Denmark’s licensed online gambling operators could be required to significantly restrict the size of their bonus offers if local parliamentarians have their way.

Last week, Danish Social Democrat MP Jesper Petersen told local television outlet DR that online gambling sign-up bonus offers were getting out of control, particularly via television promos. Petersen claimed some operators were offering bonuses as high as DKK10k (US$1,640), while Petersen wants to see bonuses capped at DKK1k.

Jesper’s Social Democrats have found support for cuts in bonus offers among the Danish People’s Party (DPP), although the DPP has yet to specify how steep a cut it wishes to see imposed.

The Red-Green Alliance also supports the Social Democrats’ call for a DKK1k bonus cap, while also pushing for greater transparency of operators’ requirements for punters to turn over the bonus funds multiple times before being able to withdraw any winnings generated via the use of those bonus funds.

Australian MP Andrew Wilkie has found what he described as “potentially very hard and indisputable evidence” to pin casino operator Crown Resorts Ltd. to pokies tampering.

Wilkie announced on Tuesday that he is in possession of Crown-branded ‘picks’ that were allegedly used by a former high-roller to jam poker machine buttons in order for gamblers to have uninterrupted games, according to The Guardian report.

Copies of the supposed Crown picks, as well as punter loyalty cards, have been submitted to the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) to help the state regulator with its ongoing investigation, according to Wilkie.

Wilkie also informed Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Aston about the tampering claims through a letter.

The U.S. Inspector General is keeping a watchful eye on Department of the Interior (DOI) amid allegations that Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts has swayed the agency to sit on the proposed $300 million East Windsor casino project of Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes.

According to a Hartford Courant report, the interior department’s watchdog had been sniffing for clues since mid-February to determine whether it colluded with MGM Resorts to delay Connecticut’s satellite casino project.

DOI Inspector General spokesperson Nancy DiPaolo told local reporters that the investigation stemmed from the request of four Connecticut lawmakers, who all wanted to know the truth behind the department’s inaction on the two tribes’ joint casino venture.

DiPaolo admitted that it could take “months” before they conclude their investigation.

Don’t bet on Dubai to legalize casino gambling anytime soon.

The Gulf News reported that Dubai will remain casino-free even if the state has allowed the entry of international integrated resorts brands into the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates.

Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) Chief Executive Issam Kazim made the statement several days after Caesars Entertainment Corp. announced that it’s heading to Dubai later this year to bring its Caesars Palace brand to the Middle Eastern city.

Aside from Caesars, Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International had earlier agreed to manage a 26-acre “premier destination resort” for Wasl Hospitality.

The only thing harder than buying when you’re scared is selling when you’re happy. US regional gaming stocks are at or near all-time highs or at least decade highs, and there is no compelling reason to assume they will keep going higher, future mergers notwithstanding. There has been no compelling fundamental reason why they have skyrocketed so quickly and as high as they have either. I understand 20%, 40%, or even 50% higher in a year or two, but doubling is a bit much. It looks to be a case of trend followers piling on top of trend followers.

Penn National Gaming (PENN), Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK), and Boyd Gaming (BYD) have all skyrocketed over the last 12-18 months. This could theoretically make sense if all three were in store for a decade or more of uninterrupted growth and smooth sailing for the US economy from here, but that’s not going to happen. All three of them have been extremely volatile on the way up, which means they are more likely to be extremely volatile on the way down, and the way down is coming this year it looks like.

Penn in particular has already fallen 25% since topping, and stock market trouble has barely started. Penn’s fall hasn’t been much though compared to the spectacular rise since November 2016 when the stock was trading at around $12. We’re still 130% above those levels, which tells you how crazy these stocks have been.

Taking a look at the three individually, Penn’s EBITDA is down 24% since bottoming in 2016, and with inflation climbing and debt service already eclipsing operating profit, without organic top line growth its bottom line is going to stagnate at best. While Penn’s debt situation has improved since spinning off its real estate, it doesn’t justify a doubling, even with a Pinnacle merger pending.

In the end, it was an “expert” who managed to persuade Chancellor Philip Hammond to sign off on the proposal to drastically cut the maximum stake limit for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) to £2, according to media reports.

Hammond, a member of the British Conservative Party, has previously rejected the highly contentious proposal to impose a £2 maximum FOBT stake—a huge drop from the current £100 per spin limit—on grounds that the government may stand to lose “hundreds of millions in gambling tax revenues.”

On Tuesday, however, UK’s The Times reported that “a deal” has been reached in the Treasury, with the chancellor accepting “expert recommendation” that FOBT stakes should be slashed to £2.

All that’s needed now is for Hammond to reach an agreement with Department for Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matthew Hancock, who has been pushing for the £2 option, over how the government will fill the £400 million gap in state coffers resulting from the drastic FOBT stake cut. Hammond’s allies are confident that a deal between the two is “imminent,” telling the news outlet, “We are very nearly there.”

Heathcliff Farrugia has taken the reins of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), replacing his former boss Joseph Cuschieri who now heads the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA).

On Monday, the MGA announced that Farrugia has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of the Malta gaming regulator, effective April 24.

Cuschieri’s longtime lieutenant joined the MGA in 2014 as its chief operations officer, and was “pivotal in the transformation process” of the agency. In 2016, Farrugia was appointed as chief regulatory officer, a role that saw him taking responsibility for all regulatory activities of MGA particularly on areas including regulatory supervision, authorizations, compliances and player support.

Farrugia, who holds an MBA from the University of Leicester, UK, was also a member of the Supervisory Council and co-chaired the agency’s Fit & Proper Committee—a unit tasked with assessing companies and individuals applying for an MGA license.

He’s known by some as “the most popular man of Instagram.” To others, he’s a loudmouth poker player who thrives on trouble. He came under fire in particular for shooting a video during the mass attack outside of the Mandalay Bay on October 1, acting like Bruce Willis out of a Die Hard movie. Now, after a little time off from the media spotlight, Dan Bilzerian is back in, this time announcing his intention on Twitter to “get back in [sic] crypto.”

Bilzerian, who supposedly has a net worth of over $100 million, tweeted his return to the crypto world on Monday. He claims to have made a large chunk of his fortune off of cryptocurrency investing, making “mass purchases of Bitcoin.” In May 2017, he said, “It’s so crazy watching that shit fu**ing go up, too, it’s like sweating like I made a bet on the Super Bowl or something.” He is said to have invested in BTC coin, Ethereum, Monero and Bitcoin Cash.

Time to get back in crypto

— Dan Bilzerian (@DanBilzerian) April 23, 2018

Elaine Wynn’s bid to clean house continues. Following the exit of her former husband, Steve, as CEO of the casino giant, Wynn was given back her voting power, and she’s not afraid to wield it. She has already said she wants new blood on the board, and is now challenging shareholders to not vote for director candidate John J. Hagenbuch.

Hagenbuch is a director of Wynn Resorts who is up for re-election on May 16. He is also the executive chairman and co-founder of Westland Capital Partners. In a letter addressed to all Wynn shareholders, Elaine Wynn made another request—this time for them to withhold their votes for Hagenbuch in the upcoming election in May.

Elaine Wynn, currently the largest shareholder of Wynn Resorts with 9.24% of outstanding shares, said she’s “deeply concerned” by “the lack of independence and responsible oversight demonstrated by the current board of directors.” Specifically, Wynn is concerned about the casino company’s “most senior leadership,” which is why she says she’s “seeking to reconstitute the board and reform the company’s corporate governance.”

Wynn continued by expressing her distaste of the current “legacy directors” that have too much influence over the company, in particular Hagenbuch. She adds, “This is why today I am launching a “Withhold-the-Vote” campaign against John J. Hagenbuch. I urge you to join me in this effort.”

Sometimes, taking a little break pays off. Brad Freeman was a somewhat regular player on the poker circuit before switching gears to become a production coordinator. He decided to get back into the game, and certainly made the right decision. The 29-year-old Texan participated in this weekend’s CPPT Choctaw Main Event, taking home first place and a purse of almost $171,000.

The Main Event was held at the Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, and saw 1,086 players take to the felt. The turnout was greater than anticipated and allowed the $1-million guaranteed prize pool to be surpassed by about $53. The grueling action kicked off on Friday and was anticipated to wrap up on Sunday; however, it would go until the early hours of Monday morning before a winner was found.

Several other well-known players were in on the fun, including T.J. Cloutier, who was eliminated in 12th place, Shawn Rice, finishing in 16th, and David Pham, who made it all the way to the final table before being sent to the rail in 8th. Pham picked up $23,923 and 160 CPPT Player of the Year (POY) points for his finish. Cloutier and Rice received $15,369 and $10,324, respectively.

As the clock struck midnight on Sunday and only three players remained, Freeman was finding his game. He picked up a nice pot against Schuyler Thornton after hitting two pair on the river, and then eliminated Brenda Bassett who retired in third place with $88,234 and 640 POY points.

As the wait continues for the U.S. Supreme Court to issue its decision on the reversal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), the list of groups wanting to get in on the action continues growing. First, it was the NBA and then the MLB and the NFL. Then, tennis wanted in. At least 20 states are anxiously awaiting the decision so they can launch sports gambling operations. Now, tribes have spoken up.

The tribes expressed their concern that they could be left out if PASPA is overturned, according to a CDC Gaming Reports. At a recent meeting of the tribes at the 2018 National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow and Convention in Las Vegas, the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) passed a resolution requesting the Congress to absolve PASPA as well as create legislation that would allow the tribes to offer sports betting. The tribes argue that they are at a disadvantage against commercial casinos, and don’t have the authority to enter into the sports gambling industry.

The NIGA is comprised of 184 federally recognized tribes that have been granted certain protections by the U.S. Congress through the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). One of these protections includes the right to operate tax-free casinos on their tribal lands.

The resolution goes further, addressing state governments, as well.  It said that “lawmakers should fully recognize and protect Indian gaming operations and satisfy the NIGA Principles of Sovereignty.”  The group also indicated that the rights specified by IGRA, as well as other tribal-state gaming compacts, have to be protected. NIGA seeks to be granted access to operate tribal sports betting sites on those states where it could become legal and, like with their casino operations, expects the operations to be free from taxes.