Famous Players News

Their highs, their lows, their triumphs and their criminal convictions. Here we look at those colorful characters that keep the gambling world turning and make it as interesting as it is.

We follow their tournament track records, as well as look into their backgrounds to see what made them they way they are. We also keep our ears close to the ground for the many rumors that spring up about them.

Former Las Vegas Club 662 Owner Suge Knight Faces 28 Years in Prison After Plea Deal Made Days Before Jury Trial to Begin in L.A.

September 21, 2018 By Devin O'Connor

Co-founder and former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight — who was once a Las Vegas club owner — has avoided a possible life sentence after pleading no contest to an involuntary manslaughter charge, stemming from a 2015 hit-and-run that left one person dead. Knight — who owned the now-closed Club 662 in Las Vegas,…Read More

Poker Pro William Kassouf Banned by UK Grosvenor Casinos for Stealing £100 in Chips: Stripped of Sponsorship

September 19, 2018 By Philip Conneller

Motormouth poker player William Kassouf has been banned from all Grosvenor casinos for palming £100 ($132) chips off a roulette table. Grosvenor is the UK’s largest casino chain and was Kassouf’s sponsor until the incident last weekend. The trouble occurred at the Grosvenor Westgate Casino during the Leeds leg of the Grosvenor UK Poker series….Read More

Instagram King Dan Bilzerian Gets Slapped with Azerbaijan Weapons Charges After Firing Bazooka to Celebrate Armenian Citizenship

September 05, 2018 By Devin O'Connor

Say what you want about Dan Bilzerian, whose love of firearms and hot babes are neck-and-neck, but the guy can handle a lot of pain. And after firing a bazooka-style weapon in Azerbaijan with no ear protection, the 37-year-old may be deaf, but he’s also in a heap of trouble with authorities there. Azerbaijan —…Read More

EPL Betting: Manchester City a Sure Thing for the English Premier League Title, According to Bookies

August 09, 2018 By Philip Conneller

The English Premier League is back. Yes, after a summer of World Cup soccer, it’s time for lots more soccer. On Thursday, the transfer window closed with no dramatic last-minute deals. On Friday, Man United will be aiming to do the business on the pitch against shock 2016 winner Leicester City. Leicester was 5,000/1 to…Read More

Charles Oakley Hires Celeb Las Vegas Defense Attorney David Chesnoff, Sidesteps Felony from Cosmopolitan Cheating Charge

August 08, 2018 By Philip Conneller

Former NBA star Charles Oakley has been fined $1,000 by a Las Vegas court after pleading no contest to a charge of disorderly conduct in relation to an alleged cheating incident at the Cosmopolitan last month. Oakley brought in high-powered defense team Chesnoff and Schonfeld to represent him for a slam-dunk outcome. Oakley was arrested…Read More

Former Nevada Governor and Casino Industry Reformer Paul Laxalt Dead at 96

Paul Laxalt dead Adam Laxalt GOP candidate Nevada governor

August 07, 2018 By Philip Conneller

Paul Laxalt, the former Nevada governor who helped clean up and stabilize the state’s gaming industry in the 1970s, has died at 96. His family said the grandfather of current GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt passed away of natural causes at a healthcare facility in Virginia on Monday. Modernizing the Casino Industry He first served…Read More

Betting Fraud and Match-Fixing Biggest Threats to Esports, Says Watchdog

July 31, 2018 By Philip Conneller

Esports’ exposure to skin gambling and other unregulated betting markets is giving it a serious integrity headache. That’s according to Ian Smith, commissioner of the Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC), which seeks to protect esports from cheating. Smith, a lawyer based in the UK, told The Guardian this week that betting fraud and match-fixing represented the…Read More

Rapper YG Surrenders to Las Vegas Police Over Cosmopolitan Robbery Charge

July 16, 2018 By Philip Conneller

Twist My Fingaz rapper YG turned himself in to Las Vegas Metro last Thursday, after a warrant was issued for the performer on felony robbery charges related to an incident at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas in May. The 29-year-old YG — whose real name is Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson — is alleged to have ripped a…Read More

France Wins World Cup 2018 in Russia, Young Squad Proves Too Much for Cinderella Croatia

July 16, 2018 By Philip Conneller

A six-goal World Cup Final. An own goal. A harsh VAR penalty. A moment of brilliance by Perišić. Then Pogba. Then Mbappe. A weird goalkeeping snafu that ultimately did not matter. And it didn’t end there. Broken Croatian hearts after their Cinderella run. French delirium as it will celebrate its 2nd World Cup title. And…Read More

John Cynn Wins $8.8 Million World Series of Poker Main Event, Final Heads-Up Match Longest in Tournament’s History

July 16, 2018 By Philip Conneller

The 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event wound to a lengthy end in the wee hours on Sunday morning, and Indianapolis poker pro John Cynn was the victor of the $8.8 million dollar first prize. Cynn also received the accompanying 18-carat white gold, 120 diamond-encrusted champion’s bracelet worth an estimated half-million on its own,…Read More

Ex-NBA Star Charles Oakley Accused of Cheating at Blackjack at Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, Casino Won’t Comment

July 13, 2018 By Cort Smith

Former NBA star Charles Oakley was arrested Thursday night after being accused of trying to cheat the house at the Las Vegas Cosmopolitan casino. The 54-year old is facing felony fraud charges for allegedly taking back his bet upon realizing he was going to lose. The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) said that Oakley “was…Read More

Wayne Newton’s Casa de Shenandoah Ends Public Tours, Kitschy Las Vegas Attraction Returning to Private Status

July 13, 2018 By Katie Barlowe

Casa de Shenandoah — the over-the-top 52-acre estate of Las Vegas entertainment icon Wayne Newton and his wife Kathleen — is shutting down just three years after it opened as a tourist attraction. Newton’s attorney said this week that the decision has been made to return the estate to a private residence, according to the Las…Read More

World Cup Betting: France Now Favorite But Should It Be?

July 09, 2018 By Philip Conneller

Former World Cup favorites Brazil are now history, as they were bounced out of the tournament courtesy of a heart-stopping own goal by Fernandinho and Kevin De Bruyne’s thumping right foot. Brazil’s departure means that only one of the top-five pre-tournament favorites, France, remains alive at this point in the tournament. It’s a testament to…Read More

World Series of Poker Main Event Attracts Second-Largest Field in History

July 05, 2018 By Philip Conneller

World Series of Poker officials announced Wednesday night that 7,874 hopefuls had entered the 2018 Main Event, the second-biggest field ever. You’d have to go back to 2006 – when Jamie Gold trash-talked his way through 8,772 players – to find one bigger. But that was at the absolute pinnacle of the poker boom, a…Read More

World Cup Betting: Belgium Breaks Japanese Hearts, Brazil Plays Like Champion-Elect

July 03, 2018 By Philip Conneller

Russia 2018 has given us a taste of everything so far — the goal-fests, the chaotic giant-killing upsets, the dramatic penalty saves — and now we have the crazy late comeback. To the impartial, Belgium snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against Japan on Monday could be the best bit so far. They could…Read More