The gambling industry has always been an early adapter, and technology has made online gambling a mainstream leisure pursuit. Technological advancements, however, are happening more and more frequently, posing new challenges for the industry.

GamCrowd, the home of the gambling tech sector, seeks to help industry executives tackle the subject head on with the GamCrowd Tech Week, which will be held during the London Tech Week on June 12-16 at the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square, London.

The goal of this year’s GamCrowd Tech Week is to build the profile of the ever-expanding gamtech sector and, at the same time, create an interface between the gambling industry’s thought leaders and other tech sectors, so the industry can help prepare for the fourth industrial revolution.

Kicking off the dedicated conference day on Wednesday is a panel that will discuss the main challenges facing the gambling sector when it comes to technology, according to organizer GamCrowd. The panel is composed of Dave McDowell, chief executive and founder of FSB Technology; Max Francis, from start-up Black Cow; Andrew Reader, from early-stage investment firm Velo Partners; and Vahe Baloulian, chief executive from sportsbook backend provider BetConstruct.

Casino junket operator SunCity Group is in hot water with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) for reportedly trying “to pull a fast one” on the regulator.

According to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report, the Macau casino junket operator appeared to have taken over the operations of a small casino in the Sofitel Philippine Plaza, a luxury resort hotel located in Manila, from a firm called Success Vine Holdings.

Success Vine Holdings has secured a three-year PAGCOR license in August 2014 to conduct junket operations and run the Sofitel casino, which is described in the report as “a relatively small operation.”

However, the state regulator has gotten word—from its own people—that SunCity hosted “a nice little launch party” for the Sofitel casino several weeks ago. A number of PAGCOR representatives were invited to the event, who, in turn, reported to their superiors about the alleged “blessing and soft opening of the relaunched facility.”

For the first time in history, digital currency bitcoin has crossed the $3,000 threshold on Sunday.

The cryptocurrency’s steady advance towards record territory continued over the weekend, when it climbed to a new all-time high of $3,012.05, according to CoinDesk’s Bitcoin Price Index (BPI). On Bitfinex, bitcoin traded at a lower $3,003, while on Chinese exchange OKCoin, the digital currency traded at a higher $3,185.66.

Increased demand from investors in Asia has helped bitcoin’s run-up that began in May, when the price of the digital currency hit $1,880 amid reports of brewing political scandals in the United States and Brazil.

Since then, bitcoin has powered through the $2,000 barrier, which analysts chalked up to several factors, most notably the increased demand from investors in Japan and China. Last week, bitcoin surpassed the all-time high of $2,760.10 recorded in late May as major Chinese digital currency exchanges resumed cryptocurrency withdrawals on their respective platforms.

Another brief round-up from the 48th Annual World Series of Poker including bracelets wins for Adrian Mateos, John Racener, and David Singer.

US media types write a lot about the virtues of Fedor Holz, and rightly so, but that means less space for Adrian Mateos, and the young Spaniard is doing something about that.

At 22-years of age, Mateos has earned $9.1m playing live tournaments, and recently became the youngest player to win three World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelets after beating seven players en route to the top prize of $335,656 in Event #15: $10,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship.

It’s quite a remarkable feat when you factor in the age regulations in Nevada meaning Mateos had to watch from the sidelines for many years until he turned 21. It seems titles and money stick to Mateos like crude oil on the wings of a seagull.

The 2016 World Series of Poker November Niner, Griffin Benger, and 2014 Champion Martin Jacobson have joined the 888Poker team in their latest 8-Team promotion.

It’s time to bust out the Armani suit and those cute pointy shoes you bought in the Moroccan Souk but have never had the balls to wear them. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is fast approaching, and their primary sponsors 888Poker are cranking up the opportunities to bag a seat.

In the second week of May, 888Poker announced their 8-Team promotion. Five WSOP Main Event online qualifiers would get the opportunity to receive advice from some of the game’s greatest stars in a bid to secure a free seat into the 2018 WSOP Main Event.

888Poker selected ambassadors Dominik Nitsche (Germany), Bruno Politano (Brazil), Sofia Lovgren (Sweden), Chris Moorman (UK), and Parker Talbot (Canada) to act as team managers for their respective nations, and more recently, they have appointed Wingmen.

888Poker is set to sponsor the World Series of Poker Circuit for the second successive year including a trip to Argentina for the first time in the tour’s history.

Santiago Garcia Mansilla is real.

He’s not one of those people that Haley Joel Osment used to see, he is flesh and blood.

I say that because Santiago Garcia Mansilla is a recreational poker player, and although we hear the online poker rooms banging on about them, you are more likely to see a Dodo.

Japanese star Kosei Ichinose, and the Australian Adrian Attenborough have both joined the Asian-facing online poker room Natural8 as part of Team Hot.

The Asian-facing online gambling outfit Natural8 has beefed up their rank and file hoping to make a bigger impact at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) with Kosei Ichinose and Adrian Attenborough joining the team.

Japanese export, Ichinose, is currently ranked #4 in the Japanese Global Poker Index (GPI) rankings and holds the exalted claim to fame of being the first Japanese player to make SuperNova Elite, earning his stripes back in 2010.

Ichinose has won close to $500,000 in live tournaments, including a victory in the recent Poker King Cup in the Venetian Macau for $43,000. His largest live score came in November when he finished third for $83,296 in a Warm Up Event at the 2016 Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP).