Gambling News
Asia Soccer Match-Fixing Investigation Intensifies
Singapore - (Reuters) - Gambling houses in Southeast Asia form the foundation for organized crime gangs to generate huge profits from sports match-fixing, according to Chris Eaton, ex-FIFA head of security and director of Qatar's International Centre for Sport Security.
Zynga Shares Up Following Stronger-Than Expected Revenue Report
Shares in the social gaming company Zynga were up 2 percent Wednesday morning following the release of stronger-than-expected financial numbers for the final quarter of 2012.
The company’s loss narrowed after it laid off workers and closed underperforming offices. Revenues, however, remained mostly unchanged.
The results exceeded Wall Street's expectations with shares rising nearly 7 percent in after-hours trading Tuesday evening.
Betmaker Exchange Customers Moved to Bookmaker
Bookmaker has taken over all existing accounts of the US-facing online betting exchange Betmaker, it was announced on Tuesday.
All funds are safe and the transfer of accounts was expected to be seamless.
Split Verdict at Philly Mob Trial
PHILADELPHIA — (Associated Press) - Reputed Philadelphia mob boss Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi will seek bail after a jury deadlocked Tuesday on a racketeering charge against him, and deadlocked or acquitted him of all eight lesser counts in a gambling and loansharking case.
The federal jury convicted underboss Joseph “Mousie” Massimino and two others of racketeering, and convicted a mob associate of two loansharking counts. But the jury deadlocked or acquitted the seven defendants on most of the approximately 60 counts.
Andrei Stoenescu Leads for Day 3 of EPT9 Deauville
Romanian PokerStars qualifier Andrei Stoenescu is chip leader going into Day 3 of EPT Deauville. The 24-year-old high stakes cash game pro from Bucharest, who came third at EPT Madrid last March, has 485,600.
There are 154 players left in contention for the €770,000 first prize, with 120 getting paid. They include Team PokerStars Pros Vanessa Rousso, celebrating her 30th birthday today, Matthias De Meulder and EPT Dortmund champion Sandra Naujoks. The €5,300 event attracted 782 players, creating a €3,753,600 prize pool.
Philly Mob Jurors Reach Verdict on Some Counts, Deadlocked on Others
PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — The judge in a Philadelphia mob racketeering trial says the jury has reached a verdict on some counts but is deadlocked on others.
The Delaware Lottery to Begin Offering Online Gambling by Fall
The Delaware Lottery has announced plans to begin offering “real money” online gambling no later than September.
The request for online gambling noted:
“All proposed components of the Solution must be delivered, installed, implemented, acceptance tested and ready to be operational by the agreed-upon schedule.”
Asian Match Fixing Scandal Rocks Soccer World
(Reuters) - Hundreds of soccer matches have been fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore, police said on Monday, in a blow to the image of the world's most popular sport and a multi-billion dollar industry.
Record $98.9 Million Bet on 2013 Super Bowl in Nevada Casinos
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — Sports fans bet a record $98.9 million at Nevada casinos on the Super Bowl.
The Gaming Control Board says unaudited tallies show 183 sports books made $7.2 million on the action. The San Francisco 49ers started out as a 5-point favorite but the Baltimore Ravens won 34-31.
Costa Rica Based Bookmaker Platinum SB Shut Down by RCMP
The RCMP raided a Super Bowl party Sunday in Ontario and shut down the Costa Rican-based bookmaking operation Platinum SB in the process.
Police also seized $2.5 million during the raid.
The RCMP claims that 6 of the over 2300 people in attendance at the Le Parc Banquet Hall party had ties to the gambling operation and the mob.
Atlantic Club Casino Head Urges Chris Christie to Sign Online Gambling Bill
The head of the Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City is urging New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to sign a bill legalizing online gambling in the state.
The Rational Group, which owns the world’s largest real money Web poker room PokerStars, has agreed to purchase the financially strapped casino for an undisclosed amount and have promised to create at least 100 new jobs at the property.
€770k for 1st Place at EPT9 Deauville: David Ostrom Leads
David Ostrom is chip leader going into Day 2 of EPT Deauville, with 419 players left. The 33-year-old Swedish PokerStars qualifier from Hultsfred has 212,600 chips, just ahead of EPT veteran Casey Kastle who has 204,500.
The eventual winner of this season's Deauville Main Event will be taking home a whopping €770,000 first prize - with 119 others also getting a share of the €3,753,600 prize pool. 782 players entered the €5,300 event which started on Sunday.
Steve Wynn Supports Mathewson in Bid to Overthrown IGT CEO Patti Hart
Casino mogul Steve Wynn has come to the defense of former IGT chairperson Charles Mathewson in a bid to regain a seat on the company’s board.
Gaming analyst-turned investor Jason Ader and Mathewson are currently embroiled in a proxy fight with IGT CEO Patti Hart.
The company blasted both men’s efforts in a letter to shareholders issued on Friday.
Nevada Sportsbooks Will See Profit From Super Bowl Despite Taking Big Hits
Another safety and the Ravens win combined to make for a not-so-great Super Bowl for the Nevada sportsbooks. Still, most anticipated making a small profit.
They are also hopeful about beating the 2006 record, when $94.5 million was wagered on the big game.
RCMP Raids Super Bowl Party: Canadian Bookies, Mobsters in Attendance
The RCMP on Sunday raided a Super Bowl party attended by some 2500 people and, in so doing, claims to have dismantled an alleged mob-linked multi-million dollar illegal gambling ring.
Many of Canada’s more successful bookies were in attendance at the “invite-only” party as heavily armed tactical officers entered the premises at Le Parc Banquet Hall in Markham, Ontario.
AsianLogic and TotelFootball Deal Brings Fantasy Football Betting to Asia
Fantasy Football in Asia? Yes, this phenomenon is spreading like wildfire it seems.
Fantasy sports pools betting provider Totel Football has secured a deal with leading land based and online gaming operator AsianLogic, which will see AsianLogic spearhead growth throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Deliberations Resume Monday In Philly Mob Trial
PHILADELPHIA - (Associated Press) — Jurors will begin another week of deliberations Monday on racketeering charges against reputed leaders of the Philadelphia mob.
The federal court panel considered the case for about six hours Sunday but reached no verdict.
Jesper Feddersen Leads EPT9 Deauville at End of Day 1A
German PokerStars qualifier Jesper Feddersen is leading the EPT Deauville Main Event at the end of Day 1a with 188,900 chips. Day 1a of the €5,300 tourney attracted 307 players - with 165 of them going through to Day 2 on Wednesday..
EPT9 Deuville Day 1A Attracts 307 Players
The €5,300 EPT Deauville Main Event has kicked off at Casino Barriere attracted 307 players for Day 1a today.
This season, for the first time, the EPT has joined forces with the national France Poker Series to create a mega ten-day, 48-event festival in Deauville, making it one of the biggest events ever held in France.
In addition to the title and cash prize, the winner of EPT Deauville will receive a stunning watch worth more than €5,000 from luxury Swiss brand Slyde, the Official Watch Sponsor for EPT9 Main Events.
Philly Mob Jury at Impasse, Will Work Through Super Bowl
PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — A jury weighing racketeering charges against reputed leaders of the Philadelphia mob say they're at an impasse but were sent back to work Saturday.
BitSynCom LLC Releases World's First Bitcoin ASIC Chips
After a year of speculation and rumor, the first application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) dedicated to Bitcoin mining have become a reality. Yifu Guo, 23, is now commercially shipping the fastest dedicated Bitcoin mining hardware in the world.
The custom processing hardware dramatically increases the security of the Bitcoin network and professionalizes the Bitcoin mining industry.
Phil Ivey Wins Big: Sam Trickett Wins Aussie Millions $250k Challenge
Two big name poker pros have won big in recent days. Phil Ivey netted $569k playing online at PokerStars while England’s Sam Trickett won AUS$2 million at the Aussie Millions $250k Challenge. He currently ranks second on the all time winning money list just under Antonio Esfandiari.
Pennsylvania Proposes Online Gambling Bill as NJ Awaits Chris Christie Move
While New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is yet to act on an Internet gambling bill that currently sits on his desk, neighboring Pennsylvania is proposing their own Web gambling legislation.
Last month, Pennsylvania toppled New Jersey for the first time ever to become the nation’s second biggest gambling destination after Nevada.
Gone Fishing: Ladbrokes Takes Bets on Species Extinction
Ladbrokes may be known more for the fish that play in their online poker room.
Now the fish have become a focus of the company’s sports betting arm….and we’re not talking the Bassmasters Classic.
The UK’s second largest bookmaker, Ladbrokes, is taking odds on various fish species becoming extinct.
George Monbiot of the Guardian noted that, earlier in the week, Ladbrokes was taking bets on mackerel after conservationists removed it from the “fish to eat” list.
Monbiot noted:
Macau Gambling Revenue Up 7.3 Percent
(Reuters) - Gambling revenue in Macau rose 7.3 percent in January year-on-year, riding on the waves of Chinese punters keen to bet in the world's largest casino market.
January's revenue at 26.9 billion patacas ($3.4 billion) was slightly weaker than analysts' forecasts of 10-12 percent growth.
Some in Antigua Oppose Sanctions on US: Fear ‘Severe Retaliation’
Finance Minister Harold Lovell on Thursday morning urged those across the aisle to support sanctions against the US Government in the Caribbean island nation’s decade-long dispute over Internet gambling.
On Monday, the World Trade Organization awarded Antigua the right to develop a web portal for sale of ‘pirated’ US copyrighted DVDs, video games, television programs and more.
Some legislators in Antigua have opposed the sanctions, fearing retaliation from the US Government would be “too severe”.
Internet Gambling ‘Best Shot at Resuscitating Atlantic City’ Says Lesniak
In an interview with Bloomberg News, State Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) urged New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to sign a bill he co-authored that would allow for Internet gambling in the Garden State. Lesniak called Internet gambling the “best shot” at resuscitating Atlantic City.
Online Poker Promotions February 2013 at Lock
Lock Poker has announced its online poker promotions for the month of February 2013.
Rake chase
We have just announced a brand new promotion for February, launching GRIND FOR GLORY - Lock Pro WSOP Edition.
This is a Lock exclusive promotion giving players the chance to win up to $75,000 directly into their account as well as a chance to experience Vegas with the Lock Pros.
Scientific Games Acquiring WMS Industries
(Reuters) - Scientific Games Corp (SGMS.O), which makes tickets and software for lotteries, said it would acquire slot machine maker WMS Industries Inc (WMS.N) for about $1.42 billion to beef up its exposure to the booming casino gaming industry.
The deal, coming soon after casino operator Pinnacle Entertainment's (PNK.N) $869 million acquisition of Ameristar Casinos (ASCA.O) in December, highlights the consolidation in the casino industry driven by gaming demand from emerging markets such as China.
Full Tilt Poker Defendant Heard on Secret Tape Talks of Alleged Harry Reid Bribe
An hour long secretly recorded audio conversation between Utah’s SunFirst Bank online poker payment processor Jeremy Johnson and that state’s current Utah Attorney General John Swallow discusses an alleged bribe involving Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
