Oklahoma Online Bookie Gets Four Years Behind Bars
An Oklahoma online bookmaker was sentenced to a four year prison sentence following a plea agreement that would require him to cooperate with prosecutors.
David Roy Tune, 62, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of violating anti-gambling laws and one count of conspiracy. Most of the wagers were placed online with a now defunct Costa Rica sportsbook.
It was revealed that Tune forwarded some of the money collected from losing bettors to a man in a man in Costa Rica beginning in 2008.
Sopranos Actor Arrested as Part of New York Sports Betting Sting
John Marinacci, 56, was one of the individuals caught up in a New York State sports betting sting alleged to have ties with the Gambino crime family. Marinacci appeared in two episodes of the popular HBO series “The Sopranos”. He has also appeared on another HBO series “Boardwalk Empire”.
Marinacci was charged this week with enterprise corruption for taking bets and collecting monies for "the Gambino Bookmaking Enterprise," court papers revealed.
The complaint alleges that the New York sports betting ring utilized an offshore wagering call center.
Tim Trushel Abruptly Resigns from his Own Website Sports Memo
Tim Trushel, the president and owner of the Sports Memo group announced his resignation on Tuesday in a shocking development in the sports advisory business. (see blog post here)
Popular APCW Video Account Suspended by YouTube.com
APCW’s slickly produced “Perspectives Weekly” online gambling industry videos may no longer be available on YouTube.com after the video uploading website apparently suspended their account on Thursday. J. Todd runs the APCW site and is widely considered one of the industry’s leading crusaders.
Clicking on the YouTube.com graphic on the APCW website, visitors were greeted with the following message:
Donald Trump to Enter Online Poker Fray
Real estate, entertainment and casino mogul Donald Trump has teamed up with hedge funds manager Marc Lasry in an effort to get a piece of the online poker industry pie once the activity becomes licensed and regulated in the United States.
From Bloomberg News:
Bugging Devices and GPS Tracking Used in Illegal Sports Betting Investigation
37 individuals were arrested on Tuesday in New York and charged with running two illegal sports betting and loan-sharking operations. Those arrested include alleged members of the Gambino crime family.
House Committee Hearing on Internet Poker Next Week has Many Excited
The House Energy and Commerce Manufacturing subpanel will hold a hearing Tuesday on Internet gambling.
“I am pleased that Chairman Bono-Mack is holding a hearing on the important issue of Internet gaming," said Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas in an interview with The Hill. The Congressman introduced a bill that would legalize online poker in the United States.
The Class Action Lawsuits Against Full Tilt Poker Keep Coming
Yet another class action lawsuit has been filed against defunct online poker company Full Tilt Poker.
The Merge Surge
PocketFives.com reports that Merge Gaming has enjoyed quite an uplift after opening to the North American market this past week.
Traffic grew by 15 percent, P5s noted.
PokerScout.com, the traffic monitoring website for online poker reported the following:
William Hill Promises Its Affiliates United Branch Staff Six Months Notice of Termination
The United Kingdom’s largest online bookmaker, William Hill, has promised its Tel Aviv-based online affiliate staff, Affiliates United (AffUtd), one month's extra pay and six months notice in the event their jobs are set to be terminated.
Poll Shows New Jersey Residents Would Overwhelmingly Approve Sports Betting
If the election were held today, an amendment to the New Jersey Constitution allowing gambling on sporting events in Atlantic City casinos and at the state's race tracks would easily win approval, according to a new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Wednesday.
Rutgers-Eagleton Poll results: NJ sports betting vote
William Hill Share Price in Tizzy Following Tel Aviv Uprising
William Hill’s share price was -4.1p at 224.7p Wednesday as executives from the company tried desperately to quash an uprising in its Tel Aviv Internet support centre.
The company issued a statement on Tuesday that several higher-ups at that office would receive disciplinary action for suggesting to employees they were either being relocated to the company’s Gibraltar office or that their jobs might ultimately be disposed of altogether. More than 200 of the Tel Aviv employees abandoned their jobs as a result of this news.
William Hill Takes Action Against Tel Aviv Execs
England’s biggest bookmaker says it is taking actions against executives in charge of its Tel Aviv online gambling support center for wrongly telling employees they were being relocated to Gibraltar.
Headlines were made this week when more than 200 employees walked out after reports surfaced that the Tel Aviv office would be shut down. William Hill dispatched a team of senior executives to help quell concerns.
Hearing on Internet Poker to be Held in DC Next Week
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee for Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade is scheduled to hold a hearing on Internet poker next Tuesday, October 25, 2011. Texas Republican Congressman Joe Barton’s Online Poker Act of 2011 will be discussed during this hearing and witnesses will be brought forward.
The Poker Players Alliance, which revealed the upcoming hearing, will be meeting with members of the subcommittee and various staff members.
PartyPoker Working Hard to Enter US Market: Redlines PokerStars, Full Tilt
Forbes.com reported on Tuesday afternoon how PartyPoker co-chief Jim Ryan has been meeting with investors in the US to highlight how his company will benefit from the latest exits of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker from American soil.
His chart, according to Forbes, listed Stars and Tilt with red lines drawn through their names.
Mass William Hill Walkout Could Have Effect on Internet Business
The resignation of Eyal Sanoff, the chief marketing officer, from William Hill has prompted a mass walkout of over 200 staff members from the company’s Tel Aviv online support centre, the Sun reports. That office handles nearly all of William Hill’s Internet marketing.
The Israeli-based staff is worried over rumors that Hill’s CEO Ralph Topping is preparing to dump them and move all operations back to the United Kingdom and Gibraltar.
BetOnSports Founder Gary Kaplan Out of Prison
The founder of BetOnSports.com, Gary Kaplan, has completed his prison sentence in connection with running what was considered the biggest North American facing sports betting business of its kind during its heyday. Numerous sources have confirmed to Gambling911.com that Kaplan is out of jail, whereabouts unknown.
Another President Bush: Jeb Hates Gambling (Sometimes)
Bush for President?
No, not that one.
He served two terms and can't serve any more.
And not his father either, who served one term and then was kicked out of office by the voters.
The Bush who's generating some political buzz on the presidential front these days is none other than the "other" Bush--Jeb Bush--who served as governor of Florida from 1998-2006 and is the 43rd President's older brother and the 41st President's son.
Free Online Poker Las Vegas Casino South Point Joins the G911 Family
Gambling911.com is thrilled to announce that South Point Poker, the first online poker website run by a Las Vegas casino operator, has joined our family of fine partners.
Sportingbet Has Sold Its Turkish Business to GVC Sports
Following news this week that takeover talks involving Ladbrokes had fallen through, Sportingbet has sold its Turkish sports betting business to GVC Sports for €142.5m. Gambling restrictions in that nation forced the sale.
Andy McIver, Sportingbet’s chief executive, offered the following statement:
“Given our other big markets, Spain and Greece, have recently regulated their gambling markets, Turkey was the one which stood out [and] that has often been cited as an overhang on our equity,” he said. “So it was a question of when, not if.”
Feds, Greenville Sheriff Report $2 Million Seized
By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER - Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. --
The Secret Service and the Greenville County Sheriff's Office tracked down and seized more than $2 million from a money laundering scheme tied to online poker operations, officials said Thursday.
U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said a months-long investigation uncovered two shell companies used to hide illegal gambling proceeds.
Another Black Friday Casualty as NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship Cancelled
Gambling911.com is Panama Bound: Visiting Legendz Sportsbook, BetOnline.com
Gambling911.com heads to Panama City, Panama this weekend to visit two stalwarts in the online sports betting world, Legendz Sportsbook and BetOnline.com. We will also be visiting with pay per head operator PayPerHead.com, which is represented by none other than The Sopranos Johnny Sack.
Verisign Wants Power to Seize Domains: ACLU Says “Not So Fast”
In the wake of a number of Internet gambling websites and music downloading website having their domains seized, Verisign has signaled they would like to pursue the policy even further.
Online Gambling Blamed for Drone Computer Virus
A common malware that allows the theft of log-ins and passwords used in online gaming is being blamed for infecting military systems that are part of a computer program used to control unmanned drones.
Air Force officials claim the virus infected ground systems that are separate from drone flight controls and did not affect operations.
The Air Force added that computer keystrokes were not logged by the malware, which is designed to steal passwords from people who gamble online.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
Politico.com: Unlikely Duo Working on Internet Poker Measure for Subcommittee
Ultra conservative Republican Joe Barton and Liberal Barney Frank are working on a bill that would legalize Internet poker. They are in the process of presenting their measure to a subcommittee in charge of slashing the deficit.
Ironically, a member of this chosen subcommittee is none other than Jon Kyl, the Republican outgoing Senator from Arizona who authored the current online gambling prohibition.
Vin Diesel’s Underground Gambling Series Raising Blind Comes to FX
Vin Diesel’s One Race Films production company is moving to the small screen with FX scheduled to air Raising Blind.
It is a series delving in to the world of underground gambling. Great timing considering this past summer’s news about a Hollywood high stakes underground poker ring coming under fire for allegedly having a role in an investor ponzi scheme. The likes of Alex Rodriguez, Matt Damon and Toby Maguire were linked to the scheme with Maguire named as a defendant in a complaint filed by said investors.
