THE AMERICAS

DraftKings and FanDuel merger rumors heated up; US-facing betting sites faced a new credit card crackdown; a poll found 48% of Americans favored legalizing sports betting and American Gaming Association CEO Geoff Freeman said the sports betting tides are changing; China’s Chow Tai Fook Enterprises was tipped to buy the unfinished Baha Mar resort but the company had to push back against allegations of criminal ties; Wynn Resorts shares took a pounding after a lackluster Q3 report; Atlantic City welcomed its first skill-based casino games while Penn National Gaming’s CEO said regional casino operators don’t care about millennials; Zynga lost $42m while declaring its turnaround was gaining momentum and Qui Nguyen collected a cool $8m for winning the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event.

EUROPE

William Hill’s website was knocked offline by a “sophisticated” DDoS attack; Sportech called off the sale of its Football Pools to Burlywood Capital; France saw a surge in women opening online sports betting accounts; Paddy Power Betfair profits soared two-thirds in Q3 while Paddy Power rejected media reports that it was spying on its customers unnecessarily; GVC Holdings once again made it rain for shareholders; Unibet hit a new revenue record thanks to “pure activity growth;” the Melco-Hard Rock tandem was officially awarded the lone Cyprus casino license while Cyprus authorities raided eight casinos in the UN Buffer Zone; Phil Ivey lost another bid to claim his £7.7m Crockfords winnings; affiliate manager Anthony Hodgetts offered tips on how to transition from sports to casino; Global Business Partners’ Carl Wahlin explained how to lure tech-savvy gamblers while not pissing off older customers; Ed Pownall turned his Industry Eye on the online bingo business and Rebecca Liggero explained why the Malta iGaming Seminar and iGaming Idol 2016 are must-attend events.