With ZEAL’s plans to buy Lotto24 in full motion, Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland and also a shareholder of ZEAL, is speaking out. He does not think it’s a good idea for this acquisition to go forward, and he doesn’t believe ZEAL has the right to push ahead.

After the January 18 vote by ZEAL shareholders to move ahead with the reacquisition, Lottoland shared comments with Calvinayre from Birrell, summing up his feelings: “We are disappointed with the result of today’s General Meeting.”

The vote was very close, and Birrell felt that without a greater majority, it did not provide the political capital ZEAL needed to move ahead. He said, “With resolution number two turning out to be very close with only 51% votes in favour and 49% voting against, we do not believe the outcome provides a clear mandate from the shareholders of ZEAL to take the transaction forward. Especially given the fact that without the votes of the Lotto24 shareholders this would not have been approved.”

Lotto24 was formerly a subsidiary of ZEAL, and was spun-off to be its own company in 2012. ZEAL’s CEO, Helmut Becker, has argued that bringing the companies back together would create value for ZEAL shareholders.

Henry Sy, the visionary behind SM Investments Corp., has passed away at the age of 94. He is the man behind SM Investments Corp., as well as Belle Corp., which invested in Melco-owned City of Dreams Manila. Sy had been listed for the past 11 years by Forbes magazine as the richest man in the Philippines with an estimated net worth of around $19 billion at the time of his passing.

Sy got his start with a shoe store in Manila in 1958. From there, he built an empire that includes banking, real estate and retail operations. SM Investments owns SM Retail Inc., which operates the largest chain of supermarkets and department stores in the Philippines. It is also the owner of SM Prime Holdings, Inc., the biggest shopping mall operator in the country with a total of 70, and BDO Unibank.

Belle Corp. last October said that its third-quarter profit had fallen to $11.3 million, a 16.8% drop year-on-year. This was attributed to a 6.8% decrease in gaming revenue, which came in at around $12.27 million. Despite the decrease, Belle has stated that it wants to boost its gaming interests and has proposed an expansion of City of Dreams Manila. The company currently owns approximately 2.4 acres adjacent to the resort project. It said last April, “We can build our own hotel and capitalise on City of Dreams clientele but we prefer Melco [Resorts] to get involved so it can be consolidated into City of Dreams.”

Attending the funeral was Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Sy is survived by his wife and six children who help to run the family business. In a statement, his family said, “We are truly grateful for the outpouring of sympathy on the passing of our father, Henry Sy Sr. May we respectfully ask for privacy today to give the family time to reflect and to finalize arrangements.”

Sands China shareholders are going to see a little bit of extra cash next month. In a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last Friday, the company announced that it will be offering an interim dividend of about $0.13 a share, which will be paid out to all shareholders on the company’s register as of February 4. The dividend payments are expected to be distributed on February 22.

Sands China is owned by Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp. This past October, the parent company reported that EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization) of Sands China had increased 15.8% year-over-year, coming in at $754 million. Its net revenues increased 13.1% in the third quarter of the year, reaching $2.15 billion compared to the $1.9 billion it earned during the same quarter of the previous year.

Overall, Las Vegas Sands saw an increase of 2.2% in its net profits for the third quarter of 2018 with net revenue growing 6.7% to around $3.37 billion. This was due, in large part, to the success experienced by Sands China. Full-year results for 2018 are expected to be released this week.

In light of its strong performance, Sands China has received favorable positions by many casino analysts. Bernstein recently stated, “Sands China’s valuation look attractive for a stock that consistently trades at a premium to Macau gaming stocks and is now trading well below its historical average.”

SJM Holdings Ltd has joined the bandwagon of Macau casino concessionaries announcing bonuses. GGRAsia reports the operator will give out an annual bonus in 2019 that they are calling a “living subsidy.” Depending on the employee’s role, they will receive between one-and-a-half to two months’ pay.

Although other operators have declared their bonus schemes first, SJM claims it paid their employees earliest, paying out half the subsidy on January 4.

Based on reports of the plan, the subsidy does not appear to be new at all. In August 2014, they announced the same plan would run until 2020. What has changed with this announcement is a new “2018 or 2020 subsidy-plus plan,” which allows employees to receive increased awards based on choices they are provided with.

The next installment of the subsidy is due to be paid in July.

William Hill US is partnering with Iowa’s Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino, in anticipation of the legalization of sports betting in the state.

HF2448, filed during the state’s last General Assembly, would have allowed licensees to operate sportsbooks, provided the Supreme Court repeal the federal ban on sports betting. Although the Supreme Court did just that, the bill, which would have imposed as much as a 22% tax on adjusted gross receipts over $3 million, failed to pass.

In a press release, Prairie Meadows announced that it has made William Hill its official sportsbook operator, even as a new sports wagering bill has still to be filed for the present General Assembly.

William Hill CEO Joe Asher said, “We are building a first-class sports book that will make Prairie Meadows the best place to bet and watch the games.”

Justice authorities in the Philippines have cleared Japanese casino magnate Kazuo Okada, along with several others, in the $7 million fraud case over the installation of LED fixtures in Okada Manila.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a 10-page decision affirming the dismissal of the fraud case against Okada, former Okada Manila CEO Kengo Takeda, Aruze Philippines Manufacturing Inc. and its president, Tetsuya Yokota, local media outlets reported.

In the resolution, dated Dec. 21, 2018, Assistant State Prosecutor Alejandro Daguiso said Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment (TRLEI) “failed to prove” the respondents conspired. The prosecutors noted that, “From the records, there appears to be no concrete evidence at all of respondents’ alleged conspiracy and representations that brought about the contract in question.”

Last year, TRLEI, the Philippine unit of Japan-listed gaming conglomerate Universal Entertainment Corp., lodged twin fraud and perjury cases against Okada—one of which was linked to the casino mogul’s decision to award a $7 million supply contract for the installation of LED fixtures on the façade of Okada Manila to his own company, Aruze.

Wynn Macau has won a case against a Malaysian fund manager who had owed the casino operator HKD33 million ($4.21 million).

According to a Reuters report, Wynn Macau lawyers had argued that the money owed to the company was from a credit line opened for Paul Poh Yang Hong, and not from a wagering contract, the latter not recognized in the Southeast Asian country for legal disputes.

Judge S. Nantha Balan ordered Poh to pay to Wynn the outstanding amount, from an original loaned amount of HKD40 million ($5.10 million), plus interest.

Reuters had sought a reaction from Poh’s counsel, who declined to provide comment. “If there is no appeal, I believe this judgment today will be the law in Malaysia for the foreseeable future… It is a good sign for the whole gaming industry,” Wynn lawyer Vincent Law said.

partypoker has confirmed the appointment of Mikita Badziakouski as ambassador and the latest member of the Player Panel, and the team announce a new MILLIONS loyalty program.

We called it during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA).

Mikita Badziakouski is officially a member of the partypoker ambassadorial team. Or is that Nikita “Mikita” Bodyakovskiy?

I asked him to clarify, once.

The WSOP has inadvertently announced there will be a $400 and $1,000 buy-in Online Bracelet event during the 50th Anniversary celebrations through the WSOP.com New Year Kickoff online series promotion, and Stephen Song wins the High Roller in Thunder Valley.

April 15, 2011: disaster strikes the online poker community in the United States of America, as the government drives a sword of compliance hilt deep into the hearts of online poker players. Fast forward, 7+ years and the humanitarian mission continues with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) acting in the role of The Red Cross.

By the time you’ve washed the ink of the morning newspaper from your fingertips, downed your first cup of coffee, and read this, WSOP.com would have begun their New Year Kickoff Tournament Series.

Running from Jan 20-27, WSOP.com customers in New Jersey and Nevada will compete across eight events ranging between $50 to $525, with $380,000 in guaranteed prize money, and two opportunities to win seats in 2019 WSOP.com Online Bracelet events up for grabs.

A trio of Esports related news stories including Esports Entertainment Group signing deals with Epsilon and GOLeague and GameWorks to improve Esports’ footprint in Las Vegas land-based casinos after partnering with SCCG Management.

Here is a trio of Esports-related news stories with two from Esports Entertainment Group’s back alley, and one from the land of SCCG Management.

The Esports Entertainment Group (VIE) has inked a deal with the Belgium-based Esports organisation Epsilon. VIE hopes the agreement will see Epsilon’s fanbase migrate to the betting exchange.

Founded a decade ago, Epsilon has vast experience in the Esports industry and has award-winning teams spread throughout Europe and North America competing in Esports such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive; Gears Call of Duty; FIFA; and H1Z1 KoH.