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Saturday, April 7, 2012
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Gai Waterhouse-trained Pierro Wins $3.5 million Golden Slipper: Rosehill, Sydney; Celebs Marquee
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The top line race and racing festival is about big business, money, bums on seats, sports betting, celebrities and milking the news media machine.
Pierro, trained by Gai Waterhouse, has won the $3.5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill.
"Gai Waterhouse said six months ago this horse was going to win the Golden Slipper," winning jockey Nash Rawiller said.
"(At the time) I shook my head and walked away. She's a genius."
Gai said Pierro would take out the Golden Slipper after the colt made a winning debut in the Breeders' Plate at Randwick Racecourse in October.
Rawiller had Pierro positioned behind the leader Snitzerland and the colt never went around a runner before claiming the world's richest race for two-year-olds.
"Today I ended up getting a perfect run," Rawiller said.
"I knew if he got a trouble-free run he would be hard to beat."
Waterhouse, who saddled up five runners in the race, has now claimed Sydney's signature thoroughbred race four times.
"He just wore the filly down ... it was really exciting," Waterhouse said.
Snitzerland gave everything in defeat after taking up the running as the field settled.
She was being hailed the winner until Pierro, a son of former champion racehorse and now leading sire Lonhro, emerged with his run.
Melbourne filly Samaready, who started favourite, took third placing after covering ground.
Pierro is now unbeaten in four starts.
THE BMW
Manighar has led home a trifecta for imported stayers with victory in the $2.25 million BMW.
Making it three Group One weight-for-age wins under the care of new trainer Peter Moody, Manighar defeated fellow northern hemisphere imports Americain and Drunken Sailor in the 2400m feature.
"He just loves it here," part-owner Simon O'Donnell said.
"He might have been born and bred in France but he's a fully-fledged Aussie as far as I'm concerned."
Jockey Luke Nolen had Manighar racing outside the leader Fiumicino.
Nolen took the six-year-old to front as the field straightened and the result was never in doubt.
Americain gave his all after being forced to race three-wide for the entire trip.
The 2010 Melbourne Cup winner was under pressure at the 400m but rallied strongly in the final stretch.
Drunken Sailor, raced in the same interests as Manighar, took the minor placing.
Manighar and Drunken Sailor were trained by English conditioner Luca Cumani before finding their way into the stables of Moody and Mike Moroney respectively.
"It's been quite a feat," Nolen said of Manighar's run of form which has also included Group One wins in the Australian Cup and Ranvet Stakes.
"Pete's a marvellous trainer but I think we've been given a true indication of his abilities with what he has been able to do with this horse."
GEORGE RYDER STAKES
Metal Bender upstaged a star-studded field to win the $400,000 George Ryder Stakes.
Aided by a precise ride from Michael Rodd, Metal Bender defeated Victorian galloper Rekindled Interest in a blanket finish involving five runners.
"The only place I wanted to go was along the fence. I could see everything opening up in front of me," Rodd said.
"All I could see was green lights everywhere I went."
In a race which changed complexion over the final 100 metres, Metal Bender's head bobbed at the right time to give trainer Chris Waller a Golden Slipper day Group One.
"Full credit has to go to Chris Waller," Rodd said.
"He always gets these horses to back up and run well and he did it again today."
Two-time Group One winner Secret Admirer finished third, just ahead of New Zealand star King Mufhasa, showing she is on target for the Doncaster Mile.
QUEEN OF THE TURF STAKES
Glamour mare More Joyous has continued her march towards the Doncaster Mile with an emphatic win in the $400,000 Queen Of The Turf Stakes.
Making it two wins in as many autumn starts, More Joyous made a one-act affair of the Group One race for fillies and mares.
She worked forward from a wide draw to sit outside the leader Red Tracer before jockey Nash Rawiller took a trail on King's Rose in the middle stages.
Rawiller was then able to bide his time until he presented More Joyous three-wide at the top of the straight.
The multiple Group One winner quickly had her rivals covered, establishing a lead at the 200m before drawing away.
Miss Keepsafe closed late to finish second with King's Rose holding on for third.
"I've got a lot of confidence in her ... why wouldn't I," Rawiller said.
"That was her 17th win in 24 starts ... gee she's got a motor.
"She's an absolute pleasure to ride."
Trainer Gai Waterhouse was typically upbeat about More Joyous's chances in the $2 million Doncaster Mile, run at the mare's home track of Randwick in two weeks.
"She is so well weighted she should win it," Waterhouse said.
More Joyous was a victim of a rain-affected track in last year's Doncaster when she finished 11th of 17 runners as favourite.
Celebrities...
Other than Gai Waterhourse, Myer face Jennifer Hawkins showed and posed for a few photos, and performing artist Jessica Mauboy showed and performed for crowd patrons who were prepared to pay with an additional $70 or so for a fun day at the races. We suspect many would have put that kind of money on an extra bet or two on their favourite four legged friends.
Other...
The weather was beautiful and sunny. Main recommendation for future events is to provide lots more nearby car parking for hard working news media and members of the public.
Summary...
A good day at the races, and with some fine tuning in making the event more public and news media friendly next year the event might almost become perfect. Racing NSW wants to bring back the masses to attend live racing, however they need to go the extra mile, as everyone is competing for the entertainment dollar, and lets face it - there's plenty more entertainment options in town - especially at the moment, and many more more affordable.
Websites
The Sydney Carnival
Racing NSW
Australian Racing Board
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
Eva Rinaldi Photography
Media Man News
Australian Sports Entertainment
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Media Man Int
Media Man
Media Man News
Media Man Entertainment
Sydney Celebrities Events Racing Sports Betting Fashion Rosehill Gardens Australian Sports BMW
The top line race and racing festival is about big business, money, bums on seats, sports betting, celebrities and milking the news media machine.
Pierro, trained by Gai Waterhouse, has won the $3.5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill.
"Gai Waterhouse said six months ago this horse was going to win the Golden Slipper," winning jockey Nash Rawiller said.
"(At the time) I shook my head and walked away. She's a genius."
Gai said Pierro would take out the Golden Slipper after the colt made a winning debut in the Breeders' Plate at Randwick Racecourse in October.
Rawiller had Pierro positioned behind the leader Snitzerland and the colt never went around a runner before claiming the world's richest race for two-year-olds.
"Today I ended up getting a perfect run," Rawiller said.
"I knew if he got a trouble-free run he would be hard to beat."
Waterhouse, who saddled up five runners in the race, has now claimed Sydney's signature thoroughbred race four times.
"He just wore the filly down ... it was really exciting," Waterhouse said.
Snitzerland gave everything in defeat after taking up the running as the field settled.
She was being hailed the winner until Pierro, a son of former champion racehorse and now leading sire Lonhro, emerged with his run.
Melbourne filly Samaready, who started favourite, took third placing after covering ground.
Pierro is now unbeaten in four starts.
THE BMW
Manighar has led home a trifecta for imported stayers with victory in the $2.25 million BMW.
Making it three Group One weight-for-age wins under the care of new trainer Peter Moody, Manighar defeated fellow northern hemisphere imports Americain and Drunken Sailor in the 2400m feature.
"He just loves it here," part-owner Simon O'Donnell said.
"He might have been born and bred in France but he's a fully-fledged Aussie as far as I'm concerned."
Jockey Luke Nolen had Manighar racing outside the leader Fiumicino.
Nolen took the six-year-old to front as the field straightened and the result was never in doubt.
Americain gave his all after being forced to race three-wide for the entire trip.
The 2010 Melbourne Cup winner was under pressure at the 400m but rallied strongly in the final stretch.
Drunken Sailor, raced in the same interests as Manighar, took the minor placing.
Manighar and Drunken Sailor were trained by English conditioner Luca Cumani before finding their way into the stables of Moody and Mike Moroney respectively.
"It's been quite a feat," Nolen said of Manighar's run of form which has also included Group One wins in the Australian Cup and Ranvet Stakes.
"Pete's a marvellous trainer but I think we've been given a true indication of his abilities with what he has been able to do with this horse."
GEORGE RYDER STAKES
Metal Bender upstaged a star-studded field to win the $400,000 George Ryder Stakes.
Aided by a precise ride from Michael Rodd, Metal Bender defeated Victorian galloper Rekindled Interest in a blanket finish involving five runners.
"The only place I wanted to go was along the fence. I could see everything opening up in front of me," Rodd said.
"All I could see was green lights everywhere I went."
In a race which changed complexion over the final 100 metres, Metal Bender's head bobbed at the right time to give trainer Chris Waller a Golden Slipper day Group One.
"Full credit has to go to Chris Waller," Rodd said.
"He always gets these horses to back up and run well and he did it again today."
Two-time Group One winner Secret Admirer finished third, just ahead of New Zealand star King Mufhasa, showing she is on target for the Doncaster Mile.
QUEEN OF THE TURF STAKES
Glamour mare More Joyous has continued her march towards the Doncaster Mile with an emphatic win in the $400,000 Queen Of The Turf Stakes.
Making it two wins in as many autumn starts, More Joyous made a one-act affair of the Group One race for fillies and mares.
She worked forward from a wide draw to sit outside the leader Red Tracer before jockey Nash Rawiller took a trail on King's Rose in the middle stages.
Rawiller was then able to bide his time until he presented More Joyous three-wide at the top of the straight.
The multiple Group One winner quickly had her rivals covered, establishing a lead at the 200m before drawing away.
Miss Keepsafe closed late to finish second with King's Rose holding on for third.
"I've got a lot of confidence in her ... why wouldn't I," Rawiller said.
"That was her 17th win in 24 starts ... gee she's got a motor.
"She's an absolute pleasure to ride."
Trainer Gai Waterhouse was typically upbeat about More Joyous's chances in the $2 million Doncaster Mile, run at the mare's home track of Randwick in two weeks.
"She is so well weighted she should win it," Waterhouse said.
More Joyous was a victim of a rain-affected track in last year's Doncaster when she finished 11th of 17 runners as favourite.
Celebrities...
Other than Gai Waterhourse, Myer face Jennifer Hawkins showed and posed for a few photos, and performing artist Jessica Mauboy showed and performed for crowd patrons who were prepared to pay with an additional $70 or so for a fun day at the races. We suspect many would have put that kind of money on an extra bet or two on their favourite four legged friends.
Other...
The weather was beautiful and sunny. Main recommendation for future events is to provide lots more nearby car parking for hard working news media and members of the public.
Summary...
A good day at the races, and with some fine tuning in making the event more public and news media friendly next year the event might almost become perfect. Racing NSW wants to bring back the masses to attend live racing, however they need to go the extra mile, as everyone is competing for the entertainment dollar, and lets face it - there's plenty more entertainment options in town - especially at the moment, and many more more affordable.
Websites
The Sydney Carnival
Racing NSW
Australian Racing Board
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
Eva Rinaldi Photography
Media Man News
Australian Sports Entertainment
Website Network
Media Man Int
Media Man
Media Man News
Media Man Entertainment
Thursday, April 5, 2012
PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino iGaming War Continues
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PartyCasino.com - Accepts Canadian, Australian and New Zealand players. PartyCasino new players get up to $3000 sign up bonus. Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is the world's largest and most succesful igaming company.
VirginCasino.com - No US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand players. £100 sign up bonus. Virgin Games is part of Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprises Limited.
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PartyCasino.com Virgin Casino PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino
PartyCasino.com - Accepts Canadian, Australian and New Zealand players. PartyCasino new players get up to $3000 sign up bonus. Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is the world's largest and most succesful igaming company.
VirginCasino.com - No US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand players. £100 sign up bonus. Virgin Games is part of Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprises Limited.
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Wednesday, April 4, 2012
10 stocks better than a lottery ticket; Media Man Financial and Business News
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10 stocks better than a lottery ticket - 4th April 2012
If you happen to be one of the lucky few who’ve had million dollar lottery payouts, by all means skip the rest of this article.
But for the rest of us losers, which sadly includes me, its time to get real about coming up with a plan for financial security that doesn’t involve a million-to-1 long shot.
On second thoughts, judging by the riches to rags stories you hear about some lottery winners, maybe they should keep reading too!
Looking for the easy way out
I’ve got nothing against throwing away a dollar or two for the chance at winning millions. After all, it’s not every day that you get a chance at a seven figure payday — and just the entertainment value alone of pondering the impact that a multi-million jackpot could have is worth something.
But for some players, there’s clearly more going on than simple entertainment. Stories about people buying hundreds or even thousands of dollars’ worth of lottery tickets are everywhere. And while some of those big spenders can afford to part with the cash, others appear to be making their wagers as their only hope of ever being financially secure.
That phenomenon is a symptom of the failure of some Australians to become financially adept. Most successful investing doesn’t involve quick payoffs or big gambles but rather slow and steady gains that eventually add up to substantial wealth. That may not be very exciting, but your odds of success are a whole lot better than with picking some numbers out of a big hat.
Investing is not gambling
In addition, on the surface, investing may seem like just another version of gambling. Some stocks make people rich, while others lose all their value and leave their shareholders penniless.
But the vital difference is that investing outcomes aren’t random. By looking closely at businesses and their prospects, you can form educated opinions about their future performance. You won’t always be right — but it won’t simply be a shot in the dark.
Perhaps more important than that, with the lottery, there’s only room for one winning set of numbers. Shareholders don’t have to worry about only one stock being a winner.
Invest in the gambling companies
Instead of gambling away your money, why not take a punt on some of the companies that operate in our gambling industries? After all, it’s a healthy industry and we know our fellow Aussies love a punt.
Poker machines
First up, two of the giants of the ASX. Woolworths Limited (ASX: WOW) and Wesfarmers Limited (ASX: WES), both with market caps over $30Bn, each own thousands of poker machines through the hotels they own. Woolworths actually owns more poker machines than five of the top casinos in Las Vegas, and makes $874m per year from its pokies.
Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) and Ainsworth Game Technologies Limited (ASX: AGI) both make the poker machine cabinets, the software that runs on them, as well as software to network them together and administer the poker machines. I’ve written about both Aristocrat and Ainsworth recently.
Casinos
If you want to invest in the companies that run casinos, first stop is Crown Limited (ASX: CWN). The company owns casinos in Melbourne and Perth, as well as a one-third shareholding in Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd (NASDAQ: MPEL), which owns casinos in Macau. Crown also owns the Aspinalls Club in London and interests in online betting exchange Betfair Australasia and casino operators US-based Cannery Casino Resorts and UK operator Aspers Holdings.
Echo Entertainment Limited (ASX: EGP) owns and operates casinos in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and you may have seen its Star attraction (pun intended!) in the media recently. Crown owns over 9% in Echo, and it’s my top tip for a 2012 takeover (tongue-twister not intended).
Another smaller company is Reef Casino Trust (ASX: RCT) which is an Australian property trust (or A-REIT) – with just one property – the Reef Casino in Cairns. It doesn’t actually own the casino, but charges rent to the casino as well as the restaurants and the hotel all located on the property.
The company is profitable, earning $5.8m in 2011 on revenues of $22m, a rise of 52% over 2010, and expects to at least maintain its profitability in 2012. Trading on a P/E of just 9 and a trailing dividend yield of 6.7%, it could be an interesting punt.
Lotteries, sports wagering, horse racing
The big two companies in this space are Tabcorp Holdings Limited (ASX: TAH) and Tatts Group Limited (ASX: TTS). My colleague Scott Phillips outlined his views of these two companies in this article, late last year.
Both companies operate poker machines, horse racing and sports wagering around Australia. Tatts Group also has Lottery licences in Victoria, NSW and Queensland, while Tatts Group runs Keno in licenced venues in NSW, Queensland and Victoria (the latter in conjunction with Tabcorp).
Jumbo Interactive Limited (ASX: JMB) is another small company operating in the lotteries sector. Jumbo sells lottery tickets and developed OZLotteries.com. The company is expanding into the US and the UK and European markets, which are huge markets compared to Australia. Currently trading on a P/E of 8, it looks cheap and definitely worthy of further research.
The Foolish bottom line
While some of these companies may or may not be worthwhile investing in at the moment, my main point is that if you’re counting on the lottery, pokies or gambling to help rescue your finances, there’s a better way. Rather than gambling with a lottery ticket, betting on a hot race tip or playing the pokies, think about the companies that would be taking your money, reverse the situation, and make them work for you.
If you’re looking for more ASX investing ideas, look no further than “The Motley Fool’s Top Stock for 2012.” In this free report, Investment Analyst Dean Morel names his top pick for 2012…and beyond. Click here now to find out the name of this small but growing telecommunications company. But hurry – the report is free for only a limited period of time. (Credit: The Motley Fool)
Five Reasons Lionsgate Is The Company I Want To Invest In...
Let me warn you upfront, I’m not a stock analyst and this is not investment advice. I’m just a blogger who writes about movies and comic books, so I’m obviously the last guy you want to ask about where your money should go. But I’m just saying, for me personally, Lionsgate is a film studio that’s set for some big growth in the next few years, and I wish I had a big bag of money to invest.
Why, you ask? I’ll give you five very good reasons why I want to invest in Lionsgate…
The Hunger Games series– As you’ve probably heard, read, and/or seen by now, there’s a new blockbuster franchise on the block, and in the last ten days it’s already made $362 million. It’s headed easily north of $500 million and probably above $700 million, plus another nine-figure haul on DVD and Blu-ray, not to mention merchandising. The sequel, entitled Catching Fire, is already scheduled for a November 2013 release, and will likely build on the mega-success of the first film. There’s also talk of turning the third and final book in the series into not one but two films. Translation: Lionsgate has a hot property on its hands that’s indeed caught fire and will burn brightly for the next many years.
Ender’s Game adaptations — That’s right, yet another franchise from the young adult fiction genre is gearing up to hit the big screen. And once again, Lionsgate is at the helm. This one, a sci-fi tale of a future in which kids and young adults are trained by the military for an imminent alien invasion, already has a massive fanbase and will probably be another mega-hit film franchise, at least to the tune of the $500+ million box office range if not more. Like The Hunger Games, this series appeals to male and female audiences, and brings in families and viewers of all ages. So that’s the second big property from the young adult fiction genre owned by Lionsgate, and that genre is (as I’ve written previously) one of the two dominant genres in cinema now. Keep count, because we aren’t done with this genre yet…
The purchase of Summit Entertainment — Lionsgate bought Summit Entertainment, which means Lionsgate now owns all of the properties owned by Summit. Those properties include The Twilight Saga and the Step Up To The Streets franchise. Maybe you’ve heard of them? The first is, of course, the third example of a successful young adult fiction property owned by Lionsgate, and has its final installment releasing this November, probably raking in north of $750 million at the box office before storming the DVD/Blu-ray charts afterward. Consider, too, that the fun for Lionsgate doesn’t just involve the final film in the series, because they own all of the films as well now and will be counting those piles of cash that continue to flow into the coffers from previous installments. Meanwhile, you’re wondering what the big deal is about the Step Up franchise, right? Well, the previous three films combined cost only around $60 million to make, and brought home $424 million at the box office, plus DVD and Blu-ray sales and rentals that probably pushed the total to more than $500 million. Half a billion bucks off a $60 million investment isn’t too shabby, and each film has made more money than the last one. With the fourth film releasing this July, and the take from previous installments now going to Lionsgate, it’s a nice low-budget property that’s provided big returns and seems capable of churning out sequels indefinitely.
The Expendables series — The first film in Sylvester Stallone’s series was a hit, and the sequel has upped the ante with the inclusion of widely popular action stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris. So expect this one to top the box office of the previous entry, somewhere north of $300 million at theaters before a nice additional run on the home theater market where profit margins are enormous. The films are popular because they are a throwback to the golden age of modern action films, and they answer the question, “What if everybody who ever kicked butt got together to kick each other’s butts all at once?” The answer, of course, is $$$. Lionsgate also has some other big action films set to roll out this year and in 2013, including Last Stand, staring Schwarzenegger. Also in 2013 and part of Lionsgate’s properties via Summit Entertainment, Stallone and Schwarzenegger will team up on screen once again, for the prison escape action movie The Tomb.
Low-budget horror investments — If you keep up with cinema at all, you’re probably aware that the last decade has seen increased profitability for low-budget horror movies. “Found footage” movies in particular have been all the rage and continue to enjoy high popularity, so it makes sense for studios to invest in multiple very-low-budget horror flicks. Lionsgate has been doing so for some time now, including the lucrative Saw franchise and remakes of older horror franchises. The trend will continue in coming years, including this year’s release of Cabin in the Woods and The Possession, plus next year’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, and a rebooting of the Leprechaun franchise. This means that, besides all of their big blockbusters, Lionsgate will be profiting from the consistent golden goose of low-budget horror as well.
To summarize: From The Hunger Games this year, Lionsgate will probably make more from that one film than they made from all of their films last year combined. Think about that for a moment. Then remember the final Twilight film also releases this year, as well as the next Step Up and The Expendables 2. Next year brings another Hunger Games entry, the start of Ender’s Game, Last Stand, The Tomb, and the rebooting of the popular low-budget cult horror franchise The Leprechaun. We can expect to see Lionsgate becoming one of the dominant studios over the course of the next couple of years (they’re already the most successful independent film and TV distribution company in the U.S.), and they’ll keep expanding and adding new properties to their stable of material, for ever-growing profits.
And that, dear readers, is why I want to invest in Lionsgate, especially while their stock is still at just under $15 a share.
But as I said, I’m just a writer, not a stock expert. Do you have an alternate opinion? Or do you have some additional positive information I didn’t mention that’s worth sharing? Sound off in the comments below! (Credit: Forbes)
Casino Stocks Are Still Trading Like Chinese ADR’s - 4th April 2012...
This afternoon, all of the leading casino stocks are trading lower with the major stock market indexes. The leading casino stocks are still generating good revenue from the Macao market. Many traders are waiting to see if the casino stocks will start trading like a U.S. stock instead of trading like a Chinese ADR. A fair case can be made that the daily chart of Wynn Resorts Ltd (NASDAQ:WYNN) looks very similar to the chart of Baidu Inc (NASDAQ:BIDU). Both stock made a short term high around late March 2012 and have been pulling back since that time. Recently, Chinese economic data has pointed to a modest slowdown. Obviously, at some point in the future the Chinese central bank (People’s Bank of China) will try and stimulate the economy again. Until that time, traders should trade the casino stocks just the same way you would trade the Chinese ADR’s.
Some leading casino stocks that are pulling back today include Las Vegas Sands Corp (NYSE:LVS), MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM), and Monarch Casino & Resort Inc (NASDAQ:MCRI). All of these stocks will generally follow WYNN stock which still remains the leading stock in the casino sector (Credit: Wall St Pit)
Fox-Nine bid doesn't have rights deal in bag - 3rd April 2012...
ARL COMMISSION officials are not surprised Channel Nine and Fox Sports have entered into a consortium that is expected to offer more than $1 billion to retain the free-to-air and pay-TV broadcast rights.
However, it is understood no decision will be made until the ARLC has an opportunity to consider formal bids from rival broadcasters beyond this month.
Nine and Fox Sports, which is owned by News Ltd and Consolidated Media Holdings, whose biggest shareholders are James Packer's Consolidated Press Holdings (45 per cent) and Kerry Stokes's Seven Network Ltd (22 per cent), hold the first and last rights of refusal on the broadcast rights and began a three-month exclusive negotiating period on February 1.
It is thought the consortium hopes to finalise a deal before May 1 that is likely to involve Fox Sports being able to show all games live on pay-TV and Nine broadcasting up to four free-to-air matches per week. Both may also televise State of Origin and Test matches.
However, the ARLC is believed to be prepared to offer representative matches, as well as games on Friday nights, Saturday nights, Sunday afternoons, Sunday nights and Monday nights to different bidders.
ARLC chief executive David Gallop said yesterday officials were keen to look at any option that generated more money for the game. ''We are in an exclusive negotiating period with the incumbent rights holders and the fact that they have come together to look at our rights is not particularly surprising,'' he said.
"We are continuing to look at the opportunities to maximise the value for our product. While there is curiosity about how that is going, it is difficult to make comment about the details along the way." (Fairfax Media)
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Tuesday, April 3, 2012
bwin.party reports annual rise in net revenues; PartyPoker Premier League V Just Days Away
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The world’s largest listed online gambling operator, bwin.party Digital Entertainment, has released its financial results for 2011 showing an over 93 percent year-on-year increase in net revenues to €674.5 million.
Total revenues for the twelve-month period grew similarly to €691.1 million when compared with 2010 despite the closure of its French casino and the 2010 FIFA World Cup ‘primarily due’ to its merger.
2011 pro forma earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose by three percent year-on-year to €199.3 million due to synergies ‘coming through more quickly than expected’ and ‘offsetting increased gaming duties from regulated markets’ while actual clean earnings from continuing operations improved by 79 percent when compared to 2010 to €168.3 million.
The firm declared that it had realised synergies of €23.3 million in 2011 including five million Euros related to discontinued operations and was ‘ahead of target’ with plans to deliver €40 million in savings this year and €65 million by 2013.
All of this saw bwin.party report an actual loss after tax from continuing operations of €414.7 million and a total deficit post tariff of €431 million although it described current trading as ‘robust’ with average gross daily revenues up two percent quarter-on-quarter to €2.93 million.
“We made excellent progress in 2011,” read a statement from Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger, Co-Chief Executive Officers for Bwin.Party.
“The swift execution of a number of integration plans for our technology, people, products and brands has been rewarded with financial synergies coming through more quickly than expected, offsetting increased gaming duties payable as markets regulate. We remain on-track to deliver approximately €40 million of synergies this year and €65 million in 2013.
“We expect to gain competitive advantage this year from additional scale and improved flexibility that will flow from the integration and migration of our main products to a single technology platform. As integration projects are completed, we are channelling more resources into driving innovation across the business and through new channels including our proprietary mobile gaming platform. We are also extending our reach into new areas of digital entertainment such as social gaming where we see significant potential.
“The proposed regulatory changes in Europe, particularly those in Germany, which were announced shortly after completion of the merger last year and that had a significant adverse impact on our share price one week later, have resulted in an impairment of some of the goodwill acquired as part of the merger. Had the merger completed one week later, no such impairment would have been required. This is a non-cash charge and the business has continued to deliver an impressive operational and financial performance, generating strong cashflow.”
PartyPoker Premier League V Just Days Away...
The full line-up is in and the groups have been set for this year’s edition of the PartyPoker.com Premier League V and with the Montesino in Vienna playing host this Wednesday, it’s going to be a busy week for poker in Austria.
The Premier League V – which will run alongside the World Poker Tour Vienna festivities this week – features a grand total of 14 professional poker players and two amateur qualifiers, all of whom will post the $125,000 to compete for a huge prize pool.
The field has now been split into two groups, with Group A featuring Tony G, Andrew Frankenberger, Erik Seidel, Luke Schwartz, Phil Laak, Eugene Katchalov and the first online qualifier, while Group B consists of Sam Trickett, Dan “Jungleman” Cates, Patrik Antonius, Vanessa Selbst, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Bertrand Grospellier, Scott Seiver and the second qualifier.
As you can see, there are no soft spots in the competition but only the top three points-earners from each eight-player group will advance automatically, with the remaining two seats in the final being settled by a heads-up play-off by the fourth and fifth place finishers in both groups.
A winner will then be crowned in a straight-up shoot-out at the Premier League’s eight-handed final table, with a huge 1st place payout, the PartyPoker Premier League title and bragging rights across the poker world awaiting the winner as well as a seat in this year’s WPT World Championship.
Table Games Club...
Win incredible prizes just for playing your favourite games!
Starts: 00:00 ET, 9th April, 2012
Ends: 20:00 ET, 20th April, 2012
Calling all lovers of the casino classics. If you’re fanatical about roulette, mad about blackjack or simply can’t get enough of craps, baccarat or video poker, Table Games Club is the place for you.
This club is dedicated to rewarding players like you, running special invite-only promotions to give our most loyal players even more reason to enjoy their favourite game!
Table Games Club’s offers change every month so have a look below for what’s up for grabs right now. Remember, though, these promotions are invite-only:
Roulette Club: 9th-15th April
Win an amazing prize when you play your favourite table game! Collect as many points as you can and a top prize will fly into your account. Regular players can win up to $1,000 cash while VIPs can walk away with as much as $5,000 cash! For full details about the prizes you can win log in to your account and check the Table Games Club promotional page.
Blackjack Club: 16th-20th April
Play your favourite table game as usual and watch double points pile into your account. It’s that simple! You can spend your points on iPad 2s, luxury holidays and more in the Points Store.
IMPORTANT: This promotion is invite-only. To see if you can take part, check your account.
Take Centre Stage for dramatically huge prizes
PartyCasino.com
Starts: 00:00 ET, 31st March 2012
Ends: 20:00 ET, 6th April 2012
Collect your share of $55,000 in prizes if you’re a VIP or $25,000 in prizes if you’re a regular.
Just earn points and rank on the leaderboard by playing our new game: Going Nuts.
Become the star of the show and experience all the thrills of a new game – register now.
Bwin.party earnings up, ready for regulatory changes...
LONDON, March 29 - Bwin.party Digital (BPTY.L), the world's largest listed online gaming company, reported a rise in earnings in its maiden set of results and said it was well-placed to take advantage of regulatory and technological shifts in the gaming industry.
The company, which was formed by the merger of Austria's Bwin and PartyGaming last year, reported a 3 percent rise in clean EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) to 199.3 million euros ($264.8 million) in 2011.
The Gibraltar-based firm said synergies coming through faster than expected had offset increased gaming duties in regulated markets, pushing earnings up to just shy of consensus analyst estimates of 202 million euros provided by Bwin.party.
"We expect to gain competitive advantage this year from additional scale and improved flexibility that will flow from the integration and migration of our main products to a single technology platform," co-chief executives Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger said in a statement.
Bwin.party said pro forma total revenue inched up to 816 million euros, compared to 814 million euros in 2010, despite the closures of its French casino and the World Cup football tournament in 2010.
The firm said current trading was robust with average gross average daily revenue 2 percent higher than in the fourth quarter of 2011 at 2.93 million euros.
"We have secured strong business partners in the United States ahead of any regulation there and have also applied for a license in Spain which is expected to regulate in the second quarter of this year," Ryan and Teufelberger said.
The company has also applied for a license in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany.
The firm said it will add more casino games, improve poker and bingo offerings, and prepare for the UEFA Euro 2012 soccer competition and the London 2012 Olympics.
Bwin.party will pay a final dividend of 1.56 pence per share, making a total of 3.12 pence per share for the year.
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Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino.com PartyPoker.com Casinos Gaming
The world’s largest listed online gambling operator, bwin.party Digital Entertainment, has released its financial results for 2011 showing an over 93 percent year-on-year increase in net revenues to €674.5 million.
Total revenues for the twelve-month period grew similarly to €691.1 million when compared with 2010 despite the closure of its French casino and the 2010 FIFA World Cup ‘primarily due’ to its merger.
2011 pro forma earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose by three percent year-on-year to €199.3 million due to synergies ‘coming through more quickly than expected’ and ‘offsetting increased gaming duties from regulated markets’ while actual clean earnings from continuing operations improved by 79 percent when compared to 2010 to €168.3 million.
The firm declared that it had realised synergies of €23.3 million in 2011 including five million Euros related to discontinued operations and was ‘ahead of target’ with plans to deliver €40 million in savings this year and €65 million by 2013.
All of this saw bwin.party report an actual loss after tax from continuing operations of €414.7 million and a total deficit post tariff of €431 million although it described current trading as ‘robust’ with average gross daily revenues up two percent quarter-on-quarter to €2.93 million.
“We made excellent progress in 2011,” read a statement from Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger, Co-Chief Executive Officers for Bwin.Party.
“The swift execution of a number of integration plans for our technology, people, products and brands has been rewarded with financial synergies coming through more quickly than expected, offsetting increased gaming duties payable as markets regulate. We remain on-track to deliver approximately €40 million of synergies this year and €65 million in 2013.
“We expect to gain competitive advantage this year from additional scale and improved flexibility that will flow from the integration and migration of our main products to a single technology platform. As integration projects are completed, we are channelling more resources into driving innovation across the business and through new channels including our proprietary mobile gaming platform. We are also extending our reach into new areas of digital entertainment such as social gaming where we see significant potential.
“The proposed regulatory changes in Europe, particularly those in Germany, which were announced shortly after completion of the merger last year and that had a significant adverse impact on our share price one week later, have resulted in an impairment of some of the goodwill acquired as part of the merger. Had the merger completed one week later, no such impairment would have been required. This is a non-cash charge and the business has continued to deliver an impressive operational and financial performance, generating strong cashflow.”
PartyPoker Premier League V Just Days Away...
The full line-up is in and the groups have been set for this year’s edition of the PartyPoker.com Premier League V and with the Montesino in Vienna playing host this Wednesday, it’s going to be a busy week for poker in Austria.
The Premier League V – which will run alongside the World Poker Tour Vienna festivities this week – features a grand total of 14 professional poker players and two amateur qualifiers, all of whom will post the $125,000 to compete for a huge prize pool.
The field has now been split into two groups, with Group A featuring Tony G, Andrew Frankenberger, Erik Seidel, Luke Schwartz, Phil Laak, Eugene Katchalov and the first online qualifier, while Group B consists of Sam Trickett, Dan “Jungleman” Cates, Patrik Antonius, Vanessa Selbst, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Bertrand Grospellier, Scott Seiver and the second qualifier.
As you can see, there are no soft spots in the competition but only the top three points-earners from each eight-player group will advance automatically, with the remaining two seats in the final being settled by a heads-up play-off by the fourth and fifth place finishers in both groups.
A winner will then be crowned in a straight-up shoot-out at the Premier League’s eight-handed final table, with a huge 1st place payout, the PartyPoker Premier League title and bragging rights across the poker world awaiting the winner as well as a seat in this year’s WPT World Championship.
Table Games Club...
Win incredible prizes just for playing your favourite games!
Starts: 00:00 ET, 9th April, 2012
Ends: 20:00 ET, 20th April, 2012
Calling all lovers of the casino classics. If you’re fanatical about roulette, mad about blackjack or simply can’t get enough of craps, baccarat or video poker, Table Games Club is the place for you.
This club is dedicated to rewarding players like you, running special invite-only promotions to give our most loyal players even more reason to enjoy their favourite game!
Table Games Club’s offers change every month so have a look below for what’s up for grabs right now. Remember, though, these promotions are invite-only:
Roulette Club: 9th-15th April
Win an amazing prize when you play your favourite table game! Collect as many points as you can and a top prize will fly into your account. Regular players can win up to $1,000 cash while VIPs can walk away with as much as $5,000 cash! For full details about the prizes you can win log in to your account and check the Table Games Club promotional page.
Blackjack Club: 16th-20th April
Play your favourite table game as usual and watch double points pile into your account. It’s that simple! You can spend your points on iPad 2s, luxury holidays and more in the Points Store.
IMPORTANT: This promotion is invite-only. To see if you can take part, check your account.
Take Centre Stage for dramatically huge prizes
PartyCasino.com
Starts: 00:00 ET, 31st March 2012
Ends: 20:00 ET, 6th April 2012
Collect your share of $55,000 in prizes if you’re a VIP or $25,000 in prizes if you’re a regular.
Just earn points and rank on the leaderboard by playing our new game: Going Nuts.
Become the star of the show and experience all the thrills of a new game – register now.
Bwin.party earnings up, ready for regulatory changes...
LONDON, March 29 - Bwin.party Digital (BPTY.L), the world's largest listed online gaming company, reported a rise in earnings in its maiden set of results and said it was well-placed to take advantage of regulatory and technological shifts in the gaming industry.
The company, which was formed by the merger of Austria's Bwin and PartyGaming last year, reported a 3 percent rise in clean EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) to 199.3 million euros ($264.8 million) in 2011.
The Gibraltar-based firm said synergies coming through faster than expected had offset increased gaming duties in regulated markets, pushing earnings up to just shy of consensus analyst estimates of 202 million euros provided by Bwin.party.
"We expect to gain competitive advantage this year from additional scale and improved flexibility that will flow from the integration and migration of our main products to a single technology platform," co-chief executives Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger said in a statement.
Bwin.party said pro forma total revenue inched up to 816 million euros, compared to 814 million euros in 2010, despite the closures of its French casino and the World Cup football tournament in 2010.
The firm said current trading was robust with average gross average daily revenue 2 percent higher than in the fourth quarter of 2011 at 2.93 million euros.
"We have secured strong business partners in the United States ahead of any regulation there and have also applied for a license in Spain which is expected to regulate in the second quarter of this year," Ryan and Teufelberger said.
The company has also applied for a license in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany.
The firm said it will add more casino games, improve poker and bingo offerings, and prepare for the UEFA Euro 2012 soccer competition and the London 2012 Olympics.
Bwin.party will pay a final dividend of 1.56 pence per share, making a total of 3.12 pence per share for the year.
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Monday, April 2, 2012
Marvel Entertainment: Don't just read the comics and watch the movies; Play the games!
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PartyCasino.com Virgin Casino PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino
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PartyCasino.com - Accepts Canadian, Australian and New Zealand players. PartyCasino new players get up to $3000 sign up bonus. Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is the world's largest and most succesful igaming company.
VirginCasino.com - No US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand players. £100 sign up bonus. Virgin Games is part of Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprises Limited.
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PartyCasino.com Virgin Casino PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino
Profiles
PartyCasino.com Virgin Casino PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino
PartyCasino.com - Accepts Canadian, Australian and New Zealand players. PartyCasino new players get up to $3000 sign up bonus. Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is the world's largest and most succesful igaming company.
VirginCasino.com - No US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand players. £100 sign up bonus. Virgin Games is part of Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprises Limited.
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PartyCasino.com
Virgin Casino
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PartyCasino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award
PartyCasino.com has been awarded the Media Man and Casino News Media "Online Casino Of The Month" award.
PartyGaming's igaming suite has grown a custom to winning awards since they first opened for business in 1997.
The competition for the coveted award was intense again this month with massive bids from both Virgin Casino, PKR Casino and Captain Cooks Casino however there can only be one winner... ladies and gentlemen, that's PartyCasino.com
The award follows PartyPoker's EGR Poker Operator Of The Year and PartyGaming also made the shortlist for EGR Operator Of The Year. Recently PartyGaming's PartyPoker.com also won the Casino News Media "Online Poker Website Of The Month".
The Media Man - Casino News Media accolade is based on a combination of elements including user experience, innovation, trustworthiness, customer service, gameplay, affiliate program offerings, newsworthiness and company values.
PartyCasino.com is one of a number of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment brands.
The most popular PartyCasino.com games of late include Heist, Circus, Rambo, Palladium Slot, The Godfather, Sinatra, Slotbox, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mission: Impossible, The Terminator, Cleopatra, Sinatra, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Monopoly, Resident Evil, Melon Madness, Wheel Of Fortune and Mega Fortune Wheel.
The PartyCasino.com jackpot is currently approaching the $2 million mark. Players can also compete for The Big One and Marvel Hero Jackpot, playing the Marvel super hero themed online slot games.
PartyCasino's most recent game releases include Shaaark! SuperBet, Crocodopolis, Alice's Wonderland, Glamour Puss, Super Cubes, Heist, Palladium Slot and Circus Slot.
Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Co-CEO Jim Ryan has gone on record advising PartyCasinowill soon feature more Hollywood blockbuster themed slots. A few in the know journalists and media agents have been recently tipped off that an all time classic movie adaption will be showcased in the PartyCasino portfolio within 1 month. PartyCasino has the world's most impressive line up of Hollywood themed games, and more are just around the corner.
PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.
Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.
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PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
Profiles
Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino PartyPoker PartyBingo Circus PartyCasino Marvel Slots The Big One Melon Madness Casino World Poker Tour PartyCasino Promotions
PartyGaming's igaming suite has grown a custom to winning awards since they first opened for business in 1997.
The competition for the coveted award was intense again this month with massive bids from both Virgin Casino, PKR Casino and Captain Cooks Casino however there can only be one winner... ladies and gentlemen, that's PartyCasino.com
The award follows PartyPoker's EGR Poker Operator Of The Year and PartyGaming also made the shortlist for EGR Operator Of The Year. Recently PartyGaming's PartyPoker.com also won the Casino News Media "Online Poker Website Of The Month".
The Media Man - Casino News Media accolade is based on a combination of elements including user experience, innovation, trustworthiness, customer service, gameplay, affiliate program offerings, newsworthiness and company values.
PartyCasino.com is one of a number of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment brands.
The most popular PartyCasino.com games of late include Heist, Circus, Rambo, Palladium Slot, The Godfather, Sinatra, Slotbox, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mission: Impossible, The Terminator, Cleopatra, Sinatra, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Monopoly, Resident Evil, Melon Madness, Wheel Of Fortune and Mega Fortune Wheel.
The PartyCasino.com jackpot is currently approaching the $2 million mark. Players can also compete for The Big One and Marvel Hero Jackpot, playing the Marvel super hero themed online slot games.
PartyCasino's most recent game releases include Shaaark! SuperBet, Crocodopolis, Alice's Wonderland, Glamour Puss, Super Cubes, Heist, Palladium Slot and Circus Slot.
Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Co-CEO Jim Ryan has gone on record advising PartyCasinowill soon feature more Hollywood blockbuster themed slots. A few in the know journalists and media agents have been recently tipped off that an all time classic movie adaption will be showcased in the PartyCasino portfolio within 1 month. PartyCasino has the world's most impressive line up of Hollywood themed games, and more are just around the corner.
PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.
Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.
Websites
PartyCasino.com
PartyPoker.com
Profiles
Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PartyCasino PartyPoker PartyBingo Circus PartyCasino Marvel Slots The Big One Melon Madness Casino World Poker Tour PartyCasino Promotions
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