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GGPoker’s $500M Acquisition of WSOP Marks New Chapter for Poker’s Top Brand

Posted on August 8, 2024August 8, 2024 by Kelley N.

In a significant shift within the poker industry, Caesars Entertainment has recently announced the sale of the iconic World Series of Poker (WSOP) to Toronto-based iGaming investment firm NSUS Group, known for owning GGPoker and other prominent online gambling platforms. The acquisition, valued at $500 million, includes the intellectual property rights for the WSOP. NSUS Group will make an upfront payment of $250 million, with the remaining amount to be paid over the next five years.

Noting the company’s lengthy partnership with Caesars Entertainment, NSUS Group CEO Michael Kim expressed his excitement about the transaction. He emphasized that GGPoker’s expertise in the field and cutting-edge technology will spearhead WSOP’s future, improving the brand’s worldwide reach and player experience. He further said that under NSUS Group’s leadership, the WSOP is poised to continue its legacy as the premier poker brand while pushing the boundaries of poker’s growth on an international scale.

This is not the first time the WSOP brand has changed hands. Caesars, then operating as Harrah’s, acquired the WSOP and Horseshoe brand in 2004 for $50 million following the Binion family’s loss of control over its casino. The acquisition came at a pivotal moment as the poker boom, ignited by Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 Main Event win, was in full swing. Harrah’s subsequently moved the WSOP from the Las Vegas Strip to the Rio in 2005, where it remained until relocating to the Las Vegas Horseshoe and Paris in 2022.

What About the Events?

Despite the change in ownership, the WSOP’s signature summer events will continue to be hosted at Caesars Entertainment’s Las Vegas casinos for the next two decades. Caesars will retain the use of WSOP branding at its physical casino locations and maintain preferential rights to host live WSOP Circuit events, according to the press release.

However, with GGPoker’s extensive global operations, there are plans to significantly increase the number of WSOP events, both live and online, across Asia, Europe, South America, and Canada. GGPoker, already a key platform for WSOP events and satellites, is expected to leverage its new ownership to solidify its position as the world’s largest online poker site.

Caesars Digital’s WSOP Online platforms in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, and New Jersey are also part of the deal. For the time being, Caesars Digital will keep running these online poker rooms, but they will be subject to regulations that prevent them from running P2P real-money poker games online (with a few exceptions, of course).

While the four jurisdictions work to resolve licensing issues and make adjustments to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, which currently permits WSOP to share player pools across New Jersey, Michigan, and Nevada, the online poker rooms may temporarily close.

Has Blockchain Succeeded in Reshaping Online Poker?

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Kelley N.

Online poker tournaments will seemingly be the next big thing in the gambling industry to be transformed by blockchain technology. In fact, in some ways, this is already happening.

It is easy to see how we got here. First, the widespread use of collusion and cheating has been an issue in online poker events for quite some time. Blockchain technology’s immutability and transparency make it ideal for addressing these concerns directly. It is possible to record every transaction and move made during games, which guarantees a fair playing field that is free from manipulation. Furthermore, due to its decentralized nature, blockchain greatly reduces the likelihood of theft or mismanagement, increasing the security of player funds.

Today, a major shift has occurred with the implementation of smart contracts into poker tournaments. The rules and compensation are automatically determined and enforced by these self-executing contracts, which have conditions encoded straight into code.

But it is not just the tournaments and money that blockchain technology is protecting. Privacy concerns have long plagued online poker players, who are sometimes compelled to provide personal details on more conventional sites. Blockchain technology presents an elegant solution to this problem. By limiting player identification to their wallet addresses alone, poker operators can prevent fraud and identity theft while also protecting players’ privacy.

Expanded Horizons

The use of blockchain in poker is not all about fixing issues though. This is especially true in 2024 when more people than ever are aware of it in one way or the other. Blockchain technology opens the door to a world without borders, where anyone may participate regardless of their location, banking status, or currency limits, in contrast to more traditional platforms.

Furthermore, it may serve as a platform for international events, uniting players from many cultural backgrounds and promoting poker potentially as a game of skill. Not only does this improve the game as a whole, but it also opens up great possibilities for gamers all over the globe to band together and compete.

Looking Ahead

Crypto and blockchain technology seem to have limitless future applications in the poker industry. An increasing number of online poker sites are accepting digital currencies as a key payment option, giving players more freedom and safety in their financial dealings, thanks to the widespread acceptance of cryptocurrencies. Even more so, as blockchain technology evolves, new and fascinating gaming platforms and features will emerge, giving online poker players even more to look forward to.

Poker Community Honors Doyle Brunson

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Kelley N.

On October 2, 2023, the global community of poker paid tribute to a poker icon by the name of Doyle Brunson, who is regarded as the ‘Godfather of Poker.’ Doyle won the World Series of Poker Main Event in 1976 and 1977 with the now-famous 10-2 hand, part of why he is considered a legend.

Famous poker players Andrew Neeme, Brad Owen, and Doug Polk, who operate the Lodge Card Club, collaborated with the poker player agency Poker Royalty to honor Doyle Brunson on his birthday. They announced a thrilling incentive for those who were willing to try their luck with the legendary ten-deuce.

Winners of hands where the hole cards were 10-2 will be put into a raffle tonight at midnight if they scored trips or better with those cards. One fortunate participant won the big prize of $10,200 on October 3.

More Goodies

There was a special event tonight with a $102 buy-in and a $2,000 guaranteed prize pool for those who couldn’t get enough activity. Both tournament and cash game players were eligible for this promotion, which offered a total of $10,200 in prizes. Even the high hand qualification was dropped to tens full of deuces (until 10:00 pm) in poker venues under the Live! name in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Hanover, Maryland.

At the Peppermill Casino in Reno, Nevada, between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., players who made a flush or full house with 10-2 were awarded $100. WPT Prime Madrid poker festival participants who won a hand with 10-2 were entered into a drawing for a $1,100 place in the WPT Prime Championship. An exciting $1,000 Cash Giveaway competition was also open to ClubWPT VIP and Diamond members.

While not much of the growing crypto poker world was involved, it was certainly a great way to commemorate someone who had such a huge impact on the game we know and love. Maybe next year.

Why Doyle Was Such a Big Deal

Doyle Brunson won the World Series of Poker Main Event twice (1976 and 1977), placing him in a tie for second place all-time alongside giants like Phil Ivey and Johnny Chan. However, his legacy goes much beyond his ten career bracelets. With 17 bracelets, Phil Hellmuth is far and away the leader. Brunson built his wealth in the high-stakes cash games in Las Vegas, but he won around $6.2 million in live poker tournaments.

Brunson is well-known not just for his skill at the poker table, but also for writing “Super/System,” which is usually considered the most important book on the subject. He worked with a team of specialists to develop “Super/System 2.”

Exploring the Secure Side of Crypto Poker

Posted on June 4, 2023June 4, 2023 by Kelley N.

Are you a poker fanatic who just can’t resist the convenience of playing at home? Prepare yourself for a thrilling experience in the ever-changing, potentially profitable, world of online poker. The industry has seen better days, but even if it doesn’t return to its heyday, it’s still a great way to pass the time and have a lot of fun.

Yet, despite the widespread availability of online poker sites throughout the world, some weird people who are lured to money and gambling remain hidden in the shadows. We are talking about hackers, cheaters, and scammers.

There is a good reason why poker players often complain about rigged platforms, vandalized wallets, and other sorts of hacking and breaching that cause them to lose money. The increase of high-profile instances involving online poker in recent years has only served to heighten these worries.

Lots of Lessons

Consider the infamous attack of crypto poker site SatoshiDice in 2014, in which over 2,000 wagers were altered after hackers gained access to the site’s database. Lessons may be learned from this tragedy about the risks of gambling on unprotected websites.

But that’s not all: fraud is a major concern when it comes to untrustworthy crypto poker. If dishonest operators influence outcomes or engage in unethical methods, players might lose a lot of money. This is bad for the players and the reputation of the bitcoin poker market as a whole.

Theft is another terrifying possibility that lurks in the shadows of the unsecured world of crypto poker. The thought of having your money stolen from your wallet or bank account is enough to make anybody feel sick.

The Key

But there’s still hope. Let’s shift gears and talk about the financial aspects of the game-changing innovation that has won over many gamblers: secure crypto poker. The key is for crypto poker sites to have high-level security features, which will protect players’ financial and personal information.

The safety of users is of paramount importance to cryptocurrency poker sites. Any cryptocurrency exchange runs the risk of being hacked, robbed, or otherwise compromised. Bitcoin casinos, on the other hand, have made substantial efforts to protect their customers’ funds and details.

Encryption has been a game-changer for the top bitcoin poker sites. Encryption safeguards sensitive information by converting it into unreadable ciphertext that can only be accessed by those in possession of the correct encryption key. With this safety measure in place, all player information and financial dealings are protected from any kind of unauthorized access or manipulation.

Defi Meets Poker with the Launch of Hasbullish

Posted on February 4, 2023February 2, 2023 by Kelley N.

By fusing the excitement of poker with the possibilities of decentralized finance (Defi), Hasbullish is ushering in a new era in the Defi industry. A group of the best poker professionals in the world has banded together to create this Binance Smart Chain (BSC) coin, which was conceptualized by a former professional poker player. With such star power, it is no wonder that there is so much excitement about the project.

As elite poker players compete in real-time on Hasbullish’s virtual casino floor, community members have the opportunity to interact with and learn from them. Players benefit from this one-of-a-kind experience since it enables them to get insight into the tactics and methods used by the industry’s most accomplished professionals. What’s more, the poker professionals are reinvesting their profits into the token, which is driving its value higher.

The overarching objective is to provide a welcoming environment where members of the community may watch each other play poker in real-time on the VC, engage in constructive conversation, and improve their poker skills. There will be a lot of freebies on the live stream, so it may serve as a training ground for future earnings.

Interesting Launch and Upcoming Poker App

Hasbullish’s initiator challenged Hasbulla to a heads-up charity poker match as a means of promoting the site and luring more of the world’s best poker players to join the community for the tournament’s proceeds. They also want to collaborate with Hasbulla to publicize his non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and items and to negotiate discounts for their investors on those products.

As part of its mission to build the greatest crypto poker community and provide full-scale sponsorship packages for professional players, Hasbullish is also designing a fully functional poker app. The company is also reaching out to influential YouTubers in the hopes that they will draw even more users to the service.

A Solid Marketing Plan

Hasbullish’s comprehensive marketing plan includes a week at the top of Reddit CMS trending with new updates, pinned calls in active chat lounges, a PFP contest, a full press release package published on over 450 outlets, and ongoing discussions with influential people in the industry to bring them on board. In addition to seeking a location to host tournaments, the company is interested in collaborating with other poker groups.

For poker and crypto enthusiasts, joining Hasbullish will put you in the front of the DeFi revolution and provide you the opportunity to grow your wealth through the efforts of introducing your friends. Enjoy the excitement of poker and the possibility of Defi rewards with the finest referral rates in the industry.

Online Gambling Rise Continues Amid Surge in Crypto Activity

Posted on March 4, 2021March 3, 2021 by Kelley N.

The past couple of years or so have been monumental to the growth of arguably two of the most important sectors in the world right now. Crypto and gambling have both proven that they are here to stay time and again but we would understand if you are still skeptical. Speculations and predictions seem to be all the buzz but one undeniable thing is the significant effect the two sectors are having on each other and the rest of the world.

Several digital currencies have over the past couple of months been enjoying new streaks of popularity. Bitcoin, for instance, has recently reached record highs of over $50,000, something that nearly no one saw coming. Its price is however not the only thing that we are interested in – these price surges have been one of the main drivers of the growth in popularity that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been enjoying lately.

As it turns out, it is not just individuals that are jumping on the bandwagon. Several institutional investors have begun to take the sector very seriously which goes to show just how big of a ripple effect the price surges have had on the global economy.

Still, very few industries have benefited from the crypto boom as much as gaming and entertainment companies. Gambling has long been one of the most popular sectors and with its stakeholders showing a lot of enthusiasm when it comes to adopting new technologies, its utilization of crypto and blockchain technologies was always bound to happen.

Big Promises

When cryptocurrencies first became a thing, no one would have imagined that these tokens along with the related technologies would have such wide-ranging use-cases. Gambling companies, however, seized the opportunity as many of the things that the crypto was promising would be immensely beneficial to their businesses.

Perhaps the most notable aspects of crypto that have been pushing its adoption in gambling are decentralization, transparency, and safety. In essence, they have created what can only be described as an online gamblers’ heaven where the games are provably fair, the transactions are cheap and fast, and the user data is completed protected.

Now, not all gaming companies have been quick to make some of these changes especially considering how volatile the crypto market often gets. Still, it is very important to acknowledge just how far we have come and how close we are to finally achieving the dream of a whole new financial system. One that is not only safe but also fair and reliable.

iPoker Rolls Out New Cash Game Changes to Improve Player Experience

Posted on August 4, 2020August 4, 2020 by Kelley N.

As part of its bid to make its gaming platform friendlier to recreational players, the iPoker Network has recently implemented a host of new changes. Most of these changes are intended to help in the reduction of predatory behavior that is often exhibited by some pro players and hardcore amateurs. As it turns out, that kind of behavior has been having some rather detrimental impacts on traffic since it has made keeping recreational or casual poker gamers on the site quite difficult.

According to iPoker Network Manager Joerg Nottebaum, the move involved activating some features that will go a long way in making their games “fairer and more fun for players.” The company prides itself on being customer-focused and this fairness is one of the biggest priorities.

The Changes

Perhaps the most notable change for people who love the anonymity that comes with some online casinos especially those that utilize crypto and blockchain is the anonymous cash game lobby. This change makes it impossible for malicious players to use seating scrips as they will not be able to track other players throughout the lobby. Seating scripts are usually used by some pro or hardcore amateurs to find and take advantage of weaker poker players.

To further add an extra layer of anonymity to the platform, the Pay to See Names feature has been included as part of the new changes. In essence, this keeps players from being tracked throughout the game lobby. This happens even when a player joins one of the site’s cash game tables – their opponents’ names will remain hidden until that particular player posts a big blind.

Ideally, some players would be very happy if iPoker made the table completely anonymous but this does not seem to be in the network’s agenda at the moment. Perhaps this is to ensure that even though new measures are added to the site, the experience remains just as good and familiar as it was before.

Another significant change is in the inclusion of a global sit-out function which essentially forces players to sit out all other tables once the hand they are in is over. This applies when players who multi-table cash games chose to sit out one of the tables. Like all the other changes, this one is also meant to prevent malicious players from sitting out, occupying a seat, and waiting for weaker players to join or the game to better in one way or the other.

Pbet to Redefine Gambling with Its Blockchain Solution

Posted on August 4, 2019August 2, 2019 by Kelley N.

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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Tag: Gambling