Earlier this year, PENN Entertainment and ESPN joined forces for a new venture called ESPN BET. The new groundbreaking sportsbook, representing a rebranded version of PENN’s Barstool Sportsbook, secured a cash injection of $1.5 billion from the company to ESPN. As one of the most anticipated sportsbook launches in Massachusetts, ESPN BET is expected to deliver unrivaled experiences to bettors and sports fans in the state.

Yet, the discussions between PENN Entertainment and the gambling regulator in the state, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, continue ahead of the planned launch for ESPN BET in November. As announced by Sports Handle, representatives of the gambling regulator queried why PENN hasn’t explained in detail its relationship with ESPN.

Cathy Judd-Stein, MGC’s chair, explained: “I’m waiting for the ask (from PENN) unless there is this notion that there doesn’t have to be an ask.” She was surprised why the Commission hadn’t received the information already and questioned “where the disconnect is.”

According to the recent report, the commission’s staff attorney, Catilin Monahan, explained that the rebranded sportsbook may not be cleared for launch in November unless it secures approval from the gambling regulator in the state. In other words, the launch of ESPN BET may potentially be impacted, unless PENN can resolve this matter with the Commission timely. Whatever the case is, with time running out this month, PENN is on a tight schedule to receive a green light from the gambling regulator.

The New Sportsbook Unveiled Its Logo

In anticipation of its debut in November, ESPN BET released its new logo last week. The new logo, offering mint green colors, fuses creatively the letter “E” inside the letter “B,” hinting to the betting partnership between PENN and ESPN.

According to ESPN Creative Studio’s vice president of visual storytelling, Chin Wang, the new ESPN BET logo symbolizes innovation and fun. It underlines the importance of the collaboration and the exceptional experiences the new brand is expected to bring for sports fans and bettors alike.

Amid the growth of sports betting, a legal form of the activity is now available across more than 30 US states. While the majority of states have already legalized and launched activity, several are yet to launch it, while a handful of states have no legislation.

The post ESPN BET Massachusetts Launch Faces Insignificant Challenge appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Greek gambling operator OPAP was recently accused of violating Greece and the European Union’s competition laws and handed a €24.5 million fine. However, the company plans to challenge the decision, believing it to be unfair.

The fine was imposed on the operator by Greece’s gambling regulator, the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC) following an alleged competition laws violation. The accusations stem from complaints by smaller Greek Gambling companies which claim that OPAP is guilty of unfair pricing, sanctioning transactions unfairly and limiting distribution of equipment.

As a result, the HGC issued the aforementioned fine, seeking to reprimand OPAP for its alleged wrongdoings.

However, OPAP was unamused. While the operator expressed its respect for the regulatory bodies, it pointed out inaccuracies in the allegations.

OPAP Disagrees with the Decision

According to the Greek gambling company, the HGC’s decision does not relate to the company’s main business but rather to bill payment services and mobile top-up services offered by its agencies. In addition, OPAP noted that the current decision contradicts an earlier decision issued by the regulator’s committee and multiple civil court rulings.

OPAP added that HGC did not take Bank of Greece data into account before making its decision. In addition, the operator said that the regulator has calculated the fine in an unacceptable way. According to the gambling company, the HGC calculated the fine over the total turnover of OPAP and not over the minor turnover in the markets where the company has allegedly violated the Greek and EU rules.

Finally, the majority of HCC proceeded with an unfounded increase of the size of TORA Wallet and TORA Direct in the bill payment services and mobile top-up markets respectively, while the fine imposed was calculated – in an unacceptable way – over the total turnover of OPAP and not over the minor turnover in the markets in which the alleged violation took place, i.e. the turnover of TORA Wallet and TORA Direct.

OPAP statement

OPAP reiterated its commitment to adhering to the law, following fair competition protocols and protecting the group’s consumers from gambling harm. However, the firm disagrees with the recent decision and plans to challenge it in court.

Earlier this year, OPAP signed a long-term partnership agreement with OpenBet. Under the deal, the latter company agreed to support the Greek operator’s sports betting business with technology, trading solutions and the cutting-edge SportCast solution. This move helped OpenBet consolidate its presence in the important Greek market while supporting OPAP’s robust business.

The post OPAP Plans to Challenge “Unfair” HGC Fine appeared first on Keno Wizard.

A decision by the Northern Territory government to double the number of gaming machines in two Alice Springs pubs is facing opposition from local anti-pokies campaigners.

These anti-gambling campaigners believe the increase in poker machines could heighten social issues in the area.

However, NT Executive Director of Liquor Racing and Gaming Philip Timney has approved the expansion of pokies from 10 to 20 at both the Todd Tavern and Gap View Hotel.

ALSO READ: Australian online casinos

Timney’s decision will be reviewed in the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Jonathan Pilbrow of the No Pokies in Mparntwe group, representing the locals against the move, said the Alice Spring community does not need any more slots games.

“For decades we’ve known pokie machines are the riskiest form of gambling,” he said.

Pilbrow said the extra poker machines had the potential to harm the indigenous population in the area.

“We’re already grappling with deep-running social problems in town that we believe are being exacerbated by the gaming industry,” he said.

While Iris Capital, owning both pubs, remained silent on the issue, Timney’s past decisions indicate he didn’t foresee the additional machines increasing problem gambling risks in Alice Springs.

He acknowledged, however, the well-documented harms associated with gaming machines. The challenge expects to highlight the inadequacy of Timney’s assessment of the community impact of the increased pokies.

Australia, despite having a huge gambling industry defined by sports betting, retail casinos and lotto games, is yet to legalise online casinos or online pokies, with millions of Australian dollars being spent at gambling sites based overseas yearly.

The post Locals Challenge Extra Pokies In Alice Springs Venues appeared first on Keno Wizard.

Kick, a Stake-owned streaming platform, continues to make headlines and dispute Twitch’s rule. For a time, people thought that YouTube Gaming would be the Amazon-owned platform’s true competitor but it turns out that competing with Kick is going to be the real challenge.

Kick provided all streamers neglected by Twitch with a refuge. While the purple platform was busy getting involved in countless controversies, Kick provided streamers with everything they could have wanted: lax rules, financially-appealing contracts and a place where they can stream content on Twitch’s blacklist.

This is big for gambling streamers whose source of income was cut when Twitch decided to ban content from certain sites on its platform. In addition, Twitch’s policies have been getting stricter and stricter, greatly limiting users’ freedom of speech and prompting intense scrutiny from fans of uncensored content. Amazon has been busy banning and suspending people left and right, bullish on enforcing a sterile discipline.

Many Streamers Are Ditching Twitch for Kick

Some months ago, Twitch introduced a ban on certain sites it deemed dangerous, dealing a great blow to the Slots category community. Operators such as Duelbits, Roobets and even Stake were banned from the platform, jeopardizing the livelihoods of Slots content creators.

As a Stake-owned platform, Kick has no such rules, prompting a streamer leak from Twitch into its own platform. All the creators who have felt they’ve been mistreated by Amazon, are now joining the fresh platform. This includes major gambling streamers such as Trainwreckstv, Roshtein and Xposed. Trainwreckstv, in fact, has a leading role in the development of Kick, leveraging his experience to help its new patron do better than Twitch.

This situation forces Twitch to wage a war on two fronts as YouTube Gaming has already been stealing some of its most popular video game streamers.

Kick Mocks Twitch for Keeping 50% of Its Users’ Money

Considering that Kick offers its streamers 95% of the subscription money while Twitch keeps 50%, it is not hard to see why many high-profile streamers have been joining the newer platform. In a recent post, Kick mocked Twitch for its greedier policies, comparing it to a slow car in a professional race.