Sportsbook News

Bodog, Calvin Ayre, et al. Indictment (Full Court Document)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  :

v.

BODOG ENTERTAINMENT GROUP S.A., d/b/a BODOG.com, CALVIN AYRE, JAMES PHILIP,

DAVID FERGUSON, and DERRICK MALONEY,

Defendants.

: :    CRIMINAL NO. :      (Conducting gambling business, :  18 U.S.C. §1955; Money :      laundering conspiracy, 18 U.S.C. :       §1956(h); Aiding and :   abetting, 18 U.S.C. §2; : Forfeiture, 18 U.S.C. :         §§982(a)(1) and 1955(d)). :

...ooo0ooo... INDICTMENT COUNT ONE (Conducting gambling business)

Defendants in Hellinger Case to Reach Plea Agreement Tuesday

Gambling911.com has learned that defendants in an online gambling case dating back to 2005 are set to enter pleas on Tuesday.

The US Attorney’s Office in Eastern Pennsylvania charged Don Hellinger and four other men with illegal distribution of over $40 million in Internet gambling winnings during the years 2005 and 2006 through a money transfer company, Payment Processing, Inc.  Hellinger was also alleged to have been involved in mail fraud. 

US Government Responds to Hellinger Case Motion to Continue

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Friday responded to defendant Jami Pearlman’s Motion to Continue and Sever the March 12, 2012 trial whereby he and five other individuals are charged with illegally processing payments for various online gambling companies during a period from January 2005 to February 2006. 

i-Gaming North America 2012 Conference to Take Place March 4-6

Everybody with even the slightest interest in the potential for legalized Internet gambling in North America will be in attendance at the first ever i-Gaming North America 2012 Conference, being held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas March 4 thru 6.

i-Gaming North America describes itself as the first networking and educational event designed to introduce the land-based gaming businesses of North America to the global iGaming industry.

Speakers include:

Alexandra Berzon, Reporter, Wall Street Journal

Over 200 Sports Fixing Probes in Last Four Years

The Daily Star this weekend reports that there were over 200 sports match fixing probes in the United Kingdom in just the last four years. 

From The Daily Star:

Of 210 cases probed by the Gambling Commission since September 2007 nearly all have been over sporting fixtures.

And the majority involve football, horse racing, tennis and snooker.

But they also show that very few cases ever get to court.

Everleaf Poker Should Never Have Been Allowing Washington State Citizens to Play

We have finally learned after days of speculation that Everleaf Poker’s woes come from transmitting funds for online poker to and from the state of Washington.  It is the only state in the U.S. to make playing Internet poker a Class C felony and has done so since 2009 when the investigation into a payment processor utilized by Everleaf had commenced. 

Title 18 U.S.C 1084(b) was cited in the seizure affidavit issued by the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Music Execs Streaming Pirated NFL Games as DOJ Seizes Hundreds of Similar Websites

The music industry has been behind a massive push to knock file sharing and download websites offline while engaging in the same practice they condemn last week.

VEVO, a music portal owned by a few major record labels in the US reportedly had a pirated NFL playoff game playing on screens throughout its ‘PowerStation’ venue at last week’s Sundance festival, according to TechCrunch.

William Hill Becomes Official Sponsor of England Football Team

The United Kingdom’s largest bookmaker, William Hill, has been confirmed as an official sponsor of the England football team.

Peter Daire, the FA's Head of Sponsorship, said:

"We are delighted to have William Hill on board.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara Seizes 16 Live Streaming Sports Sites Days Before Super Bowl

U.S. prosecutors seized 16 websites that streamed live sports events on Friday, just two days prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl.  A Michigan man was charged with running nine of those websites.

Yonjo Quiroa (AKA Ronaldo Solano), 28, faces one count of criminal infringement of a copyright and will likely not serve any prison time.

Odds on Whether US Law Enforcement Takes Down Online Sportsbook for Super Bowl 2012

Gambling911.com has been covering all the hundreds of 2012 Super Bowl betting props that are currently out there.  Each year there are always a few novel prop bets such as this year’s What Color Will Madonna’s Hair Be and we’re still waiting on those Gisele Bundchen bets.

So with the US Government’s aggressive action against online gambling websites over this past year, we couldn’t help but wonder what the odds might be for a Super Bowl surprise.

Ladbrokes Buys Stakes in US-Based Stadium Technology Group

One of the United Kingdom’s largest bookmakers has bought a 65 per cent stake in US-based Stadium Technology Group, which specializes in sports betting technology and is used by a number of Las Vegas sportsbooks. 

“The size of the US market and potential for positive regulatory change in the coming years make it a sensible place to establish a presence,” said Richard Glynn, Ladbrokes’ chief executive. “Stadium Technology is already one of the key software suppliers to casinos in Nevada and Delaware and it has the potential to expand.”

World Sports Exchange Slow Paying 123 Players $738,852 to Date

World Sports Exchange (WSEX.com) is like Somalia, a failed state….but they still exist.  SportsBookReview.com is reporting that it has documented 123 players currently waiting on payments that total $738,852.  Many players have been waiting over a year for payouts, though it should be noted a few are trickling in.

Ongame Sale Unlikely to be Finalised by Year’s End

LONDON (SHARECAST) – Online gaming company Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment has reported a 'solid' performance since September, with its core margin for the full year set to be between 22% and 24%.

However, investors were disappointed by news that the sale of Ongame B2B is unlikely to be finalised before the end of the year despite being at an "advanced stage".

The firm said revenue performance since the end of September has been in-line with management's expectations and it remains on-track to deliver around €40m of annualised synergies in 2012 and €65m in 2013.

Belgium Online Gambling Blacklist Likely to Feature Bwin

Belgium has announced plans to incorporate a so-called “blacklist of online gambling websites”, a move that is seen as shocking in most industry circles.

Belgium’s biggest city of Brussels is considered the de facto capital of the European Union.  The EU has worked hard to abolish individual nation prohibition of Internet gambling within its membership organization, even going as far as to condemn the United States for its position against Web gambling.