The Netherlands’ new regulated online gambling market won’t launch for another year-and-a-half, according to the country’s top gambling regulator.

On Wednesday, René Jansen, chairman of the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) gaming regulatory body, told attendees at the Gaming in Holland conference that the regulator was aiming for a July 1, 2020 target for the country’s new Remote Gambling Act – which was approved back in February – to take effect.

Only after the Act is official – and the Ministry of Justice and Security finishes crafting the nuts and bolts of online gambling regulations – will the KSA start accepting online license applications, and Jansen suggested the ensuing vetting process will delay the actual launch of Dutch-licensed online gambling operators until January 1, 2021.

However, Jansen (pictured) invited would-be applicants to visit the KSA’s website and fill out a form stating an operator’s intention to apply for a new online license. Jansen urged interested parties to fill out these forms before June 21.

Maryland casinos reported a year-on-year gaming revenue decline in May, but the take was still high enough to make it the state’s fourth-best month on record.

Figures released Wednesday by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency show the state’s six licensed casino operators generated combined gaming revenue of $152.3m in May, around 2.7% below what the casinos reported in the same month last year, but $7.1m better than April 2019’s result.

The year-on-year decline looks even more paltry considering May 2019’s result was the fourth-best on record, behind only May 2018’s $156.5m, October 2018’s $158m and the all-time high of $163.3m set this March.

The state’s slot machines did their bit to keep the numbers up, as statewide slots revenue improved 4.2% to $100.7m. However, table games generated $51.6m last month, a hefty 14% decline from May 2018’s $60m.

Online betting operator 1xBet has usurped online casino operator Azino777 as the top gambling company among Russia’s biggest online video advertisers.

On Tuesday, Russian media outlet RBC reported on new Mediascope data for the country’s top online video advertisers during the first quarter of 2019. The chart was led by tech giants Google, which accounted for 3.3% of all online video ads, followed by PepsiCo with 3.1% while the Curacao-licensed 1xBet ranked third with 2.4%.

There is a Russian-licensed version of 1xBet (1xStavka) but it’s only allowed to offer online sports betting, while the international versions of the site feature slots, poker and other casino games. There are currently 1,635 1xBet-affiliated domains listed on the online gambling blacklist of Russia’s telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor.

Previous reports showed the Curacao-licensed Azino777 topping Russia’s online video advertising chart, but Mediascope says the site has slid all the way to 60th on the Q1 chart with a mere 0.3% share of total online video ad views. The downgrade may have something to do with Russian interest in Azino777’s founders, who were outed in a media exposé in February.

The largest casino resort in California was the scene of a fire this past Monday that resulted in three injuries and the venue’s hotel tower having to be completely evacuated. Now, local media outlets are reporting that the fire at the Pechanga Resort & Casino on the Pechanga Indian Reservation near Temecula may not have been an accident – it may have been intentionally set.

The fire broke out around noon on the first floor of the elevator shaft in the venue’s original hotel tower. All 517 rooms had to be evacuated and three guests were sent to the hospital. One had suffered burns as a result of the blaze and the other two suffered from smoke inhalation.

An arson specialist was called in to assist in the investigation and the local fire chief, Jason Keeling, told reporters that he had not been able to rule out the possibility that the fire was the work of an arsonist. However, he emphasized that there was no specific indication that pointed the investigation to arson.

In a statement from the casino, spokeswoman Ciara Green said, “At approximately 11:30 a.m., a fire broke out in a hotel elevator portal in the original tower of the Pechanga Resort Casino. The Pechanga Fire Department immediately responded and knocked the fire down.” She added that all guests and staff had been ordered to the venue’s ballroom “out of an abundance of caution” and were later allowed to return to their rooms around 5 in the afternoon.

The debate on whether or not Goa’s riverboat casinos should be allowed to steer themselves onto dry land has been ongoing for several years, but has seen more activity in the past 12 months. It looks like those casinos could be spinning their wheels to head to the shoreline, and might be able to make landfall in the near future.

According to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the state is closing in on finalizing its new Casino Policy, which reportedly includes moving the riverboat casinos to dry land. He wouldn’t indicate when the plan might be ready or when it would be implemented, but said that Goa’s six offshore casinos could be moved to a designated area after the law is signed into effect. He added that the push by some gambling opponents to shut down the casinos is completely off the table.

Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) President Vinay Tendulkar had stated last month that all of the offshore casinos should be shut down after their licenses expire. The politician, who is also a member of the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house, added, “The party demands that offshore casinos should be shut. If people don’t want onshore casinos, which function from five-star hotels, they too will be closed.”

Tendulkar was reportedly only trying to drum up support from right-wing loyalists to increase the party’s position. The BJP had been opposed to offshore riverboat casinos and promised to shut them down when it was in power, but never followed through, despite being in power for two consecutive terms.

The debate on whether or not Goa’s riverboat casinos should be allowed to steer themselves onto dry land has been ongoing for several years, but has seen more activity in the past 12 months. It looks like those casinos could be spinning their wheels to head to the shoreline, and might be able to make landfall in the near future.

According to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the state is closing in on finalizing its new Casino Policy, which reportedly includes moving the riverboat casinos to dry land. He wouldn’t indicate when the plan might be ready or when it would be implemented, but said that Goa’s six offshore casinos could be moved to a designated area after the law is signed into effect. He added that the push by some gambling opponents to shut down the casinos is completely off the table.

Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) President Vinay Tendulkar had stated last month that all of the offshore casinos should be shut down after their licenses expire. The politician, who is also a member of the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house, added, “The party demands that offshore casinos should be shut. If people don’t want onshore casinos, which function from five-star hotels, they too will be closed.”

Tendulkar was reportedly only trying to drum up support from right-wing loyalists to increase the party’s position. The BJP had been opposed to offshore riverboat casinos and promised to shut them down when it was in power, but never followed through, despite being in power for two consecutive terms.

Twin River Worldwide, which operates the only two casinos in Rhode Island, is concerned that the new Encore Boston Harbor resort about to be opened in Massachusetts could poach some of its business. The Wynn Resorts property is scheduled to open its doors later this month and the venue’s proximity to Rhode Island – a little more than an hour’s drive – could have a negative impact on the operations. In order to ensure it remains liquid, Twin River wants to increase its marketing efforts and expects Rhode Island to make it possible by reducing some of its tax liabilities and limitations.

A bill being considered by Rhode Island lawmakers would allow Twin River to spend more on marketing by increasing what it is able to claim on marketing tax deductions. The legislation was introduced by Senators Dominick Ruggerio and Maryellen Goodwin last month and would allow the company to recuperate up to $1.4 million on its Tiverton property as long is gambling operator spent about $2.9 million on marketing. The increase is about $860,000 more per year than what it can recover currently.

During a Senate hearing held this past Monday, Twin River Adi Dhandhania asserted, “We have to spend proportionately to the [slots revenues] at the location so the customers stay loyal to the location. What we are estimating is that if we don’t spend proportionate dollars like we do in Lincoln, we will see a 5 to 10 percent hit in [slots] numbers, and the state has significant tax on income.” That drop would reportedly amount to a loss of $3-6 million for the state’s coffers, according to Dhandhania.

The company also wants the state to raise the amount of credit it can provide to VIP gamblers. It currently sits at $50,000 and Twin River wants to increase it to $100,000. It has also made an odd request that it not be required to have bulletproof glass installed on teller windows, arguing that neither of its facilities has been the target of robbery by firearms in over a decade. That’s like saying a gas station doesn’t need fire extinguishers because there hasn’t been a fire in more than ten years.