
The Colossus has been a success so far.
The World variety of Poker’s inaugural ‘Colossus’ tournament has, as anticipated, smashed all the records to become the live poker tournament that is biggest ever staged.
Twenty-two thousand three hundred and seventy-four players turned out over the course of four Day 1 flights to try out in the event, beating the WSOP that is previous record the 2006 Main Event, by (calculator out) 13,601 players.
The event represents a strategic departure for the WSOP and Caesars as the festival now has the additional aim of boosting the numbers at WSOP.com.
Hence, this season’s Series is fully targeted at attract the ‘right’ type of player, and lots of them: the kind of player who might be drawn to multi-table a few money games or tournaments with low to mid-level buy-ins while they’re in city.
The Colossus is just a full case in point.
With its buy-in that is affordable of565, and tantalizing $5 million assured prize pool, it ended up being designed to paper the house with players.
The WSOP is peppered with large-field, low buy-in events this present year, and even includes a bracelet tournament that is online.
Mobiles at the Dining Table
For the first time, players will be permitted to bring their mobile devices to your tables to play online during WSOP events.
Caesars convinced the Nevada Gaming Control Board to waive its one-player-per-IP-address rule, meaning that the Rio and all sorts of other Caesars properties will be whitelisted and exempted from the guideline throughout the duration of the Series.
This past year, WSOP.com cash game traffic rose 24 percent in the week that is first of Series alone, meaning it’s apt to be also higher this year. Industry number-cruncher, PokerScout.com has conservatively suggested that the spike will be at the very least 50 per cent.
Only a few the players were happy with all the payout structure for the Colossus, nonetheless, and several eyebrows were raised by the announcement of the first-place prize of $638,880, which represents just under six per cent regarding the prize pool, dramatically smaller than the average competition.
‘Democratic’ Payout Framework
But this was part of the plan; a flat payout framework that could reward as many players as feasible, with 2,241, or around ten percent of the industry, making the money.
Top payout that is heavy are the norm, and in general that is designed to reward the skillful player with an edge on the field. This ended up being poker with a far more ‘democratic’ circulation of wealth in mind, designed to keep the mid-level player pleased.
‘When you visit a crowd that could fill many recreations venues, there is not much else you are able to state,’ WSOP executive manager Ty Stewart stated in a declaration. ‘ We would like to thank everybody else whom traveled from near and far to be part of this historic event, particularly the very first timers.
Just like the sign claims, ‘ We Hope You keep coming back Soon.’ We want to bring poker enthusiasts together and help build positive momentum for the game.’
This week, tough Rock International and the Meadowlands Racetrack are anticipated to unveil plans for a casino in East Rutherford, home to the brand new York Giants and brand new York Jets.
Meanwhile, there have now been proposals for a casino on the waterfront in Jersey City, straight across from Lower Manhattan.
‘There is no good reason why we can’t come up with a statewide video gaming plan that brings jobs and economic growth to Bergen, Essex and Hudson counties while also supporting Atlantic City’s data recovery and revitalization efforts,’ declared Huttle.
‘The reality of video gaming today is New Jersey must do more to remain a leader. We have to start competing or we will continue to fall behind in our region and within the national nation.’
Sheldon’s Warning
Interestingly, Sheldon Adelson features a few words to express regarding the issue when the notion of one casino in northern New Jersey was mentioned at the G2E annual gaming expo in Las Vegas last year.
The LVS chairman said he’d jump at the chance to open a casino throughout the border from Manhattan, but would ‘think twice’ should several casinos be proposed for the region.
He also warned against the short-termism of seeing casino expansion as being a fix that is quick economic problems.
‘Look, it’s a two-edged sword,’ he said. ‘then you may wake up one day and Governor Cuomo or whoever is governor or mayor of New York City will say, ‘Look, they’re taking all the New Yorkers’ money and they’re sucking it up in that casino in the Meadowlands if you go in there and spend a lot of money. So we’ve surely got to open one up, and keep the cash in New York.’ ‘
AGA Formally Denounces Slot Winnings Taxation Proposals
AGA President Geoff Freeman is aghast during the IRS’ proposal to track players’ electronically winnings through their customer loyalty cards for income tax purposes. (Image: casinoconnectionac.com)
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has hit out against IRS proposals to lower the tax reporting threshold for slot winnings from $1,200 to $600.
The industry body reported that the proposals that are new be harmful to customer experience, increase paper work and disrupt the casino flooring, as well as requiring expensive improvements to casino back-end systems.
The https://myfreepokies.com/vegas-world/ AGA, which represents operators and gaming suppliers that collectively support 1.7 million US jobs across 40 states, made its feelings clear in the shape of a 15-page formal comment submitted to the IRS this week.
This arrived on the trunk of a page delivered by 17 bi-partisan members of Congress to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen stating that increased labor costs and lost business revenue resulting from the proposition could be ‘detrimental to local, state and national economies that depend on those revenue to support critical services.’
Serious Harm to Business
AGA President Geoff Freeman was particularly critical of this IRS suggestion that the rule might be enforced through the electronic tracking of players’ gambling habits through their customer commitment cards.
‘ The gaming industry is aware of no other industry in the country for which the IRS has issued laws requiring the industry to deploy its customer loyalty program for federal taxation collection purposes,’ Freeman complained.
Freeman said that the labor lost and cost business revenue that originates from the reporting of slot machine winnings is already burdensome, once the devices ‘lock up’ and are temporarily taken away from service after a jackpot of $1,200 is hit so so it can be reported to the IRS.
‘AGA is mindful of no other industry that is US must take its assets out regarding the production of income to satisfy its tax reporting responsibilities,’ he said. ‘The proposed slot reporting guidance would substantially magnify that burden in the casino to the stage of serious injury to its company by mandating the employment of a marketing device for tax information reporting purposes.’
Disruption to Backend
Furthermore, the reprogramming of the casino’s back end systems, which would be necessary for them to comply with the proposed regulations, is disruptive and costly, Freeman said, particularly for those casinos that run in multiple markets.
‘AGA casino members have expressed concern that in order for their back-end systems to be able to compile, store, and index for retrieval a sizable number of day-to-day win/loss statements, costly investment will be necessary in development and in a substantial increase within the current storage and processing power of these systems. This investment that is costly the necessary back-end systems changes would be magnified for all those gambling enterprises that operate in numerous markets.’
The AGA recently established a petition that is online garnered over 10,000 signatures opposing the proposals. These signatures were from casino employees and customers alike, from across all 50 states, said Freeman.
FIFA Scandal Continues As Interpol Tracks Six Suspects
Sepp Blatter received a standing ovation from FIFA staff after announcing his resignation. (Image: Reuters)
Interpol, the international authorities human anatomy, has put six of the suspects in the FIFA corruption scandal on the ‘red notice’ list, a designation that will make it virtually impossible for people individuals to travel.
Even though the designation just isn’t the exact carbon copy of an arrest warrant for the suspects, it recommends them they might travel that they are subject to the possibility of arrest anywhere.
Of the six suspects, two are former FIFA officials, while four were sports media executives.
Jack Warner, who formerly held the positions of FIFA vice president and CONCACAF president, had been arrested in his home nation of Trinidad and Tobago, but had since been released ahead of the notice that is red granted.
Similarly, former FIFA executive committee member Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay had been already under house arrest during the time of his red notice being announced.
The four professionals receiving notices that are red Argentinians Alejandro Burzaco, Hugo Jinkis, and Mariano Jinkis, in addition to Brazilian broadcast administrator Jose Margulies.
The Argentinians are faced with paying over $100 million in bribes in order to secure media rights to various soccer tournaments.
Blatter Applauded at FIFA Headquarters
The FIFA scandal reached the office that is highest within the company (and maybe the most effective person in sports) on Tuesday, when president Sepp Blatter made the announcement that he would resign from their post sometime in the following year, just as an alternative could be elected.
Blatter’s announcement arrived just days after he’d been re-elected to the office for the time that is fifth.
Upon going back to FIFA’s Zurich head office on Wednesday, Blatter had been offered a standing that is ten-minute by personnel.
According to reports, he gave the 400 staff users in attendance the same message to the main one he told the soccer world on Tuesday: that FIFA needed to undergo reforms, particularly in the executive committee.
Based on Reuters, a source close to FIFA said him to step down from the presidency following the ongoing criminal probe into FIFA by American and Swiss law enforcement agencies that it was ultimately Blatter’s own advisors that convinced.
While Blatter himself had yet to be implicated in some of these probes, it had been still embarrassing for the association’s leader, who saw also their lieutenant that is chief facing of corruption and bribery.
Numerous Candidates Could Vie for FIFA Presidency
In the since Blatter’s announcement, much of the speculation by media members and football fans has been about who his successor will be day. There are several viable candidates, though a stand that is few as getting the most useful odds of using his place.
UEFA president Michel Platini appears to be the favorite, both among pundits and also the bookmakers at William Hill, whom list him at 6-5 odds. UEFA ended up being a hotbed of critique for Blatter, and Platini had formerly asked Blatter not to run for reelection.
Another popular choice will be Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, who had been the only person to run against Blatter in the most recent election.
He’s listed at 7-4 odds, and also the Jordanian Football Association states that it’s looking into FIFA’s own rules to see if Prince Ali should be granted the position based on his second-place finish in Friday’s election.
But there will tend to be many candidates throw about in the times and weeks to come, particularly without the specter of an unbeatable sepp blatter to scare prominent people of the soccer community from running.
For instance, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro suggested that Argentine legend Diego Maradona must be the next FIFA president, noting that Maradona had long been trying to root down corruption in FIFA even though few others seemed to care.