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Reporter: 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.

Areas of Expertise

3058 stories by Philip Conneller

Macau junkets

Macau Junkets Have Future If They Abide China, Hints Economy Secretary

Macau Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong said Monday that junkets can play a future role in the gambling hub’s casino industry, provided they abide by the law, Macau Business reports. That means they need to give mainland China, which...

Philip Conneller December 20, 2021
Jason Farrugia

Malta Gaming Authority Exec Fired for Stealing Sensitive Data, Faces Police Probe

Police are investigating a former executive at the Malta Gaming Authority after he was “caught red-handed” misusing sensitive internal information, The Times of Malta reports. The agency’s ex-chief technology officer, Jason Farrugia, is suspected of accessing confidential and commercially sensitive information. Sources...

Philip Conneller December 19, 2021
Slots money laundering

Pub Slots Money Laundering Probe Launched By New South Wales Criminal Intelligence

The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) is set to unleash its most powerful criminal intelligence agency. The target: the growing problem of slots money laundering in the non-gaming sector, which includes pubs and clubs. The NSW Crime Commission (NSWCC) will...

Philip Conneller December 18, 2021
vaccine lottery

Ohio Supreme Court Kills Case Claiming Vaccine Lottery Unconstitutional, Unethical

Ohio’s Supreme Court has tossed a lawsuit brought by a group of anti-vaxxers who argued the state’s “Vax-a-Million” lottery was unconstitutional. The complaint claimed the lottery’s use of public money without legislative approval violated Ohio law. The plaintiffs' campaign group, “Ohio Stands...

Philip Conneller December 17, 2021
Mashpee casino

Genting, Mashpee Tribe’s $1B First Light Casino Project Comes Back from the Dead

The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts says it still expects to complete its proposed $1 billion First Light casino in the City of Taunton. And Malaysian gaming giant Genting is still on board with the project. That’s despite catastrophic legal setbacks, and...

Philip Conneller December 17, 2021
Denny Bhakta

Ex-Hilton Manager Orchestrates $28M ARIA, Cosmopolitan Ponzi Scheme

A San Diego man who allegedly defrauded investors out of at least $28 million in a bogus hotel room-discounting scheme “laundered” money through Las Vegas casinos, including ARIA and The Cosmopolitan, according to the FBI. Denny Bhakta, 39, was formerly a revenue...

Philip Conneller December 16, 2021
Curacao online gaming

Curacao Online Gaming Rogue Operators May Number 12,000, Dutch Claim

Dutch lawmakers grilled the country’s outgoing government this week on Curaçao’s controversial online gambling regime. Specifically, they wanted to know why 12,000 websites are allegedly permitted to offer unlicensed gaming to countries across the world, including the Netherlands. The question has become...

Philip Conneller December 16, 2021
Macau junkets

Macau Government Keeping Junkets in Dark About Post Suncity Future

Macau’s junkets say they are being kept ‘in confusion and fear’ about the future of their industry, following the arrest last month of Suncity CEO Alvin Chau. Veteran junket investor Luiz Lam Kai Kuong told Macau Business Wednesday that the gambling hub’s...

Philip Conneller December 16, 2021
Henry Orenstein

Henry Orenstein, Transformers Inventor Who Revolutionized Televised Poker, Dies at 98

Henry Orenstein, the inventor who gave the world Transformers toys and televised poker, has died at age 98. Orenstein revolutionized poker by devising the "hole card cam," which allowed a television audience to see players’ face-down cards. His invention turned the game...

Philip Conneller December 16, 2021
National lottery fraud

Crooks Who Used Stolen Card to Buy $5.3M Scratch-off Imprisoned for Fraud

Two small-time crooks who partied hard after they “won” £4 million (US$5.3 million) on a lottery scratch-off ticket were sentenced to 18 months apiece for fraud in Bolton Crown Court, UK, Tuesday. John-Ross Watson, 34, and Mark Goodram, 38, both from Bolton,...

Philip Conneller December 15, 2021