A Japanese minister was slammed by opposition lawmakers for allegedly putting premium on the approval of the Integrated Resorts (IR) Implementation bill rather than attending to relief efforts following heavy rains in southern Japan which killed 176 people.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Keiichi Ishii spent six hours attending committee debates on the IR bill on Wednesday, which provided a perfect fodder for opposition lawmakers to slam the government. Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Shinkun Haku asked what is more important for Iishi—“gambling or human life?” Other lawmakers chimed in, calling the minister’s act “truly dumbfounding,” “insane” and “completely abnormal.”

Despite the disaster putting a wedge in the timeline for the IR bill’s approval, analysts said that the ruling party and its allies “still have the appetite” to pass the bill before legislative session ends.

In this edition of Becky’s Affiliated, Becky Liggero shares how senior level professionals want to integrate blockchain in their businesses and what is in store for participants of iGB Live! next week.

The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) has granted provisional licenses to three cryptocurrency exchanges, with each company committing to place investments of up to $1m in the Philippines.

Authorities in China’s Guangdong province arrested 540 individuals who allegedly handled RMB10b (US$1.5b) worth of wagers for the 2018 World Cup, with punters primarily using Bitcoin as gambling currency.

The casino operator signified its intention to get Macau’s seventh casino license after operating two satellite casinos in the special administrative region.

Australian MP Andrew Wilkie accused Victoria’s state regulator of allegedly colluding with Crown Resorts after it threw away two testimonies on the tampering of pokies due to technicalities.

The Stars Group became the world’s largest publicly-listed online gaming company after it completed its US$4.7b acquisition of Sky Bet and its various brands.

Codere foundation director German Gusano said that the rocky relationship between the foundation and the Codere Group has led to the suspension of the nonprofit entity’s operations.

Bertrand Grospellier set the Guinness World Record for most Single Table Sit & Goes played in one hour for a total of 62 hours at a $6.50 buy in with a profit of $23.60.

The software provider’s new offering will provide HD live game streaming, multi-camera view for the roulette, and multigame view technology allowing to play up to four games at a time.