A plan to reopen travel between Hong Kong (l.) and Macau has been tabled for now due to ongoing Covid-19 infections. It was hoped the resumption of travel would help boost Macau’s battered gaming and tourism business. But Singapore and Philippine bubbles may go forward.

As Australia’s Crown Resorts works to repair its battered reputation, it’s faced with another potential money laundering issue, having accepting credit card payments for gaming chips and cash at Crown Melbourne.

Lawrence Ho (l.), chairman of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, plans to launch a $150 million special purpose acquisition company, according to a U.S. SEC filing.

The reality of the referendum to legalize casinos in the city, the licensing process and getting financing has hit home for Richmond as the new timeline toward opening has been revised. It will be at least October 2024 before the casino opens its doors, nine months after the previously considered date, according to Leonard Sledge (l.), the city’s economic development director.

After initially missing the July 1 deadline for a request for applications, the New York State Gaming Commission finally issued guidelines, and as expected it may be a heavy lift for applicants.

The United Kingdom says July 16 as the date to remove Covid- 19 restrictions including masks, social distancing and capacity limits. The Betting and Gaming Council would also like to see travel eased.

The streets of Las Vegas, virtually deserted in the early days of Covid-19, are now teeming with visitors. Almost 2.9 million tourists flocked to the city in May, with visitation up 11.8 percent from April.

After Tabcorp rejected the third pitch by Entain for the wagering division, the Australian company will spin off its lotteries and keno division into a separate company. The company will be listed on the Australian exchange.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and the Oneida Nation will amend the tribe’s gaming compact to allow betting on professional sports events and drafts and nationally televised award shows. College sports are excluded.

The GGB Podcast welcomes Omer Sattar, the co-founder and executive vice president of strategic initiatives, Sightline Payments on the accelerating progress toward cashless gaming in the land-based and online gaming industries.

A South Korean integrated resort project (l.) originally undertaken by Caesars Entertainment may not open until 2025. Construction of the resort was suspended last year due to Covid-19.

A proposal by political factions in Nagasaki would intensify government surveillance of land used by foreign entities. IR proponents in the prefecture are concerned that it may affect a resort in Sasebo City.

Boracay Island in the Philippines may be considering a gaming venue as part of a larger entertainment complex. The local government has established a development authority, the first step in such a process.

Norway’s Borgarting Court of Appeal has confirmed Norsk Tipping’s monopoly on gaming doesn’t violate the European Free Trade Association Agreement. This decision could be appealed to the Supreme Court.

A group of construction workers who sued Saipan casino operator Imperial Pacific International for labor violations and human trafficking want a U.S. District Court to auction off millions in assets to pay the judgment.

Indian gaming operator Delta Corp. has reopened its Casino Deltin Denzong (l.) in Sikkim, but its properties in the state of Goa remain closed due to Covid-19.

An Australian workers’ compensation group wants Crown Resorts honcho James Packer (l.) to reimburse it for damages paid to a onetime Crown security guard. The man claimed he was assaulted by the billionaire.

Digital wallets are the latest effort to rely on cashless options in gaming. But Australia will look at more than payments for playing slots during a trial period. They will examine use in dealing with gambling harm.

Analysts estimated online gambling in Michigan would generate $200 million to $300 million in adjusted gross receipts in six months. In reality, it produced $369.4 million from the January launch through May 31.

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming and Fantini Research are launching the first game performance database for online gaming, tracking individual game performance across North American internet gaming sites.

China’s crackdown on online cross border gambling shows no signs of letting up. Beijing’s use of “soft power” across Asia has shifted the primary targets for iGaming.

Shareholders of Bally’s Corp. and U.K.-based online gaming operator Gamesys approved the merger of the two companies, pending regulatory approval.

The Jefferies Group released a report following its digital gaming summit that projected a combined annual market for iGaming and online sports betting of $38.7 billion.

Affinity Gaming has completed its merger with Sports Information Group, publisher of the Daily Racing Form, which creates the company Affinity Interactive.

Greentube has debuted online in Germany with OnlineCasino Deutschland, placing titles including Diamond Link and Seven Seas Jackpot in the market.

Sweden-based Lady Luck Games has gone live with EveryMatrix on its RGSMatrix game server, after EveryMatrix invested in the content supplier.

Playtech’s Casino and Live Casino games are now available on the platform of SkillOnNet, with an award-winning platform that has launched in the U.K. and is expanding internationally.

Online casino game developer Real Dealer has launched two new games in its Real Roulette series featuring RNG game play and a cinematic player experience.

Twitch has online slots among its more popular categories. Some play the game for hours, losing real money. Responsible gaming specialists want the website to end the availability of such games.

Canada’s Ontario Province has announced the creation of iGaming Ontario. The new entity will oversee online gaming. This includes the recently legalized single-game wagering.

Sweden’s Kindred Group has purchased the remaining shares of Relax Gaming, giving it complete ownership. However, it plans for Relax to operate independently with its own board and management team.

While Louisiana casino operators and state officials prepare for sports betting in 55 of the state’s 64 parishes, the Gaming Control Board remains leaderless since Mike Noel (l.) abruptly quit.

All but two daily fantasy sports operators were forced to leave Connecticut when they couldn’t forge partnerships with a casino or the lottery. DraftKings and FanDuel are still around.

The Maine legislature is moving toward passing a bill that would authorize sports betting. A final vote in the Senate will send the bill to Governor Janet Mills (l.). Her decision to sign it is by no means certain.

A sportsbook is part of the plan for a temporary Hard Rock Casino (l.) in Rockford, Illinois, recently OK’d by the Illinois Gaming Board to start construction. It’s expected to open in about 90 days.

Sports betting was legal on July 1 in South Dakota, but wagers in Deadwood (l.) will have to wait as long as a few months as final rules are hammered out and applications accepted for licenses.

Illinois legislators are poised to pass legislation to allow sports betting on in-state college games. Despite almost certain passage, Illini athletic director Josh Whitman (l.) opposes the bill, citing its potential for harm.

The WynnBET sports betting app and the Colorado Rockies have announced a multi-year partnership. The deal makes WynnBET an official sports betting partner of the Major League Baseball club.

NFL great Drew Brees (l.) has officially joined mobile sports betting provider PointsBet as a brand ambassador. The legendary New Orleans Saints QB is now a broadcaster with NBC, also a PointsBet partner.

A U.K. study found that gambling companies are less likely to sponsor sports teams and players. The percentage of the market dropped from 15.3 percent to 8.1 percent. Other industries fared much better.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment Japan has re-upped its initial two-year partnership agreement with Japanese soccer club Yokohama F Marinos (l.). Melco is among the bidders on an integrated resort in the prefecture.

The Sports Betting Network VSiN has made a deal to distribute its sports betting content, information and analysis for the first time in a Latin American market.

IGT has landed a deal with Louisiana’s Coushatta Casino Resort to install its PlaySports platform to power sports betting. Coushatta is the state’s largest casino resort.

Clarion Gaming is partnering with Bayes Esports to provide expert commentary on the esports betting calendar exclusively on the site ICE365.com.

Elys Game Technology will acquire U.S. Bookmaking, founded by Vic Salerno (l.), a member of the AGA Gaming Hall of fame. USB is a supplier of sports wagering services including turnkey solutions, risk management, design and consulting.

Caesars Entertainment has been selected by Columbus Exposition and Racing to operate its new casino at Ag Park. The venue will feature a one-mile horse racetrack and casino with 400 slots and 20 table games.

In Cincinnati, the Hard Rock Casino, formerly Jack Horseshoe Casino, will reopen July 15. In the Hard Rock tradition, the venue will feature rock and roll memorabilia, including stage costumes worn by Devo and KISS.

In an 8-6 vote, the St. Tammany Parish council in Louisiana approved allowing a voter referendum on a $325 million casino in Slidell. Now the council president and members face two lawsuits to stop the vote. The plan is to move the license for the now shuttered DiamondJacks Casino (l.) in Bossier City to Slidell.

Montbleu Resort Casino & Spa in Stateline, Nevada has been renamed “Bally’s Lake Tahoe.” The property, acquired by Bally’s Corp. in 2020, will undergo a renovation and add an events center.

Caesars Entertainment has unveiled plans to renovate the main entrance and gaming areas of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The multimillion-dollar makeover should be complete by New Year’s Eve.

Permitting outdoor alcohol consumption in Atlantic City proved so effective in boosting local business, the New Jersey Senate wants to expand the concept statewide.

Fresno, California’s Club One Casino, closed for months by Covid, will reopen in another part of the city. It will occupy the former Club Imperio nightclub. Workers are building a permanent card club.

Washington’s Kalispel Tribe of Indians has purchased the 243 acre Spokane County Raceway. Spokane County’s Board of Commissioners approved of the sale for $6.1 million. The county had owned the raceway since 2007.

Local, state and federal officials took part in the opening of the Catawba Nation’s temporary “pre-launch” Two Kings Casino (l.) in North Carolina. Construction of the tribe’s $273 million facility will begin later this year.

The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas hopes Congress will eventually pass a bill that would allow them to legally operate a full casino in the state, where they already operate the Class II Naskila Casino (l.). So for the House has passed a bill, but it’s stuck in the Senate.

The Covid-19 pandemic last year closed down Sandia Resort & Casino, near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It reopened July 2 and showed off the $100 million in renovations that it made during the months closed.

The Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming gave $250,000 to the Support Surfside Fund to help people affected by the Champlain Tower collapse (l.). The fund’s total has reached $2,250,000.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (l.) has named the seven members of the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission, which will approve sports betting licenses in the state.

After 17 years at Borgata, Michael Woodside will join Hard Rock Hotel & Casino as vice president of entertainment and marketing. He had a similar role at Borgata.

Germany’s Gauselmann Group has restructured its management team, announcing a new structure to be effective October 1 led by Dominik Raasch (l.), director of product management.

Australia-listed Silver Heritage Group, developer of the Tiger Palace Resort Bhairahawa (l.) in Nepal, has appointed a new chairman, John Dougall and announced the exit of two other board members.

Sahara Las Vegas last week announced the appointment of Elani Gardner to assistant general manager of Bazaar Meat by José Andrés. Gardner has 10 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Former Penn National Gaming general counsel Carl Sottosanti, has joined the board of advisors of licensing expert Compliable, formerly Rebric. The firm recently secured funding to develop its U.S. platform.

San Manuel Casino has hired two top executive chefs to serve under Chef Oliver Wolf, vice president of Culinary Operations. They are Everton Clarke, culinary-related services and Matthew Smith, culinary operations.

The Gaming Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for its Class of 2021 inductees, after skipping a year in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The awards will be handed out at G2E in October.

IGT has signed an agreement with the Western Canada Lottery Corp. under which the company will supply the lottery with 700 video lottery terminals.

Zitro USA has signed a distribution agreement with Delta Gaming Solutions to place Zitro Class III video slots in Oklahoma casinos, beginning with “88 Link Progressive.”

Stakelogic, a slot developer based in Malta, has been approved by the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries in Ukraine for a supplier license. It provides games for Malta, Romania and the U.K.

The Australasian Gaming Expo (AGE) says the in-person event will take place as planned, August 10-12 inclusive, despite a recent two-week Covid lockdown in the host state, New South Wales.