3799 stories by Philip Conneller
Triad Casino ‘Warlords’ Turned Over to China by Myanmar Junta
Myanmar’s military junta has handed three triad warlords over to Chinese authorities, the BBC reports. Until recently, Bai Suocheng, Wei Chaoren, and Liu Zhengxiang ran the city of Laukkaing in Myanmar’s semi-lawless Shan State as their personal fiefdom. But they were forced...
Colombo Underboss ‘The Claw’ Gets Leniency for Union Shakedown
A federal judge in Brooklyn opted to go easy on an alleged Colombo crime family underboss and former illegal gambling kingpin because of his ill health. In July, Benjamin “The Claw” Castellazzo, 86, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy charges. These were...
Casino Worker Told ‘Terror Squad’ to Target Gambler in Home Invasion
A gang member accused of murdering a casino customer during a chilling home invasion was tipped off about the victim’s winnings by an ex-member of the casino’s staff, Sask Today reports. That’s according to an April 2021 filing to North Battleford Provincial...
Iowa College Athletes in Gambling Scandal Snared by ‘Warrentless Searches’
Evidence that led to 41 Iowa college athletes being accused of gambling violations was allegedly obtained by warrantless searches conducted by a special agent with the state’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). That’s according to an attorney representing two athletes in documents...
Macau Casino Scam Doctored Gaming Chips, Inflated Value Tenfold
An unnamed Macau casino has taken an approximate US$200K hit after scammers were able to tamper with gaming chips to alter their denominations. Macau’s Judiciary Police (PJ) said Tuesday the scheme involved the modification of regular house HKD100 (US$13) chips so that...
Nebraska Gaming Board Spent $30K on Semi-Automatic Weapons
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission (NRGC) spent $30,351 on semi-automatic rifles for its 10 investigators, The Lincoln Journal Star reports. The purchase has raised eyebrows in Lincoln, the state capital. Some lawmakers have questioned whether it’s strictly necessary for an agency...
Oakland Gambling Den Guard Linked to Unsolved Homicide Cases
Oakland police have linked a gun found in the possession of a security guard at an underground casino to an unsolved homicide in the city, the East Bay Times reports. They also believe the guard, 25-year-old Ray Gilbert, may know something about...
Kindred Group Verges on $2.7B Takeover by French Lottery Giant FDJ
Francaise Des Jeux (FDJ.PA), the French national lottery operator, has made a US$2.67 billion move for Stockholm-listed online gambling giant Kindred Group (KIND SDB). On Monday morning, Kindred’s board of directors said in a statement it unanimously recommended that shareholders accept the...
New Nebraska Casino Proposed, But Gaming Expansion Under Threat
The list of operators eager to get themselves a future piece of Nebraska’s casino market is swelling. On Friday, representatives of a new hopeful, KRG Investment Group, briefed the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission (NRGC) on its proposal for a new horse-racing...
Turkish Gangster Gets Life for Murder of Cypriot Casino Owner
A Turkish gangster has been given two life sentences after an Istanbul court found him guilty of premeditated murder. The trial was in relation to the 2022 shooting death of Northern Cyprus casino owner Halil Falyalı. Mustafa Söylemez was also convicted of...
