THE AMERICAS

Churchill Downs Inc. inked a prospective California online poker deal; SuperData Research predicted tough times for social poker; Merkur Gaming CEO Jens Halle died suddenly in Florida; American Pharoah owner Ahmed Zayat was accused of welching on a $1.65m online gambling debt; the Casino M8trix probe prompted the resignation of a California gaming regulator; Nevada approved adding a skill-based component to slot machines; online horse betting operator DerbyJackpot began accepting Bitcoin; the Baha Mar casino in the Bahamas faced further delays and Sheldon Adelson lost his bid to keep Steve Jacobs’ wrongful termination lawsuit out of US courts.

EUROPE and AFRICA

The struggling Bwin.party saw online poker revenue fall one-third as would-be vultures 888 Holdings and Amaya Gaming/GVC looked to feast on the carcass (and Rafi Farber suggested 888 was the better fit); Gala Coral claimed its websites were the “fastest growing” in the UK; one in seven Danish online gamblers still plays with unauthorized sites while UK online gamblers were found to be younger, smarter and richer; NYX Gaming made an Italian play by acquiring Game360; Ladbrokes’ Irish landlords protested the company’s stinginess while BoyleSports reportedly made an offer for Lads’ Irish retail biz; Intralot made a pitch for a Greek national lottery; 138.com joined Microgaming’s MPN; Zimbabwe decided it had too many betting operators; Nexus Gaming Intelligence CEO Igor Samardziski revealed the secrets all online startups need to know; People Like You Publishing founder Tim Farthing shared tips on effective affiliate content; XLMedia CEO Ory Weihs revealed what he learned by taking his company public; Global Poker Link’s Carl Pion discussed his plans to make poker players wealthier and Alex Dreyfus announced the launch of a Global Poker Index TV show.