It should be obvious that any business forced to shut down for a couple of months is going to see a major impact on its bottom line. The global casino industry has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and any company tied to gaming operations is feeling the heat. While there is talk by some operators of trying to reopen their tables and slot machines within the next couple of weeks, those plans may be thwarted by officials who prefer to take a more cautious approach. As COVID-19 lingers on and cash wells dry up for almost everyone, both Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. and Bloomberry Resorts, have been forced to update their positions, and the new picture is darker than before.

In the middle of last month, Australia’s Aristocrat, which supplies slots and digital casino games to the gaming industry, was convinced that it would not have any major issues with staying afloat during the pandemic. It reported a strong financial position and budgetary measures designed to reduce expenses and didn’t foresee having to take drastic measures to counter COVID-19’s attack. However, as much of the casino world remains on lockdown, possibly to emerge sometime next month, Aristocrat has been forced to re-evaluate its position.

In a filing (in pdf) with the Australia Securities Exchange from today, Aristocrat announced that it will suspend its planned interim dividend for the corresponding 2020 fiscal year. Whereas as much as 80% of the workforce was previously able to continue to work remotely, that will no longer be possible, and the company adds, “Around 1,000 staff will be stood down until the end of June 2020, principally in land-based sales, service and manufacturing operations, reflecting venue closures and uncertain reopening time frames. Around 200 roles will be removed permanently from the business, reflecting changed priorities.”

These changes don’t necessarily mean that Aristocrat is short on cash – it still has “over $1 billion in available liquidity.” However, it has to make smart business decisions to counter the long-term impact of the coronavirus, as well as the rebuilding process once things begin to return to normal. Overall, a full recovery for the gaming industry could take anywhere from 16-24 months.

The process of adding an integrated resort (IR) to the skyline in Hellinikon, Greece has been anything but smooth. A fierce legislative battle set the stage for what was to come, with an obvious rift between those who wanted a casino and those who didn’t. After finally reaching a point that casino operators could submit their applications, things didn’t exactly get any better. Hard Rock International (HRI) and Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) were the only two companies who hadn’t bowed out over the frustratingly difficult endeavor, and gaming regulators ultimately decided that MGE was the better choice. Feeling jilted, HRI decided to challenge the decision, and is now more convinced than ever that it will ultimately emerge victorious.

Regulators, for reasons HRI said were ridiculous, decided to disqualify the gaming operator’s license application, forcing the company to get the European Commission (EC) involved. Before it comes to that, though, the company is trying to settle the matter on a more local level. It has gone to the Greek Preliminary Appeals Authority and back to the Hellenic Gaming Commission (HGC), which rejected its application, in order to find a more palatable resolution, but both of those attempts failed. Today, it will try again with Greece’s highest appeals court, the Greek Supreme Administrative Court.

That appeal will produce positive results – at least that’s what HRI spokesperson Michael Karloutsos predicts. He told the National Herald, “Hard Rock International will ultimately win the competition for Hellinikon…Hard Rock is the only company to have developed a project like this before and they will do it again.” Karloutsos added, “Hard Rock International is the only contender with a recognizable global brand and a world-wide network with staying power that can attract much needed additional tourists to Greece.”

The HGC decided that HRI didn’t have enough construction experience and that it didn’t offer evidence of financial support to back the $1.1-billion expense it presented. It also said that HRI’s letter of guarantee was sent outside the designated timeframe, and HRI reportedly has proof to counter all of the claims. It further offers that “serious irregularities” existed in the awarding process.

The Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGOs) continue to be a hot topic, even as COVID-19 grabs most of the headlines. As the country starts to debate which businesses should open when the lockdown ends, at least one POGO has been caught operating illegally, throwing everything the country knows about the industry into doubt.

A Friday night raid on April 24 in Parañaque City discovered a POGO firm staying in business, despite the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) dictating that it should have been closed, and direction from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to suspend all operations. Police received reports of armed civilians loitering in the area, and dispatched a mobile patrol to check it out.

When the men were approached, they ran into a nearby house, where 44 Chinese nationals and 9 Filipinos were detained. Inside the house, they seized 36 laptops, 17 desktops, five guns, and PHP1.3 million ($26,000) in cash.

Mayor Edwin Olivarez was outraged by the discovery, telling media that the image of his city had been destroyed. He vowed to press charges against the group, who he said had no permission from the city to operate. He suspected the group may have persuaded local authorities to turn a blind eye to the operation.

An initiative from Poker Central, Global Poker and poker clothing company RunGoodGear has been launched in order to ‘Keep The Lights On’ for freelance poker media from this Monday, April 27th.

The idea of the pledge-based charitable enterprise is simple – to raise vital funds for those who would otherwise be employed as freelance poker media during a time when there is no live poker upon which to report. From dealers to reporters, the World Series of Poker being postponed confirms one thing – poker media workers are going to have a lean few months.

In order to raise urgently needed funds, the initiative is offering to pay the utility bills of anyone working in the poker media, with those who believe they are deserving of some of the funds needing to submit their information by May 11th.

The Keep The Lights On streaming games will take place with three players striving to cash for each pledge, those three players being Jamie Kerstetter, Jeff Platt, and Brian ‘TheGoldenBlazer’ Frenzel. With the pledging site already open and available for donations right here, funds raised have already passed $14,500. Run Good Gear have already put together an information page about the idea.

In terms of Premier League history, the most dramatic ending to the season came in the 2011/12 season, where Manchester City scored two goals in stoppage time at the end of the final game to overtake their more illustrious neighbours Manchester United and step out of the shadows to usher in a new era of North-West dominance.

It is eight years since the “Agueroooo” moment that so cemented Martin Tyler indelibly in the British conscience for global sports commentary. But the season was so much more than that final meaningful kick of the ball that sealed the destiny of the title.

After Manchester United’s 19th English League title was won in May 2011, Manchester City came into the following season under the stewardship of Roberto Mancini with a backroom staff that included former England player David Platt and former European Cup winner for Manchester United, Brian Kidd.

The Charity Shield was not an indicator of what was to come at all, with Manchester United coming from two goals down at half-time to win 3-2 in the final seconds of injury time thanks to a Nani goal that embarrassed Vincent Kompany.