Business & Financial

Nevada Gaming Revenues Up 8 Percent in May

LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) - State officials say Nevada gambling revenue was up 8 percent in May compared with the same month last year.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported Friday that the state's casinos brought in $970 million last month. Las Vegas Strip gambling revenue was up 17 percent to $593 million, while downtown revenue was down 8 percent to $39 million.

Reno casino revenue was up 4 percent in May to $52 million, and South Lake Tahoe gambling revenue was up 18 percent to $17 million.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Jun/27/2014

888.com Reviewing Luis Suarez Sponsorship Deal Following Bite Incident

Online gambling firm 888.com is said to be reviewing its sponsorship deal with disgraced footballer Luis Suarez.  The payer is accused of biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during a Group stage elimination game that saw Uruguay advance.

On Thursday FIFA ruled that Suarez will undergo a nine-game ban from international play, which includes any remaining games at this year’s World Cup.

Submitted by Alistair Prescott on, Jun/26/2014

Bwin.Party on Verge of Breaking Up?

The party might be over for Bwin.Party.  Rumors surfaced this week that the world’s largest publicly traded online gambling firm is on the verge of breaking up.

The company on Thursday denied it was breaking up or looking for a selling but said it was examining ways to increase shareholder value.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Jun/26/2014

New Jersey Starts Review of PokerStars Buyer Amaya Gaming

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) - New Jersey casino regulators have begun their review of a Canadian company that's buying the PokerStars online gambling website and hoping to get it licensed in Atlantic City by this fall.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement says Amaya Gaming Group has begun submitting documents required for a determination on whether PokerStars can be licensed in New Jersey.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Jun/25/2014

Harrah’s Fined for Underage Drinking in AC

(Associated Press) - Two Atlantic City casinos have been fined a total of $66,000, with the bulk of the fines levied against Harrah's Resort Atlantic City for letting underage patrons gamble and drink.

Harrah's was fined $60,000 by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement for five incidents involving patrons ranging in age from 18 to 20. The minimum age for gambling and drinking in New Jersey is 21.

In one instance, Harrah's let a 20-year-old from New York play blackjack even after a security guard checked his ID.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Jun/24/2014

Verdict Upheld Against ‘Girls Gone Wild’ Founder in Wynn Slander Suit

LOS ANGELES (Associated Press) — An appellate court on Monday upheld a $19 million judgment against "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis in a slander case filed over his claims that casino mogul Steve Wynn had threatened to kill him.

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The California 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles found no basis to overturn the judgment or order a new trial, and the justices also left in place an injunction barring Francis from repeating the claims.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Jun/24/2014

PPH World Cup Betting -- Americans Must Sit and Wait After Tie with Portugal

Was it a heart-breaking ending for the United States soccer team, not to mention PPH World Cup bettors who had a nice price on them to win, on Sunday in Manaus?

Submitted by Charles Jay on, Jun/23/2014

California Tribes Worry PokerStars Might ‘Cut Their Throats’

With Gambling firm Amaya announcing the purchase of the world’s largest online poker room, PokerStars, earlier this month, the firm hopes to enter the California Web gambling market.   Not so fast.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Jun/23/2014

Pay Per Head Review - RealBookies.com: Free Trial, No Deposit, Low Starting Price

With over 18 years in online bookmaking, the people behind Realbookies.com bring their vast knowledge and experience to one of the fastest growing company in the pay per head business today. Word of mouth is their primary source for new clients which shows that the majority of their current agents are extremely satisfied with the service received.

Submitted by Payton on, Jun/21/2014

Pay Per Head Review - AcePerHead.com: Mobile Bookie Platform, Online Poker More

AcePerHead.com is the gold standard in the per-head industry. With packages from $10/head, we provide superior and more reliable service. Agents get a dedicated account rep who is always available to help, and players benefit from our fleet of web servers and two dedicated call centers staffed with American clerks. Join today and learn why our customer satisfaction rate is above 99%!

Submitted by Payton on, Jun/21/2014

Resorts International Inks Deal With Sportech: Could Join Forces With PokerStars

ATLANTIC CITY — (Associated Press) - An Atlantic City casino that was thwarted in its efforts to join the Internet gambling market is preparing to get in the game.

Resorts Casino Hotel announced partnerships late Friday with European firms Sportech and NYX Gaming to offer Internet gambling.

They will join PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to form an online betting option that could rival New Jersey’s market leaders, Borgata and Caesars Interactive.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Jun/21/2014

NJ's Bankrupt Revel Casino Gets Cash Lifeline to Hunt for Buyer

CAMDEN, N.J., (Reuters) - Atlantic City's bankrupt Revel Casino Hotel has received court approval to borrow $23.9 million that it said would keep the 1,400-room resort operating for the coming month as it scrambles to find a buyer.

Revel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday afternoon and rushed to court early on Friday for a slew of court orders it said were vital to pay its 3,140 employees, soothe nervous vendors and honor programs that provide gamblers with key perks.

Submitted by Reuters on, Jun/20/2014

PokerStars Commits Its Future to the Isle of Man in Wake of Amaya Takeover

The Department of Economic Development has welcomed the announcement that PokerStars has committed its future to the Isle of Man following its planned takeover by Amaya Gaming Group Inc. 

General Counsel to the Rational Group of Companies Paul Telford wrote an open letter to the Chief Minister reiterating the company’s commitment to the Isle of Man.

Leonard Singer MHK, the Department Member with responsibility for e-Business said:

Submitted by Press Release on, Jun/20/2014

Pay Per Head Companies and Performance Reports

One of the biggest keys to running any type of business is to know the numbers inside and out. Just as a sports handicapper breaks down a particular matchup to uncover an edge in the betting lines for the game, as a bookmaker you need to constantly break down your business’s numbers to turn a profit on a regular basis.

Submitted by Payton on, Jun/19/2014

Esquire: How Sex, Drugs and Gambling Can Help Boost a Nation’s Economy

Esquire Magazine’s digital edition featured an article Wednesday on how sex, drugs and gambling can actually help a nation’s economy. 

They offer up a few strong examples.

When we think of sex and drugs and tourism, Amsterdam is typically the first thing that flashes in our minds.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Jun/19/2014

Pennsylvania Introduces Online Gambling Bill in Senate: PokerStars Exclusion

Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday introduced Bill 1386 in the Senate.  The bill, drafted by State Sen. Edwin Erickson, would legalize online gambling in the Keystone State.

A newer version of the legislation co-sponsored by Republican Bob Mensch allows for an expanded number of casino games whereas Erickson’s bill focused almost exclusively on poker.  Mensch also wants to charge a $5 million licensing fee along with a 14% tax on gross gaming revenues.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Jun/19/2014

PokerStars Buyer Will Begin Talks With New Jersey Casino Regulators to Enter Market

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) - A Canadian company buying the PokerStars website will begin licensing talks with New Jersey casino regulators aimed at letting the world's largest Internet poker site operate legally in the state, the state's top casino regulator said.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Jun/18/2014

Dreyfus: Online Poker is Coming to California

In his blog this week, Alexandre Dreyfus of the Global Poker Index writes that California dreaming is about to become a reality with Amaya’s acquisition of PokerStars last week and the ability for the world’s largest online poker room to now re-enter the California market.

A number of the powerful state tribes have offered up resistance when in comes to allowing PokerStars to re-enter the US market.  They claim an unfair playing field since Stars operated in the States long after federal prohibition had passed.

Submitted by Press Release on, Jun/18/2014

Adelson Under Fire: Underage Gamblers, $1 Mil Contribution to PA Politicians

Gambling911.com’s own Thomas Somach is on the case and tells us that in Pennsylvania, casino magnate and GOP mega donor Sheldon Adelson is under fire for questionable political donations as well as another fine being levied against his property for allowing underage gamblers....total fines $305,000!!!!

Submitted by C Costigan on, Jun/18/2014

PokerStars, Asia Pacific Poker Tour Debuts Beijing Millions

PokerStars and the Asia Pacific Poker Tour will host the inaugural Beijing Millions, scheduled for July 18th to 27th.  It is the first foray into the Chinese Mainland market for both PokerStars and the APT.

While rare, a sanctioned poker tournament is not unprecedented in China.

In 2012 and 2013, the World Poker Tour did hold a US$1,500 event in Sanya, on the Chinese island of Hainan.

Submitted by Patrick Flanigan on, Jun/17/2014

World Cup Predicted to Set TV Records as Marketers Gear Up

The World Cup, the greatest single sport competition in international athletics, has the world riveted, and marketers are working overtime to get noticed on the world stage.

Submitted by Ronn Torossian on, Jun/17/2014

GTECH in Talks to Buy IGT

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian lottery operator GTECH is in preliminary talks to buy Las Vegas-based International Game Technology (IGT) in a cash and shares deal that would make it a significant player in the casino slot machine business.

GTECH said on Monday it had hired advisers to help it negotiate a deal, confirming what sources told Reuters last week. It gave no value for the potential bid.

Submitted by Reuters on, Jun/16/2014

Bitcoin Community Fears 51 Percent GHash Control: Others Say It’s Armageddon

On Friday for a period of nearly 12 hours, mining pool GHash had surpassed the 51% controlling share mark in the anonymous digital currency bitcoin and that has many watchers worried….perhaps with good reason.

Back in January GHash had 42% control and even then there were concerns mounting.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Jun/15/2014

Golden Nugget Does Not Have to Pay $1.5 Million Won in Mini-Baccarat Game

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) - A casino does not have to pay $1.5 million won by a group of gamblers who realized the cards had not been shuffled, and can move to recover more than $500,000 it already paid them, a judge ruled Friday.

The Superior Court judge ruled that because the cards had been unshuffled, that made the game of mini-baccarat in April 2012 illegal under state casino rules.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Jun/14/2014

Amaya Would Become Largest Online Gambling Company, Pave Way for California

With word that publicly traded Amaya Gaming Group has agreed to the $4.9 billion purchase of PokerStars.com, the company will become the world’s largest online gambling business.  It will also potentially help to usher in legalized online poker for the state of California.   

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Jun/13/2014

Amaya Agrees to Acquire PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker for $4.9 Billion

MONTREAL, CANADA & ONCHAN, ISLE OF MAN –Amaya Gaming Group Inc. (TSX: AYA) (“Amaya” or the “Corporation”) and privately held Oldford Group Limited (“Oldford Group”), the parent company of Rational Group Ltd.

Submitted by Press Release on, Jun/12/2014

New Jersey Sees Sharp Decline in Online Gambling During Month of May

(Associated Press) - Internet gambling has hit a wall in New Jersey just six months after launching.

Figures released today by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement show the casinos' online operations took in $10.4 million in May, a decline of $1 million from April. Internet gambling revenues have now declined for two straight months in New Jersey.

But there was some good news in the numbers: Including Internet gambling revenue, and excluding the Atlantic Club, which closed in January, the casinos' total revenue was up nearly 1.3 percent.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Jun/12/2014

KordaMentha Accountants World Cup 2014 Prediction: Germany to Win it All

Australian investment firm KordaMentha forensic accountants crunched all the numbers and have arrived at a 2014 FIFA World Cup winner.  That would be Germany with odds around 5/1 at AceSportsbook.com.

Alex Bell led their analysis using a system first developed to rate chess players.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Jun/11/2014

William Hill Takes £400,000 Bet on Whether Scotland Leaves the UK

The United Kingdom’s largest bookmaker, William Hill, has offered odds on whether Scotland will leave the UK.  The odds are a bit steep at 1-4 for Scotland to vote against independence.

One man, said to be English, has wagered £400,000 on the “No” with the payoff being £100,000.  It is the largest political bet in William Hill’s long history.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Jun/10/2014

NBA Finals Matchup is a PR Powerhouse Says 5WPR Founder in G911 Exclusive

After a difficult decade of ups and downs, the NBA Finals are once again must see TV.

Submitted by Ronn Torossian on, Jun/10/2014

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