Casino City’s Friday Five: World Series of Poker and jackpots edition

The 2021 World Series of Poker Online events continue on but those aren’t the only headlines for the WSOP this week. Before we go into more details on that, we also have several jackpot winners at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, a new casino opening and another major mega-dollars merge and acquisition from the gambling space.

Let’s begin with some lucky winners:

5. Treasure Island in Las Vegas announces June jackpot winners
Treasure Island Las Vegas awarded major jackpots in the month of June.

Visitors winning $10,000 or more during June, amid other significant wins, included:

Tara T. won $70,913 on Buffalo Gold Bonus.
Lidia H. won $28,480 on Dancing Drums Top Progressive.
Danny R. took home $17,611 on Spin and Win Progressive.
Mary T. from California won $11,279 on 007 Jackpot Progressive.

What would YOU do with a $70,913 jackpot?! Tara T. needs to start her list! Welcome to a very happy @TIPlayersClub #WinnerWednesday! #TIVegasWinner #Vegas #TreasureIsland https://t.co/FaU6k3HKaq pic.twitter.com/xPZhihKgja
— Treasure Island (@TIvegas) June 2, 2021

4. Flutter sells betting affiliate site in $218 million deal
Bruin Capital reached an agreement with Flutter Entertainment to acquire Oddschecker Global Media.

Under the terms of the transaction, Flutter will receive £135 million approximately ($190 million) upon closing with further deferred contingent consideration of up to £20 million ($28 million).

In the U.K., the Oddschecker platform is a digital destination for real-time odds comparison, wagering data and related information.

The platform serves as a one-stop shop for bettors, offering side-by-side betting line comparisons from 100s of bookmakers across 1,000s of events.

Bruin Capital Founder & CEO George Pyne said: "Oddschecker Global Media is a dynamic company with tremendous potential. The team has deep, fact-based intelligence and experience with the mindset and needs of bettors at every level. They've turned that into a very diversified, service-oriented business that uplifts its partners and its own interests.”

3. Penn National Gaming to open Hollywood Casino York in August
Penn National Gaming announced earlier this week that it will open Hollywood Casino York to the public on Thursday, 12 August.

The Category 4 casino represents Penn National’s third facility in Pennsylvania, joining Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville and The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington. A fourth property, Hollywood Casino Morgantown, is scheduled to open later this year.

The roughly 80,000 square foot facility will feature approximately 500 slot machines and 24 table games, with capacity for up to 750 slot machines and 40 table games. Hollywood Casino York will also offer a Barstool Sportsbook and Racebook.

Prior to the grand opening, Penn National will host two invitation-only test days, with gaming proceeds going to charitable organizations in the area, including York County Veterans Outreach, York County Food Bank, Mr. Sandy’s Veterans Helping Hand and local VFWs and American Legion posts.

We're excited to announce that our Grand Opening will be on Thursday, August 12th - can’t wait to see everyone there! ??#PA #Pennsylvania #HollywoodYork #PennNationalGaming #Casino #BarstoolSportsbook
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. pic.twitter.com/CRQYVcqeJo
— YorkHollywood (@HollywoodYork) July 12, 2021

2. Demers wins 2021 WSOP Online $500 No-Limit Hold’em event
On Wednesday night, after nearly 11 hours of battle on the virtual felt, Gionni "COLDWARKID" Demers defeated David "dwpoker" Williams in heads-up play to win the 2021 WSOP Online Event #14: $500 No-Limit Hold'em for his first WSOP bracelet and $90,023.

Prior to the win, Demers had 20 WSOP-related cashes totaling $468,162 with his best WSOP cash coming from the 2011 WSOP Main Event when he finished 20th for $302,005.

The event attracted 673 entries including 363 re-entries to create a $466,200 prize pool with the top 143 players collecting at least a $793 min-cash.

The heads-up battle between Demers and Williams didn't last long as the final hand saw each player hold a made hand. Williams held a pair of fours while Demers held a pair of sevens and Williams couldn't find a set or complete his gutshot as he finished runner up.

1. World Series of Poker expands in Pennsylvania
The World Series of Poker is officially live online in Pennsylvania following a successful field trial and approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

In celebration, the platform is launching newly announced bracelet events and weekly tournaments for Pennsylvania players, and daily satellites with buy-ins as low as $1 that provide an opportunity to win a seat at the crown jewel of poker tournaments, The Main Event in Las Vegas this fall.

“We are thrilled to be opening up WSOP.com to the state of Pennsylvania,” said Ty Stewart, SVP of the World Series of Poker at Caesars Entertainment. “The real winners in this expansion are the players who join us at WSOP.com.”

We are now LIVE 24/7 in PA ?? ?? Offering the best sign up offer, the most rewarding loyalty program, and the biggest tournament series in the industry awarding the prestigious WSOP Gold Bracelet. Don’t just play online poker, play where legends are made.https://t.co/UWDo0w0QCf pic.twitter.com/dwtLfmkd5d
— WSOP (@WSOP) July 15, 2021