Mexico’s online gamblers are about as rare as unicorns, according to the results of a new market survey.

Last week saw the release of a new survey of the perception of gambling in Mexican society. Of Luck, Gambling and Other Hazards was published by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México’s Institute of Legal Research in conjunction with the (recently disbanded) Codere Foundation.

Among some of the report’s more interesting findings is that over 85% of those surveyed either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the phrases ‘gambling is for lazy people’ or ‘gambling is a sin.’ Despite this lack of stigma surrounding gambling, the survey found that only 21% of respondents reported participating in gambling versus over 78% who didn’t.

Incredibly, a mere 0.8% of respondents reported having an account with an online gambling site, making online the lowest ranked form of gambling included in the study. Those who do gamble online are predominantly in the 25-34 age demo, hold either a bachelor’s or post-graduate degree, and generally earn a higher income than most Mexicans.

Success Dragon could soon be known by a different name. The company’s board of directors has approved a motion that hopes to see the gaming services provider carry a name that is more in line with its continued expansion into other areas, including blockchains and FinTech. The name change cannot be complete until its approved by shareholders, as well as the Registrar of Companies in Bermuda.

If approved, Success Dragon will become ezBlock Capital International Holdings Limited. It is also seeking a change for its Chinese name, which is currently Shenglong International. The new name would be Yibang Capital International.

The push for the new names is designed to promote, as well as strengthen, the company’s image and to allow the firm to more successfully “identify and obtain business opportunities for its future development.” Success Dragon is looking to diversify and enter new business territories.

Currently, the company focuses primarily on supplying outsourced business process management for electronic gaming machines throughout Macau. It has agreements with Casino Casa Real on the Peninsula, Taipa’s Casino Grandview and Pharaoh’s Palace Casino, which is located on Fisherman’s Wharf. Success Dragon also provides similar functions to casinos located in Vietnam.

California is full of illegal gambling rooms. This is the position of the Native Indian tribes in the state, which have exclusivity over gambling operations. They are now hoping that regulators will step in and take care of the problem.

According to an exclusive by CDC Gaming Reports, regulators are going to begin efforts to weed out the illegal operations. The director of the Bureau of Gambling Control (BGC), Stephanie Shimazu, stated last month that her office “plans to rescind game rules approvals for games too similar to 21/blackjack that are prohibited by state law.”

Shimazu added, “We will notify cardrooms and defer enforcement for a specified period of time to enable cardrooms to prepare for this action.” Apparently, she was referring to notifying the 74 card rooms across The Golden State that will be in violation of the new rules.

In addition, the BGC will also distribute new regulations that require rotation of the player-dealer position in certain games. These games – called “California” or “Asian” games – are variations of pai gown and blackjack that are normally banned under state laws.

Is it just a coincidence, or is the power of the press? Several days ago, word got out that Garden City Group (GCG), the organization in charge of distributing payments from the Ultimate Bet (UB)/Absolute Poker (AP) scandal, hadn’t been keep up with its end of the deal. Now, a substantial number of players have finally recuperated their losses.

According to an announcement by the Department of Justice and GCG, there will soon be a fourth round of payments made. 494 players who lost money and filed claims will receive checks totaling $133,005.04.

The first round of payments went to 7,400 players in August of last year when $33.5 million was disseminated. The next round occurred two months later, with $3.7 million going to $4,600 players. It took another five months for round three, which saw 450 players receive a total of $1,084,200. Seven months later, and some negative press, and payments are finally starting to flow again.

According to the GCG, the delay in any payments was not due to their procrastination. It said in a statement, “GCG has been informed that the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Department of Justice (MLARS) has approved a fourth round of payments to Petitioners who confirmed their Absolute Poker / Ultimate Bet account balances after the initial September 7, 2017 filing deadline and Petitioners who have disputed their Absolute Poker / Ultimate Bet account balances.”

It took a few years, but he finally pulled it off. Bernard Lee, poker player and host of the Bernard Lee Poker Show on PokerNews, has earned his second gold ring at a World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) tournament. His latest win came at the WSOP Circuit Harvey’s Lake Tahoe series in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Lee had busted the first two events of the tournament series and decided to adjourn for some fresh air. He took a ride around the lake and then returned to the casino to sit down at the $400 NLHE event. He got off to a strong start, doubling up when he scored a set of 5s against two pair, and was in second-place in chips when the final table was set.

Having made it this far in a field of 124 entries, Lee was now more than determined than ever to get the ring. He said after the tournament was over, “This was the goal. The goal was to get a ring. I came here, and I said, I feel like I’m playing really well right now. Let’s go get this second ring. It happened.”

Lee played smartly and patiently, letting his opponents fall. He ultimately found victory when he faced off against Paul Miller in the final heads-up battle, picking up $11,456. Miller was awarded $7,082 as the tournament runner-up.

A round-up of 888Poker related news including an alliance with Jared Tendler, a close shave for Sam Grafton, and an Essex moment for Chris Moorman. 

I did quite a lot of writing for 888Poker.

The goal was always consistent.

Provide quality content that can help a poker player improve their life and therefore their game.

Lee Davy sits down with the Malta Poker Festival‘s founder, Ivonne Montealegre, to talk about her legal issues with Casino Malta, the ‘why’ behind her new creation, and her desire to work with more influential female ambassadors.

Having become the first Finance Minister of a G8 country, Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity and so you should take heed when she says:

“Grit your teeth and smile. In the face of adversity, go. They don’t deserve you.”

And it was Lagarde who crossed my mind during a conversation with Malta Poker Festival’s founder, Ivonne Montealegre, another strong, independent and passionate woman who grits her teeth and says, “Bring it on,” when nostrils begin to flare.

Silver Heritage Group is in the process of mixing things up at the executive level. The Australian-listed casino operator has announced that it will soon have a new chief financial officer (CFO) to replace the outgoing Basil Jong and that a member of its board has stepped down, only to already be replaced.

As of November 5, Ben Watiwat will be the company’s new CFO, according to a filing the company presented to the Australian Securities Exchange. Jong is leaving “by mutual agreement with the board,” but will stay on for at least three months “to ensure an effective handover.”

Watiwat was previously with SafetyCulture Pty Ltd., a software company out of Australia, where he was the head of finance, as well as the company secretary. He is a certified accountant with a long history of involvement in corporate finance, technology and accounting.

According to Silver Heritage non-executive chairman James Spenceley, “Having worked with Ben for a number of years … I’m delighted he has accepted this role. Ben has significant experience and skills in capital management, compliance, risk, tax and reporting. Ben will be a significant asset for the business going forward.”

Two related stories for the Esports Integrity Coalition including a warm hug for their newest member Luckbox, and a boot up the arse to a Counter-Strike player who decided to cheat.

The Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC) has handed out a five-year ban to India Optic’s Nikhil “Forsaken” Kumawat after he was found guilty of using third-party software to improve his aim during two Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournaments.

Kumawat – Forsaken by name, Forsaken by nature – had the ankle chains applied after organisers discovered the cheat during the Zowie eXtremesland Tournament LAN Finals in Shanghai.

ESIC can only use the stocks if a person found guilty of cheating does so when competing in an event organised by an ESIC member. Zowie doesn’t fall into this category, but the Electronic Sports League (ESL) does, and so ESIC officials asked ESL to take a close look at Kumawat’s performance at the ESL India Premiership, which India Optic won earlier this month, and boom.

A New York judge has ruled that daily fantasy sports (DFS) is a form of gambling, casting doubt on the continued operation of companies like DraftKings and FanDuel in the state.

On Monday, Albany County Supreme Court acting justice Gerald Connolly sided with the plaintiffs in a suit challenging state legislators’ 2016 decision to authorize DFS by defining it as a game of skill. That designation spared legislators from having to hold a statewide referendum on amending the constitution to permit a new form of gambling.

The plaintiffs – a collection of anti-gambling campaigners, including Stop Predatory Gambling – filed a legal challenge shortly after that 2016 legislation was approved. The state attempted to have the suit tossed but Connolly ruled that the challenge had merit.

In Monday’s ruling, Connolly declared that the plaintiffs had conclusively demonstrated that, while winning a DFS contest requires a certain amount of skill, it also requires just enough luck to fall within the state’s definition of gambling. As such, state legislators lacked the authority to approve their constitutional sleight-of-hand.

Online lottery betting operator Lottoland has been dealt a setback in Germany after a court ruled that the company had no legal right to operate in the country.

On Friday, German media reported that a district court in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate had ruled that the Gibraltar-licensed defendant – not identified in most reports but which other media claim is Lottoland – had no local permission “to organize or mediate games of chance” in Germany.

The case against Lottoland was brought by state lottery operator Lotto Rhineland-Pfalz, who sought not only to prevent Lottoland from operating in Germany, but also sought to compel Lottoland to reveal how much money it had made from German customers and to pay an appropriate financial penalty.

Lottoland attempted to defend its right to operate by pointing to recent court rulings that found Germany’s lottery monopolies had contravened European Union rules by heavily promoting their wares. The EU permits state monopolies to exist if their primary aim is to minimize local gambling activity, and excessive marketing that urges punters to play tends to undercut that rationale.