Nevada’s ‘entity’ sports betting legislation was narrowly approved by the state Senate on Thursday. Legislators approved SB 443 by a vote of 11-10, split strictly down party lines, Republicans edging out Democrats. The bill now heads to the state Assembly, where Republicans hold a larger majority.

SB 443 would allow out-of-state individuals to place wagers with Nevada sportsbooks via a Nevada-based entity. The bill seeks to avoid conflict with the federal Wire Act of 1961 – which bars such cross-border wagering – by denying out-of-state residents a direct line to the spotsbooks. Instead, the non-Nevadans will be like investors in a mutual fund, profiting from winnings but unable to dictate wagering preferences.

Non-Nevadans looking for greater wagering freedom are pinning their hopes on New Jersey’s quest to overcome the federal PASPA sports betting prohibition. The court fight, argued last month at the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals, is over the state’s desire to permit sports betting at Atlantic City casinos and state racetracks. The Court has yet to issue its verdict but, should New Jersey be allowed to go down this road, many other US states would follow.

Speaking via Skype at this week’s iGaming North America 2015 in Las Vegas, New Jersey State Senator Ray Lesniak handicapped the likelihood of a favorable ruling at 85% to 90%. Lesniak, a strong proponent of his state’s gambling industry, called the Third Circuit panel ‘the best shot [New Jersey] will ever have.” Even if the Third Circuit doesn’t outright side with the state, Lesniak believes it will lay out a viable alternate path to achieving betting legalization.

The he-said, she-said dispute between online gambling operator 666Bet and the UK Gambling Commission shows no signs of letting up.

If you’re just tuning in, the UK and Alderney gaming licenses of MetroPlay Ltd. – whose operations include 666Bet and MetroPlay.com – were suspended last month over questions of whether MetroPlay was “unsuitable to carry on” its licensed activities. One week later, 666Bet director Paul Bell was identified as one of several individuals arrested in a £21m money laundering and fraud investigation.

Both MetroPlay sites have been offline since last month and irate customers have launched an online petition demanding the refunding of players’ account balances. In response, 666Bet issued a statement saying it can’t make customers whole because the sites’ third-party payment providers had “immediately canceled or suspended” their relationships with the sites following the license suspensions. 666Bet claimed to be working on establishing new third-party relationships, but said UKGC approval would be required before the money could start flowing again.

The UKGC disputed this claim, saying it had yet to receive any communication from a third party looking to process payments on behalf of 666Bet. The UKGC added that its approval wasn’t necessary for 666Bet to enter into such a relationship in order for the site to make its players whole.

Accused illegal online bookie Wei Seng ‘Paul’ Phua has won a major court fight over the admissibility of evidence against him collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On Friday, US District Judge Andrew Gordon ruled that federal prosecutors couldn’t use evidence obtained via an elaborate FBI ruse. Gordon also said the FBI had violated Phua’s privacy rights in pulling off their investigative shenanigans.

Phua and seven other defendants were arrested last July following an FBI raid on three luxury villas at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Suspecting the occupants were engaging in illegal online betting on the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the FBI conspired with Caesars staff to cut off the villas’ internet connection. When Phua & Co. called Caesars to complain, the FBI sent in agents posing as tech support equipped with hidden body-cameras. The video footage was then used to obtain the warrants that led to the arrests.

The case attracted attention far beyond gambling circles, as civil libertarians decried what many viewed as violations of the suspects’ fourth amendment rights against illegal search and seizure. Even the Assistant US Attorney handling the case had warned agents in advance that their subterfuge raised certain “consent issues.”

Chinese authorities have shut down the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) 2015 Nanjing Millions for as yet undetermined reasons.

The Nanjing Millions had gotten off to a roaring start, with player demand compelling the organizers to add an extra Day 1 flight. Over 2,300 players had registered for the event, which was supposed to conclude on Sunday. But the poker party ended abruptly Friday afternoon when local police shut the event down cold.

World Gaming Magazine reported that police had blocked the entrance to the Wutaishan Sports Center host venue. A notice pinned to the door indicated that the tournament organizers were “suspected of illegal gambling” and that “the event is being ceased.” WGM reported that the organizers’ office had been similarly locked down and that players had been left in the dark as to what exactly had transpired.

The Nanjing Millions had been feted as the latest move by PokerStars to reestablish itself on Chinese soil. PokerStars Macau had teamed with Beijing’s Star Poker Club to sponsor the event, much as they had on last year’s Beijing Millions and Beijing Cup events.

Daily fantasy sports site FanDuel has signed up to become a part of the Internet Association, a trade group currently inhabited by technology firms like Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles commented on the company’s inclusion into the Internet Association, saying that it was an important step for the company to be recognized in the same league as its new contemporaries. Eccles added that being part of the Internet Association gives FanDuel the platform to “participate and engage on important policy issues affecting Internet companies.”

The Internet Association President Michael Beckerman welcomed FanDuel and referred daily fantasy sports site as a “great asset” that can help push the group’s mission of advocating for “pro-Internet policies that foster economic growth and empower users.”

In other daily fantasy sports news, 83-year old Barry Mindes, the brains behind the world’s first live-game sports betting system used in Las Vegas casinos has put together a new technology that would allow live in-game offerings for the daily fantasy sports community.

Two online gaming companies have successfully announced separate sponsorship deals, bolstering their presence in the world of television and sports, respectively.

First up is 888.com, which recently announced an exclusive sponsorship deal with new UK TV channel Spike. The partnership with the free-to-air TV channel gives 888 the platform to promote its online gaming and sports betting services in the channel operated by the UK’s Channel 5 and Viacom.

Viewers in the US might be familiar with Spike, the general entertainment channel that features an eclectic mix of original programming, syndicated, shows, movies, and sports shows.

With the channel’s move across the Atlantic, 888.com is confident that Spike will have the same success in the UK as it has in the US, making it a suitable partner to further boost the online gaming company’s profile, especially with younger audiences, considered as Spike TV’s key demographic.

The NBA Playoffs have arrived and like everybody else, I’ve found myself diving through a pile of previews on first-round match-ups that are talking about which teams will advance and which ones are primed for the upset. These things are important now that title odds and series odds are already being offered by a lot of sports books.

The most popular bet at this point are the title odds for each team because locking on the favorites and the potential sleepers this early means that you’re getting better odds than what you’d get after the first round is finished. That’s what happens when half of the teams in the playoffs get bounced out, leaving only eight teams left standing. Less teams, lower odds. Pretty simple.

Looking at it from this perspective, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors each getting 11/5 odds as the two favorites means that if you’re confident about both team’s chances, this is the best price you’re going to get for either team. A little ways down the road from the Cavs and Warriors are the defending champions San Antonio Spurs at 7/2 odds.

Based on the pricing of most sportsbooks, oddsmakers are pretty confident that these three teams can be considered tri-favorites and everybody else is either a dark horse or a long shot at best. Normally, there’s going to be a team or two getting somewhere around 7/1 to 10/1 odds, but a quick glance at what’s being offered shows that the next two teams on the list – the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls – are all the way down at 12/1 odds. It gets even muddier from here because the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers aren’t too far behind from the Hawks and the Bulls at 14/1 and 18/1, respectively.

UK bookmaker Ladbrokes has confirmed the appointment of Andrew Bagguley as managing director of digital, the position recently vacated by chief executive officer Jim Mullen.

Bagguley joined Ladbrokes in January 2014, taking the role of director of mobile after a three-year stint as group product management consultant for Deutsche Telekom. He’s also done time with the likes of Guardian News & Media, New International and Intergaph.

Bagguley will be tasked with Ladbrokes’ digital growth, which recorded a 71% profit increase in 2014 to £14 million. Ladbrokes’ online vertical lags most of its UK rivals but the company is eager to poach some market share.

Ladbrokes also appointed former Bet365 Head of In-Play trading Glynn Carol as Director Sales Operations.

In this week’s Calling the Clock, Lee Davy ignores that stiff neck to bring you news that includes a lot of poker on TV, a superlative performance by an unsung star, Jason Somerville trying to become Daniel Negreanu, Daniel Negreanu trying to become Jason Somerville, and a whole lot more.

If I was handing out the gold stars this week, then the biggest one would be pinned onto the chest of Angela Jordison.

The mother of two, who spends most of her time running a bar, hit the headlines of every poker media outlet on the planet, after winning the first three events in the low stakes buy-in series: The Spring Poker Round Up at the Wildhorse Resort & Casino, Pendleton, Oregon.

Statistically speaking, you are more likely to see a major Game of Thrones star last an entire series without getting a body part hacked off, such is the magnitude of her success.

Angela Jordison with an unbelievable streak of three side event victories in three days, at the Spring Poker Round Up in Oregon, and Ludovic Geilich wins the Genting Poker Series Main Event in Newcastle.

[Image Credit: PokerNews]

The cleaning gang, at the 2014 Global Poker Index (GPI) American Poker Awards (APA), hadn’t finished racking away the champagne flutes when Anthony Zinno decided to put in an early bid for 2015 Tournament Performance of the Year, with back-to-back World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event victories in Niagara Falls and Los Angeles.

The engraver had already etched his name into the trophy.

A jury has found two young men guilty of murdering professional gambler Mehmet Hassan, whilst the woman used as bait in the honeytrap scheme receives a manslaughter verdict.

The people responsible for the senseless death of gambler and poker player, Mehmet Hassan, have received their verdicts by jury. Kyrron Jackson, 28, and Nicholas Chandler, 29, were both found guilty of murder. Leonie Granger, 25, was found guilty of manslaughter.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC told the jury how the trio carefully orchestrated the ‘honeytrap,’ and that Mr. Hassan ‘enjoyed the company of women’ and that made him particularly ‘vulnerable towards the unscrupulous.’

Granger befriended Hassan weeks prior to the murder where she used the name ‘Rachel’ during their interactions. The jury heard how Hassan had taken Granger to the classy restaurant Nobu, and had given her £1,000 to gamble with, on the night of his murder. Granger went to Hassan’s flat, before making an excuse to leave. She left the door open so her two companions could gain access. They tied Mr. Hassan up with parcel tape, and a necktie, before beating him to death. He died of neck and chest injuries.

Three poker stars doing their utmost to spread their love on a global scale as Liv Boeree appears in the Independent, Jason Somerville appears in Next Impulse Sports, and Alex Jacobs appears on Jeopardy.

It’s been a good week for Alex Dreyfus.

The busiest man in poker has been able to put his feet up whilst the players take their turn to spread the love of our beautiful game all over the world.

Three mainstream appearances to talk about, and we will start with the duo from PokerStars: Liv Boeree and Jason Somerville.

Casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) sidestepped the worst of Macau’s 2014 revenue downturn but the bad times caught up with the company in Q1.

GEG released unaudited Q1 figures on Thursday, showing revenue of HKD 13.7b (US $1.76b) in the three months ending March 31. The figure is down 32% from the same period last year and down 15% from Q4. Earnings were down 40% year-on-year to HKD 2.3b ($297m).

GEG’s flagship Galaxy Macau property reported revenue down 28% to HKD 9.2b, as VIP revenue fell 35% and mass market revenue dropped 14%. But mass market revenue was up 7% from Q4 and hotel occupancy remained high (95%). Revenue at the StarWorld Macau was off 42% to $4b thanks to hefty declines in both the VIP (-48%) and mass market (-18%) tables. Earnings from the CityClubs branded casino business were down 35% to HKD 31m.

Meanwhile, Galaxy Macau’s Phase 2 is set to open on May 27, yet GEG still doesn’t know how many gaming tables its new property will receive. In January, GEG said Phase 2 had the capacity to host up to 500 tables but Macau officials have offered little guidance as to how many tables GEG will ultimately receive. Casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment (MCE) says its new Studio City property, which is set to open in Q3, would like 400 tables of its own.

Pennsylvania’s House Gaming Oversight Committee held the first of two scheduled informational hearings on online gambling Thursday morning.

Three separate iGaming bills have been filed in Pennsylvania’s current legislative session, one poker-only and two that also allow casino games. The focus of Thursday’s get-together was the HB 649 legislation introduced by Rep. John Payne, who happens to chair the Committee.

In stark contrast to the recent federal online gambling hearing, the sane outnumbered the loonies among the testifying witnesses. Clearly, he who organizes the hearing sets the tone for the debate that follows.

One by one, reps from Caesars Entertainment, Gaming Laboratories International, GeoComply, Spectrum Gaming Group and Penn National Gaming touted both the benefits of a regulated intrastate online gambling market and the utter lack of lurid headlines emanating from the three US states in which online gambling has been authorized.

New Zealand’s Racing Minister is making good on his pledge to reduce or eliminate his countrymen’s access to international online betting sites.

On Thursday, Racing Minister Nathan Guy (pictured) announced the formation of a working group to determine the scale of New Zealand gamblers’ use of online betting options other than the New Zealand Racing Board’s TAB site. In November, Guy had declared cutting off the flow of funds to international sites to be his “number one priority.”

The working group will begin its work this month and will deliver a progress report to the Department of Internal Affairs by June 30. A draft report of the group’s conclusions is due by Sept. 1 and the final report will arrive Sept. 30.

Chairing the group will be former Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain, who retired from politics last year. Other members include NZ Racing Board CEO John Allen, fellow board member Greg McCarthy, Sport New Zealand chairman Sir Paul Collins and two unidentified Internal Affairs officials.

Zynga founder and recently reinstated CEO Mark Pincus is looking to rehire his former head of casino games.

Pincus (pictured praying), who last week announced he was returning to the CEO role after steering Don Mattrick to the exit, is reportedly in discussions to bring Marcus Segal (pictured on the right) back into Zynga’s fold. Bloomberg Business sources claimed Segal, a six-year Zynga vet who briefly headed up the company’s casino games division before leaving Zynga in March 2014, is “discussing an operational role” with the company.

Bloomberg’s sources said Segal wasn’t the only former Zynga exec that Pincus is looking to rehire. In addition to cutting a significant percentage of Zynga’s rank-and-file staffers, Mattrick oversaw a thorough house cleaning of Zynga’s executive ranks.

Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia suggested that many of the Mattrick’s new hires might not stick around now that Pincus has reasserted operational control of the company. Alex Garden, former head of Zynga Studios, left the company in March, although the news wasn’t confirmed until last week. Garden, who oversaw the botched rollout of the revamped Zynga Poker app, was handed responsibility for Zynga Casino in October 2014.

Morris Bailey, the owner of Atlantic City’s Resorts Casino Hotel, says New Jersey gaming regulators are close to approving PokerStars’ online gambling license application.

Bailey (pictured) made the comments on Thursday at the launch of his property’s new iGaming Lounge, which he claims is the first such digitally-dedicated environment in an AC casino. The Lounge, located just off the casino floor, aims to help educate technophobic gamblers of how online gambling works and to enable gamblers to sign up for Resorts’s new online casino site.

Thursday marked the official launch of ResortsCasino.com. The SNG Interactive-powered casino site earned $154k in March, its first full month of operations since taking its first wager in late February.

The online site has yet to launch a poker vertical because its online poker partner PokerStars has yet to receive a transactional waiver from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). There are plenty of theories as to what has delayed the DGE from making a decision regarding Stars’ future, many of them centering around Gov. Chris Christie’s alleged unwillingness to piss off certain anti-online casino bosses who might retaliate by refusing to fund Christie’s presidential aspirations.