In a short hearing Feb. 17, a United States District Court judge sentenced Florida-based trainer Alfredo Lichoa to three months in prison for violating money laundering laws.
Monthly Archives: February 2021
Greatest Honour to Start Next in Fountain of Youth
Courtlandt Farms’ Holy Bull Stakes (G3) winner Greatest Honour is scheduled to return in the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park.
HRI Outlines Plans for All-Weather Track at Tipperary
Horse Racing Ireland boss Brian Kavanagh has outlined plans for the development of a floodlit all-weather track at Tipperary Racecourse.
Weld to Saddle Aga Khan Filly From Family of Harzand
The mile fillies’ maiden at Dundalk Feb. 19 could prove an informative one with several choicely bred runners stepping out, including the Aga Khan’s debuting Harayka.
Channel Maker Looks the Part for Saudi Neom Turf Cup
The Neom Turf Cup will be Channel Maker’s first start since he finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T) at Keeneland Nov. 7.
NYRA Cancels Feb. 18 Aqueduct Card Due to Winter Storm
The New York Racing Association has canceled the Feb. 18 live racing program at Aqueduct Racetrack due to a winter storm forecast to impact the New York metropolitan area throughout the day on Thursday.
Cowan, Mirinaque Carry U.S. Hopes on Saudi Undercard
While American runners bid to dominate the second edition of the $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 20 and Channel Maker looks tough in the $1.5 million middle-distance Neom Turf Cup, lone runners represent U.S. interests in two other rich races.
Tampa Bay Announces Purse Increase, Moves Turf Showcase
Despite rainy weather, Tampa Bay Downs horsemen and horsewomen are basking in the announcement of a third purse increase this season, which will go into effect with the Feb. 20 card.
New Jersey’s January iGaming revenue tops $100m for the first time
New Jersey’s online gambling market posted its first ever monthly revenue total over $100m in January, while basketball and the NFL playoffs pushed sports betting revenue to yet another record.
Figures released Wednesday by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) show the state’s licensed online casino and poker operators generated combined revenue of just under $103.8m in January, an 88.4% rise from the same month last year and nearly $4m better than the state’s previous iGaming record set in December 2020.
January’s records were (as always) primarily due to the online casino vertical, which shot up 89.7% year-on-year to $101m all on their own. Online poker contributed $2.75m, up by nearly one-half from January 2020. Both verticals undoubtedly benefited from cross-selling to sports bettors who enjoyed a full slate of marquee matchups last month.
Golden Nugget Online Gaming led January’s iGaming revenue pack with $31.2m (+47%) but the Borgata casino’s family of sites – which includes the BetMGM brand – wasn’t far back with $28.7m, which represented a stellar 176.8% year-on-year improvement. Around $926k of the Borg’s January total came via poker.
Europa League sportsbetting preview
There’s something about the Europa League attracting British teams and in particular the English. Manchester United won the trophy just three years go for the first time in their history, before a 2019 final featured both Arsenal and Chelsea, The Blues eventually running away with it by winning 4-1 on the night.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewEC1YOS2uo?feature=oembed&w=640&h=360]
This week, four English sides are in action, but who’ll emerge from Thursday night’s ties victorious and which sides will have a mountain to climb in the second leg?
Real Sociedad vs. Manchester United (5.55pm GMT kick-off)
NBA Thursday betting: Lakers host the Nets
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
There are only three games on the NBA schedule this Thursday. Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m. ET) and Miami Heat at Sacramento Kings (10 p.m. ET) are solid enough matchups. The Bucks are legitimate title contenders but struggling right now, while the Raptors and Heat could make some noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs, presuming they get there.
The Kings have the longest playoff drought in the NBA, last playing extra basketball in 2006. They might sneak in this year but it will be tough in the much-deeper Western Conference.
However, the clear matchup of the night is Brooklyn Nets at Los Angeles Lakers with a 10 p.m. ET tipoff and nationally televised by TNT. That’s a potential NBA Finals preview and the odds-on favorite to be the exact matchup. The Lakers are favored to repeat as NBA champions, while the Nets are second-favorites to win their first championship and also favored to come out of the East.
Snoop Dogg, Futura, Ron English Among Artists In ‘Project70’ Series Throughout 2021, Launching Today
On the heels of its overwhelmingly successful Project 2020, Topps today unveiled the first cards in Project70, a new series which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the first Topps baseball set in a comprehensive program featuring 51 premier artists and designers from around the world each creating 20 cards of their own player and card year design choice. The set commemorates both the initial year of 1951 and the 70 years that it has produced baseball cards, with three new issues daily, each available for 70 hours. Similar to its Topps NOW and Project 2020 products, Topps will print only the number of each card ordered in that time frame.
The set features premium, thick trading cards encased in a protective plastic case, as well as several premium offerings. Each day’s new pieces are available at http://www.topps.com/project70.
The creators selected to participate comprise a diverse group that includes the likes of rap musician Snoop Dogg, graffiti artist Futura, pop artist Ron English, jeweler Ben Baller, painter Greg ‘Craola’ Simkins, comic and album artist Alex Pardee, sneaker artist The Shoe Surgeon, designer Sophia Chang and many more. Nineteen of the 20 artists from Project 2020, including Baller, Chang, Gregory Siff, Fucci, Mister Cartoon and others return for Project70.
In contrast to Project 2020, in which artists were assigned specific player cards to interpret, Project70 allows each creator to choose any player and card design from the last seven decades.
“Project70 is one of our most ambitious sets ever, celebrating 70 years of Topps baseball cards in a contemporary way,” said Jeff Heckman, Global Director of Ecommerce. “Giving these creators the freedom to select the players and designs they want to interpret as they see fit means we will have very different cards from these uniquely and diversely talented individuals.
“We can’t wait to see what their fertile minds will produce, and we know that collectors and baseball fans share that anticipation,” Heckman added.
In addition to the base units, Topps is randomly inserting a limited number of rainbow foil parallel cards, numbered to 70, plus a foil numbered 1/1 Gold Frame for each card, into print runs. Collectors who purchase all 20 cards from an artist will also receive a gold-stamped bonus print featuring all 20 Project70 cards from that artist.
The artists contributing to Project70 include:
Action Bronson, musician, New York
Alex Pardee, comics/apparel, Los Angeles
*Andrew Thiele, art/design, New York
*Ben Baller, jeweler, Los Angeles
*Blake Jamieson, pop art/portraits, New York
Blue the Great, painting, Los Angeles
Bobby Hundreds, illustrator/writer/photographer, Los Angeles
Brittney Palmer, model/artist, Los Angeles
CES, graffiti, Bronx, New York
Chinatown Market, streetwear, Los Angeles
Chuck Styles, fine art, Philadelphia
Claw Money, public art, New York
Distortedd, illustrations, Philadelphia
DJ Skee, artist/TV host, Los Angeles
*Don C, streetwear, Chicago
*Efdot, murals, New York
*Ermsy, cartoons, UK and Paris
*Fucci, pop painting, Montreal and Toronto
FUTURA, graffiti, New York
Greg “Craola” Simkins, surrealism, Los Angeles
*Gregory Siff, painting, Brooklyn and Los Angeles
Infinite Archives, contemporary art, fashion
*Jacob Rochester, pop art, Los Angeles
Jeff Staple, graphic and fashion designer, New York
*JK5, tattoo, Brooklyn
Jonas Never, murals, Los Angeles
*Joshua Vides, stencils, Los Angeles
*Keith Shore, creative design, Philadelphia
*King Saladeen, murals, Philadelphia
Lauren Taylor, mixed media, Vancouver
Matt McCormick, multimedia, Los Angeles
*Matt Taylor, poster design, U.K.
Mikael B, graffiti, impressions, Copenhagen
Mimsbandz, wristband art, Los Angeles
*Mister Cartoon, tattoos, Los Angeles
Morning Breath, graphics, apparel, San Francisco, New York
*Naturel, murals, Washington D.C.
New York Nico, filmmaker, New York
*Oldmanalan, streetwear, Sacramento
POSE, pop artist, Chicago
Quiccs, toy design, Manila
Risk, sculpture, graffiti, Los Angeles
Ron English, pop art, filmmaker, Jersey City, N.J.
Sean Wotherspoon, streetwear, Richmond, Va.
The Shoe Surgeon, streetwear, Los Angeles
Snoop Dogg, rap musician, Los Angeles
SoleFly, streetwear, Miami
*Sophia Chang, design, New York
Toy Tokyo, pop art/toys, New York
*Tyson Beck, logo art, Adelaide, Australia
UNDEFEATED
Knicks Go, Charlatan Square Off in $20M Saudi Cup
In an era when timing and spacing are the preferred words and horses only run a handful of times a year, it generally takes some extraordinary circumstances to set up a dazzling showdown.
Oaklawn Reschedules Missed Stakes; Adds Days and Races
After losing eight days of racing due to record-breaking winter weather, Oaklawn Park announced Feb. 17 a series of changes to its racing schedule designed to restore as much of the season as possible for the benefit of horsemen.
Keeneland to Welcome Limited Fans for Spring Meet
Keeneland has announced plans to allow a limited number of fans to attend its 2021 Spring Meet, to be held April 2-23.
Atlantic City Gambler Hits Tropicana’s $1.1 Million Poker Jackpot
Long-time Atlantic City gambler Frank Nagy won a $1.1 million progressive poker jackpot at The Tropicana on February 13.
Long-time gambler Frank Nagy has won a record-setting progressive jackpot worth $1.1 million. (Image: Twitter/Tropicana AC)
Nagy made the necessary $5 side bet in order to qualify for the progressive jackpot which broke the $1 million mark earlier this month.
With his bet locked in at the four card poker table, he was duly dealt a royal flush. Within a matter of seconds, he’d won Caesars Entertainment’s biggest ever poker jackpot.
Digital bank Monzo doubles down on gambling safeguards
Monzo made a name for itself as a pioneer in mobile-only banking in the U.K. It also has made a splash with its anti-gambling controls, becoming one of the first financial institutions to allow its customers to prevent their accounts from being used for gambling activity. Now, the bank is doubling down on its gambling stance, pushing for changes on the part of the U.K. government to take gambling safeguards to a new level. It wants the government to require gaming operators to give up their banking details and to implement a single solution that would give individuals a streamlined process to stop themselves from spending money on gambling.
SBC News explains that Monzo’s CEO, TS Anil (Tummalapalli Sai Anil), is behind the initiative, authoring an open letter to the U.K. government to request additional consumer safeguards. Responding to the ever-changing gambling environment in the U.K., and the continued rewrite of the 2005 Gambling Act, Anil singled out Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Heritage and Tourism Nigel Huddleston to place an emphasis on “self-exclusion increasingly seamless and efficient covering all gambling operators and businesses that transact with the sector.” Huddleston is also behind the review of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is expected to provide major changes to U.K.’s gambling laws.
Amil believes that gambling companies should provide their banking details in order to create a “universal blocking of transactions” for those individuals who want to be excluded from gambling. This would essentially enable a one-click stop for those who feel they may have a gambling problem, and Amil adds, “We believe the government should take the opportunity afforded by the Gambling Act review to make sure every consumer in the U.K. can access these blocks, regardless of who they bank with. These tools are simple to build, proven to work, and will help protect hundreds of thousands of people.”
Banks across the U.K., as well as in other parts of the world, provide mechanisms that allow their customers to block their accounts from being used for gambling spend. However, Amil thinks the country can raise the bar on safeguards and wants to have the government provide the control. He’s already getting support from some within the industry, including the Betting and Gaming Council, which told The Guardian, “We support all forms of blocking capabilities and are encouraged by the continued uptake by banks of these functions.”
Digital bank Monzo doubles down on gambling safeguards
Monzo made a name for itself as a pioneer in mobile-only banking in the U.K. It also has made a splash with its anti-gambling controls, becoming one of the first financial institutions to allow its customers to prevent their accounts from being used for gambling activity. Now, the bank is doubling down on its gambling stance, pushing for changes on the part of the U.K. government to take gambling safeguards to a new level. It wants the government to require gaming operators to give up their banking details and to implement a single solution that would give individuals a streamlined process to stop themselves from spending money on gambling.
SBC News explains that Monzo’s CEO, TS Anil (Tummalapalli Sai Anil), is behind the initiative, authoring an open letter to the U.K. government to request additional consumer safeguards. Responding to the ever-changing gambling environment in the U.K., and the continued rewrite of the 2005 Gambling Act, Anil singled out Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Heritage and Tourism Nigel Huddleston to place an emphasis on “self-exclusion increasingly seamless and efficient covering all gambling operators and businesses that transact with the sector.” Huddleston is also behind the review of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is expected to provide major changes to U.K.’s gambling laws.
Amil believes that gambling companies should provide their banking details in order to create a “universal blocking of transactions” for those individuals who want to be excluded from gambling. This would essentially enable a one-click stop for those who feel they may have a gambling problem, and Amil adds, “We believe the government should take the opportunity afforded by the Gambling Act review to make sure every consumer in the U.K. can access these blocks, regardless of who they bank with. These tools are simple to build, proven to work, and will help protect hundreds of thousands of people.”
Banks across the U.K., as well as in other parts of the world, provide mechanisms that allow their customers to block their accounts from being used for gambling spend. However, Amil thinks the country can raise the bar on safeguards and wants to have the government provide the control. He’s already getting support from some within the industry, including the Betting and Gaming Council, which told The Guardian, “We support all forms of blocking capabilities and are encouraged by the continued uptake by banks of these functions.”
Crown faces scrutiny in Western Australia; region’s casino boss exits
It’s official. Crown Resorts is no longer the jewel of gaming in Australia. The Bergin inquiry launched in New South Wales (NSW) to determine whether the casino operator was worthy of holding a license determined that it was, in fact, not as reputable an organization as it wanted everyone to believe. Victoria, while not launching a full-scale inquiry, has begun to scrutinize the company, which might now be looking at strike three. Western Australia has announced that it is now investigating Crown through a royal commission.
The inquiry in Western Australia comes not only because Crown has been found inept at preventing money laundering through its casinos and letting warlords gamble at its properties, but also because of a questionable relationship between the brass and a government official in the region. Specifically, with the man who was charged with overseeing the gaming industry in Western Australia. Michael Connolly, the Deputy Director General of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) and chief casino officer, admitted to having social relationships with some Crown employees, and even took some from Crown Perth on a fishing trip.
As a result, the Gaming and Wagering Commission (GWC) in Western Australia will explore “the suitability of close associates” and “the appropriateness of Crown Perth’s responses to the GWC prior to and during the Bergin inquiry.” It will also look at its own ability to properly manage its duties “in the discharge of its regulatory responsibilities inclusive of any perceived conflicts of interest.”
The fallout from the NSW inquiry has been far-reaching, with several key executives, including CEO Ken Barton, already stepping down. However, that might not be enough to put Crown back in a positive light, and the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA), which spearheaded the investigation, wants to see more extricate themselves from the company. The ILGA believes that crown director Harold Mitchell, and possibly John Poynton, need to go.
Boyd Gaming expands cashless effort to Nevada
Cashless gaming is quickly becoming the norm across North American casinos. Boyd Gaming have announced the BoydPay Digital Wallet, which was previously available at Indiana and Ohio locations, will now be starting a test run at the Aliante Casino + Hotel + Spa in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
The new cashless wallet is technically only entering a field trial for the moment, with regulators monitoring it’s use. If everything goes well, Boyd expects they could roll it out to all of their Nevada locations by the summer of 2021.
BoydPay is linked to a player’s B Connected card, the operator’s loyalty program, and can be used to play or cash out on slots. The initiative began when Boyd partnered with Aristocrat in October, 2020.
If Nevada approves its use, Boyd is also hopeful that the technology could then be spread to all of their 28 gaming properties in 10 states.