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Dotting i’s and crossing t’s UPDATE: The companies announced on September 9 that 888 Holdings is, in fact, buying William Hill’s non-US assets for £2.2 billion. 888 has already received support for the move from its largest shareholders, totaling 47% of the company’s shares, as well as from its Board of Directors. It expects the… Read more »
Facilitating bets between friends The Tennessee Education Lottery (TEL) has approved social sports betting site Wagr to begin offering its product in the Volunteer State. With the green-lighting of both Wagr and Barstool Sportsbook on Tuesday, Tennessee now has nine sports betting operators. Wagr is an interesting sportsbook, different than most traditional bookmakers. It is… Read more »
Most licenses taken already Arizona’s sports betting industry is set to launch on September 9, which is likely not coincidentally the first day of the NFL season. But injunctions filed by two entities have forced emergency hearings this coming Friday and threaten to delay sports wagering in the state. Before we take a brief look… Read more »
It is no secret that casinos happily offer free alcoholic beverages to gamblers (just be sure to tip your server!) so that they continue to gamble and continue to gamble poorly. A drunk casino patron is one thing, but what about a high one? It appears that two Native American tribes are going to test… Read more »
The visited lots of convenience stores In our latest tale of gambling-related crime, this writer’s first thought is: “I mean, you knew you were going to get caught eventually, right?” Over the span of eight years, Ali Jaafar, now 63, and his sons Mohamed Jaafar, 31, and Yousef Jaafar, 28, cashed in over 13,000 lottery… Read more »
Starting with its esports venue Former World Poker Tour owner Allied Esports Entertainment is reportedly considering getting out of esports altogether, a move which would include selling the HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor in Las Vegas. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, this isn’t just a “well, anything is possible” situation, but rather a… Read more »
A new era in sports betting My friends north of the border, if you have been itching to put a few bucks down on a Blue Jays game or really want to degen it up and bet on the NFL preseason, your wait is just about over. Next Friday, August 27, sportsbooks in Canada will… Read more »
Get vaccinated or stay home On Monday, August 16, Harrah’s New Orleans casino becomes what is believed to be the first casino in the United States to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for entry. The decision comes not from casino operator Caesars Entertainment, but from the City of New Orleans itself.… Read more »
Consistency across the board Bally’s Corporation plans to rebrand almost all of its casinos with the Bally’s name within the next year. Continuing a branding push since acquiring the Bally’s brand, the company’s president and CEO explained in an investors conference call on Monday that the decision is about increasing brand awareness. “In the next… Read more »
Allegations of a sports capital offense The National Hockey League (NHL) said it will conduct a full investigation into comments on social media made by the wife of San Jose Sharks’ player Evander Kane regarding his gambling and alleged match fixing. Kane has vehemently denied all accusations. Over the weekend, Anna Kane posted a serious… Read more »
“Vital to our community’s continued healing” MGM Resorts International announced this week that it is donating two acres of land, part of the Las Vegas Village festival site, to be used as a memorial for the victims and survivors of the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. The October 1 shooting was the deadliest mass shooting… Read more »
Predicting a Super Bowl rematch? NFL training camps are underway and with that comes the ramp-up to the 2021-2022 season, the first one in two years which should have fans in the seats at every game. The specter of COVID-19 still looms large, especially as the league recently threatened teams with forfeits should an unvaccinated… Read more »
Taking cue from public health department The Venetian, Palazzo, and Sands Expo & Convention Center are re-instituting face mask requirements for employees following new recommendations from the Southern Nevada Health District. All three properties are owned and operated by Las Vegas Sands Corp., though they will soon be under new ownership after VICI Properties and… Read more »
Something is better than nothing Football Index account holders are now able to login and withdraw their cash balances. In an announcement on Tuesday, the now defunct soccer betting site said that the cash out procedures are the same as they have always been. Customers should expect funds to reach their bank accounts in two… Read more »
Breaking ten tables Though Las Vegas is close to getting “back to normal” after being a ghost town for much of last year, not everything is all sunshine and rainbows. To wit: the Planet Hollywood Resort poker room is set to close on July 11. Less than week for the room’s fans to get in… Read more »
Fixed-odds betting on horse races is on the way in New Jersey, as a bill to legalize the odds structure has passed the Senate and is on the way to Governor Phil Murphy’s desk. It looks like an absolute lock to be destined for Murphy’s signature, as the Senate voted for the bill 40-0 and… Read more »
Current sports betting industry is handcuffed Canadian sports fans who want to throw a few bucks down on a game will soon be able to, thanks to the Senate of Canada passing bill C-218 on Tuesday. The bill, which passed 57-20-5, legalizes single-event sports betting in the country. All that is left now, as it… Read more »
Defunct soccer gambling site Football Index announced Tuesday that the UK High Court has handed down an order that will allow many of the site’s customers to find financial relief. Football Index is required to reimburse its customers £3.2m ($4.5m). The judge ruled that administration (essentially bankruptcy) began on March 26, 2021, so customers who… Read more »
Prolific scammer had long list of victims There are times when I hear about some crime that I invoke Ron Burgundy and think to myself, “…you ate a whole wheel of cheese? How’d you do that? I’m not even mad. That’s amazing.” Of course, I don’t actually condone the crime, it’s just that sometimes you… Read more »
Rahm was destroying the field Even though golfer Jon Rahm didn’t even finish the Memorial Tournament over the weekend, many people who placed bets on him still won. In a goodwill gesture, several sportsbooks decided to pay out Rahm bets after he was forced to withdraw from the tournament after the third round because of… Read more »
Dealers’ wages stay as is Casinos are getting back to full – or at least greatly increased – capacity across the United States and with that comes the need to staff back up. To help fill its roster, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh is guaranteeing a $15 per hour minimum wage for non-tipped employees. That means people… Read more »
Crown not even bothering Australia’s Crown Resorts is in trouble yet again. During a royal commission in Victoria into Crown’s gaming license on Wednesday, Adrian Finanzio, counsel assisting with the inquiry, called Crown’s responsible gambling policies “an example of the most irresponsible approach to gambling.” As reported by WAtoday, Crown allowed some gamblers to sit… Read more »
William Hill sportsbook at Capital One Arena The NBA playoffs are in the midst of the first round, so don’t expect anything particularly memorable to occur (though my Milwaukee Bucks are the only team to advance so far and the only team to sweep their opponent). All the really fun stuff happens later. The Washington… Read more »
Casinos didn’t like a copycat In 2019, before online casino games even launched in Pennsylvania, the state’s casinos sued the Lottery. It was a turf war – the casinos believed that though the Pennsylvania Lottery was permitted to offer its own internet-based games, its games were too similar to those the casinos had in their… Read more »
Small stake is still against the rules The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the administrative organization for European soccer, has fined superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović €50,000 ($61,000) for his involvement in online casino and sportsbook Bethard. UEFA began its investigation a little over a month ago, appointing an ethics inspector to examine if Ibrahimović violated… Read more »
