Areas of Expertise
3799 stories by Philip Conneller
Big Trouble in Little China: Nine Loan Sharks Held for Kidnapping, Torture in China’s Cambodian Gambling Hub
Authorities in Cambodia have arrested nine Chinese nationals for the alleged kidnap and torture of two gamblers in Sihanoukville, a once sleepy seaside town now booming with Chinese-owned casinos. Major Sok Kosal of the Sihanouk Province Military Police said the men were...
Online Gaming Shares Tumble on False BBC Report of Advertising Ban
A BBC report suggesting members of online gambling industry body the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) had agreed a self-imposed ban on UK TV advertising during sports events is simply not true, according to RGA chief Clive Hawkswood. The BBC’s article was published...
UK Casino Bomb Hoaxer Told to Expect Prison Time
A gambler who returned to a casino that had barred him to stage a bomb hoax should be sent to prison for up to two years, prosecutors told a court in Bath, UK this week. British-Iraqi Faris Attia claimed his actions were...
MGM Keeps Plans for Yonkers Raceway Under Wraps As $850 Million Deal Nears Completion
MGM Resorts International is just weeks away from finalizing its $850 million acquisition of the Yonkers Raceway in New York State, along with its adjoining Empire City Casino -- and locals are aching to know what the casino giant has planned for...
MGM GVC Interactive Believes Strategic Tribal Gaming Partnerships Hold Key to Sports Betting Domination
MGM Resorts and GVC Holdings are venturing deeper into Indian Country in their hunt for sports betting partnerships. The two operators -- collectively known as MGM GVC Interactive -- announced Tuesday they had retained the services of California-based TFA Capital Partners, an investment...
Sports Betting Boosts New Jersey Horse Racing But Industry Still Needs Lifeline from Legislature
Sports betting is thriving at Meadowlands Racetrack and that’s good news -- for once -- for New Jersey’s ailing horse racing industry. On Friday, Meadowlands agreed a ten-year sports betting revenue-share deal with the Standardbred Breeders and Owners of New Jersey (SBOANJ)...
Federal Sports Betting Bill Surfaces in Congress, Proposes Official League Data Mandate
A draft of Senator Orin Hatch’s (R-Utah) threatened federal sports betting bill appeared on Capitol Hill Tuesday. The bill seeks to provide a uniform federal framework of sports betting regulation and would require states seeking to legalize sports gambling operations to have...
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...