Mob Rat Turns Dog Trainer for Disabled Vets
Mob rat Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano, now serving 20 years in prison on a drug conviction, is attempting to get his sentenced reduced by training dogs for disabled vets.
The former Gambino underboss, now 70, had his attorney Thomas Farinella present papers in Brooklyn Federal Court to demonstrate the good work he has done while in prison.
Man Admits Bringing Counterfeit Chips to Casino Then Flushing Them Down Toilet
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — (Associated Press) - A man admitted Thursday that he brought millions of dollars in counterfeit poker chips to use in a casino's poker tournament, a scheme that was uncovered when he clogged a pipe by flushing the chips down the toilet in his hotel room.
Corner Bookie Could Become Extinct Like the Dodo Bird Thanks to Augur
The local corner bookie may soon be gone thanks to the fall introduction of Augur. And it’s not just the local bookmaker who needs to worry. Vegas and the online operators have something to fear as well.
What’s Augur?
Phil Mickelson, Billy Walters ‘Insider Trading’ Probe Continues
An FBI and SEC investigation is ongoing as to whether golfer Phil Mickelson received insider trading tips from Nevada-based professional sports bettor Billy Walters.
PokerStars Parent Company Amaya Acquires Daily Fantasy Sports Site Victiv
Amaya Gaming announced Friday morning it has acquired Austin, Texas-based Daily Fantasy Sports site Victiv.com, a company that itself was founded by former poker players.
Gambler Hits Two Huge Parlays at BetOnline: Wins Nearly $200K
Talk about a massive win betting on a series of games. One player at BetOnline.ag just won two huge parlays, each with a risk of $1000 and $4810, respectively.
Bitcoin Hot With Chinese Gamblers, Bookies, Pay Per Heads
Ever since adding the anonymous digital currency Bitcoin, Pay Per Head service PayPerHeadAgents.com says its business has increased. Nowhere is this more obvious than with the Chinese gambler.
It's all "about trading, about volatility, about making a profit -- buy low, sell high," said Bobby Lee, CEO of BTCChina, the world's largest Bitcoin exchange.
Pay Per Head is All About Lines
There are many moving parts in a successful pay per head business such as software, hardware, infrastructure, backup systems, wagering clerks, payment options… but the MVP at the end of the day is lines.
Casino Revenues Finally Up in Atlantic City
(Associated Press) - Data released Wednesday by New Jersey regulators shows the casinos won $257.5 million from gamblers last month, compared to $238.3 million in July 2014. The numbers were aided by $12.5 million in Internet gambling winnings, an increase of more than 24 percent over July 2014.
But when the four casinos that were operating in July 2014 that have since closed are included in the calculations, the July 2015 casino revenue fell 6.1 percent from a year ago.
China’s Devaluing of Its Currency Leads to Dropping Share Prices at Wynn
Wynn Resorts, which generates more than half its revenue from the Chinese gambling hub of Macau, slipped $2.39 on news Tuesday that the Chinese government would be devaluing its currency.
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.
