Gambling
DeCavalcante Crime Family Boss John Riggi Dies: Was Not Inspiration for ‘Sopranos’
The one time crime boss of a family once believed to have inspired the hit series “The Sopranos” has passed away at the age of 90.
John Riggi of Edison, New Jersey was confirmed dead by the Corsentino Home for Funerals in Elizabeth, N.J. at the age of 90.
Riggi had served 20 years for racketeering with additional terms tacked on for complicity in contract killings. He was released in 2012.
Ladbrokes Shares Fall 0.7 Percent on News of Huge Profit Plunge
Bookmaker Ladbrokes fell 0.7 percent on news of a 44-percent drop in adjusted first-half profit to 24.7 million pounds, reflecting less betting on football and a string of customer-friendly results. Its update was in-line with guidance.
The betting giant had already warned that its revenues were flat at £588.8 million coming into Tuesday's announced financials report.
Michigan Mafia to Blame for State Rep’s Sex With Gay Prostitute Scandal
Michigan State Representative Todd Courser (R-Lapeer) is blaming the East Lansing Mafia for trying to blackmail him because of his political beliefs.
“I see this as the way the establishment machine gets everyone to do what they are told to do and have no one question their authority,” says Courser.
Double Taxation Leads to Ladbrokes First Half Year Slump: Results Released
Investors are cringing ahead of UK bookmaker Ladbrokes release of first year financials Tuesday.
The betting giant has already warned that its revenues were flat at £588.8 million.
Not only did punters perform favorably during the first half of 2015, Ladbrokes and a number of its competitors were also hit by Chancellor George Osborne’s tax raids in December and March.
Son-In-Law of Late Mobster John Gotti Indicted on Charges of Racketeering
The son-in-law of late Mob kingpin John Gotti was formerly indicted over the weekend for his alleged role in a $4.2 million scrap metal processing fraud.
Paddy Power New Tagline: ‘You’re F***ing Welcome’
Controversial Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has released a new ad campaign with the tagline “You’re F***ing Welcome”. Because Gambling911.com is a family website, we can’ spell out the word featuring a few missing letters, but some of our more savvy readers can figure it out.
Ladbrokes to Release Interims Tuesday: Pre-Tax Loss Anticipated
Ladbrokes will release interims Tuesday, with an update certain on its planned merger with Coral, and probably further details of its troubled Irish arm, which is due to exit examinership.
Investors in Ladbrokes (LSE: LAD.L ) were bracing for the bookmaker to slump to a loss this week when the gambling company takes after hit from writing down the value of its shop estate.
They were expect to record an impairment charge of between £75m and £85m when it posts first-half results on Tuesday, pushing the bookie to a pre-tax loss.
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
Can Dribble Creators Get It Right This Time With Daily Fantasy Premiere League App
Dribble is the latest entry into the highly competitive Daily Fantasy Sports sector. It is the fourth app developed by the duo of Daniel Qu and Nicholas P. Wright.
“It brings players the easiest way to craft dream squads and to see how they measure up against friends and random opponents,” the site claims.
FantasyUp Could Go Belly Up Some Fear: Daily Fantasy Sports Site Slow Paying
A Daily Fantasy Sports site utilizing a “no rake” business model, FantasyUp, appears to be ready to pay the piper.
Can Rake Free Work in Daily Fantasy Sports? CBS Sportsline Thinks So
CBS Sportsline introduced its Daily Fantasy Sports platform this past week with a rake free concept that is sure to give industry leaders DraftKings and FanDuel and run for their money.
CBS’ DFS Director Grant Griffin tweeted this week that they were not planning on featuring rake any time soon although many believe the new NFL season will require the media conglomerate to change its model.
Ring Leaders in Violent California Sports Betting Ring Sentenced: Got Off Light
Two brothers, both of whom were ring leaders of a violent California-based illegal sports betting ring, have been sentenced to less than two years in prison and each must pay a fine of $50,000. Each had been facing up to 20 years prison time.
Erik Portocarrero, 44, and his brother, Jan Harald Portocarrero, 42, ran Macho Sports out of both California and the South American nation of Peru.
GVC Holdings Not Giving Up On Bwin.Party: The Timeline
GVC Holdings Plc, whose offer for the company was turned down in favor of a one from rival 888 Holdings Plc, has twice come back with higher offers.
All eyes are now on Bwin to see what it decides and whether 888 will return with a higher offer.
Following are some of the key developments in the long-running saga:
May 5, 2014 - American activist investor Jason Ader claims support for Bwin.Party shake-up to tackle what he describes as a continuing decline in the business.
May 22, 2014 - Bwin.party agrees deal with investor on board changes.
Per Head Strategy of the Week: Payment Processing
Just like there are super successful and wealthy businessmen in the world, there are many factors that distinguish the most successful online gambling operations from those that just limp along slowly over the years, barely surviving.
Daily Fantasy Sports Expo Day Two Agenda Features Forbes, Fox Sports, DraftKings
Day 2 of the first ever Daily Fantasy Sports Expo in Miami Beach takes place Friday with speakers that include the likes of DraftKings, Forbes, CBS Sports and many more. Gambling911.com founder Chris Costigan will host the final round table panel.
The evolution of Mobile Casinos
It may surprise you to learn that mobile casinos have been around for well over a decade now, however with the way in which mobile phones and tablet devices have been evolving over the years the mobile casino gaming platforms that are now available have changed from all recognition compared to those original mobile gaming platforms.
Gambler Drops Cocaine on Casino Floor: Gets $300 Fine
A gambler in Australia charged with dropping 0.34 grams of cocaine on a table while gambling plead guilty and received a $300 fine.
The Australian Broadcast Corporation reported that the drugs fells out of his wallet when he was grabbing money to place a bet.
He continued to try to gamble, shrugging off the incident and telling police the cocaine was “just a few party drugs for tonight”.
Gambling Kingpin Wang Bo Deported Back to China
The Philippines Bureau of Immigration on Thursday confirmed the deportation of Chinese gambling lord Wang Bo.
BI Spokesperson Elaine Tan said that Wang was escorted by four Chinese nationals and boarded a flight back to Guangzhou, China on Thursday at 9 am.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima issued the summary deportation (SDO) order for Wang last March.
MGM Files Lawsuit Against Connecticut Governor Over Preferential Treatment
HARTFORD, Conn. (Associated Press) — Casino developer MGM Resorts International filed a lawsuit Tuesday against several top state officials, including Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, saying a law he signed that could lead to a third tribal casino in the state is unconstitutional because it gives two tribes preferential treatment.
MGM, which plans to open its own $800 million facility in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, asked the federal court to declare the law “invalid, null, and void in its entirety” and stop officials from abiding by it.
First Ever Daily Fantasy Sports Expo Forecast – Sunny, Hot and Lots of Dollar Signs
Gambling911.com sister site DFS911.com will be a main sponsor at the first ever Daily Fantasy Sports Expo taking place in Miami Beach Thursday and Friday.
Late last year, Gambling911.com founder Chris Costigan pushed conference organizer and long time colleague Marc Lesnick to host this event and it appears as if it will meet – if not exceed – initial expectations.
The fear all along hasn’t been so much about attracting the top talent and attendees but more so the potential for inclement weather.
Baaaaaad Boys: Mafia Figures ‘Sheep’ Code Broken by Authorities
(Reuters) - Police in Sicily arrested 11 suspected mobsters they believe were helping Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro evade capture and spread his orders to the rest of the criminal organisation - via handwritten notes.
The suspects used coded language to communicate with the highest-ranking Sicilian mob boss currently at large, police said in a statement.
Malta Suspends Nine Online Gambling Licenses in Wake of Mafia Scandal
One of the largest online gambling jurisdictions, Malta, has come under extreme scrutiny in recent days following news that a former prime minister’s son had ties to the Italian mafia, more specifically he ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate.
Last week, Italian authorities €2bn (£1.4bn, $2.2bn) of assets that belonged to the organization.
Daily Fantasy Sports Land in Gambling Industry Crosshairs
(Reuters) Mike Petta played Internet poker until 2011, when most U.S. poker websites were shut down. Last year, the 31-year-old father of two quit his job as an accountant to play fantasy sports full time, spending thousands of dollars a night entering fantasy sports contests. Now, the gambling industry wants him back.
Macau Gaming Revenue Drops 34.5 Percent in July
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Gaming revenue in Macau fell 34.5 percent in July from the previous year, hovering around five-year lows as wealthy Chinese punters stayed away from the world's biggest gambling hub.
The decline, however, was narrower than the 36 percent drop in June and in line with analysts estimates for a fall of around 34-35 percent.
Gambling revenue fell year-on-year to 18.6 billion patacas ($2.3 billion), according to data released by the Macau government on Monday. In June, revenues fell to 17.4 billion patacas.
Spring Owl Investor Jason Ader Wants More Than a Billion for Bwin.Party
Following news last week that GVC had stepped in to outbid 888 Holdings in the acquisition of Bwin.party by offering a billion dollars, Spring Owl investor Jason Ader reportedly says that figure is not good enough.
Ader, who serves on the board of Bwin.party, was influential in arranging the 888 Holdings deal.
But a billion dollars and change will most certainly raise some eyebrows.
The current 888 deal is worth 104.09p per share, and the revised GVC offer is 122.5p per share. Ader wants that to rise to 140p per share.
Gambler Who Blamed Satan Ordered to Pay Over $2 Million to Casino
A gambling addict has been ordered to repay a casino £2.2m.
Safa Abdulla Al Geabury, 52, a Swiss national, was ordered by a UK Court to return the monies to the famed Ritz Casino.
Abdulla had argued that he should not have to pay the debt based on his assertion that the casino knew he was a gambling addict.
The wealthy gambler also claimed he had a “brain problem” and that the “Devil made me gamble”.
BetOnSports Founder Must Pay $36 Mil in Back Taxes: Loses Appeal
ST. LOUIS (Associated Press) - A federal appeals court has rejected attempts by the founder of a former online betting site to avoid paying $36 million in delinquent taxes and penalties, dismissing claims that his plea deal in a related criminal case precluded the government from pursuing the debt.
Foxwoods May be Exploring Daily Fantasy Sports
(Gambling911.com Fantasy Sports Wire) - With the final hours of online registration for the highly anticipated and first ever Daily Fantasy Sports Expo in Miami Beach next week, Gambling911.com can confirm that Foxwoods Casino will be in attendance.
Gambler Sues Casino for $300K After Roulette Ball Hits Him in Face
A Washington, D.C. resident is suing Maryland Live! Casino for $300,000 after a roulette ball hit him in the face in December 2013.
The complaint itself was filed back in November and amended this week. Maryland Live! had previously attempted to have the complaint dismissed.
Investigators Under Investigation in Criminal Casino Case
BOSTON (Associated Press) - A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday over allegations that private investigators working for Wynn Resorts gained unauthorized access to files in a joint state and federal criminal probe that now figures into Massachusetts's biggest casino project.
U.S. District Court Magistrate Marianne Bowler took the arguments under advisement and is expected to decide whether to hold a hearing on the allegations as requested by defense lawyers for former owners of the waterfront property where Wynn wants to develop a $1.7 billion casino.
Las Vegas Attempts to Tame Rowdy Street Performers
LAS VEGAS — (Associated Press) - A bawdy gauntlet of street performers and tip-seeking costumed characters crowding Las Vegas’ Fremont Street have been driving tourists away, city leaders said today as they moved toward imposing new rules to rein in the rowdy atmosphere.
