Now that Ben Affleck has been ruled out from the next Batman movie, the obvious question is, who will replace him as the Caped Crusader? Will Mat Reeves opt for a younger Bruce Wayne, or stick to the older, more experience version? Will they stick to a traditional, white-bread choice, or something more daring?

Ladbrokes isn’t about to let such an interesting decision go without putting some odds on the matter.

As of press time, Jake Gyllenhaal is the odds on favorite at 3/1. Considering the next Batman movie is two years away, Gyllenhaal will be 40 by the time the movie hits cinemas, the second oldest to take on the role after Affleck. He’s also already tied up with Sony for the upcoming Spiderman: Far From Home. This is starting to look like a suckers bet. If Warner Bros. is looking for an actor who can hold the role for several pictures, Gyllenhaal is looking unlikely.

Kit Harrington comes in at 5/1 odds. He’s already well known for his role as Jon Snow in HBO’s Game of Thrones, and at 32, he offers several years of youth to the role. We know he can take on action roles, and wear black to success as well. He doesn’t have the same box office success as others in the running though, so don’t consider him a lock.

Tombola, an online bingo, casino and slots site, is in trouble with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of the U.K. They have been forced to retract ads from ITV’s “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here” app.

The Guardian  reports the ads drew scorn among its target audience. Viewers of the popular reality show, which draws an audience of nearly 12 million, including 1 million under the age of 18, use the app to place votes. Tombola’s ads, if clicked, would bring the user directly to their online gambling site, thus putting it in easy access of a million under age users.

Tombola defended the practice by citing cooperation with ITV to target an 18+ audience. Although their studies showed a 91% audience aged over 18, the 9% that were underage was just unacceptable for the ASA.

Tom Watson, the Labour party’s deputy leader, praised the ASA’s actions, saying, “Gambling ads should not be on apps that will clearly be used by kids. It’s simple.”

At the end of January, Wynn Resorts agreed to settle with the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) over allegations that the company was complicit in the sexual misconduct of its founder and former CEO, Steve Wynn. The board had argued that the company knew of the activity, but didn’t react to prevent or punish it and, as such, was guilty of unlawful activities.

While not coming forward and admitting guilt, the company agreed to pay a fine and acknowledged that certain individuals within the organization had been let go for their involvement. Publicly acknowledging that it fired employees related to the incidents has provided fuel to the already-stoked fire of a shareholder lawsuit brought against the casino giant.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs, a group of shareholders seeking unspecified damages due to losses incurred from Wynn Resorts’ stock plummet, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the company essentially admitted it was guilty. Lawyer William Kemp added, “Our lawsuit has four basic elements, and this (NGCB) complaint admits all four of them. It was a total surrender by the company. I don’t know how they think they are going to try our case after they admitted everything.”

The NGCB has yet to determine what level of fine the casino operator will ultimately have to pay. However, a number of senior officers with the company were identified as having been aware of the alleged sexual misconduct, yet never responded to them and Wynn has confirmed that they have been relieved due to their actions related to the allegations.

Virginia has moved one step closer to legalized gambling. After the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology approved a casino bill last month, the State Senate has now followed suit, giving the green light to allow the bill to proceed. It’s only one more step in a long process, though, as there is still a requirement for a comprehensive gambling study before advancing and voters would have the deciding vote on whether or not casinos could be erected.

Senate Bill (SB) 1126 was sponsored by Senator Louise Lucas and recently survived a Senate vote, 28-12. The bill looks to introduce commercial casinos to three cities – Bristol, Danville and Portsmouth – and would also allow two resorts to be built in Richmond and Norfolk by the Pamunkey Indian Tribe. All five locations could only break ground after local voters took to the polls and approved gambling referendums.

There’s virtually no chance that gambling will come to the Virginia landscape this year. Barring any last-minute reversals, amendments to the bill require a lengthy study that would prevent voting until after they’re complete, which won’t come untispl 2020.

The results of that study must be made public by November 1 of this year and state votes for the Senate and House of Delegates take place four days later. A casino referendum could conceivably be added to that ballot; however, if the study takes the entire allotment, four days won’t be enough time to prepare the ballots.

She was the first female GM to ever be employed by Penn National Gaming. Now, Joelle Shearin is taking her talents and expertise to Nevada, having been tapped as the new GM and President for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe.

Shearin has been in the casino and finance industry for the past 15 years, making a name for herself along the way. She recently finished a stint at Penn National’s Argosy Casino Alton in Illinois as its VP and GM and, prior to that, was also the assistant GM at Hollywood Casino in St. Louis when it was purchased from Caesars.

Rob Oseland, the Chief Operating Officer of Hard Rock Lake Tahoe owner Paragon Gaming, said in a statement, “Joelle Shearin brings an enviable record of managerial expertise and industry leadership to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino team. Her innovative ideas and knowledge will enhance the overall experience for our visitors and local customers as well as staff.”

As Penn National’s GM, she oversaw the day-to-day gaming operations for a venue that hosts 800 slot machines and 12 gaming tables. She was in charge of, and completed, a complete interior remodel and redesign and was paramount in helping the Argosy reopen following two unexpected closures due to flooding within a 16-month period.

NetEnt wants online slot machines to be more than just spinning wheels and beeps. It already secured a deal to offer a Conan-based character-driven slots game and is now bringing The Prince of Darkness to life in another. That’s right, Ozzy Osbourne is now a slot machine, according to a press release by NetEnt.

Ozzy was the lead vocalist of Black Sabbath in the 1970s before striking out on his own in 1979. The change suited him well, as he went on to sell more than 100 million albums as a solo artist. The new Ozzy slot machine sees the living legend join other musical greats, such as Jimi Hendrix, Motörhead and Guns n’ Roses, who have all been immortalized in digital gaming form.

According to NetEnt Director of Game Products Bryan Upton, “Rock stars don’t come much bigger, better known, or charismatic than Ozzy Osbourne. Thanks to his larger-than-life personality and outstanding contribution to music, Ozzy has developed a loyal and passionate following over the past 50 years – we can’t wait to bring this to the reels for players to enjoy.”

Ozzy, who has been featured in a number of movies and had his own “The Osbournes” reality TV show, will see his persona emblazoned on slot reels thanks to an agreement between NetEnt and his merchandising partner, Global Merchandising Services (GMS). The chairman of GMS, Barry Drinkwater, adds of the new deal, “NetEnt are the market leaders in their field and we’re incredibly excited to add another of our artists to the exciting NetEnt Rocks family of games.”

Cambodia’s casino industry, once nothing more than a footnote in the global casino space, has grown significantly in the past year. There has been an increase of 53% in the number of licenses issued, leading to the country being viewed as the “New Land of Opportunity” by Casino Review Magazine (CR). The journal recently conducted a one-on-one with Global Market Advisors (GMA) Senior Partner Andrew Klebanow to get his insight on the developing industry and where it is headed.

Klebanow points out in the interview (in pdf) that Cambodia’s casino growth can be attributed to a number of factors, including Live Dealer Online (LDO) wagering. LDO gambling allows bettors in other countries to place bets on live action using mobile devices or computers and junket operators have begun to take special interest in the space.

The majority of the growth has been seen around Sihanoukville, which has attracted a large number of Chinese investors due to its popularity as a vacation destination and its appeal as a place to live. Its success is also being driven by the fact that Cambodia created the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ), which gives Chinese manufacturers economic incentives to operate there. Klebanow adds, “Sihanoukville is undergoing unprecedented growth. In 2015, I counted nine properties in and around the city centre. In 2018, I visited 17 casinos in central Sihanoukville, with more properties in outlying areas.” He further asserts that there are another 12 projects, or more, currently under construction that will offer both permanent and temporary housing, as well as casinos.

With regards to casino regulations, they’re coming sooner rather than later. Klebanow explains, “The Law of the Management of Integrated Resorts and Commercial Gaming (LMIRCG) includes 113 Articles. It has already been reviewed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of the Interior. It is now being reviewed by the Council of Jurists of the Council of Ministers. Then it must be approved by the National Assembly and Senate. Final passage is expected sometime in 2019.”