Business & Financial
Daily Fantasy Sports Leagues Not Mad for March Madness as Most Shun College Hoops
For the second time this year, fantasy sports leagues will be shut out of the action for a major sporting event.
Last month, none of the leagues weren't able to hold daily fantasy contests for the Super Bowl because Federal law bans fantasy play based on a single game.
This month, most fantasy sports leagues won't be holding any contests in connection with March Madness, the annual NCAA basketball tournament, because most leagues don't get involved with any college sports.
DraftKings May be Off the Hook With Class Action Clause
As reported on the Gambling911.com website and elsewhere, one of the world’s largest daily fantasy websites DraftKings is now the subject of a class action lawsuit claiming false advertising. But the Boston-based company may have an ace up their sleeve according to the legal firm JD Supra.
MGM Stock Falling on Macau Concerns
MGM Resorts International shares were down 3.01% to $20.97 in late morning trading Monday as concerns continue over China’s Macau gambling hub taking a revenue hit.
Gaming revenue is forecast to decline on fears of the impact from a crackdown by the Chinese government.
"Macau is in a tough spot. We believe dividends will be slashed across the board," Zhou, analyst Jamie Zhou of the Hong Kong-based firm Macquarie Securities told Bloomberg.
PokerStars Launches MicroMillions 10 Championship
PokerStars.com, an Amaya Inc. (TSX: AYA) company, today announced that the MicroMillions 10 championship, which features 100 events and $5 million in guaranteed prize money, is set to take place from March 19-29.
MicroMillions is the world’s most popular tournament series, which has seen more than one million tournament entries for each championship held to date. Buy-ins for the next series begin at just $0.11 and max out at $22 for the No Limit Hold’em Main Event, which takes place on March 29 at 14.30 ET and features a $1 million guarantee.
Brits Blowing Away £1.7billion on Gambling Machines
The Mail on Sunday this weekend revealed that those living in the UK are spending £1.7billion gambling on fixed-odds betting terminals.
Nevada Gaming Enforcement Division Confirms Bitcoin Poker Room Seals With Clubs Raid
While Karl Bennison, chief of the Nevada Gaming Enforcement division, confirmed that the board “took part in law enforcement action” related to Seals with Clubs on Feb. 11, it was not immediately clear as to whether that investigation directly tied to the anonymous digital currency Bitcoin or if it involved Seals With Clubs operating from within Nevada.
Paddy Power Reports Record Profits
Ireland’s biggest bookmaker, Paddy Power, has reported some of its biggest profits ever.
Shares in the company continued to surge on news that Paddy claimed €167 million in profits before tax and that it plans to return up to €392 million to shareholders.
The company’s net revenue increased 18% to €882 million with pre-tax profits growing 21% to €167 million. These impressive figures were helped by the number of bets placed at Paddy Power increasing by 16%. Online gambling makes up 77% of its overall business.
Betfair Better Than Expected 3rd Quarter
LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - Online gambling company Betfair hiked its full-year profit forecast range on Thursday after trading remained strong following a better-than-expected third-quarter, sending its shares sharply higher.
The company, which runs an exchange that allows gamblers to bet against each other, said revenue jumped 20 percent in the three months to Jan. 31, as investment in products and marketing helped increase active customer numbers by half in its core markets, with sports and gaming income up strongly.
Macau’s Gambling Woes are a Win for Wynn
Despite the highly publicized corruption crackdown that has left the gambling hub of Macau nearly in tatters, one casino group operating there will benefit to the tune of $511 million.
That is the amount the Chinese subsidiary of Wynn Resorts Ltd. plans to issue in the form of a special stock dividend this month, according to Howard Stutz of the Las Vegas Review Journal.
More Time Permitted for Revel Casino to Seek Higher Bids
CAMDEN, New Jersey — (Associated Press) - A bankruptcy court judge says more time is needed to seek higher bids for Atlantic City's former Revel Casino Hotel.
Judge Gloria Burns delayed a decision Wednesday on the proposed $82 million sale of the shuttered gambling hall to Florida developer Glenn Straub. She did so after Los Angeles developer Izek Shomof expressed interest in buying Revel, but for $2 million less.
The $2.4 billion casino closed in September after just over two years of operation, during which it never turned a profit.
U.S. Government Blames Iran for Hack of Sands Casino Websites
Senior government officials have reportedly linked Iran to a hacking attack on the Sands Casino websites last year.
Hackers knocked all of the Sands websites offline and published sensitive personal information about Sands employees including their social security numbers in February of 2014. The sites remained down for over a week.
Record Numbers Reported at Americas Cardroom During Month of February
Though February was the shortest month of the year it didn’t stop Americas Cardroom (ACR) from having its biggest month ever. ACR delivered on its promise to players to host Winning Millions, the online poker site's $1,000,000 GTD poker tournament as a finale to their biggest online tournament series to date.
Casino Revenue in Macau Plunges Nearly in Half During February
HONG KONG (Associated Press) — Casino revenue in the world gambling capital of Macau plunged by nearly half last month as fewer mainland Chinese high-rollers visited during the busy Lunar New Year holiday.
Data posted on the gambling regulator's website Tuesday show that February's gross gambling revenue fell by 48.6 percent from a year earlier, the biggest monthly decline on record.
It's the ninth straight month that gambling revenue has declined in Macau.
BetConstruct Grabs Gold and Lanyard Sponsorships at Upcoming DFSE in Miami Beach
Existing operators and those looking to enter the lucrative new industry of daily fantasy sports will be happy to know that software providers and white labels plan to show up in force this August in Miami Beach for the first ever Daily Fantasy Sports Expo (DFSE).
The most visible of these providers is going to be BetConstruct. They have secured both the gold and lanyard sponsorships at DFSE.
Las Vegas Westgate Casino Finds Innovative Way to Offer Online Sports Betting in US
The Westgate Casino and Sportsbook in Las Vegas on Monday announced it had entered into a deal that would allow sports betting throughout the U.S.
Skrill to Exhibit at Daily Fantasy Sports Expo in Miami Beach
Another huge addition to this August’s Daily Fantasy Sports Expo in Miami Beach as one of the world’s largest payment solutions, Skrill , will be a main exhibitor. Skrill, formerly known as Moneybookers, is only second to PayPal in terms of customers in the digital payments solutions sector.
Betting on the Olympics Now Allowed in Vegas
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — Come summer 2016, when the best of the best athletes climb podiums wearing gold, silver and bronze medals, Las Vegas gamblers could very well be counting their green.
Nevada gambling regulators voted Thursday to allow the state's sports books to offer bets on the Olympics for the first time in years.
It was a move unopposed by anyone in the industry and cheered by the regulators themselves. International sports books in Great Britain, Ireland and Australia and offshore Internet sites already allow such bets.
Ladbrokes Posts 9 Percent Fall in Profits
(Reuters) – Ladbrokes (LAD.L), Britain’s second biggest bookmaker, said it intended to maintain its dividend in 2015, defying some analysts' expectations of a cut to help fund marketing costs, as it posted a 9 percent fall in annual profit.
The firm has struggled to keep pace with rivals such as William Hill (WMH.L) and establish itself in a growing online sector, with investment in marketing and product lagging others.
Latest Joe Francis Lawsuit Supports Wynn Accusations of 'Illegal Spending'
Lawyers who are attempting to collect approximately $2.2 million in debts owed by “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis claim much of that money was spent on his palatial Puerto Vallarta, Mexico estate.
Microsoft Bing’s Duane Forrester to Speak at Daily Fantasy Sports Expo
Ticonderoga Ventures Inc. has announced that long time Microsoft Bing Webmaster Outreach Manager Duane Forrester will be speaking at the first ever Daily Fantasy Sports Expo in Miami Beach August 6-7.
Just how pivotal is Forrester: Last year he was awarded Top Search Personality at the US Search Awards.
Macau Casino Stocks Tanking as Revenues Continue to Decline
Casino shares in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau fell Wednesday, a result weak travel expectations for the Lunar New Year holiday period and diminishing high roller activity.
From Bloomberg News:
Fantasy League Meeting With Ray Rice Reps on Wednesday
$1 Million Endorsement Deal is on the Table
VANCOUVER -- Only time will tell which of the many fantasy sports leagues popping up all over North America are destined to survive.
And thrive.
But if marketing savvy is any indication of future success, one new league looks like it has hit a home run (or in this case, scored a touchdown).
Breaking News: DraftKings CEO Jason Robins to Speak at DFSE in Miami Beach
Miami Beach will be Daily Fantasy Sports Central the first week in August with organizers of the highly anticipated Daily Fantasy Sports Expo confirming that DraftKings.com CEO Jason Robins will be speaking at the event.
DraftKings is a leader in the world of Daily Fantasy Sports. They have partnered with a number of major league sports teams including the New England Patriots, and more recently the red hot Golden State Warriors.
WPN Sees Success With First Ever Winning Millions: More to Come
The first ever Winning Millions is now history and it appears to have gone off without much of a hitch, albeit the initially scheduled event had to be cancelled due to Denial of Service attacks.
Fantasy Sports Industry Pushes for Legalization in All 50 States
The Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) recently unveiled the Fantasy Sports Freedom initiative with the goal of promoting legalization of fantasy sports in all 50 states.
Right now five states – Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana and Washington – clearly bar pay-related fantasy sports operations. Some daily fantasy sports sites have also steered clear of states where contests paying cash prizes fall into a grey area.
Bitcoin-Only Online Poker Room Seals With Clubs Closes After ‘Sledgehammer’ Raid
The largest of the Bitcoin-only online poker rooms, Seals With Clubs, has unceremoniously closed its doors following a raid of CEO Bryan Micon’s Nevada home.
Another Deal to Sell Revel Casino is Dead
CAMDEN, N.J. – (Associated Press) - Another deal to sell Atlantic City’s former Revel casino is dead.
A bankruptcy court judge on Thursday approved Revel AC’s termination of a deal to sell the shuttered gambling resort to a Florida developer for $95.4 million.
The sale was supposed to have been completed by Feb. 9.
Winning Millions is This Sunday: Get Your Share
On Sunday, February 22nd at 3:00pm ET, Americas Cardroom will make history by hosting the Winning Millions Poker Tournament! This $540 buy-in no-limit Texas Holdem tournament guarantees the first place winner will bring home a life-changing $200,000.00!!!
PokerStars Excluded From NJ Market: Resorts Moves Forward With Web Gambling
ATLANTIC CITY (Associated Press) - New Jersey’s oldest casino is about to get in on the newest form of gambling.
Resorts Casino Hotel won approval Wednesday to launch its Internet gambling site, which may be fully operational within several days.
But the approval by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement isn’t the one many online gamblers were hoping for.
Bruce Jenner Betting Crosses Line: Bookie Apologizes for Taking Bets on New Name
Australian bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au has apologized for offering what some say was offensive betting options on one-time Olympian Bruce Jenner’s new name after it was confirmed he is undergoing a sex change.
While the wagering firm may be sorry, they are not about to suspend betting on Jenner’s gender transformation.
