Lee Davy sits down with the CEO of Poker Atlas, John Friedberg, to talk about online gambling in the United States and his new product Table Captain.

Jon Friedberg: Poker Atlas, Table Captain and the US Online Gambling Affiliate Market Video

New York legislators will hold an exploratory hearing on the merits of online poker on September 9.

The hearing is the work of State Senator John Bonacic, author of the state’s most recent online poker legislation. Details of Bonacic’s S 5302 bill can be found here, but there’s not much point in familiarizing yourself with its contents, because there’s simply not enough political will to pass the bill this year.

Bonacic admitted as much in a conversation with Gambling Compliance, saying that he would use the hearing to convince the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee – which Bonacic chairs – to “look seriously” at passing online poker legislation in 2016.

In the meantime, Bonacic has invited representatives from his state’s casinos, racinos and off-track betting parlors to discuss “the pros and cons of moving the legislation.” Bonacic has also summoned reps from Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts, both of which are active participants in the regulated online gambling market across the border in New Jersey.

Unibet are the latest online gambling company to announce plans to enter the newly regulated online gambling market in Romania.

Malta-based online gambling outfit Unibet is planning to haggle for their right to do business in Romania.

According to PokerNews, Unibet revealed their intention to affiliates and media partners, via e-mail, stating, “While Unibet is still analyzing the license requirements/conditions, we would like to let you know that Unibet is in the process of going ahead with its application for a Romanian license.”

The news emerges six weeks after the country announced plans to create a fully regulated online gambling arena. Romania’s National Office for Gaming (ONJN) took charge of the restructuring and 48 online domains were immediately given the blacklisted middle finger. The goals of the ONJN include protecting minors and creating a fair and transparent system. The ONJN was created in 2013.

PokerStars has launched micro Spin & Go formats in both France and Spain. New Jersey Senator Ray Lesniak tells Cardplayer that PokerStars entry into New Jersey will be completed in ‘short order.’

The world’s largest online poker room, PokerStars, has launched micro-stakes Spin & Go tournaments in both France and Spain.

The Lilliputian size €0.25 buy-in three-max hyper-turbo lotteries have been launched as a trial. The French project will end 30 Sep. There is no definitive end date to the Spanish project.

The smaller buy-in model carries a slightly higher rake than the other buy-in levels. 8% of the €0.25 buy-in will go into the coffers of PokerStars. $3 & $7 buy-ins carry a 6% rake and $15, $30, $60 and $100 buy-ins carry a 5% rake. French players can win a maximum €2,500 (10,000x), with their Spanish counterparts looking at a top prize of €1,000 (4,000x).

Macau casinos could be headed for their second worst month in five years if current trends continue.

Macau casinos have been mired in a 14-month long gaming revenue slump, but the rate of year-on-year decline has slowed in recent months, leading some operators to cautiously voice the opinion that some kind of ‘bottom’ had been reached.

Think again. Unofficial reports from Macau casinos over the first half of August have analysts reducing their estimates for the month’s revenue potential. Sterne Agee analysts had been expecting a year-on-year decline of between 30% and 34%, slightly better than July’s 34.5% decline. But they believe gross gaming revenue fell 39% in the first two weeks of August, forcing them to reduce the month’s estimate to a decline of between 33% and 37%.

Wells Fargo also cut its estimates to between 36% and 38%, while Sanford Bernstein Research split the difference, calling for a 37% monthly decline. Collectively, projections are for Macau to record revenue of between MOP 17.5b and 18.4b (US $2.2b – $2.3b). That’s only a whisker above the MOP 17.4b Macau reported in June, which marked the lowest gaming revenue tally since November 2010.