Caesars Scoops Up Social Networking Free-Play Site Pacific Interactive

Caesars Interactive’s purchase of Pacific Interactive adds the latter’s House of Fun gaming that is social to the Playtika repertoire (Image: Pacific Interactive)
If a novel were become written about Caesars Entertainment Corp., it could easily be called ‘Debt and Acquisition’; the casino operator generally seems to bounce back and forth between racking up IOUs and buying everything they can get their hands on. The chapter that is latest of this book involves Israeli-based social video gaming company Pacific Interactive, and it makes Company Number Four in Caesars ongoing expansion to the popular free-play social gaming market.
‘Free-Play’ Isn’t Always Free
No purchase terms were released on the sale, but Caesars is now the proud owner of House of Fun, an electronic slot-machine, free-play gaming site. Needless to say, ‘free-play’ does not always grow to be exactly free; these social media gaming sites have turned into lucrative internet sites by providing tempting, affordable add-ons of additional digital game tokens often under a money each to players, many of whom access the site via Facebook.
For Pacific Interactive founder and CEO Omri Shitreet, it is all about movin’ on up.
‘we have been excited to join one of the biggest & most effective social and games that are mobile on the planet,’ said Shitreet. ‘We are confident that under the Playtika umbrella, I will be in a position to deliver an even better game experience for the players while at the time that is same great value for our brand new shareholders.’
According to gaming industry Eilers Research analyst and online gaming expert Adam Krejcik, Pacific which is privately held pulled in somewhere between $25 and $30 million for 2013, with 3/4 of that coming from Facebook patrons and 1/4 from various mobile apps.
Krejcik told investors recently that the social site is rated ninth on Eiler’s social casino tracker, among those companies with A facebook presence. Pacific claims to have 700,000 users each time, and about 2.7 million per month.
Social Gaming Proving Lucrative for Caesars
Caesars, of course, is not not used to online or gaming that is social the company’s 2013 revenues from Caesars Interactive’s social gaming presence alone brought in $290 million. Their other social sites include their kingpin World Series of Poker brand, also Playtika and several Buffalo Studios-produced games. According to Eilers, Playtika was a $103 million purchase for the gaming conglomerate, while Buffalo aussie-pokies.club Studios was found for $45 million. And the gaming analyst business states Caesars is on a good path with every one of these acquisitions.
‘ We believe Caesars acquired both ongoing companies at attractive multiples,’ said an Eilers report. ‘ In fact, its acquisition of Playtika has ended up being one of many most useful merger-and-acquisition deals we’ve seen in days gone by five years.’
Caesars says it plans to merge Pacific’s products into its existing Playtika social and gaming that is mobile. They also noted that Pacific’s 100-plus worker base around the world will be safe in retaining their positions following the merger.
For Playtika’s CEO Robert Antokol, the deal is also a plus, saying the House of Fun addition only will pull in brand new users to his company’s platforms.
‘The acquisition we can give you a quality that is new to our dedicated individual base also to attract new users,’ stated Antokol. ‘We think the talented team at Pacific Interactive not only brings with it a distinctive item, but may also be a strong addition towards the group and increase our market leadership within the category.’
Besides Caesars Interactive, other global video gaming businesses such as for example International Game Technology (IGT), Zynga and Scientific Games -have found success in the social gaming market segment. IGT operates the DoubleDown Casino online. Krejcik states this move that is latest by Caesars may, in fact, make IGT and these other businesses step up their social gaming presence.
Adelson’s Anti-Online Gambling Crusade Tries to Smite Its Enemies
Like devout warriors on a sanctioned crusade, Sheldon Adelson’s Washington, D.C. anti-online gambling lobbying brigade claims to stand for might and right (Image: 20th Century Fox)
Let it not be said that Coalition to Stop online Gambling creator and backer Sheldon Adelson is not getting their cash’s worth together with his brand new Washington, D.C. dream team that is lobbying. That being said, it may be hard to pay attention for their message bought and paid for by one of the casino operators that are largest in the entire world, with land casinos throughout the U.S. and Macau, among other nations and not snicker simply a teensy, tinsy little bit.
Fervor and Condemnation
Not since Carrie country and the temperance movement of this early twentieth century or McCarthy’s impassioned anti-Communist followers has such zealotry been demonstrated, spurred to action by those opposed to online gaming’s wicked spread. But this could be the first time those advocates represent somebody who has no problem whatsoever with that vice, provided that it takes place on terra firma.
This indicates the coalition’s latest effort included a media conference via telephone the other day, with five of Adelson’s key lobbyists on their virtual detergent bins. Of course, these soldiers are all highly paid mercenaries, but in battle, one does just what is essential to win the war.
‘Internet gambling expands such as a disease,’ decried former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb (D). ‘Jobs would be lost,’ he added, theirs again as he espoused the view that once gambling is available in-house literally no one would ever leave.
And then there is the children whose lives would be damaged forever, according to retired U.S Sen. Blanche Lincoln (R-Ark), whom sees those who support Internet gaming as being a sort of Fagin from ‘Oliver Twist,’ catching the minds and manipulating those things of the innocents by placing ‘casinos in the pouches of kiddies, 24/7.’
And allow’s not overlook terrorism and cash laundering, which, needless to say, could never set foot in a land casino anywhere. Former New York Governor George Pataki (R) is convinced that online gambling is a menace to national safety, and used an FBI letter’s key points to stress this truth that is inalienable.
Each of the phone speakers got behind the idea that Congress must move now to stop this identified blight on humanity, while an interim ‘timeout’ on Internet gambling should be set in position meanwhile to halt the spread of this new Bubonic Plague.
Alfonso Aguilar representing the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles and its own professional director said, ‘This isn’t an America that we want.’ He said he had been certainly one of 39 organizations that are faith-based attended up to speed and tend to be seeing the light.
C4COP Takes Up Arms
Fighting back, needless to say as we now have reported recently is the newly formed Coalition for customer and Online Protection (C4COP), and that outfit has its muscle that is own behind. Significant casino operators MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment Corp., Station Casinos, and Boyd Gaming Corp., and others, are staunchly pro-Internet gambling, and also have the backup army for the American Gaming Association the casino industry’s main lobbying voice and a group to which Adelson ironically belongs to carry the rear within their return volleys.
Of course, with Adelson’s extensive muscle that is financial C4COP will require all the ammo they could possibly get to fire right back, as the Las Vegas Sands CEO has said he will ‘spend whatever it takes’ to place the final bullets and tie the loads to the Rasputin-esque form of wicked. Never mind he invested we know how that worked out whatever it took to try to get Romney elected back in 2012, and. Confidence is king when you yourself have more cash than God himself.
The unspoken elephant that is white the room, of course, may be the possibility that Adelson is more concerned that online gaming may take a bite out of his massive casino empire’s income share, more than really being worried in regards to the Artful Dodgers and cash launderers taking around the globe. And with three states already up and running with Internet gambling into the U.S. (Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey), and another possible 10 eyeing legislation making it happen in their states also, it would seem that not just has this horse left the barn, but possibly a stampede that is entire well.
And Congress has shown a regular lack of interest in getting too fervently included in either side of this debate, without doubt in part they don’t want to tick anyone off because it is an election year for many, and. Two current bills for, and one against, Web gaming could find no substantial backing in either direction.
Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice Arrested at Atlantic City Casino
Baltimore Raven’s running straight back Ray Rice could be in hot water after an altercation with his fiancée at Revel reportedly got out of hand (Image: rollingout.com)
Ray Rice had a tough 12 months last season his figures had been down and the Baltimore Ravens didn’t even make the playoffs inside their attempt to protect their Super Bowl title. But few people are likely to remember that after the headlines he is causeing the week. Rice and his fiancée were both arrested and faced with simple assault after having a altercation that is physical an Atlantic City casino early Saturday morning, and there’s some dispute as to exactly just how serious the incident was.
Revel Altercation Reported
According to reports, casino security during the Revel Casino called officers through the Atlantic City Police Department at about 2:50 am Saturday morning. That was in reaction to a dispute that is domestic Rice and fiancée Janay Palmer, the one that was recorded by video surveillance digital cameras, police said.
Neither Rice nor Palmer wanted any attention that is medical and neither said they had sustained any injuries. But given the video evidence, both were faced with simple assault-domestic physical violence before being released.
Rice’s lawyer called the event a ‘very minor altercation that is physical’ and the Ravens showed up to want to play down the event because well.
‘We understand the Friday evening situation with Ray Rice and his fiancée,’ said Ravens director of public relations Chad Steele. ‘We have spoken with Ray, and know that they returned home together after being detained.’
Team Affiliation Unaffected
More prominent users of the Ravens organization said they had not yet spoken to Rice. According to Baltimore general supervisor Ozzie Newsome, neither he nor head advisor John Harbaugh had talked to Rice on Monday, but both planned to do so in the overnight. Newsome also said he expects Rice to still be with the group in 2014.
Philadelphia lawyer Michael Diamondstein has been hired to represent Rice into the instance, and seems confident that there won’t be much to the incident once the facts are released.
‘ We haven’t seen any documents that are charging,’ Diamondstein said. ‘There was an argument that included Ray. I can not give any particulars because we haven’t seen the document yet. Once we’re able to go through the evidence, it should crank up to be little more than the usual misunderstanding.’
Revel staff also stated that Rice who they say had been hanging out at the Revel’s Royal Jelly Burlesque Nightclub with a group of approximately eight people early in the day within the night was pleasant to them in their stay.
‘When he was here, they had been having a time that is great’ said Scott Russo, director of operations at the nightclub. ‘[He] ended up being very nice to your staff.’
Despite the reaction that is low-key the incident in most quarters, you can find rumors that it may, in fact, were more severe than reported. Sports news site Deadspin.com cited an anonymous ‘tipster’ whom claimed that the event was more violent than Rice’s camp is willing to acknowledge, saying that a woman (presumably Palmer) spit on Rice, and after that he punched the woman, knocking her out. However, there has been no hard evidence to back up this variation of events.
Ray Rice has scored 37 touchdowns and rushed for 6,180 yards over his six seasons in the NFL. However, he’s coming off a down year in which he tallied just 660 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Rice is in the exact middle of a five-year, $35 million contract using the Ravens, and is also known if you are mixed up in team’s anti-bullying campaigns; one thing which could possibly add fuel to this firestorm that is domestic.
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