Gambling

Art Dealer Tied to Russian Mob Run Gambling Ring Case Blames His Dad for Woes

Playboy art dealer Hillel “Helly” Nahmad is blaming his dear ‘ol dad for his gambling problems.  Nahmad was one of 30 charged for running high stakes poker games with ties to the Russian Mafia.  He has since plead guilty to a lesser charge and is due to be sentenced in Manhattan on April 30.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/24/2014

Lobbyists Are Big (and Only) Winners Thus Far in US Online Gambling Battle

States like New Jersey are not yet seeing the promised revenue numbers for their fledgling Internet gambling sector even though growth appears inevitable.  Likewise, the sites themselves are not exactly going gangbusters (not even NJ market leader PartyPoker). But alas, there is one group benefiting big time from the efforts to both legalize and prevent online gambling from taking shape in the US:  The lobbyists.

Submitted by Ace King on, Apr/23/2014

Is New Jersey Online Gambling Site Virgin Casino Free $50 for Real?

A number of our readers were wondering if the New Jersey online gambling site VirginCasino.com was really offering a FREE $50 in cash to new signups.  The answer to this question is a resounding YES with a big BUT… this works like a refill bonus, hence the ‘Up to $50 Bonus Cash’.  So opening your account with $5 won't result in VirginCasino giving you $50.

Submitted by Payton on, Apr/23/2014

Las Vegas Removes Dead Gambler From Infamous Black Book

We now know what happens to “casino cheats” after they die.  Las Vegas removes them from their infamous Black Book.  Whether they go to Heaven or Hell is anyone’s guess.

Roderick William Dee II made his way off the Black Book this past week.  He died this past December at the age of 59 from a four-year bout with cancer.

The former casino dealer had four felony convictions for slot machine incidents, three of which were in Nevada.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/22/2014

ASA Says Paddy Power ‘Made Joke’ Out of Domestic Violence, Mocked Amputees

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned Irish online bookmaker from ever promoting bets on the Oscar Pistorious trial.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/22/2014

Mafia Boss Dire Warning: ‘Fellow Mobsters Might Have to Get Real Jobs to Survive’

Mafia bosses this week sounded the alarms that money in their respective criminal enterprises is starting to run out and younger members may have to (gulp) “get real jobs in order to survive”.

This comes after jailed Cosa Nostra boss Giovanni Di Giacomo was secretly recorded complaining that protection and extortion rackets weren’t as lucrative as they once were.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/22/2014

Deadwood Commissioners Fear Turning Gambling Town Into ‘Party City’

DEADWOOD — (Associated Press) - Commissioners in the western South Dakota gambling town of Deadwood have voted against allowing open containers of alcohol on Main Street during weekends.

The Rapid City Journal reports that the Monday night vote was 3-2 against the measure, despite recommendations by the city’s chamber of commerce and its independent business club that there be a 30-day trial.

Casino general manager Peter DeMangus said allowing people to roam the downtown area with beers in hand would create atmosphere.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Apr/22/2014

Dreyfus on iGaming: ‘Not About Whether You Are Going to Eat Someone or Be Eaten’

Alexandre Dreyfus, founder of Chili Poker and now the head of the Global Poker Index, is celebrating his 10th year in online gambling and Gambling911.com would like to take this time to congratulate him as this is no small feat.  After all we have seen countless numbers of "executives" come and go during this time.

Prior to ten years ago, the Frenchman had never bet online.  One could argue he is among the industry’s most successful businesspeople and certainly a pioneer when it comes to online poker.

Submitted by Ace King on, Apr/22/2014

New Milwaukee Bucks Owner ‘Close Friend” to Alleged Russian Mobster

The Milwaukee Bucks are being sold and one of the new owners enjoys a “close friendship” to with a 27-year-old Russian who was among the 34 people charged nearly a year ago today in connection to a high-stakes poker game at the Carlyle Hotel and in Hollywood with alleged mob ties.  One of those arrested operated an art gallery within the hotel.

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on, Apr/21/2014

The Price Per Head Revolution - By Way of WagerHome

We all know that sports betting is one of the most popular gambling-related activities in the world, and it is certainly one of the drivers for the boom in sports of all kinds in the United States. 

Submitted by Don Shapiro on, Apr/21/2014

Tropicana Online AC Casino Revenue Up $1.9 Million in March for Biggest Gain

Tropicana and its iGaming partner Gamesys (VirginCasino.com) witnessed a revenue increase of $1.9 million during the month of March, comfortably placing the group 3rd behind market leader PartyPoker and Ceasars.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Apr/21/2014

CNBC ‘Tempting Fate’ With ‘Money Talks’: NFL Could Force Network’s Hand

Ben Koo of AwfulAnnouncing.com suggests that CNBC Prime has been “tempting fate” with its airing of the controversial sports betting “reality” show “Money Talks”.

Submitted by Alejandro Botticelli on, Apr/21/2014

One Year After WSEX Owner Suicide Players Still Hold Out Hope to Get Paid

This weekend marked the one-year anniversary of World Sports Exchange co-founder Steve Schillinger's death by suicide.  One of the first online sportsbooks, WSEX.com owed well over a million dollars to customers at the time of Schillinger’s death.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/21/2014

Gibraltar Easter Day Explosion Halts Online Bets for Sunday Sporting Events

William Hill, BetFred and Ladbrokes were just three of the big name online bookmakers that operate from Gibraltar where an early afternoon generator fire and subsequent explosion knocked each of these businesses offline.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Apr/20/2014

Massive Explosion Brings Down PartyPoker, Ladbrokes, William Hill Sites

An explosion in Gibraltar has resulted in Gibtelecom service disruptions and down time at the popular poker sites PartyPoker along with other online sports betting companies including Stan James, Ladbrokes and William Hill.  Some of the biggest names in online gambling operate from Gibraltar. *Just a quick correction, we initially reported that PokerStars had been affected, however, they operate out of the Isle of Man and were not impacted by the explosion.

Submitted by Ace King on, Apr/20/2014

Pay Per Head Sports Betting Software: The Real Bookies Benefit

God only knows there are several dozen Pay Per Head software platforms out there.  You can check out the endorsed pay per heads right here on the Gambling911.com website.  

Submitted by Payton on, Apr/20/2014

Israeli Crime Boss Found Shot in Head at Home: Family Ran Gambling Biz

The head of the Netanya crime family in Israel, Charlie Abutbul, has died after being found shot in the head.  Abutbul succumbed to his injuries after arriving at the hospital. Police have not yet determined whether the gunshot wound was the result of a suicide or homicide.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/18/2014

35 Arrested Outside Newly Opened Jack’s Casino in Doetinchem: Man Stabbed

Ten police officers arrived at the scene of a brawl outside Jack’s Casino in Doetinchem, Holland Friday morning that left one man stabbed multiple times.  35 arrests were made.

Jack’s had not even begun its first day of business when the brawl took place.  A quarrel started some time just before 8 pm as patrons waited for the casino doors to open.  It was not immediately known what caused the fight.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Apr/18/2014

Mob Museum Makes Huge $1.5 Mil Cash Payment: Presented in Briefcase

(Associated Press) - Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman took a cue from the mob in making a huge payment on behalf of the city's Mob Museum.

Goodman presented $1.5 million in cash to the City Council at a meeting on Wednesday. The $100 bills bundled up and stuffed in suitcases are the first of four annual payments the two-year-old museum plans to make to the city.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Apr/17/2014

Las Vegas Ranked as 10th Worst Vacation Destination

Don’t tell this to the throngs of people who love Las Vegas but Sin City has just registered at number 10 on the SmartTravel “10 Most Disappointing Vacation Destinations” list.

It could be worse we suppose.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/17/2014

Cedar Rapids Iowa Won't be Getting Casino: Rejection From Commission

Council Bluffs, Iowa (Associated Press) — The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission rejected a proposed $164 million Cedar Rapids casino Thursday, saying it would hurt existing casinos.

Supporters of the Cedar Crossing Casino development have said it would give an economic boost to Cedar Rapids and the region. They also argued it would be a catalyst for development in an area ravaged by a 2008 flood, create jobs and generate millions for tax revenue and charities.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Apr/17/2014

Bwin.Party Shares Up Nearly 2 Percent on News of Potential Shakeup

Bwin.Party shares were up 1.97% (124.00) Thursday following news that activist investor Jason Ader looked to shake things up on the board.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Apr/17/2014

Jason Ader Activist Investor Taking on Bwin

New York based hedge-fund investor, Jason Ader, well-known t o Gambling911 readers from his earlier victory over IGT was featured in the worldwide media today for his announcement that he intends to propose for election four new independent Directors to the Board of BPTY at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of BPTY. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Apr/17/2014

China Officials Publicly Put to Shame for Online Gambling and Other Infractions

The intimidatingly-named Communist Party’s Discipline Inspection Committee has begun shaming Chinese officials who have been found to engage in illicit behaviors others in the world might view as minor infractions. 

The Committee's most recent report cites 200 officials for activities that include playing mah-jongg or gambling online while at work.

Only six officials were found to engage in online gambling.  The biggest infraction involved 44 individuals found to be “abusing business cars”.  Another nine were found to be drinking alcoholic beverages during the day.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/16/2014

Head of Online Sports Betting Ring Arrested in Naples

The head of an online sports betting ring with ties to Costa Rica and the Mob was arrested last week according to court documents.

Thomas Welch, 48, of Poinciana Village, near Naples, Florida, was charged with multiple racketeering, extortion and money laundering for his role in running the online website Alydar653.com.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/16/2014

Chicago-Only Casino Option Likely to Face Stiff Opposition

SPRINGIFELD, Ill. (Associated Press) — An Illinois lawmaker’s proposal to expand gambling in Chicago, but not the rest of the state, will be the focus of a day of hearings that could get heated.

One amendment to Rep. Bob Rita’s bill, to be detailed at a House committee Wednesday, would create a Chicago casino with up to 10,000 spots for gamblers and strip the other four new casinos proposed in past measures.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Apr/16/2014

Florida Bookie Tied to Legends Sports Bust Avoids Additional Jail Time

A Florida man tied to what authorities call a billion dollar illegal sports betting ring was sentenced in a New York State district court to time already served.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Apr/16/2014

Atari Enters Real Money Online Gambling Arena

(Associated Press) - Atari, the maker of classic video games like "Pong" and "Centipede," is about to make things a bit more interesting for players.

The company said Tuesday that it is getting into real-money gambling through a partnership with gambling company Pariplay.

Pariplay will launch Atari's brands across a number of social, online and mobile platforms. This includes a website with real-money gambling on some of Atari's arcade classics, like Centipede, Asteroids and Pong.

The launch is slated for the fourth quarter.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Apr/15/2014

Borgata to Pay Out $1,721,805 to Affected Players in Chip Scandal

The Borgata Casino will pay out $1,721,805 to those affected by a scandal earlier in the year in which fake chips were detected during the Borgata Winter Open.

Submitted by Ace King on, Apr/15/2014

AirBnB Could be Used for Drugs, Prostitution, Orgies, Gambling Next Store

A New York lawmaker is claiming that a startup allowing New York City residents to rent out their apartments to guests short-term could lead to illicit activities such as drug use, prostitution and even gambling.

New York State Senator Liz Krueger blasted AirBnB on Monday.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Apr/15/2014

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