Considering the resounding success of mobile sports betting in New York, leading industry operators showed interest in securing one of the state’s three new downstate casino licenses. The fierce competition was joined by industry giants, including Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International and several other bidders. Overall, nearly a dozen bidders joined the race for a downstate license, acknowledging the exponential potential of such a victory.

Steve Cohen, the New York Mets’ owner, also joined the bidding for a downstate casino license in New York. Details regarding his intention to build a casino near Citi Field, his team’s home stadium, emerged last year. Upon announcing that he decided to join the race, Cohen said that the new casino is expected to deliver entertaining experiences for Mets fans before and after home games. He also did not rule out that such a venue can help propel interest in the area, attracting more visitors than before.

Now a new report reveals that the Mets owner is trying to spice things up for his casino license bid in New York. As announced by Spectrum News NY1, earlier this week, Cohen’s Point72 Asset Management presented a multi-billion-dollar plan for the development of the area near City Field. Besides the casino, Cohen reportedly plans to introduce significant improvements to the area, including five acres of athletic fields and 20 acres of park space using City Field’s parking lots.

Moreover, the ambitious plan seeks to create easy access to Willets Point station. Further improvements to the area include investments in senior and youth programs, as well as additional health care, legal and immigration services for the community in the area. Reportedly the project has a price tag of $8 billion.

The Casino Proposal Is Important for Communities in the Area

While undoubtedly, there are positive sides to the casino proposal, not everyone agrees. At a town hall meeting on Wednesday, New York Sen. Jessica Ramos spoke about the importance of the casino bid in the area for communities. “I still think not enough community members know about either proposal or that there is this possibility of a casino coming, and our community does deserve to know,” she explained.

Sen. Ramos is among the decision makers for the casino bid considering that she will be appointing one out of five members within a special community advisory committee that will vote for or against the proposed project.

Cohen became the owner of the Mets after a deal for a staggering $2.4 billion back in 2021. At the time, he purchased the famous MLB franchise from the Wilpon and Katz families ahead of the start of the MLB season.

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Currently, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gaming authority, is in charge of the regulation of gambling activities in the country. Monitoring constantly the legal offering for Dutch clients, the gambling regulator also ensures that customers in the country are not targeted by operators without a license. On Monday this week, the KSA confirmed it imposed a $1 million fine against an operator it says offered services to Dutch customers illegally.

The fine imposed by the gambling watchdog is against MKC Limited-owned betworld247.com. The hefty €900,000 ($954,300) monetary penalty comes after the regulator uncovered that the operator offered online games of chance without the required license. Gambling operators that accept customers from the Netherlands must hold a permit in order to offer games of chance. Operators that do not hold such a license operate in breach of the Dutch Gambling Act.

In the case against betworld247.com, the KSA said that its investigation uncovered that Dutch customers were able to register with and participate in online games of chance. According to the gambling regulator, the operator hasn’t taken any technical measures to prevent customers from the Netherlands to register. Such proactive measures can include blocks for Dutch IP addresses or rejection for customers who tried to register with Dutch address details. Moreover, the KSA’s probe into the operator uncovered that the “age of participating players was also not visibly verified.”

“The Gaming Authority (KSA) has imposed a fine of €900,000 on MKC Limited for offering illegal games of chance. Dutch players could participate in online gambling on the website betworld247.com, owned by MKC Limited. MKC Limited does not have a permit for this and is therefore in violation of the Gambling Act,“

explains a statement released by the KSA

Users Submitted Their Age without Proper Identification

Recently, KSA’s chair, René Jansen, confirmed his plans to resign in 2024. Announced earlier this month, the decision comes at a time when his term is set to expire. Jansen explained that he doesn’t plan to reapply for the role, meaning that the Dutch gaming authority is likely already looking through applications for a new chairman. Additionally, the current chairman is reaching retirement age at the end of the year, another reason that likely motivated him not to reapply for the role.

“At MKC Limited, players could enter an age themselves without clear identification. This means that their website is also accessible to very vulnerable, underage players.“

René Jansen, chairman of the KSA

Focusing on the latest penalty against MKC Limited, Jansen said that the website enabled users to submit their age themselves without the necessary identification. According to him, this enabled the website to offer services to vulnerable groups such as underage individuals. Jansen deemed this as a “culpable offense” and once again warned that the illegal gambling market lacks the robust player protection that is otherwise mandatory for the regulated sector.

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In a recent decision, a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) panelist has found that VGW Holdings Limited, an Australian online gambling company, attempted reverse domain name hijacking by filing a complaint against the owner of vgw.com who is a Republic of Korea resident. 

VGW Holdings Limited has been operating its website, vgw.co, since 2010, offering online casino-style gaming services through its various brands such as Chumba Casino, Global Poker and Luckyland Slots. The company holds several trademark registrations for the VGW mark in various countries, demonstrating its commitment to protecting its brand identity.

However, the WIPO panelist, Kathryn Lee, ruled in favor of the domain owner, Hyundoo Shin, a Republic of Korea resident, who registered vgw.com in 2002, long before VGW Holdings Limited even came into existence. This critical timeline difference played a pivotal role in the panelist’s decision.

Lee emphasized that since the disputed domain name predates VGW Holdings’s trademark rights and formation, it would have been impossible for Shin to have registered the domain name with the intention of targeting VGW Holdings Limited and its mark. 

Panelist Lee Condemns Attempted Reverse Domain Hijacking in Landmark Decision

Panelist Lee wrote in the Administrative panel decision document: “The Complainant should surely have known that the Complaint could not succeed based on these facts, and proceeding with this Complaint can only be viewed as an attempt to deprive a registered domain-name holder of a domain name.”

This fact led the panelist to conclude that the complaint was brought in bad faith, with an attempt at reverse domain name hijacking, constituting an abuse of the administrative proceeding.

The case highlights the importance of considering the registration date of a domain name in intellectual property disputes. In this instance, VGW Holdings Limited failed to demonstrate that the respondent, Hyundoo Shin, registered the domain name in bad faith due to the significant time gap between registration and the company’s establishment.

Furthermore, the panelist’s decision underscores the potential consequences for complainants who attempt reverse domain name hijacking. Reverse domain name hijacking occurs when a complainant files a dispute knowing that they cannot prove bad faith registration or use of the domain name by the owner. Such attempts can result in a finding of reverse domain name hijacking, as seen in this case.

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Identity theft or fraud is a criminal activity that involves a person using information about another individual to fraudulently obtain services or goods. In Nevada, identity theft is a crime that can be punished with a fine of up to $100,000, as well as imprisonment of up to 20 years. While such crimes aren’t uncommon, it is really difficult for offenders to hide their tracks which usually results in their capture.

Now, a new report suggests that a person was almost able to pull off a scam that allegedly allowed him to obtain more than $1 million by pretending to be the owner of a hotel-casino in Las Vegas. As reported by KLAS, a 23-year-old man named Erik Gutierrez was accused of theft of more than $100,000 after allegedly impersonating a Las Vegas hotel owner to receive money.

The alleged fraud dates back to earlier this month, when an “unknown person” entered the Circa Hotel and Casino, located in downtown Las Vegas, approaching a cage teller and asking for money, reveals the latest report citing court documents. Reportedly, the man claimed to be the owner of the hotel and asked the teller to give him money for fake payments to the fire department.

Law Enforcement Arrests the Suspect, Uncovers $850K

Police were reportedly alerted about the alleged scam on June 17, 2023. Authorities suspected Gutierrez by tracking the vehicle used for the alleged theft. After obtaining a search warrant, on June 18, Police arrested Gutierrez. Upon searching the man’s home, the authorities uncovered a large bag with “US currency bundled together with the name Circa written on the bundle.”

Overall, approximately $850,000 was recovered. Still, more than $300,000 is missing, given that the total which was allegedly obtained in three separate payments was $1,170,000. Currently, law enforcement is trying to determine where is the remaining $314,000.

In a statement released via Twitter, Circa’s CEO, Derek Stevens, said: “Although I love a good PR story, this isn’t one of them.” He explained that Circa is currently collaborating with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department regarding the investigation. Stevens praised the law enforcement’s efforts and refrained from further comments saying that an investigation is currently ongoing.

The post Man Allegedly Impersonates Casino Owner, Takes Home $1M appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The broadcaster behind Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSN), Diamond Sports Group (DSG) announced Tuesday it is in the process of finalizing a Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA) with companies that hold the majority of its debt, as well as Sinclair Broadcast Group. This is a strategic move that ultimately seeks to eliminate a debt of more than $8 billion that is outstanding for the company.

However, in order to implement the RSA, DSG confirmed that it filed for Chapter 11 protection with the US Bankruptcy Court within the Southern District of Texas. Ultimately, the company’s plan is to strengthen its balance sheet by implementing the restructuring and using the proceedings. At the same time, DSG plans to continue the broadcasting of high-quality sports content in the US.

The latest announcement reveals that DSG plans to keep Bally Sports operational during the complex Chapter 11 process. Moreover, DSG said that it currently has some $425 million in cash which can help with the restructuring and boost its business.

“The RSA Diamond is finalizing with creditors and Sinclair provides that Diamond will separate its business from Sinclair and become a standalone company,“

reads a statement released by Diamond Sports Group

The RSA Represents a Strategic Move

David Preschlack, DSG’s CEO, explained: “The DSG Board of Managers has been evaluating strategic opportunities with the support of its advisors and in coordination with creditors to position the Company for long-term success and has determined that the best path forward for the Company and its stakeholders is to restructure through a Chapter 11 process.”

The CEO added that the company is engaging in this process in an effort to strengthen its balance sheet, reset its capital structure and eliminate some $8 billion in debt. Preschlack added: “The financial flexibility attained through this restructuring will allow DSG to evolve our business while continuing to provide exceptional live sports productions for our fans.”

According to Preschlack, DSG will not stop broadcasting games that ultimately help connect sports teams and leagues with their fans. Finally, he said that the company hopes to be revitalized by the restructuring and become even stronger than before.

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