Dave Kassen, a lifelong horseman who was first a jockey and later became a successful trainer, died Dec. 27 at his home in Lake Placid, N.Y. He was 81.
Category Archives: Gambling
Racecourses Across England Close Doors to Spectators
Racing’s brief spell of welcoming limited numbers of spectators back on course came to an end Dec. 30 after health secretary Matt Hancock announced 23 additions to the areas of England placed under the most severe Tier 3 and 4 restrictions.
Tiz the Law Retired to Ashford Stud
Tiz the Law, the flashy New York-bred who thrilled the world earlier this season with his dominant score in the Belmont Stakes (G1), has been retired to stand at Ashford Stud for the 2021 season, according to a Dec. 30 release.
Three-Year-Olds Ring In the New Year in Jerome
There were will be a nice birthday present awaiting one of five newly turned 3-year-olds Jan. 1 in the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Stan the Man Takes on Fellow Veterans in Gravesend
Long Lake Stable’s Stan the Man will commence his 7-year-old campaign as part of an experienced five-horse field Jan. 2 in the $100,000 Gravesend Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong test for 4-year-olds and up at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Hot Rod Charlie, Get Her Number Resume Training
Hot Rod Charlie and Get Her Number, grade 1-caliber colts who sat out the final stages of their 2-year-old seasons, have resumed training toward their returns as 3-year-olds, according to their trainers.
AAEP Staffer Kleine Receives Service Award
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) honored a tireless advocate for equine veterinary practice and the welfare of horses when presenting the 2020 Distinguished Service Award to its director of industry relations, Keith Kleine.
Racing Continues at Penn National Without Casino
Penn National Race Course, its business impacted by the COVID-19-related closure of its casino, has agreed to continue racing through January if sufficient pari-mutuel handle is achieved, according to a Pennsylvania horsemen representative.
Wildman Jack, Texas Wedge in Lasix-Free Joe Hernandez
The start of the new year also marks a new medication era in some racing jurisdictions, in which many stakes races, not just those for 2-year-olds, will be contested without Lasix, a diuretic used in U.S. racing to prevent respiratory bleeding.
MTA to Host 2021 Online Stallion Season Auction
The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association will conduct its 2021 Stallion Season Auction Jan. 3-11, featuring more than 50 stallions from Kentucky, Florida, Oklahoma, and Minnesota.
Obituary: Breeder Nichols had Ties to Seabiscuit
Northern California based writer Jeanie Esajian recently completed the following feature on Nichols and submitted it to BloodHorse.
Owners Barred From English Racecourses in Tier 4
Owners will no longer be permitted to attend English racecourses in Tier 4 from Jan. 1 after the British Horseracing Authority adjusted its coronavirus protocols on Dec. 29.
Owner, Trainer Cobb Suspended for 180 Days
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has suspended owner/trainer Carol Cobb for 180 days for a positive drug test from one of her horses dating back to January 2011.
New York Lottery launches "Money Dots" Quick Draw feature
New York Lottery players can now try out the Lottery’s newest feature to accompany their Quick Draw keno-style game, an additional drawing called “Money Dots” that takes place every four minutes, right after the drawing for Quick Draw.New York, Changing Game, Keno
Omega Perfume Three-Peats in Tokyo Daishoten
Omega Perfume closed stoutly through the final 100 meters Dec. 29 at Oi Racecourse to land the Tokyo Daishoten for the third straight year.
How India has become a target market for European casino operators
This is a guest contribution by Dinesh Rhana of luckydice.in.
The online world has taken casino gaming for a trip around the world. In days gone by, casino type games and in some places casino halls, have served us well, but now many head online for their fix.
When you play online, you could be playing alongside people from the other side of the world, you could even be playing with a casino operator on the other side of the world, this is a global industry.
Inside of this, companies target specific areas with their service, and tailor it towards them. The biggest online area for this has always been Europe, we have many European operators and huge numbers of players in the region, so naturally the operators kept things close to home and promoted to locals.
How India has become a target market for European casino operators
This is a guest contribution by Dinesh Rhana of luckydice.in.
The online world has taken casino gaming for a trip around the world. In days gone by, casino type games and in some places casino halls, have served us well, but now many head online for their fix.
When you play online, you could be playing alongside people from the other side of the world, you could even be playing with a casino operator on the other side of the world, this is a global industry.
Inside of this, companies target specific areas with their service, and tailor it towards them. The biggest online area for this has always been Europe, we have many European operators and huge numbers of players in the region, so naturally the operators kept things close to home and promoted to locals.
Where to invest in gambling in 2021
2020 is over. Let us never speak of it again. Technically, the new decade begins in three days with 2021. The least that can be said is that 2021 doesn’t have a hard act to follow. Short of a nuclear alien invasion war, it can’t be any worse than 2020. Or so we hope. Though an alien invasion would, admittedly, probably be way more fun than continued lockdowns.
In short, here’s what happened in 2020 to the global gaming industry. Las Vegas and US casinos took a sledgehammer to the knees but got through the year with taxpayer bailouts and issuing a whole bunch of shares at incredibly inflated prices thanks to stock market rescues. Macau got shut down, and remains shut down, but is casinos got through the year by issuing way more debt. The United Kingdom paralyzed itself with lockdown after lockdown and also lost one of its industry jewels, William hill, to cyclically defunct Caesars, further consolidating the country’s already extremely centralized corporate superstructure into a giant pyramid resembling the Tower of Babel that will stay stable forever because they always do. GVC, seeking to change its bad-boy grey market image, changed its name to Entain, dropping the “ert” I guess, and promised to go white by 2023. No, Brexit is still not official, but might be voted on in Parliament today.
Swedish stocks skyrocketed as the country seemed to let viruses do what viruses do without making too much of a fuss about it. Cambodia actually got control of the virus, which might have something to do with the country having one of the youngest populations in the world, and Nagacorp did well. Russia’s Primorye took more baby steps forward despite the pandemic, and still looks like the Next Big Thing in gaming, especially with Macau paralyzed indefinitely.
So what’s with 2021? Here’s a region by region rundown.
Suck Out Hands Joseph Hebert Final Table Win, Will Face Damian Salas Heads-Up for World Title
Joseph Hebert won the US version of the WSOP Main Event, and he now awaits a heads-up battle with Damian Salas for the world championship, and a shot at an extra $1 million.
Joseph Hebert is one step away from poker immortality. (Image: Twitter)
Salas won the final table, which began on GGPoker, in Rozvadov, Czech Republic earlier this month. He earned just over $1.5 million for his efforts along with the right to face the US Main Event champ. The heads-up match was originally scheduled for Dec. 30 at the Rio in Las Vegas. But Salas had some travel issues due to COVID-19. As such, the finale will take place Jan. 2.
We now know Salas’ opponent, and that individual is Joseph Hebert thanks to a cruel suck out on the final hand. Ron Jenkins, decked out in a MAGA hat, got his chips all-in pre-flop with pocket queens against A-Q. The board ran out K-7-A-4-8, a winning top pair for Hebert and a brutal bad beat for Jenkins, who received $1,002,340 for second place.
Polk Bluffs Off Winning Session, High Stakes Duel Reaches Midway Point
Doug Polk bluffed off a massive session lead on Day 22 against Daniel Negreanu, but still holds a sizable lead at exactly the midway point. That is, of course, assuming Negreanu doesn’t opt to quit.
Doug Polk lost again but still leads big overall. (Image: YouTube)
The poker stars played their shortest session to this point on Monday due to reaching the halfway mark (12,500 hands). They both agreed to cut the session short as this is the point in which the losing player (Negreanu) has the option to throw in the towel without penalty.
Negreanu, however, has made it clear he intends to see this thing through to the full 25,000-hand mark. But he did admit in the post-game interview on the GGPoker YouTube channel that he isn’t 100% committed to continuing. The long-time poker rivals will get back to the virtual felt on WSOP.com on Jan. 4, assuming Negreanu doesn’t end the match.