iGaming Business – Asian gambling operator Ball2Win has teamed up with online gaming specialist UltraPlay to launch a mobile version of its internet sportsbook. The new mobile sportsbook service will allow customers to access pre-live and in-play betting. Rather than release a mobile app for the new service, Ball2Win said customers can instead access the sportsbook on their mobile device by visiting the sports section of the Ball2Win website. Jason Tan, director of Ball2Win, said the company opted against developing an app as it saw such technology as a “thing of the past”. “If your phone can access it directly,…

PBS – Mechs is a whale. More specifically, Mechs is the username of a well-known high roller whale on an online gambling website where there is nearly no limit on the size or frequency of bets. Last October, Mechs made a series of winning online wagers, culminating with a single all-or-nothing bet of a little more than $800,000. Mechs had a 96.2 percent chance of winning. Mechs lost. But what really set Mechs’ game apart wasn’t the odds, but the currency. All of his bets were placed in Bitcoins. The wagers rolled instantly across the Internet in both directions, registered…

Nevada’s first online poker site made a big announcement Thursday. The Ultimate Poker deal will allow it to expand its customer base in the Silver State. The online firm, owned by Station Casinos, has struck a partnership to be the official online poker site for the company that owns Reno’s Peppermill Hotel Casino, as well as four other carpet joints in the northern part of Nevada, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Station Casinos itself owns 17 casinos in Nevada. By adding more brick-and-mortar properties into the mix, customers will have more options for cashing out and depositing, as well as…

iGaming Business – Financial services providers Mastercard, Visa and PayPal have reached a voluntary agreement with the Gambling Commission to block payment transactions with unlicensed gambling websites when new laws come into force in the UK. Speaking in the House of Lords, Baroness Jolly confirmed the three providers had made the agreement with the regulatory body despite members of the House rejecting an amendment to the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill. As reported by iGaming Business, the House of Lords voted 171 for and 185 against an amendment that would have allowed the Gambling Commission to block financial transactions between…

iGaming Business – The House of Lords has rejected an amendment to the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill that would have allowed the Gambling Commission to block financial transactions between UK citizens and unlicensed online gambling websites. Members of the House voted 171 for and 185 against the amendment, meaning that the bill will remain unchanged. Peers also considered rules around the advertising of remote gambling, particularly where it is likely to be seen by children and whether the horse betting levy should be extended to bookmakers overseas. A third reading, which will be the final chance to amend the…

Channel News Asia – Preliminary findings from a feedback gathering exercise on the government’s intent to restrict remote gambling activities in Singapore were released in Parliament on Thursday. Second Home Affairs Minister S Iswaran said most respondents supported the restrictions. Remote gambling refers to gambling via the internet or any communication device, such as a smartphone. There were however mixed views on whether a limited form of remote gambling should be permitted. Mr Iswaran said some called for a complete ban on such activities. Others felt that there was a need for a tightly regulated authorised entity that could divert…