France’s sports betting operators handled more than twice the volume of wagers on the 2018 FIFA World Cup than they did on the 2014 event.

On Thursday, French online gambling regulator Arjel released its official World Cup betting market stats, which showed French punters wagered a record €690m on the month-long football showcase. That’s more than French wagering turnover on the 2014 World Cup (€290m) and the 2016 UEFA European Championship (€297m) COMBINED.

For the 2018 event, Arjel said €381m was wagered with its 12 locally licensed online sports betting operators, while a further €309m was wagered with the 27k points of sale of the Française des Jeux (FDJ) retail betting monopoly. (FDJ separately claimed that its total retail/online World Cup betting handle was €333m.)

The World Cup’s group stage matches generated betting handle of €363m, while the later rounds attracted €310m, with the remaining €17m attributed to prop wagers (ultimate tournament winner, top scorer, etc.).

Casino operator Silver Heritage Group says its Q2 numbers are way up, but its marquee property in Nepal is still not doing the heavy lifting.

On Thursday, the Australian-listed Silver Heritage filed a trading update for the three months ending June 30, during which it says gross gaming revenue improved 62% year-on-year to US$11.4m, a new record high for the company since it listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2016.

It goes without saying that $11.4m is a rounding error on many larger casino operators’ quarterly reports, but like the song says, Silver Heritage has high hopes for the future. Particularly given the recent launch of the company’s flagship property in Nepal, the Tiger Palace Resort.

That said, Tiger Palace contributed only $1.35m in gross gaming revenue to Silver Heritage’s Q2 total, the smallest figure among the company’s three gaming properties. By comparison, the Phoenix International Club in Vietnam contributed $8.52m (+44%) and the Millionaire’s Club and Casino in Kathmandu anted up $1.52m (+38%).

Sweden’s erstwhile gambling monopoly Svenska Spel saw its revenue shrink as it prepares for new competition in the country’s liberalized online market.

On Thursday, the state-owned Svenska Spel reported revenue of SEK2.08b (US$234m) in the three months ending June 30, a nearly 4% decline from the same period last year. Operating profit was down 11.4% to SEK975m as margins fell two points to 19.1%.

Svenska Spel’s digital division did its best to shoulder the burden with revenue of SEK621m, up one-fifth from Q2 2017 and accounting for 30% of the overall revenue pie. Mobile devices accounted for two-thirds of this digital slice, and mobile growth outpaced the overall digital number, rising 42% year-on-year.

Svenska Spel’s mainstay lottery revenue was flat, while the land-based Casino Cosmopol and Vegas divisions had a rougher ride. The Vegas video lottery terminal business reporting revenue down by one-quarter as more and more customers shift their action online.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup gave a golden boot up the backside of Nordic online gambling operator Betsson AB in the second quarter of 2018.

On Thursday, the Swedish-listed Betsson released its Q2 earnings report, which showed revenue rising 14% to SEK1.35b (US$150.5m) in the three months ending June 30. Operating income improved 45% to SEK300.7m while net income was up 46% to SEK 271.4m.

Betsson investors had endured several consecutive quarters of significant earnings and profit declines, and the company had warned in February that righting the ship could take until the end of 2018. On Thursday, Betsson CEO Pontus Lindwall said the company had seen “progress in some areas” but suggested it would be some time “until we see sustainable improvements.”

Sportsbook revenue was up 17% to SEK300.2m in Q2, with mobile accounting for two-thirds of that total. Betting turnover rose 8% to SEK 6.2b, due largely to the influx of World Cup bettors. The company saw active customers spike more than one-quarter in Q2.

Australian gambling operator Tabcorp Holdings has paid a £39.5m penalty to pull the plug on its UK-facing Sun Bets online sports betting business.

Last month, Tabcorp formally declared its intention to seek an early exit from its money-losing Sun Bets joint venture with Rupert Murdoch’s media firm News UK. Tabcorp warned at the time that it would likely be forced to ante up a significant sum to News UK for the early termination of its contract, which extended to December 31, 2019.

On Thursday, Tabcorp announced that it had agreed to pay News UK a £39.5m penalty and that the Sun Bets site would “cease trading in the coming days.” Tabcorp CEO David Attenborough said the plug was pulled after the company determined that a “material improvement” in Sun Bets’ performance was unlikely “over the next 18 months.”

Tabcorp and News UK announced their partnership in 2015 and the Sun Bets site made its debut the following year. But the site failed to catch fire with UK sports bettors and the site’s non-stop stream of red ink pushed Tabcorp to place the UK venture under review last October.

State-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has defended the incentives and bonuses that its officials and staff have been receiving, saying it has the authority to craft its personnel policies.

PAGCOR issued a statement clarifying its bonuses and allowances a day after the Philippine Commission on Audit (COA) flagged what it deemed as excessive perks that its employees have been allegedly enjoying, including 18-karat gold ring, as well as car plans and cash benefits.

Citing Section 16 of Presidential Decree Number 1869 (PD1869), PAGCOR argued that its Board of Directors has the authority to determine appropriate personnel management policies, includingthe adjustments in the salaries and benefits, as well as the loyalty award granted by PAGCOR.

PAGCOR pointed out that Philippine agencies like the Office of the President (OP)and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) have affirmed such authorityover the past years.

Gambling-backed political groups have emerged recently in Florida with one simple goal—to block a proposed state constitutional amendment requiring voters’ approval of new gambling.

Florida Politics reported that political committees Citizens for the Truth About Amendment 3 (Amendment 3) and Vote NO on 3 (Vote NO) filed their respective registrations to fend off the initiative that will stop gambling expansion in the state. These newly-registered groups were bankrolled by gambling operators, according to the report.

Isadore “Izzy” Havenick, whose family operates Magic City Casino in Miami and Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Racing & Poker in Bonita Springs, is the chairman of political group Vote NO. On the other hand, Amendment 3 is chaired by Dan Adkins. Adkins is a well-known figure in Florida’s gambling industry being a longtime head of Hallandale Beach’s former Mardi Gras Casino and Race Track.

Other details about the newly-formed groups, including their formation paperwork and initial campaign finance information, weren’t available yet in the state government’s website.