Russia’s online sports betting operators are enjoying a sustained post-World Cup rise in visits to their websites, according to new traffic data.

This week, Russian gambling affiliate Legalbet published the results of a SimilarWeb survey of customer traffic at the nation’s 16 licensed online sports betting operators in the month of October, then compared these figures with a similar survey conducted in May, prior to this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

1xBet topped October’s chart with 9.7m visits for the month, up from 5.75m in May. Fonbet, which topped May’s charts with 5.9m visits, fell to number two in October, although its 8.4m was still up 42% from May. Third-place finisher Liga Stavok was well back with 3.65m, up from 2.6m in May, while the rest of the top-five consisted of WinLine (3.35m, +67%) and BetCity (2.75m, -1.8%).

BetCity wasn’t the only Russian-licensed bookie to suffer a traffic decline since May, as Parimatch was down 43% to 1.2m, Leon fell nearly one-third to 910k and Bingo Boom slipped 37.2% to 270k. The country’s newest licensed bookie, Mostbet, enjoyed the largest percentage traffic gain, rising nearly 60,000% to 1.2m after recording just 2k visits in May (the month it launched).

The operators of Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino want Massachusetts gaming regulators to know they have options if Wynn Resorts is deemed unsuitable to operate its Encore Boston Harbor project.

On Friday, the operators of Mohegan Sun issued a statement saying that the company was ready to “enter into negotiations with the appropriate parties to acquire the facility under construction in Everett” should Massachusetts regulators conclude that Wynn is unfit to operate gaming in the state.

Wynn’s ability to maintain control over its $2.5b in-development Encore property hinges on the findings of a Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) report into whether Wynn execs failed to alert the state regarding multiple sexual harassment allegations involving the company’s founder and former CEO Steve Wynn.

The report was scheduled to be released in December but Steve won a temporary injunction blocking its release on the grounds that it contains information he shared with his former company that he claims is protected by attorney-client privilege. A Nevada court will consider Steve’s claims at a hearing on December 12.

The operators of Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino want Massachusetts gaming regulators to know they have options if Wynn Resorts is deemed unsuitable to operate its Encore Boston Harbor project.

On Friday, the operators of Mohegan Sun issued a statement saying that the company was ready to “enter into negotiations with the appropriate parties to acquire the facility under construction in Everett” should Massachusetts regulators conclude that Wynn is unfit to operate gaming in the state.

Wynn’s ability to maintain control over its $2.5b in-development Encore property hinges on the findings of a Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) report into whether Wynn execs failed to alert the state regarding multiple sexual harassment allegations involving the company’s founder and former CEO Steve Wynn.

The report was scheduled to be released in December but Steve won a temporary injunction blocking its release on the grounds that it contains information he shared with his former company that he claims is protected by attorney-client privilege. A Nevada court will consider Steve’s claims at a hearing on December 12.

Two of Vietnam’s former top law enforcement officials will spend a decade on the wrong side of prison bars after being convicted of involvement in a major illegal online gambling case.

On Friday, the Phú Thọ Provincial People’s Court sentenced Phan Van Vinh, the former General Director of the Ministry of Public Security’s (MOPS) General Police Department, to nine years in prison. Nguyen Thanh Hoa (pictured), former director for the MOPS’ C50 cybercrime division, was handed a 10-year sentence.

The pair were among 91 individuals sentenced on Friday for their connection with the massive online gambling operation that Vietnamese authorities rumbled in March. The scheme involved the use of popular mobile cash cards to buy virtual credits for online casino games that could later be redeemed for real cash.

The two senior cops were charged with misusing their authority to shield the gambling operation from the prying eyes of other, less corrupt officials. The sentences they received exceeded the terms sought by prosecutors, indicating that the court was intent on sending a message to other senior police and government officials.

Sweden has issued its first batch of new online gambling licenses, and their recipients include some obvious selections and some notable omissions.

On Friday, the Lotteriinspektionen regulatory body – which will rebrand as Spelinspektionen in the new year – announced the first 16 recipients of new Swedish online gambling licenses, which will formally become active on January 1, 2019. (View the full list here.)

Lotteriinspektionen director-general Camilla Rosenberg celebrated Friday’s news as “a historic day for the game,” while praising her staff for laboring “under severe pressure” to process the 95 gambling license applications – 70 of which are for online operations – it has received since the application window opened on August 1.

The new licensees include the state-run former gambling monopolies Svenska Spel and AB Trav & Galopp (ATG), both of which have been furiously inking supplier deals so they can finally offer the online casino products they were denied under Sweden’s previous regulatory regime.

In 2017, Dan Smith led a charity fundraiser that helped bring in more than $4.5 million for different worthy causes. Along with Daily Fantasy Sports team Tom and Martin Crowley, they offered to put up $1 million in a matching drive for the event, which proved to be the perfect incentive. After receiving an incredible response to the event last year, Smith is ready to take it to the next level this year.

Smith, who has earned over $25 million in live poker action, will match up to $1.14 million this year. Joining him in the efforts will be other notable poker players, including Stephen Chidwick.

Ten charities chosen by Smith will be the recipients of the donations this year. They include: Raising for Effective Giving (REG)—the charitable organization founded and run by poker players, the Hellen Keller International’s Vitamin A Supplementation Program, GiveDirectly, StrongMinds.com, the Animal Charity Evaluator Effective Animal Advocacy Fund, The Good Food Institute, the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, the Massachusetts Bail Fund and the Malaria Consortium’s seasonal malaria chemo-prevention program. Additionally, grants will be provided to GiveWell for further distribution to charities it chooses.

Anyone can donate and any amount is accepted. Last year, there were 714 contributors and Smith hopes to see more than 1,000 this year. He adds that “no amount is too small” and that everyone should “make as much of a contribution as you can afford.”