Online gambling operator Cherry AB’s former CEO has been acquitted on the insider trading charges that resulted in his dismissal last year.

In May 2018, Swedish online gambling operator Cherry AB sacked its then-CEO Anders Holmgren after he was arrested on charges of ‘severe’ illegal insider trading. Holmgren was accused of snapping up 200k Cherry shares worth around $1.4m between the company’s November 2017 profit warning and its April 2018 announcement that its Q1 results were “better than anticipated.”

On Thursday, Stockholm District Court acquitted Holmgren on the insider trading charges, ruling that the Swedish Crime Authority and Chief Prosecutor Thomas Langrot had failed to prove that Holmgren’s knowledge of Cherry’s performance in January and February 2018 was sufficient for Holmgren to expect Cherry’s share price to jump.

Holmgren told the court that he had a “gut feeling” that purchasing more Cherry stock was a good idea. Holmgren’s feeling turned out to be correct, as Cherry’s share price rose 12% the day after Cherry’s announcement regarding its Q1 turnaround.

UK bookmaker William Hill has instructed its affiliate marketing partners to stop promoting “unlicensed” US-facing online gambling operators alongside promos for the company.

On Friday, affiliates that work with Hills reported receiving emails reminding them “not to promote William Hill alongside unlicensed US operators on any website.” The email asks affiliates to “immediately” remove Hills promos from those websites or else “we may have to close your account in line with our terms and conditions.”

Hills’ shot across the affiliate bow came just days after the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) issued an advisory bulletin to media outlets regarding “references to unauthorized sports wagering websites.” The DGE wants media to stop referencing internationally licensed online sportsbooks in articles about betting markets on upcoming sports and other events.

The DGE previously warned affiliates to ditch their divided loyalties and threatened reluctant affiliates with “appropriate civil or criminal sanctions” if they didn’t stop advising gamblers to visit sites not holding a DGE license. This warning even applied to New Jersey-approved affiliates who advised gamblers in states other than New Jersey to visit internationally licensed online gambling operators.

South African racing and sports betting operator Phumelela Gaming and Leisure is desperate to raise badly needed capital after reporting the worst results in the company’s 22-year history.

On Friday, Phumelela reported a net loss of R95.8m (US$6.5m) in the 12 months ending July 31, as compared to a R151.7m profit in the previous fiscal year. The company said the 12-month period was the “worst year since the business was first incorporated in 1997.”

The company’s revenue was down 7.6% year-on-year, with a 9.7% decline in its mainstay local betting business offsetting a modest gain in its much smaller international operations.

The company noted that its Betting World and Supabets operations had endured an “unusually high number” of customer-friendly football results that kept margins low, while South Africa’s depressed economy – including the 15% VAT imposed in April 2018 – kept a lid on punters’ discretionary spending.

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After Japan announced the official timeline for prefectures and cities to apply for an integrated resort (IR) license, it’s been an avalanche of developments from mayors and operators about their hopes to build the next big thing. Bucking the trend is Hokkaido, whose governor has seemingly decided it’s no longer a goal worth pursuing.

Japan Times reports Hokkaido’s Governor Naomichi Suzuki will likely announce on November 29 that Hokkaido is dropping out of the race for one of three IR licenses entirely. But as of November 28, he hadn’t totally made up his mind. “We haven’t reached a conclusion yet. We’ll make a decision after due consideration,” Suzuki told reporters.

Hokkaido businesses have been pushing the prefecture to embrace the IR race, as a major IR development would help their bottom lines in the long run. But residents didn’t agree, and a survey that showed mixed feelings on the topic may have swayed Suzuki’s decision toward ending the campaign.

This isn’t only bad news for those businesses, but also for several operators that were hoping to build in Hokkaido. Mohegan Sun recently announced their plans to start campaigning for the IR license, should Hokkaido win one. They would have been competing with Rush Street, Foxwoods and Caesars Entertainment.