Monthly Archives: June 2019

GAN Launches Internet Sports Betting for Parx Casino

GAN, an award-winning developer and supplier of enterprise-level B2B Internet gambling software, services and online gaming content in the United States, today announces that GAN and Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. trading as ‘Parx Casino’ (“Parx Casino”) have launched Internet sports betting in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and as of yesterday, is now available online 24/7 following a three-day soft launch period.

Parx Casino’s nominated third party sports betting application software provider KAMBI was integrated by GAN into the GAN Platform. Parx Casino patrons can also link their Reward Card online to their counterpart Internet gambling account, enabled by GAN’s U.S. patented integration framework. Internet casino gaming is expected to launch on July 15, subject to all requisite regulatory approvals.

Highlights

Pennsylvanian regulated Retail Sports betting is forecast to generate in excess of $100m1 in gross win in the first 12 months and Internet Sports betting is forecast to generate a further $189m2 in the same period, in addition to the Pennsylvanian regulated Internet Gaming market forecast to generate $200m3 in gross gaming revenue online during the first twelve months of operation.

Parx owns and operates the #1 land-based casino property in Pennsylvania located a short distance from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city. In the most recent fiscal year ended June 30, 2018, Parx Casino generated $570m from on-property slot machines and table games, representing an 18% share of the Pennsylvania’s $3.2bn gaming market.

GAN’s US-patented technology enables Parx Casino patrons enrolled in the on-property loyalty program, to sign up online and instantly link their reward cards to their online account permitting those guests to trade in their reward points earned from on-property gaming for cash online and/or to earn rewards points from Internet gaming and/or sports betting to be subsequently redeemed on-property.

Brazil’s president not a fan of gambling, but won’t stand in the way

Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, is emphatically opposed to the idea of bringing legalized gambling back to the country. If it were up to him, even the word “gambling” would most likely be banned. However, he also appears to be more accepting of the democratic process and has stated that the decision isn’t his to make – it’s up to the country’s lawmakers to determine whether or not casinos should once again grace the Brazilian landscape.

There has been a lot of talk of allowing legalized gambling in Brazil as the country looks for ways to improve its economic status and attract more tourism, but efforts to advance the subject continue to fizzle. The topic is gathering more supporters across Brazil’s National Congress and a bill has been submitted to allow casinos in integrated resorts, but it has a long way to go.

Bolsonaro made it clear before the presidential elections last year that he wasn’t a fan of casinos and said in a live Facebook chat, “This is unbelievable: Now I am supposedly legalizing casinos in Brazil. Me? No one could believe such nonsense!”

However, the Social Liberal Party politician and former military officer also recognizes that the country’s legislation is in place for a reason – to represent the people. He stated last year, “There is a possibility …that each state will be able to decide [whether or not to allow] gaming. In principle I am against it, but we will look at what would be the best outcome.”

Donaco shares held by the Lim brothers sold

The Lim brothers have all but completely lost their grasp of Donaco International Ltd. Certain shareholders of the company had wanted Joey Lim Keong Yew and Ben Lim Keong Hoe to have no further connection to the running of the casino company and they got their way recently as the board made changes to the upper echelon. When Paul Arbuckle was brought in as the new CEO, effectively replacing both brothers who had previously held the position, it was a final sign that the company’s transition was in full swing. Now, ordinary shares in the company that had been held by the Lims have been sold by receivers, marking a further separation between Donaco and the embattled brothers.

According to information from the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), where Donaco is traded, the shares were sold via on-market transactions on June 19 before being filed with the exchange this past Wednesday. The transactions involved OL Master (Singapore Fund 1) Pte Ltd., also known as Orchard Capital Partners (OCP), a creditor behind another company controlled by Joey Lim.

Joey Lim reportedly relinquished about 65.9 million shares that raised almost $5 million at $0.07 a share. Ben Lim had 8.9 million shares that were turned over and which raised $688,200. The $0.07 price point is in line with what the stock price was on June 19.

OCP had acquired 10% of Donaco last December in a transaction that was ultimately determined to have been negotiated under “unacceptable” circumstances. In part, the Australian Takeovers Panel asserted that information related to OCP’s involvement as a creditor to the Joey Lim company had been suppressed and that he had already defaulted on the credit line established with OCP. The Takeovers Panel blocked the sale last month.

Nektan CEO to discuss industry outlook at World Gaming Executive Summit 2019

Friday 28th June 2019: Lucy Buckley, the CEO of fast-growing international gaming technology platform and services provider Nektan plc (AIM: NKTN), is set to provide her insight into how companies can achieve growth within online gaming’s crowded marketplace at the World Gaming Executive Summit (WGES) 2019.

The platform provider has expanded its international scale rapidly over the previous 12 months through several commercial agreements including MoPlay, FSB, Bede Gaming, BetVictor and more. In addition, its games offering continues to grow with the E-Lite platform close to reaching a key milestone of 1,000 premium games available in its thriving content portfolio, made up of Nektan games as well as content from third-party studios.

At WGES 2019, the Nektan CEO will outline some of the changing consumer habits that will shape the future of the online gaming landscape, including the resurgence of online bingo and the growing influence of gamification and tailored real-time promotional tools incorporated into games, for a more bespoke casino experience.

Buckley will also highlight how increased regulation, higher taxes for operators and restrictions on advertising will create further challenges for the wider industry in the coming years. Plus, the growing importance of integrating social responsibility strategies into all parts of the business.

Nektan CEO to discuss industry outlook at World Gaming Executive Summit 2019

Friday 28th June 2019: Lucy Buckley, the CEO of fast-growing international gaming technology platform and services provider Nektan plc (AIM: NKTN), is set to provide her insight into how companies can achieve growth within online gaming’s crowded marketplace at the World Gaming Executive Summit (WGES) 2019.

The platform provider has expanded its international scale rapidly over the previous 12 months through several commercial agreements including MoPlay, FSB, Bede Gaming, BetVictor and more. In addition, its games offering continues to grow with the E-Lite platform close to reaching a key milestone of 1,000 premium games available in its thriving content portfolio, made up of Nektan games as well as content from third-party studios.

At WGES 2019, the Nektan CEO will outline some of the changing consumer habits that will shape the future of the online gaming landscape, including the resurgence of online bingo and the growing influence of gamification and tailored real-time promotional tools incorporated into games, for a more bespoke casino experience.

Buckley will also highlight how increased regulation, higher taxes for operators and restrictions on advertising will create further challenges for the wider industry in the coming years. Plus, the growing importance of integrating social responsibility strategies into all parts of the business.

Las Vegas Strip revenue drops by double digits; New Jersey now on top

Sin City might be in a bit of trouble. As casino and sports gambling continues to be accepted in other parts of the country, Las Vegas has found its majority stake of the industry begin to quiver. Las Vegas has already experienced some declines in revenue over the past year and the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has revealed that the trend continues. Not only is it losing its control, but New Jersey just became the sports gambling capital of the U.S. – for now.

In April, the combined gross gaming revenue (GGR) for casinos in the state was $981.8 million. This was 6% lower than the 22% seen a year earlier. Las Vegas Strip casinos, the anchor of the city, reported an aggregate decline of 11%. Baccarat was down 55% to $53.85 million and included a win rate of under 8%, and blackjack was down 14.8% to $67.4 million. Penny slots helped soften the blow, registering an increase of 6.3% to $117.8 million.

The aggregate drops for both the city and the Strip are following a trend that began six months ago. Since last December, Las Vegas has now seen consecutive year-on-year drops each month, and the May numbers are the biggest declines so far this year.

The casino floors aren’t the only areas feeling the pinch of expanded gambling. New Jersey’s sportsbooks did slightly better than those in Vegas, printing $318.9 million in wager slips last month. By comparison, Vegas sportsbooks only printed $317.4 million. Adding insult to injury, Nevada’s sportsbooks only registered a hold rate of 3.55%, taking $11.26 million of the $318.9 million in bets that were placed.

MLS to allow team gambling sponsorships

This past March, MGM International struck a deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) to become the league’s official gaming partner. The move followed the league’s belief that sports gambling is the best way to improve fan engagement and increase interest in the sport and MLS has now gone a step further, removing restrictions that prevented teams from entering into sponsorship agreements with sports gambling operators – and booze.

Going forward, sports gambling operators and liquor companies could be found in all of the 24 stadiums where MLS teams play in the U.S. They could appear on stadium billboards, broadcasts or field advertising and even on team uniforms. Conversely, with partnerships established, sports gambling entities would be able to use team logos in their ads.

MLS Senior VP of Business Development told Fortune magazine, “We want to … provide our clubs with an appropriate level of flexibility. We strongly believe this is going to help drive new revenues…. Right now, we want to take advantage of the widespread legalization of sports betting in the U.S.”

Uniform sponsorships are not common in the U.S., but they are virtually everywhere else. The NBA first started playing with jersey sponsorship patches two years ago and, with MLS getting into the mix, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to soon see the NFL, the NHL and MLB to follow suit. Given the ability to generate additional revenue, it’s surprising that the leagues haven’t already begun to allow the practice.

SLS Las Vegas officially to be renamed The Sahara once again

SLS Las Vegas has already promised change this year, but who could have guessed that they’d opt for the old and familiar. A June 27 announcement by the casino indicated that it will change it’s name back to The Sahara, the name the property previously had between 1952 and 2011.

The Las Vegas Sun reports the announcement was made after a fireworks and drone display above the pool area. SLS’s general manager Paul Hobson told the media that this isn’t an attempt to return to a past glory:

“I drive to work every morning on Sahara Avenue. It’s a name that’s embedded in the city and in the lore of the city, but we’re not looking back so much as looking forward.”

The idea to change the name dates back to early 2018 when the casino changed ownership to Alex Meruelo and Hobson was hired. “It was one of the first conversations we had,” Hobson said. “We landed on Sahara as being a very appealing option. A lot of people speculated that it was going to be Grand Sahara Resort because that would match Mr. Meruelo’s Grand Sierra Resort property in Reno. We just thought that Sahara, without any modifiers, was powerful.”

iSoftBet makes Swiss market debut

Leading content and platform supplier ready to go live from 1st July

28th June 2019: iSoftBet, the leading online and mobile casino content provider, is preparing to go live in Switzerland ahead of the newly regulated jurisdiction opening an online gambling market on 1st July.

iSoftBet will provide the country’s newly regulated casino brands with more than 70 of its best-performing proprietary slot titles, certified for the Swiss market including recently launched games Jumbo Stampede, Hot Spin, Book of Immortals, and Lucky Stripes.

Switzerland will be iSoftBet’s 16th market opening with the provider at the cutting-edge of regulated market entry. Its games and platform are certified in multiple jurisdictions including Italy, the UK, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Alderney, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Betsson, SkillOnNet fined by Spelinspektionen for bonus violations

Gambling operators in Sweden still aren’t getting the message. The country’s gaming regulator, Spelinspektionen, has a strict stance on what is and isn’t allowed and has already busted more than a few companies for breaking the rules. It isn’t loosening up its grip on the activity, either, and has now fined two more operators for their inability to adhere to regulations. Betsson and SkillOnNet have become the latest targets of Spelinspektionen’s wrath after they were found to have violated Sweden’s bonus offers rules.

According to a notice on the regulator’s website, Betsson’s NGG Nordic Ltd. has received a warning and is being forced to pay of fine of about $2 million for offering “weekly surprises, cash prize draws, travel and free spins, bonuses, rewards [and] free games to loyal players.” Spelinspektionen adds that NGG Nordic has been offering the activity for the past four months, despite the fact that the new gaming laws were implemented six months ago.

In the case of SkillOnNet, the operator offered “daily bonuses, monthly rewards, free spins, cashback and VIP packages.” It has also organized an online lottery, for which it doesn’t hold a license. As a result, it also received a warning and is going to have to fork over $1.5 million in fines. SkillOnNet is behind several brands in Sweden, including PlayOJO, Mega Casino and VegasWinner.

PlayOJO recently announced that it was going to alter its advertising in order to provide better protection to underage members of the community. It asserted that it would no longer provide any on-air advertising between 4 and 9 PM, but the change was too little, too late to avoid the penalties.

Moulin Rouge to rise from the ashes with several buyers interested

The historic site of the Moulin Rouge casino doesn’t look like much more than an abandoned lot on most days, but several groups are considering buying the property now. Just in the past week, the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority and the Nevada Restaurant Services have both shown an interest in renovating the site.

The Moulin Rouge was only open for five months in 1955, but in that short time it made history. It was the first casino in Las Vegas to desegregate, allowing white and black customers to mingle. That was a big deal, because while other resorts would allow black entertainers to perform, they had to leave the building immediately once the performance was done.

What makes the Moulin Rouge site special nowadays is that it has never given up its unlimited gambling license. To maintain its legal ability to host a gambling site, every two years, it plays host to a trailer sized casino. As a result, if anyone were to buy the property, they’d already have a gambling license to work with.

Las Vegas Now has reported previously that Nevada Restaurant Services, the operator of popular bar chain Dotty’s, has expressed an interest in buying the site. That got the Las Vegas officials immediately excited, as previous owners of the site have allowed it to deteriorate badly. Katherine Duncan of the Chamber of Commerce said, “We don’t have any casino owners in the west side. So, shift bosses, managers, all of those high level jobs that are happening in the industry are not held by our people”

William Hill to no longer accept Swiss wagers, cancels existing bets

Swiss customers of William Hill have a good reason to be a little upset. The British online operator has informed their customers in Switzerland that all ante-post wagers will be voided and they will no longer accept bets from the country as of mid-day on June 28.

The Guardian reports customers found out the news when the site emailed them on June 28. The reasons provided for canceling the wagers was due to “regulatory reasons.” They don’t state specifically what regulations forced the decision.

A representative from William Hill noted that rather than offer their customers a cash out of their wagers based on updated odds, a straight refund made more sense. They apparently made this decision easily due to the “small customer base” in Switzerland, so they probably took a hard look at it. Gambling Insider notes that in total, 400 bets are assumed to have been voided.

There’s not much Swiss customers can do about the situation if they are upset. It’s apart of William Hill’s Terms & Conditions that they can cancel bets at pretty much any time and for any reason. Operators don’t typically use that clause unless there are very good reasons to do so.

Wimbledon Men’s & Women’s betting preview

In one of last year’s Wimbledon men’s semifinal matches, South African Kevin Anderson and American John Isner played an epic fifth set, with Anderson winning 26-24 in six hours and 35 minutes. To no surprise, Anderson had little left in the tank in his first-ever Wimbledon final and lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

That crazy set was part of the impetus for Wimbledon organizers to make one major change going forward: Any final set that reaches a score of 12-12 will then go immediately to the standard tiebreaker form. That applies to all singles and doubles matches on both the men’s and women’s sides. Probably a relief for Isner, who played the longest set in tennis history in the 2010 first round of Wimbledon, beating Nicolas Mahut an incredible 70-68 in the fifth.

This year’s version of Wimbledon begins Monday on the storied grass courts of the All England Club in London, the only Grand Slam played on grass. It’s also important to note that Wimbledon is the only one of the four Slams to not seed exactly according to ATP or WTA rankings. The tournament takes grass-court performance into account.

The inside scoop on betting at Wimbledon

The Wimbledon Championships are set to kick off this coming Monday and will run until July 14. With the likes of tennis greats such as Ruben Bemelmans, Corentin Moutet, Novak Djokovic and Andrea Arnaboldi set to compete, there is going to be an endless supply of gambling opportunities as the tournament advances. For those wishing to get in on the action, Novibet has a few tips that most other sportsbooks would like to keep out of the press.

The UK-based sports gambling operator points out that, since 2000, nine male players who were listed as the favorites to win before the tournament began ultimately won their respective Men’s Singles title. This puts the odds of winning a gambling bet at even money when choosing the pre-tournament favorite. Novibet expects Novak Djokovic to win.

On the female side of the tournament, things are a little different. Novibet points out that the Women’s Singles pre-tournament favorite has only one six times since 2000. This year, Ashleigh Barty could go all the way, capitalizing on the success she found at the Australian Open where she took the victory.

For those interested in more challenging action, Novibet offers odds of 200/1 that an unseeded male player will win the Men’s Singles title this year. An unseeded player has only won twice since 2000 – Boris Becker in 1985 and Goran Ivanisevic in 2001.

US Democratic debate odds: Will Joe Biden hug anyone?

The first U.S. Democratic primary has come and gone, and depending on which political analyst you like, several of the candidates might have won the night. Most agree that Elizabeth Warren, the frontrunner of the first 10 candidates, faired pretty well. Beto O’Rourke shocked everyone, Cory Booker especially, by kicking off the linguistic Olympics. New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio, confident in his progressive platform, got the hashtag #hornyforbilldeblasio trending.

But everyone knows that this was just the appetizer. The main course will be June 27, when frontrunners Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders take the debate stage, and Bodog has a nice selection of odds for what will happen.

Andrew Yang, who notably can’t speak Spanish very well, is the subject of our first prop. The Entrepreneur is a big advocate for a Universal Basic Income (UBI), so his prop is an over/under of how many times he will mention this key policy. It’s even odds (20/23) that he will mention the policy more or less than two times. I like the over, and I expect him to bring it up on atleast two questions unrelated to the topic, likely negotiations with Iran and the possible impeachment of Donald Trump.

The next prop concerns the young Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, and an over/under of how many times other candidates will mispronounce his last name, with the number set at 1.5. Odds favor the under (1/4), as most refer to him as Mayor Pete now and that’s likely what they would do on stage, if they name him at all. I personally expect Biden to refer to him as “My little buddy.”