3661 stories by Philip Conneller
NBA Calls for Federal Sports Betting Regulations After Jontay Porter Scandal
The NBA wants a nationwide federal regulatory framework for sports betting to replace oversight by individual state agencies. The league’s Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum made the comments in a video call to reporters this week in response to developments in...
Former NYPD Cop Among 17 Indicted in New York Mafia Gambling, Extortion Racket
Seventeen people have been charged for their alleged involvement in a Mafia-linked gambling and loansharking operation on Staten Island, New York, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday. Among the defendants are a former NYPD officer, a mobbed-up pizza restaurateur, and numerous reputed...
Ex-Deutsche Bank Associate Gets Prison for $1.5M Crypto Scam
A former Deutsche Bank investment banker has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for orchestrating a “Ponzi-like” crypto fraud scheme that hit investors for $1.5 million. Rashawn Russell, 28, of Brooklyn, promised his victims returns on their investments...
Beau Rivage Casino Would ‘Put Victim Back Together,’ Deranged Killer Hoped
A Biloxi, Miss. man who stabbed a stranger 30 times, partially dismembering him and severing his arm, was caught as he attempted to haul his victim’s lifeless body to the nearby Beau Rivage Casino. The killer said he hoped someone at the...
New Yorker Arrested in NBA Betting Case Was Trying to Flee to Australia
A Brooklyn man suspected of involvement in the Jontay Porter NBA betting scandal was arrested at JFK International Airport Monday as he prepared to board a one-way flight to Australia. On Tuesday, Long Phi Pham, 38, was charged with conspiring to defraud...
Chicago Slots Salesman Who Sued ‘Are We Dating the Same Guy?’ Imprisoned for Tax Evasion
A Chicago-area sweepstakes-machine salesman who sued Facebook and dozens of women from the “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” (AWDTSG) Facebook group has been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for tax evasion. In a lawsuit filed in January, just days...
Philippines POGO Industry Under Threat After ‘Chinese Agent’ Fracas
A bill freshly filed in the Philippine Senate calls for the dismantling of the country’s controversial online gambling (or “POGO”) industry, citing its links to cases of human trafficking and online scams. A POGO, which stands for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator, is...
Gambler Faces Prison for Stealing from ‘Thunderbirds’ Writer-Director
A care provider in the UK who prosecutors claim stole £75K (US$95K) from an Emmy Award-winning writer and director to feed his addiction to lottery tickets has failed to have his guilty plea vacated. Allan John Beacham, 66, pleaded guilty in January...
Macau Fraudsters Bilked Casino for $580K with Baccarat Cold Decks
Five employees of an unnamed casino on Macau’s Cotai Strip are accused of orchestrating a scam involving stacked baccarat decks that bilked the venue out of HK$4.54 million (US$581,498). On May 25, Macau’s judiciary police arrested eight individuals on suspicion of involvement...
Malta Regulator Sentenced for Leaking Secrets to Suspect in Journalist Murder Case
Malta’s former chief gaming regulator, Heathcliffe Farrugia, has been convicted of leaking official secrets to the casino owner suspected of organizing the car-bomb assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. On Tuesday, Farrugia was sentenced to a conditional discharge, which means he will...
