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The Encore Boston Harbor casino opened less than two months ago, but its impact is already being felt in the region. And that impact is not always a positive one. According to reports, both regional casino competitors and local restaurants have experienced struggles since the Wynn Resorts property cut the ribbon. Ripples felt an hour… Read more »
When I covered the World Series of Poker live at the Rio in Las Vegas nearly a decade and a half ago, one of my favorite things to do when I took a break from the action was to pick up some food at the casino’s Chinese restaurant, then walk a few steps and sit… Read more »
The Harris County (Texas) attorney dropped civil suits against Houston’s Prime Social Poker Club and Post Oak Poker Club last week, citing the lack of a criminal case. The two poker clubs were raided in May and their owners and management were hit with illegal gambling and money laundering charges. Because those charges were dropped… Read more »
In an op-ed posted on CardPlayer.com, professional poker player Gavin Griffin says that the backers that are suing Nick Marchington for ten percent of his World Series of Poker Main Event winnings are flat-out trying to steal his money. He makes no bones about this and while he doesn’t think Marchington is squeaky clean in… Read more »
Kansas City-area man Oscar Glover was arrested near Tulsa, Oklahoma last week after he was on the run for almost a month. Glover allegedly followed a poker player home from Harrah’s North Kansas City Casino on July 1 and robbed him at gunpoint. According to a WDAF-TV Kansas City news report, casino security footage shows… Read more »
Erie County, Ohio had expected its share of casino taxes from the state would offset other state funding cuts. Unfortunately, it was wrong. Read more »
Penn National Gaming announced a blockbuster sports betting deal with a number of operators on Wednesday, setting it up to be a major player in the online sportsbook field. It also gives the operators – DraftKings, PointsBet, theScore, and The Stars Group – much needed entry into several states. A press release issued by Penn… Read more »
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission has fined Ladbrokes Coral Group £5.9 million for failing to protect problem gamblers and for falling short of money laundering prevention standards. In a report posted Wednesday, the Commission posted the results of an investigation that found problems from November 2014 to October 2017; during much of that time, Ladbroke… Read more »
When locations are chosen for major city landmarks like a new stadium or casino, it is usually government officials and consultants that make the decisions. As the process starts to decide where Chicago’s first casino is going to be built, consultants and politicians are certainly going to make most of the decisions and have the… Read more »
Poker industry veterans Rob Yong and John Duthie launched a new anti-cheating initiative called Fairplay about a week ago, but that site is now down following its possible misuse of a major regulatory body’s logo. The site now just has the old “Coming Soon” message at the top of its homepage. Online and Live Poker… Read more »
Maurice Hawkins, the all-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner, is unfortunately no stranger to staking deals gone bad. The latest has been brought to light by a man named Randy Garcia who tweeted about an alleged staking arrangement gone bad on Monday. “PSA no one ever stake @mauricehawkins,” Garcia wrote. “He has owed… Read more »
Chris Moneymaker and David Oppenheim were announced as the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2019 on Monday night during the final table action of the World Series of Poker Main Event. They were voted on by a panel of media members and living Poker Hall of Famers from a list of ten finalists. Those… Read more »
After a slow start to the year, sports betting legislation continues to build momentum as another state is about to legalize the industry. This time it is Maine, as both branches of the state legislature recently approved LD 553, which would authorize sports betting within state borders. The bill was introduced at the end of… Read more »
The World Series of Poker announced the ten finalists for the 2019 class of the Poker Hall of Fame this weekend. The list of names should be familiar to poker fans, not just because, as Poker Hall of Fame finalists, everyone on the list has been poker royalty for years, but also because all but… Read more »
After rumors of a deal swirled, Eldorado Resorts, Inc. and Caesars Entertainment Corporation announced on Monday that they have agreed to a merger, forming the largest gambling company in the United States. The combined company will operate close to 60 casino-resorts in 16 states, including the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino, home of the World… Read more »
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission announced last week that it has levied a hefty £1.6 million fine on Unibet UK’s parent company, Platinum Gaming, for “failing to identify gambling harm and prevent money laundering.” The Commission was tipped off that a customer of Platinum Gaming’s had been convicted of fraud and had been using the… Read more »
Philadelphia’s Sugarhouse Casino might be celebrating being the first in Pennsylvania to launch its online sportsbook, but it has run into some legal trouble that may have dampened the move, as two patrons of the brick-and-mortar gambling venue have sued the casino. William Vespe and Anthony Mattia claim they lost a combined $250,000 thanks, in… Read more »
With the upcoming launch of online poker and online casino games in Pennsylvania and the recent soft launch of Sugarhouse Casino’s online sportsbook, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has implemented a new self-exclusion tool for gamblers who need to pump the brakes on their play. If gamblers feel the need to restrict themselves, they… Read more »
While Pennsylvanians continue to wait – patiently – for online poker sites to flip their switches, they can now bet on sports from the comfort of their own homes, as live testing of sports betting sites commenced this week. Sugarhouse Leads Off There is just one casino that has launched its online sportsbook so far:… Read more »
After a slow start to the year on the sports betting front, Tennessee last week became the fourth state to legalize sports wagering this year. House Bill 1 was originally filed for introduction in November, but then officially introduced on January 8th of this year in the House. It then passed votes of the House… Read more »
Senators Josh Hawley (R – Missouri), Ed Markey (D – Mass.), and Richard Blumenthal (D – Conn.) have introduced legislation to significantly limit the use of loot boxes and microtransactions in video games. “Today’s digital entertainment ecosystem is an online gauntlet for children,” said Senator Markey in a press release. “Inherently manipulative game features that… Read more »
Controversial high-stakes sports bettor turned tout “Vegas Dave” Oancea faced up to 40 years in prison on 19 felony charges, but walked out of federal court on Monday a free man, sentenced to three years probation, 150 hours of community service, and mandatory gambling treatment. He is also banned from Las Vegas sportsbooks for three… Read more »
The United Kingdom Gaming Commission (UKGC) put out a statement last week announcing that it has fined four online casino operators a total of £4.5 million after investigations revealed that the companies failed to “put in place effective safeguards to prevent money laundering and keep consumers safe from gambling harm.” InTouch Games InTouch Games Limited… Read more »
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 617 into law on Monday, legalizing sports betting in the state. Though the law is effective immediately, no sports betting is available yet, as the regulations still need to be hammered out. “Gov. Reynolds believes that legalizing sports betting will bring this practice out of an unregulated black… Read more »
ESPN and Caesars Entertainment announced Tuesday that they are teaming up to produce sports betting programming to be broadcast on ESPN’s different platforms. As part of the deal, the two companies will build an ESPN-branded studio at the LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. It is there that “odds-related content” will be filmed, content… Read more »
