3039 stories by Philip Conneller
Trafficking Boat Capsizes on Route to Cambodia Gambling Town, Three Dead, Eight Missing
Three people are dead and eight missing after a boat carrying trafficked workers to the Cambodian casino hub of Sihanoukville capsized last Thursday, the AFP reports. Cambodian authorities said over the weekend they had rescued 21 people from the vessel, which ran...
Chinese Official at Center of Steve Wynn Lobbying Scandal Sentenced to Death
A Chinese government official who allegedly recruited Steve Wynn to lobby the White House for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been sentenced to death in the northeastern city of Changchun. Former deputy minister for public security Sun Lijun, 53, was...
Alvin Chau Trial: Suncity Had IT System to Log Illegal Multiplier Bets
Macau junket operator Suncity Group had a computer system in place that kept records of illicit multiplier bets, the company’s former vice president of IT, Ali Celestino, testified Wednesday. Celestino is one of 21 defendants on trial, along with former Suncity chairman...
Zia Park Casino Kidnap Video May Not Be All It Seems
Security video of a New Mexico woman apparently being kidnapped from the Zia Park Casino Hotel Racetrack, close to the border with Texas, is now being reevaluated by investigators. On Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, police responded to reports of a possible kidnapping...
Alvin Chau Trial: Junket Kingpin Denies Online Gambling, Side-Betting Operations
Former Suncity boss Alvin Chau has denied operating illegal online betting services that targeted gamblers in Macau and mainland China. In a Macau Court of First Instance on Tuesday, the fallen junket head also denied that his company had been involved in...
Biggest Las Vegas Loser Terry Watanabe Will Be Subject of Film
In 2007, Terry Watanabe, a wealthy businessman from Omaha, Neb., lost more than $200 million gambling, mainly at Caesars Palace and the Rio. It’s a dubious feat that immortalized him as one of Las Vegas’ biggest losers. Now there are plans to...
Rhino Sports Was Lucchese Crime Family Online Betting Op, Feds Say, Five Indicted
A Brooklyn-based illegal online gambling business that was allegedly under the protection of the Lucchese Crime Family offered bettors “twisted customer services,” prosecutors clained Wednesday. Their policy was, “Do what we say or face terrifying consequences.” That’s according to the US Attorney’s...
Bellagio Fight Led to Domestic Battery Arrest for Jeff German Murder Suspect
Robert Telles, the Clark County Administrator accused of murdering Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, was charged with domestic battery and resisting arrest in 2020. That was after Telles got drunk and started a fight with his wife at the Bellagio, according...
Bank Wants Casino Jackpot Winner’s Race Discrimination Suit Tossed
A Black woman from Detroit says she was told by the Fifth Third Bank that she could not deposit a $12,200 check for casino winnings because it was “fraudulent.” Now, she’s suing the bank for racial discrimination. But Fifth Third wants the...
Red Rock Resorts Begins Demolition of Texas Station, Fiesta Henderson
Station Casinos parent Red Rock Resorts Monday began the demolition of its Texas Station and Fiesta Henderson properties in Las Vegas. These are two of three Station Casino operations that never reopened after Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered a blanket casino shutdown during...
