Loss and profit Take on New Meaning for Swedish Pro Viktor Blom
He’s 23, down $3.6 million for the past 30 times; but that’s not terribly unusual for the poker phenom understood round the world to online fans as ‘Isildur1,’ aka Viktor Blom. Following a dazzling two-week online winning streak from the start of the brand new year, Blom has since fallen back once again to a meager $1.5 million, according to HighstakesDB.com, a poker tracking data site. More than $800,000 of those brutal losses occurred in just the week that is past and took place on Full Tilt poker, the online site he represents as a professional.
High Stakes Is Their Game
It’s all in a day’s work for the pro that is young that is no stranger to uber high-stakes online poker: he caught the breathless attention of poker fans everywhere just four years ago, whenever in 2009, he was active in all ten for the largest pots in poker online history. Blom ended up being still playing under wraps by his pseudonym that is online when joined Team PokerStars at the conclusion of 2010, only to have their real identification revealed as he played live during the annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas. Blom stayed on the PokerStars roster that is pro 1 1/2 years, moving on to Comprehensive Tilt just recently, in October 2012.
Highs and Lows
Blom is no stranger to the highs and lows of online poker; in his initial cloaked ‘Isildur1’ days, he played pros that are top Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius in cash games as big as $500/$1000 No Limit. Inside of just two months of his online first, he had amassed an impressive $6 million, only to lose back $4 million of it by December of 2009, one month later. The loss that is staggering him largely out of online play on Full Tilt until February 2010.
It’s reported that the gun that is young built a preliminary bankroll of $2,000 into an extraordinary $1.4 million; the first half-million of that coming from a $100/$200 No Limit Hold’em match with high-stakes Full Tilt online regular Haseeb Qureshi.
Blom, who hails originally from Gotheburg, Sweden, has career tournament winnings of almost $2 million. Their most tournament that is impressive to date include taking first in the 2012 PCA No Limit Hold’em Super High Roller Eight Max event for a $1,254,400 money, as well as the May 2012 online PokerStars SCOOP 02-M $215 purchase in No Limit Hold’em event for the $247,200 finish.
Betable Teams Up With Real Money Gaming Developer 3Oak
Betable recently announced a partnership with startup video gaming developer 3Oak, a division that is new of’s Frima Studio. The partnership aims to take both social gaming and real cash gaming in completely new guidelines, namely, by merging them into what both companies hope will be a delectable, real-money social video gaming treat.
To that end, 3Oak has stated that they are not planning on doing the casino that is same-old games, even though the social video gaming real cash casino scene is largely untapped and potentially ready to burst. What forms of titles they do plan on building is being kept under wraps for the right time being. Suffice to state, they will have big plans for creative new ways to activate players in social games, with a money that is real for added flavour.
‘Frima’s bullishness on real-money gaming that is social evidenced by the creation of a new division of these company which will focus on the opportunity and we couldn’t be happier become powering it for them,’ said Christopher Griffin, creator and CEO of Betable. ‘With their resources and experience, we’re confident that 3OAK has the vision and skill necessary to produce innovative, industry leading money that is real titles.’
And real money gaming is truly the place where a majority of designers would like to just take their social games later on. Existing social games are largely subsidized through micro-transactions by way of a small portion of paying clients, and that small percentage only spends a few dollars per month an average of. As a result, it requires a massive player base to generate any significant number of revenue.
Real-money gamblers however have a tendency to spend a much greater amount of cash on their gaming pursuits, in the product range of $100-$200 per month. Frima and 3Oak are relying on that gambling customer generosity to hold over into a different gaming format. As they’re not sure of just how willing their customers are to spend wads of cash wagering on the games, they have at the least seen positive early returns in how ready customers are to spend money on a gambling that is social, according to a prototype game their company developed.
‘It showed that it generates sense to do free-to-play games where you can cash out,’ Mikael Lefebvre of 3Oak told Gamesbeat in an interview. ‘It brings you higher engagement rates.’
Rather than the conversion that is usual of 3% of players into paying clients for most social games, their prototype game accomplished prices much greater than that, and those customers were willing to spend more separately because well.
Whilst it may maybe not function as the guaranteed money making machine that an on-line casino could be, it could additionally wind up being far more, and help revolutionize the social gaming room. It is exciting news for other video gaming businesses, in addition to the ratings of gamers that don’t have much interest in slots or movie poker, but appear ready and prepared to plunk down their money on more creative and skill-based video gaming wagers.
Bonza Gaming Becomes Third Business to deliver Real-Money Gaming on Facebook
Facebook has added a 3rd partner to their real-money gaming fold, that partner in this case being Bonza Gaming. Bonza joins Gamesys and 888 since the companies that are only by Facebook to give real-money video gaming opportunities.
Gamesys and 888 have both used those discounts to launch real-money bingo games thus far, which are currently only open to British residents (as per Facebook’s current policy), but must be extended to other regions into the future.
Bonza immediately established their real-money offering, Bonza Slots after the announcement and finalization of this partnership. Those games have been developed in partnership with Net Entertainment, who continues to develop and add more slot and casino offerings towards the Bonza Slots app in the foreseeable future.
‘We are happy to have partnered with Net Entertainment, which after a thorough supplier selection process was the clear winner, plus the supplier which could provide our venture with Facebook the best long term strategic value and security. We are now actually concentrated on delivering a successful launch that is commercial along with our combined knowledge and experience, I am very positive about this long term partnership’, stated real-money-casino.club Rick Brownlow, CEO at Bonza Gaming.
Net Entertainment is no stranger to real-money video gaming, which made them a nice-looking and experienced partner for Bonza. Net Entertainment boasts over 15 years within the casino gaming industry as being a developer of both online and offline slots and casino games. In addition they operate several online casinos themselves (which naturally use their own computer software).
For their part, Net Entertainment is also thrilled utilizing the deal, and anticipate expanding their offerings to Facebook users through Bonza Slots.
‘Net Entertainment is one of the first companies of on-line casino games to enter real money gaming on Facebook and I am very pleased that we are partnering with Bonza Gaming as their casino platform provider of choice,’ said Per Eriksson, president and CEO at web Entertainment.
‘Net Entertainment’s gaming portfolio contains a number of the world’s best games on the traditional online casino market and we am good that the users on Facebook will be provided with a great experience. Real money video gaming over Facebook is just a new exciting circulation channel for Net Entertainment and is closely associated with the company’s existing core business.’
Bonza Slots use advanced age verification and identity confirmation tools to make certain their platform isn’t being abused, and that it gives a safe gaming that is social for everybody involved. The company will initially focus on Barclaycard as their payment that is major service, with additional options planned for the long run.
The launch of Bonza Slots is a superb achievement for the young London-based startup, who began development on the product just 6 months previous, with backing from Sportingbet and Plumbee, two companies with expertise in the gaming sector that is online. And as the very first company to provide a wide selection of real-money games on Facebook, they truly are poised become at the forefront with this exciting and brave brand new gaming world that is social.
Caesars Entertainment Interactive Division To Render Unto The Highest Bidder That Which Will Be Caesars
Facing a daunting $20 debt that is billion-plus, casino giant Caesars Entertainment can be forced to boost funds by offering minority stakes in one of its most possibly lucrative divisions, Caesars Interactive, aswell as in some of its brick-and-mortar casino properties. Ironically, the conglomerate that is gambling recently purchased a few of its own interactive division holdings; Buffalo Studios, a Santa Monica-based social and mobile games designer ended up being acquired in the same way 2012 drew up to a close, and Playtika, an Israeli social games company, was purchased by Caesars not as much as two years ago with a 51 percent stakehold.
Bad Timing For Caesars Entertainment
Incorporating towards the good news/bad news timing is the Nevada Gaming Commission’s December 2012 state online gaming license approval, which could eventually allow Caesars to work real-money poker games online, including their World Series of Poker brand. It is anticipated that legal poker play online in Nevada could be available as early as first quarter 2013. Impending ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ online gambling legislation awaiting brand New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s signature could affect perceived value of the company’s Interactive division as well, in exactly what’s expected to be an eventual $6 billion U.S. online player that is annual market.
Caesars plans to launch its Q4 and FY 2012 profits on February 25, but has currently released an advance view of its grim profit-and-loss statement for last year. Estimated quarter that is fourth could range anywhere from $452 million to $556 million, on earnings of $1.55 billion to $1.58 billion. Analysts had predicted less than half the high-projection loss figures, expecting approximately $268 million; the losings may also be expected to be dual Caesars reported $246.9 million Q4 2011 reports. Revenues are expected to are available in well below early in the day projections of $2.11 billion.
Caesars Debt Hurt By Hurricane
From $30 million to $35 million of that projected loss is attributed to October 2012’s devastating Hurricane Sandy hit in nj-new jersey’s Atlantic City, where Caesars holds substantial investments.
Caesars says it plans to provide $1.5 billion in seven-year, 9% senior secured notes in an effort to repay loans which have come due. It is also attempting to get on board the extremely successful Asian gambling junket with a proposed South casino that is korean, although the majority of the high-revenue American gaming operations are making bank out of Macau, a gambling Mecca operated under the auspices of the folks’s Republic of China.
Finally, a recently available Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows the likelihood that Caesars may offer off stocks in Planet Hollywood in Las vegas, nevada and a proposed Baltimore, Maryland casino to keep the sinking business afloat. The company have not posted a revenue since 2009.