Fire Joker

About Fire Joker

An Australian casino player is taking Royal Caribbean to court, arguing that the company banned him from sailing with its services and from playing at its casinos over his ability to count cards. After previously winning a legal battle against Star Casino, Mark Timothy Grant is now moving to confront the cruise line. 

Grant argues that he has booked five Royal Caribbean cruises that were valued at a total of AUD 22,000. He booked the cruises with money he won playing at the Royal Caribbean’s ships’ casinos. 

However, before he could even board the first cruise, Grant was told that he would not be able to proceed onboard. Grant had his son and partner along with him. The company only then went to inform Grant that he had been placed on a “no sail” list, effectively a ban, because of “breaking the house rules” in the casino.

About Fire Joker

Playtech also tracks its DEI achievements. According to Sophie Yaxley, the company’s global Centre of Excellence director, female representation within Playtech’s leadership rose from 23% in 2021 to 32% in 2025.

“Ultimately, our focus is not only on representation, but on fostering an environment where everyone has the opportunity to contribute, develop and succeed,” Yaxley says.

A key question around DEI has long been how the gambling sector can attract diverse talent. Increasingly, however, attention has shifted to whether it can retain the people it attracts.

About Fire Joker

A total of 10 standards are up for revision, and the draft dates for the proposals range from June to August. The board notified licensees about the compilation of revisions and the meeting date on 4 September. Interested parties may submit comments ahead of the hearing through 5 October.

The extent of the revisions vary, but most are somewhat significant with regard to language that is being added or omitted. Proposed changes to Standard 9 (digital pari-mutuel systems), for instance, include mostly small additions, whereas Standard 3 (slot metering systems) has entire sections added and subtracted. Explanatory notes for the edits are frequent throughout all of the proposals.

While Nevada is considered the top gaming state in the US, its regulatory framework related to technology has been seen as slow-moving and cluttered in comparison to other up-and-coming jurisdictions around the US. Ever since NGCB Chair Mike Dreitzer took over last June, modernisation has been a top priority, and these latest revisions are an extension of that.