Gambling
Bitcoin Community Fears 51 Percent GHash Control: Others Say It’s Armageddon
On Friday for a period of nearly 12 hours, mining pool GHash had surpassed the 51% controlling share mark in the anonymous digital currency bitcoin and that has many watchers worried….perhaps with good reason.
Back in January GHash had 42% control and even then there were concerns mounting.
Golden Nugget Does Not Have to Pay $1.5 Million Won in Mini-Baccarat Game
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) - A casino does not have to pay $1.5 million won by a group of gamblers who realized the cards had not been shuffled, and can move to recover more than $500,000 it already paid them, a judge ruled Friday.
The Superior Court judge ruled that because the cards had been unshuffled, that made the game of mini-baccarat in April 2012 illegal under state casino rules.
New Jersey Sees Sharp Decline in Online Gambling During Month of May
(Associated Press) - Internet gambling has hit a wall in New Jersey just six months after launching.
Figures released today by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement show the casinos' online operations took in $10.4 million in May, a decline of $1 million from April. Internet gambling revenues have now declined for two straight months in New Jersey.
But there was some good news in the numbers: Including Internet gambling revenue, and excluding the Atlantic Club, which closed in January, the casinos' total revenue was up nearly 1.3 percent.
Florida Prosecutors Want Ex-FBI Agent Conviction in Murder of Gambling Exec
MIAMI - (Associated Press) — Florida prosecutors are asking an appeals court to reconsider its decision to toss the murder conviction and prison sentence for a former FBI agent in a mob-style killing linked to jailed Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger.
South Carolina Wants Legalized Gambling, Marijuana
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham won in a landslide Tuesday to retain his long held seat, much to the disappointment of online gambling fans, most of whom were probably hoping for a Cantor-like defeat. Virginia Republican Congressman and Majority Leader Eric Cantor lost his seat Tuesday in what was being touted as the biggest political campaign shocker in more than a century.
US Support of Gambling at All Time High Says Pol
(Associated Press) - Americans' support of legalized gambling is at all-time high, according to a new poll prepared for the casino industry's main trade group.
The report for the American Gaming Association also supports an assertion the gambling industry has long held: that casinos should be treated like any other business and not subjected to vastly higher taxes.
The poll finds 57 percent favor casino gambling, and 87 percent say gambling in general is an acceptable activity.
Dubai Businessman Iraj Parvizi Sues Les Ambassadeurs Casino for Allowing Collusion
A Dubai-based businessman, Iraj Parvizi is suing London’s Les Ambassadeurs Casino for failing to prevent collusion and cheating in its establishment.
And the amount he is suing for?
£10,000,000.
The 48-year-old was a regular in weekly high stakes cash games held at the casino until he lost £185,000 in one session and refused to pay back for the chips he received on credit.
New Jersey Clarifies Online Gambling Affiliate Arrangements
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has expressed the importance of affiliate relations to the growth of its state-run online gambling industry. On Tuesday, it sought to clarify the types of relationships and activity said affiliates can and cannot engage in.
Men Who Escaped Quebec Prison Via Helicopter had Mob Ties
The three men who escaped a Quebec prison over the weekend via helicopter each had ties to the Mob and Hell’s Angels.
Yves Denis, 35, Denis Lefebvre, 53, and Serge Pomerleau, 49, broke out of the Quebec province jail Saturday evening.
"The helicopter landed in a courtyard at the detention center," police spokeswoman Ann Mathieu told the French news channel RDI on Sunday.
IGT Seeking Sale: Shares Hit Five-Year Record High
News that International Game Technology (IGT) is potentially seeking a buyer resulted in shares reaching a five-year high on Monday. Morgan Stanley has been brought on to assess a sale of the slot maker’s business.
The shares rose 14 percent to $14.31 at the close in New York Monday, the biggest one-day gain since April 3, 2009. The stock had fallen 31 percent this year through June 6.
BetFred.com Pulls Out of Germany, Canada, Most Other Markets Ahead of World Cup
Not the best timing as the FIFA World Cup is set to begin this week but BetFred.com customers from variously countries across the globe were advised this weekend they can no longer bet online with the company.
FBI Probe Into Illegal Gambling Business Details Prosecutor’s Extortion Plot
JOPLIN, Mo. — (Associated Press) - Hundreds of pages of reports from an FBI investigation into illegal gambling in Joplin and the surrounding areas show a wide-ranging vice operation that involved influential people in southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas.
The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/SoJHN0 ) obtained more than 600 pages of documents in response to a Freedom of Information request the newspaper filed in 2012 because the investigation had led to the firing of a Joplin police officer and indictments against three bookmakers.
Gambling Could Be What Saves Detroit
(Reuters) - Detroit's reliance on casino cash to help fund a recovery from the city's historic bankruptcy is a high-risk bet on what is an increasingly shaky source of income.
A trial to approve Detroit's plan to exit its $18 billion bankruptcy, the largest municipal crash in U.S. history, begins in late July. Flawed revenue projections may undermine its feasibility, creating a key legal hurdle to win approval by the court. On a practical level, a revenue shortfall could knock the city down just as it is getting back on its feet.
Will Bartenders Be Replaced With Drones? The Las Vegas Experiment
How much would you pay to have a drone as your bartender? This is the question being posed by CNN Money after the Marquee Dayclub at the the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas hotel began offering bottle service by drone to guests partying at its outdoor deck and cabanas.
Gambino Capo Gets Life Sentence for Double Homicide, Heroin Dealing, Gambling
Gambino Crime Family captain Bartolomeo “Bobby Glasses” Vernace, 65, has been sentenced to life in prison for a double homicide committed 33 years ago over a spilled drink. He will not be eligible for parole.
Influential Gambling Attorney Robert Faiss Passes Away
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — Highly respected Nevada gambling attorney Robert “Bob” Faiss (FESS'), who represented some of the premier organizations in the industry during a decades-long career, has died.
Faiss' wife, Linda, says her husband died at Boulder City Hospital Thursday of complications from cancer. He was 79.
Faiss was born in Illinois and moved to Nevada in his youth before attending the University of Nevada and studying journalism. He worked as a city editor for the Las Vegas Sun, an aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson and an adviser to Gov. Grant
Pennsylvania Hears Testimony On Internet Gambling
A five-hour Senate hearing was held Wednesday to determine whether real money Internet gambling should be allowed in the state of Pennsylvania.
Macau Gambling Revenue Up 9.3 Percent
HONG KONG – (Reuters) - Macau, the world's casino capital, raked in 32.35 billion patacas (US$4.05bil) in gambling revenue in May, boosted by robust demand from Chinese visitors keen to bet in the country's only legal casino hub.
Growth in Macau, a special administrative region like neighbouring Hong Kong, was up 9.3% in May, lagging analyst estimates of 13-15%.
Sports Betting Billy Walters on FBI Probe: ‘I Am Innocent of Doing Anything Wrong’
Legendary sports betting professional Billy Walters spoke to CNBC on Tuesday insisting he did nothing wrong in regard to an insider trading probe. Walters, billionaire investor Carl Icahn and golfer Phil Nickelson have each been tied to the ongoing FBI and SEC investigation. Nickelson said over the weekend that he is fully cooperating with the Feds.
Forbes: Sheldon Adelson Winning His War Against Online Gambling
Forbes.com’s Nathan Vardi argued on Tuesday that casino billionaire and mega GOP donor Sheldon Adelson is now winning his war against Internet gambling.
It was a war mounted last fall that included slickly produced so-called public service messages coupled with lobbying efforts from some big name former politicians the likes of one time New York Governor George Pataki and former Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
UFC Boss Dana White Banned From Gambling at Palms Casino After $2m Win
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has been banned from playing in the Las Vegas Palms Casino after winning $2 million at blackjack.
"I beat them for [nearly $2 million], and they asked me not to play anymore," White told
FBI Unable to Tap Phone Calls of Gambler Billy Walters as Part of SEC Probe
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will be unable to use electronic surveillance in its investigation into golf pro Phil Mickelson and professional sports gambler Billy Walters. Public knowledge of a probe into alleged insider trading prevents the law enforcement agency from tapping into the phones of both individuals.
Ex-Bayern Chief Begins Three-and-a-Half Year Prison Term: Gambled on Markets
The former Bayern FC boos Uli Hoeness began serving his three-and-a-half year prison sentence for evading $28.5 million euros in taxes. The 62-year-old will serve time at a prison in Landsberg am Lech effective Monday (June 2).
Hoeness admitted to the tax evasion charges back in March. He was originally facing a sentence of between five and ten years.
"I'm glad that this is all out in the open now," Hoeness said in March. "I deeply regret my wrongdoing. I'm doing everything I can to put this unhappy chapter behind me."
Election Betting in Nevada Opposed by Governor Sandoval
CARSON CITY, Nev. (Associated Press) — Gov. Brian Sandoval has come out against a proposal to make Nevada the first state to permit betting on federal elections.
The Republican governor described himself as "more of a traditionalist" when it comes to betting.
"As I think through it, unless I'm convinced otherwise, it is not something I would support," he told the Las Vegas Sun (http://bit.ly/RQjFSE ) on Friday. "The state has done fine on sports and horse-race betting and other events."
Mickleson Says He Did Nothing Wrong: Cooperating in Probe Involving Billy Walters
Hall of Fame Golf pro Phil Mickelson confirmed to the Associated Press that FBI agents approached him at the Memorial Tournament in regard to an insider trading probe. Mickelson insisted Saturday he did “absolutely nothing wrong”.
FBI, SEC Probe Into Big Time Gambler Billy Walters, Carl Icahn, Phil Mickelson
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating possible insider trading involving billionaire investor Carl Icahn, golfer Phil Mickelson and Las Vegas gambler William Walters, a source familiar with the matter said.
Atlantic Club Casino Purchased by Florida Company TJM
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — A Florida company bought the former Atlantic Club Casino Hotel on Thursday, and plans to operate it as a non-gambling facility.
TJM Properties paid an undisclosed sum for the casino and its 800-room hotel, which shut down in January.
It is the second acquisition this year of a former Atlantic City casino that the company plans to run as a non-gambling facility. In February, TJM bought the 500-room hotel portion of the former Claridge Hotel Casino, which was part of the Bally's Atlantic City casino, for $12.5 million.
Facebook Will No Longer Offer Real Money Bingo, Slots Friendzy App
London-based operator Gamesys has informed its players that Bingo & Slots Friendzy will no longer be available on the social network according to eGaming Review Magazine.
Macau Scraps Bill on Big Payouts Following Record Protests
(Reuters) - The top official in Macau, the world's gambling capital, said on Thursday a bill providing lavish perks for senior civil servants would be withdrawn days after the largest protest in the enclave since China restored control over it in 1999.
The climbdown represents the first time the government has taken heed of a large civic movement in Macau, a former Portuguese territory with autonomy and provisions for free speech much like neighbouring Hong Kong.
John Daly Had Fun Losing $55 Million Gambling
Appearing on “Depth With Graham Bensinger” this week, American professional golfer John Daly admitted he blew around $55 million gambling after a review of his tax records between the years 1991 and 2007.
