The new Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL) in Ukraine was put in place to help shape the country’s online gaming industry and it has been busy putting together all the pieces of the puzzle. However, it still has more work to do, as Ukraine’s new Gambling Law is still being fine-tuned. This has led to some confusion among gaming operators, of which 15 have had their license applications rejected, who are trying to figure out how the CRGL could have turned them down when, at the same time, it approved a license for Speisiks LLC, the company behind the Cosmolot gaming brand. 

Last Wednesday, the commission awarded Speisiks a license to operate Cosmolot in the iGaming realm. It had previously held an instant lottery license, but stepped away from the activity almost two years ago. Other online gaming operators have been patiently waiting to receive updated guidance on several points regarding technical certification of the country’s new gambling laws, and are now wondering how the CRGL could have given Speisiks a license without that guidance having been delivered. 

The government of Ukraine has yet to implement “technical accreditation” requirements needed to satisfy certain aspects of iGaming, including which operating systems and software can be used, as well as what types of compliance controls are to be put into force. Without that information established, it isn’t clear how Speisiks was able to find approval, unless it had a helping hand from someone on the inside. It’s expected that the other gaming candidates who have found their applications rejected will file a legal challenge, possibly against both the CRGL and Speisiks, which could further hamper efforts to bring a legitimate iGaming market to the country.

The CRGL came into existence about three months ago and is already being viewed as incompetent to handle its responsibilities. This is enough to give the anti-gambling crowd fuel for their opposition and their argument that gambling only leads to corruption on all levels. Everyone is now requesting that better oversight be given to the industry and to CRGL, and 4H Agency CEO and Senior Partner Ulya Machavariani asserts, “Developments continue to gather pace in Ukraine; however, applicant parties still await vital information on technical certification to address legislation requirements. The next months will be critical in how a regulated market shapes up. Out of the blue, CRGL offered its first license this month, but greater transparency certainly could help the market.”

The Philippines House of Representatives are trying to fixt their online gambling taxation problem. The House voted 198-13-2 to pass House Bill 5777 on February 8, creating an opportunity for President Rodrigo Duterte and the Senate to finally get the tax revenues they want from the Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGOs).

Rappler broke the news early Monday evening:

JUST IN: Voting 198-13-2, House approves on 3rd reading House Bill 5777 imposing taxes on persons engaged in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations. | via @maracepeda pic.twitter.com/qcEEsMfflk

— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) February 8, 2021https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Online cockfighting is one of the Philippines solutions to dwindling gambling tax revenues, but could it sabotage another important vertical? The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) says they’ve seen lower sales since e-sabong blew up in 2020.

Although online cockfighting is still not legal and regulated, it’s increasing in popularity, and PCSO general manager Royina Garma says that’s a problem. “Definitely, lottery sales are affected by online sabong,” Garma said.

The problem is that cockfighting itself is typically legal. “As far as I know, [the cockpit is] legal because they have permits from local governments. But online cockfights are illegal,” Garma said.

She urged the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation and local government to go after illegal online offerings. Local governments in particular, who issue permits for cockpits, should investigate if any online offering is coming from their territory. Start looking for webcams, boys!

As with everyone else in the gaming industry, Scientific Games suffered hard times last year from COVID-19. However, it was still able to ink new deals to expand its footprint and this may be one of the reasons why the company’s board has decided to hang onto President and CEO Barry Cottle. The Las Vegas-based gaming company announced through a filing (pdf) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last Friday that Cottle will remain at the helm for the foreseeable future and gave him a nice boost in salary as a way of showing its appreciation. 

Scientific Games and Cottle signed an extension of their existing agreement last Thursday. Cottle’s current contract had been good through the end of May and, as of June 1, will now continue for another three years. As long as things don’t take a massive downturn, Cottle will hold his position until May 31, 2024, after which there could be automatic annual extensions until everyone decides that it’s time to move on. 

Cottle had agreed to take a cut in pay to help the company overcome the coronavirus pandemic, foregoing his usual $1.75-million salary. He is also being rewarded for that gesture, with Scientific Games approving a bump up to $1.8 million a year. While agreeing not to receive his salary last year, he still may have been eligible for bonuses, which were reportedly as much as 350% of that base salary. The gaming executive’s contract stipulates a bonus of 100% for reaching target goals and 250% for certain long-term incentive opportunities. It isn’t clear how much, if any, of the bonuses were paid last year. In addition to the increased salary and the bonuses, Cottle will also receive 50,000 restricted stock units, which will be vested in “substantially equal installments on each of May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024.”

Cottle has been at the helm of Scientific Games since June 2018. That was when the company’s former CEO, Kevin Sheehan, stepped down after steering the ship for just two years. He came over to the gaming industry from the cruise ship business, having served as the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings for seven years before joining Scientific Games. Prior to his promotion, Cottle had served as the CEO of Scientific Games subsidiary SG Interactive.

Gambling Portal Webmasters Association (GPWA) Program Manager Maria Florides has a passion for the world of affiliate marketing. Florides took some time out of her schedule to sit down with Calvinayre.com lead reporter Becky Liggero Fontana to share her thoughts on the future of affiliate marketing in the gambling sector.

After more than 15 years in the industry, Florides confesses that she has a passion for a business that she fell into. “I started in customer support for a few years,” she said of her beginnings, but that the night shift pushed her to try other things. “I started working with other companies doing affiliation… I loved looking after all the affiliates,” Florides said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t30Qf9OWaVk&feature=youtu.beVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Maria Florides believes affiliates will bounce back in 2021 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t30Qf9OWaVk&feature=youtu.be)

Florides then explains the GPWA is the perfect way to feed her passion for affiliate marketing. The organization was built to offer advice and support to affiliates within the industry. “They’re all getting very interested. The very small affiliates, they come asking for help, advice from us and from the other affiliates in the community,” she added.

Chung Chak “John” Lee laundered millions of dollars through Crown Resorts casinos in Australia. That’s the allegation against him as Australian authorities try to get him extradited from Thailand. Apparently, as has already been demonstrated on several occasions, Crown Resorts made it easy for individuals to pass huge bags of money through its operations without many questions asked, and Lee may have been one of those who took advantage of the casino operator’s lax policies.

Lee was arrested in Thailand this past December, accused of being an international drug lord and a part of The Company, an international crime syndicate. The organization has been on the radar by law enforcement around the world, as well as the United Nations, for managing around 70% of the methamphetamines that entered Australia. However, Lee wasn’t just into drugs and led activity in both Hong Kong and Bangkok that catered to high-rolling gamblers. He didn’t just offer them a connection to the tables, though. He reportedly had joined forces with Crown to drive business and, according to investigators, laundered millions of dollars through Crown’s casino in Melbourne in 2012.

This isn’t the first time that Lee’s name has been linked to Crown. The Company was featured in news pieces on several occasions last year and the year before, all showing how easy it was to use Crown’s operations to launder funds. Those reports, and Lee’s illicit activity, are what led to the investigation into Crown’s history and New South Wales’ Bergin inquiry into the company’s ability to hold a gambling license. That inquiry is expected to wrap up at any time, and Crown is facing the possibility of losing its license and/or being forced to completely revamp its executive ranks to appease regulators.

The 65-year-old Lee is reportedly a high-ranking boss in the 14 K Triad and is said to have spent the past 30-plus years running illegal drug operations across the globe. He is also said to have connections with Broken Tooth, another notorious triad boss reportedly on the run somewhere in Malaysia. Lee apparently has well-placed connections, including in some high-ranking offices in both Taiwan and Thailand. That might create some delays in his extradition to Australia, but it’s not likely to prevent it, unless he figures out a way to conveniently escape before the extradition order can be approved.

The Londoner Macao, the casino resort in Macau formerly known as Sands Cotai Central, opened today. The Sands China property took almost a year longer to prepare, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will feature an ambience completely designed after some of the top attractions in and around London. It will also offer a new VIP room from the Tak Chun Group, who, per a report from GGRAsia, confirmed at the end of last week that it is adding its name to the amenities at the property. 

Sands China, the Asian arm of Las Vegas Sands, has taken to installing thematic casinos in Macau and decided to highlight the best of London when it moved to revamp the Sands Cotai. The global pandemic forced the construction schedule to be altered, and Sands announced late last year that it was ready to begin welcoming gamblers this month. The remainder of the property will be rolled out in phases that will most likely span the rest of this year.

Sands Cotai held a Tak Chun VIP room last year prior to the start of the upgrade and is now anxious to try to get back to normal as it looks like COVID-19 is finally being brought under control. The junket operator also has VIP rooms in other Macau properties, including MGM Cotai, The Plaza Macao and Wynn Palace Cotai. Everyone, including Sands and Tak Chun, is hoping that they will be able to get off on the right foot this week, which marks the beginning of the annual Chinese New Year holiday. However, with travel advisories in place, many hotels still have ample vacancy and the turnout may not be as great as expected. 

Once things do settle down, though, The Londoner will already have a nod of approval from some scholars. Glenn McCartney, the U.K.’s honorary consul in Macau believes Sands has done a great job in bringing London to the city, and the associate professor of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management at the University of Macau told GGRAsia, “It’s absolutely important that the Chinese traveller understands” a brand and added that the Londoner Macao’s brand is “very clear.” He explained, “You can invent your own branding, [but] that takes some time to ramp up. The Londoner [Macao] straight away has iconic things, like the buses, or the phone boxes, or the many other things in the property.”

The Japanese city of Yokohama has a steep hill to climb if it hopes to stay in the integrated resort bidding competition. Hoping to convince the public that it’s still worth it, the town’s leaders recently held it’s first of six public briefings to explain why an IR is worth it.

“We hope that you will understand the various attractions of an IR, the job creation, positive impact on Yokohama’s economic development and the contribution to the city’s finances,” said Deputy Mayor Toshihide Hirahara.

“I believe that this will be one of the sparks needed for economic recovery after coronavirus,” he added.

Of the questions that the public asked included how much revenue the city can expect to gain from an IR. City officials responded that 15% of the casino’s revenue would go toward the city, as well as entry fees for Japanese citizens. On top of that, with the added jobs and business that an IR would bring, tax revenues would surely increase.

It goes without saying that high stakes cash games are notoriously swingy. But what happens when a baseball star swings and misses? He walks, of course.

Michael Schwimer had recently told Poker Central how much he was looking forward to locking horns with the best as the legendary High Stakes Poker pitched the Major League Baseball legend against some of the toughest poker players ever to shuffle up and deal. What happened once Schwimer took to the felt, however, left his fans wishing he’d brought his bat to the poker table.

Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Schwimer, who said before the show, “They will show me less respect probably, which I deserve. I like to see a lot of flops and try to make moves from there, but it’s going to work to my advantage, I hope.” was proven to be slightly wrong in that prediction.

Schwimer’s problems only really started when Bryn Kenney joined the game, but that’s no great surprise. The East Coast superstar has won more money in live poker tournaments than anyone in the history of the game, and with $56.4 million in live tournament winnings, he added to that at the High Stakes Poker felt.

If you’re looking forward to some online poker sessions this week or there’s even a live tournament near you then what better way to get up for the battle than reading our seven poker quotes to inspire you?

Let’s step back in time and enjoy a look back at poker as it was as well as how it is today.

1. “It’s immoral to let a sucker keep his money.”

Matt Damon’s character Mike McDermott uttered this immortal line in the 1998 movie, Rounders. As we wrote about in our Poker on Screen column, the perfect opening scene in celluloid poker history features one of the coolest lines, too. McDermott learns all about those morals by the end of the film, of course. Will there ever be a Rounders 2? Rumours abound to this day.

The English Premier League is the most entertaining league to watch in the world every weekend, and February kicked off in stunning style as Manchester United dropped a two-goal lead for only the fourth time in Premier League history at home to Everton.

Elsewhere, there was a damaging defeat for Arsenal and a controversial red card for Tomáš Souček as talking points seemed to come in every game.

Let’s catch up on exactly what happened up and down the country in the best football league on Earth.

Manchester United 3-3 Everton

China is giving international gambling operators until April 30 to turn themselves in or be thrown to the (metaphorical, we presume) lions. 

On Friday, China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate issued a joint ‘notice of surrender’ to individuals engaged in ‘cross-border’ gambling (online or land-based), warning them that they had until the end of April to throw themselves at the mercy of Chinese courts. 

The notice states that those who come forward now of their own accord will be given ‘the opportunity to rehabilitate and strive for leniency.’ Suitably contrite suspects may receive ‘a lighter or mitigated punishment according to law’ while those whose crimes are ‘relatively minor’ may get off with just a warning. 

However, those who come forward will be obliged to ‘report or expose the criminal behavior of others’ and ‘actively assist’ in the capture of other suspects. Such ‘significant meritorious service’ will be factored into the courts’ determination of the appropriate punishment. 

Peergame is continuing their momentum in 2021, releasing yet another new game for Bitcoin SV (BSV) gambling. The site proudly announced the roll-out of Roulette to their site in a tweet and post to their blog.

The long wait is over

We are proud to introduce our newest addition to Peergame

Roulette

Rugby is set to return early in the Northern Hemisphere with the Six Nations set to kick off this weekend. England have emerged as the early favourites to claim the crown, with the enigmatic French team an outside chance of pulling a major upset prior to their tour to Australia in July.

With all of the matches set to be played out behind closed doors, international rugby fans will be grateful for the return of any type of competition.

We’ve looked at the form guide for the opening round with our tips and preview list below.

Italy vs France

Back when we had in person conferences, one of the common comments was regarding the lack of female presenters and attendees. Entain is hoping to change that, having announced their partnership with the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Women’s Innovation Igniter.

The program is designed to help UNLV undergraduate and graduate women find a path to successful careers in the gambling and technology industries. Entain, who recently took on Jette Nygaard-Andersen as their CEO, is specifically looking to recruit talented women, and change the shape of the male-dominated field.

The program will be led by Jan Jones Blackhurst, Chief Executive in Residence, International Gaming Institute and Robert Rippee, Ph.D., Executive Director, Innovation Hub. It’s expected to launch in August 2021 with 20 women in its first class, and will be held at the Harry Reid Research and Technology Park.

Those first 20 women can expect a curriculum of hands-on experiences, practical learning, internships and mentoring from top executives. Entain will also keep an office on the premises to help the process along. “Entain is the ideal partner to help us bring this groundbreaking program to life,” said Jan Jones Blackhurst. “As a leader in online sports betting and gaming, Entain will help us showcase the myriad of opportunities available in these professional fields, further develop our curriculum, and help women see career pathways in a technology led industry where they are not always well-represented.”

It should have been a simple process in Arkansas. An idea for casino expansion is pitched, approved by legislators and voters and casino operators then present their projects in order to seek license approval. Everything seemed to be going well in Pope County until it was time to choose which operator would be given the license. That was the step where, last June, Arkansas Racing Commission (ARC) Commissioner Butch Rice screwed everything up, creating a serious amount of embarrassment that lingers today. Rice had seemed to be less than impartial when he sided with Gulfside Casino Partnership and its project, leading to backlash and a fight by the other candidate, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, as well as his removal from involvement in the casino plans. The ordeal has continued and has now reached the Arkansas Supreme Court, which is giving its support to the Cherokee in the on-going battle. 

When members of the ARC gave their scores for the two casino proposals, it was blatantly obvious that Rice never seriously considered the Cherokee’s project, giving it a score so low that everyone knew something was fishy. That led to a complaint by the Cherokee, through its Cherokee Nation Business (CNB) arm, and the voting process was thrown out. An independent third party was brought in to make the decision, which didn’t sit well with Gulfside and the debacle continued. 

Gulfside tried to plead its case in front of an Arkansas court judge, but lost. That, in theory, would have allowed the independent review and selection process to move forward, but the judge in that hearing, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox, decided that the CNB, since it had no casino experience, wasn’t qualified to be considered as a possible candidate. 

That’s not the end of the dispute, either. Gulfside was brought to task because it, according to some, didn’t follow the rules. By law, any proposal submitted to county governments must show support by a local official. In Gulfside’s case, it had a letter of support from Pope County Judge Jim Ed Gibson, but this caused an issue because, by the time the two casino candidates were being considered last year, Gibson had already vacated his position. 

The Big Game this Sunday is on every sports gambler’s mind right now, with a high amount of anticipation on how things are going to turn out. Over the years, several Super Bowls have been disappointing, with complete blowouts that made football fans wonder how some teams managed to get as far as they did. Super Bowl LV isn’t expected to be one of those games, and the Kansas City Chiefs are still 3-point favorites to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With just a few days to go before the Big Game, both teams have been busy figuring out who can play and who can’t, and it seems as though most of the big names are healthy.

According to an update provided by Chiefs Wire yesterday, there were only limited issues on the Chiefs’ sideline. Left tackle Eric Fisher and Linebacker Willie Gay, Jr., who Kansas City wants to have on the field, did not practice due to injury, while running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Sammy Watkins were limited. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who had been dealing with hip and ankle issues, participated in practice yesterday, as did cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton. The rising NFL star who has already made his future position as a GOAT, Patrick Mahomes, was in on the practices this week, as well. 

Limited participation in practice doesn’t mean that there is reason to start worrying. In many instances, teams will put their top players on limited duty during practice to keep them healthy and help avoid any practice-related injuries. The New Orleans Saints has this as part of their standard operating procedures, and it has paid off in each of the last four years as they made it to the NFC Conference finals.

The Bucs only had one player who didn’t practice, defensive tackle Steve McLendon, but his absence isn’t injury-related and will most likely be on the field. There were a number of players on limited participation this week, including linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul who is dealing with a knee injury, and safety Antoine Winfield. Tight end Cameron Brate, whose loss would be significant for the Bucs, is dealing with back problems and was limited in practice. Wide receivers Antonio Brown and Mike Evans, who had also had knee issues, were in full practice mode this week.

If anyone in Malaysia sees a well-dressed 65-year-old partying and acting like a 30-year-old playboy, keep an eye on him. He might be Wan Kuok Koi, better known by his 14K Triad moniker, Broken Tooth. According to The Straits Times, the mob boss, in keeping with his standard MO of making promises and skipping out of town after pocketing millions, defrauded a computer software company in Malaysia of $1.4 million in shares last year and could now be hiding out somewhere in the country. To be fair, the company, Inix, should have known this would happen and can’t be too shocked. It also can’t be completely considered an innocent victim, at least not yet.

Broken Tooth was brought in to be the non-executive chairman of Inix last August. He only lasted four months, as the U.S. Department of the Treasury (DOT) hit him with sanctions in December for continuing to grow his criminal enterprise across Southeast Asia. When it comes to expanding his triad network, Broken Tooth knows no limits and reportedly has been involved in shady gambling deals, fraudulent cryptocurrency initial coin offerings and anything else that will see him make a quick buck. 

The criminal fugitive spent 14 years behind bars in Macau for having participated in illegal gambling and loansharking and was released in 2012. Instead of having used the experience as a way to reform his habits, he used it to refine them, and continued to find new ways to keep his activity going. The DOT believes his organization, the World Hongmen History and Cultural Association (WHHCA), has little to do with culture, but a lot to do with shady activity, using branded beer and wine in China, Cambodia and the Philippines to fuel the expansion of the triad. 

Wan’s appointment as the non-executive chairman at Inix raised eyebrows at first, but couldn’t legally be stopped. However, the move wasn’t welcomed by the U.S. government because of his ties to the triad and the sanctions in December prevent U.S. citizens from doing business with him or with any company with which he is associated. That is likely the reason he only lasted four months at Inix, but the company had to have known who he was beforehand. Perhaps it was counting on his connections, as Inix is now being investigated for alleged price-fixing of its shares that was followed by abnormal trading, all of which took place at about the same time Broken Tooth joined the company.