Monthly Archives: December 2017

BtoBet and Spinomenal new partners in iGaming

Spinomenal cross platform games supplier, providing the most innovative and high-end games to some of the world’s largest casino gaming operators, has signed a partnership with the advanced technological iGaming and Sportsbook platform BtoBet.

Commenting on the partnership, Spinomenal’s CEO Lior Shvartz, stated:

“We constantly strive to reach the perfect balance of amazing graphics, fun game flow and easy access for worldwide clients. Since its foundation, Spinomenal has created more than 85 original cross-platform games and we are just getting warmed up! We are very excited about the integration with BtoBet and are always happy to work with such a responsive and professional team of experts who are able to make the process easy and fast”.

Kostandina Zafirovska, BtoBet’s CEO highlighted:

Australia has no Unikrns; BetCoin Poker dies; XWIN $1m pre-ICO

Three tales of a cryptocurrency nature that see Unikrn leaving the Australian market, BetCoin Poker dying on Christmas Day, and XWIN CryptoBet raising $1m in a pre-ICO on their way to world domination.

Try explaining to a 14-month-old that Unicorns don’t exist. They look at you with this dead dolphin of an eye, and say, “Unicorn,” while pointing at the TV showing the annual Christmas rerun of The Little Unicorn.

It’s even more complicated in Australia.

A week after the esports sports betting outfit, Unikrn, told customers that things would have to change after losing their Luxbet license, things have become clearer. In a pre-Christmas turkey statement, Unikrn, announced plans to leave their covet Australian market.

Five things I learned about poker in 2018

Another year-end article this time covering five things Lee Davy learned about poker in 2018, including education, rogues, social media, competition and sponsored pros.

We will never read all our books. Songs that produce salty sentences will never breach our lugs. Only a small percentage of the 7.5 billion will provide us with a smile.

And as I watch the pigeons pecking at the last of the McDonald’s fries that strewn the streets like sawed-off fingers, I sense the fight with time. There was a time I would have burned my passport to keep my home game warm. No longer. I don’t have the time.

I don’t play. I read. I watch. I interview. I learn.

Universal Entertainment seeks $17.4M damage claim from Okada

Japan-listed gaming conglomerate Universal Entertainment Corp. has filed a HK$136.05 million (US$17.4 million) suit against former chairman Kazuo Okada.

In a disclosure to the Japan Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (Jasdaq) on Thursday, the gaming firm said that the company, through its HongKong subsidiary Tiger Resorts Limited (TRA), filed the case before the High Court of the HongKong Special Administrative Region last December 27.

This is the second case that Universal has filed against Okada three months after the company discovered that the former chairman committed three fraudulent acts. The first case was filed on November 27 in the Tokyo District Court in Japan.

Universal said the company suffered damages due to Okada’s “negligence of duty as a board member of the company,” in connection with the casino mogul’s “fraudulent acts.”

DNA test to determine Thailand lottery jackpot winner

Ownership of a disputed Thailand lottery jackpot could come down to the results of a DNA test.

In November, the Thai lottery issued a THB 30m (US $920k) jackpot prize to Charoon Wimon, a retired policeman. However, this award was quickly challenged by Preecha Kraikruan, a 50-year-old teacher, who claimed he’d lost the five first-prize lottery tickets that had won the twice-monthly draw.

Wimon’s winnings had already been deposited into his bank account, but with ownership of the jackpot under challenge, Wimon’s winnings have been frozen. The retired cop wasn’t pleased by this development, and his lawyer has accused a Royal Thai Police officer of attempting to pressure Wimon into sharing his winnings with Kraikruan to close the case.

Police have now determined that the best way to resolve the dispute is to subject the winning tickets to forensic investigation. This will include an examination of any finger prints found on the tickets, as well as determining whether Kraikruan’s DNA is present on the tickets. The results of these tests are expected to be available sometime in January.

Kenyan betting operators lose court challenge of new 35% tax

Kenya’s betting operators will have to face their new 35% tax obligations after a court dismissed a challenge of the government’s tax hike.

Kenya’s government approved a new uniform 35% tax on all gambling products this summer, despite protests from operators that the new rate made their businesses unviable. The new rate, which kicks in on January 1, 2018, marks a significant rise over the existing rates, which for betting operators had been a mere 7.5%.

In October, the Pambazuka National Lottery filed a lawsuit alleging that the tax hike was unconstitutional., given that parliament approved the hike as an item in the national budget, rather than subjecting standalone legislation to greater public scrutiny.

The suit also accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of exceeding his authority in signing the legislation, and argued that the tax imposed an unreasonable and excessive burden on the industry.

Cambodia rescues 92 fighting cocks, then has them killed

The life of a bird bred for cockfighting is typically short and nasty, but a recent cockfighting cockup in Cambodia is generating protests from animal rights groups.

Cambodia’s animal lovers are up in arms after a court ordered police to slaughter 92 birds that were seized during raids on two illegal cockfighting rings earlier this month. Agence France Press reported that dozens of individuals were arrested during the raids, but most have since been released with only light suspended sentences.

Meanwhile, instead of transferring the traumatized chickens to some kind of refuge where they could live out the rest of their days in relative peace and harmony, a court ordered police to slaughter all 92 birds “to prevent the offence from happening again and to speed up the investigation proceedings.” And, presumably, to avoid having roving gangs of bad-ass roosters terrorizing the local milquetoast chicken population.

The court’s decision has rankled animal rights activists, who feel the innocent birds were subjected to harsher punishment than the rings’ human organizers. An unrepentant police deputy shrugged off the reaction, noting that the birds had received good homes in the stomachs of his officers.

Nevada casino sportsbooks endure worst baseball month ever

Nevada casinos reported a slight decline in November’s gaming revenue, thanks to poor table game performance and the worst monthly loss on record for baseball wagering.

Figures released Thursday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board show the state’s casinos generated gaming revenue of $909m in November, down 2.3% from the same month last year and down nearly $80m from October 2017’s result.

The decline was more pronounced on the Las Vegas Strip, where casinos reported revenue of $485.7m, down 6% year-on-year. By contrast, downtown Vegas venues reported a 6.8% year-on-year improvement to $54.2m.

The state’s slot machines did their bit to keep the numbers respectable, posting a 3.5% gain to $626.7m. But overall games & tables revenue was down 13.2% to $282.3m, thanks in part to double-digit declines at both blackjack ($84.1m, -12.2%) and baccarat ($64.9m, -23.5%).