Pala Interactive In Pennsylvania

PR Newswire - Wind Creek Casino launches Pala Interactive powered Online Gaming Platform in Pennsylvania

Excerpt:

"Pala Interactive is honored to have been selected as Wind Creek's technology partner," said Pala's CEO Jim Ryan. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved the launch of the Wind Creek real money online casino on July 24th.  This launch represents completion of the first phase of a multi-stage real money and social casino plan.  The next phase will be the introduction of the Wind Creek sports betting offering in partnership with BetFred USA Sports and Scientific Games Corporation, expected to launch later this Fall.

Read Full Article At Link Above

Robert H Smith Background Report

I received the background report below on Robert H Smith.  The report was prepared using publicdatacheck.com.  I have not vetted all the information so I cannot vouch for its accuracy but I was told it was shown to a law enforcement agent that verified the information.

I will also post the Pala Interactive MOU again below since someone asked for it as well as other filings.

Robert H Smith Background R... by on Scribd

MOU Between Pala and NG Pok... by on Scribd

PalaInteractive LLC NewJers... by on Scribd

Pala Interactive NJ Waiver ... by on Scribd

Below is a link to a news article that came out January 29, 2019.

Pala Interactive Launches New Social Casino And Poker For World Poker Tour®'s ClubWPT™

Jim Ryan, CEO of Pala Interactive also made some recent statements:

Jim Ryan: Biggest risk from new Wire Act opinion is payments

Jim Ryan, CEO of Pala Interactive Makes News

Article Link:

Illinois Sports Betting And Online Casino Up For Debate In Legislature This Week

Excerpt:

Jim Ryan, CEO of Pala Interactive and a member of the nonprofit iDEA Growth, submitted a letter this week calling on lawmakers to not overlook the economic benefits of gambling expansion.

Ryan wrote mobile wagering is “the future of the industry” and sports wagering is already taking place on “unregulated platforms.”

“Illinois needs to make it legal and regulated. Voting for anything less is a lost opportunity for the state’s economy,” Ryan wrote.

Read the full article at the link above.

Jim Ryan mentions iDEA Growth

Take a look at their members here:  https://ideagrowth.org/who-we-are/

Pala Interactive is a member of this non-profit.

I wonder how much Pala is giving to this non-profit in order to lobby various State Governments to push Online and Mobile Gaming...

Has Pala started issuing Per Cap payments from Pala Interactive yet?  Pala investd $100 million in this venture....Any ROI yet?

...Meanwhile Pala Interactive is Doing Bigly

Apparently Pala's General Council just doesn't want to talk about Pala Interactive, that online gaming venture Robert invested $100 million of the Band's money in.

If Pala Casino is doing so bad how is it Pala Interactive is doing so good?  Why isn't the Band provided financials about Pala Interactive?  Are they making money?  Why isn't the Band receiving any Return On Investment (ROI) from Pala Interactive?

PALA EXPANDING NEW JERSEY FOOTPRINT WITH BETGENIUS PARTNERSHIP — WHAT’S NEXT?

BY JOHN BRENNAN

Excerpt:
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Pala Interactive launched the PalaCasino.com brand in the fall of 2014 and added PalaBingoUSA.com in the spring of 2016. PalaPoker.com launched preliminarily in mid-2017, and completed its full launch in December. Pala Casino offers access to more than 250 online casino games.

Pala and Borgata — together again?

So Pala already has a triple threat of online gambling angles — might the brass try to make it a quadruple threat? Pala’s online casino gaming and poker platforms come via a deal with Borgata, which just happened to be the first Atlantic City casino to offer sports betting in June and the first to offer mobile sports betting earlier this month.
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The deal with BetGenius may help Pala with brand awareness, something it has in California but less so anywhere else. California seemed on the verge of legalizing online poker years ago, which presumably was a big factor in Pala’s foray into developing a website and online infrastructure. If online gaming regulation does come to California, Pala will have a leg up on rivals due to its experience in New Jersey.

Pala Interactive to Distribute Leander's Gaming Catalogue

Leander teams up with Pala Interactive for North American content distribution

BY Press Releases ON July 18, 2018

TAGS: LEANDER GAMES, PALA INTERACTIVE

Excerpts:

London, 18-July: Leander has expanded its exposure to the North American market after signing a distribution deal for its content with Pala Interactive LLC.

The deal will see Leander’s extensive catalogue games and those of its partners available for play on the CanPlayCasino offering. An online gaming website powered by the Pala Interactive gaming platform and operated by the Abenakis du Wolinak first nation.

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About Pala Interactive

Pala Interactive is an online social and real money gaming software development company that was founded in 2013 in anticipation of the burgeoning social and real money gaming opportunity in the United States. Focused on delivering an excellent player experience through our proprietary platforms for our partners and customers, Pala Interactive plans to be a material market participant in both the US online social gaming and regulated realmoney online gaming markets. Pala’s majority shareholder is the Pala Band of Mission Indians which owns and operates the Pala Casino Spa and Resort in Pala, California.

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Read the full article at the link above.

Pala Interactive's Jim Ryan Gushes For The Reporters

I would expect that there would be a large Christmas Bonus for Tribal Members since Pala Interactive is doing so well.  Thank you Jim Ryan.  I bet the tribal members of Pala are enjoying the tremendous benefit Pala Interactive is bringing to their lives.

Link to Article:

PALA’S JIM RYAN EXPLAINS HOW A CALIFORNIA TRIBE BECAME A MAJOR ONLINE PLAYER IN NJ

From PlayNJ.com

Excerpt:

RYAN ON PALA INTERACTIVE’S SUCCESS SO FAR
PNJ: PalaCasino.com recently celebrated three years in New Jersey’s regulated online gaming space. How would you assess Pala’s performance over those three years?

Jim Ryan: We are proud of our performance. Why I say that is because we entered the market a year after it opened without a brand and without a player database. To any onlooker, we were seen as an underdog.

However, we have quietly built our business and continued to improve our platform and add new games. We have been largely focused on our casino business and the casino offering has upwards of 300 games today. We were only one of two operators to introduce a bingo product and we offer bingo three times a week.

We have a very loyal customer base that comes and plays bingo but, equally importantly, that same customer base enjoys our casino games, so it is a growth driver. With the launch of our poker product in June, we are the only operator in the marketplace that has got casino, bingo and poker.

Equally with poker, which although has very small liquidity, it is already breaking even for us. So, in terms of overall performance, we have come from nowhere and while we certainly aren’t the biggest, we are far from the smallest operator. And in that respect, we are proud of those accomplishments.

PNJ: What about your performance in terms of revenue?

JR: We generally haven’t quoted the size of our business, but we do over $600,000 a month in revenue and we are continuing to grow at a reasonable pace.
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Read The Full Article At The Link Above
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Potentially up to $100 Million of allegedly borrowed money was invested by "The Tribe" aka Robert Smith.  3 years later the ROI is $600K per month.  What would it be if the money was just put in a savings account?

Mr. Jones

Pala Casino Tries to Keep Up with the Joneses with $170 Million Expansion to Southern California Resort

JULY 30, 2017 BY KEVIN HORRIDGE

Excerpt:

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Gambling Sunny in California

The Pala Casino announcement is just the latest in a laundry list of resort overhauls in Southern California.

Pechanga’s current renovation is costing the tribal group $285 million. Construction is also taking place at the Barona Casino & Resort, Sycuan Casino, and Viejas Casino & Resort, all properties which are located in the San Diego area. Those tribes, however, aren’t revealing how much money they’re spending.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians says it needed to update its property to adapt to customer demand. Speaking to the pool area, which will be transformed to resemble a space typically found at major resorts in Las Vegas and to include bars, fire pits, and cabanas, Pala CEO Bill Bembenek explained that visitors are looking for a more luxurious experience.
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Slow Rollout

Pala Interactive, the tribe’s internet gaming division, has been operating in New Jersey through a partnership with Borgata since the fall of 2014. PalaCasino.com has been one of four live websites under the land-based resort, the others being BorgataCasino.com, BorgataPoker.com, and NJ.PartyPoker.com.

The New Jersey PalaPoker.com rollout was delayed for several years, while waiting for the arrival of PokerStars. But since the company’s poker site launch last month, traffic has been slow-to-nonexistent: according to PokerScout, PalaPoker is averaging just two players a week on average.
While New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement doesn’t break down internet gaming revenues by site, Borgata’s partners have generated $23.48 million in year-to-date income. Only the Golden Nugget ($33 million) has made more from iGaming.
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Read full article at link above

Online Gaming Lobbying Increases

New iGaming lobbying group launched in US

By Robert Simmons

Excerpt:

The I-Development and Economic Association (iDEA) claims that it is “an association seeking to grow jobs and expand online interactive entertainment business in the United States through advocacy and education”.

It is made up of 17 firms representing a wide spectrum of the online gambling industry including: Amaya, Inc, Golden Nugget, Paysafe, Paddy Power Betfair, GVC Holdings, Resorts Interactive, Catena Media; NetENT, Sightline Payments, Continent 8 Technologies, NYX, Tropicana Entertainment, Gamesys, Pala Interactive, Vantiv Gaming Solutions, eZugi, and Ifrah Law.
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Read full article at link above

Seems Pala's money is still circling the drain.  How's that $100 million online poker investment working out?  Everyone got per cap raises this year, right?

Pala Interactive In The News

Pala Interactive debuts New Jersey online poker site

Excerpt:

BY Peter Amsel ON June 07, 2017

TAGS: NEW JERSEY ONLINE GAMBLING, PALA INTERACTIVE, PALAPOKER

Tribal gaming operator Pala Interactive has added a poker product to its New Jersey online gambling operations.

On Tuesday, Pala Interactive announced the launch of PalaPoker.com for both desktop and mobile poker players residing in the state of New Jersey. The poker site, which is currently in open beta testing, follows the 2014 launch of Pala’s New Jersey online casino and the 2016 launch of PalaBingoUSA.com.

-- Read more at link above

Also:

New Online Poker Room Launches in New Jersey

Pala Interactive rolls out New Jersey poker product

California Online Poker Dead?

California Online Poker Efforts Shelved Indefinitely Very Little Chance Bill Will Move Forward This Year: Report

Excerpt:

by Brian Pempus  |  Published: Apr 25, 2017

It’s been 10 years since lawmakers in California began looking at regulating state-licensed online poker sites. Nothing has ever come to fruition.

It was already unlikely that 2017 would be any different, but, according to OnlinePokerReport, California Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, sponsor of the current online poker bill, has said definitively that there won’t be any action on it this year.

The debate could be restarted next year, but there’s no guarantee.

California tribes haven’t been able to come to a consensus on how to regulate the industry. Some don’t want PokerStars being allowed entry into the market.

...read more at link above...

How Well Is Pala Interactive Doing?

It's hard to know how well Pala's online gaming business is doing.  But we can infer some things from the news.

From this article:

uspoker.com - Will A Hard Rock-Branded Online Casino In New Jersey Flourish Or Flounder?

Excerpt:

Latecomers have gained significant market share

The NJ online poker and casino industries consisted of far fewer sites in November 2013, the month when the first wave of regulated sites went live. And all of them have performed admirably.

Pala Casino launched in November 2014. Despite being a relatively unknown quantity in New Jersey, the San Diego-based brand now accounts for a significant portion of Borgata AC online casino revenue.

How much? According to the latest US iGaming Tracker report from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, the casino has captured 15 percent of Borgata’s online market share, which translates into roughly $5.6 million in revenue generated per year.

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You can read the entire article at the link above.

So, after an alleged $100 million investment by the Pala Band of Mission Indians about 4 years ago Pala Interactive seems to be generating about $5.6 million a year in revenue, at least in New Jersey.

California Online Poker Stalls Out

Online Poker Futility Serves As A Lesson To California Tribes On Embracing Technology In A Changing Industry

Excerpts:

By Dave Palermo

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Tribal leaders and gambling industry executives are pessimistic of success in getting online poker enacted in the two-year legislative cycle that began in January, largely because of lingering differences over the licensing suitability of PokerStars.

“There is no evidence that the tribes have reconciled that or even demonstrated a willingness to do so,” said Jim Ryan, CEO of Pala Interactive, an enterprise of the Pala Band of Mission Indians.

“Everything I’m being told is that the legislators in Sacramento have been exhausted by the issue. So in the absence of a material catalyst I think iPoker is certainly going nowhere fast.”

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Pala and the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut operate websites offering real-money gambling and social gaming, where players pay for credits to play casino games that do not produce jackpots.

“In the past 3½ years many tribes have provided social gaming offerings over the internet,” Ryan said, including several California Indian bands.

Economists believe the annual North American social gambling market is approaching $4 billion in annual revenue.
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Read the full article at the link above for more information.

Pala Interactive Rolls Out MyPalaCasino.com Along With Facebook App - Android and iOS Apps to Follow

Big News for Pala Interactive

gamingintelligence.com - Pala Interactive rolls out first free-to-play virtuals titles from Leap Gaming

Pala Interactive, the iGaming subsidiary of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, has launched five new virtual sports titles on its social casino site MyPalaCasino.

The launch follows a deal with virtual sports specialist Leap Gaming to add its portfolio of virtual games to the free-to-play site, with horse and dog racing, trotting, velodrome and speedway titles now live.

The games are currently available via the MyPalaCasino.com site and Facebook app, and will soon to be added to its iOS and Android apps.

The games allow players able to pick their favourite horse, dog or athlete and place a range of bets based on current odds and the competitor's performance history.

Launched in November 2016 to promote the tribe's California-based Pala Casino Spa & Resort, MyPalaCasino offers a range of slots, table games and skill-based puzzles alongside the virtual sports products.

The social offering is integrated with the casino's Pala Privileges reward programme, allowing players to collect points to redeem for real-world prizes such as games, spa services, food and beverages or hotel stays.

The initial virtual sports roll-outs will be followed by the addition of tennis and soccer games in the near future.

Also:

Pala adds virtual sports games to social casino

Online Poker and Virtual Sports Betting News

Push For California Online Poker In 2017 May Be Doomed Before It Even Begins

Excerpt:

Prospects of passage in 2017 looking dim

Amaya/PokerStars, along with 888 and Caesars Entertainment, partners with the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, and Pala Interactive, an enterprise of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, will continue to lobby legislators, aware they each stand a chance of grabbing a major share of an online poker industry.

A number of tribes – Rincon, Pala, United Auburn and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, to name a few – may also be anxious to get into the online poker business, but are aware of the futility of lobbying the issue without tribal consensus.

“We’re not really going to try and carry any water on the issue unless the other tribal coalitions – the Morongo group and the Pechanga group – move something forward in some kind of compromise,” Stallings said.

Read more at link above

Also:

Virtual Sports Betting In Nevada Will Soon Be A Reality

Excerpt:

Leap Gaming in California

Inspired isn’t the only virtual sports provider trying to get a foot in the door in the US market.
Earlier this year, the Pala Band of Mission Indians in California partnered with Leap Gaming to add virtual sports to its social casino. Perhaps, further down the road, virtual sports will be added its real-money online gambling products, including the tribe’s NJ online casino.

“I’m very excited about this new collaboration with Leap Gaming which will allow us to be one of the first platforms to launch virtual sports as a social gaming product in North America,” said Pala Interactive’s Chief Social Gaming Officer Brett Calapp in a press release.

Calapp went on to hint about virtual sports expanding to other platforms.

“Leap’s virtual sports products are truly state of the art and provide a visually stunning player experience across all platforms,” he said. “We look forward to start offering this premium content to our customers.”

Read the full article at the link above.

Remember, the Executive Committee owns Pala Interactive, not the tribe.  However, they used tribal money to launch it.

Pala Interactive In The News

Pala Interactive has launched a free to play casino app that allows Pala Privileges rewards players to win real prizes at Pala Casino.

Pala Interactive launches social casino app for land-based venue

Excerpt:

The free-play site has been developed using Pala Interactive's proprietary social gaming software and systems, and is integrated with the casino's Pala Privileges rewards programme.

This allows Pala Privileges reward card holders to win real-world prizes such as free casino play, spa services, food and drink, and accommodation.

"We are really excited about the launch of this new gaming product," Pala chief executive Bill Bembenek commented. “We believe the games will provide another high-quality gaming experience for our guests especially those who are not able to visit our resort.
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read the full article at the link above.

Leap Partners with Pala for Free To Play Virtual Online Sports

News via .gamingintelligence.com

Leap to launch first US free-to-play virtual sports offering with Pala

Virtual sports specialist Leap Gaming is to launch a social variant of its core product in the US for Pala Interactive, the iGaming arm of the Pala Band of Mission Indians.

Last year it appointed Brett Calapp, founder of social gaming platform provider RocketFrog, as its chief social officer.

“I’m very excited about this new collaboration with Leap Gaming which will allow us to be one of the first platforms to launch virtual sports as a social gaming product in North America,” Calapp said of the new partnership.

“Leap’s virtual sports products are truly state of the art and provide a visually stunning player experience across all platforms. We look forward to start offering this premium content to our customers.”

The deal is one of the highest-profile to be signed by Leap and one of the first since iGaming-focused technology investment vehicle FastForward acquired a 41.15 per cent in the supplier.

“We are thrilled to partner up with Pala Interactive and provide our virtual sports through their growing footprint across North America,” Leap Gaming CEO Yariv Lissauer said.

“We believe the time is now right to introduce virtual sports also as a social gaming product and we therefore believe our suite will complement Pala Interactive’s gaming portfolio extremely well,” he explained. “We look forward to a long lasting and prosperous partnership.”

California Online Poker Bill Takes A Step Forward

California Online Poker Bill Passes Assembly Appropriations Vote

California Representative Adam Gray’s Assembly Bill 2863 has passed an important Assembly Appropriations Committee vote today, moving on to consideration by the state’s full Assembly body.

AB 2863’s passage from committee came despite continuing opposition from a hardline, obstructionist group of a half-dozen politically important casino-operating tribal nations, led by the Pechanga and Agua Caliente tribes, along with continuing protests from the Sheldon Adelson-funded Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling.

State of CaliforniaHowever, a much larger coalition of AB 2863’s supporting entities were on hand to speak in support of the bill’s passage, including six other of the state’s prominent, casino-operating tribes — the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, the United Auburn Indian Community, the Pala Band of Mission Indians, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.

Read More Here - California Online Poker Bill Passes Assembly Appropriations Vote

Also:

Lawmakers Seeking Pound Of Flesh From PokerStars For Entry Into California Online Poker Market

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But several members strongly recommended tightening “bad actor” language that would permit, with conditions, the licensing of companies accused of taking U.S. wagers in apparent violation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006.

The committee’s concern about one of the companies – PokerStars, purchased in 2014 by Amaya Gaming – is prompting skepticism the bill will generate the votes needed to get through the legislature. The tax measure will require a two-thirds vote for approval.

Meanwhile, a politically powerful coalition of seven tribes led by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians continues to oppose licensing Amaya/PokerStars, which also threatens passage of the bill.

Read More Here - Lawmakers Seeking Pound Of Flesh From PokerStars For Entry Into California Online Poker Market

MGM Buys Stake in Borgata

MGM To Acquire Boyd Gaming's 50-Percent Stake In Borgata

Excerpt:

Borgata also has the largest online gambling business in the state. It’s one of five online casino operators there. Borgata had $45.7 million in online gaming revenue in 2015, nearly a third of the state’s total. The licensed online gaming sites under the Borgata are Borgatacasino.com, Borgatapoker.com, NJ.Partypoker.com, palacasino.com and palabingousa.com.

In February it was announced that Borgata would migrate from the Party platform to United Kingdom-based GAN, formerly GameAccount Network. The launch of the GAN-Borgata product is expected in the second quarter of this year. Borgata also has a partnership with Pala Interactive, an online gaming company from the Pala Band of Mission Indians in California.

Read More Here:

MGM To Acquire Boyd Gaming's 50-Percent Stake In Borgata

Pala Interactive - Still No Poker?

Online Poker Report - GAN Annual Report Expects Real Money Gaming Deal With The Borgata To Begin In Summer 2016

Excerpt:

The existence of the relationship with GAN does not absolutely show that the Borgata wants to end the partnership with partypoker now that GVC has taken over. There is no reason why the Borgata can’t add extra brands to its gaming offer.

The industry rumor mill has Pala Interactive listed as a potential online poker provider if partypoker were to exit the market. PalaCasino is live in New Jersey, but despite developing proprietary software, Pala has not yet launched a poker product.

CEO Jim Ryan said that he would like to see the impact of PokerStars before making that decision.
Unless there is a dramatic change in the New Jersey market, such as partypoker exiting, Pala online poker looks unlikely to make an independent entry – the return on investment probably isn’t there.

Read Full Article -->Online Poker Report - GAN Annual Report Expects Real Money Gaming Deal With The Borgata To Begin In Summer 2016

New Jersey Internet Gambling Up 28%

Internet Gambling in New Jersey where Pala Interactive operates is up 28% in the first quarter of 2016.  Per Cap Increase all around for PBMI members coming soon?

Popularity of internet gambling in New Jersey growing, analysts say Read More: Internet gambling in New Jersey grows by 28 percent, analysts say

Figures from the state Division of Gaming Enforcement show an almost 28 percent increase in web gaming, versus the first quarter of last year. Web gambling revenue in the state went from $35.1 million in the first quarter of 2015 to $44.9 million in this year’s first quarter.

Publisher Roger Gros, of Global Gaming Business Magazine says “there is a bright future ahead in ‘I-gaming’ in New Jersey.”

Gros says online gaming is going to continue to grow, it is becoming more popular, people are understanding how it works, and a lot of the glitches that were there early on in terms of payment processing and geo location have been fixed.

Read More Here->Popularity of internet gambling in New Jersey growing, analysts say Read More: Internet gambling in New Jersey grows by 28 percent, analysts say 

Also:

Former 'Real Housewives' star Kathy Wakile finds new role as PalaBingoUSA brand ambassador

PalaBingoUSA.com – New Jersey's first fully dedicated real-money 90 Ball Online Bingo website – has named TV personality, entrepreneur, author and chef Kathy Wakile as its official brand ambassador. Best known for her role on Bravo TV's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," Wakile said the dynamic sense of camaraderie and community built around the excitement of bingo were among the reasons behind her decision to team with Pala Interactive on the launch of PalaBingoUSA.com.

Wakile recalls a trip to Italy she took with her family. "We traveled to Italy a few years ago and right out in the open air piazza everyone was playing a game similar to bingo, calling out numbers, laughing, having fun and simply interacting and enjoying each other's company. I remember thinking what a great sense of community that was, and PalaBingoUSA.com has created that same type of atmosphere," she said.

Read More Here->Former 'Real Housewives' star Kathy Wakile finds new role as PalaBingoUSA brand ambassador