Canada

World Series of Poker Online Expands into Pennsylvania

Published

3 years ago

July 16, 2021

The World Series of Poker® (WSOP®) is officially live online in Pennsylvania following a successful field trial and approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, opening up the world’s most iconic poker platform, WSOP.com, to players in the Keystone State for the first time.

In celebration, the platform is launching with special sign up promotions, newly announced bracelet events and weekly tournaments for Pennsylvania players, and daily satellites with buy-ins as low as $1 that provide an opportunity to win a seat at the crown jewel of poker tournaments, The Main Event in Las Vegas this fall.

The World Series of Poker makes its grand entrance into Pennsylvania by providing the most value to players on their platform, putting money back into players’ pockets and hosting tournaments with huge prize pools and low buy-ins. WSOP.com sign-ups come with more free play than market competitors, higher deposit matches for first-timers, and exclusive access to official WSOP events and tournaments.

“We are thrilled to be opening up WSOP.com to the state of Pennsylvania,” said Ty Stewart, SVP of the World Series of Poker at Caesars Entertainment. “The real winners in this expansion are the players who join us at WSOP.com. Our team is laser-focused on providing the most value to poker players in the state and are confident in the potential of our online poker product. With our industry best sign up promotions and the special bracelet series catered specifically to players in Pennsylvania, we welcome all players, from the casuals to the professionals and everyone in between.”

Newly Announced Pennsylvania WSOP Online Bracelet Series

Adding onto the previously announced WSOP Online bracelet schedule from Sunday, July 1 – Sunday, Aug. 1, the action heats up with a slate of newly announced daily bracelet events for players in Pennsylvania from Sunday, Aug. 8 – Sunday, Aug. 15, dealing out more chances to win an official WSOP bracelet online.

Getting Started

The wait for online poker is over for Pennsylvanians, and WSOP.com is making it worth the wait with offers and events for poker players of all levels. To get started, players must be physically located in Pennsylvania and register for an online account by visiting WSOP.com/start. Players can deposit funds and begin taking advantage of special promotions on their mobile or desktop devices. Once signed up, players can link to their Caesars Rewards account, where every hand played earns points toward unforgettable dining, entertainment, and hospitality experiences across the Caesars Entertainment enterprise including Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack, where players can visit the property to withdraw and deposit funds at the cage.

Free Play and Freeroll Promotions

Pennsylvania players are invited to capture the benefits of the Welcome Offer, the most valuable poker deposit promotion on the table. Available now, players who deposit a minimum of $10 into their account will be rewarded with $50 in free play, a 100% match on all deposits up to $1,000, and 7 freeroll tickets into the Welcome Week Freerolls. First time depositors who make a deposit by Sunday, Aug. 15 will also receive a ticket to participate in an exclusive $50,000 Depositors Freeroll on Sunday, Aug. 22. The Freeroll will award three seats to the WSOP Main Event – two seats to the top tournament finishers, and one seat from a randomly selected drawing of all players that entered.

The Ultimate Poker Experience

To prioritize Pennsylvania players in the launch of WSOP.com in the state, a variety of special events and tournaments are being offered daily throughout the summer.

BLAST Poker – Starting Monday, July 12, BLAST poker debuts in Pennsylvania where players have a chance to win their share of up to $300,000 in a matter of minutes. Players can win up to 10,000x their buy-in amount in this a lightning fast three-handed game that starts when three players enter in this Sit and Go format.
WSOP Satellites – Only on WSOP.com can players win a full package to play in live WSOP events including the 2021 Main Event in Las Vegas, for as little as $1 and special Main Event Freerolls. Visit the promotions page for more information on MEGA satellite structures and schedules.
Sunday $75,000 Guarantee – Beginning Sunday, July 18, this flagship tournament will award a guaranteed payout of $75,000 with a $215 buy-in beginning at 4 p.m. every Sunday.

In 2020, WSOP Online smashed several records for an online poker festival, both domestically and internationally. The domestic series generated prize pools totaling $26,871,265 across 31 bracelet events, with an average of more than $865,000 per tournament, making it by far the largest series held in regulated U.S. markets.

WSOP.com proudly welcomes poker players in Pennsylvania in 2021, joining Nevada and New Jersey as states where WSOP.com online poker operates. In Pennsylvania, competition will be exclusive to other players within the state. Out-of-state players are welcome to travel to regulated states to participate but are encouraged to test their account and geolocation services in advance of any event to avoid problems with registration.

WSOP reserves the right to cancel, change or modify the tournament or any tournament event, in part or in whole, without notice.

Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)

Soft2Bet strengthens integrity monitoring with IBIA membership in Ontario

Published

1 day ago

May 6, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

soft2bet-strengthens-integrity-monitoring-with-ibia-membership-in-ontario

Soft2Bet, a leading casino and sportsbook platform provider, has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and activated its membership in Ontario, Canada, following its licensing in the Canadian province.

Soft2bet obtained its Certificate of Registration from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the end of March, where the company’s Ontario-focused brand Tooniebet.com will now feed into IBIA’s world-leading sports betting integrity monitoring platform before worldwide implementation in the coming months.

IBIA includes over 50 of the world’s leading sports betting and gaming companies, who operate over 125 sports betting brands. Soft2Bet’s decision to join the association further strengthens its own internal betting integrity protocols and IBIA’s position as the world’s leading sports betting integrity monitoring body.

David Yatom Hay, General Counsel at Soft2Bet, commented: “Soft2Bet is delighted to be joining the IBIA as we strengthen our own betting integrity monitoring processes and play our part in furthering the IBIA’s long-standing work on this key issue. Ontario is a world class iGaming jurisdiction; it will be the first market where we will implement our IBIA membership and we look forward to deploying the monitoring infrastructure worldwide in all the other markets in which we operate.”

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Soft2Bet is a very welcome addition to IBIA, further strengthening our position in the Ontario market. The operator’s decision to join IBIA demonstrates its desire to utilise the best integrity protection available for its sportsbook product. The association is delighted to be able to integrate Tooniebet within our integrity monitoring system and looks forward to working closely with Soft2Bet to maintain the high integrity of its sportsbook.”

IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts with the delivery of commercial services to other sectors and is run by operators and for operators to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets.

Through the IBIA monitoring network it is possible to track transactional activities linked to individual customer accounts. IBIA members generate more than $300bn in annual betting turnover (handle), accounting for approximately 50% of the global commercial regulated land-based and online sports betting sector, and in excess of 50% for online alone.

IBIA recently released a report on the Availability of Sports Betting Products which highlighted Ontario as a leading regulated gambling jurisdiction, with an expected onshore channelisation for sports betting of 92% in 2024 forecast to rise to 97% in2028. IBIA currently represents over 60% of the private sports betting operators licensed in the province. All online sportsbetting operators licensed in Ontario are required to be part of a betting integrity monitoring body.

IBIA’s Q1 2024 report detailed 56 alerts during the quarter. IBIA alerts contributed to the investigations and subsequent successful sanctioning of 21 clubs, players and officials in 2023, an increase on the 15 sanctioned in 2022.

British Columbia Lottery Corporation

SCCG Management Signs Contract with British Columbia Lottery Corporation

Published

1 week ago

April 29, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

sccg-management-signs-contract-with-british-columbia-lottery-corporation

SCCG Management has signed a contract with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), the B.C. Crown corporation which conducts and manages commercial gambling in the province, including lotteries, casinos, and online gaming. This partnership aims to undertake a comprehensive assessment and strategic enhancement of BCLC’s diverse operations.

The work between SCCG and BCLC will involve a thorough review of technological infrastructures, strategic market positioning, and the integration of various gaming modalities. SCCG’s extensive expertise will be pivotal in harmonizing BCLC’s online and physical gaming experiences.

Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management, said: “Our collaboration with BCLC represents a remarkable opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation within the gaming industry. We are committed to deploying our resources and expertise to enhance BCLC’s operational efficiencies and customer engagement strategies. It’s an honor to partner with an organization that has a robust impact on the community through its support of public initiatives.”

AGCO

AGCO Requires Ontario Gaming Operators to Stop Offering WBA Bets Due to Integrity Concerns

Published

2 weeks ago

April 22, 2024

GamingAmericas.com

agco-requires-ontario-gaming-operators-to-stop-offering-wba-bets-due-to-integrity-concerns

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has mandated all Ontario-registered sportsbook operators to halt offering and accepting wagers on World Boxing Association (WBA) events immediately. This measure is being taken to protect the Ontario betting public following concerns that WBA-sanctioned boxing matches are not adequately being safeguarded against match-fixing and insider betting.

Since December 2023, the AGCO has been conducting a comprehensive review of suspicious wagering activity on a WBA-sanctioned title fight between Yoenis Tellez and Livan Navarro that was held in Orlando, Florida. Suspicious betting patterns on the bout lasting over 5.5 rounds were reported to the AGCO by two registered independent integrity monitors and detected in Ontario by a registered igaming operator. Media reports also alleged that Tellez’s Manager placed $110,000 on the match lasting longer than 5.5 rounds at a Florida casino. The bout ended with Tellez knocking out Navarro in the 10th round.

Following an intensive review that included outreach to the WBA, Ontario-registered gaming operators, independent integrity monitors, and regulators in other jurisdictions, the AGCO has concluded that bets related to WBA events do not currently meet the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.

The AGCO requires all Ontario-registered gaming operators to ensure the sport betting products they offer are on events that are effectively supervised by a sport governing body. At a minimum, the sport governing body must have and enforce codes of conduct that prohibit betting by insiders.

Registered gaming operators were unable to demonstrate to the AGCO that the WBA prohibits betting from insiders, which could include an athlete’s coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, medical professionals, or others with access to non-public information. Further, registered gaming operators were unable to demonstrate that the WBA took any action to investigate or enforce the allegations of potential match-fixing and insider wagering.

The AGCO has indicated to registered operators that in order for WBA betting products to be reinstated in Ontario, operators must demonstrate that the WBA effectively supervises its events, thus bringing them into compliance with the Registrar’s Standards. In December 2022, the AGCO required gaming operators to stop offering bets on UFC events for similar issues related to insider betting safeguards. Within a month, UFC amended its policies and implemented new protocols that allowed the AGCO to reinstate betting on UFC events in the province.

“Ontarians who wish to bet on sporting events need to be confident that those events are fairly run, and that clear integrity safeguards are in place and enforced by an effective sport governing body. Knowing the popularity of boxing in Ontario, we look forward to reinstating betting on WBA events once appropriate safeguards against possible match-fixing and insider betting have been confirmed,” Dr. Karin Schnarr, Registrar and CEO of AGCO, said.