Friday, November 21, 2014

Pala Interactive

NJ: No proof that Pala CEO knew of cheating

Wayne Parry, Associated Press · November 20, 2014

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – New Jersey’s chief gambling regulator says a preliminary investigation has found no proof that the CEO of a tribal Internet gambling company was involved in or knew of an online cheating scandal at a previous job.
David Rebuck, director of the state Division of Gaming Enforcement, said Jim Ryan, chief executive of Pala Interactive, was CEO of a company whose software was used to cheat online card players in 2006. Pala started offering Internet gambling in New Jersey this week, the first Indian tribe to do so.
In a letter posted on the division’s website Thursday afternoon, Rebuck said an investigation of the UltimateBet scandal determined that it occurred while Ryan was head of Excapsa Software. That firm’s software was used to cheat players by revealing their hidden cards to other users, resulting in losses of nearly $20 million to players. The money was ultimately refunded. But the software was actually developed by a different company that pre-dated Ryan’s employment at Excapsa, according to the report.
“I had no knowledge of it, was not involved,” Ryan told The Associated Press. “It was incredibly regrettable. It was a pretty sophisticated scheme.”
His current company, Pala Interactive, began a test of its new software this week in New Jersey. The company is owned by the California-based Pala Tribe of Mission Indians. The company expects final approval over the weekend to launch its full palacasino.com site on Monday. Ryan said the software Pala is using in New Jersey now is different and has been tested by the state.
Full Article: NJ: No proof that Pala CEO knew of cheating

Friday, November 14, 2014

New Partnership for Pala Interactive

Optimal Payments Announces Partnership with Pala Interactive to Provide Payment Processing Services for U.S. Regulated Online Gaming Market

Company to support the launch of Pala Interactive's online gaming platform in New Jersey with its comprehensive payment solutions for gaming operators

LONDON, MONTREAL and NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2014 /CNW/ - Optimal Payments Plc (LSE AIM: OPAY) ("Optimal Payments"), a leading global online payment solutions provider, today announced that it has partnered with Pala Interactive, LLC, an emerging leader in the online, real-money gaming space, to provide them with payment processing services for the U.S. regulated online gaming market.

Earlier this month, Pala Interactive successfully obtained authorization, via its partnership with Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, from the New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement to provide real-money online gaming in the state.

Optimal Payments' complete suite of payment processing services for regulated online gaming in the U.S. including, its NETBANX® payment gateway and NETELLER® and Net+® stored value services, are now available through Pala Interactive's online gaming platform. Pala Interactive's customers will have access to credit/debit cards, electronic checks (ACH), NETELLER/Net+ and various alternative payment options.

"We selected Optimal Payments as our payment processing partner because the company has created and delivers the best integrated gaming and payments solution to global markets," said Jim Ryan, chief executive officer, Pala Interactive. "A key element of our strategy is to partner with best-in-breed providers, such as Optimal Payments, that bring expertise in payment processing and risk management services. Together, we will address the needs of the regulated U.S. gaming market, state-by-state."

"This partnership supports our ongoing strategy to build a complete solution for the regulated U.S. gaming market that will enable operators to bridge land-based casino infrastructure with the online world," added Joel Leonoff, president & CEO, Optimal Payments. "The Pala Group is a widely respected leader in land-based gaming in California, and through its Pala Interactive joint venture, it expects to provide the best possible online gaming experience to its casino partners. We are pleased to be working with Pala and its customers, and this agreement demonstrates our ability to provide real value to both technology providers and gaming operators alike."

About Pala Interactive, LLC

Pala Interactive, LLC in an online real money and social gaming operator that was founded in 2013 in anticipation of upcoming U.S. state legislation permitting real-money internet wagering. Focused on delivering an excellent user experience to consumers through its proprietary platform, Pala Interactive plans to be a material market participant in the US regulated online gaming market. The Company's majority shareholder is the Pala Band of Mission Indians, which owns and operates the Pala Casino Spa and Resort in Pala, California.

About Optimal Payments Plc

Optimal Payments is a global provider of online payment solutions, trusted by businesses and consumers in over 200 countries and territories to move and manage billions of dollars each year. Merchants use the NETBANX® platform and services to simplify how they accept credit and debit card, direct-from-bank, and alternative and local payments; and the NETELLER® service to increase revenues and capture new customers. Consumers use the multilingual and multicurrency NETELLER and Net+® Card stored-value offering to make secure and convenient payments. In July 2014, Optimal Payments acquired Meritus Payment Solutions and GMA as part of the company's commitment to strengthen its presence in the US market. Optimal Payments Plc is quoted on the London Stock Exchange's AIM, with a ticker symbol of OPAY. Subsidiary company Optimal Payments Ltd is authorised and regulated as an e-money issuer by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 900015).

For more information on Optimal Payments visit www.optimalpayments.com or subscribe at http://www.optimalpayments.com/media/email-alerts.
SOURCE Optimal Payments Plc
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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

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Thursday, November 6, 2014

Pala Interactive In The News

Borgata, Pala Indians OK'd for online gambling

By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Wednesday, November 5, 2014

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey gambling regulators have approved a California Indian tribe's request to offer Internet gambling in conjunction with Atlantic City's top casino.

The state's Gaming Enforcement Division has authorized Pala Interactive to team with the Borgata to offer online gambling in New Jersey.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians will be the first Indian tribe to engage in online gambling in New Jersey. The enforcement division signed an order approving the arrangement last Friday.

"Hopefully we're going to surprise and delight and build some meaningful market share in New Jersey," said Jim Ryan, the company's CEO. He formerly ran the bwin.party online gambling company with which the Borgata already is partnered for online gambling in New Jersey.

The tribe runs the land-based Pala Casino and Spa in San Diego County, California, and wanted to expand its brand onto the Internet, Ryan said.

Read Full Article Here-->Borgata, Pala Indians OK'd for online gambling

More News Links:

Pala Interactive Partners with Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa to Offer New Jersey Internet Gaming - Pala Granted Transactional Waiver by Division of Gaming Enforcement

New Jersey DGE Gives Conditional Approval to Borgata, Pala Interactive Partnership

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Santa Ysabel Goes Live With Online Bingo

Santa Ysabel Online Gambling Goes Live in California, But Not With Poker

November 4th, 2014 by Philip Conneller

The Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, the go-it-alone tribal gaming operator that has vowed to launch a real-money online poker site whether California legalizes it or not, began offering real money online gaming this week. But it’s not poker, it’s bingo.

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The tribe has made clear that it is interested only in poker and bingo.

“House-banked games and slot machines are defined as Class III games, and can only be offered in a tribal casino upon agreement with the state through a Tribal-State Gaming Compact,” it says on its website. “Santa Ysabel has had such a compact with the state since 2005, but has no plans to offer Class III gaming through its interactive website.”

Certainly, the tribe’s efforts to launch online poker in the California may depend on the success, or lack thereof, of the new bingo site and whether it receives legal challenges. And it’s likely that there will be legal challenges. The Iipays believe they have discovered a legal loophole in IGRA that defines bingo and poker as Class II gaming, but that assumes that bingo and poker are the same as online bingo and online poker, in a legal sense.