3258 stories by Philip Conneller
Massachusetts Sheriff Drove Cop Car to MGM Springfield Drunk, Missing Tire
A Hampden County, Mass. sheriff arrested at the MGM Springfield last month drove to the casino drunk in a police SUV with a missing tire, The Boston Globe reports. Sheriff Nick Cocchi, 51, left his Ford Explorer with blue police license plates...
Colossus Bets, Spinola Gaming Linked to $95M Texas Lottery Syndicate Win
The mysterious syndicate that gamed the Texas Lottery for a $95 million has been linked to Colossus Bets, the London-based parimutuel betting site, and Malta-based software provider Spinola Gaming, according to The Houston Chronicle. The syndicate, which claimed the prize via a...
Poker Player Pleads Guilty in Jontay Porter NBA Corruption Case
A Brooklyn poker player whose name surfaced in a 2023 cheating scandal has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for his role in the insider betting scandal surrounding former Toronto Raptors power forward Jontay Porter. Long Phi “Bruce” Pham, 38, was a...
Alaska Tribe Clears Land in Anchorage for State’s Second Casino
Alaska’s Eklutna Tribe has begun clearing land for what it hopes will become Alaska’s second casino, The Anchorage Daily News reports. The tribe has long sought to build an electronic bingo hall on its land 20 miles outside of Anchorage. But, for...
Track Announcer, Jockey Among Those Arrested in Texas Bush-Racing Raid
New details have emerged about arrests Sunday at an illegal quarter-horse racetrack, or bush track, that operated near the city of Levelland in West Texas. A total of 14 people were arrested during a raid by the Texas Department of Public Safety...
US Election Betting Back On as Kalshi Scores in Federal Appeals Court
Financial exchange and prediction platform Kalshi relaunched its betting markets on the US presidential election on Wednesday. That’s after a federal appeals court in Washington DC denied a bid by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to halt the markets over fears they...
Judge Tosses $2B Claim Against Powerball Winner Edwin Castro
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge this week dismissed a lawsuit against Edwin Castro, the winner of the world’s biggest lottery prize. The complaint was filed in February 2023 by Jose Rivera, who claimed to be the rightful winner of the record-breaking...
Acclaimed St. Louis Restaurateur Shot Girlfriend in Neck at Ameristar Casino, Cops Say
A 50-year-old man suspected of shooting his 27-year-old girlfriend in the neck at the Ameristar St. Charles in St. Louis, Mo., in the early hours of Saturday morning has been identified as the owner of one of the city’s top restaurants. Calvin...
Illegal Texas Horse Racetrack Raided, Drugs, Gambling Devices Seized
Authorities in West Texas raided an illegal quarter-horse racetrack and arrested nine people for offenses including promoting gambling, money laundering, racketeering, and the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance. Police uncovered 135 grams of cocaine and numerous illegal gambling devices at...
Archie Karas, Legendary Las Vegas Gambler Dead at 73
Archie Karas, the fearless gambler and sometimes casino cheat, who pulled off perhaps the most famous winning streak in Las Vegas history, known as “The Run,” has died at age 73. Karas, known in gambling circles as “The Greek,” is understood to...
