Austrian gaming operator Novomatic Group has confirmed reports that it has ceased any involvement in Germany’s online casino market, while simultaneously calling for clarity in that nation’s gambling laws.

Late last month, German media reported that Novomatic’s Greentube subsidiary had instructed German-facing online casino sites to cease offering Novomatic-produced games as of December 29, 2017.

On Tuesday, a Novomatic spokesperson confirmed the decision to Austrian press agency APA, saying there were “many providers which continue to place copied gaming content unlawfully on the German market without having relevant agreements with us.”

The ongoing uncertainty regarding online gambling’s legality in Germany has apparently left Novomatic mindful of not ticking off the authorities. Novomatic is one of Germany’s largest land-based gambling operators, while its online revenue is only “in the single-digit percentage range.”

Casino gambling will soon become a reality in Martha’s Vineyard after the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to step away from the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe case.

Martha’s Vineyard Times reported that the high tribunal rejected hearing the case involving the state of Massachusetts, the town of Aquinnah, and the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe.

Both Massachusetts and Aquinnah opposed the Wampanoag’s plans to convert a vacant community center into a gaming hall featuring 300 electronic gambling machines.

The High Tribunal’s decision leaves in place a lower court ruling favoring the tribe.

Casino gambling will soon become a reality in Martha’s Vineyard after the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to step away from the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe case.

Martha’s Vineyard Times reported that the high tribunal rejected hearing the case involving the state of Massachusetts, the town of Aquinnah, and the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe.

Both Massachusetts and Aquinnah opposed the Wampanoag’s plans to convert a vacant community center into a gaming hall featuring 300 electronic gambling machines.

The High Tribunal’s decision leaves in place a lower court ruling favoring the tribe.

In the madness of the daily seismographic wiggles in cryptoland, the opportunities behind blockchain technology itself seem to have gotten lost in the wind. Investors look to be forgetting that currency is only one application of blockchain. What about everything else?

People are comparing cryptomania with the late 90’s dot com era, but the comparison is missing one important difference. During the dot com era the craze wasn’t zeroed in on one specific application of the internet. Money was flying into every stock purporting to do any kind of business using the internet. Cryptomania suffers from a unique and very focused tunnel vision. Even within the single blockchain application to currency, most of the focus is being dedicated to a single currency within that market – Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and its various forked incarnations.

There is another important reason to widen our view of blockchain outside currencies entirely. While governments may give cryptocurrencies regulatory problems in an attempt to keep their own currencies dominant (a move we just saw in South Korea yesterday), the same can’t be said for other blockchain applications that don’t encroach on hallowed state-controlled ground. Currency markets are monopolized by governments for a reason, but other markets and by extension their blockchain applications are much freer and present much less danger for investors in terms of government encroachment.

So what tradable companies are focusing on blockchain generally these days? There are not many yet, and even fewer on a major exchange. The two on the Nasdaq are Overstock.com (OSTK), and Riot Blockchain (RIOT). Overstock was the first retailer to accept BTC back in January 2014, and according to its filings 0.25% of its sales are in BTC. Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne is a believer in sound money and is associated with the Mises Institute, so in retrospect it’s not surprising that he of all people made the first move. Overstock has logged about $5 billion in sales since January 2014 when it started accepting BTC.

You can bet on Texas to stand on its ground when it comes to sports betting prohibition.

The San Antonio Express News reported that the state is unlikely to pass a sports betting legislation any time soon even if the U.S. Supreme Court decides to strike down the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992.

According to political observers, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott and members of the legislature are in different towards sports betting even if it means an additional $1.7 billion to the state coffers and the creation of more than 9,300 jobs.

Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, attributed their apprehension to sports betting to the state leaders’ “conservative” ideals.

Malaysian-based game technology provider RGB International Bhd forecasts a double-digit growth in profits for fiscal year 2017, fueled by its five concessions and leasing deals in Asia.

The Star Online reported that the group expects its turnover to jump by MYR50 million ($12.46 million) this year after signing concessions in Cambodia, Philippines, Timor Leste, Laos, and Nepal in 2016 and 2017.

Datuk Chuah Kim Seah, group managing director of RGB, announced that the company has sealed a deal to supply 900 new gaming machines to DNA Star Vegas (DSV). The company has already delivered 80 of the 900 machines to DSV.

“Under the agreement we signed, RGB will also manage all the existing machines, which adds up to 1,500 units,” Chuah said, according to the news report.

The first of a raft of reports from the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas beginning with an interview with Jeff Hakim. Topics of conversation include the recent changes by PokerStars and how difficult it is to keep up with the very best talent in the game.

PCA Reports: Jeff Hakim on PokerStars changes and keeping up with the Fedors Audio

British Columbia’s gambling regulator appeared unconcerned that many of its biggest VIP gamblers had no discernible source of income, according to internal documents.

Late last week, the British Columbia government’s open information website posted an August 2016 compliance report by the province’s Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch regarding high-roller activity at the River Rock Casino in Richmond, which is managed by Great Canadian Gaming Corporation.

The report analyzed River Rock’s biggest spenders of 2015, then tried to correlate their spending with their stated occupations. In keeping with recent stories involving the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), the results make for an entertaining read.

The top five occupations of BCLC VIPs were (in order) real estate, business owners, construction, finance and management (the latter category a catch-all). However, sixth-ranked was ‘housewife,’ 75 of whom accounted for a total C$18m (US $14.5m) in buy-ins over the course of 2015.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is coming under fire for a new online lottery product that draws new winners every five minutes.

Tuesday will see the launch of Hit Or Miss, a new lottery product that combines retail sales, online draws and extremely short windows of opportunity. The product requires users to purchase tickets from one of OLG’s retail partners, then watch the draws via OLG’s mobile app or via its gambling site PlayOLG.ca.

But critics are crying foul based on the fact that Hit Or Miss draws a new set of lucky numbers every five minutes. These critics argue that OLG is essentially dangling gambling catnip in front of individuals who have problems controlling their gambling activity.

OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti dismissed this view, telling broadcaster CTV that the new game posed no greater threat than OLG’s other instant win products. And Bitonti noted that the draws take place online, where customers have ready access to information regarding OLG’s PlaySmart responsible gambling program.