The Philippines National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) shut down another alleged illegal online gambling operation this week. After obtaining a search warrant from a Tarlac court, the bureau swooped in on a Pampanga province home where Chinese nationals were reportedly working out of.

Local news is reporting the NBI was tipped off that there might be an illegal set up by a November 29 intelligence report, covering activities run without licenses.

In total, 12 Chinese nationals were arrested, with one more still being searched for, as he was not in the building at the time of the raid, according to media reports.

In addition to the arrests, government agents seized 13 computers, 15 mobile phones, and some networking equipment. NBI Digital Forensic Laboratory agents confirmed the devices were being used to communicate with clients, handle funds, and provide maintenance on the operation.

Casino operator SJM Holdings plans up to 100 more smoking lounges for its numerous casino hotels running under its gaming concession, even as it awaits approval for these from the government.

Macau News Agency reported SJM CEO Ambrose So Shu Fai as saying that the company has already applied for at least 10 smoking lounge licenses with the Macau Health Bureau.

The ban on smoking in casinos was first enforced in 2014, but still allowed for smoking in certain enclosed areas. The law was expanded in January of this year, to limit smoking in VIP rooms, but casinos have been given a year to comply, meaning that come January 1, 2019, the new lounges should be constructed and have the proper permits.

The Health bureau gave until September 28 for applications, in which 27 casino establishments were said to have applied, for a total of 404 licenses. The list, however, did not include SJM’s casinos, even the ones run by third parties under the SJM license. To this, So said, “We did [apply]… My colleague just said that there are at least 10 or 11 smoking lounge applications submitted and now being evaluated.”

Citing sound fiscal policy, Fitch Ratings maintained Macau’s ‘AA’ Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issue Default Rating going into 2019.

Even though demand in the gaming sector, on which the Special Administrative Region (SAR) is reliant on, is expected to temper, with uncertainty surrounding the Chinese economy, the ratings agency was encouraged by a projected budget surplus of 9.5% of GDP for 2018, down only 0.5% from the year before.

For 2019, a budget surplus of 9.4% was forecast, on the assumption of a “more optimistic outlook” for gaming revenues to grow by “about 5%” next year.

According to Fitch, the Macau government’s target 2019 central budget surplus of MOP18 billion ($2.23 billion), or 4% of GDP, was “quite conservative,” and this suggested a continued stable fiscal situation.

3: Barrels of a World Series of Poker vintage including a victory for Andrew White in the World Series of Poker Circuit in Sydney, a similar stunt in IP Biloxi for Kevin Johnson and Caesars Rewards cards to replace Total Rewards cards.

It’s dark.

The only lights in the room come from the iconic Apple reflecting from the mirrored wardrobe hanging off the rails, and the humidifier switched to ‘Sleep Mode’ that sounds like a Boing 747.

And this screen.

Ah, its that time of year again my friends, when our work schedules finally wind down and we have a moment to reflect upon everything that has happened over the past 12 months. For us at CalvinAyre.com, especially Stephanie Tower and I, we have conducted hundreds of interviews in both the online gambling and Bitcoin space throughout the year, rubbing shoulders with some of the best and brightest in both industries.

Today’s edition of Becky’s Affiliated will take a look at the top 10 most viewed online gambling industry interviews both Stephanie and I conducted over the course of 2018. Before reviewing our list, I’d like to point out that every single interview below, except for one, has a focus on sports betting, underscoring just how big 2018 was in terms of sport betting industry news. Without a doubt, 2019 promises to be a huge year for sports betting, especially when it comes to the regulated US market.

10. Bettor Collective’s Jesper Sogaard looks to the US and beyond

When I first met Jesper Sogaard he was part of a two-man affiliate team, fast forward 15 years and Sogaard has taken Bettor Collective public and through a series of acquisitions and organic growth, he’s now running one of the largest affiliate marketing companies in the business. In this interview shot at iGB Live! 2018, Sogaard dives into his strategy for future acquisitions, reveals his plans for the regulated US market and explains the value behind having a big presence at industry conferences throughout the year.

Spain’s latest integrated resort hopeful wants to host up to 33 casinos, although the developer insists it’s only a contingency thing.

Earlier this month, California development firm Cora Alpha announced its intention to build a $3.5b integrated resort known as Elysium City in Spain’s autonomous region of Extremadura. On Monday, local media reported that the company had submitted its planning documents along with the required €10m submission fee.

When Cora Alpha first announced its project, the plan called for a master casino license that allowed the developer to open four casino gaming rooms across the resort. Cora Alpha noted at the time that it could seek authorization for up to 20 gaming rooms, but apparently has now decided that this is insufficient for its expansion ambitions, and has upped the number of desired gaming rooms to 33.

A Cora Alpha spokesperson claimed that the company wasn’t interested in creating a new Las Vegas in Extremadura, but was simply making the request as “a matter of bureaucratic efficiency,” in that it’s better to have the authority to open new gaming rooms as the need arises without having to go back to the authorities clutching new paperwork.

The Super High Roller Bowl V has moved into the final chapter with Isaac Haxton leading a star-studded final table that includes the reigning US Poker Open champion, Stephen Chidwick, the reigning Poker Masters champion, Ali Imsirovic and the reigning Global Poker Index #1, Alex Foxen.

It’s 1.26 pm, and I have my back to the room. John, 80, sits in front of me with a great morning stubble. The only other regular is the girl shaped like perfection, looking like perfection, staring into nothingness with perfection. We are all typing away, making a living (or a dying, you decide), some of us doing it more perfectly than others.

I wonder what other people are doing in the world?

What’s my wife doing?

3: barrels of an oaky 888Poker flavour as Martin Jacobson, Dominik Nitsche and Parker Talbot create headlines; Roman “Romeopro” Romanovsky ends the year as 888Poker’s official ‘End Boss’, and the online poker room make Pick’em8 official.

Wave after wave of PokerStars related stories hit my email inbox like a tsunami on a daily basis. I could write about them all day. They play the game well. They dominate the headlines more than anyone because they are always giving writers something to write.

partypoker wins the Most Improved Award for Getting Stuff In My Face. The success of the MILLIONS brand, both live and online has helped, but there is still work to do in leveraging the wealth of stories that live inside the skulls of the most substantial swathe of ambassadors in the world.

Bringing up the rear is 888Poker.

Rumors are swirling that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is planning another Christmas drive-by attack on federal gambling rules.

Seven years ago this month, the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued an opinion that the 1961 Wire Act – which bans the interstate transmission of data for wagering purposes – applied only to sports betting.

The opinion, which specifically addressed state lotteries’ right to sell lottery products over the internet within their state boundaries, led to a number of states launching some form of online lottery sales. It also paved the way for the three states – Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey – that have since launched their intrastate online gambling markets, and for states like Pennsylvania, which plans to launch its online market in 2019.

On Wednesday, Online Poker Report claimed that the OLC was preparing a new opinion that could effectively reverse the 2011 opinion, which was never popular with (a) social conservatives, or (b) Sheldon Adelson, boss of casino operator Las Vegas Sands and a major GOP sugar daddy, who has made the eradication of online gambling one of his pet causes.