Gambling News
William Hill Acquires Australian Bookmaker Tom Waterhouse
(Reuters) - British betting giant William Hill Plc (WWHL) has agreed to buy Australian online betting firm Tom Waterhouse NT for up to A$110 million ($100 million) including debt, looking to become Australia's biggest online bookmaker.
William Hill, the world's largest betting agency by market value, has agreed to pay A$34 million up front and assume A$6 million in debt for tomwaterhouse.com, in a country that has the world's biggest gambling habit per capita.
Whitey Bulger Jury Deliberations Enter 4th Day
BOSTON — (Associated Press) - Jurors in the Boston racketeering trial of reputed mobster James “Whitey” Bulger deliberated for a third day Thursday without reaching a verdict.
The 12-member federal jury will return to the jury room Friday morning.
Bulger, 83, is accused of playing a role in 19 killings during the 1970s and ‘80s as leader of the Winter Hill Gang, Boston’s murderous Irish mob. He was captured in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2011 after 16 years as one of the nation’s most wanted fugitives.
Pay Per Head Services – 2013 Football Season
It’s that time again when pay per head services are in high demand.
IDSCA.com has joined the Gambling911.com family for the 2013 Football season.
Benefits from IDSCA.com include the following:
Quality Customer Support
Hacked PokerStars Account Gets $35K Returned
The PokerStars account of Doug “WCGRider” Polk was compromised this past spring, it was revealed by Polk himself on the TwoPlusTwo.com posting forum.
After Stars concluded an investigation, $35,000 was returned to Polk late in June.
PokerNews.com recounted what happened:
Maryland Casino Revenue up 27.6 Percent With Opening of New Casino
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Associated Press) — The opening of Maryland's largest casino went a long way to helping the state net nearly $830 million more in lottery and casino revenues in the last fiscal year — a 27.6 percent increase from the previous one.
The increase came despite a drop in traditional lottery revenue for the state from $556 million to $545 million. That money goes to the state's general fund.
Tropicana Casino Teams Up with Jackpotjoy.com Creator for Online Gambling in NJ
ATLANTIC CITY — The Tropicana is the latest Atlantic City casino to line up an online partner to help it offer Internet gambling later this year.
The Trop has joined with Gamesys Limited, which runs the jackpotjoy.com website.
“Gamesys has a proven track record in the UK of providing excellent products and customer service and we look forward to launching Tropicana’s Internet gaming business with them,” said Tony Rodio, the Tropicana’s president.
10-Package Punta Cana Tourney and $100k Guarantee Giveaway at ACR
San Jose, Costa Rica –If poker players thought August's Beast Anniversary celebration featuring an extra $51,000 in cash was enough to get excited about, they're in for a major surprise this Sunday. Americas Cardroom is hosting a 10-package Punta Cana Poker Classic guarantee on Sunday, August 11th at 6:00pm ET and a $100,000 Guaranteed tournament at 7:00pm ET.
The Beast Results in 50 Percent Traffic Spike at Americas Cardroom
Sure there are some Beast haters, but the one-year-old isn’t going anywhere any time soon as The Beast has resulted in a 50 percent traffic spike at Americas Cardroom.
Ladbrokes Struggles Continue: Can’t Take the Heat
LONDON (Reuters) - Ladbrokes' customers shunned UK betting shops and the gaming machines inside during July's heatwave, compounding a slide in first half operating profit which underscored the need to build up its online business.
Britain's second largest bookmaker has been less successful than larger rival William Hill in exploiting the growing online market and expanding overseas, making it more dependent on its chain of almost 2,300 shops on British high streets.
Two Winning Powerball Tickets Sold in New Jersey, One in Minnesota
LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. — At least three people in two states will split the $448.4 million Powerball jackpot, after two winning tickets were sold in New Jersey and one was sold in Minnesota, lottery officials said Thursday.
No winners immediately came forward to claim the jackpot. Winners in both states have a year from the date of the drawing to do so.
Casino Gambling May Be Voted Out of Massachusetts: Voters Will Choose
BOSTON (Associated Press) — A coalition of gambling opponents is pushing a proposed ballot question that would repeal the law legalizing casino gambling in Massachusetts.
The group says it filed the proposed question with the state attorney general's office on Wednesday, the deadline for submitting questions for the 2014 ballot.
PokerStars Announces Biggest Ever World Championship of Online Poker 2013
Players from across the globe to compete for $40 million in guaranteed prizes
ONCHAN, Isle of Man –PokerStars today officially announced the schedule for the World Championship of Online Poker 2013, which will take place from September 8-29 and be the largest to date with 66 events.
6 Nigerian Youths Set on Fire for Gambling
A Nigerian man set 6 youths on fire after they were discovered gambling in his back yard.
The incident occurred in the Oko area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital of Nigeria.
Ogun State police command, Mr Muyiwa Adejobi, advised news media that an accelerant had been poured onto the youths, then they were set ablaze.
$425 Million Powerball Drawing Attracts Huge Crowds
DES MOINES (Associated Press) — The allure of capturing the $425 million Powerball jackpot had players in a buying frenzy Wednesday, further confirming a trend that lottery officials say has become the big ticket norm: Fatigued Powerball players, increasingly blasé about smaller jackpots, often don't get into the game until the jackpot offers big bucks.
Meghan Graham, a convenience store worker from Brookline, Mass., has purchased nearly a dozen Powerball tickets in recent months thanks to the huge jackpots, and the third-largest-ever pot was enough reason to buy again.
Poker Pro Jon Aguiar Announces His Retirement: Will be Full Time With DraftKings
Poker Pro Jon Aguiar is done! Well, at least for now. We all know how these retirements go (a la Gus Hansen, who came close to retiring anyway).
Station Casinos Double Digit Growth But Mum on Internet Poker Impact
Station Casinos has announced double-digit growth during the 2nd quarter with a profit increase of 11 percent.
What Station Casinos did not disclose is the impact online poker has had on those numbers.
Nevada, NJ Consider Marriage in Online Gambling Sector After Early Bickering
(Reuters) - MGM Resorts International is working with Nevada officials who are discussing banding together with New Jersey to create a joint online gaming market, CEO Jim Murren told Reuters in an interview.
"I think it's likely that in 2014 we'll see a compact between New Jersey and Nevada," Murren said in an interview following the company's second-quarter earnings call.
New Website Launch for Gambling911.com
Just in time for football, Gambling911.com is launching a new web site that is ultra clean and integrates better with social networking. The content management system is faster, more efficient and will deliver gaming news around the world with a faster load time.
Another Man Pleads Guilty in Gambino Crime Family Gambling Case
A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty for his role in running an online gambling ring with ties to the Gambino crime family.
Richard "Big Baldy" Uva, 44, of Trumbull entered the plea Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith to conspiring to violate the federal Racketeer and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Uva faces up to 51 months in prison and a $75,000 fine.
He agreed to forfeit $87,268, or half of the $174,537 that law enforcement agents seized from him over two years ago along with another $162,731 within three years of his sentencing.
More Than $1.9 Million Won in the First Two Days of FTOPS XXIII
Onchan, Isle of Man –Full Tilt Poker’s flagship tournament series FTOPS XXIII kicked off on Sunday and over $1.9 million has been won in just two days.
Highlights included FTOPS Event #1 – a No Limit Hold’em tournament that easily surpassed its $500,000 guarantee. The tournament attracted 3,503 entrants, creating a prize pool of $700,600; kid_bramm came out on top to capture $129,611 and a first major title at Full Tilt Poker.
Lavery: ‘Game of Skill’ Argument was Lie Perpetrated by Online Poker Companies
“The ‘game of skill’ argument to support the legality of poker was a lie perpetrated by Online Poker companies to deceive consumers into depositing money on their gambling Internet sites,” said Chicago-based Gambling Law attorney Mark Lavery in an interview with Forbes.com Tuesday.
PPA Disappointed Over Court Reserving Ruling in U.S. vs. DiiCristina
John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, today issued the following statement regarding the unfortunate decision by the 2nd Circuit Court reversing a lower court’s ruling in U.S. v. Lawrence DiCristina in 2012 that found poker is indeed a game of skill and thus not gambling and not illegal under the Illegal Gambling Business Act (IGBA).
MGM Loss Narrows With Vegas Commitment
(RTTNews.com) - Casino operator MGM Resorts International MGM reported Tuesday a loss for the second quarter that narrowed from last year, as Las Vegas continued to rebound and MGM China reported record results.
Las Vegas, Nevada-based MGM Resorts reported a net loss of $92.96 million or $0.19 per share for the second quarter, narrower than $145.45 million or $0.30 per share in the prior-year quarter. Stripping out one-time items, MGM posted earnings of 4 cents per share.
888 to Bring its Online Gaming Brand to New Jersey
(Reuters) - London-listed 888 Holdings announced plans on Tuesday to launch online poker and casino games under its own brand in New Jersey this year when the state ends a ban on Internet gambling, entering a crowded field.
Internet betting was banned by Congress in 2006, dealing a blow to companies like 888 which had set up in the United States. However, tax-hungry states are now relaxing rules, creating opportunities for European players with years of expertise in the sector.
Lock Casino Adds Five Mobile Slots Games for iPhone, iPad
Lock Casino, one of the most successful online casinos, has unveiled a series of new products including 3D slots and mobile slots.
“The new interactive 3D slots will have movie-like graphics,” Senior Marketing Director Jay Park tells Gambling911.com.
As for the mobile casino platform, players can look forward to this new product offering very soon.
Devices supporting the new mobile online casino slots games include:
• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 5
• iPad 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation
6 Plead Guilty in Bribery Linked to Choctaw Casino
TULSA, Okla. (Associated Press) — Six people linked to the construction of a Choctaw Nation casino pleaded guilty to bribery charges, federal prosecutors announced Monday.
Five of the six people — Lauri Parsons, her husband Brent Parsons, Cordell Bugg, James Stewart, and Mark Eshenroder — owned or worked for companies that performed work or sold materials for the construction of the Durant casino, the U.S. attorney's office for the eastern district of Oklahoma said. The other person, Allen Franklin, was a project manager for the tribe.
Motion Filed to Suppress Evidence in Illegal Gambling Case
A new motion has been filed in an attempt to suppress evidence in a sports betting case that involves Jack Parker. He is the father of Brett Parker, a South Carolina bookmaker who is currently serving a life sentence for murdering his wife and an employee.
The evidence in question is a copy of an 8-page budget that could implicate, not only Jack Parker, but his deceased daughter-in-law.
From WISTV in Columbia:
Lock Poker Unveils New Forum to Address Players Directly. Shuts Down Forum on 2+2
Lock Poker has unveiled its own exclusive forum that can be found at the Lock Poker website, Gambling911.com can now reveal.
The new forum will help player issues get resolved much quicker as members will be linked to their actual poker account. This will also serve to eliminate so-called “trolling” and really allow Lock to deal with true player concerns. There is a min GGR requirement for those looking to participate on the new forum.
Cake Poker Rebrands as WinCake.com: Now Offers Sports Betting Online
In a huge industry move Monday, Cake Poker has announced a rebranding to WinCake.com along with news that it will begin offering sports betting, a web browsing format, and a $2 million jackpot casino.
Bwin.party Snatches Up PokerStars Exec Jeffrey Haas
eGaming Review Magazine is reporting that Bwin.party Head of Online Poker Chris Welch will be leaving next month and that his replacement is Jeffrey Haas, an executive from PokerStars, the world’s largest real money Web poker firm.
