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.

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International cricket returns, with three matches commencing this week. Australia take on India at home in Sydney, while across the Tasman, New Zealand will be hoping to start their summer off on a positive note, with a win over the West Indies in their T20 series. 2019 World Cup winners, England will do battle against South Africa.

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant a major shift in the international cricket calendar, with the players only recently returning after a stint in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). Below are our odds and match tips on all three games.

Australia vs India

Australia welcome back star batsmen Steve Smith into their line-up for their opening fixture against India in Sydney. Australia have not played together as a side since a 2-1 series win over England in September. The Aussies will be hoping that mercurial all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and keeper Alex Carey can continue their stellar form with the bat. Maxwell and Carey combined for a 212-run partnership to seal a win for the Aussies, in their last outing against England. Australia are expected to field both Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, with all-rounder Mitch Marsh set to be sidelined for the summer through injury.

Online cockfighting appears to be on the fast track to legalization and regulation in the Philippines, but it was bound to have some push back. Although legislators are making the first steps to making the activity safer and easier to tax, the Catholic Church has now come out against the activity, while local authorities continue to make arrests.

The Bishop of Balanga, Ruperto Santos, has come out against online cockfighting, locally known as e-sabong. “What we need in this time COVID-19 is spiritual recovery, moral ascendancy, not promotion of vices and proliferation of any form of gambling,” he said in a November 24 interview. “This online sabong will never be blessing to our country, as it will only be source of problems in the community and division in the family.”

If it was up to him, legislators would “enact laws which will serve our people and save our country, not because of money nor to satisfy one’s addiction.”

Bishop Santos opposed to construction of a cockpit in his own Bataan province, just across the bay from Manila. “It is such a disgrace and very disappointing to know that in this critical time of the coronavirus pandemic, there are people who are planning to construct a cockpit in Barangay Imelda in Samal,” he said in October. “Will that cockpit help our people, especially in the middle of a pandemic when people are even struggling to put food on their tables? Absolutely not.”

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) still has Steve Wynn in its sights, despite the fact that he was ousted from Wynn Resorts, the casino company he founded. The regulatory body wanted to place a lifetime ban on him following the major fallout from his sexual misconduct scandal, but Wynn asserted that it couldn’t. The case went to court and, last week, the NGCB was handed a defeat when a judge decided that it, along with the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC), didn’t have that level of authority. Now, the NGCB might try to appeal that decision in hopes of keeping Wynn out of Nevada’s gaming scene.

The NGCB had argued that Wynn was “unsuitable to be associated with a gaming enterprise or the gaming industry as a whole” when it presented its case before Clark County District Court Judge Adriana Escobar. However, Escobar decided that, because Wynn had given up control of the company in 2018, the board no longer had any legal grounds for going after him. Escobar explained in his ruling, “Because [Wynn] has no material involvement, directly or indirectly, with a licensed gaming operation, this Court finds that [gaming regulators] have no jurisdiction to impose discipline or fines against [Wynn].”

Wynn has always denied any wrongdoing and has tried to avoid the topic of his sexual appetite as much as possible. However, he was still forced out of the company, opting, in his words, to resign in order to save the casino operator’s reputation. He tendered his resignation and subsequently sold off his entire stake in the company, which gave him a massive windfall that he used to purchase a $43-million mansion in Florida’s secluded city of Lantana. 

The NGCB wanted to hit Wynn with a financial penalty and has tried to pin him down on five violations, all of which allegedly occurred while he was leading the company. Despite his claims of innocence, Wynn Resorts was ultimately determined to have been involved in some type of shady action with him and had to pay a total of more than $55 million in fines in Nevada and Massachusetts. Since he’s no longer involved in the state’s gaming scene, though, Escobar feels that he can’t be held accountable for any alleged improprieties. The NGCB will weigh its options and decide whether to appeal that decision when it meets on December 2.

COVID-19 has Greece-based gaming company Intralot scrambling. It continues on a downward trajectory that began a couple of years ago and which has cost it $51 million this year alone, and more losses are coming. According to a company update Intralot just shared, it is preparing for another hit and is now pulling out everything it has in its bag of tricks to keep any further financial damage to a minimum. 

Per an announcement on its website, Intralot indicates that it expects to take a hit of up to $33 million at its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) level. As a result, it is now using “all available measures that could help alleviate the impact of the pandemic.” Among these measures are employee furloughs, term negotiations with suppliers, travel restriction, and “securing our liquidity utilizing different governmental support programs across jurisdictions.”

Earlier this year, Intralot announced that the first half of 2020 brought losses of over $51.2 million as a result of a 55% decrease in group revenue that had been reduced to $200.2 million. Not only has it been impacted by the continued COVID-19 threat, but it also lost several key deals in Bulgaria and Turkey that stripped it of some solid moneymakers. Intralot hopes the new measures, which will need to be implemented by all of its groups around the world, will help the slide lose momentum. 

In addition, Intralot most likely won’t be seeking out any new expansion possibilities in the near future. It added in its announcement that it was temporarily suspending all planned investments, which already had $14.3 million of the company’s money earmarked. At this point, it would appear that Intralot is going to put the company in a holding pattern until everything on the ground starts to settle. 

The average person spends 90,000 hours working over a lifetime. Research published last year in the JAMA medical journal indicated that life expectancy is now declining, having dropped from 78.9 years in 2014 to 78.6 in 2017, after having increased steadily for the previous decade. This can only mean one thing – everyone is working too much and not playing too little. Fortunately, there is a solution that should appeal to many people. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that it’s possible to still be productive and effective, even if you don’t shlep to an office building every day, and working remotely has begun to attract a lot of attention. There are plenty of countries now where it’s possible to enjoy life more, even as you plug away on the computer to meet the boss’s erratic deadline changes.

Iceland has long been a supporter of remote employment, having introduced a Work In Iceland program years ago. Initially, it was only for those living in Europe, but has been expanded to welcome anyone who doesn’t need a visa. Feel free to drop in for up to six months and work remotely, but be prepared – only those who make $88,000 or more a year need apply, according to Bloomberg.

If dealing with the cold doesn’t sound appealing, there’s a tropical alternative. Head to the Cayman Islands, where remote workers can stay for up to two years. Prop up against a palm tree on the white sandy beaches and tap away at the laptop keyboard while running your toes through the sand. This can potentially be a good alternative for couples, or families with children, as couples have to show they earn at least $150,000 a year, $180,000 for families. Individuals, however, have to show income of at least $100,000.

Antigua and Barbuda is making it a little easier for remote workers than either of the first two. Through its Nomad Digital Residence program, you can live and play in the Caribbean paradise for up to two years, as long as you earn $50,000 or more a year. The $1,500 application fee is money well-spent in order to get out of the cubicle and onto the beach.

Betting on Sports America Digital

SBC is swinging its attention back to sports in America with another high-level digital conference. This conference will have senior operators, regulators and sports organizers breaking down the status of sports betting in America as we approach 2021.

Along with great talks and SBC’s state of the art platform, attendees will also have the chance to network with each other and visit the expo hall. With 2,500 delegates, 130 speakers and 40 exhibitors, this is an important event as sports betting in America continues to expand.

What: Betting on Sports America Digital

Betting on Sports America Digital

SBC is swinging its attention back to sports in America with another high-level digital conference. This conference will have senior operators, regulators and sports organizers breaking down the status of sports betting in America as we approach 2021.

Along with great talks and SBC’s state of the art platform, attendees will also have the chance to network with each other and visit the expo hall. With 2,500 delegates, 130 speakers and 40 exhibitors, this is an important event as sports betting in America continues to expand.

What: Betting on Sports America Digital

COVID-19 has the gaming industry in a virtual headlock and doesn’t appear to be ready to release its grip anytime soon. This year is essentially a write-off for many companies operating in the space, and Australia’s Ainsworth Game Technology is one of them. The gaming equipment supplier has tried different maneuvers to free itself, but COVID-19 is proving to be exaggeratingly stubborn. With talk of a possible vaccine right around the corner, there’s hope that the coronavirus might be defeated in the near future, and Ainsworth’s latest struggles show that this defeat can’t come soon enough. 

For the last year of Ainsworth’s fiscal year, which closed at the end of June 2020, the company reported a $31.5-million loss in revenue for the year. Only a year earlier, it had enjoyed a $7.96-million profit, but COVID-19 has proven to be a cunning enemy to the gaming industry. The latest report coming out of the company, which covers the last half of 2020 and the first half of Ainsworth’s fiscal year, shows that more bad news is on the way, with as much as $11 million in pre-tax losses expected.

According to CEO Lawrence Levy, addressing shareholders today, “We cautiously expect the challenging market conditions experienced” in the previous fiscal year “to continue in the first half, fiscal year 2021. As a result, for [the first half of] fiscal-year 2021, we expect to report a loss before tax for the group, excluding the impacts of foreign exchange and one-off items, of approximately AUD15 million [$11 million], which is in line with the company’s expectations given the effect of the September quarter.”

Ainsworth has already implemented measures to try to limit the losses, including job cuts and some financial juggling. At least 107 jobs have had to be eliminated and a money line it has with a creditor, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., was tapped to shore up the company. It was also restructured to facilitate “minimum liquidity levels and quarterly sales targets,” according to Levy. He told shareholders that the company is making preparations in case the ongoing pandemic gets worse, but adds that it remains “focused on ensuring that our liquidity and balance sheet strengthen during this challenging time.”

COVID-19 has the gaming industry in a virtual headlock and doesn’t appear to be ready to release its grip anytime soon. This year is essentially a write-off for many companies operating in the space, and Australia’s Ainsworth Game Technology is one of them. The gaming equipment supplier has tried different maneuvers to free itself, but COVID-19 is proving to be exaggeratingly stubborn. With talk of a possible vaccine right around the corner, there’s hope that the coronavirus might be defeated in the near future, and Ainsworth’s latest struggles show that this defeat can’t come soon enough. 

For the last year of Ainsworth’s fiscal year, which closed at the end of June 2020, the company reported a $31.5-million loss in revenue for the year. Only a year earlier, it had enjoyed a $7.96-million profit, but COVID-19 has proven to be a cunning enemy to the gaming industry. The latest report coming out of the company, which covers the last half of 2020 and the first half of Ainsworth’s fiscal year, shows that more bad news is on the way, with as much as $11 million in pre-tax losses expected.

According to CEO Lawrence Levy, addressing shareholders today, “We cautiously expect the challenging market conditions experienced” in the previous fiscal year “to continue in the first half, fiscal year 2021. As a result, for [the first half of] fiscal-year 2021, we expect to report a loss before tax for the group, excluding the impacts of foreign exchange and one-off items, of approximately AUD15 million [$11 million], which is in line with the company’s expectations given the effect of the September quarter.”

Ainsworth has already implemented measures to try to limit the losses, including job cuts and some financial juggling. At least 107 jobs have had to be eliminated and a money line it has with a creditor, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., was tapped to shore up the company. It was also restructured to facilitate “minimum liquidity levels and quarterly sales targets,” according to Levy. He told shareholders that the company is making preparations in case the ongoing pandemic gets worse, but adds that it remains “focused on ensuring that our liquidity and balance sheet strengthen during this challenging time.”

If things had gone according to plan, Japan’s integrated resort (IR) market would have been in its advanced stage of development already. However, launching a new industry in the country is proving to be a Herculean task that has seen several unexpected obstacles thrown at it. Politicians allegedly accepting bribes and a pesky little virus that won’t go away have forced the country to repeatedly push back its timeline, but Japan’s leadership is determined to see three IRs come to life within the next several years. The Nagasaki prefecture hopes to be one of the locations chosen in the first round, and is making progress with its local framework. It has now announced its schedule for the required request-for-proposal (RFP) process that will get the ball rolling. 

The Nagasaki prefecture is going to invite private-sector casino operators to submit RFPs to assist with the casino project beginning in January, according to an update provided by the local government yesterday. As soon as all the proposals are in and are sufficiently, and meticulously, reviewed, Nagasaki then hopes to be able to choose its partner sometime during the fall. If it finds a suitable partner and they can develop a workable solution, Nagasaki then plans on being able to present its IR proposal to the national government during the spring of 2022.

Previously, the hope was to have at least one of the first IRs, if not all three, in place by 2024 or 2025, coinciding with the World Expo in Osaka in 2025. That is already off the table, but Nagasaki believes that, should it be chosen to host a casino resort, it will be able to have a property in place before 2030. Like the country’s government, Nagasaki prefecture has been forced to delay its RFP process a number of times because of COVID-19 and the continued pandemic is causing pandemonium with the development of the IR framework at the national and the regional levels. This past September, the country announced that the development of its guidance, the IR Basic Policy, could be delayed anywhere from six to 12 months.

Nagasaki is ready to establish its schedule after putting some final touches on the RFP guidelines. According to Inside Asian Gaming, quoting someone from the prefecture’s IR Promotion Department, those touches included in the revised draft are “the schedule, content that ensures security, health and safety of the IR area and the facility, and enhancing measures against problem gambling.” 

If things had gone according to plan, Japan’s integrated resort (IR) market would have been in its advanced stage of development already. However, launching a new industry in the country is proving to be a Herculean task that has seen several unexpected obstacles thrown at it. Politicians allegedly accepting bribes and a pesky little virus that won’t go away have forced the country to repeatedly push back its timeline, but Japan’s leadership is determined to see three IRs come to life within the next several years. The Nagasaki prefecture hopes to be one of the locations chosen in the first round, and is making progress with its local framework. It has now announced its schedule for the required request-for-proposal (RFP) process that will get the ball rolling. 

The Nagasaki prefecture is going to invite private-sector casino operators to submit RFPs to assist with the casino project beginning in January, according to an update provided by the local government yesterday. As soon as all the proposals are in and are sufficiently, and meticulously, reviewed, Nagasaki then hopes to be able to choose its partner sometime during the fall. If it finds a suitable partner and they can develop a workable solution, Nagasaki then plans on being able to present its IR proposal to the national government during the spring of 2022.

Previously, the hope was to have at least one of the first IRs, if not all three, in place by 2024 or 2025, coinciding with the World Expo in Osaka in 2025. That is already off the table, but Nagasaki believes that, should it be chosen to host a casino resort, it will be able to have a property in place before 2030. Like the country’s government, Nagasaki prefecture has been forced to delay its RFP process a number of times because of COVID-19 and the continued pandemic is causing pandemonium with the development of the IR framework at the national and the regional levels. This past September, the country announced that the development of its guidance, the IR Basic Policy, could be delayed anywhere from six to 12 months.

Nagasaki is ready to establish its schedule after putting some final touches on the RFP guidelines. According to Inside Asian Gaming, quoting someone from the prefecture’s IR Promotion Department, those touches included in the revised draft are “the schedule, content that ensures security, health and safety of the IR area and the facility, and enhancing measures against problem gambling.” 

Coming up on December 8-9 is our beloved WGES, a C-level event that usually takes place at the W Barcelona in early July, this year was postponed to December due to COVID and ultimately forced to make the leap from in-person to digital.

Sam Milliken is the Project Manager for WGES, a brave young man who has taken on the challenge of organizing the whole event and learning how to execute in a digital format along the way.

“Us coming from a physical event to a virtual event has been challenging all around and I can sympathize with all the other events companies because its been a crazy one, but we’re moving in the right direction and I think this year is definitely one that we can all learn from”, he said.

In addition to managing the enormous work load that comes along with organizing a digital event, Milliken pointed out a challenge that everyone is facing around the globe- how to replicate online what we know and love in-person.