From the 13th February, PokerStars.fr, will close the door in the face of non-French residents, so they can ‘adapt to a constantly changing environment.’

If you live in a European country that allows you to compete on PokerStars.fr, and were considering opening an account for your lover on Valentine’s Day, then you may want to turn your attention to chocolate, sexy undies, or something containing tiny batteries.

PokerStars has informed players, via email, that from February 13, only residents of France or any of their overseas departments and territories, will be permitted to play on PokerStars.fr.

The vicissitudes of history have not been kind to French poker players. It’s another kick in the genitals for a country where it’s harder to find a game of poker than a teenager who knows what a fountain pen is.

Max Pescatori goes against his buccaneering instincts, selling his World Series of Poker (WSOP) Bracelet on eBay to help earthquake victims left homeless in Amatrice, Italy.

Stuff.

I hate stuff.

My heart felt like a block of wood in a Bruce Lee dojo during my divorce. Perform open heart surgery, and you’ll find cracks all over it, alongside one or two major fault lines.

This past Sunday (February 5) Michael Bent passed away in Makati Philippines. He went peacefully after a short illness surrounded by his loving family.

It’s always sad when we lose one of our own and if you had met Michael, then you know what a loss it is to the industry.  I didn’t work with Michael but whenever our paths would cross, I’d leave with a smile.

We thought it was best to let the people who knew him well to share their experiences with the jovial Irishman.

Tony Anthony, Director of HR for Tyche LTD – “Michael had a quality that was hard to find in a leader. His unique ability to connect with people at any level was his secret sauce.  He was able to bring people together because they wanted to be a part of what he was doing. His enthusiasm and passion was contagious. He also treated everyone with dignity and respect. It didn’t matter if it was another executive or someone doing maintenance, they were all part of the team. He instinctively knew how to bring out the best in people. He was a man who displayed the highest levels of ethics and genuine integrity.”  An incredible loss for all who had the privilege of working with him.

US Department of Justice officials are educating Saipan’s gaming regulators on anti-money laundering compliance just as the island’s lone casino is posting record VIP gambling turnover numbers.

Saipan is part of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US Commonwealth, which gives the DOJ authority over its legal mechanisms. Monday saw the DOJ launch a weeklong training session at the local US Attorney’s Office covering regulatory compliance and criminal investigations in the gaming industry.

To get its message across, the DOJ enlisted the help of the IRS, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Among those in attendance on the other side of the room were members of the Commonwealth Casino Commission and the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission.

Alicia Limtiaco, the US Attorney for the Districts of Guam and NMI, told the Saipan Tribune that the training session would cover “everything pertaining to the Bank Secrecy Act, money laundering, financial crimes, national security, looking at overview of gaming regulations, organized criminal activity, and a host of other topics.”

Italy’s online gambling market started the year off on a bang thanks to a double-digit gains everywhere except – you guessed it – poker cash games.

According to figures compiled by Italian gaming news agency Agimeg.it, the nation’s licensed sports betting operators reported overall turnover rising 35% to €775m in January, 35% higher than the same month last year and €5m higher than December’s total. Online sports betting’s share of this bounty was €420m, up 30% year-on-year.

No prizes for guessing that Bet365 topped the online turnover charts with €140.3m, representing a 33.2% share of the total, up marginally from December’s 32.7%. Eurobet was a distant second with €39.8m, while Sisal (€32.5m) edged out Snai (€30.8m) and William Hill rounded out the top-five with €25.5m.

Online casino revenue grew 22.5% year-on-year to €45.8m, which was €800k higher than December’s take. The top three were unchanged from December, with Lottomatica in front with €4.8m, followed by Sisal (€3.8m) and Amaya Gaming’s PokerStars (€3.6m).

Italy’s online gambling market started the year off on a bang thanks to a double-digit gains everywhere except – you guessed it – poker cash games.

According to figures compiled by Italian gaming news agency Agimeg.it, the nation’s licensed sports betting operators reported overall turnover rising 35% to €775m in January, 35% higher than the same month last year and €5m higher than December’s total. Online sports betting’s share of this bounty was €420m, up 30% year-on-year.

No prizes for guessing that Bet365 topped the online turnover charts with €140.3m, representing a 33.2% share of the total, up marginally from December’s 32.7%. Eurobet was a distant second with €39.8m, while Sisal (€32.5m) edged out Snai (€30.8m) and William Hill rounded out the top-five with €25.5m.

Online casino revenue grew 22.5% year-on-year to €45.8m, which was €800k higher than December’s take. The top three were unchanged from December, with Lottomatica in front with €4.8m, followed by Sisal (€3.8m) and Amaya Gaming’s PokerStars (€3.6m).

888Poker continues to provide value for their ever growing roster of players with the release of the 888Poker News Channel starring 888 Ambassador Kara Scott.

Online poker has never been harder. There are bots. Human Heads-Up No-Limit and Limit Hold’em players have been thrashed by artificial intelligence. The sharks swim around the ocean tearing the fish to shreds before they have developed enough self confidence to reload.

I get it.

But I still think there has never been a better time for recreational players to get into the game and it comes down to one thing.

New Zealand and Australian casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group posted an 18% rise in its fiscal H1 profits despite a significant downturn in its Asian VIP gambling business.

Figures released Wednesday show SkyCity’s revenue falling 5.8% to NZ$533m (US $387.2m) in the six months ending December 31, 2016. Despite the decline, after-tax profits rose 18% to $83.8m, although this was largely due to a favorable comparison with H1 2016, which featured over $10m in write-downs and write-offs.

This half’s headline number was the “significant reduction” in SkyCity’s International Business (IB) segment, which is what the rest of the casino world calls Asian (primarily Chinese) VIP gamblers. SkyCity warned last October that China’s renewed crackdown on overseas casino operators luring its high-rollers would have an adverse effect on the company’s performance, and they weren’t lying.

Group IB turnover and revenue each fell 38.7% in H1 as the number of VIPs traveling to SkyCity properties tumbled and those that did come spent less while IB bad debt provisions increased. Despite a higher than average win rate, IB earnings margins fell from 23.6% to just 12% due to fixed costs, which SkyCity is now reviewing to help right the ship.