A new wave of criticism has hit a UK Government scheme that is aimed at providing betting shops staff to prevent problem gamblers from getting access to their services.

As revealed by Rob Cave, a BBC reporter acting under cover, pretended to be a gambling addict who should have been blocked from the chance to use fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) with local bookmakers. He, however, actually succeeded to place a bet in 19 out of 21 betting shops. The reporter’s investigation was carried out in Grimsby, which was specifically chosen for the fact that the town in question is currently known as one of the places with one of the highest levels of betting shops on the territory of the UK.

Sports betting landscape may change soon, with more US states turning their eyes towards sports betting legalization. Apart from the long-term efforts of New Jersey to see sports betting become legal, other states have also been considering possible expansion in terms of sports betting.

The beginning of the month saw the Supreme Court hear arguments in Christie vs. NCAA case, which has put the Governor of the state of New Jersey against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and a number of other professional sports leagues in a legal battle associated with sports betting legalization.

For some time now, New Jersey has been considering a possible expansion of the local gambling market by adding sports betting to the list of permitted gambling activities, while some sports leagues and associations have been trying to block these moves.

Actually, the state of New Jersey was the first one to recognize the opportunity back in 2010, and made an attempt to create a regulatory landscape that would provide local customers with the chance to place wagers on sports betting.

The state of New Jersey argued that the federal Professional and Amateur Protection Act (PASPA) violates the anti-comandeering principles of the Tenth Amendment, which would mean that the Congress does not have the power to compel states to ban certain acts.

For the time being, the PASPA considers sports betting illegal, with the Act’s provisions saying that states are not allowed to license, authorize, sponsor or advertise sports betting in any way. Still, the state of New Jersey has been making some efforts to officially provide its residents with the chance to bet on sports and sports events. As mentioned above, a number of sports leagues and organizations such as the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB, along with the NCAA have argued that no such thing is allowed under PASPA.

A fresh wave of regulatory criticism towards gambling-related ads on Norwegian and Swedish media was unleashed earlier this week. State-run organizations are tasked with the provision of gambling services in both Scandinavian countries, and any international operators targeting local players are highly unwelcome.

It emerged a few days ago that Norwegian lawmakers would look to crack down on gambling ads broadcast on television by introducing tighter rules in relation to the way gambling services are advertised within the country’s borders.

In Sweden, the local gambling regulator, Lotteriinspektionen, warned free daily newspaper Metro, which is known to be read by more than one million residents of the country, to cease and desist advertising international gaming operators or otherwise face the consequences of its actions.

Here it is important to note that internationally licensed operators have long been targeting players from both countries, despite the fact that their activities are not regulated there. What is more, such operators have been advertising their products quite aggressively in both Sweden and Norway, which has oftentimes made them subjects to heavy criticism from regulators.

The world of live tournament poker never fails to offer excitement to both those playing and those deriving pleasure from following action at the tables as spectators. Needless to say, the fact that poker offers players the chance to win life-changing amounts of money contributes to the game’s global popularity.

It can be said that interest in live poker grew in 2017 and the introduction of new tournaments, with those featuring larger prize pools, certainly boosted that growth.

Although it is impossible to tell how much money has been awarded to live tournament participants over the past twelve months, it can be seen quite easily who the most profitable players of the year were. Here is a quick look at these players as well as some highlights from the development of their poker careers in 2017.

Ukraine’s Andrey Novak was the last man standing in the €5,300 No-Limit Hold’em EAPT High Roller 8-Max that concluded the partypoker EAPT Prague festival last night. Following a two-way deal with his heads-up opponent – Ludovic Geilich from Germany – Novak was crowned the victor and received €117,365 and the trophy for his efforts.

As for Geilich, he left the tournament with €110,385, which he added to his poker bankroll of over $1.7 million. Here it is interesting to note that the German poker pro made another runner-up finish in a live tournament in Prague mere days ago. The player finished second in the PokerStars Championship Prague €1,100 National Championship event for a prize of €184,000. Geilich finished runner-up to Greece’s Georgios Vrakas.

As for the Ukrainian winner of last night’s Eurasian Poker Tour high roller, it should be noted that his triumph became his best live poker accomplishment so far. Including last night’s cash, the player now has a total of $223,491 in live tournament earnings. Novak previously cashed in events that took place in his homeland as well as in Cyprus and Las Vegas. He actually took part in this year’s WSOP and cashed in three events over the course of the series.

Here it is also important to note that Novak has been playing online poker for quite some time. A quick look at his PocketFives profile tells us that he has cashed more than $3.4 million online. Back in October, playing under the screen name Anjeyyy, he finished second in the World Championship of Online Poker Event #53: $2,100 NL Hold’em [Super Tuesday SE] with a guaranteed prize pool of $1.5 million. The player won $309,744.85 for his performance in the online tournament.

Turkey’s Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency – Bankacılık Düzenleme ve Denetleme Kurumu (BDDK) – has taken additional measures against the illegal provision of gambling services in the country, local news outlet Hurriyet Daily News reported on Thursday.

The regulator placed a limit on the maximum amount of money an individual can transfer to mobile phone numbers per day to just TRY500 (approximately $129). The Hurriyet pointed out that transactions of this kind are frequently preferred over bank account transfers.

Under the new rules introduced by the BDDK, senders will be required to present their ID numbers in order to be able to complete the transactions. What is more, individuals will be limited to just two mobile transfers per day. Passwords that are sent to receivers in order to be able to collect their money will be valid throughout a single day.

As mentioned above, the newly introduced measures come as part of Turkey’s crackdown on illegal gambling. Aside from the BDDK, the Banking Association of Turkey (TBB) and the Financial Crime Investigation Board (MASAK) are also participating in the initiative against unauthorized gaming and betting operations.

The three institutions introduced this past spring a new system for collecting more extensive data and for tracking any suspicious transactions.

Bank accounts linked to illegal gambling websites were previously blocked by MASAK, but it was understood that gambling operators were using mobile transactions to circumvent existing rules.