Pinnacle, known in Ontario for its many years of operating in the “gray market,” is set to go live October 26 in the regulated market. Additionally, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has ended its grace period for others looking to make the same transitions. Paul Burns (l.), head of the Canadian Gaming Association, says the time for leniency is past.

Proposals for one of the three licenses available in the “southern tier” of New York—the New York City area—are drifting in but this week’s proposal for a Caesars Palace in Times Square has garnered lots of attention.

On October 17, casino magnate Kazuo Okada (l.) was arrested on arrival at an airport in Manila, Philippines. The Japanese billionaire is charged with coercion in his takeover of the Okada Manila integrated resort in May. Now out on bail, Okada vowed to continue his quest for control of the IR.

In an interview with Travel + Leisure, Venetian Resort CEO Patrick Nichols announced that the resort (l.) will be undergoing major renovations in the near future, to the tune of $1 billion. The renovations are expected to include all suites, but no timeline has yet been given.

Regulators in New South Wales have announced that Star Sydney’s (l.) casino license will be suspended as of October 21, and that independent monitor Nicholas Weeks will oversee operations for the foreseeable future. Oh, and don’t forget about a record $62.7 million fine on top of it all.

GMM S.A., a last-minute entrant in Macau’s casino license race, is now an official contender for a gaming license in the city. A unit of the Genting Group joined six incumbents to vie for 10-year gaming licenses.

The long-awaited reformation of the U.K.’s Gambling Act appears to be on the backburner once again, following the resignation of maligned Prime Minister Liz Truss (l.) after just 44 days in office.

It’s third quarter earnings season, and Las Vegas Sands and Monarch Casino are the first operators to report thus far. However, because the two are unique in their own ways as opposed to other high-profile casino companies, it’s hard to tell if their mostly positive results will be extrapolated to the industry at large.

This week the GGB Podcast sits down with Joe Billhimer, the executive vice president of the Cordish Gaming Group, on the success of the Live! Philadelphia property since it opened during the pandemic.

A crackdown on illegal gaming in Cambodia has borne fruit. Following more than 10,000 raids in recent weeks, at least 127 unlicensed gambling dens have been shut down.

Last week, Philippine officials announced the shutdown of more than 200 illegal offshore gaming operations and the deportation of several Chinese nationals who worked for them. More expulsions are expected to follow.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance says three resorts in the country could be in line to offer casino gaming—but only if they can demonstrate capitalization of $2 billion or more. The Van Don Special Economic Zone (l.) is part of that requirement.

In comments before the Japanese parliament, Osaka MP Taku Ikeshita urged Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to approve an integrated resort (l.) in the prefecture by March 2023 “at the latest,” or risk years of delays.

The high-roller segment in Macau’s gaming industry hit a new low in the third quarter of 2022, accounting for just over 20 percent of gross gaming revenues for the period.

The UFC recently announced it wanted to protect the sport from any possible impropriety and said they were banning its fighters from wagering on all UFC fights.

The U.K.’s Gambling Commission, headed by CEO Andrew Rhodes (l.), is ready to begin trials on a system that will monitor the activities of single customers, combining data on their activities from multiple operators. The goal is to prevent players from avoiding intervention by spreading their unsafe gaming activities over several operators.

The gaming authorities of Malta and France met for a remote workshop on September 27-28. The purpose was to collaborate on strategies for Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT). Some of the subjects covered include updates on legislation, and obligations of licenses to enforce regulations.

Paddy Power, a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment, says it has been spending more than €100 million annually on safer gaming measures in the U.K. and Ireland. Both countries are on the verge of significant revisions of their gaming laws.

The Dutch gaming regulator Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) has served cease and desist orders to two operators, LCS and MKC. The operators have complied and pulled out of the market.

Germany’s regulator Die Glücksspielbehörde is pressuring the country's ISPs to block the lottery wagering site Lottoland. It promises the providers hefty fines if they don’t block Lottoland. The regulator feels that Lottoland is especially undesirable because it could confuse consumers that it is a legal lottery.

Italy has finally issued a decree that has been hanging fire since 2017 that updates regulations on fixed-odds wagering on sporting and non-sporting events—excluding horse racing. The decree, which brings Italy’s regulations in line with international standards, goes into force October 28.

The Queensland state government has wasted no time in implementing stricter regulations after Star Entertainment was recently deemed unsuitable for casino licensure in the state. Shannon Fentiman (l.), Queensland’s attorney-general, announced higher fine limits as well as the implementation of independent managers.

New South Wales is close to rolling out a statewide facial recognition program in gaming areas that will help identify self-excluded gamblers and prevent them from further engaging in problem behavior, according to two trade organizations in the state.

Vermont has long been tackling the issue of whether to have sports wagering legalized in its state, and recently held several meetings to discuss the topic.

An upstart golf tour has made inroads into the golf circuit. But the LIV Tour, and member Phil Mickelson (l.) has carried a lot of baggage, namely its funding by the Saudi Arabian government, which has been accused of several human rights violations.

Missouri lawmakers are trying to get sports betting passed but so far have not received much cooperation from Governor Mike Parson (l.), who recently nixed a special session for it.

The co-founders of FanDuel weren’t too happy when the company sold the sportsbook away. Led by Nigel Eccles (l.), they filed a suit seeking $465 million.

The Bears paid close to $200 million for an unused race course so the team can move out of Chicago. They’ll still be called the Chicago Bears but will play in a new stadium in Arlington Heights at the site of the shuttered Arlington Park Racetrack (l.).

ESPN owns a small piece of DraftKings. Now the network and the sportsbook are reportedly on the cusp of something big. Bettors would say it has to do with sports betting—they’d probably be right.

At its third quarter presentation, the folks at FuboTV slipped in the announcement that Fubo Sportsbook is no more. The result left the Cleveland Cavaliers without an operator.

The Casino ESports Conference was recently held at Stockton University (l.) in Atlantic City, where the ribbon was cut on a new esports lab that could create jobs and benefit casinos.

The Caesars Sportsbook at Capital One Arena (l.) has recently undergone some renovations, including adding more betting kiosks, that the owners are convinced have improved the product.

The Colorado Division of Gaming recently held a workshop with representatives from licensed sportsbooks in the state to discuss creating a database that would help problem gamblers.

Bally’s Corporation has signed a multi-project labor agreement for the construction of its $1.7 billion casino-resort in downtown Chicago (l.). The venue will offer 3,400 slots, 170 table games and a 500-room hotel.

Clark County commissioners have given the green light to Tilman Fertitta’s proposed casino-hotel project on the Las Vegas Strip near Harmon Avenue. The plot (l.), which was purchased in June, will soon be cleared to make way for the new 43-story development.

In the latest round of Alabama versus electronic bingo, Victoryland (l.) asked the state Supreme Court for a rehearing on its decision that casinos must stop offering “illegal gambling activities,” i.e., electronic bingo.

September was very, very good to the adjoining states of Connecticut and Massachusetts, at least when it comes to gaming revenues. A hiccup here and there, but overall a good report card.

Superior Court Judge Michael Blee (l.) agreed to a stay in the lawsuit between New Jersey and Atlantic County. At issue: an amendment removing online casino and sports betting revenues from calculations of PILOT tax.

Virginia’s ban on unregulated “skill games” is the subject of a lawsuit from a state senator who supports the machines; the town of Marion (l.) seeks to act now to limit their numbers.

The license for live horse racing at Plainridge Park Casino (l.) in Plainville, Massachusetts expires at the end of the year and the owners of the casino are seeking a renewal with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Gambling addiction and crime sometimes go hand-in-hand, and the crime part sometimes lands the addict in jail. A trio of New Jersey lawmakers introduced a bill to give these folks a path to redemption if they follow the program.

The Treasure Chest riverboat casino (l.) in Kenner, Louisiana, which opened in 1994, broke ground on its new $100 million land-based facility. It’s among the first riverboat casinos to move ashore under a 2018 law.

Prairie Thunder Hastings LLC was back before the Hastings, Nebraska Planning Commission for their horse track and casino project, and had much better news than their previous appearance.

If Louisiana gaming regulators approve, Mississippi-based Foundation Gaming plans to invest $200 million in DiamondJacks Casino (l.) in Bossier City, Louisiana. The property closed in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Caesars’ only Florida casino, the former Isle Casino Pompano Park (l.), will become Harrah’s Pompano Beach in December, company officials said. Renovation and expansion are expected to be completed by early 2024.

Players at the temporary, 433-slot WarHorse Casino (l.) in Lincoln, Nebraska wagered an estimated $1.4 million on opening day, September 23. The permanent venue will open in November 2024 with 1,100 slots, 100 table games, a sportsbook and live and simulcast horse racing.

Aurora, Illinois, is considering taking out a general obligation bond loan for $50 million to help the Hollywood Casino (l.) build a new casino and hotel in the downtown area. Penn Entertainment is building a $360 million casino project. The loan would be paid back out of increased property tax revenues.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians broke ground on the $275 million expansion at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino (l.) in Murphy, North Carolina. It will be the first major expansion at the property, built in 2015 for $110 million.

The Menominee Indian Tribe of Kenosha, Wisconsin commissioned a poll that showed 60 percent of residents approved of a plan to build a hotel, casino, and entertainment complex.

The Chicken Ranch Casino Resort (l.) in Tuolumne County, California October 5 celebrated a topping off ceremony for the 9-story structure. The project will include a hotel with 190 rooms and 9,600-square foot convention center.

Former MGM executive David Tsai has been named CEO of Crown Perth, as the company looks to get back into the good graces of regulators throughout Australia.

Chickasaw Nation tribal leader Bill Lance Jr. has been nominated as a non-executive director of Aristocrat Leisure. Shareholders are expected to elect Lance at the company’s next annual meeting in February of next year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has announced two executive-level promotions—Brandon Moore has been appointed as chief operating officer and Desiree Burke has been named chief financial officer.

J.P. Morgan Payments has negotiated an investment deal with Sightline Payments, in which the two companies will develop a new offering for the resort and hospitality industry.

Software studio Swintt has signed a new partnership with Dutch-based Joi Gaming, in which Swintt titles will be available to iGaming players nationwide.

Last week, the world’s first BattleBots casino slot games debuted at World Championship VII in Las Vegas, ahead of an official launch in casinos. The game was created by global casino games developer Konami Gaming.

At the Eilers & Krejcik Gaming Post G2E Roundtable, slot operations executives named Aristocrat Gaming the top slot supplier displaying at this year’s Global Gaming Expo.