The reels are always spinning in the gambling industry, and “The Double Down” is here every Friday to catch you up on all of the week’s biggest news. Sports Handle’s “Get a Grip” rounds up everything on the sports betting side, and US Bets provides the best of the rest: brick-and-mortar happenings, online casino developments, poker headlines, and more. So pull up a chair, crunch the numbers, and slide forward another stack of chips.
Shuffle up and watch
We are now entering the third decade of watching poker with a peek at players’ hole cards — in other words, watching poker in the “poker is not dreadful to watch” era — and the viewing experience continues to evolve.
For the 2023 World Series of Poker, which begins May 30, the quality of the viewing experience figures to be top notch, with PokerGO — and its highly respected president, 2018 inductee of the Poker Hall of Fame Mori Eskandani — once again handling all duties.
And the quantity of the viewing experience will be unparalleled.
Starting on the third day of play, June 1, PokerGO will offer livestreams every day for 47 consecutive days, right up through the end of the $10,000 buy-in Main Event on July 17. The subscription network plans to cover 30 tournaments in all, direct from the newly rebranded Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas.
“PokerGO is delighted to offer live broadcast coverage of the World Series of Poker for another year and do so with our largest livestream offering ever,” Eskandani said in a Thursday press release announcing the streaming plans. “We know how much the poker audience around the world loves our game and, specifically, the WSOP. Our coverage of the 2023 WSOP will set a new standard in delivering poker to the global audience, as we will reach more fans than ever before, plus create new ones.”
This week on Gamble On …
Every Thursday, US Bets drops a new episode of the Gamble On podcast, and this week’s welcomed West Virginia Del. Shawn Fluharty to discuss a variety of legislative and regulatory topics, including the ongoing issue with losing sports bettors directing their anger toward athletes.
Del. Shawn Fluharty introduced a bill in West Virginia to potentially ban sports bettors who harass athletes, coaches, or officials — but how well can such a regulation be enforced? @WVUFLU addresses the matter on #GambleOn: https://t.co/Ap8XkeKtsL pic.twitter.com/FoSuWevl5N
— US Bets (@US_Bets) April 14, 2023
Gee, wonder where they got that podcast name
New ‘Double Down Michigan’ Podcast Offers Valuable Gambling Information, Conversation
The NYC casino jockeying continues
Freedom Plaza Casino Proposal Pulling Out All Stops To Build Manhattan Support
Next Connecticut connection?
Connecticut Lottery Issues RFP For New Sports Betting And Daily Fantasy Partner
Motor City momentum
Michigan Casino Revenue Totals $118.8 Million For March
Hey, NYT: You are not serious people
New York Times Says Sports Betting Is Bad, Betting On ‘Succession’ Is Good
Out with the influencers
The gambling anti-advertising virus is spreading, this time to north of the border.
According to the Toronto Star, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is seeking to ban so-called “high-powered influencers” from being featured in advertisements for online gambling sites. A statement from the AGCO read, in part, that the ban would take aim at “athletes as well as celebrities that can reasonably be expected to appeal to children and youth.”
The statement continued: “The AGCO has identified advertising and marketing approaches that strongly appeal to persons who are under the legal gaming age through the use of celebrities and/or athletes. Concern regarding the potential harmful impact on the most vulnerable population, underage persons, remains high.”
The proposal was issued Thursday, and parties have until May 8 for public comment. It would certainly change the advertising landscape in Ontario, with such Canadian hockey luminaries as Auston Matthews and Wayne Gretzky disappearing from the sportsbook and iCasino commercials.
— Jeff Edelstein
High-tech team-up: Amelco, Simplebet partnership
Two cutting-edge gambling technology companies, London-based Amelco and U.S.-based Simplebet, announced a partnership Thursday, integrating Simplebet’s in-play sports betting technology across operators using the Amelco platform.
Amelco also operates in the iLottery and iCasino sectors, but this partnership is specific to sports gambling, where Simplebet has established itself as a tech leader for digital sportsbooks looking to offer microbetting. Amelco and Simplebet teamed up for March Madness microbetting on the BetSaracen sportsbook in Arkansas and are now taking the next step with the Major League Baseball season underway. Baseball has long been cited as the major sport most conducive to in-play wagering.
“This is yet another big step in the right direction and this focus on microbetting will stand us in good stead ahead of some huge upcoming sporting events,” Brandon Walker, head of Amelco USA, said in a press release. “With March Madness proving to be a standout success in our first debut together, the U.S. sporting calendar for 2023 is beginning to heat up with the start of the MLB season and the NBA playoffs. Simplebet will be available in all the states we are currently live in, and I’m sure this partnership will continue to scale and prove to be a real game changer for all our operators.”
Added Simpletbet CEO Chris Bevilacqua: “Onboarding new partners and providing high quality service has continued to be a huge focus and we look forward to working together with Amelco to create a great experience for its customers. There’s a constant journey towards providing instant-gratification betting moments, and our collaboration will allow us to bring these to more players than ever before.”
— Eric Raskin
More from around the gambling biz
IS ROULETTE A GAME OF SKILL?: The gambler who beat roulette [Bloomberg]
BEST DEFENSE IS A GOOD OFFENSE: National Council on Problem Gambling announces spring 2023 grant recipients [NCPGambling.org]
WEED OF FORTUNE: Detroit dispensary launches ‘cannabis casino’ believed to be only of its kind in U.S. [Detroit Metro Times]
SOUTH CAROLINA, BY A NOSE: Horse gambling beats long odds, passes South Carolina House [Associated Press]
RESIGN OF THE TIMES: Nevada’s hospitality sector hit hard by ‘Great Resignation’ [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
Mountain West Conference will hold football media days July 19-20 at @CircaSports in Las Vegas in what will be the greatest football media days ever pic.twitter.com/x9yiUahi8e
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) April 13, 2023
PENNY PINCHER: Why did a Beau Rivage gambler sue MGM casinos over pocket change? Here’s what happened [Sun Herald]
NO M-OREGON, SAYS GOV: Kotek tells tribes she opposes any expansion of gambling in Oregon [Willamette Week]
DIVERSE IN OUR UNIVERSE: AGA Report: Gaming companies more diverse than other U.S. industries [CDC Gaming Reports]
Image: Blundell Design
