Gambling

Good Lord: Priest Charged With Stealing $151K for Gambling Addiction

WICHITA — (Associated Press) - A Kansas priest has been charged with alleging stealing nearly $151,000 from his two parishes and the Catholic Diocese to fund his extensive gambling.

A criminal information filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Kansas charges Father Thomas H. Leland with bank fraud. The court issued a summons for a Sept. 23 initial appearance.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Sep/01/2015

Macau Gambling Revenue Continues to Plunge

Gambling revenue in Macau plunged 35.5 percent in August from a year earlier, sliding for fifteen months in row as China's slowing economic growth exacerbated a slump caused by a broader crackdown on conspicuous spending.

Casino revenues in the world's biggest gambling hub dropped to 18.6 billion patacas ($2.3 billion) a year earlier, matching the 18.6 billion patacas in June, according to data released by the Macau government on Tuesday.

Analysts had forecast a decline of around 36-38 percent.

Submitted by Reuters on, Sep/01/2015

Battle for Bwin.party Continues With 888 Upping Its Bid

Online gambling firm 888 Holdings Plc (888.L) stepped up the battle for Bwin.party Digital Entertainment Plc (BPTY.L) on Tuesday, submitting a revised takeover proposal as it looks to see off rival interest from GVC Holdings Plc (GVC.L).

Submitted by Reuters on, Sep/01/2015

Indicted Gambling Guru Obtains New Attorney: May Ditch ‘Insanity’ Defense

Adam Meyer, the self-professed “Gambling Guru to the Stars”, is seeking a new attorney.

Meyer was charged late last year with running an elaborate sports handicapping fraud scheme whereby he attempted to extort $25 million from a Wisconsin businessman. 

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Aug/31/2015

And the State With the Highest Gambling Embezzlement Rate is...

Which U.S. state do you think has the highest gambling embezzlement rates in the nation?  Is it:

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Aug/30/2015

Nevada Casino Win Down 1 Percent

CARSON CITY, Nev. (Associated Press) -- Baccarat revenues in Nevada casinos continue to disappoint, but better showings among slot machines are helping reduce the hit in state gambling revenues.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported Friday that Nevada casinos kept nearly $923 million of what was gambled in July, a figure that's 1 percent down from the same month last year. That comes as baccarat revenues fell 23 percent to $104 million.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Aug/28/2015

Wayne Root to be Executive Producer of New Investigation Discovery Series

The former 2008 U.S. Vice Presidential nominee on the Libertarian ticket, Wayne Root, will act as Executive Producer for a new true crime show to debut on Investigation Discovery.

Root, who is also a contributing writer to the Gambling911.com website and best selling author, was given the green light this week for his idea by the popular cable network.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Aug/28/2015

Bookies Behaving Badly Part 3 – The Lawsuit Edition

When country crooner Johnny Cash sang about "A Boy Named Sue," he wasn't referring to pioneer offshore bookmaker Dennis Atiyeh.

But he could have been.

Atiyeh, to many, was one of the original "bookies behaving badly."

He was a real-life "Dennis the Menace" to those who crossed him, ready to file a devastating lawsuit at the drop of a hat against anyone who got in his way.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Aug/28/2015

Ivey Accuses Borgata of Plying Gamblers With Free Booze Served by Sexy Servers

(Associated Press) — A professional gambler accused of cheating an Atlantic City casino out of $9.6 million by seeking an unfair edge at cards says the casino has its own method of gaining an advantage: plying gamblers with free booze served by flirty, scantily clad waitresses.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Aug/27/2015

Bwin.party Asks GVC for Best Offer: Prepared to Dump 888

Reuters is reporting that key aspects of GVC’s proposal to buy publicly traded online gambling firm Bwin.party for approximately 1 billion pound ($1.55 billion) have been met.

BetOnline

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Aug/27/2015

FanDuel Ads Debut on CNN During Big Breaking News Day

FanDuel, the world’s largest Daily Fantasy Sports site, began airing ads on CNN Wednesday for the first time, our sister site DFS911.com reports.

The FanDuel ad claims players can win $1 million with just a $5 entry.  The firm received $250 million in fresh investment money earlier in the month and planned to use these funds for contests and marketing.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Aug/26/2015

Paddy Power, Betfair to Merge by 2016: Become Europe’s Top Gambling Venture

(Reuters) - Betfair and Irish rival Paddy Power have agreed in principle on a 5 billion pound merger to stake a claim to leadership of the online gambling market in Britain.

Submitted by Reuters on, Aug/26/2015

Crackdowns in Chinese Gambling Hub Macau Continue With 17 More Arrests

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Police in the global gambling hub of Macau have arrested 17 people this week after raiding pawn shops thought to be easing the illicit flow of money from China, whose slowing economy is prompting authorities to try and curb capital flight.

Submitted by Reuters on, Aug/25/2015

Unsolved Mysteries of the Gambling World Part 1: The Cantor Curse?

When one thinks of Cantor Gaming, the first thing that might not come to mind is the tragic events of 9-11 when two planes were flown into New York’s World Trade Center buildings.  Those buildings ultimately collapsed and 2,996 lost their lives.

Submitted by Alejandro Botticelli on, Aug/25/2015

Federal Ban on Sports Betting Upheld by Appeals Panel

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — The federal ban on sports betting in all but four states was upheld Tuesday, dealing a blow to New Jersey's latest effort to expand gambling options to help its struggling casinos and racetracks.

But the 2-1 ruling by a panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia left the door open for New Jersey to further appeal the matter to the full court.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Aug/25/2015

Cyber Terrorism Strikes Major Horse Betting Site Xpressbet

Xpressbet, one of the largest U.S.-based online horse racing betting sites, disclosed this week that they were the latest victim of cyber terrorism.

The attack occurred Saturday August 22, considered the biggest day of the week for horse racing in the United States.  It was also the day of the all-important $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic (gr. I) from Delmar.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Aug/25/2015

How Bitcoin Works

What is Bitcoin? How do they work? Why they are gaining so much popularity? These are some questions which come into mind when we talk about Bitcoins. Bitcoins are a form of currency which is decentralized. Means that Bitcoins are crypto currency and government does not regulate them nor any financial institutions are involved. Bitcoins are preferred by most of people; the reason being it does not require any paperwork and long formalities like presenting ID proof and other documents as we need to open a bank account.

Submitted by Payton on, Aug/25/2015

Caesars Entertainment to Pay $20 Million to Settle Anti-Money Laundering Lapses

Caesars Entertainment has agreed to pay $20 million to settle U.S. charges related to anti-money laundering lapses, it was revealed this week.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Aug/24/2015

DraftKings Teams Up With Bad Boy Dan Bilzerian: Let Them Eat Unicorn Cake

One of the behemoths in Daily Fantasy Sports, DraftKings.com, has decided to team up with one of poker’s most colorful characters, Dan Bilzerian. 

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on, Aug/24/2015

Bookies Behaving Badly Part 2: This Cross Dresser Once Feasted on Cocaine

There is a bookie in Costa Rica who was one of the first to settle there at the time this Central American nation was becoming a haven for the world’s sharpest bookmakers.  He had a secret that didn’t stay a secret for very long....nor did he seem to try to conceal it.

He was a bookie behaving badly.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Aug/23/2015

Shocking Mob Funeral: ‘You Conquered Rome, Now You’ll Conquer Paradise’

It was a funeral like no other: flowers thrown from a hovering helicopter, horse drawn carriages and “Godfather’ songs blaring from speakers.  You would have thought it was a wedding.

Mourners were left horrified at the funeral of Italian mobster Vittorio Casamonica, 65, a marginal member of the local Casamonica family.  Now the Mayor of Rome, where the observances took place, wants to know how this could have happened.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Aug/22/2015

Malta Changes Online Gambling Policies in Light of Recent Raids, Scandal

The Maltese Government will begin to embrace new policies pertaining to its lucrative online gambling sector following a series of arrests and controversies.

Malta last year requested an opinion from the European Court of Justice pertaining to the Manipulation of Sports Competitions but have now decided to take on a different approach. 

From Online-Casinos.org:

Submitted by C Costigan on, Aug/22/2015

Judicial Watch Files Lawsuit Against DOJ Over Wire Act Opinion

The right-wing watchdog group Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice, claiming it has failed to cooperate with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed last year.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Aug/21/2015

Macau Gambling Stocks Plunge 40 Percent First Half of Year: Dow Drop 530 Points

The Macau gambling sector has taken a major hit over the past six months with shares plunging by as much as 40% across the board.

BetOnline

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Aug/21/2015

Oklahoma State Senator Who Stole $1.8 Mil Resigns: Recovering Gambling Addict

TULSA, Okla. (Associated Press) — A two-term Oklahoma state senator admitted in federal court Thursday that he stole $1.8 million from the nonprofit agency where he worked and filed a false tax return.

BetOnline

Submitted by Associated Press on, Aug/20/2015

GVC Holdings Once Again Increases Offer for Bwin.party: Talks ‘Very Positive’

(Reuters) - British online gambling company GVC Holdings Plc may increase its offer for rival Bwin.party Digital Entertainment Plc for a third time, a source close to GVC said on Thursday.

The source said GVC and Bwin had been in talks over the past week and that Bwin's response had been "very positive".

The talks centred around synergies between the two companies, according to the source, who declined to be identified because the matter is confidential.

Submitted by Reuters on, Aug/20/2015

How Not to Get Screwed by Your Pay Per Head Service

For those bookies and agents looking to avoid being screwed by their Pay Per Head service, there are a number of steps that should be followed prior to the selection process.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Aug/19/2015

Jared Fogle Future Betting Off Limits But NFL Player Arrests Wagers are Available

Many folks have been inquiring as to when online gambling sites intend to begin offering betting odds on Jared Fogle, the longtime former Subway spokesperson who plead guilty Wednesday to charges of distributing child pornography and illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

Submitted by Alejandro Botticelli on, Aug/19/2015

Real Time Fantasy Sports Imminent Claims ESPN

ESPN.com this week reveals that real time fantasy sports isn’t just a fantasy, it’s imminent.

They should know.  The sports media group last month entered into a multi-million dollar partnership deal with one of the largest Daily Fantasy Sports sites DraftKings.com.

Submitted by Don Shapiro on, Aug/19/2015

China Arrests 15,000 on Suspicion of Cybercrimes, Including Gambling

BEIJING (Associated Press) — Chinese police have arrested 15,000 people on suspicion of cybercrimes as the government tightens its control over the Internet, the Ministry of Public Security said Tuesday.

BetOnline

Submitted by Associated Press on, Aug/18/2015

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