Profit and Loss Take on New Meaning for Swedish Pro Viktor Blom

He’s 23, down $3.6 million for the past 30 days; but that’s not terribly unusual for the poker phenom understood round the global world to online fans as ‘Isildur1,’ aka Viktor Blom. Following a two-week that is dazzling winning streak from the beginning of the new year, Blom has since fallen back again to a meager $1.5 million, according to HighstakesDB.com, a poker tracking data web site. More than $800,000 of those brutal losses occurred in just the week that is past and took spot on Full Tilt poker, the online site he represents as a professional.

High Stakes Is His Game

It’s all in one day’s work with the young pro, who is no stranger to uber high-stakes online poker: he caught the breathless attention of poker fans everywhere simply four years ago, whenever in 2009, he had been active in all ten for the largest pots in poker online history. Blom was still playing under wraps by his pseudonym that is online when joined Team PokerStars at the conclusion of 2010, only to have his real identity revealed when he played live during the annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas. Blom remained on the PokerStars pro roster for 1 1/2 years, moving on to Comprehensive Tilt just recently, in October 2012.

Highs and Lows

Blom is no stranger to the highs and lows of internet poker; in his initial cloaked ‘Isildur1′ days, he played top pros like Tom Dwan, Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius in cash games as big as $500/$1000 No Limit. Inside of just two months of his online first, he had amassed an impressive $6 million, only to lose back $4 million of it by December of 2009, one month later. The staggering loss took him largely out of online play on Full Tilt until February 2010.

It is reported that the young gun quickly built an initial bankroll of $2,000 into an extraordinary $1.4 million; the initial half-million of the from a $100/$200 No limitation Hold’em match with high-stakes Full Tilt online regular Haseeb Qureshi.

Blom, who hails originally from Gotheburg, Sweden, has career competition winnings of almost $2 million. His many impressive tournament finishes to date include taking first in the 2012 PCA No Limit Hold’em Super High Roller Eight Max event for a $1,254,400 money, as well as the May 2012 online PokerStars SCOOP 02-M $215 buy in No Limit Hold’em event for the $247,200 finish.

Betable Teams Up With Real Money Gaming Developer 3Oak

Betable recently announced a partnership with startup video gaming designer 3Oak, a division that is new of’s Frima Studio. The partnership aims to just take both social gaming and real cash gaming in new guidelines, namely, by merging them into what both companies hope will be a delectable, real-money social video gaming treat.

Compared to that end, 3Oak has stated they are not preparing on doing the same-old casino style games, although the social video gaming real money casino scene is largely untapped and potentially prepared to burst. What kinds of titles they do intend on building will be kept under wraps for the right time being. Suffice to say, they’ve big plans for creative new ways to interact players in social games, with a a real income twist for added flavour.

‘Frima’s bullishness on real-money social gaming is evidenced by the creation of a new division of the company which will focus on the opportunity and we couldn’t be happier to be powering it for them,’ said Christopher Griffin, creator and CEO of Betable. ‘With their resources and experience, we’re confident that 3OAK has the eyesight and skill necessary to produce innovative, industry leading real money video gaming games.’

And real money gaming is certainly the place where a majority of developers wish to take their social games in the foreseeable future. Current social games are largely subsidized through micro-transactions by a tiny percentage of paying clients, and that small percentage only spends a few dollars per month on average. As such, it takes a player that is massive to create any significant level of revenue.

Real-money gamblers however have a tendency to spend a much greater sum of money on their gaming pursuits, in the range of $100-$200 per month. Frima and 3Oak are relying on that gambling customer generosity to hold over into a different gaming format. As they’re not sure of just exactly how willing their clients is to spend wads of cash wagering on their games, they have at the minimum seen positive early returns in how willing customers are to spend money on a social gambling game, predicated on a prototype game their company developed.

‘It showed you can cash out,’ Mikael Lefebvre of 3Oak told Gamesbeat in an interview that it makes sense to do free-to-play games where. ‘It brings you higher engagement rates.’

Rather than the usual conversion rate of 3% of players into paying customers for most social games, their prototype game achieved prices much greater than that, and those customers were willing to invest more individually because well.

It could also wind up being far more, and help revolutionize the social gaming space while it may not be the guaranteed money making machine that an online casino could be. It is exciting news for any other gaming businesses, also the ratings of gamers who don’t have much interest in slots or video clip poker, but appear ready and ready to plunk their money down on more creative and skill-based video gaming wagers.

Bonza Gaming Becomes Third Business to offer Real-Money Gaming on Facebook

Facebook has added a partner that is third their real-money gaming fold, that partner in this case being Bonza Gaming. Bonza joins Gamesys and 888 due to the fact companies that are only by Facebook to deliver real-money video gaming opportunities.

Gamesys and 888 have both utilized those deals to launch real-money bingo games therefore far, that are currently only open to UK residents (as per Facebook’s current policy), but should be extended with other regions in the future.

Bonza immediately established their real-money offering, Bonza Slots following a finalization and announcement associated with partnership. Those games have been developed in partnership with web Entertainment, who will continue to develop and add more casino and slot offerings to your Bonza Slots app as time goes on.

‘We are pleased to have partnered with Net Entertainment, which after a thorough supplier selection process was the clear champion, and the provider which could provide facebook the best long term to our venture strategic value and stability. We are now focused on delivering a successful launch that is commercial along with our combined knowledge and experience, we am extremely positive about this long term partnership’, stated Rick Brownlow, CEO at Bonza Gaming.

Net Entertainment is no stranger to real-money video gaming, which made them a nice-looking and partner that is experienced Bonza. Net Entertainment boasts over 15 years within the casino gaming industry as a developer of both online and offline slots and casino games. Additionally they operate several online casinos themselves (which naturally use their own pc software).

For their component, Net Entertainment is also thrilled using the deal, and enjoy expanding their offerings to Facebook users through Bonza Slots.

‘Net Entertainment is one of the very first manufacturers of on-line casino games to enter money that is real on Facebook and I will be very pleased that our company is partnering with Bonza Gaming as their casino platform provider of choice,’ said Per Eriksson, president and CEO at Net Entertainment.

‘Net Entertainment’s gaming portfolio contains many of the world’s best games on the traditional online casino market and I am positive that the users on Facebook will be given an experience that is great. Real money video gaming over Facebook is a new exciting circulation channel for Net Entertainment and is closely associated with the company’s existing core business.’

Bonza Slots will use advanced age verification and identification confirmation tools to ensure their platform isn’t being abused, and that it gives a safe social video gaming environment for all involved. The company will initially give attention to Barclaycard as their payment that is major service, with additional options prepared for the long term.

The launch of Bonza Slots is a great success for the young London-based startup, whom began development on the product simply 6 months previous, with supporting from Sportingbet and Plumbee, two companies with expertise in the online gaming sector. And once the very first company to supply a wide selection of real-money games on Facebook, they’ve been poised become at the forefront of the exciting and brave brand new social gaming world.

Caesars Entertainment Interactive Division To Render Unto The Highest Bidder That Which Is Caesars

Dealing with a daunting $20 billion-plus debt load, casino giant Caesars Entertainment are forced to boost funds by offering minority stakes in just one of its most potentially lucrative divisions, Caesars Interactive, as well as in some of its brick-and-mortar casino properties. Ironically, the conglomerate that is gambling recently purchased a number of its own interactive division holdings; Buffalo Studios, a Santa Monica-based social and mobile games developer had been obtained in the same way 2012 drew up to a close, and Playtika, an Israeli social games company, was purchased by Caesars less than 2 yrs ago by having a 51 percent stakehold.

Bad Timing For Caesars Entertainment

Including towards the good news/bad news timing is the Nevada Gaming Commission’s December 2012 state online gaming license approval, which could eventually allow Caesars to use real-money poker games online, including their World group of Poker brand. It’s anticipated that legal poker play online in Nevada could become available as early as very first quarter 2013. Impending ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ online gambling legislation awaiting brand New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s signature could affect perceived value of the organization’s Interactive division as well, in exactly what’s expected to be an ultimate $6 billion U.S. online player that is annual market.

Caesars intends to launch its Q4 and FY 2012 earnings on February 25, but has currently released an advance view of its grim profit-and-loss statement for last year. Estimated 4th quarter losings could range anywhere from $452 million to $556 million, on earnings of $1.55 black diamond casino download billion to $1.58 billion. Analysts had predicted fewer than half the loss that is high-projection, expecting approximately $268 million; the losings may also be expected to be dual Caesars reported $246.9 million Q4 2011 reports. Revenues are required to appear in well below earlier projections of $2.11 billion.

Caesars Debt Hurt By Hurricane

From $30 million to $35 million of this projected loss are attributed to October 2012′s devastating Hurricane Sandy hit in nj’s Atlantic City, where Caesars holds substantial investments.

Caesars says it plans to offer $1.5 billion in seven-year, 9% senior secured notes in an effort to settle loans which have come due. It’s also trying to get on board the extremely successful Asian gambling junket with a proposed South Korean casino task, although all the high-revenue American gaming operations are making bank away from Macau, a gambling Mecca operated under the auspices of the People’s Republic of China.

Finally, a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows the possibility that Caesars may sell off shares in Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and a proposed Baltimore, Maryland casino to keep the company that is sinking. The business hasn’t posted a profit since 2009.