Areas of Expertise
3041 stories by Philip Conneller
Paddy Power Ad Spot Banned for Prioritizing Gambling Over Family Life
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned a TV spot advertising the operator’s Wonder Wheel game for portraying gambling as “taking priority in life over family.” The offending spot shows a young man playing the game in his partner’s parents’ home while...
Mohegan Sun Bus Driver Ate Gummies Laced with THC, Passed Out on Freeway
A bus driver was charged with 38 counts of reckless endangerment after passing out on I-95 while ferrying a busload of Boston casino-goers back home from Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun. The driver allegedly also polished off a whole bag of “Smokies Edibles Cannabis-Infused...
Tony ‘The Ant’ Spilotro Once Threatened to Kill Poker Legend Doyle Brunson with Ice Picks
Poker legend Doyle Brunson was once threatened with death by vicious Las Vegas Mob enforcer Tony “The Ant” Spilotro. The 88-year-old Texan recounted his disturbing encounter with “The Ant” in an interview this week with Texas Monthly. Spilotro was a capo for...
‘Corrupt’ Harness Racing Trainer Sold Victim Non-Existent Horse
A harness racing trainer from Christchurch, New Zealand, has been sentenced to seven months’ home detention for a series of racing industry frauds, including selling a victim a fictitious horse. Mitchell Kerr, 30, has also been ordered to attend problem gambling courses...
Hard Rock Tejon: Tribe Signs Compact with California for $600M Casino
California’s Tejon Indian Tribe has signed a compact with the state’s Democratic Governor, Gavin Newsom. The agreement puts the state seal of approval on the tribe’s reservation, the first time it has had a sovereign homeland in more than 150 years. It...
Vietnamese Worker Found Hanged in Cambodia Casino
A Vietnamese casino worker was found hanged on his second day on the job at a casino in Bavet, Cambodia, according to local police. Cambodian news outlet VOD reports that 28-year-old Tran Van Ban is believed to have died by suicide Friday...
Michigan Gov. to Decide on Little River Band Casino Project in Muskegon
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) must decide by Thursday on whether to authorize an off-reservation casino project proposed by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. The deadline comes after the federal government denied an application from the Governor’s Office for an...
Gambler Who Bilked UK Company Out of £6.7M Ordered Repay Just £69K
A gambling-addicted accountant who stole £6.7 million (US$8.1 million) from a family-run store-fitting installation company in Merseyside, England will repay just £69,000 (US$84,000) of the money he embezzled. James Hall, 49, was sentenced to six years in prison in March for fraud...
Daniel Negreanu Extorted for $1M at World Series of Poker
Poker star Daniel Negreanu has reported a $1 million extort plot against him to the FBI. The player is currently in Las Vegas at the World Series of Poker and vlogging daily about his experiences. And they’re turning out to be pretty...
Australia Completes Extradition of Alleged High-Ranking Triad Who Washed Drug Money at Crown
An alleged international narcotics smuggler whose organization was accused of washing millions through the Crown Melbourne Casino’s VIP rooms has been extradited to Australia from Thailand. Lee Chung Chak, 66, is reputed to be second in command of “the Company,” also known...