Early last month, the global casino-entertainment company, Bally’s Corporation, announced a senior-level change. The company confirmed its plans to replace its CEO, Lee Fenton. Consequently, Bally’s confirmed that Fenton will remain in that role until March 31, 2023. As a replacement for Fenton, the company selected Robeson Reeves, an expert within the iGaming vertical with nearly two decades of experience.
Now, during a meeting on Wednesday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), praised the incoming CEO for his experience and urged the Gaming Commission to find him suitable for the new role with Bally’s, a report released by CDC Gaming Reports reveals.
Brittnie Watkins, one of NGCB’s members, talked about Reeves’ current role as chair of the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) committee. Reeves reassured that his efforts within the ESG vertical would continue. Additionally, he said that the Board will have two women as members in April, which, according to him is “pretty good and going in the right direction.”
“ESG is very close to my heart. Talent should always shine through and we should let people reach their full potential.“
Robeson Reeves, incoming CEO of Bally’s Corporation
Reeves enjoyed similar approval from other NGCB members. George Assad, another member of the regulator pointed out that Reeves has an impressive resume, while Kirk Hendrick, Board Chair, also voiced his support for Reeves’ new position with Bally’s.
It was in the autumn when Bally’s completed the deal for Tropicana, effectively granting the company presence on the Las Vegas Strip. During the recent meeting, Reeves wasn’t questioned about the company’s plans for the property. However, that topic may be discussed at a later meeting scheduled for the end of the month.
Reeves Brings Decades of Experience to Bally’s
In 2005, Reeves graduated from the University College in London with a Bachelor of Science in Statistics, Operations Research, and Management Studies. The same year, he became a part of Gamesys. Throughout his career with the company, he held different senior-level roles such as director of gaming operations. In August 2010, he was also added to Gamesys’ board of directors.
Upon announcing the senior-level change last month, Bally’s Chairman, Soo Kim, thanked Fenton for his dedication, leadership and ongoing contributions to the company. At the time of the announcement of the planned change, Reeves said that he is honored and glad to be able to lead Bally’s.
Malta-based online gambling company, N1, has expressed its disagreement with the decision of the KSA to fine them for violating the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act.
N1 Objects to KSA’s Fine Calculation and Requests Delay in Publication
In a statement, N1 denied violating the Dutch Betting and Gaming Act and argued that the KSA’s calculation for the fine was incorrect and baseless, leading to a disproportionately high amount. N1 claimed that the fine contradicts the legal basis for levying and calculating a fine under Dutch law.
N1 has objected to the KSA’s decision and requested that the publication of the fine be delayed until the proceedings are concluded. However, the KSA denied the request and went ahead to publish the decision.
N1 strongly believes that the KSA’s actions have put pressure on their current standing in both administrative and judicial proceedings. Nonetheless, N1 is confident that the court will consider their arguments in a fair and transparent manner to reach a decision that is based on the legal standing of the matter.
N1 intends to appeal the fine and present evidence to dispute its legitimacy and proportionality, especially in comparison to other sanctions imposed by the KSA on other operators in the past.
Furthermore, N1 stated that they have fulfilled all their regulatory obligations related to Anti-Money Laundering, GDPR, responsible gaming, and tax. The company remains committed to complying with all regulatory obligations, both under its license from the Maltese Gambling Authority and internationally.
Four More Companies Besides N1 Fined $27.7M by Dutch Gambling Regulator
Last week, KSA revealed that it had imposed €26 million ($27.7 million) worth of fines against five companies, including N1, that had offered games of chance to Dutch players without a license.
The fines, which had been announced in December, were challenged by the operators in court, but the judge rejected their efforts, resulting in the public announcement of the penalties. The KSA explained that the fines were implemented based on its newly adopted policy, which enforces penalties based on the turnover of operators in the Netherlands.
The five operators that faced penalties were N1 Interactive Limited, Videoslots Limited, Betpoint Group Limited, Probe Investments Limited, and Fairload Limited. The largest fine, worth €12.6 million ($13.4 million), was imposed on N1 Interactive Limited, while Videoslots Limited was fined €9.9 million ($10.5 million). Betpoint Group Limited faced a fine of €1.8 million ($1.9 million), Probe Investments Limited was fined €1.13 million ($1.2 million), and Fairload Limited was fined €900,000 ($957,000).
KSA’s chairman, René Jansen, defended the fines, stating that they were proportionate and aimed at the operators’ wallets. The KSA explained that N1 Interactive Limited faced a larger fine due to repeated violations, while Videoslots Limited was fined for incorrectly displaying the KSA’s wordmark on its website.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the company plans to wind down 10% of its retail capacity, or nine out of its 91 clubs across the United Kingdom.
The property earmarked for closure in Manchester is Belle Vue, with the company explaining that COVID-19 lockdowns have suppressed business in places, and the ongoing group operations may not be sustainable unless measures are enacted.
No Bingo as Jobs at Risk Due to Increasing Costs and Declining Revenue
Mounting energy bills and other costs have also contributed to Buzz Bingo’s decision. This means that as many as 151 people may be impacted because of the closure. Buzz Bingo has said that it would support affected employees even if it decides to shut down the properties with no final date set just yet.
The company also noted that part of the issue stemmed from evolving consumer habits, with people just not showing the same confidence, as the cost of living and threat of recessions are perennial worries on their minds.
Shutting down the nine properties, though, is not a desirable outcome, Buzz Bingo assures. Yet, it’s a way to ensure that the remaining employees, some 2,300 people, are cared for, and will have access to employment. Dominic Mansour, Buzz Bingo’s chief executive, argued that similar problems were felt across the entire leisure industry.
While he admitted that has been a slight rebound in numbers, he also noted that the pre-pandemic numbers were far from matched, a knock-on effect from the jump in costs of basic goods.
Inflation has not been kind to consumers and the effects can be felt across Buzz Bingo’s fleet as well. This is not the first time Buzz Bingo had to prune its operations. Back in 2020 when the pandemic was kicking in, the company announced that it is shutting down 26 of its bingo halls permanently, putting 573 jobs at risk at the time.
The company has mostly tried to avoid an outcome such as that, but circumstances have forced its hand on more than one occasion.
Wargo talked to Shawnee Delaney, the current chief executive of Vaillance Group, and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer. Delaney was keen to explain how her previous experience in intelligence services was more relevant to the casino sector than anyone outside the industry could suspect.
Casinos Continue to Be Target for Bad Actors and Hackers
She put a stop to the speculation by explaining that malicious actors – whether they are spies or social engineers – use the same technique to infiltrate systems and networks, accessing all sorts of information. Delaney said that casinos are particularly vulnerable in their relationships with third parties.
This, she argued, allows hackers to penetrate third-party systems and from there on – the casinos themselves. It’s how hackers make money, she told Wargo. Smart devices and technology are similarly at a risk. Hackers can infiltrate something as simple as wearable devices or the remote technology in a fish tank – a viable way to hack into a casino, which has already happened.
Because of that one small vulnerability no one thought much about, hackers were able to completely overwhelm the casino’s security in at least one case, the chief executive told the reporter. Delaney believes that the fallout is worse still as investigations are costly and the media blowout stings even more. Essentially, every prominent brand and casino had been hacked at some point in their time.
BetMGM and DraftKings were attacked late in 2022, and two million accounts were then sold on the Dark Web. She also noted that social unrest, such as the pandemic, also led to insider fraud and theft of intellectual property, with people “hedging their bets.” There are reasons for this as well – such as low-paying jobs, debt, addiction, revenge, and more, but the fact remains that casinos are exposed to these dangers as well.
Malicious Insiders, Rogue Employees, and More
IT should also be kept under close watch, Delaney believes, as people with a technical position and privileged access may launch an attack – which usually takes place after business hours and causes a disruption of business. Yet malicious insiders who are only trying to harm a company from the inside account for 10% of all people involved.
In a word, Delaney explained, there are many threats that casinos face and not have been adequately addressed. More needs to be done, whether it requires corporate training, improvement of internal processes, or most commonly – all of this and more.
In a Wednesday tweet, Daniel Negreanu said that accused poker cheater Ali Imsirovic is still up to his dirty tricks and called for all poker sites and card rooms to ban the high roller.
Last year, along with Jake Schindler, the 2021 GPI Player of the Year, was temporarily banned from PokerGO Tour events. He was accused of collusion during live poker tournaments and using real-time assistance (RTA) tools online.
Imsirovic, the high-stakes crusher who has fallen from grace over the past year due to the allegations, is rumored to be permanently banned from GGPoker as part of an RTA crackdown. The Poker Integrity Council (PIC) at GGPoker, led by poker site ambassador Jason Koon, was formed last summer to investigate potential online cheating allegations.
Is Imsirovic Still Cheating?
Some players who were initially banned were given a second opportunity to return to the poker site on a case-by-case basis. The PIC, however, did not feel that Imsirovic was deserving of reinstatement. If the claims Negreanu made in his recent tweet are accurate, it appears the council made a wise decision.
Before knowing about Ali Imsirovic’s transgressions I thought he was a lifer who loved the game and would be a tour… https://t.co/J4xY3y91zk
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker)
According to our sources, Imsirovic has been playing on unregulated poker sites now that he’s unable to compete on major regulated sites such as GGPoker. He has been apparently still up to his old habits, using RTAs and multi-accounting.
Negreanu wrote in the tweet that the accused poker cheater is the “opposite of remorseful and is actual boastful, bragging about robbing former friends.” He also referred to his former high-stakes opponent as “likely irredeemable at this point.”
Imsirovic has over $18 million in live tournament cashes, according to Hendon Mob, and he’s still just 28 years old. Without question, he was headed for the Poker Hall of Fame before all the cheating allegations came to light.
Alex Foxen was the first high-profile poker player in 2022 to publicly out Imsirovic and Schindler. Chance Kornuth and others then followed suit shortly after Foxen called for a “poker blacklist.”
Nearly one year later and Negreanu’s doing the same, but he isn’t the only one who wants changes around the poker community. You can add Matt Berkey and Mike Matusow to the list of players who chimed in on “Kid Poker’s” tweet.
“We’ve all been somewhat quiet regarding more swirling rumors. I think online operators are facing a long, cold hard look in the mirror. We need to get MA under control, KYC protocols need massive overhaul in the gray/black markets & finally AI based RTA detection is a mandatory,” Berkey wrote.
“I think we should all bow to him and give him an award!” Matusow sarcastically tweeted.
What Did He Allegedly Do?
Ali Imsirovic
Imsirovic and Schindler were allegedly part of a poker cheating scandal that included the use of RTAs online, multi-accounting, and collusion in live high rollers. The most damaging hard evidence publicly known against the accused is the GGPoker ban.
GGPoker, and rival poker site PokerStars, have cracked down heavily on multi-accounting and RTA use. Those sites are heavily regulated whereas Americas Cardroom (ACR), one site where Imsirovic has reportedly been playing recently, is unregulated and as such theoretically more susceptible to cheating.
Imsirovic was caught by GGPoker using RTAs, a tool that gives an online poker player an unfair advantage. Real-time assistance tools are not only frowned upon by many poker pros and recreational players but are also illegal on most poker sites.
What is Real Time Assistance in Poker?
If a player is using an RTA, which helps to make correct decisions in any spot, they could be virtually unbeatable. Even a beginner poker player could dominate a crusher using RTAs.
Imsirovic and Schindler haven’t been spotted in live poker tournaments this year and it’s unclear just how long the PokerGO Tour ban will last. But they both competed in numerous major events in 2022 despite the harsh allegations. Schindler even won his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet last summer, and the poker community wasn’t exactly thrilled with the outcome. He unsurprisingly refused an interview with the media afterwards.
Odin was a war god in Norse mythology, appearing in heroic literature as the protector of heroes. In outward appearance he was a tall, bearded old man with only one eye, having exchanged the other for wisdom. He was a great magician and is associated with knowledge, sorcery, battle, and victory. It was said that fallen warriors joined him in Valhalla.
In January of last year, I wrote an article entitled “Robot Wars: How Long Before Real Time Assistants Threaten the Viability of Online Poker?” In it, I looked at a few of the “real time assistance” (RTA) scandals that had already occurred in the poker world and pondered the consequences of players using “dream-machines” that could tell them the best poker action to take within a 20-30 second timeframe.
can produce very accurate soft solutions to hands in a matter of seconds
Another clear and present existential danger to online poker comes from the training tools used primarily for coaching purposes. These “game theory optimal” (GTO) trainers have become so sophisticated, delving into a massive bank of pre-solved situations, that they can produce very accurate soft solutions to hands in a matter of seconds. It is therefore massively important that the purveyors of such software build in a compulsory time delay slot prevent their use for hands in real time.
One such trainer is Odin, the brainchild of Rory Young, which is now advertised with the tagline: “solving poker has never been faster.” It recently removed its 20-second delay and has launched a sale on the back of this new “feature.” While I understand that players studying simulations appreciate speed and that ground-breaking pieces of study kit like PioSolver are slow, it would be disingenuous not to see how that slogan is also a dog whistle to would-be cheaters.
Players can now use Odin in-game, taking its recommended GTO lines versus unsuspecting villains and giving themselves a huge advantage when battling on the virtual felt. Selling a product that permits such sorcery is scurrilous and a number of high profile people in the industry have spoken out.
What is RTA?
Real-time assistance is anything external to players that helps them make their decisions while playing online cash games or tournaments. The most obvious and clear-cut example of this is a game theory optimal (GTO) solver running on a supercomputer, capable of running hands millions of times in a matter of seconds, devising an optimal line based on those findings, and generating that solution within the limits of a player’s time bank.
Less obvious and often disputed examples are pre-flop push-fold charts or lists of pre-solved opening ranges. Poker sites differ in their attitude towards these but they all draw the line somewhere and then try to police those policies. Top pro Olivier Busquet favors a hard-live approach as anything less would be a slippery slope in his opinion.
Do defenders not see how you’re creating the intellectual/argumentative infrastructure to do simply extend this to all betting streets and completely ruin online poker. RTA is coming and as a community, we need to be prepared – and to me, we seem woefully unprepared atm.
Whether you like it or not, we are very much in “The Solver Era” of poker, a natural evolution of information and an example of the inexorable march of new technology. A huge amount of poker study these days is solver-based, with trainers designed to optimize learning via the recognition of patterns and the devising of heuristics. These trainers are wonderful tools, but what happens when a trainer becomes too powerful and too fast at dispensing its findings? In the wrong hands, it becomes an RTA.
RTA in Poker: A Brief History
Back in September 2020, German online gamer turned poker player Fedor Kruse was in the headlines when his flat mates blew the whistle on his use of a two-computer “dream-machine” setup, designed to fool the mouse-tracking systems deployed by online poker security teams. When he finally broke his silence, Kruse was unapologetic, claiming that the use of dream-machines was widespread and that “Russian bot-farms” were already printing money in $5 SNG pools.
Later that same month, GGPoker banned 40 accounts for RTA usage and issued final warnings to 40 others. In total, $1,175,305 was seized from 13 of the banned accounts.
Breaking: GGPoker makes decision on real time assistance:
– “Through our upgraded detection methods, we have discovered a small group of RTA users” – 13 accounts banned, $1.2 million confiscated – 27 further banned, no confiscation – 40 warned
GGPoker put out a statement, explaining how “massive increases in data analysis” were a big part of their new RTA detection methods. They have since followed that up by banning more players, but also, curiously in August of 2022, reinstating others.
For a limited time only, we will be extending an olive branch to previously banned players on GGNetwork. If you have been banned and wish to return, we will be taking applications for the next 2 weeks (~Sep 5). Please read our stance on pros here: https://t.co/kV6m8QbFHy 1/3
When researching my article from January 2022, I spoke with dozens of professionals who were concerned about the prevalence of RTA use at high stakes. Some even said that some high stakes players were engaging in “my RTA is better than yours” robot wars for massive sums.
A number of players who spoke to me mentioned the now disgraced Ali Imsirovic and Jake Schindler by name, but were unwilling to go on the record. That limited what I could ethically print, but suffice to say that these are the people I was referring to when I wrote: “right now, as you read this, ‘elite players’ are using ‘push-button bots’ to optimize their decision-making in high-stakes online games. Some of them are the guys you probably rate to be the game’s best.”
In the context of that research, I also bookmarked the following tweet by poker streamer Jaime Staples, who had spotted how RTA makers were openly advertising on poker discord groups:
I believe that has a time delay making it not possible to use for RTA. I don’t have a problem with how that site works. If they removed the delay it would be a problem
With the time delay having been removed by Odin, does the developer now fall into the category of “straight scum,” as Staples puts it? Several people have spoken out in recent days against the people behind Odin, including KL Cleeton, who through his dual roles as founder of Range Trainer Pro and manager of Learn Pro Poker, is intimately aware of the issues at stake.
30 seconds
When Odin launched in July 2021, it did so with quite a bit of fanfare, calling itself revolutionary software and boasting 500,000 GTO simulations. It received the endorsement of German wunderkind Fedor Holz who said: “Odin gives you the ability to study basically any spot without ever touching a solver… It’s a must-have for anyone who wants to reach the next level in poker.” Holz also made a YouTube video to celebrate the launch:
Since then, Odin has struggled in the somewhat saturated poker trainer marketplace, it no longer has a relationship with Holz and the removal of the 20-second delay appears to be a last-ditch attempt to tempt buyers. Last Sunday, Cleeton made it clear how he felt about this cynical move:
Completely removing your anti-RTA AND running a sale is a perfect example of bad actors killing the poker ecosystem
It is worth noting that Odin is not the only poker trainer on the market without a delay but all of the others do have RTA prevention via either delays or look-up integrity checks. Vegas Slots Online News reached out to Cleeton and Berkey to ask them three important questions about RTA, the companies that sell them, and the existential threat they pose to the online poker ecosystem. We also spoke to poker pro and DTO Poker Trainer owner Dominik Nitsche and Unibet’s Head of Poker Kris Bergvall to get their perspectives.
Three Big Questions
VSO News: How do you feel about companies that are profiting off products that can be used as cheating tools?
Matt Berkey: I think my opinion has quickly turned on these companies. As an industry, we pretend to hold integrity to the highest standards, and it’s true, having integrity in this industry will get you respect amongst your peers. But in honesty, our history is riddled with the lowest integrity people collecting the biggest pieces of the pie. I feel that this is often because we are expected to self police due to no regulatory oversight and the general disregard at the operator level of widespread issues, such as RTA.
these companies are murdering the ecosystem for short-term profit”
KL Cleeton: My real thoughts are not fit for printing, but what I will say is these companies are murdering the ecosystem for short-term profit. Also, there are smart people behind these companies and they absolutely know what they’re doing. They’re complicit in cheating and should be treated no different than Ali or Jake.
Kris Bergvall: I’d hope that those companies do their utmost to make sure products and services are not used for cheating or breaking site terms of services, and I think it is in their best interest to care about their reputation, long-term business model and long-term health of the online poker industry.
Dominik Nitsche: I’ll probably give you a somewhat different take to what you expect. In my opinion, Odin is a very inefficient RTA and so are most other tools out there. The solves that they and GTOWizard produce are very poor, thankfully.
Ultimately, I believe the real responsibility when it comes to catching RTA users lies with the poker sites. We are paying sites millions in rake, yet the security somehow gets a pass for being unable to detect the most basic and obvious form of cheating. It’s also important to note that there other features in various products that can be used to cheat in a much more efficient manner – yet no one would call them out.
Calling out sites for creating a study program won’t do anything.”
With the future of poker study being firmly in the real time / AI market, it is important to realize that this is now a known problem. Calling out sites for creating a study program won’t do anything. There are countless alternatives out there (there have been for many years) and getting outraged over simply another poor version of RTA is silly.
VSO News: Is online poker in the long run ultimately doomed because of RTA and if so, how long do we have?
Dominik Nitsche: Online poker is not doomed. The threat is real but it’s very likely that there is real RTA out there that is actually efficient to use.
KL Cleeton: I refuse to be defeatist on this. Something can be done to minimize RTA, but it’s on the good actors in the industry (especially from post-flop database sites) to do the right thing. It’s not enough to simply say: “it’s the operator’s responsibility to ban cheaters after-the-fact.” It’s on everyone in the industry to actively try to prevent RTA. Would you rather have a doctor treat your cancer or would you rather have just not smoked in the first place?
Matt Berkey: This is an operator issue, imo. And I’ve actually come around to believing that the best case for the long term sustainability of online poker is for all the tools to remove RTA security buffers. Just as chess.com has to ensure no one uses engines, our online sites should be forced to do the same. No one is demanding that Alpha Zero adds a 60-second buffer.
Kris Bergvall: I remember being very negative about the long-term prospect of online poker in 2013 when I decided to get a real job instead of playing cards, and almost exactly ten years later, the industry is still going strong, so I was clearly too negative back then. I don’t think the entire industry will be in trouble any time soon, but some niches of the industry may well be.
that leaves some niches in the market like low liquidity high stakes games with strong players
I believe it would be difficult to get away with playing a large volume of hands using RTA without being detected by the major sites. Playing a smaller number of hands/tables on lower stakes would obviously cap the upside of the cheating venture and it would also be odd to find players playing almost perfectly on just a few tables when many are available. That leaves some niches in the market like low liquidity high stakes games with strong players and the very low liquidity sites/apps where RTA could be spell doom.
VSO News: Creatively speaking, what kind of things can poker operators do to stop or at least slow down and minimize the impact of RTA?
Kris Bergvall: Operators need to invest in fraud teams and detection technology to keep pace with abusers and be smart about how those resources are deployed.
KL Cleeton: With enough resources, detection can be largely automated by comparing player hand histories to GTO databases and measuring how accurate the player is. But, again, this only catches a cheater. I’m much more interested in preventing cheating.
Dominik Nitsche: Operators have the responsibility to improve their cheating detecting algorithm and would do well to partner with either poker players or software companies to improve their methods. I won’t publicly explain how we at DTO would go about finding anomalies in someone’s game, but I’ll say that someone using any public tool in this manner could be caught very quickly.
Matt Berkey: As far as the longevity of online, I’m very much a doomer. App games make up a massive % of the market and they are completely unchecked from a security standpoint. It’s a race to the bottom unless another Black Friday-type event curbs the black and gray market growth, or at a minimum forces a stricter minimum standard for security. Our only long term hope, in my opinion, is regulation coupled with a uniform overseeing body with regard to security.
Fallen warriors will not be going to Valhalla
These stories are terrible for poker and it is not lost on me that covering them hurts the industry. Between a rock and a hard place, I would rather choose whatever option offers the most transparency, even if that means reporting negative news.
like glove manufacturers deciding to make their gloves out of lead
It is appallingly obvious that technology always seems to exceed our humanity. If the increase in RTA use is like more and more lead getting slipped into the boxing glove, then poker trainers being transformed into dream machines is like glove manufacturers deciding to make their gloves out of lead.
Odin sacrificed an eye for wisdom. The makers of Odin are sacrificing their principles for a buck. Fallen warriors will not be going to Valhalla. They will be going to the poorhouse.
The post Poker Trainer Odin Just Became an RTA Tool appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.
LIV Golf Investments, a new company seeking to further unlock the hidden potential of golf worldwide, announced it has chosen Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) as its presenting partner and the official hotel of the upcoming LIV Golf Singapore.
Partnering with LIV Golf
Presented by Resorts World Sentosa, the LIV Golf Singapore at the end of April will become the fifth tournament of the 2023 season and the first visit of the league to the Asian country, with 48 of the world’s best players among which Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau taking on the No.1 rated course in the country, The Serapong, at Sentosa Golf Club.
Commenting on the announcement, Tan Hee Teck, chief executive officer of RWS, outlined that the resort would bring LIV Golf to Singapore as offering new and premium experiences to its visitors is part of its DNA, adding new appeal for many of its premium visitors who are also golf enthusiasts.
We will continue to work with like-minded partners to make RWS a compelling lifestyle and leisure proposition that resonates with our target consumers with diverse interests across entertainment, food, the arts, sports, and much more.
Tan Hee Teck, CEO, RWS
Tan Hee Teck is determined to ensure that “RWS continues to be at the forefront of Singapore’s tourism and lifestyle landscape, providing its visitors with a pipeline of specially curated thematic offerings that are second to none.”
Upon its return to Asia, LIV Golf Singapore presented by RWS will feature 3 days of action on one of the world’s best golf courses, The Serapong, offering fast and challenging greens, trademark contours and signature holes.
Asia Deserves Golf’s Best
LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman also commented on the agreement, proud to have RWS as the presenting partner for LIV Golf Singapore, an event that will bring the world’s best golfers in a market also deserving the sport’s top competition and experiences such as Asia.
“The LIV Golf League is changing the game and aligns with RWS’ commitment to introducing world-class entertainment to tourists and locals on the island,” Norman added.
Sentosa Golf Club became the first golf club worldwide to join the UN Sports for Climate Action Initiative, and less than a week ago, it received recognition as the world’s first carbon-neutral golf club, on top of being named “World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility” for the third year in a row.
At the 2022 World Golf Awards the club won the “Asia’s Best Golf Course” award, while the recent edition of the Asian Golf Awards hosted in Vietnam brought two other awards to the club, “Best Championship Course in Asia-Pacific” and “Singapore’s Best Golf Course.”
LIV Golf Singapore will be one of 14 tournaments hosted in seven countries where LIV Golf’s 12 teams compete throughout the season in pursuit of the LIV Golf League Individual Championship and Team Championship.
The 2023 Wynn Millions $3,500 Championship kicked off this past weekend, and on Wednesday the money bubble approached as Day 3 action commenced. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team has been on-site all tournament long to capture all the action, and there have been some rather entertaining hands.
Below is a look at five more exciting hands captured in our live updates from the 2023 Wynn Millions.
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Kornuth’s Aces Get Cracked
Jake Schwartz
On Day 3 in Level 16 (4,000/8,000/8,000), it was hand-for-hand play just two away from the money when Jake Schwartz raised to 17,000 in early position and Chance Kornuth (lead picture) pushed in his last 14,000 chips from the hijack. Sara Ralston also called on the button which created a small side pot.
The flop came and the action checked through to the on the turn and the on the river. Schwartz finally threw in a bet of 22,000 and Ralston let her hand go.
While the players waited for the action at the other tables to finish, Kornuth and Schwartz exchanged some words about their hands but neither player was sure if the other was slow rolling or not. “I have a feeling I’m going to the PLO tournament,” Kornuth said.
When the hands were tabled, Kornuth turned over but Schwartz found a lucky runout with to eliminate Kornuth just short of the money.
Calderaro Eliminated on the Money Bubble
James Calderaro
Not long after in the same level, there was a raise to 16,000 and Vuong Do three-bet to 46,000 in the cutoff. James Calderaro four-bet shoved for 140,000 out of the big blind and Do wasted little time before calling.
James Calderaro: Vuong Do:
It was a cooler for Calderaro who needed some help in order to survive the bubble. The board ran out and Do’s kings held on to eliminate Calderaro. The remaining 134 players were then all guaranteed $8,386 in prize money.
Laplante, Cheong & Costa Among Early 2023 Wynn Million Side Event Winners
Javier Finds a One-Outer to Stay Alive
Kevin Javier
Prior to that in Level 15 (3,000/6,000/6,000) on a board reading , three players were still in the hand with around 45,000 in the middle. Faraz Jaka was the first to throw in a bet of 13,000 and Kevin Javier just called. Pierre De Almeida check-raised to 42,000 which got Jaka out but Javier shoved all in for 127,000. De Almeida quickly called and the cards were on their backs.
Kevin Javier: Pierre De Almeida:
Both players flopped a set and things weren’t looking very good for Javier. However, the peeled off on the river and Javier made quad sevens. A loud eruption came out of De Almeida as he was left with just a few big blinds and was eliminated shortly after.
Adams Finds a Miracle River to Bust Jacobson
Martin Jacobson
Another interesting hand took place on Tuesday on Day 2c of the tournament. In Level 13 (2,000/4,000/4,000), Lenard Adams limped in from under the gun and Joshua Faris called from the small blind. 2014 WSOP champ Martin Jacobson made it 18,000 from the big blind and only Adams called.
The flop came and Jacobson continued with a bet of 12,000. Adams snap-called and the rolled off on the turn. Jacobson checked this time and Adams threw in a bet of 30,000 which Jacobson called.
The river brought the and Adams attempted to go all in out of turn. “How much you got left?” He excitedly asked Jacobson. The 2014 WSOP Main Event champion moved all in first for 80,000 and Adams quickly called again.
Jacobson turned over for two pair but was no good against the of Adams which made a straight.
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Kordowski Runs a Bluff to End the Night
Keith Kordowski
One level later in Level 14 (3,000/5,000/5,000), it was near the end of the night when Keith Kordowski raised it up from under the gun and was called by Noah Bronstein a couple of seats over. The flop came and Kordowski checked to Bronstein who bet 12,000. Kordowski check-raised to 45,000 and Bronstein called.
The turn brought the and Kordowski pushed out a bet of 90,000. Bronstein still called and the completed the board. Kordowski announced all for 429,000 as the big stack. Bronstein was sitting with a stack of 299,000 and had a decision for his tournament life. He thought for a couple of minutes but eventually laid his hand down.
Kordowski showed for just ace-high which got a loud reaction from the rest of the table and a grin from Bronstein.
Canadian lottery and casino operator Loto-Québec released its third-quarter financial report for the fiscal year 2022-2023, posting its best performance since the Tobacco Control Act came into force.
Impressive Financial Performance
Revenue during the quarter was C$2.225 billion ($1.61 billion), posting an increase of 30.7% from C$2.747 billion ($1.99 billion) in the third fiscal quarter of 2021-2022. Consolidated net income was C$1.204 billion ($872 million), up 32.6% from $1.499 billion in the respective quarter of the prior year.
“Our teams’ sustained efforts led us to these exceptional results and our best performance in 17 years,” said the president and chief executive officer of Loto-Québec, Jean-François Bergeron, outlining that the operator “will be able to pay a higher dividend than expected to the government,” which in turn will bring benefits to all residents of Quebec.
Compared to the three first quarters of the fiscal year 2019-2020, the increase in revenue is 5.8%, while net income is up 11.3%, suggesting the business is back there where it was when the pandemic struck. In the third fiscal quarter of 2022-2023 Loto-Québec’s expenses accounted for 28.2% of its revenue, while in 2019-2020, that ratio was 30.9%.
Thank you to our teams for incessantly improving our on-site and online entertainment offer, providing our customers with a quality experience and magical moments. The excitement our renewed programming and offer created is palpable at our casinos and gaming halls.
Jean-François Bergeron, CEO, Loto-Québec
For the period between September 27, 2022, and December 26, 2022, Loto-Québec minted 32 new millionaires bringing the total since the beginning of the fiscal year in April to 69, while paying a total of C$397.1 million ($287.8 million) to lottery, network bingo and Kinzo winners to take the year’s total to C$1.103 billion ($799 million).
Key Quarterly Highlights
During the quarter, the operator set up a new sportsbook at the Casino du Lac-Leamy, and followed with another at the Salon de jeux de Trois-Rivières shortly after the quarter end, while the latest phase of the 100% Legal campaign was focused on the local aspect seeking to keep 100% of the money played in Quebec.
Loto-Québec signed an agreement with Gestev for the handling of programming at the Théâtre du Casino du Lac-Leamy and introduce the producer’s lineup of performances to the public in the National Capital Region, much like Gestev has been doing at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal.
The operator also announced a responsible gaming campaign in October focusing on setting limits and encouraging players to voluntarily set time and loss limits and continued supporting causes and non-profit organizations, contributing more than C$1 million ($724,600) to causes this fall.
“Many acts of generosity highlighted this quarter, including our participation in the Government of Québec’s Entraide campaign,” Bergeron continued in his comments, outlining the company’s commitment to fighting against food insecurity “by organizing, among other things, activities benefiting the Moisson organizations.”
As part of its commitment to innovation in gaming and entertainment, Loto-Québec attended the MEGAMIGS festival and HUB Montréal and awarded several grants.
and the action checked through to the 
on the turn and the 
on the river. Schwartz finally threw in a bet of 22,000 and Ralston let her hand go.
but Schwartz found a lucky runout with 
to eliminate Kornuth just short of the money.
, three players were still in the hand with around 45,000 in the middle. 
peeled off on the river and Javier made quad sevens. A loud eruption came out of De Almeida as he was left with just a few big blinds and was eliminated shortly after.
and Jacobson continued with a bet of 12,000. Adams snap-called and the 
for two pair but was no good against the 
of Adams which made a straight.
and Kordowski checked to Bronstein who bet 12,000. Kordowski check-raised to 45,000 and Bronstein called.
and Kordowski pushed out a bet of 90,000. Bronstein still called and the 
completed the board. Kordowski announced all for 429,000 as the big stack. Bronstein was sitting with a stack of 299,000 and had a decision for his tournament life. He thought for a couple of minutes but eventually laid his hand down. 
for just ace-high which got a loud reaction from the rest of the table and a grin from Bronstein.
