NEWS & NOTES

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) and Major League Baseball have announced a partnership. The agreement marks the first official sportsbook partnership for the league in Ontario. OLG will get description rights to MLB logos and cross-promotion on the league’s digital and social channels. OLG has gotten similar promotion agreements with the National Football League and National Hockey League. OLG Chief Digital and Strategy Officer Dave Pridmore said “Teaming up with a world-class organization like the MLB enables OLG to create exciting, one-of-a-kind interactive experiences for baseball fans at the game and on ProLine+.” • Veikkaus, the Finnish lottery monopoly, has requested a 12-month delay to implement mandatory ID checks on coupon-based lottery games. It cites difficulty of sourcing the needed components—a problem that is a worldwide phenomenon in gaming. This is delaying the replacement of old machines. Finland already requires ID for slots and other forms of gaming. The requirement goes into effect January 1, 2023. The lottery declared, “Due to the global shortage of components, deliveries of new sales terminals are already behind schedule.” • Oryx Gaming has gone live across Jumpman Gaming’s network in the U.K. Oryx, a Bragg Gaming Group company, will be able to provide its exclusive RGS content, including content developed in-house, to Jumpman, which has one of the fastest-growing networks of sites in the U.K. Bragg Chief Commercial Officer Chris Looney stated: “Jumpman’s stable of sites offers Bragg a comprehensive new avenue to grow our status in the UK and we are delighted with the way this agreement propels our message in the market.” Jumpman Managing Director Kris Kukula added, “Our goal at Jumpman is to continue disrupting one of the most competitive industries in the world and signing agreements like this one with Oryx is key to our progress.”• Ratings agency Fitch has downgraded the Issuer Default Ratings of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., Sands China and Marina Bay Sands from BBB- to BB+ due to reduced confidence in the recovery of Macau’s gaming industry. Fitch says it expects LVS’ gross leverage to remain “elevated and inconsistent with investment grade until at least 2025.” ● The Culinary Union and its local affiliates ran an extensive political program in Nevada over the course of the recent 2022 midterm elections, especially in Las Vegas and surrounding areas. The union deployed a team of over 100 canvassers and reached over 20,000 voters, while also utilizing several forms of media, including mailers and digital ads. Some of the candidates backed by the union include Steve Sisolak for governor, Catherine Cortez Masto for Senate and Pat Spearman for North Las Vegas Mayor. Union representatives have said that it will encourage its workers to vote for supported candidates. ● The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), a financial watchdog agency, has warned that the country is at risk of being delegated to the “gray” list by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) if its anti-money laundering efforts don’t improve in coming years. That would mean increased scrutiny from international authorities, and AUSTRAC officials said that one of their first priorities is to clean up the country’s gaming industry, which has been rife with scandal and crime after domestic operators Star Entertainment and Crown Resorts have both been hit with penalties since 2020. ● Aleksejs Panokovs, a professional poker player from Latvia, took home the coveted World Series of Poker title on June 20, narrowly defeating 10-time champ Phil Ivey in the High Roller No-Limit Hold ‘Em main event at Bally’s Event Center in Las Vegas. He became the first Latvian to win any WSOP event, and his career WSOP earnings are now over $3.75 million after raking in a cool $1.9 million for the victory. Ivey remains tied for second-most WSOP bracelets, behind only Phil Hellmuth, with 16. ● U.S. District Court Judge Alan Albright has dismissed a patent infringement lawsuit filed in Texas by Sightline Payments against Everi Holdings, citing that Sightline, which is based in Nevada, is only able to bring forth a patent infringement lawsuit in the jurisdiction “where the defendant either resides or has a regular and established place of business.” The fintech and payment processing company is alleging that rival Everi infringed on five patents related to technology used to transfer funds. Everi declined to comment on the ruling, while Sightline maintained that Texas “is the appropriate jurisdiction for our claim.”