Casino.org The World's Online Gaming Authority Since 1995
Menu
Avatar photo

Reporter: Philip Conneller

In Philip Conneller’s eight years with Casino.org, he has covered the gaming industry from Las Vegas to Macau and everything in between. He currently focuses his coverage on gaming law, white-collar crime, global money laundering, tribal gaming, politics, and regulation.

Philip was the original features editor for poker’s Bluff Magazine and editor for Bluff Europe, which he helped launch. His writing has also been featured in ESPN, Forbes, Time Out, The Sun, and The Daily Star, as well as iGaming Business, eGaming Review, and numerous other industry news and tech websites.

His news stories for Casino.org/news have been linked by The Washington Post, The Daily Mail, People Magazine, and Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, among many others.

Philip once won $20,000 with 7-2 off-suit. He has been reprimanded for unwittingly playing Elton John’s piano on two separate occasions on both sides of the Atlantic.

He became a writer because he is a lousy pianist.

Philip lives outside London with his wife and children, where he spends his time agonizing about Arsenal FC.

Contact Philip at philip.conneller@casino.org.

Areas of Expertise

3073 stories by Philip Conneller

Prairie Flower Casino

Ponca Tribe Scores Casino Victory Against Iowa, Nebraska in Federal Appeals Court

A federal appeals court has upheld the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska’s legal right to have built its Prairie Flower Casino in Carter Lake, Iowa. The tribe opened the casino in November 2018, despite facing legal challenges that sought to derail the project...

Philip Conneller September 1, 2021

Hong Kong Billionaire Tony Fung Quits Aquis Board Over ‘Conflict of Interest’

Billionaire Tony Fung has retired as chairman and non-executive director of Canberra-based Aquis Entertainment, stressing the need for the board to be independent of its major shareholder. Fung holds just under 90 percent of Aquis, which owns Casino Canberra in the Australian...

Philip Conneller August 31, 2021
arizona sports betting

Arizona Tribe Sues State Over ‘Illegal’ Sports Betting, Official Licensees Out Today

A small Arizona tribe is suing Governor Doug Ducey (R). The tribe argues that Pheonix lawmakers violated the state constitution when they legalized sports betting last April. The Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe (YPIT) claims the passage of Arizona’s sports betting legislation was...

Philip Conneller August 27, 2021
HZMB

Hong Kong Customs Bust Macau-Bound Money Laundering Gang on Sea Bridge

Hong Kong authorities have disrupted a money laundering operation that planned to move bulk cash to Macau casinos through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB). It’s the first known instance of the bridge being used as a conduit for money laundering. It opened...

Philip Conneller August 27, 2021
betting shops

UK Betting Shops Ace ‘Secret Bettor’ Age Verification Test

UK betting shops outperformed supermarkets and convenience stores in secret shopper tests this week, researchers said this week. These tests examined how often clerks verified the ages of gambles. Ninety percent of betting outlets demanded proof of age when visited by teenagers asking...

Philip Conneller August 26, 2021
Les Ambassadeurs

London’s Les Ambassadeurs Casino Fails to Freeze Chinese Billionaire’s Assets

A high-end private members casino that was the scene of Sean Connery’s famous chemin de fer session in Dr No cannot freeze the assets of one of China’s richest men. Les Ambassadeurs in London’s affluent Park Lane asked the Court of Appeal...

Philip Conneller August 25, 2021
Foxwoods

Foxwoods to Get $2M from $1.6B Insurance Policy for Pandemic Losses, Court Rules

Foxwoods Resorts Casino can recover just $2 million in coronavirus-related losses from its insurer, Factory Mutual, a Connecticut superior court has court ruled. That’s just a fraction of the $76 million the casino’s owner, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, had sought. The...

Philip Conneller August 24, 2021
Ali Jaafar

Massachusetts Lottery Frequent-Winner Family Accused of $21M Fraud

Three Massachusetts residents have been charged with numerous counts of fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion for their roles in what prosecutors allege was a ticket-cashing scheme on a grand scale. Over eight years, Ali Jaafar and his sons, Mohamed and Yousef,...

Philip Conneller August 24, 2021
qanon

Caesars Raises Questions For Staging QAnon ‘Great Awakening’ in Las Vegas

Caesars Entertainment’s decision to host an event organized by the controversial far-right QAnon movement has been met with consternation by some experts on terrorism and extremist ideology. The event, dubbed the “Patriot Double Down,” will be held at Caesars Forum convention space...

Philip Conneller August 23, 2021
betting

UK Betting Shops More Likely Located in Poorest Areas, Study Finds

Betting shops in the UK are ten times more likely to be found in deprived communities than affluent areas. That’s according to a new study by the University of Bristol that highlights the disproportion between the amenities available in poor areas and...

Philip Conneller August 23, 2021