eGaming Consulting

Festive Cheer from EGC

2011-12-22T17:24:00.010+01:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from eGaming Consulting!

Why not make a resolution you will keep and come meet us at ICE, 24th – 26th Jan.

It’s a busy event so email us at info@egamingc.com to arrange a time.

Jawbone issues refunds for its Up health band

2011-12-12T12:49:00.000+01:00

Jawbone is issuing refunds and recalling Up wristbands and hasdecided to stop producing them for the time being. Why? Well Apparently theyhave problems synchronizing and issues with battery life. I have been using one for 10 days now and here is why Ithink they are back-tracking faster than Usain Bolt on rewind.

Jawbone UP: Theconcept To be healthy we need to Move, Eat and Sleep, well. Theconcept of the Jawbone UP band and App is pretty simple: Track your stepstaken, your workout, how you sleep and the food you take in and improve allthese areas of your life.

The wristband and the app.The first thing to say is that the design and comfort of theband itself is really pretty good. It is in no way uncomfortable and comes invarious sizes and colours with a rubberized finish and attractive silver trim. Jawbone claims the UP is water resistant to 1metre. I wore it in the shower and it was fine but not sure I would risk muchmore than that.

I was concerned about the cap coming off and it did on oneoccasion in a struggle with my fidgety 4 month old. This is a bit of a risk inmy opinion and I wonder how long the cap will stay firmly attached, especiallyafter some use.

This brings me neatly onto how often the cap needs to betaken off. Probably the most annoying thing about the UP is the necessity toplug the band into the iPhone / iPad in order to sync with the App. Bluetoothwould be much better but of course there are concerns over battery life – whichat the moment is pretty good.

Actually perhaps the most annoying thing is that the banddoes not charge off the device but rather through a USB port. This seemsstrange for something with no personal web interface. The app is where thereporting begins and ends.

There are 3 modes for the Up bracelet to work in: Active,Workout and Sleep. Active traces your steps taken, Workout, erm… does the sameand Sleep tracks your sleep patterns and wakes you up. All of which you have toremember to manually switch between and all of which work towards goals orideals you have set in the App.

I downloaded the App, which is straightforward and prettyclear to use. You can set it up your goals and challenges pretty quickly, find friends, add them to your team and even have common challenges. It looks good but there are occasional bugs such as the automaticlandscape view not resetting when the phone is tilted back.

Move: Keeping active
Here’s the thing about tracking steps taken; the band is onyour arm and I am not sure how accurate it is. For example I may be sitting ata desk talking in an animated fashion (I am half Italian) and my arms may beclocking up the miles whilst my lower body grows podgy in an office chair. Thereminder to exercise may not be triggered because the UP thinks I am actuallybeing quite active.

Eat: Concentratehere’s the science part.
Ah, who am I kidding? The meal aspect is a littleunscientific, I mean very unscientific and is perhaps the most annoying thing about the Up. I was not expecting the app to recognize the food I was eating orfor the bracelet to sense the calories of it but to simply take a photo andthen assign an emoticon to it feels a little ~~shit~~ cheap. I live outside the UK and on the rare occasions I get tohave a full English breakfast I feel absolutely elated! Firstly there was noemoticon for “absolutely elated” and secondly it’s probably not what myarteries are feeling. Oh and in all honesty I never remember to add my meals.

Sleep: Wake Up
So this is probably the highlight of the UP. Switch it tosleep mode and the band records your sleep patterns and wakes you around aboutthe right time during a light sleep phase.

This works. I set my ideal sleep to 8 hours per night, my alarm to 7.30and let the Up do its work. It duly informed me of the percentage of therequired sleep I was getting, showed me how light my sleep was in general, gaveit a paltry score and woke me up during a light sleep at just after 7 a.m.every morning.

So it works. Or at least it wakes you up half an hour beforeyour alarm so you think it works.

Getting Social
I probably missed out on this aspect as I only have oneother friend using it and his enthusiasm waned after approximately 2 days. You can set up challenges for groupsof people and track progress which could act as a motivational tool, you can see who much action your mates are getting by studying their (slack of) sleep patterns.

You can share workouts, meals and sleep on your Up profile but not apparently to Twitter, Facebook or other Social Media.

So why are theyrefunding?
In the words of JawboneCEO Hosain Rahman’s; “While many of you continue to enjoy the Up experience, weknow that some of you have experienced issues with your Up band. Given ourcommitment to delivering the highest quality products, this is unacceptable andyou have our deepest apologies.”… oh andyou can have your money back if you return the band… or come to think of it,even if you don’t just don't say you expected it to actually do something.

I paraphrase (made up some of) the last bit of course.

I did not have any problems with battery life or synchronizing but it just creates an annoying feeling (did I mention that?). It doesn’t do what you would hope it would do, it doesn't really do anything and I feel kind of stupid for imagining it would.

It is a nice idea, it could even be the future but for now Ithink I will only use it as an alarm, assuming it continues to wake me up 30 minutes before the set time. At least until this gets annoying.

EGR 2011 Operator Awards: a night of Awards, Amusement and Alcohol

2011-12-11T14:20:00.001+01:00

The online gambling industry waved goodbye to November and welcomed December with the EGR 2011Operator Awards, hosted by the one and only Rufus Hound – who, to my pleasantsurprise was very good. A whopping 28 awards were dished out by Rufus andthe various award sponsors.

The night was held in the glitzy city ofLondon at the Artillery Garden at the HAC in a marquee that a Russian circus would be jealous of; adorned withcolourful birdcages, butterflies, feathers and fairy lights the dark navy andblack interior was redolent of Moulin Rouge.

Dinner was adelicate 3 course meal with an interesting choice of upbeat Balearic tuneswhich turned astonishingly to hip hop before the awards began. Rufus Hound didn't pull any punches, getting stuck into the partisan audience and what could have been a study in narcissism was actually a light-hearted and enjoyable event. Rufusgot the audience to laugh, cheer and even boo at William Hill. He did fail toget all the guys in the crowd to join his cheering but generallycongratulations go to the organisers for booking a good host.

Thomas Smallwood from eGaming Consulting presented the award for Best Marketing Campaign ofthe year, to Gamesys (Jackpotjoy) who’s advertisement features the iconicBarbara Windsor in a multi million pound campaign. Check out the link below tosee the Queen of Bingo herself in action.

There were too manyawards to go through each one here but to note was the award for Best MobileOperator of the Year Award, presented by Cozy Games, which went to Betfair, Paddy Power was Awarded Social Networking Operator of the Year for their consistently great use of Social Media and, after a night of friendly jibes, the Operator of the Year saw William Hill beingcrowned. A full list of winners can be found here.

The night endedwith Dodgems and a rapid-fire poker tournament, sponsored by Instadeal Poker, the newest and fastest mobile poker to hit the internet. The winner was the glamorous Sarah Carruth from Rank Interactive. Shedefeated every single gentleman at the table to take home the iPhone 4 GSgenerously provided by InstaDeal.

The other winners were:
2^nd Richard Abbots from Continent 8– took home a bottle of Lagavulin

3^rd Nick Kowalski from Little StarMedia – a bottle Champagne

4^thRichard Heade from Betclic – A Teddy Bear. Awww!

Overall it was a great event. Despite thecold outside the warm and vibrant tent thronged with 700 plus people chattingand indulging in the free wine, beer and cocktails. Networking was enjoyableand it really was well worth going to.

Looking forward to next year's EGR Awards!

Top 10 Anti Social Networks and Tools (in no particular order)

2011-11-23T11:53:00.018+01:00

It's difficult to wade through the myriad of socialnetworking sites and tools to find out which are hot and which are not, whichsuit your needs and which your friends will be jealous of because you know howto use them and interact with other similarly in-the-know people to dropreferences into conversation thus alienating your friends even further untilyou don’t have any real friends at all.

So, instead here are the TOP 10 Social Networks that goagainst the philosophy of social networking (or do they?). Yes they do. (But dothey really?) Mostly yes.

1. Pee.ps

Peeps is good because we say so and you can do nothing on it… but you can try. Also with location aware browsing you are able see where others are doing the same with no success. “Hauntingly poignant” said Stephen King’s publicist, although he could have been talking about something else. “It is truly Anti-social Networking and it’s great” said a leading marketing expert, recently, somewhere. "They are just mucking around with HTML 5" said someone else.

2. Isolatr

It’s a close call. Isolatr absolutely captures what anti-social networking is about and therefore comes in a gnat’s chaff behind Peeps.

3. Flout.me

Flout is a new tool to rival Klout. Finally you can pluck out the prickly barbs of truth and inflate your own balloon of importance through your own Twitter. Yes, I know that’s what we all do anyway.

4. NoSo

The NoSoProject seemed like a good one in terms of being anti-social. But its major flaw is that it appears to have been a serious attempt at some artistic statement designed to bring people together to be anti-social. Do you see the irony, do you?? Do you see it? YES! Oh and the design was (and is) terrible.

5. Not Google+

Ok, so this one doesn’t actually exist but its mildly amusing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYdbof039QQ

6. Ruduzu

With Musings, Annoyances, Dis-interests and requests for people to share their opinions Ruduzu tried to engage more than many Social Media, however, I don;t think anyone actually used it so maybe they have achieved something really anti-social.

7. Twatter

Yes the name is funny but the content is (at times) genuinely worrying so it is anti- social, but in a way that starts to scare me!

8. Ifuckinghateyou

People coming together to hate. Yeah, exactly… “coming together”. Not good enough!

9. Hatebook

Ok, we get it! I mean it is just a form of Social Networking for people who think its funny to say that they are not social networking but in actual fact they are… geddit?? Oh God.

10. MySpace

Does this need any explanation?

Check back next week for the second in our series: Top Ten Fruitless Exercises.

EGC Mo-saic Number 2

2011-11-07T14:03:00.000+01:00

Yes that's right one of these people isn't in our team! Guess who and win a lifetime's supply of air.

Go here to join our Movember team: https://www.movember.com/uk/register/details/team_id/216268

...or simply donate :-{)

The First EGC Mo-saic (that pun's for you Steve)

2011-11-04T11:49:00.000+01:00

Remember, remember, the lip fluff of Movember

2011-10-26T16:01:00.000+02:00

Moustache Season is upon us, so we’ve decided to register for Movember and embrace the hair of the wild. We have pledged to cultivate a genuine 100% face grown moustache (see guide below) for 30 days in order to raise awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer.

To join our Movember team go to https://www.movember.com/uk/register/details/team_id/216268

Movember is about raising funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Did you know one man dies every hour from prostate cancer in the UK each year and more than 2,000 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer this year.

Once registered, Movember will send you all the information you need to raise funds and start raising awareness for men’s health as part of our Movember team.

If you’d like to find out more about the type of work you’d be helping to fund by supporting Movember, take a look at the Programmes We Fund section on the Movember website: http://uk.movember.com/about

The more people we can get to become Citizens of Movember, the more lives we can impact. You can either grow a moustache as a Mo Bro, or join as a Mo Sista to show your support and help recruit other Mo growers to the team.

Please join EGC at https://www.movember.com/uk/register/details/team_id/216268

Cannes, France - Italian Gamblers Arrested

2011-10-14T13:46:00.000+02:00

The Italian press is reporting a scuppered attempt at cheating The Cannes Les Princes casino.

Gianfranco Tirrito, 53, of Borgaro Torinese, and Rocco Grassano, 55, of Turin, are alleged to have hatched a plan for the perfect fraud: rigged decks of cards, marked on the back but only decipherable with special infrared lenses. The reports go on to say that the lenses were worn by Stefano Ampollini, 54, of Medesano (Parma), the designated player of the group who sat down at the Stud Poker table, sure in his plan to cheat the casino and other players.

All three were arrested by French police, along with the dealer who is also reported to have been in on the action and had allegedly helped to introduce the marked cards. On that evening Ampollini was reportedly already 20.000 Euros up. The arresting officers verified that the gang members, all offenders for a variety of crimes, had a penchant for the good life of luxury cars and private schools for their children.

According to their findings the three were in the same casino in August and police are now checking to see whether they also hit other gambling centres in the South of France or Northern Italy.

Translation from these sources:

La Stampa

Leggo

EiG 2011 Milan Review - Innovation in Gaming.

2011-10-02T21:36:00.003+02:00

At previous shows Microgaming has given away mints in a sleek aluminum container but this year they did something different. Don't get me wrong there was still a stylish sleek aluminum container but what was in it I hear you ask? Well luckily there was a clear description:

What is this? Nuts and Seeds
What is that exactly? A mixture of Nuts and Seeds
What does it contain? Contains Nuts.
What a buzz. This industry simply never stands still!!
See you at ICE in January.

Oh ok, I will say a few more things. EGC feels middle-aged and irrelevant so whilst the young, thrusting executives of the gaming industry grooved their perfect booties (I think that's what the kids are doing) EGC was getting in touch with the common man, by strolling around an Anish Kapoor exhibition and eating raw fish in Da Claudio (highly recommended).
Anyway the point is, as regards the social side of EiG, we didn't grace the dance floors of Milan or indeed mix free alcohol and networking so we cannot comment.
Neither did we have time to take part in any of the interesting seminars, round tables, discussion groups, lectures taking part around the main event. For this we apologize and are indeed wracked by guilt and regret. All we can report is that someone we know was in one of these afore-mentioned "events" relating to gambling in Italy and nothing that was said was of great significance. Well, to be more precise, it has all been said before - probably many years ago in dot com markets. I am sure in reality the vast majority were worthy and interesting (why does everything I write sound sarcastic??? it isn't supposed to, this is a genuine sentiment) but we are not qualified to comment on this occasion.
EiG Expo top 10 9 things we can comment on.
Anyway, in an attempt to avoid writing the usual empty drivel here is a list of what we did observe and feel we can comment on:
1) There seemed to be a genuine pep in the step of Chartwell Games which is now flying under the Amaya flag.
2) Sheriff Gaming was new to the event and showing off some cool new slot designs and original gadgets.
3) An expectedly great look and feel for mobile games, from NetEnt.
4) Buzz Sports. This is a really exciting product, lets hope more sports are on the way.
5) Where was the Italian contingent? For a show in Milan, in a country with such a huge focus on its gaming industry there seemed to be a dearth of Italians.

Now then, EiG is not cheap. Perhaps it shouldn't be, but (and it is a big hairy but):
6) When did it become ok for a pile of rice and some (not many) meatballs to constitute lunch? Ok, so there were 2oo plates of identical salad but come on guys, we were in Italy, the home of simple, high quality food.
7) Where was the lunchtime booze?
8) And why, given the difficulty to get anything to eat, was there one small bar with a woman on the till who spoke no English.

9) Having paid our dues to partake in the event EGC feels it has the right to ask why were some people able to get into the exhibition space without paying and with no badges? Answers on a postcard.
Here endeth our summary of EiG Expo, save to say a big thank you to all those who agreed to meet with us and to all those brave souls on stands sticking it out for the full show.
Peace.

EiG Expo - Italian Phrasebook and Glossary

2011-08-18T20:45:00.012+02:00

**Caution: This article may contain utter bullshit. Of course, it might not, you'll just have to find out.**

With the 2011 EiG (AKA Totally iGaming or Totally EiGaming or EiG Expo or something) coming to Milan, EGC is offering a vital glossary to help newbies and vets alike make the most of their time in Italy’s fashion capital. If you run into any trouble just scream and we will come running cos we speaks the native language, innit... as you are about to find out.

Meeting and Greeting

Buongiorno - Good Morning, or more literally "Good Day".

Si - Yes

Forse - Yes

Non Credo - Yes

No - This word does not exist.

Ti presento un mio caro amico - Literally this means "Let me introduce you to my good friend". In reality it means "Let me introduce you to someone I met 10 minutes ago".

Persona di fiducia - Someone you can, on absolutely no account, trust.

Per Favore - This means “please” and has not been invented in Italy yet. 
Prego - It means "You are welcome" - which I believe is an American phrase but anyway you must always say this after someone says "Grazie" .
Grazie - What is your secret motive for helping me? 
Come sta? - How are you? 
Molto bene, e lei? - Very well and you? In practise you may say this but you will never hear it. No Italian is free of ailments and no Italian will lose an opportunity to tell you about them in unnecessary detail.
 Arrivederci - We will never meet again, I thought your presentation lacked depth and I have no belief in you or your company. 
Ho perso la mia tartaruga nell’erba lunga – Hi, fancy meeting up later for drink by the pool? 
Cosa fate? – What are you (plural) doing? 
Camicia di forza – Straightjacket .

Taking Care of (Gambling) Business

Entrata – Entrance.
 Uscita – Common football chant (pronounced you-shit-aaaaagh) .
Gioco d’Azzardo – A Game of Chance, such as a pedestrian crossing.

 Gorgonzola - A search engine .
Scommettere – This is the verb to BET, as in “I bet the government is taxing me for saying the word bet”.
 Calcio – Calcio is the national sport of Italy. Two teams of 11 men run around a pitch chasing a man dressed in black (arbitro) and complaining about how hard their lives are, whilst waving their chequebooks in his face. This is little more than an elaborate courtship ritual and the 11 men who woo the arbitro will be awarded 3 points before doing it all again a week later. Towards the end of the
mating
season, the two teams may agree not to bother wooing the arbitro and, no matter what AC Jimbo says, it is a heinous practice.

Seating and Eating

Un tavolo per due - Table for two please, my friend will be joining me soon. I really hope I am not alone tonight. I will be alone tonight.
 Aperitivo – A lightly alcoholic drink or aperitif, intended to pique the curiosity of the appetite, perhaps accompanied by a little amuse bouche. This is often translated into English as “10 Pints of Lager”.
Buon appetito - This simple phrase, uttered before major meals and often answered with "altre tanto", literally means “good” or “healthy appetite” but I suppose it could be translated as "enjoy your meal" (if you are American). As strange as this concept appears to the English, it is actually possible to "enjoy" a meal.  
Pizza - An oven-baked, flat bread, more often than not round in shape, which doesn't have f**kin' pineapple or f**kin' kebab meat or any other sh*t like that, you uneducated morons!!! Or sweetcorn even, I mean why, WHY????
 Calzone - A thick winter sock, usually worn by mountain farmers in Northern Italy. It is often used to wrap Fontina cheese before ageing. 
Pasta - Pasta is a kind of dough which is shaped into an almost limitless variety of styles and is boiled in lightly salted water until it is "al dente" and then served mixed with a sauce. See that... MIXED with sauce, yeah - not with a rather sad spoonful of red stuff thrown on top of it but actually mixed.
Al Dente - Not overcooked and stuck together in a sticky wet lump. And no, it doesn't mean raw either.  
Birra – An absurdly blonde and tasteless thing (not to be confused with La Cicciolina) it is sometimes translated as “Beer” but don’t be fooled.
 Vino - I think we are all comfortable with this concept.
Limoncello - Seriously, I don't know why this shit exists.

Out and About

Bar – A place where you can bet 
Tabaccheria – A place where you can bet
Internet Point – A place where you can bet
 Ricevitoria – A place where you can bet
 Ippodromo – A restaurant  

Miscellaneous

Coglione - Yours truly.

Top 5 Wishes for Premiership 2011/12

2011-08-03T12:56:00.016+02:00

This month's guest blogger is full time Piers Morgan annoyer, Matt Avison. For more of his pearls of wisdom check out @mattavison

Well here we are again so soon. As we have been reminded since the last close up of that sobbing, 8 year old Birmingham fan, the new Premiership season is almost upon us. It will be bigger, better and more interactive than ever. So interactive, you will almost feel that Gary Neville is in your living room. Nobody can say that Sky don’t give fans what they want….

Anyway here are eGaming Consulting's five wishes for the football season - many made more in hope than expectation:

1. Fernando Torres reclaims his body.
Was it all a dream? Was there ever this Spanish prince who made Vidic look like a schoolboy in need of his mummy? His meteoric first two seasons at Anfield were sandwiched around a winning contribution in Euro 2008. Fernando even exhibited his class with that rarest of Premiership commodities - a smile.

The World Cup then showed a man in physical disarray with his trademark movement and change of pace absent. A blip we thought, but the malaise has been lasting and disturbing. The physical ailment has clearly spread upstairs and the Prince now looks embarrassed to be playing in top company. Johnny Giles once said of Cantona’s final year that he had "lost his skill". We are familiar with people losing pace, stamina or motivation, but losing "skill"??! Maybe the case of Fernando Torres is really that simple.

For those believers and I am still one, he is a best priced 10/1 with Boyle Sports to be Top Premiership Goalscorer. You may want to hedge with the 6/1 Victor Chandler is offering on Andre Villas-Boas losing his job before the end of the campaign. Torres IS Chelsea's season. If he is a hit, then anything is possible. If not, Chelsea will look very old and very lost, very fast.

2. QPR to stay up.

For 70's children, QPR were mainstays of top flight football. They had an iconic kit and eleven players who looked like they had been dragged from the pub and in need of a wash and a good haircut. Leader of that gang was Tony Currie and his style was followed by a variety of talented waifs and strays such as Simon Stainrod and Glenn Roeder. A few decades on and they are back but very much the same.

They are led by mad owners and hit and miss players such as Adel Taarabt, whose erratic brilliance and paranoia were made for Loftus Road. We are glad they are here but I fear they will leave this party before midnight. Unibet's top price of 7/4 on QPR heading straight back down looks remarkable. However I hope I'm wrong. They will make themselves heard no matter what.

3. Martin O'Neill returns.
Modern football media obsesses on the football manager's every word. Match reviews are now often a series of quotes from managers saying a lot without saying anything at all. Neil Warnock makes a welcome return and he will give a sincerity of opinion back to the Premiership. This opinion will not be shared by anyone, including his own family, but at least Warnock's views will be truly held and expressed with passion.

With many awaiting the return of the now cliched Mourinho, there is another manager whose charisma and talent the Premiership can ill afford to miss. Step forward Martin O'Neill, a manager who has performed the miracles of getting Steve Guppy (Leicester) and Alan Thompson (Celtic) capped for England. A man so open and honest that he admitted attending two Take That concerts this Summer, the second of which he declared that he went on his own...

Steve Kean is 9/4 with Paddy Power to be first manager out the door and he is likely to see O'Neill getting out of a taxi as he exits.

4. Michael Robinson joins Sky Sports as lead football presenter.

The true odds on this happening are really 1000/1 and many of this blog's readership will never of heard of Senor Robinson.

His Spanish adventure began in 1987 when he joined Osasuna following a playing career in England that bagged him a league championship and European Cup with Liverpool. However the striking pair of Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish meant he was usually on the substitutes' bench. Although English-born, he was capped 24 times by the Republic of Ireland.

Having started covering England's group for Televisión Española at the 1990 World Cup, Robinson's charm, sense of humour and - it must be said - slightly comic English accent has since led him to co-commentate on all of Canal Plus's live football, present their coverage of the 1994 Olympic Games in Atlanta and, more importantly, anchor their Monday night round-up show, El Día Después (The Day After). A combination of Match of the Day, Football Focus and Fantasy Football League, El Día Después is perfect for Robinson's wit and intellect.

With the contrived departure of everyone's favourite TV neanderthal double act since Barney Rubble and Bam Bam, there is gap for a true creative broadcaster to lead Sky's Premiership coverage. Don`t hold your breath.....when last asked about rumours of the BBC begging him to come back to the UK in 2002, Robinson was quoted:

"I will tell you what's wrong with English football coverage?

It's been hijacked by ex-footballers. There is a screaming necessity for a journalist to challenge them. They speak in a certain argot, a slang whereby they all sit down comfy, comfy - Lineker, Hansen and the rest.Hansen thinks every goal is a defensive error because when you don't understand football, you can stop a tape anywhere, anywhere, and find a rick. There's no appreciation. And Lineker and Mark Lawrensen just agree. It's all happy families. The BBC is the mother and father of television and it's become totally prostituted. Put me on English telly? First of all, they couldn't pay me. Second, it would be a revolution. Third, who gives a monkey's?"

I dream that this great broadcaster would be tempted back and rip apart the formulaic, chummy face of Sky's football coverage.
5. Jack Wilshere becomes Captain of England.

This wish is simple. Like most England fans, I am jaded by history and scared to now even dream. At times like this, we need a hero to make us believe. We had Gascoigne in Italia 1990, Rooney in Euro 2004 and I really believe that Jack Wilshere will in a different way breathe life back in the Three Lions.

He has a less showy talent than Gazza and Wazza but in terms of refined touch and awareness, this is a man we can believe in. He has shown the traditional english virtues of loutishness off the pitch but it appeared last year that he had matured in leaps and bounds, aware of his opportunities.
His performance in a losing cause at Camp Nou last year marked him out to be something else - a leader. If Capello cares enough to pay attention, he should give him the armband now. Does anyone including Chelsea fans really get a lift out of seeing Terry lead England out?
I am convinced the next 12 months will elevate Wilshere further and I end this blog by making a statement, rather than a wish. Get an account with Skybet, deposit money and place as much as your heart desires on Arsenal to win this year's Premiership at 9/1. It's Jack's year folks.

How to Save Puppies and Influence People

2011-07-06T13:17:00.007+02:00

Having saved a puppy’s life a few days earlier, just another service eGaming Consulting has to offer (yes people we save lives at no extra cost!*), we sent a man to Marketing Week Live at London’s Olympia with a skip in his step…

As I made my way into the heart of the conference I stumbled across Gary from BlondeFish (ok I might have bumped into him… and maybe some of my coffee might have landed on his shirt… ok maybe a lot!). Anyway the least I could do was listen to his business spiel. He got right to it and proceeded to explain the concept behind his company, which actually proved very entertaining.

‘Blondefish provides RFID and technology in interactive events.’ Gary said. I asked him what exactly that meant and he explained with a case study.

For Smirnoff, Blondefish organised for all guests to be given a cool wristband as they entered an event, so every time they saw, heard, sipped or experienced something they liked, they tapped their wristband on a Facebook Like Pod to share it with their friends on Facebook as it happened.

The average number of friends on Facebook for their target audience is 430, so while 2,500 guests had the time of their life, Smirnoff wanted to amplify the event to potentially over a million people in the virtual world of Facebook.

Instead of thanking him for explaining to me again in such depth I asked him why exactly they didn’t have a blonde girl in a fish costume to promote their company in a more accurate way. Gary didn’t laugh. But the idea was running in my head and I suddenly concluded that word of mouth, especially after a social event is truly dead and buried and has been replaced by “like of Facebook”. And with that thought I was out of there before Gary decided to stick me with his laundry bill.

I then ran into Tim from Ambient Media, this time without spilling any liquids on his or my shirt. He had a doll besides him with what looked like a computer screen around its waist, which made me quite intrigued to hear what exactly was on show.

‘We do a lot of guerrilla marketing and we do it well with high-tech devices’ Tim told me.

‘We go around the streets and people either come to us or we go to them and they touch us’, he added. Risky business you might think but what Tim means is they can, for example, install a game or a simpler version of an online site on a touch screen tablet and with a few carefully selected models of one’s choice promote a product or website on any street in the UK. He told me that they had just run a similar advertising campaign in Cardiff for a local casino where they installed a casino game on the touch screen and a representative went scouting for potential casino aficionados and every time someone played the casino game on their device they won 20 pounds in chips to play in the casino.

‘This proved a great success for the casino and it cost them a few hundred quid only’ Tim exclaimed. As I took mental notes of our conversation I could hear Tom from Giff Gaff begin his speech on the challenges of promoting an online website so I quickly said goodbye to Tim and hello to Tom, how exciting life was proving to be.

Tom from Giff Gaff was a very entertaining character, his hair was wild almost caveman-like and his beard was so thick and undomesticated that it looked like he was being sponsored by Gillette just with the sole intention of putting off people from ever considering growing a beard. **

Marketing Giff Gaff, a SIM only pay as you go mobile provider, proved to have a few challenges. At first with low traffic to the site Tom and his co-workers invested in social media and came up with the idea of the public promoting the site with user-made viral videos.

‘Most of the videos that were made were bad, I mean really bad but a few were good and I mean really good’ Tom shouted.
One of the videos that were made for Giff Gaff pictured a sketch artist on a zebra crossing sketching cars and the drivers’ reactions proved to be hilarious. Another video involved a man dressed up in a gimp suit walking the streets and members of the public could do whatever they wanted with this man including photo and video evidence which then spread around facebook, YouTube, etc.

Tom also mentioned introducing a forum that became highly popular, attracting many users to interact with each other and even a few of the more radical or crazy ones to shine through. One user went so far as to read and study the entire terms and conditions of the company and when others asked questions on any matters related to this he would promptly provide an answer. Another user tested one of their products across the M4 without being asked and posted the results. The forum received such a great amount of traffic that the members soon made a fan site of their own.

Amongst the vast sea of video advertising specialists, email marketing programs and chat solutions, the latter struck me as a good idea for online gambling sites in a world of high acquisition costs. I know it has been done before (don’t remember where I saw it). Interacting with users, depending on which page they are viewing on the site could provide that extra hook.

In summary, marketing live was in fact one of the best shows I have been to in a long while and I departed having realized the following:

eGaming Consulting can save your pets lives. Do not spill drinks on anyone’s shirt unless you prepared to listen to them for quite a while. If you have a company called BlondeFish or BlueMonkey it would be cool to actually have a blonde person dressed as a fish or a monkey painted blue. Word of mouth is dead and the Facebook like is now the way to spread the word. Going around the streets telling people to touch you and giving free vouchers equals success. Funny viral videos that are actually funny bring traffic and brand awareness, and by promoting your company on forums and social media sites you just might gain a few crazy fans that will do most of the work for you.

*Terms and Conditions apply. We may not actually save your life or anyone else’s. There may be an extra cost and it is likely to be your pet.

**This is not the opinion of eGaming Consulting Management who are big beard fans. Frequently they go as far as sporting a beard because it is very becoming as well as a sign of extreme manliness.

Is the Industry Crying (Mobile Gambling) Wolf… again?

2011-06-16T18:19:00.005+02:00

Reflections on the mGaming Summit, London, June 15th 2011

Waffle

Mobile Gambling has been the next big thing for a few years. And yet for one reason or another it has never quite happened. So is it any different now? It must be, we have just had a mobile gaming SUMMIT!

Firstly I have to admit to being just old enough to remember when the word "summit" meant Reagan and Gorbachev striding towards each other across a tightly cropped lawn, the whirring blades of a giant helicopter in the background. Summits have a gravitas which, without wishing to cause any offence, the mGaming "Summit" lacked. Yes, I know what you're thinking if it had gravitas the author of this would not have been allowed anywhere near it.

Right, I have slagged it off enough and I do not want to give the mistaken impression that it was a waste of time or not worth staging, so here are some facts:

Substance

The Keynote speech by Dr Windsor Holden and the follow up from Darren Mark Noyce gave some interesting figures and insight into the mobile landscape, how mobile devices are used and also talking about the perceptions from the point of view of the user, such as trust.

I followed Track 2 to begin with which discussed Products and Services "What do high tech mGambling consumers really value in the experience?". Darren Pollard chaired the panel which also included Enric Sole' from IMSC and Ross Sleight from Somo. This discussion was very interesting particularly in profiling the average mGambling consumer and touching on some key areas of marketing.

Ross Sleight was impressively knowledgeable and informative, giving 3 primary reasons consumers use mobile devices: a) to execute a task (such as a Google search) b) through a sense of urgency c) reasons of boredom. He also stressed that the mobile is not to be treated as an addition to a desktop presence, as it perhaps historically was, but must be seen as a "primary access point" for customer acquisition.

The panel also gave greater insight into who uses a mobile phone or tablet and where - 80% of TV viewers, for example, have a mobile phone next to them whilst they watch and the tablet is really for "deeper consumption of content”.

Enric Sole' spoke of the Bettymovil SMS sports betting which is a wonder-product for less developed markets such as Africa and South America. Whether this was the right audience for him I don't know but his view of a different type of market and the simplicity and immediacy of the product can teach the whole industry some important lesson regarding communication with mobile users. All in all, the panel and the chair did a great job.

The Track 1 presentation from Jean-Luc Cornish (Somo) really followed on from things I had heard earlier. CRM needs to be mobile specific, the mobile consumer is likely to be engaged by some other media at the same time and, importantly, SEO for mobiles should reflect shorter search entries by users.

The key people on the discussion panel (chaired by Josh Morris from Virgin Games) were Matt Sunderland from Probability PLC and Nick Marsh from Mojiva. Localization of marketing and the problem with tracking users were the main points. The potential for targeting consumers based on where they are physically at any one moment was repeatedly covered but at all times this was theory over practice. The dearth of gambling affiliates, which have embraced mobile gambling, was also touched upon but again this is indicative of where the industry is at the moment, and will surely change. Some panelists were a bit cagey about topics but again I think it was informative.

A pause for lunch and a chat with a few delegates gave me the impression that there is still considerable skepticism regarding mobile gambling, not so much with those present but perhaps by the absence of others. There were only 3 companies with stands (aside from iGaming Business) but I am sure that this could increase in years to come.

The schedule changed a little after lunch and the Track 1 panel discussing "Marketing and Making it Social" seemed to conclude that there was no "social" gambling and unfortunately got bogged down in a slightly tortuous discussion regarding virtual credits and casino gaming. I got the impression that there was a lot of "I don't know" during this discussion, which is not necessarily a criticism, but generally the subject seemed borne of the assumption that there is a direct link between social media and gambling on mobile devices. This takes me back to another earlier speaker (I think it was Ross Sleight, but correct me if I am wrong) who wisely said that those who play Zynga Poker and those who play real money poker will largely be different people. The former will not naturally convert to the latter.

It was back to Track 2 for "Crossing Channels - Creating a genuine multi channel offering for the mobilised consumer". This strayed a bit from the subject but not to any great detriment of the discussion. Marcel Puyk from Cellectivity and Sree Reddy Vanga from Cozy Games are best placed in the industry to offer insight and they dutifully did so, the latter championing HTML5 despite a slight dig from Mr Puyk about the battery life. Again it was stressed that the mobile offering will have to be different from the desktop offering and concerns regarding the nature of mobile players were addressed - Vanga assuring us that high rollers were also playing on mobiles and allaying fears of cannibalisation.

Conclusion

I skulked out at around 4pm - earlier than I should as the lure of a cheeky drink during work hours became too strong - but I have nevertheless drawn some conclusions, despite not by any means being present at all sessions. I felt a lot of the same ground was covered repeatedly (perhaps due in part to the fact that the discussions I was present at were not a perfect cross-section) but nevertheless this also helped me remember the main point I will take away from the day and perhaps one major reason that this time the industry is not crying wolf: Mobile customers are different from “traditional” online customers! This realization coupled with the fact that technology has caught up with the very idea of mobile gaming means we are genuinely at the dawn of a new era… also we are a vacuous, ill-mannered society with the attention span of a gnat and can never stop fiddling with our blasted phones.

Looking forward to a bigger and better mGaming Summit next year.

Peace!

The Fastest Poker in the West?

2011-05-29T20:31:00.008+02:00

InstaDeal™ the new super-fast poker game has been launched on Vegas365Poker.com and TerminalPoker.com

This new network brings you a few freerolls as well as NL Texas Hold’Em and PL Omaha cash tables. It claims to be the fastest poker online – and it might just be right!

The game play itself is pretty neat. It’s very fast and a tournament is over before you know it, without losing anything for this. The cash tables are where this pool-based poker game comes into its own. If you don’t like your hand, simply fold and you will be immediately seated at another table. The network numbers are naturally very low right now but come September it ought to support a fair bit of gameplay, particularly given the fact that not so many players are required to keep a pool full of action. Its about time an alternative to Full Tilt’s Rush Poker was born and this should ensure it is open to more operators and consequently more poker players around the world.

I think what might prove the ultimate success for the InstaDeal™ software and network is the fact that all along the line it has been developed with one eye on the mobile market. It’s not the finished article yet but certainly on TerminalPoker.com it will be launched in a mobile version compatible with Android and iOS devices very soon and will I am confident prove the poker success of 2012 if not 2011.

Watch this space. Or watch this space, depending on how patient you are.

eGaming Consulting Sponsor’s MarketPlace

2011-05-16T15:27:00.003+02:00

EGC is sponsoring this year’s Marketplace, iGaming Business’ essential guide to the most important names within the industry. You will be able to pick up a copy in Dublin next week.

In other news…

We have also launched a new site. We will continue to do a bunch of work on it but the general idea is nice. We have a couple of projects that we can’t talk about now that don’t appear but keep an eye out for more details soon.

Dublin Up. iGaming Super Show
EGC will, of course, be in Dublin for the iGaming Super Show from the 24th to the 26th of May. Please drop us a mail, tweet or give us an old fashioned call to arrange a meeting.

PHOTOPLAY
We have added a Flickr account, which will include photos from various egaming related events or indeed pretty much anything that we think is interesting.

Guerilla Marketing?

2011-04-10T13:47:00.013+02:00

Came across this today.

Street art, particularly stencils have fascinated me for some time, partly due to their immediacy both in terms of the time taken to execute them and their topicality, but also to a great extent the ephemeral nature of an art form which can be lost as quickly as it was made.

I find myself photographing stencil images wherever I go and rather like the art itself I tend to use them as the background to my iPhone, which by nature means each lasts only a short time. There is a kind of symmetry to the media just thesre, in the very way I use it and enjoy it.

Anyway, luckily other people tend to record it in the form of books and one such volume I picked up a few days ago is streetartlove.rs/belgrade, which catalogues stencil and street art in Belgrade, Serbia.

The title is a URL, which tells us we ought to visit it online as well, and it was worth it if only to discover junaio. Check out the video below, which is directly related to the book but gives you the idea.

Basically you download the junaio App and use to unlock extra features you would not otherwise have seen. It’s a child of the QR code I guess… but anyway, so-called AR, or Augmented Reality, could become more a part of our everyday lives rather than just effects on Sports Tv and such like, particularly when it comes to marketing.

I guess it’s relatively early days now but if consumers become more used to interacting with their surroundings with AR, as they surely will given the proliferation of smart phones, I see a great opportunity for guerilla marketing with this.

Focus on Marketing (sort of) - Japanese Celebrity Ads

2011-03-30T15:52:00.010+02:00

Marketing blog today and we are being a little lazy, but I hope also amusing, by bringing a few Japanese adverts to you. Its by no means an exhaustive list as it seems most Hollywood stars happily accept a few Yens to appear on TV commercials. Some admittedly were done before the likes of YouTube but I think now they also have some kind of retro cool about them - after all Ben Stiller has done them more recently.

Lets start with a couple from the Governer here. Interestingly they seem to perfectly reflect how he has developed in his career, the first is light and silly, whilst the second is more serious but mellow encapsulating the limitless talent that has offered up such frivolous masterpieces as Kindergarden Cop.

First here's Frivolous Arnie through to Mellow Arnie.

Tokyo Drink. Tokyo Drink?? What kind of a name is Tokyo Drink. Its a drink from Tokyo, drunk in Tokyo. Anyway didn't stop Johnny T cashing in.

Jack Bauer: I've only got 24 hours to fill my bag with cash and film this advert.

And here is Sirvester Starrone hamming it up. What will he advertise next, wood?

The last line makes this a classic for me. Its like he is wiffing some top notch coke, not a (closed) packet of chocolate. Ah, Jean-Claude, where are you now? I remember Bloodsport, Universal Soldier and the other one where you were yourself and your brother or something.

Nick Cage is actually perfect for the Pachinko ads - kind of unhinged!

I could go on all day but I have to work as well and probably by this stage you will have found out others you prefer but to finish here are three from the Suntory stable of thoroughbreads, culminating in the greatest of all.

Here's Keanu "I know too much" Reeves and 007's eyebrow acting it's proverbial's off and taking the Japanese coin.

And Finally...

Lutron
Control4

Online Poker vs. Online Casino – Which one is rocking Google’s Boat?

2011-03-03T16:05:00.008+01:00

This month resident SEO guru, Aires Loutsaris, shares some random thoughts.

The other day I was thinking and, seeing that SEO is not only my passion but also puts bread on my table, my thoughts usually involve Google or Yahoo or that other search engine… you know, it starts with a B… they spent like a billion pounds recently shoving their name down people’s throats and still no one even remembers it… the search engine who’s fourth biggest traffic source is Google… anyway the name doesn’t really matter. The point is I got to wondering which of the two biggest staples of online gaming is being searched for the most in Google, which one is rocking Google’s boat and which one is barely making any waves in the online ocean. Poker or Casino?

The best way to find out which keywords are searched the most in the Big G is to pay a visit to their Trends page, another little witty tool created by the Google Team that apart from comparing key phrases amongst each other also shows how they perform in different regions, cities and languages. All the user has to do is enter the keywords to be compared in the search bar separated by commas which in this case is the following: online casino, online poker. After pressing enter, a very interesting chart and statistics were displayed that shocked me a little. You’ve changed online gaming, you’ve changed dude!

The figure above shows the comparison between worldwide searches for online poker and online casino in Google over the past years. A quick note to the keyword ‘online’ being present as a comparison between just casino and poker could have distorted results because some users might have been interested in the movie Casino or a land based casino or the rules of poker itself.

Before I looked at the graph my initial thoughts were that searches for online poker would outrank searches for online casino and they would never come anywhere close to each other, ever. I was wrong! I admit it; yes I was wrong, mea culpa, please don’t hit me. From 2004 to early 2010 it’s exactly as I predicted but in mid 2010 there it was - searches for online casino not only came close to its counterpart, but actually overtook them. How did this happen?!

A few fascinating facts also caught my eye such as in South Africa, Israel and India where searches for online casino outrank online poker consistently whereas in Romania it’s the other way round with a ratio of almost six to one. Furthermore, did you know that Romanian, Italian and Hungarian are the languages where the difference between both is the highest - all in favour of poker - and that Russian is the language where the difference is the least, almost equal. Did you know that? Well now you do! You’re welcome.

Now if you look closely at the graph again, towards the end which is early 2011 or the year we currently live in for those of you in any doubt, we can see that poker searches are dipping and casino searches are rising, both at a very fast pace. Will the takeover happen again and if so how long will it stay put this time. For ever? Only time will tell ladies and gentlemen. Only time will tell!

So what does this actually mean? Oh, I’m sorry I have run out of time. If you have any SEO questions let me know... seo@egamingc.com

2010 and beyond: Odyssey, Part I. The Future - Necessity is the mother of invention. (a prequel).

2011-01-13T11:19:00.007+01:00

There are 255 million websites, 107 trillion emails were sent last year. That’s a mere 300 billion or so emails sent every day. It’s easy to get lost.

Without waging advertising war could your egaming site stand out in 2011? Here’s some of the recent good shit!

Get in early.
Paddy Power recently launched its sports book for the iPad, for example. This may not in real terms immediately create a huge new revenue stream for them, but it does mean they are slightly ahead of the game and they get the publicity.

Full Tilt showed, with its Rush poker, that a new twist on an established game can also give you a huge advantage.

If you ask James Cameron (although he is responsible for Titanic and Avatar, two pretty good reasons to end humanity once and for all, so I wouldn’t ask him if I were you...), everything should be 3D and whilst it may not exactly transfer to the world of e-gaming there is something to be said for looking into this area. PKR generated a huge amount of interest by doing something that no one else had done. In 2010 888’s new 3D casino, whilst coming some time after Le Croupier’s attempt, is a good example of trying to stay ahead of the game. Many more small “pseudo 3D” poker providers have cropped up and are making significant revenue in Southern European markets.

The Social Network: There 175 million people on Twitter.
None of us are new to Facebook now of course but such “sharing” sites have not been exploited to the maximum. I think Twitter is the one for me. Although for many it appears to be nothing more than a status update site (surely the most nauseating thing about Facebook... we don’t give a shit what you had for breakfast!! LOL) it is really a fast, efficient and, most importantly, a direct way of communicating with existing customers. But perhaps overlooked is the fact that it is a valuable search tool, used by thousands of potential customers, management software is available and the resources required to maintain it are modest. 100 million new accounts were added in 2010 alone and the advertising potential is relatively untapped.

Games:
When it comes to adding new games the smaller egaming companies are often much more flexible than larger rivals – they can react more quickly. Although many smaller egaming companies want to have the same casino product as the big guys it also pays to look around and find something which could give you an edge over your direct competitors. There are providers offering a different kind of slot machine, whether it is a slightly more 3D animation or one with alternative design, reel spinning or win lines they are out there.

Incidentally, I think NetEnt’s vision in adding a game such as Jack Hammer should be well noted. The game loads in no time and is ideal for markets where internet is weaker than Steven Seagal's acting but where people still go the their local internet cafe to spin the reels. These markets have not been exploited fully by any means.

On a similar note, surely more providers will think about bridging the online / offline gap? In these harsh economic times people, even in more “developed” markets, want to pay in cash. It doesn’t need to have negative connotations, anyway maybe that’s for another time.

A good example of an innovative product which should flourish in 2011 is InstaDeal Poker™. This innovative product can be integrated into an existing online platform or played from cash terminals. It operates with relatively small numbers and without the same concern for liquidity. Given the speed of the game what you maybe don’t have in player numbers, you will undoubtedly gain in rake.

EGC is off to watch a Walt Disney film whilst self-flagellating. Then it shall apply some ICE to the welts.

This is the last word.

This.

'Tis the season to be Merry!

2010-12-15T18:07:00.004+01:00

Its fast approaching that time of the year again. A time when we all gather together to rejoice, a time for gifts and swapping stories, for drinks and merriment. Thats right its nearly Earl's Court time and this year its totally different (at least in colour). Visit http://www.icetotallygaming.com/ for more info... and if you want to meet up? (and I think you probably do), send us an email, tweet, post on this group, text message, letter, telegram, carrier pigeon.. whatever you prefer.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from eGaming Consulting

Webbie NEWS:

2010-12-13T17:27:00.002+01:00

EGC offering SEO on a budget! We are now listed in in top 10 for Google keyword "egaming". Total cost of this has been under 5 groats.

Twitter Update: @egamingc is approaching the 3000 followers mark. And there is a prize for the 3000th follower. Thats right, the 3000th follower of @egamingc will receive a totally free breakfast, all they have to do is buy it, cook it and eat it themsleves!

2010-12-13T17:14:00.006+01:00

EGC helps to launch InstaDeal™. Find out more at Instadealpoker.com

eGaming Consulting is the Design and Marketing Partner for this exciting network, offering the fastest poker on the internet.

Get Mo fo yo Money, get Money fo yo Mo!

2010-11-06T12:48:00.004+01:00

Grow a moustache for Movember

Ok, its got nothing to do with egaming but its a much worthier cause! eGaming Consulting is joining the growing club of modern gentlemen who believe in the virtues of fine moustachery, immaculate grooming and growing a moustache for Movember. We are looking for like-minded ladies and gentlemen to join the team (Bros Fo Mos)to change the face of men’s health.

Movember is about raising funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. One man dies every hour from the disease in the UK.

It’s time we did something about this.

The more people we get on board, the more lives we can impact. EGC is asking you to join the team and either grow a moustache as a Mo Bro, or join as a Mo Sista to help us on our journey. Presumably Mo Sistas could also grow one if they really want!!

To join my Movember team go to Movember and follow the steps. Once registered you'll be sent all the information you need to raise funds and start growing as part of my Movember team.

To see the impact Movember citizens are already making, follow this link.

I hope you join me to change the face of men’s health.

Don't be a Mo Fo, join the Mo Movement!

World Cup Review

2010-07-12T12:38:00.012+02:00

Check out the Jabulanis on that vuvuzela!
A serious round up of the 2010 FIFA Adidas Coca Cola Emirates Hyundai Sony Visa Budweiser Castrol Continental McDonalds MTN Mahindra Satyam (I don't know either)... World Cup*

THE TOURNAMENT: Amongst the tears of joy in Africa's first World Cup there were, of course, moments of great sadness. Who can forget France's complete self-destruction and early elimination? But anyway, back to the moments of sadness; England's disallowed goal, which would definitely have lead to an amazing comeback and eventual World Cup Triumph for the three lions, North Korea's capitulation at the hands of shallow capitalist materialism or Cristiano Ronaldo, as it’s often called.

The elimination of a number of big teams made for a profitable World Cup for many bookmakers but did this make for an entertaining one for the fans. And does anyone care? Well yes. No but does anyone really care?

The tournament was undoubtedly the worst in the history of football plagued by cheating, bad refereeing and petty violence ( I am struggling to see how this differs from every other competition in the history of football) so we have delved deep into the EGC archives, by glancing at youtube for a few minutes and brought you the tournament low points.

BRONZE: Kader Keita (IVORY COAST).
SILVER: Daniele De Rossi (ITALY).
GOLD: It has to be Lampard’s disallowed goal.

THE FINAL: Justice was done. Amazingly, I began the game supporting Netherlands and at half time I had completely changed my viewpoint.

So, what can we take away with us from this dreary wasted month? What have we learnt from this celebration of the beautiful game? Here is EGC’s top 5 things to take away from WC 2010:

1) We learnt that a vuvuzela is just an annoying plastic tube
2) We learnt that Eboue speaks fluent Korean
3) We learnt the secret diet behind German success
4) We learnt that we should always follow the predictions of an octopus and not the eGaming Consulting team
5) Tiki taka beats the old traditional martial arts

I know many of you are thinking.. what about the fact that Sepp Blatter is muppet! Well, we didn't learn that during this World Cup, we have known it for a long, long time.

NOW, can someone please sort this sham of a sport out! Maybe put some younger people in charge who are actually interested in the game and not just interested in swelling bank balances and free lunches, maybe some ex-footballers for example... oh, who am I kidding?

*Other World Cups are available

World Cup 2010 - Final and Play Off Preview

2010-07-09T10:01:00.004+02:00

Having predicted the two semi-final results we are feeling as cocky as a fox that can tie its own shoelaces, so, if we don't predict both results and at least 1 correct score in the last two games we will eat our hat, at least we would if we had a hat.

Third place play-off.
Following their semi-final exits Urugauy are totally Forlan and Germany have hit a new Löw. This game is totally pointless.
Maybe the respective managers will allow @DiegoForlan7 and Klose out, to try and bag a few goals and slightly spoil David Villa's party but that is about the only interesting thing that could happen.
Prediction: Uruguay 2 - 1 Germany (Uruguay will win because they want it slightly more than the Germans)

Now for some proper punditry:

World Cup Final: Netherlands - Spain
Johannesburg is the venue for the 2010 World Cup final between two European sides which have played within themselves and still reached the final ahead of the much vaunted South American teams.

Spain and Holland have met 9 times, with four wins each and a draw but the Dutch go into the game without losing in this World Cup. As a matter of fact they have not lost an international encounter for 25 matches. Having said that, they have been to three previous finals and left with sweet FA.

I feel like Alan Shearer, stating the bleeding obvious, but Spain is the current European Champion and this will give them a certain confidence. On paper they are the better team, even though their tiki taka football is mildly irritating, and I believe the fruits of their labours will ensure they squeeze all the juice out of the Oranje in every segment of the pitch leaving a bitter taste in the Dutch mouths.

Prediction: Netherlands 1 - 3 Spain (I think Vicente del Bosque - seen below relaxing before the game - will have politely instructed Pedro to pass the freaking ball and they will punish the Dutch in the latter stages of the game, when play becomes more stretched).

World Cup 2010 - Semi Finals Previews

2010-07-05T13:44:00.007+02:00

Okay, so our predictions are getting worse and worse, but all is not lost and we are very pleased that the Hand of Dog has gone out along with his totally rubbish team. So what if they have Messi and Higuain and some other people who are small and score goals? The team is rubbish, the manager knows nothing about managing, they have no tactics and we feel vindicated. The people of Argentina will now see the light and call for a new manager immediately.

So, here we go again!

Uruguay - Holland: Fingers in dykes time
Holland, having somehow overcome our pick for tournament winners, Brazil their confidence should be sky-high. The only other time these teams met was in 1974 World Cup Finals and the Dutch won by 2 goals to nil, but this time around they have not really been playing as well as they could. There is word of unrest in the Dutch Camp (no way!!!) and Uruguay seems to be a close and motivated unit. The Celeste are missing key cheat, Suarez, so they will be relying entirely on Senor Forlan.
Prediction: Uruguay 1 - 2 Holland

Germany - Spain: Champions elect?
Yes, Joachim Low and his freaky sidekick are kind of weird but you have to love the way their proud mannschaft plays. Admittedly England are the only team so far to have actually rattled them, albeit for only 15 minutes, and you feel that if Spain could do the same they might actually beat them. This prediction is entirely based on the Spanish scoring the first goal.
Prediction: Germany 1 - 3 Spain

However... if Spain doesn't get the first goal, Germany will win.

2010-07-02T23:26:00.002+02:00

Argentina - Germany: Getting Messi Up Front
All this talk of the penetrating capabilities of Joachim Low's young Mannschaft have got us hot under the collar and will surely have incensed the Hand of Dog who already has raised his young steeds as the supreme attackers of the World Cup. Will the Germans sweep through the fragile Argentine defences or will en route to Wictory?
Prediction: Argentina 3 - 2 Germany

Paraguay - Spain: Possibles meet Probables
Paraguay, the undisputed revelation of this year's World Cup meets Spain in the last quarter final. The South American team have exceeded expectations and should take the field with nothing to lose. Spain, on the other hand, has a lot of pressure on its shoulders having come into the tournament as favourites. They have never won the World Cup but are the current European Champions. Will the expectation be too for Del Bosque's team?
Prediction: Paraguay 0 - 2 Spain

World Cup - Quarter Finals Preview - 2nd July 2010

2010-06-29T16:39:00.007+02:00

Holland - Brazil: The Lord Mayors Show!
Dunga's men, have proved to be organised in every area of the park (a bit like South Korea) and in fact Brazil have conceded only 4 goals in their last 11 World Cup matches. But they haven't faced a team of the quality of the Dutch, so far in this competition (no offence to the Non Democratic People's Republic of Korea), and this will be a much sterner test. With Robben on fire this will be a close one!
Prediciton: Holland 1 - 2 Brazil

Uruguay - Ghana: ...and afterwards!
Gyan, Gyan, Gyan... the list of Ghana's potential match winners is endless, if you repeat the same name over and over again. I would love to see an African team go through (actually I couldn't care less, I am only saying this cos everyone else is saying it) but I think U r gay have proved to be both resolute at the back and very threatening going forward and will come out on top.
Prediciton: Uruguay 3 - 1 Ghana

World Cup - Round of 16 Previews - 29th June 2010

2010-06-26T19:57:00.011+02:00

Help me Honda, Help, Help, Help me Honda!
Paraguay, fresh from their triumph in Group F, faces Japan in the last sixteen. Paraguay seem a genuinely threatening side going forward and have impressed more than most. South American teams seem to be dominating again but the Japanese are physically very fit and will go toe to toe for 90 minutes or more.
Prediction: Paraguay 3 - 1 Japan

Look at me, look at me , I'm Cristiano Ronaldo!
Naturally in Spain its billed as Spain against C-Ron. And I would imagine if you were to ask that preening peacock he would probably agree and he is probably astonished that there other people on the field. The local rivalry and the attacking ability of the two teams could make for a mouth-watering encounter but Spain has way more class. Then again, a bottle of Brut aftershave has more class than Ronaldo. Come on Spain!
Prediction: Spain 3 - 1 Portugal (Portugal will dive, frequently)

World Cup - Round of 16 Previews - 28th June 2010

2010-06-26T19:51:00.004+02:00

Holland: Relying on Robben?
Holland, after dominating Group E, meets Italy killers, Slovakia, for a place in the quarter finals. The orange men have demonstrated a solid defence, letting in only one goal, and the ability to create goals with ease. With key man, Arjen Robben, back in the side this looks like a straightforward Dutch win with Slovakia still drunk on their triumph over holders, Italy.
Prediction: Holland 3 - 1 Slovakia

Brazil - Chile: South American Derby!
Brazil and Chile meet in the last sixteen and Dunga's men, following on from a dismal but convenient nil - nil against European cousins, Portugal, are favourites in most people's eyes. Chile has proved to be adventurous going forward and they know their opponents better than most but I think its a formality.
Prediction: Brazil 2 - 0 Chile

World Cup - Round of 16 Previews - 27th June 2010

2010-06-25T11:28:00.009+02:00

Germany - England: Who will miss a penalty this time?
England have only won 6 of their last 20 meetings with Germany and as we all know in World Cups they always end in a draw after 90 minutes. Will this be a display or free flowing football from the young and aggressive Germans or can Capello tease another more spirited performance from the Three Lions?
Prediciton: Germany 1 - 1 England. Germany win on penalties, John Terry cries again!

Argentina - Mexico. So we meet again!
Four years later and these two teams meet again in the same round. Argentina are hot favourites to go far and the Central Americans have only won 4 of a previous 25 meetings between these nations but it has to be said that Mexico are a form team and they a desperate to get to the quarter finals of a World Cup, having been eliminated in the second round at their last four attempts. I hope this is a good game - it should be and Argentina will surely tirumph.
Prediciton: Argentina 2 - 1 Mexico

World Cup - Round of 16 Previews - 26th June 2010

2010-06-25T11:21:00.008+02:00

Uruguay: No I'm not!
Uruguay opens the round of sixteen against a team they have never lost to. In fact, South Korea have only managed one draw and three losses in previous meetings with the South Americans. Tabarez's men dominated their group and history would suggest that they will progress but Korea are the first Asian side to reach the knockout stage of two World Cups and this is a great opportunity to cement themselves as the top Asian country. Will a new page of history be written? No.
Prediciton: Uruguay 2 - 2 South Korea. Uruguay win on penalties.

USA - Ghana: The greatest game of World Series soccerball, like, ever?
Ghana, the only African team to have qualified for the knockout stages, faces USA in a replay of a match in the 2006 World Cup which saw the Africans run out 2 - 1 winners. Unfortunately I think the USA and Landon "new man" Donavan will go through.
Prediciton: USA 2 - 1 Ghana. No one in the USA will care.

World Cup - 25th June 2010 Preview

2010-06-24T14:38:00.002+02:00

Portugal - Brazil: The Beautiful Game.
Brazil is already through, Portugal is almost certainly through? So both teams should relax and put on a real show of stylish football.
Prediction: Portugal 2 - 2 Brazil

I'm so ronery.
Ivory Coast need to score a million goals in order to qualify, assuming Portugal lose agains Brazil. They won't. North Korea will return to a heroes welcome after winning the World Cup. This game will not be televised.
Prediction: North Korea 0 - 3 Ivory Coast

Chile'S pain.
If Spain, Chile and Switzerland all finish on 6 points we go down to a series of Paper-Scissors-Stone (rock-paper-scissors) in order to decide who progresses. If Switzerland score more than three goals at one end they will progress instead of Spain unless they also score one goal at either end and Chile have three people booked. Honduras will never qualify.
Prediciton: Chile 1 - 3 Spain Prediction: Switzerland 4 - 0 Honduras

World Cup - 24th June 2010 Preview

2010-06-23T10:21:00.005+02:00

End of the road for the All Whites?
Paraguay, currently group leaders, and the only team to have actually won a game in a group, dominated by draws, faces the surprise package of New Zealand (on two points). The south Americans only need a draw but this would not guarantee top spot.
Prediction: Paraguay 2 - 1 New Zealand

Azzurri: Its squeaky bum time!
Italy faces Slovakia, in a game which will decide whether they progress and defend their title. This team seems a very different proposition from that which won in Germany, four years ago. But it’s not the first time an Italian team has failed to shine and then gone on to make a serious impact, we all know what happened in 1982. Lippi will hope his team lay down a marker today and turn around their fortunes a little. Is this the end of the road for Italy?
Prediction: Slovakia 0 - 1 Italy

Only a win will do for the Danes!
Rustenburg hosts Denmark and Japan, who will be playing each other for a place in the last sixteen. Japan have surprised but they face what is arguably the best Danish outfit since the European Championship winning side. Due to goal difference a draw would see the Japanese go through so Denmark will have go all out for a victory, do they have it in them?
Prediction: Denmark 2 - 1 Japan

Cameroon - Holland
Erm... whatever.
Prediction: Cameroon 2 - 3 Holland

World Cup - 23rd June 2010 Preview

2010-06-23T00:10:00.013+02:00

Three lions on a... plane back to England!
This game is all about a win, any win, just a win. Seemingly this is too much for a much vaunted team which has totally failed to turn up and, perhaps worse than that, has looked crap! Under normal circumstances you would have to say that England are favourites to breeze past Slovenia, especially given their qualifying campaign, but times have changed and the Lions of England can barely managed a meow, let alone a roar!
Prediction: Slovenia 0 - 2 England - First half goal, followed by second half collapse, followed by late Crouch goal to give a completely false impression of English dominance.

USA Versus Algeria
Oh god, I just don't care. USA deserve it cos Algeria are totally shit but I just want England for once to play one good game in a major championship, just once...
Prediction: I will be drunk and I will cry!

Germany: Victory Day?
Germany faces Ghana in the game which is the climax of Group D. Joachim Loew's team, after a hard loss at the hands of Serbia, is looking to come good and guarantee a smooth passage for the mighty German man shaft... through to the last sixteen and the top spot in the group. Will Podolski and the rest of the non-German squad impose the German way on their opponents?
Prediction: Germany 2 - 1 Ghana

Serbia: All In!
Serbia face Australia at Nelspruit as the favourites, but Radomir Antic's team must be careful not to underestimate the Socceroos, who managed a creditable draw against Ghana.
Australia: 1 - 2 Serbia

World Cup - 22nd June 2010 Previews

2010-06-22T08:50:00.008+02:00

What would Ireland have done?
Domenech's team has hilariously disintegrated in front of the world's media and this is their last chance to salvage something but Anelka has been sent home for his comments to the manager (see them below, discussing Domenech's mother's profession) and now some team mates are rumoured to be ready to boycott the match against South Africa. Its a must see game just to watch out for the phony solidarity of a bunch of overpaid, cheating, prima donnas. Ah, The Beautiful Game!
Prediction: France will go home

Mexico - Uruguay
These guys must be looking on and laughing... and if there is a god this one will end in a draw.
Prediction: Mexico 1 - 0 Uruguay

Greece - Argentina: There's only one winner?
Greece, following on from a win against Nigeria, now will pit its collective wits against the group leaders, Argentina, in a game they have to win but won't. They won't be able to bore the Argentine's into submission, although even a draw would do Maradona's men.
Prediciton: Greece 0 - 2 Argentina

Nigeria: It’s now or never!
Nigeria, after the suicidal display against Greece which saw Kaita sent off after 30 minutes, cannot afford to make any more mistakes. Only a win will do here, against South Korea. Sadly for the Eagles...
Prediction: Nigeria 1 - 1 South Korea

World Cup - 21st June 2010 Previews

2010-06-21T01:03:00.006+02:00

Portugal - North Korea: The smartest and most physicarry fit...
Cape Town is the venue for the second game in Group G as Portugal face the fit and resilient North Korean rearguard. A rearguard which should be needed with the likes of Christiano Ronaldo around. I think NK had their "final" against Brazil, and Portugal will dive just enough to win this.
Prediciton: Portugal 1 - 0 North Korea

Chile - Switzerland: Clash of the titans!
We never thought this would be the clash of the two top teams in Group H but after impressive first round games from the attacking Chileans and the super Swiss. A win here for the Swiss will see them in the driving seat requiring nothing more than a draw when they face Honduras, the weakest of the teams but I back Chile to win.
Prediction: Chile 2 - 1 Switzerland

Spain - Honduras: Goals, Goals, Goals...
Spain, again, play the last game of the round but this time it should be infinitely easier than their shock defeat to the Swiss. Failing to beat Honduras would leave the Spanish unlikely to reach the last sixteen and would be the biggest upset so far and, consequently, I don't think it will happen.
Prediction: Spain 4 - 0 Honduras

World Cup - 20th June 2010 Previews

2010-06-19T19:54:00.007+02:00

Slovakia - Paraguay: Who will upset the balance?
Bloemfontein sees the second day of Group F following the dreary draws which characterized the first encounters. Paraguay will be in high spirits following the point they gained against Italia, in contrast to the disappointment of Slovakia as they allowed football giants, New Zealand, to grab a late equalizer.
Prediction: Slovakia 0 - 0 Paraguay

Italy - New Zealand: One year on...
... and they meet again. The only other meeting between these two sides, this time last year saw Italy recover to win 4-3. But this time New Zealand are a different proposition... no they're not, and even with Italy being really rubbish they will get thrashed.
Prediciton: Italy 3 - 0 New Zealand

What will Dunga be wearing?
Will he turn out looking like a fisherman? and will he have an identically dressed sidekick like the freaky Joachim Loew? Whatever it is, it will distract from what should be a good game, but probably won't be. Drogba will fall over and fail to perfom, Eriksson will be Eriksson, Kaka will be anonymous, some other Brazilian will play well enough to score a goal, which ITV will announce as the greatest goal in the history of humanity before realising it took a deflection of 11 Ivory coast players.
Prediction: Brazil 2 - 1 Ivory Coast

World Cup - 19th June 2010 Previews

2010-06-17T15:45:00.003+02:00

Holland - Japan: Its nip and tuck!
Holland and Japan meet in Durban having both secured 3 points from their first round games. You have to fancy the Dutch to get one step nearer the last 16, given their evident pedigree. With a host of stars from the top clubs of Europe they will surely win.
Prediction: Holland 3 - 1 Japan

There's only one way its Ghana finish!
Ghana plays in Rustenburg, full of confidence having seen off the much fancied Serbia, and now facing up to an Australia, demoralised by being overrun by a rampant German force, and without the influential, Tim Cahill. Will Asamoah and company impose themselves on the antipodeans and send them crashing out of the 2010 world Cup? Yep!
Prediction: Ghana 2 - 0 Australia

Cameroon - Denmark: A draw is no use!
Cameroon and Denmark, both slumped at the bottom of group E with nul points, face each other in an attempt to put their campaigns back on track. The Danes could certainly expect to qualify if they snatch a win against the Africans who still have to face Holland in the last game. This would set up an enthralling final game against Japan for Bendtner and his colleagues but....
Prediction: Cameroon 1 - 0 Denmark

World Cup - 18th June 2010 Previews

2010-06-16T15:54:00.006+02:00

Serbia: Loews labours lost?
For Radomir Antic's team this is the last chance to make it through, given their defeat at the hands of Ghana in the first round. The bad news for the Serbs is that Germany are perhaps the team that impressed most in their first tie, albeit against weaker opposition, and only 10 men for a good 20 minutes. Will Vidic and company pull off a miracle and will Joachim Loew's labours be lost?
Prediction: Germany 2 - 1 Serbia

Slovenia - Usa: USA, USA, USA?
The chants ring around the stadium as USA march on. Ok, realistically the vuvuzela's are the only noise you will hear but after humbling England last week, you have to fancy Bradley's USA to get the better of Slovenia.
Prediction: Slovenia 0 - 1 USA

England - Algeria: Its Crunch time...
...and not just for the Ledley King's egg-shell limbs. On the plus side, Rooney was back in training and it seems that Gareth Barry will bring a left foot into what seemed a pretty ordinary side against the US of A. Algeria also failed to impress in their opening tie against Slovenia and you would expect Capello’s "ragazzi" to turn it around this time. If they don’t, it could be “arrivederci England”!
Prediction: England 2 - 0 Algeria

World Cup - 17th June 2010 Previews

2010-06-16T15:42:00.009+02:00

Group B: Don't cly for me South Kolea!
After their first round victories, Argentina and South Korea meet in Johannesburg in the knowledge that a win means they are almost certain to go through to the knockout phase. Unlike their dwarf-coach, Argentina have not yet reached the dizzying highs their fans expect. Argentina will be aided by the fact that the, once bastion of Argentine football - Veron, will not play because he has reached retirement age, despite Maradona admitting it is a difficult decision "because he really wants to play"!
Prediction: Argentina 1 - 0 South Korea

Nigeria looking for redemption!
If their first game couldn't have been much more daunting, then this second challenge is infinitely more straightforward, or at least it should be. Greece were truly grim against South Korea and Lars Lagerback's Nigeria should come through this encounter with 3 points.
Prediction: Greece 0 - 1 Nigeria

Ireland - Mexico
Rustenburg sees Ireland play Mexico; both teams looking to improve on two very disappointing draws against perceived weaker oposition. Les Verts have never lost to the Central Americans in 6 previous meetings, conceding a miserly 4 goals but surely they will handle the pressure better than the Sombreros?
Prediction: Ireland 0 - 0 Mexico

World Cup - 16th June 2010 Previews

2010-06-15T15:28:00.006+02:00

Honduras - Chile: A point a piece?
The big one is here. Group H gets underway with the clash between Honduras and Chile.... bah, who cares?
Prediction: Honduras 0 - 2 Chile

Last but not least!
The current European Champions, Spain, kick off their campaign against Switzerland in Durban. Although Torres is likely to miss the game, Andres Iniesta may be set to play after his recent injury worries. I don't think Del Bosque's men will win the big shiny trophy thing but the zwinglians will not stop the Spanish Inquisition on this occasion.
Prediction: Spain 2 - 0 Switzerland

I'll scratch yours if you scratch mine.
Uruguay and South Africa, off the back of two great draws against stronger opposition, now square up to each other in the first game of the second round. The South Africans played above expectations in their first outing and the South Americans, stifled the French to come away with a point, although arguably they could have done more. Will Uruguay capitalise on this and overcome the home advantage and 40,000 South African fans in Pretoria to snatch 3 points?
Prediction: South Africa 0 - 0 Uruguay

World Cup - 15th June 2010 Previews

2010-06-14T14:20:00.012+02:00

New Zealand - Slovakia: Whateva!
Rustenburg is the venue that concludes the first round of games in Group F as New Zealand meet Slovakia. Slovakia's track record under Vladimir Weiss has seen them rarely end the first half leading a match... will this status quo go on all game? No.
Prediction: New Zealand 0 - 3 Slovakia

Ivory Coast - Portugal: Can we have some good football please?
Ivory Coast and Portugal will battle it out in Port Elizabeth in the first tie of Group G. The Ivorians, unbeaten in qualification, have probably got second spot in the group marked out as their target but to secure that, they will need to overcome Christiano Ronaldo's beautiful hair and macho stance. Didier Drogba won't take part unless FIFA allows him to wear a prosthetic limb but it shouldn't be a problem because the Ivory Coast are managed by one of the greatest tacticians and thinkers the game has ever seen. I predict a Desmond, as they say in South Africa.
Prediciton: Ivory Coast 2 - 2 Portugal

Brasilao - North Korea: Oh, Herro Blazir!
Dunga's men face the might of North Korea in Johannesburg today in what will undoubtedly be a fine display from Kim Yong Il's XI. NK will be narrowly defeated because US forces will shoot 7 brave Korean players trying to cross the halfway line. Incidentally, The Dear Leader has allowed photographers into his PyongYang bedsit recently in an attempt to soften his image; here he is chilling with some tinnies infront of South Korea's opener against Greece.
Prediction: Brazil 3 - 0 North Korea

And just for fun check out the DPRK's web site. It's ace.

World Cup - 14th June 2010 Previews

2010-06-13T23:18:00.004+02:00

Easy win for the Dutch?
Holland, without the fragile Robben, face Denmark in Johannesburg in the crunch match of group E. The Orange men, favourites to come through this group unscathed, have a team rich in winners in all areas of the field so surely nothing, even in the shape of Morten Olsen's men, can stop them. Will Sneijder and his colleagues make mince meat of the Danes or maybe Orange juice or even Holland-aise sauce... Geddit? Sorry!
Prediction: Holland 2 - 0 Denmark

Japan - Cameroon: Roar!
The Free State stadium sees this encounter between the probable underdogs of Japan against the talented but enigmatic Cameroon. So much depends on which Samuel Eto'o turns up. He is the undoubted talent and leader of this pride of African lions, trained by Paul Le Guen. Meanwhile the Japanese coach, a certain Mr Okada, set alight the world of footbal reportage, in a recent interview, by saying "With these players, I want good performance". Cameroon have often impressed in international competitions but the relentless Japanese, who have been training hard, will look to stifle this game with good performance.
Prediction: Japan 0 - 1 Cameroon

Welcome to the stage... The World Champions.
Italy, perhaps the least lauded of World Champions, begins the defence of its title in Cape Town against Paraguay. Lippi's men certainly didn't shine in recent games but as everybody knows, a friendly is a very different proposition and the Italians are masters at grinding out results (surely; diving at opportune moments) when it really matters as they proved four years ago.
Last time these two met in a WC Finals Italy ran out 2-0 winners... but that was way back in 1950 when nearly everyone played in black and white. Will the Azzurri repeat the feat, 60 years on?
Prediction: Italy 2 - 0 Paraguay

World Cup - 13th June 2010 Previews

2010-06-13T09:19:00.008+02:00

Algeria - Slovenia: Issa proper free pointer innit?!

In Polokwane Algeria and Slovenia start their campaign, both earmarked as the "cindarellas" of the group which sees England as favourites - Robert Green permitting. These two sides must take every opportunity to grab 3 points if they stand any chance of progressing from the group phase - unless Robert Green helps them. Can Algeria win this? Can Slovenia win this? Can anyone win this? What will Robert Green do next?
Prediction: Algeria 0 - 0 Slovenia

Serbia - Ghana: Target = second place?

The spotlight in group D is firmly on Serbia against Ghana at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. Both nations kick off as second favourites to Germany in this group and will probably be fighting it out for second spot and a passage to the next stage. 3 Points are paramount in this one, but who will come out eventual winners?
Prediction: Serbia 0 - 0 Ghana

Business as usual for the Germans?

Deutschland Deutschland plays Australia Fair in Durban, in a group that on paper is anything but straightforward. But this is Germany and Germany always get to the latter stages of the bla bla bla... Actually it will be tough against the organised Socceroos, who always back themselves to do well, in typical Aussie fashion. Will the tight shirted, uber cool and - it has to be said - uber gets on my tits, Joachim Luurv get the win his homeland expects?
Prediciton: Germany 1 - 0 Australia

Must the Show Go On? iGaming Super Show Review

2010-06-08T10:06:00.006+02:00

This month Richard Wanigasekera, sales manager for iGaming Business' affiliate products, has contributed a review of the Prague Super Show for egamingblog.com. Richard is the newest addition to the successful team and oversees all commercial elements of the industry leading iGB Affiliate magazine, affiliate conferences and affiliate awards ceremony.

The newest addition to our list of events was the recent iGaming Supershow held in Prague, www.igamingsupershow.com. The iGaming Supershow is the first of its kind. This was an attempt to apply our winning affiliate conference formula to the B2B side of the igaming industry by combining the two in an interesting location. Location is an incredibly important factor, as we don’t want our delegates simply attending a conference venue. We want them to enjoy themselves and have an adventure. It’s not just about work, it’s also the experience we want you to remember.

The B2B area of igaming is already well catered for with events held globally such as the newly re-branded IGE (International Gaming Expo – formerly knows as ICE), and G2E (Global Gaming Expo), to name a couple. These shows attract a large number of global delegates and serve the industry very well, but they do seem to lack the overall igaming mantra of “work hard and play hard”. I hate to tap into a cliché, but it really does apply in our industry. A show isn’t over when the doors close. It should be a non-stop opportunity to do business that is only over when you get back home!

iGaming Business events have always viewed networking as an important area of our industry experience. The relationships forged in social-like settings have traditionally offered a much stronger foundation to base a business relationship on. Meeting someone at a stand is a fantastic way to meet new business contacts and increase the branding of your product. What we do well is add to this by providing networking opportunities at our events that will ensure that you go home with more than just business cards. We want you to remember the individual behind the business card.

As I previously mentioned, I only recently joined the iGaming Business team. I’ve worked in the industry since November 2004, and have attended nearly all gaming shows since then. My main objective at this show was to introduce myself to our exhibitors and get their feedback. As it happened, the show was so busy that I didn’t get the chance to meet everyone over the two days! I intended to attend some seminars, but had no time to do that either. It was definitely the busiest conference I’d ever attended.

One thing we learnt from exhibitors and delegates is that some areas of the show needed to be improved. These include conference venue, transport to and from the conference, the catering and internet service. This is the first show of its kind combining the Affiliate and B2B areas and the concept worked. The 2086 delegates that walked through the doors were a testament to that. The location of the conference could, however, have been better. Prague was great in concept but turned out to be a logistical nightmare. I personally watched our events team work twelve hour days five days a week to ensure that the show was well organized. Sometimes the language and cultural barrier is too great to ignore. It’s catch-22. We never know how well a show can be run at a new venue/location until we conduct a post-show evaluation.

The show was a success, and therefore it will go on. The second year is also always more successful than the first, therefore I can’t wait to be a part of this in 2011, but it wont be held in the Czech Republic again. Where will it be held next? Personally, I’d like to see Vancouver or Costa Rica, but who knows!? My highlight of the show has always been the people. I’ve made good friends old and new at these events and just happen to do business with them. As long as that part of our formula stays, I’m happy to travel the world for our shows.

See you all in Budapest for the BAC 2010!

For more information contact EGC or Richard directly on richard@igamingbusiness.com or click the following links: www.igamingbusiness.com, www.igbaffiliate.com, www.igbaffiliateawards.com, www.londonaffiliateconference.com, www.budapestaffiliateconference.com, www.igbespana.com, www.igbdownunder.com

Interested in contributing to the eGaming Blog? Email us on info@egamingconsulting.com

SEE-GEB Review

2010-05-02T13:31:00.005+02:00

A big thank you to everyone who helped out at the SEE-GEB in Belgrade, Serbia over the last few days.

I think the show can be called a success. There were certainly more people than last year and credit must be given to the organisers who moved it from February to April and benefitted this year from sunshine rather than snow. This certainly helped to fill the hall, particularly on Wednesday which saw steady stream of visitors to the Beogradski Sajam.

Amongst the interesting exhibits, the one that caught EGC’s eye the most, for all you land-based folk, was the Triple Crown Roulette. The roulette itself has been designed by Karim Rashid and offers three spinning roulette wheels to bet on as well as some extra betting features which make it very interesting to punters and operators alike.

Naturally EGC hopes to see more of the online business in years to come, but we shall be back for sure next year!

In the meantime things move on to Prague for the iGaming Super Show, 25th - 28th May. Should you wish to consult us about any aspect of Online Sports Betting, Casino, Games or Poker, please contact EGC to arrange a meeting.

A Gambling Miscellany; including Mike Tyson, Roman Abramovich, The Chancellor of the Exchequer.... some stuff, more things...

2010-03-25T10:48:00.018+01:00

Massive US Homeland Crackdown on Dangerous Illegal Pigeon Gambling Saga.

Both Mr Michael Tyson, well known former gloved boxing type, and Animal Planet (Apparently it’s a TV Station showing moving pictures of wildlife) are supposedly the target of an investigation following accusations of illegal gambling. This follows Tyson’s new TV show about some really fast flying birds or something. I’ve lost the will to live.... but you can read more here if you really want to.

Veni Vidi Vici for Roman.... Abramovich!

Chelsea have won something. No wait a minute that’s not right! Russian squillionaire Roman Abramovich, owner of London ballkickers Chelski has won something.
We can exclusively report that someone told us that Reuters already reported that reported reports, published in Italian newspaper La Repubblica last May, alleged Mr Abramovich had lost a lot in a game of poker and was consequently forced to hand over a luxury rowing boat worth half a country. Well it transpires that this may not have been true. Read the full (real) and life changing story here.

TAX ME DARLING!

In TAX NEWS, The Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling will raise Amusement machine licence duty and casino gaming duty bands in line with inflation. These are the last changes prior to a General Election. So my fellow peeps in the gambling world it’s make-your-mind-up time, get out your phones and text in who you want to vote out of Number 10.

Now some worthy news:

Gala Bingo has pledged greater support to Sue Ryder Care with a series of special online bingo games.

"Gala Bingo is increasing the number of charity games on its leading online bingo site to help raise £1.5million for Sue Ryder Care". Full story on the gala site here.

And finally, some genuinely sad news reported by The Scottish Sun.

Scotland football legend Colin Hendry is being chased for gambling debts.
The Scottish Sun revealed earlier this week the ex-Rangers and Blackburn star was facing a bankruptcy hearing.
It claims the online betting firm Spreadex have filed a petition against him for reported debts of £35,000.
More on this story here.

visit eGaming Consulting, online betting and gambling consultants at www.egamingc.com

Rien ne va plus? Online Gambling in France.

2010-03-23T13:11:00.003+01:00

With the French parliament nearing the point of putting the final seal of approval to its gaming bill and rumours that the French regulatory licence will be active by the time the World Cup kicks off, even the most detached observer cannot help but wonder how the French market and companies operating in the territory at present will react. All eyes are on March 30th and the National Assembly where the bill returns for a second reading prior to approval from the European Union as well as France’s Supreme and Constitutional courts. All this in a period when another great lumbering European machine, UEFA, has taken it upon itself to implement French law in Spain much to the astonishment and annoyance of BetClic, an important player in the French Market.

The French bill itself is no surprise, indeed it has long been awaited by big international corporations and small “local” companies which have been preparing and positioning for the new opportunity, after all, Italy has led the way and proved to be a highly rewarding investment on both sides. AAMS (the Italian state monopoly) has skilfully managed to attract investments from all the Big Guys and is getting ready to license poker cash games and casino games.

Stanley Bet has announced that it is set to challenge the legality of the French law changes as it is yet to receive any reply from the French authorities following a licence application in June 2009.

AAMS regulated skill games, managed to channel the old “.COM” bingo and casino games revenue stream into scratch cards and play for money skill games netting 289 million euros in January 2010.

The French licence will cover only sports betting and poker, two main sources of acquisition sharing similar demographics. But where will the cash rich players enjoying the monotonous “rien ne va plus” go? Furthermore what will all those companies making massive profits from casino play do? Will they play by the book? What would you do as an operator in France and how do you see the business going?

Let us know if you would go “all in” or place multiples on the French league? PLEASE COMMENT BELOW.

Robbers raid Berlin European Poker Tour event

2010-03-06T23:40:00.005+01:00

Armed robbers stormed a hotel in Berlin, today, where a leg of the European Poker Tour was taking place, German police have reported.

There are reports of several injuries in the incident, in which apparently around 800k Euros were stolen from the event at the Grand Hyatt.

The robbery happened this afternoon around 14:30 CET but the tournament did later resume. See some live footage of the robbery by clicking here.

Reports suggested the robber escaped into the crowds outside and there were no serious injuries.

Online Betting, Poker & Casino Consultants

2010-02-15T18:02:00.001+01:00

Our team consists of web design, SEO, PPC and internet marketing personnel who have excelled as online betting, poker and Casino Consultants for over 15 years both in the UK and internationally. eGaming Consulting transforms online gaming sites into online gaming empires equipped with everything needed to succeed in the competitive online gambling industry of today.

Internet Marketing is crucial nowadays

With almost 1 billion people using the internet today, it has never been so important to Tackle the online business world. At eGaming Consulting you can find online marketing consultants with a solid educational background and sharp work prowess that can take your business to the next level. We are the most professional and competent internet marketing consultancy on the web and our track record proves it.

Web Design is here too

We provide mostly web marketing to our customers existing sites but if you require on-site design then not to worry as eGaming Consulting specializes in web design consultancy aswell.

Our Web Marketing includes Gaming SEO and PPC

When we mention Web Marketing this abranges many types and forms of marketing, including SEO marketing (Search Engine Optimization Marketing) and PPC marketing (Pay Per Click Marketing) on all the major search Engines such as: Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask and many other relevant sites.

Important News Information from the Gaming Industry

At eGaming Consulting not only do we like to keep you satisfied with our excellent work performance, we like to keep you informed. Therefore on our website you can read the latest online gambling news and keep up with the latest developments in the Gaming Industry