Gaming Report: FanCode to Live Stream NBA Matches, Coral Poker & Ladbrokes Are Moving Over to the partypoker Network 

Sporta Technologies Private Ltd., the parent company of India’s only gaming unicorn, Dream11, has forged a partnership with National Basketball Association (NBA) to live-stream NBA matches in India through its multi-sport app, FanCode. This will begin with the NBA’s 2019-2020 season.

In international updates, GVC Holdings has announced that Coral Poker and Ladbrokes, two online poker brands will be migrating to the partypoker network. While Coral Poker will move out of Playtech’s iPoker on December 4 to join the partypoker network by month-end, Ladbrokes is expected to make this move in the first quarter of 2020.

Speaking of networks, Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) has finally come out with an official date of closure. The company has announced that it will be shutting shop on May 19, 2020.

Meanwhile, UK betting operator William Hill has directed its affiliate marketing partners to stop promoting unlicensed U.S-facing sites alongside the company’s promos. The latest move comes in the wake of an advisory issued by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) warning media outlets and operators against referencing unauthorized sports betting sites along with their promos and articles.

Back in Asia, Suncity Group Holdings’ ambitious casino-resort Hoiana Integrated Resort (IR) project in Central Vietnam looks well on its way for the launch of its first phase by the first quarter of 2020.

Dream11’s Sister Company FanCode to Live Stream NBA Matches

Sporta Technologies Private Limited, the parent company behind the country’s biggest fantasy sports site Dream11, will be live streaming National Basketball Association (NBA) matches in India through its multi-sport app FanCode.

FanCode will stream selected games from NBA’s 2019-2020 season, and the live stream will include postseason NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals.

For the television broadcast, the NBA has joined hands with Sony India.

FanCode, the ad-free multi-sport platform, claims to have over 1 Crore app installs and covers numerous sports, including ICC World Cup, IPL, kabaddi, football, and fantasy sports like Dream11, MyTeam11, and MPL.

NBA India’s MD Rajesh Sethi commenting on the new partnership said, “By offering NBA games on FanCode, we will further connect with millions of fans in India who enjoy NBA daily fantasy by offering them features like fantasy research, game recaps, news, live scores and much more. As the demand for NBA programming and content continues to grow in India, we are committed to providing fans with new and personalized ways to connect with the NBA.”

Yannick Colaco, the co-founder of FanCode, was equally ecstatic on this collaboration and added, “We’re thrilled to partner with the NBA, one of the world’s premier sports brands. Basketball fans will now have comprehensive coverage of the NBA on FanCode, including live streams of all the biggest games, scores, features, news coverage and fantasy research.”

Coral Poker & Ladbrokes to Join partypoker Network

Two poker brands of Ladbrokes-Coral, Coral Poker, and Ladbrokes will be migrating to the partypoker network.

Making the first move will be Coral Poker. The online poker site has informed its customers that it will be moving out of Playtech’s iPoker and closing its iPoker skin on December 4. Coral Poker will move to the partypoker network by the end of the month.

As for Ladbrokes, the brand will be making a move to the partypoker network in the first quarter of 2020.

GVC Holdings, the parent company of partypoker, had announced its plans to acquire Ladbrokes-Coral in December 2017. The deal came through in March-end last year, making GVC Holdings one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming companies.

“We are delighted to confirm that Coral Poker will be completing its planned migration on to the Group’s proprietary partypoker platform and network later this month,” a GVC spokesperson reportedly told Poker Industry Pro.

“This will bring a number of huge benefits to Coral players who will now have access to partypoker’s larger liquidity pool and the network’s popular and diverse tournament schedule, all while enjoying the superior playing experience on our leading software which has seen partypoker named Poker Operator of the Year for three years running,” he added.

Microgaming Poker Network Declares May 19 as Official Closure Date

In September, Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) shook the industry by announcing that it was planning on closing shop sometime in Q2 or Q3 next year. The company has declared the closure date, and the official switch-off date is May 19, 2020.

On November 25, MPN tweeted the company’s scheduled date for closure.

MPN will deal our last hand on May 19th, 2020.

Our MD @AlexScott72o: 'Let’s do everything we can to make the next six months something special, which we can look back on with pride.’#ChallengeAccepted

— MPN (@ThrillOfPoker) November 25, 2019

With only six months remaining before MPN shut’s shop, MD Alex Scott said, “Let’s do everything we can to make the next six months something special, which we can look back on with pride.”

For many years, MPN has enjoyed a dominating lead among the other poker networks. Even today, the network hosts several prominent sites like betsafe, NordicBet, OlyBet, CoolBet, paf, Betssson, and Grosvenor Poker.

However, the network has had a fallout with many skins it has hosted. MPN has lost several popular skins like Unibet and PKR in the past. This April, the network also lost RedKings Poker after the latter ceased its poker and betting operations.

Assuring everyone that player funds on the network are safe, Scott said, “Every one of our poker rooms has told us they intend to find a new supplier for poker software, and we intend to help them make the migration as simple and smooth as possible.”

William Hill Asks Affiliates to Stop Promoting Unlicensed US-Facing Sites

U.K-listed betting operator William Hill has directed its affiliate marketing partners to refrain from promoting unlicensed U.S-facing sites along with the company’s promos. The company’s affiliates received e-mails to this effect last Friday.

Asking the affiliates to immediately remove Hill promos from those websites, the company warned that “We may have to close your account in line with our terms and conditions.”

The move comes close on the heels of an advisory bulletin issued by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) asking media outlets to stop referencing unauthorized sports wagering websites in their articles on betting markets, upcoming sports, and other events.

Earlier, the DGE has also warned affiliates and threatened them with “appropriate civil or criminal sanctions” unless they stop advising gamblers to visit sites that do not hold a DGE license.

Growing regulatory pressure in the UK market and tight competition has forced the company to explore other international markets. Earlier last week, the company, in its trading statement, underlined the prominent role that the company’s US operations would play in its future growth.

William Hill has a strong market presence in New Jersey via B2B sports betting deals with several licensed casinos and racing operators in the US state. This includes the online and land-based sportsbooks for Monmouth Park racetrack, Ocean Casino Resort, and Tropicana Atlantic City.

Vietnam’s Hoiana Resort On Track For 2020 Launch

Casino junket operator, Suncity Group Holdings’ under-development casino-resort Hoiana Integrated Resort (IR) project, is on track for a launch in early 2020. The company has released a statement projecting that everything is on schedule and that the resort is likely to begin operations in the first quarter of 2020.

Though the company has still not given an official date of launch, Assistant VP of Marketing Communications James Wong was reported confirming that the final preparations for the completion of the first phase are going on quickly. “We are looking at the first quarter, most likely late February or March,” Wong said.

He elaborated, “We have been getting experience for the last 12 or 13 years in providing high level service, so we’ve got the skill, we’ve got the database, we’ve got all the software, which makes us ready to be an operator. Now we are testing the hardware. Obviously one of the main reasons is that when we have our own hardware, we have better control to entertain our guests and provide a more unique experience. Under the leadership of Mr. Alvin Chau, this is the strategy of Suncity Group.”

The Hoiana Resort is being built by Suncity in partnership with the VinaCapital Group and VMS Investment Group at an estimated cost of $4 Billion. Once it starts operations, the resort will be one of the prime casino properties in Central Vietnam and is expected to usher in a significant economic boost for the central province of Quang Nam.