Stockholm-listed online gambling operator Cherry AB is feeling confident that its 2018 first quarter revenue will once again beat analysts’ expectations.

In a statement, Cherry forecasts its revenue will expand by 24.8 percent to SEK675 million (US$80.27 million) in the first three months of the year compared to the SEK541 million ($64.35 million) it reported in the same period in 2017, thanks to a “continued improvement” in its online gambling segment.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) during the first quarter was up SEK188 ($22.36 million), more than double than the SEK83 million ($9.87 million) during the prior year period.

“During the quarter, several brands in the business area enjoyed favorable market growth, which in combination with the ongoing focus on a more efficient organization of ComeOn operations, resulted in a better development than anticipated,” the Swedish company said in a statement.

New Jersey’s regulated online poker market plans to open up to shared liquidity with Nevada and Delaware on May 1.

On Monday, Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) announced that two of its affiliated poker brands – WSOP.com and 888Poker.com – would begin sharing liquidity between online poker players via their respective sites in New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware starting May 1.

The sites are still awaiting regulatory approval from the three states but the software has been submitted for testing. Once that approval is granted, New Jersey’s poker players won’t be required to jump through any extra hoops but players in the other two states will need to download new software and open fresh accounts.

The CIE-affiliated sites are the only ones authorized to operate online poker in all three states. WSOP.com’s Bill Rini told the Associated Press that the liquidity launch will create a new “large-scale multi-state offering that will propel the industry forward.”

Japanese tourists have been throwing a lifeline at South Korea’s foreigners-only casino sector amid the on-going diplomatic row between Seoul and Beijing.

Korean news site Yonhap reported that revenues of the country’s foreigners-only casinos jumped 15.9 percent to KRW204.78 billion ($191.56 million) in the first quarter of 2018, despite the continuing dip in the number of tourists from China.

“Chinese visitors are still the biggest group of customers at foreigners-only casinos, but their number continues to fall,” an unnamed casino industry official said, according to the news outlet. “We are seeing a turnaround this year, thanks to a steady increase of tourists from Japan.”

Fueling the revenue growth of foreigners-only casinos are Japanese tourists, according to the Korea Casino Association.

Macau officials shouldn’t lose sleep just because China has thrown support for horse racing and sports lotteries expansion in the southernmost island of Hainan, according to analysts.

International brokerage Union Gaming has downplayed the possible impact of China’s decision to support the development of horse racing and other projects, including “the development of sports lottery and instant lottery on large-scale international games.”

First of all, Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen believes that legalization of casinos within China remains far-fetched. As part of the anti-corruption campaign, Govertsen pointed out that gambling in all forms – except for small lotteries – remains illegal within China.

“Noted above, while the government is encouraging the development of a horse racing industry in Hainan (as they have in other parts of China) they are not encouraging the concurrent development of a horse wagering industry. We therefore think the legalization of casinos within China remains highly unlikely,” Govertsen said in a note on Sunday.

After 19-months of hard graft inside the box and not much to see outside of the box, Phil Galfond announces plans to roll out Phase 1 of RunItOnce Poker in the Summer.

As I look at the Dad sitting in front of me; face drained of life; two kids sitting in front of him munching on overpriced sandwiches and drinking the next three hours worth of manic sugar rush, I believe Phil Galfond’s most significant challenges lay ahead.

But it must be tough to create an online poker room.

19-months ago, Phil Galfond, the man crush of so many poker players, sent blood rushing to the groins of the masses after announcing he would create an online poker room: RunItOnce Poker.

The never ending dispute between poker players Matt Kirk and Leon Tsoukernik has just entered the next level. Kirk had sued Tsoukernik, owner of King’s Casino in the Czech Republic, over a $3 million gambling debt that Tsoukernik incurred while they were playing at the Aria Casino in 2017. Tsoukernik has openly refused to pay off the debt—he did pay $1 million, and then directly said that he wouldn’t pay the debt. After Kirk launched his lawsuit, Tsoukernik countered with his own, accusing Kirk and the casino of conspiracy. The casino, according to Tsoukernik, had conspired with Kirk to get him drunk, impairing his ability to play properly.

The debt lawsuit is still pending. The Nevada Gaming Control Board, not the courts, has jurisdiction over gambling debts. However, a judge threw out Tsoukernik’s counterclaim earlier this year, and ordered Tsoukernik to repay Kirk for his legal expenses. Unsurprisingly, Tsoukernik is stalling, and his lawyers don’t think that the court’s decision is valid. According to the lawyers, “Any final award of attorney’s fees based on Kirk’s motion to dismiss [the countersuit] should await a final determination of this matter after discovery, further motion practice, and trial.”

According to documents filed by Tsoukernik’s attorneys last week, Tsoukernik has the “opportunity to amend his counterclaim based on the additional facts he received…along with other facts that may be developed during discovery.” These are just continued stall tactics of a shady character whose integrity has been called into question a numerous of times, even prior to the debt with Kirk.

After Tsoukernik paid the first third of the debt, he admitted that he wasn’t going to pay the rest, citing Nevada’s law that says gambling debts are not enforceable. I’m not sure what’s worse; the fact that he would unabashedly and unethically involve himself in such dirty tactics, or the fact that the World Series of Poker (WSOP), among others, continues to hold high-profile tournaments at Tsoukernik’s casino.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has grabbed hold of the world. Not only can someone tell Alexa to start the car or order take-out, the advanced technology allows for better systems controls at hotels, power plants and even casinos. Unfortunately, all of the interconnectivity can also give hackers greater access to computer systems, and has already resulted in several high-profile thefts.

Darktrace, a cybersecurity company out of the UK, has been keeping tabs in hacking activities, and recently provided a report to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) CEO Council held in London. Nicole Eagen, the company’s CEO, offered, “There’s a lot of internet of things devices, everything from thermostats, refrigeration systems, HVAC [air conditioning] systems, to people who bring in their Alexa devices into the offices. There’s just a lot of IoT. It expands the attack surface and most of this isn’t covered by traditional defenses.”

One notable hacking operation using the IoT was conducted at an unidentified casino. Hackers were able to gain access to the casino’s high roller client list by hacking through a thermometer that was installed in the casino’s lobby aquarium. In speaking of the attack, Eagen said, “The attackers used that to g

et a foothold in the network. They then found the high-roller database and then pulled that back across the network, out the thermostat, and up to the cloud.”

Yang Zhihui is no stranger to adversity. The Chinese tycoon, apart from making his fortune flipping real estate properties, has also been involved in the South Korean gambling industry, pushing through even during an economic war between the two countries he calls home. His claims to fame include the purchase of a Bombardier Global 6000 jet in 2013 and the sale of the casino seen in the James Bond film “Dr. No.” When China cut off tour packages to South Korea in March 2017, Zhihui found a new way to keep his high-roller clients happy—by putting them in the air.

Zhihui had purchased its former partner, Genting Singapore PLC, in November of 2016. Together they had built a $2.4-billion resort on the South Korean island of Jeju, called the Jeju Shinhwa Resort, which was a highly popular destination prior to China’s blockade last year. Not one to disappoint, Zhihui decided to put his jet to good use, and began flying high rollers to Jeju to legally bypass China’s rules.

Zhihui put the jet in the name of one of his companies, Landing International Development, Ltd. It soon became a lifeline between his clients and his Jeju resort, which only just opened in February. He asserts that it’s just used for business purposes, telling Bloomberg, “Free travelers are generally not affected, and they have higher spending power.”

Zhihui is the majority shareholder of Landing and is said to have a net worth of around $1.6 billion. Landing has doubled its revenue in the past two years, due in large part to the sale of Les Ambassadeurs, the casino seen in “Dr. No.” The casino went for $320 million.

888Poker will be the primary sponsor of the 2018 Women in Poker Hall of Fame ceremony in Las Vegas this summer, and nominee Lupe Soto launches the Women’s Poker Association.

There has been an added drive from poker rooms to recognise the struggle that female poker players have in the game. Maybe the interest is an inevitable aftershock of the #MeToo campaign? Whatever it is, it’s long overdue.

The most recent noise comes from 888Poker.

The online poker room that specialises in partnering with much loved and respected poker brands has added another arrow to its quiver by announcing plans to sponsor the 2018 Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHOF).

The long-time PokerStars ambassador, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier is taking their trade secrets to partypoker as the leader of the partypoker.eu movement and some of the very best in the game compete for the €1.7m first prize in the MILLIONS Grand Final in Barcelona.

There is the way a company appears to function. Mission statements. Branding. Advertising. Cheshire cat style grins. The singular message.

And then there is the truth.

Only the people allowed into the inner sanctum get to see the truth, but even those who get close to it feel the authentic vibe of the place.

Lee Davy shares his thoughts on partypoker’s decision to remove rake from the bounty element of the Progressive Knockout Multi-Table Tournaments on a six-month trial ahead of the $40m POWERFEST. 

I have a marketing problem.

I provide a service that helps people stop drinking alcohol. I have catered my brand message for the working class. But my pricing suits the middle to upper class.

The two don’t gel.