The Esports Arena, the world’s first permanent esports venue, has been launched in Las Vegas. The 2787 sqm multilevel arena will open on The Strip, at the Luxor Hotel and Casino, and gives local and international visitors access to over 100 gaming stations housing PCs and consoles. The arena’s website reads: “The 30,000-square-foot, multilevel arena is designed to host every form of competitive …

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has backed plans to set limits on the amount of times residents can visit casinos. The casino implementation bill, also backed by the LDP’s coalition partner Komeito, would limit residents to three casino visits per week and ten per month. The Japan Times reported on Tuesday that the restriction is to be implemented through …

Tipstrr, the online betting tips service, announced a new sports tipster-focused cryptocurrency yesterday, at the Betting on Football 2018 conference. Named Tipcoin, it has been launched to alleviate a number of issues that had been identified by the West Midlands-based firm. Andy Jones, Tipstrr Technical Director, described the thought process behind the decision: “So the biggest barrier our users have, is the …

Crown Resorts has today announced the resignation of well-known billionaire director James Packer. There was no official reason given for the move, but a number of mainstream media outlets cite an unnamed spokesperson who claims the decision relates to Packer’s mental health. The Australia-listed company thanked Packer in a brief statement earlier this morning. “We have appreciated James’ contribution to …

Esports is as big as American football for young Americans, according to a poll conducted by the Washington Post. 40% of 14 to 21-year-olds taking part in the poll claimed to be football fans; with 38% counting themselves as fans of esports. “The popularity of esports and online gaming among American teens and young adults as both a recreational activity …

Platform provider FSB Ltd has announced a deal to roll-out its first EPOS system in association with Paddy Power and Asian supplier Jade Entertainment and Gaming Technologies. FSB will deploy its innovative platform and trading tools alongside the Irish bookmaker’s trading team in order to provide over the counter sports betting facilities to customers of Manila’s flagship Okada Casino Resort. …

Italian technology firm Custom Spa aims to bring more innovation and high-tech solutions into the world of sports betting. They offer a wide range of multi-platform terminals for retail betting, that combine the latest printing and scanning solutions with software intended to improve both customer satisfaction and the general gaming experience. The firm’s most recent innovation is ‘augmented reality’, introduced …

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has launched an “incredible offer for all small staking punters” to mark the first day of this year’s Cheltenham Festival (13-16 March). The offer, which stipulates that money will be given back as free bets on all each-way singles with stakes of £10 and under so long as the favourite is victorious, was just one of …

SportCaller, the free-to-play sports game specialist, has struck a deal with William Hill to deliver a new game, Football21, in a move the operator hopes will optimise its customer base. Football21 is a weekly free-to-enter competition which asks players to compete for a £10,000 prize pot every weekend by selecting teams whose combined goal-count adds up to 21. The rules …