GVC Holdings is launching a party in Sweden. The company has announced that it is introducing its partypoker and bwin brands to the country’s gambling market, which has just reemerged after going through an update to its regulatory guidelines.

Thanks to GVC, bwin Sweden customers will have access to more than 650 online casino games. Among these are 33 options developed by third parties and others created by GVC’s own studio. The site will incorporate the features and content seen in other bwin sites across Europe for its sports betting activity. There will be more than 650 virtual slot machines and live table games, as well as pre-event and in-play gambling for a wide range of sporting events.

GVC will offer partypoker.se, an online poker portal that will offer a variety of tournaments and games. Among these are the Daily Majors, The Power Series and Super Sunday. In addition, the site will offer Sit & Go Jackpots with prizes that could top $1 million.

According to GVS’s chief operating officer, Shay Segev, “We are delighted to get the year off to a positive start with the launch of bwin.se and partypoker.se. We are confident that Swedish customers will enjoy what we believe is the best and most comprehensive online gaming experience in the market. Launching two new labels in such a short space of time after receiving our licence, demonstrates the flexibility of our unique proprietary technology platform.”

Last July, the autonomous Spanish region of Andorra awarded a casino license to Jocs SA, a company based in the region. The decision to give the license to Jocs caused a stir in the casino industry, with many operators complaining that it resulted in nothing more than an under-the-table deal between government officials and the company. Many of them promised to fight the approval, and they are now beginning to make good on those promises.

Four European gambling operators, including Casinos Austria, Partouche France, Grupo CIRSA (Spain) and the Genting Group have launched a lawsuit against the Principality of Andorra over the actions. The lawsuit is expected to be heard beginning today and seeks an annulment of the decision, as well as the removal of Jocs as a licensed gambling operator.

The group asserts that they have were able to comply with all operational and resource-based requirements as established by Andorra’s Gaming Control Board (CRAJ, for its acronym in Catalan, the Consell Regulador del Joc). They further claim that Jocs was not able to comply with all of the requirements. The operators further assert that the principality’s reputation faces “demands of damages and prejudices which will be both economic and reputational for the principality.”

Subsequent to the CRAJ’s decision, the casino companies started an informal investigation and uncovered some questionable activities. Jocs had partnered with Novomatic Group for its gaming technology. A company out of Slovenia, SIQ, that helped the CRAJ evaluate the bidding criteria has ties to Novomatic through an engineer that had employment experience with both SIQ and Novomatic.

It isn’t too much of a stretch to say that new regulations in China are ripe for power trips and abuse. According to the South China Morning Post, the country has established new guidelines that allow police to collect and authenticate any type of electronic data to be used as evidence in court proceedings. Additionally, they are able to freeze any personal online accounts for more than six months as part of their investigations. The new guidelines become effective on February 1.

The move comes just over two years after China’s supreme court, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), and state prosecutors began allowing electronic data as evidence in court. The MPS published the guidelines this past Wednesday amidst an increase of police control and powers in the country. The same ministry announced last week that police officers can no longer be held liable for damaging property during the performance of their responsibilities.

Remote and online retrieval of electronic data is now permitted. In some cases, the processes could be recorded on video, such as with any allegations of endangerment of public or national security. Electronic data can also be frozen by the police if approval is given by the public security department and the same data, if collected by other government departments in the enforcement of their duties, is also admissible as evidence in criminal cases.

The MPS asserts that the new guidelines are necessary to ensure the quality of evidence retrieved during investigations. It adds that the framework also provides the technical standards needed to allow uniform collection of data.

Next year, two casino operators in Macau face the expiration of their gaming licenses. Concessions held by SJM Holdings and MGM China Holdings and they have often asserted that the local government should extend their concessions until 2022, which would put them in line with four other license expirations. They argue that this would allow all six license holders to be on a level footing and to be able to compete “at the same pace.” Last November, Macau remained unsettlingly silent on the subject of the concessions and now, into 2019, doesn’t seem to be any closer to revealing its plans.

According to a report by GGRAsia, the head of Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, Paulo Martins Chan, the executive skated around questions about the concessions in a closed-door meeting yesterday. GGRAsia specifically asked if the government was planning to allow the extension for SJM and MGM China, to which Chan replied, “Regarding this issue, we’ve submitted the technical opinions on [the arrangement] of the six gaming concessions to our superiors. But we do not have any news to tell yet.” He also refused to provide details regarding what the “technical opinions” included. In other words, someone, somewhere, is somehow working on something.

Since no headway was being made regarding the concessions, talk changed to junkets. Chan wasn’t so elusive on this subject, stating that a draft amendment bill that will regulate junket promoters was “ready.” He added, “The bill is now undergoing some adjustments. We hope that it will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly soon [for deliberation].” Of course, that statement wasn’t exactly a revelation as the draft was first announced last November.

Among the components of the bill, junkets could face “severe penalties” for making unlawful capital deposits. At the same time, the government has suggested raising the limit to $1.23 million for deposits by any newly registered casino junkets.

The holiday season turned out to be very favorable for Pennsylvania slot operators. According to a report published by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), slot machine revenues increased 8% in December 2018 when compared to the previous year.

The report lists the monthly gross revenues of 13 casinos, and all had improvements year over year for the month of December. The Rivers Casino saw the biggest increase, making $2.76 million more than it had in the same month last year. Valley Forge Casino saw the biggest increase by percentage, bringing in 18.2% more revenue in the same period. Overall, the casinos brought in $202 million from slots alone, more than $15 million more than they had in the same period for 2017.

The increase in revenue comes despite there being fewer slot machines in operation. Combined, the casinos had 25,442 slot machines running, 407 less than in 2017.

The report also provides figures for 2018 as a whole. Slot revenue reached $2.3 billion, 1.4% higher than 2017 as a whole. Tax revenues as a result totaled 1.2 billion, which will be used for property tax reductions for Pennsylvanians, bolstering the horse racing industry, and funding other development projects.

Penn National Gaming announced that it has completed its acquisition of the Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana, for total consideration of $115 million.

In its press release, Penn said the transaction was financed with incremental borrowings under its revolving credit facility. According to the company, the purchase price represents a multiple of about 5.0x the expected trailing 12-month adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) for 2018, plus management fee. The multiple is expected to later fall to 4.5x on “expected operating synergies and cost savings.”

Along with the purchase of the Margaritaville facility, which was built in 2013, Penn has agreed to pay $23 million in initial annual rent to VICI Properties, new owner of the land on which the resort sits, as part of a 15-year lease agreement with four five-year renewal options.

The rent coverage ratio, or the ability of earnings to satisfy obligations, is foreseen to be greater than 2.0x for the first year upon closing of the deal.

MGM Resorts International is expecting its $850-million purchase of the Yonkers Raceway and Empire City Casino approved this month, but the New York Gaming Commission (NYGC) has postponed a meeting for this, giving no rescheduled date.

Hudson Valley-based The Journal News reported that the commission had postponed “until further notice” its January 3 meeting, where it was to tackle the Empire City deal.

In an e-mail to the news outlet, NYGC spokesman Brad Malone said the meeting had been moved due to “issues with a quorum of members.”

The deal had first been announced last May, with MGM saying it will sell Empire City to its real estate investment trust MGM Growth Properties for $625 million, after which the property will be leased to MGM for $50 million a year.

Two barrels from the land of partypoker including confirmation that the MILLIONS Main Events revert to the Freezeout format, and a victory in Rozvadov for Denis Schneider.

I feel chilled to the bone, an odd sensation considering I am in California. I have to go outside to keep warm. The people back home would think I am a key short of a keyhole if I told them, but I guess I just have.

I have one more to do; then I don’t know what to do. I have a fed up wife sitting in the front room wondering when I am going to stop tip-tapping, wash my hands {must use soap} and play with my daughter.

So here it goes.

Poker Central launch another exclusive PokerGO offering this time featuring Doyle Brunson, Daniel ‘Jungleman’ Cates calls out Tom Dwan, and Sam Soverel wins the inaugural Poker Central High Roller of the Year award.

Good morning.

Here are three Poker Central related stories that you can smother on your toast.

PokerGO subscribers are about to get something new to watch. The Poker Central crew has announced a new live cash game show called “Dolly’s Game.”

3: Barrels from the world of poker including the Charity Series of Poker raising some wonga for charity, Phil Hellmuth partnering with DraftKings, and a pro poker player fluffs his lines on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

The Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) has done it again.

Matt Stout and the gang pulled off another charitable masterstroke after partnering with the Las Vegas-based NHL team The Vegas Golden Knights for a night of poker, fun and entertainment billed as Charity Series of Poker ‘Knights of the Poker Table.’

The golden yolk in this particular egg was a 251-entrant tournament that resulted in Lisa Pickell beating Sean Cheatle, heads-up, to win a 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event seat.

Week 21 of the English Premier League sees manchester City close the gap to four points after beating Liverpool 2-1 in the top of the table clash at The Etihad.

12-months ago, unbeatable Manchester City waltzed into Anfield with a cocky stride in their step and left suffering their first defeat of the season.

Press the fast-forward button on the Betamax of life, and this time unbeatable Liverpool waltzed into The Etihad with a cocky stride in their step and left suffering their first defeat of the season.

It’s been a tumultuous Christmas period for both clubs, with Liverpool, the benefactor of a 12-point swing that saw them start the most exciting clash of the season thus far with a seven-point gap at the top with City nestled in third.