Politics
Online Gambling Pioneer Nephew Doug Ducey Widens Gap in AZ Governor’s Race
With just days before the elections, polls show Republican Doug Ducey ahead of Democratic candidate Fred DuVal in the Arizona gubernatorial race.
Vegas Oddsmaker Predicts GOP Landslide for Midterm Elections
Vegas oddsmaker and former Libertarian VP candidate Wayne Allyn Root predicts a bloodbath among Democrats during next week’s midterm elections. While most gambling sites were shying away from offering odds on the 2014 midterms, sites like BetOnline.ag are already taking bets on the 2016 US Presidential election.
AZ Gubernatorial Candidate Doug Ducey Comes From Mob Family: Uncle Ran WWTS
We’re not sure exactly what if any impact being born into an alleged Mafia family might have but this is the latest headliner coming out of the Arizona gubernatorial race involving Republican Doug Ducey.
His connections may be more interesting to long time diehard readers of Gambling911.com than the actual voters in Arizona.
Warren Buffett Hillary Clinton Bet to Become Next US President
Warren Buffet, one of the world’s richest men, said he will bet money on Hillary Clinton becoming the next President of the United States. How much money, he did not disclose.
“Hillary’s going to run,” Buffett boldly predicted during an interview segment with Carol Lommis at Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women Summit”.
Could Sports Betting Help PA Gov Get Re-Elected? State’s Top Pundit Weighs In
For decades, Pennsylvania residents have trekked to neighboring New Jersey to get their gambling fix.
Casinos lined the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, and a walk through any of the casino's parking garages revealed that half of the cars had Pennsylvania license plates.
The Keystone State, which had no casinos, was losing A LOT of revenue to the Garden State.
Congress May Consider Online Poker Exemption: War Should Quash Those Hopes
A Sheldon Adelson-backed online gambling prohibition bill, the Restoration of America's Wire Act (RAWA), is reportedly gaining some steam in Congress though the odds are against passage during the so-called “lame duck” session.
According to media reports, Bally Tech’s John Connelly was quoted during a recent conference that he expects a federal push to make “everything other than poker illegal” this November.
'Why I bet £900k on the Scottish referendum'
The BBC spoke to an anonymous individual who bet £900k on the NO to Scottish independence. He has the check to prove it.
No to Scotland Independence: Most Bets Ever for a Political Event, Man Wins $2 Mil
Bookmakers have made out big on the recent referendum for Scotland’s independence.
During the early morning hours of Friday it was revealed that Scotland will remain a part of the United Kingdom for the time being with 55.3 percent of its nearly 90% eligible voters choosing “NO” to independence.
Scotland Independence Referendum Passing Would Have Paid 7-2 Odds: No Wins
Some online betting sites like Betfair.com had already paid out more than 100,000 pounds ($162,000) to customers who backed a "No" vote for Scotland's independence. Odds were coming in a 7-2 at PaddyPower.com on the passage of the referendum just hours before polling was to close on the Independence Referendum. Results were trickling in throughout the early morning hours Friday and it was becoming obvious that Scotland would be staying a part of th
Control of US Senate Odds Now Close to 50-50 Says Paddy Power
Irish online bookmaker Paddy Power has the odds of which party will control the US Senate at Republicans 8/13 and Democrats 6/5.
The Republicans were widely expected to control the Senate following November mid-term elections, however, in recent days it now appears that Kansas Independent Greg Orman will likely beat three-term incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts.
Christie, Sandoval Talk Combining Online Poker Players: No Sports Bets at Caesars
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval discussed possibly combining both states online poker player pools during a gaming conference in the Garden State on Monday.
Twilight Zone: Adeslon Favors Online Poker and Wants to Throw Hat in Ring
Las Vegas casino magnate and GOP mega donor Sheldon Adelson praised lawmakers who have taken on a pro-Internet gambling position and proclaimed: "(We are) pleased that the Nevada Legislature has taken the lead in regulating internet casinos" and added, "Our hat will be in that ring.”
The Las Vegas Sun also reported:
Tierney in Trouble: Backlash Over SOS Gambling Biz Could Still Come Into Play
Democrat Massachusetts Rep. John Tierney is among the more vulnerable incumbents this election cycle. A survey from Emerson College Polling Society gives Tierney 47 percent support among likely primary voters compared to challenger Seth Moulton’s 44 percent. There is a 5-point margin of error.
Anti-Web Gambling Crusader Adelson May Buy the US Senate: $100m Up for Grabs
Gambling magnate and GOP mega donor Sheldon Adelson may be looking to try to buy the US Senate. He is spending $100 million of his own cash on the mid-term elections through various untraceable conservative groups, The Daily Beast is reporting.
Wife of Oman Foreign Minister Must Pay Casino £1m
The wife of Oman’s foreign minister is being ordered to pay £1m lost at the Ritz Casino in London. She has already paid back the initial £2m lost in April of 2012.
Noora Abdullah Mahawish Al-Daher, who is married to the foreign minister of Oman, signed checks in exchange for gambling chips. Those checks were later dishonored, according to court documents.
She and her family later gambled away £3m ($5m) in Las Vegas. Mrs Al-Daher would later claim she had a gambling problem and that the Ritz Casino should have exercised better care in restraining her from betting.
MO Gov at Center of Ferguson Shooting Incident was First Online Gambling Zealot
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D) has come under heavy criticism for his handling of the Ferguson, Missouri police fatal shooting of an unarmed Black teenager and its subsequent protests.
Following the shooting, it took a number of days for Nixon to make an appearance in Ferguson, a St. Louis suburb. He eventually had to call a state of emergency after some of the protests turned violent.
Our own Thomas Somach notes that Nixon’s past history as it relates to the world of online gambling is not a pretty one.
One Less Presidential Hopeful Backing Adelson Online Gambling Agenda: Rick Perry Indicted
AUSTIN, Texas (Associated Press) - A grand jury indicted Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday for allegedly abusing the powers of his office by carrying out a threat to veto funding for state prosecutors investigating public corruption - making the possible 2016 presidential hopeful his state's first indicted governor in nearly a century.
Congressman Chaka Fattah Son Indicted for Bank Fraud, Used Funds for Gambling
PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — The son of Philadelphia congressman Chaka Fattah has been indicted and charged with bank fraud, tax evasion and misspending federal education funds.
The federal indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses Chaka Fattah Jr. of lying about his income to obtain more than $200,000 in business loans he then spent on personal expenses, gambling debts and legal fees.
He is also charged with inflating expenses related to federal funds he received for a charter school program for at-risk students.
‘Do Nothing Congress’ Wants to Try to Do Something: Ban Online Gambling Via Holder
A handful of US Senators wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for his support of their bill to reinstate a federal ban on Internet gambling.
John McCain Introduces Legislation to Block Arizona Casino Project
PHOENIX (Associated Press) -- Arizona's two U.S. senators are proposing legislation to block construction of a Phoenix-area casino planned by a southern Arizona tribe.
If enacted, the bill introduced Monday by Republicans John McCain and Jeff Flake would block the casino resort project planned by the Tohono O'odham Nation for a site on unincorporated land adjacent to Glendale.
The senators said in an announcement that their bill is a companion measure to House legislation approved by that chamber and sponsored by Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks.
State Senator Will Attempt to Get Around Sports Betting Ban in New Jersey
New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) will attempt to get around a sports betting ban by pushing through legislation with strong bipartisan support in hopes that Governor Chris Christie signs the bill into law.
Christie has long supported the legalization of sports betting in New Jersey but the professional sports leagues and NCAA successfully blocked such efforts in the court.
From the Newark Star Ledger:
Convicted Casino Lobbyist Questions Rick Perry Online Gambling Stance
The biggest casino lobbyist and an individual who served time for that activity, Jack Abramoff, has spoken out regarding Texas Governor Rick Perry’s stance on Internet gambling.
William and Kate Expecting Again? Bookie Suspends Betting as George Turns One
British bookmaker Coral has suspended wagering on whether Prince William and his wife Kate are about to announce the arrival of a second royal sibling for one-year-old Prince George.
Coral halted all bets last week ahead of George’s first birthday.
Disgraced Ex-Utah AG John Swallow Court Dates Set: Ties to Poker’s ‘Black Friday’
Former Attorneys General John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff are due to appear in court on on July 22 and 30, respectively, after the two men were charged last week with racketeering following a sweeping public corruption investigation.
Swallow faces 11 felonies and two misdemeanors, including a pattern of unlawful activity, receiving or soliciting a bribe, evidence tampering and making false statements.
Former Rep. Connie Mack Added to Adelson Arsenal
Former Rep. Connie Mack has been brought on to help lobby in favor of a bill to ban online gambling across the USA.
Mack, who lost his Congressional seat in 2012, will lobby on behalf of Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Adelson has been on a crusade to abolish Internet gambling for the better part of a year now. The GOP mega-donor had his lobbyists help draft anti-online gambling legislation introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) earlier in the year.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Sheldon Adelson: ‘Don’t Pick on Him’
Speaking to MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid came to the defense of casino billionaire and GOP mega donor Sheldon Adelson, this after blasting two other Republican mega donors, Charles and David Koch.
"Sheldon Adelson, don't pick on him," he told NBC's Chuck Todd. "He's not in this for money. He's in this because he has certain ideological views."
That comment has raised eyebrows amongst those in the online gambling sector. While Reid has supported legalizing Web gambling at the federal level, Adelson is staunchly opposed.
Elizabeth Warren Endorses Tierney: Wife Served Time in Offshore Gambling Case
Massachusetts Senior Senator Elizabeth Warren has endorsed eight-time Democratic incumbent Congressman John Tierney, who is expected to fight a tough primary this upcoming November.
Gambling911.com readers became familiar with Tierney after his wife Patrice was charged for her role in the operation of her brother Robert Eremian’s offshore gambling enterprise. She served as an accountant for the long established Antigua-based gambling business, Sports Off Shore.
William Hill Takes £400,000 Bet on Whether Scotland Leaves the UK
The United Kingdom’s largest bookmaker, William Hill, has offered odds on whether Scotland will leave the UK. The odds are a bit steep at 1-4 for Scotland to vote against independence.
One man, said to be English, has wagered £400,000 on the “No” with the payoff being £100,000. It is the largest political bet in William Hill’s long history.
Election Betting in Nevada Opposed by Governor Sandoval
CARSON CITY, Nev. (Associated Press) — Gov. Brian Sandoval has come out against a proposal to make Nevada the first state to permit betting on federal elections.
The Republican governor described himself as "more of a traditionalist" when it comes to betting.
"As I think through it, unless I'm convinced otherwise, it is not something I would support," he told the Las Vegas Sun (http://bit.ly/RQjFSE ) on Friday. "The state has done fine on sports and horse-race betting and other events."
Nevada May Soon Permit Betting on the 2016 US Presidential Election
Nevada State Senator Tick Segerblom wants to push for legislation that would permit betting on US Presidential elections in the Silver State.
This is hardly a new concept. US Presidential elections in the past have taken in more money for international online gambling establishments than any other single non-sporting event.
