Connecticut is the latest state to eye the possibility of offering online gambling for state residents, with the Mohegan Tribe (which operates the states two brick-and-mortar casinos) exploring the possibility of offering online casino and poker sites. State officials and casino executives in the state are monitoring developments in other US states as interest has been renewed in online gambling in the wake of a US Department of Justice ruling that narrowed the scope of the Wire Act. The Wire Act became law in 1961 and was originally designed to target illegal sportsbets made over the telephone but in recent [ Read More ]
Opponents of online gambling have long said that the activity is dangerous because it can be addictive. Players who are addicted to online gambling can blow all of their money and ruin their lives. While that is true, it accounts for a small percentage of players and it ignores the fact that many things can be addictive but are available to people. Alcohol and cigarettes are the two most obvious examples, but what about the Internet. A recent study out of China suggests that people can become addicted to the Internet. Recent studies have shown that those who have an [ Read More ]
GamblingPlanet visitors will have the chance to cash in on an exclusive slots tournament running at Europa Casino from January 23-26, with €1,000 in free prizes handed out to the top finishers. Competing in the contest couldn’t be easier, as you simply have to sign up and deposit at Europa and then play any of its hundreds of slots games — including the Beach Life slots progressive with a jackpot of $7.2 million — and you’ll accumulate leaderboard points based on your play for the tournament standings. Leaderboard standings will be published and updated so you can see exactly where [ Read More ]
Social games developer Zynga has made an about-face in regards to moving into the real money online gambling market, announcing last week that it was in fact seeking out partners to offer online poker or casino games for real money. As recently as a few months ago the company had stated that it had no plans whatsoever to dabble in the real money gambling market, content to use its tried-and-true business model of monetizing its games by selling advertising and offering players the chance to buy additional add-ons and items within its games. The company released the following statement about [ Read More ]
Several US states are taking a hard look at legalizing online poker and casino sites for residents but the potential profit involved may be underwhelming when compared to the shortfalls faced in many state budgets. The District of Columbia has already passed legislation that could allow it to offer online casino and poker sites and New Jersey, California, and Nevada are all considering passing their own laws that could pave the way to offering their own intra-state online poker sites. The primary driver for many states is a simple one: the lure of cold, hard cash. With the lingering recession [ Read More ]
A Roman Catholic priest has been sentenced to more than 3 years in prison and ordered to repay $650,000 that he embezzled to fuel his video poker play at various Las Vegas casinos. Monsignor Kevin McAuliffe had admitted to embezzling parish votive candle, prayer, and gift shop funds for eight years from his northwest Las Vegas parish in order to support his video poker habit, claiming that he suffered from gambling addiction. He’d asked for probation so that he could continue to seek help for his gambling problem and to continue practicing as a priest and pay restitution to St. [ Read More ]
The state of Florida is one step closer to possibly building three huge casino resorts after a bill cleared its first legislative hurdle, gaining approval from a committee to move on to the next step of the process. The Senate Regulated Industries Committee approved the bill by 7-3 vote, gaining passage after an amendment was added to give residents of Florida counties the final say via referendrums as to whether or not a casino will be built in the county they live in. Republican sponsors introduced the bill, which is designed to set the stage for three huge resort casinos [ Read More ]
Casino giant Genting is reportedly trying to negotiate exclusive rights in New York state to expand its current racino at Aqueduct into a full-fledged casino if state law is changed to allow it. Genting is better known for its international operations but is looking to ramp up its efforts on the US casino front, including submitting plans to build the world’s largest casino in the Miami area if an expansion of casinos is approved in Florida. Genting has proposed building a $4 billion convention center next to Aqueduct Racetrack that would be the nation’s largest and potentially create tens of [ Read More ]
Casino revenues in November continued to slide for Atlantic City casinos, down 6% to continue a slump that goes back over 3 years for the 11 casinos in Atlantic City. Total revenue for November came in at $245 million, off 6% from what was taken in a year ago in November 2010. Only four of the 11 casinos reported a monthly increase versus last year, with Trump Plaza the biggest loser, off 32% as compared to 2010. Slot machine revenue (which is typically responsible for the bulk of revenues and profits for brick-and-mortar and online casinos alike) was down about [ Read More ]
2010 WSOP Main event champion Jonathan Duhamel was the victim of a recent robbery and home invasion near Montreal, with his WSOP bracelet stolen and injuries incurred that sent him briefly to the hospital. Two men forced their way into Duhamel’s home last week and tied him up and ransacked his house, roughing him up with blows to the face and head before making off with the gold bracelet given to all WSOP winners and an undisclosed amount of cash. Duhamel received only minor injuries and was quickly released from the hospital. Duhamel won $8.9 million for his win the [ Read More ]
