Encore Boston Harbor in Massachusetts took illegal bets on the Boston College Eagles women’s basketball team for the second time this month.
betting on in-state college teams is prohibited
In a meeting on Thursday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) noted that the casino self-reported a similar incident earlier in February. Betting on in-state college teams is prohibited under the framework of Massachusetts’ sports betting legislation.
The casino has pulled all women’s college basketball betting lines until it can figure out the issue. The MGC believes that there was a problem with the technology platform provided by GAN.
More illegal bets in Massachusetts
Encore Boston Harbor assured the commission after its first infraction that it “implemented additional measures to ensure compliance.” Infractions were said to have occurred “over the past few days.”
According to Bruce Band, the MGC’s sports betting director, the casino tuned its system to prevent individuals from betting on in-state college teams. However, the system automatically reverted itself and allowed bets on any team.
we have locked all NCAA women’s college basketball betting”
“Through our audits we identified a programming error in the system as it relates to NCAA women’s college basketball markets and are currently working with our provider on a permanent solution,” a spokesperson for Encore Boston Harbor spokesperson wrote in an email. “In the interim, we have locked all NCAA women’s college basketball betting.”
Massachusetts bettors will not be able to wager on women’s college basketball games until officials can figure out how to stop the technology from automatically resetting itself and allowing bets on any teams.
Officials have not revealed how long betting lines were unlocked or how much money was illegally allowed to slip through the cracks. Band promised that the MGC will release more details “in the coming week or so.”
Working out the kinks
Massachusetts retail sports betting went live on January 31 at three casinos—Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park. Online betting has already been agreed upon and is expected to launch on March 10, just in time for the annual college basketball tournament affectionately known as March Madness.
Both fortunately and unfortunately, the Boston College women’s team is not having the best season and is unlikely to participate in the national tournament. The Eagles are just 14-16 and 4-13 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play.
MGC officials said that moneyline betting was allowed during BC’s February 2 game against Notre Dame for roughly five hours, which was the incident Encore Boston Harbor previously self-reported. Only one bet was placed on this line, and it was part of a $70 five-leg parlay.
not only at Encore but the two other casinos in Massachusetts
The state plans on holding meetings to determine why illegal bets have been allowed not only at Encore but the two other casinos in Massachusetts.
Plainridge Park let bettors wager on in-state Merrimack College during its February 2 game against Long Island University. A total of $6,848 in wagers and $4,270 in winnings were transacted.
MGM Springfield also accepted bets on two Harvard University men’s basketball games.
The post Encore Boston Harbor Took Illegal Bets on Boston College Women’s Basketball…Again appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
Twitch is a live streaming platform where viewers and content creators worldwide can unite and share in live entertainment. From video games to in-real-life (IRL) streams, Twitch’s popularity stems from the fact that it has something for almost everyone.
many creators on Twitch gambled thousands of dollars live to entertain their audiences
With a platform so diverse, online gambling soon found a home on Twitch. Gambling companies such as PokerStars and Stake started to partner with big Twitch streamers, including AdinRoss, xQc, and Trainwreck. As a result, many creators on Twitch gambled thousands of dollars live to entertain their audiences while gaining massive viewership.
Streamers like Trainwreck, Roshtein, and xQc found massive success in their slots streams, and gambling grew in popularity. In addition, many gambling companies continued to increase sponsorship on the site, further boosting the presence of online gambling.
Calls for a ban
As gambling gained eyeballs on Twitch, it also garnered plenty of controversies. Many have claimed that Twitch’s gambling is damaging the younger users on the site while promoting an addictive lifestyle. Though gambling had been met with a fair bit of pushback from the community for some time, it wasn’t until streamer ItsSliker admitted to scamming friends and followers that the issues of Twitch gambling were truly accentuated.
According to reports, ItsSliker scammed his victims out of nearly $300,000 to fuel his gambling addiction. Popular creators such as xQc (Félix Lengyel) and Ludwig Ahgren worked to refund the victims of ItsSlicker’s scam.
To put more pressure on Twitch to do something about the problems with gambling on the site, streaming icons Pokimane (Imane Anys), Mizkif (Matthew Rinaudo), and Asmongold all agreed to go on strike. This would have caused damage to Twitch’s revenue:
Twitch’s ban of gambling
In response to the barrage of pressure the platform was facing, Twitch eventually announced that streamers would no longer be allowed to broadcast gambling sites. This ban would include slots, roulette, or dice games if they weren’t licensed in the United States or provide “sufficient consumer protection.”:
The ban took effect on October 18, 2022. Sites like Stake, Rollbit, Duelbits, and Roobet were subsequently prohibited on Twitch. Many streamers called this a victory, with some prominent creators such as Pokimane, Hasanabi, and Ludwig praising the move.
However, not everyone was pleased. Streamer FaZe Ronaldo took to Twitter to call out Twitch for still allowing controversial hot tub streamers, while Fortnite streamer SAEVID argued that hot tub streams are “arguably even worse morally.”:
I don’t advocate gambling but seems a little bit wrong to ban gambling & allow all these pool & hot tub (etc) streams. If you’re going to ban something that’s immoral, it doesn’t make sense to keep something arguably even worse morally, make an age restriction that actually works
Trainwreck, who had gained massive success as a gambling streamer on Twitch, also voiced his distaste and called the site “corrupt” for continuing to allow sports betting. In a September 21, 2022 Tweet, he stated, “banning other forms of gambling while keeping the most prevalent form of it that gets them paid is a f*cking joke.”
The post Why Did Gambling Become Such a Big Deal on Twitch? appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
The popularity of sports betting in online gambling has grown in recent years due to a Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for individual states to legalize it. Even though over half of all states have legalized sports betting, it is still illegal in many regions of the country. From 2018 till now, around 30 states have legalized sports betting, with 21 allowing online betting.
It’s difficult to predict whether 2023 will be the year for the legalization of online poker and sports betting in the US, as the legality of these activities varies by state and is subject to change. Currently, online poker and sports betting are legal in a limited number of states, with more states considering legalizing or regulating these activities.
As of 2023, only a small number of states have permitted and managed online poker: Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan. If more states pass legislation to legalize or regulate online poker and sports betting, 2023 could be a year of significant progress in this area.
In 2022, sports betting was legalized in Kansas, Maine, and Massachusetts. This means that there are still 16 states in the US without legal sports wagering options. These 16 states include large populations attracting the attention of sports betting operators, such as California, Florida, and Texas. Recently, a State representative of Texas, Charlie Geren, has filed for the legalization of gambling in Texas. Since the state’s constitution does not allow sports gambling, Geren has filed a resolution to amend the constitution, preventing the state from losing huge amounts of money to betting giants. Although legal sports betting in Texas and other such states are not expected to happen soon, it may make progress in 2023. Additionally, some other jurisdictions are likely to legalize sports betting this year.
States Most Likely to Legalise Sports Wagering in 2023
Kentucky
A bill was introduced in the 2023 legislative session to legalize online sports betting and daily fantasy in Kentucky. The state is surrounded by states that already allow sports betting, including Missouri, which is considering similar measures. Public opinion in Kentucky supports the legalization of sports betting by a two-to-one margin, and about half of the eligible population has already placed bets on sporting events.
Governor Andy Beshear has also expressed support for legalization, but the Kentucky General Assembly has been reluctant to expand gambling in the state. However, the continuing outflow of Kentuckians going to other states to place bets may eventually sway lawmakers to change their stance on the issue.
Missouri
Optimism surrounding the legalization of sports betting in Missouri was rampant heading into 2022, but those aspirations were dashed with the return of Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs). Now a third bill has been filed for consideration during the 2023 legislative session that could potentially bring legal sportsbooks to Missouri. Whether or not this dream becomes a reality will ultimately depend on negotiators being able to reach an agreement between VLT proponents and supporters of legalized sports betting.
Minnesota
Minnesota has the best prospects for passing sports betting legislation. In 2022, the House approved a sports betting bill, but most senators voted against it. However, last year’s election saw the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party gain control of the Senate, which are much more supportive of sports gambling. Representative Jeremy Miller has already claimed “Minnesota is falling behind” as he continues to try and push a bill through.
Apart from these states, Georgia, Massachusetts, Kentucky, and South Carolina are also in the race to make sports wagering legal this year.
Last States to Legalize Online Poker and Online casinos
However, while there has been a lot of movement in regard to sports betting across the US, there has been a stark contrast in the number of states to have legalized online poker and online casinos.
Michigan
Michigan is the latest State to have fully embraced online casinos and poker. Poker was made legal around the same time as Michigan online casinos were back in 2019. Since then, a number of operators have since acquired licenses and are now able to offer residents and visitors to the state the ability to enjoy a safe wagering experience. Indeed, there has been evidence that the move to do so has benefited the state economically, as almost $2 billion was generated in revenues in 2022; a number that is likely to grow.
However, it does not appear as though there are many moving on the figures being generated at the moment, as Michigan was the last state to have legalized iGaming and online poker.
New Jersey
It could be argued that New Jersey was the driving force behind the shift in legalized online gambling and the industry in the US. Of course, Nevada had always been considered the home for this activity, but following the Garden State’s victory in 2018 in front of the Supreme Court, it has opened up opportunities for everyone else. Since going legal, NJ has recently managed to match and create a new joint record of $5.21 billion in terms of revenue in 2022, thus highlighting it is still going as strong as ever.
Pennsylvania
Following in the footsteps of NJ, Pennsylvania was another of the early adopters when it came down to legalizing online casinos and online poker in the US. Again, it is also another state that has been able to benefit by doing so, as there have been a number of strong revenue performances. Indeed, PA was another state that managed to have another record year in 2022, with almost half-a-billion more being generated.
Future of Sports Betting and Online Poker in the US
In the United States, sports betting has become widely available across the country, whereas, in the past, only Nevada offered legal sports betting. This shift was a result of a Supreme Court ruling in 2018. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. predicts that the online sports betting market will generate up to $39 billion in yearly revenue by 2033, compared to the current less than $1 billion. The rapid growth of digital betting is a major contributor to this surge, which received a significant boost during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns due to increased online activities.
As each state in the US can establish its sports wagering laws and regulations, the sports betting experience can vary greatly from one state to another. For instance, one state may only permit in-person betting on sports, while another state may provide online sports betting. This creates challenges for lawmakers who try to legalize sports betting in certain states. Despite the difficulties, the growing popularity of sports gambling and online poker games has prompted many states to legalize it to bring in significant revenue.
2023 Could See Significant Progress
2023 could be a year of significant progress for legalizing online poker and sports betting in the US. Only six states have legalized and regulated online poker, with around 30 states allowing legal sports betting, including online betting in 21 states. Several states are considering legalizing or regulating online poker and sports betting. The success of 2023 in this area will depend on the outcome of ongoing legislative discussions and compromises.
Haralabos Voulgaris is not exactly a household name, but if you follow the NBA, bet on basketball, or are seriously into poker, you may have heard of him.
In 2013, ESPN ran a story on “Bob” titled “Meet the world’s top NBA gambler” where they detailed how Voulgaris had earned a fortune in sports betting before he was even 30.
He has played in the World Series of Poker, worked for the Dallas Mavericks and is even the owner and president of the Spanish third-division soccer club, Castellón. Oh, and his current net worth is estimated to be $5 million.
So, we’re going to break down the story of one of the gambling world’s most exciting characters and look at his life in betting, sports, and beyond.
How Did Voulgaris Make His Fortune?
Haralabos “Bob” Voulgaris was born in Canada to Greek parents, who had moved to the country in their 20s.
His father was an entrepreneur in Winnipeg and had a real estate business and a Greek restaurant named after the Greek god Hermes.
In Greek mythology, Hermes is the god of several things, including games, sports, and sudden enrichment, which probably wasn’t coincidental because Voulgaris Sr. was a serious gambler who gave his son the bug.
Through his business ventures, Voulgaris’s father became a multi-millionaire, and after Bob finished high school, they traveled together to Las Vegas for a two-month trip spent almost entirely at Caesars Palace.
Bob was too young to go on the casino floor, so he spent most of his days in the sportsbook, where he watched countless NBA games.
He took notes on the games and the book’s adjustments and started gambling on them with his father at night.
It was by no means high stakes (his largest bet was for $100), but this Vegas education left a lasting imprint on Voulgaris, who said, “I learned at a young age that it’s tough to beat the house – unless you know what you’re doing.”
After returning to Canada and starting his studies at the University of Manitoba, Bob continued to bet and took what he’d learned on board. He would bet on NBA and CFL games, making tidy profits while studying and holding down a part-time job.
When he finished college, he decided to up the stakes, and ahead of the NBA season, he placed his life savings of $70,000 on the Lakers to win the 1999/00 NBA championship.
This was a massive gamble, as the Lakers didn’t make it past the previous season’s second round of the playoffs, but it paid off.
And when captain Shaquille O’Neal raised the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy above his head, Voulgaris cashed a slip for nearly $500,000.
Professional Gambling
This was the injection of cash and confidence that Bob needed to take things to the next level, and in the 2000/01 season, he made around 350 wagers on the NBA with a lot of success.
Sportsbooks were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are now, and Voulgaris spotted a weakness that he could exploit.
Different books would make projections for how many points they thought would be scored in a game but would also take bets on how much would be scored in each half.
Unbelievably the sportsbooks just divided their projected game total in half, which didn’t account for the fact that many close NBA games have lots of fouls in the fourth quarter.
Fouls mean free throws, and free throws mean points, so more often than not, teams would score more in the second half of games.
Voulgaris noticed this trend and took full advantage of it, but he knew this wouldn’t last, and eventually, the sportsbooks realized the errors of their ways.
So, Bob decided to move on to bigger and better things and had the idea to build a predictive betting model that could take the intuition out of betting.
The Model Student
Bob Voulgaris clearly had a talent for numbers, but he knew he needed someone genuinely gifted to make his dream of beating the bookies come true.
So, in 2007, he hired a math prodigy (who he has never named publicly) to help him build a predictive model that could be used on any NBA game.
This prodigy wasn’t just the smartest kid in class, by the way.
He scored a perfect 800 on the math SAT in seventh grade and won national competitions before becoming a teenager.
Eventually, after two years of trial and error, Voulgaris and his prodigy developed the model to a level he was happy with.
So, he used it heavily during the second half of the 2009 NBA season to significant effect.
He made up to 1,000 wages a season and made cumulative bets that would reach in excess of $1 million daily.
World Class Poker
Image: Twitter/djbantiben1
After developing a model that any other bettor would kill for and making what must have been an incredible amount of money (he never confirmed numbers), Voulgaris started to appear in major televised poker events.
In 2012, he entered the World Series of Poker’s Big One for One Drop $1 million buy-in event where he played well but just missed out on making any money.
👉Which WSOP Events Have The Biggest Prize Pools?
But this didn’t deter Bob – professional bettors know that you win some and you lose some – so he continued playing in several World Poker and European Poker Tour events over the years.
In 2017, he returned to the WSOP’s One Drop event and landed the largest tournament win of his poker career.
He earned a whopping $1,158,883 for finishing in fourth place and has amassed a career total of over $3 million in live poker tournaments worldwide.
Move Into Pro Sports
After spending nearly two decades as a professional bettor, Haralabos Voulgaris formally moved into a role in professional basketball.
In 2018, he joined the Dallas Mavericks as Director of Quantitative Research and Development.
No doubt this appointment was made for his ability to analyze the game of basketball, use statistics, and predict outcomes of games.
This was a dream move for Voulgaris, who harbored dreams of being an NBA GM one day.
He even went on record saying, “I’d be able to put together a better team than almost any general manager in the league. If not, maybe all.”
Now, this might seem a bit arrogant, but when you consider his professional gambling record and deep understanding of the NBA, he probably has a point.
👉How To Become A Professional Gambler
This wasn’t Bob’s first foray into professional basketball.
In the 2009-10 season, he signed a contract with an unnamed NBA franchise co-owner to become a consultant on player acquisition and roster assembly.
His skill set matched perfectly with the goal of NBA front offices. They were both trying to understand the value of different players, and for NBA franchises, knowledge was power.
Ultimately, though, neither stint on the inside of professional basketball developed into a career.
He spent five months with the unnamed NBA team before feeling he was being excluded from decision-making and choosing to return to betting full time.
He also left the Dallas Mavericks in 2021, after less than three years with the organization.
It was reported that he had a rift with Mavs’ star guard, Luka Dončić, and player power obviously won out.
CD Castellon
In his 2013 ESPN interview, Bob Voulgaris said if he won enough money gambling, he would buy an NBA franchise.
But they don’t come cheap, so instead, he settled for a third-division Spanish soccer club.
CD Castellon was founded in 1922, has a loyal following, and a stadium with a 15,000 capacity – but a poor recent history.
In July 2022, Voulgaris purchased the club and was confirmed as its owner and president.
He insists buying the club – in a sport he is not associated with – was not a “vanity play” and he has set out a six-year plan for the club to reach the top division in Spanish soccer, La Liga.
Whether he can achieve his goals and turn the team into success on and off the pitch will remain to be seen, but he will take inspiration from neighboring team Villarreal.
Villarreal CF spent almost all of its history in the lower divisions of Spanish soccer, but after reaching La Liga in 1998, they have slowly developed into a powerhouse domestically and in European competition.
In 2021, the club won its first-ever major trophy, winning the UEFA Europa League and beating Manchester United in the final.
It is the stuff dreams are made of, and Bob Voulgaris will undoubtedly have similar ambitions for Castellon.
What’s Next For Bob Voulgaris?
Image: Twitter/haralabob
Bob Voulgaris is one of the most interesting figures in the world of sports betting.
If he can translate his basketball knowledge into soccer, it’s undoubtedly a matter of time before he returns to the US and professional sports management in some capacity.
But, no matter what he does next, one thing is for sure – it won’t be boring.
If you want to keep a close eye on Bob Voulgaris’ life (he has a super cute dog) and get some fantastic betting insights, be sure to follow his twitter page.
Gambling in Canada is hugely popular. In 2021, the gambling industry in Canada is thought to have generated revenues in excess of US$12 billion, with over 18 million Canadians aged over 15 reporting that they gambled in one form or another that year. However, gambling wasn’t always so in demand. Indeed, Canada has had a somewhat chequered past with gambling as a hobby.
Slahal and Indigenous Gambling
Similar to the history of gambling in Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, gambling in Canada has roots tracing back thousands of years. The first we hear about gambling in Canada is from written records from the country’s indigenous people which date back to well before Canada was “discovered”. The records indicate that the tribes of that era were quite fond of a simple game with bones called Slahal.
Slahal is a straightforward game, often played with the shin bones of deer. The premise is that two teams would face-off against each other, one with bones and the other without. The teams with the bones would swap which hands were holding the bones while loudly singing songs to distract their opponent whose job it was to guess which hands the bones were in. The game is so popular that indigenous tribes continue to play it to this very day.
Gambling is Made Illegal in Canada
Do you believe in the butterfly effect? That one small occurrence can result in a larger, more complex event? I hope so, as one change to British law in the 14th century would inadvertently result in gambling being illegal in Canada for hundreds of years!
Back in the 14th Century, Richard III was ruler of the realm in Britain. He had noticed that his archers had become increasingly prone to abandoning their posts to partake in a game of dice. Fearful that this could cause weakness in his defence, the monarch quickly moved to outlaw every type of dice game in Britain.
Over one hundred years later in 1497, the explorer John Cabot “discovered” Canada and claimed it for the British. As the law of the now deceased Richard III was still in effect in Britain, it too was enforced in Canada. Before long, all games of chance would be made illegal in Canada. However, as is often the case when prohibition of a vice is enforced, a booming underground casino industry soon developed.
Gambling is Legal in Canada…Eventually!
Canada would gain its independence from Britain in 1867, but there was certainly no clamour to make gambling immediately legal in Canada. In fact, gambling’s illegal status would be codified into Canadian Law with its addition to the Canadian Criminal Code in 1892. However, as the 20th century began so too did a slow march towards gambling becoming legal in Canada.
By 1910, the government came to realise the economic boon that could come with gambling. An amendment was made to the Criminal Code to allow pari-muteul betting, translated as “betting amongst ourselves”. This was a system of betting where all the bets are collected together. The government also permitted some games of luck, such as raffles and bingo, which were carried out in aid of charities and churches. By 1925, the loosening of the restrictions went further by allowing fairs and exhibitions to organise gambling events.
Gambling in Canada would remain much the same over the next forty years, but another amendment to the criminal code would usher in a sea of change. In 1969, lotteries were made legal. Local and national governments had come to realise the potential that lotteries had to help fund their projects. Five years later, a lottery was used by the government to help fund the Montreal Summer Olympics.
Allowing lotteries was not the end of the loosening of restrictions. In 1970, the ten regions of Canada were given the right to permit, licence and oversee gambling in their own territory. As 1985 came, so too did the almost total legalisation of gambling in Canada (only single-game sports betting was prohibited). In 1989, the first of many government-operated casinos, Crystal Casino, eventually opened in Winnipeg.
Online Gaming Takes Off!
As technology opened up new possibilities for online gambling, Canada established a world-first. In 1996, the Mohawk Territory Kahnawake Gaming Commission was set up. This was the first gaming commission in the world established for online betting. This is quite remarkable, considering gambling was almost entirely illegal in Canada just two decades prior.
This move to online gaming ushered in the new era of gambling in Canada, one that would eventually make the nation the eighth biggest gambling market in the world. High-speed internet and smartphones made online casinos ever more attractive, and in 2021 the government finally decriminalised single-game sports betting. Now, Canadians have a whole host of online and offline options to choose from when it comes visiting a casino. Indeed, there is none better than the lobby of Casino.com where new members can enjoy a very attractive Welcome Package!
The post The History of Gambling in Canada appeared first on Casino.com Blog.
The Northwest Regional and Gary SWAT teams are using the closed-down Majestic Star Casino Hotel in Indiana to conduct training exercises. The property, which is set to be demolished, has allowed the SWAT teams to train through a variety of scenarios.
Snipers practise taking out targets in hotel rooms, while team members conduct hostage rescue exercises within the property. Drones are often used inside the former gambling venue as part of these exercises, providing video surveillance to the command team.
One of the SWAT team members commented on the unique opportunity, stating the teams “do not get this kind of training opportunity often, so let’s take advantage of it.” Over the course of about six weeks, people from a dozen different agencies will take part in training at the former casino.
Majestic Star closed its doors for the final time in April 2021
The Majestic Star closed its doors for the final time in April 2021. Located on Lake Michigan, it consists of two combined riverboat casinos. Hard Rock International took over the property in 2019 and ultimately decided to relocate the gaming license to an inland location.
Hard Rock has since sold the property and opened a $300m casino in downtown Gary. The plan for the Majestic Star site is for it to become a secured outdoor semi-trailer parking facility.
The post SWAT Teams Using Closed Casino to Carry Out Training Operations in Indiana appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
Jami Lafay — the professional name of Jami Daniels, a poker player and Twitter personality who is best known for her semi-regular appearances on Hustler Casino Live — became the center of a Twitter firestorm this week when her GoFundMe became the target of one of Todd Witteles’s investigations.
a goal of $50,000 to help Lafay
The GoFundMe page, started by LaFay’s boyfriend and sister, went up on Monday with a goal of $50,000 to help Lafay with her lost income during her recovery and to help with any medical expenses that are not covered by insurance.
Witteles claimed that “a lot doesn’t add up” about the campaign.
On Wednesday, the ensuing fallout reached the point that Lafay claimed to be going to court in an attempt to stop Witteles’s “harassment.”
The GoFundMe campaign
According to the GoFundMe page, doctors found a metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma (the most common form of thyroid cancer) and a pleomorphic adenoma (a benign tumor of the salivary glands) in her neck earlier in the year.
recovery will take three to six months
The situation according to the GoFundMe is that on Monday, Lafay went in for a ten-hour surgery to remove the adenoma. Complications led to a second round of surgery that night and nerve damage the next day. Further surgery will be required and recovery will take three to six months.
The same day that Lafay was in surgery, Todd Witteles took the GoFundMe to task on the Poker Fraud Alert forums. He cited inconsistencies in Lafay’s account of events and pointed out previous behavior that he felt spoke to her poor character.
Although Witteles admits that he believes that Lafay’s surgeries and illness are real, his position is that the GoFundMe is an attempt to cash in on Lafay’s misfortune rather than a good faith attempt on her part to meet a dire need.
The Twitter fallout
Once Witteles’s accusations hit Twitter, the situation did what it usually does: it escalated. Lafay and her advocates were slow to respond to the substance of Witteles’s accusations, creating a gap into which the trolls poured.
People took sides. Suspicions of bad motives became accusations of fraud. Skeptical questioning was accused of being character assassination, then actually became character assassination. Accounts were banned, threats were made.
Within a few days Lafay claimed that she making legal filings against Witteles and several other Twitter accounts.
The poker world is sensitive to scammers, the whole world is sensitive to cancer, and Twitter’s algorithm seeks out confrontation. As a result, this fire is likely to keep burning for a while. Yet another thing to lay at the door of the US healthcare system.
The post Todd Witteles in Twitter Battle With Jami Lafay Over Her Cancer GoFundMe Campaign appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
SOFTSWISS was a pioneer in the online crypto-casino movement and continues to assert dominance in the arena now. Being the leader of a multi-metric solutions company focused on cryptocurrency gambling puts the company in a unique position to analyze the state of Coins in iGaming. In addition to more than a decade of experience, the company presumably has access to more data than anyone else on the subject through the provenance of its Game Aggregator and Casino Platform. The company has about 700 clients using one or both of those solutions.
In addition to annual reports, SOFTSWISS also publishes quarterly updates. While the just-in-time information is valuable, the annual reports tend to reflect longer-term trends better.
The current trends in digital coin gambling for the year 2022 compared to 2021 are not exceptionally rosy nor is the current trend toward returning to fiat currencies for online gambling seen recently. Caveats should be stated before digging into the numbers too deeply: All data comes from SS customers; partway through the year they introduced a coin-to-fiat converter and all bets placed in fiat currencies, even if the deposit and withdrawals were cryptos, were counted as fiat bets.
The value of Bitcoin and Ethereum which are the two biggest cryptocurrencies by market cap fell 65% and 67% year on year.
Overall, crypto betting fell nearly 15% but Ether increased its share of the total bets made against Bitcoin. We’ll dig into that in a moment as well.
Crypto trends in iGaming are inextricably tied to the macroeconomy and crypto’s place in it. That said, many players may have been reluctant to use digital currencies thanks to the chaotic events it was involved in including November’s FTX debacle. The overall crypto climate was basically unstable for most of the year, but gambling on the company’s platform did increase appreciably when taking fiat currency into account.
The company’s platform saw a 31% increase in total bets made in 2022 over those made in 2021. Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) increased 36% over 2021 numbers.
The platform handled over 20 billion euros in bets during the second quarter alone last year including fiat and cryptocurrencies. That number continued to grow throughout the year. The average bet placed increased by some 35% in Q2 2022 compared to the same quarter in 2021.
Contributing to the rise in numbers may have been an increasing number of SOFTSWISS game aggregator clients, new partnerships with 18 game studios and three new providers accredited in Malta, and the consistent geographical expansion of existing clients.
GGR rose 36% in 2022 from 2.4b EUR to 3.3b – much of that might be attributable to the explosive Latin American market expansion with SS working steadily to help clients capture the nascent lucrative market. Looking at the phenomenal growth of fiat betting as well as revenues compared to less-than-stellar crypto performance we see BTC and ETH moved in different directions. Bitcoin’s slice of the total crypto pie lost 7.4% percentage points over the year while Ethereum gained in popularity among players by 3.7%.
Chief Operating Officer at SOFTSWISS, Vitali Matsukevich commented: “The fact that we see an increasing number of new fiat projects does not diminish the power of the already established worldwide community of crypto players. There is still a strong drive for iGaming operators to implement and expand payment methods supporting digital coins. iGaming tech providers will still be focused on developing new crypto-centric tools. For example, we’ve launched the In-Game Currency Conversion feature allowing the crypto audience to enjoy all available games through automatic conversion of digital coin bets into fiat wagers.”
Fiat bets accounted for 76% of all bets on the platform by the end of 2022.
The top three digital currencies used along with their share of the total were
Bitcoin – 72.7% Ethereum – 13.6% Litecoin – 5.5%
DOGE picked up in popularity as did LTC while USDT nearly doubled its share from 1.7% of all crypto bets to 3.7%. Bitcoin Cash fell off the top six list and was replaced by XRP at an inaugural .7% share.
CEO Matsukevich expressed optimism for 2023 and asserted that players will not abandon crypto thanks to its decentralized nature, transaction speed, and anonymity.
He added: “Despite all digital coin fluctuations, crypto has already gained a significant share among players and operators and has become an integral part of the market. For this reason, SOFTSWISS continues to strengthen its partners’ projects, whether fiat or crypto, with new innovative tools and solutions, providing operators with security, reliability, and top-level service.”
Source: SOFTSWISS, an invitation to view the report, February 23, 2023
The post SOFTSWISS Recaps the State of Digital Coins in iGaming appeared first on Casino News Daily.
English soccer franchise Norwich City Football Club is facing criticism after it emailed a promotional gambling offer to its fans, including a recovering gambling addict.
offering bonuses to bettors who signed up for a Spreadex Sports account
On Friday, the BBC reported that it had seen the emails offering bonuses to bettors who signed up for a Spreadex Sports account and placed a minimum bet. The Norwich fan in recovery from gambling addiction who received the promotional email shared it with James Grimes, a member of charity group The Big Step.
Grimes and The Big Step are seeking an end to all gambling advertising and sponsorship in soccer. He expressed disappointment in the franchise’s slip up after gaining credibility last year for its decision to drop gambling sponsor, Asia-facing gambling brand BK8, from its shirts.
Brand reputation disaster
Norwich, currently ninth in the English Championship, has often branded itself as a ‘family club.’ Perhaps as a result, it made the decision to ditch BK8 after it came under fire for the deal last year. Critics noted provocative marketing material utilized by the Asian gambling brand which didn’t seem to align with the club’s values.
The club has failed to comment
Now, this latest promotional email debacle has brought Norwich’s family-oriented reputation into question once more. The club has failed to comment on the matter.
Grimes praised Norwich for ditching BK8 but deemed the promotional email “inexcusable.” He argued that Norwich shouldn’t entice people “whose lives have been destroyed by gambling” to return to the habit. Grimes admonished Norwich for the gambling promotion, stating: “That’s not what a good, family, community football club […] should be doing.”
Badly timed
Norwich’s email issue couldn’t have come at a worse time, with the UK government’s white paper on gambling reform due out in a few weeks. While the new gambling reforms are allegedly not as draconian as first imagined, the UK government is nevertheless expected to ban all gambling shirt sponsorships for EPL teams.
Industry insiders have long expected the gambling act review to include limits on online casino gambling too. UK Gambling Minister Paul Scully revealed last month that this will include enhanced affordability checks, although MPs plan to rename these ‘financial risk assessments.’
The post Norwich FC Takes Heat for Sending Gambling Promotion to Recovering Addict appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
Star Entertainment Group, one of Australia’s leading gambling and entertainment companies based in Brisbane, has publicly announced that it is collecting AUD$800 million, which is approximately 545 million US dollars, to pay back its debt and will suspend dividend payments.
The debt arose as the company posted a record statutory net loss for the first half of the year ended December 31 of AUD$1.26 billion, compared with a loss of AUD$74.2 million a year earlier.
Capital raising as a reason for statutory loss:
This loss was due to difficult business conditions in Sydney.
In this regard, company officials said: ” The half-year financial results included a $1.3 billion in what we would describe as one-off costs, like the expected changes to taxes, $350 million in fines and the expense of ongoing reviews and new systems to fix problems.
“The poor performance is reflective of increasingly restrictive operational requirements and amendments to the state’s Casino Control Act.”
However, that “one-off” cost could tend to be higher, because the official sale of two properties is counted against it.
What’s more, limitations by Australian regulators on the company’s Sydney subsidiaries since mid-September and tough competition from larger rival Crown Resorts, which opened there in August, have squeezed revenues for Star, currently Australia’s second-largest casino operator, by 14% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Commenting on this, company officials said: “The capital raising, comprising a A$685 million 3-for-5 rights offer and a A$115 million institutional placement, will help Star repay debt and increase liquidity.”
The firm, however, reported AUD$43.6 million in normalized net profit after tax, compared with losses of AUD$73.7 million a year ago.
Sale of shares as part of capital raising:
Star will also sell shares to collect money for debt, which is one of the main reasons for the loss of income. They are currently priced at AUD$1.20 per share, 21% beneath Star’s most recent closing price of AUD$1.52.
Commenting on the share sale, company officials said: “Major shareholders Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium (0035. HK) have taken up their rights entitlements and committed $80 million to the capital raising.”
The company also flagged the courtesy of its Sydney casino in the first half, with AUD$851 million to zero.
Regarding the suspension of dividends, company officials said: “We will suspend the payment of dividends while we try to reduce the company’s debt and ensure that the casino licences remain in full operation.”
The company’s shares were stopped on Thursday while the capital raising is underway.
Many lawsuits by regulators:
Star Entertainment was previously warned of up to AUD$1.6 billion in damages in the first half due New South Wales government’s proposal to increase taxes on casino poker machine operators. Its license there was suspended and the company had to pay a fine of $100M. However, despite this, it managed to keep its gambling venue open until it decided on a new manager to supervise its gambling operations.
“Tax resolution with New South Wales government remains the key catalyst for investors,” according to Jefferies analysts.
Regarding the NSW-Star Entertainment case, Star officials said: “We are urgently working on regaining suitability to hold casino licences in NSW and Queensland, after reviews into money laundering, fraud and criminal activity.”
As for the fines in Queensland, over the past year the company had to pay a $100 million fine and was granted an additional year to show why its casino license should remain with the company.
However, according to the Financial Statement “Star Sydney has lost almost $1 billion as a result of regulatory changes and fines.
“The Sydney property is in a state of significant uncertainty. Recent regulatory changes have increased compliance costs and the Group has paused international and domestic rebate business.
“Further, proposed increases to casino duty rates could materially alter the profitability of the business. In combination, these factors have reduced the valuation of the Sydney cash generating unit, requiring an impairment of $988.4 million to be recognized at 31 December 2022.”
But new fines are coming as the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (AUSTRAC) brought charges against Star for alleged violations of anti-money laundering laws, meaning the company’s loss could be in the billions in the future.
In this regard, Robbie Cooke, a managing director of Star Entertainment Group, said: “The group was transforming its culture and business.”
Increase in domestic revenue for some Star affiliates:
Still, the company’s subsidiaries Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane grew domestic revenue by 30% and 9% respectively.
