Halo fans to increase that by purchasing in-house REQ system add-ons when playing Halo 5: Guardians.

The prize pool is locked in at $2.5 million. Unsurprising, when you consider that Halo 5 earned $400 million in its first week of sales. The winning team will walk away with $1m, and the rest of the money falls as thus:

eSports Crowd Funding Create $2.5m Prize Pool For Halo World Championships

The 2016 Halo World Championships is set to award the largest prize in eSports console history, and the seventh-largest prize overall after crowd funding helps spawn a $2.5 million monster.

The 2016 Halo World Championships (HaloWC) promises to be something special,

16 teams will compete for what will be the largest prize pool in eSports console history and the seventh largest in eSports tournaments proper. Microsoft originally guaranteed $1m in prize money but opened it up to Halo fans to increase that by purchasing in-house REQ system add-ons when playing Halo 5: Guardians.

The prize pool is locked in at $2.5 million. Unsurprising, when you consider that Halo 5 earned $400 million in its first week of sales. The winning team will walk away with $1m, and the rest of the money falls as thus:

Georgia casino legislation dies of neglect

Gamblers in Georgia will continue heading out of state to satisfy their casino urges after legislators declined to bring casino legislation up for a vote.

Monday was ‘crossover day’ in Georgia, aka the deadline for legislation to garner approval in the state House of Representatives in order to be sent to the state Senate for further consideration. Rep. Ron Stephens’ HR 807 received a favorable not last week from the Regulated Industries Committee but the bill never made it to the House floor, effectively killing the measure for at least another year.

HR 807 had a chance to receive a House floor vote on Friday but Speaker David Ralston (pictured) postponed the vote while urging legislators to take the weekend to discuss the plan with their constituents. Ralston appears to have simply been playing for time, as he ended up denying the bill the chance of a floor vote on Monday, claiming that legislators had told him that the “faith community felt they had not been heard” on the casino question.

Gov. Nathan Deal was also on the ‘I’m agin it’ side, saying he doubted that casino gambling would “enhance the climate of the state.” Deal also expressed concern that casinos would reduce state lottery revenue.

Georgia casino legislation dies of neglect

Gamblers in Georgia will continue heading out of state to satisfy their casino urges after legislators declined to bring casino legislation up for a vote.

Monday was ‘crossover day’ in Georgia, aka the deadline for legislation to garner approval in the state House of Representatives in order to be sent to the state Senate for further consideration. Rep. Ron Stephens’ HR 807 received a favorable not last week from the Regulated Industries Committee but the bill never made it to the House floor, effectively killing the measure for at least another year.

HR 807 had a chance to receive a House floor vote on Friday but Speaker David Ralston (pictured) postponed the vote while urging legislators to take the weekend to discuss the plan with their constituents. Ralston appears to have simply been playing for time, as he ended up denying the bill the chance of a floor vote on Monday, claiming that legislators had told him that the “faith community felt they had not been heard” on the casino question.

Gov. Nathan Deal was also on the ‘I’m agin it’ side, saying he doubted that casino gambling would “enhance the climate of the state.” Deal also expressed concern that casinos would reduce state lottery revenue.

The Global Poker League Draft: 5 Ways to Make it Even Better

The Global Poker League Draft was one of the most successful poker innovations in recent memory, but things can always get better. Here are five ways Lee Davy believes that can happen.

The Global Poker League (GPL) Draft was brilliant.

I have never stayed awake all night to watch anything related to poker, but I was not going to miss this for the world. Being from the UK I have never looked at a draft of any kind but there’s something about this process that’s magical. It reminded me of my youth, ego and the need to prove yourself.

It’s a pity that Alexandre Dreyfus has the monopoly on grand poker award ceremonies. The French entrepreneur with a dream to ‘Sportify’ poker deserves a medal for what he has done. And it’s not only Dreyfus who needs a hug. The entire team falls into the cuddle category.

The Global Poker League Draft: 5 Ways to Make it Even Better

The Global Poker League Draft was one of the most successful poker innovations in recent memory, but things can always get better. Here are five ways Lee Davy believes that can happen.

The Global Poker League (GPL) Draft was brilliant.

I have never stayed awake all night to watch anything related to poker, but I was not going to miss this for the world. Being from the UK I have never looked at a draft of any kind but there’s something about this process that’s magical. It reminded me of my youth, ego and the need to prove yourself.

It’s a pity that Alexandre Dreyfus has the monopoly on grand poker award ceremonies. The French entrepreneur with a dream to ‘Sportify’ poker deserves a medal for what he has done. And it’s not only Dreyfus who needs a hug. The entire team falls into the cuddle category.

Novomatic, Sazka Group investors reach deal to jointly control Casinos Austria

The rival gaming operators fighting for control of Casinos Austria have decided to join forces and fight to expand the business.

On Friday, Austrian gaming technology outfit Novomatic Group and the Czech investors behind KKCG and Emma Capital announced the formation of a joint venture that will control 51% of Casinos Austria and its Austrian Lotteries subsidiary. The Austrian government retains its one-third stake in the unlisted gaming firm.

A fight for control of Casinos Austria kicked off in earnest last year after Novomatic made a play to boost its roughly 40% stake to majority territory by acquiring the 16.8% stake held by a third party. The Czechs objected, claiming that their 11.8% stake in Casinos Austria gave them right of first refusal if any other stakeholders opted to sell. Cue much public posturing and threats to unleash hell and/or lawyers.

But the parties dropped their daggers on Friday, announcing that they had agreed to a ‘strategic partnership of equals’ that would focus on expanding the business so that everyone’s stake was worth more. The parties declined to offer specifics on what steps the Czech group would have to take in order to bring their holdings in line with the Novomatic camp.

Novomatic, Sazka Group investors reach deal to jointly control Casinos Austria

The rival gaming operators fighting for control of Casinos Austria have decided to join forces and fight to expand the business.

On Friday, Austrian gaming technology outfit Novomatic Group and the Czech investors behind KKCG and Emma Capital announced the formation of a joint venture that will control 51% of Casinos Austria and its Austrian Lotteries subsidiary. The Austrian government retains its one-third stake in the unlisted gaming firm.

A fight for control of Casinos Austria kicked off in earnest last year after Novomatic made a play to boost its roughly 40% stake to majority territory by acquiring the 16.8% stake held by a third party. The Czechs objected, claiming that their 11.8% stake in Casinos Austria gave them right of first refusal if any other stakeholders opted to sell. Cue much public posturing and threats to unleash hell and/or lawyers.

But the parties dropped their daggers on Friday, announcing that they had agreed to a ‘strategic partnership of equals’ that would focus on expanding the business so that everyone’s stake was worth more. The parties declined to offer specifics on what steps the Czech group would have to take in order to bring their holdings in line with the Novomatic camp.

Pledge over work to revamp park pavilion

Work has yet to start on 250,000 of repairs needed to a Grade II listed pavilion in Norwich’s Waterloo Park, more than a year after it was agreed to spend the cash on the project. Twelve months ago, Norwich City Council revealed how problems with the roof of the building, built between 1929 and 1933, meant it had been damaged by water.

Pledge over work to revamp park pavilion

Work has yet to start on 250,000 of repairs needed to a Grade II listed pavilion in Norwich’s Waterloo Park, more than a year after it was agreed to spend the cash on the project. Twelve months ago, Norwich City Council revealed how problems with the roof of the building, built between 1929 and 1933, meant it had been damaged by water.

Russian betting slumps in 2015; gov’t mulls penalties for accessing blocked sites

Football’s share of Russia’s sports betting market fell in 2015 but the beautiful game remains by far the most wagered-on sport.

According to figures released by Russian gambling firm First Gaming, which operates under the Rub90 brand, football accounted for 40% of all sports wagering expenditure in 2015, down from 46% in 2014. Rub90 attributed the decline to the fact that 2015 lacked a major football tourney like the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Basketball claimed 18.35% of sports wagers last year, narrowly edging out tennis at 18.19%, while volleyball and ice hockey tied at 10.13%.

In terms of the sports league that generated the most wagering, the NBA ranked first with 3.87% of total betting handle. The Continental Hockey League ranked second at 3.67%, while the Football Champions League claimed third place with 3.24%.