Begleiter burning it up at WPT’s Legends Tourney

August 24th, 2009 by admin

Steven Begleiter didn’t even get a full sentence when we did our write-up on the WSOP Main Event’s final nine. In the same piece, we called him an “unknown,” and his Bluff player profile is still all zeros, but the players at the World Poker Tour’s Legends of Poker tournament certainly know who he is.

In a field of 279 top players, Begleiter quickly rose to the top on Day 1 of the Legends action, and he stayed there through Day 2. Going into Day 3 he still had a formative chip lead, though Prahlad Friedman was working hard to close the gap.

While Begleiter is no doubt excited about his potential to claim the $1 million-plus Legends of Poker top prize. In an interview on Day 2 of the tournament, he confirmed that his success had him looking ahead to the Main Event in November. “I hope I can do this on November 7,” he giddily told a reporter.

Playtech reports solid Q2 profit

August 4th, 2009 by admin

Several gambling interests are currently reporting their Q2 numbers and, for the most part, those numbers have been holding steady and proving that while the recession has certainly affected the gambling industry, it hasn’t crushed it.

Some corporations like Las Vegas Sands Corp. posted disappointing numbers that fell below even economy-adjusted expectations. Macau’s major gambling interests faired much better despite recent concerns.

One notable company has risen above the recession this quarter to post a 23% increase in income: Playtech’s positive Q2 report stands as proof that the online gambling industry is still going strong.

While Playtech’s total revenues for the quarter were slightly less than Q1 revenues, they nevertheless continue to profit thanks to their innovative gambling applications, industry-leading software and sharp marketing plan. Playtech’s board released a statement predicting that the company would underperform against current expectations (due to the delayed launch of WHO and economy issues), but that they were nevertheless optimistic that they would continue to post strong profits for the remainder of 2009.