Caesars Interactive’s acquisition of Pacific Interactive adds the latter’s House of Fun social gaming app to the Playtika repertoire (Image: Pacific Interactive)
If a novel were to be discussing Caesars Entertainment Corp., it could easily be called ‘Debt and Acquisition’; the casino operator seems to bounce back and forth between racking up IOUs and everything that is purchasing can get their hands on. The chapter that is latest of this book involves Israeli-based social video gaming company Pacific Interactive, and it makes Company Number Four in Caesars ongoing expansion into the popular free-play social gaming market.
‘Free-Play’ Isn’t Always Free
No purchase terms were released on the sale, but Caesars is now the proud owner of House of Fun, an electronic slot-machine, free-play gaming site. Of course, ‘free-play’ does not always turn out to be precisely free; these social media gaming sites have turned into lucrative internet businesses by offering tempting, cheap add-ons of additional digital game tokens often under a buck each players showgirls surfers paradise to players, a lot of whom access the site via Twitter.
For Pacific Interactive founder and CEO Omri Shitreet, it is all about movin’ on up.
‘we have been excited to participate among the largest and most effective social and games that are mobile on earth,’ said Shitreet. ‘We are confident that underneath the Playtika umbrella, I will be in a position to deliver an even better game experience for the players while at the same time creating great value for our brand new shareholders.’
According to gaming industry Eilers Research analyst and online gaming expert Adam Krejcik, Pacific which is independently held pulled in somewhere between $25 and $30 million for 2013, with 3/4 of that coming from Twitter patrons and 1/4 from various apps that are mobile.
Krejcik told investors recently that the site that is social rated ninth on Eiler’s social casino tracker, among those companies with A twitter presence. Pacific claims to have 700,000 users each day, and about 2.7 million each month.
Social Gaming Proving Lucrative for Caesars
Caesars, needless to say, is not new to online or gaming that is social the company’s 2013 profits from Caesars Interactive’s social gaming presence alone brought in $290 million. Their other social sites include their kingpin World Series of Poker brand name, in addition to Playtika and Buffalo that is several Studios-produced. According to Eilers, Playtika was a $103 million purchase for the gaming conglomerate, while Buffalo Studios was picked up for $45 million. And the gaming analyst company says Caesars is for a path that is good all these purchases.
‘ We believe Caesars acquired both ongoing companies at attractive multiples,’ said an Eilers report. ‘ In fact, its acquisition of Playtika has turned into one of many best merger-and-acquisition deals we have seen in days gone by five years.’
Caesars says it plans to merge Pacific’s products into its existing Playtika social and mobile gaming platforms. They additionally noted that Pacific’s 100-plus worker base around the world will be safe in keeping their roles following the merger.
For Playtika’s CEO Robert Antokol, the deal is also a plus, saying the House of Fun addition will simply pull in new users to his company’s platforms.
‘The acquisition we can provide a new quality item to our faithful individual base also to attract new users,’ stated Antokol. ‘We believe the team that is talented Pacific Interactive not only brings with it a unique product, but may also be a strong addition to your group and enhance our market leadership into the category.’
Besides Caesars Interactive, other global video gaming businesses such as for example International Game Technology (IGT), Zynga and Scientific Games -have found success in the gaming market segment that is social. IGT operates the DoubleDown Casino online. Krejcik says this latest move by Caesars may, in fact, make IGT and these other businesses intensify their social gaming presence.
Adelson’s Anti-Online Gambling Crusade Tries to Smite Its Enemies
Like devout warriors on a crusade that is sanctioned Sheldon Adelson’s Washington, D.C. anti-online gambling lobbying brigade claims to stand for might and right (Image: 20th Century Fox)
Let it perhaps not be said that Coalition to Stop Web Gambling creator and backer Sheldon Adelson is not getting their money’s worth together with his brand new Washington, D.C. lobbying fantasy group. That being said, it may be difficult to listen with their message bought and taken care of by one of the largest casino operators in the world, with land casinos throughout the U.S. and Macau, among other nations and not snicker just a teensy, tinsy little bit.
Fervor and Condemnation
Not since Carrie country and the temperance movement of this very early century that is 20th McCarthy’s impassioned anti-Communist followers has such zealotry been demonstrated, spurred to action by those opposed to online gaming’s wicked spread. But this may be the first time those advocates represent someone who has no problem whatsoever with that vice, so long as it happens on terra firma.
This indicates the coalition’s effort that is latest involved a media conference via telephone the other day, with five of Adelson’s key lobbyists on the virtual soap boxes. Of course, these soldiers are all very paid mercenaries, but in battle, one does what is important to win the war.
‘Internet gambling expands such as a disease,’ decried former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb (D). ‘Jobs would be lost,’ he added, as he espoused the view that once gambling can be obtained in-house literally no one would ever leave theirs once again.
And then there is the youngsters whose life would be damaged forever, according to U.S that is retired Sen Lincoln (R-Ark), who sees those who support Internet gaming as being a sort of Fagin from ‘Oliver Twist,’ shooting the minds and manipulating the actions of the innocents by placing ‘casinos within the pouches of kiddies, 24/7.’
And allow’s not overlook terrorism and money laundering, which, needless to say, could never set foot in a land casino anywhere. Former New York Governor George Pataki (R) is convinced that online gambling is a menace to national security, and used an FBI letter’s key points to stress this truth that is inalienable.
Each of the phone speakers got behind the idea that Congress must move now to stop this observed blight on humanity, while an interim ‘timeout’ on Internet gambling should be set in position meanwhile to prevent the spread of this new Bubonic Plague.
Alfonso Aguilar representing the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles as well as its administrator director said, ‘This just isn’t an America that we want.’ He said he had been certainly one of 39 faith-based organizations that have come up to speed and are seeing the light.
C4COP Takes Up Arms
Fighting back, of course as we’ve reported recently could be the newly formed Coalition for Consumer and Online Protection (C4COP), and that outfit has its very own muscle behind it. Major casino operators MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Corp., Station Casinos, and Boyd Gaming Corp., amongst others, are staunchly pro-Internet gambling, and possess the backup army for the American Gaming Association the casino industry’s main lobbying voice and a group to which Adelson ironically belongs to carry the rear within their return volleys.
Of program, with Adelson’s extensive muscle that is financial C4COP will need all the ammo they could possibly get to fire right back, as the vegas Sands CEO has said he will ‘spend whatever it takes’ to put the final bullets and tie the weights for this Rasputin-esque form of wicked. Never mind he invested we know how that worked out whatever it took to try to get Romney elected back in 2012, and. Confidence is king when you have additional money than God himself.
The unspoken elephant that is white the room, of course, is the possibility that Adelson is more concerned that online gaming may take a bite out of his massive casino kingdom’s income share, more than actually being worried in regards to the Artful Dodgers and cash launderers taking around the world. And with three states already installed and operating with Internet gambling within the U.S. (Nevada, Delaware and nj-new jersey), and another possible 10 eyeing legislation making it happen in their states as well, it would seem that not only has this horse left the barn, but possibly an entire stampede as well.
And Congress has shown a regular absence of interest in getting too fervently involved in either side of this debate, without doubt in component because it’s an election year for many, and they don’t wish to tick anyone down. Two recent bills for, and one against, Web gaming may find no significant backing in either direction.
Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice Arrested at Atlantic City Casino
Baltimore Raven’s running straight back Ray Rice could maintain heated water after an altercation with his fiancée at Revel reportedly got out of hand (Image: rollingout.com)
Ray Rice had a tough 12 months last season their numbers had been down and the Baltimore Ravens didn’t even make the playoffs within their attempt to protect their Super Bowl title. But few people are going to remember that after the headlines he’s causeing this to be week. Rice and his fiancée were both arrested and faced with simple assault following a altercation that is physical an Atlantic City casino very early Saturday morning, and there’s some dispute as to precisely exactly how serious the incident was.
Revel Altercation Reported
According to reports, casino security at the Revel Casino called officers through the Atlantic City Police Department at about 2:50 am morning saturday. That was in response to a dispute that is domestic Rice and fiancée Janay Palmer, one that was recorded by video surveillance digital cameras, police said.
Neither Rice nor Palmer desired any medical attention, and neither said that they had sustained any injuries. But given the video evidence, both were charged with simple assault-domestic violence before being released.
Rice’s attorney called the incident a ‘very minor physical altercation,’ and the Ravens appeared to want to play down the incident as well.
‘We are aware of the Friday evening situation with Ray Rice and his e that is fiancé, said Ravens director of public relations Chad Steele. ‘We have spoken with Ray, and know that they returned home together after being detained.’
Team Affiliation Unaffected
More prominent users of the Ravens organization stated they hadn’t yet spoken to Rice. Based on Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome, neither he nor head coach John Harbaugh had spoken to Rice on Monday, but both planned to do so within the overnight. Newsome also said which he expects Rice to still be with the group in 2014.
Philadelphia lawyer Michael Diamondstein was hired to express Rice into the full case, and seems confident that there will not be much to your incident once the facts are released.
‘ We haven’t seen any documents that are charging,’ Diamondstein said. ‘There was a disagreement that included Ray. I can not give any details because we now haven’t seen the document yet. Once we’re able to proceed through the evidence, it should end up to be a bit more than a misunderstanding.’
Revel staff also stated that Rice who they say was hanging away at the Revel’s Royal Jelly Burlesque Nightclub with a group of approximately eight people earlier into the evening was pleasant to them during their stay.
‘When he was here, they were having a time that is great’ stated Scott Russo, director of operations at the nightclub. ‘[He] had been extremely nice to the staff.’
Despite the reaction that is low-key the incident in many quarters, there are rumors that it may, in fact, were more severe than reported. Sports news site Deadspin.com cited an anonymous ‘tipster’ whom claimed that the incident was more violent than Rice’s camp is willing to admit, saying that a woman (presumably Palmer) spit on Rice, after which it he punched the woman, knocking her out. However, there is no hard evidence to back up this variation of events.
Ray Rice has scored 37 touchdowns and rushed for 6,180 yards over his six seasons in the NFL. However, he could be coming off a year that is down which he tallied just 660 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Rice is in the middle of a five-year, $35 million agreement with all the Ravens, and is also understood if you are mixed up in group’s anti-bullying campaigns; something which could possibly add fuel to this domestic firestorm.
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