3-Bet: partypoker Relaunches in the Czech Republic, Zynga Poker Invaded by Bots & Sheldon Adelson Battling Cancer

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  • Namita Ghosh March 7, 2019
  • 4 Minutes Read

Online poker brand partypoker has been making big moves recently. After the platform upgraded its software, the site launched its very own team of poker streamers, aka ‘Team Online.’ In another development, partypoker has re-launched in the Czech Republic, and this time it has entered a partnership with the King’s Resort (Casino) in Rozvadov – the venue of the ongoing TIPS Winter Edition.

Meanwhile, the problem of bot invasion has worsened on popular, free-to-play online poker site, Zynga. In a recent conference call over its fourth quarter results and performance in 2018, the company recognized a widespread bot activity as one of the prime reasons pulling down its performance.

In shocking news, owner of Las Vegas Sands Corp and the Venetian, Sheldon Adelson was recently detected with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer and he is reportedly on medication. Amidst a mixed reaction to the news, the poker community by large has extended sympathies to Adelson who is one of the biggest critics of online poker and online gaming.

partypoker Makes a Fresh Bid in the Czech Republic

Following regulatory changes in the Czech Republic, international poker brand partypoker had pulled out of the country early in 2017. The brand has now made a fresh bid to enter the country’s online poker market and this time in partnership with the King’s Casino. partypoker recently announced this on their website.

partypoker

Revealing the tie-up and launch, Managing Director of partypoker, Tom Waters said, “We are delighted to be working with King’s Resort to offer online poker in the Czech Republic. We have some ambitious and exciting plans for 2019 in partnership with King’s and there will be plenty on offer for Czech players at partypoker.”

This makes partypoker the second online licensed poker room in the Czech Republic.

While Czech players can currently access the site’s global liquidity dotcom poker games through its desktop software client, the site will in future, roll out games on the mobile platform as well.

Residents of the Czech Republic looking to sign up on partypoker will have to get their in-person, physical registration at the local post office. Eventually, they will be able to sign up at the King’s Casino in Rozvadov.

Owner of King’s Resort, Leon Tsoukernik averred, “It is a great honour to co-operate on such an interesting project with such an important partner on a global level for us. We will be able to offer players great connection between the online and live game to maximize their gaming experience.

This renewed partnership with partypoker further consolidates our position as a major player in the global poker industry and represents another step forward in our commitment to players.”

Promotions have already begun on partypoker that will be hosting a series of live events which includes the inaugural €110 buy-in Czech Poker Masters featuring a €552K Guaranteed Main Event. The offer runs from April 14-22, and online starting flights to the event begin on March 31. An array of exclusive promotions have also been announced for Czech players, including 25% cashback. Soon, partypoker will also add the country to its list of locations where it offers it’s ‘Diamond Club Elite’ VIP membership and offerings.

 

Zynga Poker Hit By Bots

Play money poker is a popular offering of poker website Zynga Poker since it offers the thrills of real-money poker, without any of the risks involved. However, latest reports by Poker Industry PRO suggest that Zynga Poker has been invaded by bots, affecting millions of users.

Zynga

While reports indicate that the Zynga website was first compromised nearly a year back, the problem has become much more rampant now. As a result, things have gone worse, and the site is now finding it difficult to track the total number of users involved in the bot activity. The issue was also discussed by a company representative during a recent conference call discussing Zynga’s Q4 and the year-long financial results for 2018. The problem of bots was identified as one of the major causes for its weak performance in the year.

The company acknowledged that the volume of player activity increased in December 2018, making it near impossible to determine the actual number of active users playing. This increased player activity from desktop could not be considered legitimate play and was most likely the result of bots, the company said.

The question of why bots would target Zynga that offers free-to-play games may baffle many, but the fact remains that the site boasts of one of the largest online poker rooms in the world. Its games may be free to play, but such is the popularity of the website that in 2018, the company generated approximately $140 Million from online poker, chiefly through real money purchase of valueless chips.

The company’s ‘fair-play’ terms specifically prohibit bot activity and discourage use of automation software or bots. Evidently, there’s money to be made with bots on Zynga. Chips while available for free can also be obtained through direct purchase. The increasing bot activity suggests that the black market for Zynga chips has expanded to meet the growing demand, with users selling the chips at a discount compared to the official marketplace.

 

Casino Mogul Sheldon Adelson Receiving Cancer Treatment

Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson has been a staunch opponent of online poker and has spearheaded a campaign to get online poker and sports betting deemed illegal in the U.S. So when news broke out recently that Adelson has cancer, it evoked a mixed response from the gaming community.

Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon Adelson

Adelson is being treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer. Due to his age – Adelson is 85, his treatment is reported to be complicated, but his medication has been initiated. In an official statement, Adelson’s company, Las Vegas Sands Corp said that Adelson who is chairman and CEO is dealing with side effects from the medication he is taking to combat cancer.

“These side effects have restricted his availability to travel or keep regular office hours. They have not, however, prevented him from fulfilling his duties as chairman and CEO,” the statement read.

While Adelson is the owner of the Venetian, one of the most popular haunts for gambling and poker in Las Vegas, h has drawn sharp criticism from the poker and gaming community for using his wealth and power to lobby in the political power corridors for anti-online poker legislation. Many poker players have in the past boycotted Adelson’s properties.

Adelson is a mega-donor for the Republican party. In 2016, Adelson and his wife Mariam Adelson donated $30 Million to President Donald Trump’s election campaign. They also gave $100 Million to the GOP ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

However, Adelson has been in the thick of controversy in recent years. Apart from vehement opposition from the gaming fraternity to his anti-online gaming stance, Adelson also faces many lawsuits. While there is a multi-million dollar lawsuit pending against him in Nevada by Richard Suen, a Hong-Kong based businessman who claims he never received compensation in the early 2000s for helping Adelson finalize a casino deal in Macau, a US appeals court has recently revived a $1 Billion lawsuit against Adelson and 30 other pro-Israel defendants for alleged war crimes against Palestine. He was also named in a bribery case against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanahu.

Nonetheless, the poker community has largely expressed empathy to Adelson and wished him health and speedy recovery from his ailing health.

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