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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.

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Senior Reporter

Expert since 2018

4177 stories by Philip Conneller

Crown Melbourne Whistleblower Testimony Discarded in Licensing Probe
July 11, 2018

Crown Melbourne Whistleblower Testimony Discarded in Licensing Probe

Crown Resorts’ gambling license for its flagship Crown Melbourne is up for review, but the testimonies of a whistleblower with claims that could affect the casino’s suitability for licensing renewal have been ignored by regulators....

Written by Philip Conneller
Stars Group Becomes Sports Betting Giant, Completes $4.7 Billion Takeover of Sky Betting & Gaming
July 11, 2018

Stars Group Becomes Sports Betting Giant, Completes $4.7 Billion Takeover of Sky Betting & Gaming

The Stars Group has finalized its $4.7 billion acquisition of UK online sports powerhouse Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG), a transaction that now makes it the largest publicly traded online gambling company in the world,...

Written by Philip Conneller
Illegal World Cup Betting Leads China’s Colossal Social Messaging App WeChat to Close 50,000 Accounts
July 10, 2018

Illegal World Cup Betting Leads China’s Colossal Social Messaging App WeChat to Close 50,000 Accounts

China’s biggest mobile messaging platform, WeChat, announced this week it has deleted 50,000 accounts and 8,000 group chats related to soccer betting during the World Cup so far. WeChat said that a Chinese government crackdown...

Written by Philip Conneller
Elaine Wynn Reengages in Executive Warfare with Wynn Resorts Board
July 10, 2018

Elaine Wynn Reengages in Executive Warfare with Wynn Resorts Board

Elaine Wynn’s feud with the Wynn Resorts’ top brass was rekindled this week, after the board rejected a candidate she proposed for chair or vice-chair. Wynn became the company’s biggest shareholder after her ex-husband, Steve...

Written by Philip Conneller
Japan Flood Disaster Threatens to Derail Casino Bill for 2018
July 10, 2018

Japan Flood Disaster Threatens to Derail Casino Bill for 2018

Japan’s Upper House is deliberating on a bill that will establish a framework for the nation’s impending casino sector. Lawmakers need to find consensus before the looming July 22 deadline for the end of the...

Written by Philip Conneller
Pennsylvania iLottery Hits $21.6 Million in Sales, Rivals Complaints Lead To Marketing Changes
July 9, 2018

Pennsylvania iLottery Hits $21.6 Million in Sales, Rivals Complaints Lead To Marketing Changes

Pennsylvania’s brand new online lottery, the iLottery, reported sales of $21.6 million in its first 26 days from its launch on June 4, despite the best efforts of the land-based casino industry to sink it...

Written by Philip Conneller
MGM Growth Properties Acquires Ohio’s Hard Rock Rocksino for $1 Billion
July 9, 2018

MGM Growth Properties Acquires Ohio’s Hard Rock Rocksino for $1 Billion

MGM Growth Properties on Friday finalized its $1.06 billion purchase of Cleveland’s Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield, the first property to be acquired by the REIT, an MGM Resorts spin-off. MGM Growth will inherit a 200,000-square...

Written by Philip Conneller
World Cup Betting: France Now Favorite But Should It Be?
July 9, 2018

World Cup Betting: France Now Favorite But Should It Be?

Former World Cup favorites Brazil are now history, as they were bounced out of the tournament courtesy of a heart-stopping own goal by Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne’s thumping right foot. Brazil’s departure means that...

Written by Philip Conneller
China Missile Spat Torpedoed South Korea Casino Sector in 2017
July 8, 2018

China Missile Spat Torpedoed South Korea Casino Sector in 2017

Visitors to South Korea’s foreigner-only casinos fell by 6.2 percent in 2017, according to government figures seen by local news agency Yonhap. The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism attributed the decline to...

Written by Philip Conneller
Macau Corruption Crackdown Targets Illegal Currency Exchanges on Cotai Strip
July 8, 2018

Macau Corruption Crackdown Targets Illegal Currency Exchanges on Cotai Strip

Authorities in Macau have arrested 13 Chinese mainlanders on suspicion of operating illegal currency exchanges on the Cotai Strip, Radio Macau reported Wednesday. The gambling hub’s Judiciary Police has stepped up operations against the exchanges...

Written by Philip Conneller