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Bloomberg is reporting that Blackstone Group, Inc. is pursuing the acquisition of both the Bellagio and MGM Grand Las Vegas from MGM Resorts International. The financial media outlet’s sources say the two companies are talking, but no details are known yet and things could always fall apart. Bloomberg analysts estimate that the Bellagio could sell… Read more »
The Press of Atlantic City reported on Tuesday that casino employment numbers in the New Jersey gambling hub are down this summer compared to last. The opening of two casinos last June were cited as a major reason for the dip. Counting both full- and part-time workers, Atlantic City casinos employed 29,298 people in June,… Read more »
Ken Strauss, the man who was disqualified from Day 1C of the 2019 World Series of Poker Main Event for revealing his nether region and throwing his shoe on the table, is in some hotter water. On July 27th, Strauss was arrested for tweeting threats against two Las Vegas casinos and last week was indicted… Read more »
When I was in middle school, my family went on a road trip from Wisconsin to South Dakota. Now, that sort of road trip is not all that exciting on first blush to a kid, but as it turned out, it was a lot of fun. Saw Mount Rushmore, hiked in the Badlands, visited Wall… Read more »
Thursday will be the start of a new era in Las Vegas. Or the start of a new old era. Or the end of an era and the start an old one. I don’t know, none of this makes sense. What I am trying to say is that the SLS Las Vegas, which was originally… Read more »
Sports betting has been all the rage in Atlantic City casinos since it became legalized in New Jersey last year. Aside from in-house amenities, there is never going to be a massive difference between sportsbooks, so most casual gamblers probably won’t go wrong with whatever casino they are visiting at the moment.* Place a bet,… Read more »
The original owner of this site was a large online poker affiliate. We did a lot of fun promotions with our customers during the poker boom; one of the best was a poker league that I organized (SICK BRAG) where we awarded World Series of Poker seats to the winners. As part of the WSOP… Read more »
Renovations would impede operations It seems like temporary casino gaming shutdowns are a theme today. I wrote about some games at Wind Creek Bethlehem being taken out of service during the casino’s rebranding, but what will be going on next year at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is much more extreme.… Read more »
Many patrons of the Pennsylvania casino Wind Creek Bethlehem were likely surprised today when they walked in to play some blackjack, only to see the blackjack tables closed. Same for craps, three card poker, roulette, and every other manually dealt table on the casino floor. This is because beginning at 6:00am, all non-electronic table games… Read more »
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 »
