Casinos in several states are forbidding gamblers from wearing Google Glass, the tiny eyeglasses-mounted device capable of shooting photos, filming video and surfing the Internet.
Regulators say the gadgets could be used to cheat at card games.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement issued a directive on Monday ordering Atlantic City's 12 casinos to bar casino patrons from using the device. The directive was first reported by The Press of Atlantic City.
Similar bans are in place at casinos in Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Connecticut, among other places.
"If these eyeglasses were worn during a poker game, they could be used to broadcast a patron's hand to a confederate or otherwise be used in a collusive manner," David Rebuck, the division's director wrote in a memo to the casinos.
That type of use would constitute a crime in New Jersey. But it would be difficult to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the glasses were actually being used to cheat, Rebuck wrote. For that and other reasons, he decided to ban the glasses on the casino floor and anywhere else gambling is taking place.
"Even if the glasses had not been used for cheating ... their presence at a gaming table would lead to the perception that something untoward could be occurring, thereby undermining public confidence in the integrity of gaming," he wrote in the directive.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Google said, "We are thinking very carefully about how we design Glass because new technology always raises new issues." It said its "Glass Explorer" pilot program "will ensure that our users become active participants in shaping the future of this technology."
The New Jersey casinos must ask anyone wearing the glasses to remove them, and can kick out any customer who refuses.
The prohibition against photography or video filming in the casinos is not unique to Google Glass. New Jersey regulators require five days' advance notice — and explicit approval from the gaming enforcement division — for any type of photos or videos to be shot on the casino floor, and Las Vegas has similar restrictions. But as a new technology, the glasses are catching the attention of regulators, who are updating their rules to keep pace.
In Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts have directed their security workers to ask patrons to remove the devices before beginning to gamble.
Caesars spokesman Gary Thompson said Las Vegas guests will need to take off their glasses when they hit the tables.
"Gaming regulations prohibit the use of computers or recording devices while gambling, so guests can't wear Google Glass while they're gambling," Thompson said. "The devices will also not be able to be used in showrooms."
The edict will also be applied at casinos in Cincinnati and Cleveland.
In Pennsylvania, state regulators plan to advise its 11 casinos that an existing regulation prohibiting gamblers from using electronic devices at a table game also applies to the Google Glass, a Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman said Wednesday.
Mohegan Sun in Connecticut also bans the devices on the casino floor.
June 06, 2013
Why sports gamblers target tennis players on Twitter
It had been a very good spring for Alex Kuznetsov. The former junior tennis standout, now 26 years old, had stagnated outside the top 200 in the rankings. In April, as a result, he faced the indignity of having to qualify to gain entry into the Sarasota, Fla., event on the minor-league Challenger circuit. Improbably, Kuznetsov won that tournament and then reached the quarterfinals in subsequent Challenger events in Savannah, Ga., and Tallahassee, Fla.. Those strong performances improved his ranking from No. 271 to No. 171 and earned the American a wild card into the French Open—just the fifth time he’d gained passage to the main draw of a Grand Slam.
Kuznetsov’s run ended in the first round in Paris, as he fell to French wild card Lucas Pouille in straight sets. A few hours after the disappointing loss, Kuznetsov received a tweet with an impolite rhetorical question:
Sixteen minutes later, another tweet arrived, this time from an account with the description: "It's constructive criticism, nothing personal."
It’s no secret that Twitter can be a cruel place. But why pick on a guy who’s ranked No. 171 in the world and who overachieved by even making it to the French Open?
Social media vitriol is easier to understand in a team sport, where fans have a lot invested in the outcome. It’s not shocking to hear that Quincy Pondexter was told he was “the definition of trash” after missing crucial free throws in the playoffs, or that the Redskins’ Graham Gano would get a lot of heat after botching a big kick.
In the case of Alex Kuznetsov, it’s possible that these trolls were just, well, trolling—the Twitter user Clock Counter has also taken the time to assail various point guards and baseball pitchers. But the most plausible explanation for the attacks leveled at Kuznetsov and his little-known tennis-playing ilk is that there’s money on the line. Oddsmakers had made Kuznetsov a marginal favorite against Lucas Pouille. When he lost, he faced the wrath of those who had bet on him. While not all insulting post-defeat tweets mention gambling directly, tennis players believe that’s typically the motivation.
"I just automatically assume that they're gamblers," says No. 210 Peter Polansky, a friend of Kuznetsov who says he also gets his share of angry messages. "Only that one time did someone say that—'You owe me money.' " (I sent messages to the accounts of all the Twitter users cited in this article. I have yet to hear back from any of them.)
Polansky says most of the messages appear to come from Eastern Europe or Latin America and that he also occasionally gets threatened through his Facebook account. "Some guy messaged me on Facebook, and he was just like, 'You suck, how can you lose to Tennys Sandgren at home?' " recalled Polansky, referring to a message he received after losing in the finals of a small tournament in his Canadian hometown. The message continued, in Polansky’s recollection: "You're a shit tennis player, and come to my city in Croatia, I'll kill you."
In countries where online sports betting is rampant and legal, tennis is one of the most attractive sports to bet on. There are always matches being played, and none of them will end in a draw. Not only can you bet on who will win and by what score, but also who’ll take the next set, the next game—even the next point. While a lot more cash gets bet on big matches and big events, it’s also possible to gamble on Futures events. That’s the tennis equivalent of single-A baseball, where the difference in earnings between a first-round winner and loser can be as low as $68 ($172 to $104).
The combination of pervasive online gambling and social media means that a losing bettor no longer has to be content to scream at the television, annoying just those within earshot. Now, it’s easy enough to type an athlete’s name into Twitter and send your anger to the vibrating pocket of the offender, no matter where he or she is in the world, no matter how famous he or she is.
Kuznetsov, who because of his ranking rarely plays on the main tour—and is rarely favored even on the Challenger tour—could only recall one previous case of Twitter abuse before his loss in Paris. "They've been nice to me so far," he says. For Tim Smyczek, who’s ranked No. 115 and is more often favored to win matches, abuse has been more common. Smyczek, a Milwaukee native who lost in his first match in the French Open qualifying draw, occasionally quotes and comments on the tweets he receives.
Smyczek says most of the players he knows on the Challenger circuit are, like him, able to laugh about this stuff. "I don't know of anybody that really takes it seriously, which is good, because they say some pretty horrible stuff sometimes," says Smyczek. "And if you did take it seriously, it'd be easy to really be hurt by it. But you just gotta take it for what it is—it's probably somebody who lost money that they didn't have to lose, and you know, they're upset. It's almost, if you think about it, it's almost kind of flattering that somebody would think you're a sure thing—‘I'm gonna lay money down on you, and there's no way I lose.' You can take the positives out of it."
There have, though, been several instances of players, both male and female, pleading for the tweets and Facebook messages to stop. That includes Rebecca Marino, a 22-year-old Canadian who retired from the sport in February as she battled with clinical depression and suicidal thoughts that she said were sometimes worsened by the death threats she received from gamblers.
"The Internet definitely scares me," Marino told me earlier this year. "And it also makes me really sad that, you know, people can sometimes take things too far, and they don't really fully grasp the effects of words."
Obscure though these players may be, their results have swung untold millions of dollars in wins and losses for bettors, far more than the prize money they play for. Smyczek says a former Scotland Yard detective now working with the International Tennis Federation's Tennis Integrity Unit once told him that a first-round match he’d played at the Indian Wells ATP tournament generated more than $1.5 million in wagers on one betting site alone, with likely millions more on other sites.
While Indian Wells is one of the biggest tournaments on the tour calendar, Smyczek expressed disbelief that people are betting on his matches at all, especially on Challengers that sometimes have fewer than 10 people in the stands. "I've had to try my best to kind of bite my tongue a couple times, because I've gotten messages after Challenger doubles matches," says Smyczek, laughing. "And what kind of—who bets on that sort of thing?"
Higher-ranked players who lose in upsets get irate messages, too. After her third-round loss at the French Open, Petra Kvitova fielded missives from a guy who lost a bet and some fellow who called her “an amateur mentally.” Nicolas Almagro was called “an embarrassment.” Someone else told him to kill himself. But the difference between lesser lights like Kuznetsov and Smyczek and relative stars like Kvitova and Almagro is that the more popular players also get messages of condolence or encouragement after a tough loss. If you’re a top player, kindness has been earned. If you’re closer to the bottom and someone else has paid the price for your loss, cruelty comes free.
Kuznetsov’s run ended in the first round in Paris, as he fell to French wild card Lucas Pouille in straight sets. A few hours after the disappointing loss, Kuznetsov received a tweet with an impolite rhetorical question:
@alexkuznetsov87 are you that hopeless dumbass who lost today against hobby tennis player pouille ?
— Michaelsen (@Michaelsen2) May 28, 2013Sixteen minutes later, another tweet arrived, this time from an account with the description: "It's constructive criticism, nothing personal."
@alexkuznetsov87 Nice loss in the first round today pal. No wonder everyone thinks you are garbage.
— Clock Counter (@ClockCounter) May 28, 2013It’s no secret that Twitter can be a cruel place. But why pick on a guy who’s ranked No. 171 in the world and who overachieved by even making it to the French Open?
Social media vitriol is easier to understand in a team sport, where fans have a lot invested in the outcome. It’s not shocking to hear that Quincy Pondexter was told he was “the definition of trash” after missing crucial free throws in the playoffs, or that the Redskins’ Graham Gano would get a lot of heat after botching a big kick.
In the case of Alex Kuznetsov, it’s possible that these trolls were just, well, trolling—the Twitter user Clock Counter has also taken the time to assail various point guards and baseball pitchers. But the most plausible explanation for the attacks leveled at Kuznetsov and his little-known tennis-playing ilk is that there’s money on the line. Oddsmakers had made Kuznetsov a marginal favorite against Lucas Pouille. When he lost, he faced the wrath of those who had bet on him. While not all insulting post-defeat tweets mention gambling directly, tennis players believe that’s typically the motivation.
"I just automatically assume that they're gamblers," says No. 210 Peter Polansky, a friend of Kuznetsov who says he also gets his share of angry messages. "Only that one time did someone say that—'You owe me money.' " (I sent messages to the accounts of all the Twitter users cited in this article. I have yet to hear back from any of them.)
Polansky says most of the messages appear to come from Eastern Europe or Latin America and that he also occasionally gets threatened through his Facebook account. "Some guy messaged me on Facebook, and he was just like, 'You suck, how can you lose to Tennys Sandgren at home?' " recalled Polansky, referring to a message he received after losing in the finals of a small tournament in his Canadian hometown. The message continued, in Polansky’s recollection: "You're a shit tennis player, and come to my city in Croatia, I'll kill you."
In countries where online sports betting is rampant and legal, tennis is one of the most attractive sports to bet on. There are always matches being played, and none of them will end in a draw. Not only can you bet on who will win and by what score, but also who’ll take the next set, the next game—even the next point. While a lot more cash gets bet on big matches and big events, it’s also possible to gamble on Futures events. That’s the tennis equivalent of single-A baseball, where the difference in earnings between a first-round winner and loser can be as low as $68 ($172 to $104).
The combination of pervasive online gambling and social media means that a losing bettor no longer has to be content to scream at the television, annoying just those within earshot. Now, it’s easy enough to type an athlete’s name into Twitter and send your anger to the vibrating pocket of the offender, no matter where he or she is in the world, no matter how famous he or she is.
Kuznetsov, who because of his ranking rarely plays on the main tour—and is rarely favored even on the Challenger tour—could only recall one previous case of Twitter abuse before his loss in Paris. "They've been nice to me so far," he says. For Tim Smyczek, who’s ranked No. 115 and is more often favored to win matches, abuse has been more common. Smyczek, a Milwaukee native who lost in his first match in the French Open qualifying draw, occasionally quotes and comments on the tweets he receives.
“@dthomson42: @timsmyczek I HAVE NEVER seen a player break and then get broken as much as you. Choker little weasel useless yank.”Thanks!
— Tim Smyczek (@timsmyczek) March 21, 2013“@lukiczh: @timsmyczek wish u all the worst thing in life, a lotrs of injuries...”Thanks dude!
— Tim Smyczek (@timsmyczek) February 16, 2013Smyczek says most of the players he knows on the Challenger circuit are, like him, able to laugh about this stuff. "I don't know of anybody that really takes it seriously, which is good, because they say some pretty horrible stuff sometimes," says Smyczek. "And if you did take it seriously, it'd be easy to really be hurt by it. But you just gotta take it for what it is—it's probably somebody who lost money that they didn't have to lose, and you know, they're upset. It's almost, if you think about it, it's almost kind of flattering that somebody would think you're a sure thing—‘I'm gonna lay money down on you, and there's no way I lose.' You can take the positives out of it."
There have, though, been several instances of players, both male and female, pleading for the tweets and Facebook messages to stop. That includes Rebecca Marino, a 22-year-old Canadian who retired from the sport in February as she battled with clinical depression and suicidal thoughts that she said were sometimes worsened by the death threats she received from gamblers.
"The Internet definitely scares me," Marino told me earlier this year. "And it also makes me really sad that, you know, people can sometimes take things too far, and they don't really fully grasp the effects of words."
Obscure though these players may be, their results have swung untold millions of dollars in wins and losses for bettors, far more than the prize money they play for. Smyczek says a former Scotland Yard detective now working with the International Tennis Federation's Tennis Integrity Unit once told him that a first-round match he’d played at the Indian Wells ATP tournament generated more than $1.5 million in wagers on one betting site alone, with likely millions more on other sites.
While Indian Wells is one of the biggest tournaments on the tour calendar, Smyczek expressed disbelief that people are betting on his matches at all, especially on Challengers that sometimes have fewer than 10 people in the stands. "I've had to try my best to kind of bite my tongue a couple times, because I've gotten messages after Challenger doubles matches," says Smyczek, laughing. "And what kind of—who bets on that sort of thing?"
Higher-ranked players who lose in upsets get irate messages, too. After her third-round loss at the French Open, Petra Kvitova fielded missives from a guy who lost a bet and some fellow who called her “an amateur mentally.” Nicolas Almagro was called “an embarrassment.” Someone else told him to kill himself. But the difference between lesser lights like Kuznetsov and Smyczek and relative stars like Kvitova and Almagro is that the more popular players also get messages of condolence or encouragement after a tough loss. If you’re a top player, kindness has been earned. If you’re closer to the bottom and someone else has paid the price for your loss, cruelty comes free.
June 04, 2013
Andros Townsend: Spurs midfielder fined over betting
Tottenham midfielder Andros Townsend has been fined £18,000 by the Football Association for breaching betting regulations.
The 21-year-old was also suspended for four months backdated to 23 May although three of those months have been suspended until 1 July 2016.
Townsend had already voluntarily withdrawn from the England squad for the European Under-21 Championship.
It is believed he was not accused of betting on games he had involvement in. However, the FA has strict betting rules that forbid gambling on a wide spectrum of fixtures laid out in its regulations.
The length of the up-front ban, coupled with the fact that he withdrew from the England Under-21 squad, mean he will not miss a game.
The midfielder, who was on loan at QPR for the second half of the season, is a product of Tottenham's academy and signed as a trainee in 2008. He has had loan spells at Yeovil, Leyton Orient, MK Dons, Ipswich, Watford, Millwall, Leeds, Birmingham and, most recently, with former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp at QPR. Townsend made his Premier League debut for Spurs in September 2012 before joining Rangers in January, where he made 12 Premier League appearances, scoring twice.
The 21-year-old was also suspended for four months backdated to 23 May although three of those months have been suspended until 1 July 2016.
Townsend had already voluntarily withdrawn from the England squad for the European Under-21 Championship.
It is believed he was not accused of betting on games he had involvement in. However, the FA has strict betting rules that forbid gambling on a wide spectrum of fixtures laid out in its regulations.
The length of the up-front ban, coupled with the fact that he withdrew from the England Under-21 squad, mean he will not miss a game.
The midfielder, who was on loan at QPR for the second half of the season, is a product of Tottenham's academy and signed as a trainee in 2008. He has had loan spells at Yeovil, Leyton Orient, MK Dons, Ipswich, Watford, Millwall, Leeds, Birmingham and, most recently, with former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp at QPR. Townsend made his Premier League debut for Spurs in September 2012 before joining Rangers in January, where he made 12 Premier League appearances, scoring twice.
Melco to take part in Barcelona resort
The competitor to EuroVegas which is to be built in Barcelona has asked Melco International Development which is a partner to Melco Crown Entertainment in Macau to take part in the development.
Melco which is led by Lawrence Ho has confirmed they have been invited to take part in the project in Barcelona by developers of the project, Veremonte.
The Barcelona gaming and leisure complex which is estimated to cost $1 billion,
Melco International Development Ltd – a partner in Macau casino developer Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd – has been invited to take part in a US$1 billion gaming and leisure project in Barcelona, Spain.
Melco confirmed last night it had been asked to operate a casino at ‘Barcelona World’ – also known BCN World – planned for the Catalan capital. The project is being organised via a vehicle called Veremonte.
Melco said in a statement to Macau Business Daily: “Melco International Development Limited is happy to be invited by Veremonte to take part in the Barcelona World project as casino operator. In the coming months, we shall continue to work with Veremonte on the definitive casino management agreement and shall make announcement when the agreement is signed.”
The Barcelona project came about after being turned down by Las Vegas Sands as its preferred destination for the EuroVegas resort, which Madrid eventually won. EuroVegas is slated as a $9 billion resort project, however recently EuroVegas has been stalled with land auction delays and the request that the casino side of the resort be allowed for customers to smoke, which is against the law in Spain.
The first phase of the resort in Barcelona would be called Barcelona Dream and occupying 300,000 square meters with 1,100 hotel beds, a casino and a theatre. Developers say that it will take two years to build and could be operational by 2016.
Melco which is led by Lawrence Ho has confirmed they have been invited to take part in the project in Barcelona by developers of the project, Veremonte.
The Barcelona gaming and leisure complex which is estimated to cost $1 billion,
Melco International Development Ltd – a partner in Macau casino developer Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd – has been invited to take part in a US$1 billion gaming and leisure project in Barcelona, Spain.
Melco confirmed last night it had been asked to operate a casino at ‘Barcelona World’ – also known BCN World – planned for the Catalan capital. The project is being organised via a vehicle called Veremonte.
Melco said in a statement to Macau Business Daily: “Melco International Development Limited is happy to be invited by Veremonte to take part in the Barcelona World project as casino operator. In the coming months, we shall continue to work with Veremonte on the definitive casino management agreement and shall make announcement when the agreement is signed.”
The Barcelona project came about after being turned down by Las Vegas Sands as its preferred destination for the EuroVegas resort, which Madrid eventually won. EuroVegas is slated as a $9 billion resort project, however recently EuroVegas has been stalled with land auction delays and the request that the casino side of the resort be allowed for customers to smoke, which is against the law in Spain.
The first phase of the resort in Barcelona would be called Barcelona Dream and occupying 300,000 square meters with 1,100 hotel beds, a casino and a theatre. Developers say that it will take two years to build and could be operational by 2016.
Tokyo to build casino resort says Governor
In the most telling turn of events so far for Japan to get casinos, Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose said he will build a casino in the capital’s waterfronts district which is known as a tourist hotspot, even though currently casinos are illegal in Japan.
“I expect the Government to revise the law as soon as possible,” he said at the metropolitan assembly session.
As the incoming Governor, Inose said a casino could serve as a sightseeing facility and a place for social interaction among adults.
“To boost the number of foreign visitors to Tokyo, I will consider preparing an integrated resort facility that combines restaurants, theaters and casinos,” he said.
The latest remarks that the Japanese Government will soon path the way for Casino’s came as the new Governor was discussing Japan’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
“I expect the Government to revise the law as soon as possible,” he said at the metropolitan assembly session.
As the incoming Governor, Inose said a casino could serve as a sightseeing facility and a place for social interaction among adults.
“To boost the number of foreign visitors to Tokyo, I will consider preparing an integrated resort facility that combines restaurants, theaters and casinos,” he said.
The latest remarks that the Japanese Government will soon path the way for Casino’s came as the new Governor was discussing Japan’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
May 29, 2013
Cantor Gaming lawsuit against William Hill
Cantor Gaming has expanded their lawsuit against William Hill PLC for poaching trade secrets when they purchased the Brandywine sportsbook business last June for nearly $16 million off former employee.
The previous lawsuit two years ago was focussed solely on former employee of Cantor Gaming and now current CEO of William Hill US, Joseph Asher.
Ashers attorney says he cleared the Brandywine business plan with Cantor before going ahead with it “because he was interested in physical sportsbook locations,” not the mobile sector which Cantor focussed on during his time at Cantor.
Asher said he was subjected to “tirades” from his former boss at Cantor during a difficult final year of employment with the Wall Street investment company that owns books at The Venetian, M, The Cosmopolitan and the Palms in Las Vegas.
When Asher started Brandywine in 2008, after his unfriendly departure from Cantor in 2007, he then built a network of 16 sports and race books in Nevada.
In court papers from Cantor attorneys it says that, William Hill “has participated in, and plans to benefit from, Asher’s usurpation of business ideas and opportunities that belong to (Cantor). (Cantor is) informed and believes that the William Hill defendants have acted in concert with Asher and Brandywine for this unlawful objective.”
The previous lawsuit two years ago was focussed solely on former employee of Cantor Gaming and now current CEO of William Hill US, Joseph Asher.
Ashers attorney says he cleared the Brandywine business plan with Cantor before going ahead with it “because he was interested in physical sportsbook locations,” not the mobile sector which Cantor focussed on during his time at Cantor.
Asher said he was subjected to “tirades” from his former boss at Cantor during a difficult final year of employment with the Wall Street investment company that owns books at The Venetian, M, The Cosmopolitan and the Palms in Las Vegas.
When Asher started Brandywine in 2008, after his unfriendly departure from Cantor in 2007, he then built a network of 16 sports and race books in Nevada.
In court papers from Cantor attorneys it says that, William Hill “has participated in, and plans to benefit from, Asher’s usurpation of business ideas and opportunities that belong to (Cantor). (Cantor is) informed and believes that the William Hill defendants have acted in concert with Asher and Brandywine for this unlawful objective.”
Bwin changes from shirt to digital with Real Madrid
Bwin.party and Spanish football giants Real Madrid have announced they are in the final stages of a new deal to replace their current shirt deal that expires at the end of the current season.
It has been 6 years since bwin first took the option on the shirt sponsorship of Real Madrid, but at the end of the current season they will not be shirt sponsor anymore, but will become the official digital partner of the club.
The deal which is believed to be a multi-year agreement, follows the decision to move to a new digital partnership reflecting a shift in consumer behaviour over the past few years which has led to an evolution in bwin.party’s sponsorship strategy to focus on social media and social gaming, online and mobile integration, as well as exploiting the Group’s extensive content and media rights catalogue.
It is in these areas that both parties are now looking to extend their relationship going forward.
This new deal will see bwin at the centre of promotional activities for one of the world’s most popular football clubs and includes the integration of the bwin brand into Real’s website, social media and mobile apps.
It will also see the creation of co-branded gaming products, match day perimeter board signage and access to players for marketing campaigns.
Group CEO of bwin.party, Norbert Teufelberger said: “Our decision not to renew the shirt sponsorship brings to an end one chapter in our relationship with Real Madrid which has delivered six highly successful years of brand promotion for bwin on the shirts of one of the world’s truly global football brands.
We now look forward to beginning the next chapter by leveraging our brand strengths to drive revenue and create premium content for our customers and Real Madrid’s millions of followers. We remain committed sponsors and wish Real Madrid every success in the club’s pursuit of more trophies.”
It has been 6 years since bwin first took the option on the shirt sponsorship of Real Madrid, but at the end of the current season they will not be shirt sponsor anymore, but will become the official digital partner of the club.
The deal which is believed to be a multi-year agreement, follows the decision to move to a new digital partnership reflecting a shift in consumer behaviour over the past few years which has led to an evolution in bwin.party’s sponsorship strategy to focus on social media and social gaming, online and mobile integration, as well as exploiting the Group’s extensive content and media rights catalogue.
It is in these areas that both parties are now looking to extend their relationship going forward.
This new deal will see bwin at the centre of promotional activities for one of the world’s most popular football clubs and includes the integration of the bwin brand into Real’s website, social media and mobile apps.
It will also see the creation of co-branded gaming products, match day perimeter board signage and access to players for marketing campaigns.
Group CEO of bwin.party, Norbert Teufelberger said: “Our decision not to renew the shirt sponsorship brings to an end one chapter in our relationship with Real Madrid which has delivered six highly successful years of brand promotion for bwin on the shirts of one of the world’s truly global football brands.
We now look forward to beginning the next chapter by leveraging our brand strengths to drive revenue and create premium content for our customers and Real Madrid’s millions of followers. We remain committed sponsors and wish Real Madrid every success in the club’s pursuit of more trophies.”
Playtech launch eight new slot games
Playtech have announced the launch of 8 new slot games for mobile bingo. The games are mini-embedded in the Bingo pages on mobile and also available in full screen mode across the HTML5 and native offering.
Rhys Owen, Head of Bingo at Playtech, commented: “As our mobile Bingo is growing exponentially, it has become a key focus in our product development this year. With the launch of the HTML5 solution along with Native iOS and Android operating systems, we have begun rolling out the product to our customer base. Using an HTML5 template we are able to quickly plug in existing assets from our popular catalogue of games, bringing us much closer to completing a consistent offering between our web and mobile solutions. If you want mobile Bingo, Playtech’s Virtue Fusion is the best provider in the market.”
Rhys Owen, Head of Bingo at Playtech, commented: “As our mobile Bingo is growing exponentially, it has become a key focus in our product development this year. With the launch of the HTML5 solution along with Native iOS and Android operating systems, we have begun rolling out the product to our customer base. Using an HTML5 template we are able to quickly plug in existing assets from our popular catalogue of games, bringing us much closer to completing a consistent offering between our web and mobile solutions. If you want mobile Bingo, Playtech’s Virtue Fusion is the best provider in the market.”
May 10, 2013
Turkey to fine players who visit online gambling sites
Turkey is proposing new legislation to put teeth into its fight against illegal online gambling, including stiff financial penalties for gamblers who bet with the sites. Turkey has long campaigned against online gambling, passing laws expressly outlawing the activity in 2007. The uncertainty surrounding the market led Sportingbet to sell its Turkish-facing Superbahis operation to GVC Holdings in 2011 and the new proposed measures could take a serious bite out of GVC’s future earnings.
On Wednesday, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet revealed that parliamentarians were intent on targeting not just operators, but affiliates, financial institutions, media companies and even players. Under the draft law’s terms, agents of the online sites who reside in Turkey would face prison sentences of several years. Similar sentences would await those who assist the sites in processing payments, while media companies that carry advertisements for the sites would face sentences of one to three years.
It will be up to the Turkish Banking Regulation and Supervising Agency to ensure that online gambling firms cannot process payments by debit cards or credit cards. The Telecommunication Communications Agency would be responsible for imposing IP-blocking of online sites.
Players, meanwhile, would face fines of between 100k-500k Turkish lira (US $55k to $278k). In a country with a median annual income of less than $6k, this proposal marks a serious escalation of Turkey’s fight against unauthorized sites. Just as Greece’s war against online gambling sites was viewed as a way to boost the value of betting monopoly OPAP, Turkey is planning to privatize its sports betting lottery this summer, and eliminating the lottery’s online competition might help Turkey realize the $10b sale price it’s seeking.
On Wednesday, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet revealed that parliamentarians were intent on targeting not just operators, but affiliates, financial institutions, media companies and even players. Under the draft law’s terms, agents of the online sites who reside in Turkey would face prison sentences of several years. Similar sentences would await those who assist the sites in processing payments, while media companies that carry advertisements for the sites would face sentences of one to three years.
It will be up to the Turkish Banking Regulation and Supervising Agency to ensure that online gambling firms cannot process payments by debit cards or credit cards. The Telecommunication Communications Agency would be responsible for imposing IP-blocking of online sites.
Players, meanwhile, would face fines of between 100k-500k Turkish lira (US $55k to $278k). In a country with a median annual income of less than $6k, this proposal marks a serious escalation of Turkey’s fight against unauthorized sites. Just as Greece’s war against online gambling sites was viewed as a way to boost the value of betting monopoly OPAP, Turkey is planning to privatize its sports betting lottery this summer, and eliminating the lottery’s online competition might help Turkey realize the $10b sale price it’s seeking.
May 09, 2013
Paddy Power in wholesale rethink of corporate brand
Paddy Power has launched a wide-ranging review of its UK comms operation as it seeks to boost its voice in corporate Britain.
The Irish betting firm’s relationships with Powerscourt for UK financial comms and Weber Shandwick for public affairs are both under review following the arrival of Brunswick director Catherine Colloms as its first director of corporate affairs in January.
It is thought the brand has held early-stage discussions with both multidisciplinary and specialist agencies, some of which are exploring pitching for the diverse work as a consortium. However, Colloms said no official brief had yet been issued and all options remained on the table.
‘We are thinking about how we tackle some of the bigger issues affecting both the company and the industry and exploring how we deliver messages across the whole suite of communications,’ she explained.
The review will encompass public affairs, regulatory comms, CSR and corporate comms to transition Paddy Power into a more issues-led comms approach.
It is understood that regulatory issues and governmental comms in particular will play a more fundamental part in the company’s strategy.
The news comes amid a legal row between the company and the Government over the use of gaming machines in betting shops, after Newham Council turned down an application for a new Paddy Power unit on the grounds that it would not be a traditional bookmaker.
The brand is well known for its headline-grabbing PR stunts, but Colloms wants to grow a stronger corporate voice in the UK.
‘The consumer brand is so strong that it can dwarf everything else,’ she said. ‘But as one of the largest online bookmakers in the UK we want the corporate brand to compete with the consumer brand.
‘In Ireland Paddy Power has the premium corporate reputation of a Waitrose or John Lewis, but that has been slightly lost in translation in the UK.’
Agencies that work for other major gambling firms, including William Hill's PR agency Brunswick, are certain to be conflicted out of any pitch process.
Paddy Power is listed in the UK and Ireland. Drury Communications, which handles the company's financial comms in Ireland is unaffected by the review as are the brand's consumer agencies.
The Irish betting firm’s relationships with Powerscourt for UK financial comms and Weber Shandwick for public affairs are both under review following the arrival of Brunswick director Catherine Colloms as its first director of corporate affairs in January.
It is thought the brand has held early-stage discussions with both multidisciplinary and specialist agencies, some of which are exploring pitching for the diverse work as a consortium. However, Colloms said no official brief had yet been issued and all options remained on the table.
‘We are thinking about how we tackle some of the bigger issues affecting both the company and the industry and exploring how we deliver messages across the whole suite of communications,’ she explained.
The review will encompass public affairs, regulatory comms, CSR and corporate comms to transition Paddy Power into a more issues-led comms approach.
It is understood that regulatory issues and governmental comms in particular will play a more fundamental part in the company’s strategy.
The news comes amid a legal row between the company and the Government over the use of gaming machines in betting shops, after Newham Council turned down an application for a new Paddy Power unit on the grounds that it would not be a traditional bookmaker.
The brand is well known for its headline-grabbing PR stunts, but Colloms wants to grow a stronger corporate voice in the UK.
‘The consumer brand is so strong that it can dwarf everything else,’ she said. ‘But as one of the largest online bookmakers in the UK we want the corporate brand to compete with the consumer brand.
‘In Ireland Paddy Power has the premium corporate reputation of a Waitrose or John Lewis, but that has been slightly lost in translation in the UK.’
Agencies that work for other major gambling firms, including William Hill's PR agency Brunswick, are certain to be conflicted out of any pitch process.
Paddy Power is listed in the UK and Ireland. Drury Communications, which handles the company's financial comms in Ireland is unaffected by the review as are the brand's consumer agencies.
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