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Maybe not 100% More than a week after hackers crippled its computer systems, MGM Resorts International says that its “hotels and casinos are operating normally.” In a Tuesday morning statement, Nevada’s largest employer thanked customers for their patience and noted that there could still some “intermittent” issues. “Our resort services, dining, entertainment, pools and spas… Read more »
No end in sight MGM Resorts International is still struggling to gain control of all of its computer systems since last week’s cyberattack and, as one might guess, it is costing the company money. David Katz (no relation), an equity analyst with Jefferies Group, estimates that MGM is losing from $4.2 million to $8.4 million… Read more »
Hard-fought battle The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Week 2 NFL action. It was to be expected, after all, the Niners were 7.5-point favorites. And fancy that, the oddsmakers had it dead on, as San Francisco won the game 30-23. All makes sense in this crazy world of ours.… Read more »
First things first Bally’s Corporation has acquired the lease to operate the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx from Donald Trump’s company, the Trump Organization. The exact dollar amount involved has not been made public, but Eric Trump, the disgraced former President’s son, said it was an “exceptional offer.” Speculation has the… Read more »
The NFL season begins tomorrow and with it, so does the season of raining money for sportsbooks. And Americans have their wallets open. According to a survey commissioned by the American Gaming Association (AGA), about 73.5 million Americans, or more than 25% of the adult population, plan to place a bet on the NFL this… Read more »
Don’t gamble, kids It’s scary how long ago it was now, but almost 20 years ago, I visited Greektown Casino – now Hollywood Casino at Greektown – in Detroit. I was on a business trip for a horrible consulting job I quit after about four months, making the rounds in the Midwest to different car… Read more »
A different kind of casino robbery Crypto casino Stake has confirmed that its hot wallets were hacked, resulting in the infiltrators pilfering millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency. According to the company, the hacks occurred around 10:00am ET Monday morning. Before the confirmation, posted on X, cybersecurity firm Cyvers posted that it had detected “multiple… Read more »
Game went according to plan It’s the most wonderful time of the year for sportsbooks: football season. College football first official weekend wraps up tonight and the NFL begins this week, so sports bettors also feel like it’s Christmas morning. But with all the fun people have wagering, there are also tons of bad beats.… Read more »
Next to a camp for kids The five commissioners of Rockingham County, North Carolina voted unanimously to rezone a 192-acre parcel of land to make way for a casino. Before Monday’s vote, the commissions heard from residents who were opposed to the potential infringement on the otherwise quiet, rural county. “Do what is right,” Kelly… Read more »
Some parents feel duped As the jockeying for one of three New York Casino casino licenses heats up, gambling companies are doing whatever they can to make their bids look as attractive as possible. One of the tactics that has drawn sharp criticism from local residents is the sponsorship of youth sports. The New York… Read more »
Two mothers have filed a lawsuit against the popular video game platform Roblox, accusing it of facilitating gambling among minors. In the suit, filed in US District Court for the Northern District of California, Rachel Colvin and Danielle Sass said their children gambled away Roblox in-game currency on third-party websites. They claim that Roblox is… Read more »
Another starter gone The fallout continues in the sports betting scandal that is rocking collegiate sports in Iowa. The latest: Iowa State University defensive lineman Isaiah Lee, who started in all of his team’s games last season, has left the program. Lee is one of several Iowa State and University of Iowa athletes that was… Read more »
Half a year of live testing As some online sportsbooks in the United States are falling by the wayside, Fanatics Sportsbook is forging ahead. On Wednesday, the company announced that it has officially launched its platform in Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Tennessee after six months of beta testing. “We are laser focused on solving pain… Read more »
Well, it was certainly creative A man who ran a TikTok gambling “service” in Minnesota has been arrested seven months after authorities uncovered his scheme. 40-year-old Blake Fitzgerald has been charged with three counts of running an illegal gambling operation. It is really a wonder why he wasn’t caught earlier and, frankly, why it took… Read more »
Wynn Resorts has announced that pulling its sportsbook WynnBET out of two-thirds of the states in which it operates. “In light of the continued requirement for outsized marketing spend through user acquisition and promotions in online sports betting, we believe there are higher and better uses of capital deployment for Wynn Resorts shareholders,” said Julie… Read more »
In March, Crown London Aspinalls Casino argued in court that high roller Lester Hui should pay £589,724 in baccarat losses that he incurred years earlier. Hui claimed the casino knowing gave him alcohol until he was “blackout drunk” and thus couldn’t make appropriate decisions. On Friday, a UK High Court judge sided with the casino… Read more »
New giant on the block In what will be a sizable shift in the US sports betting industry, ESPN and Penn Entertainment have partnered to create ESPN BET. It will be the sports media leader’s first official entry into the sports wagering business, though it has partnered with other companies as sponsors and broadcast data… Read more »
Taking advantage of the giving spirit U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia has charged a man from Dublin, Georgia with dozens of counts related to his defrauding people out of over $30 million and using about $1 million of that to bet on sports online. In the indictment unsealed this week, 45-year-old… Read more »
Lots of bets, small dollar amounts It looks like the Iowa State University football team is going to have to scramble to figure out who will be starting at quarterback when the team opens its season a month from today against the University of Northern Illinois. Hunter Dekkers, who started every game for the Cyclones… Read more »
Are you ready to be a loser once again? I know I am. Mega Millions, one of the two major multi-state lotteries in the United States, has again seen its jackpot climb above $1 billion. For the next drawing, scheduled for Tuesday night, the estimated jackpot is a brain-numbing $1.1 billion. And you know I’m… Read more »
Player funds are safe Flutter Entertainment has announced that it is shutting down its Fox Bet sports betting platform, effective immediately. Fox Bet is no longer taking wagers and will see its operations completed phased out throughout the month of August. After August 31, players can get to any funds still in their accounts through… Read more »
Decent action on Harvard All three casinos in Massachusetts have been fined by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for accepting illegal sports bets. The fines, announced Tuesday, total $50,000. In February, MGM Springfield took wagers on two games involving in-state college teams. There are exceptions in cases when the team is involved in a tournament, but… Read more »
An employee at electronics company Hisense, best known in the US for its budget-priced televisions, has pleaded guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception for her scheme to defraud the company out of over AU$3 million. 58-year-old Australian Aphrodite Minor used her position as a customer service manager to funnel funds intended for customers into… Read more »
In a ruling on Monday, the Federal Court of Australia ordered Diverse Link Pty Ltd to pay a penalty of AU$5 million (USD$3.4 million) for provided unlicensed, and thus illegal, online gambling through the website Redraw Poker. The case from which the order came was a civil suit filed by the Australian Communications and Media… Read more »
The NFL has suspended yet another player for violating the league’s gambling policy. On Monday, the league announced that Denver Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike has been banned indefinitely, which means for at least a full year. He is eligible to apply for reinstatement on July 24, 2024. The indefinite suspensions implies that Uwazurike bet… Read more »
