The second Day 1 flight of the 2020 WSOP Hybrid Main Event saw 171 entries overall, with just 42 players emerging from five tables at the close of play.

With the chip leader of the day ending up being Slovenian player Blaz Zerjav (639,394 chips), there were plenty of high profile bust-outs as well as some poker superstars who did make the overnight counts.

Overall, since play began on Day 1a, we’ve now seen 417 players put up (or qualify for) the entry fee of $10,300, over 100 players now have a Day 2 seat for the WSOP Main Event.

Tonight (Sunday) now sees the busiest Day 1 flight to come, so expect an even fuller round-up tomorrow night on Calvin Ayre(and of course the action on GGPoker).

An exciting weekend of action in the Premier League saw some dramatic comeback wins and ruthless finishing from the sides at the top of the Premier League while the luckless teams at the bottom were kicked while they were down.

Let’s start with yet another comeback win for one United against another.

West Ham United 1-3 Manchester United

It was a tale of two halves at the London Stadium as David Moyes came within 30 minutes of sweet revenge against his old side only to suffer the ignominy of losing a lead in front of the returning fans.

Sweden’s online gambling operators have ‘deficiencies’ in the terms of service they impose on their gambling customers, according to the country’s consumer ombudsman.

The Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket) recently identified “a number of shortcomings” following a review of the T&C’s maintained by 13 Swedish-licensed online gambling operators. The watchdog concluded there was “significant room for improvement” in the T&C’s, some of which contain terms that “can be considered unreasonable.” 

The review (viewable here, på Svenska) examined 13 licensees: AG Communications (Karamba), Bayton Ltd (JackpotCity, Ruby Fortune), Blue Star Planet (10Bet), ComeOn Sweden, Ellmount Gaming (Casinoroom), Genesis Global, Interwetten, MOA Gaming (Mobileautomaten), Pixel Digital (Pixelbet), Smarkets, Svenska Spel, Videoslots and Zecure Gaming (Guts, Rizk). 

It’s worth noting that several of the above companies have previously been subject to warnings and/or financial penalties from the Spelinspektionen regulatory body for violations of rules regarding bonus offers, betting on matches involving players under 18 years of age and failure to comply with the Spelpaus self-exclusion registry. 

Finland’s Veikkaus gambling monopoly is negotiating layoffs with hundreds of staff as the pandemic’s latest wave shuts the company’s retail slots operations. 

On Friday, Veikkaus announced that it was launching ‘cooperation negotiations’ with its retail staff regarding “potential temporary layoffs, rather than permanent personnel cuts.” The layoffs would affect around 800 staff, many of whom could face an idle period of up to three months. 

The announcement comes following a series of alerts regarding the monopoly’s retail slot machine network as well as its own gambling halls. On Monday, Finnish medical authorities declared that pandemic infection rates in the Central Ostrobothnia region had entered an “accelerating phase,” leading Veikkaus to shut its local retail operations. 

On Wednesday, the same acceleration was detected in the regions of South Karelia and South Savo, leading Veikkaus to announce the immediate suspension of retail operations in the affected areas. 

The pari-mutuel betting group behind the UK Tote are planning to start taking wagers on human sports in a bid to lessen their reliance on bob-tailed nags. 

On Friday, Sky News reported that the UK Tote Group had raised £20m in new equity from existing investors. The money will be used in part to fund a diversification strategy that will see the race betting operator establish a new football betting division sometime next year. 

A Tote spokesperson stated that responding to “new opportunities … remains a key priority” for the well-heeled individuals behind Alizeti Capital, which acquired the Tote from former owners Betfred last year. 

Alizeti is comprised of key racing figures, including racehorse owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys. The UK Tote Group’s CEO is Alex Frost, a former Merril Lynch trader, who welcomed accountant John Williamson as Tote chairman in September. 

Sports betting operator SportPesa has managed to block – temporarily, at least – efforts by Kenya’s gambling regulator to revoke the license under which the operator is conducting its local business. 

On Thursday, Kenya’s Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB) revoked the license issued to Milestone Games Ltd, a company controlled by SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri, through which SportPesa had re-launched its dormant Kenyan betting business in late-October. 

However, like a fencer, SportPesa/Milestone managed to parry the BCLB’s thrust by obtaining a Nairobi High Court order that same day which will allow SportPesa to continue its Kenyan operations via Milestone’s license until a hearing scheduled for January 25, 2021. The net result is a temporary preservation of the status quo. 

As for how said status quo came about, SportPesa shut its Kenyan operations in October 2019 due to its failure to resolve a long-running betting tax dispute with the Kenya Revenue Authority. In late-October, SportPesa relaunched via the Milestone license, only to have the BCLB shut the site the same day.

Now that a COVID-19 vaccine is starting to be distributed, provided it works as well as everyone hopes, life might return to normal sooner than what had been expected. That’s the optimistic position gaming analysts and executives are taking, and they now eye a possible 2022 return to pre-coronavirus levels. If this holds true, it will beat previous expectations considerably, as some industry analysts have previously asserted that a return to normal levels wouldn’t be possible in Las Vegas until at least 2023. 

Nevada will begin to receive the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine sometime around the middle of this month, with the first doses going to those who are on the front lines of the pandemic. Hospitalized patients, nursing home residents, some doctors and nurses and other individuals considered to be at a higher risk of infection will receive the first shots, and widespread distribution isn’t expected to be available until sometime next spring. 

Stephen Miller, the director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), believes the news, and the delivery of the vaccine, will provide a significant boost to the local economy. He asserted at a meeting hosted by the CBER Tuesday, “We lost more jobs quicker than ever before. We added more jobs quicker than ever before. We’ve got a way to go, but there’s no doubt about it: the end of the virus is in sight. So, too, will the end of pain with the Las Vegas, Reno economies, and the Nevada economy overall.”

During that virtual meeting, which was held jointly with the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, Miller stated that the recovery should begin sometime next summer, and the “weird memory” that is COVID-19 2020 will really dissipate about a year later. That is when Las Vegas will begin to see more normal visitation at its casinos and entertainment venues, and Miller adds that the city will be “just fine” by then. 

A number of casino employees in Australia are finally going to be back at work. The Star Entertainment Group shut down its properties in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, then began to reopen them in July. However, the maximum number of gamblers allowed in the casinos was severely limited and the Star Sydney and Star Brisbane have been handicapped ever since. It would seem that Australia has been able to stop the spread of the coronavirus, to some degree, lately, which is giving these two casinos a little breathing room. Star Entertainment is ready to receive (pdf) more guests at both venues, which should be welcome news to a lot of employees. 

The Star Sydney has been operating at a maximum capacity of 1,800 guests but will be able to increase this to around 10,000, “based on the square metreage of the property,” starting next Monday. That comes as the New South Wales (NSW) government has backed off a restriction that limited casinos to just one patron for every four square meters (43 square feet) of gaming space. Starting next Monday, one patron will be allowed for every two square meters (21.5 square feet). 

To the north of NSW, Queensland has relaxed its COVID-19 policies, as well, which will give Star Entertainment the ability to open the capacity for The Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane. The government made changes in the middle of last month and these properties will see the same two-meter restriction as their counterpart in NSW, but the venues’ slot machines and gambling tables are now going to be completely back in business. All machines will be turned back on and tables will be allowed to seat up to seven players, an increase from the previous four. In addition, alcohol will also make its way back to the gaming areas.

In light of the easing of restrictions, Star Entertainment is already making phone calls to its furloughed workers to welcome them back to their old jobs. It isn’t clear how many employees the properties will bring back, but, with the Star Sydney going from 1,800 to 10,000 patrons, the venue will need substantial help. The operator added in its statement, “The easing in operating restrictions across all three properties will enable us to welcome back additional employees as well as an increased number of our members and guests to safe and entertaining environments.”

Smoking is never good for your health, but the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANRF)are reminding the gambling industry that its especially bad when Covid-transmission is a possibility. CEO and president Cynthia Hallett has written Bill Miller, CEO and president of the American Gaming Association (AGA), asking him to join her fight to end smoking in American casinos.

In the two-page letter, she asks Miller to join her call, pushing casinos to deny taxpayer dollars if they aren’t smoke-free. In the letter, she praises Park MGM’s no-smoking policy, the first in Las Vegas, and cites over 1,000 casinos continue to do just fine despite a lack of smoking. “In states with permanent smoke-free policies, such as Maryland and Ohio, the industry is experiencing year-over-year revenue increases, despite operating at reduced capacity,” the letter said.

In fact, the ANFR are keeping a running list of all casinos that have gone non-smoking in the country. On the site, they specifically call out the leadership of Tribal Casinos, who have reopened “many casinos as smokefree venues for the safety and well-being of staff and customers.”

She wrote to Miller that the evidence is clear, making the switch now won’t hurt the industry:

It’s been a long 12 months, but the wait was probably worth it. After Virginia began whispering about the possibility of opening its gambling industry last year, it didn’t take long for casino operators, including Hard Rock International (HRI), to pick up on the chatter. It started working out a way to get in on the up-and-coming gambling scene in the state, and teamed up with Bristol Resort and Casino to bring its large, iconic guitar to the city of Bristol. Now, a year later, HRI’s wheeling and dealing have paid off. 

HRI has officially been chosen to develop a massive casino resort in Bristol, which will be located at the site of the former Bristol Mall. The Bristol City Council made its selection without having to waste too much time or energy putting a list of candidates under the microscope. When the city announced this past April that it was prepared to accept submissions from casino operators looking to bid for a casino there, HRI was the only one to have responded. 

At that point, there was a very good chance that HRI was a shoo-in for the rights to the development, but there was another hurdle to jump. City residents of Bristol, as well as of Danville, Norfolk and Portsmouth, had to vote on whether they wanted a casino in their backyard and, at the beginning of November, all four cities approved a ballot entry to authorize the properties. 71% of Bristol residents signed off on the measure, giving HRI a lot of local community support. 

Coming up will be a $400-million investment by HRI to convert Bristol Mall into the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol. The shopping center had closed in August 2017 and later sold to a pharmaceutical company, Par Ventures, that had plans to turn it into a cannabis production facility, as reported by local media outlet WJHL at the time. Those plans are unlikely to see forward movement, but Par Ventures is said to be involved with HRI in the development of the resort, along with The United Company, a local entity that had its start in the coal industry decades ago.

The Americas

The NCAA announced that the entire 2021 NCAA tournament will be held in one location. Indianapolis is expected to be named as the host city, as it was set to host the Final Four in April this year; Quebec authorities announced plans to audit casino operations for local operators. Authorities suspect that local mafia figures have been using four land-based casinos in money laundering operations; The Lumbee Tribe will be looking to capitalise on their recent success after the U.S. House unanimously approved the Lumbee Recognition Act. The Lumbee are expected to pursue the construction of a casino in Robeson County, North Carolina. The move has raised the ire of rival tribes, with the Cherokee pointing out that the Lumbee have changed their heritage multiple times in the past; ZenSports have laid out their ambitions to become one of the largest gaming operators in the U.S. The company has submitted plans to register sports gambling licenses in Tennessee and Virginia; New York State continues to look to the casino industry to lead the economic recovery. Former NY governor David Paterson believes that the approval of three new casinos could bring in $1.5 billion in instant revenue; U.S. President Donald Trump continues to make waves in his last days of office. The focus has turned to who the U.S. President will pardon as the clock winds down on his tenure in the White House; Caesars Entertainment has reached an agreement to unload its operating rights to the Belle of Baton Rouge to CQ Holding Company, which is behind the Casino Queen brand. Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg made no secret that he wasn’t happy with the brand after his time at Eldorado Resorts; Off the back of better than expected performance, U.K. online gambling operator 888 Holdings is looking to enter an additional three U.S. states. 888 announced that it was looking to secure access Colorado, Indiana and Iowa in 2021.

Europe

London’s Park Lane Club continues to come under pressure from local authorities. The club’s ownership was stripped of its gaming license as questions continued to be asked about ties into ongoing embezzlement investigations in the Ukraine; Melco Resorts & Entertainment has found some financial relief during the pandemic. The company which owns City of Dreams Macau and Altira Macau has successfully renegotiated a deal with lenders of existing credit lines; Multiple media reports confirm that Evolution Gaming has made nearly 500 NetEnt employees redundant. The move comes as Evolution finalised their acquisition of NetEnt; Swedish regulators have sent out a stern reminder to online operators of their duty to combat match-fixing. The warning comes as Swedish prosecutors brought formal match-fixing charges against four members of the under-21 national soccer side; U.K. gambling giant Flutter Entertainment announced plans to acquire 37.2% stake in the FanDuel. The deal will boost Flutter’s FanDuel stake from 57.8% to 95%; Chelsea goalkeeping legend Petr Cech, sports broadcaster Kristy Gallacher and Hollywood star Vinnie Jones have been confirmed for the SBC Awards on December 9. The industry night will take place at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, with an expected audience of more than 800 guests.

Japan’s casino aspirations got a boost on Thursday after the government indicated it would scrap controversial plans to tax the winnings of international gambling tourists. 

On Thursday, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member Akira Amari, who heads the government’s Research Commission on the Tax System, informed reporters that the LDP was walking back its original plan to impose a withholding tax on non-resident foreigners lucky enough to be carrying gambling winnings through customs on their flight home. 

Amari said the change will be incorporated into Japan’s fiscal 2021 tax package, which will be cobbled together next week. To be clear, Japan signaled an intention to scrap the foreigner tax last year at this time while it was compiling the fiscal 2020 tax plan, so maybe wait until the ink is dry on this one before popping the champagne corks. 

The Kyodo News agency quoted Amari saying “it would be meaningless if no one comes to the integrated resorts after building them,” adding that Japan’s as-yet-unbuilt casinos must be “on par with international standards.” 

Problem gamblers ignore information that could limit their losses, instead relying on information from previous gambling results.   

A new study by the University of British Columbia’s Center for Gambling Research aimed for a better understanding of the reasons behind the poor decision-making process displayed by individuals who can’t control their gambling activity. 

The survey consisted of 48 problem gamblers and 35 control participants who were asked to repeatedly choose between two types of lottery games, one featuring a larger but less probable reward and the other a more probable but smaller reward. (For the record, the problem group’s favorite types of gambling were slots (48%), while online gambling/card games tied for second at 12.5%.) 

In one test, participants started with zero coins and aimed to build their stack, while the other test saw each participant start with a 200-coin stack with the aim of minimizing their losses. Participants were shown the odds of winning before each game, with each player receive a participation fee and told they could keep any ‘winnings’ (in the form of gift cards). 

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Another Saturday, another UFC event as the organization stays at its Apex facility for a Fight Night card headlined by a middleweight bout between Jack Hermansson and Marvin Vettori. The main card is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET and will be shown on ESPN2/ESPN+.

The middleweight champion is unbeaten Israel Adesanya, although he might not stay at that division much longer with a rumored bout coming early next year against light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.

The 32-year-old Hermansson, from the not exactly mixed martial arts hot spot of Sweden (born there but now fights out of Norway), is 21-5 in his professional career and ranked fourth in the division. Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa and Jared Cannonier are also ahead of him.