WSOP-Online-2020

The 2020 Online World Series of Poker Is Finally Here

After a long wait following the cancellation of the 2020 World Series of Poker due to the coronavirus pandemic, poker lovers can now finally enjoy the action online. The 2020 Online World Series of Poker kicked off on July 1 and is set to run until September 6.

While the online tournament series may seem rather weird for people who were used to being part of the action in the land-based venues, the online tournament series promises a lot of fun for every poker lover. To begin with, the online poker series features a total of 85 WSOP gold bracelets all of which are up for grabs on both GGPoker and WSOP.com.

WSOP.com’s daily series poker action began on July 1 and will remain available till July 31. This will, unfortunately, be available to only New Jersey and Nevada players. GGPoker, on the other hand, will be kicking off its massive array of 54 bracelet events on July 19 and they will run till September 6.

Record-Breaking Events in Store

While it may have been a result of circumstance, there is a lot of optimism about the tournaments. Most notable, it is expected that the 2020 Online World Series of Poker will become the largest online poker event ever, that is, in terms of the prize pool. Speaking of the prize pool, the event has a massive guarantee which has certainly caught the attention of poker players and pros from all around the globe.

“With over $100M in guarantees during the WSOPC Super Series in May and more than $134M in awarded prizes, it’s clear that GGPoker and the WSOP make a good pair. We’re excited to create bracelet events that the worldwide poker community will embrace, as well as innovative programming with PokerGo.”

Steve Preiss, Head of Poker Operations for GGPoker.

The players will have the chance to participate in a ton of exciting events with very reasonable buy-ins. Even the “Main Event” which will go down on WSOP.com on July 31 will have a buy-in of $1,000. This might seem a little high but it is definitely low enough that a considerable number of players will be able to get in on the fun. To put this into perspective, the No-Limit Hold’em Championship “Main Event” will cost a whopping $9,000 less than the traditional Main Event. That said, if you have always wanted to participate in that particular event but the high buy-in has kept you away, this might your chance to be a part of it.

cloudbet-usdt

Stablecoin Betting Finally Comes to Cloudbet

Renowned online casinos, esports betting, and sports betting platform Cloudbet has recently added USD Tether to the portfolio of digital coins that are available to its customers. This marks a huge milestone for the company because this is the very first time that it is venturing into the rather nascent world of stablecoin betting.

With the new stablecoin betting options, the customers can look forward to a ton of fun when indulging in their favorite casino games. The site currently has a very robust collection of casino games including poker, baccarat, roulette, blackjack, and even slots. Fans of sports betting will also have a lot of fun while anyone who is interested in esports will definitely appreciate the casino’s new esports betting offering which is arguably the best in the industry.

While the addition of USD Tether was just announced towards the end of May 2020, the feature was first put through a whole month of extensive testing. This was to ensure that everything was working as expected by having a select number of customers try out the feature and report their feedback to the operator.

After ascertaining that everything was working as expected, Cloudbet finally made the move to roll out the new stablecoin feature to all of its users. Now all of its customers can enjoy making deposits, betting, and withdrawing funds from their casino accounts using USD Tether.

Needless to say, this is a tremendous step forward for the blockchain-powered iGaming platform as it strives to expand its services further.

Why Stablecoins?

For anyone who has been paying even a tiny bit of attention to the world of crypto, the fluctuations in the market are something that is quite common. Even though die-hard crypto enthusiasts might not feel pressured by the volatility, many other people are not willing to put up with that much uncertainty.

As such, there has been a need for more cryptocurrency innovations. This is why digital tokens that are pegged to real-world asses or FIAT currency come in. They assist the gaming platforms in avoiding the volatility that is commonplace in the world of crypto.

USD Tether (USDT), otherwise referred to as Tether, is one of these stablecoins and its value is pegged to the US Dollar on a 1 to 1 basis. Naturally, this makes it a very attractive option for anyone who has been meaning to try out betting on crypto-powered platforms such as Cloudbet.

“Since launch, a fundamental part of our philosophy has been about empowering players with technologies that solve their problems. USDT and stablecoins are an extension of that.”

Cloudbet.

In addition to the protection from volatility that stablecoins offer, they are also known for offering very fast transactions. What more could you ask for?

online-poker

Lockdown Turns More People Towards Online Poker and Casinos

The coronavirus pandemic is a very serious issue not just because of the impacts it has had on the world thus far but also because of the long-term effect it will have on the economy and individuals. Now, there are a number of steps that have been taken in order to help fight the virus and perhaps the most important one is social-distancing. Staying at home and avoid social gathering is a key component in the fight to contain the spread of the virus.

Naturally, staying at home and having no access to social places such as casinos is very tough for some people. However, since you have to stay home as part of your social responsibility to protect yourself and others, you might as well find something to keep you busy during these difficult times.

That said, online gambling has been a great pass time for people as the world deals with the pandemic. With the cancellation of several poker events and the closure of casinos, gamblers have had to switch to online casinos and poker sites.

Is It Enough?

People who were already familiar with online poker are certainly not facing the same learning curves as other gamblers who preferred land-based gaming. Perhaps the most important factor that made land-based poker a delight for them is the social aspect of the games. Having to stay at home has been tough on many people since they are deprived of connection.

Fortunately, there are online poker platforms that have been working hard to ensure that their users feel connected despite being in isolation. Social online poker was always quite a big deal but with more players now having to stay at home, it has become even more important.

Moreover, live casino games have also seen an uptick in the number of uses looking to enjoy their services. Although when it comes to something as serious as a global pandemic that requires people to isolates themselves we need to be careful how we frame things, it is safe to say that online gaming is making the time quite bearable for very many people.

Will It Last?

Well, while online poker and casino sites may be enjoying a lot more traffic, it is important to note that the rest of the industry is taking a big hit. Many of the companies that are suffering in other sectors of gambling are likely to be the ones trying to hold the fort in the online gambling sector. This is certainly very tough since they have to deal with salvaging these other aspects of their business while at the same time keeping up with the increased demand for online gaming.

Besides, once the virus contained and things go back to normal people will return to their routines. When that happens, we might once again see a decline in online gambling activity.

unikrn-ZED-RUN

Unikrn Teams Up with ZED RUN for Blockchain Horse Racing

Renowned sports betting platform Unikrn has recently entered into a lucrative partnership with the ZED RUN horse racing game. The two gaming entities will be working together in a bid to bring horse race betting to the Ethereum blockchain.

Bringing Horse Racing to the Consumers

Lots of horse racing fans have always had the dream of becoming horse racing breeders and owners. Needless to say, most people cannot really achieve that kind of thing due to the large amount of resources that are required to sustain it. However, it seems all this is about to change thanks to the new partnership.

Horses racing fans will now be able to live out their dreams of being successful trainers and breeders thanks to the immense power of the blockchain. The new solution is based on the non-fungible (NFT) that was first popularized by Dapper Labs’ Cryptokitties. It is not just a way of bringing horse race betting to the world of blockchain but also an actual simulation of the real horse racing industry that we know and love.

“We’re trying to bridge the gap between modern-day wagering and blockchain. You can own a horse. Your horse can win prizes and your horse can gain notoriety. We’re catering to a very broad audience, not just young people,” Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood stated.

This is a pretty exciting development for both the world of crypto and the horse betting industry.

How It Will Work

ZED RUN has created up to a whopping 38,000 unique horses each of which will have their own unique set of attributes. These horses will be named after crypto bloodlines based on names that crypto enthusiasts will certainly be familiar with. Some of them include Nakamoto, Finney, Szabo, and Buterin.

The horses will be purchasable by prospective owners while they are available and once purchased, no more will be created. However, new horses will be generated by combining male and female horses from different owners and bloodlines. The result in such cases will be totally new horse each with its own unique attributes.

The data for each of the horses will be tracked using Ethereum-powered tools. Players will be allowed to trade horses via a special Unikrn platform. This is expected to pick up at about the time when the races start around mid-to-late March. Betting on the horse racing activities will, of course, be available to anyone who will be interested.

It goes without saying that this product is a totally unique and innovative way of expanding the horse racing market. The target market is the newer generation of horse racing and esports fans who are slowly growing in numbers all across the world.

pokerstars-logo

PokerStars Begins Testing Poker Side Bets

Over the years, PokerStars has been known for being one of the most innovative online poker operators on the planet. All of the poker operator’s efforts are motivated by the need to give its customers the best possible experience at the poker tables. With its next project, PokerStars intends to give its customers the opportunity to bet against the house on what cards are coming. This new side bets feature is definitely going to resonate well with gamblers who are looking for more ways of spreading their wagers around.

Side bets are not an entirely new concept for PokerStars. The operator has been mixing casino-style gambling with partially skill-based games in a number of their tournaments. Its Spin & Go tournaments are a great example of this.

How Side Bets Work

As mentioned earlier, side bets are a special kind of bet since unlike the skill-based gaming that poker players indulge in, they involve the players betting against the house instead of betting against each other. To avoid the impact of the actual play at the poker tables, the money used for making these side bets do not come from the player’s stacks at the table. The money will come from the players’ account balances.

Since they are totally based on luck, side bets doe not require any form of skill to play. This will make them an interesting addition to the PokerStars poker tables. It is speculated that there will be Return-To-Player (RTP) of 97.12 percent and 97.29 percent for side bets flops and side bets on hole cards respectively. The house advantages on these are pretty low which means that the interested players will stand better chances of making a killing from the side bets.

When Will It Arrive?

As of the time this piece was written, the side bets feature is only available on clients in the United Kingdom and the European Union. It is also only available at hold’em tables. The beta test of the feature has been shrouded in mystery but since it has stayed around for this long, it is safe to presume that the company is making some progress in that regard.

No details have emerged from PokerStars regarding any timeframes for the unveiling of the feature to more markets across the globe. However, given the online poker operators’ massive presence in several states in the US and other countries, there is some certainty that players in those areas will be able to enjoy using the new feature when it is rolled out. Get ready for even more action at the poker tables.

hexapro-unibet

Unibet Launches Dedicated Jackpot Sit and Go Client

It has been a long time coming but Unibet has finally decided to launch a standalone client for its massively popular sit & go tournaments. HexaPro, the online poker operator’s, unique and innovative take on sit & go has been available as a dedicated client since December 2 on a vast number of the Kindred Casino brands. Being the very first of its kind to go live, it is definitely set to be a gamechanger for both the online poker industry and the company itself.

HexaPro’s History

Unibet’s HexaPro sit & go tournaments have been in operation for over a year now and in all that time they have become immensely popular among the platform’s users. In fact, the platform has even seen an uptick, though slight, in the number of new customers. It is that good and thus the new client is a bonus for regular players who were hoping for more. The tournaments have further been accompanied by some lucrative perks and promotions such as Daily Races and Jackpot Mania Promotions.

What to Expect

Kindred was apparently waiting for the most opportune time to launch its new HexaPro client.  For months, the company has been making tremendous improvements and adding a ton of features to the new product. It was certainly worth the wait.

The HexaPro client is a web-based platform that is optimized to work on both landscape and portrait mode. As such, you are assured of the very best gaming experience regardless of whether you are using a mobile device, a laptop or even a desktop. It will also be independent from Unibet Poker and Pokerihuone, Kindred’s two online poker platforms.

“The new client is scaled down to be as easy to use as possible and will make playing HexaPro as simple as playing a slot game. It will also give casino enthusiasts the chance to experience all the excitement and challenges of poker, where you’re up against other players and skills and strategy can play a vital role,” Kristoffer Bergvall, Head of Poker at the Kindred Group, said commented.

While using the new web-based client, poker players will have the chance to continue enjoying unique and thrilling single table tournaments that utilize a lottery-type prize pool generator. They will be playing to win a share of the humongous €100,000 prize.

HexaPro currently offers stakes from as low as €1 all the way to €100. Also, the tournament’s randomly-drawn prize pool will start from 1.5x to 1,000x. If you have not signed up you probably should do that right now – there is a generous welcome bonus worth up to €200.

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PokerStars Goes Live in Pennsylvania

Online poker has been one of the most anticipated pieces of the Keystone State’s expanded gambling plans. After months of waiting and several setbacks, the online poker industry is finally set to kick off with the launch of PokerStars’ online poker room. The poker operator which is best known as one of the world’s leading online poker operators will be starting off its Pennsylvanian operations with the launch of a toned-down version of its poker site. This is because the launch which is scheduled for November 4 will be a soft-launch and will, therefore, involve a few tests that will be overseen by the PGCB.

Licensed Under Mount Airy

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has already stated that its staff members are ready to oversee the test launch of an online gaming site. While the boar’s spokesperson did not reveal any specific details about the yet-to-be-launched online gambling operation, he did mention that the operation is licensed under Mount Airy Casino.

If you have been keeping an eye on the Keystone State gambling expansion, then you already know that Mount Airy is the official land-based casino partner of PokerStars.

Public Tests

The state’s gambling laws require all regulated operations to undergo a public test period before the official launch. During the test period, the regulator will be tasked with determining whether PokerStars is a good fit for the market and if it is it will be given the green light for a full launch. Some of the aspects that will be evaluated include the geolocation tools that are used by the operator as well as the fairness fo the games offered.

This test phase will last for two to three days after which the regulator will deliver a verdict regarding whether the operator can launch full operations or not. There is quite a bit of optimism that PokerStars will pass the tests. After all, it already has experience in the business and therefore it will certainly utilize this in the state. If all goes well, by next week Pennsylvanian poker enthusiasts will have full access to a robust and fully-featured online poker offering.

Is Mobile Gaming on the Way?

Unfortunately, there is no information suggesting that PokerStars is even thinking of a mobile poker app for the Pennsylvanian market. While the online poker site is definitely going to be responsive enough to work across a wide range of devices, mobile gaming has been gaining a lot of popularity in the state. More and more people are switching to available gambling apps and hopefully, there will be a mobile poker option. While there is no mention of the app and considering PokerStars’ history of starting things off with online gambling, it should not be long before something comes up. Keep your fingers crossed.

microgaming

MPN’s Closure and Its Impact on The Industry

Mid last month, Microgaming announced that the Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) would be closing permanently in either the second or third quarter of 2020. The MPN has been running for 16 years now and it has been serving a number of top poker rooms from all around the world. Despite this, Microgaming made the tough decision to pull the plug citing a number of issues that had cropped up.

On Friday, September 20, the Isle of Man-based gaming solutions provider issued a press release that confirmed the rumors pertaining to the closure of the network which had been floating around for weeks. The press released confirmed that the company had indeed made the decision to ax the Microgaming Poker Network. As it turns out, the decision was made after the intensive internal review. This review, in one way or the other, contributed to the conclusion that the MPN was no longer a fully viable venture in the current era.

According to Microgaming’s CEO John Coleman, the poker network model no longer fits into the company’s strategic vision for poker. There was no better time of the company to announce the closure of the network as it shifts its focus to “redistributing key resources and personnel across the business.”

Fortunately, the closure of the MPN does not mean that Microgaming is ending its relation to the game. Instead, the move is intended to assist the company to follow a new strategic direction for the poker vertical. Details of their next move in this regard will be released in due course.

Lessons Learnt

Needless to say, the Microgaming Poker Network was arguably one of the healthiest and most profitable networks during its heyday. While its traffic did not match other big poker sites such as partypoker or PokerStars, it was able to hold its own. This was very impressive. Unfortunately, in recent years, the poker network has been having a bit of trouble especially with regards to traffic.

Times have changed and it seems Microgaming is only trying to adjust to this fact. As mentioned earlier, the company still has some very big plans for poker but it will be pursuing the venture using a totally different strategy. These are very hard times for veteran poker networks and therefore it is important for companies to be very innovative about the products they offer.

It is likely that the Microgaming Poker Network will not be the only poker network that has faced some of the difficulties highlighted here. That said, it is going to be very interesting to see how they will adjust to the new reality.

pbet

Pbet to Redefine Gambling with Its Blockchain Solution

Its been over a decade since the blockchain, as we know it, came to be. In that period, technology has proven that it is a useful tool for a vast range of applications beyond digital currencies and one of the sectors that have embraced it is the gambling industry. It has been said on more than one instance that the very dynamic blockchain technology is set to completely redefine the gaming industry – this is already happening.

Pbet, a rising crypto-powered gambling platform is one of the companies that is championing the quest to “blockchainize” the gambling industry. That said, it is easy to see that the casino is much more than a mere cryptocurrency casino. The gaming company has come up with a complete blockchain-based crypto-based gaming platform that is set to spark up a revolution of sorts in the gambling industry. In essence, with the new platform, Pbet is addressing some of the most user-oriented concerns when it comes to online gambling – these are fairness, transparency, safety, and security as well as affordability.

Pbet’s innovative and revolutionary idea is a blockchain crypto-based Unified Gaming Platform and its intended to create a convergence between land-based casinos and online gambling sites. All this will be added while combining both the players, the casinos and the Pbet platform itself with each set to benefit from added value.

“We are driven by the mission to combine all 3 pillars- physical casinos, players and Pbet- through our disruptive blockchain crypto-based Omnichannel Gaming platform business model.  Our state-of-the-art platform is strategically designed to benefit both the players and casinos through blockchain technology”, stated a Pbet spokesperson.

The Perks

To begin with, Pbet’s new blockchain solution is set to give the players even more reason to trust the gaming platform and this will be achieved through the transparency of information. This will help to address trust issues which have always been a major concern for players across all major online gaming platform despite the operator’s efforts to address the issues.

Fairness aside, players have also complained about the slow nature of the payments at the casinos as well as the high transaction fees that they are charged. Pbet’s gaming platform will be addressing this issue by introducing a payment solution that will fix both of these problems – it will be fast, reliable and very affordable. Considering the tremendous improvements that have been made to blockchain technology, the users can expect near-instant transactions speeds.

Moreover, Pbet has also recently announced its Omni-Channel Pbet Reward Club. This will assist its partner casino to benefit from hospitality sectors in order to provide freebies which are meant to assist with player acquisition and retention.

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DAO.Casino to Build Gambling 3.0 Blockchain with MixBytes

DAO.Casino, a renowned blockchain-based gambling protocol has recently announced its plans to develop their own blockchain which will become the heart of the DAO.Casino ecosystem. The protocol is will be partnering with MixBytes in order to develop a unified solution for building the so-called gambling 3.0 blockchain network.

Why Now?

The adoption of blockchain and digital currencies has been in the rise over the past few months, a situation that, in a way, proves that the crypto market is moving past the bearish trends of 2018 that almost completely ruined the crypto markets. To that effect, there have been a plethora of investments into the decentralized ledger technology (DLT) space with the number of start-up growing almost exponentially – this was mostly thanks to the enthusiasm of venture capitalists who have invested no less than $5 million.

Now, there are a number of different industries that have come under the wings of the innovative DLTs and this has created even more optimism in as far as the future of DLTs is concerned. As expected, online gambling is one of the industries that have welcomed the new technology with a number of crypto- and blockchain-based virtual gambling platforms mushrooming on a regular basis. This is not surprising especially because of how open and welcoming the online gaming industry is to new and innovative technologies.

It, therefore, goes without saying that there has never been a better time for various industries to capitalize on and expand various blockchain applications.

DAO.Casino’s and Mixbytes’ Plans

The partnership between the two companies is now primarily meant to address some of the biggest challenges that currently face the online gaming industry – these issues include the lack of trust and doubts regarding the security of funds and the DLT applications offer solutions by bringing transparency which, in turn, eliminates the possibility of any form of manipulation.

By partnering with MixBytes, DAO.Casino will now have access to resources such as more high-level experts taking part in the “creation of a brighter future for the gambling industry”. As per the terms of the partnership agreement, MixBytes will be providing DAO.Casino with thorough “consulting and collaborate to create the DAO.Casino Blockchain, featuring all the necessary technologies to ensure the future prosperity of decentralized gambling, as finality, random number generator, high throughput, low latency and more.”

Blockchain technology continues to take center-stage in a number of global business and these kinds of developments do not show any signs of slowing down anytime so. For companies like MixBytes and DAO.Casino that have already realized the potential of such applications, it might be much easier to get to the mainstream market when the time is right and these applications finally blow up in the mainstream market.