In a rare fit of sanity, the Supreme Court of the United States has at last struck down a 1992 Federal ban on sports betting, ruling that Congress had no constitutional authority to tell states that they are not allowed let their citizens place bets on football games. This makes quite a bit of sense, given that there is nothing in the constitution that gives Congress the power to prevent people from spending their money however they want to. The 10th Amendment, the last sentence in the Bill of Rights that was agreed upon as a condition to the constitution’s ratification in 1790, says the following:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

The power to stop people from placing bets was not delegated to the United States by the Constitution. Therefore the power to regulate sports betting is reserved to the States individually, or to the people directly, technically speaking. (That’ll be the day!) Few jurists care a whit about the 10th Amendment though, and has long been ridiculously mocked as a justification by racists to restart slavery. The 10th Amendment has long since been given up for dead. It was resurrected just briefly in this ruling, as follows:

As the Tenth Amendment confirms, all legislative power not conferred on Congress by the Constitution is reserved for the States. Absent from the list of conferred powers is the power to issue direct orders to the governments of the States…Thus, “Congress may not simply ‘commandeer the legislative process of the States by directly compelling them to enact and enforce a federal regulatory program.’

Despite regulatory setbacks in the country, poker is gaining traction in India. The second season of the Poker Sports League (PSL) held in Goa is a testament to the game’s rise in popularity. The PSL attracted a large field of players in the 20s, which is a strong indication of a future trend that will see poker continue to expand in the country.

Indian courts have argued against poker, saying it’s a game of chance. Anyone who plays poker knows that this simply isn’t the case, and that it requires a great amount of skill. PSL’s co-founder Amit Burman recognizes the skills involved. After the completion of the PSL season, he said, “Unfortunately, when we think of poker we think if gambling and these two things are very different. Poker is a game of skills which requires a lot of talent, hard work and dedication to master.”

The gaming industry in India is a large one; however, there is still a long way to go for live tournaments. So far in 2018, online poker controls about 92.5% of the action, leaving only a small slice for live tournaments. PSL CEO Pranav Bagai hopes this will change, and has solicited help from chess Grand Master Viswanathan Anand, who currently serves as the league’s brand ambassador. The move, says Bagai, should raise a significant amount of awareness to propel poker forward at a faster pace.

Sam Reddy, of the PSL team, the Andhra Bullets, said, “When I returned from US, I started learning about the game of poker and when I played I realised how skillful it can get. All my friends play poker instead of three patti or rummy. People are now shifting to poker. I invested in it because I know it will become better in the future. Andhra Pradesh has so many clubs in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam but not in Telangana. Even the online game is also banned.”

It wasn’t a good day for gamblers in Myanmar last Saturday. A group of insurgents opposing Myanmar’s central government control of the area attacked a casino close to the Chinese province of Yunnan. In the attacks, which spilled over to security force posts, 19 people were killed, including four soldiers of the security forces, Reuters reported.

The attack occurred in Muse in the northern state of Shan. Reports indicated that as many as 100 insurgents took part in the assault, which was eventually countered by armed police and a group of paramilitaries backed by the government. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) claimed responsibility for the bloodbath. The TNLA is composed of fighters from the Palaung and Ta’ang ethnic groups and launch terrorist attacks in their struggle for greater autonomy for ethnic minority groups in the region.

Colonel Tar Aik Kyaw, a TNLA spokesman, was quoted by the news outlet saying the attack only targeted soldiers and militiamen who run the casino. “The militia are protecting the casinos—those casinos are the gateway for distributing drugs. Many civilians they go to the casinos and it causes many social problems, so we launched a major assault,” he said, according to the report.

The casino was never identified by media sources. Nor did they indicate the extent of the damage or how casino operations were impacted. Casinos are not legal in Myanmar, but this hasn’t stopped several from popping up along the border regions shared with China. All of the casinos are said to be run by militia and other groups.

Sometimes you have to grab the bull by the horns. MGM Resorts apparently sees a strong future for the company, as it has announced a plan to repurchase around $2 billion of its own stock. No timeline was given for the buy-back, but it comes on the heels of a $1-billion repurchase that was announced last September.

In announcing the repurchase, MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren said, “The latest share repurchase authorization reflects the company’s financial strength and continued commitment to returning capital to our shareholders. We are pleased with the company’s strong balance sheet, which has allowed us to … to invest in our properties and explore prudent growth opportunities.”

The latest repurchase only represents around 10% of the company’s total market value. Repurchases such as these are usually conducted when company executives feel a stock price is undervalued, and anticipate strong growth in the future.

In light of the repurchase, the rumors of MGM courting a takeover of Wynn Resorts should drift off into nothingness. While the rumors had never been concerned, there was a lot of whispering of the potential deal. A New York Post report claimed Wynn CEO Matt Maddox would like to dissolve the company if the right offer presented itself. However, that offer probably won’t come from MGM.

A round-up of the action on Day 3 of the Triton Poker Series at the Maestral Casino in Montenegro including the founder, Richard Yong, beating Steve O’Dwyer, heads-up, to take down the Six-Max title. 

I’m listening to 1982 by Liima. As the synthesisers melt the icicles hanging from my bones, I think about Patrick Battiston, Michel Platini and my black and white tv.

I stick my thumb out and hitchhike back to reality. Hardened bird poo on my table. The dance of the swallows. The sea is angrily frothing at the mouth. A cross hangs on the wall like the bones of a butterfly. And I think of the Yong’s.

Wai Kin Yong looks like a Mario Cart World Champion. His slender frame walking around the tournament room, hands scratching around in the fluff of his pockets, flip-flops slip-slapping.

Lee Davy catches up with Jason Koon to talk about his first experience in a Short Deck, Ante Only tournament, and life as a partypoker ambassador.

Jason Koon has been buzzing around the periphery of the high stakes scene for as long as I can remember. But something changed in 2016. It must be love. I can see it in his eyes.

Insane numbers began hitting him like buckshot.

A seven-figure score here.

A round-up of the action on Day 2 of the Triton Poker Series at the Maestral Casino in Montenegro including Phil Ivey beating Daniel ‘Jungleman’ Cates, heads-up, to win the first Short-Deck Ante-Only live tournament. 

It’s quiet out on the balcony, first thing in the morning. It’s me and the woman in red blood lipstick, white rag in hand, wiping windows so hard she will soon become one with the sheen. An orange truck passes in the distance, the clouds claw at the mountains, and the white rush of the waves crash against stone as a Winged Victory For The Sullen plays a violin in my ear.

And yet, at 6 am, if I were to walk upstairs, and open THE door, the riffle of chips would deafen me.

I arrived in Montenegro for the Triton Poker Series on Friday 11 May. I will clammer onto my jet plane on Monday 21. Only then will the action end. There will always be a dealer; always chips. There has to be a deck of cards minus the 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s.