Online gambling operator Bethard is leaving the UK market next month, the latest in a growing rush to the exits amid the UK’s increasingly restrictive regulatory regime.

On Monday, Bethard’s UK customers reported receiving emails from the company alerting them to the fact that the site was withdrawing from the UK market effective July 6. Players will still be able to wager up until July 6, but all open bets will be closed following that date. Customers have been told they’ll have until August 10 to withdraw any remaining balances in their accounts.

The Malta-based Bethard, which only received its UK Gambling Commission license two years ago, didn’t offer any specific justification for its decision to bid the UK buh-bye, saying only that the decision came following “a careful review of our strategic options.”

Bethard’s decision was likely influenced by the prolonged pandemic-related dearth of major sports events on which its customers could wager. However, its withdrawal announcement coincided with the first media reports of the All Party Parliamentary Group’s proposals for major new curbs on gambling operators’ activities, which, although they’re only recommendations at this point, may have signaled that these tough times are only going to get tougher, at least in the UK.

America’s casino industry group is calling on state gaming regulators to consider allowing operators to accept more cashless payments to lessen the risk of further COVID-19 transmission.

On Tuesday, the American Gaming Association (AGA) released its new Payments Modernization Policy Principles, a seven-point plan for reducing the need for casino operators to handle the majority of their financial transactions using what is now widely regarded as even filthier lucre in the form of paper bank notes.

The AGA announced last week that over 60% of US casinos have reopened following their lengthy pandemic shutdowns. Business to date at these reopened casinos has been hindered by (not always observed) social distancing requirements and AGA survey data shows 57% of casino visitors want the option of being able to avoid handling cash during their visit.

The AGA also believes that digital payment options will allow gamblers to set spending limits in advance and better monitor their gambling activity. Providing customers with more payment options will also help “reduce the current friction between gaming and non-gaming segments of an integrated resort.”

“There’s gold in them hills!” That may have been a call that enticed a lot of people to venture out to California for the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, but, once the majority of the gold was found, the excitement wore off. Soon (in relative terms), though, there could be a new Gold Rush coming, but it will require a completely different set of instruments. There won’t be the need to carry panning kits or to build sluice boxes – the next gold mines are going to be explored in outer space.

SpaceX has been able to accomplish the childhood dream of every little boy across the globe. It is now taking ordinary people into space and, thanks to the recent and successful joint mission with NASA, has shown that private travel into outer space is not just a fantasy; it is a tangible reality. SpaceX is able to make space travel substantially more affordable than ever, advancing the potential for space exploration lightyears into the future. According to The Federalist, “What used to cost the government $54,500 per kilogram of payload lifted to orbit now costs SpaceX $2,720, saving 95 percent.”

Scientists have already proven that asteroids are full of important, valuable minerals; the difficulty has always been how to retrieve them. If Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, is correct, the cost of rockets to send ships into outer space could drop from $55 million to $2 million, thanks to the use of reusable rockets. That opens up all kinds of possibilities as to what activities could be coming in the future.

There are reportedly at least 958,628 asteroids in the solar system, and that’s just the number that has already been identified. There could be well over two million, many of which can be found in the asteroid belt and each larger than a half-mile in diameter. One in particular, Asteroid 1986 DA, is reportedly full of gold, iron, nickel and platinum. If estimates are correct, that one asteroid is worth six to seven trillion dollars in precious metals. The price of a reusable rocket and the rest of the expense associated with shooting a shuttle out to it, even if it were to cost $50 million, would offer an awesome return on investment.

Chris Kiefert was a huge success at the poker tables, but he needed something more to be truly happy. He’s since transitioned to being an Executive Performance Coach and you can get his assistance at christkiefert.com. To understand why he made the transition, and what advice he can offer others, our Becky Liggero Fontana caught up with him after his talk at iGaming NEXT Online.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XNvlZoDraM?feature=oembed]

Deciding to pursue a new passion didn’t happen overnight, Kiefert told us. “This was a long transition, it was exactly like when I first started playing poker; it took me a while to realize that that was what I really wanted to do, he said. “It started when I was coaching poker players, and I enjoyed doing that, but again I hadn’t made or connected the dots yet. And it was quite strange because I was struggling for a while being unfulfilled in poker. Actually I was sitting every day, going through the solvers, you know all the problems, and it just didn’t feel I was adding any sort of value or, to society in any way, it was just you know using this intelligence in a way that wasn’t very useful anymore. Like my life ethos had surpassed the profession really.

Kiefert was focusing on improving himself, and realized he was happiest when he was helping others. “And with all the videos, I was learning at self-development and, you know it was something that I was just naturally very passionate about without almost realizing,” he said. “And I was lucky, I had a few moments where I just got very emotional when I saw other people happy or achieving their goals, and it happened once and I didn’t really realize what was happening. Then it happened again and I thought, ‘Alright this is really strange, what’s going on here,’ cuz I’ve never felt this joy whenever I’ve achieved anything. So it was a very strange revelation, and I thought, ‘Okay well how can I get paid to help other people, that’s what I would like to do.’”

Chris Kiefert was a huge success at the poker tables, but he needed something more to be truly happy. He’s since transitioned to being an Executive Performance Coach and you can get his assistance at christkiefert.com. To understand why he made the transition, and what advice he can offer others, our Becky Liggero Fontana caught up with him after his talk at iGaming NEXT Online.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XNvlZoDraM?feature=oembed]

Deciding to pursue a new passion didn’t happen overnight, Kiefert told us. “This was a long transition, it was exactly like when I first started playing poker; it took me a while to realize that that was what I really wanted to do, he said. “It started when I was coaching poker players, and I enjoyed doing that, but again I hadn’t made or connected the dots yet. And it was quite strange because I was struggling for a while being unfulfilled in poker. Actually I was sitting every day, going through the solvers, you know all the problems, and it just didn’t feel I was adding any sort of value or, to society in any way, it was just you know using this intelligence in a way that wasn’t very useful anymore. Like my life ethos had surpassed the profession really.

Kiefert was focusing on improving himself, and realized he was happiest when he was helping others. “And with all the videos, I was learning at self-development and, you know it was something that I was just naturally very passionate about without almost realizing,” he said. “And I was lucky, I had a few moments where I just got very emotional when I saw other people happy or achieving their goals, and it happened once and I didn’t really realize what was happening. Then it happened again and I thought, ‘Alright this is really strange, what’s going on here,’ cuz I’ve never felt this joy whenever I’ve achieved anything. So it was a very strange revelation, and I thought, ‘Okay well how can I get paid to help other people, that’s what I would like to do.’”

Eldorado Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have been slowly making their rounds across the U.S., asking gaming regulators for permission to get married. Everything had been running smoothly, with no major objections, before the coronavirus pandemic came in and slowed the process down considerably. With only a small handful of regulators still needed to give their blessing, it isn’t clear when the wedding ceremony will be able to take place. In the meantime, Eldorado has found itself looking to build up its amount of available cash and has apparently been able to score a few big deals. In total, the casino operator has just raised $1.2 billion.

One of the deals was with Vici Properties, the real estate investment trust (REIT) that loves the casino market. Eldorado and Vici have agreed to a five-year mortgage arrangement for the Caesars Forum Convention Center at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip that is reportedly worth $400 million. In addition, Vici will “acquire approximately 23 acres of undeveloped land parcels adjacent to the center of the Las Vegas Strip for $4.5 million per acre, for total proceeds of approximately $103.5 million. The total expected proceeds from both transactions is approximately $503.5 million.”

Vici already owns the real estate assets at Caesars Palace, which is one of the many Caesars properties that Eldorado hopes to scoop up once the marriage between the two is consummated. It isn’t clear what Vici plans on doing with the undeveloped land on the Strip, but the sky’s the limit. The Strip could always use another water park.

The second deal won’t be a big hit with investors. Eldorado is going to sell 18 million shares of its stock, which is going to dilute existing share values. The ramifications of the offer, which was announced after the markets closed yesterday, has already been felt, and Eldorado’s stock saw several fluctuations in its price. When trading ended yesterday, Eldorado sat at $38.44, and 18 million shares sold would allow it to pick up around $692 million in cash. Underwriters of the offering can also purchase an additional 2.7 million shares within 30 days if they decide to take a bigger slice.

Donaco International has been making strides to getting back on course, and the Australian-listed casino operator has come a long way. It almost had one foot on solid ground before the coronavirus tripped it up, sending it sliding back down the slope a few feet. Donaco stated in February that it might need a hand to cover the lost ground, and has now found a little bit of help. In a filing with the Australian Securities Exchange from yesterday, the company announced that its primary lender has agreed to wait on a massive payment that should have been paid yesterday. 

In the filing (in pdf), Donaco confirms that Mega International Commercial Bank will give the company until the end of this year to come up with the $5 million principal payment that it was expected to hand over yesterday. In addition, the bank has “granted a waiver on all June 2020 covenants under the Facility Agreement, until 31 December 2020, including that the aggregate amount of cash and cash equivalents investments of the Donaco group to [not be less] than AUD$20 million [$13.89 million] at any time on or after 30 June 20 and the Donaco Hong Kong Limited 2020 Interest Coverage Ration and Debt to EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) financial covenant.”

The news is great for Donaco, which is behind the Star Vegas Resort in Cambodia and the Aristo International Hotel and casino in Vietnam. It’s also beneficial for Mega Bank, which will certainly find interest from other businesses that may want, at some point, to capitalize on the bank’s generosity.

COVID-19 has turned the international gaming scene upside down and recovery is going to be an uphill climb for the next few years. Donaco certainly isn’t the only casino operator looking for a little flexibility with its payment schedules, and a number of companies, including Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts, have had to seek creative methods to cover their losses. Prudent planning and frugality are most likely the new common themes across the majority of businesses recovering from the health pandemic and, if not, they should be. 

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.

Don’t miss out on all of the latest announcements. Our Press Release section is updated constantly.

BOSS. Gaming Solutions and BOOMING GAMES confirm content collaboration deal

BOSS. Gaming Solutions, the industry leading software developer, platform provider and multiple casino brand owner has completed the details of an exciting content collaboration deal with BOOMING GAMES, a brand that’s internationally recognised as being at the cutting edge of contemporary slots development.