Monthly Archives: July 2015

Ritz Club wins £2m roulette lawsuit; Maryland Live roulette ball assault

London’s Ritz Club Casino has won its lawsuit against a high-roller who refused to honor a £2m marker after claiming the casino had a duty to stop him from gambling.

Billionaire Safa Abdulla Al Geabury ran up a £2m gambling debt playing roulette at the iconic London VIP gaming venue over the course of a single night in February 2014. On Friday, the High Court’s Mrs. Justice Simler ruled that the 52-year-old Al Geabury’s testimony “lacked credibility and was riddled with inconsistency” and ordered him to pay the full amount of the debt plus interest.

In 2009, Al Geabury signed a self-exclusion form barring him from playing at the Ritz but he later signed a different form stating that he’d gotten his gambling problems under control. In court, Al Geabury claimed he’d been improperly lured back to the Ritz after a casino rep bumped into him at a football match and offered the high-roller a line of credit.

Justice Simler called Al Geabury an “intemperate witness” who had “failed to establish that he had any gambling disorder at any material time” and was therefore “the author of his own misfortunes.” Simler also noted that Al Geabury’s net worth was “in excess of US$1b” and thus his losses at the Ritz posed no significant threat to his ability to put food on the table.

Secret Lottery winner scoops 1m prize

ONE lucky Lottery player is a millionaire thanks to a Bournemouth convenience store – but their identity remains a closely guarded secret. Ian Brough, who owns Madison’s convenience store in Bearwood , was stunned to receive a letter from the National Lottery telling him his shop had sold a winning lottery ticket and created a millionaire.

888poker Introduces Tournament Pause Button to Battle Disconnection Issues

888poker is addressing its ongoing disconnection issues with the addition of a new “pause button” which can be flicked by the operator when widespread connectivity issues threaten to derail tournaments. There have been complaints about sporadic disruptions to the 888 software for some time, although players on poker forums began reporting severe and widespread problems […]

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Dutch gambling regulator boosts fines for unauthorized online gambling sites

Gambling regulators in the Netherlands will boost fines for online gambling sites targeting Dutch punters without a local license.

On Friday, the Dutch Gambling Authority aka the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) announced it was boosting the minimum fine for unauthorized online gambling activity by €50k to €150k, effective Aug. 1, 2015. The KSA reserves the right to increase fines to a maximum of €810k for repeat offenders or those engaging in particularly egregious violations.

The KSA considers various criteria when deciding whether to crack the whip, prioritizing enforcement actions against operators using a dot-com domain, offering a Dutch-language option and advertising with Dutch-focused radio, TV or print media.

The KSA also takes into consideration the number of websites and types of gaming offered by a particular operator, the maximum prizes on offer, the maximum initial deposits and the size of any deposit bonuses. The KSA’s history with individual operators – whether it has previously issued warnings or levied fines – also helps determine the severity of the punishment.

Casino operator Pinnacle reverses quarterly net loss

Regional casino operator Pinnacle Entertainment reversed a net loss in the second quarter, crediting results from the Las Vegas-based company’s Midwest properties. Pinnacle, which announced this month it was selling the land and buildings associated with 14 of the company’s casinos to a real estate investment trust in a $4.1 billion transaction, reported a net income Thursday of $15.8 million, or 34 cents per share for the quarter that ended June 30. A year ago, Pinnacle lost $2.3 million, or 4 cents per share.

Betfred boss to appear in new TV ad campaign

UK bookies Betfred have launched seven new TV ads featuring boss Fred Done across a backdrop of nine different sporting events.

The “Be Part of the Action” themed adverts were shot at sporting venues including Nottingham Greyhound Stadium, Widnes Vikings’ home Select Security Stadium, Liverpool Olympia, Haydock Park Racecourse, and Old Trafford Cricket Ground.

Betfred teamed up with production houses Zut and Shadowplay Productions to create the TV commercials, which will be broadcast on social media, Betfred TV and Sky Sports network.

According to Betfred Marketing Head Gemma Strath, the decision to feature their boss is an attempt to appeal to customers on a more personal level.

Cost-cutting and casino games boost Mohegan Sun Q3 profit

Cost cutting and increase in slot machine and table games numbers have driven the third-quarter profit at the Mohegan Sun casinos.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (MTGA) or the Authority, the owner and operator of Mohegan Connecticut and Pennsylvania, announced its Q3 operating results ending on June 30, 2015.

According to the MTGA, Q3 consolidated revenue of $325m were relatively flat but the increases in EBITDA, income from operations and net income attributed to improved slot results at Mohegan Sun and table game results at Mohegan Sun Pocono, combined with an overall reduction in operating and corporate costs and expenses.

Slot machine revenue at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut was up 2.8% to $142.2m compared to $138.3m in Q3 2014 and table games at the Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania casino saw an increase of 12% to $11.8 million.

Thai VIPs drive Cambodia’s Star Vegas revenue up 17% in 2015

VIPs from Thailand, who aren’t allowed to gamble in their country, continue to drive Cambodia’s gambling industry. The Star Vegas Resort and Club recently posted a 17 percent increase in net revenue from over $65.7 million in FY 2014 to nearly $76.8 million this year.

Cambodia’s gambling industry is on fire, thanks to VIPs from Thailand. The Star Vegas Resort and Club in Poipet recently posted a 17 percent increase in net revenue for fiscal year 2015.

Donaco International, which now owns Star Vegas, reported through its website that the total net revenue for the casino rose to nearly $76.8 million from just over $65.7 million from FY 2014. The casino’s VIP table rolling chip turnover also reached $3.87 billion this year, a 69 percent from last year’s $2.29 billion.

The VIP table game gross revenue is also up by 54 percent, from last year’s $67.6 million to $103.7 million this year. In comparison, revenues from the casino’s main hall tables only increased by 18 percent, to $19.2 million from last year’s $16.3 million.