3300 stories by Philip Conneller
Seminole Tribe Allegedly Paying Off Signature Gatherers to Sabotage Ballot Initiatives
The Seminole tribe of Florida is buying off petition gathering firms in a bid to sabotage voter-led challenges to its state gaming monopolies, a POLITICO story claims. One such company, Dunton Consulting, employed by Las Vegas Sands Corp (LVS), told the politics-focused...
Nebraska Minister Stole Money from Pedophile Priest, Given to Vagrant for Gambling
A court in Nebraska has been wrestling with the question of why a Catholic minister would steal parish money, rob an ailing pedophile priest, and give it all to a homeless man to blow in casinos. The Rev. Michael Gutgsell is the...
China: 60K Crooked Casino Operators Charged in Nine Months, 250K in Three Years
Authorities in mainland China claim they charged 63,238 individuals with operating illegal casinos, both live and online, from Jan. 2 to Sept. 30. Some 25,140 people were prosecuted for the offense during the same period. That’s according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate...
Over Aus $1B Laundered Through Slots in Australia Pubs and Clubs, Regulator Claims
More than A$1 billion (US$710 million) a year in dirty money is being laundered through slot machines stationed in Australia’s pubs and clubs. That’s according to chief gaming investigator for the state of New South Wales, David Byrne, who spoke to The...
Ladbrokes Coral Bilked Out of £600K by UK Gang Using Laminated Banknotes
Four UK men who admitted scamming betting shops out of £600,000 (US $800,000) using laminated banknotes have been handed prison sentences of between one and four years. Thomas Wheatcroft, 40, Charlie Shaw, 33, Michael Sadgove-Tarrant, 37, and Paul Hubbold, 59, pleaded guilty...
Texan Sets Fire to Gaming Machine After Losing, Gets Shot by Irate Gambler
A woman in Houston, Texas set a gaming machine alight Wednesday after a losing streak, according to police. She was subsequently shot by a fellow gambler who was waiting to play it next. Lieutenant Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department (HPD)...
Mexican Preschool Wins Lottery, Gets Menaced by Paramilitaries
Parents of a tiny preschool in southern Mexico that scooped a $950,000 windfall on the Mexican national lottery have found themselves hounded and threatened by a local paramilitary group. The group, “Los Petules,” wants the money to buy weapons. The preschool is...
Antigua and Barbuda Women Win $900K Virgin Galactic Tickets From Omaze
A mother and daughter from Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean were flying high Tuesday. That's after winning two tickets on board a future Virgin Galactic commercial spaceflight in an Omaze sweepstake. Keisha Schahaff, a health and energy coach, said she entered...
Facebook, Apple, Google ‘Gambling Conspiracy’ Lawsuits Consolidated
A slew of lawsuits against Facebook, Apple, and Google alleging illegal gambling have been consolidated into one master complaint in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The combined, amended complaint now lists 25 plaintiffs. It alleges the US...
IGT Sues Department of Justice Over Lingering Wire Act Threat
IGT has sued the US Department of Justice, seeking affirmation that it will never be prosecuted under the federal Wire Act. The Rhode Island-based lottery provider is asking for declaratory relief that the 1961 law pertaining to interstate gambling will never be...
