The pending sale of Revel Hotel and Casino to real estate developer Glenn Straub has been put on hold after a federal appeals court ruled in favor of appeals filed by tenants of the establishment who are seeking to block the sale unless their property rights are protected.

U.S. District Court Judge Jerome B. Simandle issued an 11th hour ruling, ordering that claims from the business owners must be heard before a sale can go through, setting up a Monday showdown to determine the fate of the Straub’s pending purchase.  A three-judge panel of the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia reversed a lower court’s decision that allowed a $95.4 million sale to developer Glenn Straub to continue despite an appeal from the former operator of Revel’s nightclub.

The Florida-based developer is in the final stages of purchasing the downtrodden property, but one of the conditions of the sale was him being “free and clear” of any obligations to leases held by tenants, which includes bars, clubs, and restaurants that operated inside Revel.

The emergency hearing on Monday isn’t the only thing that’s threatening the long, drawn out sale. Straub is also under a deadline by the end of the day to close the deal or risk losing his $10 million deposit on the property. It hasn’t been made clear whether the deadline would extend as a result of this latest ruling.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Straub was quoted saying “If they can’t close, so be it. It’s business; we’ve done it for 52 years.”

Straub’s attorney Stuart J. Moskovitz even hinted that his client is serious about walking away from the planned purchase, even if it means losing out on the $10 million deposit.

“Everything’s up in the air right now,” Moskovitz said. “There’s these court rulings hanging over everyone’s heads.”

Sportradar Head of Communications Alex Inglot expressed its concerns in tennis, especially at the lower levels, being prone as any sport to threats of match fixing.

Sportradar is known for its meticulous approach to ensuring the integrity of sports betting across a wide number of sports. In its time, the company has learned a great deal about the intricacies of keeping these sports secure from match fixing. But recently, the sports security services company identified one sport it says it has serious concerns over match fixing: tennis.

“There are serious concerns about tennis at various levels,” Inglot said, as quoted by Inside the Games. “I know a number of professional tennis players who say there are certain countries where you go to play tournaments and every single player will be approached to fix a match.

Ingot did parse his comments by saying that not everyone is doing it, but if all players are being approached to throw away a specific match, it wouldn’t be impossible for a few bad apples to take up the fixer’s offer in exchange for compensation.

Recently, eyebrows were raised during a Challenger Tour match between Denys Molchanov and Agustin Velotti when the betting volume for the match turned out to be suspiciously higher than matches of that quality. According to Sportradar, the match between the unranked Velotti and world number 174 Molcharov generated almost $1 million in handle.

Sport radar Managing Director of Strategy and Integrity Andreas Kannich believes that there should be more cooperation between bookmakers, sports federations, and law enforcement authorities to keep the strains of match fixing away from sports.

A few years ago, I wrote a piece here telling everyone to have faith in Tiger Woods, believing that at some point, he’s going to get his game and his mind right and return to that dominant force that laid waste to golf in the last decade.

While I’m not yet prepared to eat my words, I will admit that it’s becoming increasingly lonely in this island. Am I the only left here? Maybe there are others on the other side of the island that still cling to the hope and validation of staying here when everyone else has paddled away, never to return again and regretting spending time here in the first place.

Tiger Woods is a broken golfer. He can’t stay healthy anymore and in those times where he seems to be physically right, his mental and psychological approach to golf appears to be all over the place. How can I still root for somebody who looks like he doesn’t want it anymore?

The short answer I have is the same one I had a few years ago: faith.

Granted, that faith I have is being tested like never before. A missed cut in a tournament called the Waste Management Phoenix Open? A withdrawal at the Farmers Insurance Open after only 11 holes because of back injury? The list of setbacks and botched comebacks have become as long as his list of tournament titles and I’m afraid that the former will run longer when all is said and done.

Some of Woods’ skeptics will point to a number of things to highlight his demise. His golf game is in “shambles” was what Paul Azinger told ESPN. Golf channel analyst Brandel Chamblee voiced similar concerns, saying that Woods is “incapable of doing the most pedestrian requirements at the highest level.”

While I do agree with some of what Chamblee said, I still think that Woods’ game can be salvaged. For one, driving has never been Woods’ problem. He’s still one of the most powerful drivers in the field, routinely going over 300 yards without so much of a problem to his ailing back. It’s everything after the drive that falls apart. His approach shots have been awkward. His putting has been abominable. And worst of all, he doesn’t seem to be there psychologically. It’s like having this wall in front of you that you just can’t seem to break down, no matter how hard you swing at it.

The on-going saga surrounding Japan’s “will-it-or-won’t-it” stance on casino gambling has taken another turn after the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan has tapped the Innovation Group to conduct a comprehensive research study on the proposed legalization of casinos in the country.

The team will be led by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu with the eventual report expected to be used as an important touching point by Japanese legislators as it continues to deliberate and discuss the Integrated Resorts (IR) bill.

The study will be a comprehensive report that will involve a host of different topics and fact-finding items that are expected to be discussed by lawmakers once the bill returns to the table in the next Diet session. Chief among these issues include expert research and advice regarding the implementation of gaming regulations; information about integrated resort development protocol; best practices from similar and competing jurisdictions;  background on successful problem gaming programs; detailed approaches to address anti-money laundering; and a summary of economic and fiscal impacts from similar and competing jurisdictions, most notably Macau, South Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines.

The Innovation Group now has the responsibility to cover all of these important issues before presenting its report to the Japanese government. Innovation International Executive Vice President David Rittvo welcomed the challenge and the chance to work with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, which he describes as being “in the forefront of providing research for both Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Japanese Diet.”

“The outcome of this research report will help to shape the proposed legislation that we hope will be passed this year,” Innovation Group President Michael Soll added.

Chairman Steven Rittvo also chimed in, saying that the government’s decision to commission this report is a positive sign that the Diet plans to discuss the bill more earnestly than it has before.

“The Japanese government has been considering the implementation of integrated casino resorts for a number of years, and much more intensely over the last year,” Rittvo said. “This present project, however, is a milestone since it is the last major effort sponsored by the cabinet.”

Ognyan Dimov is the Deauville European Poker Tour Main Event champion after defeating the Romanian Dany Parlafes in heads-up action.

[Image Credit: PokerNews and DannyMaxwell]

Ognyan Dimov becomes only the second player from Bulgaria to win a European Poker Tour (EPT) Main Event title, with victory in the €5,300 curtain closer in Deauville.

He defeated Romanian Dany Parlafes, in heads-up action, and his €543,700 first prize catapults him to fifth place in the Bulgarian all-time live tournament earners. The top two – Dimitar Danchev, and Simeon Naydenov – were both on hand to rail their countryman to victory.

The Deauville event is always considered one of the weaker events on the EPT. 592 players took advantage of that assumption, and a €2.8m prize pool was the net outcome of that.

Prior to his win Dimov’s previous best performance, in an EPT Main Event, was an 11th place finish at EPT London earlier in the season. Kevin MacPhee finished that one as runner-up to Sebastian Pauli, and the American would have another great run finishing 11th in this one. It won’t be too long before we see MacPhee adding another major title to his already impressive CV.

MacPhee wasn’t the only bit of quality enjoying a deep run at the Casino Barriere de Deauville. It was great to see Guillaume Darcourt back at the right end of things. The pink hair was gone; his loose-aggressive style remained. Darcourt ending in 19th place.

Josip Simunic wins the €10,300 High Roller, at the European Poker Tour Deauville, after beating the Frenchman Jean-Noel Thorel in heads-up action.

[Image Credit: PokerNews and DannyMaxwell]

It was a victory the Austrian Josip Simunic described as ‘the sickest story’ of his life, and one he surely never envisaged after starting the final day with just three big blinds.

Before this event played out, almost all of Simunic’s previous live tournament results had come in his homeland. His €309,170 first prize was larger that the entirety of his previous six years worth of effort.

“It’s incredible. It’s unbelievable. I don’t know what to say.” A gobsmacked Simunic told PokerNews after his win.

It was another record-breaker for a tour that continues to go from strength to strength. 102-entrants (26-rebuys) created a total prize pool of over €1.2m, and that was a first for a High Roller at the Casino Barriere de Deauville.

The Belgian Triple Crown winner Davidi Kitai had another deep run ending in 12th place. It cements his place as one of the EPT Season 11 Player of the Year front-runners. Kitai also walked away from Deauville with a victory in the €2,150 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Cash 8-Handed event.

10-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, Doyle ‘Texas Dolly’ Brunson, is scheduled to undergo the 12th major surgery of his life after a cancerous melanoma was found in his head.

Can you imagine the fear of heading into surgery not knowing if you’ll ever wake up again?

It’s a hypothetical for most. For Doyle ‘Texas Dolly’ Brunson it’s an all too familiar thought. And yet, even as the deck continues to be stacked against him, he remains a giant – brave, brash and oh so very Brunson like.

“Simple or not, this will be my 12th major operation. Gonna play poker now because I always heard u get lucky right before u die #justsaying.” Tweeted Brunson.

And they say Phil Ivey can find an edge in any situation.

The 10-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, and Poker Hall of Famer, will once again face the knife after a cancerous melanoma was found on his head.

“Got my 3rd melanoma confirmed today. Early stages should be simple operation. Fortunately, it’s on my head and everybody knows I’m hardheaded.” Tweeted Brunson.

Full Tilt is turning back the clock by hosting eight days of pure nostalgia with Full Tilt Classic: a tournament series with over $300,000 in guarantees, a sliding scale of buy-ins to appease everyone, and not a single re-entry, bounty or rebuy in sight.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a card game called Texas Hold’em, with peasants, princes and paupers all playing with the promise of one day becoming king. Those triumphant would receive a crown, born from the ashes of a life or death tournament format known as The Freezeout. 

They were wonderful times. Exhilarating times. Both men and women able to stand shoulder to shoulder – lines of class, gender and race erased. Everyone had a chance. It was what made the game so beautiful. It’s what attracted people in their thousands.

Every great story needs a villain. Someone to spit in James Bond’s Martini and say: ‘shake that little fucker.” The Freezeout format had such a villain. It was known as ‘The Bottom Line.” It sneaked into the very fabric of the poker community. It ate into every tournament. The Freezeout was hunted to near extinction.

But it’s back.

In a nugget of nostalgia, Full Tilt has decided to host an online championship of poker consisting of nothing but Freezeout tournaments. I cannot wait. The thought of eyeballing a tournament lobby and being able to decipher what the hell is going on is getting me wet.

From February 15th-22nd Full Tilt will play host to 16 Freezeout tournaments that will see buy-ins grow from small to big, as the series deepens, culminating in a $100 Main Event on Sunday, February 22nd. A $200,000 guarantee has been slapped on the side of that one.

Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht faces a lifetime behind bars after a Manhattan federal jury found him guilty in connection with his management of one of the most sophisticated criminal marketplaces on the Internet.

I have a 14-year old son. He lives in a cave. Some people used to call them bedrooms. There is a sign on the door that says: “Adults stay out or die!” People who have survived a visit to the cave have told of a land filled with the lost socks of washing machines all over the world; solidified food that now doubles as a stool, and more electronic gadgets than one would find in Scotty’s garden shed.

I often wonder what he’s getting up to?

I wonder if the parents of Ross Ulbricht often thought the same?

The 30-year old Texan – who in 2013 was identified as Dread Pirate Roberts: the creator, and administrator, of Silk Road – has been convicted on seven counts of naughtiness: including drug trafficking, money laundering and a whole host of other cyber crimes. He faces a lifetime behind bars when sentencing is handed out in New York City on 15 May 2015.

Silk Road is the name given to the dark side of the Internet. The place that exists on a site you don’t want to know about (unless your name begins with Don or Tsar) known as the Tor Network. Think dark side of the force and you’ll get the gist.

The court heard how criminals used the network to buy and sell drugs, and transact on a wide range of illegal practices, including hiring hitmen. I’m not talking about the types of hitmen that Vince McMahon hires for his WrestleMania’s, I’m talking about the types that like to put a cap in your ass. The prosecutors even alleged Ulbricht was trying to hire hitmen to assassinate those who were trying to bring him down.