While New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has his hands full with the coronavirus, he has been actively working on the state budget. That’s bad news for mobile sports betting, which did not make the latest cuts, as per Legal Sports Report, as the governor and state lawmakers appear to still be on opposite sides of the issue.

Back in January, Cuomo revealed his annual budget proposal for the fiscal year 2021. This included a modest expansion of the legal sports betting market in the state, but had no provision for mobile sports wagers. The governor has continually pointed out that the only way online wagering would be allowed is if it was enacted through an amendment to the state’s constitution. Many in the legislature, including State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr., disagree.

Despite the tepid response from the governor regarding the legalization, there were many who believed that there was still time to include the legalization within the budget by April 1, the day the budget must be concluded. Now those hopes are dead, at least for a year.

Addabbo and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow were hoping on introducing mobile sports betting within the budget. According to the two, they had sought the opinions of top legal firms in the state who had assured them that the constitutionality of the initiative was sound. This had led them to believe that they could convince the governor of the need to include the provision.

Stockholm-listed industry publisher Catena Media is looking to provide new choices to a sports tarved world, as they announced that they are providing ‘alternative revenue streams’ during the crisis. This announcement came in a trading update by the company.

While reporting increases in revenue of 5.7% over the previous year and an adjusted EBITDA increase of 19.9% compared to the same period of time last year, Catena Media also explained that they were concerned that the vast majority of sports leagues and major events were postponed or canceled across the globe.

In response, they announced that they will be “working closely with key operators to promote sports events that are still running. To mitigate the shortfall in Sports revenue, the focus is to increase the Casino business by converting traffic from a number of sports-related sites into Casino revenue and holding back on low-margin media spend.”

Already revenues are down by 35% through the first two months of this year as compared to January and February 2019. While concerned about the impact of that the virus is having on business, they also made it clear that they expect the Covid-19 outbreak “will have no foreseeable negative long-term effects.” The company added that they expect that the worldwide postponement of these sporting events “may contribute with a positive effect in the future when they are rescheduled.”

We live in a time where tennis greats all hail from Europe. Where once we loved the American icons such as Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi or worshipped the Antipodean artistry of Lleyton Hewitt or Pat Rafter, we now look up to the Holy Trinity from the European countries of Spain, Serbia and Switzerland. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have changed tennis history and given the game a future where other European players will have to reach the top of their craft to live up to the reputations that preceded them.

Three decades ago, three other European heavyweights redefined the era in which they played. German phenomenon Boris Becker, Swedish serve & volley specialist Stefan Edberg and clay court craftsman Ivan Lendl all commanded huge respect as they carved out careers that stand up to scrutiny today. We continue our look at this Heilige Dreifaltigkeit – that’s German for Holy Trinity – by focusing on the Leimen-born Boris Franz Becker, the man who would become Wimbledon champion before he even was a man.

To say that Boris Becker burst onto the tennis scene would be an understatement. In fact, Becker’s development and progression even surprised himself at the time of him winning Wimbledon. An unseeded player – the last to win Wimbledon 35 years later – Becker flew through the competition, winning the final against Kevin Curran in four sets, becoming the youngest-ever Grand Slam champion at the age of 17 years and 227. While this record would be eclipsed by Michael Chang, who shocked the world when he won the French Open in 1989 while 117 days younger, Becker’s record still stands at Wimbledon, with no-one getting close to his prodigious achievement.

Becker’s game was built around a rock-solid first serve, with his swinging body generating devastating power that had his opponents on the back foot immediately. He was a mean returner of the ball and his forehand was a booming one. His defence of the Wimbledon title aged 18 the next season, winning in straight sets against the Czechoslovakian player Ivan Lendl was a masterclass in how to play on grass, the clay court favouring Lendl made to look like a fish out of water by the teenager.

The gambling industry’s conference season has been savaged by COVID-19. Gatherings of hundreds or thousands of people right now are just unwise, and practically impossible given the precautions governments are taking. G2E Asia has already been postponed once as a result, but now TCS John Huxley is calling on Reed Exhibitions to postpone the event to an even later date.

G2E Asia 2020 was originally scheduled to take place on May 19-21 in Macau. As the gravity of our current pandemic became clear, Reed announced the event would be postponed to July 28-30, citing that the health of all attendees was their top priority, and making the decision out of an abundance of caution.

That decision seems like it was made a lifetime ago, but it was only March 3. As the pandemic continues to threaten nearly every country on the planet, TCS says that even July is too soon, as exhibitors just aren’t in a place to prepare yet. “To exhibit at a trade show takes months of painstaking meticulous preparation,” they wrote. “With so many businesses in lock down for indefinite periods along with global travel restrictions, it will take some time to re-establish normal working levels and the appetite to travel will be limited for many.

They have made these concerns known to Reed Exhibitions, but are worried that they’re screaming into a void. They note in their open letter:

As the world reels from the impact of the coronavirus, all industries have been hit with a slump in activity. However, few have felt the sting as much as the gambling industry, which has essentially been brought to its knees because of the outbreak. While everyone is doing their part to help prevent the virus from spreading further, and companies scramble to keep financial losses from skyrocketing beyond the point of no return, Merkur Gaming, a subsidiary of Germany-based gaming company Gauselmann Group, has sent out a motivational message to ensure all of its partners and clients that business will continue while it faces the global pandemic.

Merkur states in its communication, “We would like to reassure you all that, despite all the necessary measures being taken to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus worldwide epidemic, Merkur Gaming remains in touch and available for any and all of your needs. Our dedicated service and sales teams are still available during this period of business lockdown: by both telephone and email (using the already well-known communication channels) and will do everything in their power to assist you.”

About a week ago, Merkur went through a small restructuring when it decided to consolidate its sales operations. The organizational change saw the company’s office in Lübbecke, Germany acquire administrative control of all sales activity in both North and South America and, as a result, some personnel employed by the company at its office in Miami, Florida were forced to be laid off. The restructuring occurred on the heels of the company’s acquisition of a majority stake in Bede Gaming, an iGaming platform provider.

Merkur also provided some optimistic commentary in its letter from this week. It added, “With over 14,000 staff around the globe the Gauselmann Group has the utmost concern for every individual and shares those feelings with all members of the global gaming community. Follow the medical advice given in your region and most importantly stay safe. This present crisis will eventually come to an end and there will be much work necessary to restore our industry to full health and full economic success. Merkur Gaming will be there to 100% support you all in that recovery process and, for now, keep yourselves protected, keep healthy and KEEP SAFE. With all best wishes, your Merkur Gaming team.”

Virtually all gambling activity in the U.S. is at a standstill. Sports competitions were the first to go offline because of the coronavirus, leaving sportsbooks scratching their heads and trying to figure out alternative methods to stay alive. Next, casinos began shutting down – either voluntarily or through official orders – and, now, almost every gambling house in the country has halted operations. As all casino operators are stressed over the current situation, some are seeing a larger financial impact than others. Boyd Gaming is one of these, and sees things getting worse before they get better. In an effort to not take a larger hit than necessary, the company has been forced to announce that it won’t be paying out a quarterly dividend. It is also preparing updated financial guidance for the rest of the year, which will most certainly show figures drastically lower than previous projections offered.

Boyd operates almost 30 properties across ten states in the U.S. In many cases, the temporary shutdown is going to be extended, which is going to further impact the company’s bottom line. Boyd issued a statement this week, explaining, “The Illinois Gaming Board has extended its previous closure order to April 8. This closure order impacts all gaming operations in the state of Illinois, including Par-A-Dice, which closed on March 15.”

A similar situation is emerging in Nevada and Louisiana. Nevada is on a 30-day lockdown and Louisiana just extended its suspension. Boyd points out, “The Louisiana Gaming Control Board has extended its previous closure order through April 12. This order impacts Amelia Belle, Delta Downs, Evangeline Downs, Sam’s Town Shreveport, and Treasure Chest, all of which closed on March 17 in compliance with a statewide closure order from the Board.”

As the nationwide suspension drags on, Boyd will do everything within its power to reduce expenses. This includes suspending any dividend and exploring other areas where it can save. The impact of COVID-19 is causing the company to re-evaluate its financial performance for the rest of the year, and Boyd officially withdrew its previously-released guidance on that performance, pending a resolution to the current shutdown. The company also states that it won’t be issuing any new guidance until further notice.

Here we are at the end of March 2020 and coronavirus seems to have taken over our entire world, literally and figuratively. While the obsession with consuming coronavirus-related news and talking with others about the situation is understandable, its important to remember there are other things going on around us too.

For example, March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM), a grassroots campaign spearheaded by America’s National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and 2020 marks the campaign’s 18th consecutive year.

Unfortunately, a number of the activities scheduled around PGAM were unable to push through due to coronavirus precautions, but we can still do our part by spreading awareness and supporting those who might be tempted to gamble online more than they should while under lockdown.

For the next few minutes, I’d like to shift our attention from the virus to this wonderful cause which has helped so many people and even saved lives. In honor of PGAM, this week I’d like to share Lee Willows’ story, a recovered gambling addict who turned his life around and founded YGAM, now serving as the UK National Charity’s CEO.

Legal sports betting is coming to Washington state, although only at tribal casinos and only in-person.

On Wednesday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed HB 2638, the sports betting bill approved by the state senate earlier this month. The bill will allow wagering at casinos operated by the state’s 29 federally recognized tribes, once the state renegotiates the individual gaming compacts it has with its tribal groups.

There would likely be more cheering among the state’s sports bettors if any of the state’s tribal casinos were actually open at the moment. Like the rest of the US casino industry – both tribal and commercial – Washington’s tribes have shut their gaming operations to minimize further spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Coronavirus-related shutdowns of major leagues mean there are also few sports events on which to wager for the time being.

And there’s little joy at the bill’s lack of a statewide digital wagering component, which isn’t that surprising given that Washington has made the mere act of engaging in online gambling a Class C felony. The bill does permit a limited form of mobile betting within the physical confines of a tribal casino.

The 14th Anniversary of the Sunday Million tournament was a big one. In fact, it was huge, with 93,016 total entries shared between 60,898 unique players. And after three days of exciting competition, it was a Brazilian player ‘AAAArthur’ who walked away with the title and $1,192,802 after a thrilling final table.

With a ridiculous prize-pool of $18.6 million, over six million dollars more than the advertised prize-pool of $12.5 million, everyone knew that the latter stages of this inimitable tournament were going to be extra-special. In fact, so juicy was the pot that 7,671 players entered the fray between the last deal on Day 1 and the first card off the deck on Day 2.

With a buy-in of $215, the action at the final table was great to watch, with D3cor the first player to exit. Over AAAArthur’s 8 million raise with king-ten of diamonds, D3cor shoved for 77 million with pocket fives and only AAAArthur called it off, a ten on the flop doing the damage to D3cor and ending his chances once a clear turn and river for AAAArthur appeared.

With blinds still 2 million/4 million, salonteskis made an all-in move for 405 million chips with pocket sevens. The player pokerfrance called off their 80 million stack with ace-queen and the run-out couldn’t help them, despite a jack and ten on the flop adding some outs.

Casino operator MGM Resorts gave its former CEO a $32m golden handshake while its rank-and-file staff are left fretting for their future.

Earlier this week, MGM Resorts’ newly appointed CEO Bill Hornbuckle announced that the company was pledging $1m for an ‘employee emergency grant fund’ to “to offer additional support to employees impacted by the [COVID-19 coronavirus] crisis and who may be experiencing hardships.”

Like all US casino operators, MGM’s domestic activities are currently on hold as the country tries to halt further spread of the coronavirus. MGM announced last week that it would give its staff two weeks’ pay and extend health care benefits for laid off employees until June.

Meanwhile, MGM announced last month that its outgoing CEO Jim Murren – who left abruptly last weekend and was replaced by Hornbuckle – would receive a golden handshake of nearly $32m in a combo of salary, stock, bonuses and monthly ‘consulting fees’ through the end of next year.