Malta’s gaming regulator, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), has joined forces with Sweden’s Spelinspektionen, that country’s gaming regulator. The goal is to jointly work at creating the framework that will enhance both countries’ “public policy objectives and mutually common values.”

Both regulators have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate more and to improve communication between the entities. Part of this will involve the sharing of information on gaming-related matters, which is designed to improve gaming oversight.

Sweden opened up its gambling market as of the first day of this year. It now allows international operators to solicit gaming licenses and what has been found is that the majority of those operators are already licensed to operate in Malta through the MGA.

Malta has also recently updated its own gaming regulations, simplifying the licensing process and getting rid of the country’s multi-license system in favor of two licenses – one for business-to-consumer gaming and betting and the other for business-to-business services.

Malta’s gaming regulator, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), has joined forces with Sweden’s Spelinspektionen, that country’s gaming regulator. The goal is to jointly work at creating the framework that will enhance both countries’ “public policy objectives and mutually common values.”

Both regulators have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate more and to improve communication between the entities. Part of this will involve the sharing of information on gaming-related matters, which is designed to improve gaming oversight.

Sweden opened up its gambling market as of the first day of this year. It now allows international operators to solicit gaming licenses and what has been found is that the majority of those operators are already licensed to operate in Malta through the MGA.

Malta has also recently updated its own gaming regulations, simplifying the licensing process and getting rid of the country’s multi-license system in favor of two licenses – one for business-to-consumer gaming and betting and the other for business-to-business services.

Connecticut is one of only a small handful of states in the U.S. that doesn’t have a professional sports presence – no NBA team, nothing in the NFL and, despite the cold weather, no ice hockey. However, the state has swallowed the bait from the national sports leagues and has agreed to give them the integrity fee they want. A new sports gambling bill has been introduced to open the market, but includes the integrity fee as a priority.

Lawmakers in the state have been reviewing four different gambling bills over the past couple of weeks and, during an 11-hour committee hearing last week, the new sports gambling bill was thrown into the mix. It would pay a handle of 0.25% to the leagues, but there is a caveat – not all of the money would be kept by the sports groups.

The bill was created by Representative Joe Verrengia and he included language that would destine part of the money to go to a new partnership between the leagues and the Connecticut Department of Economic Development. He explained, “I think there’s a distinct difference here in looking to partner with professional sports teams, and in return they would get up to a certain amount of revenue with the understanding that they would create more of a presence here in the state. I believe we would be one of the first states to engage in a partnership of this kind and magnitude.”

The partnership includes the introduction of pro exhibition games of the major sports leagues to the state. It would also pave the way for further development of youth sporting activity in Connecticut. However, how much of the 0.25% would make its way to the partnership and how much would be kept by the leagues has not been discussed.

Connecticut is one of only a small handful of states in the U.S. that doesn’t have a professional sports presence – no NBA team, nothing in the NFL and, despite the cold weather, no ice hockey. However, the state has swallowed the bait from the national sports leagues and has agreed to give them the integrity fee they want. A new sports gambling bill has been introduced to open the market, but includes the integrity fee as a priority.

Lawmakers in the state have been reviewing four different gambling bills over the past couple of weeks and, during an 11-hour committee hearing last week, the new sports gambling bill was thrown into the mix. It would pay a handle of 0.25% to the leagues, but there is a caveat – not all of the money would be kept by the sports groups.

The bill was created by Representative Joe Verrengia and he included language that would destine part of the money to go to a new partnership between the leagues and the Connecticut Department of Economic Development. He explained, “I think there’s a distinct difference here in looking to partner with professional sports teams, and in return they would get up to a certain amount of revenue with the understanding that they would create more of a presence here in the state. I believe we would be one of the first states to engage in a partnership of this kind and magnitude.”

The partnership includes the introduction of pro exhibition games of the major sports leagues to the state. It would also pave the way for further development of youth sporting activity in Connecticut. However, how much of the 0.25% would make its way to the partnership and how much would be kept by the leagues has not been discussed.

Caesars Entertainment has been expanding since it emerged from bankruptcy a year and a half ago, but those expansion plans have missed out on a key market. As long as Caesars ignores the Asian gaming market, its growth is going to be stifled.

This is the opinion of the Sanford C. Bernstein brokerage, which pointed out this week that the casino operator will never fully find a strong bottom line as long as it stays focused on primarily the U.S. market. Analysts with the brokerage explained, “Our fundamental view of the company remains unchanged – we believe Caesars’ long-term value is limited by execution overhang and limited organic growth.”

The analysts, Vitaly Umansky, Eunice Lee and Kelsey Zhu, added, “Caesars is a U.S.-focused operator with no Asia exposure. We believe its potential foray into [South] Korea is of limited value and its U.S. business will experience limited organic top-line growth.”

Caesars has started to explore options in Asia, including through a casino in Japan and a new foreigner-only casino resort it plans to build with a local partner in Incheon, South Korea. That resort, which carries a $700-million price tag, is expected to be ready in 2021 and is located near the Incheon International Airport.

Caesars Entertainment has been expanding since it emerged from bankruptcy a year and a half ago, but those expansion plans have missed out on a key market. As long as Caesars ignores the Asian gaming market, its growth is going to be stifled.

This is the opinion of the Sanford C. Bernstein brokerage, which pointed out this week that the casino operator will never fully find a strong bottom line as long as it stays focused on primarily the U.S. market. Analysts with the brokerage explained, “Our fundamental view of the company remains unchanged – we believe Caesars’ long-term value is limited by execution overhang and limited organic growth.”

The analysts, Vitaly Umansky, Eunice Lee and Kelsey Zhu, added, “Caesars is a U.S.-focused operator with no Asia exposure. We believe its potential foray into [South] Korea is of limited value and its U.S. business will experience limited organic top-line growth.”

Caesars has started to explore options in Asia, including through a casino in Japan and a new foreigner-only casino resort it plans to build with a local partner in Incheon, South Korea. That resort, which carries a $700-million price tag, is expected to be ready in 2021 and is located near the Incheon International Airport.

MGM Resorts made an announcement this week that has kept a number of its employees up at night, and which has put labor unions into preemptive strike mode. The company has said that it could replace a number of its employees at its Las Vegas Strip properties with robots, eliminating a considerable amount of overhead. The idea has already started to cause backlash.

Among those that could be replaced are bartenders and cashiers. The bartenders would be replaced with automated technology that can pour and mix drinks, while wait staff would be outfitted with technology to receive customer payments, eliminating the need to maintain cashiers. The company has not indicated how many positions might be affected.

The announcement isn’t sitting well with employees or their unions for several reasons. The first, and most obvious, is the elimination of employment. Secondly, the move goes against a new labor agreement deal the casino operator made with unions last summer.

In June of last year, the Las Vegas Culinary Union (LVCU), which represents waitstaff, kitchen staff bartenders and others, and MGM agreed to a new five-year deal that included, among other things, a guarantee from MGM that it would not move toward technology implementation that could impact jobs. It now appears that the company is willing to turn its back on its agreement.

MGM Resorts made an announcement this week that has kept a number of its employees up at night, and which has put labor unions into preemptive strike mode. The company has said that it could replace a number of its employees at its Las Vegas Strip properties with robots, eliminating a considerable amount of overhead. The idea has already started to cause backlash.

Among those that could be replaced are bartenders and cashiers. The bartenders would be replaced with automated technology that can pour and mix drinks, while wait staff would be outfitted with technology to receive customer payments, eliminating the need to maintain cashiers. The company has not indicated how many positions might be affected.

The announcement isn’t sitting well with employees or their unions for several reasons. The first, and most obvious, is the elimination of employment. Secondly, the move goes against a new labor agreement deal the casino operator made with unions last summer.

In June of last year, the Las Vegas Culinary Union (LVCU), which represents waitstaff, kitchen staff bartenders and others, and MGM agreed to a new five-year deal that included, among other things, a guarantee from MGM that it would not move toward technology implementation that could impact jobs. It now appears that the company is willing to turn its back on its agreement.

Lee Davy sits down with Dusk Till Dawn owner, and partypoker partner, Rob Yong, to talk about his role with the resurgent online poker room, his thoughts on PokerStars, and much more. 

Rob Yong is chocolate milk.

More cotton, than silk.

If he wears a mask then it’s Mission Impossible grade, and talking to him, as he prepares to take a seat in one of the biggest cash games in the world at the Triton Poker Series in Jeju you realise that taking on impossible missions is his forte.

The goal of Bitcoin, now reborn as Bitcoin SV (BSV), is stated clearly in the title of the original Bitcoin white paper—become a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. This week, BSV is taking yet another step closer to make that a reality, and it’s all thanks to “forward thinking” fintech platform Zeux.

Zeux announced on Thursday that it has added BSV to its payment portfolio, allowing its users to spend the cryptocurrency—the only one to follow the original Satoshi Vision—directly at all point-of-sale (POS) machines.

In a video announcement, Zeux founder and CEO Frank Zhou confirmed: “Zeux will list BSV as one of our cryptos in our wallet, so users who currently hold Bitcoin SV will have the capability to spend directly in shops to anywhere where only fiat is accepted. Instant conversion will be achieved for all Bitcoin SV users.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HGwqTa8tSs?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

3:Barrels of a PokerStars flavour with Jake Cody leaving the team after six and a half years, Nawazuddin Siddiqui signed to promote the brand in India, and a phenomenal success for ‘Carnaval’ in Southern Europe.

It seems to be that time of the year.

Contract time.

Out with the old, and in with the new.

Manchester United storm into the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a controversial and yet stunning victory in Paris.

If you’re stuck on a transatlantic flight; four-year-old kicking you in the liver, boredom and irritation descending on you like a palm tree with a severe case of coconut dandruff, then watch In Search of Greatness.

The documentary focuses on what made Jerry Rice, Wayne Gretzky and Pelé three of the greatest sportsmen of all time, and something Rice said comes to mind after waking up to learn that Manchester United became the first team in European Cup/Champions League history to overturn a 2-0 or greater home first leg-deficit.

Rice said there is majesty in the star who is willing to take the last shot in the NBA Finals, the final penalty kick in a World Cup, or run towards the end zone for the final play of the Superbowl.