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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 »
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has fined Malta-based Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) $25,000 for failing to prevent someone from outside the state to gamble on HardRockCasino.com, a site for which GiG provides its online gambling services. The incident actually occurred at some point before July 4, 2018, though it is not specified when… Read more »
In a sign that sports betting might be about to take that next step toward ubiquity in the United States, The Stars Group (PokerStars’ parent company) and FOX Sports announced a partnership on Wednesday that will see them launch a sports betting product called FOX Bet. I said “product,” but FOX Bet will actually launch… Read more »
Montana became the first state to legalize sports betting in 2019 and the ninth overall, when Governor Steve Bullock signed House Bill 725 on Friday. The Governor also vetoed a second sports betting bill, Senate Bill 330. The bill is effectively immediate; supporters hope that sports betting will be ready to go in the state… Read more »
I guess my question, to reverse a page out of the poker players’ parents’ handbook, is, “But how much did they win?” That query comes in response to the news, reported by ESPN’s David Purdum, that the disqualification that led to a longshot winning the Kentucky Derby this past weekend cost bettors $9 million. In… Read more »
Have you ever wanted to punch poker pro Antonio Esfandiari right in the face? Well then it is too bad you aren’t comedian and actor Kevin Hart, because he was afforded that opportunity on Saturday when he and Esfandiari squared off in a three-round boxing match. There was no animosity – this was a prop… Read more »
Scientific Games announced last week that it has partnered with Wynn Resorts to launch online sports betting and iGaming (read: online casino) in New Jersey. In an extremely short press release, devoid of any useful information whatsoever, Scientific Games said: Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) (“Scientific Games”) will partner with Wynn Resorts, Ltd. (“Wynn Resorts”)… Read more »
PokerStars got sent to the principal’s office in New Jersey this month, hit with the state’s largest-ever sports betting fine. Now, before you get too excited, keep in mind that this is PokerStars, which has a seemingly bottomless supply of cash and the fine was only $10,000. The violations committed by TSG Interactive US Service… Read more »
Bruce Deifik, the former owner of the Ocean Resort Casino and who played a major part in Atlantic City’s recent resurgence, was killed in a car crash Sunday in Denver. Deifik was 64-years old. The medical examiner is still investigating what may have happened, but reports are that the real estate developer was driving home… Read more »
The National Hockey League (NHL) and William Hill recently announced a deal in which William Hill will become an “Official Sports Betting Partner of the NHL.” As part of the agreement, William Hill will be able to take advantage of the NHL brand in promotions. “This new partnership is yet another example of the innovative… Read more »
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has fined the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City as well as bwin.party entertainment (NJ) LLC, the Borgata’s online gaming software partner, for allowing self-excluded customers to continue to play – and lose money – on its internet gambling site. There were two penalties handed out.… Read more »
Four-time World Poker Tour champ Darren Elias was the target of a burglary on Thursday, but the scary part of the incident was not that someone broke into his Medford, New Jersey home. It was that he held a 19-year old babysitter, who was taking care of Elias’s two-year old daughter, at gunpoint. Fortunately, all… Read more »
On Friday night, a man robbed the poker room cashier at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and was killed by metro police in a shootout outside the casino. At the time, police did not release the name of the suspect, but they since have. And the interesting thing about it is that he has a… Read more »
It was a frightening scene Friday night at the Bellagio in Las Vegas as an armed robber got into a shootout with police officers, resulting in one officer and the suspect getting shot. The officer is fine and the suspect later died. The incident occurred at about 9:45pm Friday night, as prime of a time… Read more »
One of the best parts of the sports year is upon us: Major League Baseball’s spring training. For many teams and their fans, it is a time of hope and promise, a rebirth of the joy of the sport. Part of the fun of spring training is trying to figure out who all the players… Read more »
Daily fantasy sports leader DraftKings and global gambling giant Caesars Entertainment Corporation announced a multi-year agreement in which Caesars will allow DraftKings to piggyback on its online gaming licenses. Specifically, this has major implications in the sports betting world, as DraftKings will be able to get into states where Caesars has a brick-and-mortar presence and… Read more »
