Sweden’s regulated domestic gambling market revenue was flat last year, while international online gambling sites serving the market without permission enjoyed double-digit growth.

The annual report released Wednesday by Sweden’s Lotteriinspektionen gaming regulator show the domestic regulated market generated total revenue of SEK 17.2b (US$2b) in 2017, virtually unchanged from 2016’s total. Meanwhile, internationally licensed online gambling sites saw their revenue rise 14.6% to over SEK5.5b.

None of the locally licensed operators reported any significant year-on-year revenue deviations, with the Svenska Spel betting monopoly up less than 1% to SEK 7.85b, the ATG horserace betting monopoly rising 3% to SEK4.1b and the Casino Cosmopol operation falling nearly 4% to SEK 1.1b. Even the local lottery operators reported a mild decline to SEK3.9b.

Sweden’s overall online gambling market revenue increased 11.4% to SEK10.3b last year, of which SEK4.8b (+14.9%) was generated by locally licensed operators. The international gambling sites’ share of Sweden’s online market hit 53.3% in 2017, while their share of the overall Swedish gambling market hit 24.3%, up from just 16.5% in 2012.

Las Vegas-based casino operator Wynn Resorts Ltd. revenue swings into a loss in the first quarter of 2018 as it reels from Steve Wynn’s litigation expenses.

Figures released Tuesday showed Wynn’s net loss in the three-month period that ended March 31 at $204.3 million compared to a net income of $100.8 million reported for the same period in 2017.

The company attributed the net loss to the $463.6 million litigation tab of its founder Steve Wynn, who was hit with allegations of decades-long sexual harassment by several female staff members. Wynn stepped down as chairman and CEO of the company several months ago in the wake of the allegations.

Wynn Resorts recently settled its beef with Japanese casino mogul Kazuo Okada, Tokyo-based gaming conglomerate Universal Entertainment, as well as with Wynn’s ex-wife, Elaine Wynn.

A couple of results to bring you up to speed on from the partypoker MILLIONS North America tour stop including Christopher Kruk winning the $25k High Roller, and Karim-Oliver Kamal taking down the $1,100 Open.

I have two new partypoker tales for you, and one old one. Forgive me for the old one. It slipped through the net like all 50 of the fish that I tried to catch while fishing somewhere near Lake Tahoe.

The plan was to put them back.

I am vegan, after all.

A Philippine commission for state-run companies has joined calls to make Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) purely regulatory.

The Governance Commission for Government-owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) has recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte to split PAGCOR into a gaming regulator and a casino operator to prevent conflicts in the future, according to GMA News Online report.

According to the commission, their recommendation was based on the review it conducted in relation to competitive neutrality issues. PAGCOR and 11 other GOCCs underwent thorough scrutiny as part of the GOCC’s commitment to the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.

Under the GOCC Governance Act of 2011, the commission is tasked to give the President a recommendation on GOCCs for dispositive action “upon determination that there is a conflict between the regulatory and commercial functions of a GOCC.”

Sports betting technology provider Kambi Group Plc. continued its winning streak during the first three months of the year after closing 2017 with record quarterly revenue.

In a regulatory filing, the Stockholm-listed firm announced that its revenue climbed 15 percent to €16.4 million ($20 million) in the three-month period that ended March 31, 2018, compared with €14.2 million ($17.29 million) recorded in the previous year period.

Kambi’s operating profit, on the other hand, grew 42 percent to €2 million ($2.44 million) in the first quarter of 2018 compared to €1.4 million ($1.71 million) during the same period last year. The company’s profits after tax was at €1.5 million ($1.83 million), an increase of 36% from (€1.1 million) $1.34 million in the same period in 2017.

The Swedish tech firm’s solid first quarter revenue was chalked up to the better-than-average sports margin of 7.9 percent and new customer wins, according to Kambi executive Kristian Nylén.

Mo Salah put in a masterful display, scoring twice and providing two assists, as Liverpool rubbed Roma’s face in the Anfield dirt with a 5-2 Champions League semi-final first leg win.

As a kid, I hated Liverpool with the same passion as I hated a popped balloon. Like most things people hate in life, there was no rational reason. As a Manchester United fan, hating Liverpool was on Page 52 of the supporter’s rulebook.

With a few war medals pinned on my overpriced Thirty Seconds to Mars concert t-shirt I know we hated them because they were brilliant. We couldn’t win the league. Liverpool won so many European Cups, IKEA moved into Anfield to build more trophy space.

Ian Rush.

In one of the largest crackdowns in recent Cambodian history, police arrested 121 Chinese nationals on Tuesday following raids at two rental homes in Phnom Penh. The raids were conducted in conjunction with an investigation into illegal online gambling and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) scams, Khmer Times reported.

The suspects, including 19 women, were accused of operating an illegal online gambling operation and extortion. They allegedly used Cambodia’s VOIP system to extort money out of people living in China. The arrests took place in the Sen Sok and Tuol Kork districts of Cambodia following a tip from Chinese Interpol.

According to the tip from Chinese authorities, the individuals were posing as Chinese police, prosecutors, judges and bankers. They would use the facades to place phone calls to China in the extortion scheme. Lieutenant General Uk Haiseila of Cambodia’s General Department of Immigration said, “They are the group of Chinese mafias who have been hiding in Cambodia. They were arrested after our police raided their rental villas in Phnom Penh in collaboration with the Chinese police.”

During the raids, police confiscated VOIP telephones, mobile phones and other material evidence allegedly used for the calls. All of those arrested are being detained for questioning and could be deported to China sometime this week, according to the report. If they’re deported, Chinese Interpol has said that it would send a plane to Cambodia to collect the suspects so they can face a judge in China.

India’s only publicly listed company in the casino gaming industry, Delta, had an impressive run in the last quarter of 2017. Its revenue climbed by 11%, while its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) rose a modest 5%. Net revenue year on year was up by 64% and its EBITDA ticked up 6%.

As reported by Union Gaming Asia, Delta’s casino operations, which are composed of Goa riverboat casinos, contributed the most to the increase in revenue. Online gaming and hospitality ventures assisted, but not to the levels of the riverboats.

Due to a strict political environment in the country, India’s gaming industry is much smaller than what is found in other countries. However, it’s a growing market that is expected to see rapid growth in the near term. Already in the first quarter of 2018, the industry as a whole saw an increase in revenue of 73%.

Although it has experienced growth in the past year, Delta is limited from large-scale expansion due to the riverboats. The confined spaces don’t allow for additional offerings, and Delta will need to move onshore if it wants to continue growing, according to Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen. Nonetheless, Delta’s casino revenue growth is expected to grow by 29% in the next fiscal year (FY) and 22% in FY2020. Delta could launch land-based casinos as early as FY2022 once integrated resorts begin to be offered in the country.

As a kid, she was outcast and bullied by her classmates. She was thought to be odd and ugly. For all the torment, however, she evolved into one of Twitch’s most popular video gaming figures and had the last laugh. Now, Sophia White, AKA “Djarii,” is moving from video games to poker, and has signed up to be an ambassador for online poker site Unibet.

She’s not giving up eGames completely. Djarii, who hails from Scotland, will split her time between poker and her favorite games, having first been introduced to them as a child. She played regularly with her father on the weekends, telling PokerTube’s Andrew Burnett, “Nintendo, PlayStation, I’ve been gaming since the beginning.  My dad and I would play video games on the weekend together.”

In her own words, Djarii explained, “I was bullied profusely throughout my entire childhood for being ‘ugly’ and ‘weird’” before adding that “the latter probably surprises people less.” Now, Djarii has 33,000 YouTube subscribers, 50,000 Twitter followers, 60,000 Instagram followers and, most impressive, over 262,000 fans on her Twitch channel.

She was introduced to poker by a fellow World of Warcraft teammate, and was hooked ever since. As with the excitement she feels with the video games, she has fallen for the rush felt at the poker tables. “The best thing about poker is the adrenaline rush on live tables, without a doubt, especially when you have a monster hand and someone is betting into you!” she told Burnett.

This is a guest contribution by Martin Owens. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

Part Two of Two Parts

In the previous column, we discussed how US state gambling laws are largely vague to the point of incoherence regarding the element of chance, and the threat this poses both to online gaming’s business model and the constitutional right to fair warning.

Here we examine what can be done to make this element of “chance” a level playing field for everybody.

PokerStars’ $10m GTD Sunday Million Anniversary Special Take 2 smashes the guarantee by $1.2m (sound familiar), and Pierre Lewandowski wins a $30,000 Platinum Pass at the PokerStars MEGASTACK Championship in Dublin.

Never lose a customer again by Joey Coleman is one of the best business books I have ever read, and I don’t think I’m alone. I know you’ll laugh, but I believe PokerStars Execs may have bought the entire team a copy for Christmas.

Take this quote on how to delight your customers:

“Use playfulness, humour, and unexpected surprises to make the experience remarkable. Your customers are human, and so are you. Remind them with your actions and behaviours and in the process give them a taste of your company culture.”

Land-based casino operators in the Indian state of Goa are demanding a reduction in recent license fee hikes while simultaneously seeking an expansion of their list of gaming options.

Last month, Goa’s state government approved stiff hikes in license fees and other mandatory payments for both the land-based casinos operating out of hotels and resorts as well as the floating casinos plying their trade on the Mandovi river.

But the land-based operators are crying foul, saying the floating casino fee hikes were proportionally smaller than the hikes imposed on the land-based gaming venues. Last Friday, Grand 7 Casino partner Kundan Shetye told local reporters that he supported the government’s right to impose the hikes, but warned that the proposed land-based fee hikes “will kill the onshore casinos.”

In reality, the government’s new fee structure is based on a sliding scale. For land-based venues, fees increase with the size of their gaming floor, while the floating casino fees increase based on the capacity of the vessels. In each case, the maximum annual fee tops out at Rs400m (US$6m).

WSOP.com are going to hit the new tri-state online poker network hard with news of $15m in guarantees spread between May and September, a new flagship Sunday event featuring $100k in guaranteed prizes and much more.

Ok, let’s do this the hard way.

If crusty American lawmakers don’t create a federal agreement for US-based citizens to play poker on legal and fully regulated online poker sites, the job gets done state-by-state.

All of this means that by the time we’ve become an interplanetary species there will no ‘America’ to play online poker in, but let’s not allow that minor triviality to spoil the splendid news released by the World Series of Poker (WSOP) yesterday.