Bookmakers William Hill have agreed a two-and-a-half year deal with The Football Association to become an ‘Official Supporter’ of the England football team, and ‘Official Supporter’ and ‘Official Betting Partner’ of the FA Cup.
The deal with the FA, the first of its type for the betting industry, comes into effect on January 7th and continues through to the end of the FA and FIFA World Cups in 2014.
The agreement features a wide and unique range of image rights, advertising and promotional opportunities.
Ralph Topping, Chief Executive of William Hill told Crunchsports.com: “We have been looking for sponsorship opportunities from which we can reward and engage with our customers for the events they most enjoy.
“This deal with The FA will help us to achieve our objectives of developing the prominence of our brand and increasing market share in all our business channels.
“Our ‘Official Betting Partner’ status of The FA Cup complements our existing partnership with the Scottish Football Association and our sponsorship of the Scottish Cup with which we are already extremely delighted and it becomes a welcome addition to our quality range of sponsorships within darts, snooker and racing.
“The next two and a half years are an exciting time for UK football and we’re delighted to now be part of all of those events.”
Kristof Fahy, Chief Marketing Officer for William Hill, added: “This is an excellent deal for both parties and it gives us some very good opportunities to develop our brand across a wide variety of channels.
“The England and FA Cup branding and imagery will enable William Hill (including via williamhill.com) to promote its services and products that we can offer to our Casino, Games, Sportsbook, Bingo and Poker customers.
Henry Birch, Chief Executive Officer of williamhill.com said the deal with the FA is an provided the company with “a strong platform for our brands and products both in the UK and internationally.”
Peter Daire, the FA’s Head of Sponsorship said William Hill will benefit from an association with two of the highest-profile football sponsorship properties in the world.
“We are delighted to have William Hill on board,” he said.
“They have a strong track record in sports sponsorship and a considerable online and high street presence that will enable us to strengthen our communication platforms for England and The FA Cup.”
January 09, 2012
January 04, 2012
Paddy Power rapped by ASA over Luis Suarez ad
The press ad, featuring an action shot of Suarez, promised Paddy Power customers would get their money back, if Suarez scored in the Liverpool v Manchester United match towards the end of last year.
The ad, which appeared in The Sun on 15 October, received one complaint on the grounds it was socially irresponsible for featuring Suarez, who was under 25 at the time.
Paddy Power and News International confirmed Suarez was 24-years-old when the ad appeared, but said they did not believe the ad would have particular appeal to young or vulnerable people, or would encourage young people to gamble on the basis of his image.
They said he appeared in the ad because he was the subject of the bet and featured in his role as a professional footballer, rather than in connection with the act of gambling.
The ASA said Suarez was likely to be seen by consumers as playing a significant role in the campaign as he was pictured individually and was the focus of the ad.
It ruled the ad had breached the CAP Code rule, which states gambling ads should not feature people under 25-years-old gambling or playing a significant role in the ad.
The watchdog ruled the ad must not appear again in its current form and Paddy Power was not to use under 25-year-olds in its advertising in this way again.
Suarez was recently handed an eight-match ban by the FA for racially abusing Manchester United footballer Patrice Evra.
The ad, which appeared in The Sun on 15 October, received one complaint on the grounds it was socially irresponsible for featuring Suarez, who was under 25 at the time.
Paddy Power and News International confirmed Suarez was 24-years-old when the ad appeared, but said they did not believe the ad would have particular appeal to young or vulnerable people, or would encourage young people to gamble on the basis of his image.
They said he appeared in the ad because he was the subject of the bet and featured in his role as a professional footballer, rather than in connection with the act of gambling.
The ASA said Suarez was likely to be seen by consumers as playing a significant role in the campaign as he was pictured individually and was the focus of the ad.
It ruled the ad had breached the CAP Code rule, which states gambling ads should not feature people under 25-years-old gambling or playing a significant role in the ad.
The watchdog ruled the ad must not appear again in its current form and Paddy Power was not to use under 25-year-olds in its advertising in this way again.
Suarez was recently handed an eight-match ban by the FA for racially abusing Manchester United footballer Patrice Evra.
London Olympics: UK to target betting syndicates
With the fear of betting syndicates looming large over the upcoming Olympics, Britain will set up a dedicated intelligence unit to target fixers, especially from Asia, to counter the menace which has overtaken doping as the biggest threat to the Games.
The specialist team will monitor suspicious betting patterns and share intelligence on those who attempt to bribe athletes into fixing events.
The new intelligence unit will target syndicates who may try to "spot fix" events or outcomes within matches. It will comprise the International Olympic Committee, Gambling Commission and if required, the police.
Explaining how the unit would operate, UK's Olympic Minister Hugh Robertson said: "We have a very sophisticated information sharing system, so the moment there is any spike in betting activities that is recorded and investigated.
"We're reasonably clear that we can police the UK end of it. The much more difficult element is how you police illegal syndicates probably operating a long way away from these shores," he told the BBC.
He said fixing had overtaken doping as the biggest threat to the July 27 to August 12 London Olympic Games.
Robertson believes the minutiae of competition is where betting scams are most likely to occur, given the growth in spread betting.
Gamblers can now stake money on the smallest detail in an event rather than the overall outcome, making illegal acts of fixing potentially difficult to detect, the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.
The specialist team will monitor suspicious betting patterns and share intelligence on those who attempt to bribe athletes into fixing events.
The new intelligence unit will target syndicates who may try to "spot fix" events or outcomes within matches. It will comprise the International Olympic Committee, Gambling Commission and if required, the police.
Explaining how the unit would operate, UK's Olympic Minister Hugh Robertson said: "We have a very sophisticated information sharing system, so the moment there is any spike in betting activities that is recorded and investigated.
"We're reasonably clear that we can police the UK end of it. The much more difficult element is how you police illegal syndicates probably operating a long way away from these shores," he told the BBC.
He said fixing had overtaken doping as the biggest threat to the July 27 to August 12 London Olympic Games.
Robertson believes the minutiae of competition is where betting scams are most likely to occur, given the growth in spread betting.
Gamblers can now stake money on the smallest detail in an event rather than the overall outcome, making illegal acts of fixing potentially difficult to detect, the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.
January 03, 2012
Is Gambling More Addictive Online?
Before the advent of online gambling, a person with gambling addiction usually had to leave their house and go somewhere to indulge their habit.
But when gambling becomes accessible online, simply passing the computer at home can trigger the impulse to place a bet, said Marvin Steinberg, executive director of the nonprofit group Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.
Earlier this week, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that he was exploring the possibility of legalizing various forms of online gambling in Connecticut. The announcement drew mixed reactions, some wary of the state getting involved in anything that could foster more problem gambling.
Researchers have studied the psychology of gambling for decades. The field of online gambling research, though, is still new, and researchers say there are a number of questions about its potential dangers and whether online gambling poses psychological problems different from those related to traditional forms of gambling.
Nancy Petry, a psychologist at the University of Connecticut, said a few patterns have so far emerged.
"We're finding that only a small proportion of gamblers do so online, but of these people, the vast majority do have gambling problems," said Petry.
She said one of the main questions is whether online gambling is creating more gambling addiction or simply serving as another outlet for addicts. Petry, one of the first researchers to study online gambling, said gambling addicts may have problems that parallel those of problem drinkers.
"It's similar to drinking — when you're developing a drinking problem you're doing it socially," she said, but many alcoholics eventually turn to drinking alone at home. When gambling at home on a computer, "there are none of the social sanctions" of real-world settings, she said, and that makes it easier to go overboard.
One of her studies looked specifically at online gambling and adolescents. She and fellow researchers found a strong parallel between the young gamblers and binge-drinking among teenagers. While those who did partake in online betting had a higher rate of gambling addiction — just as young drinkers have a higher rate of binge drinking — those problems didn't necessarily lead into adulthood.
David Hodgins, a professor of psychology at the University of Calgary, said one of the next questions to tackle is what role online gambling has in a developing an addiction. "It's not clear where the chicken or the egg is," he said.
More online gambling, he said, will likely complicate the treatment of those with a gambling addiction.
"It makes [gambling] more accessible, and when people are struggling to overcome gambling, putting distance between you and gambling online makes that difficult," he said.
Steinberg said online gambling tends to attract the same personality type who gravitate toward slot machines in casinos — a subset of gamblers particularly susceptible to gambling problems.
"Problem gamblers are people who like to escape and isolate themselves," he said. "When they get into casinos, they go to slot machines where they're in their own world and don't get interrupted. Online gambling is pretty much you and the machine and you're alone. People don't have parties to gamble online — psychologically, it's more isolated."
But when gambling becomes accessible online, simply passing the computer at home can trigger the impulse to place a bet, said Marvin Steinberg, executive director of the nonprofit group Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling.
Earlier this week, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that he was exploring the possibility of legalizing various forms of online gambling in Connecticut. The announcement drew mixed reactions, some wary of the state getting involved in anything that could foster more problem gambling.
Researchers have studied the psychology of gambling for decades. The field of online gambling research, though, is still new, and researchers say there are a number of questions about its potential dangers and whether online gambling poses psychological problems different from those related to traditional forms of gambling.
Nancy Petry, a psychologist at the University of Connecticut, said a few patterns have so far emerged.
"We're finding that only a small proportion of gamblers do so online, but of these people, the vast majority do have gambling problems," said Petry.
She said one of the main questions is whether online gambling is creating more gambling addiction or simply serving as another outlet for addicts. Petry, one of the first researchers to study online gambling, said gambling addicts may have problems that parallel those of problem drinkers.
"It's similar to drinking — when you're developing a drinking problem you're doing it socially," she said, but many alcoholics eventually turn to drinking alone at home. When gambling at home on a computer, "there are none of the social sanctions" of real-world settings, she said, and that makes it easier to go overboard.
One of her studies looked specifically at online gambling and adolescents. She and fellow researchers found a strong parallel between the young gamblers and binge-drinking among teenagers. While those who did partake in online betting had a higher rate of gambling addiction — just as young drinkers have a higher rate of binge drinking — those problems didn't necessarily lead into adulthood.
David Hodgins, a professor of psychology at the University of Calgary, said one of the next questions to tackle is what role online gambling has in a developing an addiction. "It's not clear where the chicken or the egg is," he said.
More online gambling, he said, will likely complicate the treatment of those with a gambling addiction.
"It makes [gambling] more accessible, and when people are struggling to overcome gambling, putting distance between you and gambling online makes that difficult," he said.
Steinberg said online gambling tends to attract the same personality type who gravitate toward slot machines in casinos — a subset of gamblers particularly susceptible to gambling problems.
"Problem gamblers are people who like to escape and isolate themselves," he said. "When they get into casinos, they go to slot machines where they're in their own world and don't get interrupted. Online gambling is pretty much you and the machine and you're alone. People don't have parties to gamble online — psychologically, it's more isolated."
December 28, 2011
Department of Justice: Wire Act Only Applies to Sports Betting
In an opinion handed down in September, but not made public until two days before Christmas, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Virginia Seitz found that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting. Many in the industry, including state and Federal lawmakers, have been awaiting word on the applicability of the Wire Act as it relates to online poker. Now, we apparently have our answer.
In a press release sent out at the close of business on Friday, as many in the poker community were traveling to be with loved ones for Christmas, Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas commented, “This is a much needed clarification of an antiquated and often confusing law. For years, legal scholars and even the courts have debated whether the Wire Act applies to non-sporting activity. Today’s announcement validates the fact that internet poker does not violate this law.”
The Wire Act became law in 1961. Online poker being green-lit under the Wire Act would also seem to hinge on whether poker is defined as a "non-sporting activity."
Friday’s DOJ announcement could pave the way for a bustling online poker business at the state level, where jurisdictions like Nevada and New Jersey have been concerned, at least in part, that legalized online poker could violate the Wire Act and the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Remember, the Black Friday indictments rested on the UIGEA and Illegal Gambling Business Act.
The opinion, which centered on online lottery sales, asserted, “Because the proposed New York and Illinois lottery proposals do not involve wagering on sporting events or contests, the Wire Act does not prohibit them.” It added, “Interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a sporting event or contest fall outside of the reach of the Wire Act.” You can read the full opinion by clicking here.
So what does this mean for online poker players in the United States? Could we see legalized online poker in 2012? As states like Nevada are already approving online poker regulations, Pappas detailed, “This will provide policymakers at both the state and Federal level with the legal confidence to move forward with licensing and regulation of online poker and other non-sporting activity within their respective jurisdictions.”
Pappas continued, “However, it is our hope that our Federal policymakers see this as an incentive to move quickly to enact Federal licensing and regulation before various states produce a mix of individual state schemes that may not be the best model to serve consumers.”
According to the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets, Nevada could unleash legalized online poker rooms in 2012, as casino giants like Caesars Entertainment and Boyd Gaming have already applied for licenses. The court clarified relevant language by asserting, “In our view, the references to ‘bets or wagers’… are best read as shorthand references to the ‘bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest.’”
The same opinion contended that the original intention of the Wire Act was to combat phone wagering on sporting events: “The Wire Act’s legislative history reveals that Congress’ overriding goal in the Act was to stop the use of wire communications for sports gambling in particular.”
The clock could be ticking for Federal legalization of online poker. With 2012 being an election year, members of Congress could overlook the revenue potential of legalized online poker and internet gaming in general. Urging lawmakers to act on online poker soon after the New Year was PPA Chairman and former three-term Senator from New York Alfonse D’Amato, who charged, “We urge members of Congress to act quickly based on today’s announcement and pass legislation like HR 2366 to license and regulate online poker at the Federal level.”
In a press release sent out at the close of business on Friday, as many in the poker community were traveling to be with loved ones for Christmas, Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas commented, “This is a much needed clarification of an antiquated and often confusing law. For years, legal scholars and even the courts have debated whether the Wire Act applies to non-sporting activity. Today’s announcement validates the fact that internet poker does not violate this law.”
The Wire Act became law in 1961. Online poker being green-lit under the Wire Act would also seem to hinge on whether poker is defined as a "non-sporting activity."
Friday’s DOJ announcement could pave the way for a bustling online poker business at the state level, where jurisdictions like Nevada and New Jersey have been concerned, at least in part, that legalized online poker could violate the Wire Act and the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Remember, the Black Friday indictments rested on the UIGEA and Illegal Gambling Business Act.
The opinion, which centered on online lottery sales, asserted, “Because the proposed New York and Illinois lottery proposals do not involve wagering on sporting events or contests, the Wire Act does not prohibit them.” It added, “Interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a sporting event or contest fall outside of the reach of the Wire Act.” You can read the full opinion by clicking here.
So what does this mean for online poker players in the United States? Could we see legalized online poker in 2012? As states like Nevada are already approving online poker regulations, Pappas detailed, “This will provide policymakers at both the state and Federal level with the legal confidence to move forward with licensing and regulation of online poker and other non-sporting activity within their respective jurisdictions.”
Pappas continued, “However, it is our hope that our Federal policymakers see this as an incentive to move quickly to enact Federal licensing and regulation before various states produce a mix of individual state schemes that may not be the best model to serve consumers.”
According to the Wall Street Journal and other news outlets, Nevada could unleash legalized online poker rooms in 2012, as casino giants like Caesars Entertainment and Boyd Gaming have already applied for licenses. The court clarified relevant language by asserting, “In our view, the references to ‘bets or wagers’… are best read as shorthand references to the ‘bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest.’”
The same opinion contended that the original intention of the Wire Act was to combat phone wagering on sporting events: “The Wire Act’s legislative history reveals that Congress’ overriding goal in the Act was to stop the use of wire communications for sports gambling in particular.”
The clock could be ticking for Federal legalization of online poker. With 2012 being an election year, members of Congress could overlook the revenue potential of legalized online poker and internet gaming in general. Urging lawmakers to act on online poker soon after the New Year was PPA Chairman and former three-term Senator from New York Alfonse D’Amato, who charged, “We urge members of Congress to act quickly based on today’s announcement and pass legislation like HR 2366 to license and regulate online poker at the Federal level.”
Betfair face backlash as punters miss out on millions after in-play betting error
Betfair face a backlash from punters after the bookmakers declared all bets are void following an incredible in-play betting error.
The gambling firm faced an unprecedented multi-million pay-out after odds of 28-1 were offered in-play on a runaway 13-8 favourite at Leopardstown.
There were bizarre scenes in the in-running betting world with a freakish amount traded on Betfair in the 2pm woodiesdiy.com Christmas Hurdle.
A total of £1,642,094 was matched at 28-1 on Voler La Vedette, who went off the 13-8 favourite on-course and won very easily.
Even more strangely, the Betfair graph showed over £21million was offered to back Colm Murphy's mare at those odds, even though she was always in contention and looked the obvious winner even before the final flight.
This meant one layer could potentially have lost £600million in only a few minutes if all of the money had been matched.
Betfair suspended the market in order to investigate, with many of the exchange's members in a state of shock on the website's forum.
After lengthy discussions, it was revealed this was due to a technical error, and that all bets on the event would be cancelled.
A statement from Betfair customer services read: 'Customers betting in-play on this race will have seen that Voler La Vedette was available to back at 29 when the in-running market was suspended, and that a considerable sum was matched on the clear winner at that price.
'An investigation has revealed that this was due to an obvious technical failure which allowed a customer to exceed their exposure limit.
'In accordance with our terms and conditions, all in running bets on this race, both win and place, will be made void.
'We fully appreciate the dissatisfaction this will cause many customers, and apologise for a very poor customer and betting experience.'
The gambling firm faced an unprecedented multi-million pay-out after odds of 28-1 were offered in-play on a runaway 13-8 favourite at Leopardstown.
There were bizarre scenes in the in-running betting world with a freakish amount traded on Betfair in the 2pm woodiesdiy.com Christmas Hurdle.
A total of £1,642,094 was matched at 28-1 on Voler La Vedette, who went off the 13-8 favourite on-course and won very easily.
Even more strangely, the Betfair graph showed over £21million was offered to back Colm Murphy's mare at those odds, even though she was always in contention and looked the obvious winner even before the final flight.
This meant one layer could potentially have lost £600million in only a few minutes if all of the money had been matched.
Betfair suspended the market in order to investigate, with many of the exchange's members in a state of shock on the website's forum.
After lengthy discussions, it was revealed this was due to a technical error, and that all bets on the event would be cancelled.
A statement from Betfair customer services read: 'Customers betting in-play on this race will have seen that Voler La Vedette was available to back at 29 when the in-running market was suspended, and that a considerable sum was matched on the clear winner at that price.
'An investigation has revealed that this was due to an obvious technical failure which allowed a customer to exceed their exposure limit.
'In accordance with our terms and conditions, all in running bets on this race, both win and place, will be made void.
'We fully appreciate the dissatisfaction this will cause many customers, and apologise for a very poor customer and betting experience.'
December 15, 2011
Betfair gambles on faster website to challenge rivals
The company, whose shares have tanked since last year's £13-a-share float, showed signs of improvement yesterday as it unveiled a maiden 3.2p interim dividend and confirmed the earlier than expected exit of chief executive David Yu, who is stepping down at the year end.
He is handing over on an interim basis to finance director Stephen Morana, who will hold the reins until August's arrival of Breon Corcoran from rival Paddy Power.
"Once that appointment was made I became a lame duck. It's better to have clarity," said Mr Yu, who will still have his £515,000-a-year contract paid up to October next year.
Asked if he should not have waived that given the performance of the shares, Mr Yu said: "We have a contract in place. We will respect that."
He has already been criticised for the 125pc rise in his total pay last year to £824,676, though that was boosted by a short-term incentive plan.
Mr Yu is bowing out after a half in which core betting exchange revenues reached £170m, boosted by second-quarter growth of 12pc. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 36pc to £42.4m, with pre-tax profits up from £7.45m to £20.9m – though last time's were hit by £14.7m of exceptional charges, mainly due to the float. The third quarter has started well with core revenues up 13pc.
Betfair is increasing its fixed-odds betting to compete with bookies that can offer instant in-play bets on such things as the outcome of a penalty. "The exchange is always going to be the vast majority of the business but we accept there are some things it can't do," Mr Yu said.
Mr Morana said Betfair punters were currently going to rivals for 30pc of their bets: "We need to give them no reason to go anywhere else." Betfair is testing a faster website that can download pages in 3 seconds compared to 18. Mr Yu said this had "not been driven" by recent site outages, punters failing to get on bets for the Tote jackpot or a cyber theft of customers' account details. "Betfair is more than 10 years old. When we built the system, we didn't envisage all these products," he said. The shares fell 17.5 to 795.5p.
He is handing over on an interim basis to finance director Stephen Morana, who will hold the reins until August's arrival of Breon Corcoran from rival Paddy Power.
"Once that appointment was made I became a lame duck. It's better to have clarity," said Mr Yu, who will still have his £515,000-a-year contract paid up to October next year.
Asked if he should not have waived that given the performance of the shares, Mr Yu said: "We have a contract in place. We will respect that."
He has already been criticised for the 125pc rise in his total pay last year to £824,676, though that was boosted by a short-term incentive plan.
Mr Yu is bowing out after a half in which core betting exchange revenues reached £170m, boosted by second-quarter growth of 12pc. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 36pc to £42.4m, with pre-tax profits up from £7.45m to £20.9m – though last time's were hit by £14.7m of exceptional charges, mainly due to the float. The third quarter has started well with core revenues up 13pc.
Betfair is increasing its fixed-odds betting to compete with bookies that can offer instant in-play bets on such things as the outcome of a penalty. "The exchange is always going to be the vast majority of the business but we accept there are some things it can't do," Mr Yu said.
Mr Morana said Betfair punters were currently going to rivals for 30pc of their bets: "We need to give them no reason to go anywhere else." Betfair is testing a faster website that can download pages in 3 seconds compared to 18. Mr Yu said this had "not been driven" by recent site outages, punters failing to get on bets for the Tote jackpot or a cyber theft of customers' account details. "Betfair is more than 10 years old. When we built the system, we didn't envisage all these products," he said. The shares fell 17.5 to 795.5p.
December 14, 2011
Bovada – The US Version of Bodog Has Arrived
The Bodog name brand has left the US market (kind of) and is now using the URL of Bovada.lv. As explained earlier this is merely a name change to separate the Bodog.com brand from anything the United Kingdom or other licensed countries may not like, such as opposing the US government. Gamblers from the US can do so fully at Bovada.
The website will run and operate exactly like Bodog did with the exact same games and promotions. There really is no difference for online gamblers. If you are from the United States and try to access Bodog, you will be detected by an IP check, which will tell the system that you are from the United States and send you to Bovada.lv. A redirect message as to why you are being re-directed will also appear.
Why Bodog chose the .lv extension which stands for Latvia is not known. A more suitable extension would have been .ag or .co in which the United States gamblers are already accustomed to after “Black Friday”. During that period gaming sites who serviced the United States had to redirect their names for fear of losing their sites to the DOJ. The DOJ had authority to seize dot com domain names, but they did not have the authority to seize many other extensions, which is also why Bodog.com is now hosted on Bodog.eu.
This is now the fourth time Bodog has had to change their domain name because of the United States attack on gambling sites who take bets from the USA. Their first encounter of a name change was because of a legal battle in which Bodog was suspected to be using proprietary software without payment. This lead to the ‘newbodog.com’ domain. After that they decided to rebrand to ‘bodoglife.com’ and after eventually getting their domain back, it was again to Bodog.com. Now because of US attacks it went from Bodog.com, to Bodog.eu, to now Bovada.lv. Confused yet?
Anyway, if you want to play on what we here at Compatible Poker believe to be the most reputable gaming site online, you can do so from Bovada.lv if you are from the USA.
The website will run and operate exactly like Bodog did with the exact same games and promotions. There really is no difference for online gamblers. If you are from the United States and try to access Bodog, you will be detected by an IP check, which will tell the system that you are from the United States and send you to Bovada.lv. A redirect message as to why you are being re-directed will also appear.
Why Bodog chose the .lv extension which stands for Latvia is not known. A more suitable extension would have been .ag or .co in which the United States gamblers are already accustomed to after “Black Friday”. During that period gaming sites who serviced the United States had to redirect their names for fear of losing their sites to the DOJ. The DOJ had authority to seize dot com domain names, but they did not have the authority to seize many other extensions, which is also why Bodog.com is now hosted on Bodog.eu.
This is now the fourth time Bodog has had to change their domain name because of the United States attack on gambling sites who take bets from the USA. Their first encounter of a name change was because of a legal battle in which Bodog was suspected to be using proprietary software without payment. This lead to the ‘newbodog.com’ domain. After that they decided to rebrand to ‘bodoglife.com’ and after eventually getting their domain back, it was again to Bodog.com. Now because of US attacks it went from Bodog.com, to Bodog.eu, to now Bovada.lv. Confused yet?
Anyway, if you want to play on what we here at Compatible Poker believe to be the most reputable gaming site online, you can do so from Bovada.lv if you are from the USA.
December 13, 2011
bwin.party prepares for Spanish & Danish markets
bwin.party digital entertainment plc said Tuesday that it expects to be among the first wave of operators to be awarded gaming licences in Spain and Denmark ahead of their respective market openings in 2012.
In a pre-close trading update to the London Stock Exchange this morning, bwin.party said that revenues since the end of September were in line with management expectations, with full year continuing clean EBITDA margins expected to be in the range of 22 – 24 per cent.
The company submitted licence applications for Spain at the end of last month, with bwin.party expecting approvals for sports betting, casino, poker and bingo products to be issued in the first wave of licences ahead of the market opening in 2012.
In Denmark, bwin.party also expects to be among the first wave of operators to become licensed to offer online poker, casino and sports betting at the beginning of January 2012, having submitted licence applications in October.
Since launching its €75m share buy-back programme in September, bwin.party has purchased 13,970,335 shares at a total purchase price of £17.6m (€20.8m), with an average price of approximately 126 pence per share. These purchased shares have been cancelled.
The company re-affirmed that it remains on-track to deliver approximately €40m of synergies in 2012 and the full €65m of annualised synergies in 2013 as previously announced, despite the postponement of certain integration projects in order for the company to be ready to launch into Spain and Denmark at the beginning of 2012.
bwin.party added that the sale process for Ongame's B2B business is currently at an advanced stage, having attracted a number of interested parties, but is unlikely to be finalised before the end of the year.
In a pre-close trading update to the London Stock Exchange this morning, bwin.party said that revenues since the end of September were in line with management expectations, with full year continuing clean EBITDA margins expected to be in the range of 22 – 24 per cent.
The company submitted licence applications for Spain at the end of last month, with bwin.party expecting approvals for sports betting, casino, poker and bingo products to be issued in the first wave of licences ahead of the market opening in 2012.
In Denmark, bwin.party also expects to be among the first wave of operators to become licensed to offer online poker, casino and sports betting at the beginning of January 2012, having submitted licence applications in October.
Since launching its €75m share buy-back programme in September, bwin.party has purchased 13,970,335 shares at a total purchase price of £17.6m (€20.8m), with an average price of approximately 126 pence per share. These purchased shares have been cancelled.
The company re-affirmed that it remains on-track to deliver approximately €40m of synergies in 2012 and the full €65m of annualised synergies in 2013 as previously announced, despite the postponement of certain integration projects in order for the company to be ready to launch into Spain and Denmark at the beginning of 2012.
bwin.party added that the sale process for Ongame's B2B business is currently at an advanced stage, having attracted a number of interested parties, but is unlikely to be finalised before the end of the year.
December 09, 2011
Biggest Betting Boss in the World, Does Not Want Online Gambling
One of the wealthiest pit-bosses in the world is casino executive Sheldon Adelson; he holds the personal viewpoint that young people should not gamble. While he is right that underage people should not gamble; he may be wrong about the fact that technology in online gambling has not advanced sufficiently to prevent the under-aged from accessing casino websites. He is in opposition to online gambling as he believes it could allow young people to gamble.
Adelson is at the head of the land casino industry’s biggest publicly traded company – Las Vegas Sands Corporation. He is also 78 years old, ranked in Forbes as the world’s 16th richest man, and believes that when he dies, if his body is cryogenically frozen, he can be re-animated when a cure for old-age is found! If that is not narcissistic, then we don’t know what is? So, while Caesars Entertainment Corp, MGM Resorts International, and others are now backing the online industry, and even giving it push for legalization, he comes out with this controversial ideology.
While this is very much a personal stance; “a personal observation regarding technology”, it does not bode well for the online gambling industry in the USA. Adelson has told the head of the American Gaming Association that he will oppose legislation. The Board of Las Vegas Sands Corporation has re-iterated that this is not a formal strategy on the part of the company. However, it goes without saying that a man with the wealth and leverage of Adelson, could put some cats amongst the pigeons.
The land casino industry in the USA has hummed and ha-ad regarding whether they wanted the online industry legalized or not; but now they are actively pursing the legal route. Whether Adelson will ‘rout’ these plans or not, we suppose now remains to be seen?
Adelson is at the head of the land casino industry’s biggest publicly traded company – Las Vegas Sands Corporation. He is also 78 years old, ranked in Forbes as the world’s 16th richest man, and believes that when he dies, if his body is cryogenically frozen, he can be re-animated when a cure for old-age is found! If that is not narcissistic, then we don’t know what is? So, while Caesars Entertainment Corp, MGM Resorts International, and others are now backing the online industry, and even giving it push for legalization, he comes out with this controversial ideology.
While this is very much a personal stance; “a personal observation regarding technology”, it does not bode well for the online gambling industry in the USA. Adelson has told the head of the American Gaming Association that he will oppose legislation. The Board of Las Vegas Sands Corporation has re-iterated that this is not a formal strategy on the part of the company. However, it goes without saying that a man with the wealth and leverage of Adelson, could put some cats amongst the pigeons.
The land casino industry in the USA has hummed and ha-ad regarding whether they wanted the online industry legalized or not; but now they are actively pursing the legal route. Whether Adelson will ‘rout’ these plans or not, we suppose now remains to be seen?
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