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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

3661 stories by Philip Conneller

Howard Lutnick, US Commerce Secretary, Cantor Gaming, Cantor Fitzgerald

Howard Lutnick: Soon-to-Be US Commerce Secretary’s Cantor Gaming Once Paid $22.5 Million to Settle Illegal Gambling Charges

Cantor Fitzgerald chairman and CEO Howard Lutnick is expected to be confirmed as US Commerce Secretary this week. Lutnick founded Cantor Gaming, which in 2016 settled with federal authorities for $22.5M to avoid illegal gambling and money laundering charges. Cantor Gaming faced...

Philip Conneller February 10, 2025
Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani, sentencing, LA Dodgers, fraud

Ohtani Interpreter in $17M Gambling Theft Gets Almost 5 Years in Prison

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was sentenced to 57 months in prison Friday for stealing almost $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star. Mizuhara, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of felony bank fraud and another of filing a false...

Philip Conneller February 8, 2025
Oddfellahs, Caesars sportsbook, Maine, Gambling Control Unit

Maine’s Sole Retail Sportsbook Loses License Days Before Super Bowl, Appeals

Maine’s only retail sports betting outlet, Oddfellahs Sportsbook and Bar in Portland, has stopped taking bets after the state’s Gambling Control Unit (GCU) refused to renew its license. The business told customers last Friday that all bets were off after the regulator...

Philip Conneller February 6, 2025
Sacramento River Massacre, Wintu Tribe of Northern California, Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, Redding Rancheria

Sacramento River Massacre is Site of Proposed Casino, California Tribes Claim

A California tribal casino project signed off by the outgoing Biden administration would be built on the site of the Sacramento River Massacre, a new lawsuit claims. Up to 1,000 unarmed indigenous people were slaughtered by an expeditionary force of the US...

Philip Conneller February 6, 2025
Leon Tsoukernik, overdose, OD, King’s Resort, coma

Casino Tycoon Leon Tsoukernik Recovers After Drug O.D. Coma

Casino tycoon Leon Tsoukernik has made a full recovery after a suspected drug overdose saw him slip into a 40-hour coma last month. The Russian-Czech businessman was reportedly fighting for his life after taking the powerful intravenous anesthetic Propofol on January 14....

Philip Conneller February 6, 2025
Donald Thurston, Michael Doan, Clark County court, DUI

Las Vegas Court Official Fled Fatal Crash After Drunk Mission to Buy Lottery Tickets

A senior Clark County court employee accused of causing the DUI death of another motorist on Christmas Eve, 2024 drove 90 miles from Las Vegas to Arizona on a drunken mission to buy lottery tickets, according to police. Michael Doan, 46, is...

Philip Conneller February 4, 2025
Thomas Paul Madden, Jeremy Tyler Grabow

Utah, California Men Arrested for $25M Ponzi Scheme Linked to Fake Mexican Casino

Federal authorities in Utah have indicted two men for operating an alleged $25 million Ponzi scheme while convincing victims to invest in a phantom casino project in Mexico. Thomas Paul Madden, 66, of Washington City, Utah, and Jeremy Tyler Grabow 54, of...

Philip Conneller February 4, 2025
Waukegan casino, American Place Resort and Casino, Full House Resorts, Potawatomi, lawsuit

Full House Resumes Waukegan Casino Construction After Lawsuit

Las Vegas-based casino developer Full House Resorts has resumed work on its $400 million American Place Resort and Casino in Waukegan, a north Chicago suburb. When finished in late 2027, the resort will comprise a 20-suite, five-star luxury hotel, complete with a...

Philip Conneller February 3, 2025
Lucchese crime family, Anthony Villani, Rhino Sports betting, Mafia gambling ring, Illegal online sportsbook

Lucchese Soldier Pleads Guilty Over Illegal Gambling Platform ‘Rhino Sports’

Five members and associates of the Lucchese crime family have pleaded guilty to charges related to the operation of Rhino Sports, a Brooklyn-based illegal gambling enterprise with servers based in Costa Rica. Among them is the aptly named Anthony Villani, 60, a...

Philip Conneller February 3, 2025
Son Jun-ho, South Korea, match-fixing, China, FIFA

FIFA Won’t Punish Korean Player Accused of Match-Fixing in China

Soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, has refused to recognize the “global” life ban handed by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) to South Korean defensive midfielder Son Jun-ho for match-fixing. The defensive midfielder, who denies the allegations, was one of 43 players and officials...

Philip Conneller January 29, 2025