Over 22,000 people have been arrested in gambling raids this past year in Malaysia, the Star Online reported.

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun announced that police have conducted 12,449 raids, leading to 22,300 arrests. Targets were gambling dens as well as unlicensed lottery operations.

Total cash seized from the raids was MYR4.67 million ($1.13 million). This was up from last year’s haul of MYR3.73 million ($901,000), which came from 12,628 raids and 24,338 arrests.

The number of mobile phones and other devices seized was 25,627, much lower than last year’s 65,465 confiscated devices.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is watching the iGaming industry’s most talented master one aspect of the industry, leverage this knowledge and move on to master an even bigger aspect. The inspiration these individuals provide for the rest of us is invaluable and we can all learn from their success, mistakes and challenges.

Affiliate marketing, although often put into its own box, is such an integral component of the online gambling industry and affiliates themselves can make or break the success of an online gambling operator, especially the smaller, more niche brands.

Marius Filip is a well-known iGaming industry veteran who is famous for putting his heart and soul into his work, most notably on the affiliate management side of the business. Throughout his 10 years of experience in iGaming affiliate marketing, Filip has launched and lead several affiliate programs and won plenty of industry awards of recognition along the way.

Just last month, Filip, now the Founder and CEO of Betzest.com, made a bold move to the operator side and announced the launch of his new brand with a tag line of “KING OF THE MOMENT”. Betzest is a sportsbook and casino brand with a focus on top notch gaming products and an exceptional player experience, a project Filip has been working on over the past year, leveraging his affiliate management experience and relationships to spread the world.

Sudhir Kamath could be called a late poker bloomer. He started his post-university career as a consultant with McKinsey India before serving as the managing director for Suntera Energy. It wasn’t until last year that he, along with three of his associates, decided to jump into the online poker business and created 9Stacks. Since then, 9Stacks has turned into one of the most popular poker websites in India and Kamath sees a bright future ahead for the industry in the country.

Kamath recently participated in an exclusive interview with the gambling law portal, GLaws. He indicated that he decided to make the move into online poker because of the popularity it was receiving in the country. He explained, “I always looked for opportunities that had cash flow as well as growth potential – online poker is one of those rare sectors where this combination is achievable, and that appealed to me. As a group, all four of us co-founders (Pratik, Abhinav, Rishab and I) shared the view that this is a great sector in which to build a lasting company.”

Kamath pointed out that 9Stacks has grown in popularity so quickly due to several reasons – innovative and honest promotions, fast cash-outs and a platform that is completely transparent and regulatory compliant. He added that the site sees approximately three million hands played monthly and that it has gross transactions above $5 million each month. He added, “By the way, we’re yet to complete a full year of operations – that milestone comes up in a few weeks, and we’ll have some fun surprises for our customers then.”

9Stacks could become the first poker company in the country to receive institutional funding from professional investors. Kamath alluded to this in the interview, saying that the company will be looking to raise more funding this year after a highly successful Series A funding round last December.

Australia’s economy received a significant boost from electronic gaming machines (EGM) between 2016 and 2017. The economy received $5.96 billion during the period from the machines, which were also responsible for the direct creation of 46,660 new jobs. All financial amounts are quoted in US dollars.

The details were revealed in a recent study by the Centre for International Economics (COE). The COE had been commissioned by the Gaming Technologies Association to conduct the study to determine the financial benefit EGMs have had on the country’s economy.

The study also showed that tax revenue to state and commonwealth governments reached $3.94 billion during the same period. Exports, the use of gaming machines by international visitors along with the international sale of machines, contributed just over $203 million.

EGM player expenditure, which is the difference between the amount wagered and player returns, increased by over 50% from a decade prior. In the 1996-97 period, the expenditure amount was $5.87 billion, and this jumped to $9.03 billion during the most recently reviewed period.

Electronic Arts (EA), the massive video game publisher, is running into trouble in Belgium. Belgian authorities are reportedly considering prosecuting the company over its decision not to prohibit loot box transactions from one of its most popular games, FIFA 18. Belgium outlawed loot boxes this past April, claiming that they are a form of gambling.

In the game, players are able to purchase the loot boxes through in-game coins or real fiat. The loot boxes offer a randomized chance to win soccer players or soccer items that can help the players advance through the game and build the best possible team. According to Belgian regulators, the loot box system “constitutes a game of chance in the sense of the Gaming and Betting Act.”

The commission recommended that video game publishers should provide age verification procedures in order to protect children, as well as spending limits. It also said that the odds of winning need to be clearly displayed and labels affixed to the game’s packaging to indicate that it contains gambling.

Those who didn’t comply with the recommendations, asserted the commission, should be held accountable and be prosecuted. It did not, however, indicate a specific deadline for the modifications to be complete.

Andrew Robl is a well-known fixture on the international poker scene. He has been a regular player for more than a decade and has accumulated over $5.3 million in live poker action. His go-to game has always been No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE), but he, like several other high rollers, has been making a switch to Short Deck Poker, calling NLHE “boring.”

Robl found Short Deck Poker about three years ago in Asia, where the version has been popular for a number of decades. Since first being introduced to the game, he has shown a preference for the alternative and considers it to be a nice change of pace from the slowness of NLHE.

In an interview with Poker Central, Robl explained, “A lot of the Chinese gamblers come from a Baccarat background and they don’t have the patience to play regular No Limit Hold’em. They don’t want to just sit there and fold, and I think one of them just got the idea to remove the small cards to make it more exciting, and ever since it’s been growing in popularity quickly.”

He further stated, “I love it because there is no hand that’s a big favorite against another. This also makes it great for tournaments because there’s a lot of gambling in the game. Because many of the players in Asia have already played No Limit Hold’em in the past, I don’t think that they’ll come back to the game. I think that because of this there will only be more Short Deck tournaments in the future.”