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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

4174 stories by Philip Conneller

Jontay Porter NBA Betting Conspiracy Sees Another Poker Player Arrested
January 14, 2025

Jontay Porter NBA Betting Conspiracy Sees Another Poker Player Arrested

Poker player Shane Hennen on Sunday became the sixth individual to be arrested for alleged involvement in the Jontay Porter insider betting case. Hennen was detained by police at Harry Reid International Airport as he...

Written by Philip Conneller
Koi Nation Casino Project Gets 11th-Hour Approval from Federal Govt.
January 14, 2025

Koi Nation Casino Project Gets 11th-Hour Approval from Federal Govt.

The outgoing Biden administration on Monday approved the Koi Nation’s land trust application for a casino in Sonoma County in the heart of California wine country. The decision from the US Interior Department’s Bureau of...

Written by Philip Conneller
Brazil’s Mobbed Up ‘Animal Lottery’ Gets Battered by Online Gaming
January 13, 2025

Brazil’s Mobbed Up ‘Animal Lottery’ Gets Battered by Online Gaming

Brazil’s new online gambling market appears to have achieved what a century of public prosecutors have failed to do – smash the country’s Mafia-controlled numbers rackets. Brazilians are increasingly rejecting the formerly popular, but illegal...

Written by Philip Conneller
Feds Approve Controversial Scotts Valley Pomo, Coquille Tribal Casinos
January 13, 2025

Feds Approve Controversial Scotts Valley Pomo, Coquille Tribal Casinos

The outgoing Biden administration approved land trust applications Friday for two controversial tribal casinos, one in the San Francisco Bay Area and another in southern Oregon. The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ proposed $700...

Written by Philip Conneller
Cedar Rapids Casino Blocker Bill Expected Next Week
January 11, 2025

Cedar Rapids Casino Blocker Bill Expected Next Week

A bill that would prevent any new casinos from being built in Iowa within the next few years is expected to drop early in the new legislative session, which starts Monday. House Rep. Bobby Kaufmann...

Written by Philip Conneller
Star Entertainment Settles Superyacht Spat Amid Dire Cashflow Crisis
January 10, 2025

Star Entertainment Settles Superyacht Spat Amid Dire Cashflow Crisis

Embattled Australian casino operator Star Entertainment has resolved a spat over a luxury super yacht by selling the vessel to the wealthy businessman who sued the company last year for allegedly welching on the deal....

Written by Philip Conneller
World Series of Poker Champ James Bord to Buy Sottish Soccer Team
January 10, 2025

World Series of Poker Champ James Bord to Buy Sottish Soccer Team

World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) champion James Bord is on the brink of acquiring Scottish Championship soccer team Dunfermline Athletic. The Brit, who won the WSOP’s European Main Event in London in 2010 for...

Written by Philip Conneller
Chinese TV Actor Kidnapped, Trafficked to Myanmar Scam Center
January 8, 2025

Chinese TV Actor Kidnapped, Trafficked to Myanmar Scam Center

A Chinese actor lured to Thailand by the promise of a television shoot with a major Thai entertainment company was kidnapped, smuggled over the border to Myanmar, and set to work in a scam center...

Written by Philip Conneller
Illinois Bill Would Authorize $150M Racino in Decatur
January 7, 2025

Illinois Bill Would Authorize $150M Racino in Decatur

Forget Sin City, a casino, harness track, and 60,000-square-foot sports complex could be coming to “Soy City,” aka Decatur, Ill., “the Soybean Capital of the World.” Decatur was not one of five locations earmarked for...

Written by Philip Conneller
Bet365’s Denise Coates Takes Pay Cut to (a Paltry) £150 Million
January 7, 2025

Bet365’s Denise Coates Takes Pay Cut to (a Paltry) £150 Million

Britain’s best-paid woman, Bet365 CEO Denise Coates, cut her pay by almost half last year. But the billionaire businesswoman still took home £150 million (US$188 million) in salary and dividends, according to the company’s latest...

Written by Philip Conneller