Mob Museum Makes Huge $1.5 Mil Cash Payment: Presented in Briefcase

(Associated Press) - Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman took a cue from the mob in making a huge payment on behalf of the city's Mob Museum.

Goodman presented $1.5 million in cash to the City Council at a meeting on Wednesday. The $100 bills bundled up and stuffed in suitcases are the first of four annual payments the two-year-old museum plans to make to the city.

Submitted by Associated Press on,

Las Vegas Ranked as 10th Worst Vacation Destination

Don’t tell this to the throngs of people who love Las Vegas but Sin City has just registered at number 10 on the SmartTravel “10 Most Disappointing Vacation Destinations” list.

It could be worse we suppose.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

Cedar Rapids Iowa Won't be Getting Casino: Rejection From Commission

Council Bluffs, Iowa (Associated Press) — The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission rejected a proposed $164 million Cedar Rapids casino Thursday, saying it would hurt existing casinos.

Supporters of the Cedar Crossing Casino development have said it would give an economic boost to Cedar Rapids and the region. They also argued it would be a catalyst for development in an area ravaged by a 2008 flood, create jobs and generate millions for tax revenue and charities.

Submitted by Associated Press on,

Bwin.Party Shares Up Nearly 2 Percent on News of Potential Shakeup

Bwin.Party shares were up 1.97% (124.00) Thursday following news that activist investor Jason Ader looked to shake things up on the board.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

Jason Ader Activist Investor Taking on Bwin

New York based hedge-fund investor, Jason Ader, well-known t o Gambling911 readers from his earlier victory over IGT was featured in the worldwide media today for his announcement that he intends to propose for election four new independent Directors to the Board of BPTY at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of BPTY. 

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

China Officials Publicly Put to Shame for Online Gambling and Other Infractions

The intimidatingly-named Communist Party’s Discipline Inspection Committee has begun shaming Chinese officials who have been found to engage in illicit behaviors others in the world might view as minor infractions. 

The Committee's most recent report cites 200 officials for activities that include playing mah-jongg or gambling online while at work.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

Head of Online Sports Betting Ring Arrested in Naples

The head of an online sports betting ring with ties to Costa Rica and the Mob was arrested last week according to court documents.

Thomas Welch, 48, of Poinciana Village, near Naples, Florida, was charged with multiple racketeering, extortion and money laundering for his role in running the online website Alydar653.com.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

Chicago-Only Casino Option Likely to Face Stiff Opposition

SPRINGIFELD, Ill. (Associated Press) — An Illinois lawmaker’s proposal to expand gambling in Chicago, but not the rest of the state, will be the focus of a day of hearings that could get heated.

One amendment to Rep. Bob Rita’s bill, to be detailed at a House committee Wednesday, would create a Chicago casino with up to 10,000 spots for gamblers and strip the other four new casinos proposed in past measures.

Submitted by Associated Press on,

Florida Bookie Tied to Legends Sports Bust Avoids Additional Jail Time

A Florida man tied to what authorities call a billion dollar illegal sports betting ring was sentenced in a New York State district court to time already served.

Submitted by C Costigan on,

Atari Enters Real Money Online Gambling Arena

(Associated Press) - Atari, the maker of classic video games like "Pong" and "Centipede," is about to make things a bit more interesting for players.

The company said Tuesday that it is getting into real-money gambling through a partnership with gambling company Pariplay.

Pariplay will launch Atari's brands across a number of social, online and mobile platforms. This includes a website with real-money gambling on some of Atari's arcade classics, like Centipede, Asteroids and Pong.

The launch is slated for the fourth quarter.

Submitted by Associated Press on,

Borgata to Pay Out $1,721,805 to Affected Players in Chip Scandal

The Borgata Casino will pay out $1,721,805 to those affected by a scandal earlier in the year in which fake chips were detected during the Borgata Winter Open.

Submitted by Ace King on,

AirBnB Could be Used for Drugs, Prostitution, Orgies, Gambling Next Store

A New York lawmaker is claiming that a startup allowing New York City residents to rent out their apartments to guests short-term could lead to illicit activities such as drug use, prostitution and even gambling.

New York State Senator Liz Krueger blasted AirBnB on Monday.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

Baseball Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson Suing Seminole Hard Rock for $10 Mil

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson has filed a lawsuit against the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for $10 million following a six foot plunge off an unsecured stage at the establishment two years ago.

The 76-year-old former Baltimore Orioles player has suffered permanent injuries as a result of the fall.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

Atlantic City Casinos Bring in 15 Percent More From Online Gambling in March

(Associated Press) - New Jersey casinos brought in 15 percent more from online gambling in March over the previous month, but it wasn't nearly enough to offset the diminishing revenue from Atlantic City's long-struggling brick-and-mortar casinos.

Submitted by Associated Press on,

Man Accused of Spending $250K on State Credit Card to Fund Gambling

FALLON, Nev. (Associated Press) — A Nevada Department of Transportation employee in Fallon has been charged with using a state credit card to support his gambling habit.

Tal Pierre Smith is accused of using the credit card to buy about $250,000 worth of items he later pawned or sold to pay for the activity.

A six-count indictment was filed against Smith this week in New River Township Justice Court in Fallon, the Nevada Appeal reported.

Submitted by Associated Press on,

Why Billionaire Sheldon Adelson Doesn’t Have Enough Money to Stop Online Gambling

Slate featured an article Monday morning suggesting that casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson does not have enough money to stop Internet gambling. 

Submitted by Ace King on,

Where Can I Gamble Online From Denmark? ISP’s Ordered to Block Some Sites

Denmark is the latest country to begin blogging what it deems to be “illegal” online gambling sites, essentially those that are not licensed by the Danish government.

Submitted by Ace King on,

iGame and Plus One Dreams Online Gambling Firms Merge

Two Finnish online gambling firms based out of Malta have announced a merger in an effort to better compete with the likes of fellow Scandinavian wagering companies Betsson and Unibet.  The combined company will use the iGame name.

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson Gives Israel $16.4 million to Go to Moon

Casino billionaire, GOP mega donor and friend to Israel, Sheldon Adelson, has just donated $16.4 million to that country so it could become only the 4th nation to land on the moon.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

How Do I Become a Bookie? Build Volume, Love Your Customer and Play Golf

How does one become a bookie, you might be asking?  Or do you really want to be a bookie?

It doesn’t matter the time of year, gamblers will always find something to bet on and bookies…well…they will always be lining their pockets (since the house never loses).  So, yes, becoming a bookie can be a lucrative business.

Submitted by Ean Lamb on,

New Jersey Online Gambling Revenue Estimates Dip Further

Casinos in New Jersey rounded off the month of February with a total revenue of $412.2 million from both iGaming and sports betting activities in the state. 

Submitted by Payton on,

Reverend Al Sharpton a One-Time Mafia Associate? Was FBI Informant (Video)

A damning report on TheSmokingGun.com suggests that MSNBC host, the Reverend Al Sharpton, was once a Mob associate-turned FBI snitch.

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

G911 Talks to Jeopardy Champ Arthur Chu, His Love for Gambling and Death Threats

Arthur Chu has turned the art of wagering into a science, and from it has earned a whopping $300,000!

The 30-year-old Cleveland native and first-generation Chinese-American last month won 10 straight games on the popular TV game show Jeopardy! to become the third-biggest money-winner in the 50-year history of the show (he lost his 11th game and earned a total of $298,200).

Submitted by Thomas Somach on,

FA Imposes Blanket Betting Ban on Football

The Football Association (FA) has decided to impose a blanket ban on football betting following a series of high profile scandals that have rocked the sport.

The ban would apply to anyone employed within the top eight tiers of English football.

The FA released the following statement:

Submitted by Alistair Prescott on,

Intrade Co-Founder Brings Back TradeSports Prediction Market Platform

Originally debuting as TradeSports, the now defunct Intrade is being reincarnated using the original branding strategy.

Intrade Co-founder Ron Bernstein is starting a test phase for his company on Monday (April 14, 2014).

“Sports are always going to be the best laboratory for prediction markets,” he says. “All those things now are just recorded and data-mined and discussed.”

Submitted by Aaron Goldstein on,

Brain Part That Causes Gambling Addiction Found

Cambridge scientists have discovered that the activation of a part of the brain called insula is responsible for gambling addiction as part of an earth-shattering study that could ultimately reduce such addiction.

BetOnline

Submitted by Jagajeet Chiba on,

You Can Really Bet on WWE Wrestling? Bookie Gets Crushed by Lesnar Win

Online bookmaker Bovada.lv is likely regretting the decision to start taking bets on WWE Wrestling, and more specifically WrestleMania.

Sunday night the book got crushed by two big underdogs winning their respective matchups, a rarity in professional wrestling.

Submitted by Ean Lamb on,

Atlantic City 2013 Revenue Lowest Since 1989

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Associated Press) - Not even a boost from Internet gambling money and the comparison with an extremely slow period after Superstorm Sandy could prevent Atlantic City's casinos from seeing a big decline in their earnings in 2013.

The casinos saw their gross operating profits decline by nearly 35 percent last year.

The 12 casinos that operated in 2013 - the Atlantic Club shut down in January of 2014 - posted a collective gross operating profit of $235 million, down from $360 million in 2012.

Submitted by Associated Press on,

Ladbrokes Made £1Billion in One Month From 'Crack Cocaine' of Gambling (Video)

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has announced his administration is about to embark on a crackdown of the so-called “crack cocaine” of gambling, high speed, high stakes gambling machines that have, until now, proven especially profitable for bookmakers.

Just how profitable?

Submitted by Gilbert Horowitz on,

Mississippi to Study Online Gambling Pros and Cons

(Associated Press) - Mississippi's chief gambling regulator is leading a group that will gather data on how Internet gambling and sports betting are working other states.

Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, is chairman of the task force.

State Rep. Richard Bennett, a Long Beach Republican and chairman of the House Gaming Committee, asked Godfrey to take the job and provide an unbiased look at the pros and cons of Internet gambling and sports betting.

Submitted by Associated Press on,