South Korean Police Bust $3.8B Illegal Gambling Syndicate Summary Between November 2021 and March 2025 Gangwon Provincial Police uncovered an organised online gambling syndicate that processed roughly KRW 5.3 trillion (around $3.8bn) through casino-linked platforms based in the Philippines. Fourteen people were implicated; seven have been detained, including the alleged ringleader known as ‘Mr A’. […]
Jim Murren named interim CEO of UAE gambling regulator after Kevin Mullally steps down Summary Kevin Mullally, the inaugural CEO of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), has stepped down to prioritise family life. Mullally led the regulator from its establishment phase in Q3 2023, building core governance and regulatory frameworks and overseeing the […]
China to execute casino kingpin, four others in multibillion-dollar criminal case Summary China has sentenced five members of a Myanmar-based criminal group to death over crimes tied to large-scale gambling and scamming operations. The defendants include alleged gang leader Bai Suocheng, his son Bai Yingcang, and three associates. The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court found them […]
Brazil: Caixa puts betting platform project on hold after alleged pressure from Lula Summary Caixa Econômica Federal has postponed the launch of its state-owned online betting platform, which had been slated to start this year and was forecast to generate around R$2.5 billion in annual revenue from 2026. The Presidential Secretariat for Social Communication (Secom) […]
Golden Entertainment boss is buying casino company Summary Golden Entertainment CEO Blake Sartini is buying the company’s operating assets while spinning seven casino real estate properties to Vici Properties in a sale-leaseback. Vici will pay $1.16 billion for the properties — including The Strat, two Arizona Charlie’s locations in Las Vegas, the Aquarius and Edgewater […]
Casino landlord buying The Strat, other properties for more than $1B in leaseback deal Summary Vici Properties, the New York-based real estate investment trust best known as the landlord of major Las Vegas Strip resorts, has agreed to buy The Strat and six other Nevada casino properties from Golden Entertainment for $1.16 billion in a […]
PENN Entertainment unveils digital direction after ESPN exit Summary PENN Entertainment and ESPN have mutually agreed to an early termination of their 10-year, $1.5bn US online sports betting partnership, with marketing exclusivity ending on 1 December 2025 and cash payments concluding at the end of Q4. Unvested and performance warrants tied to the deal will […]
Golden Entertainment to be bought by its Chairman Blake Sartini and enter into sale-leaseback transaction with VICI Properties Summary Golden Entertainment has agreed to sell its operating assets to its Chairman and CEO, Blake L. Sartini, and affiliates, while selling seven casino real-estate assets to VICI Properties in a sale-leaseback deal. VICI will assume and […]
Kalshi tops $4.4 billion, Polymarket rebounds: October data highlights prediction markets’ momentum Summary Prediction markets hit new highs in October 2025. Kalshi reported roughly $4.4 billion in notional monthly volume while Polymarket rebounded to about $3.0 billion. Combined sector estimates — counting smaller venues — sit between $7.4bn and $8.7bn. The surge was driven largely […]
Golden Entertainment going private in transaction with VICI, CEO Summary Golden Entertainment has agreed to sell its operating assets to CEO Blake L. Sartini and affiliates, while selling seven casino real estate assets to VICI Properties in a sale-leaseback deal. The transaction, expected to close mid-2026, separates operations (to Sartini) from property ownership (to VICI) […]
