Russia’s bookmaking industry is in mourning following Friday’s news of the untimely death of Oleg Zhuravsky.

Zhuravsky (pictured), president of the First Self-Regulatory Organization of Russian Bookmakers (First SRO) and former president of Russian betting operator Liga Stavok, died suddenly on Thursday, just two weeks after celebrating his 48th birthday. The news was confirmed on Facebook via Liga Stavok’s public relations department.

Zhuravsky began his career in Russia’s betting business in 1997 and went on to establish the country’s first industry group, the National Association of Russian Bookmakers (NAL) in 2006, thereby beginning his lifelong campaign to work with government officials to ensure the development of a suitable legal environment for sports betting in his homeland.

It was in 2006 that Russia’s government first announced plans to banish all gambling activity to a handful of geographically remote designated gaming zones. It was largely thanks to Zhuravsky’s efforts that, when the government finally imposed the new restrictions in 2009, retail bookmakers were allowed to continue to operate in cities and towns across the country.

Germany’s individual states have approved the country’s new federal gambling treaty, despite European Commission warnings that the new pact will likely face the same legal challenges that derailed the 2012 treaty.

On Thursday, the leaders of the 16 German länder voted to approve the new State Treaty on Gambling, which lifts the previous treaty’s controversial cap on the number of available sports betting licenses, calls for greater enforcement against unauthorized operators and allows for the future possibility of authorizing online casino activity.

The new treaty, which will take effect on January 1, 2018, must still be ratified by each individual state legislature, and politicians in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein have already indicated the treaty is unlikely to be approved. Schleswig-Holstein has typically been a regulatory outlier, having approved a far more comprehensive state-level online gambling regime some years back.

The new treaty was slammed by the EC earlier this month as “not a viable solution” to the problems posed by the 2012 treaty. The EC found fault with Germany’s proposal to offer provisional permits to the original 20 license recipients as well as the other 15 applicants who failed to make the first cut, while remaining mum on the opportunity for other companies to secure German licenses. The EC also wants Germany to accelerate its authorization of other online gambling verticals, including casino and poker, to provide greater consumer protections for German gamblers.

Despite being considered as a theoretical air pocket less than a decade ago, bitcoin is fast becoming popular among businesses and operators as a feasible option for payments processing.

In the online gambling sector, bitcoin appeals to gamblers because it allows them to make and receive payments almost instantly, and without the high transaction fees. Johnny Mayo of Forbes Asia 30 under 30 Finance & VC previously said bitcoin has helped the gambling industry revolutionize itself, particularly in terms of digital payments.

In an interview with CalvinAyre.com, Mayo pointed out that opportunities for micro transactions will not be discovered if it wasn’t for bitcoin.

“I think, there’s a few different variables here but I think the largest would be now we have the first opportunity for micro transactions. We have the ability to be able to split a value of a percent. Using current traditional payment system, you can’t do that,” Mayo told CalvinAyre.com. “You can’t send to send to each other and it makes certain ideas impossible from the get go. That for me, I’d say is probably the bigger things with bitcoin and gaming is the micro transaction element.”

The Philippine casino sector may give Singapore a run for its money due to improved tourism figures and infrastructure in the country.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp. Enrique Razon painted a rosy outlook for the Philippines on Friday, as he believes that the country may able to surpass Singapore as the gambling destination in Southeast Asia.

In an interview with CNBC, Razon pointed out: “You know, with more properties coming online, it should increase the size of the (Philippine) market. I think medium- to long-term, everybody’s going to do great.”

Razon, who has staunchly supported the gambling policy of controversial Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, professed his intention to continue betting big on the Philippines instead of making investments overseas.

A proposal to allow up to six state-regulated casinos in North Dakota suffers a setback after the resolution has been sent back to the House committee on Thursday.

The House Judiciary Committee had earlier given House Concurrent Resolution 3033, introduced by House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, a “do not pass” recommendation in a 13-2 vote on Wednesday.

But thanks to Assistant House Majority Leader Don Vigessa, R-Cooperstown, the resolution was given a lease of life after it was re-referred on the House floor Thursday, and was approved by a voice vote.

The Bismarck Tribune reported the committee is expected to take it up again Monday.

In this week’s episode of Pokerography Lee Davy takes a second look at the Paul Arden treatise on creativity and excellence, It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be, and pulls another five rabbits out of the hat.

 Welcome back to another installment of Paul Arden’s classic on how to be a creative thinker, brand, or company – It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be and how we can absorb his lessons into our poker game.

1# Accentuate the Positive; Eliminate The Negative

In the late 90s early 2000s, the path to a sponsorship deal with a major online poker room was to look good and win a few titles. The move away from television and into diverse digital products consumed via desktop, tablet, and mobile has changed all that.

Bitcoin exchanges in China may soon be required to identify their clients.

The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) recently circulated new guidelines, which would subject domestic bitcoin exchanges to current banking and anti-money laundering laws. In addition, the exchanges would also be required to collect information to identify their clients, The Wall Street Journal reported, quoting people familiar with the matter.

If enacted, the rules would require exchanges to install systems that will collect customer information and report suspicious trading activities to authorities. The PBoC will be in charge of handling any violation, according to the report.

The new guidelines is the latest action taken by the Chinese central bank as it cracks down on the country’s digital currency sector.

With so many gambling focused conferences and events taking place throughout the year, it can be a challenge to figure out which ones to attend and which ones to skip.  The team behind Sports Betting Community (SBC) have been hard at work building up their portfolio of events over the last few years and this year’s installment of Betting on Football (BOF) is shaping up to be an essential part of the 2017 calendar.

To find out more about what we can expect at BOF 2017 from May 2-5 at London’s Chelsea football club and surrounding networking venues, I caught up with Andy McCarron, SBC’s Managing Director.

Becky Liggero: Thank you so much for joining me today, Andy- its always a pleasure.  Lets start with what you think will be the top three hottest topics covered throughout the duration of BOF 2017?

Andy McCarron: With two conference streams on both days as well as a breakout track, there is frankly a ridiculous amount to speak about.

Casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment (MCE) has confirmed plans to rebrand its operations to reflect its post-Crown identity.

MCE is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting of shareholders at its City of Dreams property in Macau on March 29. One of the proposals on which shareholders will be asked to vote is changing the company’s English name to Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd.

MCE had previously announced that it planned to establish a “new corporate entity” following MCE CEO/Chairman Lawrence Ho’s purchase in December of a controlling share in the MCE joint venture from his former equal partner, Australian casino operator Crown Resorts.

Crown, which once held a 34% stake in MCE, has reduced its share to just 11.2% as part of the company’s sweeping restructuring of its business to focus on its domestic gaming operations. With Crown boss James Packer more or less out of the MCE picture, MCE shareholders are also being asked to approve the elimination of the now superfluous role of Deputy Chairman.

This week’s poker news round up brings you up to speed on online poker’s chances in New York, the creme of the crop coming up trumps on the World Series of Poker Circuit, and much more.

Is the Big Apple going to be the next American State to regulate and legalise online poker?

I’m more likely to guess the winning numbers of the lottery, but we do know that New York’s Senate has approved a budget proposal containing the possibility of leveraging an online poker market to raise some new beans.

On Monday, both the Assembly and Senate begin chopping both budgets down to one. It’s anybody’s guess whether online poker will make the cut. If you believe there is more chance of a lumberjack getting a job in Atlantis, then at least if it happens it will feel like Christmas.

An eclectic round-up of tournament news from the world of online and live poker including Valentin Vornicu setting records on the World Series of Poker Circuit, partypoker busting out the $1m Guarantees online, and much more.

March Madness?

I don’t know much about brackets and egg shaped footballs, but I do know there is a ton of poker action in the air, both online and live, and we will begin with the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC).

Valentin Vornicu, the man who had a deep run in the 2016 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event finishing 23rd, has joined Alex Masek and Maurice Hawkins in the WSOP history books by winning his ninth gold ring.

3: Barrels for you including the Global Poker League’s parent company Mediarex cutting a deal with Juzhong Joy in Beijing, Kristen Bicknell breaks into Canada’s Top 10, and Dan Bilzerian won’t care less.

The Global Poker League (GPL) has strengthened their footing in the Chinese market after their parent company Mediarex Sports & Entertainment signed a five-year deal with Juzhong Joy in Beijing.

According to a press release received from Mediarex, Juzhong Joy will take care of operations, distributions, and sponsorships in the region, which I assume is essential given the language and cultural differences between East and West.

If you follow Mediarex chief, Alex Dreyfus, on social media, then you will know he has spent some considerable time in China trying to find ways of pushing the GPL product beneath the noses of the voracious gaming appetites that exist in the region.