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Hot dogs are an American tradition on the July 4 Independence holiday, and as part of that Nathan’s stages its famous Hot Dog Eating Contest every year on that day. The coronavirus has not canceled the 2020 contest, but like every other sport in the world it has forced changes. Saturday’s event will not take place in front of thousands of fans at the original Nathan’s location in Coney Island but instead indoors at a private location nearby with no fans in attendance.

How much of a sure thing is it that Joey Chestnut will win the 104th edition of the men’s Hot Dog Eating Contest? The Babe Ruth of competitive eating is -1600 to add another title with the entire men’s field priced +700.

Chestnut has won this contest every year but once since 2007 – he didn’t in 2015 when Chestnut ate only 60 hot dogs (slacker!) and lost by two to Matthew Stonie. Since then, Chestnut hasn’t eaten fewer than 70 with a record of 74 set in 2018. Believe it or not, Chestnut believes eating indoors with air conditioning and fewer competitors actually gives him a better chance of breaking that mark.

A dozen years ago, a quiet, mild-mannered Danish player called Peter Eastgate won the World Series of Poker Main Event. At the time, it was amazing because of his age. At just 22 years old, Eastgate became the youngest WSOP Main Event winner in history.

However, all these years later, the lesson we might learn from Eastgate’s victory and subsequent withdrawal from the spotlight poker stardom put upon him is that to win in poker is not as uncommon as to be victorious in walking away from the game.

Poker is, by its very nature, a game within which an exit strategy is almost inherent. In this excellent 2018 article on ESPN by Bernard Lee, Eastgate was interviewed about why this was the case and had few great answers. It was, in essence a decision he made after worrying about the effect his side hustle of sportsbetting had cost him and the emotional impact losing at gambling had on him.

As far as we’re all aware, Eastgate is still living the simple life and is as happy to have left poker now as he was when he made his final cash three years after his semi-retirement in 2010. Reading his thoughts on the peace it brought him to do so, it’s hard not to wish him well in those endeavours.

The rumours have gathered some strong momentum out of New Zealand that the All Blacks are interested in taking on Australia’s Kangaroos. A cross-code clash between the two superpowers of rugby league and rugby union is now a distinct possibility.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left both codes scrambling for financial survival and a proposed December clash would generate global interest. The New Zealand Rugby Union is warming to the idea of a one-off, 14-man hybrid clash.

Australian Rugby League coach Mal Meninga believes there would be genuine interest from the Australian players to take part, while media reports out of New Zealand confirmed that NZ Rugby boss Mark Robinson had commenced secret negotiations with his Australian Rugby League counterparts.

Australian coach Meninga was excited by the possibility of going up against New Zealand’s national treasure:

It’s been a cruel few months, especially for travelers looking to make escapes to warmer weather and enjoy some fun in the sun. Fortunately, the European Union (EU) has started to lift some of the travel restrictions that were put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and there are still two months of summer left. A handful of new countries were removed from a travel ban to EU countries this week, but anyone in the U.S expecting to take a European vacation shouldn’t start making travel arrangements. The U.S is still on the no-fly list in the EU.

Forbes reports that, following a four-month lockdown on travel, the EU is ready to open its countries’ borders to more tourists. Residents and citizens of 14 countries, once the final list is approved this week, will be able to book a vacation to Spain’s southern coast or to the French Riviera, including Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea and more. The restriction will officially be removed as of July 1, which means vacationers only have to wait two more days to hit the European territories. Even individuals coming from places like Algeria, Rwanda and Uruguay are also included.

The U.S, Russia, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Brazil are still excluded, however. The U.K still prohibits travel from the U.S, and that ban may stay in place until the end of the year. This restriction may have played a role in the EU’s decision to keep U.S travelers at home for a while longer, although it isn’t clear if the ban will stay in place as long as that of the U.K.

EU officials reportedly started reviewing a list of countries to include at the end of last week, and the official list could be published as early as today. There were 54 countries that had been included for discussion before the list was stripped down to just the 14 that are now included. A number of factors may have contributed to the eliminations, not just concerns over a possible return of COVID-19. However, any indication of a possible coronavirus threat will be the leading cause. The EU is creating its list of accepted countries based on their response to COVID-19 and the potential they have for new cases. According to Forbes’ Tamara Thiessen, “The EU plans to first ease travel curbs with countries where the Covid spread corresponds. The WHO Covid dashboard shows Europe on average has 200 new cases a day; the U.S. 5,200; the Western Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan etc.) -275; Southeast Asia 184; and Africa 884. So this gives an idea of which countries may get the go-ahead first.”

An exciting week of PLO Poker Masters saw Finnish pro Eelis Pärssinen take a big lead into the final five events of the new poker series as $2.3 million was awarded at the online felt.

With eight events having taken place so far, it has been a tournament dominated by Finnish players not least the impressive Pärssinen, who is 68 points ahead of Jens Kyllonen heading into the final five events.

There’s plenty to win in the PLO Poker Masters, as apart from the money up for grabs in each event itself, there’s a free ticket into the $51,000-entry Poker Masters Online PLO Series Main Event, with a massive $1.5m guarantee.

Event #3 was a classic, with Jens Kyllonen eventually winning out having been short-stacked along the way at the final table. Kyllonen, who plays under the pseudonym ‘Jeans89’ online, eventually took home $212,000, winning heads-up against Jonathan Depa.

A couple of years of media scandals, government pressure and pandemic uncertainty have finally taken their toll on the Philippine Offshore Gambling Operators (POGOs). The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) have confirmed that atleast two operators have left the country over tax “issues” with the government, local outlet GMA News reports.

PAGCOR chair and chief executive officer Andrea Domingo confirmed that Suncity, Macau’s gambling giant, had decided to leave the country, while assistant vice president for offshore gaming licensing Jose Tria separately confirmed Don Tencess Asian Solutions had sought to cancel their license.

And that doesn’t appear to be the end of it. “There are others more that are leaving the Philippines”, noted Domingo. She made sure to note that this will affect government revenues, as well as Filipinos employed by POGOs.

“I’ve heard there are other companies that also plan to cancel their licenses, but I haven’t received their official letters so I can’t name them yet,” said Tria. “There are other jurisdictions that have opened up offering better tax rates and friendlier environment. Some [POGOs] also can no longer take the criticisms they get each day that make them feel unwelcome in our country.”

Like it or not, unions play a role in business operations. Most companies would prefer that unions go the way of the T-Rex (although there are some that actually embrace the syndicates), but that’s only wishful thinking. The casino industry has come under fire in recent years for the overall treatment industry employees receive, and their response to the coronavirus has put even more pressure on the casino operators. Now, the largest casino employee union in the US is planning on suing Las Vegas casinos for not doing a better job at providing safety protections for their workers. 

Las Vegas casinos began reopening on June 4 and, since then, there has been a mixed response by the properties on how they oversee employee activity. There has also been a spike in coronavirus cases, and the Culinary Union feels that the casinos should have been more proactive in protecting their workers as soon as the keys were turned on the doors. It wants to ask a judge for relief under the Labor-Management Relations Act, a federal law that was created to force employers to provide employees with a safe and secure working environment at all times. 

The union will hold an online press conference today, according to a press release issued by Director of Communication and Digital Strategy Bethany Khan this past Saturday. In the meantime, she explains, “The lawsuit alleges casino hotels have not protected workers, their families, and their community from the spread of COVID-19, and that the current rules and procedures in place for responding to workers contracting COVID-19 have been wholly and dangerously inadequate.”

Over 60,000 casino employees across Las Vegas and Reno are represented by the Culinary Union Local 226 and the Bartenders Union Local 165. The two had already been pushing for better protection as casinos reopened, including the issuance of face masks and the implementation of mandatory testing. However, not all of the gaming properties were willing to introduce the measures. According to the union, only 11 operators provide testing for their employees, while more than 55% do not.

Eight teams were reduced to just four across the weekend as Saturday and Sunday saw wins for the two most successful clubs in F.A. Cup history, along with two other huge names as the semi-final picture became crystal clear.

With Liverpool already out of the picture, having been beaten by Chelsea already in this season’s F.A. Cup, the stakes couldn’t be much higher for massive teams with everything to lose but one magical trophy to win.

Norwich City 1-2 Manchester United

The Red Devils made very heavy work of what should have been a routine victory at Carrow Road.  After a drab first half, the away side went ahead after a neat flicked assist from Juan Mata and an even better flicked finish from on-loan Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo.

At the beginning of the year, things were looking great for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) gambling market. A report showed how it was the fastest-growing market in the world, with a steady increase in gross gaming yield from 2001 through 2019. The trend was forecast to continue non-stop for the next decade, but the coronavirus had other plans. While it’s undoubtedly just a temporary glitch and recovery will be possible, 2020 is now expected to find the APAC casinos reporting an aggregate 70% decline in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) over the 2019 figures, according to a report just released by Moody’s Investor Services. Next year may not be too much better, either.

The ratings agency dove into the different mechanisms that keep the casino industry turning, breaking down the impact COVID-19 has had on international travel and gambling venue closures. Taking into account social distancing orders that are prevalent across the entire industry, the reduction in the number of available gaming options and customers paints a bleak picture. Moody’s asserts, We assume the earnings recovery will start in the second half of 2020, following a very weak first half. Still, earnings in 2021 will be lower than in previous years. Downside risks to our forecasts are significant, particularly if the pandemic is not contained and lockdowns have to be reinstated.”

Dissecting the APAC gambling activity as a whole and the performance of operators like Crown Resorts, Genting Singapore, Las Vegas Sands, Melco Resorts, MGM Resorts International, Wynn Resort and more, all of whom have a presence in Asia, Moody’s was able to deduce where the industry stands and where it’s headed. They’re all struggling to pick up lost revenue, which, combined, makes for a huge loss, but should be able to bounce back with time. According to Moody’s, “These companies have sufficient cash equivalents and committed facilities to withstand temporary cash burn, which includes operating expenses, interest payments and maintenance capital spending, as well as meet their debt repayments in 2020.”

In real terms, the loss means the APAC casino industry will go from an EBITDA of $14.5 million last year to only $4 billion this year. If COVID-19 pops back up and APAC casinos close down again, like has been seen in a few areas in the U.S, then the figures could be much worse. 2021 won’t bring a lot of relief, with the casino industry needing at least through the end of next year to mount a resurgence. A spike in coronavirus cases is still a possibility, and the risk of further revenue declines is “significant, particularly if the pandemic is not contained and lockdowns have to be reinstated,” according to Moody’s.

The gambling industry has started to figure out how its going to use this current moment to adapt and improve long term, and a lot of that involves new technology and new ways of thinking. The perfect man to talk to then is Earle G. Hall, CEO of AXES.ai and chair of the GSA blockchain group, as he can pull from a deep knowledge of technology and human behavior and help us through it. He joined our Becky Liggero Fontana for the latest episode of The Long Con.

Liggero Fontana began by asking how Hall has adapted to a more sedentary life, having months of rest from his usual busy travel schedule. “I’m really worried about my first plane ride to see how my body’s going to react, my morale is going to act,” he responded. “But more than that there’s something that I’m researching right now and it’s the amount of chemicals they’re putting in the plane. I’m sure after a couple plane rides it’s like everything else, I’ll be back in the air I’ll have about a hundred thousand miles left to do between now and Christmas, no big deal, back to the races. But for all of us that are road warriors, our lungs are already pretty dried out and roughed up from all the miles we’re doing in the hotel rooms, and the chemicals on the carpets and stuff. So from what I’m seeing about the way they’re disinfecting the airplanes, I’m stressed about that one and I’m going to monitoring it very closely from airline to airline.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIiM-j8NadQ?feature=oembed]

But before we can get back to the conference circuit, the gambling industry has to secure its future. Hall gave a peak of what that might look like. “I think before everybody’s revenue comes back to somewhere near normal, we’re going to be in a hybrid world where we’re going to be using virtual a lot more than in-person,” he said. “And it’s not going to be because of social distancing, because I think that’s just a load of crap… but I think we’re going to be in a hybrid world that’s going to be generated by economics. Everybody’s anxious to get open, everybody’s anxious to get moving, but at the end of the day companies can’t go bankrupt because of travel allowances. So I think everybody’s going to be very careful until we get back into some level of normality, and right now normality is going to be governed by social distancing. We have jurisdictions that need to have two empty slot machines between one player; so either you’re going to be playing a hundred slot machines in the warehouse, or you’re going to have less than 50% of your casino floor being in an operation. And if you do the math on that I don’t know how people are going to be profitable on low volume and low play.”

With the GGPoker WSOP Main Event just around the corner, the schedule has been released in full and it’s the talk of the poker world.

With a total of 54 WSOP bracelets to be won in events including a massive $25,000 Poker Players Championship, with a half-price entry fee of the regular, live Las Vegas version. The lowest buy-in of the series is, of course, the lowest entry fee that will ever have been paid for a WSOP event – outright that is, with satellite value always having been the best way to play – is the $50-entry ‘BIG 50’.

The WSOP Main Event on GGPoker kicks off on August 16th, costing $5,000 to take part in rather than the $10,000 ‘stack of high society’ that it would do in Las Vegas. With a massive $25 million guarantee, however, the Main Event will require 5,000 entries to reach that guarantee, the biggest ever guarantee in the history of online tournaments.

Taking place across just three days, there are 22 ‘freezeout’ Day 1 flights, so in theory, a player could pay an incredible $110,000 to play the same event someone could satellite in for a relative pittance. This has led to an explosion of discussion on Twitter.