Unibet knows how to do live poker

My first Unibet Open was in Citywest in Dublin in 2011. Looking back years later, my abiding memory was that it was the first time I played in a tournament where I felt like a foreigner in my own country. Exactly how much the collapse of the Celtic Tiger and subsequent austerity affected the Irish poker economy was made clear that there was a tournament in Ireland that got less than a dozen locals to buy in.

Nevertheless, it was a very fun weekend. It turns out feeling like a foreigner in your own land doesn’t have to be a bad thing, if the atmosphere among the visitors is as friendly as it was at the event.

Fast forward five years and I’m in Bucharest at the biggest ever Unibet Open. The first thing that stood out was the friendliness I’d seen in Dublin was still there in abundance. In the intervening five years I’d grown accustomed to less friendly and more testy atmospheric conditions surrounding live poker, so this felt like a refreshing return to the good old days of live poker.

I was also surprised how many faces I recognized from Dublin: Unibet had clearly done a better job retaining players than other sites and operators. After shooting the breeze with some of the Unibet staff, it was easy to see why.

ethos and culture of the company was geared towards the recreational poker experience

The whole ethos and culture of the company was geared towards the recreational poker experience. This is something that ties in with my view of how poker should be. It should be fun for the so-called fun players: if not, what’s the point? Live poker, in particular, shouldn’t be 9 robots sitting at a table wearing hoodies, shades, and Beats grinding GTO ranges.

Unibet clearly recognized this, which is why I was delighted to announce after the event that I would be representing them as a brand ambassador alongside my good friends Ian Simpson and David Lappin starting at the following Unibet Open in London.

All good things

For eight and a half years, “The Chip Race” has been incredibly fortunate to be sponsored by a company that respected our vision for the show and always had our backs. Unibet Poker is a great poker site that cares about its players and the health of the game. It has been an honor to partner with them, represent their brand, and amplify their message.

June 1, our partnership with Unibet Poker will come to an end

On June 1, our partnership with Unibet Poker will come to an end and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who helped us down the years, in particular David Pomroy, Kris Bergvall, Kat Arnsby, Nataly Sopacuaperu, Kasia Scanlon, Simon Steedman, Andy Paton, Stubbe Buchwald, and Sebastian Rebhan.

Between now and then, we will put out three more episodes of “The Chip Race,” two strategy videos, and our 100th episode of The Lock-In from The Irish Open. We will try to make them all bangers.

Being an ambassador

I learned how to play poker in May 2007. In the 18 years since, I have been an ambassador for three different online poker sites for almost 13 of those years. I’ve also been an ambassador for other brands for a total of nine years, making me one of the most sponsored players in the game, so if this turns out to be my last sponsorship, well, I’ve had a good run.

Of course, if anyone else out there thinks I fit what they’re looking for in an ambassador, I’m more than happy to entertain the possibility. It has been a pleasure to work alongside David in what was his first sponsorship deal, and in an ideal world, that partnership continues. If not, I will say that David has grown into the role to become a tremendous ambassador.

It has been an honor and a privilege for both of us to represent Unibet as ambassadors for more than eight years, and I’d like to thank all the great people we worked with and everyone who supported us.

Is this the end for “The Chip Race”?

Maybe. David and I are both very busy men, and as much as the podcast is a labor of love for both of us, we can’t justify investing the considerable amount of time we do in making it without a sponsor. The demands on David’s time are particularly heavy, as in addition to hosting the show, he is also our sound engineer and chief researcher, publicist, and script writer.

We are open to finding a new sponsor or sponsors to enable us to continue past June. We have established ourselves as a leading global poker podcast, with a big audience worldwide, which we hope makes us attractive to potential new sponsors.

connected us to thousands upon thousands of wonderful enthusiasts worldwide

We will both be more than a little sad if this does turn out to be the end of the show, but we know all good things must come to an end, and there’s something to be said for going out on a high. We would leave behind a body of work we both feel very proud of, that connected us to thousands upon thousands of wonderful enthusiasts worldwide.

A few people have asked if or assumed that we must have a new sponsor lined up given our public announcement, but I swear this is not the case. A few have reached out to express interest, but nothing is guaranteed, so watch this space.

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Nobody will forget the experience

By now, anyone who pays even a little attention to the goings-on in Las Vegas has heard about the debacle that was the MrBeast Experience at Resorts World. Running April 13-15, the event was supposed to consist of “a variety of on-site activations designed to offer an immersive and unforgettable experience.”

no activities, no events, nothing

It was certainly an unforgettable experience, but not for good reasons. Attendees reported not just a disappointing experience, but quite literally no experience. There were no activities, no events, nothing. Gift bags included seemingly random MrBeast merch with no regard to apparel sizes, and low-quality Feastables chocolate (MrBeast’s brand).

All of this for about $1,000. And MrBeast did not make an appearance.

Attendees were eventually given a $50 voucher for use at the property, but $50 does not go far at Resorts World. Fortunately, after everyone rightfully raised a stink, Resorts World agreed to issue refunds.

MrBeast had no involvement

It sounds like the “experience” was destined to fail from the very start because of a combination of greed and lack of communication.

According to the in-the-know social media account Las Vegas Locally, a Resorts World insider said: “The MrBeast Experience was essentially just a licensing deal with the MrBeast IP. There was no experience ever planned, and internally none of the teams were informed of the extent of the hotel package.”

So, on Team MrBeast’s end, it was a quick and easy way to make some money, to get “clicks,” as it were. Just give Resorts World permission to use the name and logo and cash the check. Additional evidence that it was a completely hands-off situation with MrBeast was his response on X to a disgruntled attendee:

“Hey! This definitely isn’t the experience we hoped they’d deliver. My team’s already on it—I’d love to personally make it up to you and anyone else by inviting everybody affected to tour my actual studio! Can’t wait to meet you all and my team is reaching out to everyone :D”

Note the wording: “the experience we hoped they’d deliver.” It really was just a licensing deal and MrBeast had no input.

Ok, you made the deal…now do something

On Resorts World’s side, as the insider told Las Vegas Locally, “internally none of the teams were informed of the extent of the hotel package,” clearly a gigantic communications screw-up.

no idea what they were doing

It is unknown publicly exactly what happened – and really, that’s Resorts World’s business – but some marketing manager probably got overexcited about the deal they just made with the almighty MrBeast and ended up over their head. They got all pumped to get signage printed and the promo announcement made and then either forgot about the rest or assigned tasks to someone else who had no idea what they were doing.

Basically, it was amateur hour. It’s like when I was a green IT consultant, fresh out of college, and was sent to New York City for a day to oversee the installation of racks of equipment in a client’s new server room. I had no idea what I was doing and just hoped that everyone on the client site did. The best I could do was observe, nod, and peer closely at times. I did “tip” a cargo delivery person $20 to bring the equipment into the building when he was just going to plunk everything on the sidewalk. So that was quick thinking.

So, there was likely one person who knew much of anything about the MrBeast Experience, but nobody who was actually tasked to design any events or collaborate with MrBeast’s team. I wouldn’t be surprised if the person who put together the goodie bags had no idea what they were and just said “umm….ok” when told to do something.

MrBeast was happy to make money, Resorts World was happy to draw people in with the MrBeast name, but nobody involved actually talked to each other about doing anything.

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Morata refutes claims

The captain of the Spanish national soccer team Alvaro Morata has denied any involvement in a Rolex resale scheme linked to an Italian soccer betting scandal. 

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Nicolo Fagioli, the Italian soccer star at the heart of an illegal betting scandal, alleged Morata supplied the luxury watches to help him pay off his gambling debts.  

Morata gets me the Rolex watches for way less”

The news emerging Wednesday results from a new investigation by Milan prosecutors into illegal online betting. The fresh probe reportedly revealed a message from Fagioli in which he stated: “Álvaro Morata gets me the Rolex watches for way less, and then he sells them. I’ve been doing this business with him for a year now.”

The Galatasaray striker and Spain captain took to social media in strong denial, stating “I have nothing to do with any of this — please don’t spread fake news or lies.”

New wave of scandals

While the fresh probe is looking at poker and non-soccer betting, it was triggered by the 2023 testimonies of Fagioli and Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, who have since served bans for their roles in illegal online sports betting. 

The Fagioli, Tonali evidence is, however, spawning fresh scandals, with USMNT and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie among 13 soccer players now under investigation for illegal online betting.  

From the new probe, news emerged last week of former Italy midfield legend Andrea Pirlo shuttering his son’s bank account after learning he’d racked up huge illegal online gambling debts. 

But the Rolex accusation leveled at Morata has the potential to tarnish his reputation and threaten his captaincy of the Spanish team. 

a way of paying off his reported €1.5m betting debt

According to the Gazzetta, Fagioli allegedly borrowed money from multiple close friends to establish a high-end watch resale business supplied by Morata, as a way of paying off his reported €1.5m ($1.7m) betting debt.

Morata denies all involvement in the Rolex scheme. “The only way I’ve helped Fagioli over the years is by giving him advice about his career, as a friend and someone with more experience.”

Strong denials

The Spain icon also reportedly denied any knowledge of Fagioli’s troubles with the law, stating: “I’ve never known anything about his situation.”

Morata said while he cared about his former Juve teammate and hoped “he can sort things out soon” he doubled down on his innocence. 

“Let me be clear: I deny all the claims because they’re FALSE.” 

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A homeless man has won $1m through a California lottery scratch-off ticket. He was still in the liquor store where he bought the ticket when he realized that he had won big.

initially thought the prize was $100,000

While the unnamed individual initially thought the prize was $100,000, the store’s manager told him it was actually $1m after taking a look.

They high-fived each other and the manager gave him a ride to the lottery headquarters in Fresno to submit the winning ticket. After realizing the result, the lucky winner said: “I’m not homeless anymore.”

The man is a long-time customer of the liquor store; the manager Wilson Samaan said that he has “a lot of happiness for the person, especially like a loyal, regular customer … I wish them all the best.”

He intends to use the money to make a down payment on a house, purchase a car, and then save the remainder. It will likely take the California Lottery several weeks or even a few months to process the prize.

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Resorts World Las Vegas is facing the wrath of disgruntled YouTuber influencer fans after a disastrous start to a MrBeast Experience at the Genting-owned resort casino marketed as the “ultimate Vegas vacation package.”

only to be left twiddling their thumbs

“False advertising,” X user JamieY stated in a live post from Resorts World, summing up the mood of the many MrBeast fans who snapped up the three-day package only to be left twiddling their thumbs.

Las Vegas Locally took to X Tuesday to cite multiple event attendees condemning The MrBeast Experience as “a total disaster”:

JamieY’s video from the resort lists a litany of event fails, starting with being sent to her room for three hours to wait for the advertised “exclusive mystery bag.” When the bag arrived the next day, it was filled with disappointing merch, including “extra-extra small t-shirts” for adults.

The MrBeast fan goes on to describe the lack of promised activations and front desk Resorts World employees claiming they had zero knowledge of the event. 

“We’re just stuck waiting because no-one knows anything,” she added.

Another video clip included Resorts Worlds employees trying to placate a large group of angry MrBeast Experience attendees, including a woman unhappy with being “forced to drink $63 coffees.”

This is the second time MrBeast event organizers have caused havoc in Las Vegas, with a chaotic Beast Games film shoot resulting in contestants filing lawsuits.   

JamieY summed up her MrBeast Experience at Resorts World as “horrible” with “nobody taking any accountability at all.”

“Parents took their kids out of school for this event so it’s super disappointing.”

Resorts World Las Vegas’ Chief Marketing Officer Ronn Nicolli had previously asserted the MrBeast Experience would be “special and unexpected.” MrBeast President and CEO Jeffrey Housenbold likewise promoted the event as including “fun, surprises, and generosity.”

According to MrBeast fans, the disappointment is, ultimately, an unexpected surprise.

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Elaine Wynn, the co-founder of Wynn Resorts alongside her ex-husband Steve Wynn, has passed away at the age of 82.

transforming properties like the Golden Nugget, The Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn, and Encore

The Elaine Wynn and Family Foundation announced the news without giving a cause of death, describing the “instrumental role she played in shaping the modern-day Las Vegas.” The release on Tuesday morning specifically mentioned her work transforming properties like the Golden Nugget, The Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn, and Encore.

She was still a major shareholder of Wynn Resorts, controlling about 9% of the company at the time of her passing. The New York native is survived by two daughters and seven grandchildren.

Elaine was a prominent philanthropist, especially in funding programs for children and their education. She married and divorced Steve Wynn twice, most recently in 2010, when the pair split for good. They first moved to Las Vegas in 1967 and soon began building their empire.

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Xposed has had some beef with fellow streamer Syztmz recently. The Australian gambler has called out Xposed, claiming that he fakes his winnings, including his real-life gambling trips to casinos.

In response, Canadian streamer Xposed has taken to X to provide literal receipts of his recent trip to Resorts World Las Vegas. He posted the receipts to his account on Friday, claiming that “unlike others” he can back up his gambling:

The four receipts include one deposit for as much as $800,000 on March 5, 2025. In total, the streamer deposited more than $1.5m in the Las Vegas Strip casino.

Syztmz highlighted Xposed’s muted reactions when playing with $100,000 baccarat hands

In March, Syztmz posted a ten-minute video taking aim at Xposed for gambling with fake money and using viewbots. As his evidence, Syztmz highlighted Xposed’s muted reactions when playing with $100,000 baccarat hands, something he believes indicates fake money.

Syztmz isn’t the first to call out Xposed, real name Cody Burnett, for fake gambling. Trainwreckstv is very vocal regarding the underhand activities of his fellow gambling streamers. In 2022, he called out Roshtein for misleading viewers. He also named Xposed as another streamer he couldn’t vouch for.

Xposed has an exclusive deal with crypto casino Roobet, although he regularly streams on the Stake-backed Kick platform. Xposed says that he uses his own money to gamble but has a withdrawal cap with Roobet so he doesn’t “f*cking destroy them.”

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Ultimate Fighting Champion star Conor McGregor suffered a staggering loss in the ring at UFC 314 after a fighter he backed lost him $500,000. 

Duelbits stake that would have earned him $2.5m

The former dual-weight champion placed the monster stake on Michael Chandler to win a lightweight duel with Paddy Pimblett on the Miami event’s main card. Just prior to the fight, McGregor took to X to back Chandler and boast of his Duelbits stake that would have earned him $2.5m:

‘Paddy the Baddy’ Pimblett, however, out-punched Chandler, winning with a technical knockout in the third round.

Pimblett also delivered a scathing attack on McGregor after he found out he’d backed Chandler calling him a “cheeky little bastard.” Pimblett also challenged the UFC legend to fight him, stating “I’m waiting. I’ll mufti you just like I have muftied Chandler.”

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Rapper and serial gambler Drake bet streamer Adin Ross $100,000 that he couldn’t outcurl a bodybuilder from the musician’s Canadian homeland. 

Drake made the challenge during his gambling livestream with Adin Ross on Sunday, which Kick shared a clip of via X:

Having agreed to a $100k bet he could outcurl Drake, the rapper surprised him by introducing his champion, International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation bodybuilder Alicia Bell. 

Cue a series of reps using progressive increases in weight. While Ross managed to match Bell’s reps at the lower weights, he finally failed to even partially extend his arm on bigger set of dumbbells. Bell’s victory gave the five-time Grammy Award winner the bet, which Drake said he’d split 50-50 with the bodybuilder. 

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Damage repair

Resort’s World Las Vegas’ drive to restore credibility over reputation-damaging money laundering compliance failures continues with another high-profile executive appointment. 

strategic play intended to attract international gamblers

Malaysia-headquartered Genting’s latest move to appoint industry veteran Greg Shulman to its Vegas Strip casino’s board is a strategic play intended to attract international gamblers.

As Resorts World Las Vegas’ Vice President of International Marketing, Genting is backing Shulman’s pedigree of attracting international gamblers to Sin City to up its global appeal.

Resorts World issued a press release Tuesday stating Shulman’s remit will concentrate on high net-worth players as a “long-term growth strategy of expanding our international presence.”

Great expectations

Shulman, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the gaming industry, stated in the release he was excited to join the Genting subsidiary “as we look to accelerate our growth in the international VIP player market.”

Shulman’s resume includes over a decade-and-a-half as an MGM Resorts International’s Vice President of International Marketing and, more recently, Palms Las Vegas’ Vice President of Casino Marketing, a position he held for over three years before his March 17 move to Resorts World.

widely regarded as one of the top player development executives”

Resorts World’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Carlos Castro stated his new colleague was “widely regarded as one of the top player development executives” across the industry.

Shulman steps into the breach in an attempt to restore Resorts World’s credibility after a litany of controversies. These include the high-profile firing of its ex-President and COO Scott Sibella, an indirect role in an illegal MLB sports gambling scandal, and multiple disciplinary complaints. 

Of the latter, Resorts World only recently came to a $10.5m settlement with Nevada gaming regulators over AML compliance failures, the second-largest fine in the state’s history

Band gets back together

The Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday reported how the appointment of Shulman is essentially an attempt to reunite former colleagues in a genuine power play. 

“Both Castro and Shulman worked for MGM Resorts when the Las Vegas-based gaming and hospitality corporation was headed by Jim Murren, now chairman of Resorts World’s recently formed board of directors.”

His former boss Murren stated Resorts World was excited to welcome Shulman on board, citing his “proven track record of executing marketing strategies that attract new audiences and drive financial growth.”

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Floyd’s fine form

The undefeated boxing icon nicknamed ‘Money Mayweather’ landed bombs of the betting variety at March Madness, racking up a cool $144,000 in winnings. 

victories for the Florida Gators and UConn

Floyd Mayweather’s bumper purse came at the death of the NCAA Championships, with victories for the Florida Gators and UConn giving the 15-time world champion his biggest betting wins.

In celebration, the 48-year-old took to Instagram on Tuesday to share his Circa Sports betting slip:

Mayweather’s most effective money shot landed when the Gators became NCAA champions for the first time in 18 years, clawing back a 12-point deficit against the Houston Cougars and turning the boxing legend’s $27,000 stake into $51,545.45. 

On a roll

The sports star also placed a $21,700 wager on UConn to triumph over UCLA in the women’s Final Four, earning him $42,366.65. Back in the men’s pool, Mayweather dropped $17,000 on the Gators to beat Auburn in the Final Four to pocket $31,782.60.

they won the half that mattered for Mayweather, to the tune of $19,090.90

Mayweather’s marquee display of his wagering arts, however, was clearest in his smallest bet. The ex-boxer placed $10,000 on Duke to overcome Houston in the first half of their Final Four match-up. Even though Duke ended up losing the game, they won the half that mattered for Mayweather, to the tune of $19,090.90.

Four bets, $144,875.60 in the pocket. To say the unbeaten boxing legend had a successful March Madness would be a major understatement. And it wasn’t just a lucky flash in the pan either.

Payout champ

Mayweather’s March Madness masterclass came on the back of placing $40,000 on the Philadelphia Eagles to win Super Bowl LIX, which earned him $29,629.65.

A side-bet of $30,000 on the Eagles to win the first half only netted Mayweather another $29,126.20 in winnings. After March Madness, Mayweather looks set to keep on swinging and landing more knockout blows to sportsbooks like Circa Sports. 

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Early introduction

Banned English snooker player Mark King, 51, has revealed an early introduction to a dice game by his grandmother fed his fascination with gambling.

The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) banned King in March 2023 for five years following a suspicious betting alert after his Welsh Open match-up against Joe Perry in February of that year. 

While King has pleaded not guilty to match-fixing charges and can appeal the WPBSA ruling until November 28, he revealed to The Sun his addiction to gambling started young. 

he would play the dice game Yahtzee with his grandmother

“From a young age” King stated, he would play the dice game Yahtzee with his grandmother. The Englishman, whose career began in 1991, said his grandma used to give him a bag of cents to bet with.

“That’s how I started betting and learning that sort of stuff.”

Overriding desire to bet

The WPBSA both banned King and hit him with a £68,299 ($86,301) fine for match fixing after a disciplinary committee found him guilty of “altering the outcome of a game and providing inside information for betting purposes.”

In his Sun interview, King stated in addition to Yahtzee he was playing slot machines “all day, every day” when they took 10p (24¢) coins and the jackpot was £100 ($129). The Essex-born household name said he was only “ten or 11 years old” at the time.  

Oh my god, I’m rich’ ”

“Once I put in one pound and won £16 ($20.6). I got four bells. I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’m rich’, and I had to run with it in my pocket to the toilet.”

King attributes his gambling addiction to poor performances over his snooker career, which only resulted in one notable win at the 2016 Northern Ireland Open. 

The Essex potter recalled playing John Higgins in the semi-finals of the 1998 Welsh Open and losing 6-5. King said he was at a betting shop until 6:00pm instead of “resting, sleeping, and getting ready for a massive game. I was only 24.”

King said, at that time, his snooker career was picking up and he was around the top 16 but that he “just wanted to bet.”

Lying to his wife

The banned snooker star also admitted he’d force an argument with his wife for the excuse to go out and bet. “It hurts me to say it,” he admitted. 

According to reports, King’s last bet was 13 years ago, and he religiously attends Gamblers Anonymous weekly. 

If I ever have another bet, then my marriage is done”

“If I ever have another bet, then my marriage is done. It’s gone. My life is brilliant now. It’s wicked. I have a lovely family and a couple of lovely dogs.”

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