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So he just went ahead and did it? The attorney for former Iowa State University defensive lineman Isaiah Lee has accused an agent of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) for targeting college athletes in a sports betting sting without a valid reason. Calling the beginning of last year’s gambling investigation a “warrantless search,”… Read more »
A few open slots The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) has announced that it will take applications for at least two more sports betting licenses. The application window will be open from February 16 to March 4. According to the ADG’s press release on Tuesday, one license will go to an Arizona tribe and “no… Read more »
Technology keeps marching forward The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is one of the most highly anticipated events on the convention calendar, the annual showcase of what’s coming in tech. While so much of the innovation is exciting, last week’s CES in Las Vegas was not all that appealing to many in the hospitality industry, as… Read more »
Brazen scheme A baccarat dealer at the Mohegan Sun is facing multiple charges related to allegations that he fixed the deck in favor of a specific customer. The favored player won over $124,000. The situation dates back to last April, when a pit boss noticed that 64-year-old Yu Wen Fu was handling the cards in… Read more »
Threatened in casino parking lot Late last month, we reported that George Janssen, a poker player from Bad Axe, Michigan, was home safe after he was allegedly kidnapped and held for over a month. Recently, more details have come to light about what allegedly happened. All that was known publicly a couple weeks ago was… Read more »
The NBA Board of Governors has approved the sale of the Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban to the families that control Las Vegas Sands Corp. The sale was originally announced a month ago; the families of Dr. Miriam Adelson – the wife of the late Sheldon Adelson – and Sivan and Patrick Dumont agreed to… Read more »
I have never been in a position to turn down $400,000 and I cannot fathom a time in a future in which I will ever be in that situation. But high stakes poker player and self-proclaimed “best bettor in the world” Sean Perry did just that. Unfortunately for him, that decision came back to bite… Read more »
The US Department of Justice has announced that the FBI has developed a “decryption tool” that will help companies victimized by the BlackCat ransomware group regain control of their computer systems. The “disruption campaign” against BlackCat, which is also known as ALPHV or Norberus, comes months after both MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment were… Read more »
Oh, internet, you’re crazy On Saturday, Shohei Ohtani, the best player in baseball, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for ten years, $700 million. It is the largest contract in baseball history by more than a quarter billion dollars. In the 24 hours or so leading up to the announcement, speculation ran wild as to… Read more »
In stunning news out of the NBA, Mark Cuban is selling a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks to Miriam Adelson, wife of the late Sheldon Adelson, and the Adelson family. Adelson, who is the controlling shareholder of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., is selling about $2 billion of Sands stock to fund the purchase.… Read more »
UPDATE: The Vikings lost on Monday night, so the record was not broken. Sportsbooks do not generally like it when the favorites win. Yes, their goal is to set a line so that the action is split on both sides, but the public still tends to like the favorites. Why? It’s just easier for casual… Read more »
Improved pay Members of Culinary Local 226 overwhelmingly approved new five-year contracts with both Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International this week, avoiding possible strike action. Caesars employees voted 99 percent in favor on Monday, while MGM workers did the same on Tuesday. Wynn employees are up next and are expected to hold their vote… Read more »
This is one of the weirdest things I have ever written about. One would think that a governor of a state would know better than to announce his support for the bloodsport of cockfighting, but here we are. Last week, Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy, former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, and… Read more »
Workers at Motorcity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown in Detroit have agreed on new contracts and have ended their strike. Read more »
A new big name in betting ESPN BET, the sports betting site wearing the name of the US’s dominant sports media brand, has gone live in 17 states. Long thought to be an impossibility because ESPN is owned by family-oriented Disney, ESPN BET’s launch on Tuesday marks the official marriage between the sports network and… Read more »
Sicko I live in one of the few states remaining without legal online sports betting. It doesn’t bother me as, despite what I do for a living, I’m not much of a gambler. When I hear stories like the one I’m about to tell, though, it really makes me want to be able to put… Read more »
One down, two to go The Culinary Local 226 union has come to a tentative agreement with the Caesars Entertainment properties in Las Vegas, allowing them to avoid a potential strike later this week. The union announced early Wednesday morning that it negotiated with Caesars for 20 consecutive hours to get the deal done. It… Read more »
Not even close For the second time in two years, residents of Richmond, Virginia voted against casino gambling in their city. On Tuesday, voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposed Richmond Grand Resort and Casino, 58% to 41%. In November 2021, the results were extremely close: 51-49. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, residents in precincts closest to… Read more »
Limited access for the moment In a surprise to sports fans in Florida, Hard Rock Bet has gone live with a limited, early access launch. Just last week, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which owns Hard Rock Bet, announced that retail sports betting was finally coming in December, but was mum about online betting. Tuesday… Read more »
Worth the wait After two years of legal battles, the state of Florida will finally get sports betting. On Wednesday, the Seminole Tribe of Florida announced that it will launch “A New Era in Florida Gaming” in December as it begins to offer craps, roulette, and sports betting at its six casinos. “The Seminole Tribe… Read more »
He really likes this casino The Nevada Gaming Control Board is a mulling a change to its policies in light of siding with a serial trespasser when a casino would not pay him a jackpot he won. The case was resolved in early October in a split vote by the Board. In it, the NGCB… Read more »
Imagine being hired as a strike buster Big corporations show their true colors in a lot of ways, but as soon as employees express a desire to be treated even halfway decently, corporations really let their scumbag colors fly. If the rumblings out of Las Vegas are true, then MGM is about to show the… Read more »
You can’t do that Professional golf is the latest sport to feel negative effects of sports betting, as two players have been suspended for gambling violations. Vince India and Jake Staiano, who golf on the Korn Ferry Tour, were suspended by the PGA Tour for placing wagers on PGA Tour events. Though neither player bet… Read more »
Sportsbooks better hope that this year’s top draft pick Victor Wembanyama is not a transcendent, game-changing talent immediately. It seems like, barring injury, that he will be eventually, but if he comes in and transforms the San Antonio Spurs into a playoff team, the bookmakers could be in trouble. The Spurs are one of the… Read more »
In an east coast echo of what happened to MGM Resorts International last month, New York casinos were hit by what is being called a “cybersecurity event” last week. Fortunately, it sounds like whatever the problem was has been solved and things are back to normal. There are fewer details as to what exactly happened… Read more »
