Caesars Teams With eSports League
H1PL, the first professional eSports league, announced 15 teams that will compete in its first season, starting April 21 in Las Vegas at the Caesars Entertainment Studios (l.). The league will partner with Facebook to livestream the games. The teams will compete over the course of two 10-week “splits” leading to the H1PL Battle Royale Championship in the fall.
Stars Group Points to Potential Problems in Russian Market
In its 2017 earnings report, the Stars Group pointed to possible new regulations in the Russian market as potentially troublesome. The company—owners of PokerStars—expects that new online gaming rules in Russia could impact its ability to process payments from gamblers. The new rules, expected to go into effect in May, would mean Russian banks will no longer be able to do business with foreign payment processors or gambling operators who have been blacklisted by the government.
Spain’s Sports Betting Rising
According to figures released by Spanish regulators to Spain’s Europa Press news agency, Spaniards spent around €5.2 million on sports betting operated by the government and by the State-owned Lottery and Gambling Society in 2016. That’s up from about €4.3 million in 2015.
Millennial Esports to Incorporate Amazon GameOn
Millennial Esports Corp. has announced that its mobile racing game, Gear.Club will add Amazon GameOn. The combination will be called Eden Games, and it will enable fans to experience competitive mobile racing combined with prizing.
Gambling.com Group Readies for U.S. Sports Betting by Acquiring Bookies.com
The possible opening up of U.S. sports betting was cited as a reason for Malta-based Gambling.com Group’s acquisition of Bookies.com—which has a portfolio of 76 sports betting related domains—for a reported £6 million. The move shows the company is moving into sports betting and officials specifically cited the pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling on New Jersey’s case to strike own a federal ban on sports betting as one reason for the move.
Georgia Committee Passes Fantasy Sports Bill
Daily fantasy sports would be legalized and regulated in Georgia if House Bill 118 moves beyond the Senate Regulated Industries Committee, which unanimously approved it. The measure requires players to be at least 18 years old, bans college athletes from participating and taxes operators at 6 percent. DFS legislation has passed in 19 states.
Arlington, Texas to Host eSports Arena
Arlington, Texas has announced a plan to transform space in its convention center into a state-of-the-art eSports stadium. The 100,000-square- foot space will be the largest eSports venue in the country and is scheduled to open this fall in Arlington’s entertainment district.
Report: FanDuel to Go Public
According to a report at Axios.com, daily fantasy sports giant FanDuel is in talks to go public, but not through a conventional IPO. The company is considering a reverse merger through a special purpose acquisition company. The method involves raising money from public markets for acquisitions and is seen as a shorter and less expensive way for private companies to go public.
NBA Changes Tune for ‘Integrity Fee’
The National Basketball Association’s latest explanation for wanting an “integrity fee” on sports betting is that it would cover the additional risk from more people betting on sports. Of course, the leagues fail to mention these increased bettors would be wagering on legal, regulated sites instead of the sites operating now outside the law.
MGM Springfield Promises ‘Safer Downtown’
Downtown Springfield, Massachusetts has for years been considered an unsafe place at night. That’s going to change says Jason Rucker, who took over recently as the new director of security for the MGM Springfield. Rucker promises a “newer, safer downtown.”
PA Online Gaming Process to Start
Kevin O’Toole (l.), executive director of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, told lawmakers that the state gaming board will begin accepting applications for online gaming licenses in mid-April. The original land-based casino licensees will get first crack at the applications, with several different payment structures.
Connecticut Lawmakers Urged to Legalize iGaming
One of Connecticut’s tribal casinos, Foxwoods, made a strong case last week for the legalization of online gaming. The testimony was made by Seth Young, Foxwoods executive director of online gaming (l.) to the legislature’s Public Safety and Security Committee.