Full Tilt Poker CEO Ray Bitar Released From Prison
The disgraced CEO of shuttered online poker company Full Tilt Poker has been released from prison after surrendering to law enforcement in the US last week.
Raymond Bitar was freed on $2.5 million bond only after agreeing to post $2 million in property to ensure he returns to U.S. District Court in Manhattan when prompted to do so.
Betable Wants to Revolutionize Online Gambling Industry, Bring Real Money to Social Gaming
Betable introduced the world's first real-money gaming platform and announced its private beta developer program on Monday with Founder and CEO Christopher Griffin slated to appear on a panel Tuesday (July 10) at VentureBeat's GamesBeat 2012 titled "Social Casino Games" at 2:30 p.m. PST. (read more on the Betable blog here)
Federal Online Poker Measure Could be Voted on This Month
It’s not dead yet, so says Texas Republican Congressman Joe Barton. A measure to legalize online poker federally in the US could be voted on this month (July 2012).
“We’ve got the votes in the House if it comes up for a vote,” Barton said.
Macau Gambling Junkets Risk Losing Their Game
Farah Master, Reuters
MACAU (Reuters) - The shadowy companies that bring China's millionaires to the gambling tables of Macau are facing their toughest time since the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers, and some of the smaller players may soon drop out of the game for good.
Ghost Wager Will Pay £101,840 With Roger Federer Wimbledon Win
A wager made nine years ago by a man who has since passed away is set to pay out £101,840 should Roger Federer win the Men’s Wimbledon Final on Sunday.
Nick Newlife bet £1,520 in 2003 that Federer would win seven or more finals. At the time, the UK’s largest bookmaker William Hill was offering odds of 66/1 with the potential payout today totaling £101,840.
Macau's Melco in $1B Philippine Casino Project
HONG KONG (AP) — Macau gambling company Melco Crown Entertainment is teaming up with the Philippines' richest man to develop a $1 billion casino resort in Manila in a sign of the industry's plans for rapid expansion in Asia.
Melco said late Thursday that it would develop the project with three companies controlled by Philippine tycoon Henry Sy. Melco is jointly controlled by Lawrence Ho, who is the son of Macau casino king Stanley Ho, and James Packer, the son of late Australian media magnate Kerry Packer.
5050 Poker Players to Just Get 15 Percent Back, If That
Following the abrupt closure of 5050Poker last month, the shuttered online poker company has revealed that affected customers will only be entitled to 15 percent of their funds back, and they’ll be lucky to even get that.
A statement from the company read:
Gambling Company News and Tweets – July 5, 2012 (Overnight/Morning Edition)
Here is all the latest Twitter chatter related to the gambling sector – poker, sports betting, financials, entertainment, politics and more. Be sure to follow Gambling911.com on TWITTER here to get all the latest updated gambling news as it happens.
Top Current Company News: Zynga, Betfair
Congressman John Tierney Vows to Stay in Race Following Gambling Allegations
Massachusetts Congressman John Tierney has said he will stay in the race to hold his House seat despite allegations he knew of an “illegal” offshore wagering site that employed his wife Patrice.
Tierney’s wife served as an accountant for her brothers betting company based out of Antigua.
Convicted Gambling NBA Ref Now Working for Convicted PA Sports Handicapper
As part of his probation, gambling ref Tim Donaghy is prohibited from associating with known felons. But that’s exactly what Donaghy was caught doing and now the disgraced ref claims he just didn’t know.
It seems he is not the only one.
Visa Restrictions on Gambling Blamed for Macau Slow Down in Growth
After years of accelerated growth, the world’s biggest gambling destination, Macau, witnessed an abrupt slowdown in May. Part of the blame is now being placed in Visa.
A presser put out by the Paragon Report made the claim:
Ray Bitar Remains Detained After US Magistrate Agrees to $2.5 Mil Bond
The disgraced former CEO of now shuttered Full Tilt Poker, Ray Bitar, remained behind bars on Tuesday after voluntarily turning himself in on Monday. US law enforcement agents arrested Bitar at New York’s JFK Airport.
Bitar engaged in what prosecutors described as a “ponzi scheme” though many familiar with the case believe Bitar’s activity was more akin to plain out-and-out theft and does not quite meet the definition of a ponzi scheme.
Darren Rovell Out at CNBC, Returning to ESPN
Darren Rovell, who has regularly covered the sports and online gambling sector for CNBC during a 6-year stint, will be returning back to his roots at ESPN.
Rovell’s last day at CNBC was Tuesday (July 3) with a final airing on Thursday.
PaddyPower.com Taken Down
The UK’s third biggest bookmaker and one of the world’s most popular online poker sites was taken down a good 5 hours Tuesday afternoon. The site was back up by late Tuesday evening.
Paddy was suffering from an outage duringthe mid-afternoon period right up through the evening hours. Betting on the later portion of the Wimbledon tennis tournament was interrupted as a result of the outage.
PaddyPower tweeted throughout this period:
Gambling Company News and Tweets – July 3, 2012 (11 am EST)
Here is all the latest Twitter chatter related to the gambling sector – poker, sports betting, financials, entertainment, politics and more. Be sure to follow Gambling911.com on TWITTER here to get all the latest updated gambling news as it happens.
Top Current Company News:
New Jersey Sports Betting Proposal Released a Week Ahead of Time
New Jersey is looking to legalize sports betting with the support of Governor Chris Christie. Proposed sports betting rules were released one week in advance and appear below.
VOLUME 44, ISSUE 13
ISSUE DATE: JULY 2, 2012
RULE PROPOSALS
LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY
US Prosecutors Still Allege Full Tilt Poker, Ray Bitar Engaged in Ponzi Scheme
An additional indictment was filed against Raymond Bitar, CEO of now defunct Full Tilt Poker, on Monday July 2, 2012 after he voluntarily turned himself in to US authorities.
Bitar has remained at large since April 15, 2011 following charges of money laundering and bank fraud in connection with running what was once the world's second largest online poker room.
Full Tilt Poker Founder Ray Bitar Arrested by Feds
Raymond Bitar, Executive of now defunct Full Tilt Poker, has been arrested by federal authorities in the US after turning himself in.
Bitar and about a dozen other men were charged in April 15, 2011 with money laundering and bank fraud in connection with running Full Tilt Poker, at the time the second largest Internet poker venue.
Gambling Granny Allegedly Stole Grandson’s College Funds
The New York Daily News on Monday reported that Edna Sue Pate allegedly stole more that $97,000 from a trust fund set up for grandson Christian Smith over a three year period.
The 73-year-old granny lost $93,000 at a casino during that time.
"Stealing your grandson's money? That's about as bad as you can get, short of physical assault," the boy’s father told ABC News.
Euro 2012 Boosts Betfair Revenues
By Keith Weir
LONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - The Euro 2012 soccer tournament helped online gambling exchange Betfair to report strong trading on Friday, with the development of mobile apps seen as a driver of future revenue growth.
The online bet-matching company, set up 12 years ago, reported a 15 percent rise in underlying profits (EBITDA) from its core businesses to 92 million pounds ($142.66 million) in the year to April 30. Betfair shares rose 2.8 percent to 755.5p by 0825 GMT.
Macau Gambling Growth Misses Expectations
(Reuters) - Macau's gambling revenue growth rebounded last month from May, though the increase was slower than expected, signaling muted spending in the world's largest gambling destination.
Revenue rose 12.2 percent from a year earlier to 23.3 billion patacas ($2.92 billion) in June, faster than May's 7.3 percent gain, government data showed on Monday. Analysts had expected a 15 percent increase.
William Hill Goes to War With Betfair Over Horse Racing Levy
William Hill, England’s biggest bookmaker, wants to force Betfair customers into contributing to a horse racing levy. Betfair prides itself on being the largest betting exchange. Because there is no middleman (a bookmaker) as part of the betting exchange business model, customers of Betfair have thus far been exempt from paying money towards horse racing.
William Hill will plead its case in court over the coming week.
Gambling Company News and Tweets – June 29, 2012 (4 pm EST)
Here is all the latest Twitter chatter related to the gambling sector – poker, sports betting, financials, entertainment, politics and more. Be sure to follow Gambling911.com on TWITTER here to get all the latest updated gambling news as it happens.
Top Current Company News: Ladbrokes
Not The Best Week for Ladbrokes: Profit Warning has Investors Heads Spinning
Ladbrokes shares fell 12 percent on Thursday following a profit warning issued by the company. Profits for Ladbrokes online unit are expected to be half what they were for this period compared to last year. Follow Gambling911.com on Twitter for all the latest Ladbrokes news.
Dallas NAACP Wants to End Texas Lottery: Cites Man’s Death as One Reason
Texas could be the third state in addition to Utah and Hawaii that does not offer a lottery should the Dallas chapter of the NAACP have their way.
The NAACP’s claim: The Texas Lottery drains the finances of low-income ticket-buyers, in particular minorities.
Gambling Company News and Tweets – June 29, 2012 (3 pm EST)
Here is all the latest Twitter chatter for June 29, 2012 3 pm EST related to the gambling sector – poker, sports betting, financials, entertainment, politics and more. Get the latest on upcoming events. Be sure to follow Gambling911.com on TWITTER here to get all the latest updated gambling news as it happens.
Euro 2012 Huge for Bookmakers: Helps Boost Betfair Profit by 50 Per Cent
Betfair, the world’s largest sports betting exchange, reported a more than 50 per cent jump in pre-tax profit for the 12 months to April 30, mostly a result of heavy beting on the Euro 2012 in recent weeks.
“The European championships have been our biggest sports betting event. More bets have been laid on the Euros with us than for the last World Cup,” Stephen Morana, Betfair’s interim chief executive.
Online Gambling News: Lock Poker Extends 4K Bonus, Battle of Ronin Through July
This is the latest gambling news as published June 29, 2012 during the 11 am EST hour that includes big news regarding Lock Poker’s extension of its uber popular 200 percent signup bonus that pays up to US$4000 into the month of July (2012). Please follow us on Twitter here for up-to-the-minute breaking news.
Additionally, The Battle of Ronin has also been extended.
What exactly is The Battle of Ronin you ask?
Gambling News: Did Congressman John F. Tierney Knew about Sports Betting Business
This is the latest gambling news as published June 29, 2012 during the overnight and early morning hours including breaking news that Massachusetts Representative John F. Tierney may have known about his brother-in-law’s offshore sports betting business. Wife Patricia was convicted of aiding her brothers in running the Antigua-based operation. Please follow us on Twitter here for up-to-the-minute breaking news.
Gambling News – Bookies, Bettors Thrilled That Late NFL Games Pushed Back 10 Minutes
This is the latest gambling news as published June 28, 2012 during the 4 pm EST hour. Please follow us on Twitter here for up-to-the-minute breaking news.
Sports Bettors, Bookies Alike Rejoice Over Sunday Late NFL Games Being Pushed Back 10 Minutes
