Gambling
Casino Developers in Cedar Rapids Allegedly Made ‘Illegal’ Political Contributions
Two casino executives placed in charge of overseeing development of a Cedar Rapids casino allegedly made illegal political contributions in late 2009 to then-Governor Chet Culver’s unsuccessful re-election campaign.
From the Gazette:
Boston Mobster Whitey Bulger May Testify at His Own Trial
BOSTON — (Associated Press) - As lawyers for James "Whitey" Bulger begin to defend him against a massive racketeering indictment charging him in 19 killings, one big question remains: Will he testify?
Some lawyers not connected to the case say Bulger has too much baggage to testify, including a prior criminal record and a long reputation as an organized crime figure.
But others say Bulger's case is different because, at age 83, he knows he is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison and may be more interested in settling scores than being acquitted.
PokerStars Parent Company Files Motion to Dismiss Domain Case
PokerStars parent company, the Rational Group, has filed a motion to dismiss in a 2008 case brought by the commonwealth of Kentucky to seize 141 online gambling domains.
Judge Rules That Casino Waitresses Can be Fired for Gaining Weight
In a shocking decision rendered last week, a New Jersey judge ruled that casinos may fire waitresses for gaining weight.
A suit was filed against the Borgata Casino by two women claiming they were routinely subjected to “weigh ins” and would be disciplined for gaining more than 7 percent of their body fat.
OK Attorney General Wants to Seize $8 Mil From Couple Tied to Legends Sports
OKLAHOMA CITY (Associated Press) — Oklahoma's attorney general is being allowed to continue an effort to seize nearly $8 million from an Anadarko couple and the corporations they control that prosecutors say is tied to an illegal gambling operation in Florida.
Wife and Son of Gambling Boss Masterminded His Truck Crash Murder
The wife and son of a gambling boss have been convicted for his brutal murder.
Jaya Bhagat, son Hitesh and four others were convicted for the truck crash murder of Suresh Bhagat on June 13, 2008.
A Mumbai court found that Jaya wanted to usurp his property and take over his multi-crore gambling business.
Jaya’s lover was also sought in the killing.
There were 80 witnesses to the murder.
Online Gambling Firm Wants to Buy or Build Casino in Atlantic City
TRENTON, N.J. – (Associated Press) - An online gambling firm plans to buy or build a casino in Atlantic City to get a piece of the Internet wagering action planned to launch in the state this year, another sign of a revival of corporate interest in a city where gambling revenue has been falling since 2006.
MidOil USA managing partner Vincent Crandon said Friday that he plans to announce around Labor Day whether his investment firm and Web gambling company 2UP Gaming will be buying or building.
44Wager.com Bookmaker Sentenced to 4 Months in Prison
A Norwalk, Connecticut man was sentenced Wednesday to four months behind bars for his role in running a Costa Rica-based online sportsbook, 44Wager.com.
The site has since been shuttered.
South Carolina Bookie Brett Parker Murder Case to Be Featured on ‘Dateline’
This Friday (July 26, 2013), ‘Dateline’ on NBC will feature a segment on South Carolina bookie Brett Parker entitled “Mystery at Ascot Estates”.
The show, which will air at 9 pm EST, features interviews with friends and associates of Parker’s wife, Tammy Jo Parker. Brett is currently serving a life sentence for shooting to death Tammy Jo and a sports betting clerk, Bryan Capnerhurst.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s lead investigator is also interviewed by “Dateline”.
Ultimate Gaming Gets Final Approval From Nevada to Operate Real Money Poker Site
LAS VEGAS, NV - Today, July 25, 2013, Ultimate Gaming, a majority-owned subsidiary of Station Casinos LLC, received final approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission for its real money online poker product Ultimate Poker, the only legal poker website in the United States.
Zynga Shares Plummet as Company Won’t Enter US Online Gambling Space
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc will largely abandon its long-running efforts to build a real-money gaming business in the United States, a prospect investors once believed to be the struggling company's sole lifeline.
Ohio Man Claims Casino Caused Robbery of $35K by Paying Him in Cash
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Associated Press) — A man who was robbed at home of more than $35,000 in gambling winnings sued the Ohio casino where he won the money, arguing a cashier should have issued him a check instead of cash.
Police said 29-year-old David Hayes was robbed at gunpoint of the stack of $100 bills when two armed men woke him at home hours after he left the Hollywood Casino Columbus with his winnings Oct. 21.
Hayes filed suit against the casino's operator, contending that he asked for a check when he cashed out his blackjack winnings but was given cash instead.
Another Man Pleads Guilty in Sports Betting Probe Tied to Legends Sports
A fourth man from the Albany, New York area has plead guilty for his role in a sports betting probe tied to now shuttered Legends Sports out of Panama City, Panama.
Craig Hayner pleaded guilty Tuesday in Albany County Court to promoting gambling, which is a felony.
Sports Handicapper Anthony Boscarino of Mike’s Lock Club Sentenced
TUCSON, AZ — Anthony Mark Boscarino, 47, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson to 135 months. Boscarino pleaded guilty January 23 and February 27, 2013, to 43 crimes including fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.
Venetian Boycott Not Working, Adelson Sees Triple Profits as Body Count Rises
Attempts to get poker players to boycott the Venetian Hotel and Casino’s Las Vegas poker room this week have apparently fallen on deaf ears.
The room has been bristling with action each and every day.
Facebook is Bringing Social Gambling to Italy, Spain
Facebook is expanding its real money online social gambling platform to Italy and Spain.
After initial trials in the United Kingdom utilizing the bwin.party network, Facebook will expand the offering to three countries, both of which have been accommodating to real money Web gambling.
Sean Ryan, head of partnerships of the social network, confirmed the news during the World Gaming Executive Summit in Barcelona.
Gilley Asks for Reduced Sentencing in Votes for Sale Gambling Case
DOTHAN, Ala. (Associated Press) — Former Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley is asking a federal judge to reduce his federal prison sentence.
The Dothan Eagle reports that Gilley is making the request because he claims that his attorney provided ineffective representation.
It has been nearly a year after Gilley was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for multiple counts of bribery and money laundering in connection with a wide-ranging investigation into bribery tied to proposed gambling legislation.
Gambling Activates Dopamine Into Nucleus Accumbens of Brain
What causes some people to become compulsive gamblers?
Dr. Stephen Strakowski, Director of Psychiatry at UC Health, may have the answer.
He tells Cincinnati’s WCPO, “There's a part of the brain, deep inside the brain, the nucleus accumbens, responsible for reward processing."
Men Arrested for Knifepoint Holdup at Maryland Live! Casino
HANOVER, Maryland — (Associated Press) - Anne Arundel County police have arrested a man who confronted women at knifepoint at the Maryland Live! Casino.
Police say about 7:45 a.m. Sunday, a man with a knife approached a woman as she was about to enter an elevator and demanded her purse.
The woman refused to give up her purse, and the man fled.
Officers say while investigating that incident, they learned of another crime, in which a woman was in her car in the casino's garage and was robbed by a man with a knife.
Mississippi Casino Revenue Declines 7 Percent
JACKSON, Miss. — (Associated Press) - Mississippi casino revenue resumed its year-over-year slide in June after showing positive results in May.Statewide casino revenue fell nearly 7 percent from June 2012 to $174.5 million, according to Mississippi Department of revenue figures.
The state's gambling halls eked out a 1 percent gain in 2012, because revenue rebounded after most Mississippi River casinos were affected by the 2011 floods. But year-over-year casino revenue has fallen in 11 of the last 12 months. May was the exception, when revenue rose 3 percent.
More Atlantic City Comps: Million Dollar Giveaways, Cash Buried on Beach
ATLANTIC CITY (AP) — Million-dollar giveaways. Cash buried in the beach. Trips to tropical paradise. Shopping sprees. Guarantees that no one loses at the slot machines.
This summer, the casinos are being quite generous with their promotional offers — commonly known as comps” — to draw customers to Atlantic City.
Two Hells Angel Members Go On Trial Two Years After Nevada Casino Shootout
RENO, Nev. (Associated Press) Nearly two years after a gun battle between motorcycle gangs turned a Nevada casino floor into a shooting gallery, two rival gang members go on trial on murder charges in Reno Monday in the death of a high-ranking Hells Angels officer.
Louisiana Man Wins $2.1 Million Jackpot at Hard Rock Casino Biloxi
BILOXI, Mississippi — A Baton Rouge, Louisiana, man became a millionaire Friday after hitting a $2.1 million jackpot at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi.
The man, identified in a casino news release as Aaron K., works as a cook on a riverboat. He says he had been playing the Wheel of Fortune slot machine for less than five minutes when he hit the progressive jackpot.
Wife of Slain Online Gambling Mogul Adam Anhang Captured, to be Extradited
A woman accused of having her husband stabbed to death at a busy San Juan, Puerto Rico intersection in 2005 is expected to be extradited back to the US.
Sisters Leave Kids in Running Car to Play at Casino, Woman Tries to Mow Down Ex
Oh those Florida casino gamblers. Talk about gamblers behaving badly.
First, two sisters were charged with leaving their four kids in a running car while they went inside to gamble at a Hallandale Beach, Florida casino last week.
Potential Witness in Whitey Bulger Murder Trial Found Dead
BOSTON -- (Associated Press) - A man who had hoped to testify in the racketeering trial of reputed mobster James "Whitey" Bulger and vocally criticized him has been found dead, authorities said Thursday.
Bitcoin Online Gambling Website SatoshiDice Sells fo $11.47 Million
Dublin-based Bitcoin online gambling website SatoshiDice has sold for126,315 BTC, which at the time of the sale translated into $11.47 million.
SantoshiDice claimes to be “the most popular Bitcoin betting game in the universe”. It was launched just over one year ago by Erik Voorhees, who confirmed the sale Tuesday morning.
“I believe this to be a solid, desirable, and fair outcome for those who have put their trust in S.DICE.”
This is the first major Bitcoin acquisition to date.
Churchill Downs Completes Purchase of Oxford Casino in Maine
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — (Associated Press) - Churchill Downs Inc. says it has completed the purchase of the Oxford Casino in western Maine in a deal valued at about $160 million.
The Louisville-based company said Wednesday its acquisition of the casino in Oxford won approval from the Maine Gambling Control Board.
Oxford Casino opened in 2012. The property includes a 25,000-square-foot gaming floor with about 800 slot machines and 22 table games. It also includes a restaurant.
Philly Mobster Anthony ‘Ant’ Staino Sentenced to Eight Years
(Associated Press) - A self-described “CFO” of the Philadelphia mob has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison in a racketeering case.
Fifty-seven-year-old Anthony “Ant” Staino was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Philadelphia to 97 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Terrorists Using Online Gambling to Launder Funds Claims FOP President
A Senate Subcommittee hearing early Tuesday to discuss the legalization of real money online gambling also addressed fears over terrorism.
“There are indications that terrorists in Afghanistan have been using online gaming to launder their funds,” said Chuck Canterbury, national director of the Fraternal Order of Police. “There is no legal or regulatory framework for law enforcement to shut down this activity.”
