November 2017 Infinity Gaming Magazine

InfinityGaming www.gaming-awards.com | ISSUE WINTER 2017

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH LARRY LAFFER

GAMING + ARTICLES + BUSINESS+ GLOBAL + ONLINE + NEWS+ AWARDS + etc

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10 INTERVIEW WITH GAMBAN Jack Symons

36 LARRY LAFFER Exclusive Interview

16 AFFILIATE BUSINESS Lee-Ann Johnstone

Opinion Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in all external articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Infinity Gaming Magazine Any content provided by our feature writers or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

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4 EDITOR NOTES Lana welcomes you to the latest edition of Infinity Gaming Magazine.

6 OUR WRITERS Meet our feature writers, the superb writers on our rosta.

10 JACK SYMONS Special Interview

16 AFFILIATE LATEST

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Lee-Ann Johnstone

21 POKER PRO What is that all about?

PLAYING WITH FIGURES Teresa Tunstall

24 FIGURES Teresa Tunstall

GIVING GAMBLING BACK Professor I Nelson Rose

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36 LARRY’S BACK Exclusive Interview

49 WHICH STATE Online race

49 NEWS & MORE NEWS from the gaming industry

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Welcome to the Winter edition of the

Tunstall and this month Professor I Nel-

Infinity Gaming Magazine and here we

son Rose helping us cover all the bases

are for many at the busy end of the

in the gaming world.

Business Partnerships Svetlana@gaming-awards.com

ences and expos going on. That means

You might think that is enough but oh

the most important event should be on

no we got all the very latest news and

Marketing & Advertising claire@cleverduckmedia.com

your radar the 11th International Gam-

developments from around the gaming

ing Awards with nominations closing

globe to keep you right up to date on

on the 27th October! So if you not had

what is happening.

year where there are so many confer-

time yet to nominate you only have a few days left to enter what really is the

Just before I go if any of your lovely

global event of the year.

readers want to challenge your self and at the same time support Care In-

Well we have a mega magazine for you

ternational why not apply to run in the

this month with some superb interviews

London Marathon, details are inside the

with Jack Symons the CEO of Gamban.

magazine.

Not just this but we have 90’s gaming

I will let you get on with reading all the

icon Larry Laffer with us in the maga-

superb articles as always and till next

zine, if you do not know Larry from his

time.

PC days then you got to read his interview inside. As always we have some

“To Infinity and Beyond!”

super articles from our contributing writers Lee-Ann Johnstone and Teresa

Regards,

Lana The Editor

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Unlock the biggest characters

For more information contact sales@microgaming.co.uk

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Infinity Gaming Magazine Contributing Writers A magazine is only as good as the content inside and with some of the leading specialists within the gaming industry. With specialised articles covering customer service, the gaming law, new prducts, technology and current affairs with the sector the Infinity Gaming Magazine is delighted to showcase our superb line-up of contributing writers.

Christina Thakor-Rankin Christina is Principal Consultant at 1710 Gaming Ltd, a specialist betting and gaming consultancy, delivering a range of services including licensing and compliance (incl. regulation, money laundering and social responsibility), business start-up, training and strategic reengineering, project management, research, business analysis and development, to start-ups and established multi-national operators and providers, gambling regu-

lators, law enforcement and government agencies, media, and specialist interest groups and associations within the sector, in both established and emerging markets across the world.

www.1710gaming.com

Teresa Tunstall – Independent Gaming Consultant After many years of working in casinos in the UK and on USA ships as a croupier and inspector, Teresa turned from ‘poacher to gamekeeper,’ spending 16 years with GamCare, who offer help and support to those who develop problems with their gambling.

Teresa now works independently consulting on all issues relating to Social Responsibility and Problem Gambling.

Working closely with the betting and gaming industry, She developed strong links delivering Social Responsibility and Problem Gambling training around the world, from Antigua to Moscow, and Auditing in the UK.

To contact Teresa regarding consulting please email: Teresatunstall1@gmail.com

Lee-Ann Johnstone - CEO Best Odds Marketing With almost two decades of digital marketing and affiliate experience gained within retail, payments and at blue chip iGaming brands, Lee-Ann Johnstone has a wealth of expertise as an award winning digital marketing expert and business mentor. In 2015 she founded AffiliateFEST (www.affiliatefest.co.uk) a learning academy for iGaming entreprenuers and has recently founded Best Odds Marketing (www.bestoddsmarketing.com) offering digital marketing services, training, event management and business coaching for iGaming

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businesses. https://www.affiliatefest.co.uk/

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.com

ALEA.com is an award-winning casino operator founded in 2012 by Alexandre Tomic and Charles Gross, who have over ten years' industry experience ranging from affiliate network owner to casino operator. They are driven by innovation and dedicated to staying on the cutting edge of technology; with this in mind, ALEA’s product, SlotsMillion, is an online casino with over 1,300 slots and many inventive features. This includes the world’s first real money virtual reality casino, which is available to play in both VR and 3D and has received very positive reactions at conferences and from industry and mainstream publications.

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GAMING NEWS

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London Marathon call for runners to support Care International

D

o you fancy taking on the London marathon?

Well our charity that we have supported for several year and raised hundred of thousands are asking if anyone from the gaming industry wants to take on the challenge.

We have partnered with CARE International for the last seven years, raising over £121,750 for their work putting an end to poverty around the world and responding with lifesaving assistance in emergencies.

We’re passionate about the difference supporting CARE makes, and we would like to invite you and even your colleagues to support CARE by running the London Marathon in 2018.

There is a total of five places available and would love to see runners from the gaming industry taking part to support CARE, allowing us to help more communities living in poverty together. A direct donation of £2,000 to CARE will cover one place in this unforgettable event for a member of your team.

zine will cover your support of the Marathon and CARE and ensure you and your colleagues get the recognition and praise such a challenge deserves.

If you’re interested in supporting CARE through the 2018 London Marathon, please get in touch with our contact Tony Jones at tjones@careinternational.org or on 020 7091 6049 to discuss this great opportunity for your staff.

The Infinity Gaming Maga-

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The future of socially responsbile apps?

Interview with Jack Symons Co-founder & CEO at Gamban

Thank you Jack for speaking to us today Jack can we start by us asking what is your role with Gamban and what is Gamban?

Thank you! I’m founder and managing

products and modified parental con-

gressed to more ‘immediate’ games

trols software I realised nothing quite

– mainly slots, roulette and blackjack.

offered what I wanted – light-touch

The level of empathy we have in this

software that would block just gambling

area is a major advantage to us and

sites, only gambling sites and nothing

our customers because we approach

else.

everything from the perspective of the

director of gamban®. gamban® is a tool for individuals and organisations to block access to online gambling. It’s an aid to willpower, where constant,

individual problem gambler. We under-

On your website it says the company has experience with problem gambling, what does that mean?

24/7 access to engaging and exciting games makes this area of gambling

As long as I can remember, I’ve always

too accessible and tempting for many.

been a gambler. At fourteen I was playing online poker incessantly and pro-

stand gambling addiction; it’s impact and it’s pull.

How does the App work and can users download it on all devices?

Currently, gamban® can be installed on

How long has Gamban been operating?

I started gamban® in 2015. We are up to our third version on desktop now and shortly releasing mobile applications on Android and iOS operating systems.

Why was Gamban set up?

I started following my own experience in both problem gambling and not being able to find an adequate solution.

Existing products were far too expensive, didn’t exist on all operating systems and blocked far too many sites.

Restaurants serving ‘chips’, for example, would be blocked as casinos also tend to use ‘chips’. After testing these products and modified parental controls software I realised nothing quite offered

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Jack Symons - CEO & Founder of Gamban

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out there and what makes Gamban better than the others?

Windows and Mac laptops or desktops.

sure. We have spent significant time in

Very soon, gamban® will be available

research and development on mobile

on iOS and Android. The application

because there are hundreds – thou-

works in a very simple way, despite

sands – of ways to approach mobile

Aside from ‘parental controls’ applica-

there being quite a lot of complexity

protection. Where other solutions offer

tions (NetNanny, CyberPatrol, K9, etc)

and sophistication ‘under the hood’, so

a custom browser and can be immedi-

there are three organisations: BetFilter,

to speak. Without getting too technical,

ately deleted, gamban® is working on

Gamblock and gamban®. Only BetFil-

the application is built in a way that is

something far more effective – yet still

ter and gamban® offer protection on

hard to delete or remove. This is cru-

affordable.

Mac computers. Gamblock is effective

cially important as our software needs to be robust enough to withstand the powerful compulsion to gamble.

When will it be available on iOS and Android?

but restrictive. BetFilter is simple but

How has the App been accepted by Problem gambling organisations like GamCare and others?

removable. Both are expensive, with Gamblock currently charging over $100 a year. I’ve always felt charging this much is a tax on desperation and pre-

GamCare support gamban® (http://

fer the low-cost/affordable model. The

www.gamcare.org.uk/get-advice/what-

challenge for gamban® is getting the

We are releasing gamban®Android in

can-you-do/blocking-software)

and

balance right – effective and non-intru-

November and gamban®iOS before

have been informing people who call

sive protection at a price that works for

Christmas. Mobile is the priority as

up or write in about gamban®. We give

end-users. I think we’ve got this balance

we’ve seen a 300% year-on-year in-

free licences to Gordon Moody and

but we always need to stay ahead of the

crease in mobile gambling and some

GamblingTherapy and encourage any

curve and make improvements where

of the largest operators describe them-

gambling support organisation to con-

we can.

selves as mobile-first, with mobile gam-

tact us for free licences.

ing accounting for 90% of iGaming transactions. So there is definitely pres-

Is there any other Apps like this

Does the App have to be downloaded by the person with the

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Interview with Jack Symons - Gamban

WINTER 2017

Theoretically, yes. Anyone can download

have offered us support in the way of

Yes. I think unless more is done to im-

the app but we’d always recommend

funding, which we’ve turned down and

prove sustainability, the days of iGam-

getting permission of the owner’s com-

some want to purchase licences so they

ing are numbered. I believe this view is

puter. Partly because it’s more likely to

can offer to problem gamblers on their

shared on all sides by industry, support

be an effective break from gambling and

platforms. Operators, understandably,

and, quite possibly, regulators. And re-

because it gives a chance to close down

like what we are doing. Sustainability in

sources shouldn’t just be offered to tick

accounts, withdraw money and emo-

this industry is absolutely key and there

a ‘responsible’ box, aimed at preserving

tionally buy into the decision to quit.

needs to be a safety net. Our argument,

lifespan. We need to ensure that there

as supported by the recent 888 scandal,

are EFFECTIVE and ACCESSIBLE safety

is that no one operator – no matter how

nets for those who slip up, managed on

‘responsible’ – can enforce an effec-

the outside of the industry. That’s why

tive self-exclusion. Sure, they can block

independence has been – and contin-

from their site, but that only pushes the

ues to be – very important to us. UKGC

The user is protected to the end of their

problem gambler to another platform;

and other regulatory bodies could en-

subscription. Unless there’s a very good

and so on. In fact, the same applies to

force adoption of blocking software.

reason (we have a number of criteria)

MOSES (Multi-Operator Self-Exclusion

Perhaps the upcoming clinical effective-

then no, the choice has been made to

Scheme). If you make it impossible to

ness study (GambleAware) could help

stop.

play with casinos that fall under UKGC

pave the way for, at least, encouraged

jurisdiction, they’ll just play on unregu-

adoption of blocking software…

Should the person want to remove the App and want to gamble again on their device can they?

Is there a cost for using the App?

lated platforms. I know I did. So long as operators cannot influence us, I take a

Is there any future development of the App?

gamban® costs £9.99 a year per de-

fairly simple view to working with in-

vice and we ideally want the end-user

dustry: ultimately, it’s where our end-

to pay for it so that they take owner-

users are. Better than waiting until it’s

Cross-platform availability is key. De-

ship and commit to the self-exclusion.

too late.

spite the fact we are already on our

Is the hope that one day the App will be free to use?

Does Gamban block social gaming sites where payment is needed to play but not actual gambling?

We’ve been free for two years. There are

No. Free-to-play games, as a rule, aren’t

takes time, money and a lot of research.

costs associated with the application

blocked. We are looking into Skins gam-

We have an exceptional team of de-

and charging a small fee enables us to

bling, where gambling has become the

velopers and operational staff and are

be self-sufficient, without having to lose

overwhelming aspect of the gameplay.

confident we will do our best to provide

independence and take funding from

Where players can purchase guns and

better protection for less.

sources that might try to influence us –

modifications and then throw these into

both industry and charity alike. In time,

tournaments and win. Where the value

it’s something we could explore but we

of these items has real world ‘value’.

For more information on

are trying to create a sustainable solu-

This may need to be a separate product

please visit their website at www.gam-

tion that works for all. At less than one

but we are very much on top of this. We

ban.com

pound per month, you might argue that

understand that individuals may find it

if the individual can’t afford this, they

easier to play games in the withdrawal

can’t afford to gamble.

from gambling. I believe cessation must

third revision of gamban® on desktop devices, there are others improvements we could make. We’d like to be working with schools, universities, retail and businesses to minimise risk. All of this

gamban®

involve distraction – or it’s likely to not

Have you had any discussions with the gambling operators on their possible take up on the App for their problem gamblers?

Yes. We’ve been speaking with some of

be sustainable.

Do you think that the future will mean operators will need to offer this App or at least something like it?

the more ‘responsible’ operators. Some

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GAMING NEWS

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New Jersey to join Nevada & Delaware in pooling players

N

ew Jersey Governor Chris Christie has signed an agreement allowing for New Jersey online gambling joining with Nevada and Delaware in player pool sharing across state lines.

Already Nevada and Delaware share player pooling for online poker and now New Jersey will join the duo. The New Jersey Governor said, “pooling players will enhance annual revenue growth, attract new customers and create new opportunities for players and Internet gambling operators.”

Operators wishing to join the pooling process will have to be approved by all three states online regulators for the software offered to players.

It is not clear when New Jersey will join Delaware and Nevada in pooling players and how long the process of selecting operators will take.

So far only those three states have legalized online gambling with Pennsylvania and Michigan making strong noises of legalizing online gambling but nothing so far has materialized.

PartyPoker flies for GVC in Q3 Results GVC Holdings the giant gambling company with brands such as PartyPoker, Bwin and Foxy Bingo among others announced their third quarter results showing a slight increase in revenues although there were no major sporting activities during the period. GVC announced a rise of 1% in sports betting to €11.3 million in the period ending 30th September.

technology and strong brands, gives me confidence that we can continue to drive shareholder value.”

Overall for the period GVC revenues stood at €243.5 million up on last years revenues for the same period which were €221.5 million.

The PartyPoker brand enjoyed a large increase in revenues for the third quarter up 48% compared to the same period in 2016.

Kenneth Alexander, chief executive of GVC said of the results, “Underlying growth in Q3 represents the highest rate achieved since the acquisition of bwin.party in February 2016.”

He went on to say, The quick wins made in 2016 have been supplemented by further and continuous improvements across all areas of the business. GVC operates in an industry with significant opportunities and challenges. The combination of our talented employees, proven

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Key Take Aways on how Digital is Disrupting as delivered from AffiliateFEST 2017

By Lee-Ann Johnstone

O

n the 10th of October the third annual AffiliateFEST an iGaming Accelerator designed to give affiliates a head start on digital disruption took place at the Hippodrome Casino in London.

This immersive event is designed to help them growth hack their businesses. The phrase on everyone’s lips was around digital disruption and how we can make the most of the ever changing digital landscape to grow revenue online.

Through a series of sessions and talks, affiliates at the event came to understand more about their businesses than ever before. We run this event specifically for this purpose, there’s no selling on the stage and it is an intimate gathering held under NDA so that we can share real insights, not just a 30 minute sales pitches. We invite the best digital minds to share their tactics in real time with entrepreneurs in the room

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on the day.

Being an affiliate entrepreneur can be a lonely business, as it’s such a competitive and secretive industry.

This doesn’t have to be the case however, as AffiliateFEST has shown for the third year running. If you didn’t manage to come along to experience the event, this time, you can read a summary of the main points and take aways we gleaned from the event below: GDPR - Are you sure you’re Prepared?

Upcoming GDPR rules come in to effect in May 2018 and most people are either unprepared or don’t realise that it affects them at all. Some rely on the idea of Brexit to ensure that we don’t need to react to the new EU legislation, but businesses and especially online marketeers will need to take steps to understand and implement the required law.

If you process data on a large scale or store user data, then you will need to understand the core principals of the intended changes to your marketing activity and update your privacy policy too. If you’re unsure or require additional advice then it would be wise for you to seek out a professional to ensure that you are marketing compliant ahead of the regulation change.

UX and Design - are you courting or proposing?

The way we search and the way we use the internet is changing, as is the user experience. We’re searching more on mobile and through voice search than ever before, sites have to compensate for this to survive.

Thinking outside the box to reach position zero or optimising your site in a more fulfilling way for the user can be hugely effective. UX needs to tell a story - it’s not just

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about capturing the audience on the home page, it’s about making sure the entire experience on site is easy to follow and user friendly to understand.

may find that you become slightly more visible, but your users aren’t getting the answers that they’re looking for when hitting your site which results in poor relevance rankings.

Your user has a story and wants to have a good experience with the site, if they do then they’re more likely to come back and share it with others.

Consider whether your site is in the market for a marriage (long term) or just dating many of them, for a quick sale. Understanding your purpose then helps you take the right aspects of UX functionalities into your overall design.

Instead of spending your time just building links, you want to think about building a cohesive content plan that incorporates both of these search aspects. You want to get better visibility but also need provide high quality, engaging content too.

The quicker you can answer a question with factual content the better the user experience and association with your brand or site. This can be seen as a great debate within the SEO community but successful affiliates will approach these as two sides of the same coin and create strategies to combat each area as part of a successful content strategy.

Links Vs Content - The Big Debate Google has told us time and again that content is king, but some affiliates find themselves focused on other aspects of search activity to drive up rankings. If you’re more concerned with link building than content creation then you’re missing a trick. You

Social Media: You can do it on a budget, but do it right!

Are you investing time into social media? If you post now and again, text based posts with no user value or visual appeal then you are not investing enough time and you won’t see a positive return. In our session with Sarah Sangster, she showed affiliates how to disrupt the news feed and create content that stops your users from scrolling on by even on a shoe string budget. Innovative thinking is all that’s required to promote your brand and stop the scroll.

One of the practical take aways from this session was how to use the Legend app, to create appealing social media animations that will grab your audiences attention, something that we expect to see a lot more of our attendees trying out in future. This is an expedient way to try something new and create stings that get your page noticed, it just takes a few simple steps too.

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By Lee-Ann Johnstone

Who’s your KING?

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So - what’s next in 2018 for the affili-

of affiliate works. This means that affili-

ate community?

ate managers now need to understand

Creating content is fantastic but can also

what the guidelines are and follow them

be incredibly time consuming. Building

As ever, we like to look ahead to what’s

indiscriminately. Operators need to take

up a brand tone of voice is even better.

coming next to better understand how

a lot more time to vet their affiliates and

Each piece of content that you create

to prepare for it. The biggest thing that

understand where and how their brands

should build on this further and show

came out of the discussions of the day

are being promoted online. Automation

your user exactly who you are and what

is that the current streak of affiliate

of programme monitoring is imperative

you stand for. If you promote bingo, then

mergers and acquisition trends is going

for software providers to focus on in the

your tone is very likely going to be dif-

to get much more competitive. There

coming months.

ferent than sites that promote casino to

are now a few super affiliates control-

sports betting games. This differentia-

ling the strings of many sites, which will

Gambling isn’t such a young business

tion and brand tone of voice - resonates

naturally make things much harder for

anymore, though it can still feel unpre-

with the user and gives them a better

smaller ones to compete, however no-

dictable at times. As the industry ma-

affinity with your brand as a whole.

body wants to deal with a monopoly of

tures, we’re able to understand more

traffic so finding ways to innovate mar-

about how it is affected by changes,

Content helps prevent abandonment

keting strategies and move away from

which allows us to plan more effectively

of your site and means that users will

selling traffic to build a brand and cre-

too. It’s all about being prepared and

be more likely to convert or come back

ate a source of reference for customers

learning from the experience of others

in the future. While many affiliates may

will be the game changer for smaller up

in order to be successful.

be writing about the same news pieces,

and coming affiliate businesses.

you’re the only one with your particular

With all of these trends coming into

brand voice and positioning to promote

We all know that the Gambling Commis-

play, we need trained and skilled af-

it. Understanding how content and con-

sion is cracking down, making compli-

filiate managers working in the space.

tent curation can help you convert more

ance an important aspect for operators

They’re out there representing some of

customers is a major part of the market-

and affiliates. Affiliates who recognise

the biggest brands online and offline,

ing strategies that will help differentiate

this and work collaboratively with op-

they are the front line and they will have

affiliates from successful growth in the

erators to create a compliant way of

to make sure that they’re doing so cor-

next 12 months and will do not harm to

working within their business and with

rectly.

impacting their SEO strategies.

the requirements of the affiliate managers who manage these programmes is going to become a natural progression

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GAMING NEWS

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How will Cash Poker Pro Change Casinos and Poker Platforms?

O

nline casinos and mobile poker applications aren’t a new thing in today’s gambling world. But the domain has never been free of issues. Now, Cash Poker Pro, a blockchain platform based on Ethereum, is trying to resolve some of the major issues facing online poker applications and casinos.

accounts. Officials said that players may face problems if they haven’t played enough rounds that makes them eligible for money back. There are also chances that they may fail to prove the legitimacy of their deposit. Cash Poker Pro also said that players may be accused of cheating or the operation of the casino may be suspended.

An increasing user base Online casinos and mobile poker applications have gained immense popularity in the last one decade. An increasing number of users are seen playing professional poker games online, with most of them reckoning upon third-party service providers and intermediaries. According to the development team at Cash Poker Pro, players in online poker and casino platforms have to pay about 8 percent in transaction fees to get money and rewards earned through games transferred to their personal accounts.

The inefficient and opaque systems for online casino users that have been in implementation have proved highly unreliable because these systems still rely on traditional models such as electronic wallets and bank transfers. Users have to pay a large amount after combining currency transfers, payment processing, and maintenance fees.

Such processes tend to complicate matters for players and ruin their experience.

The problem lies in the way people withdraw this money from their

What Cash Poker Pro has to offer?

Cash Poker Pro, through transparent, fixed, and decentralized systems, is targeting the various issues and providing a more trustworthy and

efficient system for poker players. Cash Poker Pro’s platform uses the Ethereum blockchain platform and contracts to process payments autonomously and provide poker games within a distributed but regulated ecosystem. The autonomous payments and transactions eliminate thresholds, inefficiencies, and boundaries in relation to many financial activities.

The anonymous cryptocurrency wallet will allow players to play without making deposits or waiting for approval for withdrawing sums from their accounts. As the platform grows, it aims to emerge as a major gambling platform. The platform uses smart contracts to develop a sustainable and fair gambling industry. The first phase of Cash Poker Pro’s initial coin offering successfully concluded in August. The second stage is expected to start on October 26, 2017, and about 60 million cash tokens will be sold during the initial coin offering.

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GAMING NEWS

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Greece Plans to Cut Down Gaming Taxes

I

nternational gambling operators looking to expand in Greece just received good news from the country. According to the latest reports, the Greek government is looking to slash the taxes it currently levies on gambling.

Earlier this week, Greek news publication, Ekathimerini published a report stating that sources within the Economic Ministry had indicated a possible plan to reduce taxes levied on gambling. It is believed that the government will likely table a new legislation regarding this matter in the upcoming weeks.

The reduced taxes will probably be applied to both, gaming tables and slot machines.

The report also mentions that the government had consulted with stakeholders in the industry to develop a mixed-rate system. The newly proposed system will see current tax rates dropped from 37% to 25% or lower.

Governments aim to boost market It is believed that the government came up with the decision after determining that the reduction in tax rates would increase interest towards the market from local and international operators, which would actually boost the revenue coming into government coffers.

In the end of 2016, Greece had approved the tender for an integrated casino, which is to be built on the same property that once held the Elliniko international airport near Athens. Around the same time, the government also approved the shifting of the Regency Mont Parnes Casino in Parnitha, its present location, to a more commercially beneficial location close to Athens. However, the relocation was carried out on the condition that the casino still remains located out of city bounds.

Rate cuts may be applicable to more than just casinos As far as the current reports are concerned, the cut in tax rates has only

been discussed in the context of casinos. However, there is a possibility that the cuts might even extend to betting and lottery operator OPAP. OPAP, under the current rates, has been paying a gaming revenue tax of 30% to 35%. OPAP claimed that the exorbitant tax rates had caused its revenue to drop last year by 57.5 million Euros.

In 2017, OPAP began rolling out thousands of fresh video lottery terminals, despite that fact that the government had limited the number of video lottery terminals to 25,000 instead of the originally agreed upon 35,000.

OPAP is believed to have now requested for an extension of its betting license in return for a reduction in the number of lottery terminals.

But, whether the new tax rate reductions apply to video lottery terminals is yet to be seen.

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Playing with figures and numbers around the world.

By Teresa Tunstall

W

ith a population of 66 million, Britain’s landmass would fit into Texas (28 million people) two and a half times; by sheer definition of numbers this means that Britain has far more problem gamblers within a much smaller mileage area?

I can honestly say that there are no figures to substantiate this comparison and furthermore I have Dyscalculia, which in layman terms is the inability to make sense or work with numbers. Many moons ago I was chosen to be trained as a croupier at Playboy’s London casino but being Dyslexic I couldn’t even spell the word. It didn’t matter… I went through weeks of Blackjack training and realised how lucky I was that adding up cards never went past 21.

So this is where my concern and the problem lies. It begins with children who to all intents and purposes are gaming online anywhere and everywhere in the world. Children are

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gaming and it seems their parents on the most part don’t realise quite how many times a child needs to top-up his or hers playing money. This was bought home to me when my daughter, who now lives in New Zealand( a country the same size as Britain with a population of 4 million by the way) went shopping with my 9 year old granddaughter. They stopped at the ATM where my daughter withdrew money, but later whilst having coffee and cake my daughter noticed my granddaughter had some writing on the palm of her hand. It was my daughter’s PIN number! Questioned angrily by my daughter, my granddaughter admitted she needed to ‘top-up’ her favourite online game.

Fortunately, our UK Gambling Commission are one step ahead by warning the gambling and betting operators feature on their website games, colourful cartoon characters from films they can relate to and thereby attracting them to play. The Commission stated approximately 450,000

children are gambling in England and Wales and 6% of 11 – 15 year olds gambled online using parents’ accounts. Where, I wondered, does my 9 year old granddaughter playing in New Zealand figure in that??

Obviously, I am angry over my granddaughter actions but I’m even more outraged with online sites that could be seen as subconsciously almost preparing kids for adult gambling. As technology moves faster than GCHQ can keep up with we have a right to expect online companies to do the right thing when it comes to children under 18 years of age. I’m not willing to listen to those who moan this is the way of today’s modern world: something has to be done to make sure parents are not made victims and that children are educated and warned. Even more importantly online companies need to do their bit.

One of the earliest evidences of problem gambling recorded,

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Georgina Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire film adaptation

particularly within royalty, was Georgina Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire, who was great, great, great, great-Aunt to Diana, Princess of Wales, who in 1774 at 17 years old she was married off to the Duke of Devonshire.

Not the happiest of marriages, the Duke bought his mistress Lady Elizabeth Foster who had been a great friend of Duchess to live in the palace and quickly into his bedroom creating ‘ménage a trois.’

It was a terrible betrayal to lose her husband and best friend in what would now be called a ‘double whammy’ for the Duchess.

The Duchess was devastated and escaped from her pain by losing herself in gambling which eventually spiralled out of control leaving her with debts amounting to £300.000.

Fearsome of her husband discovering her tremendous debt, her emotional instability and stress escalated and intensified.

When she died in 1806 the Duke was inundated by debt collectors. In this period of time gambling was never recognised as an addiction and in fact problem gambling was only officially recognised by World Health Organisation as a mental health disorder in 1996.

This reminds me of a woman I spoke to who told me how she kept control of her gambling online, buying a prepaid card which gave her just enough for a gamble over the weekend when her children had gone to bed.

Everything was going well until one Saturday her mother-in-law turned up unexpectedly. Whatever conversation they had must have made her uneasy enough that when her mother-in-law left she immediately went online and gambled not only her normal £30 but all she’d saved for her children’s holiday. She was tearful and continually repeated, “I hate myself, I hate myself”… it was heart breaking to hear. However, we discussed the positive side which was that she had now

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INFINITY GAMING

By Teresa Tunstall

addressed what she’d done and understood she must move on by selfexcluding and blocking all gambling from her laptop which she agreed to do. I also asked her to consider counselling which can be particularly difficult for a single mother with three children. Fortunately, there are now various forms of counselling available be it by Skype, emails, telephone or face to face.

Is it any wonder that we love the idea of, ‘Escape Rooms,’ away from reality created in almost any theme you wish.

I once dealt Blackjack at a ‘fun casino,’ with a WWII party theme where everyone was dressed in 1940’s clothes and even more importantly hairstyles.

So on rainy days and Sundays when I’m not feeling so good, I image my dream Escape Room to be from, ‘Sixties Hippy Summer of Love,’ as a Flowers Child. I recall my mother refusing to walk down the road with me wearing bells; little did she know I was going to turn into a Bunny!

Responsible Gambling week is over, it was a great to see so many betting and gambling operators involved in

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displaying posters and leaflets in shop windows and elsewhere. Gaming staff were prominently around to offer advice and help which is an enormous step forward in the gaming and betting world.

Long may this continue into an annual event which can and will grow from year to year and rightfully so. Everyone must support such an important issue, raising the profile for those who may find themselves in trouble with their gambling.

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GAMING NEWS

WINTER 2017

Macau Casinos’ Incredible Demographics Revealed

M

acau is undoubtedly the largest gambling hub in the whole of Asia. Although the casinos ended 2016 with lower revenues comparatively, their stock prices certainly shot up. As such, the future of Macau’s gambling industry looks rosy, as long as the demographics continue to move in its favor.

Who’s visiting Macau casinos?

According to a study conducted by analyst Sanford C. Bernstein and Company, an average gambler in Macau is 36 years old, with males dominating the patrons’ list. Such gamblers are seen to hail from the most economically developed Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. Their earnings are even amazing: 19,000 Yuan or US$2,900 per month. They keep about US$3,035 as their budget per trip. Sanford C. Bernstein and Company aims to excavate premium demand characteristics in Macau, the biggest gambling hub in Asia.

“Premium demand” is used in Macau’s gambling industry to mean patrons who earn more than 25,000 yuan or circa $3,700 per month. Macau is considered the gambling hub with biggest premium demand in the world, thus giving a promising picture of the future. The CAGR of Macau’s gambling industry is expected to be more than 25 percent in the next five years. Nonetheless, the penetration of Macau’s casinos into the mainstream consumer market is relatively low, amounting to about 5 percent of the market.

Macau has moved its reliance on high-rollers that comprised of about 60 percent of all revenues once. This happened following a crackdown, which was launched against graft and conspicuous display of wealth. But the premium market continues to remain important, as it is capable of sustaining the enclave’s long-term growth.

According to the study, there are a few factors that determine the behavior of premium casino patrons. The casino environment is certainly one of them because customers look for the quality of hotel rooms and non-gaming facilities available to them. But anti-graft activity initiated by Chinese authorities may curb premium spending.

Sands, a leading company in China, are the most frequented, owing to its critical mass and plush hotel rooms.

The report suggested that Wynn and Melco attract the highest percentage of premium customers. The anti-graft activities are considered a drawback rather than a red flag but find a significant mention in the report. But it won’t be wrong to say the ‘premiumization’ is the only way for Macau’s gambling industry to maintain a higher CAGR in the long run.

What might stand in the way?

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Will the Supreme Court Give Gambling Back to the States?

By Professor I Nelson Rose

Professor I Nelson Rose is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on gambling law and is a consultant and expert witness for governments and industry. Gambling and the Law® and copyright notice © 2017 www.GamblingAndTheLaw.com

Should betting on sports, or any other

power, state governments that have un-

that it could not change its public policy

form of gambling, be legal?

limited power.

toward gambling.

The first question is: Who decides?

In agreeing to hear New Jersey’s appeal

In the New Jersey sports-betting case,

of its right to have sports-betting, the

the state’s lawyers used the esoteric

Until a few decades ago, no one would

U.S. Supreme has signaled that it might

term “commandeering.” I would have

have thought the decision-maker was

begin telling Congress that it has gone

gone with “federalism.”

the federal government.

too far in stepping on states’ rights.

In fact, for

the first 150 years of American history, Congress had almost no role in matters

Either term belittles the potential imThat term got a black eye during the

pact of this case. At the very least, the

It

civil rights era. But it is still true that

Supreme Court will probably return

was entirely up to the states to decide

most laws are state laws, and the fed-

gaming law to what it was half-a-centu-

not only whether gambling should be a

eral government is not supposed to tell

ry ago: a state, not federal issue.

crime, but whether anything should be

the states what laws they can and can-

a crime.

not enact.

that affected people’s daily lives.

But it may go much further. Where does the federal government get the power

Since the birth of television, it has be-

The Tenth Amendment reads, in full:

to tell New Jersey that it has to continue

come difficult to appreciate that the

“The powers not delegated to the Unit-

to outlaw sports-betting? Should Con-

federal government is a government

ed States by the Constitution, nor pro-

gress be allowed to tell states that they

of limited power. If it is not in the U.S.

hibited by it to the States, are reserved

have to keep any private conduct ille-

Constitution, Congress, federal courts,

to the States respectively, or to the peo-

gal?

administrative agencies and even the

ple.” The drafters of the Constitution,

President simply do not have the right

and the Supreme Court, said this lan-

Today, 44 states have medical cannabis

to tell people what they can and can-

guage was unnecessary. But the origi-

laws. Yet federal law treats marijuana as

not do in their private lives. It was, and

nal 13 colonies wanted to make sure

a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled

remains, except to the extent they have

there would never be a dispute over,

Substances Act, meaning the Food and

voluntarily given up some of their

say, whether Congress could tell a state

Drug Administration has determined it

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WINTER 2017

Conflicts between the federal govern-

But the same cannot be said now of

ment and the states are not always

New Jersey and its voters. The amend-

Where is the federal issue in telling the

about differing views on morality.

ment to the State Constitution author-

states they are wrong? Is it enough that

Sometimes the conflict arises due to the

izing sports-betting was approved at

Attorney General Jeff Sessions thinks

problem of having to get both a state

the polls overwhelmingly. There was

smoking pot is immoral?

legislature and Congress to change their

similarly little dissent in the New Jersey

laws, at the same time.

Legislature when it passed, twice, ena-

has no medical use.

The New Jersey sports-betting case

bling acts.

will have to directly face the question

In the years immediately following pas-

of moral pluralism. Although the goal

sage of the Professional and Amateur

If Congress were as efficient as the New

of the U.S. Constitution was to cre-

Protection Act (“PASPA”), an argument

Jersey Legislature, there would be no

ate one nation, it was not supposed to

could be made that New Jersey agreed

problem. Congress could amend PASPA

step on the rights of the states to have

with the federal prohibition on sports-

to allow only New Jersey to have sports-

their own public policies toward moral

betting. PASPA gave New Jersey, and

betting. But Republicans won’t let the

issues. States were not only allowed,

New Jersey only, one year to pass a law

issue even be debated.

but encouraged to experiment. Utah,

allowing sports-betting.

Even though

anti-gambling conservatives have the

for example, decided to outlaw all gam-

the issue was not put before the state’s

right to impose their morality on other

bling. Its bordering state, Nevada, went

voters at that time, there were lawsuits

states?

a different route. If either approach suc-

and lobbying.

ceeded wildly, the other states could

Legislature failed to pass a statute or

The problem for legal gambling started

copy or try a modified version for them-

referendum, there was no general upris-

in the 1890s, when the states asked

selves.

ing of discontent.

President Benjamin Harrison and

Why should

When the New Jersey

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31

Professor I Nelson Rose Article

WINTER 2017

Congress to help them stop Louisiana

fathered-in. Every other state was told

turned to the states, there would be

lottery tickets from being sold in their

they were out of luck.

no reason for the federal government

states. For the first time, Congress used

to interfere if other states entered

its power to regulate interstate com-

Imagine a statute passed in 1928, de-

into interstate and even international

merce to prevent a legal product from

claring that it was a felony to offer mov-

agreements. The Wire Act itself could

crossing state lines.

ies with sound, but exempting states

be challenged, since there is no rea-

that were already showing talking pic-

son to believe that licensed, regulated

By the 1970s, the Federal Communica-

tures. Regardless of whatever changes

sports-betting is more dangerous than

tions Commission decided that every

occurred in technology or in the way so-

licensed, regulated online poker.

form of gambling was a “lottery.” One

ciety viewed films, only a dozen states

of my first legal opinions as a gaming

could have talkies.

lawyer was convincing the largest radio

Freed of out-dated federal restrictions, states would be free to make their own

station in Los Angeles that poker was

I’m hoping the Court will give us a clean

not a “lottery,” so it would broadcast

decision. The worst result would be a

commercials for state-licensed card

ruling that New Jersey only has the right

clubs. I was less successful with a TV

to decriminalize sports-betting, but not

station in Las Vegas in an ad for the old

regulate it. Other states would follow,

Tropicana, because it showed the word

with some truly weird statutes elimi-

“casino” reflected backwards in a pool

nating laws against sports-betting, and

of water.

who knows what else.

decisions about Internet gambling.

And if Utah did not want to join in, it would be its right to sit out the games.

© Copyright 2017, I. Nelson Rose, Encino, California. All rights reserved world-

PASPA, passed in 1992, is the most

Nevada and Delaware changed their

wide. Gambling and the Law® is a reg-

extreme example of federal control of

state laws, allowing their governors to

istered trademark of Professor I. Nelson

state gambling.

enter into an agreement to pool online

Rose, www.GamblingAndTheLaw.com.

A dozen states with

existing sports-betting, from jai alai to

poker players.

calcuttas to sports books, were grand-

whether to legalize gambling are re-

Once decisions about

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33

GAMING NEWS

WINTER 2017

Crown Casino Under Investigation

G

ambling authorities in Victoria, Australia have announced that they will be launching an investigation into the allegations against Crown Casino involving the tampering of poker machines and the sabotaging of government efforts to curb domestic violence and money laundering.

The shocking allegations have been made by 3 men under the condition of anonymity. It is believed that the 3 men are also former employees of Crown Casino. The information was recorded in the form of a 30-minute video, which was later released by MP Andrew Wilkie, who is a known opponent of poker machines.

The video contains accusations against Crown Casino claiming that it removed low-betting options from the machines and also made it easier for punters to gamble.

The whistleblowers also claimed that The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation was involved in the wrongdoing. However, authorities told the media that they would have to carry out investigations

to know more details.

and Liquor Regulation.

A spokesperson for the commission told the media that the gaming regulator takes such allegations very seriously and that it would definitely launch an investigation.

The whistleblowers stated that the machines had auto-play buttons modified to enable more losses for the gamblers. Auto-play is a feature on these machines currently outlawed in Australia. Other than that, the machines also had the low-bet options removed.

Crown claims innocence The casino issued a statement rejecting the allegations and even called on Andrew Wilkie to provide all the necessary details pertaining to the allegations.

The Crown group saw its share values drop to 6.5% after reports about its wrongdoing started to do the rounds.

The share value went well below 11%, which is believed to be the company’s lowest point in 2017 so far. However, things started to look better towards the close at $11.24.

Wilkie, while presenting the evidence to the parliament, stated that the misconduct was brought to his attention by the former employees. The misconduct involved the tampering of machines to take advantage of customers and the subsequent cover-ups by The Victorian Commission for Gambling

Additionally, claims were made concerning software manipulation to maximize the chances of gambler loss, especially on the weekends.

Domestic violence incidents ignored The whistleblowers even claimed that they witnessed a customer’s wife bleeding from the face, which was hushed up and left unreported because the staff was ordered not to interfere in matters of domestic violence.

Victorian Gaming Minister, Marlen Kairouz, told the media that the state government will wait for more information from the VCGLR investigation before it takes any action.

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Interview with Larry Laffer (Leisure Suit Larry) From LarryCasino.com

The nineties computer character that got up to so much mischief trying to find love has now transformed himself for the new millenium into a rising star in the online gaming world and Infinity Gaming Magazine spoke to this gaming icon. - WARNING this article contains comments from Larry that may upset, please check out Larry’s history prior to reading to understand his, shall we say points of view!

Larry thank you for speaking to us we know you are a very busy man with your new website.

The Leisure Suit Larry games are amaz-

small nap, but that’s it. I love my life and

ing and they changed my life forever. I

I love Al. He gave me the opportunity to

became famous and I had the oppor-

start being myself and figure out what

tunity to travel a lot and meet great

I wanted in life. I will be forever grate-

It’s a pleasure. I really love interviews

people. First times are always very ex-

ful to him. He taught me to enjoy my

and chatting with nice people like you.

citing. That’s why we started this new

life and I know he would be very disap-

I’m very busy, you’re right, but fortu-

project. I needed something new. I

pointed if I got tired one day. Wherever

nately there is a great team working at

wanted to listen again the beat of my

there is a party there will be a Larry Laf-

LarryCasino, so I still have the time to

heart with that magical rhythm. I love

fer as well.

enjoy life.

challenges, they make me feel alive.

If we can Larry can we go back to the early days for a moment and your adventures for those readers who do not know you. You started out in 1987 on your first one, how exciting was that?

Al Lowe who is your father essentially took you around the World on cruise ships and desert islands etc over the years; did you get tired after so many years and retire?

Thank you. I see you understand fashion. I asked myself this question many

I will never retire. Sometimes I take a

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You were never very successful with the ladies, why do you think that is as you always dressed so well?

times and I still don’t have the answer,

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I knew I was very sexy and well-dressed, so I never gave up. It took a couple of decades but things have changed since we launched LarryCasino and now I’m very successful with the ladies.

LARRY LAFFER The PC icon in all his glory

but you must persevere. I knew I was

charming style. Both are powerful moti-

I also met David Plumi and Enric Mon-

very sexy and well-dressed, so I never

vations, so 50%-50% probably.

ton, the founders of LarryCasino, and

gave up. It took a couple of decades but things have changed since we launched LarryCasino and now I’m very successful with the ladies.

You had over a twenty year career with PC Games Larry, who do you think your games were played by, men or women?

they convinced me to join this crazy ad-

So now you have entered the world of online gaming with larrycasino. com what made you set up the website and what games does it offer?

venture. We offer every slot you can im-

Everything was very fast and unexpect-

We see that one of the games is geared to you winning the heart of Kym the Casino Manager, is that a person that works in the company by any chance Larry?

ed. I was playing craps the night I met Flabio Bribitori, the famous billionaire.

I guess men are looking for a male role

I became his lucky charm and he paid

model, a sexy well-dressed reference

me back sponsoring me and helping

to be inspired by. Women are just irre-

me to be a successful player. That night

sistibly attracted by my beauty and my

was magic and changed my life forever.

agine, Live Casino games and our own exclusive features, but above all this is a graphical adventure where players must help me to reach my goals.

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WINTER 2017

Larry Laffer Interview

That’s my main purpose in life. She is so

since I became a successful player, but I

beautiful... and to get to bunga bunga

will need more than just luck to win her

with her I need the players help to reach

heart. I will be ready when I have the

the final level. They will play and unlock

opportunity.

treasure chests, find weird objects, collect coins that they can redeem in the shop and discover all my spicy friends.

We all live in the Caribbean Sea, on Naked Island, and she is the resort’s Casino

Kym is the love of my life, no doubt, but

What can players expect from the new site Larry, will it have all the high jinks and naughty stuff from your video games?

Manager.

Sure, what’s life without a bit of humour

What do you think your chances are Larry of winning Kym’s heart given your track record?

and spice? Everything in LarryCasino

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who am I to say “no” to a beautiful woman? I have been told “no” so many times in my life that I cannot do that to them.

In what regions around the World can players reach you Larry and play your games?

has Larry Style. I have lost some dildos lately, so I’m thinking this weekend pro-

We are expanding and we are available

motion will be about finding my dildos...

in more and more countries every day.

I’m a new person now. You can forget my track record. Everything changed

your life or can players expect other lovely ladies to come along in the future?

I still miss my friends from in the USA

Do you think Kym is the love of

and the Latin love of the Spanish and

WINTER 2017

the Italians, for example, but I’m glad to

casinos magnate. Their experience and

see how passionate the Scandinavians

support is very important for us.

are. Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, German and British people are at the moment the hottest players.

Who are the great people that relaunched your career?

What is your favourite piece of clothing Larry?

My favourite piece of clothing is always the last one I remove from a woman’s body. Or the first one I add. There is

David Plumi and Enric Monton are the

only one thing sexier than undressing a

co-founders of LarryCasino. They have

woman, dressing her.

a lot of experience in the industry and they have the vision and the necessary determination to succeed. And they are

What does the future hold for Larry Laffer?

very sexy and well-dressed as well, so we connected immediately. They are

Who knows... I don’t even know in which

the creative minds behind LarryCasino

room I’m going to wake up tomorrow,

and then we have the muscle, the lovely

but an International Gaming Award

investors: Toni Rossich, the former CEO

would be great. And tons of love, of

of Football Club Barcelona and Helios

course.

Navarro, the Panamanian land-based

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39

GAMING NEWS

WINTER 2017

Macau Casinos Still Shy of 95% Chinese Patrons

M

acau is undoubtedly Asia’s largest casino hub, with patrons swarming in from all over the world. But demographics of casino visitors in Macau have a far more convincing story to tell. While Macau continues to attract gamblers from all over the globe, the Chinese patrons have a special place in the equation. A recent survey revealed that an average Chinese customer is 36 years old.

Such a customer is most likely to be a male and hailing from a developed Chinese city.

What’s the reality?

But, in reality, Macau’s casinos are yet to attract 95 percent of China’s mainstream players, as revealed by the survey. The Sanford C. Bernstein brokerage published its “premium consumer usage and attitudes survey 2017”, which revealed that a 36-year-old average Chinese gambler visits Macau three times in one year.

If we are to talk about the earnings of these gamblers, the numbers are even more staggering. The survey found that an average gambler from China earns a monthly amount of about RMB 19K (US$ 2,900) but keeps a budget of about RMB 20K for gambling in Macau. Talking of accommodation, a Chinese gambler in Macau tends to move towards rooms in Sands China properties, a company focused on properties meant for the mass market. More affluent of gamblers tend to frequent properties under the management of Wynn Resorts and Melco Resorts and Entertainment.

So, are there many Chinese gamblers in Macau?

But the predictions of the broker age doesn’t look favorable for casino properties. It noted that gamblers at SJM Holdings belong to an aging demographic, making the inauguration of the new Grand Lisboa Palace an urgent call. The launch of these properties has been pushed to the end of 2018 after it became a site of a fire accident last month.

The survey shows that Macau has only been able to tap into 5 percent of the mainstream Chinese consumer market, leaving a lot of scope for

growth in the future. The brokerage expects that the compound annual growth rate of Macau’s gaming revenue will be close to 6.4 percent in the next 10 year, with mass-market gambling rising 8 percent and VIP gambling rising 4.8 percent.

The brokerage notified earlier that the so-called “premium” consumers– gamblers earning more than RMB 25K a month– would experience a compound annual growth rate of 28 percent over the next five years, increasing from 4.7 million in 2016 to 16.2 million by the end of 2021.

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GAMING NEWS

WINTER 2017

Sportsbetting Likely to Be on Maryland’s 2018 Agenda

S

portsbetting, a topic that has been ignored with regard to the General Assembly agenda in Maryland for almost half a decade might just make a comeback in 2018.

Joe Weinberg, who heads the firm responsible for Maryland Live Casino & Hotel in Anne Arundel County, stated that he would support the effort to legalize sports betting in Maryland.

The chief executive of Cordish Global Gaming spoke to members belonging to the Joint Committee on Gaming Oversight and requested them to seriously consider the matter next year so that a constitutional amendment could soon be set in motion.

Maryland’s gambling laws are established as constitutional amendments, which are decided upon by voters.

Not so enthusiastic However, Maryland’s lawmakers have not opened up much on the topic of sports betting and in fact, don’t seem too interested. Del. Frank Turner,

House Co-Chair for the Gaming Committee, told the media that, even if sports betting found a sponsor, it was unlikely that it would pass in 2018.

But, he did suggest that the proposal could be taken up in 2020.

Weinberg has brought up the recent efforts among other states to legalize sports betting as well and stated that Maryland did not have the time to wait for more clarity on the issue. He added that delaying the issue further would put the state 3 years behind other gambling states.

Currently, there are federal laws that prohibit sports betting in most states.

But, New Jersey has challenged this, citing that it goes against the idea of state autonomy on matters related to gambling and prevents elected officials from even discussing the matter with their constituents.

The challenge will be entertained by New Jersey’s high court within the current term. However, a decision will

only be made after the end of the 90day legislative session in April.

More state autonomy Casino owners in Maryland wholeheartedly support the idea that only the state should decide on matters such as sports betting. Caesars Entertainment, which runs the Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, issued a statement wherein it mentioned that it would support regulated and legal sports betting, which is already allowed in Delaware, Nevada, Montana, and Oregon.

MGM Resorts, which runs the MGM National Harbor, reiterated its longstanding view on the legalization of sports betting in states other than Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana. It also added that it would be in support of the legalization along with the implementation of strong regulatory measures to protect consumers and the integrity of the sporting events being betted upon.

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GAMING NEWS

WINTER 2017

Re-election good news in Japan and Crown pulls out of race

S

hinzo Abe won the Japanese election increasing his parties majority and paving the way for Integrated Resorts in the country. Following the Prime Ministers re-election although seeing a fall in his own popularity his party took more seats than previously held with opposition parties failing to form any kind of coherent message to voters hence Shinzo Abe and his ruling coalition party storming to victory.

There is also some more good news on the horizon as the Prime Minister has called a special session of the Diet for November 1 and many believe this is to push forward with the

gambling addiction bill and the IR Implementation Bill, this would put the schedule ahead of time as it was expected to be called early in 2018.

In other related news on Japan James Packer and his Crown Resorts casino business has indicated that they will not be challenging for a license in Japan after all.

Packer said that as the company are going through a restructuring phase he did not want senior management to be distracted by competing for a Integrated Resort license in Japan.

The news follows on from Crown also stating previously this year that the company have shelved any plans

to build a casino resort in Las Vegas.

Packer said to local media in Australia, “There isn’t a great opportunity to get back into Vegas. And there isn’t an opportunity to get back into Macau. I don’t want our management to be distracted.”

“People talk to me about Japan. I don’t believe it is realistic for us to win a licence in Japan,” he added.

It is now clear that Crown will now focus internally on the Australian market and its plans for a flagship casino in Sydney as its only expansion.

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GAMING NEWS

WINTER 2017

Sportech up for sale

L

ast month Sportech the technology provider for the gambling industry announced the departures of their CEO and CFO, now the gaming firm has announced they are putting the business up for sale.

Sportech runs some 27,000 betting terminals in 37 countries for their 400 clients and processing $11 billion in wagers each year. However following what the company called a

“strategic Review of Operations”with a view to maximising shareholder value, the firm has decided to place a for sale sign on the business.

Already according to Sportech there has been several parties interested in the business and four have made preliminary approaches to acquire the business.

Sportech chairman Richard McGuire said: “We announced last month a

comprehensive strategic review to assess options to enhance shareholder value. Further to this investigation, we have today launched this formal sales process. “Whilst we note there is no certainty that an offer, or suitable offer, will be forthcoming, our confidence in our businesses, in our growth opportunities and in our dedicated professional colleagues means that a potential sale is only one of the strategic options open to the company.”

Tom Horn Gaming granted UK Gambling License

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om Horn Gaming has been granted a Combined Remote Operating Licence by the UK Gambling Commission.

The licence will allow the company to offer its comprehensive portfolio of games to operators in one of the oldest jurisdictions in the world, with the first clients expected to go live in the coming weeks.

Ondrej Lapides, CEO at Tom Horn Gaming, said the approval of the licence was in line with the company’s strategy to continue entering regulated markets.

He added: “To be awarded a UK licence marks a huge milestone in our journey as a supplier as the UK is one of the world’s largest and most respected markets. It has stringent regulations in place, with social responsibility and player protection in mind.

“We are delighted as a business to have been entrusted with the licence which demonstrates just how far we have come as a company.

“It recognises not only excellence of our products, which are renowned

for high technical standards, gripping storylines and outstanding mechanics, but also Tom Horn’s ethos and commitment to the principles of social responsibility and transparency.”

Tom Horn Gaming has joined the ranks of the igaming industry’s main global players in recent months after a series of deals with leading casinos and game aggregators.

Now with the UK licence in place, it will start supplying significant B2C gaming brands with a full array of UK certified omni-channel games.

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WINTER 2017

Pennsylvania, Michigan or Illinois who is favourite to pass online gambling law?

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nline poker supporters have been desperately trying to find positives in the US states for the expansion of online gambling with at present just Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey offering internet gambling to its residents.

42-10 but carried with it a bad actor clause which would exclude the world’s biggest online poker company PokerStars. The authors of the bill believe that taxes and licensing would bring in $100 million in the first year.

However over this year Pennsylvania, Michigan and Illinois have all flirted with legislation, the latest hope is for Illinois to step up. There are six days left in this year for Illinois to pass any kind of legislation to legalise online gambling, these sessions are from 24th October till 26th October and then 7th November till 9th November and that is it for Illinois.

The problem is whatever may happen the Governor of Illinois Bruce Rauner has been on record to say he does not want any expansion of gambling within his state, so unless he has a major u-turn nothing is really gonna happen any time soon.

Given that online gambling would at best bring in $100 million the state has a whopping $10 billion budget deficit, so its not going to be a major game changer in budget affairs.

There are a few bills flying around the Senate one was even passed

Michigan has more chance but in reality not much with Michigan

State Rep. Brandt Iden hoping his online gambling bill H 4926 will pass through the House by November but observers believe that the bill in its current form will be getting no further than previous attempts given the impasse with Tribal Gaming and even state commercial casinos not supporting it.

Pennsylvania has still the best chance this year even though arguments on the budget linger with gambling expansion kind of agreed with all sides without agreeing the whole state budget bill online gambling is going nowhere fast.

Time is running out for this year for any state to join the current three, any bets should go on Pennsylvania but don’t put your house on it.

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The Effect of Regulations on the Casino Industry in 2018

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s more and more casinos are trying to capture the online space, regulations are proving more and more demanding and problematic. Right now, casinos face a relatively easier time while acquiring licenses in their respective jurisdictions. But the year 2018 won’t be same for them as regulations are becoming stricter with each passing day.

The effect of regulations on the industry Certain regulations in place currently are easy to adapt for new casinos.

But, owing to various problems faced by online players, regulators and governments are involving themselves in cracking down establishments that are at an advantage.

As per some existing regulations, casinos are allowed to advertise only promotional limits to draw players in a minimal way. But in 2018, player bonuses are likely to be affected by regulations. The first deposit bonus enjoyed by players now will soon

become limited as the industry moves closer towards 2018.

Limited deposits and methods New casinos are not the sole problem of regulators and governments.

Criminal players, who use casinos to launder money, are also posing a challenge before them. Despite the strict deposit and withdrawal process, players are still laundering funds through the medium of casinos. As a measure to curb this, regulators will slash the number of payment methods in 2018. This move will certainly affect players who are already using these payment modes legally.

Besides the limits of deposits and withdrawal, the variety of deposits and withdrawal is also likely to be affected by regulations. Online players now have the privilege to deposit thousands of dollars into their new accounts. But a regulatory crackdown on the so-called “bad casinos” would cause players to

suffer in terms of the amount they can play with. This will automatically have an influence on the amount they can win in these casinos.

Few market and game options Currently, a player can select from a collection of thousands of games.

But this will change in 2018 when regulators would limit the games’ variety in order to curb “rigged gaming software”. The number of markets in which these casinos can operate is also likely to fall. The sole aim of regulators is to save the face of the industry, whose reputation is sinking owing to scamming companies.

Given the regulatory objectives, new casinos are likely to face a tougher time in 2018. It could have a negative effect on player’s gaming experience, but efforts of governments and regulators are underway to maintain safety and quality of online casinos.

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GAMING NEWS

WINTER 2017

Cryptocurrency’s Future in Online Gambling Depends on Regulated Markets

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nline gambling is no longer the way it used to be a few years ago. There was a time when cowboys were a prominent part of the industry, followed by sheriffs, who moved in and established orders in many towns.

But online gambling today is at the threshold of a “wild west era”, where cryptocurrency is sweeping the industry.

Cryptocurrency and online gambling Cryptocurrency is changing the online gambling landscape in a significant manner. Owing to the decentralized nature of cryptocurrency, you will not only need a few sheriffs but many deputies in addition to establish order. Cryptocurrency offers a number of advantages over traditional transaction methods. Minimal fees, no chargebacks, and faster transactions are few of the many advantages gamblers get from using cryptocurrency. Besides, blockchain technology has also come a long way to bring about more clarity and transparency between operators and customers.

What’s the future?

As we make a transition towards cryptocurrency, chargebacks are losing importance. Each transaction becomes a part of the blockchain and is irreversible. But, withdrawals and deposits can still be disconnected in a highly regulated gambling domain, despite mature jurisdictions in place. Moreover, transactions using cryptocurrency can be very instant. Also, any transaction on the blockchain is visible to various parties, thus making the process highly transparent.

But, with increased transparency comes the problem of coin hacking.

Even if the “what” and “how” around coin hijacking is clear, the “who” still remains shrouded in mystery. In order to make cryptocurrency a long-term success, the gambling world needs to address the “who” issue.

The good news, however, is that blockchain can be

designed to address this issue.

“Provably fair”, a term most commonly used in the gambling world, relates to the perception of the public of the fairness of games. But customers still have to take a leap of faith when it comes to investing their hard-earned money in games.

Today, the games’ fairness can be reviewed anytime by anyone, thus allowing customers to be a little certain about the possibility and legitimacy of an outcome.

The use of cryptocurrency in gambling can be sustainable only when regulated markets are created.

Education and compliance mindset set important elements in making cryptocurrency successful in the gambling world. Although crypto is on the leading edge, regulatory and technological safeguards should be a priority. The industry, along with potential new players, should educate themselves about the technology and the various legal regulations surrounding it.

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GAMING NEWS

WINTER 2017

Switzerland’s New Gaming Law May Go Through a Referendum

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wiss legislation that aimed at modernizing the country’s current gaming laws has succeeded in receiving the final vote in parliament. Called the Money Gaming Act, the legislation covers both, the online gambling industry as well as the land-based casino industry.

The legislation will be replacing significantly older laws that were enacted as far back as 1923. The country’s previous amendment was made only in 1998.

The earlier laws had outlawed online gambling. However, since they weren’t clearly drafted, it was possible for international operators to leverage loopholes in order to cater to Swiss players. But, with the new law in place, operators will have open access to the Swiss market.

However, with one condition – the operators will have to be local and also possess a land-based presence in the country.

ISP-based monitoring The legislation also requires ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to prevent international operators from accessing Swiss customers. In return, the Swiss government will compensate the ISPs by meeting their expenses with regard to their efforts in complying with the new requirement.

Criticism There has been some opposition to the Money Gaming Act from quarters such as the Free Democratic Party, the Swiss People’s Party, and the Green Liberal Party. Most of the opposition is focused on the clause that places the onus on ISPs to block international operators.

Also, taxes from winnings on lotteries and sports betting will only be applicable to CHF1m and above.

Land-based casinos will not be taxed on their winnings.

Critics feel that this clause can be exploited to interfere with the free movement of services via the Internet and also restrict access to the Internet. Currently, groups against the act are campaigning for a referendum to be held on the new legislation.

Another major change is that the new legislation will even allow the organizing of small-scale poker tournaments. But, the tournaments will have to be conducted outside the premises of the respective casino.

The legislation is also loaded with safeguards and policies that offer increased protection to players from risks.

In order for the legislation to be brought up for a referendum, the opposition will have to acquire over 50,000 signatures from citizens. It is reported that the opposition has already begun collecting the signatures. They will be provided with a period of 100 days within which they must meet the requirement.

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GAMING NEWS

WINTER 2017

How will Monster Determine the Legality of Online Gambling in the US?

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ost people think that the plush casinos in Reno, Vegas, and Atlantic City makes gambling legal in the US. But the reality is different. Gambling, although a fantastic and lucrative market, is more or less illegal in the US. Richard Branson, who opened the prominent VirginCasino in 2014, faced a challenging regulation when dealers restricted the casino only for gamers physically present in New Jersey.

Donald Trump also failed to acquire a license for a casino in Las Vegas.

But PokerStars, the largest online gambling operator in the world, had a different story. The venue gained popularity during the 2000s, earning billions and attracting huge crowds of players. But ever since the government banned the website on April 15, 2011, no other gambling site allowed people to gamble legally outside New Jersey.

Monster, the company that revolutionized the headphone industry with Dr. DRE, is playing a different game. The company plans to bring back legal gambling in the US by enlisting Fred Khalilian, reality TV personality, former telemarketing kingpin, and two-time FTC defeated person. He would now be the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Monster.

Fred Kalilian intends to open PokeTribe.com, the company’s gambling site, on or before December 15, 2017.

But Monster is expected to change the legal game for the industry in the US. Noel Lee, CEO of Monster, says that Fred has found his niche, worked his way through tough government regulations, and built a strategy revolving around American Indians.

According to the National Indian Gaming Commission, revenues from Indian reservations amounted to $31.2 billion, and Khililian intends to bring in some of the sum.

Fred Khalilian’s quest The day when the government shut down PokerStars is called the Black Friday by some gambling folks. The episode pushed Khalilian to venture out and build a legal online casino. He has been striving for the past six years to transform the US law regulating Indian gaming. He considers Indian gaming as a multi-billion dollar niche.

Khalilian is confident that he will be successful in closing the regulatory loopholes in the field of online gambling.

While the past has been a roller-coaster ride for Fred Khalilian, gambling folks still wait for something concrete to materialize. Many consider him as a scam artist and his plan to revive legal online gambling in the US is still under speculation. The past certainly haunts Khalilian but he is uber confident that he will succeed in his venture.

Enter Monster

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