Mastercard Betting
ANAHEIM DUCKS (9-18-5, 23 points) at DALLAS STARS (18-12-1, 37 points)
2011-12-19
Puck drops: Monday, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Dallas -155, Anaheim +135, Total: 5.5
Midseason coaching changes can often do wonders to spark a dormant team, but don't tell that to hockey fans in Anaheim. The Ducks are just 2-5-1 since Bruce Boudreau replaced Randy Carlyle behind the bench as they look to pick up a rare road win against the Pacific Division-leading Dallas Stars on Monday.
In the only matchup between these two division rivals this season, the Stars took down the Ducks 3-1 in Anaheim on October 21. This will be the third stop on a five-game road trip for the Ducks, who dropped the first two games over the weekend to Chicago and Winnipeg. G Jonas Hiller (8-13-5, 3.08 GAA, .900 SV Pct.) should be between the pipes for Anaheim and he is 4-4-1 with a 2.46 GAA in 10 career games against Dallas. The Stars had their three-game winning streak snapped on Friday in a 6-3 loss to New Jersey-finishing 3-2-0 on a five-game road trip of their own. Rookie G Richard Bachman (3-1-0, 2.08 GAA, .931 SV Pct.) was nothing short of spectacular during his first week of NHL duty-the New Jersey loss notwithstanding-allowing just three goals in his three victories, including a shutout over the Rangers on Tuesday. This matchup is a perfect fit for the "betting against a bad team on the road" theory, as the Ducks are a league-worst 2-9-4 away from Anaheim. With the Stars playing their first home game since
December 3, DALLAS should have no problems picking up the win in this one.
The Ducks currently have the second-fewest standings points (23) of any team in the NHL, and their poor offensive output is a reflection of that. Despite boasting the league's most lethal line of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf and MVP Corey Perry, the Ducks rank just 27th in the league with an average of 2.3 goals per game. Ageless wonder Teemu Selanne (10 G, 23 A) leads all scorers, along with Perry (14 G, 14 A) and Getzlaf (6 G, 19 A).
Anaheim's defense, not surprisingly, isn't much better, allowing 3.2 goals per game (25th in NHL). The return of Lubomir Visnovsky (1 G, 4 A)-who missed a month with a broken finger-will certainly add a much-needed spark to the Ducks' blue line. Visnovsky led all NHL defensemen in points last season (18 G, 50 A).
The Stars sit atop the Pacific Division-tied with San Jose at 37 points-despite a struggling offense that averages only 2.5 goals per game (22nd in NHL). The Stars find ways to win thanks to scoring depth throughout the lineup-with 11 different skaters in double-digits. LW Jamie Benn (8 G, 19 A) leads all scorers, along with linemates Loui Eriksson (11 G, 14 A) and Mike Ribeiro (3 G, 19 A).
The Dallas defense has performed well thanks to the offseason acquisition of veteran Sheldon Souray (4 G, 10 A). The veteran puck-mover returned to the NHL after spending a year in the minor leagues due to an immovable contract.
UK NEWSPAPER FEATURES THE KING OF ONLINE GAMBLING BLING2011-08-01Bodog founder opines that the US is preparing to enter the internet gambling market
Online gambling's high profile founder of the Bodog brand, Canadian entrepreneur Calvin Ayr, was featured in the business section of the UK newspaper The Guardian over the weekend, described as "web gambling's king of bling".
Aside from the usual diversions of wine, women and la dolce vita that are routinely associated with Ayr, this successful industry executive has some interesting observations, including his opinion that "...it's clear to me that the United States is gearing itself up to enter this industry."
Ayr was smart enough to remodel his business from an operational to a brand franchising enterprise in the wake of the initial US Department of Justice crackdowns, and now merely licenses out his well-established brand to operators at the sharp end of the business in Europe and Asia.
His North American arrangement with Alwyn Morris's Morris Mohawk Gaming group is set to expire soon and will not be renewed as the US enforcement pressure increases (see previous InfoPowa bulletins), and Bodog has recently been successful in acquiring a valuable UK Gambling Commission licence.
Readers can find The Guardian interview here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jul/31/calvin-ayre-bodog-king-of-bling
UNIBET POSTS STRONG Q1/2011 RESULTS2011-05-11Company performs well across all its major markets
Malta-based online gambling and betting company, Unibet Group plc delivered another strong quarter in its interim report for the period January to March 2011.
The company's withdrawal from France represented 23 percent of gross winnings revenue in 2010, yet the company still posted a growth of 16 percent in gross winnings revenue during its first quarter 2011 and has shown a gain in market share in the Nordic region.
Key performance indicators for first quarter 2011 include:
- Gross winnings revenue amounted to GBP 37.5 million (Q1/2010: 41.8 million)
- Profit from operations amounted to GBP 11.2 million (Q1/2010: 10.6 million)
- Profit after tax amounted to GBP 10.0 million (Q1/2010: 9.5 million)
- Number of active customers at the end of the quarter was 328,054 (Q1/2010: 379,473)
- Gross winnings revenue for sports betting amounted to GBP 15.4 million (Q1/2010 17.6 million)
- Gross winnings for other products amounted to GBP 22.1 million (Q1/2010: 24.1 million)
- Live betting accounted for 57 percent (Q1/2010: 52 percent) of turnover on sports betting, excluding Free Bets
Henrik Tjärnström, CEO of Unibet said: "I am pleased to announce that the first quarter of 2011 was another strong quarter for Unibet were we have continued to perform well across all our major markets fully in line with our strategy.
“In the Nordics the growth year on year was 24 per cent which shows that we are gaining strong market share. The rest of the business has also grown well especially considering that France represented 23 per cent of the gross winnings revenue last year. "
The company's strategy for the next three years will see it re-focusing on core markets such as the Nordics and delivering a profitable growth even as Europe's markets develop and re-regulate.
“I expect consolidation within our industry to develop further, and we continue to evaluate opportunities that enhance shareholder value. Options for controlled growth in new regions are also constantly under review, with Unibet focusing on regions with high potential for long-term profitability,” Tjärnström added.
BETFAIR HIRES NEW AUSSIE AD AGENCY2011-05-06AJF to replace M&C Saatchi
The Australian operations of Betfair have engaged a new advertising agency to replace M&C Saatchi in Melbourne, naming the AJF Partnership as successor.
AJF will handle creative and strategic requirements for Betfair's brand and tactical communications, with the appointment effective immediately.
In March Betfair signed a two-year sponsorship deal with Super Rugby in Australia, and in November last year the brand ran a major campaign around the Ashes featuring former English cricket captain Michael Vaughan as a mystery interviewee.
Betfair in Australia and New Zealand is a 50:50 joint venture between Crown Limited and Betfair Group
QUICK REACTION TO GERMAN LIBERALISATION MOVES (Update)2011-04-07Bwin.party digital says changes are not in compliance with EU law
The newly merged Bwin-Party Gaming conglomerate Bwin.party digital has reacted swiftly to the announcement Wednesday that Germany is to liberalise its online gambling market, albeit with severe restrictions and taxes.
The company - now the world's largest listed online gambling group - says that the German decisions impact its earnings and are not in compliance with European law.
"A proposed tax rate of 16 percent on the stakes placed in sports betting would make it impossible to offer a competitive product. Furthermore, excluding poker and casino products from this licensing model will continue to drive consumers into the black market," bwin.party chief executive Norbert Teufelberger said in a statement.
However, the company welcomed the decision of the more progressive state of Schleswig-Holstein to retain the licensing model it had already submitted to the European Union for approval.
This model provides for the regulation of all online gaming products and a tax of 20 percent of gross gaming revenue on sports betting, poker and casino, bwin.party said.
The company gave notice that it intends to apply for a licence in Schleswig-Holstein and would pay the required tax there should Schleswig-Holstein continue with its current proposals.
The statement also noted that the company looked forward to considering the necessary notification of the new State Treaty on gaming to the European Commission and ratification by state parliaments.
"We trust that these proposals will undergo the necessary corrections so that the new regulations will govern the entire German market in a coherent and consistent manner in line with EU law," said Teufelberger.
Shares in bwin.party closed down 16 percent at 166 pence on Thursday, valuing the FTSE-250 business at GBP1.7 billion.