Areas of Expertise
3884 stories by Philip Conneller
Former Disney Top Suit Unveils Plans for Elysium City, ‘European Las Vegas’ Set in Remote Spanish Backwater
A former Disney executive plans to build a “European Las Vegas” in a remote and sparsely populated corner of Spain. This week, John Cora of California-based Cora Global showcased his plans to Spanish media for “Elysium City,” a venture that promises to...
Wynn Resorts’ New Chairman Phil Satre Opens Up on Steve Wynn and Massachusetts Suitability Probe
As the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s (MGC) suitability investigation into Wynn Resorts nears its conclusion, the company’s new chairman Phil Satre was in Boston this week to be grilled by the commission as a formality about his own suitability. The company is building...
Surprise Alliance of Leagues and Operators Emerges to Fight Threatened Intralot Sports Betting Monopoly in Washington DC
MGM Resorts, DraftKings, and FanDuel have joined forces with the NBA, MLB, and the PGA in a bid to impose shared interests on Washington DC sports betting legislation. It’s the first known instance of sports betting operators and leagues -- two groups...
Genting Dragged $66 Million into the Red After US DOI Nixes Tribal Casino Project
Genting Berhad booked Q3 net losses of more than $66 million on Friday. The Malaysian casino giant largely blamed its jeopardized investment in a Massachusetts tribal casino project, which was torpedoed by the US Department of the Interior earlier this year. In...
New York Appeals Ruling That Declared Daily Fantasy Sports Illegal, But So Will Anti-Gambling Groups
The State of New York has appealed against a judge’s ruling that daily fantasy sports is illegal gambling under the state constitution, which nullified the legislature’s effort to legalize and regulate the contests in 2016. Curiously, the decision is also being appealed...
British Columbia’s Biggest Ever Casino Money Laundering Prosecution Case Falls Apart
A criminal case against a British Columbia company that police allege was a front for an underground bank that laundered drug money through the province’s casinos has apparently collapsed. Charges were filed against Silver International and two of its operators -- Caixuan...
Gambler Gets Life Sentence for Punch That Killed Reno Eldorado Casino Manager
A Reno gambler who went from being just another a sore loser to a murderer in a matter of a few catastrophic minutes will spend the rest of his life in prison. Frederick Douglas Borden, 65, was sentenced to life without the...
UKGC Turns Screws on Errant Licensees With £14 Million in New Fines
The UK Gambling Commission continues to pile regulatory pressure -- and seven-figure fines -- on wayward online gaming companies. On Thursday, the regulator announced three operators had been hit with a total of £14 million ($18 million) in penalties for lax anti-money...
Las Vegas Exec Who Subsidized Gambling with $1.5 Billion Ponzi Scheme Guilty of Fraud
A Las Vegas CEO who funded a luxury gambling lifestyle through a $1.5 billion Ponzi scheme was found guilty of fraud and money laundering by a jury in Nevada on Tuesday. Japanese-American Edwin Fujinaga, 72, bilked thousands of mainly Japanese citizens into...
Washington D.C. Council Drops League Demands from Sports Betting Plan
In a snub to America’s sports leagues, D.C. City Council has removed language from its sports betting bill that would have seen the leagues reap a so-called “integrity” fee from a future wagering market, SportsHandle reports. The Council has also removed the...