Downtown Grand Las Vegas brings back the '20s for New Year's

The GRAND Gatsby celebration will bring the roaring '20s back to life with entertainment, a pub crawl and other swanky events.

Mare Balticum Gaming Summit 2018 – the Baltic and Scandinavian region

The inaugural edition of Mare Balticum Gaming Summit Riga will be held on the 8th of May at Astor Riga in Latvia. The Baltic and Scandinavian region provide a great wealth of knowledge when it comes to online gambling. The regulations in the region have been carefully adjusted and the current status of the markets show good investment potential. The ...

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Penn National Gaming in discussions to buy Las Vegas rival Pinnacle

Penn National Gaming says it is discussing acquiring rival casino owner Pinnacle Entertainment, and creating a unified company with 45 properties in more than ...

Downtown Grand Las Vegas brings back the '20s for New Year's

The GRAND Gatsby celebration will bring the roaring '20s back to life with entertainment, a pub crawl and other swanky events.

Caesars Entertainment Corporation inks Harrah’s Las Vegas lease-back deal

American casino giant Caesars Entertainment Corporation has announced the signing of an agreement that will see it sell its Harrah’s Las Vegas venue to local real estate firm VICI Properties Incorporated for $1.14 billion before immediately leasing the venue back for at least the next 15 years. Caesars Entertainment Corporation revealed that part of the deal will see it acquire an adjacent 18.4-acre parcel of land from VICI Properties Incorporated for the purposes of constructing a new 300,000 sq ft convention center that is set to feature the nation’s largest column-free ballroom. The Las Vegas-based casino operator explained that the Harrah’s Las Vegas sale is expected to close before the end of the year and also includes provisions that could see VICI Properties Incorporated buy the completed new convention center before similarly leasing it back to Caesars Entertainment Corporation. Mark Frissora, President and Chief Executive Officer for Caesars Entertainment Corporation stated that the agreement with VICI Properties Incorporated demonstrates his firm’s ‘commitment to pursuing growth opportunities while maintaining balance-sheet discipline’. He moreover declared that the proceeds from the deal are to serve as ‘the primary source of funds’ for the previously-announced deal to purchase Indiana casino operator Centaur Holdings. “We expect the sale and lease-back of Harrah's Las Vegas will allow us to acquire Centaur [Holdings] and develop the convention center without increasing leverage,” read a statement from Frissora. “The sale and lease-back transaction is our first post-emergence transaction with VICI [Properties Incorporated] and maintains Harrah’s Las Vegas’ connectivity to our network, which will create value and provide benefits to our guests.” Frissora moreover proclaimed that the coming convention center is expected to become ‘a leading destination for meetings on the Las Vegas Strip’ and will serve as ‘another important destination right in the middle of our center-Strip footprint’. To avoid any doubts, Caesars Entertainment Corporation specifically detailed that post-deal it is to continue operating all of the ‘gaming, hotel operations and all other amenities’ inside Harrah's Las Vegas with the property remaining part of its network for at least 15 years in exchange for annual rent of $87.4 million. After this, the casino giant will have the option to continue leasing the facility for a 20-year period via four five-year extensions.

partypoker Announces 2017 Eurasian Poker Tour Prague Schedule

This December is going to bring a myriad of new poker emotions and good memories for players from around the globe, as partypoker LIVE and King’s Casino recently announced that December 8 will see the start of the Eurasian Poker Tour Prague and the much-anticipated poker festival is going to take place at the Grandior Hotel Prague. The final day of the poker congregation is scheduled to be December 14 and among the poker events in the well-rounded schedule, there are three tournaments boasting combined guaranteed prize pools amounting to $2 million.

Perhaps the biggest temptation to many would be the Main Event which features a buy-in amounting to €1,100. It is also going to appeal to the participants with its guaranteed prize pool amounting to €500,000. As for the first day of game, it is already confirmed that action will commence on December 9 with the first flight and December 10 with a second opening flight. The game will continue up until the 13th when the big winner is going to receive their well-deserved sweet payday.

The players who chose to buy-in directly are going to start their quest towards the throne with 100,000 in chips and blinds increasing every 60 minutes. Those who wish to spare themselves the waiting and start playing as soon as possible will also have the chance to do so. They can participate in the online opening flight at partypoker which is going to take place on November 30. Satellite and sub-satellite tournaments begin at $0.01 and the players who decide to participate in them are going to enter the online opening flight with the stack they have amassed through them.

Two High Roller Events Will Attract Players

There are also two very promising poker events which are guaranteed to meet the high expectations of the poker players. The first one is the €25,500 King’s Super High Roller which is going to be a two-day event, according to the schedule. As for the guaranteed prize pool of the premium event, it is going to amount to €1 million. The start of the High Roller is scheduled for December 11 when some of the biggest names in the poker world are expected to participate in the event. Just as in the Main Event, in the High Roller players will have 100,000 in chips at the beginning, however, blinds will be going up every 40 minutes.

Later on, they will increase to every 60 minutes and it is important to note that during the late-registration period players will have the chance to re-enter an unlimited number of times. The third bigger event in the schedule of the Eurasian Poker Tour Prague is going to be the €5,300 Eurasian Poker Tour Prague High Roller, which starts right after the previous High Roller event. December 13 will see the start of the two-day event featuring a guaranteed prize pool amounting to €500,000. The structure of the event will be the same as the previous one.

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Prima Networks Limited inks Italian reseller deal

Maltese online gaming software services firm Prima Networks Limited has announced the signing of a reseller agreement that will see it begin supplying the complete games portfolio of Microgaming to Italian platform provider Microgame SpA. Prima Networks Limited stated that the deal will give Benevento-based Microgame SpA and its partner firms access to over 250 online video slots from Microgaming including titles such as Thunderstruck, Mermaids Millions, Immortal Romance and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider as well as the innovator’s full portfolio of table games through the Quickfire platform. Director of Prima Networks Limited,  Loraine Schoevers, described the reseller agreement as a ‘strategic step’ that would help her firm to ‘undoubtedly increase our market share’ in Italy thanks to Microgame SpA having ‘the largest footprint in the regulated Italian market’. “The Microgame SpA network is expansive, so we will extend the reach of Microgaming content significantly within the region,” read a statement from Schoevers. “With Italian online gaming revenues rising year-on-year, it is a very important market for us.” Established in 1999 and licensed by Italy’s Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato (AAMS) regulator, Microgame S.p.A offers a wide range of solutions and explained that it network spans some 130 brands and regularly deals with approximately 120 million annual transactions. For his part, Marco Castaldo from Microgame SpA declared that his firm’s clients will ‘benefit greatly’ from the new collaboration with Prima Networks Limited despite already enjoying ‘the broadest portfolio in the Italian market’. “From today, players will access a really impressive selection of Microgaming content and games,” read a statement from Castaldo. “We are very excited by the potential of this new partnership.”

Karl Slatoff from Take-Two Claims Loot Boxes Are Not Form of Gambling

Recently, loot boxes have been in the spotlight of a controversial debate whether or not they should be classified as gambling. A number of Governments and regulatory authorities worldwide have revealed that they are to take the matter into consideration. Others, such as Belgium, have already categorized them as gambling and urged other European countries to take measures and ban loot boxes.

Of course, not everyone thinks loot boxes are form of gambling activity. Speaking at the Credit Suisse 21st Annual Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, the president of the American multinational video games and video game peripherals’ publisher and distributor Take-Two, Karl Slatoff, shared that he does not think loot boxes could be described as gambling.

This statement is not surprising, provided the fact that it comes only a week after the one of the Entertainment Software Association, the lobbying group which represents large companies such as Microsoft, Nintendo and Take-Two. The opponents of loot boxes who consider the latter a form of gambling have taken these statements as harsh rejection of public concerns shared by many Government officials in a number of countries, including Belgium, the UK and the US, since authorities there have been concerned with the possible dangers of fraudulent loot box schemes.

It remains unknown whether or not will authorities agree with the explanation given by Mr. Slatoff, but the truth is that loot boxes and other micro-transactions are some of the most popular and preferred ways for gaming content publishers and developers to make money.

Nothing Wrong with Loot Boxes, Says Take-Two President

Mr. Slatoff was asked to comment on the recent controversy in regards to loot boxes and micro-transactions. As shared by him, the company’s view corresponded to the one of the European Space Agency (ESA), so Take-Two does not see loot boxes as gambling.

He shared that unlike the ones who describe loot boxes as a form of gambling, he and his company simply see them as tools that allow players to pay for some items that would make the game easier for them.

According to the video games publisher and distributor’s boss, the issue is all about content and about “overdelivering” on it. In his opinion, the main focus is always set on content and providing customers with the best-quality offering. Take-Two’s president shared that his company’s aim has always been to provide players with the best variety of extras to make their game easier and more interesting.

Mr. Slatoff also shared his projections for the gaming landscape over the upcoming years. He spoke of the various aspects of the gaming industry and paid extra attention to the ever-growing online gaming operations. He said he sees the future of gaming in online gaming and explained that the gaming operations would most likely go digital over the next ten years. When it comes to the long term, Mr. Slatoff explained that digital world is the future of gaming.

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Turkey Places Restrictions on ATM Withdrawals as Part of Illegal Gambling Crackdown

Restrictions on ATM withdrawals and money transfers will be introduced in Turkey as part of the country’s efforts to combat illegal gambling, Azerbaijani news outlet Trend reported citing information from the Turkish Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency – Bankacılık Düzenleme ve Denetleme Kurumu (BDDK).

Individuals who tend to withdraw the maximum amount of money allowed per day from ATMs will have their bank accounts under scrutiny, the regulatory body has revealed. A BDDK spokesperson has explained that there are more than 5 million people in Turkey who engage in illegal gambling activities and they usually withdraw money from ATMs to gamble.

Back in July, the Turkish government announced that it would launch an illegal gambling clampdown in a bid to curb the illegal provision of gambling services in the country and the social ills arising from this. Speaking of the legality of gambling, activities of this type are prohibited under Turkish laws with very few legal exceptions.

It can be said that state-run lotteries and online gaming websites as well as certain forms of sports betting, with these too being run by the state, are the only gambling services that are allowed within the country’s borders. Here it is interesting to note that Turkey had a very profitable casino industry, but land-based casinos were eventually banned due to concerns that these were targeted by criminals for money laundering.

Ongoing Crackdown

Despite the existing prohibitions on most types of gambling, the country has been nurturing a thriving unregulated gambling industry. As mentioned above, news emerged this summer that the Turkish government would embark on a two-year purging mission in hopes to restrict the reach and scope of illegal gambling operations, including ones targeting players via the Internet.

Lawmakers pointed out that several government agencies would participate in the crackdown and that illegal gambling would be targeted at several government levels for its effective minimization.

The Turkish Ministries of the Interior and of Justice were tasked with developing a two-year strategy for fighting illegal gambling services. The nation’s Police and Revenues Departments also joined the anti-gambling campaign. It was further revealed that a special unit would be assembled to monitor for any breaches of the country’s regulations.

Prior to the official launch of the Turkish government’s two-year strategy against illegal gambling, Turkish police carried out massive raids in more than 6,000 restaurants and cafés around the country in a bid to discover illegal gambling operations.

The announcement about Turkey cracking down on unauthorized gambling drove away international operators, including GVC Holdings, which decided to dispose of its Turkish business. Earlier this month, the Isle of Man-based online gambling group sold its Turkish assets to Malta-based Ropso Malta Ltd. for a total of €150 million. GVC revealed that it would use the money to fund future merger and acquisition deals.

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Pragmatic Play deals with William Hill

Leading slot developer Pragmatic Play deals with William Hill after it has signed an agreement to offer its portfolio of games to this leading operator. As Pragmatic Play deals with William Hill, Pragmatic Play titles such as Wolf Gold, Jurassic Giants and Pixie Wings will be made available to the operator’s William Hill Casino through the Quickfire platform. Graeme Powrie, Commercial Director at William Hill, said: ...

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Malta Gaming Authority speaks at SiGMA 2017

Members of the MGA participated in a host of panels during the event in Malta, held from 22-25 November.

Malta Gaming Authority speaks at SiGMA 2017

Members of the MGA participated in a host of panels during the event in Malta, held from 22-25 November.

Saratoga Casino announces benefit concert for local country fan

On 21 December, "We Band Together: A Tribute to Sue" will host prominent country music artists in New York to benefit local fan Sue Bogucki.

Turkey Places Restrictions on ATM Withdrawals as Part of Illegal Gambling Crackdown

Restrictions on ATM withdrawals and money transfers will be introduced in Turkey as part of the country’s efforts to combat illegal gambling, Azerbaijani news outlet Trend reported citing information from the Turkish Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency – Bankacılık Düzenleme ve Denetleme Kurumu (BDDK).

Individuals who tend to withdraw the maximum amount of money allowed per day from ATMs will have their bank accounts under scrutiny, the regulatory body has revealed. A BDDK spokesperson has explained that there are more than 5 million people in Turkey who engage in illegal gambling activities and they usually withdraw money from ATMs to gamble.

Back in July, the Turkish government announced that it would launch an illegal gambling clampdown in a bid to curb the illegal provision of gambling services in the country and the social ills arising from this. Speaking of the legality of gambling, activities of this type are prohibited under Turkish laws with very few legal exceptions.

It can be said that state-run lotteries and online gaming websites as well as certain forms of sports betting, with these too being run by the state, are the only gambling services that are allowed within the country’s borders. Here it is interesting to note that Turkey had a very profitable casino industry, but land-based casinos were eventually banned due to concerns that these were targeted by criminals for money laundering.

Ongoing Crackdown

Despite the existing prohibitions on most types of gambling, the country has been nurturing a thriving unregulated gambling industry. As mentioned above, news emerged this summer that the Turkish government would embark on a two-year purging mission in hopes to restrict the reach and scope of illegal gambling operations, including ones targeting players via the Internet.

Lawmakers pointed out that several government agencies would participate in the crackdown and that illegal gambling would be targeted at several government levels for its effective minimization.

The Turkish Ministries of the Interior and of Justice were tasked with developing a two-year strategy for fighting illegal gambling services. The nation’s Police and Revenues Departments also joined the anti-gambling campaign. It was further revealed that a special unit would be assembled to monitor for any breaches of the country’s regulations.

Prior to the official launch of the Turkish government’s two-year strategy against illegal gambling, Turkish police carried out massive raids in more than 6,000 restaurants and cafés around the country in a bid to discover illegal gambling operations.

The announcement about Turkey cracking down on unauthorized gambling drove away international operators, including GVC Holdings, which decided to dispose of its Turkish business. Earlier this month, the Isle of Man-based online gambling group sold its Turkish assets to Malta-based Ropso Malta Ltd. for a total of €150 million. GVC revealed that it would use the money to fund future merger and acquisition deals.

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Jackpot elusive for three new upstate New York casinos

Three new upstate New York casinos have so far failed to generate the big payoffs they projected, meaning less money shared with towns, cities and counties. Slot machine and ...

Spectrum Gaming Predicts Two-Year Battle for Three Casino Licenses in Japan

The licensing process for up to three integrated casino resorts in Japan could take up to two years, research firm Spectrum Gaming Group said in its recently published 2018 gaming industry trends list.

According to the independent consultation service provider, major gambling operators will face off in a “battle” for a license in the nascent casino market and it will take up to two years before the names of the winning bidders become clear.

Companies such as Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, and MGM Resorts International, among others, have already set up offices in Japan to explore the local business environment, search for potential local partners, and lobby to increase their chance to win one of the very few licenses that will be available.

Japan’s casino legalization process spans back to the mid-2000s. It was last December when lawmakers eventually cleared the first of a two-stage legalization process, practically legalizing casino gambling in the country. The second phase requires the passage of a separate bill that would set the regulatory framework under which casino gambling services will be provided within Japan’s borders.

That second legislative piece was expected to be introduced and voted before the end of the year, but the recent snap election delayed the progress of a number of legislative matters in the Japanese Diet. According to analysts, the country’s government is likely to pass what will be known as the Integrated Resort Implementation Bill in the first half of 2018.

Lawmakers have one more important matter to discuss before they proceed with crafting and adopting the actual casino laws. Following last year’s passage of the Integrated Resort Promotion Bill, concerns have grown about the social impacts of expanded gambling in the country. The Diet has promised that a proper framework would be developed so as for such negative impacts to be eliminated or at least minimized. There have been reports that the responsible gambling framework could be approved by the end of the Diet’s 2017 legislative session.

UNLV Helps Japan Craft Its Casino Laws

The International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has published two reports aiming to shed as much light on the future of Japan’s casino industry as possible. Both studies were commissioned by the Japanese government.

The first one – Practical Perspectives on Gambling Regulatory Processes for Study by Japan: Eliminating Organized Crime in Nevada Casinos – was published in August and focused on how Japan could prevent organized crime interference in its nascent casino industry. The study presented examples of how Las Vegas and Nevada had coped with the issue and had transformed its gambling industry from one controlled by organized crime bosses into a regulated mechanism.

The second report – Socio-Economic Impacts of Japanese Integrated Resorts – was released in September and featured key recommendations that could help Japanese lawmakers in establishing a well-regulated, but not overregulated casino industry, or an industry that will thrive and boost other economic sectors, while minimizing risks of a boom in problem gambling and crime rates.

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Are Three Professional Sports Commissioners Secretly Hoping to Lose PASPA Supreme Court Case?

Three of the four major professional sports leagues, the NBA, NHL, and MLB, are led by commissioners who might support changing America’s sports betting laws. That’s a rather precarious position ahead of their Dec. 4 Supreme Court hearing where attorneys for their organizations, plus the NFL and NCAA, will argue in favor of the current prohibition.

On Monday, the high court will hear testimony on whether or not the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) violates states’ rights and the 10th Amendment. New Jersey says it does, with  lawyers arguing that the federal government cannot enforce one state to adhere to a law while allowing another to not.

PASPA provided grandfathered immunity for Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware when it was passed, as those four states had some sort of legalized sports wagering at the time. To this day, only Nevada has full-fledged casino sportsbetting.

In a statement to the Associated Press this week, American Gaming Association CEO Geoff Freeman explained that the leagues understand that public opinion is tilting in favor of a sportsbetting overhaul. If they were not, the NFL and NHL wouldn’t be locating teams in Las Vegas, and the commissioners for the NBA and MLB wouldn’t be stating publicly that they believe legalization could benefit their leagues.

Commissioners Softening

Aside from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the NBA’s Adam Silver, MLB’s Rob Manfred, and NHL’s Gary Bettman have all come out in support of a PASPA review.

NBA Commissioner Silver said over the summer, “My sense is the law will change in the next few years. People want to bet throughout the game. It results in enormous additional engagement with the fans.”

In a 2014 New York Times op-ed, Silver became the first major US professional sports commissioner to embrace a PASPA overhaul. “I believe that sports betting should be brought out of the underground and into the sunlight where it can be appropriately monitored,” Silver concluded.

Silver isn’t alone. In 2015, Manfred altered MLB’s longstanding opposition to sports betting. And in July, he further explained that baseball is better off with regulated wagering, as compared to its current unregulated capacity.

Bettman, the aptly named NHL boss, said sports gambling is irrelevant to his sport, as he claims hockey fans are far more interested in what’s happening on the ice than at the sportsbook. He added that he didn’t see how gambling on the NHL could jeopardize the integrity of hockey games, a common argument made by Goodell and the NCAA, long before it became clear how online betting could help identify on-field dishonesty.

The ongoing remarks are why AP sports writer Ben Nuckols opined this week that “leaders of three of the four leagues have made public comments that suggest they wouldn’t mind losing the case.”

Sure Thing, Win or Lose?

On Monday, New Jersey will make its case versus the NCAA and four professional sports leagues. Justices also will hear testimony from the Office of the US Solicitor General. The Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling sometime between April and June.

That’s why even Nevada’s casino industry largely backs the repeal of PASPA, as sports gaming operations could expand to hundreds of casinos across the US.

Fans who place a financial incentive on a game’s outcome have also been proven to watch more events. A Nielsen Sports study in 2016 found that those who bet on the NFL watch 19 more regular season games than fans who don’t.

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Robert Hankins Vies for Ninth WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Harrah’s Cherokee

Robert Hankins is eyeing WSOP Circuit gold ring number nine with his participation in the record-breaking $365 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed at Harrah’s Cherokee, which is the current host venue of the popular poker series.

Hankins bagged the second largest chip stack last night to secure himself with an excellent position for the start of Day 2 of the above-mentioned tournament. The player was one of the 17 survivors who made it through the day. Rick Drake was the player to scoop the largest stack at the end of the day. The player finished the event’s first day of play with a total of 890,000 and with commanding chip lead. As for Hankins, he collected a total of 671,000 at the end of the event’s first day to rank second in the chip counts chart.

The $365 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed or Event #4 on the schedule of the ongoing WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee is a two-day event. The tournament attracted a record-breaking field of 607 entries who generated a prize pool of $182,100. The money was split in 66 uneven portions, with min-cashes starting from $545.

The event’s structure allowed for speedy action, which eventually resulted in the original field being reduced to just 17 players. The remaining survivors will return to the host venue later today to battle it out to an eventual winner. The champion will receive the gold piece of WSOP Circuit jewelry and the amount of $36,346 in prize money.

Hankins Vies for Yet Another Title

It can be said without doubt that the Tennessee-based poker pro is among WSOP Circuit’s most prolific players in terms of gold pieces won from the series. As mentioned earlier, the player has won eight gold rings so far. He captured his first WSOP Circuit trophy back in 2010 when he took down a $230 No-Limit Hold’em tournament at Harrah’s Tunica.

It is interesting to note that it took him four years before taking down another Circuit event. The player won his second gold piece in 2014 and at the same venue he collected his first one. Hankins has been on a particularly hot streak since then, winning six more gold rings over the past three years and cashing in a number of WSOP Circuit tournaments.

To be more precise, the player has actually made 63 in-the-money finishes in WSOP Circuit events since the beginning of his poker career and has collected a little less than $650,000 in the process.

If Hankins wins a ninth gold piece today, he will tie with Alexandru Masek and Valentin Vornicu, who are the other two players to have collected that many gold rings. Here it is also important to note that Hankins will also be just a single gold ring behind the absolute record-breaker Maurice Hawkins.

Day 2 action of the Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em tournament is scheduled to kick off at 1 pm local time at Harrah’s Cherokee with 17 players hungry for quality poker action and a gold ring.

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Robert Hankins Vies for Ninth WSOP Circuit Gold Ring at Harrah’s Cherokee

Robert Hankins is eyeing WSOP Circuit gold ring number nine with his participation in the record-breaking $365 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed at Harrah’s Cherokee, which is the current host venue of the popular poker series.

Hankins bagged the second largest chip stack last night to secure himself with an excellent position for the start of Day 2 of the above-mentioned tournament. The player was one of the 17 survivors who made it through the day. Rick Drake was the player to scoop the largest stack at the end of the day. The player finished the event’s first day of play with a total of 890,000 and with commanding chip lead. As for Hankins, he collected a total of 671,000 at the end of the event’s first day to rank second in the chip counts chart.

The $365 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed or Event #4 on the schedule of the ongoing WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Cherokee is a two-day event. The tournament attracted a record-breaking field of 607 entries who generated a prize pool of $182,100. The money was split in 66 uneven portions, with min-cashes starting from $545.

The event’s structure allowed for speedy action, which eventually resulted in the original field being reduced to just 17 players. The remaining survivors will return to the host venue later today to battle it out to an eventual winner. The champion will receive the gold piece of WSOP Circuit jewelry and the amount of $36,346 in prize money.

Hankins Vies for Yet Another Title

It can be said without doubt that the Tennessee-based poker pro is among WSOP Circuit’s most prolific players in terms of gold pieces won from the series. As mentioned earlier, the player has won eight gold rings so far. He captured his first WSOP Circuit trophy back in 2010 when he took down a $230 No-Limit Hold’em tournament at Harrah’s Tunica.

It is interesting to note that it took him four years before taking down another Circuit event. The player won his second gold piece in 2014 and at the same venue he collected his first one. Hankins has been on a particularly hot streak since then, winning six more gold rings over the past three years and cashing in a number of WSOP Circuit tournaments.

To be more precise, the player has actually made 63 in-the-money finishes in WSOP Circuit events since the beginning of his poker career and has collected a little less than $650,000 in the process.

If Hankins wins a ninth gold piece today, he will tie with Alexandru Masek and Valentin Vornicu, who are the other two players to have collected that many gold rings. Here it is also important to note that Hankins will also be just a single gold ring behind the absolute record-breaker Maurice Hawkins.

Day 2 action of the Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em tournament is scheduled to kick off at 1 pm local time at Harrah’s Cherokee with 17 players hungry for quality poker action and a gold ring.

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South Point Hotel to host 2017 Challengers Cup Finals

The Las Vegas hotel, casino and spa will welcome the semi-professional drone racing world championship on 19 and 20 January.

Zitro experienced successful SAGSE game fair in Buenos Aires

Zitro is proud to announce the company’s great success at the last edition of the SAGSE game fair in Buenos Aires, marked a before and after in the Latin America region. The company is led by Johnny Ortiz and has been leading the Video Bingo market in Latin America for years, and since launching its new Video Slots brand Bryke ...

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BtoBet sparks conversation at SiGMA 2017

The company stressed the importance of collaboration and trust between operators and platform providers during the exhibition in Malta.

PAGCOR licenses BMM for online gaming product tests

Independent gaming certification lab, BMM International LLC or as it is branded, BMM Testlabs, has reportedly been licensed to certify online gaming products in the Philippines by the country’s gaming regulator, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR). In a prepared statement, executive vice president for BMM Testlabs and general manager Asia Pacific, Australia and South Africa, Kirk White, said, “We are already licensed by Pagcor to provide compliance testing and certification of land-based slot machines and systems. This new licence enables BMM to extend our service offerings to the region to include the evaluation, testing and certification of online gaming systems, games and security process for all the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator [POGO] licensees,” according to the report from GGRAsia. The Las Vegas-headquartered BMM will reportedly be responsible for ensuring that PAGCOR licensee’s online gaming systems, as well as games and security processes comply with the gaming regulator’s requirements. White added, “With four of BMM’s 11 testing facilities located in the Asia-Pacific region: in Singapore, Macau, Melbourne and Sydney; BMM is very well situated to support the POGO licence holders in obtaining their product certifications in a timely and cost effective manner.”

Zitro experienced successful SAGSE game fair in Buenos Aires

Zitro is proud to announce the company’s great success at the last edition of the SAGSE game fair in Buenos Aires, marked a before and after in the Latin America region. The company is led by Johnny Ortiz and has been leading the Video Bingo market in Latin America for years, and since launching its new Video Slots brand Bryke ...

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Macau Regulators Playing Cards for Casino License Renewal Close to Vest

While casino operators in Macau will need to start reapplying for their gaming licenses in the next few years, they shouldn’t expect any early indications of what the conditions for those renewals will be. That’s the word from Macau Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac, who says that the competitive nature of the gaming industry means the territory will want to keep its cards close to its vest.

According to GGRAsia, Leong spoke on Thursday in front of Macau’s Legislative Assembly to address the upcoming expiration of concessions granted to the six current casino operators in the Chinese gambling enclave. Those licenses will end on various dates between 2020 and 2022. Leong said that increased competition throughout Asia means that regulators in the market need to be careful about revealing information before it is necessary.

“Before we announce the new rules, we need to think about the appropriate time to do so, in order to guarantee the sustainable development of the [gaming] sector,” Leong said.

Regional Competition Prompts Discretion

The main concern appears to be the potential reaction from other jurisdictions in the region. If Macau were to start announcing their rules now, Leong said, then regulators in other regions might adjust their own policies to increase the competitive pressure on China.

Not surprisingly, current license holders might want information about standards and concessions sooner rather than later. Angela Leong On Kei, an executive director at SJM Holdings, recently urged Macau officials to announce their intentions so that the process could move forward more smoothly for interested parties.

Under the gaming laws of Macau, the government does have the ability to renew the current concession for up to five additional years. However, once these contracts expire, any new concessions can only be granted via public tender.

Macau Casino Regulation 2.0

While there is plenty of excitement over growing gaming revenues in Macau and across Asia, the hottest topic in Macau has been the impending licensing renewals, with both the government and casinos taking steps to prepare for the application process.

For some operators, that means pouring money into the city in order to make their properties as attractive as possible. Just last month, Las Vegas Sands announced plans to spend $1.1 billion to renovate and rebrand the Sands Cotai Central.

On the government’s side of the equation, Macau authorities have said that all aspects of the gaming sector will be re-evaluated before new licensing begins. The government’s goals could potentially include better regulation of junkets, as well as a push to increase mass market and non-gaming revenue generators.

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Bill to Rename PAGCOR the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Authority Introduced

PAGCOR, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, is undergoing a massive restructuring that will see the gaming agency sell off its physical casino assets and transform into a regulator-only capacity.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez initiated the reshuffling this week by introducing a bill to the House of Representatives. The chamber’s Games and Amusement Committee began deliberating the measure today.

Alvarez’s bill proposes that PAGCOR then be renamed the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Authority (PAGA). Under the rearrangement, PAGA would take on all regulatory functions currently spread out among the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Games and Amusement Board, and special economic zone commissions.

In addition to its primary function of overseeing the casino licensing process and regulating gaming operations, PAGA would be responsible for handling disputes between gamblers and casinos.

Separation of Powers

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is behind the transition to make PAGCOR a regulator-only committee.

Duterte has made ridding the country of corruption and organized crime his primary mission, although he’s gone about it in a controversial manner. His directive to law enforcement to “shoot first, ask questions” later regarding alleged drug and gang members has led to the deaths of over 6,000 people.

Duterte, and Alvarez, believe an agency trying to both regulate and operate gaming is vulnerable to potential corruption.

“An entity that has this power runs the risk of dealing itself a favorable hand while undercutting others,” Alvarez explained last summer. In his bill, the lawmaker says there’s “lingering doubt as to its (PAGCOR) ability to effectively enforce its regulatory powers.”

The Money Problem

PAGCOR is being tasked with auctioning off its casinos to qualified bidders, but at the same time finding a way to make sure that the government continues to collect massive tax revenues from the gambling venues. Second to only the country’s Bureau of Finance, PAGCOR is responsible for sending the federal government the most money of any agency.

The first two integrated casino resorts, Solaire and City of Dreams, share just five percent of their VIP table revenue and 15 percent of mass market gaming with the government. But PAGCOR casinos presently send 50 percent of their gross earnings to federal coffers.

Alvarez’s law calls for a new five percent franchisee tax placed on all casinos. At an effective VIP tax rate of 10 percent and mass market at 20 percent, the government would presumably stand to receive less revenue.

PAGCOR Chairwoman Andrea Domingo is well aware of the funding concerns. She’s pledged to find a solution, saying last summer that “the revenue stream will still come. The government will still earn the money.”

Should Alvarez’s law pass, existing casinos will have one year to secure their franchise licenses from PAGA.

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Wazdan flash mob stole the show during SiGMA 2017

Popular software provider, Wazdan stole the show with Malta Philharmonic Orchestra Flash Mob during SiGMA, one of Europe’s biggest iGaming events. Wazdan flash mob attracted crowds and called attention to Maltese culture for City of Culture Valletta 2018 and Wazdan’s own creativity. Professional dancers dressed in traditional Maltese costumes accompanied the musicians to make the event even more interesting for ...

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Public to have say in £300m casino development in Belfast

A public consultation is reportedly being conducted by the Belfast City Council regarding the possibility of amending the capital city’s licensing laws and to measure interest in building a major casino complex there worth as much as £300m. Unlike the Republic of Ireland or Ireland, currently, in Northern Ireland, the gambling laws do not allow for the development of casino properties in Belfast. The Belfast Telegraph reports that discussions between political and business representatives and two leading operators have already taken place regarding the possibility of building a casino, hotel, water park, restaurant and bar. One of the two interested parties being British land-based casino and bingo operator, The Rank Group, which is responsible for the Grosvenor Casinos chain of casinos and has reportedly shown interest in developing a £200m complex. According to the daily newspaper, consultation documents state: "There has been interest shown by international investors in developing an entertainment and casino complex in Belfast." The documents reportedly follow and earlier motion by councilor Jim McVeigh, who belongs to the Sinn Féin party and who, who according to the news agency, said that developing an “entertainment and casino complex” and modernizing the licensing system would provide "stimulus and support to the tourism sector and city's economy, with a potential investment of £150m and the creation of 900 new jobs." However, the Belfast Telegraph reports that in speaking with McVeigh, he said the development could create as many as 1,000 jobs and that the potential value could be £300m. According to the report, the public consultation is slated to begin on the 11th of December and to close on the 5th of March in the New Year. McVeigh reportedly said, "The consultation is to gauge the opinion of the people of Belfast, and people within our tourism and hospitality sector. It's in two halves -one is around flexibility around opening hours, exploring the idea that those areas should be devolved to councils. And the other, the entertainment complex, is to gauge the mood of the people in the city.” The councilor went on to say that the responsibility of the final decision would rest with a minister and "would require legislation.” McVeigh added that he believes the idea would be supported by the majority of his council colleagues.

Portugal to Amend Online Gambling Law

Portugal’s government will review the country’s gambling laws in 2018, local media reported on Friday. The Iberian country regulated its online gambling market in 2015 and officially opened it for international operators in the summer of 2016, when the first online gambling license was issued.

Late last week, Portuguese lawmakers presented the budget plan for 2018. Among a number of other provisions, the plan also contains proposed amendments to the country’s Online Gambling Law. These are mostly concerned with the legalization of national and international liquidity for different iGaming and betting services.

Earlier this year, Portugal entered into a shared online poker liquidity agreement with France, Italy, and France. Said agreement will allow the country to merge its online poker player pool with those the other participating country.

Under the proposed amendments to the nation’s existing gambling laws, Portugal will be able to enter similar agreements for other online gambling activities. In other words, Portugal-facing operators , both gaming and sports betting, will be able to share their customer pools with fellow brands that are licensed by the local gambling regulator, Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ). What is more, Portugal-licensed operators will be able to merge their Portuguese player pools with the player pools in other regulated jurisdictions these hold licenses from.

If approved, the proposals included in the 2018 budget plan will be developed into a set of regulations by SRIJ in order to be able to be implemented. As reported by local media, a preliminary plan about the shared liquidity amendments has already been presented to the European Commission and has been received well by EU regulators.

Taxation Changes

Portugal’s new online gambling taxation regime has been the subject of bitter criticism since introduced more than two years ago. The country uses turnover as tax base as opposed to gross gambling revenue used by the majority of Europe’s regulated jurisdictions. This makes Portugal one of the most expensive jurisdictions for operators to provide their services in, and therefore highly unattractive.

The Remote Gambling Association has been among the most vocal opponents of the country’s taxation regime and has long been calling for changes in the way licensed operators are taxed. It seems that there will be certain changes indeed, but the established tax rates will likely remain the same.

At present, Portugal taxes sports betting operations at 16% on turnover, and casino operations, including online poker, at 30%.

The proposed amendments in the budget plan for 2018 call for certain changes in the tax on the so-called fixed-odds sports bets. Operators featuring such a gambling option will still be taxed on turnover, but the generated tax proceeds will be allocated in a manner different from the current distribution of the tax revenue generated from licensed gambling operators.

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Enteractive signs Player Reactivation Service supply deal

Player retention and customer loyalty solutions specialist Enteractive has signed a deal to license its Player Reactivation Service innovation to online gambling operator Gaming Innovation Group Incorporated and its sites at Kaboo.com, SuperLenny.com and Thrills.com. Malta-based Enteractive stated that its Player Reactivation Service has been designed to ‘boost the reactivation of churned players’ through the use of one-on-one personal telephone calls that see trained agents speak with lapsed punters in order to understand exactly what they desire from their gaming experience. “Partnering with Gaming Innovation Group [Incorporated], an already established and growing operator, is a major deal for us and we’re excited to be an integral part of its customer relationship management strategy,” read a statement from Mikael Hansson, Chief Executive Officer for Enteractive. “Our service will enable Gaming Innovation Group [Incorporated] to significantly improve its bottom-line results by reactivating those lost users and helping them find their way back to Gaming Innovation Group [Incorporated’s] impressive portfolio of gaming sites.” Enteractive revealed that Gaming Innovation Group Incorporated is moreover set to utilize its Player Reactivation Service to target registered non-depositing players and endeavor to convert these into active users. It declared that this innovation is compliant with the socially responsible methods laid out by the Global Gaming Guidance Group and can flag vulnerable players before ensuring these are dealt with quickly and responsibly. “Since working alongside Enteractive, we’ve already seen a significant increase in the number of churned players becoming active again and using our products,” read a statement from Remy Hordan, Central Customer Relationship Management Head for Gaming Innovation Group Incorporated. “As well as improving our customer engagement with players to better understand their gaming experience, the service is also an invaluable tool in flagging vulnerable users, aiding us in our responsible gaming efforts. We’re thrilled by the early success and are excited to extend the solution across our other brands.”

French Online Gambling Regulator Urges Start of Shared Online Poker Liquidity Project

The French online gambling regulator, ARJEL, has reportedly contacted its Italian counterpart inquiring about the latter’s progress on the realization of the shared online poker liquidity project.

It was in July 2017 when the gambling regulatory bodies of France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal signed an official agreement that would allow them to merge their online poker player pools in a bid to improve the state of the game in the four countries.

Citing unnamed sources, Italian poker news outlet AssoPoker reported today that ARJEL is looking to materialize the shared liquidity project in early 2018, as it was agreed by the participating regulators upon signing their agreement.

It is believed that the shared online poker liquidity network will indeed be launched in the first months of 2018, with France, Spain, and Portugal merging their player pools. According to sources, Italy will be able to join the project later in 2018.

Here it is important to note that Italy is yet to open the bidding process for operators interested to renew their licenses from the local regulator and ones that are interested to enter the Italian gambling market. Country regulators were expected to launch the call for license applications in mid-September, but little information on the matter has been released since then.

France Calls for Timely Launch of the Project

As pointed out earlier, the shared liquidity project was expected to be launched late in 2017 or in the first quarter of 2018. Sources have told AssoPoker that France is keen on sticking to that timetable and that Charles Coppolani, the President of ARJEL, has been contacting the regulator’s partners in the endeavor asking where they are standing at in relation to its implementation.

According to different sources, France and Spain may become the first two countries to create a shared online poker liquidity network with Portugal joining shortly, and Italy entering the scheme when it copes with the consequences from the regulatory delays.

Another indication that the online poker network will first be launched in early 2018 and that not all countries that signed the July agreement would participate in that initial launch came from the owner of online poker brand PokerStars, The Stars Group (recently rebranded from Amaya).

During a conference call about the company’s financial results for the third quarter of the year, Financial Director Brian Kyle said that they will join the shared liquidity project and that the initial phase of the project might be released in early 2018. It is believed that PokerStars will benefit the most from the project, as it currently is the only operator to hold licenses in all four participating jurisdictions.

French online gambling operator Winamax has also been among those to express interest in joining the scheme. Currently, the company runs operations in its homeland only but has revealed plans to expand its footprint in order to be able to take part in the shared liquidity project.

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Bookmakers’ Hospitality to MPs Raises More Concerns in FOBTs Debate

The most recent figures about hospitality British MPs have received from bookmakers have raised additional questions and doubts whether participants in the debate over the controversial fixed-odds betting terminals have been presenting impartial and unbiased views on the matter.

The Independent reported today that Conservative MP Philip Davies has received a total of £4,354 in horse races tickets and hospitality from bookmakers since March. Most recently, the politician was treated to tickets to the York Races. The gift was courtesy of Ladbrokes Coral.

Mr. Davies is known to be one of the staunchest opponents of the now imminent crackdown on the so-called FOBTs. The UK Government announced in late October that there will be a reduction of the maximum bet the machines accept. At present, players can bet up to £100 every 20 seconds. The Government said that the maximum stake could be cut to just £2.

On the looming crackdown on the gambling machines, which have been blamed for a rise in gambling addiction rates, Mr. Davies said that the Government was simply trying to appeal to popular opinion and that there were far more addictive gambling activities than betting on FOBTs.

Fears over Conflict of Interest

While MPs who have been treated to hospitality from bookmakers have made due entry into the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, concerns have been voiced that their opinion on the FOBTs matter could have been influenced by the powerful gambling industry lobbyism.

It was estimated that Ladbrokes Coral, which operates the largest chain of betting shops with FOBTs in the country, could lose £450 million in gross gambling yield in 2018, if the maximum FOBTs stake is cut to just £2.

According to industry lobbyists, bookmakers will be forced to close shops and lay off staff as a result from the pending crackdown. It is also believed that smaller, independent bookmakers will have to shut down operations altogether.

A document obtained by The Guardian and published prior to the October 31 FOBTs debate showed that there were questions for MPs that represented viewpoints and arguments previously pushed by bookmakers and their lobbyists.

A spokesperson for Ladbrokes Coral has told The Independent that industry opponents have been carrying out a “McCarthyism type campaign” by trying to use the gifts made to MPs as an argument against the industry. The operator admitted to engaging with politicians in a bid to present them with a picture of the consequences of a FOBTs crackdown, the company representative went on to say, arguing that it granting hospitality to MPs has always been an open process and that all gifts have been registered as required.

The UK Government is currently into a 12-week consultation period during which it will receive and review input from all involved parties in the FOBTs debate. It will then announce by how much the maximum FOBT stake will be cut. The options before MPs are a reduction to £50, £20, or £5.

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How UNLV Researchers Are Helping Shape Rollout of Casino Gambling in Japan

The Japanese government is systematically moving forward, albeit slowly, with legislation that will authorize the development of integrated gaming resorts, a major change for a country that has long prohibited casino gambling. And researchers from UNLV’s International Gaming Institute are helping Japanese officials prepare to build the best gaming industry possible.

UNLV announced earlier in November that IGI Researcher Dr. Brett Abarbanel received a $289,000 grant from the US Chamber of Commerce to continue her project, “Socio-Economic Impact of the Integrated Resort in Japan and Evaluation of Nevada Gaming Regulatory Process to Eliminate Organized Crime in Las Vegas Casinos.”

It’s all part of a collaboration between UNLV and Japan, to help them formulate regulatory systems, set up programs that address problem gambling, and keep criminal elements out of an emergent casino industry.

“Japan is in a fortunate position,” said IGI Executive Director Bo Bernhard. “The government is asking all of the right questions, and the science behind the socioeconomic impacts of integrated resorts has improved significantly in the past 15 years, providing practical and powerful guidelines for many decisions.”

Earlier this year, a group of Japanese business leaders and government officials commissioned researchers at the IGI to give them guidance on how to best regulate integrated casino resorts. And earlier this month, those reports produced by Abarbanel, Bernhard, and Jennifer Roberts of the IGI, and Kahlil Philander of Washington State University, were made public.

Growth and Responsibility

The idea was to put together a comprehensive picture for Japan before they embarked on implementing large scale legalized gambling for the first time. Over the course of 100 pages in “Socio-economic impacts of Japanese integrated resorts – review and recommendations,” the UNLV team looked at how the Japanese government could balance the goals of growing a tourism market while simultaneously minimizing gambling’s social costs.

Among their recommendations was a call for creation of specialized law enforcement divisions for gaming investigations, and for the development of a national problem gambling council that would be “neutral” towards the gaming industry.

The report also considered previous research on the impact of different types of regulations, such as betting limits at casinos, and shared their conclusion that there was “limited information about the effectiveness of these programs in reducing harm.”

Lawmakers in the Japanese Diet have floated the idea of requiring entry fees for locals to keep problem gamblers away. However, the UNLV authors warned against this.

“Worryingly, admission fees likely increase the share of revenue from players with a gambling disorder,” the report stated. “We strongly discourage placing any constraints on the domestic market (either through visit limits or entry fees).”

Keeping Mob Influence at Bay

The second report from the IGI aimed to help Japanese officials understand how they could keep organized crime out of the gaming industry.

In Japan, yakuza mobsters currently have control of many Japanese gambling activities. But using Nevada as a model, researchers showed how Las Vegas managed to move away from a mob-controlled culture, and made several recommendations for licensing process and industry regulations to have proven effective at helping keep the casino business clean.

For instance, the authors said that the regulatory system should be able to “help perform police-level overt and covert criminal investigations,” and that casinos should be encouraged to engage in vigorous self-regulation to support such a system. Regulators should also have the power to impose sanctions against operators, and exclude people linked to organized crime from even entering licensed resorts.

The authors concluded that these steps and others would be necessary to ensure that Japan’s gaming industry could compete in the global market, which is why they contacted the academics who know this world best.

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