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A federal judge in the U.S. District Court of Guam has approved a request by a defendant in the high-profile Hafa Adai Bingo case to travel overseas.
The accused is part of the ongoing case and has her itinerary approved to visit South Korea, despite ongoing proceedings tied to illegal gambling and money-laundering allegations.
Judge approves travel for Hafa Adai Bingo defendant
Won Sun Min, one of several defendants charged in connection with the alleged illegal bingo operation, has been granted permission to travel to South Korea between January 6 and January 15, 2026, according to court documents.
Federal prosecutors have put forward an argument that says the actions of these individuals, including Min, generated millions of dollars in proceeds, violated U.S. laws governing illegal gambling businesses, and their actions involved money-laundering conspiracies to conceal or distribute proceeds.
Min has already pleaded guilty to some charges and agreed to forfeit $930,143.07 of the illegally gained proceeds.
Min’s travel green lit despite federal allegations
“The defendants operated Hafa Adai Bingo as an illegal gambling business by conducting bingo games, retaining and diverting bingo profits and proceeds,” read the court filing against the accused.
Magistrate Judge Michael Bordallo has approved the request on medical grounds, said the Pacific Daily News. The case centers around allegations that defendants operated an illegal gambling enterprise under the guise of a charitable bingo operation connected to the Guam Shrine Club (GSC).
“Instead, the GSC officers issued profit distribution and other checks to co-conspirator Won Sun Min (‘Min’) and defendant Marasigan. Min and Marasigan received over $2 million and $15 million of bingo proceeds, respectively, from GSC.”
Under federal law, an “illegal gambling business” is defined as one that violates state or territorial law, involves five or more persons, and remains in substantially continuous operation for more than 30 days or generates more than $2,000 in a single day.
If the federal argument is successful, Min could face up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the illegal gambling allegations.
On money-laundering conspiracy charges, there is a possible 20-year custodial term and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the value of the laundered funds.
Featured image: Adobe Firefly
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A youth softball association treasurer, based in Maple Grove, Minnesota, has allegedly stolen more than $110,000 over a five-year span.
The 52-year-old was the former treasurer of the Plymouth Wayzata Youth Softball Association (PWYSA) and she is being charged with one count of felony theft by swindle. Fox 9 has reported the news, stating the charges were filed in Hennepin County.
According to the news outlet, in March 2025, Plymouth police received a report from the president of the team. The allegations are that Kristin Allyenne Williams reportedly stole money between August 2020 through February 2025.
A 2020 PWYSA Facebook post welcoming Kristin Williams as the youth softball association’s treasurer. Credit: PWYSA – Wayzata Fastpitch via Facebook
Williams became the treasurer of the Plymouth Wayzata Youth Softball Association on June 28, 2020, with this job typically including tasks like bookkeeping, web-based transactions, and accounting. At the sporting club, the board members include parent volunteers who don’t get paid for their positions, including those in the treasurer role. The association was created in 1989 and board members take part in around 12 meetings per year.
Softball club’s treasurer in Plymouth faces charge
It’s reported that the sports team’s board found that there were issues with failing to pay vendors and coaches, following a notice from the IRS in September of last year that they had lost their tax-exempt status due to taxes not having been filed for three years.
The report continues to suggest that the treasurer’s access to the PWYSA was then reviewed early last year, and it was then that ATM withdrawals were allegedly found.
Prosecutors in Hennepin County say Williams allegedly made a series of unauthorized ATM withdrawals at Mystic Lake Casino and Little Six Casino in Prior Lake. Both casinos are owned and run by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
The charges state the woman was the only one who had access to online banking for the PWYSA’s account with U.S. Bank and suggest she also had a debit card for the account too. The authorities were told there would be ‘no legitimate reason’ for the alleged cash withdrawals to have been made, local media states.
Featured Image: PWYSA – Wayzata Fastpitch via Facebook
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A new report, looking at the British public’s attitudes towards the gambling sector, shows that tougher regulation would carry strong support.
The findings come from the ‘Ending a Losing Streak’ report from the thinktank More In Common and Coalition to End Gambling Ads which looks at how Britons gamble and their changing attitudes towards the industry.

CEGA-commissioned polling shows the majority of the public is strongly behind curbs on gambling advertising.
This is the year the government can make it happen.
Read the full report: https://t.co/MccjDSCNaChttps://t.co/mWszYXAAjm pic.twitter.com/csg9ncAVlp
— Coalition to End Gambling Ads (@EndGamblingAds) January 1, 2026

As the industry has boomed globally, almost two-thirds (63%) of Britons say they now see more gambling advertising on TV in recent years, with the same number saying they see more online adverts for gambling and more gambling advertising as sports team sponsors. The visibility of the industry across towns, communities, and clubs has been noticed too.
68% of Britons say that under-18s shouldn’t see gambling advertising at all, research finds
The advertising of gambling has been noted by the respondents, with two-thirds of Britons (68%) saying that under-18s shouldn’t see gambling advertising at all.

Only 8% of regular gamblers say gambling can have a ‘very negative’ effect on people compared to 52% of people who have never gambled.
Why should gamblers care about what people who have never gambled think about our pastime?https://t.co/Vj6uP8i9xi pic.twitter.com/31TfIMuq5c
— Chris Fawcett (@chrisgambler247) January 2, 2026

“From two-thirds of Reform voters to three-quarters of Green voters, across the political spectrum there is a consensus that it is unacceptable for gambling advertising to be shown to children. Some Britons go further and see any activity as a ‘gateway’, as although under-18s cannot yet gamble legally, it creates an interest in an industry which then sucks them in,” the report states.
As for gambling, more than two in five of the respondents say they gamble either sometimes or regularly, with the National Lottery being the most popular form. Online sports betting is increasingly popular too, with 38% saying they put money on football or horse races at least once a week.
While these are the more common forms of gambling, 55% of Britons say that lottery tickets and scratchcards should also be kept out of the sight of young people and treated like cigarettes, where they are kept hidden at the checkout counters.
“Zooming out from gambling, More in Common’s research finds Britons increasingly feel as though the government does not care about them or have the ability to make their lives better. Gambling is another piece of that puzzle, which makes British citizens feel that politicians aren’t grasping the big issues ordinary people face.”
The topic of gambling has been a controversial one in the United Kingdom over the last few months, with the latest budget bringing in some changes for the sector. There could be more to come too, with it being a consistent topic in the local press.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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PENN Entertainment, Inc. (PENN) has announced a new corporate organizational structure as part of a board-approved reshuffle.
The move, says the leaders at PENN, is engineered to streamline roles and “sharpen strategic focus.” The top-level changes at the gaming giant come on the heels of multiple new 2025 physical locations and the end of the company’s deal with ESPN.
PENN reshuffle attempts to sharpen strategic focus
PENN made investors aware of the paradigm shift via a corporate announcement and signalled the end of the line for some senior figures.
The company confirmed that two senior executives will depart as part of the reorganization, with not only the individuals stepping down, but their roles will be “eliminated.”
Both are senior decision makers: Todd George, Executive Vice President of Operations (EVP), and Rich Primus, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO).
“As we turn the calendar to 2026, we are restructuring our corporate organization in order to achieve greater operational efficiencies, deepen customer engagement across channels, maximize free cash flow, and drive shareholder value,” said Jay Snowden, PENN’s Chief Executive Officer and President.
Two senior roles eliminated
George and Primus held significant responsibilities within the company, and PENN is internalizing their efforts.
George was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company’s physical casino and racetrack portfolio, so his departure signals further belt-tightening at PENN.
It also heralds their attempt at more “cost saving” and the core gears of the business being handled at regional levels, rather than one senior decision maker post.
Eliminating the CIO signals that the company’s in-house infrastructure will assume decision-making authority for the IT landscape across physical and digital casinos and platforms, as well as for cybersecurity and data governance.
“Both Todd and Rich have made significant contributions to PENN’s evolution over the past decade and helped build the strong foundation we have in place today,” said Snowden.
PENN ramping up partnerships
As we reported, PENN announced a deal with Kambi in November 2025 to expand its on-property locations. This includes supporting 30 PENN properties across 13 US states.

Kambi is pleased to announce a retail sportsbook partnership extension with PENN Entertainment.
The extension, relates to on-property sportsbooks active by end of 2025, provides PENN Entertainment access to Kambi’s premium retail sports betting technology until 31 July 2027.… pic.twitter.com/6c2GHOUGuU
— Kambi (@KambiSports) November 26, 2025

Kambi became a significant investment for PENN after the company acquired a sought-after source code for a player account management (PAM) platform.
With PENN looking to internalize systems and George’s departure as CIO, the software-driven management platform aims to bring user account management in-house.
Featured image: PENN
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This year’s season of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is officially underway, with Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, Oklahoma, to offer poker players 18 WSOP Circuit ring events this January.
These will take place from Wednesday, January 7, through to Monday, January 19, 2026. The $1,700 buy-in ‘No Limit Hold’em Main Event’ at Choctaw will have a $1,000,000 prize pool guarantee.

Mark your calendars!
The WSOP Circuit rolls into Choctaw Jan 7th–19th with 18 Ring Events!
See the full schedule on WSOP+ !
Click the link below for more info https://t.co/aiASfDTN5v pic.twitter.com/6DEUCh5f8F
— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) January 5, 2026

The Main Event at the historic host venue will run two Day One flights, with Flight A taking place on Friday, January 16, and Saturday, January 17, with both starting at 11AM local time.
In its announcement about the venue, WSOP states the last time the circuit made its way through to Choctaw was in October of 2025 when Matthew Higgins won his 9th WSOP Circuit ring in the Main Event. It was here that he won $218,436 and his largest career score in a WSOP-related event.
Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma, hosts WSOP event
“Along with the WSOP Circuit Main Event, several favorites amongst Circuit players at Choctaw are featured on the event schedule,” the company says.
“The $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Gargantuan, which includes an impressive $100,000 prize pool guarantee, is scheduled to offer two Day One flights on Friday, January 16, starting at 10 AM and 3 PM.
“Kicking off the series on Wednesday, January 7, at 11 AM will be the first flight of the $500 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack, another event offering a $100,000 prize pool guarantee.”
The WSOP Circuit ring winners at this event will receive a $5,000 package to attend the WSOP Circuit Championship at their choice of either the WSOP Europe 2026 or WSOP Paradise 2026. The former will take place at King’s Casino in Prague, Czech Republic, from March 31 through to April 12, 2026. The Paradise event will be at the end of the year, at the Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
The $5,000 packages to either of the events will include entry, as well as free hotel accommodations.
Featured Image: Credit to Choctaw Casinos & Resorts on X
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