It’s all systems go for Wynn’s Everett casino.

On Monday, Wynn Resorts announced that it has received unanimous approval from the City of Everett Planning Board for the $1.7 billion casino resort.

The board’s approval is a critical step for Wynn Resorts, since it will allow the casino resort to apply for local building permits for the 33-acre casino complex, according to Patch.

This vote is the latest win for Wynn Everett. The casino operator previously received another unanimous approval from the Everett Conservation Commission in addition to the crucial environmental permit that was awarded by the Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The major professional sports leagues finally have a response to the sports betting case appeal in New Jersey—drop it.

Early this month, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals asked the four major sports organizations—NHL included—and the NCAA to file a response in the sports betting case. The order came after New Jersey asked for an “en banc” review by the full 23-judge circuit following August’s decision.

To recap, the three-judge panel of the appeals court rejected in a 2-1 vote New Jersey’s appeal of a ruling that bars the state’s latest bid to allow sports betting in local casinos and race tracks.

On Tuesday, however, the organizations told the court that there is no need for the entire 23-judge circuit to take up the issue, NewJersey.com reported.

Israel’s government is considering plans to open the country’s first casino, although resistance is already coming from social conservatives.

Last week, Israel’s Channel 10 television reported that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (pictured left) had tasked two cabinet ministers with conducting feasibility studies on opening a casino in Eilat, a city on the Red Sea coast, with the idea of turning the region into a tourist hotspot.

There are two proposals currently being studied. The first plan envisions introducing casino gaming options in several existing Eilat hotels, particularly those chains that already operate casinos in other countries. The alternate plan would see a new large scale gaming venue developed on the site of Eilat’s airport, which is slated to be replaced by a new airport currently under construction.

On Friday, tourism minister Yariv Levin confirmed the reports, telling Israeli radio that he “fully” supports the concept of bringing casino gaming to Israel as a way of boosting tourism and giving Eilat an economic shot in the arm. Levin told TheMarket that Eilat’s current rate of tourism meant the new airport would be “pretty empty” without the added draw that a casino would bring.

Poker Central announces their opening schedule for Oct, 1, and Lee Davy explains why he believes it fails to ignite too many fires.

I love poker, but 24/7?

Poker Central is about to become the world’s only 24/7 TV channel solely dedicated to the game we all love. But here’s the rub; there is probably a reason it’s the only 24/7 TV channel dedicated to the game we all love.

The new channel opens for business on Oct, 1. I would rather spend the night in a cave full of baboons than sit in front of the TV screen to watch what lies on their silver platter. It all leaves me feeling a little bit empty.

Tom West has won the Heartland Poker Tour Main Event in Thunder Valley after overcoming a relatively inexperienced final table in California.

For Tom West, the fifth tour stop of the freshest Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) season to date was all about redemption.

At the turn of the year West experienced equal measures of pain and pleasure finishing third in the HPT Main Event in Thunder Valley. He picked up $64,676 for that finish. Nick Shkolnik took the first prize of $159,599.

Victory means the $154,590 that West took home to his family is the largest score of his career. His previous best was $126,925 secured when he finished runner-up to Michael Woo in a 2007 LA Poker Classic side event that brought players into the fold in their droves. He also has two World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event cashes to his name.

China’s lottery sales fell nearly 11% in August as the sector continues to wait out the government’s ‘temporary’ suspension of online sales.

China’s Ministry of Finance reported that lottery sales fell 10.9% to RMB 28.1b (US $4.41b) in August. Welfare lottery sales fell 11.8% to RMB 15b while sports lottery sales dipped 9.9% to RMB 13.1b.

For the first eight months of 2015, overall sales are off 1.8% to RMB 242.8b, with the welfare lottery down 0.4% to RMB 133.4b and sports sales off 4.2% to RMB 109.4b.

The temporary suspension of online lottery sales that began in March has been credited with helping to depress the H1 figures of lottery operator Rexlot Holdings, which formerly sold tickets through its Okooo.com site. Rexlot said its lottery turnover was down 7% to HKD 848.8m ($109.5m) in the first six months of 2015. Profit took a harder hit, falling 23% to HKD 342.2m.

Turner Broadcasting unveils plans to showcase Counter Strike tournaments on their TV network, and Activision drum up excitement for the launch of Call of Duty 3 by releasing news of a 2016 Call of Duty World Championships with $3m prize pool.

The recent World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) on PokerStars was the richest in their 14-year history with $66,245,305 generated by the poker community.

It’s another reminder of how big we are.

How long before online poker is re-categorized as an eSport?

The stalled Baha Mar resort casino project in the Bahamas got a glimmer of hope last week when the primary contractor returned to the unfinished work site after a prolonged absence.

According to a statement issued by the provisional liquidators appointed to oversee the project, representatives of China Construction America (CCA) visited the project site last week to assess how much work remains to be done on the $3.5b resort.

Baha Mar Ltd, the developer led by Sarkis Izmirlian (pictured), filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Delaware bankruptcy court at the end of June after falling out with CCA and the project’s primary financier, Export Import Bank of China (EXIM). Baha Mar Ltd then sued CCA over the contractor’s alleged failure to finish the project in a timely manner. In turn, CCA claimed that it hadn’t been paid by Baha Mar Ltd since February.

The project is rapidly slipping out of Izmirlian’s grasp. The developer had attempted to convince the Delaware bankruptcy court to approve a restructuring plan that would have voided CCA’s deal and the $72m the contractor claimed to be owed. Instead, on Sept. 15, the Delaware court sided with CCA and EXIM and dismissed the bankruptcy case, putting the matter back in the hands of Bahamian authorities, who had already claimed they wouldn’t be bound by any decision made in a US court.