Business & Financial
BetOnline Becomes The Latest Big Online Sportsbook to Introduce Bitcoin
With the start of the NCAA Tournament last week, online betting giant BetOnline.ag saw more March Madness players in on the action than ever before.
Many Daily Fantasy Sports, Software Companies Attending Fantasy Sports Expo
The first ever Daily Fantasy Sports Expo in Miami Beach is shaping up for quite an impressive debut.
Marc Lesnick, the conference organizer and someone who has regularly put on top trade shows in the world of online gambling and i-Dating, tells Gambling911.com the initial response for this event has been unprecedented.
“We are getting new inquiries to speak on a daily basis,” Lesnick revealed.
MGM Breaks Ground on $800 Million Springfield Mass Casino
(Associated Press) - With confetti and fanfare, MGM officially broke ground Tuesday on an $800 million casino in western Massachusetts that represents the largest economic development project the region has seen in generations.Hundreds attended the ceremony held on a cold but sunny day in front of an old school the casino plans to raze to make way for a parking lot.
The groundbreaking was largely symbolic: Casino officials say there’s more to be done before construction can start in earnest.
Did Sheldon Adelson Buy Committee Hearing?
A hearing to deal with H.R. 707 or Restoration of Americas Wire Act is scheduled to take place March 25. The witness list – All four are pro online gambling prohibition. The backer of said legislation is none other than GOP megadonor and casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson.
Trump Casinos Must Pay Fine for Allowing Underage Gamblers
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey — (Associated Press) - Trump Entertainment Resorts has been fined for not notifying the state about a patron who was assaulted at one of its casinos and has to hand over more than $2,600 won by underage gamblers.
The company is forfeiting $2,648 that Trump Plaza won by gamblers later found to be underage. The fines involved 22 players from December 2012 through May 2014. Trump Plaza closed Sept. 16, 2014.
Sheldon Adelson VegasGoblinKing Now on Twitter
Casino kingpin and GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson is now on Twitter….well sort of.
It turns out a Twitter account was recently opened in his name with the descriptor of “VegasGoblinKing”, enough to realize this is no friendly Twitter account.
Disney, DraftKings Deal Possible But Not Likely
Rumors have been circulating that ESPN and its parent company Disney may be looking to back one of the largest daily fantasy sports sites Draftkings. The odds of this happening: Not likely.
Optimal Payment Solutions to Acquire Skrill for £800m
AIM-listed Optimal Payment Solutions has announced it is set to acquire Skrill (formerly Moneybookers) for a cool £800m, which translates into $1 billion US and some change.
Skrill is the leading alternative payment solutions company in the online gambling space. Both companies produced earnings of $90m last year. Optimal was slated to have an enterprise value of well over £1bn. They are also seeking a move to the LSE's FTSE-250 Midcap Index.
Las Vegas Sands Gets Downgraded as Macau Fears Grow
Credit Agricole on Wednesday morning downgraded Las Vegas Sands Corp. from a buy rating to an outperform rating. Many analysts having growing fears over casino companies with exposure in the Chinese gambling hub of Macau following a recent crackdown by that country’s government.
The firm has also downgraded shares of Wynn Resorts, Limited, another company with operations in Macau, from a buy rating to an outperform rating.
In the midst of the crackdown, gaming revenue is forecast to decline.
WBX Betting Exchange Shuttered: Regulatory Climate Spelled Doom
Online betting exchange WBX has unceremoniously closed its doors for good though the company insists players are able to withdrawal their funds in full and that any future wagers will be decided “in the normal way”.
Dire Warning Issued By Connecticut Tribes: 18000 Casino Jobs Could Be Lost
HARTFORD — (Associated Press) - The leaders of Connecticut's two federally recognized Indian tribes made a united pitch Tuesday to open at least one, jointly-owned casino, warning lawmakers the state could lose 18,000 jobs once a casino in neighboring Springfield, Massachusetts opens in 2½ years.
That figure includes both jobs at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino, as well as hundreds of vendors and other affected businesses across the state.
Satisfy Your March Madness Fantasy Fix With a Twist of TradeSports
While most daily fantasy sports websites are shunning March Madness the way Major League Baseball shuns Pete Rose, one fantasy site sees the NCAA's annual, 68-team, basketball free-for-all as too good an opportunity to ignore.
Tradesports (www.tradesports.com) will be offering contests for the tournament, but with a twist.
You don't put your money on players, you put it on props (short for propositions).
Monday Hearings on Revel Casino Postponed
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – (Associated Press) - Hearings on the tumultuous Revel casino sale have been postponed.
A bankruptcy court judge was to hear a series of contentious motions on Monday, after she refused on Friday to approve the sale of the shuttered casino to a Florida developer for $82 million.
Revel's owners were expected to ask the judge to reconsider. She also was to hear requests from its power plant to allow it to cut off service to the building due to unpaid bills, and to appoint a trustee to liquidate the property.
Skybet Gets Reamed for ‘Odds Error’ Tied to PSG Shock Extra Time Win
One of the United Kingdom’s largest online bookmakers, Skybet, found itself caught up in a major controversy over the weekend following an odds error on its mobile phone app.
The app, which has been downloaded some 700,000 times to date, presented odds of 25-1 for a PSG win in extra time over Chelsea only to have the payout as 9-2 by Skybet. The bookmaker has since claimed the odds were a mistake.
New Fantasy League Site Swagger Stadium One of Few to Embrace March Madness
WAYZATA, Minn. -- When the annual college basketball tournament known as March Madness gets underway in a few days, most Internet-based fantasy sports leagues won't be involved, for various reasons.
But one start-up fantasy sports league, based in this Minneapolis suburb and called Swagger Stadium (www.swaggerstadium.com), wouldn't think of ignoring America's second-biggest sporting event (after the Super Bowl).
NJ Online Gambling Revenue Down 10 Percent in February Despite Snow, Frigid Temps
New Jersey has released its February online gambling revenue numbers and they are not very good. A decline of nearly 11 percent was seen from January.
Winning Poker Network Looking to Push the Envelope Even More
San Jose, Costa Rica – Over the past six months, Winning Poker Network (WPN) has delivered more unique selling propositions to its players than all of the other networks combined.
Iowa Senate Votes to Allow Fantasy Sports
DES MOINES (Associated Press) — The Senate has passed a bill that would allow a person in Iowa to win money in fantasy sports contests.
The Senate voted 32-16 to approve the bill Thursday. It now heads to the House, where lawmakers are considering a similar bill.
Red Bull Energy Drink Fuels PokerStars Live Macau
ONCHAN, Isle of Man – March 13, 2015 – PokerStars.net, an Amaya Inc. (TSX: AYA) company, today announced that Red Bull, the world’s best-selling energy drink, has become the Official Energy Drink Provider of PokerStars LIVE Macau.
The iconic drink will give wings to poker players who will get complimentary cans of Red Bull when they compete in PokerStars LIVE Macau’s four major main events of 2015:
• Macau Poker Cup 22: February 27 - March 15
• APPT 9 Macau: May 27-31
• Macau Poker Cup 23: August 28 - September 13
Atlantic City Casino Revenue Down Another 14.8 Percent
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey — (Associated Press) - Atlantic City's February casino revenue declined by 14.8 compared with a year ago, when there were 11 casinos operating instead of the current eight.
Even the eight surviving casinos saw their revenue fall by 1.9 percent compared with February 2014.
The casinos won $178.4 million in February, a month beset by snowy weather.
Bwin.Party Potential Suitor Talks Reach Fever Pitch
LONDON - (Reuters) - Online gambling firm Bwin.party said talks about selling all or part of its business had become more serious, as it battles headwinds such as the decline of regulated poker markets in Europe.
Bwin, which was created by a merger of sports betting group bwin and online poker group PartyGaming in 2011, said in November it was considering a range of proposals from interested parties.
Canada's Amaya Gaming, which last year bought online gambling sites PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, was one party named in media reports last year as being interested.
Daily Fantasy Sports Leagues Not Mad for March Madness as Most Shun College Hoops
For the second time this year, fantasy sports leagues will be shut out of the action for a major sporting event.
Last month, none of the leagues weren't able to hold daily fantasy contests for the Super Bowl because Federal law bans fantasy play based on a single game.
This month, most fantasy sports leagues won't be holding any contests in connection with March Madness, the annual NCAA basketball tournament, because most leagues don't get involved with any college sports.
DraftKings May be Off the Hook With Class Action Clause
As reported on the Gambling911.com website and elsewhere, one of the world’s largest daily fantasy websites DraftKings is now the subject of a class action lawsuit claiming false advertising. But the Boston-based company may have an ace up their sleeve according to the legal firm JD Supra.
MGM Stock Falling on Macau Concerns
MGM Resorts International shares were down 3.01% to $20.97 in late morning trading Monday as concerns continue over China’s Macau gambling hub taking a revenue hit.
Gaming revenue is forecast to decline on fears of the impact from a crackdown by the Chinese government.
"Macau is in a tough spot. We believe dividends will be slashed across the board," Zhou, analyst Jamie Zhou of the Hong Kong-based firm Macquarie Securities told Bloomberg.
PokerStars Launches MicroMillions 10 Championship
PokerStars.com, an Amaya Inc. (TSX: AYA) company, today announced that the MicroMillions 10 championship, which features 100 events and $5 million in guaranteed prize money, is set to take place from March 19-29.
MicroMillions is the world’s most popular tournament series, which has seen more than one million tournament entries for each championship held to date. Buy-ins for the next series begin at just $0.11 and max out at $22 for the No Limit Hold’em Main Event, which takes place on March 29 at 14.30 ET and features a $1 million guarantee.
Brits Blowing Away £1.7billion on Gambling Machines
The Mail on Sunday this weekend revealed that those living in the UK are spending £1.7billion gambling on fixed-odds betting terminals.
Nevada Gaming Enforcement Division Confirms Bitcoin Poker Room Seals With Clubs Raid
While Karl Bennison, chief of the Nevada Gaming Enforcement division, confirmed that the board “took part in law enforcement action” related to Seals with Clubs on Feb. 11, it was not immediately clear as to whether that investigation directly tied to the anonymous digital currency Bitcoin or if it involved Seals With Clubs operating from within Nevada.
Paddy Power Reports Record Profits
Ireland’s biggest bookmaker, Paddy Power, has reported some of its biggest profits ever.
Shares in the company continued to surge on news that Paddy claimed €167 million in profits before tax and that it plans to return up to €392 million to shareholders.
The company’s net revenue increased 18% to €882 million with pre-tax profits growing 21% to €167 million. These impressive figures were helped by the number of bets placed at Paddy Power increasing by 16%. Online gambling makes up 77% of its overall business.
Betfair Better Than Expected 3rd Quarter
LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - Online gambling company Betfair hiked its full-year profit forecast range on Thursday after trading remained strong following a better-than-expected third-quarter, sending its shares sharply higher.
The company, which runs an exchange that allows gamblers to bet against each other, said revenue jumped 20 percent in the three months to Jan. 31, as investment in products and marketing helped increase active customer numbers by half in its core markets, with sports and gaming income up strongly.
Macau’s Gambling Woes are a Win for Wynn
Despite the highly publicized corruption crackdown that has left the gambling hub of Macau nearly in tatters, one casino group operating there will benefit to the tune of $511 million.
That is the amount the Chinese subsidiary of Wynn Resorts Ltd. plans to issue in the form of a special stock dividend this month, according to Howard Stutz of the Las Vegas Review Journal.
