Gambling News
New Hampshire Rejects Casino Bill
CONCORD, N.H. (Associated Press) — In line with decades of opposition to casinos, the House turned aside lobbying by the governor and arguments that New Hampshire should compete with Massachusetts for gambling dollars to vote down yet another casino bill Wednesday.
After two hours of debate, the House voted 199-164 to kill a Senate bill that would allow 5,000 video slot machines and 150 table games at one facility. Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan had lobbied heavily for its passage, and supporters said New Hampshire needed money for higher education, highways and other programs.
Bitcoin Economy Now Worth $1 Billion
The Bitcoin economy is now worth a whopping $1 billion and, despite a few near death experiences, continues to grow.
This past weekend, some 1000 people attended the Bitcoin 2013 event in San Jose, California.
Caesars to Debut Online Poker Site in Nevada by End of Summer
(Reuters) - Caesars Entertainment Group said it plans to go live this summer with an online poker site in Nevada, the only U.S. state so far to offer legal Internet gambling, and will promote the nascent service to thousands of poker players at its World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament in Las Vegas starting May 29.
Caesars is among several gaming companies preparing to go live with online sites in the United States which could eventually generate billions of dollars in revenue for the casino industry and local governments.
Ladbrokes Cutting Up to 100 Jobs
(Reuters) - Ladbrokes said as many as 100 employees at its headquarters in Harrow could lose their jobs as Britain's second-largest bookmaker transfers a number of roles to its operation in Israel, set up as part of its agreement with gaming software developer Playtech.
In March, Playtech and Ladbrokes, which has struggled to keep up with the online offering of UK market leader William Hill, finalised an agreement for the former to advise and assist the bookmaker with its digital services for an initial period of five years.
’60 Minutes’ to Offer Update on WSEX Story, Discuss Schillinger Suicide
Gambling911.com’s Thomas Somach has confirmed that the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” will be airing an update on a story about online gambling that featured co-founders of the now defunct sports betting site World Sports Exchange
Somach tells Gambling911.com "60 Minutes" will simply be mentioning the suicide, likely at the end of an upcoming program. The exact date is not known. The original story about WSEX.com and Schillinger from 12 years ago is not likely to be re-aired.
Dutch Online Gambling Market to Open Up by 2015
The Netherlands gambling monopoly will be coming to an end, it was announced on Wednesday.
Foreign i-Gaming firms will soon be permitted to operate under strict licensing guidelines.
And…as one might suspect….there will be a tax imposed on licensees.
From DutchNews.com:
2013 World Series of Poker Europe Schedule Unveiled
The 2013 World Series of Poker Europe schedule has been released with the High Roller No-Limit-Hold’em event to take place October 22.
The Main Event will kick off on October 20 and continue on for seven days.
Altogether there are a total of nine events taking place during this year’s WSOPE.
Revel Casino in Atlantic City Exits Bankruptcy
CAMDEN, N.J. (Associated Press) — Revel will be getting a new start soon — with new owners.
A bankruptcy court judge on Monday approved the Atlantic City casino's Chapter 11 reorganization plan that wipes out most of its debt and provides new money for it to operate.
Judge Judith Wizmur gave the OK to Revel's plan to grant an 82 percent ownership stake to lenders in return for canceling $1.2 billion worth of debt.
2012 WSOP Main Event Champ Greg Merson Throws First Pitch for Orioles Tuesday Night
Greg Merson, the $8.5 winner of the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event, threw out the first pitch at Tuesday night’s Orioles-Yankees game (May 21).
Merson announced the news on his Twitter feed:
Red Bull Announces Exclusive Partnership With International Stadiums Poker Tour
It was announced on Tuesday that energy drink Red Bull will act as the official beverage choice at the first ever International Stadiums Poker Tour (ISPT).
Free Sports Betting for Prizes Could be Introduced in New Jersey
For the time being, New Jersey will not be permitted to offer sports betting for real money, however, the Monmouth Racetrack is looking into a free sports betting platform for the upcoming Football season.
Bwin.Party Revenues Fall to Lowest in Three Years
Bwin.Party quarterly revenues have fallen to their lowest in three years.
Chief executive Norbert Teufelberger said revenues were unlikely to start improving until the second half of the year, but was confident the group would hit targets outlined in March.
“We guided the market that we expected revenues will decline this year by up to 10 per cent versus 2012,” he said. “Despite the first quarter revenue performance, we remain comfortable with our guidance,” he added.
Private Equity Groups, Syndicates Won’t Be Permitted in Nevada
Nevada state Senate bill 346 that would have permitted large groups to place sports bets within the state has failed to pass the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Friday.
Another bill that would have allowed bets on the outcome of federal elections also joined the scrap heap, the AP reported.
Nevada Gaming Control Board Continues to Probe Colbert, Cantor Gaming
Following last October’s indictment of former Cantor Gaming Sportsbook head Mike Colbert and 24 others, the Nevada gaming Control Board continues to conduct an investigation of its own.
PokerStars Eliminates Bumhunting, Ratholing
The world’s largest real money online poker room, PokerStars, announced this week it will no longer permit the practice known as bumhunting.
The new practice is aimed at protecting players.
So what exactly is bumhunting?
This is where regular players set up online poker tables and effectively lie in wait for novices.
Pat Steele Wins $155k on Heartland Poker Tour
Mount Pleasant, MI - Just before play began Monday at Heartland Poker Tour’s nationally-televised Final Table, 37-year-old Pat Steele said he was “going to have a lot of fun here.” That he did.
Federation Internationale de Poker Association New 2013 International Poker Rules
Birkirkara, MALTA - The Federation Internationale de Poker Association (FIDPA) announces the launch of the revamped fidpa.com website, featuring the 2013 International Poker Rules (the IP Rules) and its all-new Mobile App, designed for today’s traveling poker player on-the-go.
Jamie Gold Auctions Off His World Series of Poker Bracelet
The biggest World Series of Poker (WSOP) winner of all time, Jamie Gold, has sold his bracelet.
Gold won the 2006 WSOP Main Event and the $12 million cash prize that came with it. Gold was later forced to share half of that amount with another individual, Crispin Leyser, who had entered into a business relationship with Gold prior to the event.
‘The Outsider’ Details Tennis Great Jimmy Connors $1 Million Bet on Himself
Tennis great Jimmy Connors has released his autobiography “The Outsider” detailing a $1 million wager he once placed on himself in a 1992 matchup with Martina Navratilova.
His wager had Navratilova beaten in straight sets and that he would lose no more than eight games. Ultimately he would go on to win the bet
Cantor Gaming Using Algorithms in Creating Sports Betting Lines
Great article appearing on Wired.com on how Cantor Gaming has begun to use algorithms in determining game lines for its sports betting operations.
Cantor Gaming runs a number of sportsbooks in Las Vegas, including at the M Resort.
Annie Duke: ‘I Never Used Tool That Gave Me Access to Hole Cards’
Poker pro and former UB.com representative/owner Annie Duke released a statement on her Facebook page over the weekend insisting she never used a tool that allowed her to see other players hole cards while online.
Skrill Unauthorized Logins Have Online Gamblers Worried
A spate of reported unauthorized Skrill logins have the online gambling community on edge.
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Skrill, formerly known as Moneybookers, is a popular money transfer platform for those gamblers living outside the United States. It is similar to PayPal.
Assailants Used Bricks to Bash Lawyer in Gambling Mecca of Macau
HONG KONG – (Associated Press) - A Macau lawyer assaulted in broad daylight in the Chinese gambling haven says the attack was an attempt to intimidate him.
The two assailants used bricks to bash the lawyer, Jorge Menezes, on the head before fleeing in last week's attack.
The former Portuguese colony has largely shed its reputation for triad violence.
Menezes said Monday he believed the attack was intended to intimidate him over his work but he wouldn't say who he thought was behind it.
Legends Sports Head Man Remains Behind Bars: Denied $2.5 Mil Bond
Bartice King, aka Luke King, will remain behind bars after Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Dickerson Cox filed a motion for revocation of the order of release entered by Western District of Oklahoma Magistrate Judge Shon T. Erwin.
UltimatePoker Peaks at Near 350 Players Over Weekend
The 24-hour peak traffic for UltimatePoker.com was coming in at 350 over this weekend, decent numbers considering they only take customers from the US state of Nevada.
UltimatePoker.com became the first legal US-based online poker site to allow play for real money last month.
US Federal Online Poker Bill to be Introduced by End of Month
The Poker Players Alliance is reporting that a federal bill to legalize online poker could be presented as early as this month (May 2013).
Affidavits Provide Window Into Russian Mob Tied Gambling Operation
A major gambling ring bust last month netted the head of a prominent art gallery, a so-called “Poker Princess” and associates of an alleged Russian-tied crime organization.
Bitcoin Online Poker Room Infiniti Poker Launch Pushed Back to August
Infiniti Poker has delayed its launch another few months after originally targeting an early spring debut. The room will allow US players via the digital currency Bitcoin.
Infiniti Poker released the following statement this weekend:
Is This the Beginning of the End of MCC 7995 for Online Gambling in Regulated States
The new Ultimate Poker, Station Casino’s online poker property, is now accepting Mastercard transactions, making them the first licensed poker room in the United States to do so.
Powerball Drawing Nears Record Level at Over Half a Billion
(Associated Press) - Less than 10 months after three tickets split a world-record lottery prize, the jackpot for Saturday's Powerball drawing was nearing historic territory once again.
Should nobody pick the correct six numbers, the prize money will roll over to next week's drawing and almost certainly eclipse the $656 million doled out to winners in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland in the Mega Millions game in March 2012.
