Philippine casino operator Bloomberry Resorts has sold its South Korean casino to Macau junket investor Iao Kun Group Holding Company (IKGH).

Last week, Bloomberry publicly confirmed that it was mulling the sale of its Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino on South Korea’s Jeju island. On Thursday, Bloomberry announced that its Solaire Korea Co Ltd subsidiary had reached a deal to sell its 96.23% stake in Golden & Luxury Co Ltd to IKGH for KRW 117.5b (US $102.6m).

The deal still requires regulatory approval and for IKGH to perform due diligence. IKGH has made an initial deposit of KRW 10b, which will be held in escrow for 45 days, after which it will be either credited towards the sale price or returned to IKGH if the deal fails to progress.

In a filing to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Bloomberry said IKGH, “desires to enter into the Jeju market and is confident that it can attract its Chinese VIP customers to Jeju Island.”

Philippine casino operator Bloomberry Resorts has sold its South Korean casino to Macau junket investor Iao Kun Group Holding Company (IKGH).

Last week, Bloomberry publicly confirmed that it was mulling the sale of its Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino on South Korea’s Jeju island. On Thursday, Bloomberry announced that its Solaire Korea Co Ltd subsidiary had reached a deal to sell its 96.23% stake in Golden & Luxury Co Ltd to IKGH for KRW 117.5b (US $102.6m).

The deal still requires regulatory approval and for IKGH to perform due diligence. IKGH has made an initial deposit of KRW 10b, which will be held in escrow for 45 days, after which it will be either credited towards the sale price or returned to IKGH if the deal fails to progress.

In a filing to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Bloomberry said IKGH, “desires to enter into the Jeju market and is confident that it can attract its Chinese VIP customers to Jeju Island.”

Gambling companies that allow South Australians to wager will be hit with new tax starting 2017, local media outlets have reported.

The state government is planning to introduce a 15 percent “place of consumption” tax, as part of the National Tax Reform process, on “the net wagering revenue of all betting companies offering services” in South Australia, according to abc.net.au. This means any bets placed in the state with Australian-based gambling companies will be subject to the tax.

The tax applies to betting on horse, harness and greyhound racing, as well as sports betting such as AFL, cricket and soccer, election-related punting and even the Academy Awards, said state Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis.

This is the first time a state government in Australia will tax betting companies based on where the wagers are placed. South Australia-licensed bookmakers, such as UBet, authorized interstate betting operators, and corporate bookmakers like Sportsbet and Ladbrokes are usually taxed based on where their offices are located.

US-based daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator DraftKings is beginning to flex its muscles in the British gaming market with the acquisition of the full player database of free-to-play DFS platform TransferKings.

Draftkings describes the acquisition of TransferKings as a strategic move to accelerate its expansion and cement its footprint on the British shores as legalization of the DFS in the U.S. remains uncertain. In return, TransferKings sees the acquisition as an opportunity for their players in the UK to access real-money contests, as opposed to only free-to-play competitions.

The two companies didn’t disclose the specific terms of the deal, including the price of the deal.

“We want to expand our audience in the United Kingdom, and this is an effective way to reach an even larger group of passionate fantasy football fans,” DraftKings Chief International Officer Jeffrey Haas said, according to Inside World Football.

US-based daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator DraftKings is beginning to flex its muscles in the British gaming market with the acquisition of the full player database of free-to-play DFS platform TransferKings.

Draftkings describes the acquisition of TransferKings as a strategic move to accelerate its expansion and cement its footprint on the British shores as legalization of the DFS in the U.S. remains uncertain. In return, TransferKings sees the acquisition as an opportunity for their players in the UK to access real-money contests, as opposed to only free-to-play competitions.

The two companies didn’t disclose the specific terms of the deal, including the price of the deal.

“We want to expand our audience in the United Kingdom, and this is an effective way to reach an even larger group of passionate fantasy football fans,” DraftKings Chief International Officer Jeffrey Haas said, according to Inside World Football.

Seat belts on guys, because a wild ride—cryptocurrency style—has already started.

Bitcoin has been on a steady climb for weeks, but all of that ended on Thursday, when the price of bitcoin dropped to $589.80—its lowest in recent weeks—with 15.69 million bitcoins in circulation.

Market analysts believe the decline was prompted by the possibility that the United Kingdom will vote to stay in the European Union. So far, the Leave campaign still has a 3 percent lead over the Remain campaign, according to a poll ran by Democracy Institute.

Traders have linked the Brexit vote, along with fears of a possible Chinese yuan devaluation and bitcoin halving, to the recent surge in bitcoin prices. If you recall, the price of bitcoin leaped to its two-year high of $774 early this week. And this, according to CoinDesk, proves the widely-held notion that digital currencies such as bitcoin is a “safe haven” asset, which “benefits in times of macroeconomic uncertainty in which its strengths as an investment vehicle whose value is derived solely from a global market are best on display.”

Seat belts on guys, because a wild ride—cryptocurrency style—has already started.

Bitcoin has been on a steady climb for weeks, but all of that ended on Thursday, when the price of bitcoin dropped to $589.80—its lowest in recent weeks—with 15.69 million bitcoins in circulation.

Market analysts believe the decline was prompted by the possibility that the United Kingdom will vote to stay in the European Union. So far, the Leave campaign still has a 3 percent lead over the Remain campaign, according to a poll ran by Democracy Institute.

Traders have linked the Brexit vote, along with fears of a possible Chinese yuan devaluation and bitcoin halving, to the recent surge in bitcoin prices. If you recall, the price of bitcoin leaped to its two-year high of $774 early this week. And this, according to CoinDesk, proves the widely-held notion that digital currencies such as bitcoin is a “safe haven” asset, which “benefits in times of macroeconomic uncertainty in which its strengths as an investment vehicle whose value is derived solely from a global market are best on display.”

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending Codeta.com’s VIP event for affiliates, an opportunity to educate potential partners on what the niche online casino has to offer while building relationships and having some fun.  As mentioned in the past, I’ve been on a number of VIP affiliate events over the past twelve years, but this was my first time attending an event hosted by a start-up company.

Codeta’s VIP day consisted of a variety of activities around Stockholm, kicking off with a list of challenges to accomplish around Central Stockholm in teams, followed by a tour of the Codeta offices, lunch, a presentation, a speed boat trip through the Stockholm Archipelago, drinks and dinner at a breathtaking boat house overlooking the water, live table games and club-hopping.

Simon Johanssen is the affiliate director of Ihre Consulting, the company behind Codeta’s launch and one of the key organizers behind the VIP activities.

“As new brands launch every week with promise of an unique thinking and touch to the industry, this was for us an opportunity to actually share with our partners what we have achieved and bring them onboard to join our journey.  No blank promises on Skype or email, we wanted them to see it by their own eyes”, Johanssen explained.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending Codeta.com’s VIP event for affiliates, an opportunity to educate potential partners on what the niche online casino has to offer while building relationships and having some fun.  As mentioned in the past, I’ve been on a number of VIP affiliate events over the past twelve years, but this was my first time attending an event hosted by a start-up company.

Codeta’s VIP day consisted of a variety of activities around Stockholm, kicking off with a list of challenges to accomplish around Central Stockholm in teams, followed by a tour of the Codeta offices, lunch, a presentation, a speed boat trip through the Stockholm Archipelago, drinks and dinner at a breathtaking boat house overlooking the water, live table games and club-hopping.

Simon Johanssen is the affiliate director of Ihre Consulting, the company behind Codeta’s launch and one of the key organizers behind the VIP activities.

“As new brands launch every week with promise of an unique thinking and touch to the industry, this was for us an opportunity to actually share with our partners what we have achieved and bring them onboard to join our journey.  No blank promises on Skype or email, we wanted them to see it by their own eyes”, Johanssen explained.

The economic slump plaguing the Macau gambling industry has taken a bite out of Emperor Entertainment Hotel Ltd. as the hotel casino operator sees its profits plunge by 49 percent year-on-year.

Tracking the same downward trajectory taken by its peers in China’s premier gaming hub, Emperor’s profit halved to HK$256.2 million (US$33 million) in the 12 months to March 31, 2016 compared to the

HK$504.3 million (US$81.78 million) in the previous year.

Emperor, which operates the Grand Emperor Hotel and casino in downtown Macau as well as the non-gaming, 287-room Inn Hotel Macau, cited Macau’s sputtering economic activity as a major factor why it has slumped in 2016.

The economic slump plaguing the Macau gambling industry has taken a bite out of Emperor Entertainment Hotel Ltd. as the hotel casino operator sees its profits plunge by 49 percent year-on-year.

Tracking the same downward trajectory taken by its peers in China’s premier gaming hub, Emperor’s profit halved to HK$256.2 million (US$33 million) in the 12 months to March 31, 2016 compared to the

HK$504.3 million (US$81.78 million) in the previous year.

Emperor, which operates the Grand Emperor Hotel and casino in downtown Macau as well as the non-gaming, 287-room Inn Hotel Macau, cited Macau’s sputtering economic activity as a major factor why it has slumped in 2016.

3-Barrels of pure value for you including New York State Assemblyman, Gary Pretlow, informing PokerNews of the reasons why the online poker bill didn’t see the eyes of the Assembly; PokerStars withdraw NL2 from their Belgian market, and a Polish poker man killed in the Dominican Republic.

The New York Senate voted 53 to 5 for a fully regulated and licensed online poker market in the state. Interested observers were excited, and rightly so – that’s a wide margin. The landslide even caused some poker prophets to suggest the bill might pass this side of 2016.

Everything was going online poker’s way. Especially, as legislation to pass similar laws for Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) were also flying through the legal system like The Flash on speed.

And then came the Assembly – the big moment.

3-Barrels of pure value for you including New York State Assemblyman, Gary Pretlow, informing PokerNews of the reasons why the online poker bill didn’t see the eyes of the Assembly; PokerStars withdraw NL2 from their Belgian market, and a Polish poker man killed in the Dominican Republic.

The New York Senate voted 53 to 5 for a fully regulated and licensed online poker market in the state. Interested observers were excited, and rightly so – that’s a wide margin. The landslide even caused some poker prophets to suggest the bill might pass this side of 2016.

Everything was going online poker’s way. Especially, as legislation to pass similar laws for Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) were also flying through the legal system like The Flash on speed.

And then came the Assembly – the big moment.

The final group games of Euro 2016 sees the Rep. Ireland qualify after a late winner against Italy; Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires from international football after Sweden crash out, and much more.

The Republic of Ireland will face the hosts France in the Round of 16 after Norwich City’s Robbie Brady scored a dramatic late winner against Italy under the closed roof at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Martin O’Neill’s side came into the final Group E game bottom of the table, knowing that only a victory over an already qualified Italy was the only result that would see them progress.

Italian coach Antonio Conte made eight changes from the side that beat Sweden, and it showed. Ireland signified their intent as early as the 9th minute when Jeff Hendrick struck a sweet shot just wide of the Italian goal. There were the fastest out of the block, were the better side throughout most of the first half, and should have had a penalty when James McClean was brought down by Federico Bernadeschi only for the referee to wave play on much to the disgust to the men and women from the Emerald Isle.