It’s probably not too much of a coincidence that Senet, Australia’s advisory group on gambling laws, regulations and compliance, has introduced a new solution on the heels of a damning report on Crown Resorts. The once-giant casino operator is now facing serious issues across the country and has been barred, for now, from operating a casino at its newest resort in New South Wales (NSW). That’s only the beginning, however, and Senet plans on helping the country’s gambling industry clean up its act through its new compliance accreditation program, designed to combat gambling-related harm and potential money laundering.

The Senet Assure and Senet Assure Premium accreditation comes about as a method to give operators more incentive to provide more diligence to their operations. It is essentially a badge of approval by Senet that “will only be awarded to operators who can demonstrate the highest level of vigilance,” according to Paul Newson, a regulatory and gambling specialist with Senet. He adds that the accreditation will be awarded be a demonstration of the company’s commitment to adhere to a responsible gaming culture.

The new accreditation program doesn’t come as a direct response to the Crown affair, but the drama surrounding the casino operator for the past several years most likely played a role in how the new program was formulated. Senet is also responding to concerns raised by the NSW Crime Commission, which recently predicted that Australia could see an increase in financial crime. The commission asserts that money-laundering activity in the country might spread to new areas as criminals look to exploit new targets.

Newson adds of Senet’s new endeavor, “Our team has developed this accreditation based on our deep knowledge of the complexities and challenges in 2021 facing gambling operators committed to responsible gambling outcomes and staying a step ahead of criminal activity. The accreditation is a way for industry leaders to demonstrate they are meeting the highest standards of accountability and exceeding best practice in protecting their customers and their staff in cultivating a workplace culture of compliance and social responsibility.”

The thought of turning Cyprus into a massive casino playground is going to take a little more time than expected thanks to COVID-19. The global pandemic has forced casino operators to press the brakes on some of their more ambitious projects, a response to prolonged shutdowns that reduced cash flows and construction possibilities. According to a new update, Cyprus is feeling the sting, as well, and the City of Dreams Mediterranean (CODM) integrated resort project run by Melco Resorts International won’t be ready until sometime late next year, according to the Financial Mirror. That’s almost a year after its initial projected launch.

The casino resort in Limassol carries a price tag of around $667 million, so getting it up and running as soon as possible is paramount to beginning to recuperate that investment. However, according to the Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission (CGCSC), in talks with the House Finance Committee this week, Melco and its partners are being forced to respond to the global pandemic’s grasp on the gaming industry. Expected to be the “largest casino” in Europe, even CODM is too big to avoid COVID-19’s wrath.

CGCSV VP Phidias Pilides announced the delay when committee members began asking for an update on the project. He acknowledged the issue and added that casino revenue in Cyprus has taken a hit from the pandemic, but clarified that the commission expects things to begin to turn around significantly after the CODM opens in the third quarter of next year. Melco, which operates Cyprus Casinos through a partnership, is running satellite casinos in Nicosia, Larnaca, Paphos and Ayia Napa, as well as a temporary casino in Limassol, all of which have seen drops in revenue because of the coronavirus.

Cyprus had counted on about $15.7 million (€13 million) in casino tax revenue for its 2021 budget, but that won’t be possible because of the closures from last year. It isn’t yet clear how far off the final amount will be, but all local casinos, at one point or another, had to be completely shut down in order to stop COVID-19 from spreading.

For the past several years, gaming technology company Scientific Games has been dealing with a repeated headache that never seemed to go away. In 2014, a company Sci Games would ultimately control, SHFL Entertainment (Australasia) Pty, had submitted a patent request in Macau for what it said was a new type of electronic gaming machine (EGM) technology. It should have been a simple and straightforward process, but, almost seven years later, SHFL patent issues were still being debated and were at the heart of several legal battles around the world. However, at least some of the drama might now be over, as the top appeals court in Macau has determined that the patent is no good, essentially because it lacks creativity.

SHFL became part of Bally Technologies Inc. in 2013, which was purchased by Sci Games a year later. As a result, Sci Games had control over all intellectual property (IP) rights for almost everything that had been undertaken along the way, and expected to get the most mileage possible out of its acquisition. It wanted to use the SHFL technology to expand in Macau, but that led to a dispute in the gambling city over the legitimacy of the patent request. 

The patent filing submitted in Macau described an EGM that used a dealer station and individual, connected player terminals. Initially, the Macau Economic and Technological Development Bureau rejected the patent, determining that it didn’t prove an “inventive step” in its design. In other words, it didn’t add anything that wasn’t already in use in the gaming industry.

Sci Games didn’t like that response and filed an appeal. It took its fight to the city’s Court of First Instance almost two years ago, where it found a dead end. It then went to Macau’s Court of Second Instance in late 2019, where it once again found itself running into a brick wall. That left just one more avenue, the Court of Final Appeal. 

The idea of an underground tunnel network in and around Las Vegas continues to move forward. Elon Musk and his The Boring Company have been discussing the possibility of drilling under the city to create a new traffic network that would ease aboveground congestion and the first stage continues to find more support. Proposed as a link between the Las Vegas Convention Center and Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV), a key approval for construction was granted this week by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that an easement agreement has now been given to The Boring Company by the LVCVA, which will help facilitate the completion of the tunnel between the resort and the convention center’s West Hall. As long as there aren’t any surprises along the way, Musk expects to have the project ready prior to the grand opening of RWLV, which is currently scheduled for this summer. The LVCVA approval comes just after the Clark County Board of Commissioners approved the project last week.

The Boring Company envisions a major underground transportation system serving the Las Vegas area, with several different phases being undertaken. In addition to the link between the convention center and RWLV, there is a separate one between the center and Wynn Resorts’ Encore, located on the east side of the Vegas Strip. There is also another Convention Center Loop that would take visitors around the different exhibition halls, and another tunnel that would connect the Strip to Downtown Vegas. The latter, the Vegas Loop, would also include a stop at Allegiant Stadium and, if approved, another at McCarran International Airport.

RWLV is closely watching the tunnel’s progress and would be thrilled to have it in place prior to the property’s big day. Executives at the massive new resort are anxious to open the doors and are ready to launch, no matter what. The property’s president, Scott Sibella, said recently, We hope COVID is behind us. If COVID isn’t behind us, we hope it is less restricted. But we’re opening next summer either way.”

With the Philippines House of Representatives voting yes on new Philippine Offshore Gambling Operator (POGO) taxes, the question is not if the Senate will approve, but when. Several senators indicate it’s just a matter of time.

In a message to BusinessWorld, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III the Senate would “most probably” pass their own POGO tax bill. also pass a bill taxing POGO workers.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto, who has his own POGO bill with a 30% tax rate, thinks they can put something together. “Surely, we can reconcile both bills,” he wrote to the outlet. “Government needs all the taxes/revenue it can collect from the industry.”

Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara believes the bill is necessary to keep in the industry in check. “It is better to have a regulated and supervised gaming industry rather than one that exists underground,” he commented.

After a full year without new Marvel entertainment, we’re quickly getting more than we could have possibly deserved. With WandaVision wrapping up in the next few weeks, Marvel’s The Falcon And The Winter Soldier is set to debut on March 19, and Bodog’s got odds on the two biggest questions going into the story.

Based on trailers, the story appears to kick off shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame, but other than the villain, not much else is clear about the plot. The Falcon, A.K.A. Sam Wilson, and The Winter Soldier, A.K.A. Bucky Barnes, go on an action filled adventure as they appear to be hunted by Captain America: Civil War villain Baron Helmut Zemo, who declares in the trailer, “Superheroes can not be allowed to exist.”

https://youtu.be/IWBsDaFWyTEVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Official Trailer | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Disney+ (https://youtu.be/IWBsDaFWyTE)

But really, Zemo, if you’re going after superheroes, why these two? Why not Spider-man, the Hulk or the Zoom lawyer cat?

It’s a weird time in the world right now. We are approaching one year of the “new” and ever-changing “normal” and the future is anything but certain. What is important now more than ever is human compassion, kindness and offering support for those around us, especially to those who are less fortunate than we are. 

I have dedicated several Becky’s Affiliated columns and CalvinAyre.com interviews to the amazing charitable work the professionals in our industry have done over the years, both in an effort to thank them but also to inspire others. Highlighting charity work makes me happy.

Just the other day I noticed this refreshing LinkedIn post of Calvin’s:

Anyone who follows Calvin’s social media is well aware of his deep passion for BitcoinSV technology, but what they might not know is that he’s deeply passionate about his charitable work too.

Sports betting reclaimed its role as Denmark’s top revenue vertical in the final quarter of 2020, despite online casino apparently having the devil in its corner. 

Figures released Wednesday by Denmark’s Spillemyndigheden regulatory agency show locally licensed gambling operators generated revenue of DKK1.72b (US$281.2m) in the three months ending December 30, up 6.6% from the final quarter of 2019 and 12.5% better than the market reported in Q3 2020. 

Sports betting led Q4’s charge with DKK724m, up 16.6% year-on-year and a damn sight better than the DKK558m reported in Q3 2020. In fact, Q4 was betting’s best quarter last year, which otherwise suffered from pandemic-related shutdowns that began in the latter part of Q1. 

Online casino revenue ranked second with a devilish return of DKK666m, up 16.2% year-on-year and a slightly higher sequential gain from Q3. But Q4’s total was slightly below the DKK673m peak in Q2, when the absence of major sports pushed Danes to explore other gaming verticals. Slots claimed a nearly three-quarter slice of Q4’s casino pie. 

Online casino technology suppliers Evolution Gaming’s profits nearly doubled last year, a feat that was achieved largely before the company absorbed rival NetEnt. 

Figures released Wednesday show the Stockholm-listed Evolution generated revenue of €177.7m in the final quarter of 2020, a 68% rise over Q4 2019. Earnings shot up 72% to €96.2m on a gaudy 54.2% margin, while profit was up a similar percentage to €80.6m. 

Evolution’s game-changing acquisition of RNG casino tech provider NetEnt was completed on December 1, but Evolution said NetEnt’s Q4 revenue contribution of €17.8m was up only 5% year-on-year. In other words, Evolution largely achieved its stellar quarterly results on the strength of its market-leading live casino offering. 

Geographic expansion helped push Evolution’s operating expenses up 62% to €92.8m, although €12.4m of this relates to NetEnt, while restructuring and acquisition costs combined for €19.4m. 

Last year, the MILLIONS Online Main Event was not played at all, meaning that partypoker’s flagship Main Event in terms of their online output was missed by the many players who might have taken part.  

French player Benjamin ‘frenchsniperrr’ Chalot took down the 2019 partypoker MILLIONS Online Main Event for $2.26m, but will that record be broken this year? We haven’t got long until we find out.  

With 28 events, a massive $5-million guarantee for the Main Event itself and other terrific events such as a $1m guaranteed Mini Main Event, which kicks off the event schedule on this coming Saturday, February 13th.  

In an article on PokerNews, partypoker Team Pro Patrick Leonard told the reporting site that “One of my favourite things about poker is the zero-to-hero stories we hear on a regular basis. When I started playing, somebody would qualify for a $5,000 event from a $1,000 satellite and it was a great story when they went on to the final table. At partypoker, we’ve seen numerous people qualify for huge events for as little as $0.01 and win life-changing amounts. MILLIONS Online is always an amazing tournament and any player with a bankroll of $0.01 or more should get ready.”  

The hits keep on coming for Imperial Pacific International (IPI). The casino operator behind Saipan’s Imperial Palace can’t seem to get rid of trouble, which is following it around everywhere it goes, and has two more black marks on its record. After recently admitting that it can’t pay its workers all the money they’re owed, IPI was already looking at contempt of court charges, but has now been slapped with another. It has also been found guilty of trying to skip out on a contract it had with Xerox, and Ramona V. Manglona, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Chief Judge who has to continuously deal with the company’s bumbling operations, has to be at the end of her rope.

According to The Guam Daily Post, IPI has been found in contempt of court by Judge Manglona in a case that was brought against the company by a former director of operations, Joshua Gray. He asserted that he had been wrongly fired, let go because of his race and in retaliation of his complaints against the company’s treatment of employees. After previously having a few of his allegations thrown out, the case made it back in front of the judge, who approved the former employee’s request for sanctions against IPI, as well as reimbursement of attorney fees.

Now, IPI has one week to respond to the ruling and must provide new information to be used in the discovery process of the ongoing legal battle. This will include certain “Electronically Stored Information,” as well as a list of employees that are to be terminated and amended declarations from IPI’s human resources manager, Redie Dela Cruz, and former CEO Donald Browne. Should the company fail to produce the data within a week as ordered, Judge Manglona warned that she would hold IPI’s new CEO, Ray Yumul, in contempt of court.

Xerox recently filed a claim against IPI after it failed to respond to a formal complaint against the company last December. It asserted that IPI hadn’t held up its end of a service contract and, with no response coming from the company, sought the court’s help. Judge Manglona, once again, had to intervene, and has agreed with Xerox. She ordered IPI to pay about $182,905 but, with the company admitting it can’t pay its other obligations, Xerox is going to have to wait in line. However, IPI will be able to settle part of the judgment, as the company was ordered to immediately return to Xerox all of the equipment it had been given.

California-based Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) has an established presence in Louisiana, where it holds a license to operate a casino in Caddo Parish. The operator previously ran the DiamondJacks Casino & Hotel in the parish’s Bossier City, but it shut down last year due to COVID-19 issues. Now, ready to get back in the game, P2E has suggested that St. Tammany Parish, on the state’s southern coast, would be a better option for a venue, and the idea has the St. Tammany Parish’s ears burning with enthusiasm.

In a hearing held this past Monday night, the St. Tammany Parish Council discussed the idea proposed by P2E and its CEO, Brent Stevens, to potentially bring a $250-million casino resort to the city of Slidell. That lies just outside of New Orleans, and would potentially be able to capitalize on the large local population, as well as the tourist traffic that routinely descends on the Big Easy. The council voted on the proposal, overwhelmingly giving it a thumbs-up.

That approval doesn’t mean that P2E has the green light to move forward, but it is a huge step in the right direction. The company has to move its license from Caddo Parish to St. Tammany Parish but, with the council’s blessing, state lawmakers can now draft a bill to get the process started and allow parish residents to vote on the idea. That bill would need to be approved by the state legislation and Governor John Bel Edwards, after which it would be placed on the ballot to be voted on by parish residents. Only a simple majority of voters would have to approve the measure for P2E to move forward.

Years ago, the idea of adding a casino to St. Tammany Parish was way out in left field and had no chance of being taken seriously. Voters rejected the notion in 1996, but times change and the COVID-19 pandemic has served as a catalyst for a number of changes in how gambling is viewed. The council approved the idea this past Monday by a vote of 11-1, which shows that there is strong interest in allowing P2E to come into town. Given that the company expects to be able to put 1,700 construction workers and 1,000 permanent employees to work, while providing tens of millions of dollars in annual economic impact, it’s not too surprising that the proposal was accepted.