To begin with, it’s so hard to describe Liverpool fans to Americans. You could say think of them as Patriots fans but they haven’t won a major league title, until now. Liverpool ended a wait that had lasted more than three decades to claim the 2020 Premier League title.

🏆 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 🏆

Join us on LFCTV for a very special show that includes live guests, player interviews and much much more! 🤩

The only place to be on this historic night ❤

A lot of people like to accuse the cryptocurrency space of being nothing more than a haven for fraudulent activity. While there’s no denying that there have been plenty of scams and failed schemes in the sector, it certainly isn’t alone. The fact that a major fiat payments platform can suddenly come up short by billions of dollars shows that the fiat sector is no better off than crypto. Wirecard, a Germany-based payments processor that has served the gambling industry and others somehow managed to misplace $2 billion in funds, and has now been forced to file for bankruptcy.

Wirecard had a good run, an established company that had attracted a lot of attention and began working with a number of important clients around the world. However, it was revealed last week that $2.1 billion was missing from its balance sheet following an investigation led by The Financial Times that started last year. It’s a major embarrassment both for the company, as well as Germany’s financial regulator, BaFin.

The company’s CEO, Markus Braun, has already been arrested for allegedly cooking the books and showing false data on Wirecard’s balance sheet. He had been in charge of the company for 18 years and was responsible for taking it to new heights, including a spot on the DAX 30 index. However, Braun was reportedly able to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, and the financial health of the company was nowhere near as strong as he had made it seem.

The missing money is reportedly held in two banks in the Philippines, according to Wirecard. However, both banks have denied any relationship with the company, and it has now been revealed that the “evidence” showing the connection with the banks had been completely fabricated, possibly with assistance from someone inside the financial institutions. Now, the Philippines wants Wirecard’s former chief operating officer, Jan Marsalek, to appear before officials in order to try to get to the truth. Marsalek was fired from Wirecard earlier this week and is reportedly already in the Philippines.

Renee Mate, Affiliate Program Manager at Rewards Affiliates, has been around the industry a long time, and has been bumping into our Becky Liggero Fontana at many industry events. At this year’s ICE London 2020, the two caught up again to discuss how far the affiliate side has come, and a quick look at what her firm is doing now.

Mate’s been in the industry 15 years now, and Liggero Fontana asked how much she’s seen change in that time. “So I remember when I started, everything felt really easy; it doesn’t feel easy anymore,” she said. “The biggest things that I remember have changed, obviously the U.S. market just changed overnight. That was probably the biggest boom for us. I remember when mobile first came in, everyone was like, ‘Oh no, why would people play on their mobile,’ you know? But now like, mobiles probably like bigger than PC use. Regulation which could be a good or bad thing, depends on where you look at it, depends if you’re actually in the regulated markets or not. Yeah, they’re just a couple of the bigger things, but definitely over the last 15 years, has changed a lot. “

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOL50xvbM6I?feature=oembed]

But as much as things have changed, many elements are just as they were when Mate started. Liggero Fontana asked her to comment on those pieces. “Well I think in terms of staying the same, like a lot of us old guys kind of obviously see people come and go but a lot of us have still stayed,” she said. “Even if they’ve left their companies, they’ll go and they always come back, because nobody can get out of this industry. It’s amazing, it’s so much fun, even relationships that you created with other operators fifteen years ago are now paying off in a different way because a lot of operators are while a lot of affiliate managers move from the affiliate program and go into you know affiliate operations. In terms of that, it’s really important to have a relationship with everyone, not just affiliates. So I think that’s probably the biggest thing that stayed the same. On the other hand, there’s so many new faces, like I don’t recognize a lot of people, I feel really old.”

Renee Mate, Affiliate Program Manager at Rewards Affiliates, has been around the industry a long time, and has been bumping into our Becky Liggero Fontana at many industry events. At this year’s ICE London 2020, the two caught up again to discuss how far the affiliate side has come, and a quick look at what her firm is doing now.

Mate’s been in the industry 15 years now, and Liggero Fontana asked how much she’s seen change in that time. “So I remember when I started, everything felt really easy; it doesn’t feel easy anymore,” she said. “The biggest things that I remember have changed, obviously the U.S. market just changed overnight. That was probably the biggest boom for us. I remember when mobile first came in, everyone was like, ‘Oh no, why would people play on their mobile,’ you know? But now like, mobiles probably like bigger than PC use. Regulation which could be a good or bad thing, depends on where you look at it, depends if you’re actually in the regulated markets or not. Yeah, they’re just a couple of the bigger things, but definitely over the last 15 years, has changed a lot. “

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOL50xvbM6I?feature=oembed]

But as much as things have changed, many elements are just as they were when Mate started. Liggero Fontana asked her to comment on those pieces. “Well I think in terms of staying the same, like a lot of us old guys kind of obviously see people come and go but a lot of us have still stayed,” she said. “Even if they’ve left their companies, they’ll go and they always come back, because nobody can get out of this industry. It’s amazing, it’s so much fun, even relationships that you created with other operators fifteen years ago are now paying off in a different way because a lot of operators are while a lot of affiliate managers move from the affiliate program and go into you know affiliate operations. In terms of that, it’s really important to have a relationship with everyone, not just affiliates. So I think that’s probably the biggest thing that stayed the same. On the other hand, there’s so many new faces, like I don’t recognize a lot of people, I feel really old.”

The Drew Las Vegas was going to be a fresh face on the Las Vegas landscape, something completely different to attract gamblers and tourists. Everything seemed to be running smoothly – the money was reportedly in place, construction was underway and a Vegas heavy hitter, Bobby Baldwin, was tapped to lead the show. However, when the project’s developer, Steve Witkoff of the Witkoff Group, suddenly appeared to have come up short on payments by a couple billion dollars, there appeared to be a little trouble in paradise. Contractors began filing claims to recover around $36 million they were owed and there is now a new list of people looking for their money. Five executives who were let go after The Drew’s plans fizzled are suing to receive the money stipulated in their contracts, but they’re going to have to get in line behind everyone else. 

As the coronavirus took its toll on Las Vegas, The Drew suffered, as well. As a result, the five individuals were let go under less-than-adequate conditions. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal (LVRJ), the quintet was known to Baldwin and were “aggressively recruited” to participate in the project. They were offered nice salaries and guaranteed bonuses and their contracts included language that would see four of them be paid the full amount of their four-year contracts, no matter what (the fifth executive was given a one-year guarantee). The only exception allowed would be if someone were fired for cause.

However, Witkoff may have tried to bend the rules a little as The Drew’s future began to dissolve. He apparently walked back his agreement with plaintiffs Paul Berry, Robert Mancari, Farid Matraki, Michael Peltyn and Michael Tozzi and tried to offer them just two months’ severance. This, according to an agreement sent to each from the company, would only be made if the executives agreed to not file any claims against the Witkoff Group. That apparently didn’t work.

The lawsuit was filed this past Monday in Clark County, and calls out Witkoff; son Alex, who serves as the executive VP of development at the Witkoff Group; Baldwin and The Drew chief financial officer Chris Nordling. Attorney Adam Levine will be in the plaintiffs’ corner and attorney Paul Trimmer will be in the defendants’ corner. Trimmer said in an email to the LVRJ yesterday, “The lawsuit has no merit. We intend to defend against the claims vigorously when we file our response with the Court. We otherwise have no comment.”

In 2018, Eldorado Resorts was preparing to purchase the Lumière Place in St. Louis, Missouri as part of a package deal it was arranging with Tropicana Entertainment. The idea was to turn around and sell the real estate to Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (GLPI), but gaming regulators nixed the arrangement over concerns that the real estate investment trust (REIT) would have too much control in the city. Fast-forward to today, and it seems the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) has had a change of heart. GLPI is now going to be the sole casino real estate owner in St. Louis, controlling all property assets of the six casinos in the city. 

This past Wednesday, the commissioners of the MGC got together to explore a number of issues, including the potential GLPI acquisition of Eldorado’s real estate. By the time the meeting was done, four of the commissioners had signed off on the deal, with only commissioner Dan Finney – the only commissioner to have been on the MGC in 2018 during the initial rejection – reasserting his opposition to the move. His concern, which was the case two years ago, as well, is that GLPI will have monopoly power over the casino real estate assets. 

However, this isn’t entirely accurate. Just because GLPI controls the real estate doesn’t mean the company controls the casinos. The six gambling properties have different owners – Boyd Gaming, Eldorado and Penn National, with the Casino Queen owned by its employees. Since an REIT doesn’t get involved in the casino operations, merely holding title to the real estate assets, the six casinos will still continue to operate as they always have. 

Eldorado had planned on spending $1.85 billion for Tropicana assets when the deal was being negotiated in 2018. At the time, GLPI would be brought in to buy Tropicana’s real estate and then lease it to Eldorado, shelling out $1.21 billion in the process. When the commission turned down the deal, however, GLPI and Eldorado hatched a new plan that would allow the latter to spruce up Lumière Place with the help of a $246-million loan from the REIT. Now, with the deal approved, Eldorado has reportedly agreed to spend a minimum of $12.5 million on updates. Those enhancements would have to be completed within five years from the time GLPI and Eldorado sign on the dotted line to hand over the real estate assets. 

As we try to distance ourselves from anything that might get us sick, the use of cash in casinos has become a potential way to use technology to accomplish that task. The Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) made it easier for Nevada casinos to introduce cashless systems within their land-based operations on June 25, and that opens up a huge opportunity for casinos to improve their operation and save money with Bitcoin SV (BSV).

The NGC passed eight amendments, each of which will make it easier for cashless systems to be introduced. Effective immediately, the amendments remove some of the existing requirements for a cashless system, such as required print outs for slot machines. Funds can now be transferred directly from a smart device to slots or tables and then back again.

The NGC said that they hope this would be the first step toward transforming the use of currency in casinos to electronic payment transfer systems. But not everyone is in favor of the idea, as some responsible gaming advocates have expressed concern that this will make compulsive gambling easier to pursue. Acting commission Chairman John Moran didn’t agree. “I don’t think you really give anything up by approving the first step,” he said.

Board Chairwoman Sandra Morgan, Phil Katsaros and Jim Barbee agreed that this shouldn’t introduce any additional problems, and in fact could help improve factors like tracing financial transactions through cashless systems and enforcing self-exclusion.

After allowing Imperial Pacific International (IPI) to run wild for the past several years, casino regulators may finally be ready to bring it under control. The company behind Saipan’s Imperial Palace casino, which has experienced one embarrassing situation after another, is going to need to get its act together and put its operations in order once and for all, starting with the appointment of a new CEO. Unfortunately, that’s going to be easier said than done, and it’s going to be interesting to see if IPI can fulfill its obligations given the fact that it apparently has no money. The recent $6.5 million it received is only enough to put a small dent in what it owes.

The Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), to which Saipan belongs, has presented IPI with three orders – find a new CEO by July 10, pay all its outstanding debts to private vendors and the government and set aside enough money to be able to always cover three months’ worth of employee salaries. IPI has been without a CEO since Mark Brown left this past December – the second time he gave up on the company in the same number of years. The chairman of the CCC, Edward C. Deleon Guerrero, asserts, “We continuously pressed upon them that it is an utmost urgency that IPI appoint a CEO even at an interim basis or acting capacity. We have reached the point now where we have no other options except to issue the order.”

The second order, covering all its debt, seems to be an insurmountable task. If it had the money to make good on its bills, IPI should have already wiped the slate clean. If it comes up with the money now, there will be plenty of questions raised about why it wasn’t able to keep up before, as well as why it just needed to receive a loan of $6.5 million. IPI reportedly owes a minimum of $45 million to various government and private entities, and has already warned that it might have to permanently close Imperial Palace because of lack of funds.

CCC commissioner Diego M. Songao, who has been with the organization for two years, has seen how IPI has continued to dodge its financial responsibilities and asserts, “I really feel that IPI has been playing with the casino commission for the past two years. This order perhaps will make IPI wake up that we are serious and that they have to do something.” Better late than never.

The action took a while to get going in Gameweek #31 of the English Premier League, but when Spurs scored their opener through a West Ham own goal, the blue touch paper was lit. A full midweek EPL programme of fixtures is always exciting, but in lockdown? It’s thrilling.

From expected wins for teams such as Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United to a thrilling late victory for Chelsea that gave Liverpool their first title in 30 years courtesy of a self-imploding Manchester City defence, this gameweek had it all.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 West Ham United

Jose Mourinho saw his Spurs side convincingly beat their London rivals as David Moyes’ team lost their second successive game 2-0 in meek fashion.

The rescheduled Kentucky Derby will take place this September with pandemic restrictions on fans who dare to risk watching the race in person.

On Wednesday, Churchill Downs Racetrack (CDRT) confirmed that, following discussions with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and state health officials, the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, September 5 at the iconic Louisville racetrack.

The annual Derby Week event was supposed to take place in early May but CDRT’s parent company Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) was forced to cancel the festivities due to fears that jamming thousands of people cheek-to-jowl in grandstands was possibly not the best strategy in the face of a global pandemic.

CDRT president Kevin Flanery said the company had worked with state officials to establish “a comprehensive set of operating procedures” to keep fans and organizers safe during the five-day Derby Week festivities.

It’s a huge weekend in both the Premier League and F.A. Cup, with teams such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea all in action.

Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (Saturday, 12.30pm GMT kick-off)

A huge game takes place in the Midlands as Aston Villa take on local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers with their very survival on the line. A late Ahmed Elmohamady strike gave Villa a hard-fought point at St. James Park after Dwight Gayle had opened the scoring for The Magpies.

On Saturday, Wolves will be a completely different prospect. Chasing the Champions League places, the ‘Old Gold’ will be dangerous on the break, through Adama Traore and Diego Jota, with Raul Jimenez a constant threat with the supply line coming from everywhere. Villa need to win, but we see a score draw on the cards.