Gambling News

Frustration Continues as Sands Las Vegas, Venetian Websites Down Again

One week after a malicious hacking of the Sands Las Vegas casino websites, the progress getting them back up has been especially slow.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/17/2014

Mt.Gox Bitcoin Exchange Withdrawals to Resume ‘Shortly’

Following a halt to bitcoin withdrawals by one of the anonymous digital currency’s largest exchanges, Mt.Gox, it was announced Monday that these withdrawals should resume “shortly”.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/17/2014

New Jersey Online Gambling Expected to Triple in 2014

The Daily Record of New Jersey describes how that state’s new online gambling sector is expected to triple by year’s end.

Submitted by Ace King on, Feb/17/2014

Poker Pro Phil Galfond: ‘Old School vs. New School’

Poker pro Phil Galfond has written an excellent article on the “old school vs. new school” in the poker player world.

The topic up for discussion is, more or less, the way that poker players carry themselves and the effect it has on the game as a whole- a very important discussion to have, he noted.

Galfond contends that the old school players believe that today’s younger pros carry themselves in a way "that isn’t good for the games or for the general popularity of poker".

Submitted by Ace King on, Feb/16/2014

Sands Casino Websites Back Up But Slow to Access

Days after a hacking of its various corporate websites, Sands Casino was back up and operational on the Web Saturday evening.  Still, the sites were slow to access at times.

The access time had some initial telltale signs of a Denial of Access (DoS) attack though the slow downloads were more likely attributed to routine maintenance.

A DoS attack sends pockets of useless traffic from compromised servers to a website, thus crippling load ability. 

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Feb/15/2014

Former Atlantic City Mayor Claims Caesars ‘Meddling in Atlantic Club Future’

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — A state senator says the company that bought the former Atlantic Club Casino Hotel wants to make sure it never reopens as a casino.

James Whelan, a former mayor of Atlantic City, wrote this week to New Jersey casino regulators complaining about what he says are attempts by Caesars Entertainment to prevent a future buyer from operating the property as a casino. He said the company is seeking a deed restriction to be part of any future sale of the property dictating that it cannot be used as a casino again.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Feb/15/2014

Where Can I Bet Gulfstream Racing Online – Florida Derby, Donn Handicap, More

Where can you bet on Gulfstream racing over the Internet?  WagerWeb.com features daily betting on all the major US racetracks including Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida (no social security number necessary and receive free cash up to 100% of your initial deposit)

Submitted by Ean Lamb on, Feb/14/2014

Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal on the Internet Gambling Jihad: ‘Bad for America’

Current Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is on a crusade against Internet gambling.  His state was one of a handful that cracked down hard on the industry in recent years, prior to his election (arrest warrant issued against a board member of Sportingbet – remember this one?)

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Feb/14/2014

New Jersey Approves Revel Co-Owners to Operate Casino

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — New Jersey casino regulators gave final approval Wednesday to an investment firm to be the largest owner of Revel Casino Hotel.

The state Casino Control Commission granted final approval to Chatham Asset Management, a hedge fund that is part of a lender group that emerged with an ownership stake in Revel following its bankruptcy last year. Chatham owns 28 percent of Revel.

But how long any of this lasts is anyone’s guess. Revel is considering selling itself or making a second bankruptcy filing.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Feb/14/2014

Sands Hacked Casino Page Now Features Images: Still Reports Record Profits

Four days after Sands Las Vegas casino websites were hacked into, the respective sites for nine different properties are yet to be operating in full capacity. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/14/2014

Stanley Ho's SJM Makes Fresh Start With New Macau Casino

(Reuters) - Macau gambling kingpin Stanley Ho helped put the former Portuguese colony on the map 40 years ago with the fluorescent, onion-shaped Casino Lisboa. Now, the pioneer of old Macau is creating a new landmark - a $3.9 billion resort that will be one of the final projects to open on China's booming Las Vegas-style Cotai strip.

Submitted by Reuters on, Feb/14/2014

PokerStars Sportsbook: World’s Number One Could Dive Into Sports Betting

The world’ largest real money online poker site PokerStars is said to be contemplating the addition of a sportsbook.

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on, Feb/13/2014

Regulators Still Unsure if Sands, Venetian Guest Credit Card Info Compromised

LAS VEGAS – (Associated Press) - A Nevada gambling regulator said Thursday afternoon that it's unclear whether the hackers who knocked down all of Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s websites for three days and counting had stolen patron data, including credit card information.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Feb/13/2014

NJ Online Gambling Operators Hamstrung by Credit Card Authorization Problems

The Financial Times on Thursday noted that New Jersey may not be living up to expectations where its burgeoning online gambling industry is concerned.  The main obstacle: getting through the signup process, and that includes getting money on the respective websites.

From the Financial Times:

But operators are hamstrung by teething problems that include getting credit card companies to process deposits and the slow process of website registration.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Feb/13/2014

Second Bitcoin Exchange Halts Withdrawals: Canada to Tighten Grip

A second major bitcoin exchange has temporarily ceased withdrawals following an apparent cyberattack that has seen the anonymous digital currency’s price drop in recent days.

Bitstamp followed the move of Mt.Gox by halting withdrawals after hackers had exploited a bug in some underlying software to carry out the attack.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/13/2014

FBI Confirms Probe of Sands Website Hackings: Credit Card Breach a Concern

Day 3 of the Las Vegas Sands casino websites remaining down following a corporate-wide hacking and it was still unclear as to whether customer credit card information could have been compromised.

At the time of the hacking, employee social security numbers were seen scrolling across the breached website.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/13/2014

CAN’T-Bet: Canbet Freezes $300k: Punters Issue Death Threats, File Lawsuits

Once among the most prestigious Australian online bookmakers, Canbet is now finding itself mired in scandal after freezing approximately $300,000 in player funds.

The reason: Financial restructuring, a gentle way of saying the company is having financial problems.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Feb/13/2014

Minimum $10 Million to be Rewarded to Winner of World Series of Poker Main Event

LAS VEGAS — (Associated Press) - The World Series of Poker will give poker pros and amateurs a record number of chances to win gold bracelets at its Las Vegas bonanza this summer, and will award at least $10 million to the main event winner.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Feb/12/2014

New Jersey Online Gambling Revenue Numbers Released: 28 Percent Increase

Internet gaming win for January 2014 increased 28% from the $7.4 million reported in December 2013.

As of January 31, 2014, 197,782 Internet gaming accounts have been created since the beginning of soft play on November 21, 2013.

Based upon filings with the Division of Gaming Enforcement, total gaming win from the casino hotels and Internet gaming operations totaled $195.7 million in January 2014,compared to $205.2 million in casino win last January.

- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/12/2014

Former Full Tilt Poker Operative ‘Malpractice’ Claim Against Attorney Thrown Out

A Nevada district court has thrown out a claim against noted online gambling industry attorney Jeff Ifrah by which a former client asserted “malpractice”.

Chad Elie, a convicted online poker payment processor who was among those indicted during a sweeping crackdown on the industry April 15, 2011, alleged last April that Ifrah gave him misleading professional advice so that he could continue making millions of dollars in commission.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Feb/12/2014

Rabcat Releases Castle Builder to the International Gaming Community

Austria - Rabcat is announcing the worldwide launch of its most innovative and successful real-money game yet, Castle BuilderTM.

Submitted by Press Release on, Feb/12/2014

Foxwoods Introduces Online Gambling Platform in Connecticut

A new online gambling platform has been introduced at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, but with one catch……you won’t be able to play for real money.

Instead the concept will allow individuals to win discounts to the hotel and casino. 

From the Hartford Courant:

Submitted by Ace King on, Feb/12/2014

Lawyer in Allied Veterans Gambling Case Sentenced: Faces Dozens of Years Jail time

SANFORD, Fla. (Associated Press) - An attorney for a veterans group that prosecutors say was a $300 million gambling operation is being sentenced for his conviction on 103 counts.

Kelly Mathis faces dozens of years in prison during his sentencing hearing Wednesday.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Feb/12/2014

Las Vegas Sands Not Saying If Customer Credit Card Info Compromised (Video)

Las Vegas Sands officials were not responding to inquiries related to customer credit card information following a hacking of its corporate websites Tuesday that continued to leave its digital services in disarray 36 hours later.   The site remained out of commission heading into Thursday.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/12/2014

First They Steal Doyle Brunson’s Identity: Now They Steal His Crutches

80-year-old poker icon Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson tweeted that his crutches had been stolen from an Albertson’s drug store over the weekend.

He tweeted:

Submitted by Jenny Woo on, Feb/11/2014

Shares in 888.com Up: Growth in New Jersey Online Gambling Market, Eyeing CA

Shares in 888 holdings (888.com) were up 4.2 percent higher Tuesday to 145.3p on positive news that it may be increasing its market share in New Jersey.

Until now, Party Poker has captured more than half the New Jersey online gambling market.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/11/2014

Bitcoin Startup ZipZap.com Could Give Western Union a Run for its Money

CNN Fortune published an article warning that bitcoin start up ZipZap.com could fast become stiff competition for international money exchange outfit Western Union. 

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Up until now, Western Union has operated nearly as a monopoly.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/11/2014

Sands Casino Sites Still Down After Hacking: Social Security Numbers Posted

The Sands Las Vegas casino property websites were down throughout the day Tuesday following what appeared to be a website hacking.  At one point during the early part of the day it was reported that staff and executive social security numbers were scrolling on the compromised sites. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Feb/11/2014

Joe Nguyen Prevails at Club One Final Table

Fresno, California – As Heartland Poker Tour’s latest nationally-televised event wrapped up at Club One Casino, telephone repairman Joe Nguyen had just one more opponent to get through on his way to an HPT championship: Club One’s Director of Business Development, Su Kim. She played the event on her home turf and advanced to the Final Table where she survived four all-in situations, catching a card on the river three of those times.  Nguyen, who had a four- to-one chip lead on Kim heads up, locked up the championship in just two hands.

Submitted by Press Release on, Feb/11/2014

2014 LSOP Millions Poker Tournament Sends 48 Players to Panama So Far

The LSOP Millions, a $1 million guaranteed tournament happening in Panama this March, has revolutionized the international poker tournament concept by hosting Day 1 tables across multiple land-based casinos all over latin america. The LSOP Millions is set to get underway at Majestic Casino in Panama from March 7th through 15th, but dozens of players have already made the money.

Submitted by Press Release on, Feb/11/2014

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