Gambling

SC Prosecutors Rest Their Case Against Sports Bettor Charged in Wife’s Murder

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Prosecutors have rested their case after 10 days of testimony against a man accused of killing his wife and colleague in a sports gambling ring at his Columbia home.

Submitted by Associated Press on, May/23/2013

New Hampshire Rejects Casino Bill

CONCORD, N.H. (Associated Press) — In line with decades of opposition to casinos, the House turned aside lobbying by the governor and arguments that New Hampshire should compete with Massachusetts for gambling dollars to vote down yet another casino bill Wednesday.

After two hours of debate, the House voted 199-164 to kill a Senate bill that would allow 5,000 video slot machines and 150 table games at one facility. Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan had lobbied heavily for its passage, and supporters said New Hampshire needed money for higher education, highways and other programs.

Submitted by Associated Press on, May/23/2013

Bitcoin Economy Now Worth $1 Billion

The Bitcoin economy is now worth a whopping $1 billion and, despite a few near death experiences, continues to grow.  

This past weekend, some 1000 people attended the Bitcoin 2013 event in San Jose, California. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, May/23/2013

’60 Minutes’ to Offer Update on WSEX Story, Discuss Schillinger Suicide

Gambling911.com’s Thomas Somach has confirmed that the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” will be airing an update on a story about online gambling that featured co-founders of the now defunct sports betting site World Sports Exchange

Somach tells Gambling911.com "60 Minutes" will simply be mentioning the suicide, likely at the end of an upcoming program.  The exact date is not known.  The original story about WSEX.com and Schillinger from 12 years ago is not likely to be re-aired.

Submitted by C Costigan on, May/22/2013

Dutch Online Gambling Market to Open Up by 2015

The Netherlands gambling monopoly will be coming to an end, it was announced on Wednesday.

Foreign i-Gaming firms will soon be permitted to operate under strict licensing guidelines.

And…as one might suspect….there will be a tax imposed on licensees.

From DutchNews.com:

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, May/22/2013

Free Sports Betting for Prizes Could be Introduced in New Jersey

For the time being, New Jersey will not be permitted to offer sports betting for real money, however, the Monmouth Racetrack is looking into a free sports betting platform for the upcoming Football season.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, May/21/2013

Private Equity Groups, Syndicates Won’t Be Permitted in Nevada

Nevada state Senate bill 346 that would have permitted large groups to place sports bets within the state has failed to pass the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Friday.

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Another bill that would have allowed bets on the outcome of federal elections also joined the scrap heap, the AP reported.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, May/21/2013

Nevada Gaming Control Board Continues to Probe Colbert, Cantor Gaming

Following last October’s indictment of former Cantor Gaming Sportsbook head Mike Colbert and 24 others, the Nevada gaming Control Board continues to conduct an investigation of its own.

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Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, May/21/2013

‘The Outsider’ Details Tennis Great Jimmy Connors $1 Million Bet on Himself

Tennis great Jimmy Connors has released his autobiography “The Outsider” detailing a $1 million wager he once placed on himself in a 1992 matchup with Martina Navratilova. 

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His wager had Navratilova beaten in straight sets and that he would lose no more than eight games.  Ultimately he would go on to win the bet

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, May/20/2013

Cantor Gaming Using Algorithms in Creating Sports Betting Lines

Great article appearing on Wired.com on how Cantor Gaming has begun to use algorithms in determining game lines for its sports betting operations.

Cantor Gaming runs a number of sportsbooks in Las Vegas, including at the M Resort.

Submitted by C Costigan on, May/20/2013

Skrill Unauthorized Logins Have Online Gamblers Worried

A spate of reported unauthorized Skrill logins have the online gambling community on edge.

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Skrill, formerly known as Moneybookers, is a popular money transfer platform for those gamblers living outside the United States.  It is similar to PayPal. 

Submitted by Ace King on, May/20/2013

Assailants Used Bricks to Bash Lawyer in Gambling Mecca of Macau

HONG KONG –  (Associated Press) - A Macau lawyer assaulted in broad daylight in the Chinese gambling haven says the attack was an attempt to intimidate him.

The two assailants used bricks to bash the lawyer, Jorge Menezes, on the head before fleeing in last week's attack.

The former Portuguese colony has largely shed its reputation for triad violence.

Menezes said Monday he believed the attack was intended to intimidate him over his work but he wouldn't say who he thought was behind it.

Submitted by Associated Press on, May/20/2013

Legends Sports Head Man Remains Behind Bars: Denied $2.5 Mil Bond

Bartice King, aka Luke King, will remain behind bars after Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Dickerson Cox filed a motion for revocation of the order of release entered by Western District of Oklahoma Magistrate Judge Shon T. Erwin.

Submitted by C Costigan on, May/19/2013

Affidavits Provide Window Into Russian Mob Tied Gambling Operation

A major gambling ring bust last month netted the head of a prominent art gallery, a so-called “Poker Princess” and associates of an alleged Russian-tied crime organization.

BetOnline

Submitted by Alejandro Botticelli on, May/19/2013

Is This the Beginning of the End of MCC 7995 for Online Gambling in Regulated States

The new Ultimate Poker, Station Casino’s online poker property, is now accepting Mastercard transactions, making them the first licensed poker room in the United States to do so.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, May/18/2013

Powerball Drawing Nears Record Level at Over Half a Billion

(Associated Press) - Less than 10 months after three tickets split a world-record lottery prize, the jackpot for Saturday's Powerball drawing was nearing historic territory once again.

Should nobody pick the correct six numbers, the prize money will roll over to next week's drawing and almost certainly eclipse the $656 million doled out to winners in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland in the Mega Millions game in March 2012.

Submitted by Associated Press on, May/18/2013

Judge Rules That Atlantic Club Casino Can Seek New Buyer

(Associated Press) - After paying an $11 million advance to a struggling Atlantic City casino it intended to buy, the parent company of the world's largest online poker website was left with nothing for its troubles Friday when a judge ruled the casino had the right to scrap the deal.

Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten said The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel could terminate the contract it signed with The Rational Group, the British parent company of PokerStars, when the company failed to get New Jersey's preliminary approval by April 26 to own a casino.

Submitted by Associated Press on, May/17/2013

iGaming Super Show Amsterdam 2013 Lands GCB’s AG Burnett as Speaker

iGaming Business have announced that AG Burnett, Chairman of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board (GCB), will be speaking at the iGaming Executive Conference. This C-level, invite only event is one of the seven concurrently-held conferences that take place on June 12th as part of the iGaming Super Show, which is being held in Amsterdam on the 11th – 14th June 2013.

Submitted by Press Release on, May/17/2013

Tim Tebow Twitter Followers Odds Now Up

Carrie Stroup here with the latest odds offered by Sportsbook.com.

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They are now offering odds on the number of Twitter followers Tim Tebow will have by June 30, 2013.  The OVER/UNDER is 2,305,200.

Submitted by Carrie Stroup on, May/16/2013

Ware is he Now: Former WSEX.com Owner Lives in German Brewery

A co-founder of now defunct World Sports Exchange (WSEX.com), Hayden Ware, is living quite the intoxicating life, Gambling911.com can report.

Hidin' Ware?

Ware and his German-born wife now reside in a converted German brewery. 

The Wares paid around 655,000 euros (about $890,000) for the 3,230-square-foot space located in Berlin.

Whether any of that money belongs to players of WSEX.com is unknown as Ware’s involvement in the shuttered online gambling company during its later years remains somewhat of a mystery.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, May/16/2013

Atlantic City Revel Casino Gets Reprieve

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) — Revel was given a second chance Wednesday from New Jersey casino regulators, and now it’s seeking the same thing from customers.

In winning a reprieve, the bankrupt casino acknowledged several big mistakes, including preventing its guests from smoking; not paying enough attention to slots players; and booking too many hip acts at the expense of other forms of entertainment.

Submitted by Associated Press on, May/15/2013

Macau New Resort Casino Approved

HONG KONG (Associated Press) - Macau casino operator SJM Holdings has received official approval to build a new resort in the world's biggest gambling center.

SJM said its contract for land in the Cotai district was published Wednesday in the official government gazette. The company is racing to catch up with rivals like Wynn Resorts and MGM.

The new projects are centered on the Cotai Strip, a patch of former swampland intended to be Asia's version of the Las Vegas Strip.

Submitted by Associated Press on, May/15/2013

Iovation Investigated by Nevada Officials: Company Linked to Poker Cheating Scandal

Nevada State Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett has stated in an email that regulators are looking into identification verification firm Iovation and its relationship to licensed online poker company UltimatePoker.

Iovation had ties to an insider cheating scandal at UB.com, a now defunct online poker site.

Submitted by Ace King on, May/15/2013

Verdict Reached in Las Vegas Sands Case

LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — A Las Vegas jury has reached a verdict in a Hong Kong businessman's breach-of-contract lawsuit against the Las Vegas Sands, potentially bringing nine years of litigation to an end.

Richard Suen sued the casino giant run by multibillionaire Sheldon Adelson for $328 million in 2004. He says the company owed him for his help securing a lucrative gambling license in the Chinese territory of Macau, the only place in that country where casino gambling is legal.

Submitted by Associated Press on, May/14/2013

Blue Monday’ Online Gambling Beneficiaries Jailed, Forced to Resign

It’s been nearly two years since close to a dozen online gambling domain names were seized as part of a payment processing sting operation. 

Submitted by Alejandro Botticelli on, May/13/2013

Spate of Casino Kidnappings has Officials, Gamblers Worried

The number of casino crimes in Macau jumped during the first quarter of 2013.  These include a rise in kidnapping reports.

From Macau Business Daily:

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, May/13/2013

John L. Smith: Allowing Sports Betting Investor Groups in Vegas Carries Some Risk

John L. Smith, a columnist for the Las Vegas Review Journal, offered his assessment of a planned move to allow investment groups or syndicates to place large wagers in the state of Nevada.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, May/12/2013

Nevada Gambling Revenue Up 7 Percent in March

CARSON CITY, Nev. (Associated Press) — Three-quarters of the way through the fiscal year, gambling revenue at Nevada casinos is running nearly 3 percent ahead of last year.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board said Friday casinos statewide won more than $914 million in March, a 7 percent gain over March 2012. That pushed the fiscal year-to-date total to nearly $8.4 billion, 2.8 percent more than last year.

Submitted by Associated Press on, May/10/2013

5WPR Finalist for American Business Awards 2013 PR Agency Of Year

A longtime friend to Gambling911.com and oft-used source 5WPR has been named a finalist in the Public Relations Agency of the Year category by The 2013 American Business Awards. The 5WPR Nomination was entitled Re-writing the Rules of PR: 5W Builds an Agency for a New Media Landscape.

Additionally, Ronn Torossian, the founder of the firm was named a finalist in the Communications, Investor Relations, and PR Executive of the Year category. 

Submitted by C Costigan on, May/09/2013

Gambling911.com Exclusive: Lock CEO to Address Player Concerns

Lock Poker Founder and CEO Jennifer Larson has agreed to a sit down interview with Gambling911.com to address recent player concerns revolving around its new player-to-player transfer policy and payment processing issues.

Various media outlets and posting forums have expressed concerns over the solvency of Lock in recent weeks.  Larson insists her company is in top financial standing and hopes to have payment processing issues resolved in the coming weeks. 

In a precursor to the upcoming interview, Ms. Larson elaborated on the player-to-player transfer controversy.

Submitted by C Costigan on, May/09/2013

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Top Betting Markets May 30 - Hot Searches

While MLB games dominate the Friday evening schedule, on Saturday the Pacers have a shot at advancing to the NBA Finals should they beat the New York Knicks.  We also have UFC Fight Night on Saturday.