Gambling
No Casino in Chicago as Illinois Governor Rejects Gambling Expansion Plan
By SOPHIA TAREEN
CHICAGO (Associated Press) - Gov. Pat Quinn has rejected a plan to expand gambling in Illinois, including a land-based casino in Chicago.
The Democrat announced his veto Tuesday, saying the proposed bill lacked sufficient regulatory oversight.
The bill proposed five new casinos, including the Chicago facility and four more on riverboats.
Illinois Governor Must Decide Today on Gambling Expansion, Chicago Casino
CHICAGO • (Associated Press) - Gov. Pat Quinn will announce Tuesday the fate of a proposal to expand gambling in Illinois, including a new land-based casino in Chicago, weighing ethical and social concerns against the possibility of bringing a jackpot of jobs and revenue to the state.
With two of his predecessors in prison, the Chicago Democrat has made it clear he must preserve his political integrity in the plan, which also proposes establishing four new riverboat casinos and allowing slot machines at racetracks.
Schleswig-Holstein Awards More Online Gambling Licenses
The Northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein this week has awarded 4 more online gambling licenses, bringing the number thus far to approximately a dozen.
Those licensed this week include 888, Admiral Sportswetten (Rettingen), Admiral Sportwetten (Gumpoldskirchen in Austria) and Cashpoint Malta Ltd (Malta).
Alabama Casino Lobbyist, Legislator Head to Prison for Gambling Vote Selling Scheme
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — (Associated Press) - A casino lobbyist and a former legislator who pleaded guilty in Alabama's gambling corruption case are now in federal prison.
A spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said lobbyist Jarrod Massey reported Monday to the minimum-security prison camp at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. Former state Rep. Terry Spicer of Elba reported to the minimum-security prison camp in Marion, Ill.
Online Sportsbook Seeing Nice Spike Ahead of NFL, College Football Betting
The boutique online sportsbook, Northbet, tells Gambling911.com they are already seeing some decent traffic coming in ahead of the upcoming College Football and NFL betting season, economy aside.
“The economy is always a factor, but we don't expect it to be any different than the past 2 years,” a Northbet representative tells Gambling911.com. The company is heading into its third College Football and NFL betting season.
Fifth Street Gaming Takes Over Casinos at Gold Spike and Siegel Slots in Vegas
(Associated Press) - Fifth Street Gaming says it is taking over gambling operations at two Las Vegas hotels, the Gold Spike and Siegel Slots and Suites.
Both hotels are properties of the Siegel Group, which owns several boutique hotels, apartment complexes and other developments.
The contracts announced Monday are subject to approval by gambling regulators. Terms weren't disclosed.
Golden Route Operations currently operates gambling at the two properties.
Poker Pro Nancy Todd Attempt to Gain Control Over Arkansas Casinos Fails
Professional poker player Nancy Todd has lost her fight to gain exclusive operating rights to Arkansas casinos on Monday.
Illinois Governor Won’t Say If He Plans to Sign Gambling Legislation
CAROL STREAM, Ill. (Associated Press) - Gov. Pat Quinn isn't giving any hints about what he'll do with a gambling bill that Illinois lawmakers sent to his desk.
Tuesday is the deadline for Quinn to take action on legislation that would establish five new casinos in the state, including one in Chicago. It would also allow slot machines at horse racing tracks.
At an unrelated event in suburban Chicago on Monday, Quinn said he spent the weekend reading the bill and he'll announce his decision Tuesday. He declined to say if he'd arrived at a decision.
Shuttered Moore Games to Resume Payments to Poker Players
Good news is here as Moore Games has announced it will begin paying back customers after the online poker room was forced to shut down.
The former iPoker Network skin claims that it has received funds from the network to begin the payout process.
As reported by PokerFuse.com Monday:
Under China's Watch, Macau Won't Return to 'Gangster's Paradise'
(Reuters) - Three murders, hammer-wielding heavies, and a high-profile police swoop have raised concerns that Macau, the world's casino capital, may be backsliding to the bad old days of the late-1990s. And that's even before ex-triad boss "Broken Tooth" ends a 15-year jail sentence in December.
All this at a time when China's economy, the world's second-biggest, is growing more slowly - hitting gambling revenue and possibly making junket operators, who collect gambling debts in exchange for commission from casinos, more aggressive.
Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Allegedly Tied to Organized Crime Figure
Reuters was reporting late Sunday that the Las Vegas Sands had allowed a man identified by the US Senate as an “organized crime figure” to move US$100k in gambling credit from the Sheldon Adelson managed Sands to one of its Macau-based casinos.
Documentation of this alleged incident emerged in the wake of a lawsuit filed by a former Sands employee who previously claimed prostitution was permitted on the Sands Macau property.
From Rueters:
Fired CFO of Philly Archdiocese gets 2-7 Years in $900k Theft for Gambling Addiction
PHILADELPHIA — (Associated Press) - A finance executive who linked her $900,000 embezzlement from the Philadelphia archdiocese to the church’s sex-abuse scandal was sentenced Friday to two to seven years in prison.
Anita Guzzardi, 42, said she succumbed to gambling and shopping addictions after feeling betrayed by the church over the priest sex-abuse scandal.Guzzardi had worked at the Roman Catholic archdiocese since she was 20, and was making $124,000 a year as chief financial officer when she was fired last year.
Gambling Expansion Referendums on Ballots in Both Rhode Island and Oregon
Both Rhode Island and Oregon will let voters decide on proposed gambling expansion in their respective states.
In both matters, powerful Tribal casino operators are in staunch opposition.
New Leads in Brutal Murder of Wealthy Gambler’s Wife
A grand jury has revealed that new leads have come out in an investigation of the brutal beating death of Julie Mitchell, 34, the wife of a wealthy Oklahoma City gambler.
Grand jurors reported they are “optimistic that this case will ultimately be solved.”
BetFred Pays Out on Sam Oldham’s Granny Olympic Bet Following Public Outcry
BetFred advised Gambling911.com late Thursday it had decided to pay out on an Olympic bet placed by the grandmother of Olympic gymnast Sam Oldham, ending a brief - albeit ugly - chapter in the company’s history.
The British bookmaker had endured extensive negative press over a 48 hour period after it was learned they had refused to honor a bet placed by Oldham’s grandma, Linda Aldred, that would have paid out £1000.
Twitter Followers Have Beef With BetFred Over ‘Void’ Granny Bet: Firm Responds
Late Thursday, British bookmaker BetFred, run by multi-millionaire Fred Done, refused to budge in regard to paying the grandmother of Olympic swimmer Sam Oldham. Many across the nation – and the world for that matter – have taken to Twitter to voice their outrage and hopefully pressure BetFred into doing what they believe to be the right thing.
Player Verify Applies for Nevada Online Gambling License
Online poker sites in Nevada have 30 days after a player registers to collect detailed identifying information about that player. The policy is known as Know Your Customer, or KYC, and it can be especially problematic for gambling sites that lack the verification tools to properly conduct KYC activities. But with Player Verify’s recent application for a Nevada online poker service provider license, KYC will soon become simple and accurate for Nevada-based online poker companies.
Pay Grandma BetFred! Bookie Berated in London Press
The headlines these past 24 hours have been jarring.
From the Daily Express: I’ve Won 200-1 Bet on My Grandson at Olympics….But Bookies Won’t Pay Up
From the San Francisco Chronicle: British Bookmakers Won’t Pay Out Grandmother’s Winning Bet
Prince Harry in Naked Vegas Pool Romp With Olympic Swimmer Ryan Lochte
Michael Holden, Reuters
(Reuters) - Pictures of a naked Prince Harry were published on a U.S. website on Wednesday, showing the grandson of Britain's Queen Elizabeth cavorting with a nude young woman in a hotel room in Las Vegas.
A royal source confirmed to Reuters that the two photos published on the celebrity gossip website TMZ were of Harry, who has a reputation as a partying playboy and is often linked to an array of women in Britain's tabloids.
Poker Player Nancy Todd Submits 121,503 More Signatures for Arkansas Casino Measure
By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Associated Press) - A professional poker player who wants to put a casino legalization measure on the ballot has submitted more signatures to state election officials. But it's unclear whether she'll be able to put her proposal before voters this fall.
PokerStars Founder Isai Scheinberg Could See Charges Dropped in Wake of Poker Ruling
Following a New York federal judge ruling proclaiming poker as a “game of skill” and not “gambling” under current federal legislation, there is talk that charges against PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg could soon be dropped.
Scheinberg founded what is today the world’s largest “real money” online poker room the very day the World Trade Centers were under attack in New York City, September 11, 2011.
Sam Oldham Granny Gets Shafted by BetFred.com: Bookie Refuses to Honor Olympic Bet
British bookmaker BetFred.com has refused to pay out on a 200/1 bet placed by Olympian Sam Oldham’s grandmother that he would win a medal at this year’s London Olympics. Oldham ended up winning a gymnastic team bronze medal representing Great Britain.
New Poll Shows New Jersey Residents Want Legalized Sports Betting in State
A Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released Tuesday morning reveals that 45 percent of New Jersey residents believe sports betting should be legalized while 38 percent prefer waiting for Congress to repeal a current federal ban. Just under 1000 individuals took part in the survey.
53 percent of men support the idea while 35 oppose. 38 percent of women support while slightly more oppose at 41 percent.
Newest Theme For a Las Vegas Hotel: It’s Detroit!
Imagine taking an exciting vacation to a popular tourist destination...
Paris.
New York.
Venice.
Detroit.
Detroit? How did that get in there?
According to some folks in Las Vegas, there's no reason for it not to be on the list.
That's why the next big new hotel-casino to open in Las Vegas is going to have the theme of--wait for it--Detroit!
Shocking Study Finds More Young Boys Gambling Than Ever Before
10 percent of young boys have gambled before the age of 16, a shocking study commissioned by the University of Tasmania education faculty revealed on Monday. Subjects 14 to 17-year-old across Tasmania were used as part of gambling study Weighing up the Odds.
Unshuffled Cards a Costly Headache for Atlantic City
Wayne Parry, Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — At first, it seemed like a coincidence, the kind of thing that happens from time to time at a casino, where the same number or same sequence of cards happens twice in a row.
But when the players at an April game of mini-baccarat at the Golden Nugget Atlantic City kept seeing the same sequence of cards dealt, over and over and over again, their eyes grew wide and their bets grew bigger, zooming from $10 a hand to $5,000.
Professional Poker Player Nancy Todd Wants Control Over Arkansas Casinos
Professional poker player Nancy Todd is looking to control casinos in four Arkansas counties via a ballot proposal, the Associated Press was reporting on Monday.
Todd said that she was required to submit a new proposal after Secretary of State Mark Martin found that the measure improperly omitted a reference to a state gambling law that would be repealed.
The ballot wording was ruled to be “unfit” by Martin’s office last week and will issue a new ruling on the amended ballot wording within the next 15 days.
Hollywood Casino Columbus Scheduled to Open in October (2012): Biggest in Town
COLUMBUS —(Associated Press) - Developers are ready to provide a peek on Monday at the new Hollywood Casino Columbus, which will offer gambling in the state capital as the third and largest of four casinos approved by voters.
New Jersey Sen. Ray Lesniak to Discuss Legalizing Sports Betting, Online Poker in State on ESPN
Sunday 6 am EDT with Jody Mac (ESPN New York Live Streaming Here) - 20 minutes with New Jersey State Senate Raymond Lesniak discussing the legalization of sports betting in the Garden State and the recent lawsuit filed on behalf of the major sports leagues to try and prevent this from happening.
Software Developer Executives Arrested in Connection with ‘Online Gambling Scheme’
Several executives from a Fort Worth, Texas software development company have been arrested Friday and charged with money laundering, felony gambling and organized criminal activity.
The company, HEST Technologies, claims to develop promotional systems for sweepstakes cafes, Internet cafes and nonprofit organizations.
Authorities allege the company's "sweepstakes" systems constitute illegal gambling devices by claiming to sell a lawful service as a means to induce people into gambling.
