Gambling News
Former Nebraska Lawmaker Faces Ethics Complaint Over Gambling Scandal
LINCOLN, Neb. (Associated Press) — An ethics complaint has been filed against former Omaha state Sen. Brenda Council over her involvement in a gambling scandal.
The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the Nebraska Supreme Court's Counsel for Discipline filed the complaint accusing Council of professional misconduct.
Council pleaded guilty last year to two misdemeanor counts of filing false campaign finance reports. Prosecutors say the reports concealed her misuse of more than $63,000 in campaign donations at casinos. She was fined $500 and ordered to pay court costs.
Americas Cardroom Unleashes Another $10k Sit 'n Go Race for September
San Jose, Costa Rica –The summer might be winding down, but the tables seem to be getting hotter at Americas Cardroom—especially for Sit 'n Go players. The US-friendly online poker site today announced a $10k SnG Race featuring a $1,500 first place prize. The content runs from September 1st through 30th and awards the top 120 points earners with a combined $10,000 in cash.
Poker Pro Dan Bilzerian Sues ‘Lone Survivor’ Producers for Reduced Acting Role
Colorful poker pro Dan Bilzerian is suing producers of the upcoming film “Lone Survivor”, claiming he loaned the project $1 million in exchange for at least eight minutes of screen time and 80 words of dialogue. Instead, he got less than one minute and one line.
Producer Peter Berg is named in the suit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Neighbors on Edge as Mob Boss Vito Rizzuto Moves in Next Door
Meet your new neighbor, Mob boss Vito Rizzuto.
One of Canada's best known mobsters was released from a US jail last October after being sentenced to 10 years for various offenses including gambling, racketeering and murder.
He recently settled into the quaint Quebec city of Laval and that has neighbors on edge.
Purple Lounge Casino Parent Company Closes Two Years After Disney BJ Scandal
The parent company of now defunct Purple Lounge Casino and Poker Room, Mediacorp plc, has ceased trading on the London Alternative Investment Market (AIM).
Purple Lounge shut down in April of last year due to what Mediacorp termed “liquidity issues”.
But Mediacorp months earlier had been embroiled in a messy sex scandal involving one of its non-executive Directors, Chris Gorman.
Palazzo Hotel-Casino Wants to Put End to Bestiality, Simulated Sex in Nightclub
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — It turns out that even in Sin City, some sins are hard to overlook.
The Palazzo hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip is trying to evict a 10-month-old nightclub for shows it says are so raunchy that they violate obscenity laws. It says actors — some nearly naked — toss condoms into the crowd and simulate sex acts and bestiality on stage.
Investment Group Closing in on Atlantic City Casino
The Press of Atlantic City is reporting that an investment group is on the verge of purchasing a casino on the boardwalk but will not yet name the property.
From the Press of Atlantic City:
Police Investigate Website That Lists Gambling Deadbeats
(Reuters) - A bilingual website has been naming and shaming gamblers who allegedly fail to pay Macau casino debts.
The site, Wonderful World, claims it has already helped recover 50 million yuan (HK$63.35 million).
But the police are not sure about its legality and are now compiling an internal report.
The English version features a list of more than 70 people from across China who have allegedly failed to repay debts ranging from thousands to millions of yuan.
Blair Hinkle Wins Inaugural Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open: Record Broke
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Blair Hinkle of Kansas City, Missouri, walked away as the $1.7 million champion of the inaugural Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, held August 8 – 28, 2013 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
PFA Pledges Full Support for Gambling Chief Gordon Taylor
LONDON (Reuters) - England's Professional Footballers' Association pledged its full support for chief executive Gordon Taylor on Thursday following newspaper allegations that he ran up gambling debts of over 100,000 pounds.
The Sun said that Taylor, who has been in the role since 1981, had gambled four million pounds in 2000 bets over two-and-half years, and owed a now-defunct telephone betting firm just over 100,000 pounds.
Americas Cardroom Gets Rid of Bad Beat Jackpots: Replaces With Bigger Promo
Popular online poker site Americas Cardroom is putting an end to bad beats—or at least an end to its Bad Beat Jackpot promotion. Effective September 1st, Americas Cardroom is phasing out the online poker contest that paid players for losing a hand with a pair of eights or better.
Maryland Live! Opens New Poker Room to Full House
HANOVER, Md. (AP) - The 52-table poker room at Maryland's largest casino opened Wednesday.
Dealers began shuffling cards at Maryland Live! Casino in Hanover at noon. A grand opening ceremony was held at 11 a.m.
Some people got in line early, waiting over five hours to play their first hand.
Betting Scandal: Gordon Taylor ‘Looked Bewildered, Bruised and Broken’
The Daily Mail is calling it Chief Gordon Taylor’s worst day in his 41 years at the PFA.
The current chief has been caught up in a gambling scandal that could ultimately leave him crippled.
888 Plans Online Gambling Expansion Into California, Florida, New York
With online gambling already legalized in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, 888 Holdings has its eyes on bigger fish, some of the most populous states in the US.
888 boss Brian Mattingley signaled moves into potential emerging online gambling markets like California, New York and Florida.
“There are now nine more states considering [legalising online poker]. California is beyond doubt the biggest prize, and between California, New York, New Jersey and Florida that’s 50pc of the potential market,” Mattingley said.
The Commerce Casino Unveils HPT Championship Belt
Commerce, CA - The champion of Heartland Poker Tour’s upcoming event at The Commerce Casino will take home more than fame and fortune on September 23rd. The winner of the nationally-televised Main Event in the world’s largest poker room will also score an ornate custom-made belt. Although similar belts are common in sports like pro wrestling, the belt is a first-of-its-kind for poker in the Unites States.
Bond Set for Mississippi Man Charged in Massive Dog Fighting Ring
GULFPORT, Miss. (Associated Press) - Bond has been set at $25,000 for a Biloxi, Miss., man arrested in a federal investigation of dog fighting and gambling.
Ricky Van Le was among 12 people arrested by federal authorities Friday in an investigation into organized dog fighting and gambling in the Southeast. The defendants allegedly conspired to promote and sponsor dog fights and arranged for dogs to be at the fights in several south and east Alabama counties and in Holly Springs, Miss., between 2009 and 2013.
US Government to Get $47.4 Mil From Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp
LOS ANGELES (Associated Press) — Casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp. has agreed to pay $47.4 million after failing to flag millions of dollars in money transfers made by a gambler linked to drug trafficking.
In return, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles will not seek an indictment against the casino operator, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The deal, finalized late Monday, also brings the government's criminal investigation to a close, but requires Las Vegas Sands to boost its efforts to monitor suspicious financial transactions for the next two years.
Delaware Rolls Out Online Gambling
The US state of Delaware rolled out its free online casino gaming platform Wednesday ahead of its planned October launch of real money online gambling.
"This first phase will allow us to really get the players acclimated to the virtual world in a legalized environment," said Tom Cook, Delaware's secretary of finance.
Steven Silverman Wins First Ever Alpha8 $100k Event
Steven Silverman has won the inaugural Alpha8 $100,000 event and the grand prize of $891,660.
Silverman has been on a huge roll of late, recently winning the 2013 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final back in May and the $1,112,322 cash prize. The poker pro has accumulated just over $3 million in live tournaments, including this week’s Alpha8 win.
JC Tran finished 2nd at the Seminole Hard Rock event.
Justin Bonomo Makes Final Table of 2013 Hard Rock Poker Open Main Event
Poker pro Justin Bonomo has made the final table of the 2013 Hard Rock Poker Open Main Event in Hollywood, Florida.
Bonomo is a successful poker player who has won nearly $6.9 million in his live tournament career.
Poker Pro Prahlad Friedman Divorce: Who Will Get the Party Mansion
Poker pro Prahlad Friedman and Dee Luong Friedman are getting a divorce.
According to TMZ.com, Dee filed for divorce on grounds of irreconcilable differences.
While the two do not have any children, they do have a 4200 square foot estate in the cliffs of Malibu just miles from the beach.
The couple separated back in April and it was not immediately clear who remained living in the mansion.
Footballer Union Chief Gordon Taylor Wagered £4million in Under 3 Years Says Sun
In a London Sun shock report, it has been revealed that PFA boss Gordon Taylor wagered £4million on 2,000 bets in 30 months.
At the same time, he warned players of the perils of betting.
The exclusive report was unveiled during the early morning hours Wednesday.
Poker Pro Robert Hoff Passes Away Unexpectedly
Poker player Robert “Bobby” Hoff has passed away unexpectedly at the age of 73.
He was a regular fixture on the poker scene with the likes of Doyle Brunson and Brian “Sailor” Roberts.
Hoff was best known for his 2nd place finish at the 1979 World Series of Poker.
80-year-old poker icon Doyle Brunson expressed his condolences via Twitter.
Report: Billie Jean King’s ‘Battle of the Sexes’ Win Rigged Due to Mob Gambling Debt
A report surfaced Tuesday that Billie Jean King’s “Battle of the Sexes” win in 1973 may have been fixed.
Scores Strip Club Opening Inside Atlantic City Taj Mahal Casino
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – (Associated Press) - What if, after seven years of plunging casino revenues and fleeing customers, Atlantic City's real problem was this: People are wearing too much clothing?
Scores, the famous New York strip club, will open a satellite establishment inside the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort next month -- the first strip club inside an Atlantic City casino in the 35 years of legal gambling here.
CNBC: ‘Seismic Shift’ Coming for UK Bookmakers as Government Imposes Tax
CNBC on Monday reported that UK-based bookmakers and other online gambling websites will be scrambling to move into the Asian and Australian markets following news that Great Britain plans to impose a 15 per cent levy on remote betting firms.
This will hit major U.K. bookmakers like William Hill and Ladbrokes, which operate from Gibraltar, where taxes are currently levied at 1 per cent and capped at £425,000, CNBC notes.
Smaller bookmakers are likely to be forced out of the market.
21 Players Remain at Hard Rock Poker Open
David “Doc” Sands was among the big names still alive at the 2013 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida.
21 players remain with Mukul Pahuja leading the pack. Pahuja has $375,900 in total winnings on the live circuit. The New York State native also has 38 cashes.
Allied Veterans Lawyer Wants Charges Tossed
SANFORD, Fla. (Associated Press) - A Jacksonville attorney who prosecutors claim was the mastermind of a veterans' charity that actually was a $300 million gambling operation was in court asking that some of his criminal charges be tossed out.
Kelly Mathis was in a Seminole County courtroom Monday, trying to convince a Florida judge to dismiss money laundering charges he faces.
Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester didn't immediately rule.
Victoryland Case Gets New Judge
TUSKEGEE, Ala. (Associated Press) -- A new judge has been assigned to the case involving the state attorney general's seizure of electronic gambling machines and cash from VictoryLand casino in Shorter.
Circuit Judge Tom Young has appointed Circuit Judge Ray Martin to replace him in the Macon County case.
The Alabama Supreme Court ordered Young to step aside from the case Friday because he made disparaging remarks about the state's "attempts to enforce Alabama's gambling laws against VictoryLand."
12 Arrested in Multi-State Gambling Dog Fighting Ring
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Associated Press) — A federal and state investigation into dog fighting and gambling has resulted in the arrest of 12 people from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas.
U.S. Attorney George Beck said Monday the 12 are charged with conducting an illegal gambling business and multiple dog fighting charges, including promoting dog fights. Additional defendants are being sought.
