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PokerStars boss David Baazov mulls secondary London listing

 The boss of the world’s biggest-listed online gambling group yesterday flagged his interest in a secondary listing in London or New York.

David Baazov, chief executive and chairman of Canadian-quoted Amaya Gaming, said the business was plotting a dual listing in future.
He added he was weighing floating shares either on the London Stock Exchange or an exchange in New York, although no decision had been taken.
“There will be a dual listing,” he confirmed in an interview with the Sunday Times yesterday.
The group currently has a primary listing on the Toronto stock exchange with a market cap of C$2bn having listed on the exchange four years ago.
London is a hotbed of listed gambling firms which trade under the FTSE gambling sub-sector, including Bwin.party, 888.com, Bet365, as well as established bricks-and-mortar players like Ladbrokes and William Hill.
Amaya Gaming made a dramatic acquisition last month by taking control of online poker sites PokerStars and Full Tilt in a $4.9bn (£2.9bn) deal, transforming it into the biggest online gambling site in the world.
The deal – which still needs to be signed off by shareholders – marked a forceful show of intent by Amaya to become a dominant force in the global online gambling market, despite being just ten years old.
PokerStars and Full Tilt, which were owned by Oldford Group prior to the acquisition, have two-thirds of the online poker market outside the United States and about 85m users.
The deal, which was announced in June, was backed by blue chip debt amounting to $2.9bn from institutions such as Barclays Blackstone and Deutsche Bank.
PokerStars has faced problems with obtaining licenses in the US in the past although analysts have since suggested Amaya’s takeover could help the site obtain access to the US.
Author: Ekaterina
07 . 07 . 2014 y.
European Commission urges ‘health’ warning for online gambling

 BRUSSELS - The European Commission will urge countries to demand that online gambling advertisements display warning messages like cigarette packets, according to a draft document seen by Reuters.

The EU executive will make its recommendation to improve controls of the 10.5 billion-euro ($14.3 billion) online gambling industry next week, focusing on advertisements to tackle compulsive gambling.
Although the recommendation is not legally binding, it could prompt European countries to tighten rules in the area.
Growing at a rate of 15 percent a year, online gambling is the fastest growing service activity in the EU, with 6.8 million users in 2011, according to the European Commission.
The warning signs that online gambling companies will be urged to feature in their advertisements include the chances of winning and losing, information on the risk of becoming addicted to gambling and assistance for compulsive gambling.
The EU is also proposing a ban on online gambling firms sponsoring events aimed at minors.
Online gambling exchange Betfair, as well as traditional bookmakers such as William Hill, have already come under the scrutiny of governments and have bet heavily on the World Cup to boost revenues. 
Author: Ekaterina
07 . 07 . 2014 y.
NovusPoker Launched on New Italian Friendly Network - Get €2 for Free!

 NovusPoker.com is a brand new site that has launched on the just as new poker network, known as Top Alliance. Top Alliance is not your ordinary network however, as the partners on the network only share parts of the traffic with each other and not all of it. Basically all partners share liquidity in cash games from NL2 to NL50, but above the sites only share with those they want.

NovusPoker.com is a part of the Italian side of the network, sharing liquidity with Italian faced sports betting sites. This means that the largest part of the traffic are Italians sports bettors who enjoys playing a game of poker once in a while and NovusPoker have exclusive access to the Italian tables on the network.
Unlike most other Italian faced networks and sites, NovusPoker and Top Alliance has not chosen to go in the direction of high rake and low rewards, but instead went in the exact opposite direction. The rake is 5% on all games, but with rake caps starting at €0,50 and ending at €3, the rake is significantly lower than what the Italian faced competitors offers players.
NovusPoker offers a great VIP program for all players playing on the site, providing returns of 10-60% through a unique points system that allows players to exchange their points into cash instantly. Players can follow their progress up through the ranking system in real time and can easily see the returns they are receiving on the rake they pay.
It is also possible to receive flat rakeback instead of being on the VIP system, should you prefer that. NovusPoker offers all players 30% flat rakeback paid monthly to their accounts. Combine this with a generous 100% up to €500 deposit bonus and you can get returns of up to 70% by playing against the weakest opponents you can find online.
The Top Alliance network also offers a great tournament schedule, as the network shares tournaments and sit n go's with the Winning Poker Network. By doing so, NovusPoker are able to offer $5 million in guaranteed prizes every single month, including the weekly $50,000 guaranteed and the monthly $100,000 guaranteed, as well as smaller guaranteed tournaments running all hours of the day.
To allow as many players as possible to try out this new network completely free, NovusPoker will be giving away €2 to the first 100 players who registers an account and contacts the live support. The money will be credited to your account a few minutes after contacting them, making it easy to try and play against Italian players and try out the software to see if you like it.
"We wanted to go in a different direction than other Italian friendly sites do today" Spokesperson for NovusPoker said. "We don't believe that players should pay more in rake for soft games, but instead should be rewarded for their loyalty towards a room. Our traffic is increasing every single day and we notice that the average recreational player enjoys playing our games more than they do in larger rooms and networks"
There is no minimum deposit or withdrawal limits for players in NovusPoker and withdrawals are paid out on a daily basis to all players, once their account has been verified
Author: Ekaterina
07 . 07 . 2014 y.
RGA voices concerns over draft Portuguese online gambling law
Online gambling trade organisation the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) has said while it welcomes the Portuguese government’s decision to regulate the country’s online gambling market, it is concerned that ‘unworkable’ tax rates could render the market unviable for internet sports betting operators.
The RGA said that punitive taxes on stakes of 8-16% for online sports betting proposed in the current draft law could deter operators from applying for licences and investing in Portugal.
The proposed online gambling law is currently in the process of going through Portuguese parliamentary process.
The trade body suggested that the taxation levels will ‘severely’ limit competition in the domestic sports betting market to the detriment of Portuguese customers and tax revenues that could be generated if a lower tax rate was introduced.
Although operators that do apply for a licence in the country will be subjected to such punitive taxes, it appears that monopoly operator of offline sports betting Santa Casa will only face half the taxation rate its online counterparts do.
In response, the RGA has urged Portuguese regulators to rethink their approach to the taxation of the online sports betting market.
Clive Hawkswood, chief executive officer of the RGA, said: “Whilst the RGA and its members welcome the Portuguese initiative in seeking to regulate the online gambling sector, our members are extremely concerned about the unworkable tax rates that are proposed in the draft law which is presently being considered.
“The extent of the disparity in tax burden between licensed online sports betting operators and the offline monopoly operator Santa Casa could be as much as 50% in favour of Santa Casa.
“Such a differential has the potential to create a situation of substantial illegal state aid being granted to Santa Casa by the Portuguese government whilst also destroying any hope for fair competition in a future regulated online sports betting government.
“The RGA would welcome the opportunity to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Portuguese government to ensure a level playing field for all online sports betting operators seeking to obtain licenses.”
Author: Ekaterina
04 . 07 . 2014 y.
HH Dealer Once Again Supporting Ongame Hand Histories

 The data mining site HH Dealer is once again supporting the Ongame Network. In March, a software update from Ongame disrupted the supply of hand histories from the network to HH Dealer. Now, hands are once again available to purchase and import into your preferred poker tracking software.

Following a three-month gap in coverage, HH Dealer officials admitted on the site's blog, "It took some time to resolve the problems, but we're finally able to offer Ongame.com hand histories again." No Limit Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, and Pot Limit Omaha hands are available in a variety of stakes, so there's plenty to choose from.
Ongame.com, Ongame.it, and Ongame.fr hands can be found on HH Dealer, which offers bulk purchases as well as a subscription plan. For example, one million hands of $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em Six-Max will run you $28 using the bulk purchase option. For one month using the subscription model, the price is $25.
If you're concerned about finding the absolute best price when you purchase hand histories, you can take solace in knowing that HH Dealer has a "Best Price Guarantee." Its developers note on the site, "If you find your purchase cheaper somewhere else, then we'll not only match their price, but take 20% off! Send us an email to redeem that offer."
HH Dealer also offers a client that will import your hands automatically, which means you don't have to meddle around with e-mails and files. The program, called HH Loader, only requires a little bit of configuration, namely telling the software where to send hand histories and what sites to fetch. A Live Tracking option brings you new hand histories every few minutes if you so desire.
Note that using HH Dealer may be against the Terms and Conditions of your favorite online poker site, so look at those Terms before you play. Visit HH Dealer for coverage options.
Author: Ekaterina
04 . 07 . 2014 y.
Ban on Online Poker in Russia Could Be Lifted

 After a five-year hiatus, the government is considering legalizing online poker in Russia in hopes of pulling in an extra 5 billion rubles ($146 million) a year to the federal budget, Kommersant reported Thursday.

First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov has ordered the Finance, Economic Development and Justice Ministries to analyze the possibility, the report said, citing unidentified sources in the government.
Shuvalov's staff confirmed that the order was given and should be carried out by July 21, Kommersant reported.
Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseyev confirmed that his ministry is looking into the issue, but declined to comment on its position.
Poker Union president Kakha Kakhiani told Kommersant that the government is looking into legalizing online poker on his request. He said that the move is justified by the amount of money it would generate for the federal budget, as well as the success of Russian players in international competitions.
A source familiar with the opinions of the initiative's supporters said that legalizing online poker would raise between 2 billion and 3 billion rubles ($58 million to $87 million) in its first year via taxes levied on operators and players. That sum could increase to more than 5 billion rubles within three to four years, the source said.
Poker was registered as a sport in Russia in 2007, which briefly protected its status. It was then banned in June 2009, however, when the Sports Ministry decided to remove it from the national sports registry and qualify it as a type of gambling  after many poker clubs were found to have been operating as illegal casinos.
Author: Ekaterina
03 . 07 . 2014 y.
Report: 43% of Spain's Online Poker Players Still Play on Non-Regulated Websites

 According to research completed by Spain's CODERE Foundation and the Institute of Policy and Governance of the Charles III University in Madrid, 43 percent of the country's online players play on illegal sites.

The analysis of the Spanish gambling market studied by the two institutes was published on Thursday under the title of Social Perception on Gambling in Spain in 2014, and offers some interesting insights on how the financial crisis and the regulation adopted in 2011 have influenced its development.
"Spain is still home to a very large community of online gamblers," the report says. "However, the financial crisis led people to play less often than before and to invest the money on [online] games."
When comparing market data of past years, the report considers the Spanish online gambling market to be "mature" and explains that this is the reason of the overall decrease in the number of online gamblers witnessed between 2012 and 2013.
"The results of the research indicate that that online gaming seems to have reached a degree of maturity," said CODERE in a press release.
According to researchers, the number of Spain's active online gamblers in 2013 was approximately 1,150,000, which represents a drop of approximately 1.1 percent compared to 2012.
"One of the most significant data of our research, is undoubtedly the one about players active on non-regulated sites," CODERE said.
"Forty-three percent of online players admitted doing so on websites that are not regulated by the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), and approximately 12.8 percent declared to never use a dot-es website for their games. Which means that they play exclusively on illegal sites."
To complicate things for the DGOJ even more, Spanish players openly admitted caring very little about the current regulation and its requirements.
According to the study, 27.4 percent of the interviewees declared to have no idea about the real location of the companies they play their games at, while 43.8 percent explained that they "believed the companies may be located in Spain."
Online gambling in Spain was officially legalized in 2011 with the creation of a ring-fenced regulated market that officially allows Spanish citizens to play exclusively on dot-es websites licensed by the country's regulator DGOJ.
Since the time of regulation, the market has suffered a decline that led many to ask the regulator to consider the possibility to modify the legislation and open to the creation of an international online gambling market with Italy, France and the United Kingdom.
According to another report realized by CODERE in January, the percentage of leisure spending directed to gambling has reduced from 9.4 percent to 7.7 percent between 2012 and 2013, with total gross gaming revenues calculated at €560m.
Earlier this year, a similar report was conducted in France, where the Observatory of Games (ODJ) and the Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (ODFT) discovered that approximately 47 percent of France's online poker players play on illegal sites.
 
Author: Ekaterina
03 . 07 . 2014 y.
Delaware enhances online gaming experience

 The Delaware Lottery Office has announced a number of new enhancements to the internet-based gaming sites available through Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway.

Mac users now have access to Delaware’s internet casino games. All players -both PC and Mac - will be able to enjoy internet casino games without having to first download a poker application. In addition, four new blackjack games have been added to include multi-hand options. Harrington Raceway has also included two new video lottery games, Café de Paris and City Life 2.
“The success of internet gaming for the state, the casinos, and players depends on creating a fun and easy experience for everyone,” says Secretary of Finance Tom Cook. “We’re excited to offer an iGaming option that doesn’t require a poker download, and we’re thrilled Mac users can now participate. These enhancements to the technology and to the games themselves allow Delaware to service a whole new segment of players.”
 
Author: Ekaterina
02 . 07 . 2014 y.
Mississippi Task Force Commissioned to Study Online Gaming

 The state of Mississippi has avoided the talks of online game play for some time now but with a floundering casino market, the state is about to begin a study of the industry. According to a recent report by the Clarion-Ledger, the gaming revenues in the state are in decline, especially in the Tunica and Mississippi River regions.

Casinos in the state are making less money and the closure of Harrah’s in Tunica last month put a huge damper on the industry. Harrah’s was a popular spot for visitors to the area but was not popular enough apparently to stay open. Jobs and gaming revenue were lost once the casino was shut down.
The state is now beginning to think about online gaming and how it may help the struggling casino gaming market. Richard Bennett is the Chairman of the Mississippi House Gaming Committee and Bennett recently commissioned a task force which is comprised of eight people to begin the study. This task force will look at online gaming in the US and see how it is working for the states that offer iGaming.
Allen Godfrey is the Executive Director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission and he was named the chairman of the task force. For the past three years, Bobby Moak, a representative of the state, has tried to introduce legislation for online gaming but each time the legislation is introduced, it dies in the committee. Moak has basically introduced the same piece of legislation each time, proposing the regulation, licensing and taxing of online gaming. Online gaming licenses would be given to companies that have land licenses in the state for operation of casino gaming.
Moak has stated that the online gaming legislation is necessary to allow the state’s existing gaming industry to have control of their destiny and allow the state to regulate what is already happening online. Mississippi cannot afford to let competitor states begin online gaming and be left behind, especially with existing issues concerning the land-based casino industry. It will be interesting to see what the study shows and if state legislators decide to get in on the new online gambling market in the US.
 
Author: EkaterinA
02 . 07 . 2014 y.
California Takes Aim at Internet 'Sweepstakes Cafes'

 While the California legislature continues to ponder a couple of online poker bills that would allow state residents to compete against one another on the virtual felt, another bill has been proposed that would prohibit "sweepstakes cafes" from offering casino-type games that offer cash and prizes to winners.

The cafes have been operating in the Golden State and use computers that simulate games of chance and slot machines that are common to casino gamblers. However, the winners are not selected randomly in the fashion that games of chance normally do. The results are already predetermined and it is that difference that operators of the sweepstakes cafes point to when claiming their customers are not actually gambling.
Assemblyman Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) is not buying it, however, and has proposed AB 1438. Salas' measure would allow state officials to sue operators who continue to offer such gaming at sweepstakes cafes and could result in civil penalties for those found to be non-compliant, USA Today reported.
This is a prolific problem that we're seeing in our neighborhoods up and down the state, where we're seeing these illegal gaming sweepstakes cafes opening up with a myriad of problems and issues ... of drugs, of prostitution, impacts to local legitimate businesses in these strip malls where these things are occurring," Salas said.Earlier this month, authorities raided one such sweepstakes cafe believed to be an illegal gambling den in a run-down area south of Sacramento. That marked the second time this year such a raid occured. Agents with the California Bureau of Gambling Control have reported that the number of businesses investigated for illegal gambling have doubled in just two years.
More than three dozen groups that represent government and law enforcement interests are supporting Salas' proposal. Also on board are 15 more groups that represent the state's powerful card rooms and Indian tribes. The latter organizations, who operate legal land-based gaming operations, claim to be losing revenue to the sweepstakes cafes.
The problem is not specific to California, as the American Gaming Association has released statistics showing that sweepstakes cafes can be found in 19 states. The AGA has estimated the market to be worth $10 billion per year throughout the nation. A couple of states, Georgia and New York in particular, have already advanced legislative efforts to ban such operations.
In California, Salas' bill is currently before the Senate. But the California Supreme Court is also involved, as the justices have agreed to hear a case that centers around whether or not predetermined results of the casino-type games can be constituted as gambling.
On the surface, it looks like it's illegal," said Philip Walker, a Bakersfield Internet cafe owner and founder of the Internet Cafe Association of California. "But once you get down to the meat inside, it really isn't."
The 5th District Court of Appeals in California ruled a few months ago that the computers in use at sweepstakes cafes are against the law despite the predetermined results argument. The state Supreme Court will now have a final say in the matter.
Author: Ekaterina
02 . 07 . 2014 y.
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