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Stars Group and International Entertainment Corporation sign live event agreement

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PokerStars will now be hosting new live branded poker events across Asia, thanks to an agreement signed between the Stars Group and International Entertainment Corporation (IEC), a company based in Hong Kong. The announcement of the new partnership was made in a statement filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where IEC showed the deal with the Stars Group had been signed by their subsidiary Lucky Genius Ltd.

With the new deal, the company’s range of entertainment products on offer will increase. According to European Gaming, IEC currently operates a chain of hotels located across Asia and how PokerStars fits in with their business has yet to be made clear. It is expected that the two will be working together to host live poker tournaments in countries of Asia.

The new partnership is the first for PokerStars after it was announced the company would no longer be working with the City of Dreams casino in Macau. The dissolved partnership between the poker brand and the casino came at a time when the Chinese government had revealed plans to outlaw free-play poker apps, with many believing this was the reason for the split.

PokerStars has now found a new partner and despite the upcoming legal changes, both China and Asia remain a hot spot for poker as the market continues to grow for the game.

PokerGo WSOP Livestream Schedule Promises Coverage of 18 Final Tables

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Poker Central released the official PokerGo livestream schedule for the upcoming WSOP, revealing that they will be sharing coverage of the Main Event and Big One for One Drop with ESPN, while also shining their camera on 16 other gold bracelet final tables.

Will Poker Fans Be Happy?

PokerGo, a paid subscription app, has exclusive rights to all live World Series of Poker coverage that isn’t aired on ESPN. This is the second year Poker Central has partnered with the World Series of Poker to broadcast the summer series.

In the past, WSOP.com handled all livestreaming duties in-house and aired nearly every final table for free. Some poker players were disappointed they had to pay for the coverage last year, with fewer events being broadcast.

This year, PokerGo will air final table coverage from 18 of the 78 bracelet events. With Poker Central holding the livestream rights, at least we can look forward to high production quality and no commercials.

The livestreamed action begins on June 2 at 1 pm PT with the final table of Event #3, $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout. The poker app’s next broadcast takes place June 4 at 1 pm with the final table in the highly anticipated Event #5, $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller.

Key Livestreamed WSOP Events on PokerGo

June 4: Event #5, $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller
June 8: Event #16, $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship
June 14: Event #27, $10,000 HORSE
June 19: Event #33, $50,000 Poker Players Championship
June 22: Event #42, $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed High Roller
July 3,5-11: Event #65, $10,000 Main Event*
July 16-17: Event #78, $1 Million Big One for One Drop**

*ESPN will televise final table live July 12-14 in its entirety.
**ESPN2 will televise Day Two replay at 9:30 pm PT July 16 and final table live 
July 17 beginning at 6 pm

What you won’t find on PokerGo this summer is livestream action of lower buy-in events such as the $565 Colossus. The $3,000 Shootout is the lowest buy-in event the subscription-based app plans to air.

Familiar Faces in Broadcast Booth

“Poker After Dark” announcer Ali Nejad will handle most of the play-by-play duties for PokerGo, with ESPN’s Lon McEachern stepping in the booth during certain events. And, of course, a broadcast with Lon McEachern wouldn’t be complete without his sidekick, Norman Chad and his ex-wife jokes.

Other poker-playing commentators will join the broadcast team at times. Last year, players such as David Tuchman, David Williams, and Doug Polk, put on a headset to provide commentary.

Before the WSOP kicks off, PokerGo will livestream the $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl from it’s brand-new studio outside Aria on the Las Vegas Strip beginning May 27.

How Big Will The U.S. Sports Betting Market Become?

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Anyone who has been following the sports betting issue in recent years will be aware of one important figure: $150 billion. That’s the amount the commercial casino industry says is bet each year on sports in America, with only about three percent happening through Nevada’s legal sports books. It was a key figure to publicize as the value of the existing black market.

The $150 billion is the handle, and not revenue. Revenue matters going forward because states looking to legalize sports betting will have the tax dollars on their minds.

Well over a majority of U.S. states have casinos, so capturing as much of that $150 billion worth of betting is the goal of the industry moving forward. Growing the handle is of course a priority as well. But what kind of revenue will be generated from the handle?

According to the most recent gaming revenue report issued by Nevada casino regulators, Silver State casinos retained 5.2 percent of the handle over the 12 months prior to April 1, 2018. Revenue was $258.6 million on just under $5 billion in bets.

The 5.2 hold percentage is consistent with Nevada sports betting history. The record hold percentage for a calendar year was 7.9 percent in 2006, according to data compiled by UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research. But that percentage was an anomaly.

The size of the U.S. sports betting market will depend on the number of states that have the activity. So far, around 20 states have made moves toward sports betting, with a handful of them already passing laws. Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey will be among the early adopters.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Carlo Santarelli, an analyst with Deutsche Bank Securities in New York, predicted last week that by 2023 there will be 13 states with active sports betting industries. Based on 13 states, the market in terms of revenue could reach $4 billion. That includes all forms of sports betting, in-person and over the web.

The research group Eilers & Krejcik Gaming has a more optimistic prediction, according to a report from the Entrepreneur. Based on a model of 32 states having approved sports betting in 2023, the firm predicts a market of $6 billion. The market could reach $15.8 billion if all 50 states have it.

That’s a sizable market, but U.S. casinos, commercial and tribal, already win more than $70 billion each year from gamblers. The effects of the Supreme Court ruling are likely to be felt far and wide, creating opportunities for non-gaming companies. Oxford Economics estimated that a regulated market would create up to $26.6 billion in annual economic impact.

Wazdan bags G2E Asia Hot Product award for 9 Lions video slot

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Online casino games and solutions firm Wazdan has announced that its new Asia-themed 9 Lions video slot won the coveted Hot Product award at last week’s two-day Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia extravaganza in Macau.

Licensed by regulators in Curacao, Malta and the United Kingdom, Wazdan offers a portfolio of over 100 HTML5-friendly video slots and stated that the accolade was awarded following the results of an online poll of suppliers, operators and players attending the recent exhibition inside The Venetian Macao.

Wazdan has recently inked supply deals with the likes of EveryMatrix Limited, Twelve40 Group and Solid Gaming Limited and declared that 9 Lions is available to enjoy ‘across all devices and channels’ while coming complete with its innovative volatility level, unique gamble, energy saving and double screen features. It moreover explained that the game was inspired by two creatures that are important in Chinese mythology, tigers and lions, and features nine separate reels forming a three-by-three grid.

Malta-based Wazdan detailed that 9 Lions, which was exhibited at G2E Asia alongside its similarly-themed Double Tigers video slot, additionally offers a pair of bonus games in addition to a gamble feature and blocking symbols and was specifically designed to appeal to Asian online casino operators and their players.

Andrzej Hyla, Head of Sales for Wazdan, proclaimed that 9 Lions represents a ‘beautifully-designed slot that includes more features for a richer player experience’ and is part of the firm’s effort to develop region-specific solutions that ‘meet the needs and tastes of different markets around the world’.

“We are proud that our first Asia-themed game received international recognition and we’d like to thank all of those who voted for us,” read a Wednesday statement from Hyla.

Americas Cardroom Awarding Additional $160,000 In Promotions During May

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This May, Americas Cardroom is rewarding their loyal sit-n-go players by adding an additional $40,000 to the weekly Sit & Crush race prize pool. The additional prize money will be paid out four times between May 5 and June 1, for a total of $160,000.

There’s no extra cost to participate. In order to win, players simply need to finish high on the weekly leaderboard by playing in any sit-n-go, Jackpot Poker game, or On Demand tournament.

The weekly races are scheduled fro May 5-11, May 12-18, May 19-25, and May 26-June 1. Each race begins at 12 am ET on Saturday and runs until 11:50 pm ET on Friday. The players with the most points will win cash and tournament tickets.

Additionally, during the On Demands Are In Demand promotion, any player who finishes in the top 20 will get an extra $1,000. Players who finish from 21-60 will earn $500, and all players who pre-register will get double points.

If you have not yet joined Americas Cardroom, here are three additional reasons why you should sign-up today:

1) New depositors can benefit from the generous 100 percent match bonus, up to $1,000.
2) Deposit and practice your game in four separate $250 New Depositor Freerolls.
3) Earn up to 20 Days of Free Jackpot Poker (fast-paced, 3-max player sit-and go’s).

Jason Koon Wins 2018 Triton Super High Roller Montenegro $1,000,000 HKD Short Deck Event

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After a marathon 15-hour final table Jason Koon emerged victorious from a field of 103 entries to win the 2018 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro $1,000,000 HKD (~$128,000 USD) buy-in short deck event. For the win Koon earned $3,653,260 USD, the largest payday of his career. He now has more than $16.3 million in lifetime live tournament earnings.

In addition to the title and the money, Koon also scored 1,200 Card Player Player of the Year points as the champion of this event. This was the American poker pro’s second title and sixth final table finish of the year, having also finished fourth in the $250,000 HKD short deck event earlier on in this series in Montenegro. With more than $5.8 million in year-to-date earnings, Koon has climbed into seventh place on the overall POY leaderboard.

Short-deck poker, also known as six-plus poker is a format that is quickly growing in popularity in high-stakes Asian cash games. The game is played with a 36-card deck, with the deuces through fives removed and a couple of resulting rule changes. Flushes beat full houses, and aces can play both as the highest card and as a five in order to complete a nine-high straight.

The final day of this event began with 13 players remaining from 50 entries, but registration and re-entry remained open for the first two hours of the day. In that period another 53 entries were made, setting the table for the long 15-hour road to a deciding a winner. Koon made it to the unofficial final table of seven players as the chip leader, with poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey his closest competitor. Koon ultimately eliminated Ivey in third place ($1,700,660 USD) to take nearly a 4-to-1 advantage into heads-up play with Chinese high-stakes cash game regular Xuan Tan.

In the final hand Koon made a full house with the KSpade SuitQDiamond Suit on a AClub SuitKClub SuitKDiamond SuitQClub Suit board and got all of the chips in against Tan’s JHeart Suit10Heart Suit for a turned straight. Tan was drawing dead, and hit the rail in second place with $2,355,730 USD after the 7Diamond Suit completed the board.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Place Player Earnings (USD) POY Points
1 Jason Koon $3,653,260 1,200
2 Xuan Tan $2,355,730 1,000
3 Phil Ivey $1,700,660 800
4 Winfred Yu $1,196,780 600
5 Rui Cao $818,870 500
6 Peter Jetten $655,070 400

Louisiana House Rejects Harrah’s Casino Deal, Friday Sees Last-Minute Negotiations

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The Louisiana House of Representatives rejected the latest Senate amendments to a casino bill that would extend the no-bid lease on Harrah’s New Orleans. On Wednesday, senators made changes to the deal with Caesars Entertainment Corporation aimed at raising the taxes the casino would pay to the state in the following years. Following the House’s decision to scrap the amendments, there will be last-minute negotiations in the Legislature this Friday in what is expected to be the final day of the legislative session.

In a unanimous vote Thursday evening, House members approved House Speaker Taylor Barras’ proposal to reject senators’ version of a major gambling legislation, House Bill 533. Sponsored by Barras, the bill includes a minimum of a 20-year extension to Caesars’ license to operate Harrah’s casino in New Orleans. Earlier this week, senators had introduced essential changes to HB533, most notably amendments regarding the annual payments Caesars would make to the state and the city. In an attempt to negotiate better terms for the casino, however, Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia asked House representatives to scrap the amendments.

His move now sends Harrah’s bill to a conference committee where House and Senate members will have to negotiate the “finer details” of the deal, as Barras explains. Although this piece of legislation applies to a single gambling facility, it is crucially important for Louisiana as this is the only land-based casino within the state. The key issues to be debated in the Legislature this Friday are the financial terms of the deal. Barras and other House representatives will argue against Senate’s decision to increase the minimum annual payments from $60 million to a little over $80 million.

While lobbyists are looking to secure Caesars Entertainment better terms for the state gambling license, there is a real risk that the disagreement between the two chambers of the Legislature could mean the end of HB533. The regular session ends Friday as House members want to wrap up early and begin a special session on Tuesday. The final version of the legislation will need to be agreed upon behind closed doors and in the last minute.

Louisiana’s Only Land-Based Casino

There are around twenty gambling venues across the state, but as mentioned above, Harrah’s New Orleans is the only land-based casino in Louisiana and it makes the largest tax contributions as usually, it generates the highest revenues in the state. According to official data by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, the gambling industry generated nearly $254.6 million in winnings during March. This includes multiple markets – 15 riverboat casinos, 4 slots venues at racetracks (also called racinos), and Harrah’s New Orleans. The casino posted $26.8 million in winnings in March, compared to $11 million generated by each riverboat on average.

Even with the latest decision to allow riverboat casinos to move to land, Harrah’s New Orleans is one of the major gaming venues in the state. It wants a new lease contract for the property, although the current deal expires in 2024. The proposed HB533 extends it with 20 years with the option for another 10 years. In exchange for the right to operate the casino, Caesars promises to invest $350 million into a large renovation project. The company plans to add more restaurants, expand the entertainment and gaming spaces, and more importantly, to build a new hotel tower.

In addition to the $350 million investment that would be spent over the course of several years, Caesars will need to contribute minimum annual payments to the state and the City of New Orleans. There are also one-time, up-front payments included in the deal that may also need to be negotiated. Talks may not be easy as Caesars has 21 lobbyists who are working to convince lawmakers of the 20-year extension of the company’s state operating license.

Satellites,Hotel Deals and More For June’s WPTD Sanremo 

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June is just a couple weeks away, and so is WPTDeepStacks Sanremo. Taking place June 4-10, 2018, Casino Sanremo and the stunning coast of Northwest Italy will be buzzing with poker action across nine WPTDS events that includes the €1,000 buy-in WPTDS Sanremo Main Event.

The festival kicks off with the two-day, €300 buy-in no-limit hold’em opening event that features unlimited reentry, a 20,000-chip starting stack, and 40-minute levels. This event starts on June 4 and ends on June 5.

The WPTDS Sanremo €1,000 Main Event kicks off on June 7 at 5 p.m. local time with the first of three starting flights. The second and third starting flights take place on June 8 at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively. The first two starting flights will see the players start with 30,000 in chips and play 40-minute levels. The third starting flight is a turbo flight where players will start with the same 30,000 in chips but play 20-minute levels.

Satellites Available from 888poker

888poker.it is offering satellites for the event in ways that allow players to win both packages and seats to the tournament. Some have already been earned by players, but there are several more to be given out, so now is your chance.

Every Tuesday leading up to the event, there is a €109 satellite with one €1,500 package guaranteed. This satellite takes place at 9 p.m. Italian time. Included in the €1,500 package are buy-in to the WPTDS Sanremo Main Event, three nights of accommodation, and €200 for travel.

Every Sunday and Thursday at 8 p.m. local time in Italy leading up to the event, there is a €55 satellite that has one seat guaranteed to the WPTDS Sanremo €1,000 Main Event.

Players can also step their way to these €55 and €109 satellites for as little as €0.01. 888poker.it has several super satellites running starting at €0.01 that allow players the opportunity to step their way into the bigger satellites in hopes of winning a seat or package. For more, check the lobby of 888poker.it.

Live Satellites Available at Casino Sanremo

For those looking for another accessible avenue to get into the WPTDS Sanremo Main Event, you can do so with €150 buy-in live satellites at Casino Sanremo and there are five of them scheduled to take place per the following schedule (all times local).

– Monday, June 4, at 8 p.m.
– Tuesday, June 5, at 7 p.m.
– Wednesday, June 6, at 3 p.m.
– Wednesday, June 6, at 7 p.m.
– Thursday, June 7, at 5 p.m.

Hotel Deals Available

If you’re looking to book your trip to Sanremo for the WPTDeepStacks event, check out Hôtel National for a rate of €110 per night and Hôtel de Paris for a rate of €140 per night that includes breakfast, but hurry because rooms are going fast.

Mikita Badziakouski Wins 2018 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro $1 Million HKD Buy-In

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Mikita Badziakouski has won the 2018 Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro $1,000,000HKD ($127,396 USD) buy-in main event. The Belarusian poker pro outlasted a field of 63 total entries in the massive high-stakes event to win 19,618,400 HKD ($2,550,392 USD) and his fourth live tournament title. With career earnings of more than $9.1 million, he is by far the highest earning player ever from Belarus, with more than three times as much as his nearest competitor in har Soika ($2.8 million).

In addition to the title and the money, Badziakouski also earned 720 Card Player Player of the Year points as the champion of this event. This was his second title and third final table finish of 2018, and as a result he has moved into 41st place in the overall POY standings.

When the final day began Badziakouski sat in a tie for second chip position with Peter Jetten. Both players had 49 big blinds, which was just shy of half the stack that chip leader Steffen Sontheimer began with. Badziakouski knocked out Manig Loeser in eighth place ($261,950 USD) and won a few other key pots in order to take the chip lead during five-handed action. He then butted heads with Sontheimer, who was still the second largest stack at the table. Peter Jetten had min-raised to 200,000 in late position and Badziakouski three-bet from the small blind to 650,000. Sontheimer moved all-in from the big blind for around 3 million and Badziakouski eventually made the call with the JSpade SuitJHeart Suit. He was racing against the AHeart SuitHeart SuitQHeart Suit of Sontheimer. The board came down 6Diamond Suit6Club Suit5Club Suit7Spade Suit7Diamond Suit and Badziakouski’s pair held up to earn him the pot and the massive chip lead heading into four-handed action. Sontheimer took home $493,090 USD for his deep run.

Rui Cao eliminated Peter Jetten in third place ($1,040,260 USD) to close the gap somewhat, but Badziakouski still held more than a 2-to-1 chip lead at the start of heads-up action. He increased that advantage even further by the time the final hand arose.

With blinds at 75,000-150,000 Cao raised to 375,000 from the button with the QHeart Suit5Spade Suit. Badziakouski called holding the AClub Suit2Heart Suit. The flop brought the ASpade SuitKSpade Suit6Diamond Suit and both players checked. The 7Heart Suit on the turn prompted a 250,000 bet from Badziakouski. Cao riased to 750,000 and Badziakouski made the call. The river was the 4Heart Suit and Badziakouski checked to Cao, who moved all-in for 3,050,000 with just queen high. Badziakouski thought it over and eventually made the call with his pair of aces, earning him the pot and the title. Cao was sent home with 13,217,000 HKD ($1,718,210 USD) for his deep run.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded in this event:

Place Player Earnings (USD) POY Points
1 Mikita Badziakouski $2,550,392 720
2 Rui Cao $1,718,210 600
3 Peter Jetten $1,040,260 480
4 Chan Wai Leong $716,560 360
5 Steffen Sontheimer $493,090 300
6 Ivan Leow $369,850 240
7 Steve O’Dwyer $300,560 180
8 Manig Loeser $261,950 120
9 Dietrich Fast $254,280 60

Mark Cuban Thinks Online Poker Could Boom Again Thanks To Sports Betting Ruling

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Billionaire investor Mark Cuban appears confident that Monday’s Supreme Court decision to strike down a federal sports betting ban will help the game of poker. His comments echo those made by Phil Hellmuth, one of the most recognizable faces in the poker industry.

In an interview with CNBC, Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, predicted that the gaming industry at large will be able to capitalize on new business opportunities thanks to the ruling. According to Cuban, online poker could be a beneficiary.

“I’m not a constitutional lawyer,” Cuban said in a phone call, “but, you can see online poker all of a sudden…Someone is going to start up online poker again.”

“It’s going to be interesting,” Cuban added, “it’s going to be a [gambling] free-for-all. I guess that’s the only thing you can say with certainty.”

Currently, just four states—Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania—have approved legislation to regulate real-money online poker sites. New York, Connecticut and Michigan were all considering online poker even before the Supreme Court ruling. More could join the online poker conversation in the coming months.

The Supreme Court decision basically said that states have the right to legalize sports betting within their respective borders. It also gives them the ability to partner up to solve the complex regulatory issues surrounding sports betting. However, efforts are already underway on Capitol Hill to create some federal oversight, but that is by no means a requirement for sports betting proliferation. New Jersey, which led the efforts to repeal PASPA, expects to have legal sports bets in just a matter of weeks. Pennsylvania could be next in terms of implementation.

Online poker could hitch itself to the sports betting wave thanks to sports betting’s natural, and inevitable, presence over the internet. In New Jersey, for example, online wagering is increasingly becoming more and more vital to Atlantic City’s success. Revenue from the brick-and-mortar space is declining, while online gambling winnings are growing. Sports betting will only thrive with an online component. That paves the way for online poker.

Check out Cuban’s entire CNBC interview. The online poker talk comes at 7:15.

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