Sports Betting Referendum in New Jersey Could be on its Way to Approval

There’s early indications that the statewide referendum on sports betting is on its way to approval.

William J. Pascrell III, campaign director for Vote YES on Sports Wagering and a partner at Princeton Public Affairs Group Inc., said, “At this stage so far, the absentee (vote by mail) ballots we’ve been monitoring in northern New Jersey are running 2-to-1 for approval.’’

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Election Day in New Jersey 2011: The Economy and Sports Betting

Chances are most of the 55 percent of New Jersey registered voters who realize Election Day is tomorrow (November 8) will cast their votes based on economic concerns and which of the 120 state representatives, if any, can actually provide some glimmer of hope to revitalize a stagnant state economy.

Ironically, one of the referendums on the November 8 ballot could actually help boost the state’s ailing economy without the assistance of any elected officials.

It’s legalized sports betting in Atlantic City!

Submitted by C Costigan on,

Bettors Find Loophole in Delaware Sports Betting Rules

Who says you can't make a single-game NFL bet in Delaware?

You actually can.

And many are.

Technically, you can't walk up to the windows of Delaware's three racetracks that offer NFL betting and bet on a lone NFL game.

You can't even bet a two-game parlay.

Under state law, the minimum number of NFL games you must bet at once is three.

In other words, you must bet a three-game parlay, and you have to win all three games in the parlay to win money.

Submitted by Thomas Somach on,

Several Big Name Denver Businesses, Individuals Tied to Sports Betting Bust

Charlie Brown’s Bar and Grill maintained a $290,000 limit account there while Sports Column and Blake Street Tavern also placed their bets with what the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is calling the biggest bookmaking operation in the state.

Daniel Dinner and Michael Elick were arrested after investigators seized more than $1 million in cash from their homes in July.  Now court documents have revealed some of their alleged big name clients.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

Clown Robs Chilean Casino at Gunpoint

A man dressed as a clown robbed the Casino Monticello in the Chilean capital of Santiago at gunpoint Halloween night stealing $12,000 in cash.

Most of the money was snatched from a single patron.  The clown entered through a side door, shooting his pistol several times into the air. 

Police believe this was an “inside job’, detaining one of the casino security guards, Cristian Poblete. 

The robbery occurred around 5 am. 

Casino Monticello is the largest shareholder is the France-based International Group of Gaming & Resorts.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

Bernie Madoff and Ken “The Shrink” Weitzner: Birds of a Feather

American TV show "60 Minutes" ran a segment on convicted ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff on Sunday, and revealed how he and his wife unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide after he was exposed as a con man and arrested.

The story had an eerie similarity to the tale of Ken "The Shrink" Weitzner, the sleazy Internet entrepreneur who created a pair of websites devoted to gambling and who took his own life last year.

Many of the details of both men's controversial lives are coincidentally alike.

Such as:

Submitted by Thomas Somach on,

Chris Christie Finally Backs Sports Betting in New Jersey: Voters Get Their Ballots

After initially supporting sports betting in the state then seemingly backing down, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came forward Wednesday to offer his full support for the referendum appearing on next week’s ballot.

As Gambling911.com reported earlier in the day, a number of state residents have been notifying us of the referendum appearing on the ballot that would allow NJ voters to get sports betting legalized in the state.

According to recent polls, voters overwhelmingly support legalized sports wagering in the state. 

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Sports Betting on New Jersey Election Ballot

A number of people from the state of New Jersey have advised Gambling911.com they were excited to see legalized sports betting on the ballot for next week’s elections in that state. 

The Waltonian’s Raechel Jones notes that each voter will be given the option to either vote for or against this referendum. If the majority favors this referendum, the process towards making sports betting legal in Atlantic City will begin.

Jones added

Submitted by C Costigan on,

888 Holdings Sees Record Quarterly Rise

Publicly traded 888 Holdings, which runs the 4th biggest online poker room in the world, has reported a record quarterly high.

888 climbed as much as 5.3 percent, the most since August 30, before trading 2.3 percent higher at 33.75 pence as of 9:10 a.m. in London, according to Bloomberg News Tuesday. This gives the Gibraltar-based company a market value of 117.1 million pounds ($187 million).

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

Billionaires Bet on Internet Gambling: Say it Will be a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Forbes.com featured a piece Monday on how billionaires are looking to back the likelihood of Internet gambling getting regulated in the United States.

The likes of Steven Roth, chairman of Vornado Realty Trust, and shopping mall magnate Herbert Simon, the owner of the Indiana Pacers, have invested in a firm that provides software and advertising services to potential online gambling licensees in the US, including the Vegas casinos. 

Submitted by C Costigan on,

Germany Liberalises Sports Betting Market: Still Banning Online Poker Games

15 Prime Ministers in Germany overwhelmingly approved a measure that will liberalise the gaming market in that nation.  Most advantageous to betting shop businesses will be the concession fee reduced from 17 to 5 percent. 

Still, Germany will not concede when it comes to restricting licensed operators to 20 while continuing to ban online poker and casino games. 

JAXX SE, a financial holding company with holdings in international companies in the gaming industry, believes the German restrictions will not fly with the European Commission. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

“Shrink” Book Can’t Find Publisher Stepson Tells Gambling911

A controversial biography on the life and times of late gambler and Internet entrepreneur Ken "The Shrink" Weitzner continues to be written by Weitzner's step-son, Jerry Lee Donahue, but the project has hit a snag, Donahue tells Gambling911.com in an exclusive interview.

The problem?

A year into the project, the author still hasn't found a publisher to publish the book.

Submitted by Thomas Somach on,

Fertitta Interactive Positioning Itself for Legalized Internet Poker

Fertitta Interactive, owned by brothers Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta, announced the purchase of California online gambling company CyberArts Licensing LLC Wednesday. 

The brothers, who also own Stations Casinos and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), are hoping to get a jump start should the US legalize online gambling, specifically Internet poker. 

Submitted by C Costigan on,

Clive Archer Has Left The Building

BetOnline, the fastest growing sportsbook in the US, today announced the departure of Clive Archer.  During his tenure within the organization, Clive held various roles including Director of Business Development and Chief Executive Officer.  The parting was by mutual agreement.        

“Clive very successfully helped us re-position the organization for growth and brought many in the industry to the BetOnline table,” said a BetOnline spokesperson. “We wish him only the best with all future endeavors.” 

Submitted by C Costigan on,

William Hill Shares Up: Claims Business Back to Normal

William Hill claimed operations were “back to normal” on Tuesday following a highly publicized walkout of its entire online staff based out of Tel Aviv, Israel, last week. 

Following a drastic drop in the company’s share price and one analyst even issuing an advisory, Will Hill saw a slight increase of 0.26 percent at GBP2.285 valuing the company at GBP1.6 billion.

Its staff in Tel Aviv and two satellite offices in Manila and Bulgaria walked out following reports they would be relocated to the company’s Gibraltar headquarters.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

Schweddy Balls a Hard Find in Vegas

Those living in Las Vegas will be hard pressed to find their favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor ice cream, Schweddy Balls.

Named after the Alec Baldwin character, Pete Schweddy, on a classic "SNL" sketch, a number of Vegas-based grocery stores have refused to carry the ice cream flavor, claiming it might be offensive to some customers. 

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Tel A-Heave Ho: Fish Feeder, Rabbi, Hairdresser on Books at William Hill Tel Aviv Office

The turmoil continues at William Hill following a mass exodus of employees in its Affiliates United Tel Aviv-based online support centre last week.  The company revealed on Monday that it had canned three of its managers based out of Israel. 

The support centre is 79 percent owned by Hill and 21 percent owned by its software provider, Playtech. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

William Hill Execs Locked Out of Their Own Office: Implosion Within, Shares Fall

The riff between William Hill and its Tel Aviv-based online support and affiliate center, Affiliates United, continued through the weekend following a mass employee walkout last Sunday.  Fewer than 20 employees reported back to work. 

The Affiliates United employees were told by a former manager of the support center that they would be relocating to William Hill’s Gibraltar base.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

Donald Trump Could be Trump Card for New Jersey’s Chances of Legal i-Gaming

Donald Trump’s announcement that he is looking to enter the online gambling fray last week has offered hope on the state front.  New Jersey, which is home to a handful of Trump properties including the Taj Mahal, is one of the states looking to legalize Internet gambling as well as sports betting.

Submitted by C Costigan on,

How to Lock in a Six-Figure World Series Win

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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.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on,

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.

Submitted by C Costigan on,

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)

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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:

Submitted by C Costigan on,

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.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

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.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

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

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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.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

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.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

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. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,