1979 stories by Steve Bittenbender
Billy Walters Claims Feds Violated His Civil Rights By Leaking Grand Jury Information
Lawyers for Billy Walters sent letters to US Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray earlier this week. The lawyers urged them to investigate the former federal prosecutors and agents involved in the retired sports bettor’s insider trading conviction. The...
WSOP Main Event Players May Face COVID Quarantine Request in New Jersey
Players heading to New Jersey to take part in next month’s World Series of Poker Main Event may be asked to stay in their hotel rooms for the duration of their trip to the Garden State. That’s because New Jersey has one...
Michigan to Shut Down Detroit Casinos for At Least Three Weeks as COVID-19 Cases Rise
Casinos in Detroit will be going on a three-week shutdown starting on Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Sunday. The casino closure is part of an enhanced effort to control the spread of COVID-19, which, as it has across the country, has...
Title Bout Controversy Causes Promoter Bob Arum to Say His Fights May Leave Las Vegas
Boxing promoter Bob Arum may have had his fill of Las Vegas. On Saturday night, the founder and CEO of Top Rank Boxing sounded off when the Nevada State Athletic Commission, after a protracted review of a title fight, ruled controversially it...
Illinois Sports Betting Generates $305M Handle for September, Becomes Top Four State for Wagering
Illinois sports betting made its presence known in a hurry. On Friday, the state’s gaming board released its wagering totals for September, and bettors there generated a handle of $305.2 million. That establishes the Land of Lincoln as the fourth- biggest sports...
Paul Hornung, Football’s ‘Golden Boy’ Once Suspended for Gambling, Dies at 84
Paul Hornung, the Golden Boy of 1950s and '60s American football who was forced to sit out a year in his prime because of gambling, died Friday in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., at the age of 84. A statement from the...
Basketball Great May Soon Hit the SHAQPOT with Planned Sports Betting Application
Basketball star Shaquille O’Neal is considering a foray into sports betting, according to documents filed last month with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). ABG-SHAQ LLC filed a request to trademark the phrase “SHAQPOT” on Oct. 22. ABG-SHAQ is a company...
Ohio Track Cancels Horse Racing Meet for Two Weeks After Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19
Live horse racing has gone dark at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Youngstown, Ohio, after track representatives learned of a positive COVID-19 test case. The closure took effect Tuesday afternoon a little more than an hour before post time at the track....
Hard Rock Seeks 200 Dealers for Northern Indiana Casino Jobs at Hiring Events
As construction continues on Hard Rock Northern Indiana in Gary, Ind., work is underway to find employees who will staff the $300 million land-based casino. That includes blackjack dealers and others to staff table games. Next week, the casino will hold two...
Nevada Gov. Sisolak Strongly Urges Residents to Stay Home, But Casino Visitors Still Welcome
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Tuesday unveiled his “Stay at Home 2.0” plan to contain the COVID-19 pandemic that’s spread rapidly across the state in recent weeks. In a televised briefing, he urged Nevadans to stay home as much as possible over...
