Florida developer Glenn Straub moved one step closer to owning the Revel Casino Hotel (if he still wants it) after a federal judge shot down a request by business tenants of the old hotel and casino to stop the sale of the property because they wanted to appeal the sale.

Judge Jerome B. Simandle of the U.S. District Court in Camden, N.J. issued the order, freeing Straub from any obligations to honor the leases and other rights of the property’s amenity tenants and affirming Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Gloria Burns’ ruling that the property could be sold “free and clear of liens, claims, encumbrances and interests.”

Judge Simandle also cited the “palpable risk of losing a ready buyer” as one of the reasons behind declining the request of the tenants and without any alternative buyer waiting in the wings, Revel could end up losing out and would be left “empty and commercially unproductive.”

“Such concerns would not sufficiently outweigh the far more prevalent interest in facilitating the success of bankruptcy proceedings and enabling such proceedings to reach finality,” Judge Simandle added.

Straub, through his lawyer Stuart Moskovitz, threatened to walk away from the deal if the tenants’ appeal were approved. But now that the issue has been cleared up and the developer is no longer in the hook to honor those leases, Moskovitz remarked that the purchase could proceed.

The real estate developer also scored a separate victory when Judge Simandle also junked a similar appeal filed by ACR Energy Partners LLC, the operator of the casino’s custom-built powerplant.

The powerplant issue has been a major sticking point in the sale of the casino. Canadian equity firm Brookfield Holdings abandoned its planned purchase of the casino because it couldn’t agree to a deal with the powerplant operator, which Revel reportedly paid more than $3 million a month when it was still open.

Irish betting operator Paddy Power has teamed up with NextGen Gaming, the Australian slot studio of online gaming company NYX Gaming Group to launch online slot titled “Merlin’s Millions Superbet.”

The new online slot will be available to access via Paddy Power’s desktop and mobile platforms.

NYX Gaming said that a number of games created by its Sydney-based games studio NextGen Gaming are to be rolled out for the operator, with Merlin’s Millions Superbet the first to go live.

Merlin’s Millions Superbet offers players 3D visuals and powerful anime with the likeable Merlin, the first of what has grown to become a three-game franchise featuring the character in his popular magical themed world. The Superbet functionality provides players the opportunity to leverage a unique 5-level ante-bet, offering the potential of wild multiplied wins and putting players firmly in charge of their own play volatility.

“The launch of NextGen’s Merlin’s Millions Superbet re-affirms Paddy Power’s commitment to providing the best in slots content, which is invaluable for both our acquisition and retention efforts,” Paddy Power’s games marketing manager, Conor Leavey said.

“We’re delighted to launch Merlin’s Millions Superbet™ to our partners at Paddy Power.” said NYX Gaming Commercial Director David Johnson. “Together with Foxin’ Wins, the Merlin’s franchise has become one that is followed by operators and players alike. 50 win lines across a 4×5 configuration offers players increased opportunities for magical stacked wins; in line with a dual feature set Merlin’s Millions Superbet increases player engagement and play time.”

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has incurred more wrath of the Commission on Audit (COA), which is demanding that PAGCOR dispose of the remaining condominium units it bought from AMVEL Land Development Corp.

In its 2013 audit report released last week, the COA put PAGCOR in its place when it came to the latter’s investments in non-core assets. The Commission was referring to 66 condominium units PAGCOR bought from AMVEL with the intention of selling these units to PAGCOR employees and officials. But the COA discovered that of those 66 units, 54 remain unsold, which puts PAGCOR on the hook for Php218.1 million in unrealized profit.

The COA has recommended that PAGCOR intensify its efforts “to dispose the remaining 54 condominium units in order to recover the idle funds, which can be utilized for more profitable investments.”

“Considering that it was evident that its officers and employees were no longer interested in availing of the housing project, in view of the lapse of six years from the time the project was conceived, consider the possibility of offering the subject units to the public,” the COA added.

In true Filipino fashion, the COA used a colorful metaphor, comparing the unsold condo units to “unwanted children” that came about because of “poor planning” on PAGCOR’s part.

“PAGCOR could have avoided the incurrence of various expenses in the total amount of P16.237 million relative to the 54 unsold units had the diligence of a good father of a family been strictly observed and had there been proper planning and judgment in the purchase of the subject condominium units,” the COA said.

TRAVELERS INTL. DETAILS RESORT WORLD MANILA EXPANSION PLANS

Days after FanDuel released its revenue numbers from 2014, rival DraftKings is doing the same and if their numbers are any indication, it paints a rosy picture of the future of daily fantasy sports sites.

DraftKings revealed that it had earned $40 million in revenue in 2014, a sharp increase from its 2013 numbers when it posted a meager-by-comparison $3 million in revenue. DraftKings also announced that it had taken in around $304 million in entry fees from users, another impressive increase from 2013 when it only received $45 million in entry fees.

Just like FanDuel, DraftKings’ 4Q 2014 numbers were the biggest of the four quarters and largely contributed to the company’s overall revenue numbers. This isn’t surprising considering that its the quarter where most of America’s sports leagues are in action. Whether it’s the tail end of the MLB season, and the start of the NBA and NHL, the fourth quarter of every year is the prime season for daily fantasy sports.

Oh, and it’s also the only quarter of the year – not counting the playoffs and the Super Bowl – where the NFL is in action. DraftKings’ numbers in the 4Q of 2014 alone – $173.6 million in the entry fees – proves as much.

Despite its impressive revenue run in 2014, DraftKings still runs second to FanDuel in terms of fantasy users shares. The latter received $622 million in entry fees in 2014 with revenues of up to $57 million.

While there’s still a level of competition between the two sites, Atlas venture partner Ryan Moore, who led the company’s investment in DraftKings in the latter part of 2014, believes that bigger things are in store for DraftKings and the industry itself as a whole.

“The numbers don’t lie,” Moore told BetaBoston. “This is a much bigger market than anyone thought it would be, which is great news for both DraftKings and FanDuel.”

Take Our Poll

London gives you not only great conferences and expos but awesome parties where you can network, relax and drink, which is why we decided to ask our readers, “Which Conference party are you most looking forward to?”

67% said, “Fire and Ice,” 17% voted London Baby and 17% said, “LAC Closing Party.”

Fire and Ice 2015 will be held on Wednesday, 4th of February at the Troxy 490 Commercial Road, E1 0HX, London and is free for all igaming execs to attend. Doors will be open for general admission at 9:00 p.m.

Fire and Ice, famous for its provocative and unique entertainment attracting 2000 of the who’s who in iGaming industry from casino operators to media suppliers, takes guests back in time to the golden era of Victorian England with Fire & Ice 2015: The Reign of Queen Vic. Bask in the gilt of the court that sits on a foundation of depravity.