The latest PokerStars winner of their Blowout Series events is the biggest winner of 2020 at the live felt- Canadian pro Timothy Adams.

Taking down the Progressive Knockout High Roller NLHE event which cost $5,200 to enter and saw 148 entries in total, Adams would earn $167,591 for his latest phenomenal performance at a final table that featured players such as Matthias Eibinger, Patrick Leonard and Ole Schemion.

With eight players assembling at the official final table in the tournament, it was Eibinger who busted first, his move with ace-five shot down in flames when running into Ramiro Petrone’s suited ace-king that found a flush by the river.

With seven left, it was Petrone who left next, the Argentinian going down in the big blind, correctly calling off the small blind shove from Finnish player Eelis Parssinen. Petrone’s queen-ten was ahead of nine-six off-suit, but a nine on the turn did for the South American’s hopes of spinning up his 11 big blind stack before the hand.

Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson is taking medical leave for cancer treatment, the second such break since his 2019 diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. 

On Thursday, Sands announced that Adelson would be taking a medical leave of absence as he resumes his cancer treatment. Sands president/COO Rob Goldstein has been named acting CEO/chairman of Sands and Sands China during the 87-year-old Adelson’s absence.  

It’s unclear how long Adelson’s treatment will take. His cancer diagnosis became public knowledge in the spring of 2019 and Adelson didn’t return to active duty until October of that year. Adelson also suffers from peripheral neuropathy, a condition that often leaves him reliant on an electronic scooter to get around. 

Investors initially took the news hard, pushing Sands’ share price down around 1.5% by mid-morning, but the shares have since rebounded and are currently sitting close to where they started the day. Deutsche Bank analysts issued a note suggesting Goldstein was “more than simply well equipped” to hold the fort until Adelson’s return. 

UK-listed gambling giant Entain has made a £252m offer for Baltic online operator Enlabs in a bid to expand Entain’s Eastern European presence. 

On Thursday, Entain (until recently known as GVC Holdings) announced that it had reached agreement with an independent bid committee of Enlabs on an SEK2.8b cash offer to acquire the Latvia-based company, whose online gambling brands include Optibet, a fixture in Baltic markets. Enlabs also recently absorbed Ninja Casino parent Global Gaming.

Entain’s bid has the acceptance of shareholders who collectively possess around 42.2% of Enlabs and the bid committee has recommended that the rest of Enlabs shareholders get on board. Entain needs to secure approval of shareholders controlling 90% of Enlabs within a four-week window expiring February 18. 

Entain says the proposed acquisition would not only boost its Baltic presence – Enlabs is the top operator in Latvia, the second-biggest in Estonia and a top-five player in Lithuania – but also offers potential to expand into Belarus and Ukraine, as those two markets proceed toward regulated online gambling launches. Entain plans to retain Enlabs chair Niklas Braathen to ensure the success of these expansion aims.