Trump pledges to pardon Pete Rose
US president Donald Trump has said he will pardon baseball legend Pete Rose and hit out at the decision to exclude him from the sport’s Hall of Fame.
Rose was banned from baseball for life after admitting to betting on the sport back in 2004 but never bet against his own team. His bid for reinstatement was rejected in 2015.
Rose, who also served five months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion in 1990, died last year aged 83.
Writing on social media last week, Trump said he will pursue a “complete pardon” for Rose.
“He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history and won more games than anyone in sports history,” Trump said, according to ESPN.
Genting Berhad appoints new CEO
Meanwhile, Genting Berhad has announced the appointment of Dato’ Sri Tan Kong Han as its new CEO with immediate effect.
He takes on the role having served as the president, chief operating officer and executive director of Genting Berhad for 18 years.
Dato’ Sri Tan will now step down as CEO of Genting Plantations Berhad. However, he remains president and executive director of Genting Berhad, a position he has held since January 2020.
He replaces Tan Sri Lim Kok as CEO, the operator confirmed last week. The former CEO will now become executive chairman of the group after almost two decades at the helm.
Altenar scores MerkurXtip sportsbook deal
In other news, Altenar has entered into a new sportsbook partnership with Czech operator MerkurXtip, formerly known as Gauselmann Group.
Under the deal, Altenar will provide its fully managed sportsbook solution to MerkurXtip. It will replace the existing sportsbook product on the operator’s merkurxtip.cz website.
Altenar has had a presence in the Czech Republic since 2024 through its partnerships with Kingsbet CZ and DATA.BET.
“We will combine our strengths and expertise to create new opportunities, improve offerings and drive forward innovation,” MerkurXtip CZ CEO Stanislav Sopko said.
MGM and BetMGM extend responsible gambling projects
Elsewhere, MGM Resorts International and BetMGM have expanded several responsible gambling initiatives.
MGM will donate $180,000 to Kindbridge Research Institute to support studies on the impact of sports betting across various populations and the development of responsible gaming strategies. BetMGM is also expanding its Kindbridge Behavioural Health referral programme across the US.
Meanwhile, MGM and BetMGM will increase GameSense responsible gaming messaging within their digital platforms and retail sportsbooks.
In addition, MGM, BetMGM and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas will expand community outreach to include universities by engaging with Gaming Law students.
Pope betting markets open
Finally this week, several websites are taking bets from customers on who they think will be the next pope.
Pope Francis remains in the hospital with well-publicised health problems, raising questions as to whether he will resign. Meanwhile, speculation has begun as to who could take over if he does step down.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin is currently the favourite to take on the role, according to OLBG.com. Luis Antonio Tagle and Peter Turkson are also among the leading names.
Customers can also bet on which name the new pope will take, with Francis leading the betting.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/sports-betting/weekend-report-trump-rose-new-genting-ceo-pope-betting/
