Featured Articles Archive - Page 490

Kaplan sentenced to 51 months in prison

BetOnSports founder Gary Kaplan was sentenced to 51 months in prison on federal racketeering charges Monday. Kaplan, 50, had pleaded guilty in August to charges of conspiracy to violate the RICO statute, conspiring to violate the Wire Wager Act and violating the Wire Wager Act. He will also have to forfeit $43.65 million in criminal proceeds, as well as approximately $7 million in related proceedings. "Kaplan was unique in the scope and scale of his illegal operation," said Acting U.S...read more

Russell Simmons joins Penn for Aqueduct bid

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons has joined Penn National Gaming's bid to operate a casino at the historic Aqueduct Race Track in New York City. Penn National, one of six casino operators bidding for the license to operate 4,500 slot machine-like video lottery terminals at Aqueduct, located in the city's Queen borough. In a statement, Penn National said it has reached a community relations agreement with Simmons' Rush Communications of New York City and a labor framework agreement with the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council, AFL-CIO. In its capacity as community relations advisor on this project, Simmons' company will be involved in public affairs and in advising Penn National on its planned local community relations and outreach, charitable donations, diversity and humane initiatives. "As a Queens native, I am sensitive to the developmental needs, educational opportunities and other conditions that can benefit from Penn National's plan for the Aqueduct facility," Simmons said. Simmons has been a "hip-hop pioneer" for his influence in music, fashion, finance, television and film...read more

Is there benefit to loading a craps table in stages with Come bets?

Is there benefit to loading a craps table in stages with Come bets? By Alan Krigman Many craps buffs relish the action they get with multiple wagers on the table, simultaneously, which win on different dice totals. Those who bet "with the shooter," depending for profit on strings of numbers being thrown, often start on Pass then Place or Buy one to five of the remaining boxes when a point is established. This strategy can be quite rewarding on a long roll...read more

Poker pros and media make their final table selections

The World Series of Poker Main Event final table begins this Saturday and, as usual, everyone has their opinions on who will win. Casino City sent out an informal poll to a number of poker professionals and members of the poker media to find out who they're picking and why. Out of the 17 responses we received (9 members of the media, 8 poker pros), Eric Buchman was the top choice to win, getting six first-place votes...read more

Michelle, Ho knocked out of Amazing Race

I have to admit, I was looking forward to seeing poker players Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho fall on their face in the Amazing Race. The two pros entered the competition on CBS full of arrogance, thinking the skills they had developed as poker players would help them easily win the race, and they weren't afraid to say so...read more

Top-10 WSOP tidbits from Lon and Norm

You recognize their voices. You know their faces. They have been as much a part of ESPN's World Series of Poker coverage as the players. They are Lon McEachern and Norman Chad. McEachern and Chad have been providing commentary for the World Series of Poker since 2003, and they will be at it again next week during the Main Event Final Table. McEachern and Chad took part in a 45-minute media conference call on Friday, and they shared some interesting facts about all the November Nine participants...read more

A betting preview of the WSOP Main Event final table

Explaining what I do for a living can be confusing sometimes, especially when the person asking the questions is a bit uneducated about the world of poker. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people out there who have no idea just how much the poker industry has grown over the last decade...read more

Two poker players eliminated in "Amazing Race"

AS VEGAS, Nevada -- Poker player Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle busted out of the reality television series, "The Amazing Race." On Sunday night's episode, the female poker players were eliminated in sixth place from the 12-team race around the world after they couldn't complete either of two roadblock tasks set up for contestants in The Netherlands...read more

Boyd going after Station's assets

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Boyd Gaming Corp. filed a motion Sunday in Station Casinos' bankruptcy proceedings, asking the court to allow the casino operator to submit a reorganization plan for its financially troubled rival. According to the motion, Boyd Gaming, which was rejected when it offered to buy a large chunk of Station Casinos in February for $950 million, is asking the U.S...read more

Gaming stocks slide in October

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Strip gaming stocks regressed in October after two months of double-digit increases in their average daily prices. Of the seven casino operators and three slot machine manufacturers charted by Las Vegas-based financial consultant Applied Analysis for its Gaming Index, only Pinnacle Entertainment, WMS Industries and Bally Technologies saw their stock prices increase. Every other company had declines, albeit just single-digit declines. "Investors pulled back late in the month, leaving the majority of companies finishing lower than where they started," Applied Analysis principal Brian Gordon wrote in a report to clients Friday. The index fell a few points in October to close at 292.36, which was still the first year-over-year increase in 16 months. "On a company-by-company basis, all operators (other than MGM Mirage) and equipment makers posted annual growth in stock price valuation," Gordon said. In the last few weeks of October, several gaming companies reported third-quarter earnings, which for the most part didn't show positive results in July, August and September...read more