English Premier League football club Arsenal has inked a new partnership with Chinese lottery products supplier DJI Holdings.

The three-year deal will see Arsenal FC serve as DJI Holdings’ Official Lottery Partner in China. DJI will get to offer its customers “a range of high-quality Club content on a regular basis” while Arsenal will (presumably) get to cash lots of checks.

The UK-listed DJI will offer fans weekly prizes, including team swag and tickets to matches at Emirates Stadium, in case anyone from Guangzhou happens to be in London that week. DJI will also gain access to “exclusive information about The Gunners,” which hopefully includes tidbits like Arsène Wenger’s Facebook log-in.

This deal isn’t the first unorthodox Asia-EPL pairing to make news this season. Last month, Manchester United signed its first Asian land-based casino partnership with Donaco International, which operates casinos in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Paul Borrelli, a businessman from Rochester involved in a sports gambling ring, has been spared from further jail time.

On Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. sentenced Borrelli to three years of probation and eight months of home detention, The Buffalo News reported.  He was charged with illegal gambling and money laundering.

The 70-year-old businessman was also ordered to pay $1.2 million and to forfeit about $3 million worth of properties, bank accounts and cash that were seized during the course of investigation.

Federal investigators said Borrelli, along with brothers Mark and Joseph Ruff, owned—at least partially—and operated an online sports betting business from January 2012 to June 2014. According to a plea agreement reached in April, the three set up online accounts for bettors, set credit limits and also received cash payments for debtors and bettors.

Spanish-licensed bookmaker Kirolbet has inked a sponsorship deal with Spanish footballers Athletic Club Bilbao.

On Monday, the La Liga squad officially announced the signing of an official betting partnership with Kirolbet, under which the bookie will enjoy lots of branding opportunities throughout San Mames stadium as well as across the club’s digital media. Terms of the three-year agreement weren’t disclosed.

The club has similar sponsorship tie-ups with San Miguel beer, Nike, IMQ, EuskaTel and Kutxabank, but Bilbao’s commercial director John Garates made a point of calling Kirolbet one of the team’s “most important sponsors” and said management was looking forward to working with the bookie on a host of “marketing and social initiatives.”

Down in Spain’s second division, Real Murcia Club de Fútbol has extended its sponsorship deal with VivelaSuerte, a division of Spanish gaming firm Grupo Orenes. The partners first hooked up in 2013 and the deal has gone well enough that Murcia felt comfortable about having the VivelaSuerte.es logo on its jerseys for a third year. Murcia will also enjoy plenty of promotion in VivelaSuerte’s 160 retail betting shops across Spain as well as via the regional murcia.vivelasuerte.es portal.

Grand Rapids Griffins player Nathan Paetsch has been sentenced for being part of an illegal sports betting business that took wagers from other players.

Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. has sentenced Paetsch on Friday to eight months of home confinement, 400 hours of community service and a $265,000 forfeiture.

Paetsch, who has accepted a plea agreement in June with federal prosecutors, has admitted providing fellow gamblers with the current odds on sporting events, making arrangements to collect debts, and keeping bettors informed of their credit limits and balances. Paetsch also acknowledged receiving cash or credit from his bookies when friends and other players placed bets with the online service.

In addition, he also confessed structuring a bank transaction to evade reporting requirements.

Three times a charm, at least when it comes to Adam Meyer and his defense lawyers.

Media outlet Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reported that U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Adelman approved on Monday Meyer’s request to get a new lawyer—his third in less than a year.

Dennis Coffey, a Milwaukee criminal defense lawyer, will replace Robin Shellow and Christopher Donovan. Shellow and Donovan replaced Florida lawyer Joel Hirschhorn, who represented Meyer for years before the sports betting tout fired him earlier this year.

Meyer, who once headed Florida-based Real Money Sports, was arrested in December 2014 by federal authorities on charges of extorting a total of $25 million from a Wisconsin man between 2009 and 2013.

England’s defeat to Australia at the Oval represents the ninth test match in succession where Alastair Cook’s men have been involved in a positive result. The April fixture against the West Indies – England’s first of 2015 – produced an outcome which is becoming increasingly rare; the draw.

Facing facts

The TV pundits are saying it and on this occasion at least, the stats are backing them up: The draw is going out of the game. England’s recent win over Australia at Trent Bridge saw Captain Cook regain the Ashes in 14 days of cricket out of a possible 20 and few expected the final game at the Oval to be any different. As it transpired, four days in SE11 produced victory for Australia as this became the first five test series in the history of the game where no cricket was played on a fifth day.

The majority of blame is being placed firmly on the rise of T20 and that seems a fair deduction. The pace of the game has moved on and a test match run rate of 4 per over is just mediocre for 2015. Commentators remarked on the speed of Joe Root’s hundred at Trent Bridge, but a century in 127 balls is, once again, an unremarkable feat these days. A rather more unusual effort was Adam Voges’ unbeaten 51 from 118 deliveries in Australia’s second innings which showed a rare ability for a batsman to occupy the crease.

News for those who give a hoot!

Hooters, in partnership with daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings, is challenging fans to beat ESPN analyst Jon Gruden in weekly match ups for the 2015 NFL season.

On September 10, football is back! And Hooters, targeting further fan coverage ahead of the start of the 2015/16 NFL season, announced an exclusive partnership with DraftKings to hook up its guests with a shot at more than $300,000 in cash.

The partnership will see an extension of DraftKings’ ongoing media deal with US sports channel ESPN. The Hooters Fantasy Football Challenge will give fantasy enthusiasts the opportunity to compete against former NFL coach Jon Gruden for the first six weeks of the season, awarding $50,000 each week.

Man City remain seated at the top of the Premier League charts after beating Everton at Goodison Park, Man Utd held to a disappointed goalless draw at home to Newcastle, and a Pedro inspired Chelsea pick up three points at the Hawthorns.

Their squad was old, their best days were behind them and Manuel Pellegrini was being shown the door. Those words of alarm showered the blue half of Manchester as they cut a forlorn figure chasing the coat tails of Chelsea last season. Premier league football is a fickle old thing.

Goodison Park is not for the faint hearted, but two-second half goals from Aleksandr Kolarov and Samir Nasri ensured they head into Week 4 with a faultless 100% record. It’s their third victory of the season, and a club record nine on the bounce, after ending last year with a run of six wins. Joe Hart still hasn’t picked the ball up out of the net, this term.

Whilst City tick all the boxes that Premier League champions tick, the red half of Manchester can’t even find the pen. They might be sitting in third place, they might still be unbeaten, but I’m sorry, premier league champions don’t draw 0 v 0 at home to a team as woeful as Newcastle.

UK bookies Coral have announced their second new football betting partnership in as many days.

Fresh off signing up with English Premier Leaguers Newcastle United FC, Coral has announced it has inked a new official betting and gaming partnership with Championship League club Leeds United. Neither the terms nor the duration of the pact were disclosed.

In addition to allowing punters the usual access to exclusive offers via online or betting kiosks at LUFC’s Elland Road ground, Coral will also get naming rights on the north east corner of the venue’s stand, which will henceforth be known as The Coral North East Stand, dashing hopes of a punter mindfuck by calling it the Coral South West Sitting. Coral will also enjoy the standard brand presence across the club’s digital and social media channels, as well as on real-world poster boards.

Coral’s latest signing follows a flurry of sponsorship activity, which includes not only the Newcastle pact but similar deals with EPL sides Fulham and Norwich City, adding to Coral’s existing deal with Everton. One can only hope this helps dispel the unfavorable impression most UK residents have of the Coral brand.

UK betting operator Coral has inked a sponsorship deal with Newscastle United FC.

This week, Coral announced it had signed on as the Magpies’ official betting and gaming partner, replacing Asian-facing operator 138.com. The two-year deal will see Coral’s logo splashed all over St. James Park, including on betting kiosks situated throughout the stadium. Newcastle fans will also enjoy exclusive online betting offers and promotions.

Newcastle’s partnership point man Dale Atchinson says he expects team supporters will get “great value” from the tie-up, while Coral brand director Matt Prevost applied a fresh layer of lip balm before kissing those fans’ backsides and dubbing them “the most passionate and knowledgeable in the country.”

Coral appears determined to spend every last penny of its marketing budget before the Gala Coral Group officially merges with Ladbrokes and decisions get made elsewhere. So far this year, Coral has inked partnerships with fellow English Premier Leaguers Fulham and Norwich City, to go with the Everton partnership Coral inked last year.

Asian casino operator Donaco International has inked a partnership with English Premier League football powerhouse Manchester United.

On Wednesday, Man U announced it had named Donaco its Official Casino Resort Partner in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and South Korea. Donaco operates the Star Vegas casino in Cambodia and the Aristo International Hotel and casino in Vietnam.

The parties say they will work together to boost both brands’ profiles through the use of exclusive club content. Man U managing director Richard Arnold called the deal “a significant partnership” while Donaco CEO Joey Lim said the pact would allow his firm to “better engage with our customers and fans and help expedite our growth and footprint across the region.”

SISAL MATCHPOINT INK AS ROMA

This is a guest contribution by Julie Anderson, a writer from Vegas Master Magazine. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

The English Premier League (EPL) kicked off its 23rd season on August 8th, which means that a new season of EPL sports betting has also begun.

Betting on sports is of course a global phenomenon, restricted not only to the common folks but also major sports stars. In the UK gambling on football is a massive and growing global industry worth billions of pounds every year. Currently, it is estimated that the worldwide sports betting industry is worth up to a staggering $3 trillion.

In the UK, well over half of the sports betting that occurs is on football. While there are several sports gambling operators in England, the UK’s largest bookmakers are William Hill, Ladbrokes, and Coral. Irish bookmaker, Paddy Power, is another big name known for its viral campaigns.

Man City, Man Utd and Leicester City maintain 100% records after the second week of the Premier League season. Liverpool defends their 100% record at home to Bournemouth on Monday.

It was blue, bloody and brilliant.

Manchester City dismantled the champions at the Etihad Stadium to take their perch at the top of the table. City’s three-nil victory over Chelsea was a strong statement from a squad many pundits said were suffering cataracts and collapsed veins. They looked anything but, as the likes of David Silva, Jesus Navas, Raheem Sterling and the brilliant Sergio Aguero ripped Jose Mourinho’s team apart.

The little Argentinean magician could have put City four up in the first 20-minutes: a combination of shoddy finishing and superb goalkeeping by Asmir Begovic stopping that from happening.

Online bookmaker Marathonbet is determined to make its presence felt in the minds (and wallets) of UK football bettors.

On Friday, the UK- and Curacao-licensed Marathonbet announced it had signed up to become an official partner of Football League Championship side Middlesbrough FC. The deal will see the bookies sponsor the North Stand at Riverside Stadium, where Boro handed Bolton a 3-0 drubbing on Saturday during its home opener.

The partnership twixt Boro and bookie will also involve campaigns across the club’s digital platforms as well as exclusive offers for Boro fans throughout the duration of the partnership, the length of which wasn’t specified.

Middlesbrough CEO Neil Bausor expressed the standard delight in being able to cash another betting industry check, while Marathonbet CEO Stan Reoutt said the bookie’s “ambitions and goals are synonymous with those of the club. The UK is a key market for Marathonbet and we’re very confident that this partnership will help us reach our goals.” Reoutt expressed solidarity with the team’s desire to return to the English Premier League following its relegation in 2009.

Major League Baseball made history this week and made one parlay bettor very, very happy.

On Tuesday, all 15 MLB home teams won their games, the first time in league history such a feat has occurred. The STATS.com boffins estimated that the odds against this happening were 32,768 to 1.

UK bookies William Hill ended up paying out £64,543 to a lucky punter from Dublin, Ireland who’d placed a £50 parlay wager on all 15 home teams to win, along with two correlated round-robin bets.

Elias Sports Bureau reported that the previous record was set way back in 1914, when 12 teams – including four playing in the now defunct Federal League – won games at home on the same day. Hills reported that that the Irish punter claimed that, had he known that he was betting on something that had never before transpired, he’d never have placed his wager. Apparently, what you don’t know really can’t hurt you.