Gambling
William Hill Acquires Sportingbet: Expands Into Australia
LONDON - (Reuters) - William Hill, Britain's largest bookmaker, expanded into the large Australian gambling market when it and partner GVC Holdings agreed a 485 million pound ($789 million) deal for Sportingbet on Thursday.
William Hill is paying 454 million pounds for its share of the deal - giving it Sportingbet's Australian operation and an option to acquire its Spanish business.
Smaller partner GVC will take on the remaining businesses, which are in countries where regulation is less clear cut and investment risks are higher as a consequence.
Breaking News: Online Gambling Bill to Receive Final Approval Today
ATLANTIC CITY — (Associated Press) - New Jersey lawmakers are expected to give final approval Thursday (December 20, 2012) to a bill legalizing Internet gambling within the state's borders.
Defense Rests in High Profile Philadelphia Mob Trial
PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — They won’t be going home for Christmas, but several accused mobsters appeared upbeat Wednesday as their racketeering trial in Philadelphia nears an end.
BetCRIS.com Announces Major Acquisition
San Jose, Costa Rica -- BetCRIS.com, one of the leaders in the online gaming industry, announced the acquisition of all BookMaker.eu non-US accounts.
888Sport Stops Taking Sports Bets From Australia
888Sports.com announced on Tuesday it will no longer be taking sports bets from those customers residing in Australia. The company will continue to offer online poker to those living in Australia.
Affiliates of 888Sport.com received the following email:
Federal Judge Wants Leagues to Show Potential for ‘Damage’ by NJ Sports Betting
A Federal judge will decide Friday (December 21, 2012) whether the professional sports leagues and NCAA have legal standing to bring a suit against the state of New Jersey, which has announced its intention to begin licensing sports betting operations the early part of next month. New Jersey. Governor Chris Christie earlier in the year signed into law a measure that would legalize sports betting in the Garden State.
Antigua Disappointed with WTO ‘Nonaction’ Against US re Online Gambling Dispute
GENEVA, Switzerland – Antigua and Barbuda has told the World Trade Organization (WTO) that it is disappointed that it has not been allowed to raise its ongoing dispute with the United States on Internet gambling, despite the matter being before the world body for many years.
Antigua and Barbuda’s High Commissioner to London, Carl Roberts, addressing the WTO Dispute Settlement Body on Monday, said that the Baldwin Spencer administration had submitted to the WTO Secretariat a request for the matter to be included on the agenda for deliberation.
BetIslands.com, EZ Street and 7RedSports.com to Shut Down: 'Money Man' Pulls Out
SBRForum.com confirmed Tuesday morning what many hard core sports bettors already feared, that BetIslands.com will be shutting down and stiffing its relatively small but high end customer base.
Sports Bettors Fear the Worst as BetIslands Payout Issues Mount
Sports bettors were on edge following reports that tiny BetIslands.com may be on its way to shutting down.
Gambling Industry Will be Hit Hardest by Fiscal Cliff
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) One of the nation's top credit rating agencies is warning that the gambling industry will be among the hardest hit if the White House and Congress fail to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff."
Moody's Investors Service issued a report Monday saying the gaming, automobile and lodging industries will suffer the most from the across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases that will result if budget negotiations stall.
Moody's says the gambling sector would suffer disproportionally because it is "entirely" dependent on discretionary spending.
New Jersey Online Gambling Bill Passes in Assembly
The New Jersey Assembly on Monday passed a bill that would legalize online gambling for the state’s nearly 9 million residents. A final vote is due in the state Senate on Thursday. Governor Chris Christie has up to 45 days in which to sign the bill once it comes out of Senate.
The final vote was 48 yes, 24 no and 4 abstain.
Black Chip Poker Payouts: Some Now Coming in Under a Week
Good news for customers of Black Chip Poker awaiting payouts. With the move to the Winning Poker Network, a few BCP customers have begun reporting payments in under a week’s time.
From the TwoPlusTwo.com posting forum:
Re: ***OFFICIAL BlackChipPoker Thread***
Doc Sports Head Morris “Doc” Moseman Passes Away
One of the legendary sports handicappers, Wisconsin-based Morris “Doc” Moseman, passed away over the weekend. Moseman died peacefully at the University of Wisconsin Hospital with his family by his side.
Judge To Ask Jury About Slaying Amid Philadelphia Mob Trial
PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — A judge plans to ask jurors about a suspected mob-linked slaying that took place Wednesday, just hours after prosecutors wrapped up a mob racketeering case.
Fifty-year-old victim Gino DiPietro has been mentioned in the two-month trial of alleged Philadelphia mob boss Joseph Ligambi and six others.
Dismal Outlook for Atlantic City Casinos Good for Online Gambling Prospects
The New Jersey state Assembly is set to vote Monday on a measure that would legalize online gambling. The measure is expected to move through the Assembly and Senate without problem as there is little opposition this second go-around.
DOJ Forfeits $7 Million in Proceeds From One of First Online Gambling Sites WWTS
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a consent order of forfeiture today ordering the civil forfeiture of $6,976,924 traced to international money laundering of the proceeds from an offshore Internet gambling operation that illegally targeted U.S. residents, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Richard Weber, Chief of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Harry Reid Concedes Federal Online Poker Bill Out for 2012
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) -- Nevada Sen. Harry Reid is declaring congressional efforts to legalize Internet poker dead for the year.
The Senate Democratic Majority Leader said Friday that proponents of an online gambling bill are out of time as the legislative session draws to a close.
Reid says he's disappointed by lawmakers' failure to reach a deal to legalize and regulate interstate gambling online.
He says he'll take up the effort again next session, along with Nevada's Republican Sen. Dean Heller.
Playboy Teams Up With Amaya Gaming for Online Poker Site
The iconic Playboy brand will once again enter the online gambling market, this time through a partnership with Montreal-based Amaya Gaming.
Playboy had previously operated an online casino in parts of Europe using the Cryptologic software platform
New Jersey Online Gambling Bill to be Voted on Monday
A bill to legalize online gambling in the state of New Jersey is scheduled for vote in the Assembly on Monday (December 20, 2012).
The Garden State is looking to legalize most forms of online gambling including sports betting, poker and casino games.
The bill is widely expected to pass and end up on Governor Chris Christie’s desk some time next week.
Super Storm Sandy Could Help Ensure Gambling Expansion in New York
ALBANY, N.Y. (Associated Press) - Anti-gambling forces fear that the economic losses from Superstorm Sandy could help efforts to expand casino gambling in New York.
State lawmakers were already expected to consider a gambling amendment to the state constitution next year before Sandy walloped New York City and Long Island last month. If the measure clears the Legislature for a second time in 2013, voters could make a final decision on whether to OK Las Vegas-style casinos beyond Indian land as early as November.
Massive Online Gambling Bust Nets Over 400 People in China
Police from China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar shut down a US$1.75 billion online gambling operation based in China’s Hubei Province on Thursday.
The investigation has been ongoing for two years now and involved some 400 individuals of which 37 have been detained thus far.
Social Gambling & Gaming Summit Kicks Off in LA Today: Gambling911 is in the House
Gambling911.com is here in beautiful Marina Del Rey, California to take part in this week’s Social Gambling & Gaming Summit that kicks off this morning (Thursday December 13) with keynote speaker Niranjan Nagar, Head of Games and Apps for Facebook.
The Social Gaming & Gambling Summit is a conference focused on the intersection of mobile gaming, immersive worlds, real-life brands and social networking.
Fahrenkopf: Unless Congress Acts Now, Online Gambling Could Proliferate
Frank Fahrenkoof, President of the American Gaming Association, sent out an ominous warning on Wednesday as part of an opinion piece for Politico.com. Ominous, if you think the expansion of online gambling at a reckless pace in the United States is a bad thing, and there are, believe it or not, some who believe it is not.
Zynga Elite Slots Announced Ahead of Real Money Gambling
On Wednesday, the world’s largest free-to-play online poker company, introduced free slots ahead of anticipated real money Web gambling.
The new game will be called “Zynga Elite Slots”.
"We've been very focused on this," said Josh Gause, one of the game’s designers, in an interview with CNET.
"We've taken the visuals very seriously, and we've taken the sound very seriously as well," said another designer Nathan Ratcliffe.
PokerStars Welcome in New Jersey: Wants to Purchase Atlantic City Casino
State Senator Raymond Lesniak, who is behind efforts to legalize online gambling in the state of New Jersey, says he welcomes PokerStars. The world’s largest real money poker site is looking to acquire the Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City.
Philadelphia Casino Fined Over Banned Gamblers
PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — State gambling regulators say the operators of Sugarhouse Casino in Philadelphia have agreed to $15,000 in fines for three cases in which patrons gambled there even though they were banned from entering casinos in the state.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday announced the fines against HSP Gaming LP, which operates Sugarhouse.
The board says one case happened when a person banned from gambling in the state played table games at the casino from June 29 to July 3.
Horseshoe Casino Set to Open in Cincinnati
The highly anticipated $400 million Horseshoe Casino is set to open its doors on March 4. The establishment will employ some 2000 people.
The Horseshoe Cincinnati is the fourth and final casino approved by voters in 2009 via a constitutional amendment. It will be operated by Caesar’s Entertainment.
888 Launches Real Money Facebook Platform
888.com, which operates the 6th largest online poker room in the world, has announced the launch of “real money” online poker on Facebook in the UK. They are the second operator after Bingo Friendzy to do so.
888 Holdings’ shares rose 3.7 per cent to 113.25p in morning trading.
Itai Freiberger, 888’s chief operating officer, said: “888 has long recognised the potential for social gaming. Our Facebook freemium [play for fun] offerings have found a significant audience, and we are very excited by the opportunity that real money gaming on Facebook provides.”
Defense: Philly Mob Boss was Rainmaker
PHILADELPHIA — (Associated Press) - A mob lawyer in Philadelphia tried Tuesday to persuade jurors that an alleged La Cosa Nostra boss was a rainmaker at a trash disposal company, not a no-show Teamsters worker.
Miami Police Under Investigation by Feds in Bookmaking Case
At least a half dozen Miami police officers are under investigation by the FBI for allegedly providing protection to a Liberty City sports gambling operation, according to the Miami Herald. At least one officer has been relieved of his duties.
