Seven people in New York are looking at possibly spending some time behind bars for their involvement in an illegal gambling operation based out of Astoria that was linked to Costa Rica. According to a report by New York’s QNS media outlet, the seven have been charged on a 39-count indictment with crimes that include the promotion of gambling, conspiracy, enterprise corruption and money laundering. The news comes soon after a man linked to the Genovese crime family pleaded guilty in New Jersey for illegal gambling operations that were also tied to Costa Rica.

The individuals in the latest bust are accused of conspiring to take sports wagers directly through their location in Astoria, as well as via an Internet wire room in the Central American country. Bettors were apparently able to contact the platform through its website, a toll-free number, agents or in person at the Astoria office.

Law enforcement officials in the New York Police Department’s Criminal Enterprise Division (CED) launched a dedicated investigation into illegal sports gambling back in January 2016 as it sought to break up the activity in Queens and other areas. They were able to receive authorization from judges to conduct electronic surveillance, which led to the interception of “thousands” of allegedly incriminating conversations on gambling, as well as numerous text message communications.

This past Tuesday, police officers arrested the seven individuals, seizing gambling records and computers, as well as $47,000 in cash. Among those taken into custody were Michael Regan of Long Island, who was the apparent leader of the gang, Robert Brieger of Rego Park and Luan Bexheti of Astoria, Gerald Schneider and Lisa Nino of Middle Village, John Ottomano of Roslyn and Robert Utnick of Bayside.

Seven people in New York are looking at possibly spending some time behind bars for their involvement in an illegal gambling operation based out of Astoria that was linked to Costa Rica. According to a report by New York’s QNS media outlet, the seven have been charged on a 39-count indictment with crimes that include the promotion of gambling, conspiracy, enterprise corruption and money laundering. The news comes soon after a man linked to the Genovese crime family pleaded guilty in New Jersey for illegal gambling operations that were also tied to Costa Rica.

The individuals in the latest bust are accused of conspiring to take sports wagers directly through their location in Astoria, as well as via an Internet wire room in the Central American country. Bettors were apparently able to contact the platform through its website, a toll-free number, agents or in person at the Astoria office.

Law enforcement officials in the New York Police Department’s Criminal Enterprise Division (CED) launched a dedicated investigation into illegal sports gambling back in January 2016 as it sought to break up the activity in Queens and other areas. They were able to receive authorization from judges to conduct electronic surveillance, which led to the interception of “thousands” of allegedly incriminating conversations on gambling, as well as numerous text message communications.

This past Tuesday, police officers arrested the seven individuals, seizing gambling records and computers, as well as $47,000 in cash. Among those taken into custody were Michael Regan of Long Island, who was the apparent leader of the gang, Robert Brieger of Rego Park and Luan Bexheti of Astoria, Gerald Schneider and Lisa Nino of Middle Village, John Ottomano of Roslyn and Robert Utnick of Bayside.

Gaming analysts have been a little skittish on the outlook for Macau’s gaming industry recently due to the ongoing trade war between the US and China. That feud has had an impact on Macau’s performance and the first few months of 2019 have not brought a great deal of improvement for the industry compared to last year, leading analysts to lower expectations. However, it now appears that the decreases have reached their lowest point, making this perhaps the best opportunity for would-be investors to climb aboard.

According to analysts with JP Morgan Securities (Asia Pacific) Ltd., “We think even the ‘bears’ would agree that the investment thesis for Macau has always been about ‘structural growth of mass’ and ‘abundant cash-flow’ – and that both stories remain intact, if not enhanced.” The analysts, DS Kim and Christopher Tang, provided their comments in response to mass-market gambling compared to VIP gambling, which saw a year-on-year decline of 13.4%. Mass-market gambling, on the other hand, jumped 16.1%.

Morgan Stanley analysts Praveen Choudhary, Thomas Allen and Dan Xu chimed in, as well, predicting a rebound may be coming. They asserted, “We see earnings revisions to have bottomed and a few companies (Sands [China Ltd] and SJM [Holdings Ltd]) are seeing positive earnings revision.”

They further offered that the current quarter could offer the best entry point for potential investors to pick up stocks of companies operating in the Macau casino scene. The analysts forecast a drop of 2% quarter-over-quarter in Macau casinos’ EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), but believe the third quarter could see EBITDA growth of around 3%.

Gaming analysts have been a little skittish on the outlook for Macau’s gaming industry recently due to the ongoing trade war between the US and China. That feud has had an impact on Macau’s performance and the first few months of 2019 have not brought a great deal of improvement for the industry compared to last year, leading analysts to lower expectations. However, it now appears that the decreases have reached their lowest point, making this perhaps the best opportunity for would-be investors to climb aboard.

According to analysts with JP Morgan Securities (Asia Pacific) Ltd., “We think even the ‘bears’ would agree that the investment thesis for Macau has always been about ‘structural growth of mass’ and ‘abundant cash-flow’ – and that both stories remain intact, if not enhanced.” The analysts, DS Kim and Christopher Tang, provided their comments in response to mass-market gambling compared to VIP gambling, which saw a year-on-year decline of 13.4%. Mass-market gambling, on the other hand, jumped 16.1%.

Morgan Stanley analysts Praveen Choudhary, Thomas Allen and Dan Xu chimed in, as well, predicting a rebound may be coming. They asserted, “We see earnings revisions to have bottomed and a few companies (Sands [China Ltd] and SJM [Holdings Ltd]) are seeing positive earnings revision.”

They further offered that the current quarter could offer the best entry point for potential investors to pick up stocks of companies operating in the Macau casino scene. The analysts forecast a drop of 2% quarter-over-quarter in Macau casinos’ EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), but believe the third quarter could see EBITDA growth of around 3%.

As Louisiana’s lawmakers ponder how they’re going to spend their post-session time off, trying to get anything done in the waning days of the current session is becoming more of a chore. However, the state’s decision-makers still pushed forward, considering several measures that include among them a bill on daily fantasy sports (DFS). However, as some lawmakers tried to add sports gambling amendments to the bill, things became more complicated and Louisiana wasn’t able to find a proper solution before its legislation shut down for the season.

Both the House and the Senate dedicated time to the subject, assigning committee members this past Wednesday to hash out differences on a DFS bill, House Bill 459 (HB 459). The legislation was designed to tackle the issue of fantasy sports, but picked up a few riders along the way that included language related to sports gambling. This was a last-ditch effort to introduce sports gambling to the state after a separate sports gambling bill was defeated last month.

The Louisiana House scoffed at the Senate’s attempts to include sports gambling, shutting the bill down 97-0. That led to the requirement of a conference committee to try and resolve the issues; however, there was little chance of that ever happening – the committee was set up Wednesday and the legislative session ended yesterday.

As the last minutes ticked away on the clock toward 6 PM local time yesterday, no forward progress had been made on the legislation. When the ending bell rang and the lawmakers picked up their coats and briefcases and headed for the door, it was official – DFS and sports gambling are to be tabled until the next session.

As Louisiana’s lawmakers ponder how they’re going to spend their post-session time off, trying to get anything done in the waning days of the current session is becoming more of a chore. However, the state’s decision-makers still pushed forward, considering several measures that include among them a bill on daily fantasy sports (DFS). However, as some lawmakers tried to add sports gambling amendments to the bill, things became more complicated and Louisiana wasn’t able to find a proper solution before its legislation shut down for the season.

Both the House and the Senate dedicated time to the subject, assigning committee members this past Wednesday to hash out differences on a DFS bill, House Bill 459 (HB 459). The legislation was designed to tackle the issue of fantasy sports, but picked up a few riders along the way that included language related to sports gambling. This was a last-ditch effort to introduce sports gambling to the state after a separate sports gambling bill was defeated last month.

The Louisiana House scoffed at the Senate’s attempts to include sports gambling, shutting the bill down 97-0. That led to the requirement of a conference committee to try and resolve the issues; however, there was little chance of that ever happening – the committee was set up Wednesday and the legislative session ended yesterday.

As the last minutes ticked away on the clock toward 6 PM local time yesterday, no forward progress had been made on the legislation. When the ending bell rang and the lawmakers picked up their coats and briefcases and headed for the door, it was official – DFS and sports gambling are to be tabled until the next session.

To Australia gaming regulators wanting to delve deep into the background of Melco Resorts Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho, he says, “bring it.” Melco has announced the intent to purchase a 20% stake in Crown Resorts, which has to first be approved by regulators. However, the authorities believe that the deal might be sour because they assert that Ho is tied to Chinese triads.

Ho has allegedly been linked to the Su Yee On and 14K triads, but no concrete proof has been produced. The allegations date back to the time when Lawrence Ho’s father, Stanley Ho, maintained a monopoly on gambling in Macau until the city went through a reorganization and opened the gaming industry.

Now, Lawrence Ho is ready to accept the regulatory scrutiny with open arms. He told reporters this week, “We are always happy to go through the regulatory process. I think if anything, if you look at our track record of developing our global footprint overseas, we always prefer jurisdictions where there is a strong governance and strong regulatory regime which is why we’ve shied away from some of the other smaller Asian countries where their regulatory regime wasn’t as developed.”

He added, “Again, it will further demonstrate to Japan that we are a global player that is not afraid of compliance and probity reviews.”

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont already indicated that he didn’t expect legislation to be approved this session that would have allowed a joint resort casino project in Bridgeport between the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Indian tribes. He has all but ensured that this won’t happen, telling lawmakers just before the end of the current session that they should scrap plans since not enough time remained in the session to make any real progress.

According to the governor’s spokesperson, Maribel La Luz, “This 11th-hour proposal has not been fully vetted or reviewed, and with only one day until the end of session, it’s not in the public’s best interest to take up this matter. Instead of resolving outstanding litigation, it puts the state at increased and immediate litigation risk from multiple parties.”

Connecticut’s lawmakers began their summer break Thursday; however, it’s possible that the state’s General Assembly could discuss the possibilities over a special summer session. The tribes, along with Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim, had hoped to find approval for a bill that would have directed $100 million in city and state funding to the project.

The deal reportedly also included provisions that would have given the tribes exclusivity for sports and online gambling. Ganim asserted that he wasn’t aware of any such arrangement, telling reporters, “I have no idea, no idea. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.”

Las Vegas area casinos are going to have some added pressure to keep their patrons safe. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has signed off on a bill putting additional responsibility on operators to submit emergency response plans, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Bill 69, which was approved by the state Senate and Assembly recently, states that casinos must file updated emergency plans every year before November 1. It also recommends a special task force to oversee security plans. It also recommends finding new ways to fund an electronic system of tracking emergency plans.

These recommendations are intended to help support the Nevada Resort Planning Task Force, an agency that was created as a response to the Mandalay Bay shooting of 201 that saw 58 murdered during a concert. At the time the task force was created, casinos had not had their security plans reviewed for five years.

If a casino does not file updated emergency plans on time, the task force may now report them to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and possible incur fines, a suspension of their license, or lose their right to operate entirely.

Things are getting heated in Australia between Lottoland and the federal government. The operator has taken to legal action to prove that it’s products have been ill-defined by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The fight goes back to an investigation started by the ACMA into Lottoland’s offering. They determined that Lottoland’s jackpot betting product, which uses numbers from financial markets and then randomizes them to create a lottery, was actually a game of chance. The problem with that is that it’s illegal to provide that kind of service. “These included the Mon and Wed Jackpot, Tue Jackpot, Thu Jackpot, US Millions, and US Power jackpot betting services,” the ACMA declared.

As we noted when we reported on the initial ACMA investigation, Lottoland would be feeling a bit persecuted for how Australia has approached their products, because they only turned to this jackpot betting system after Australia outlawed the more traditional lottery betting they had been offering.

So Lottoland is now taking their plight to the New South Wales Supreme Court, because they disagree with ACMA’s definition of jackpot betting. Luke Brill, Lottoland Australia’s CEO said, “We have worked hard to adapt to recent changes to the law, and we are committed to providing exciting new products that our customers love.

Switzerland has officially issued its first online gambling licenses to four local casino operators and their online technology partners.

On Friday, Switzerland’s Federal Council rubber-stamped their approval of four casinos’ online gambling permits. The permits were previously approved by the Federal Gaming Commission (ESBK) ahead of the July 1 launch of the country’s regulated online market.

The four casinos so honored were the Grand Casino Baden and its sister venue Grand Casino Davos, as well as Grand Casino Lucerne and the Swiss Casinos group’s Pfäffikon venue.

Grand Casino Baden will launch online under its Jackpots.ch brand, which has for years operated as a free-play site. The Davos venue has a deal with Belgium’s Ardent Group and will operate under that company’s Casino777 brand. The Pfäffikon venue has a deal with Playtech while the Lucerne casino will operate under its own mycasino brand.