Saturday, September 27, 2014

New Millennium Games' NOW! Week in Review 9-27-2041


For quite some time it was online poker that was seen as the stepping stone to comprehensive online gaming. It was the compromise that would satisfy the anti-gambling and placate the online gaming advocates while opening the door for future expansion down the road.
Golden Nugget Atlantic City take on KGM Gaming
Landry’s Inc’s GoldenNuggetCasino.com will soon carry a range of games through the KGM Gaming – Spin Games partnership for the New Jersey market.
The NGIC has Already Made the Ruling RE: PrivateTable.com
Speculations surrounding the legality of PrivateTable.com going forward with a real-money launch without the legislative approval of online poker in California continue to fester. Santa Ysabel Gaming Commission Chairman Dave Vialpando has insisted that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) allows the site to proceed but, it seems that an IGRA ruling pertaining to Internet Class II Gaming has either been forgotten or ignored.
PlayStudios adds cruise ship prizes to myVEGAS rewards
Social casino developer PlayStudios has agreed a partnership with Royal Caribbean International to offer users of its myVEGAS app the chance to win accommodation and perks on the Miami-based cruise operator’s ships.
Nevada gaming revenues down; baccarat revenue slips
Sometimes, the house doesn’t always win.
Gaming revenue statewide and on the Strip dipped during August, the market’s first monthly decrease since February.
New Jersey Fallout: Ultimate Poker's Future in Question
After Ultimate Gaming closed the doors to its online poker room and casino in New Jersey on Sunday, it was expected that there would be a reduction in workforce. Customer service representatives and other staff directly related to the operations in New Jersey were among those predicted to part ways with the company.
Gambling On The Baptists: A Casino Magnate Reaches For The Collection Plate
In case you missed it, Sheldon Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands, reached out to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), this last Spring to strike a deal to ban online gambling. The gains from such an arrangement are of obvious benefit to Mr. Adelson; after all, online gambling constitutes a direct competitor to his enterprise.
In the booming online poker business, Amaya will raise you billions
David Baazov doesn’t look like the card sharks you see in high-stakes poker tournaments on TV–the computer geeks or baseball-capped good ol’ boys living the Vegas dream. Nor is the polished 34-year-old CEO of Montreal-based Amaya Gaming Group Inc. a Hefner-style swinger or a reclusive mastermind, like other entrepreneurs who have hit the jackpot in the young, chancy business of online gambling. 
Sony's Morpheus gamble could change course of VR
PS4 is going gangbusters, 3DS continues to impress, Steam and Kickstarter have between them overseen an extraordinary revitalization of PC gaming, and mobile gaming goes from strength to strength; yet it's absolutely clear where the eager eyes of most gamers are turned right now.
For the Gaming Industry, How Much Is Too Much?
One-third of Atlantic City’s casinos have closed this year. Simultaneously, new casinos are under construction or on the drawing board in surrounding states. So how many casinos are too many? More pressingly, has the industry reached the saturation point?
THE ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL POTENTIAL FOR HOST-BASED GAME TECHNOLOGY FOR ELECTRONIC GAMING DEVICES
A report prepared by William R. Eadington, Ph.D.
INTRODUCTION Technological advances in the slot machine industry over the past few years have been substantial. Within the United States, slot machines have seen a wide variety of innovations from various manufacturers, including:...  
Caesars’ assets seen as insufficient to satisfy lenders
Yields on bonds from a Caesars Entertainment unit are diverging in a sign that the casino company will be unable to satisfy warring creditor classes and increase the odds of a bankruptcy.
Appeals court reinstates gambler’s lawsuit with Wynn Las Vegas
A federal appeals court reinstated a German gambler’s lawsuit with Wynn Las Vegas over a disputed $1.3 million owed to the Strip casino, saying the matter didn’t have to be heard by the Gaming Control Board.
Mobile helping to broaden gaming audience
Mobile gaming continues to see growth in the US, and it's not coming at the expense of other platforms, the Entertainment Software Association said in its new report, Mobile Games: Expanding Gameplay Across America, which it put together with help from The NPD Group.
Class II Controversy
While a coalition of California’s politically powerful American Indian tribes is pursuing legislation to legalize online poker, some Indian bands plan to launch real-money online poker and bingo websites as Class II gambling permitted under federal law.
Pennsylvania likely to approve online gambling
The possibility of online gambling in Pennsylvania lives on, according to some of the state's most influential authorities.
Metric Gaming Selects GeoComply for U.S. Sports Wagering Solution
Las Vegas-based Metric Gaming LLC, a leading supplier of technology, software and services for the mobile sports wagering industry, has selected GeoComply to handle its geolocation compliance needs as it prepares to launch its products in the North American market.
Unshuffled mini-baccarat game ruled legal
Games of mini-baccarat played at the Golden Nugget two years ago with unshuffled cards in which gamblers won $1.5 million did not violate any rules or laws, New Jersey casino regulators ruled.
William Hill to operate sports book at Hard Rock Hotel
Bookmaker William Hill will operate the sports book inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe scheduled to open this winter at Stateline on the south end of Tahoe, according to a news release
Williams Interactive releases latest online slot Sea of Tranquility
Scientific Games subsidiary Williams Interactive has launched a new online slot game which is the first to powered by the offline hit game engine Close Enough.
Sony: Project Morpheus is as game-changing a technology as sound was to silent films
According to Project Morpheus developer, Dave Ranyard, skepticism over new technology is part of a cycle that kicks off when a new method of interacting with entertainment is brought about.
OnLive teams up with London's Green Man Gaming to resell its cloud-gaming service
OnLive has teamed up with British game retailer Green Man Gaming to resell subscriptions for OnLive’s cloud-gaming subscription service. The deal is the first of its kind in which a game retailer resells OnLive’s online bundles of games delivered via web-connected data centers, or the cloud.
A Positive Take on Ultimate Gaming's New Jersey Exit
The worst case scenario unfolded in New Jersey last week as Ultimate Gaming announced it would be exiting the state’s online gaming market in the wake of its partner, Trump Taj Mahal’s, financial struggles. 
Another Patent Troll Slain. You Are Now Free To Rotate Your Smartphone.
Rotatable Technologies is now an ex-patent troll. I say “ex-troll” because its patent, US Pat. No. 6,326,978, has been declared unpatentable by the US Patent and Trademark Office in response to a challenge (called an Inter Partes Review, or IPR) filed by Rackspace.
Who will benefit the most from Ultimate Gaming's exit
In 2014 New Jersey's online gambling industry has produced $83,668,485 in revenue, on pace to meet conservative estimates for Year 1 revenue.
Beyond the 481 patent citations which reference NMG's Slim Terminal Gaming System, the following patents and applications incorporate representations of the '602 in their descriptions and specifications further illustrating independent recognition of its position both by priority and foundation for server-based gaming:...
GTech-IGT integration process kicks off
The integration process between GTech SpA and International Game Technology (IGT) has officially started, the chief executive of GTech, Marco Sala, announced on a corporate video released on Monday.
Bally-Scientific Games merger fast forwarded to end-2014
The schedule for the completion of the merger between Bally Technologies Inc and Scientific Games Corp has been brought forward, Bally Technologies announced.
Boyd Gaming launches sports wagering app
Boyd Gaming Corp. launched a sports wagering application for mobile devices Tuesday, allowing customers in Nevada to bet on college and professional games and events.
Can the iPhone 6 replace your gaming handheld?
Apple's iPhones have been great game devices for years. In fact, iPhones are the gadgets that helped re-invent mobile gaming and steer it away from the domain of companies like Nintendo and Sony.
Slim Terminal Gaming System US Patents 6,409,6027,189,161and7,837,560
New Millennium Games. Inc. (NMG)’s Slim Terminal Gaming System US Patent 6,409,602 (‘602) was applied for November 24, 1998 and issued June 25, 2002. The patent family has been referenced 481 times to date, illustrating its crucial positioning as a "keystone"... 
IGT expands MegaHits jackpot game to fifth US state
US gaming supplier IGT has announced the launch of its multi-jurisdictional wide area progressive jackpot game MegaHits in the US state of Maryland.
Gamesparks' Griffin Parry on why server-side features spell success
"We don't come from games, which is something we see as a virtue, because it gives us a bit of perspective," opened GameSparks' CEO Griffin Parry, speaking at TIGA's Smartphone and Tablet Conference in London.
Parry, whose firm helps developers implement server-side components into their titles, believes that one day all games will run in the cloud.
Bally’s Merger with Scientific Games is GTECH-IGT’s Evil Twin
When I think of the recent merger between Bally Technologies (BYI) and Scientific Games (SGMS), my mind gets caught in the Kurt Vonnegut novel, Jailbird. The story features the RAMJAC corporation, a fictional enormous super conglomerate that pretty much owns the entire planet, and its controlling shareholder turns out to be a crazy bag lady named Mary Kathleen O’Looney. I read this before I understood the impossibility of superconglomerates owning more than 50% of any one industry let alone the planet at any one time due to economic calculational chaos, so it made a scary impression on me as if
RealGaming.com to accept deposits from 7-Eleven in Nevada
South Point Casino’s real-money online poker offering Real Gaming has announced a new service that allows customers to make in-person deposits at any 7-Eleven and Family Dollar store throughout the US state of Nevada. 
The Great American Gambling Boom
For a nation that prides itself on individual liberty, the United States has long clung to its Puritan roots in regards to gambling. As early as 1630, the Massachusetts Bay Colony had outlawed the possession of cards and dice. In the 1800s, as the Wild West was tamed, lynching of professional gamblers were not uncommon. By the 20th century, even state-sponsored lotteries had been eradicated.
PA will deal online poker in 2017, financial analysis says
Pennsylvania poker players could be posting blinds online in 2017, says a new analysis of Internet gambling expansion.
GameAccount readies US mobile casino launch in 2015
London-listed gaming technology supplier GameAccount Network has announced the expansion of an existing partnership with an undisclosed US casino operator to launch its mobile casino solution during the first quarter of next year.
Swrve finds that only 1.35% of players spend money in mobile games
The number of players who pay for virtual goods in mobile games declined from 1.5 percent in January to 1.35 percent in July, according to a study of millions of gamers by mobile-marketing-automation firm Swrve.
Sports betting banned? Don't bet on it
Even though the Giants lost two of their first three games and the Jets aren't doing so well either, you may believe they'll be champions this year. Maybe you want to put a little money on that. Or the World Series. Or the Final Four.
Not just the five bucks bet with your brother-in-law or the money in the office pool (both activities illegal, by the way) but an honest-to-God wager based on professional odds with a chance of winning big.
Gov. Christie says go right ahead, and Dennis Drazen, legal advisor to Monmouth Park, says you can do it at his place real soon.
Ultimate Gaming New Jersey to Cease Operations September 21 2014
Ultimate Gaming is leaving the New Jersey regulated online gaming market. This includes the brands Ultimate Poker and UCasino.
Atlantic City looks to define its gaming future
Four years ago, the obituaries for Resorts Atlantic City were being written.
The city’s oldest hotel-casino — the first U.S. gaming hall ever licensed outside of Nevada — was in disrepair.
Copyright © 2014 NMG, All rights reserved. 

Sunday, September 21, 2014

New Millennium Games' NOW! Week in Review 9-21-2014


Ultimate Gaming is leaving the New Jersey regulated online gaming market. This includes the brands Ultimate Poker and UCasino.
Four years ago, the obituaries for Resorts Atlantic City were being written.
The city’s oldest hotel-casino — the first U.S. gaming hall ever licensed outside of Nevada — was in disrepair.
It is definitely the purchase of all purchases for the LCB Network: the acquisition of WizardofOdds.com (WOO) & WizardofVegas.com (WOV) in a staggering deal worth $2.35 million.
Customer database sold for GBP 1 to Momaco The saga of the beleaguered betting concierge BetButler continues as the company appoints insolvency practitioner, InsolvePlus following the revocation of its UK Gambling Commission operating license.
New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director David Rebuck had one fear in restoring MGM Resorts International’s gaming license for its 50 percent interest in the Borgata.
He worried that the Las Vegas-based casino giant was going to take its $86 million from a trust account and flee the state.
Rumors of a renewed push to ban online gambling at the federal level have started picking up steam, as it appears a more palatable version of Sheldon Adelson's Restoration of America's Wire Act (RAWA) bill with several exemptions including online poker may be brought up for a vote in Congress this November.
In a letter written by New Jersey State Sen. Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic) and Assemblyman Vincent Mazzeo (D-Atlantic) to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, a 0.25 percent fee on every bet placed and channeled to professional leagues such as the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB was proposed.
NextGen Gaming, the Sydney, Australia based slots studio of NYX Gaming Group, is delighted to announce the release of Gorilla Go Wild to William Hill Vegas; the latest partnership title developed between the two businesses.
Ultimate Gaming, one of just two companies operating in both the Nevada and New Jersey Internet wagering markets, said Friday it was ending its agreement with the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City after less than a year.
California gamers who have been waiting several weeks for the much-anticipated online poker debut of PrivateTable.com are still waiting.
After announcing the game at Casual Connect in July 2014, RealNetworks’ GameHouse division has announced the official launch of Slingo Adventure on Facebook. RealNetworks acquired the Slingo brand last year, and GameHouse has been hard at work ever since, creating a game that combines bingo and slot machines in a new way to attract both existing franchise fans and completely new players.
New Jersey-based casino games developer High 5 Games (H5G) has rolled out a raft of new content, launching new land-based slots for IGT and Bally Technologies as well as free-to-play games for its social casino apps High 5 Casino and Shake the Sky.
Square Enix unveiled Shinra Technologies at Tokyo Game Show today, a new cloud gaming business to be led by Yoichi Wada, former president of Square Enix. 
The number of TV sets connected to the Internet will reach 965 million by 2020, up from 103 million at end-2010 and the 339 million expected at end-2014, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.
Gaikai CEO David Perry pitches streaming PlayStation titles from the cloud as a way to expose the world to a more diverse array of games.
When placed in the context of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s fantastical revenue projections, regulated online gambling looks like an abject failure.
Virtual games and technology company FlowPlay has launched what it claims is the first ever sports betting offering in the social casino market.
The Carano family's bid to acquire MTR Gaming Group of West Virginia got final approval Wednesday and the deal is expected to close on Friday, the companies said.
New Jersey-based gaming supplier High 5 Games (H5G) has been awarded a Remote Gaming Licence by the Gibraltar Gambling Commission, allowing it to expand its operations into regulated European.
Thursday will see New Jersey state Sen. Ray Lesniak introduce his latest piece of legislation intended to bring legal sports betting to the Garden State.
Trump Plaza in Atlantic City closed on Tuesday after 30 years in operation. It was by far the worst performer in the Atlantic City gaming market.
Analysts have been disappointed by the numbers produced from Nevada’s 17-month-old online poker network.
Caesars Interactive Entertainment doesn’t share that view.
We recently spoke with Gaikai CEO David Perry about all things PlayStation Now. The longtime developer joined the cloud-gaming company in 2009 and in 2012 Sony acquired it to form the core of PlayStation Now. Check out our interview as we touch on signing with Sony, remote play, what it takes to get a game on PS Now, expansion to more devices, overcoming rough cloud-gaming experiences, and looking to the future.
GameAccount Network plc, a leading developer and supplier of enterprise-level B2B Internet gaming systems and online gaming content, has been awarded a patent by the US Patent Office for its iBridge Framework™.
Four years ago, Multimedia Games was all but kaput.
Ultimate Gaming is currently partnered with the Trump Taj Mahal in New Jersey, but that partnership may be in jeopardy as Trump Entertainment Resorts has landed in bankruptcy court for the fourth time in its 24-year history in Atlantic City (1991, 2004, 2009, 2014).
The US has been slow to regulate online poker since the Department of Justice effectively closed down the market in 2011 when it indicted executives of the three largest online poker sites in the world.
In the three and half years plus since “Black Friday,” only three states have specifically legalized online poker: Delaware, Nevada in New Jersey.
Creative businesses have been trying to get around state video gambling laws for decades. Some found workarounds by exploiting loopholes in laws that were intended for arcades. Others managed to get state laws pertaining to gambling to take on a slightly different meaning by changing a few words with the help of state legislators, opening the door for unregulated gambling.
The revenue potential of regulated online gambling in the United States will be dampened by a rollout that will be slow, complex and fragmented.
Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino closed its doors early Tuesday, the fourth Atlantic City casino to go belly-up so far this year.
If ever there were a sports law case that had the proverbial "nine lives," it would have to be New Jersey's ongoing quest to legalize sports betting.
Eilers Research gaming analyst Adam Krejcik estimates the expanding social casino phenomenon in the U.S. will eclipse $2.7 billion in revenue this year.
Copyright © 2014 NMG, All rights reserved. 

Sunday, September 14, 2014

New Millennium Games' NOW! Week in Review 9-14-2014



Copyright © 2014 NMG, All rights reserved.