UK online gambling operator GVC Holdings has been fined £350k for free bonus offers that regulators claim repeatedly misled consumers.

On Wednesday, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced that it had slapped GVC subsidiary ElectraWorks with a £350k penalty for “repeatedly misleading consumers with adverts relating to free bonuses.”

The ads in question first appeared on GVC’s flagship sports betting site Bwin.com, and were the subject of a public scolding by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in August 2016. However, a similar ad appeared one week later on Bwin.com, and six similar breaches were discovered last April on GVC sites including PartyPoker.com, PartyCasino.com and Casinolasvegas.com, and then again on Casinolasvegas last August.

The UK has been clamping down on gambling operators’ bonus offers, part of the UKGC’s new strategy of ensuring a “fairer” gambling market by compelling operators to put consumers first, or else. Wednesday also brought word of tough new advertising standards for gambling operators.

UK gambling operators face tighter advertising restrictions come April, although the vagueness of the new rules will likely cause confusion for both operators and regulators.

On Wednesday, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) announced new standards for gambling advertising, “focusing on ads’ appeal to problem gamblers and on free bets and bonuses.”

The changes take effect on April 2 and the ASA will use the updated standards when considering new complaints regarding gambling adverts. Which will likely be rampant, given the broad strokes of the CAP guidance.

Specifically (and we use that term loosely), the revised standards include restrictions on ads that “create an inappropriate sense of urgency, like those including ‘Bet Now’ offers during live events.” Ads must also not put “undue emphasis on money-motives for gambling,” engage in “trivialization of gambling (e.g. encouraging repetitive play” or “approaches that give an irresponsible perception of the risk or control (e.g. ‘Risk-Free Deposit Bonus).”

Saipan lawmakers and the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) are divided over the legislator’s plans to increase the number of commissioners.

Marianas Variety reported that the Senate Gaming Committee is mulling on increasing the number of the members of the commission from five to seven through a new legislation. Sen. Justo Quitugua’s proposed Senate Bill 20-87 will require that the additional members to Carolinian and a woman.

Under the present setup, the CCC is composed of three members representing Saipan and representatives from Rota and Tinian. The commission is also all made up of men: Board Chairman Juan M. Sablan, Joseph Reyes, Alvaro Santos, Justin Manglona, and Martin San Nicolas.

Quitugua pointed out the legislation is needed in order to satisfy the constitutional mandate that every board or commission should have at least one member who is Carolinian and at least one female member. His proposal, however, was quickly opposed by the CCC’s board, saying that adding two more commissioners would cost the commission around $250,000.

Casinos always look for innovative ways to attract more action.  One of these has been the bad beat jackpot, which rewards a player who loses a virtually unbeatable hand, such as a straight flush, to a better hand.

That’s exactly what happened last July at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, triggering a payout of $120,000. However, the casino decided that there was a breach of the rules after one player spoke out of turn, and the casino denied to pay out.  After months of delays, it looks like the casino will make good on the deal.

When Avi Shamir was rewarded with a straight flush while playing a game of poker at the Red Rock, his enthusiasm was quickly put into check when his opponent, Leonard Schreter, revealed a better straight flush.  Before agreeing to the payout, casino staff reviewed the game and determined that Shamir had spoken about his “great hand” prior to the cards being flipped over. However, his comments were made after both players were already all-in, and the river card had been dealt. At that point, he could have jumped on the table screaming about his hand and it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the game.

The players took their case to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) for arbitration. The first ruling was in favor of the players; however, as it should be expected, the casino balked and sought an appeal. The case returned to the hands of state gaming officials.

Stage one of the spring RunGood Poker Series is a wrap. The six-day festival wound down last Sunday at the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a $675 buy-in Main Event offering a guaranteed of $100,000.

As an added feature, the RunGood series features a partnership with Operation Gratitude, a charity that supports military troops overseas. By the end of the series, 100 care packages had been delivered to service members.

The Main Event attracted 345 entries, with the final 36 taking earning cash. The top three finalists decided to chop the pot, with each earning $32,099. Oklahoma firefighter Byron Abernathy, was officially crowned the winner after beating Seth Evans in the final heads-up action. The third finalist, Eric Bishop, was sent to the rails by Abernathy not long after they decided to chop.

Abernathy’s heads-up duel against Evans was tough, with the chip lead changing hands a few times. The firefighter was finally able to dismiss Evans when he flopped a 3 to pick up trips, too much for Evans’ suited A-Q that didn’t find a connector on the board.