Gambling

Split Verdict at Philly Mob Trial

PHILADELPHIA — (Associated Press) - Reputed Philadelphia mob boss Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi will seek bail after a jury deadlocked Tuesday on a racketeering charge against him, and deadlocked or acquitted him of all eight lesser counts in a gambling and loansharking case.

The federal jury convicted underboss Joseph “Mousie” Massimino and two others of racketeering, and convicted a mob associate of two loansharking counts. But the jury deadlocked or acquitted the seven defendants on most of the approximately 60 counts.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Tue, 02/05/2013 - 20:10

Philly Mob Jurors Reach Verdict on Some Counts, Deadlocked on Others

PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — The judge in a Philadelphia mob racketeering trial says the jury has reached a verdict on some counts but is deadlocked on others.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Tue, 02/05/2013 - 14:01

The Delaware Lottery to Begin Offering Online Gambling by Fall

The Delaware Lottery has announced plans to begin offering “real money” online gambling no later than September.

The request for online gambling noted:

“All proposed components of the Solution must be delivered, installed, implemented, acceptance tested and ready to be operational by the agreed-upon schedule.”

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Tue, 02/05/2013 - 10:05

Asian Match Fixing Scandal Rocks Soccer World

(Reuters) - Hundreds of soccer matches have been fixed in a global betting scam run from Singapore, police said on Monday, in a blow to the image of the world's most popular sport and a multi-billion dollar industry.

Submitted by Reuters on, Tue, 02/05/2013 - 09:53

Record $98.9 Million Bet on 2013 Super Bowl in Nevada Casinos

LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) — Sports fans bet a record $98.9 million at Nevada casinos on the Super Bowl.

The Gaming Control Board says unaudited tallies show 183 sports books made $7.2 million on the action. The San Francisco 49ers started out as a 5-point favorite but the Baltimore Ravens won 34-31.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Mon, 02/04/2013 - 21:39

Costa Rica Based Bookmaker Platinum SB Shut Down by RCMP

The RCMP raided a Super Bowl party Sunday in Ontario and shut down the Costa Rican-based bookmaking operation Platinum SB in the process.

Police also seized $2.5 million during the raid.

The RCMP claims that 6 of the over 2300 people in attendance at the Le Parc Banquet Hall party had ties to the gambling operation and the mob.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Mon, 02/04/2013 - 21:17

Atlantic Club Casino Head Urges Chris Christie to Sign Online Gambling Bill

The head of the Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City is urging New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to sign a bill legalizing online gambling in the state.

The Rational Group, which owns the world’s largest real money Web poker room PokerStars, has agreed to purchase the financially strapped casino for an undisclosed amount and have promised to create at least 100 new jobs at the property.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Mon, 02/04/2013 - 20:53

RCMP Raids Super Bowl Party: Canadian Bookies, Mobsters in Attendance

The RCMP on Sunday raided a Super Bowl party attended by some 2500 people and, in so doing, claims to have dismantled an alleged mob-linked multi-million dollar illegal gambling ring.

Many of Canada’s more successful bookies were in attendance at the “invite-only” party as heavily armed tactical officers entered the premises at Le Parc Banquet Hall in Markham, Ontario.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on, Mon, 02/04/2013 - 11:59

Deliberations Resume Monday In Philly Mob Trial

PHILADELPHIA - (Associated Press) — Jurors will begin another week of deliberations Monday on racketeering charges against reputed leaders of the Philadelphia mob.

The federal court panel considered the case for about six hours Sunday but reached no verdict.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Sun, 02/03/2013 - 21:01

Philly Mob Jury at Impasse, Will Work Through Super Bowl

PHILADELPHIA (Associated Press) — A jury weighing racketeering charges against reputed leaders of the Philadelphia mob say they're at an impasse but were sent back to work Saturday.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Sat, 02/02/2013 - 18:42

BitSynCom LLC Releases World's First Bitcoin ASIC Chips

After a year of speculation and rumor, the first application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) dedicated to Bitcoin mining have become a reality. Yifu Guo, 23, is now commercially shipping the fastest dedicated Bitcoin mining hardware in the world.

The custom processing hardware dramatically increases the security of the Bitcoin network and professionalizes the Bitcoin mining industry.

Submitted by Press Release on, Sat, 02/02/2013 - 09:48

Pennsylvania Proposes Online Gambling Bill as NJ Awaits Chris Christie Move

While New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is yet to act on an Internet gambling bill that currently sits on his desk, neighboring Pennsylvania is proposing their own Web gambling legislation.

Last month, Pennsylvania toppled New Jersey for the first time ever to become the nation’s second biggest gambling destination after Nevada.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Fri, 02/01/2013 - 14:18

Some in Antigua Oppose Sanctions on US: Fear ‘Severe Retaliation’

Finance Minister Harold Lovell on Thursday morning urged those across the aisle to support sanctions against the US Government in the Caribbean island nation’s decade-long dispute over Internet gambling.

On Monday, the World Trade Organization awarded Antigua the right to develop a web portal for sale of ‘pirated’ US copyrighted DVDs, video games, television programs and more.

Some legislators in Antigua have opposed the sanctions, fearing retaliation from the US Government would be “too severe”.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Thu, 01/31/2013 - 18:16

Internet Gambling ‘Best Shot at Resuscitating Atlantic City’ Says Lesniak

In an interview with Bloomberg News, State Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) urged New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to sign a bill he co-authored that would allow for Internet gambling in the Garden State. Lesniak called Internet gambling the “best shot” at resuscitating Atlantic City.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Thu, 01/31/2013 - 18:00

Unions Urge Chris Christie to Sign Off on Internet Gambling Bill

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has until next Thursday (February 8) to sign or veto an Internet gambling bill that currently sits on his desk. The measure would legalize Web gaming in a state with nearly 9 million people while making Atlantic City a hub for the activity. The bill’s sponsors hope to eventually expand the industry beyond New Jersey’s borders through multi-state compacts similar to that of the lottery system’s Powerball game.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Thu, 01/31/2013 - 10:40

NJ Gov Chris Christie Considers ‘Conditional Veto” for Internet Gambling Bill

Roger Gros, the publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine and a longtime Atlantic City insider, is reporting that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is considering a “conditional veto” of an Internet gambling bill that currently sits on his desk. The Governor must act by next Thursday February 7 or else the bill automatically becomes law.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Wed, 01/30/2013 - 18:40

PPA Chief Meets With Chris Christie Staff to Talk Online Gambling Bill

With just a few days left for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to either sign or veto a bill legalizing online gambling in the Garden State, Poker Players Alliance head John Pappas met with the a senior advisor to the Governor on Tuesday.

Submitted by Ace King on, Wed, 01/30/2013 - 11:45

Expert Panel to Look at Internet Gambling in Florida

As Internet-gambling legislation struggles to gain traction at the federal level and several states debate their own i-gaming measures, prospective operators and regulators are left to wonder how, when and to what extent this highly anticipated activity will roll out. Five experts will offer their answers in a special panel discussion at the 8th Florida Gaming Congress, to be held February 25-26, 2013, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.

Speakers on the panel titled "Internet Gaming in the US" include the following:

Submitted by Press Release on, Wed, 01/30/2013 - 11:22

No Verdict Yet in Philly Mob Trial as Jurors Finish 14th Day of Deliberations

14 days of deliberations and still no verdict in the trial of Philadelphia Mob boss Joseph Ligambi.

Earlier in the day, jurors asked to hear more audio tapes from the 10-week trial, according to John P. Martin of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Wed, 01/30/2013 - 11:00

US War With Antigua Reminiscent of David and Goliath

While we don’t expect US missiles to rain down on the tiny Caribbean nation of Antigua any time soon, an all out war of words has broken out between these two nations following the World Trade Organization’s granting Antigua permission to set up an online site infringing on US intellectual property.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Tue, 01/29/2013 - 19:09

PokerStars would Save Over 1700 Jobs in Atlantic City

The parent company of the world’s largest real money online poker room, PokerStars, is looking to purchase the money-losing Atlantic Club Casino in Atlantic City.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Tue, 01/29/2013 - 14:54

Philly Mob Trial Judge: Jurors Could be Forced to Work Through Super Bowl

PHILADELPHIA – (Associated Press) — A Philadelphia mob jury could work Super Bowl Sunday if the panel doesn’t reach a verdict this week in the sports betting and loansharking case.

Jurors have been deliberating over four calendar weeks, although they’ve twice had to start over when alternates replaced original jurors.

Submitted by Associated Press on, Tue, 01/29/2013 - 11:46

Free To Play Online Poker Room ZEN Gaming Files for Bankruptcy

One of the leading free to play online poker networks, ZEN Gaming, has filed for bankruptcy protection with its future uncertain. The company relied heavily on an ad support platform but has been met with fierce competition, mostly from real money Web poker rooms that also offer the free to play format. Still, ZEN Gaming does boast of having more than 750,000 registrants with over $100k in cash prizes awarded monthly.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on, Tue, 01/29/2013 - 11:31

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Signs Mobile Gambling Bill Into Law

While residents wait to see if New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will sign or veto a bill to allow online gambling, he did sign into law legislation for mobile gambling at race tracks.

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on, Tue, 01/29/2013 - 11:09

U.S. Hedge Fund Builds Stake in Greek Gambling Monopoly

(Reuters) - U.S. hedge fund Baupost Group has a 5.2 percent stake in Greek gambling firm OPAP, a regulatory filing showed on Tuesday, signaling foreign interest in the country's gambling monopoly before its privatization.

Boston-based Baupost Group, run by money manager Seth Klarman, unveiled the position after it exceeded a 5 percent reporting threshold under Greek law, OPAP said in the filing.

Baupost is the third investment fund holding a big stake in OPAP, which has a market value of 2.05 billion euros ($2.76 billion) on the Athens Stock Exchange.

Submitted by Reuters on, Tue, 01/29/2013 - 10:58

Zynga Shares Soar Ahead of Earnings Report

SAN FRANCISCO – (Reuters) - Zynga’s stock rose 14 percent on Monday as investors grew more confident that the social games developer behind "Farmville" and "Mafia Wars" will deliver a solid set of quarterly results next week.

Its shares ended trading at $2.84, up 35 cents

Submitted by Reuters on, Mon, 01/28/2013 - 19:25

Breaking: WTO Authorizes Antigua to Suspend US Copyrights

In Geneva on Monday, the World Trade Organization gave permission to the tiny Caribbean nation of Antigua to suspend US copyrights as a form of relief for the US Government’s failure to abide by a WTO decision on Internet gambling.

Local authorities in Antigua may now move forward with the development of a download portal for pirated movies, television programs, CDs and games.

Submitted by C Costigan on, Mon, 01/28/2013 - 12:54

Submitted by Alejandro Botticelli on, Fri, 01/25/2013 - 19:37