An official press release revealed DraftKings’ plans for the 10 March Massachusetts online sports betting launch. The operator will utilize the next few days to the maximum, focusing on raising awareness of its imminent arrival in the Bay State via commercials and promotional events. Entering a new jurisdiction marks a significant milestone in DraftKings’ expansion efforts and should net the company substantial long-term benefits.

Fans Can Support Their Favorite Teams

10 March is fast approaching, and hopeful operators are doing their best to reach as many customers as possible during launch day. As one of the USA’s top sportsbooks, DraftKings has invested significant efforts to bolster its presence in the Bay State. The company hopes to draw in hopeful bettors with its varied selection of bet types, exclusive promotions, and ability to wager on numerous sports and leagues.

DraftKings has forged relationships with hometown teams like the Boston Bruins, New England Revolution, Boston Celtics, and the New England Patriots. Fans will soon be able to support their favorites and wager on exciting events like the NCAA Division I Basketball tournaments. Customers can participate via the DraftKings Sportsbook app on Android and iOS devices.

In the few days before the launch, DraftKings has prepared an extensive marketing campaign, hoping to inform sports fans of the many new online sports betting opportunities. The company plans to execute several marketing campaigns before and immediately after the launch like Boston sports watch parties and an official celebration with special guests.

The operator has also prepared its “Bet Local” commercial, which will commence on 10 March. The promo will feature famous Massachusetts athletes and celebrities who will help spread the word and inform fans of their new ability to bet online. Such campaigns aim to elevate DraftKings and help it secure its share of the new market.

DraftKings Should Secure a Sizeable Market Share

Launching in a previously untapped jurisdiction is a golden opportunity for all operators. However, several sportsbooks allegedly pulled out of the state before launch due to stiff competition from big players like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars. Analysts agree that an operator would need between 7% and 8% of the overall market share to be profitable. 

Such a milestone should be relatively easy to reach for DraftKings as the company commands substantial mindshare and has invested heavily in the launch. DraftKings co-founder, CEO, and chairman Jason Robins was excited to reach millions of new fans, delivering a safe and exciting sports betting product to the state’s diehard fans.

This launch will mark a major milestone for our company, and we’re proud to become the hometown sportsbook for customers in the Commonwealth.

Jason Robins, DraftKings co-founder, CEO, and chairman

The Massachusetts launch should allow DraftKings to maintain its considerable momentum coming out of 2022. The operator’s yearly revenue hit $2.2 billion, representing a significant 73% year-over-year increase. With a positive outlook for 2023 and an entirely new market at its fingertips, DraftKings may continue to surpass expectations.

Americas Cardroom, a US-themed online poker site, will celebrate International Women’s Day with a special charity tournament. As announced by the company, it will donate funds raised during the event to the United Breast Cancer Foundation.

Poker enthusiasts can join Americas Cardroom in celebration of the occasion and compete for a $10K guaranteed prize pool. The tournament has an entry fee of $55, making it accessible for players of all skill levels.

In addition, Americas Cardroom has decided to make the event even more appealing by providing entrants with an additional $55 tourney ticket. Players can use this second ticket to enter any future $55 tournament hosted by the company.

Americas Cardroom added that the prize pool will be paid out to players. The company will, meanwhile, match the total prize pool and will donate it to the United Breast Cancer Foundation.

A Twitch Live Chat Will Boost Engagement

Katie Lindsay and Ebony Kenney, Americas Cardroom team pros, and Nikki Lomo and Caitlin Comesky, prominent poker celebrities, will bolster engagement during the tournament by hosting a live chat on Twitch.

In addition to discussing the ongoing event and the latest developments, the women will also speak about the importance of raising awareness of the dangers of breast cancer and how important is for women to conduct self-exams at home.

Kenney noted that this wouldn’t be the first time the poker company has organized a tournament for Women’s Day. Last year’s event, she said, was a resounding success. Because of that, Kenney is excited to be a part of the celebrations once again. She said that there is nothing that beats playing poker with friends while supporting a good cause.

Playing poker with some badass friends of mine while also supporting a good cause?! Yes, sign me up! I am honored to be a part of the positive and intentional movement happening for women in poker.

Ebony Kenney

Lindsey added that she still fondly remembers the last time Americas Cardroom teamed up with the United Breast Cancer Foundation.

It was so wonderful working with the United Breast Cancer Foundation for our last charity event and I’m super excited to be able to do it again with another great group of women.

Katie Lindsay

Nikki Lomo and Caitlin Comesky also released statements on the upcoming tournament, saying that they feel honored to be part of the initiative and join so many talented and inspiring women.

In February, Americas Cardroom ran two satellite events, providing four full poker vacation packages for a Super High Roller Series in Vietnam this March.

The Brussels-based trade association representing online gambling operators in Europe, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), announced it has released new pan-European anti-money laundering (AML) guidelines for the iGaming sector. The announcement came Monday and sees the organization boost its efforts against money laundering for the Old Continent.

The new set of rules was released after a consultation period was conducted last autumn. For the period of the consultation, EGBA asked for feedback from national regulators, as well as experts within the vertical.

The newly released guidelines for the online gambling sector in Europe were compiled thanks to contributions from leading AML compliance experts. At the same time, the rules “reflect the latest technologies and laws and build upon EGBA’s commitment to promote the highest level of industry responsibility in AML,” explains a statement released by the Association.

Guidelines Are Expected to Help European Online Gambling Operators

Dr Ekaterina Hartmann, EGBA’s director of legal and regulatory affairs, explained that the new AML guidelines reaffirm EGBA’s commitment to protecting the online gambling sector in Europe from financial crimes. At the same time, she pointed out that the guidance comes at a time when financial crimes continue to evolve and become more sophisticated.

Dr Hartmann explained that currently, there is no sector-specific guidance for the online gambling sector in Europe, which is why the new “guidelines provide a valuable tool to fill this gap and help operators achieve the highest possible standards.”

“As the sophistication of financial crime continues to evolve, the publication of these AML guidelines demonstrates EGBA’s commitment to ensure that Europe’s online gambling sector actively contributes towards the fight against financial crime.“

Dr Ekaterina Hartmann, director of legal and regulatory affairs at EGBA

The new guidelines, as explained by EGBA, bring practical sector-specific guidance for online gambling operators. This includes guidance on how such companies should conduct due diligence checks, as well as reporting suspicious transactions and risk assessments. Ultimately, this is vital guidance that can help gambling operators strengthen their AML policies and compliance.

EGBA’s guidance comes in addition to the upcoming pan-European AML Regulation. Companies that are EGBA members need to annually submit reports to the association and confirm the progress on the implementation of the guidelines. Still, EGBA invited other operators to also join the initiative and the fight against money laundering and financial crimes.

Tommy Wilson is the name of the 74-year-old player from Las Cruces who claims he won a jackpot of $542,000 on a slot machine at the casino owned by Pueblo of San Felipe on February 25. 

However, what should have been one of the happiest days of his life for the unemployed veteran turned into a stressful event, according to the Albuquerque Journal. The newspaper revealed that the Black Mesa Casino invoked a system glitch in the slot machine that apparently rendered the player’s win illegitimate.  

The Player Spent $100 on the Buffalo-Themed Slot

On the controversial day, the player placed bets that totaled around $100 on the buffalo-themed slot game that brought him the big win in five or six minutes’ time. Or so he thought. Shortly after the slot machine announced the big jackpot, it shut down out of the blue. 

The players who witnessed what had happened started congratulating the player on his win, but this did not convince casino management that there was an actual win to begin with. After they completed the necessary diagnostics on the slot machine, they explained to Wilson that his win was not a legitimate one. The casino argued they came across a “digital or electronic glitch” and, accordingly, decided not to pay him. 

Wilson was informed by a casino employee of the possibility of filing a complaint with the Black Mesa Casino gaming commission. The latter is an independent body that is not related to the state regulator, which is the Gaming Control Board. The board is responsible for monitoring compliance of the gaming tribes in the state under the approval of tribal or state gaming compacts.

Too “Perturbed” to File the Complaint

Wilson claimed he was too perturbed to file a complaint on the spot. He also failed to take any photos of the winning slot screen or write down the names of the other players who had witnessed what had happened. 

Instead of following the complaint filing procedure, he went to Denver where he was scheduled for a job interview. Later that week, he returned to the Black Mesa Casino, determined this time to file the complaint and ask for his jackpot.

After the casino asked for his phone number and email address, he decided to try his luck on the slots once more. He won twice within 30 minutes on the same machine that had originally brought him the huge jackpot the previous week.

Wilson recalled the game had a lion/African theme in place and that it was most likely called Kings of Africa. He scored a win of $1,226 and another one of $1,446. In spite of his good fortune, the player who is still jobless and who recently underwent a triple bypass surgery is still looking for justice, stating “justice will come in the form of karma.” 

Wilson added he would be even willing to accept a $50,000 payment as an apology from the casino. However, the player who actively served in the US Air Force was offered “nothing” by the casino that runs a promotion that gives away a $10 free play bonus on Wednesdays to army veterans and active-duty service people. 

The multinational sports betting and gaming group wishes to see all commercial messaging part of its outdoor marketing campaign in Romania vanish or be replaced with responsible gambling messages. The self-regulation decision comes in the context of the current discussions on a law that would restrict the promotion of gambling in the country. 

All Commercial Messages, Removed within a 100-Meter Radius of High Schools

The important changes in the group’s marketing strategy will take place in the European country that represents one of their core territories, and it is expected to be implemented during the first six months of 2023. The removal of all of Superbet’s commercial messages in out-of-home advertising will also include any slogans and additional content that might encourage passers-by to engage in any form of gambling and gaming. 

The group has also announced that it plans to only keep those street advertisements that display messages that encourage responsible gambling. Additionally, the operator has announced its intention to get more actively involved in the protection of minors, one of the most vulnerable categories in the country in relation to gambling risks. 

Accordingly, Superbet Group will also soon proceed to remove all out-of-home ads located within 100 meters (328 feet) of all high school facilities, no matter the size or type of the ad displays.

Superbet’s Decision, “Unique in the Romanian Market”

According to the official statement released by the group, their initiative is “unique in the Romanian market” and it will be used to further prove Superbet’s desire to maintain an ongoing and open dialogue with gaming regulators while working together with domestic and global sustainability and responsible gaming professionals.

In the same statement issued by Superbet, the group explained that it will keep developing a “sustainable business strategy, in which responsible gaming and involvement in the community are priority milestones.” 

The group that appointed Hans-Holger Albrecht as its new chairman at the end of February also explained that Romania’s gambling industry “operates in a complex regulatory framework, being in full compliance with national and European legislation” which explains their transparent collaboration with all bodies involved in the decision-making processes related to gambling and gaming.

At the start of March, a draft law that would regulate gambling advertisements was subject to voting in the Senate, where it passed with 80 votes in favor and two abstentions. To be put into practice, a vote in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies would also be necessary.

In its final form, the law would prevent street advertisements to exceed 30 square meters (2,952 feet) and promote “money prizes or material goods.” According to the same law proposal backed by the National Audiovisual Council, TV ads would also be banned between 6 AM and 11 PM. 

It has now been more than a year since Russia infringed Ukraine’s sovereignty and invaded the country after claiming it would never do that for months. As war losses mount, Ukraine has decided to block a long list offshore gambling websites, including many Russian operators.

Unlicensed offshore websites are illegal anyways but Ukraine has taken protecting its gambling market a step further and has completely barred Ukrainians from accessing the websites in question. This was announced by Ukraine’s Security Service, which joined forces with the local regulator to crack down on illegal gambling.

The ban of Russian offshore operators demonstrates both Ukraine’s intention to protect its legal gambling market and the country’s unrelenting ambition to drive Russia away from its territory. By blocking unlicensed websites, Ukraine will channel more players toward the legal sector.

A more controversial decision, on the other hand, was the Ukrainian Gambling and Betting Association’s refusal to allow its members to postpone paying their taxes for 2022. As a result, operators have to pay what they owe by April 2023. Companies have been struggling to adapt and not being able to delay their financial obligations will hurt their businesses.

The Russian invasion has been profoundly criticized by the Western world. As a result, Russian tech companies even got banned from attending the CES 2023 event in Las Vegas in January.

Ukraine Wanted to Expand Its Industry Prior to the War

Ukraine legalized online gambling in 2020. Under the local rules, companies must first apply for an internet gambling and betting license from the Ukrainian Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries. As one might guess, all licensees are required to also comply with the local regulations.

However, the rules also state that no company that is owned by a Russian company or person can acquire a license. Furthermore, licensees should not own shares of any Russian company or have shareholders from a FATF-graylisted country. If a company fulfills all of the requirements, it has to pay $1.3 million for its license.

In 2020, Ukraine also legalized traditional land-based casinos. However, the country currently has but a single operational casino, which is the Billionaire’s Casino at the InterContinental Hotel in Kyiv.

Unfortunately, Ukraine’s gambling potential has largely been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war which erupted soon after. While there are still efforts to modernize and expand local gambling, it will take a while before the industry can recuperate from all the damages.

Charles Bronson, a criminal who’s been behind bars for the last five decades, admitted that he is a passionate sports bettor. This confession normally wouldn’t be anything special if not for the fact that prison rules prohibit gambling.

Bronson’s claim comes amid his parole hearing and may actually affect his future. The criminal got into prison in 1974 on the account of armed robbery. He may have been a reformed man by now if not for his love for breaking the rules, which resulted in additional sentences.

The parole board recently convened at HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire to discuss Bronson’s situation. During the gathering, the prisoner’s various prison rules violations were commented on, including his love for placing punts on sports.

According to Bronson, he has won around £1,500 ($1,778, current conversion rates) throughout his years of wagering with other inmates. Since gambling is forbidden in British prisons, this raises a serious question about the efficiency of the prison system and its protocols.

Crime Defined Bronson’s Life

If gambling was Bronson’s only vice, he may have gotten away with it easily. However, the criminal is also notorious for his love for violence. After a fight in which he covered himself in butter, Bronson said that he “loves a rumble” and doesn’t know a man who doesn’t.

Bronson’s “impressive track record” includes holding hostages in prison around a dozen times and fighting with other inmates. In one instance he fought a prison warden and bragged that he enjoyed it thoroughly.

Bronson’s history of crime is not contained to the prison. In fact, the criminal was released on several occasions but returned to prison soon after. For example, he was released in 1987 after serving the sentence for his first armed robbery (which was extended due to him fighting other inmates while in prison). However, Bronson quickly got involved in another robbery and returned to prison some months later.

Bronson was once again released in 1992 but was jailed three months later. At that point, he began committing various crimes in prison and got into a fight with a person who criticized one of his paintings.

Born Michael Gordon Peterson, the criminal now likes to call himself Charles Salvador because of his passion for painting. Nowadays, the man promises that his life of violence is behind him as he hopes to earn parole. However, the parole board remains skeptical of these claims as Bronson admitted that he did not feel remorse for his crimes in prison.