Areas of Expertise
3799 stories by Philip Conneller
Aussie Regulators to Examine Melco Boss for Business Links to ‘Triad Associate’ Father
Melco’s proposed acquisition of 20 percent of Crown Resorts, announced last week, will not be a speedy transaction, analysts said Monday. Australian gaming and financial regulators are likely to delve deeply into Melco supremo Lawrence Ho’s business dealings, particularly for links to...
William Hill Held Failed Talks with Caesars Over $7.6 Billion Merger
William Hill and Caesars Entertainment were involved in serious merger discussions in the immediate wake of the US Supreme Court’s rejection of the federal ban on state-sanctioned sports betting, according to new reports. The Sunday Times in the UK claims that talks...
Illinois Governor Pritzker Quashes DraftKings, FanDuel TV Campaign Attacking Rush Street Gaming
An Illinois TV spot bankrolled by DraftKings and FanDuel that attacked casino owner Neil Bluhm has been axed just a day after its launch, apparently at the behest of the state’s governor J.B. Pritzker. It seems Pritzker doesn’t want Illinois’ conversation about...
Penitent GVC Holdings Granted Provisional Gaming License in Nevada
The Nevada Gaming Commission has awarded British online gambling giant GVC a provisional license to operate in the America’s gambling capital, despite the reservations set out two weeks ago by the Gaming Control Board. The unanimous backing of the commission’s four-person panel...
Cristiano Ronaldo Faces US Summons Over Alleged Palms Casino Rape
Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will be summoned to appear in a Nevada court to answer allegations he raped a woman at the Palms Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in 2009, The Daily Mirror reports. The alleged victim, American woman Kathryn Mayorga,...
Cambodian Authorities Threaten to Bulldoze Unlicensed Chinese Casino Pumping Raw Sewage onto Island Paradise
Authorities in Cambodia’s Sihanoukville province are threatening to level a Chinese casino that has ignored an order to close for operating without a license and polluting an adjacent beach, Radio Free Asia reports. The Jinding casino opened earlier this year on the...
BC Calls for Canada-Wide Probe to Establish Extent of Money-Laundering, Federal Government Declines
British Columbia has launched an official investigation into how its casinos were able to become a dirty-money laundromat for Chinese criminal gangs, but Bill Blair, Canada’s federal minister for organized crime reduction, said this week a nationwide probe was not necessary. That’s...
Japanese Government Delays Casinos Fearing Voter Backlash
The Japanese government has mothballed plans to establish a regulatory body to oversee its new gambling industry until after summer elections, fearing that any moves related to the impending casino market could hurt it at the ballot box. That’s bad news for...
Leading Junket Operator Suncity Group Eyes Macau Casino License
Asia’s largest junket operator, Suncity Group, would bid for a Macau gaming license should the opportunity arise, its chief investment officer said this week. Speaking to Portuguese news agency Lusa, Andrew Lo Kai Bong said he believes Suncity could be competitive in...
Las Vegas Sport Bettor and Jeopardy! Phenom James Holzhauer Makes It 24 in a Row
Professional sports bettor turned record-smashing Jeopardy! phenomenon James Holzhauer booked his 24th consecutive win on the long-running game show Tuesday, taking his total winnings to an extraordinary $1,867,142. That’s the second largest winning streak ever in the show’s 55-year history -- and...