Sports betting technology supplier Kambi PLC says it’s close to inking a sportsbook deal with Sweden’s horse racing monopoly ATG.

On Tuesday, Kambi announced that it was in “final stage commercial discussions” with AB Trav Och Galopp (ATG) to offer a sports betting product to ATG’s horseracing customers. Kambi said it chose to update the market due to ATG being close to commencing internal product testing, and thus the secret was about to leak anyway.

Kambi is coming off a record performance in the first quarter of 2018 but the company isn’t resting on its laurels. Last month, Kambi inked its first US-facing prospective sports betting partnership with Rush Street Interactive, the online division of US casino operator Rush Street Gaming.

ATG claimed an 18% share of Sweden’s overall gambling market in 2017, during which total turnover was up 2.8% to SEK13.65b (US$1.56b), while net revenue improved by 3% to SEK4.2b. ATG’s customer ranks grew 5% year-on-year to over half a million.

Online gambling operators in the Bahamas are slamming the government’s plans to boost their tax rate to as high as 50%.

Last week, the Free National Movement government of Harold Minnnis, who was elected Prime Minister last year, introduced its new 2018-19 budget plan, which includes dramatic hikes in the taxes paid by local ‘web shop’ operators, who offer online casino and lottery games from computer terminals in retail venues.

Web shops, which were authorized under the former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government in 2014, currently pay either 11% tax on their gaming revenue or 25% of earnings, whichever is greater, plus an additional 2% cut of revenue to help fund social causes.

The new budget calls for a variable tax rate, starting at 20% on revenue up to BSD20m (US$20m), rising to 25% on revenue up to $40m and incrementally thereafter, while any operator lucky enough to generate revenue over $100m will face a 50% tax rate.

Another review from the World Series of Poker, this time focusing on a first bracelet win for Johannes Becker in the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball, and a story about cock and balls. 

I’m in this play area, not a piece of plastic in sight, so you know the creators have an inkling of how to educate children. An over exuberant lad is ringing the bell above my head, another is chewing on a femur, and my daughter comes up to me with a wooden head that looks like Cleopatra.

“Do you want me to draw her body?” I ask trying to calm her as she realises Cleo doesn’t have one.

“Yes.”

More coverage from 888Live Barcelona as Lee Davy sits down with Twitch streamer Cortney Gee, to uncover why she is in Barcelona, how she built such a loving tribe, and how she keeps providing them with value.

888Live Barcelona: Cortney Gee on how streaming saved her game Audio

This is a guest contribution by Sam Forrest, Director of Global Communications & Content at KamaGames. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

The rivalry between Apple’s iOS system and Google’s Android is now becoming an accepted constant of the tech industry: If you own a smartphone, chances are it runs on either system, with 99.6% of smartphones using one or the other.

Apple’s brand has cache and mystique (with an ad spend reaching $1.8 billion in 2016, the last year they made it publicly known). Meanwhile, Android devices are diverse and rising in popularity, just about edging Apple’s iPhones in sales.

Also worth noting is that the number of titles released on the App Store last year is said to be around 755,000, which is a drop of 29% from the year prior. This is the first ever decline in the number of new app launches via the App Store.

Leave it up to Doyle Brunson to stir the pot. Texas Dolly recently posted a challenge on Twitter, looking for takers in a bet on who would win more WSOP gold bracelets this year between Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu. His tweet found quite a few responses, with a definite divide between the pro-Hellmuth and pro-Negreanu camps.

Last week, Brunson tweeted, “Of course all the Daniel haters that say the little guy is a terrible player, pick someone against him to win bracelets this year. 100k max.” He posted the tweet after Negreanu took to the social media platform and discussed his performance following Day 1 of the Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) at the Aria in Las Vegas.

Of course all the Daniel haters that say the little guy is a terrible player, pick someone against him to win bracelets this year. 100k max https://t.co/6R8lmqiBq9

— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) May 28, 2018

The Widus Hotel and Casino Clark in the Philippines is set to undergo a $500-million expansion, according to reports. The upgrade is above and beyond a five-star hotel expected to be completed this September. Following the expansion, the resort will have received a total investment of over $1 billion since it originally opened.

Widus is operated by Widus Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of Widus International Leisure Inc. (WIL), and opened 12 years ago after an initial $4-milllion investment by the company. The resort, located in part of the Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ), currently offers a 48,437-square-foot casino with 54 gaming tables and 342 slots. Additionally, until the completion of the new hotel, around 233 hotel rooms are available at the resort.

Daesik Han, CEO and president of WIL, told the Manila Standard newspaper that the company is excited about the expansion due, in part, to the local government’s efforts to attract more businesses to the area. “The government is building the infrastructure but the private sector should contribute to build some recreational facilities so that this area is not going to be a transit area only,” he explained.

Evan McBride, chief investment officer for Global Gateway Development Corp., echoed Han’s sentiments. The company is behind the Clark Global City business park, which measures 437 acres and has already found occupants for a quarter of its installations. Clark Global City is part of revitalization efforts led by the country’s Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

It’s the end of an era. Andrew Tan, who founded and has served as the CEO for Alliance Global Group, Inc. (AGG), announced his retirement, effective this past Monday. Tan made the announcement through a filing with the Philippine Stock Exchange, adding that his son, Kevin Tan, would be taking over.

The younger Tan has served as an executive director for AGG. Last month, he discussed the fatal fire set at Resorts World Manila, in which AGG is an investor along with Genting Hong Kong, saying, “We’ve improved our operations, we’ve improved our security, our surveillance, and I think we’re a much better operator today because of that.” That attack left at least 38 people, including the gunman, dead.

Kevin Tan also pointed out that the company is holding strong and sees a bright future, despite increased competition in the Philippine casino market. As new, large-scale integrated resorts are moving in, the market has become tough, but he said that the firm is “quite confident because the tourism numbers have also increased.”

Tan touched upon the completion of phase three of Resorts World Manila, which will double the gaming capacity of the resort. He also mentioned a new Ritz-Carlton venture, saying, “Next year we’re rebranding one of our original hotels to the Ritz-Carlton, it’ll be the first time Ritz-Carlton ever has entered into the Philippines.”