Golden Nugget NJ launched a third online roulette game, breaking new ground for NJ gambling sites by giving online players a seat at live roulette games on the casino floor instead of studio games.
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The latest from the Pokerfuse Poker Podcast Directory.
Facing Tough River Spots And Big Bets
The World Series of Poker opens its doors in Las Vegas, Nevada in less than two months, and poker players from around the world will be welcomed to the biggest schedule of events in the history of the series.
There isn’t a more anticipated or exciting day for players and fans then the first day you walk into poker’s proverbial summer camp. Even the most jaded poker professional can’t help but get a little excited.
Even as the anticipation escalates as we get closer to opening day, there are always a few things on a player’s wish list as they once again head to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino for the long summer grid.
But we were also intrigued to hear some of the WSOP’s wishlist items. So reached out to the WSOP to see if they would share.
“Where do I start on changes we’d like to see,” pondered Seth Palansky, Vice President, Corporate Communications for Caesars Interactive. “Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as dreaming up what would be best and then implementing. A lot of processes are in place because of regulation and law. They often add steps/friction that we wish wasn’t there, but we must adhere to.”
That won’t stop us from dreaming, though.
Some players will remember the 2017 WSOP for inadequate playing cards and the lack of working bathrooms.
At the top of our list for 2018 are quality playing cards. Last year, the One Drop High Roller was forced to halt play because of marked cards. Players took to social media to complain, and they challenged the WSOP to get new cards. The issue dominated our social media feeds for much of the tournament.
Last year, 120,995 entries competed in the WSOP over the 74 events offered. Only the very best playing cards can withstand that much play. The integrity of the game depends on it.
This isn’t the first time the WSOP has weathered complaints about playing cards. But we’re hopeful for positive change in 2018.
“We expect cards and bathrooms to be non-issues this year,” Palansky told USPoker.
Speaking of bathrooms … A few more flushable toilets and little less smell wafting into the hallways is all we ask.
Ever since they implemented the hard stop, there is always a final table that is forced to come back the next day against the player’s wishes.
“We don’t have a hard stop at heads up,” Palansky confirmed. “We have a rule that specifically addresses this and allows for play to continue when heads up. Ultimately, it is a tournament director decision, but we do consult with the players and consider their feedback.”
Leaving it up to the tournament director provides a pretty big loophole. Our wish is that the option to continue play be given regardless of the number of players – as long as everyone agrees. Let the ultimate decision go to the players.
When we’re not playing poker during the summer in Vegas, we’re watching poker. And we want to watch more poker.
PokerGO did a great job providing a high-quality product during their first summer of live-streaming WSOP content. We just want more of it.
In all fairness, the costs of broadcasting at that level is significant. But is it necessary?
A solution might be to combine the full-production live streams with a simpler setup that includes few webcams on the final table. Flip the switch and let it run on Twitch.
This might prevent the outrage expressed at the lack of a live stream for the final table of $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better because it wasn’t scheduled. The final table included Daniel Negreanu, Mike Matusow, and John Monnette. In other words, ratings gold.
If you play at the Rio during the summer, chances are you waited in a line — or five. There is only so much space and so many employees, and it doesn’t help that most players wait until the last minute to register. Here’s a hint: registration lines are really short at 3 a.m.
The WSOP is acutely aware that long lines may prevent players from playing and they are addressing the issue.
Palansky reiterates that following proper procedures as dictated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board ties their hands. “We must see and verify the person registering the first time they come through,” Palansky said. “Knowing this, we have worked hard to come up with solutions for those that typically play in more than one event.”
The plan includes a digital wallet on the Bravo Poker registration platform. Players will be able to keep their funds in the wallet for the summer. Once the player verifies their identity, they can use the mobile app or kiosks throughout the Rio to register for any event and avoid the lines
Making the money means waiting in more lines. When the WSOP began paying 15 percent of the field, the number of players making the money increased by 50 percent. This caused additional congestion.
“We are attacking our congestion issues on the payout side as well this year, with better ingress and egress plans, newly-designed workstations and issue-specific areas,” Palansky shared. “This should (once everyone is used to it) get everyone in and out more quickly and make the whole operation more efficient.”
Long days at the Rio often means settling for fast and overly-priced food choices.
The Rio Convention Center has a finite amount of space. As tournaments get bigger and draw more players, the available space for things like food dwindles.
“We’ve spent a lot of time on this as well,” said Palanksy. “We expect a better and more diverse offering for players this year.”
A global media presence is on site every year covering the tournaments and presents its own sets of challenges.
Great wifi is an obvious choice, but really what we want is to not freeze in the frigid convention rooms. A 24-hour Starbucks to stay caffeinated would also be nice. That’s not so much to ask, right?
Since this is a wish list, we’re going to go all out and request player tracking devices and an app that tells us where a player is at any given moment.
Before you say anything, the app benefits the players as much as the media.
Palansky failed to humor us and address this particular wishlist item, but he did say, “Really there is no area we are satisfied with. There can be an improvement in all areas, and we spend the off-season addressing our weaknesses and looking to turn them into positives.”
The sheer size and length of the tournament provides a unique set of challenges. While it might not always seem like it, the WSOP is listening.
“Rest assured, the team we have is experienced, is up for the challenge and is constantly in a continuous improvement mindset with our entire operation,” Palansky concluded.
We look forward to the day when most of the items on our wishlist become a reality. There are two months left to make it happen. Any app developers out there?
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Partypoker parent company now has three new online poker brands across Gibraltar, the UK, Belgium and Spain at its disposal.
Partypoker, the resurgent online poker room that has enjoyed significant focus and investment since its acquisition by GVC, is set to be transformed again. Following the company’s acquisition of Ladbrokes, a giant in retail sportsbetting and no slouch in online gaming, the company’s flagship online poker product is well positioned to benefit from increased exposure, new market opportunities, and fresh investment.
Modern day GVC is made up of two main tiers: Its sports brands—including Sportingbet (acquired in 2012), bwin, Betboo and Gamebookers—and its games labels including partypoker, partycasino and Foxy Bingo. The majority of these came following the company’s acquisition of bwin.party in 2016.
The combined company makes one of the largest publicly listed gambling companies in the world.
Online gaming giant GVC, parent company of the growing partypoker online poker brand, has completed a deal to takeover leading UK high street bookmaker Ladbrokes-Coral.
The terms of the agreement value the combined company at between £3.2bn and £4bn, making it one of the largest gaming companies in the world.
Benjamin Zamani has won the 2018 World Series of Poker Circuit Planet Hollywood $1,675 no-limit hold’em main event. The two-time WSOP bracelet winner outlasted a field of 610 total entries …
It’s finally here… The Poker Academy has just announced the launch of the latest chapter of their comprehensive No-Limit Hold’em Cash Course. This course is called The Fundamentals of No-Limit …
Billionaire Richard Branson bought the Hard Rock Hotel and will rebrand it as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas at the close of 2019.
“I’m really proud today to announce Virgin Hotels has bought the Hard Rock Hotel, and we’ll be bringing it back to its old glory again under the Virgin brand,” said Branson on the Virgin website.
Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, along with his executives, made the announcement from the Hard Rock March 27 at the outdoor pool lounge of the hotel, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Friday sale was facilitated by Toronto’s Brookfield Asset Management. Branson partnered with Bosworth Hospitality Partners founder Richard “Boz” Bosworth, the hotel’s new CEO; LA investment firm, Juniper Capital Partners; and Toronto’s Fengate Capital Management.
Branson has worked since the 90s to establish himself in Vegas. Even so, Branson and Bosworth would not disclose the purchase price or terms at the press conference. He instead promised “magic” and a hotel not “far out of their way.”
The Hard Rock currently has 1,500 rooms and is a mile east of the Strip, something Branson said affected the price to his advantage. The hotel will keep its name until the end of the renovation, which will occur in phases. The property will remain open throughout the company’s potentially “hundreds of millions of dollars” spent to renovate.
What did he disclose? The longstanding guitar out front may have to go. Instead, it may be replaced with a giant V.
Traveller reported that the property will retain its casino floor, managed by a partner.
Play At Virgin Online Now With Free Signup Bonus
Visit VirginVirgin Hotels currently operates one property in Chicago, with almost a dozen in the works. Virgin Hotels CEO Raul Leal told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that this Las Vegas hotel comes in as its largest in terms of rooms.
Branson himself set his sights on Vegas first back in 2000 when he launched Virgin Atlantic’s passenger service from London to Vegas. He also contributed investments for the Hyperloop One. He roped the Virgin name into the title, Virgin Hyperloop One, when he joined the transit startup’s board last year.
Branson told Fortune:
“Virgin is all about fun, entertainment, not taking ourselves too seriously. Virgin Atlantic has had a lot of fun flying tons of people to Las Vegas from Britain for many years. Virgin America has done the same, and we wouldn’t have just come to Las Vegas unless we could’ve found the property that was very Virgin, and I think that’s what we’ve achieved.”
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Branson has wanted to open a casino in Vegas for a while now. When the the Virgin Megastore in Caesar’s Palace closed in 1997, he reportedly was in the market for a hotel. However, he just couldn’t find the right one.
This sale comes as no surprise. Reports from November place Branson in the market for a hotel.
Though it opened in 1995, the Hard Rock was sold in 2006 to Morgans Hotel Group Co. for $770 million. Later, in 2011, Brookfield reached a settlement with the owners to assume ownership.
Not only that, but Virgin Hotels will also open a spot in Washington D.C. in 2019 with additional properties planned for major areas. Virgin Voyages cruise ship, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hyperloop One, Virgin Orbit, and Virgin Galactic keep the Virgin namesake in Vegas for the foreseeable future. Or, at the very, least, in the press.
Photo by Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
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What’s in a name?
If you’re Wynn Resorts, quite a bit is riding on the name of its Boston Harbor casino project. In fact, the future of the company’s $2.4 billion resort casino in Everett, Massachusetts could very well hinge on the name that adorns the side of the building.
Wynn Resorts has come under fire to remove the name of its beleaguered former CEO from the side of its Wynn Boston Harbor project. Both the public and Massachusetts public officials, including the Governor and Attorney General, are calling for a name change.
After originally dismissing the idea, there is an increasing amount of evidence that points to a name change being in the cards.
Confirmation of the potential blockbuster development first came to light after Wynn executives appeared before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission after allegations against the company’s former CEO Steve Wynn came to light.
Following a Massachusetts Gaming Commission hearing last week, Wynn Boston Harbor President Robert DeSalvio confirmed the rumors.
“We are absolutely considering a rebranding of the project and we’ll have an announcement on that at a later date.”
The Boston Herald is reporting that Wynn Resorts recently registered several website domains that indicate the company’s “Encore” brand is the leading candidate for a new name.
The Herald reports Wynn Resorts registered the following URLs:
Despite the very visible breadcrumb trail, a Wynn spokesperson pumped the brakes on the name-change speculation. They told the Herald:
“Whenever we open a new resort, it is both policy and a good business practice to secure the domain names of all our branded business units.”
“There’s no truth that we’ve finalized the name,” the spokesperson added.
Not everyone is convinced the property needs to rebrand.
If the property rebrands, Encore is the obvious choice.
Encore is the sister property to the Wynn on the Las Vegas Strip as well as in Macau.
That said, without a Wynn casino to play off of, the Encore brand is entirely untested. It would have minimal brand recognition outside of Las Vegas and Macau.
Even though it may not carry the same brand recognition as Wynn, right now, a clean, unknown brand like Encore is probably a better option than the well-known, but highly controversial Wynn brand.
Still, I wouldn’t expect a decision in the immediate future. The company has enough time to weigh its options and take stock of the damage Steve Wynn’s alleged misbehavior has caused to the Wynn brand before it decides if a name change is in its best interest.
Photo by Robert Cravens / Shutterstock.com
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The former Revel Casino has partnered with a major hotel chain. Ocean Resort Casino will be part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection when it opens this summer.
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