Gambling
Fantasy eSports and the U.S. Legal Environment
Noted gaming and fantasy sports attorney Jeff Ifrah reports on five critical elements to understand before a fantasy eSports site sets up shop in the United States.
Two Dealers Indicted in Bellagio Cheating Scheme
(Associated Press) - Two former casino dealers and two friends are accused of siphoning more than $1 million off craps tables over two years, using phantom bets at a posh Las Vegas Strip resort.
New Caesars Entertainment Corp CEO Shocked by Lack of Innovation
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — New Caesars Entertainment Corp. CEO Mark Frissora said he's been shocked at the casino industry's lack of innovation in appealing to younger would-be gamblers.
"The time is now," he said, speaking Wednesday on a panel at the industry's annual trade show, the Global Gaming Expo, in Las Vegas.
Unsolved Mysteries of Gambling Part 3: Did the Shrink Fake His Own Death?
The date was April 10, 2010, a Sunday--Easter Sunday, in fact.
That morning, rumors started appearing on the Internet, via sports betting posting forums and elsewhere, that a well-known figure in the sports betting world--Ken "The Shrink" Weitzner--had died.
Weitzner, who pretended to be a psychiatrist as his gimmick, created one of the first sports betting portals on the Internet--called The Prescription (www.therx.com)--and then sold it for $2 million and started a competing site, Eye on Gambling (www.eog.com).
G2E Red Carpet Celebrities for Awards Show: We Thought Half of These Were Dead
A star-studded red carpet was to kick off the third annual Casino Entertainment Awards as part of this year’s Global Gaming Expo (G2E), featuring celebrities that looked more like a who’s who of “The Walking Dead” (and we’re not talking the actual cast from that show either).
Bet365 Profits Up 92 Percent With More Growth Anticipated
Private UK betting firm Bet365 has seen its profits skyrocket 92 percent to £410.2m after a 43 per cent rise in sports gamblers.
Bet365’s success comes at a time when rivals Paddy Power and Betfair along with Ladbrokes and Coral are in the process of seeking mergers.
DraftKings Ads Can Now Feature Current NFL Players as Part of Marketing Deal
DraftKings, one of the top two Daily Fantasy Sports sites in the world, will now be able to feature current NFL players in its ads as part of a new marketing deal with the league.
Launched in 2012, the website has managed to raise $300 million in financing this season, much of which has been used for marketing purposes.
RAWA Co-Author Stumbles After Chart Gaffe at Planned Parenthood Witch Hunt
Utah Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz seemingly wouldn’t let Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards get a word in edgewise during a Congressional grilling, which culminated with a irreprehensible error on Chaffetz part, one that he failed to correct but his quivering and lack of words spoke volumes.
Chaffetz is one of the co-authors of Restore Americas Wire Act (RAWA), a piece of legislation that looks to ban most forms of online gambling in the United States.
NRA Could be Next Group Up in Arms Over Online Gambling Prohibition Bill
The right to bear arms could be threatened should the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) be enacted.
Bob Adelmann of the New American suggests this is a very likely possibility.
Two GOP Presidential candidates, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham, are behind the Internet gambling prohibition bill that is being pushed by GOP mega donor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
Adelmann writes:
BetOnline Players had Most Profitable Weekend in Company’s History
Yet another gambler has beaten up on popular online gambling site BetOnline, this time after hitting a massive parlay over the weekend.
AGA Says it has Proof of Ties Between Illegal Gambling and Organized Crime
The American Gaming Association (AGA) met with officials across the United States to discuss what it calls “groundbreaking new research showing the extent of illegal gambling and its ties to organized crimes”.
Ten People Shot in Gambling Dispute at Busy Events Center
Ten people were hit by gunfire during an early morning Sunday gambling dispute at a small West Georgia town. All the victims, five females and five males, were expected to survive.
The incident occurred at the Hill Haven Event Center in Greenville, about 60 miles southwest of Atlanta.
Citigroup Maintains ‘Sell’ Rating on Bwin.party Stock
On Monday, Citigroup issued an analyst note maintaining a “sell” rating on Bwin.party’s stock.
The target price would indicated a potential downside of 39.08% from the company’s current stock price.
Handful of Women’s Groups Oppose Online Gambling Prohibition in U.S.
Among those in stiff opposition to legislation that would ban online gambling in the United States are none other than women’s groups such as Independent Women’s Voice and Independent Women’s Voice.
Top 10 Countries With the Biggest Gambling Losses: U.S. Ranks Number One
The United States of America ranks number one in terms of overall gambling losses by country, according to a report by The Economist, citing British consultancy H2 Gambling Capital.
BetOnline Live Dealer Casino Player Turns $1870 Into Over $300K
BetOnline.ag’s Dave Mason advised Gambling911.com Saturday evening that the online Live Dealer Casino site is in the midst of giving away one of the biggest payouts ever.
Sportsbook.ag Friday MLB Betting Preview
The Rangers and Astros continue to fight for the top position in the AL West when the teams meet in Houston on Friday.
TEXAS RANGERS (83-69) at HOUSTON ASTROS (80-73)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Texas +126, Houston -136, Total: 8
A Warning to Players at Playtech Powered Casinos
When playing at an online casino, nothing beats the thrill of winning big.It is the reason punters flock to betting sites and put their hard-earned money into the casino. Thus, when a lucky player named Natalia won $2,973,077 at Casino Bellini in August,she was absolutely thrilled. Unfortunately for her, Bellini Casino has a policy of paying out winnings at a rate of just $9.990 per month.
Man Who Killed Wife With Mallet Before Heading to Casino Sentenced to Life
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Associated Press) – A South Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison for beating his wife to death with a mallet.
A Broward County judge sentenced 68-year-old Robert Oulton on Thursday. He was convicted last month of second-degree murder.
New York Times: Daily Fantasy Sports and Hidden Costs of Weird U.S. Gambling Laws
The New York Times on Thursday discusses how some odd piece of legislation, the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act, has helped to facility today’s boom in Daily Fantasy Sports, the very activity it was likely trying to prevent.
Online gambling diehards know the legislation well and by its abbreviated form UIGEA.
Premier Per Head Unique Prop Bet Offerings
One of the keys to running a successful sports bookmaking business is creating as many betting opportunities as you can for your customers. While sports will always be the driving force behind the majority of the action that you take in, sometimes outside events in the world of entertainment or even politics will capture the imagination of the betting public.
Bookies Behaving Badly Part 6: Mark Del Popolo, Attorney at Flaw
He was a lawyer who thought he was above the law. In reality, though, he was an early e-scamster who gave both bookmaking and bunco a bad name.
He is Mark Del Popolo, a Syracuse, N.Y. attorney-turned-Internet bookie who dreamed of being a mobster and executed the first big online bookmaking scam of the 21st century.
NFL Commish Sees Difference Between Fantasy and Sports Betting
An unsealed 2012 deposition unveiled Wednesday by ESPN shows some of the rationale of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s staunch stance against on illegal sports betting.
He and a league executive testified at the time that an association between gambling and the NFL “would damage fans’ perception of the game while downplaying the significance of the league’s playing games in London and its relationship to fantasy sports”.
Macau Casino Revenue Drops 19 Percent After Credit to High Rollers Reduced
(Bloomberg News) - Macau casino shares closed lower in Hong Kong after Deutsche Bank AG said gaming revenue was hurt last week due to a move by junket operators to reduce credit offered to high-end gamblers.
Gross gaming revenue fell 19 percent to 493 million patacas ($62 million) a day last week, or 18 percent below the average so far this quarter, Deutsche Bank AG analyst Karen Tang wrote in a note Wednesday. Junket operators reduced lending after a reported theft at a competitor "prompted others to withdraw deposits from various junkets," Tang wrote.
College Athletes Found Playing on DraftKings, FanDuel to Lose One Year Eligibility
In a shocking turn of events Tuesday it was revealed that the NCAA plans to penalize any college athlete found playing on Daily Fantasy Sports sites like DraftKings and FanDuel.
Athletic Director for Mississippi State, Scott Strickland, tweeted:
… any athlete found to be gambling on college sports (includes daily fantasy such as Draft Kings) automatically loses a year of eligibility.
Mass AG on DraftKings: ‘This is a New Industry, It’s Something We Are Reviewing’
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey says her office is reviewing the business practices of Daily Fantasy Sports website Draftkings to ensure they are operating within the legal framework of current law.
ESPN to Back Away From College Football Gambling Talk Amidst Backlash
This month, it was announced that ESPN would take a more aggressive approach in reporting on gambling point spreads as part of its sports coverage. Now comes word the 24 hours sports network may be reconsidering this approach.
From Sports Illustrated:
No Need to Panic Over Daily Fantasy Sports Congressional Scrutiny Says Expert
An industry expert laughed off concerns over efforts by New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone’s attempt to study Daily Fantasy Sports and their relationship to the four professional leagues.
Joe Brennan, Jr., an industry expert who himself will be launching a new DFS site based in London, England, Fast Fantasy, pointed to efforts by certain politicians to stop legalized online poker in the U.S.
Brennan, Jr. tweeted last week:
Shocking Video Emerges of Bungling Machete and Scythe Waving Casino Bandits
Two men were jailed Monday for their role in a brazen casino robbery last October with every horrifying moment caught on video surveillance.
Wayne Marsh, 33, and Grant Walker, 24, are both seen in the video waving a scythe and machete in people’s faces while bundling banknotes into a bag. An accomplice Andrew Warley, 41, was also placed behind bars Monday.
The two men made a number of bungled missteps while attempting to flee the Walsall’s Grosvenor Casino in Bentley.
4 Ways Price Per Head Agents Can Double Their Bookie Revenue
It might cost you less to keep an existing customer than it does to gain a new one, but let's face it, without new players for your online bookie business you're never going to grow.