3799 stories by Philip Conneller
Washington State Casinos Helped Drugs Gang Launder $1M
Two members of a violent drug trafficking ring were sent to prison this week by a federal judge. The duo is accused of laundering more than $1 million of meth, heroin, and fentanyl profits through Washington State casinos. In a US District...
EA Loot Boxes ‘Not Gambling,’ Canadian Judge Rules
A Canadian judge has rejected claims that the loot boxes employed by video games publisher EA constitute gambling. Judge Justice Margot Fleming of British Columbia’s Supreme Court said that gambling must involve the risk of losing or gaining something of real-world value,...
Bally’s Evansville Pit Supervisor Busted for Running Illegal Poker Den
A table games supervisor at Bally’s Evansville Casino,Ind. is facing three felony charges for allegedly moonlighting as an underground poker room operator. Edward Hill, 53, was charged on March 15 with corrupt business influence, professional gambling, and promoting professional gambling. These charges...
Brentford’s Thomas Frank Opens Up on Ivan Toney Soccer Betting Scandal
Brentford FC manager Thomas Frank says the six-month ban England’s Football Association (FA) is expected to hand down to striker Ivan Toney for gambling infractions will be like a “prison sentence” for the troubled soccer star. Frank criticized the “mixed messages” around...
Thai Senator Probed Over Casino Links to Arms, Drug Trafficker
An investigation is underway into why a warrant for the arrest of a high-profile politician was torn up by senior judges. He was suspected of involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering in Thailand. Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun was exposed for his business...
Las Vegas Shooting Site Buyer Criticized Over ‘Repressive’ Tribal Government
The government of the tribal nation that recently purchased the Las Vegas Village festival grounds, the site of the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, has been described as an “authoritarian” and “repressive” administration by America’s oldest journalists’ group. The Society of Professional Journalists...
Betting Shop Fraudster Gets Stiffer Sentence After Bragging on TikTok
A British man who used laminated banknotes to defraud machines at betting shops has been sentenced to 16 months in prison. But a judge at Liverpool Crown Court said that Michael Shaw’s expressions of remorse in court were completely undermined by an...
Japan Gambler Sentenced After Blowing Town’s Entire COVID Relief Package
A Japanese man was handed a suspended prison sentence after spending a whole town’s COVID-relief package at black market online casinos. Sho Taguchi, 25, received 46.3 million yen (US$347,000) in COVID-19 relief money in April 2022 because of an administrative error. The...
Tony ‘The Ant’ Spilotro Hitman Nick Calabrese Dies Aged 80
The man who put vicious Las Vegas-based Mob enforcer Tony “The Ant” Spilotro in the ground has gone to meet the Boss of all Bosses. Former Chicago Mob hitman turned government informant Nicholas Calabrese has died aged 80, according to a CBS...
Texas Poker Rooms Hit by Civil Lawsuits Alleging ‘Organized Crime’
Several West Texas poker rooms are facing lawsuits that accuse them of being a “public nuisance” and committing “organized criminal activity.” The plaintiff, Chicago-based lawyer Mark Lavery, has a history of litigating against legally gray gambling operations. He has now filed multiple...
