THE AMERICAS

The Restoration of America’s Wire Act got the hyperbolic congressional hearing it deserved; Quebec announced plans to IP-block illegal gambling sites while offering a lifeline to other operators; Delaware and Nevada launched the first US interstate online poker network and IGT launched the first interstate video poker wide area progressive; Amaya Gaming spun off its Diamond Game lottery business; New Jersey published its first online responsible gambling study; MGM Resorts said it wanted to go “toe-to-toe” with Connecticut casinos; Fanduel won its legal case against rival DraftKings over US bragging rights; an Illinois court dismissed nuisance suits against PokerStars and Full Tilt; gambling proponent Senator Harry Reid said he won’t run for reelection in 2016; a former Watergate prosecutor was appointed to probe Caesars Entertainment’s asset sales; PlayStudios teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal and DoubleDown Casino inked the Heartland Poker Tour; American claims that Antigua’s online gambling market was growing were met with derision; Phil Ivey failed to quash the Borgata’s edge-sorting lawsuit; Income Access CEO Nicky Senyard offered strategies for US land-based casinos and affiliates while Lee Davy wondered why US poker players weren’t leading the charge against RAWA.

EUROPE

A 666Bet director was arrested as part of a £21m fraud investigation and Leyton Orient FC terminated its 666Bet sponsorship; 888 Holdings said it’s “never been so healthy” after a record 2014 and a new World Series of Poker sponsorship; Optimal Payments bought rival Skrill and Neteller began accepting Bitcoin; GVC Holdings’s 2014 was “a resounding success;” a Dutch court said Unibet wasn’t responsible for a gambler’s €178k losses; Austria announced it would IP-block international online operators; Mansion CEO Guy Gussarsky announced his resignation; Robbie Davies offered tips for online gambling writers and Italy defeated Russia to claim the inaugural Global Poker Masters.

A director of Isle of Man-based online gambling company 666Bet has been arrested in connection with a money laundering and fraud investigation.

Last week, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) suspended the operating license of Metro Play Limited, which controls both the 666Bet and MetroPlay.com online gambling sites. At the time, the UKGC declined to specify what had prompted the suspension, saying only that it suspected the firm was “unsuitable” to carry on its gambling activities.

The suspension was preceded by news that police in the UK, the Isle of Man and Guernsey had arrested seven unidentified individuals as part of a VAT fraud and money laundering investigation titled Operation Bannock. The operation saw police execute a number of raids in Cheshire, London, Manchester, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, seizing “significant” amounts of cash and business records. Rumors circulated that the raids were linked to Metro Play’s suspension but police declined to confirm the speculation.

On Saturday, the Independent reported that 666Bet director Paul Bell, a former stockbroker turned investor, was one of the individuals arrested as part of Operation Bannock. Bell was reportedly released on bail last week only to be rearrested the following day following his arrival on the Isle of Man. Isleofman.com reported that two individuals were released on bail last week and that police had seized £500k in cash following raids on two Isle of Man premises.