The good people of Finland are growing tired with their gambling situation. According to a recently released survey, 31% of Finns want to abolish the state monopoly that currently runs in the industry in Finland.

The full results of the survey were announced on Kasino Curt, and were gathered by Bilendi Oy’s consumer panel which ran during the March 20-24 period. While 31% of participants are tired of state operator Veikkaus Ltd, 27% did not want to end the monopoly, and the remainder either didn’t have an opinion or refused to answer. The alternative proposed in the survey question would have been a license system, similar to what Sweden has recently adopted.

Age played a role in responses, it turned out. Recipients in the age range of 55-75 favored the current monopoly, with 34% in favor and 27% against, while those in the range of 18-54 felt the opposite, with 32% against and 23% in favor.

Gender also played a role in responses. 38% of men wanted to abolish Veikkaus, with 31% wanting to retain it. Women had much less of an opinion on the matter, with 23% wanting abolition and 22% wanting to keep the operator.

Government and regulator drama isn’t going to stop Bloomberry from moving ahead with its new Manila area casino plans. Chairman Enrique Razon told reporters on April 11 their new Solaire Resort and Casino will break ground in June 2019, according to local outlet Business World.

The new resort will be called Solaire North, and will be located in the Vertis North project of Quezon City. “We should be done by mid-April or May, so we can come out with the announcement (for the masterplan),”Razon told reporters after a company stockholder’s meeting.

All permits have been secured, including the necessary Letter of No Objection from Quezon City Hall. “As soon as the site is clear, we’ll have the groundbreaking. Our target is June or July,” he said.

Bloomberry is pushing forward, but a fight has been dragging on between Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). The city passed an ordinance that would impose fees on locals to enter the casino, which PAGCOR argues is outside the city’s authority to regulate.

Whether or not Tennessee will actually find a way to approve sports gambling is getting more difficult to predict. There has been some progress on a sports gambling bill, but that same bill has also found itself sliding back downhill at times, as well. In the latest move, an amendment has been added that will, at least for now, give it a boost to continue the uphill climb.

Last month, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee weighed in on the subject of sports gambling legislation, stating that he would support it if were allowed to offer input. That gave a flicker of hope to the bill, with the affirmation that anything that made it to his desk would most likely be approved.

The light from that flicker dimmed toward the end of the month when the sports gambling bill came face to face with a serious amount of opposition. Several government committees turned their backs on the bill, causing it to stumble and tumble.

Now, however, the bill is looking at the possibility of being boosted once again. The amendment that has been added would ban prop bets on college sports, making Tennessee the first state in the U.S. to ban the activity across the board for college games. Other states have placed a ban on prop bets at the college level, but only for games and teams in their states.

Whether or not Tennessee will actually find a way to approve sports gambling is getting more difficult to predict. There has been some progress on a sports gambling bill, but that same bill has also found itself sliding back downhill at times, as well. In the latest move, an amendment has been added that will, at least for now, give it a boost to continue the uphill climb.

Last month, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee weighed in on the subject of sports gambling legislation, stating that he would support it if were allowed to offer input. That gave a flicker of hope to the bill, with the affirmation that anything that made it to his desk would most likely be approved.

The light from that flicker dimmed toward the end of the month when the sports gambling bill came face to face with a serious amount of opposition. Several government committees turned their backs on the bill, causing it to stumble and tumble.

Now, however, the bill is looking at the possibility of being boosted once again. The amendment that has been added would ban prop bets on college sports, making Tennessee the first state in the U.S. to ban the activity across the board for college games. Other states have placed a ban on prop bets at the college level, but only for games and teams in their states.

David Green had already established himself as one of the leading consultants in the gambling industry, but now he moves onto a new position, joining the board of directors at Donaco International Limited as an independent, non-executive director.

The announcement was made official in a filing with the Australian Securities Exchange on April 12. Green had stepped down last year from his position as chairman of Silver Heritage Group, the Southeast Asian casino operator.

Green had established himself as an expert in gambling law. His work had led him to work in areas like Macau, Cambodia, and Vietnam. He has worked both as a lawyer and accountant and has a great deal of experience in regulations and operations, specializing in issues related to operations meeting government regulations. He was so highly respected that the Cambodian government even consulted with him in regards to legislation implemented by the country.

The move to bring on Green is seen as a welcome one. Donaco has been in turmoil over the last year, suffering a net loss of AUD36.8 million for the final six months of 2018. In March, former CEO Joey Lim Keong was removed from his position effective immediately, remaining with the company as a non-executive director. Joey Lim and his brother controlled 41.13% of Donaco, but he had fallen out of favor with the Board of Directors, especially considering the significant loss the company suffered over the final six months of the year.

A gambling operator in Australia has found the wrath of the New South Wales Liquor and Gaming Board (NSWLGB), the latest in a string of gambling companies to run afoul of the board. PointsBet was forced to appear in a New South Wales District Court to respond to a charge by regulators that the company was advertising its operations illegally. PointsBet pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a fine of AU$20,000 (about US$14,300).

According to the NSWLGB complaint, PointsBet had breached state law regarding the use of bonuses tied to new users. An ad was carried alongside the company’s app on Apple’s App Store, in which PointsBet offered bonuses for new depositing customers. The ad read, “ALL 40+ METRO RACES RUN 2ND UP TO $100 BACK.”

The ad reportedly enticed people to sign up and to gamble, in violation of Australian gambling laws. Magistrate G J Still said during a hearing on April 9 that it was possible the ad may not have been highly visible to the general public, but that it could still incentivize people to gamble.

According to the New South Betting and Racing Act, it is illegal to publish “a gambling advertisement that offers any inducement to participate, or participate frequently, in any gambling activity (including an inducement to open a betting account).”

According to information released by Macau’s Financial Intelligence Office (FIO) this past Monday, the city’s financial environment appears to be cleaner now than it was last year. Over the first quarter of 2019, the FIO received a total of 507 suspicious transaction reports (STR) from casinos and gaming operations, which represents a 6.7% decline from the 541 seen during the same quarter in 2018.

The FIO added that the total number of reports, from all sources in the city, reached 699, which was a massive 30% drop from the 909 seen during the first quarter last year. It stated that the decrease comes from fewer reports submitted from the non-gaming sector financial institutions, which includes insurance and other companies. These made 169 reports in the first quarter, compared to the 235 they submitted during the first three months of last year, for a decrease of 39.1%.

Under a category heading of “Other” that isn’t defined by the FIO, there were 23 reports made during the quarter. This was a decrease of 110 from the 133 seen a year earlier.

The news comes at the same time that the U.S. State Department, through its Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INLEA), released a report stating that Macau remains a “major money-laundering jurisdiction) because of casino-related loopholes. Macau maintains a required STR threshold of about $62,500, but has implemented other anti-money laundering policies designed to thwart illicit financial activity. The U.S. has tried to convince the city to lower the threshold to $3,000 to put Macau in line with what that country says are international standards. In the U.S., the threshold is $5,000.

The 2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown is underway and the excitement is already proving to be nonstop. Nick Ahmadi took down the opening event to pocket $210,000, but wasn’t the only one to pick up a six-figure payday. Elio Fox and Rich Alati have showed their poker prowess, as well, each taking down a major event.

Fox emerged victorious at the $50,000 Super High Roller (Singer Re-Entry) event, which only found 20 entrants. However, it was enough to cover the $1 million guarantee and Fox was at the top of the list of four to get paid. All of the finalists were common fixtures at high rollers and seeing their names on the list isn’t surprising.

Ali Imsirovic exited in fourth place, pocketing $120,000. Alex Foxen would go next with $180,000, followed by Sam Soverel with $260,000. Fox, who took down the same event at last year’s series, picked up a cool $440,000. He pulled it off after limping in with K-Q, to which Soverel came back over the top with pocket fives. Fox raised, forcing Soverel all in and the race was on. Soverel almost survived, but a King on the river gave Fox the win.

Fox said after his win, “It feels great. It’s always wonderful to start out a trip doing well – makes it easier the rest of the way… It was a really tough tournament, and I love playing with the group of guys that was here. I play with them a lot, and I’m really happy to have won.”

It appears that billionaire Carl Icahn got his way. Caesars Entertainment is apparently going to be sold, and is now looking for a potential new owner, according to sources close to the company. There has yet to be an official announcement from the company, but the sale has been expected ever since Icahn began buying more and more of the company, ultimately becoming its largest single shareholder.

Icahn initially purchased around 9% of the company earlier this year. He continued finding other chunks to buy and now owns 28.5% of the company. He has said, even prior to taking his position in the company, that the only logical course of action for Caesars was for it to be sold, given that the company has not been able to fully recover since emerging from bankruptcy two years ago.

Since maneuvering into position, Icahn has appointed three members to the Caesars board and a fourth is expected to join in the next couple of days. These appointments, along with Icahn’s own tenacity, are ensuring that the company’s board agrees to the sale.

One of the top bidders is expected to be Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the Golden Nugget and the Houston Rockets. He had approached Caesars last year about a possible merger, but the company turned him down.