Wrestlemania came five days too late at Resorts World New York as hundreds of people got involved in a huge late-night brawl that witnesses said started because of an unruly line at a daiquiri stand. Hundreds of people witnessed the fracas as punches and chairs flew with reckless abandon last Friday night, right smack in the middle of the grand opening of a Fat Tuesday bar.

Multiple reports indicate that the melee started after two women who were part of a massive line of humanity queuing up to score iced daiquiris at the Fat Tuesday bar ended up in each other’s throats. Their respective group of friends immediately got involved and from there, it turned into a full-scale donnybrook as guests immediately scampered to get whatever foreign object they could get their hands on. About the only thing missing was WWE referee, although with the sheer size of the melee, no amount of zebras could’ve contained the situation.

But casino security managed to get the brawl under control as three men were arrested in its aftermath. According to the New York Post, Andrew Rivers and Jovan Bovell, both 23 years old, were charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration while 30-year old Marcus Steward was issued two summonses for disorderly conduct.

“The safety of our patrons is Resorts World’s top priority, and there is absolutely no room for this kind of behavior at our facility,” a spokesman for the casino said in a statement immediately following the incident. “We are reviewing all aspects of this unfortunate event and are fully committed to taking steps to ensure similar acts do not take place ever again.”

Ladbrokes Director of Corporate Affairs’ Ciaran O’Brien has resigned to join competitor William Hill as Director of Corporate Communications.

O’Brien joined Ladbrokes in 1994 and has held a key role in molding Ladbrokes Plc’s corporate communications and public affairs.

“I’ve had a fantastic ten years at Ladbrokes but William Hill has offered me a great opportunity to lead their communications as the business continues to expand. I’m very much looking forward to working with them. I wish all at Ladbrokes the best and particularly Jim Mullen [new CEO] as he takes the reins. The communications team has all been fantastic to work with and I will certainly miss them.”

“I’m delighted Ciaran will shortly be joining William Hill in the newly created role of communications director,” said David Steele, William Hill’s director of corporate affairs. “Ciaran has a wealth of experience in the betting industry, communications, media and public affairs and is a welcome asset to what is already a strong team.”

Pinnacle shareholders got saved by Gaming and Leisure Properties (GLPI) last month. Penn’s spinoff REIT got a little aggressive in March when it went directly to Pinnacle shareholders and offered them $36 a share for Pinnacle’s real estate assets, including its debt. This, after it claimed that Pinnacle’s board has been dallying after hearing GLPI’s offer. $36 a share blasts Pinnacle out of its year-and-a-half long trading range past all time pre Great Recession highs. PNK is now trading at $36.30, at over 50 times earnings.

GLPI offered Penn’s spinoff has been working well so far, at least for the REIT itself. But why do they think they can take on even more debt when they’ve already taken on $2.61B of Penn’s? While this only puts them at 61% debt to equity, it’s still a bit high to be asking for even more. When Penn’s real estate was spun off into GLPI, its debt dropped by over 60%. If we take the same numbers assuming this hostile takeover goes through, it’s another $2.4B in debt approximately, which would take GLPI to over $5B, or 117% debt to equity?

Is that even possible to hold, and even if it is, is it wise?

The surprising answer, given my aversion to high debt levels, is actually yes on both counts. Here’s why.

Tribal lands in Texas could find itself on the inside track to legalized gambling if a resolution filed by state representatives, Senfronia Thompson and James White, makes its way to a November ballot proposing a state constitutional amendment that would legalize gambling on these lands.

The two representatives, in collaboration with the Alabama-Coushatta and Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribes, authored House Joint Resolution 129 specifically to abolish any legal ambiguities that have stood in the state when it comes to tribal gaming.

While casinos are still banned in Texas, there is one functioning casino in the state belonging to the Kickapoo tribe, which, according to University of Texas anthropology professor Shannon Speed, it was able to open after going through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. by contrast, the Alabama-Coushatta tribe also opened a casino on its reservation in 2001 but was forced to shut it down after a federal court ordered its closure because it was engaging in an activity that the state does not allow its citizens to do.

This is where House Joint Resolution 129 comes into the picture. One of its key objectives is to create a level playing field for state tribes that remove any different avenues by which tribes can secure approval to offer gambling in the state. There’s also that issue about perceptions surrounding the state impeding on the constitutional rights of tribes as sovereign nations in the US. “If you are pursuing your civil rights as a minority, you are pursuing your rights as a citizen of a nation, but most native tribes are actually looking for their rights as sovereign nations apart from the U.S.,” Speed told the Daily Texan. “So if tribes are unable to participate in gaming based on an act from a foreign government, it really encroaches on the tribes’ sovereignty.”

Gala Coral announced its partnership with Inspired Gaming to integrate its content to Virgo Remote Game Server into Existing Online and Mobile Platforms

Under the agreement, Inspired remote Gaming Server engaging with omni-channel games will be available at Gala Casino, Coral Casino and Gala Bingo as well as slot titles including White Knight, Drop It and Goddess of the Amazon.

New games—exclusive to Gala Coral players—are in development in both Inspired and Gala Coral’s in-house studios.

White Knight is a medieval themed video bonus slot that offers super wilds, silver and gold jackpots and free spins. Goddess of the Amazon is one of Inspired’s classic games featuring stacked wilds, progressive jackpots, extra spin retrigger probability and endless hours of exciting payouts.

Cambodia’s National Assembly is expected to approve a new casino management bill by the end of the year with the goal of increasing gambling revenues and improving the country’s casino industry to become on par with international standards.

The announcement was made by Ros Phearun, the deputy director of finance industry for Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance. Speaking with the Phnom Penh Post, Phearun indicated that the ministry is in the final stages of completing a draft of the bill. Once it’s finalized, the bill will be sent over to the Council of Ministers before going to the National Assembly, which is expected to approve the bill without much opposition.

Phaeton believes that once the new law is put in place, Cambodia can double its revenue from its current $25 million figure. Increased tax collection will play a huge role in increasing revenue and that Cambodia can take full advantage of the shifting practices of the industry in region to bring in more tourists into the country.

Son Chhay, the deputy chairman of the National Assembly’s banking and finance commission, also said that the new law will be a boon for Cambodia’s casino industry.

The casino industry is one of the most heavily regulated businesses in the world. But even if they did not have that government oversight, casino owners would still be among the most careful business operators in the world.

The reason is simple: It’s their money that’s at stake.

In lotteries, parimutuel betting and round (non-banking) games like poker, gamblers wager against each other, with the operator taking a piece off the top.

Casinos make almost all of their revenue from banking games. Craps in casinos is not street craps: Players are betting against a fund of money, a bank. Casinos act as the house, fading all of the bets of their customers.

90 Digital CEO Nick Garner speaks about on how to audit your  reputation online on this episode of CalvinAyre.com’s SEO Tip of the Week.

Short intro to Trust Optimization.

Along with on site optimization and link acquisition, there seems to be a third element to ranking well on Google, it’s called Trust Optimization. Trust Optimization is based on the information we have got from anecdotal evidence on click through rates and rankings along with explicit guidelines from Google stating what they are looking for in a trusted website.  On with the post…

Where are you referenced? Is it positive or negative?

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has revealed that outgoing CEO Jenny Williams will remain in the position until September, due to “the protracted timescale related to making government-related public announcements.”

EGR Magazine has reported that although UKGC has identified its preferred candidate to take over Williams, the recruitment process is now on hold until after the UK General Election on May 7.

Williams has agreed to remain in her role until the commission appoints her successor and is expected to give support to the new CEO in key areas such as remote gambling regulation.

Meanwhile, hundreds of punters fear that they could lose their money as 666Bet remains offline and has not paid out customers’ winnings.

Online gambling operator Betway has signed an agreement to become the title sponsor of World Snooker for the UK Championship, which will be held from November 24 to December 6 at the York Barbican.

The 2015 Betway UK Championship represents the online bookmaker’s latest foray into snooker sponsorship following World Snooker’s Shoot-Out tournament and the World Seniors Championship at the Blackpool Tower Circus Arena in early March.

“We are thrilled to welcome Betway on board for what is truly one of the crown jewels of the snooker calendar. Betway recently sponsored the Shoot-Out and World Seniors Championship so they are aware of the incredible exposure they can expect through our sport,” said World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn. “The Betway UK Championship will be watched by many millions of people across the planet as the very best players compete for one of the most prestigious titles. The final between O’Sullivan and Trump was an all-time classic.”

“We have hosted this event at the York Barbican each year since 2011 and the venue has been a great success, with ticket sales up 20 per cent last year, and we look forward to seeing record crowds again this time,” Hearn added.

Online payments gateway CoinMatrix has partnered with Curacao-based DigitalSport Entertainment N.V. to provide Bitcoin functionality to online betting platform Betkurus.

DigitalSport Entertainment has raised $670,000 VC investment from CoinMatrix to develop its product line in an effort to gain significant share of the Bitcoin gaming market.

The partnership will see Betkurus offer instant bitcoin-to-fiat deposits, allowing users to bet in various currencies without having to do any prior conversions.

In 2014, DigitalSport Entertainment launched Betkurus.com, which offers casino games, binary options trading and an online sportsbook with live video streaming for more than 10 sports, giving users an access to over 20,000 sports betting events each month.

The Kentucky Derby is one of the most highly-anticipated sporting events of the year, and yet, it has found itself competing with the NBA and NHL playoffs, the MLB and MLS regular seasons, and oh yeah, that boxing fight happening in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Regardless of how excited we all are of the Floyd Mayweather Jr – Manny Pacquiao fight, it would behoove us to simply brush off the Kentucky Derby. That would be spitting in the face of one of the most important horse racing events in the world.

On the flip side, the fact that the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight and the Derby are happening on the same day could end up being the perfect combination of sporting events that sportsbooks could take advantage of. This early, there’s already been talk that a handful of oddsmakers are already lining up cross-sport props that could include a winner-and-winner bet on who wins the fight and who wins the Derby. These type of events rarely happen in the world of sports so take advantage of it while you can.

Should books go ahead and free light these type of prop bets, they’ll likely root for Floyd Mayweather to eke out a decision win over Manny Pacquiao and have American Pharaoh, the early betting favorite at the Derby, win the race. Having Pacquaio score a knockout in the early rounds and then seeing an early longshot like Ocho Ocho Ocho win the race at 40/1.

The 2015 iGaming North America, which will be held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, Las Vegas on April 14-16, is just a week away.

Annual iGaming North America Conference is designed to introduce U.S. land-based gambling companies to the global online gambling industry, kicks off in just a few weeks in good old Las Vegas.

The conference will host a number of important seminars, with many of them touching on the hottest issues in the online gambling industry, including new products—social casino games and fantasy sports. There will be panelists from companies such as Amaya, 888, IGT, and more.

iGNA will also examine payment issues in the igaming world, the state of individual states such as New Jersey and Nevada, and more. There will also be sportsbetting panelists such as Don Best and New Jersey state Senator Ray Lesniak.

Lee Davy takes you back in time with a look at the week’s biggest poker news including the Restoration of the Wire Act hearing, the Tournament Directors Association upsetting the poker community, PokerStars giving their new Sportsbook an airing, the Devilfish fighting cancer, Byron Kaverman taking apart the Aria, and a round-up from the European Poker Tour.

This week saw a lot of people, who know nothing about the nitty gritty of operating an online gambling site; give their reasons why they believe it is the worse thing to happen to the human race since the formation of One Direction.

The Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) was pored over on Capitol Hill; people likened online gambling to crack cocaine, told tales of clicking phones and losing homes, and even the terrorists got their five minutes of fame.

It was more Mad Hatters Tea Party than a paragon of political posturing. Great news if you want to be driven slightly mad, not so great if you were hoping that anyone with any online gambling experience had a voice.

Lee Davy sits down with Andrew ‘Luckychewy’ Lichtenberger to discuss his role alongside the Poker Players Alliance, his experience in Washington, and what players can do to help fight for the right to play online poker in America.

On March 26, the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) was introduced to congress. The goal to re-write the Federal Wire Act of 1961 with a view to banning online gambling. If it happens, the progress made by online poker friendly states will be washed down the sink.

Andrew ‘Luckychewy’ Lichtenberger is one of the most important poker players in the world right now. He is one of the only high profile poker players who has reacted to RAWA in a positive way, by joining forces with the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) to actually try to do something about it.

He is the player that most other players were hoping would step out of the shadows so they didn’t have to.

THE AMERICAS

Fantasy sports operator DraftKings struck an exclusive deal with Major League Baseball and sold a $250m stake of itself to Walt Disney; California tribes considered a unified front against racetracks offering online poker; Lindsey Graham hinted at a potential online lottery carveout from RAWA; GSN Gaming acquired social game developers Idle Gaming; Amaya Gaming sold its Cadillac Jack division to AGS; Nevada took another stab at allowing ‘entity’ betting; US tribal gaming revenue posted its slowest annual revenue growth since the recession; Nevada casino revenue fell as VIP baccarat whales went AWOL; Sands Bethlehem asked for permission to launch electronic table games in Pennsylvania; Scientific Games inked a social casino deal with California’s Fantasy Springs Resort Casino; Major League Baseball fined Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart for illegal betting and Gamytech’s Jonathan Swerdlow explained how skill games can help establish brands in the US market.

EUROPE

PokerStars took its first sports bet as Amaya Gaming celebrated a record year; Sweden proposed stricter gambling advertising regulations; Playtech entered the forex markets by buying another Teddy Sagi company; Net Entertainment celebrated a record 2014; Ladbrokes new CEO didn’t appreciate his predecessor’s political punditry; OPAP’s 2014 profit jumped thanks to aggressive cost-cutting; Gaming Realms’ James Harrison revealed how to improve the mobile gaming user experience; Doyle Brunson said Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot should be in the Poker Hall of Fame and Lee Davy recounted his brush with Ulliot’s particular brand of lunacy.