Online Gaming News from Pennsylvania

The Online Gaming talks are continuing in Pennsylvania with both sides presenting bills and testimony before the PA Gaming Oversight Committee in Harrisburg. The bills before the committee

include one by the Chairman Rep  John Payne with Bill 649, and Rep Tina Davis with HB 920.

There is another bill that is Poker only. The two that are mentioned have the best chance of moving forward with bi partisan support.

The opponents of any online gaming legislation are lead by Sands Bethlehem Casino and Vice President of Government Relations, Andy Abboud, stated the position that online gaming would not protect underage children from gaming. He also cited that gaming online would not support the brick and mortar operations. Mr. Abboud was questioned by Rep Davis about mobile apps that are currently used by Sands in Nevada and how that differentiate from what would be considered in Pennsylvania. There was no definitive answer given. She also ask Mr. Abboud about a fine Sands received in Las Vegas for a substantial amount of money. Mr. Abboud was not able to recall the fine and averted the question.

The proponents of the online gaming legislation included Caesars Vice President Michael D. Cohen and Penn Gaming Vice President of I Gaming Chris Sheffield. Cohen cited the success of Caesars Interactive in Nevada and New Jersey while Chris spoke of the integrity and safety nets of the international online gaming community. Sheffield also highlighted the employment opportunities online gaming would add to the state. Cohen and Sheffield jointly agree that the perspective of their testimony would transmit to a proposed online gaming environment in Pennsylvania.

Entertainment at its best

 

The technical side of the process was provided by GLI Vice President of Government Relations, Kevin Mullaly and GeoComply Operations Manager Lindsay Slader. Each gave either a demonstration or explanation of how technology works in other jurisdictions with gaming online. The consensus was that this is something that can be done and regulated with the controls that the Commonwealth would feel are appropriate.

My take is that all businesses that are successful must have an online presence. If it is minimize, then the amount of revenue is dramatically reduced. If I have a competitor in a neighboring state that can provide a service that I can't, I am at a competitive disadvantage. Will that disadvantage be limited to geographic boundaries?  No! If I want to play in New Jersey, I can still drive there. So if the promotions of playing online entice me to do so, I would play less in my home state. If the same promotion was available where I live, I would play there. Note the staggering decline in gaming revenue in Atlantic City was parallel to the increase of money spent wagering in Pennsylvania once tables and slots were approved. There was a direct correlation.

If this online gaming initiative continues thru May and gains traction in the PA State Senate, things could get very interesting. Stay Tuned!

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Top Five News and Views of 2015

 Happy New Year!!! Have a great 2015

If Chris Rock can do it, so can I.

 

 

These are my top five press releases of 2015 from the major players of their respective industries. Each of these are revelations of what to expect in gaming, media and entertainment.

 

In its December magazine, Forbes has profiled Amaya Gaming Group CEO David Baazov, detailing his bold 2014 acquisition of privately held poker operator Rational Group (owners of PokerStars and Full Tilt). The magazine labels the young CEO of Amaya Gaming Group, as the new ‘king of online gambling’ having pulled off an incredible industry coup. The igaming and sports betting industry will further await the highly anticipated launch of Amaya Gaming’s sports betting and casino product, as the firm looks to broaden its online gambling product inventory.

Comcast now offers an Internet Plus package with everything that constitutes "the basics" for $49.99 a month for 12 months. It also offers free access to Comcast's Xfinity TV Go app, which allows for streaming and viewing on a TV set, tablet or other mobile device.
AT&T's U-verse, the fastest growing TV provider in the country, is embracing the idea of moving to a universal watching experience.
It offers a TV Everywhere app, which allows customers to take AT&T content with them on mobile devices, tablets and computers.
"We kind of see it as complementary," said John Blinkiewicz, assistant vice president of U-verse TV marketing. "As we continue to grow customers, we see them using our TV everywhere as a complement to their TV service."
Boosting Internet speeds and expanding networks has become a huge focus for AT&T and Comcast, which could help both the cable providers and the non-traditional TV streaming services.
"As TV has grown up, so have the devices. We need to serve customers where they want, when they want," said Blinkiewicz.

Verizon Communications Inc. has approached AOL Inc. (AOL) about a potential acquisition or joint venture with the Internet company to expand its mobile-video offerings, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Verizon hasn’t made a formal proposal to AOL, and no agreement is imminent, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private.
Merging AOL’s programmatic advertising technology -- the automated buying and selling of ads online -- with mobile video content can help Verizon catch up with AT&T Inc. (T) as wireless providers enhance their offerings. AT&T last year struck a $48.5 billion deal to acquire satellite TV provider DirecTV.
A joint venture would also focus on advertising technology, one of the people said. Verizon is seeking expertise in three areas: online content, mobile video and advertising, one person said. The company also has held talks with several of AOL’s peers about how to bolster those businesses.
The programmatic ads platform could be paired with a future online-video product, two people said.
With a takeover, Verizon would also gain AOL’s 2.3 million paying members and Internet brands including the Huffington Post, TechCrunch and Engadget. It’s unclear if Verizon is interested in those media properties, which draw more than 200 million unique visitors a month, the fourth-most in the U.S., behind Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Facebook Inc., according to November data from researcher ComScore Inc

Google is a powerhouse, but it's a powerhouse in transition.
In 2014, Google's search engine -- the largest in the world -- continued to dominate the market. In the US, the company has 67 percent of the search market on desktop computers. Globally, it's a $50 billion business in revenue annually.
Google has been making big investments in YouTube, its premier online video platform. The company has fought to keep its top creative talent on the service, especially as rivals like Facebook and startups like Victorious aim to crowd YouTube's turf.
There's good reason for that investment. YouTube gets more than a billion unique visitors every month and streams about three months' worth of video to viewers every minute. eMarketer predicted that video ad revenues from YouTube in the US would hit $1.13 billion by the end of 2014.

Summit in Philly

Forbes has chosen Philadelphia as the permanent home of its 30 Under 30 Summit - a gathering of young entrepreneurs that organizers hope will become the nation's most elite networking event for the next generation of business and political leaders.
The announcement Monday was timed to coincide with the release of the magazine's annual "Forbes 30 Under 30" list, a who's who tally of 600 entrepreneurs and leaders under age 30 that seeks to be as buzzy as its annual billionaires' list.
Forbes' 30 Under 30 Summit made a four-day debut here in October, and Forbes officials toyed with the idea of moving the fledgling confab to a different city each year. The decision to stay in Philadelphia was made after several months of negotiations between Mayor Nutter and top Forbes officials.


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