EPL to Voluntary Remove Gambling Names from Front of Shirts

EPL to Voluntary Remove Gambling Names from Front of Shirts


Gambling sponsor firm names are likely to be removed from the front of football shirts as the UK government is looking to negotiate a deal with the Premier League.

Gambling Firms Taken Off Front of Shirts

Ahead of the much-anticipated release of the White Paper, the UK government is likely to agree to a deal with the English Premier League (EPL) that will see football clubs voluntarily remove gambling operators’ names from the front of their shirts, reported the BBC.

The deal will be in line with the Premier League’s previous statement that “a self-regulatory approach would provide a practical and flexible alternative to legislation or outright prohibition,” but whether the EPL clubs would agree is still unclear as top-flight clubs are yet to vote on the plan.

Out of 20 EPL clubs, eight feature a gambling sponsor on the front of their shirts and if the words of Aston Villa’s CEO Christian Purslow are to be taken at face value, convincing some of the clubs to get rid of their gambling shirt partners may prove difficult.

In January, Purslow met with a fan consultation group after a report that the club had signed a deal with the Asia-based betting firm BK8 and later on issued a statement highlighting that teams outside of the top six would hardly replace gambling shirt sponsors with non-gambling partners as they receive from such sponsorships twice as much financially.

The plan will be even harder to sell to the English Football League (EFL) which is sponsored by a gambling operator and has previously stated that any outright ban on gambling sponsorships would mean £40 million ($48 million) less a year for each of its 72 member clubs.

The Commission Also Urged Voluntary Actions

A voluntary approach to gambling reforms was implied by the Gambling Commission’s CEO Andrew Rhodes who first delivered a keynote speech at ICE London 2023 in which he highlighted that safer gambling would be the way forward for the largest regulated gambling market in the world.

In his speech, he also suggested that the regulator would not impose mandatory affordability checks but would rather allow operators to address the issue themselves. A similar suggestion Rhodes made in an interview with Racing TV, shifting the responsibility to operators to address problem gambling risks.

In the White Paper which is expected to be released in the coming weeks, the government is not likely to propose that gambling sponsorships are banned by law but rather leave the sports clubs to find the optimal solution by means of voluntary actions.

According to the deal, football clubs will retain the opportunity to advertise gambling partners across their stadia and on other parts of their shirts, leaving the way for bookmakers to continue their involvement with football.



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Betsson Goes Live in Ontario via Betsafe Brand

Betsson Goes Live in Ontario via Betsafe Brand


The holding company that invests in and leads quick-developing iGaming companies has been granted a business-to-business and a business-to-consumer online gaming authorization for the locally regulated market in the Canadian province.

Shortly after, a complete business-to-consumer offering was officially launched by Betsson with the help of the company’s international brand Betsafe. The decision perfectly matches the company’s market strategy developed for Ontario.

Betsafe to Use the Strive Gaming Platform in Ontario

Betsafe’s games will become available via the Strive Gaming platform which is 40% owned by Betsson. The unique brand that is regarded as daredevils’ go-to site will offer its challenging titles to customers in the province via Betsson’s mobile apps.

The apps can be downloaded using Google Play store, Apple Store, and the website ot.betsafe.com. Betsafe currently hosts a rich selection of live casino options, standard casino games, and live and pre-sportsbook options, along with a solid website dedicated to poker aficionados.

The group, which was also granted a supplier license, has customized its product offerings to perfectly match the exact requirements of North American players. Accordingly, Betsson will be able to also include its sportsbook products on a business-to-business basis with other interested operators.

Betsafe’s sportsbook offering includes a wide selection of popular sports including most soccer leagues, mixed martial arts, trotting, a variety of American sports, betting on live sports events, competitive odds, and generous promotions.

The Group, Pleased to Harness Ontario’s “Great Opportunities” 

The Canadian province where Betsson has been given the green light hosts close to 40% of the country’s estimated 38 million inhabitants. From an economical standpoint, Ontario represents the highest-ranking Canadian province. Its online gaming market which was officially opened on April 4, 2022, is expected to turn into one of the most important markets in the North American area. 

Accordingly, Betsson AB’s chief executive officer and president Pontus Lindwall has expressed the group’s excitement for getting the needed licenses to operate using both a business-to-business and business-to-consumer offering in the private’s locally regulated market. 

Lindwall also added that the group was “convinced” that many excellent opportunities will be waiting for them in Ontario in the near future in both channels given the highly competitive offering they brought to the table. 

Last September, the group announced it would strengthen its foothold in the Latin America region with an online launch on the Mexican gaming market via the betsson.mx platform. The offering for Mexico featured state-of-the-art technology, numerous casino games, a proprietary sportsbook, and additional options.



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US Integrity to Protect Bellator MMA from Fraud

US Integrity to Protect Bellator MMA from Fraud


US Integrity, a company working to ensure sports betting integrity in every game and every sport, has penned a deal with Bellator MMA. The integrity firm agreed to provide the American mixed martial arts promotion with its services.

As agreed by the two parties, US Integrity will protect Bellator MMA from all kinds of fraud, helping it prevent corruption, fixed games and wagering and financial crimes. Until the end of the year, US Integrity will be involved in all aspects of Bellator MMA’s events, protecting the martial arts promotion.

To make sure that the integrity of the promotion’s events is upheld, US Integrity will leverage its integrity monitoring services. Using its dashboard and analysis capabilities, the company will carefully explore Bellator data, diligently checking for any irregularities and suspicious betting behaviors.

The two companies’ relationship kicked in earlier this February and was visible during the Bellator 290 event. Bellator MMA and US Integrity will continue their collaboration throughout 2023, protecting the MMA sector from fraud.

Integrity Is Something Bellator Takes Very Seriously

Bellator MMA’s president, Scott Coker, commented on the agreement. He noted that integrity and legitimacy have always been something that his brand takes very seriously. According to him, the agreement with US Integrity is a testament to Bellator’s values and its efforts to make its events safer for bettors and players.

Coker concluded that his team is thrilled to be working with US Integrity. He praised the company for its commitment and proactive approach when it comes to cracking down on fraud and said that its services will play a crucial role in securing the integrity of Bellator events.

Matthew Holt, US Integrity’s co-founder and chief executive officer, also commented on the agreement. He noted that his team is thrilled to partner with Bellator and help the company make MMA wagering secure and safe for the players.

Holt added that his company remains committed to monitoring professional sporting events and providing cutting-edge insights and compliance solutions. The CEO said that he is looking forward to working with Bellator MMA.

All our partners are committed to the highest integrity standards, and they are no exception. These types of partnerships help ensure sports betting integrity and strengthen the unique and proprietary anomaly detection tools we have developed at US Integrity.

Matthew Holt, co-founder & CEO, US Integrity

A month ago, US Integrity also teamed up with the PGA Tour, an organizer of professional golf tours across North America. The compliance company agreed to help the golf specialist protect its competitions’ integrity.



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Kambi Group Delivers Impressive 2022 Financial Results

Kambi Group Delivers Impressive 2022 Financial Results


Kambi’s Q4 2022 report reveals growth across all key verticals after the hugely successful World Cup. Solid financials, many new partnerships, and expanding growth opportunities provide the company with a solid jump-off point to tackle 2023’s challenges and take the first steps towards its goal of €50 billion gross gaming revenue (GGR) by 2027.

The Supplier Seized Many Expansion Opportunities

A busy US sporting calendar and significant market expansion were the primary driving factors behind Kambi’s impressive 2022 performance. The supplier recorded Q4 revenues of €57.8 million for Q4. The World Cup substantially boosted Kambi’s profits during the last quarter, resulting in a 30% growth. Overall, the company made €166.0 million in 2022 thanks to platform stability and leading offerings for partners.

The year finished with a flourish with the business delivering across several key areas, providing the perfect springboard into 2023.

Kambi Group plc Q4 Report 2022

Kambi’s cutting-edge solutions continue to draw in operators as the company expands its growing number of partners. Some of 2022’s highlights include the deal with Rei do Pitaco, Brazil’s leading fantasy sports operator, and the extended agreement with Rush Street Interactive. Day one launches in Massachusetts and Ohio, and a new contract with del Lago Resort & Casino New York cemented Kambi’s position in North America.

Kambi Continues to Pursue Its Long-Term Objectives

With another successful year behind it, Kambi group has already set its sights on the future. The supplier recently shared its ambitious five-year plan, estimating that its global addressable market could reach €50 billion in gross gaming revenue (GGR) by 2027. Kambi’s projections rely on its innovative product strategy and ability to secure partnerships during the unprecedented worldwide sports betting growth.

The company puts great hopes in its third-gen algorithmic trading capability, which exceeded expectations during the World Cup, helping Kambi present players with more betting opportunities quickly and cost-efficiently. The technology will form the cornerstone of the company’s expansion plans and help it stay ahead of the competition, delivering an even better product with more betting opportunities.

The global economic outlook might be uncertain, but we have a proven, robust business, one which is ready to meet any challenges that lie ahead.

Kambi Group plc Q4 Report 2022

Kambi’s 2022 achievements place it in a fantastic position to achieve its planned objectives. Super Bowl LVII proved the viability of its latest solutions and elicited an overwhelmingly positive response from gamblers. With a clear plan for 2023 and beyond, Kambi continues to steadily pursue its financial targets, relying on its engaging products and rising reputation.



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Odds On Compliance Completes PlaybookAI Beta, Launches on March 1

Odds On Compliance Completes PlaybookAI Beta, Launches on March 1


Odds On Compliance is an industry-leading technology and consultancy firm which focuses on the sports betting, iGaming, and gambling industries. The company is involved with regulatory compliance in the industry and the PlaybookAI is built to facilitate this for partner operators and help with license applications and managing the general process.

Exiting Betta and Setting New Compliance Standards for Gambling

PlaybookAI has already received positive feedback, Odds On Compliance detailed in a press release shared with GamblingNews. Company co-founder and CEO Eric Frank said that the company was thrilled with the success of PlaybookAI’s beta and added that Odds On Compliance expects this product to truly revolutionize the way regulatory data and information is managed, utilized, and monitored. Frank added:

We are committed to providing our clients with the best technology and support to help them succeed, and the full launch of PlaybookAI is a major step towards achieving that goal.

Company co-founder and CEO Eric Frank

PlaybookAI is designed to address the often difficult task of navigating the ever-changing regulatory landscape in key jurisdictions, including North America. The solution is designed to assist companies in understanding compliance complexes and stepping confidently into new regulated environments. Each jurisdiction tends to have different regulatory rules in place, but these are all now digitally collated with the help of PlaybookAI and available through a single access point.

Leveraging Natural Language Processing to Streamline Compliance

This, Odds On Compliance argues, means that operators and businesses can enjoy a reliable stream of data and information powered by AI-generated summaries that take a deep and accurate look into the existing regulatory landscape to provide actionable and valuable insight.

PlaybookAI CTO and Odds On Compliance co-founder Mark Scrivo was similarly happy to see the product take off. He hailed the Natural Language Processing technologies that have made PlaybookAI a possible solution in the industry.

Scrivo noted that harnessing the power of these NLP solutions has made it possible for PlaybookAI to create a powerful research solution that will transform regulatory compliance and give the companies a strong foothold when looking to navigate new markets or set up shop quickly.  Playbook was previously introduced in Canada last year.



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Lottomatica’s IPO May Become a Reality in April

Lottomatica’s IPO May Become a Reality in April


Apollo Global Management, the American global private-equity firm behind the Italian operator Lottomatica, plans to have the casino brand go public. As reported by sources earlier, Lottomatica’s initial public offering listing may be ordered very soon.

Apollo’s strategy would be to list Lottomatica on the Borsa Milan Exchange. The rumors were later confirmed by Lottomatica when it posted an update on its 2022 performance. In that update, Lottomatica explained that its controlling shareholder “is currently contemplating potential strategic alternatives to support its future growth, including capital markets transactions such as a potential listing.”

If everything goes as planned Lottomatica may go public by April this year. The listing would come at a strong point for the operator, which recently posted its record-breaking Q4 2022 results.

In Q4 2022, Lottomatica registered strong organic growth and record-breaking quarterly handle of $7.3 billion. Its various verticals expanded as customers and betting volumes increased. As a result, the company raked in $411 million in revenue which represents a 7% year-on-year increase.

Lottomatica’s IPO Is Big News for the Italian Industry

SBCNews pointed out that a Milan listing would signify Apollo Global’s departure from Italian gambling, since Lottomatica’s B2C assets were already acquired by GameNet in a $1.07 billion deal back in 2021.

GameNet eventually took the name Lottomatica and revolutionized the company to become the top land-based operator in Italy. Nowadays, Lottomatica has over 3,000 points of sale across the country, operates 1,400 gaming halls and 120 gaming venues and has a total of 13,600 tobacconist/bar gaming machines in Italy.

Lottomatica is expected to become the biggest listing on the Borsa Milan Exchange. Dealmakers will seek a valuation of $5.33 billion for the company, including corporate debt.

The Perfect Time to Go Public

April would be the perfect time for Lottomatica to go public as the operator expects to publish its FY 2022 results in early March. The company expects annual revenue of $1.3 billion with an EBITDA result of between $488 million and 492 million. The actual results, however, may surpass the corporate expectations.

This would draw extra attention to the company, which is ambitious on becoming a leader on the Borse Milan Exchange.

2022 was a very strong year for Lottomatica, which also managed to strike strategic partnerships with notable companies. In November, the Italian powerhouse penned an iPoker-oriented agreement with Playtech. This followed an earlier deal between Lottomatica and the famous payments provider Nuvei.



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Proposal in Connecticut Calls for Tough Gambling Ad Regulation

Proposal in Connecticut Calls for Tough Gambling Ad Regulation


The state is one of the few that currently offers not only online gambling but retail, as well as online sports betting services. It was back in October 2021 when Connecticut launched its regulated online gambling and sports betting market. Not unexpectedly, the activity is restricted to people under the age of 21, which is a standard age restriction for most US states.

Now, a proposal introduced earlier this month is calling for the implementation of strict rules for advertising. Senate Bill 971 (SB 971) was referred to the Senate’s Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security in the state earlier this month. Then, it was up for a public hearing in mid-February.

Proposal Calls for Tough Rules on Gambling

The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Tony Scott and Sen. Herron Gaston seeks to implement restrictions on the advertising of online sports betting, online casino gambling and retail sports wagering. The bill calls to restrict the advertisement of “financial enticement to participate in such gaming or wagering.” This, in other words, means that operators may be restricted from offering bonuses, as well as other financial incentives such as free bets.

No advertisement of online casino gaming, online sports wagering or retail sports wagering may … offer or advertise for a financial enticement to participate in such gaming or wagering,

reads Senate Bill 971

Additionally, the bill proposes to implement a restriction on debit cards or credit cards used by gamblers. The proposal calls to restrict the use of debit or credit cards whenever a second person is involved. This means that the regulation proposes only the person that holds the card account be able to use it and effectively restricts dual accounts from being used for gambling.

Limit a person to the use of only one debit card or only one credit card for an account and only permit the use of such a card when such person is the sole account holder of such card,

explains Senate Bill 971

The proposal quickly got the attention of stakeholders in Connecticut. A report released by Yahoo last week reveals that DraftKings’ government affairs manager, David Prestwood, voiced his concerns against the proposal. Referring to the part of the bill involving the use of credit or debit cards by a single owner, he explained that there is no other US jurisdiction that features such regulation. Moreover, Prestwood also stressed that compliance with such a requirement is simply impossible.

Ultimately, the bill seeks to help protect customers in Connecticut. The part of the legislation involving the use of credit cards seeks to ensure that gamblers are responsible for their losses and do not involve members of their families. Still, whether or not SB 971 will gain further traction it remains to be determined.



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Hacksaw Gaming Inks Content Partnership with William Hill

Hacksaw Gaming Inks Content Partnership with William Hill


Announced Tuesday, the new deal will deliver games from the leading provider of content for the iGaming industry, expanding William Hill’s offering. Per the terms of the new deal, the leading operator will benefit from Hacksaw Gaming’s portfolio of games including the recently released hit Dead or a Wild, among other leading titles.

Besides innovative and engaging slots, the collaboration will introduce the company’s Dare2Win, as well as scratch card games. The launch of the content, according to a statement released by Hacksaw Gaming is expected to be completed in the upcoming weeks.

It has been a long time coming but we are overjoyed to finally have Hacksaw Gaming games live as part of our portfolio.

Keiron Downs, global gaming content delivery manager at William Hill

William Hill’s global gaming content delivery manager, Keiron Downs, explained that the company finally has titles from the leading developer which marks an exciting moment. He pointed out that William Hill expects Hacksaw Gaming’s content to perform well and to bring engaging moments for the company’s growing customer base.

The Company Continues to Expand Its Portfolio of Partners

The new deal with William Hill comes at a moment when Hacksaw Gaming continues to expand its global presence. Since the company introduced its first game back in 2019, to date, it has entered more than 20 regulated jurisdictions. What’s more, Hacksaw Gaming currently has active deals with hundreds of operators within the growing iGaming vertical.

It gives us great pleasure to add another top-tier operator to our ranks.

Marcus Cordes, CEO at Hacksaw Gaming

Hacksaw Gaming’s CEO, Marcus Cordes, explained that the company is delighted to expand further its list of partners by adding William Hill. At the same time, he acknowledged that the company has a rich history, heritage and is a famous and trusted operator in the UK and around the world. Finally, Cordes said: “This deal enables us to strengthen our footprint across key markets and we look forward to a lasting relationship with our new partner!”

The collaboration comes after only recently, Hacksaw confirmed its plans to introduce its own content distribution platform called OpenRGS. The company confirmed that the launch of the platform is expected at some point in Q2, 2023.



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Betr License at Risk after New Breaches Were Identified

Betr License at Risk after New Breaches Were Identified


The Australian sports betting operator betr landed in hot water after two new regulation breaches were identified. Both violations were described as “serious,” meaning that betr’s license might be on the line.

Betr Is in Trouble for Breaching the Code

Despite being a fairly new operator, betr is already under scrutiny for having breached the rules on several occasions. In December, the betting company made headlines for having promoted wagering products to a self-excluded person.

As a result of this regulation breach, the Racing Commission in the Northern Territory slapped betr with a fine of $13,650 (converted to USD). Things have now gotten more serious as the authority found out that the operator had used direct marketing to promote its content in early October.

The Racing Commission noted that just before betr’s official launch, the company had made unsolicited approaches to incentivize people to play with the operator. As reported by the authority, the operator’s relationship managers approached potential customers on the phone, inviting them to bet with betr.

Further Breaches Might Cost Betr Its License

As outlined by the regulator, betr had effectively contacted non-gambling customers, which is strictly prohibited under local regulation. In addition, the operator had sent direct marketing materials to people who had not provided their consent to receive such material.

As a result of the newly-discovered breaches, the Racing Commission fined betr an additional $37,550 for its incompliance, bringing the total fines for the three breaches to over $50,000.

Betr later told the commission that it is keen on following the rules. The operator promised that none of the people who refused further communications have been contacted again. In addition, the company said that its personnel will undergo extra training to prevent similar situations in the future.

Despite that, the Racing Commission remained dismayed that betr was unable to prevent these breaches.

The Commission is therefore very disappointed that, under their leadership, affiliates and employees were permitted to contact any persons in breach of the requirements of the Code.

Racing Commission statement

The regulator imposed the maximum possible fine of 170 for the two new breaches. In addition, the Racing Commission warned betr that if it breaches the regulations again, the authority might be forced to take another disciplinary action. As outlined in the Code, the commission may even suspend betr’s license if it continues to break the rules.

The Racing Commission opted to make its decision public and uploaded it on its site as a warning to all gambling companies in the Northern Territory.



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Best Poker Chips: Top Poker Chip Sets for Home Games

Best Poker Chips: Top Poker Chip Sets for Home Games



Ashley Adams has been playing poker for 50 years and writing about it since 2000. He is the author of hundreds of articles as well as Winning 7-Card Stud (Kensington 2003). It’s fair to say he knows a thing or two about poker, live poker especially. We asked Adams to give our readers an insight into the various poker chip sets you can buy for your poker home game, and he duly obliged

This article was originally written by Ashley Adams in August 2016. Last update: February 2023.

An age-old saying goes like this: “The guy who invented gambling was brilliant, but the guy who invented chips was a genius.

The reason behind this saying is that chips remove from gambling the real world of money. Gamblers tend to have short memories. Once they purchase chips, they quickly forget their real-world value, making losses on the green felt seem relatively painless — at least until they go to cash out.

Home poker has largely embraced this concept. Games that used to be played with silver change and paper money are now often played with the best poker chips. If you’re hosting a home game, you may well be considering the purchase of a cool poker chip set.

Quick Guide to PokerStars Home Games; It Takes Just Five Easy Steps!

The best poker chip sets contain:

  • A set of 500 poker chips
  • Poker chips in three or four colors for different denominations
  • A deal button
  • A Big Blind button
  • A Small Blind button
  • Two decks of French cards

A poker chip set for the home like this should be enough for your typical game of one to two tables. Finding the best poker chips for home games depends on your tastes and budget.

Here’s a summary of what’s out there to help you find the perfect chips for your game. To get a good sense of your options, I suggest you check out the online stores specializing in poker supplies.

Cheap Poker Chips: Plastic Chips

At the very lowest end of the chip market are the very lightweight, 2-gram or so, thin plastic poker chips that many of us played with as kids or in high school and college. They are typically sold in packs of 100, often in red, white, and blue.

These chips are available in nearly every large pharmacy and grocery store, usually in the same area where they sell packs of playing cards. They’ll cost you $2.50 to $3.95 or so. If you look around, you might find them in the dollar stores, but they will be low-quality.

You can buy plastic poker chips online, too. In these cases, these are your best options:

These cheap plastic poker chips are acceptable in a pinch or with young or inexperienced players who have never been to a public poker room or casino. But they feel and sound so much cheaper than you find in a casino or poker room that they may be inadequate for your more serious players.

Home Game Hero George Holmes Enjoying His Wild Ride at the 2021 Main Event

Imitation Clay Poker Chips

One step up, and what I first purchased in the early ’90s when I started playing in casinos around the United States, are solidly colored, imitation clay poker chips.

These poker chips for home games are made of heavy plastic weighing 8 grams a chip or so. Excellent imitation clay poker chips for home games are often marketed as “super diamond chips.” They can be purchased online for between $.06 and $.10 per chip and sell in “sleeves” of 25 single-color chips.

These are the best poker chips of this kind:

These imitation clay poker chips are perfect for your home game, especially if you are running multi-table tournaments and want to afford a lot of chips for relatively little money. Since they lack any striping, spotting, or design, some players might not prefer them. But I’ve used mine in large tournaments and home games for 25 years and never had a complaint (at least not to my face).

Clay Composite Chips

Best Poker Chips: Top Poker Chip Sets for Home Games 101
Clay composite chips

Slightly more expensive, and by far the most common chips sold to poker players today, are the metal-filled, clay composite chips, with many different designs, strips, and spots. Clay poker chips are usually sold as part of a chip set, including an inexpensive aluminum carrying case.

These can also be purchased in sleeves of 25 from some companies but are typically sold in units of 500 or 1,000 as part of a poker chip set for home games. These clay composite chips come in an extensive range of prices.

The 500-chip sets, for example, can be purchased online for anywhere from $39 or so up to $300 (not including shipping), based on the chip’s quality, design, and weight. Each chip weighs anywhere from 11 to 14 grams.

Pick one of these if you are looking for the best poker chips and want a top chip set for home games. You can’t go wrong with any of them.

I’ve noticed that the clay composite chips tend to be of unacceptably poor quality at the very bottom of that price range.

I once purchased a 1,000-chip set for $90 and paid $45 to ship them (they’re heavy, and shipping is generally expensive). The chips arrived with 20 red chips equaling the height of only 19 white chips. They had many other defects in them as well. I had to send them back for a refund — and got stuck with one way of the shipping costs.

If you are ordering these metal-filled chips, I recommend you order no cheaper chip than the ones selling for about $150 for 1,000.

Play home games online at PokerStars

Discover the most beginner-friendly games of poker on the internet.

Customized Ceramic Poker Chips

Best Poker Chips: Top Poker Chip Sets for Home Games 102
Customized ceramic chips

The next step up is the Ceramic poker chips that sell for about $.40-$.75 or so each.

Nevada Jacks is the most popular brand of these chips. These also come in sets of 500 or 1,000.

An excellent ceramic poker set of the best home poker chips are known for their brilliant colors and sharp detail. These are the best poker chips to buy. They are not metal filled and don’t make the metal clanging sound when they bump together. Players rave about them.

The most expensive, regularly produced variety of chips are the casino-quality clay chips made by the Paulson company, typified by the Top Hat and Cane design. These chips cost roughly $1.25 a chip, or from $1,100 to $1,400 for a set of 1,000.

If you want your home poker chips to be like those in a casino and don’t mind paying for them, these are for you. The best ceramic poker chips for home games are:

There is another option to consider. Some chip manufacturers will customize your chips with your design. These can come as a “hot stamped” imprint, as a printed label that is permanently affixed to the chip, or in the case of ceramic chips, the design can be built into the chip itself. Prices for this option vary widely, so shop around if this interests you.

Poker Chip Cases

Remember, you’ll want a case to store and transport your poker chip set. There are a few options in this department as well.

The most common are these thin aluminium or vinyl attaché cases.

These are most frequently made with room for 500 chips and a few extra spaces for cards. Chip cases also accommodate 250, 350, 750, and 1,000 chips.

They sell for between $20-$50 and can vary some in quality, though it’s usually next to impossible to tell from the pictures which ones are more sturdily made. Look for reinforcements in the corners.

Best Poker Chips: Top Poker Chip Sets for Home Games 103
Chip case

Also, the 1,000 capacity chip case, when filled with chips, will be too heavy for some to carry around easily.

You might be better off ordering two 500s instead. There is also a 2,000-chip case that comes with wheels for easier transportation. If you run tournaments or move your game from place to place, you might be tempted to get it, but I don’t recommend it. From everything I’ve read and heard, it is not built with sufficient sturdiness to survive much use. Tales of handles and wheels falling off upon first use are a legend.

There are a few other chip case options. One is a clear lucite chip case. It is built for 1,000 chips, stacked in chip racks of 100 each, and sells for about $50.

This is very useful if you run tournaments and want to quickly have your chips organized for simple distribution to a large group of people.

Home Game Heroes: Five Ingredients for Organizing and Hosting a Poker Game

It’s also incredibly sturdy, easy to stack, and doesn’t dent, scratch, or deteriorate from regular use (unlike the aluminum and vinyl cases described above). It’s what I use, and I highly recommend it.

Finally, for those who care about how your chip cases look, there are some charming wooden storage boxes. They tend to be cube-shaped, come in a dark finish, and have shiny, small metal handles, one on each side of the box.

They aren’t easy to carry, so it would be awkward and inappropriate if you transported your chips regularly. But they do look nice sitting on a shelf. They sell for about $50 separately, but like all other chip cases, they are often included in the price of a chip set.

Other Recommendations

I would immediately rule out the cheap plastic poker chips and the cheapest metal-filled chips. Beyond that, however, there isn’t much difference in how your poker-playing guests will react to the chips.

I’ve played in home games with the best ceramic poker chips, and with Paulson’s. They were beautiful to hold. But while I noticed the quality, no one else seemed to care. I’ve found that poker players are typically so completely engaged in how much they are up or down that the look of their chips is the last thing they care about.

That being said, you might care about that and might take great pride in having a stunning set of chips that remind you of those you play with at a casino. One last item to consider is that only a few brick-and-mortar stores sell a wide variety of poker chips (The Gambler’s General Store in Las Vegas is a great exception).

Amazon, Target, Walmart, and a few other retail chains may have boxed sets for sale, but the chips themselves will still be hidden. That means, for the most part, you’ll probably be looking online at an image of a chip — not the real thing — when you contemplate a purchase.

Therefore, I recommend that before you buy a complete set of chips, especially an expensive one, you either purchase or ask the company to send you some sample chips for free. Catalogs, computer screens, and the like don’t do a chip justice. You’ll need to see, hold, and use the chip itself. Sure, it may cost you $5 or $10 to get a small sample set of chips from the manufacturer. But that’s a much less costly option than ordering chips you don’t want and having to return them.

Photos: “Ready for poker,” Laura,
CC BY 2.0; “Poker Chips,” Indi Samarajiva,
CC BY 2.0; “Poker XII,” Bastian Greshake, CC BY-SA 2.0; “New custom ceramic chip set,” BigMikeSndTch, CC BY 2.0; “Poker anyone?” uzi978, CC BY-SA 2.0;.

Sharelines

  • Thinking of buying a poker chip set for your home game? Advice about which chips are best for you.

  • Plastic? Imitation clay or clay composite? Customized ceramic? Some tips about home game poker chips.





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