Australia’s online gamblers could find themselves unable to use credit cards to fund their wagering if the banking industry adopts the findings of a new report. 

One year ago, the Australian Banking Association (ABA) announced a consultation to solicit community views on the use of credit cards for gambling transactions. The findings of that consultation have now been released and they could spell trouble for the country’s online betting licensees. 

The Every Customer Counts report is based on 40 written submissions from betting operators, gambling counsellors, consumer advocates, academics and government agencies, along with 813 individuals who responded to the short-form web survey.

Most of these responses came down firmly on the side of prohibiting credit card-based gambling, with the report noting the prevailing view that “the associated risks were considered to significantly outweigh any potential benefits for customers, especially for vulnerable populations.”

Think of famous poker players and perhaps Dan Smith wouldn’t be the first name on anybody’s lips. It’s easy for a certain generation to picture Texas Dolly, a.k.a. Doyle Brunson when they think of a poker player. For the next generation, it might be Daniel Negreanu or Phil Ivey. But for modern fans, one of the first names that will arise thereafter might be Dan Smith. It certainly should be.

Truly an everyman in poker terms, the best player never to win a WSOP bracelet has flown under the bracelet for years but sits in fifth place on the all-time money list for tournament players, has won $36.7 million and is a genuine poker idol.

Who is Dan Smith, though, and which game was he very nearly a professional instead of poker? Let’s step into the time machine and get up to 88 mph to find out.

The Young Master Smith

If you’re yet to do your Christmas shopping, or you’re dreading the arrival of your in-laws on the single day you’re permitted visitors this Yuletide period, then you may need a little kick-start to get your week going. We feel you.  

At times such as these, the words of poker winners or losers might fall on deaf ears, after all, reality can certainly bite. But what about a movie? Christmas is the time of year people put their feet up, plop themselves down in front of a film and take the best from their year to a backdrop of whip-smart dialogue and dramatic flair on the small screen.  

We’ve picked seven quotes from seven movies that should gladden your hearts and provide with the inspiration to get through to Christmas in the festive spirit.   

1.              “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.” 

Some sports movies are great, others are bad. But can a sports movie ever be both?  

If you’re genuinely asking that question, then you cannot have seen the 1987 movie, Hotshot, starring Jim Youngs, Billy Warlock and… Pelé!  

The plot is very simple. Jim Youngs plays Jimmy Kristidis, a no-hope footballer who idolizes Pelé but is not succeeding where he wants to on the pitch. In desperation, this rich New Yorker travels to Brazil in order to track down Pelé (oddly renamed ‘Santos’ for the purposes of the movie) and get him to teach the young player how to bridge the gap between try-hard and pro.  

Youngs is an interesting story before he landed the part of Jimmy, only auditioning as a laugh before landing a few small parts. This was his first starring role and while the film only got a lukewarm reception at the box office, it was popular with football fans.  

Illinois gambling regulators want to impose a $5m penalty against video gaming terminal (VGT) operator Accel Entertainment for violating state regulations in the firm’s now-scrapped deal with sports betting operator DraftKings. 

On Friday, the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) filed a complaint for disciplinary action against Accel, which operates a VGT network spanning some 2,335 locations – restaurants, bars, truck stops, etc. – across the state. 

The IGB accuses Accel of “offering and providing payments and other things of value to licensed video gaming establishments as illegal inducements or incentives to locate, keep or maintain” Accel’s VGTs. The IGB says Accel is guilty of violating the Video Gaming Act and the IGB’s Adopted Rules for Video Gaming, for which the IGB seeks a penalty of $5m. 

Accel struck a deal with DraftKings in August to promote the latter firm’s new Illinois betting app to VGT customers. The promos were to air via Accel’s VGT screens, with DraftKings paying Accel $200 for each ‘qualified’ new bettor who signed up and met certain wagering benchmarks.