California held its first ever committee vote on online poker legislation and the vote was unanimously in favor.

The vote didn’t legalize anything, but merely ensured that Assemblyman Adam Gray’s AB 431 ‘shell’ bill would be discussed in greater detail at future hearings. Unlike the state’s other online poker bills, AB 431 wasn’t designated as an ‘urgency’ measure, leaving it facing an early death if it didn’t receive Committee approval by May 1, the deadline for bills to be considered in the current legislative session.

Prior to Monday’s hearing of the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee – of which Gray is chairman – Gray filed amendments to the bill. The substance of these amendments remains a mystery but they were apparently sufficient to convince representatives of the Pechanga-led tribal coalition to shift their position from ‘opposed’ to ‘neutral’.

However, Pechanga chairman Mark Macarro reiterated the coalition’s opposition to the state’s racetracks being allowed to participate in the online poker marketplace. The coalition continues to insist that since the tracks aren’t currently licensed to offer poker, allowing them to do so online would represent an expansion of gambling that would contradict the expressed wishes of state voters and make a mockery of state-tribal gaming compacts.

Irish betting operator Paddy Power has once more waded neck-deep into controversy with an IRA-themed billboard promoting the Republic of Ireland’s upcoming marriage equality referendum.

On Monday, people in Dublin turned their heads as a flatbed truck bearing Paddy’s billboard drove through the streets. The billboard features two people – both apparently men – sharing a kiss while wearing suits, corsages and balaclavas. The image is accompanied by the Irish Republican Army slogan “Tiocfaidh Ar La,” which translates as ‘Our day will come.’

The campaign – which is also appearing in print and online – offers odds on whether the referendum will pass or fail. Paddy released a statement, typically laced with double entendres, saying the current action on its betting market “makes it look rosy in the garden for the YES camp but don’t be surprised if the NO vote comes from behind to give us all a surprise. In the words of Alex Ferguson, it’s squeaky bum time.”

Paddy is also offering odds on what will become Ireland’s “gayest constituency,” with Dublin’s Dún Laoghaire pegged as most likely to boast the highest ‘yes’ vote in the May 22 referendum.

Online gambling software outfit Playtech saw revenue jump nearly one-third in Q1, although its poker product continues to languish.

Overall revenue grew 31% to €134.9m, with Playtech’s core casino vertical rising 28% to €70.9m and services revenue up 27% to €37.8m. The biggest percentage gain came from Playtech’s land-based operations, which rose 198% to €8.3m, eclipsing both sports (€7.3m, +31%) and bingo (€5m, +24%). As has become a pattern, poker was Playtech’s lone negative vertical, falling 17% to €3.2m.

Playtech says the proportion of its overall revenue derived from regulated markets rose to 40% from 34% in Q1 2014. Playtech believes the recent acquisition of the TradeFX financial betting business, which operates under the Markets.com brand, will push that regulated revenue slice to 50%. Playtech believes it can convince most of its current licensees to add TradeFX’s binary options and contract for difference markets.

Playtech claimed to have increased the majority of its regulated market contribution to total European revenue but the trading update issued on Monday didn’t break out regional revenue. The most significant performer in Playtech’s 2014 revenue was its Philippine-licensed operations, which serve many Asian grey- and black-market jurisdictions.