Areas of Expertise
3037 stories by Philip Conneller
WSOP Main Event Champ Espen Jorstad in Row Over $300K ‘Equity Swap’
The World Series of Poker’s newest Main Event champion, Espen Jorstad, is $10 million richer after charging to glory through a field of 8,632 others in July. But the Norwegian is finding that life at the top isn't always smooth sailing. Jorstad...
Atlantic City Invests in Clean Up Amid New York Casino Threat
Atlantic City officials will pump $5 million into creating a citywide security camera system, The Press of Atlantic City reports. At a Monday news conference, Mayor Marty Small Sr said that a short, sharp boost in state funding would allow the city...
DraftKings Patent Battle: Cash-Out Wagering ‘Unpatentable Concept,’ Judge Agrees
DraftKings believes the ability to “cash out” of a wager early is an abstract concept related to financial hedging that is unpatentable. A federal court, at least partially, agrees. But the sportsbook giant won't be ducking out of this game before the...
Notorious Sex Trafficker First To Be Banned from All Nevada Casinos
For the first time, an individual without a history of cheating at gambling or involvement in organized crime has been entered into Nevada gaming regulators’ infamous “Black Book.” The book is a list of persons excluded from all the casinos in the...
Star Entertainment Let Mafia Figure Gamble Despite Ban, Inquiry Hears
A reputed member of the ’Ndrangheta organized crime syndicate was permitted to gamble at Star Entertainment’s Queensland properties years after he was banned from its other Australian casinos. This is the public inquiry into Star’s suitability to continue to hold a license...
Mobile Gaming App ‘Investment’ Scammers Plead Guilty to $21M Fraud
“Social Voucher” was a mobile gaming app that never existed, despite scammers raising $21 million for its development. Now, five South Florida residents have pleaded guilty to ripping off investors for their own personal gain. Paul Geraci, Ted Romeo, Michael Assenza, Paul...
Nevada Regulators Could Throw ‘Black Book’ at Serial Casino Sex Trafficker
A new type of criminal profile could soon make its way into Nevada gaming regulators’ infamous “Black Book” of excluded persons: the casino-based sex trafficker. On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Commission will meet to decide whether to include prolific pimp Kendrick Laronte...
Ronaldo Palms Rape Claim Heads to Appeals Court
A Las Vegas woman who claims she was raped by soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo at his Palms Casino penthouse in 2009 is appealing a judge’s decision to dismiss the case. US District Judge Jennifer Dorsey tossed the civil lawsuit in June. She...
Lottery.com Faces Investor Lawsuit in ‘Deceitful’ Accounting Scandal
Stricken lottery sales platform Lottery.com is facing a proposed federal class-action lawsuit from disgruntled shareholders. They claim they were misled by the company’s top brass. The lawsuit comes, somewhat inevitably, just weeks after an internal third-party investigation uncovered “instances of noncompliance with...
Queens Wharf Casino Brisbane, Major Shareholder Linked to Triad Leader ‘Broken Tooth’
Star Entertainment’s Queen’s Wharf casino resort project in Brisbane, Queensland, is part-owned by a Hong Kong company with historical links to a notorious Triad boss. That’s according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which has linked the company, Chow...