Josh Andrews

Alibaba to Venture into Blockchain, Not Bitcoin

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According to Alibaba founder, Jack Ma, blockchain technology is not a bubble, but bitcoin is. Speaking at the 2nd World Intelligence Conference in Tianjin on Wednesday, May 16, the leader of the Chinese e-commerce giant said that he has been researching blockchain for years and as a result, he strongly believes that the technology has the potential to address issues of data privacy and security in a vast number of different fields.

The company’s interest in blockchain technology does not come as surprise especially due to its prioritization of security. Jack Ma’s stance on bitcoin albeit understandable is rather surprising especially because it would offer a fresh approach to the company’s trading volume that sums up to trillions of transactions. Ma, however, clarified that he thought that the emerging blockchain technology was being overlooked in favor of bitcoin by speculators who view the decentralized digital currency as a “huge gold mine.” Again, understandable.

“Honestly, I know very little about it, and I am totally confused: and even if it works, the whole international rules and laws on trade on finance is going to completely change. I don’t think we are ready for that. So I think I’m focusing on the Alipay and focused on RMB, U.S. Dollars and Euros, and that’s fair … We have a team specifically to study that and also we have a team blockchain technology. We’ve spent a lot of efforts on blockchain technology at Alibaba, but Bitcoin, I say not for me. I don’t know,” Ma said during the conference. “But now that the blockchain is hot, there are people buying and selling blockchains … There is no bubble for blockchain, but there’s a bitcoin bubble … Personally, I’m quite bullish about blockchain.”

Alibaba seems to be quite serious about investing in blockchain technology – last year, for instance, the New York-listed Alibaba ranked first in the world for blockchain patent applications as revealed by data compiled by IPRdaily. Alibaba had 43 published blockchain patent applications in 2017. Blockchain has been lauded by a number of businessmen and if anything is to go by it should be a clear indication of the direction it will eventually take.

US Supreme Court Ruling Paves Way for Legal Esports Betting

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On Monday, the United States Supreme court repealed a law that prohibited sports betting with a 6-3 ruling that has finally brought to an end the six-year legal battle over the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992. The ruling effectively opened the doors for legal sports betting in any state that wishes to offer it. However, it does not stop there – the ruling is also now poised to have some major implication for the Esports industry.

While the ruling did not mention Esports specifically, but considering the recent commingling and partnerships of traditional sports and Esports, it is undeniable that the correlation will result in the legalization of Esports betting as well.

“The Supreme Court just struck down the primary law restricting sports betting throughout the US. This will have a profound impact on the Esports industry and we’re so underprepared for it. ~$5B wagered on Esports last year – about to skyrocket,” Bryce Blum, an attorney, and ESG Law founder tweeted.

Clearly, Esports betting is already tremendously lucrative even though the majority of the bets are done illegally. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling is expected to give it some legitimacy. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes that the ruling will double the value of Esports franchises overnight the same way it did for the traditional professional sports franchises.

“It doubled the value of the professional sports franchises in a second,” Cuban said. “It will increase interest, it will add to what happens in our arena and in stadiums. It will increase the viewership for our biggest customers online and on TV. It helps traditional television because it’s much lower latency, whereas online, because of cachet, it’s much higher latency.”

At this point, the inevitability of Esports cannot be denied and this puts the industry at a crossroads of some sort: are we going to embrace it or shun it altogether. We can all agree that gambling has its problems for sure but, as it turns, the negative externalities (such as illegal betting) are usually magnified due to the lack of participation of league operators. No one wants that.

“Some of the technologically advanced states will move relatively quickly, but my hope is that there’s a federal approach to it, as opposed to everyone having to deal with each state individually,” Cuban added. “If that’s difficult in the short term, I think it’d be really smart for the commissions from as many states as possible to work together to standardize things because that will enable the most creativity. When each state has its own rules and requirements that jacks up the expense for everybody, which minimizes the entrepreneurial and technology opportunities.”

USA Online Casino Partners with Top-Rated Casino Brands

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USA Online Casino has entered into a number of new partnerships with leading casino brands as part of its efforts to provide gamers and gaming fans with the best possible offerings and information about online casinos. The partnerships have been forged with the aim of bringing players regularly updated and in-depth reviews of the major online casinos that are lucky enough to meet their stringent criteria.

In addition to this, the partnerships will go a step further to provide games with up-to-date news, the best casino bonuses in the markets, as well as the fastest and most reliable payouts – all these are going to be selected based on whether or not they adhere to the strict safety rules that will be outlined by USA Online Casino and its partners.

We live in an era where massive data leaks and misuse of personal data are usual occurrences and one of the most affected industries is the casino industry. USA Online Casino understands that the player’s need for privacy protection and this is where the partnerships come in. The company conducts extensive background and safety checks on all the casinos they review so as to ensure that they are not only fully vetted but also regulated and certified by reputable, independent third parties.

“All the casinos featured use the latest industry-standard encryption technology to ensure players’ personal data always remains completely safe and secure. We want players to have a good time, but not at the expense of safety or quality. Our ultimate goal is to achieve the perfect balance—and that requires the right blend of cutting-edge content, ground-breaking new releases, and player rewards,” Philip Redmond, a spokesman for USA Online Casino, commented on the new partnerships in a press release. “Our goal is always to find a dynamic assortment of online casino promotions and VIP perks not available anywhere else – and bring them all together in one place.”

The platform stays true to its goal of finding a dynamic assortment of online casino promotions and VIP perks that cannot be found anywhere else and then bring them all together to a place where players can easily access and use the information.

Landmark US Supreme Court Ruling Lifts Sports Betting Ban

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On Monday 14, the United States Supreme Court finally delivered a much-anticipated ruling that sports fans and bettors have been eagerly waiting for. The court’s decision effectively overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992 that imposed a federal ban on sports betting in all but a single state – that is, Nevada. The ruling was made in favor of New Jersey which has fought for years to have sports betting at casinos and racetracks legalized.

“The legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make. Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each state is free to act on its own. Our job is to interpret the law Congress has enacted and decide whether it is consistent with the constitution. PASPA is not,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote.

According to the American Gaming Association, Americans illegally wager approximately $150 billion on sporting events every year which is clear indication that even prior to the debate on the legalization of sports betting, the federal ban had already failed miserably. Generally speaking, the existing underground market offers zero protection for gambling addiction or problem gambling and no safeguards for game integrity. These are some of the issues that a legalized and regulated sports betting market could solve.

The Supreme Court decision will take sports betting out of the shadows and thus make it open and transparent. This way, regulators, law enforcement agencies, and sports leagues will have tools and more support in their endeavors to shut down illegal or underground gambling operations. In addition to this, technology experts and data analysts will also be able to easily identify suspicious betting patterns in real time which will, in turn, culminate in better protection for game integrity.

Now that the decision potentially implies the creation of an entirely new revenue stream, there are certainly going to be a lot of interested parties. Professional sports leagues have already made their demands for an integrity fee clear and the government through the Internal Revenue Service is eyeing a piece of the winnings.

“The amount of gambling winnings, less any losses, gets tacked on to all other income you have … and is taxed as ordinary income,” said Bill Smith, managing director at Washington’s CBIZ MHM’s National Tax Office.

A lot depends on the number of states that decide to permit sports betting. Hopefully, the possible legalization of sports betting in some states, such as Pennsylvania, will also have a positive impact on efforts for online poker expansion. Still, it is still too early to tell how impactful the landmark ruling will be since we have to wait and see how the states will handle it.

CoinPoker to Launch First-Ever Crypto Series of Poker

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CoinPoker, a unique online poker room built on blockchain technology, is about to revolutionize the concept of online poker with the launch of the world’s first Crypto Series of Poker (CSOP). The poker room that has always reiterated that it is built on trust and transparency announced that the daily tournaments of CSOP will take place as from May 27 to June 3 and will feature a total prize pool of ten million CHP (the operator’s in-house cryptocurrency).

“Join in on a week of daily tournaments taking place between May 27 and June 3. The series kicks off with a quarter and half a million CHP prize pools, and ends with an epic final event where 2,500,000 CHP is yours for the taking,” said CoinPoker spokesperson from.

The company through its spokesperson also added that the unique poker series is being launched to give back to the poker room’s early adopters who have, without a doubt, contributed immensely to the growth of CoinPoker. However, every other player will also get to enjoy the best of what the platform has to offer.

Online poker has certainly grown in popularity over the past few years, players still have to put up with a variety of complex problems that include the lack of control over the funds, problematic withdrawal services, and lack of transparency as well as high burn rates for recreational players. CoinPoker found a way of going around all these problems by utilizing a fully decentralized set of contracts – the platform operates on the Ethereum smart contract based cryptocurrency protocols.

CoinPoker’s ambitious new venture is however not the first time that the platform is commanding a lot of attention from poker enthusiasts. The company has previously been part of partnerships with some of the largest poker tournaments such as the Japanese Poker Association (JPA) for 2018’s Japan Poker Cup that begun in April and is set to continue till later in August.

“On top of the benefits for online poker players, our collaboration with multiple poker leagues in the form of online satellites make live poker events accessible to players in different corners of the world,” says Paulius Mikaliunas, CoinPoker’s Head of Poker Operations. “The release of our upcoming mobile app will help boost these efforts, alongside ambitious plans for diversifying the games on our platform to ultimately give CHP investors and CoinPoker players more value.”

West Virginia Casino Operators Dispute ‘Sports Betting Deal’

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Last Thursday, Governor Jim Justice made a surprise announcement that sent the West Virginia gaming industry into a state of confusion. The governor issued a release that claimed that the state and its casino operators had come into a tentative agreement to incorporate an “integrity fee” into the state’s new sports betting law.

The alleged agreement which also happened to involve the “sports consortium” would see the state’s casino operators part with a percentage of their sports betting profits – this is totally separate from the state’s cut. However, West Virginia casino operators are saying that they never agreed to pay the fee in case the Profession and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) is abolished and sports betting is legalized in the United States.

According to an article that was posted on the gaming industry’s “Sports Handle” website on May 10, during the closed-door meeting at the Lottery headquarters, “nothing and a lot happened.”

“A lot, because firsthand accounts of this closed-door meeting paint a colorful picture between attendees that include state lawmakers, a lobbyist for the NBA and NFL who has ties to Gov. Jim Justice (Larry Puccio); an appearance by the NHL, possibly the first time the league has gotten involved on sports wagering publicly; representatives from West Virginia University and Marshall, plus casino representatives and a ‘citizen volunteer’ for West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (Bray Cary), who did not attend in person but spoke by speakerphone. There was also some reported shouting, ‘shuttle diplomacy’ and an apparent conflict of interest in play,” reads a snippet of the article.

John Cavacini, the president of the West Virginia Gaming and Racing Association, said that the day-long meeting came to a close with the casino operators remaining opposed to the incorporation of an integrity fee that is to be paid to the professional sports leagues.

However, Cavacini revealed that there was a conceptual agreement for the casino operators to enter into private contracts with the sports leagues to provide them with game data that would be necessary for sports betting. The only alternative that the leagues would have is to buy data from third-party providers.

“We’re trying to get the leagues some money, but we’re not going to pay the integrity fee,” John Cavacini said.

As it stands, West Virginia lawmakers have shown very little interest in revisiting the sports betting law that they just recently passed, according to MetroNews. This implies that it will take a bit of time before the tug of war between the casino operators and state is won by either party.

Mammoth Acquires Sin Gaming, Partners with ROAM Esports

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Despite being a fairly new entrant into the Esports industry, Mammoth Esports Enterprises, otherwise known as team MAMMOTH, has had quite an impact on the Australian Esports Market. The global Esports organization has been making tremendous efforts towards becoming an Esports powerhouse and so far everything is going great for the organization.

MAMMOTH has recently acquired Sin Gaming from ROAM Esports, which it has also partnered with – ROAM Esports acquired Sin Gaming in late 2016 and as per the terms of the partnership with MAMMOTH, it will keep providing managerial supports to Sin Gaming, including for the incoming recruits that team MAMMOTH is yet to announce.

Dion Appel, Mammoth Esports Enterprises president has an extensive background in marketing and he has had his eyes set on a number of lucrative Esports investments since last year. He points out that talent was a crucial factor during his time in extreme sports and it will just be as crucial in team MAMMOTH’s investments in various Esports teams.

ROAM Esports and Sin Gaming posted some pretty huge results last year – the team went from being considered as an inferior team in 2016 to taking third place in the OPL 2017 Split 1 Playoffs. After that, the team was invited to the 2017 Rift Rivals series as OPL representatives.

“I loved my time at Sin Gaming, it was special, it was something I created in my living room as a kid with dreams and aspirations,” says Brandon ‘Juves’ Defina, Sin’s team captain. “I was lucky enough to come across ROAM who helped the kid with a dream actually achieve them… I am SUPER excited to be able to work with Dion and his team. One chapter has ended with Sin Gaming but I am beyond excited to help make MAMMOTH one of the best and biggest Esports names in Australia.”

Juves and his team are facing an even brighter future with the major acquisition by MAMMOTH which happens to be headed by someone with some pretty serious business chops.

“We’re thrilled with our partnership with Dion Appel and his team to build MAMMOTH and also with the continued opportunity of working with a roster of players and staff that we have an incredible history and relationship with,” Ahilleas Papantos, Director from ROAM Esports commented on the company’s partnership with team MAMMOTH. “Sin Gaming did the impossible, proving many wrong time & time again, now MAMMOTH is here to win.”

Huawei Phones to Offer Easier Access to Bitcoin Wallets

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Even though Chinese authorities have been cracking down on crypto trading platforms and Initial coin Offerings (ICOs), owning cryptocurrencies in the country has not been outlawed. Now according to a report by Bloomberg, Huawei, which is arguably one of the largest telecommunication manufacturers in the world, is enabling easier access to Bitcoin for its users.

The Chinese telecommunication firm and renowned smartphone maker has partnered with BTC.com to roll out a bitcoin wallet for the tech giant’s proprietary app store, AppGallery. The BTC.com wallet will be the first of its kind to be offered in the Shenzen-based tech firm’s app store and will be pre-installed on all new Huawei and Honor phones – older phones will not be left out and will thus have the app rolled out to them in coming months as confirmed by BTC.com’s vice president of business operations Alejandro de la Torre.

“New users can access Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash in a simple, secure and trusted environment. China is almost a ‘cashless economy’ today, accounting for almost 62% of all global mobile transactions. This dwarfs the estimated $49.3 billion in total mobile payment transactions in the United States in 2017, which highlights the amazing opportunity cryptocurrencies have in replacing fiat currency as the currency of choice for mobile payments. Huawei is leading the way in terms of adoption of blockchain technologies, and we’re excited to bring BTC.com to Huawei’s user base for the first time,” de la Torre said.

As it stands, the greatest impact of this new venture by both BTC.com and Huawei will be felt on the Chinese mobile phone market which Huawei own a huge chunk of. Furthermore, China has been a hotbed for cryptocurrencies despite the government’s aggressive stance trading in them and Initial Coin Offerings. As part of these control measures, the Chinese government has blocked Android’s Google Play Store and certain sections of Apple’s iTunes in order to limit access to such services as BTC.com. Still, as mentioned earlier, owning cryptocurrencies is not illegal in China and therefore Huawei and BTC.com can get away with this clever workaround.

“It’s a good opportunity to tap into the Chinese market. The use of cashless payments with apps is very big and the traditional banking system is lacking, so there’s a good use case for crypto payments to grow there,” de la Torre added.

Huawei’s move came as little less of a surprise particularly because of the company’s recent beefed up efforts towards the development of a blockchain.

“Cryptocurrencies have recently expanded the human understanding of digital economy at a large scale. From our leadership position in China, the tip of the spear of mobile payments, we expect to see massive growth in global cryptocurrency adoption habits in the near future,” said Dr. Jaime Gonzalo, vice president of Huawei Mobile Services.

‘INSIDERS: Super High Roller Bowl 2018’ Series Kicks Off

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Poker Central’s new documentary series, ‘INSIDERS: Supers High Roller Bowl 218” debuts today (Thursday, May 10) on PokerGO. The series that has been produced by Poker Central in collaboration with CakeWorks will give PokerGO subscribers a chance to watch as Brandon Adams, Daniel Negreanu, and Seth Davies prepare for the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl.

The 2018 Super High Roller Bowl will be a $300,000 buy-in tournament and will feature 48 players – 30 of them will be selected by random lottery while the remaining 18 will be VIP guest entrants. As for the stars of the new series, Daniel Negreanu was selected via the lottery while his counterparts were among the 15 VIPs that were selected by Poker Central and ARIA.

To give viewers a sneak peek of what to expect, the seven-episode series will premiere its first episode on the Poker Central YouTube channel for a limited time. The remaining episodes will be released on PokerGO in the weeks leading up to and immediately after the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl. Also, the series has been produced in collaboration with Jess Cook, Emmy Award-winning producer best known for his work on the SHOWTIME original series “All Access” – this gives PokerGO subscribers even more reason to be excited.

Each and every episode of the series will delve into the behind-the-scenes action and show how the three poker stars prepare for the 2018 Super High Rollers Bowl which is without a doubt one of the most prestigious gaming events in the world. Viewers will get to see both the mental and physical preparations that the players go through.

“We wanted to give our fans a new perspective on poker – an inside look at the training it takes for these high stakes players to be at the top of their game,” said Sam Simmons, Poker Central’s vice president of content. “We look forward to highlighting the intense preparation that Daniel, Brandon, and Seth undergo in their own unique ways leading up to and throughout the Super High Roller Bowl.”

Have a look at the trailer here.

Massachusetts Regulators Allow Wynn Resorts to Drop ‘Wynn’

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The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday made a decision to allow Wynn Resorts to drop Steve Wynn’s name from its license for a planned $2.5 billion casino in the state. Wynn Resorts has been in the spotlight for quite some time following sexual abuse allegations levelled against Steve Wynn. The gambling commission’s decision came amid ongoing investigations by associated state regulators as part of a process that could affect the company’s operations in Massachusetts.

As of now, Steve Wynn, the company’s fallen founder who resigned a few months back, no longer has anything to do with the planned casino. The regulators have since confirmed that as far as they are concerned, Wynn and the company have effectively parted ways.

“The commission rejects the characterization by Mr. Wynn’s legal counsel that he is nothing more than an ordinary private citizen of the state of Nevada vis-a-vis Wynn Resorts,” the Massachusetts Gaming Commission wrote. “There is, however, substantial evidence that the relationship between Mr. Wynn and Wynn Resorts has been terminated in a meaningful way such that Mr. Wynn no longer falls with the definition of a qualifier at the conclusion of the upcoming annual shareholders meeting.”

The gaming commission’s decision was made on condition that Steve Wynn would not vote at the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting that is slated for next week. The company’s lawyers then requested that Wynn is removed as one of the “qualifiers” for the sake of the company’s Everett casino that has now been renamed the Encore Boston Harbor. Fortunately, all of Steve Wynn’s stock has been sold thus effectively severing all ties between him and the company.

“We are pleased that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has concluded Steve Wynn no longer has any involvement in our company and should no longer be considered a qualifier,” a Wynn Casino spokeswoman said. “We look forward to continuing to move Encore Boston Harbor forward.”

In addition to this, the company has gone a step further by implementing a policy that requires Wynn Resorts’ officers and directors to report any direct or indirect communication with Steve Wynn or to Wynn LLC Legal counsel. This is particularly important because the company is still being investigated in order to determine how it dealt with the allegations of sexual misconduct.