Bitcoin has been on a tear, and major merchants are starting to take notice—seriously.

Many of the important global retailers, including Starbucks, Subway, Dell, Expedia, Overstock.com and Microsoft, are already on board the cryptocurrency train. But what about the other merchants?

Several months ago, the team behind CoinGeek started an experiment in which they sent $100 of bitcoin via a QR code to the financial directors of 20 top retail brands—most of them operating online—that have yet to accept the digital currency.

Among those selected for the experiment were Alibaba, Amazon, Tesco, Staples, Uber, MacDonalds, Netflix, Airbnb, American Airlines, LVMH, AT&T, CVS Health, Tesla, Apple, FedEx, John Lewis PLC, Spotify, BMW and Red Bull.

partypoker has released the first phase of a two phase remodelling of their online product, including a Feng Shui style, move away from grey and white to orange and black, in a bid to improve the player experience.

I once read a great book called Moments of Truth by the former CEO of the SAS Group, Jan Carlzon. The biggest takeaway was the importance of a brand’s understanding of customer experience.

Imagine, you own a land-based casino, the first Moment of Truth is when the client arrives at the casino. How does he feel when he sees your brand, how was the parking experience, did he walk through a cloud of cigarette smoke to get through the front door? Once inside, how was the entrance experience, how long did he stand in line? How long did the check-in process take?

The best way to understand your customer’s Moments of Truth is to walk through the experience. And this is where the online poker industry has a problem. If you work for an online poker company, you are not allowed to play on your company’s site, meaning you can’t experience the integral Moments of Truth, and this is where the sponsored professional comes in very handy.

3-Barrels from the world of tournament poker as the Grosvenor United Kingdom Poker Tour Goliath breaks its live attendance record; India’s Nipun Java wins another huge event, and Kenny Hallaert wins an online triple crown 

The 2017 Grosvenor United Kingdom Poker Tour (GUKPT) Goliath has beaten its own record for hosting the largest live tournament outside of the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

The Grosvenor Casino Ricoh Arena in Coventry once again acted as host, as 6,385 entrants took a seat in the £120 buy-in event. Grosvenor organisers put on seven starting flights and allowed players to go re-entry crazy, but the winner only needed a single bullet.

Before the Goliath, Elliot Marais’s largest live tournament score was £275 for a 46th place finish in a £60 buy-in event in Nottingham’s Dusk Till Dawn (DTD) back in 2014. Today, he is $111,665 the richer, and unless the lad had a swap or two with mates, I reckon he banked the lot.

The 2018 Aussie Millions schedule is out, and the AUD$250,000 Challenge is inconspicuous by its absence. Henry Tran takes down the Sydney Championship Main Event.

With the Australian government looking to chow down on online poker like vampires feasting on a virgin bride, the 2018 Aussie Millions will come as a welcome distraction for those about to bleed to death.

The annual kickstarter for live tournament poker once again comes at you from the Crown Casino, Melbourne. The greatest poker show in the southern hemisphere will showcase 26 events from January 17 through February 5, and despite the razor blades hovering over the wrists of online poker, Crown Tournament Director, Joel Williams, believes the 2018 iteration could be the largest yet.

We can expect much of the same, but I do have a few things to point out.

English Football League Championship side Middlesbrough has extended their contract with the UK betting firm Coral, moving against the decision by the Football Association to sever all ties with gambling companies.

The English Football League (EFL) Championship side Middlesbrough has extended their deal with the UK gambling giant, Coral, this week.

The partnership continues for a further three-years, allowing the online gambling outfit to offer Middlesbrough fans betting services at The Riverside Stadium, with the ability to collect winning bets at any Coral retail outlet in the country.

The Coral brand will feature on the club’s website, throughout their social media channels, and in a full capacity on match days, including ads in the game day program, on the giant screen, and other branding opportunities.

Paddy Power Betfair has released their H1-2017 financial report, blaming slow progress on the lack of a major football event, and adverse sports betting results as the punters pick the favourites, and the favourites do what favourites do.

Paddy Power Betfair released their H1-2017 numbers, resulting in a 5% bumpy slide down the FTSE 100.

The blow came a day after Sky News reported that Paddy Power Betfair’s CEO, Breon Corcoran, was set to leave the industry; a report that immediately saw the shares fall 8.5% from Friday’s closing value. It was their lowest point in the past two years. By the close of play, the damage was a 4.67% dip to $75.50.

Revenue growth was up 9% YOY to £827m, but this included a £40m present thanks to the weak performance of sterling since the decision from the old folk in the UK to leave the European Union. The cost of sales was up 8% to £189m. Operating costs were up 4% to £419m.