Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming August 2016 44 MGM Resorts debuts mobile tournaments MGM Resorts has signalled its intent to utilize the latest gaming technologies with the launch of a new mobile gaming platform at its nine Las Vegas properties. The platform, called easyPLAY Mobile Tournaments, allows guests at any of MGM’s resorts to compete against one another using their smartphones or desktops in tournament-style versions of popular casino games such as bingo, poker and slot machines. It is the first instance of mobile tournaments being offered in any regulated casino in the United States. Developed by oneLIVE Inc, the tournaments are conducted using the properties’ WiFi, allowing players at Aria, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, Luxor, New York- New York and Excalibur to compete. Players sign in, pay the entry fee via credit card – which ranges from US$1 to US$5 – and then compete by, for example, notching the highest score from 25 spins in a slots tournament. Because easyPLAY Mobile Tournaments can be played from anywhere on any MGM Resorts property, the company expects the product to prove a big hit among millennials who are more likely to play while poolside or at the bar. Tournaments can run anywhere from a few hours to a few days, while MGM Resorts has stated it plans to add a number of new games in the future. Counter-Strike developer clamps down on illegal skins betting Video game developer Valve has issued cease and desist letters to 23 websites that use the company’s Steam platform to enable the betting of weapon “skins” in its popular game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive . Valve gave the companies 10 days to comply with the order or face further action in the wake of an earlier lawsuit filed against Valve by a player for facilitating underage gambling. Around half of the websites named by Valve have since ceased operations. INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS Skins betting emerged in 2013 after the company introduced an update for the game that allowed players to win virtual skins for their in-game weapons. These skins could then be traded or even sold for real money on any of the trading sites that popped up. But because the skins were worth real money, it didn’t take long for players to start using them to place bets on the outcome of eSports matches or tournaments – so much so that more than three million people wagered an estimated US$2.3 billion worth of skins in 2015 alone. A handful of professional players have even been caught fixing matches in order to profit from this underground skins market. Ironically, Valve’s crackdown could result in both player and viewership numbers dropping off given that a considerable chunk of the audience only watches competitive Counter-Strike matches because they have placed skins bets on them. Portugal launches first online casino Portugal’s gaming regulator, Serviço Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos do Turismo de Portugal (SRIJ), has issued the nation’s first online casino license following recent moves to build and regulate an online gaming market. The SRIJ announced on 25 July that it had issued an online games of chance license to Estoril Sol SGPS SA, a company chaired by none other than Macau casino magnate and SJM founder Dr Stanley Ho. Estoril Sol also operates three land-based casinos in Portugal – Casino Estoril, Casino Lisbon and Casino da Povoa. Under the terms of its new online casino license, the company is allowed to offer blackjack, roulette and slots. Estoril Sol is just the third online operator in Portugal to be granted a license after sportsbooks Betclic Everest and Bet Entertainment Technologies Ltd launched in the preceding two months. Estoril Sol’s members are closely linked with Macau’s SJM Holdings. Aside from naming Dr Ho as Chairman, the company also boasts SJM Executive Director Dr Rui Cunha as Chairman of the advisory board and SJM CEO Ambrose So as a board member.