Another round-up of poker news including Doyle Brunson calling time on a legendary poker career, Justin Bonomo keeping the streak alive, and much more.

It’s not often that someone wins a fourth major tournament in a row, takes his annual haul of shillings into the $14.8m mark, and gets relegated to the basement of Calling The Clock, but that happens when a legend appears on the scene.

The name ‘Doyle Brunson‘ hasn’t been synonymous with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for a very long time – five years in fact. The tens and the deuces shook with excitement as the legend parked up his mobility scooter by the rail for the last shot at a third WSOP Main Event title back in 2013. He would finish in 409th place and leave the Amazon Room to a standing ovation.

I had never seen anything like it.

After having perjury and fraud charges against him dismissed in May by the Parañaque Prosecutors Office (PPO), Japanese casino billionaire Kazuo Okada breathed a sigh of relief. He had been sued by Tiger Resorts Leisure & Entertainment Inc. (TRLEI), his former company, for $10 million, but the charges were dropped due to lack of probable cause. That sigh of relief was short-lived, though, as Okada could still face charges by the Philippine’s Department of Justice (DOJ).

This past Wednesday, Philippine Justice chief Menardo Guevarra told reporters that the PPO’s decision has not yet been finalized. He added that there still exists the possibility for motions to have the case reconsidered or for petitions to be filed against the decision, noting that, “If upon review the DOJ sees it differently, the resolutions may be set aside, reversed or modified accordingly.”

There is also the possibility that the decision could be reversed due to a technicality, which would pave the way for the case to be reheard. Apparently, the ruling by the PPO on the case made its way to social media in May before it was announced to the parties involved in the lawsuit. TRLEI has since accused Amerhassan Paudac, a prosecutor for the PPO, of partiality in dismissing the suit and Paudac and Prosecutor General Jorge Catalan Jr. have since been removed from the case. The DOJ has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate the leak.

In January, TRLEI filed a lawsuit against Okada, accusing him of illegal disbursement of company funds. According to the suit, Okada took $3.1 million for “salaries and consultancy fees” when he served as Tiger Resorts CEO for a month in 2017. Takahiro Usui, who was serving as the casino’s chief operating officer at the time, was also named in the suit.

As far as office locations go, there are worse choices than Malta.  Kindred Group, the gambling company that operates Unibet, Maria Casino, 32Red and iGame, has announced that it has opened a new office in Tigne Point on the Mediterranean island.  It has previously said that a relocation was eminent, as it needed a larger space for its growing operations in Malta.

The new office spans three floors with a total area of 55,972 square feet (5,200 square meters).  The building overlooks the Mediterranean and includes room for 500 desks with an additional 47 meeting rooms.  To facilitate communication across Kindred’s 11 global offices, the company has installed the latest high-tech audio-visual equipment for seamless connectivity.

If being able to see the Mediterranean every day isn’t enough of a perk, the 400-plus employees also have access to free meals, games and recreational activities, as well as yoga classes.

According to Kindred Group CEO Jenrik Tjärnström, “I am delighted that we have finally been able to gather all our Malta-based employees in this impressive new office at Tigne Point. We are a company on the forefront of our industry with high growth in a market where competition for talent is tough. Through our new base in Malta, we will work hard to attract the best talent, so we can continue our exciting journey towards being the number one operator across our markets.”

Another review from the World Series of Poker, this time focusing on a stacked final table in the Millionaire Maker including Joe McKeehen, Barny Boatman and Justin Liberto, none of whom finished on top.

I guess it was prophetic.

In the build-up to a World Cup where England will inevitably face Germany and lose, Sam Razavi had no chance when it came to his heads-up battle with Arne Kern in the Millionaire Maker.

But before we get there.

Regulators responsible for outlining sports betting regulation in the state have given the thumbs up for esports betting 48 hours after everyone was running around with hatchets in hand screaming about the death of the activity.

There was a time when the only video game you played was called Pong, and those in the know told kids they would never be professional athletes because they were too small.

Fast forward a few years, and as we stand in the mirror, plucking white hairs from our nostrils, things have changed. Video gaming is a professional activity, and it looks like the only impediment is your age.

A few days ago, I, like every other person who writes about gambling, covered the news that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was about to sign a New Jersey sports betting law prohibiting esports.

Vietnam’s government has expanded its legal sports betting market to include a wider variety of wager-worthy sports.

On Thursday, Vietnam’s National Assembly voted 457-1 in favor of the new Law on Sports and Physical Training. The law, which is set to take effect on January 1, 2019, includes a provision covering legal sports wagering.

In February 2017, Vietnam issued Decree No. 06/2017/ND-CP, which called for a five-year pilot program that would allow local punters to wager on international football matches and horse- and dog-racing. The pilot program was officially launched last December.

In March, the government published a list of the officially acceptable international football matches on which Vietnamese punters could wager this year, including the FIFA World Cup and matches involving the Asian Football Confederation, the Asean Football Federation, the Copa America Femenina and some UEFA Champions League action.

Gambling is more popular than shopping for groceries in the Republic of Georgia, according to the national statistics service.

A recent report in Georgian media outlet Akhali Taoba quoted Sakstat figures that found gambling business spending totaled GEL5.65b (US$2.3b) in 2017, up from GEL4.2b in 2016 and just GEL2.1 in 2015. Meanwhile, last year’s total expenditure in Georgia’s ‘non-retail’ stores aka supermarkets was only GEL4.1b.

Critics are citing the above statistics as further proof that the government needs to rein in the evidently out-of-control gambling industry. These same critics want the government to get on with its previously stated plans to rein in gambling operators, but the government now appears more interested in ensuring it gets its proper cut of gambling revenue.

But these critics are reading the stats wrong, according to statistician Soso Archvadze, who pointed out that a great many of the individuals gambling in Georgian casinos are foreign tourists, including the hordes of Turks who flood across the border in search of the pleasures denied to them in their native land.