Sorawong Tienthong, the Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, and Sorawong Thienthong, the Director of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), announced a strategic collaboration with the World Poker Tour (WPT) and Thailand RF Tourism and Sports Competition Club Co., Ltd. 

How WPT Prime Thailand Could Shape the Local Poker Scene

The WPT announcement noted that “the WPT Prime Thailand would not be a one-time event, but a strategic move to establish Thailand as a global center for mind sports.”

The WPT explained that plans are underway to host the tournament seasonally. The collaboration will start with a single event per season and could scale to 3-4 events annually.

This is a significant move for Thailand, reflecting the country’s efforts to adopt a new, pro-gambling stance and move forward with casino legalization.

Casino Legislation Still in Limbo Amid Poker Expansion

The casino-entertainment complex bill is pending discussion after being postponed this session. The next session will begin on July 2. 

Industry analysts suggest that parliament is unlikely to pass the bill, given the vocal opposition from within the Bhunjaithai Party—the second largest political party in the government coalition. Hopes remain that the party’s Secretary-General, Chaichanok Chidchob, ’s opposition to the bill does not reflect the party’s stance. 

Keta Ozolina, Vice President of WPT—Tour and Business Development, emphasized the global recognition of Texas Hold’em and its potential for boosting tourism within the region. Ozolina stated: “The economic impact of the World Poker Tour is proven globally, and Thailand is the perfect place to bring this iconic tournament.” 

To achieve this, astute legislation and a competitive tax rate will be vital in tackling illegal gambling and stopping its growth, while directing players toward legal, licensed providers.

Thailand is also located in an increasingly competitive gaming environment. Southeast Asia has seen several regions embrace the licensed gambling industry. Singapore and Macau are among the strongest in this region’s casino sector.

Qualifying Texas Hold’em as a sports activity is a significant step in the right direction. The Thai government did not stop there, as an interdepartmental task force has been established to support the event.

 As part of the collaboration, WPT will bring its global expertise in poker to the country through training locals and developing talent to meet the sector’s growing demand.

The post Thailand and WPT Launch Strategic Poker Partnership Amid Gambling Reform Talks appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The partnership, which runs from 14 February through to 6 March, will see 15 WPT Sweepstakes players, who complete daily in-game challenges, earn the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to compete at the ‘ultimate poker proving ground’, the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

Bernard Kim, president of publishing at Zynga, stated: “Zynga Poker players love competition, and now they’ll get to put those skills to the test at an elite, high stakes tournament. 

“Our players know the ins and outs of the game and how to approach a hand – but with the help of WPT and poker icon Tony Dunst, they’ll have the opportunity to learn from the best how to handle the pressures, etiquette and excitement of a live tournament.”

US-based players can earn up to three sweepstakes entries (one entry per week) by completing tournament center weekly goals in Zynga Poker. Following the three-week contest period, 15 winners will then be drawn from the pool of entries.

The winners are then set to be sent on an all-expenses paid trip to Hollywood, Florida, which includes the $3,500 buy-in to compete in the tournament. Winners will also have the chance to attend an exclusive training workshop run by WPT commentator and champion, Tony Dunst. 

Dunst added: “Zynga Poker is a great platform for anyone to learn the ins-and-outs of Texas Hold ‘Ems rules, strategies and community. The sweepstakes winners will have a wonderful opportunity to play in one of the best WPT events of the year at Seminole Hard Rock. 

“Zynga Poker has given these players the practical tools to succeed, and I look forward to sharing tips I’ve learned as a WPT Champion to accelerate their respective learning curves.”

The post WPT Sweepstakes receives Zynga backing appeared first on CasinoBeats.

It’s a collaboration that looks to provide PokerBaazi players with the WPT experience and offer opportunities for Indian poker enthusiasts to participate in world-class events.

As a result, PokerBaazi will host WPT tournaments online, enabling Indian players to compete in events remotely. 

“We are proud to partner with PokerBaazi and expand our presence in India, adding to the WPT Global player base,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “India is a fast-growing market for poker, and through this collaboration, we look forward to nurturing new talent and giving Indian players a pathway to poker stardom.”

PokerBaazi currently hosts some of India’s biggest Poker tournaments like the G.O.A.T, National Poker Series India, Indian Poker Masters, and more. 

Navkiran Singh, Founder and CEO at Baazi Games (PokerBaazi), added: “We are excited to join forces with the World Poker Tour and expand further in bringing an elite poker experience to our players in India. 

“This partnership reinforces our commitment to providing the best opportunities and platforms for Indian players to excel on both national and global stages.”

Whilst the expansion represents an exciting new era for poker in India, there have been frustrations for operators in the market in recent times. 

Most recently the 54th Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council concluded with no changes made to the 28% GST levy. 

There were widespread calls from the industry for it to be transitioned into a tax on Gross Gaming Revenue rather than deposits, in a bid to secure stability.However, these appeals have been dismissed by the governance in the region. 

For the WPT, this marked a continued effort to diversify its offerings, as it confirmed it would continue to work with Wynn Macau despite a recent setback in the region. 

Upon the cancellation of the event, an official statement from the WPT said: “Macau, which was scheduled to take place in June, will not move forward. WPT, Wynn Macau, and Allied Gaming and Entertainment regret any inconvenience or disappointment for players from around the world who were planning to travel to Macau and play in the event. 

“WPT remains committed to working with Wynn Macau and AGAE in the future to bring world-class poker tournaments back to the region.”

The post World Poker Tour celebrates landmark Indian expansion  appeared first on CasinoBeats.

WPT high-stakes poker tournaments are currently being shown across more than 150 countries thanks to a significant presence across television and online platforms like ClubWPT.com and WPTGlobal.com, as well as mobile apps like WatchWPT. 

Loc Sondheim, WPT Head of Distribution, commented: “Our goal has always been to bring the excitement of the game to audiences everywhere. As our product offering and geographic reach expanded, we found our current media infrastructure limiting.” 

With Ateliere Connect on board, WPT can now leverage a combination of media processing technology and artificial intelligence to efficiently organise and manage its media inventory. 

Ateliere provides machine learning algorithms for accurate identification to lessen the need for manual version control and compliance checks. 

WPT Director of Content Operations & Post Production, Ian Matteson, added: “Ateliere gave us media inventory management, version control, packaging and delivery capabilities neatly wrapped into one platform. The move eliminated the “versionitis” that was bloating our inventory and driving up operational costs.”

WPT’s business model features country-specific branding that requires multiple video versions due to different contractual obligations – something that Ateliere Connect will ensure is met as the partnership goes forward. 

Kira Baca, CRO of Ateliere, also stated: “Ateliere’s platform is a perfect fit when it comes to the dynamic Sports/Gaming industry, providing visionary companies like World Poker Tour the means to transform their media supply chains fundamentally.

“By integrating the advanced capabilities of Ateliere’s AI technology and state-of-the-art tools, these entities not only realise an increase in revenue and a reduction in costs, they also secure a substantial strategic advantage in delivering products faster to market.

“The end game is the same for our customers – we are here to help them actualise the full potential of their content and propel their operational performance to new heights.”

The post  The World Poker Tour to tap into cloud-native platform appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The council, which will include Jason Koon, Andrew Lictenberge, Fedor Holz, Seth Davies and Nick Petrangelo, will independently investigate allegations of cheating, conduct fair reviews and enforce sanctions for suspicious behaviour flagged at GGPoker tables. 

“I joined GGPoker with an important objective in mind; to help the GGPoker team make their poker games more secure and fair than ever,” said Koon. “It’s an honour to launch the Poker Integrity Council and take another massive step in ensuring online poker is safe for all players. 

“Our long list of allies also means that the wider community will be better protected via the industry-wide blacklist; we’re sending a united message that there’s no place in this game for cheaters.”

In each case brought before the council, the process stages will include detecting suspicious behaviour, reviewing relevant hand histories and ruling, which will see council members vote on whether or not disciplinary action is required.

Should disciplinary action be warranted, this can include the player being warned about their behaviour, their account being suspended or permanently banned by GGPoker, and a permanent ban combined with confiscation of funds.

Furthermore, the council has the power to add players to an industry blacklist, in the most serious cases, after GGPoker’s PIC formed an alliance with live poker tours and venues, such as the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour, Triton Poker, Poker After Dark, Kings Casino, and the Asian Poker Tour.

The post GGPoker launches Poker Integrity Council to secure and protect players appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The live, free-to-consumer TV network from sports-first live TV streaming platform fuboTV is set to feature recent WPT tournaments from Las Vegas, Paris, Barcelona and more, spanning over 10 seasons, as well as archived events from its main stops.

“The rich history of the World Poker Tour is something that we continually strive to share with all poker fans,” said Johnny McMahon, vice president of WPT Studios. 

“With Fubo Sports Network, viewers can catch classic WPT action on fuboTV or on the many Fubo Sports Networks distribution partners, including Roku Channels, Samsung TV Plus, Vizio Channels and more.”

This latest collaboration comes in the midst of the launch of WPT Season XX, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the World Poker Tour.

“We are eager to crack open the vault of WPT tournament history to share with the poker world,” said Adam Pliska, WPT CEO. 

“We are not stopping there. We will supplement with regular additions of new WPT tournament coverage from Season XX and beyond.”

Fubo Sports Network is fuboTV’s linear TV network dedicated to featuring sports stories on and off the field. Fans can stream for free on LG Channels, Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Vizio Channels, Sports on Tubi, Plex, Hisense Smart TVs, and XUMO or as part of subscription packages of more than 100 sports, news and entertainment channels.

“We’re very excited to present select World Poker Tour matches to Fubo Sports Network audiences,” said Pamela Duckworth, head of Fubo Sports Network and original programming. 

“Partners like the World Poker Tour help make Fubo Sports Network a leading destination for a wide range of sports and gaming content that bring the voice of the athlete to fans on and off the field.“

World Poker Tour programming joins Fubo Sports Network’s line-up of live sports from Lights Out Xtreme Fighting, the South American Qatar World Cup 2022 Qualifiers (CONMEBOL), Liga Endesa, and more.

The post World Poker Tour teams-up with Fubo to enhance distribution network appeared first on CasinoBeats.

During a month in which England saw COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift, the UK Gambling Commission was busy with a pair of significant penalty packages, as Allied Esports Entertainment’s on/off World Poker Tour sale took a number of twists and turns, and Atari captured readers attentions.

Feature of the month

For the second time in three months Gibraltar becomes a primary point of focus, as Paul Foster, CEO of the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association, urges that the industry must get on the front foot and stop being reactive to regulatory change.

These comments came in the immediate aftermath of the trade association, which represents online gaming operators that have been issued a remote licence in Gibraltar, completing the set-up, formation and funding of the Gibraltar Gambling Care Foundation as a registered charity.

“Responsibility is at the centre of Gambling today and as a jurisdiction, Gibraltar, wanted to drive the responsibility agenda and make a real difference,” Foster stated.

“Given there is a concentration of gambling companies and therefore related data, the opportunity to work with an independent body at the University of Gibraltar was a clear opportunity. 

In the news

The UK Gambling Commission was busy during the month of March, with two licensees in hot water for an array of failures that brought combined fines of £9.4m.

Firstly, a series of historic social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures at Casumo saw the firm pay a £6m fine, undergo extensive auditing, and receive an official warning.

Elsewhere, Intouch Games received an official warning, £3.4m fine and was required to undergo extensive auditing after an assessment revealed social responsibility, money laundering and marketing failures.

Staying in the UK, Simon Thomas, CEO of Hippodrome Casino, voiced delight at the property’s impending reopening, should England’s lockdown exit proceed as planned with the reopening of betting shops on April 12 and adult gaming centres, bingo halls and casinos on May 17.

The month also saw Caesars stipulate April 1 as the expected date when it would finalise its £2.9bn acquisition of William Hill, before subsequently doing so three weeks later.

Furthermore, Allied Esports Entertainment witnessed a bidding war break-out between Bally’s and Element Partners for its World Poker Tour entity, with the protracted saga subsequently coming to an end, at the latter’s joy, months later.

Readers’ attention was also captured by a pair of developments at Atari, as the group struck deals for an array of branded hotels as well as a crypto casino.

Recommended reading

March saw Ezugi explain the latest developments in live casino, with particular emphasis on Africa, as well as NetEnt assessing its long-awaited US entry and long-term market potential.

Elsewhere, FunFair Games became the latest supplier to invite CasinoBeats to a ‘Virtual Media Day,’ complete with a more than generous hamper delivered just a day earlier and taking place amid one those rarest of rare days – a sunny day in Manchester.

Videos of the month

In the first of two video entrants SlotBeats spoke to Marcus Honney, managing director of AvatarUX, who offered guidance through the company’s most recent addition to its PopWins portfolio in TikiPop. 

Whie Jette Nygaard-Andersen, Grainne Hurst and Girls Who Code take to the camera in celebration of International Women’s Day 2021, which saw Entain make a $250,000 donation to the latter in a bid to offer encouragement to young women working within the technology industry.

The post UKGC, Gibraltar, poker, and M&A: March in gaming appeared first on CasinoBeats.

GPN, a Los Angeles-based igaming firm, boasts a patented platform that enables its B2B partners to offer players immediate access to casino-style games for real money.

“Within the poker industry, there are few companies with the credibility, prestige and following of the World Poker Tour,” said Sam Kiki, Game Play Network’s chief commercial officer. 

“We are thrilled about the opportunity to partner with such an innovative company to bring a well-rounded and exciting portfolio of games and tournaments to their dedicated customer base. 

“Combining WPT’s events, personalities and talent, with GPN’s platform, will unleash a whole new level of bespoke igaming content.”

WPT stages an array of televised and live poker tournaments across five continents, awards more than $1.3bn in prize money, and garners an annual audience of over 300m viewers for its television programming worldwide. 

The group adds that “millions of players” have experienced at least one of its touch points, including free-to-play and subscription-based poker gaming offering.

“In addition to our extensive live tournament and distribution network global footprint, our online platforms and products make up an ever-growing portion of our company’s portfolio,” Adam Pliska, WPT’s CEO, said of the collaboration and addition.

“Considering our loyal fan base and strong demand for more online offerings, it was essential for us to align ourselves with online products our customers would readily embrace, while enhancing the WPT brand. 

“After extensive legal and business diligence, GPN clearly stood out in terms of its exceptionally talented team, strong product and unrivalled market access. We are very enthusiastic about finalising this partnership and its potential for industry changing impact.”

The post Game Play Network to make igaming additions to WPT’s online platforms appeared first on CasinoBeats.

1

The Kansspelautoriteit fined Malta-based N1 Interactive after finding that the group offered games of chance to Dutch players via the betchan.com website.

The regulator said that an investigation found that the N1 site was accessible from the Netherlands and that the region was not mentioned as a country in which online games of chance are illegal.

Furthermore, it was also said that there were various indications that the offer was aimed at the Dutch player, one such example of which was the usage of the word ‘Amsterdam’ as a bonus code.

Upon determining the size of the penalty charge, the Ksa said that “fine increasing circumstances,” such as no visible age verification taking place and inactivity fees being charged to players, applied.

At the moment it is not yet possible to legally offer games of chance via the internet in the Netherlands, however, that is to change after the Remote Gaming Act came into effect from April 1.

82

The first independent evaluation of the Gamstop online self exclusion scheme found that 82 per cent of consumers have stopped or reduced gambling since registering with the group.

The report by research consultancy Sonnet, based on surveys of more than 3,300 users as well as in-depth interviews, reported that 84 per cent felt safer from gambling-related harm, and more in control of their gambling, after registering with Gamstop. 

Eight out of ten (80 per cent) said that the self-exclusion scheme had delivered on their intended outcomes, whether they wanted to stop gambling completely, reduce their gambling or simply to take a short break.

Further findings included 77 per cent feeling more in control of their personal or household finances, 72 per cent reporting improvements in their levels of anxiety and stress, 63 per cent enjoying an improvement in the quality of their family relationships, 60 per cent finding that they were better able to focus at work, and 40 per cent consuming less alcohol.

105

Allied Esports Entertainment confirmed the long-protracted completion of the sale of the entities comprising the World Poker Tour, to Element Partners.

As previously announced, the purchase price of the transaction totaled $105m and included 100 per cent of the outstanding capital stock of each of the legal entities that collectively operated or engaged in the company’s poker-related business and assets.

The transaction was approved at a special meeting of the Allied Esports Entertainment’s stockholders on July 1, 2021.

35.6

GambleAware commissioned research found that bank customer and transactional data can offer valuable insights into the success of gambling blocking tools, and also provide unique profiles of gamblers.

The reports, produced by the behavioural insights team, analysed behavioural datasets in a bid to understand whether they could be used to build a clearer picture of the ways in which people gamble, identify possible harms, and eventually inform prevention, treatment, and support responses.

The research analysed bank transactional data from Monzo and HSBC, and aimed to shed new light on what these datasets can, and cannot, tell us about gambling behaviour. 

Of those using the gambling blocker of the former, it was found that in the week before gamblers activated the block, their average daily gambling spend tripled

Specific profiles of gamblers were also revealed by the research, such as that gamblers had less money on average in their Monzo internal saving pots than non-gamblers, or that gamblers ranked ‘Very Concerning’ by HSBC had on average 35.6 gambling transactions per month, compared to 15.6 in those ranked ‘Concerning’, and just 1.2 in the ‘Control’ group.

23.5

Bragg Gaming Group reported a continuation of the “operational and strategic development momentum” shown throughout 2020, as the B2B gaming tech and content provider published a Q2 trading update.

The group said that it expects to report second quarter revenue, pre-recent acquisitions, of €15m, representing a year-over-year increase of 23.5 per cent and a 5.7 per cent quarterly sequential rise.

As a result of this, the group anticipates H1 2021 revenue will come in at approximately €29.2m, with its full year performance remaining unchanged with revenue of €47m and adjusted EBITDA of €4m.

In the update, the firm said it is pleased with its overall operational progress and performance and, in particular, that of its two new proprietary games that were launched in Q2 on its Oryx Gaming network from its in-house studio.

700

The Scottish Government’s decision to impose a midnight curfew on the country’s casinos was been labelled “bizarre” by the Betting and Gaming Council. 

Confirming Scotland’s move into Level 0 COVID restrictions from July 19, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the unexpected development which will see all of Scotland’s hospitality venues – including casinos – closing its doors at midnight. 

The BGC emphasised that the move would be particularly “devastating for casinos” as it highlighted more than half of the sector’s trade comes after 10pm, whilst raising concerns over the uncertainty for the 700 men and women employed by Scotland’s casinos, as well as further denting the £30m a year the industry pays in tax to the Treasury.

33

Player acquisition and retention specialist Xtremepush raised $33m in growth capital as the group looks to accelerate its global expansion strategy.

The cash raise includes equity funding from Grafton Capital, a London-based growth investor in European technology companies, alongside a refinanced debt facility. 

The Dublin-headquartered SaaS firm voiced an intention of doubling its workforce to 140 people in Ireland and overseas over the next 12 months, creating new roles across all divisions, including software and DevOps, sales and marketing, finance and operations.

The post Gamstop, World Poker Tour, Bragg & BGC: <br> the week in numbers appeared first on CasinoBeats.

As previously announced, the purchase price of the transaction totaled $105m and included 100 per cent of the outstanding capital stock of each of the legal entities that collectively operated or engaged in the company’s poker-related business and assets.

The transaction was approved at a special meeting of the Allied Esports Entertainment’s stockholders on July 1, 2021.

Following the completion of the WPT business transaction, the company comprises its esports business, Allied Esports, and cash resources from the sale.

“This is a momentous day for AESE and an opportunity to focus on growing the business in exciting and innovative ways,” said Frank Ng, CEO of Allied Esports Entertainment.

“Congratulations to Adam Pliska and his entire team at World Poker Tour as they too move into a new, successful chapter.”

A transaction that was said to be worth up to $78.25m between the two parties was first detailed in January 2021, with expectations of closing in late January or early February 2021 initially detailed.

Subsequently, a number of competing bids were tabled by both Element Partners and Bally’s Corporation, before the former amendment its stock purchase agreement to increase the overall purchase price from $90.5m to $105m.

The company’s board of directors unanimously approved the amendment to the stock purchase agreement. In connection with approval of the amendment, the board, in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, compared the terms of the amended stock purchase agreement to the terms of the proposal received from Bally’s to acquire the WPT Business for $105m.

After such review, it was determined that the Bally’s proposal did not constitute a ‘Superior Proposal,’ as such term is defined in the stock purchase agreement with Element.

The post Allied Esports completes World Poker Tour sale to Element Partners appeared first on CasinoBeats.