If you’ve ever wanted to play in a knockout-format Heads-Up Tournament against some of the best poker players in the world, then this weekend on Run It Once might well be the best chance you get.

If you are already familiar with Run It Once, it’s highly likely that is due to the recent Galfond Challenge, which just a couple of days ago saw Phil Galfond complete a stunning million-dollar comeback in order to move ahead in the series against VeniVidi.

Fortunately for those hoping to take on Galfond at the virtual felt at “the two-card game”, the man himself will await one of the qualifiers at the felt:

This Saturday, I’ll be taking a break from the #GalfondChallenge to play a little 2-card for a good cause.

There are a lot of moving parts to an iGaming operation, and each piece has an important role to fulfil to make the greater whole a success. Marketing has to be on point to attract new players. Payments have to work smoothly to keep the money flowing. Fraud teams need to be ever vigilant to stop bad behavior, and keep the site compliant.

Customer service frontliners play an important role as well. No other department deals with the immediate needs of the player like they do. No other department can understand faster what’s working, and what’s not.

This is why a well-equipped, well trained frontline can be a game changer for an organization. But it’s also why operations need to always check in on what’s happening in customer service, because they can tell you how to improve and get to the next level.

Betway recently received a £11.6 million fine from the U.K. Gambling Commission for overlooking several cases of potential money laundering and problem gambling. Now while the facts of their case could be up for interpretation, if customers ever interacted with agents of the company while depositing millions into their operation, those agents will have remembered those interactions.

In the fast moving world of gambling, sometimes you might miss news that could be important to you. To make sure you’re all caught up on gaming industry news, be it online or brick and mortar, we’re rounding up the some of the announcements and partnerships from the last week that you might have missed.

Online Casino and Sportsbook BETZEST launches Esports product powered by leading Sportsbook provider BetRadar

Betzest just launched the full suite of BetRadar online Esports content added to their portfolio.

In partnership with BetRadar Betzest expands their offering to players with an opportunity to access BetRadar’s full range of Esports including most popular video games such as Counter-Strike, Dota, LOL (League Of Legends), Motorsport, Overwatch, StarCraft, etc.

Thanks to the coronavirus, the global gambling industry has been taking a beating. Forced shutdowns of operations and a shift in priorities has brought the gaming world temporarily to its knees; however, everything will eventually return to normal. Japan’s goal of introducing integrated resorts (IR) to the country has been hit by COVID-19, as well, but the show must go on. Nagasaki, one of the leading contenders to host a new casino resort, isn’t going to be completely deterred by the pandemic and is ready to move forward with its plans to start receiving applications from private-sector businesses looking to get involved in the fledgling market. While the prefecture is forging ahead, Osaka is reportedly prepared to put its plans on the back burner once again.

Nagasaki officials released this week the Kyushu-Nagasaki IR Basic Concept. It is the prefecture’s policy of how it envisions an IR contributing to the economy, as well as how the entire system will work. It covers revenue projections, facilities that should be included in the IR, how the prefecture plans to address gambling addiction concerns and much more. The release of the document was initially expected to take place last month, but the coronavirus forced it to be delayed.

As part of the plan, Nagasaki forecasts an IR will bring in $5.6 billion in economic benefits related to the construction of the resort, according to the report. When the property is operational, it could then produce anywhere from $2.93 billion to $3.85 billion in economic benefits. The latter is based on the revenue generated by the IR, and the impact it will have on employment and regional spending.

The prefecture also wants to move ahead with a request for proposal (RFP) initiative to find private-sector partners that want to get into the casino operations business. The RFP has been expected to start this spring, as Nagasaki alluded to this past January, and local officials don’t see any reason to alter those plans. The coronavirus may be disrupting almost all forms of routine activity, but the prefecture’s RFP could be launched even if the entire country were on lockdown.

When New Jersey introduced legalized sports gambling to the state, no one was too surprised at the amount of money that started to roll in. After all, in addition to having an established gambling market, the Garden State was fundamental in showing the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 that federal lawmakers were wrong to have approved the sports wager-prohibiting PASPA. As New Jersey’s sportsbooks continued to gain traction, they began seeing record amounts of revenue. However, if one analysis of Colorado’s sports gambling potential is correct, New Jersey – and even Nevada – could be about to face some seriously stiff competition.

Colorado residents approved sports gambling in the state with the passage of Proposition DD last November. The official launch of the activity was scheduled for this May, and, so far, there have not been any plans to delay the launch. Colorado’s Limited Gaming Control Commission (LGCC), which is providing oversight of the activity, has been busy issuing licenses to everyone it deems worthy as everyone prepares for next month to arrive.

With a robust market and a great deal of anticipated interest, PlayColorado expects great things to come out of sports gambling. It released a statement this week in which it predicts a handle of as much as $6 billion a year, with $40 million of that going to the state in the form of tax revenue. Another $400 million will be kept by the operators for expenses and income.

Dustin Gouker, chief analyst for PlayColorado.com, asserts, “With a significant base of existing land-based casinos, a regulatory framework that will be attractive to operators, and one of the largest metropolitan markets in the country to draw from, Colorado is well-positioned to capitalize on sports betting. But assuming the industry does launch on May 1, it will be doing so in unprecedented circumstances with almost no sports to wager on. There are some advantages to a forced soft opening, but it also means that it will be some time before we learn with confidence just how Colorado’s bettors will respond to legal sports betting.”

Economies around the world are suffering because of the coronavirus, some more than others. Costa Rica’s financial health wasn’t exactly one of the best before the global pandemic, and it is now losing strength as the country shuts down. Soccer has been impacted, as well, with the national league being suspended and no money coming in. Being such a huge part of the country’s society, new ways to generate revenue are needed to make up for the losses, and it might be time to break out an old playbook. Lawmakers are suggesting bringing back legalized sports gambling to help stave off further economic losses.

The idea of reviving sports gambling began circulating earlier this month. Costa Rica used to have legalized domestic sports gambling, but it went away in 1998 due to a lack of interest. Still, this hasn’t stopped the country from becoming a haven for off-shore sportsbooks, but, unfortunately for the country, Costa Rica doesn’t capture a significant portion of that revenue.

According to local media outlet CRHoy.com, soccer could become a lifesaver for the country’s economy. Fernando Ocampo, the president of the soccer club out of Alajuela, told the outlet, “It’s time to be creative and consider proposals to generate resources for soccer and other sports. Soccer can help generate additional revenue for the National Olympic Committee and other sports.”

He added that the thought of introducing sports gambling is just now beginning to be studied, and that it will take a few weeks before a plan could be produced, if it is to be produced at all. After the last attempt was unsuccessful, there aren’t any guarantees that a revival would find a better response, and it isn’t easy to predict how much revenue could be generated. This is especially true given the lack of disposable income on the part of most citizens.

This past Monday, federal authorities in the U.S. officially charged two former executives of Fox for their involvements in a multimillion-dollar bribery plan concocted to try to secure broadcasting rights for certain FIFA soccer tournaments. The pair are accused of putting together schemes to receive kickbacks for FIFA officials in South America in order to “advance the business interest of Fox” and to give the company an edge in a bidding war against ESPN for the rights to air the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. The duo is now looking at being punished for wire fraud and money laundering, and could be sent to prison for as many as 20 years.

Hernan Lopez was the president and CEO of Fox International Channels until 2016, while Carlos Martinez was the president of Fox Latin America until May of last year. They allegedly conspired to do whatever was necessary to secure the broadcasting and marketing rights for the tournaments, even if it meant breaking the law. However, things fell apart when an investigation into FIFA corruption began in 2015.

That investigation led to Alejandro Burzaco, previously the chairman of Torneos y Competencias S.A., a company out of Argentina that was dedicated to sports marketing. Burzaco had, sensing he would soon be nabbed for his involvement in the larger scandal, turned himself in to the FBI in 2015 and ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to commit racketeering. In order to limit any punitive action against him, he cut a deal with prosecutors and gave up Lopez and Martinez in testimony in 2017.

The assistant director of the FBI’s New York Field Office, William J. Sweeney, said in a statement, “Over a period of many years, the defendants and their co-conspirators corrupted the governance and business of international soccer with bribes and kickbacks, and engaged in criminal fraudulent schemes that caused significant harm to the sport of soccer. Their schemes included the use of shell companies, sham consulting contracts, and other concealment methods to disguise the bribes and kickback payments and make them appear legitimate.”

Gambling is incredibly important to Nevada’s economy, but not as important as keeping it safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. For that reason, Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) Chairman Tony Alamo has written his letter of resignation to Governor Steve Sisolak, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Alamo, who has served as a gaming regulator for 12 years, is also a physician. During this critical time, he feels it’s slightly more important he apply his medical background. Alamo’s last day on the commission will be April 17. His term was originally scheduled to end on April 27, and he had earlier indicated he would not seek a fourth term on the commission.

He wrote to Sisolak that it “has been the ultimate privilege for me to be part of the regulatory process for the past 19 years for the state of Nevada, the state in which I was born and raised.” But with lives now being at stake, he noted: “it’s time for me to be a doctor.”

Alamo previously served on the Nevada State Athletic Commission, sanctioning the 2007 fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather in 2007.

This is a guest contribution by Markus Jalmerot of No Wagering Casinos. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

Have you ever heard, thought about or actually fully read the entire “wagering requirements” for an online casino? It’s a rather specific type of text that often comes with multiple pages of terms and condition or endless bonus paragraphs. Depending on which country you live in, the rules vary significantly for how specific casinos have to be about what their bonuses contains. Here, we go through what you should consider about wagering before starting to play, alternatively, before setting up a new brand.

Why does the small print in wagering requirements matter?

We all love casino bonuses. From free spins to matched deposits, there are plenty of offers that one cannot ignore at online casinos. However, have you ever thought, heard, or even taken your time to get familiar with the wagering requirements small print? Expert online casino players know that most attractive bonuses have a catch disguised as wagering requirements. Often, many players get caught up because they did not bother, or even consider it worthy to read through the hidden clauses in the small print. Though familiar, they are the two words no player wants to hear or read. Common questions that every online casino player should answer are; what are the wagering requirements, why are they important, and how do they work? Keep reading to discover what are the risks and advantages of reading wagering requirement clauses.

This is a guest contribution by Rasmus Sojmark of SBC Gaming. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

Events, conferences and trade shows are a crucial part of the betting and gaming industry – as they are for most business sectors. As event organisers, we facilitate the important introductions between buyers and sellers and help educate the industry via conferences and content.

But right now we are facing the COVID-19 pandemic, placing many of us around the world in lockdown, forcing us to work remotely, and causing an immediate stop to events of all kinds. So what are we able to do now?

Well, it doesn’t help that the post-pandemic industry picture is really hard to paint, with economic wounds to heal, disrupted supply chains, travel restrictions, uncertain company and employee-wide reactions in the aftermath of COVID-19, and many more issues to factor in.

Russian sports betting operator Fonbet has been named part of the ‘backbone’ of the national economy, prompting wary skepticism among its local rivals.

Last week, Russian news agency Interfax reported on a new list of ‘systemically important organizations’ whose financial health a government commission has determined require monitoring. The aim is to ensure the sustainability of the economy amid the double whammy of the COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse in the price of oil, Russia’s primary export.

Among the 646 companies making the grade was LLC F.O.N. aka Fonbet, Russia’s leading sports betting operator. Precisely why the government apparently feels the bookmaker is too big to fail is unclear, but its inclusion will permit Fonbet to apply for state aid during this current downturn (and possibly in the future).

It remains to be seen if Russia’s other bookmakers will be allowed the same opportunity. Last month, Russia’s two sports betting industry associations asked the government for tax and business rates relief, as well as for permission to forego their mandatory annual contribution of 5% of their betting revenue to local sports – the dormancy of which is among the reasons that Russia’s bookies are in such trouble.

Denmark’s state-owned gambling operator Danske Spil has shut its YouBet subsidiary for offering betting markets on lower-tier Swedish football friendlies.

This weekend saw the SBTech-powered YouBet site go offline after it continued to offer betting markets on Swedish amateur football despite Danske Spil pulling similar markets from its main Oddset betting platform. Danske Spil claims that the mix-up was the result of “a mistake of our supplier” and the company “shut down the matches as soon as we discovered the error.”

Danske Spil had pulled the matches from Oddset after coming under heavy criticism for offering wagers on what essentially amounts to a beer league. Last week, a match between two seventh-tier Swedish squads was cancelled after players reported receiving calls from bettors all over the world either encouraging them or trying to put them off their game.

Niels Folmann, director of Danske Spil’s sports betting unit, originally told local media that the company was simply offering “what is available from the world of football right now.” The COVID-19 pandemic has called a halt to virtually all major football leagues, with Belarus being a notable (and notorious) exception.

Election betting is finally coming to US-licensed sportsbooks after FanDuel received permission to add election props to its West Virginia offering, although the company may have proved too eager to put their new baby on display.

On Tuesday, FanDuel’s West Virginia-licensed betting app added a number of 2020 US presidential election markets, including the name of the winning candidate, with incumbent Donald Trump currently the favorite at -110 and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden at +125.

Other markets currently on offer include whether Biden will seal the deal for the Democratic nomination, who will be the Democratic VP candidate and which party will win the election. However, the odds disappeared from FanDuel’s app almost as quickly as they appeared, suggesting someone may have jumped the gun.

Before those odds disappeared, FanDuel issued a statement saying it was proud to have partnered with the West Virginia Lottery, which regulates gambling activity in the state, “to bring these markets into a legal, regulated sportsbook.”

Detroit’s casinos barely got a taste of their new sports betting options before COVID-19 spoiled the party, but the Michigan Lottery’s online sales are likely enjoying a pandemic surge.

Figures released Tuesday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) show Detroit’s three commercial casinos all suffered year-on-year gaming revenue declines of nearly 60% in March. The casinos were ordered to close on March 16 as part of the state’s efforts to minimize further coronavirus transmission.

MGM Resorts’ MGM Grand Detroit reported revenue of $23.9m, down 59.6% from March 2019, while MotorCity and Greektown each fell 58.7% to $20.3m and $13.2m, respectively.

The March declines leaned heavily on the market’s Q1 revenue, in which MGM reported $126.5m (-19.7%), MotorCity earned $102.6m (-18%) and Greektown brought up the rear with $70.1m (-16.7%).