THE AMERICAS
A federal judge recommended tossing key FBI evidence against accused online betting operator Paul Phua; Nevada sportsbooks took in their second-largest Super Bowl betting handle and baseball’s new commissioner asked for a “conversation” about betting with owners; Gary Loveman said he’d step down as Caesars CEO; two states’ online poker bills died while Sheldon Adelson’s anti-online RAWA legislation resurfaced in Congress; GTECH agreed to ramp up Georgia’s online lottery with einstant games; Maryland casinos’ hot streak grew cold; New York gambling sales fell 2% in 2014; British Columbia’s problem gambling rates fell; Lee Davy analyzed the 2015 World Series of Poker schedule and offered his picks for the inaugural GPI American Poker Awards while independent studies found cocaine and porn were bad gambling companions.
EUROPE
Intertain paid £425m for Gamesys’ Jackpotjoy brand; Spain’s online poker revenue fell despite overall market growth; Betsson’s profit rose while Svenska Spel took a tumble; Mr Green decided to fight the Austrian taxman; PokerStars sued former Full Tilt pro Erick Lindgren to collect a $2.5m debt; The Guardian ended its ill-fated relationship with online sports betting; Playtech inked a 20-year extension with Finland’s RAY; Intel Security got its facts wrong; Betway paid £20m for a West Ham jersey sponsorship; Rafi Farber suggested getting out of Greece before its new finance minister caused an international incident; Rebecca Liggero’s cameras scoped out ICE Totally Gaming Days One, Two and Three, the London Affiliate Conference Days One and Two and all the parties (Fire & Ice, London Baby! and LAC) as well as the iGB Affiliate Awards. Bonus feature: Becky’s hints for readjusting to your pathetic, tragically normal life.
ASIA
Macau casino revenue fell for the eighth straight month and Steve Wynn said Beijing’s crackdowns had destabilized people with money; online betting site IBCBet rebranded as MAXBET; China warned international casinos to stop luring their citizens; NagaCorp’s VIP betting revenue took a healthy jump but Cambodia border casinos saw fewer Vietnamese gamblers; James Packer called rival Echo Entertainment lazy and Sri Lanka told Packer to never ever come back; Macau police busted a South Korean online betting ring; New Zealand spent $2.1b on gambling last year; Richard Yong and Phil Ivey cashed large at the Aussie Millions and our cameras took in all the sights at the grand opening of City of Dreams Manila.