Gambling
Pope Hits Out at Mafia Once Again
Pope Francis called for nature to be protected from criminal abuse on Saturday during a visit in the southern Italian town of Caserta, near Naples, in a region long blighted by illegal toxic waste dumps and the pervasive grip of the Camorra mafia.
During a televised open air Mass before around 200,000 people, Pope Francis said that the love of God meant respecting life, the environment and nature.
State Senator Will Attempt to Get Around Sports Betting Ban in New Jersey
New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) will attempt to get around a sports betting ban by pushing through legislation with strong bipartisan support in hopes that Governor Chris Christie signs the bill into law.
Christie has long supported the legalization of sports betting in New Jersey but the professional sports leagues and NCAA successfully blocked such efforts in the court.
From the Newark Star Ledger:
Man Who Forced Sunwing Flight Back to Toronto had Gambling Problem
A man arrested for making terroristic threats on board a Sunwing flight from Toronto to Panama City, Panama, has been let out on bail on $1000 bond.
Convicted Casino Lobbyist Questions Rick Perry Online Gambling Stance
The biggest casino lobbyist and an individual who served time for that activity, Jack Abramoff, has spoken out regarding Texas Governor Rick Perry’s stance on Internet gambling.
Regulators Approve $100k Fine Against Aria Casino for Shoeing Away Agents
LAS VEGAS — Regulators have approved a $100,000 fine for the Aria casino on the Las Vegas Strip after state agents said they were shooed away from a high-stakes roulette table.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1Ad7H83) twwhe Nevada Gaming Commission approved the settlement with the resort on Thursday.
Nevada Gaming Revenue Up 22 Percent
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) -- Nevada officials say casino revenues shot up more than 14 percent in June thanks to a banner month on the Las Vegas Strip.
The state Gaming Control Board reported Friday that Nevada casinos brought in about $907 million in June.
Las Vegas Strip casinos pulled in $532 million in June, up more than 22 percent from the same month a year ago. Downtown Las Vegas casino revenues of $41million were up 12 percent.
UK Opposition Weighs Betting Levy to Fund Grassroots Sport
(Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour Party is considering imposing a new levy on online betting and Premier League TV income to support measures to encourage more people to take part in sport, it said on Thursday.
Boosting the number of Britons who play sport regularly was one of the aims of the 2012 London Olympics, but the results have been patchy two years on.
Showboat Casino Employees Protest Closing
ATLANTIC CITY – (Associated Press) - Chanting “Keep Showboat open,” hundreds of casino workers and supporters staged a noisy, enthusiastic protest Thursday night on the Atlantic City Boardwalk aimed at getting the owners of the Showboat Casino Hotel to reverse their decision to close it next month.
More than 400 protesters marched from a small park near the Boardwalk to Caesars Atlantic City, where a small group met with a labor attorney for the parent company that owns both casinos.
5Dimes Becomes Latest Online Sportsbook to Accept Bitcoin
Popular 5Dimes.com, a US-facing online sportsbook, has become the latest to embrace the anonymous digital currency bitcoin.
5Dimes began accepting bitcoin deposits early this month but withdrawals via this method will be unavailable for the foreseeable future.
Bitcoin will be converted into US currency at the time of deposit as, as such, customers will not be exposed to fluctuations in bitcoin’s exchange rate.
Over the past month, bitcoin has traded slightly above $600 on average across the various exchanges.
Matchbook.com Exits Canada Market for Unknown Reasons
Canadian customers of the sports betting exchange Matchbook.com have been advised that they must withdraw all funds from their accounts by August 22 (2014).
The decision was made on Wednesday (July 23) to exit the Canadian market though rumors began swirling earlier in the week. A reason for the departure was not immediately known.
Revel Casino has Six Potential Buyers: May Avert Closure
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) - Atlantic City's mayor said Wednesday there are six potential buyers for the Revel Casino Hotel, which is up for sale next month at a bankruptcy auction.
Don Guardian also said his administration has been in talks with the current owners of the former Atlantic Club casino about selling it to a new buyer.
Mississippi Gambling Revenue Steady After Harrah’s Closure
JACKSON, Miss. (Associated Press) - Gambling revenues tumbled in Mississippi's river region in the first month after Harrah's Tunica Hotel & Casino closed, but the trend didn't worsen much. Meanwhile, Gulf Coast casinos posted their best June in years.
State figures show casinos statewide won $174 million from gamblers in June, up less than 1 percent from June 2013.
The 18 river casinos won $78.7 million, down 12 percent from a year earlier. The 12 coastal casinos won $95.7 million, up 13 percent from June 2013.
’Girls Gone Wild’ Founder Joe Francis Slapped With $5k Daily Fine
The founder of the raucous and salacious DVD franchise “Girls Gone Wild” has been ordered to pay a $5000 fine each day he fails to return two luxury automobiles.
Joe Francis claims he no longer has the vehicles and that they were taken by an angry Mexican businessman.
Professional Sports Bettor Billy Walters Auctions Off Sprawling Estate
One of the world’s most famous sports bettors, Billy Walters, is auctioning off his 21,000 square-foot home in Rancho Santa Fe, California next month without a reserve price.
The home, located at 5425 Los Mirlitos, features seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, three half bathrooms, a tennis court, putting green and, of course, a swimming pool. It had previously been listed at just shy of $20 million.
Two Suspects Wanted in Armed Heist of Atlantic City Casino
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J (Associated Press) - Police are seeking two masked suspects who robbed an Atlantic City casino at gunpoint and made off with more than $180,000.
The heist occurred Monday morning at Caesars Atlantic City.
A law enforcement flier obtained by The Press of Atlantic City says the suspects fled in a car with two plastic boxes containing more than $180,000 in cash.
Police are not releasing any details.
Can You Believe This? Manhunt Follows Gambler’s False Stabbing Claim
A man who fell on a can and slit himself outside a South Wales bookmaker appeared in court where a judge decided his fate.
No, tripping over a can is not a crime.
Calling 999 to say you were stabbed is.
EU Issues New ‘Flawed’ Regulations for Online Gambling
The European Union has issued new regulations for online gambling in a quest to "safeguard health and minimise the eventual economic harm" suffered by the punters.
The EU wants to provide punters with the ability to set their own spending limits, minimize minors exposure to gambling ads and institute health warnings on said advertisements.
Declan Lynch of the Independent suggests these new regulations are flawed.
NHL Player Thomas Vanek Tied to Gambling Investigation
(CSNPhilly.com/Associated Press) - Minnesota Wild forward Thomas Vanek has been connected to a federal gambling investigation, according to Rochester's News10NBC (via ProHockeyTalk).
Turkey Has Blocked 110 Online Gambling Websites Over Past Five Years
Turkey has claimed success in the blocking of 110 illegal online gambling websites over the past five years according to that nation’s telecommunications authority on Monday.
The National Lottery and Turkey’s telecommunications authority have joined forces to prevent access to the unlicensed sites.
Turkey had once been among the most lucrative online gambling jurisdictions, serving a number of big name European bookmakers prior to the government action. Most of these bookmakers have since stopped accepting customers from Turkey.
Online Gambling Ads Popping Up on Purported MH17 Crash Victim Facebook Pages
Scammers wasted no time in their attempt to cash in on the unfortunate victims of Malaysia Flight MH17, which crashed Thursday over the Ukraine after reportedly being shot down by a missile. All 298 passengers, most of them Dutch, were killed in the crash.
From the London Telegraph:
One of Nevada Gambling Regulators Most Wanted Fugitives Arrested in PA
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Associated Press) - One of the fugitives most wanted by Nevada gambling regulators has been arrested across the country at a Pennsylvania casino.
The Express-Times reports 40-year-old Jubreal Chahine was spotted Saturday afternoon at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem.
State police took Chahine into custody without incident after being alerted by Sands employees.
Mounting Gambling Debts Provide Motive for Indianapolis Deadly Explosion
INDIANAPOLIS (Associated Press) — Prosecutors have filed court documents indicating that mounting gambling and credit card debt were the motive behind a deadly explosion that devastated an Indianapolis neighborhood in 2012.
Monserrate Shirley, her then-boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother, Bob Leonard, face charges of murder, arson and conspiracy to commit arson in the Nov. 10, 2012, blast that killed two of Shirley’s neighbors and wrecked dozens of houses in the Richmond Hill subdivision on the city’s far south side.
WSEX.com Founder Jay Cohen Assets Sought Ahead of Possible Lawsuit
Gambling911.com intrepid reporter Thomas Somach has learned that an Ohio man who plans to sue now defunct World Sports Exchange (WSEX.com) founder Jay Cohen for almost $70,000 owed plans to hire an investigative team to locate the ex-convict’s assets believed to be hidden around the world.
Cohen served nearly two years behind bars for his role in running World Sports Exchange. Last year, co-owner Steven Schillinger gave new meaning to the term “deadbeat” when he blew his brains out, at the time owing countless numbers of customers well over a million dollars.
Romanian Princess Pleads in Cockfighting Case
(Associated Press) - Romanian princess Irina Walker pleaded guilty Wednesday to operating an illegal gambling business in connection with a cockfighting enterprise in rural Oregon.
Casino Boat Passengers Rescued After 16 Hour Ordeal
TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. — (Associated Press) - After 16 hours stuck at sea, passengers stranded on a casino boat that ran aground off Georgia’s coast were ferried to shore Wednesday aboard two Coast Guard cutters.
About 94 of The Escapade’s 96 passengers and 27 crew members arrived at the dock shortly after 4 p.m., nearly a full day after the boat left for the maiden voyage of its operator’s new Savannah service Tuesday night. A second cutter carrying 20 more people arrived shortly afterward. Four people were ferried ashore by helicopter.
Brand New Casino Boat Stuck Off Georgia Coast With 123 People On Board
A casino boat making its maiden voyage has gotten stuck off the coast of Savannah, Georgia with 123 people on board.
The Escapade was supposed to return to dock around 12:30 am local time but the ship instead ran aground off the north end of Tybee Island Wednesday.
US Attorney Charges 6 With Illegal Gambling, Money Laundering in Texas
TYLER, Texas — (Associated Press) - Authorities say six people from east Texas have been charged with illegal gambling, money laundering and drug trafficking.
U.S. attorney John Bales says police seized more than $30,000 in cash during the arrest earlier this week. Officers also took several firearms and methamphetamine.
Thailand Nabs 5064 for Betting on World Cup
Note to self: If planning to place wagers on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Thailand is probably not the best option.
Police in that Southeastern Asian nation announced the arrest of 5064 people for illegally gambling on this year’s World Cup. That is a sharp increase from four years ago, according to media reports. 3800 were arrested at that time.
Bwin to Make Additional Cuts of More Than $13.6 Million to Meet Targets
(Reuters) - Online gambling company Bwin.Party, under pressure from an activist shareholder to boost its performance, said an additional 10 million euros ($13.6 million) of cost cuts would help it to meet its targets for the year.
Bwin said last month it was looking at ways of boosting shareholder value but denied a report it was considering a break-up or sale of its business.
In a trading statement on Tuesday, bwin said sports betting had benefited from the soccer World Cup but described the performance of its poker and casino business as "soft".
Eight Accused of Illegal World Cup Betting in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — Eight people from Malaysia, China and Hong Kong were accused Monday of operating a temporary, illegal gambling ring from exclusive high-roller villas at a Las Vegas Strip resort that investigators said logged millions of dollars in bets on FIFA World Cup soccer games.
