THE AMERICAS

Caesars Interactive Entertainment got one last social casino bump before selling its Playtika business to a Chinese consortium; New York’s governor finally signed daily fantasy sports legislation while FanDuel underwent a corporate rebrand; Atlantic City’s Trump Taj Mahal said it would close after Labor Day; Penn National Gaming acquired social casino operator Rocket Games; MGM Resorts said it had its best July ever; Zynga’s thriving social casino games couldn’t stem its user exodus; PokerTribe.com surprised no one by delaying its real-money poker launch; eSports skin betting site CSGO Lounge announced that it would apply for betting licenses where available; GAN inked yet another mystery social gaming deal and a Florida court ruled that a card room’s player-banked games were illegal.

EUROPE and MIDDLE EAST

Ladbrokes online revenue rose but still couldn’t turn a profit; William Hill acquired software developer Grand Parade to give its struggling online division a boost; the UK Gambling Commission okayed its licensees using Bitcoin while the Malta Gaming Authority still views Bitcoin as a risk; the UKGC suspended Smart Live Gaming’s operating license pending a suitability review; FanDuel officially launched its UK-facing site; the value of betting sector Premier League shirt deals rose 57% in one year; an Israeli government report recommended strict gambling curbs; Fnatic’s Wouter Sleijffers offered insights into the lives of pro Esports players; Onpage.org’s Marcus Tandler told affiliates how to adapt to the changing search engine landscape while Mobilecasinoman.com’s Alan Young offered a vision of what the future holds for mobile casino affiliates and Summit of iGaming Malta founders Eman Pulls and Dennis Dyhr-Hansen explained why their third annual event would be the biggest yet.