Prosecutors dropped all charges against Sabrina Eddy, a former Monarch Casino Resort and Spa employee at Black Hawk, in connection with Colorado’s $500,000 theft scandal. This decision follows the First Judicial District Attorney Office’s investigation into an extensive scam that targeted Eddy without her knowledge.

Sabrina Eddy Acted in Good Faith

Eddy worked as a casino cage cashier when she was caught on camera taking stacks of cash worth $500,000 from the casino vault in March 2023. But more facts about what happened that night presented another side to this story, reported The Denver Post.

According to reports, Eddy got a call plus texts from supposed high-ranking casino officials instructing her to move the money to an individual posing as a lawyer waiting at some nearby hospital so as not to breach a contract. In trust for the authority figures, she complied with these instructions without knowing they were part of an elaborate plot by international scammers.

Their intricate plan involved getting employees within casinos to transfer funds to individuals posing as representatives authorized by the establishments. Eddy, believing she was acting in the casino’s best interest, handed over the cash to a stranger who claimed to be the attorney in question.

Eddy’s Swift Action Helps Nab Casino Criminal

At some point, Eddy became suspicious and she immediately notified security personnel working there. Because of her quick action another criminal involved in the scheme named Juan Ivan Gutierrez Zambrano was apprehended later pleading guilty.

A warrant for the arrest of a third suspect, who is presumed to be outside the United States, has been issued, but it has been kept confidential. Authorities have chosen not to disclose whether any of the stolen funds have been retrieved.

Though it seemed like an open-and-shut case against Eddy, further investigation revealed evidence that proved her innocence. The prosecutors found out that she acted in good faith without gaining anything from the theft. Therefore, they regarded it as unethical to charge her.

The dismissal of charges marks the end of a tumultuous chapter for Eddy, who endured months of legal uncertainty following her arrest. The revelation of her innocence underscores the vulnerability of casino employees to sophisticated scams and highlights the need for heightened vigilance within the industry.

Monarch Casino Resort and Spa which is located in Black Hawk and is owned by Nevada-based Monarch Casino and Resort Inc., declined to give any comment about the court’s decision. 

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The famous American cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation, Princess Cruises, announced that it is preparing to launch its largest-ever casino at Sun Princess, its newest and most magnificent cruise ship ever. The company revealed Tuesday that its new cruise ship is expected to set sail next year in February. Currently, Sun Princess is under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. Aboard the ship will be Princess Cruises’ new casino, offering high 10′ ceilings and a wide range of live table games and slot machines.

The casino will take approximately 9,000 square feet, making it 50% larger than Princess Cruises’ casinos at its Royal Class ships. Moreover, the Princess Casino will feature 30% more machines as well, promising to deliver exceptional experiences for people on vacation who want to participate in gambling activities.

The new casino will be located on Sun Princess’ eight deck, positioned next to the ship’s bustling Piazza. Promising world-class gaming comfort and entertainment, the casino offers some gaming slots that are “infused into the Piazza,” granting guests an easy way to engage in casino gambling.

Overall, the Princess Casino onboard Sun Princess is expected to offer 227 of the most popular video poker and slot games. Further gaming amenities are going to include 13 live tables, as well as a designated “Buffalo Zone,” offering exceptional hits from Aristocrat, the leading provider of casino games. Guests onboard Sun Princess can expect new linked blackjack and poker table progressives that will have mouth-watering top prizes.

For high-rollers, the casino will offer a high-limit slot area along with high-end seating. According to Princess Cruises, its guests can expect new “gaming experiences and celebrations through an interactive audio-visual experience throughout the casino.”

The Luxurious Cruise Ship Promises to Offer Supreme Holiday Experiences

Overall, Sun Princess will offer accommodation for 4,300 guests. Besides the casino, the cruise ship will offer other exciting entertainment and fine dining options. The luxurious ship will have the most balconies and sun decks out of any Princess Cruises ship so far, offering guests exceptional views of the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

“Casino lovers, high rollers or simply those wanting to try a hand during their vacation will be stunned by the new Princess Casino onboard Sun Princess.“

John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises

John Padgett, Princess Cruises’ president, spoke about the unique experiences Princess Casino will offer not only for high rollers but also for guests who want to try their luck. He said that the company is delighted to deliver new casino experiences for its guests. Finally, Padgett spoke about the exciting entertainment and world-class options that are going to be available at Princess Cruises’ newest cruise ship.

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City of Dreams Mediterranean officially opened for business this week after five years of planning, building, and outfitting guests for the high-end adventure of a lifetime in Europe’s largest and only integrated casino resort.

The sheer mass and design elements of the building seem to indicate it would be visible from several miles away with a shape reminiscent of a Mayan temple or a well-known tourist landmark in the Middle East, Sheraton Doha. On might even recall A Cancun casino resort.

Despite the similarities in aesthetics from a distance, City of Dreams is much different – inside and out.

Casino Gaming in a Luxury Environment

While a Mayan temple at Chichen Itza may or may not hold grand treasures, the only way most people will leave this property with a small fortune is to enter it with a large one – lady luck notwithstanding.

The hotel has 500 rooms in a range of luxuries and price points but each room is fresh and the accouterments are unique to the property. The development in toto is the first in Cyprus to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating for its sustainability strategy beginning at the design stage.

Architecturally, the development was recently honored by the European Property Awards 2023 for achievements in three categories: Best Hotel Architecture Europe: Best Sustainable Commercial Development Europe, and finally, Best New Hotel Construction & Design Cyprus.

Once you get beyond the strategically placed palm trees and massive pool complex, expect high walls of marble to greet you indoors.

Options include a visit to a diamond boutique, relaxing in a cozy chair and trying on high-end wristwatches, or sorting through designer clothing in one of the retail outlets.

While the description may sound like a world away, the design elements are all tied together with local geo design elements like cobbled floors and paths outdoors, plenty of greenery on the pathways to the largest pool complex in the Mediterranean along with cool blues and other hues that tie it all together and meld it with the local environment.

If you are itching to simply know about the gambling experience, that element needs to be put in its proper context as this is an integrated resort as much as it is a casino surrounded by “distractions”. However, expect to find a modest number of slots – 750, and a modest number of gaming tables – 75. How and where the machines and tables are placed is unique with a mixture of banks of machines and scatters of machines throughout some table gaming areas.

Table game options include the following:

• American Roulette
• 3 Card Poker
• Mini Punto Banco
• Baccarat
• Blackjack
• Casino Stud Poker
• Russian Poker
• Texas Hold’em
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em
• Omaha

City of Dreams Mediterranean offers gaming in a luxury resort setting rather than obligatory distractions surrounding a money pit to capture revenues. It seems to be designed holistically.

Full days could be spent exploring everything from zip lines to obstacle courses, climbing walls, and trampolines.

Several eateries and other amenities opened on Monday following a soft opening earlier. Expect a few more food, drink, and entertainment venues to open strategically over the coming days, weeks, and months to help keep the property front and center in the minds of visitors and potential visitors.

Not All Is Paradisical Below the Surface

Union organizers and members are upset about policies that seem to be working against employees exercising collective bargaining to get their fair share of the profits that will be left n the machines and on the tables by visitors from all over Europe and the larger world at the Cyprus resort casino.

One union decided to cancel a planned protest at the request of the Labor Minister who had asked organized workers to “refrain from confrontation”. However, another union decided to go ahead with plans to hold a small protest at the property on opening day.

According to local media reports, the problem is systemic and major rather than specific terms of employment, compensation, or benefits for employees at this point. Cyprus Mail reports that Peo Union (Syxpa-Peo branch Neophytos Timinis) would not “back down” until assurances were given that representatives of the union would be given access to the property.

Both Peo and Deok assert that management in the form of Melco, forbids access to union activities in the workplace and will not allow efforts to unionize workers.

Predictably, perhaps, Melco called the protests “unfounded and poorly timed” an obvious reference to opening day. The opening and ongoing success of the casino is important to Cyprus meeting its goals of becoming a well-known tourist destination so it’s no wonder Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou has involved himself directly in the dispute.

On that issue, a Deok union representative said that the labor minister’s intervention would be a turning point towards “fully implementing Cypriot laws and the constitution, that set in stone union liberties.”. With that, Deck union canceled its planned protest.

“The operator of the resort casino needs to realize that its business activities are conducted on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and it should stop behaving like a state within a state, disrespecting the legal order of its host state,” Deok noted.

Peo union indicated talks were ongoing out of public earshot, but it would hold the course until City of Dreams Mediterranean allows the union access to the resort to work on unionizing employees.

“The how and where can be agreed later, with the minister’s help,” a Peo union rep purportedly told the Cyprus Mail.

Source: The City of Dreams Mediterranean casino resort officially opens on Monday, Cyprus-Mail, July 9, 2023

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The Gambling Commission in Great Britain has ordered three businesses within the William Hill Group to pay the Commission’s largest fine ever issued, a combined £19.2 million. The penalties come as a result of social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures.

The William Hill-owned online casino site, Mr Green, and the operator of more than 1,300 gambling venues across the UK, William Hill Organization Limited, were hit with various fines ranging from the land-based levy of £3 million to Mr Green with a penalty of £3.7 million, and most significantly williamhill.com operator WHG (International) Limited, with a £12.5 million smackdown.

License Nearly Suspended

Gambling Commission chief executive, Andrew Rhodes said: “When we launched this investigation the failings we uncovered were so widespread and alarming serious consideration was given to license suspension.”

A quick response of full cooperation to fix the failures appears to have saved the operator from even more stringent and robust enforcement.

“However, because the operator immediately recognized their failings and worked with us to swiftly implement improvements, we instead opted for the largest enforcement payment in our history,” Rhodes added.

Just last week the GC fined 32Red and Platinum Gaming – two Kindred Group operators a combined total of £7.2 million. However, the William Hill penalties surpass even the previous record fines of £17 million – the amount Commissioners fined Entain (former GVC) in August 2022.

According to the public notice, the Commission has wrapped up more than two dozen enforcement cases resulting in more than £76 million in penalties for regulatory failures since the beginning of last year.

The first three months of 2023 have seen the following actions against UK-licensed operators:

• William Hill Group businesses to pay record £19.2m for failures
• Gambling Commission fines 32Red and Platinum Gaming £7.1m
• Blue Star Planet faces £620,000 regulatory action
• £6.1m fine for online operator In Touch Games
• Online gambling business TonyBet fined £442,750
• Vivaro Limited faces £337,631 regulatory action

Sanctions as Monetary Fines Levied Appear to be Working

Rhodes said: “In the last 15 months we have taken unprecedented action against gambling operators, but we are now starting to see signs of improvement. There are indications that the industry is doing more to make gambling safer and reducing the possibility of criminal funds entering their businesses.

“Operators are using algorithms to spot gambling harms or criminal risk more quickly, interacting with consumers sooner, and generally having more effective policies and procedures in place.”

Social responsibility failures at William Hill businesses include:

• Allowing the potential for substantial losses in a short period:
• A new customer spent £23,000 in 20 minutes without any checks.
• Another new account holder spent £18,000 in 24 hours with no checks.
• At Mr Green another customer opened an account and spent £32,500 over the course of two days with no checks.
• One customer lost £14,902 in an hour and 10 minutes at Mr Green.

Dozens of other social responsibility and anti-money laundering (AML) failures are listed in the overarching public announcement with more details available within Public Statements for each of the three Will Hill-owned entities.

WHG (International) Limited Public Statement

Mr Green Limited Public Statement

William Hill Organization Limited Public Statement

As part of a regulatory settlement, the total penalty of £19.2 million will be disbursed for socially responsible purposes.

A board member of the William Hill business will be made to oversee an improvement plan as an additional license condition. The firm will also undergo a third-party audit to make sure effective AML implementation, safer gambling policies, improved procedures, and control systems are in place and functioning as required.

Source: William Hill Group businesses to pay record £19.2m for failures, Gambling Commission, March 28, 2023

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