Josh Andrews

Pro Gaming: Could Esports Be the Future of the Olympics?

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This year’s Winter Olympics was graced by Esports or competitive video gaming is what is considered to be a warm-up of better things to come. Having been finally recognized as “real” sports by Olympic officials, Esports has its sights set on expanding more and eventually getting their own spot on the medal table.

The most recent debate on what the requirements pertaining to Esports relevance as part of the Olympics was rekindled by a gaming tournament of sorts that was held in PyongChang, which is also the venue of the ongoing Olympics. Professional video gamers who were brought in by Intel Corp, an Olympic sponsor, got the attention of everyone by playing Starcraft II. The game is known for being a real-time strategy game that demands tactical thinking, concentration, and even quick reflexes. While this may sound like the characteristics of any Olympic sport, the raging debate is about whether the rigorous requirements are sufficient to earn Esports a spot among other Olympic games.

A decent number of nations and the International Olympic Committee already recognize Esports as a “sporting activity” and thus it could go Olympic as early as 2024. Looking back at some of the key factors for its success outside all the Olympic buzz, Esports has certainly earned it;

It’s been with us for a while

Prior to the true beginning of Esports in 2000 when the Korea eSports Association (KeSPA) was created to promote and regulate Esports competitions, there were lots of video game competitions of varying scales. Remember Pac-man? Or Space Invaders? If anything is to make Esports Olympic-worthy, then, this is it.

It is a diverse and complete ecosystem

Today, Esports draws a flurry of different participants from all over the world just like regular physical sports. Other characteristics that make it such a worthy newcomer of the Olympics include the fact that it too has had its fair share of scandal. Controversies ranging from doping to abuse by Esports organizers are not completely unheard of in the Esports community. This is, of course, not something that we should be proud of but it does go a long way in proving the maturity of the Esports ecosystem as well as how serious the participants, stakeholders, and spectators are.

Resorts World Catskills Opens New Casino in Sullivan County

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After decades of waiting, the New York’s newest casino, a $1.2 billion project in the Catskills finally began operating. The Resort World Catskills casino is a 100,000-square-foot behemoth that sits on a site that is approximately 1,700 acres – which was previously owned by the former Concord Resort Hotel. This particular Resorts World Catskill project was spearheaded by Empire Resorts which also happens to be operating the Monticello Casino & Raceway in Sullivan County.

Resorts World Casino & Resorts becomes the fourth state-approved casino to open since December 2016. The state currently hosts three other commercial, non-Indian casinos – the Tioga Downs Casino in Nichols, Tioga County; del Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre, Seneca County; and the Rivers Casino in Schenectady.

What To Expect

Already, there are huge expectations being mounted on the new casinos. For instance, the Resorts World officials are projecting that the complex will draw about 4 million visitors every year. Also, the operator’s management held job fairs in Orange and Sullivan Counties this winter in order to fill around 1,400 vacancies the casino would have when it finally launched. As it stands, this has been handled quite well and the state officials have confirmed that about three-quarters of the 1,300 permanent employees that the casino hired were either women or minorities. The number will eventually be bumped up by adding 600 more permanent employees next year when a planned indoor water park, entertainment village and the Concord’s redesigned Monster golf course open.

Resorts World Catskills’ Sullivan County complex boasts of a 100,000-square-foot floor comprising of a whopping 2,151 slot machines, 150 exciting table games as well as a poker room. Also available at the venue is a meeting space and 27,000 square feet of entertainment.

Customers will also be treated to some dining options including the Cellaio – restaurant operated by celebrity chef Scott Conant – which will be offering an Italian-style steakhouse menu. The casino will further host Good Friends Market and Lotus, both of which are outstanding Asian restaurants.

“Resorts World Casino will be a destination with a variety of gaming, entertainment and dining options for tourists near and far that will boost the region and the entire state,” said Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who attended Resorts World Catskills’ grand opening ceremony on Thursday.

The casino has a hotel that has 336 premium all-suite rooms and another with 324 rooms even though the latter will not be opened until next year.

Pennsylvania Online Poker May Go Live by the End of the Year

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This week, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) announced that manufacturers and suppliers will be allowed to apply for online gambling licenses as from April 2. The development follows the state’s legislation last October to pass the legislation to legalize online poker and other forms of online gambling in Pennsylvania.

Poker enthusiasts are hopeful that this implies that online poker games could be a thing by the end of the year if everything goes smoothly. It took so long for lawmakers in the state to agree on the details of expansion that it came as a surprise when they finally settled on a bill and passed it. It will certainly take a little more time before online casinos and online poker become a reality in the state but since the process has already kicked off, stakeholders will have to be patient and see how it all plays out in the end.

The PGCP is yet to announce dates for when online gaming operators will be able to apply for licenses – this makes the timeline a little uncertain but this is probably because the state is also moving forward in other areas of the planned expansion. This includes applications for the Video Game Terminal Operators and Establishments that the board has placed on their website.

The manufacturers and suppliers who will apply for the online casino licenses are expected to team up with Pennsylvania’s land-based casino operators in coming up with internet versions of the games they offer. Sounds familiar? Well, it should – the same model was implemented in the neighboring state of New Jersey which now boasts of $250 million per annum online gambling market.

The PGCB further outlined that the process for the applications involving Interactive Gaming will require the submission of an application after which it will provide instruction on how to be fingerprinted. After the fingerprint results are provided and all the other steps are followed, the application process will be considered to be complete. Also, background checks and investigations will be carried out for each every individual and entity that will be part of the applications.

Online poker will most certainly boost Pennsylvania’s live poker market which presently stands at about $60 million annually but seems to be stagnated.

Why It Is Not Yet Time to Give Up on Bitcoin and Crypto

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Bitcoin and the crypto-world as a whole are in a frenzy that has undoubtedly attracted a lot of speculation as to whether they are still worth pursuing. Bitcoin’s price, for instance, has been quite elusive – the cryptocurrency has already significantly plunged in value from an initial high of over $17,000 to just about $8,000. These fluctuations have been enough to make a number of interested parties throw in the towel. Well, that is probably a wise option especially if one cannot sustain this kind of endeavor, both financially and mentally. However, if you consider the bigger picture, it is quite evident that many more factors contribute to the complex cryptocurrency ecosystem. These range from regulation, comments from prominent people and even mere talk about regulation, all of which certainly affect prices in one way or the other.

The wild ride that the bitcoin community has been taken through is undoubtedly a justifiable reason for speculation. Apparently, most of the issues that are affecting the price of bitcoin are necessary developments that are expected to make it stable in the long run. So, why do you need to hold on a little?

Fraud Is Being Stamped Out!

Naturally, cryptocurrencies were bound to attract some negative attention, particularly from some fraudulent ICOs. The numbers are rather worrying in this sense considering that about 14 to 30 percent of existing ICOs are likely to be scams. The Securities and Exchange Commission has taken notice of the ICOs too and necessary steps have been taken by the chairman to warn investors about the risks involved. This is, obviously, a good thing but it has certainly contributed to the plunge in bitcoin’s price. Still, the bigger picture here is more important – once these regulations and protections become clear, it will actually allow bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to thrive.

Facebook Pushes the Unfriend Button on Cryptocurrencies

You have to understand this if you are going to make an informed decision regarding crypto. First, in this age where social media is a force that influences almost everything in the world, crypto-fraudsters could definitely not let the opportunity cruise by. Advertisements about cryptocurrencies are quite common on the internet and a majority of them are actually used to bait unsuspecting victims who are lured in by the prospects of getting “crypto rich”.

Credit Cards Are Not Accepted

Big banks have made it quite clear that investors should never put their big bitcoin purchases on plastic. Citing the volatility and risk involved in such endeavors it is rather obvious that bitcoin investors should never contemplate risking money that they cannot afford to lose

All these steps have also been contributing to making exchanges safer since they are at the center of all this. Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies will rise again, but before it gets stable, buckle up for the storm that awaits.

Iowa Sports Betting Bill Facing Opposition from NBA and MLB

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As it turns out, the state of Iowa has been preparing a House bill that is aimed at legalizing sports betting in case the U.S. Supreme Court lifts the nationwide ban on sportsbetting, but the Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball League are not too happy about it. Both leagues have officially registered an opposing bill against the Iowa House bill.

However, it is more complicated than it seems – the leagues are not actually opposed to the state’s bid to legalize sports betting, per se. Apparently, the real problem is a provision of the bill that points to a proposed “integrity fee.” The integrity does not guarantee the leagues a piece of the profits that will be amassed from sports betting once it is legalized. According to the Iowa Gaming Association, while the leagues are not being forward about it, NBA and MLB are essentially demanding for major league sports fees.

Members of the Iowa casino industry have unanimously pointed out that the fees that the leagues are demanding is not only unrealistic but will also make sportsbooks unprofitable in the long run.

“It would kill sports betting in any state,” said Iowa Gaming Association president, Wes Ehrecke in an interview with a news outlet.
“It is unfortunate there wouldn’t be a good partnership with all the leagues because they will benefit from people watching games and betting on games,” Ehrecke told the news outlet. “But there certainly doesn’t need to be an integrity fee.”

Ehrecke further pointed out that in case the leagues are allowed to have the 1 percent fee that they are asking for, they would be walking away with about 20 percent or more of what is left after pot money is paid out. In addition to this, he also based his reasoning on the fact that 95 percent of the money wagered would be returned to the gamblers, and the remaining 5 percent is divided among the state, overhead expenses, federal taxes and a small share of the profits for the casinos and community groups.

Iowa’s sports gambling legislation is scheduled for consideration today (Wednesday, 7^th )and if passed will establish a framework to legalize sports betting on college and professional sports which would then be regulated by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

Hard Rock Collaborating With GiG to Build Online Casino

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Hard Rock International, which owns what is considered to be the world’s most recognizable gambling brands, has announced that its iGaming division is entering into a strategic partnership with Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) to create a new online casino platform.

As part of the terms of the partnership, Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) will be providing Hard Rock International with a state-of-the-art digital consumer portal and a back-end platform for operation management. GiG’s design and development team will collaborate with Hard Rock in designing and developing the online casino which is expected to launch later in the year. Furthermore, GiG expects to move into its third regulated market and it has already kicked off preparation towards that by beginning the application process for the Casino Service Industry Enterprise License in New Jersey.

“Hard Rock has an ambitious plan to become a global leader in the international online gaming space,” said Kresimir Spajic, Hard Rock International’s Online Gaming SVP. “We are confident that, together with GiG, we can disrupt the market, through product innovation and unique user experience.”

Already, Hard Rock boasts of a portfolio of over 10 casinos. The company recently invested $500 million in Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City with the new establishment expected to launch in the summer of 2018. This partnership with GiG will certainly strengthen both companies’ already solid foundations and reputation while helping them plow back some huge chunks of revenue.

“We are excited to be part of Hard Rock International’s inspiring and innovative plans to become a global leader in the international online gaming space,” says Robin Reed, the GiG CEO. “The online casino will be a stand-out product with the sizzle of the Hard Rock music, entertainment, and lifestyle brand.”

GiG has had a number of lucrative partnership deals in the recent past but this one is expected to be a very important building block towards an initiative that the company has had towards launching some its other products to the mainstream market.

Seattle to Host First-Ever Esports-Dedicated Convention

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It is finally here! All roads lead to Seattle’s GG Expo where Esports champions, enthusiasts, and fans will be coming together for the very first Esports convention in history. Even though the rapidly growing Esports industry has had a number of video game conferences in various parts of the globe, there has never been any major convention where the primary focus is on Esports in a broader sense and not to certain specific video games. This is the void that the organizers of the Seattle convention are seeking to fill.

“There are a lot of shows that cover video games very broadly,” said the GG Expo’s Executive Director, Joe English. “And on the esports sides, there are a lot of tournaments. But where do esports players come together for community building and learning and the experience of esports? That’s where the genesis of the GG Expo came from – bringing the community together and bringing pro players to an event where they can talk about how they become successful.”

Esports has proven to be quite a big deal especially considering the huge market potential it has. Case in point, according to Newzoo, a gaming analyst firm, in 2017 Esports global market hit $660 million with the number of hardcore Esports enthusiasts growing to over 191 million worldwide.

The three day convention will address three of the biggest areas in Esports during each of the three days – the first day will focus on sports games such as NBA 2K and FIFA, the second day will be set aside for Fantasy games like Hearthstone and the third day will be all about battle games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Furthermore, the focus programming will feature player panels on various Esports titles.

The programming will be extended beyond the scheduled focused programming on each day. For instance, the programming for each day will further included panels whose major focus will range from issues such as career opportunities in Esports and associated tech industries. In addition to that, people who attend the conference will be treated to some exciting daily Esports contests and match play.

The guest roster comprises of some pretty big names in Esports. They include players from the Lenovo Silver Snipers, Team Fnatic as well as their team managers, coaches, and even team operations managers.

Tickets for the conference went on sale last Friday. So, if you are interested in attending and partaking in making history or meeting your favorite Esports champions, head over to the GG Expo website and get yourself a ticket.

DraftKings Hoping to Get Into Legal Sports Betting by 2019

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DraftKings has always argued that its business, a daily fantasy sports game where customers play to win cash prizes in exchange for cash entry fees, is a game a skill and not chance – the former being legal and the latter being illegal in the United States. However, for those who have been looking forward to it, the operator is now officially preparing to cross over to the other side with a new sports betting product that they hope to get off the ground by 2019. Hopefully, by that time the United States Supreme Court will have already delivered a ruling regarding the bill that intends to legalize sports betting in the country. From the looks of it, it is likely that the court will rule in favor of New Jersey and abolish the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).

“We’re certainly going to go after it,” DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said in an interview. “I think the Supreme Court — I’m hopeful — will rule that way. You can’t really predict what the government will do, but you have to be prepared.”
“For me, it was always, ‘this is going to happen, it’s just [a matter of] when. We’ll be prepared,” he added.

By branching out from the full-slate, roster-drafting contests that made it the top spot for daily fantasy sports competition the company hopes to achieve the same level of success in the legal sports betting industry. In fact, it has already created a single-game contest which will allow DraftKings’ customers to participate in 2018’s NFL title game. By 2019, DraftKings hopes to have a curved up a solid reputation and attracted enough customer recognition that will be very helpful in securing a portion of the Super Bowl action.

The company will also keep running their daily fantasy sports platform which Robins says will continue to grow, and may even grow faster thus dispelling the need to constantly keep tabs on it. The company thinks that the new venture is just as important as the business they have been running all this while. While DraftKings has always distanced itself from sports betting in the past, it is quite clear that the opportunities that legal sports betting presents are just too enticing to be ignored especially considering the huge revenue potential of the market. After all, it’s business.

Bitcoin Tumbles Below $8,000; Is the Bubble About to Burst?

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For the first time since 2017, bitcoin dropped below $8,000 yesterday and with the drop came a lot of speculation about what the future holds for the digital currency. According to CoinDesk, bitcoin plunged to $7,695.10 but recovered to $8,618 by mid-day – the bitcoin price index on CoinDesk tracks cryptocurrency prices from digital currency exchanges itBit, Bitfinex, and Coinbase.

The general takeaway from some economists and digital currency experts is that bitcoin is likely to weather yet another downturn. They believe that bitcoin can only continue to develop if it continues to be extremely volatile.

“Bitcoin is in trouble,” wrote Lukman Otunuga, a research analyst at foreign exchange broker Forextime. “Price action suggests that bears are clearly in control, with further losses on the cards as jitters over regulation erode investor appetite further.”

Bitcoin is, however, not the only digital currency that is experiencing a rough time. To put this into perspective, cryptocurrencies collectively lost over $100 billion in the last 24 hours. The price drops abruptly changed the mood and people’s perspectives as far as cryptocurrencies are concerned – the hype and overall excitement that was characteristic of the crypto – world, especially during this holiday’s season run-up, turned into a wave of uncertainty that swept through the space like wildfire.

Likely reasons for the price plunge include tougher regulatory scrutiny and imposed measures by governments in South Korea and China amidst concerns about tax evasion, money laundering as well as heavy speculation. Facebook’s ban on cryptocurrency and initial coin offering (ICOs) ads earlier this week is also partially responsible for the price drops – the company is however not changing their stand as they say the ban was influenced by the fact that such ads are “frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices.”

Also, according to CoinDesk, Ether coins on the Ethereum blockchain sank 15% to $880, Ripple coins slid 13% to 85 cents, and Litecoin tumbled 11% to $128.

Mansion Ventures Into Sports Betting With SBTech

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Renowned sportsbook solutions provider SBTech has unveiled its new sportsbook offering with iGaming operator Mansion Group. The Gibraltar –licensed iGaming operator launched with SBTech’s sportsbook and full platform solution as it makes an entry into the European sports betting market with MansionBet, its new brand. This deal is a pretty huge one for the technology provider as it also comes with such perks as SBTech’s Managed Services that Mansion will have access to alongside the sportsbook platform. The Managed Services solution provides operators with protocols for payment services, compliance and fraud detection, and prevention.

Furthermore, Mansion will be able to access a variety of key tools that will include trading and risk management services, price differentiation, controls for bespoke payouts as well as giving the customer control over their betting limits – this will be through Chameleon360, SBTech’s multi-award-winning iGaming platform. Mansion intends to give a lot more attention to mobile-first products like Action Betting and Add2Bet, both of which are designed to improve the in-play betting experience for the users.

“SBTech’s full platform solution is widely acknowledged as the industry’s leading iGaming product, delivering greater engagement, increased brand loyalty and higher lifetime value to our many clients around the world,” said Richard Carter, the SBTech Chief Executive. “This launch confirms SBTech’s position as the leading supplier of sports betting solutions for the sector’s top operators. We’re anticipating significant growth for all of Aspire Global’s partners, thanks to our expertise in deploying flexible trading and content solutions, with a unique focus on cross-selling from casino to sports.”

Mansion Group chief executive, Karel Manasco, also expressed his appreciation of the all-round strength and flexibility of the SBTech platform. He pointed out that these factors, coupled with the sheer quality of the iGaming provider’s products and the scalability of its solution, influenced the company’s decision to select SBTech as their main provider.