Tag Archives: gambling
Poll: More In NJ Want Pot Than Online Gambling
Map of New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – A new poll finds more New Jersey residents want to smoke pot than gamble over the Internet.
A Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll finds 41 percent of respondents would support smoking marijuana recreationally if it became legal. That compares with only 32 percent who support gambling over the Internet, which is legal in New Jersey now.
The poll finds support for online gambling has fallen, even as it enters its third full month and more than 150,000 online gambling accounts have been set up in the state.
“The public’s attitude was, for several years, warming up to online gambling,” said poll director Krista Jenkins. “But there has been a clear change in direction now that the practice has actually been legalized. Part of the public has always shown deep reluctance to make gambling so accessible in their own homes. Now that it is in fact legal, they may be more concerned than ever.”
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20140203_ap_ea57de2926384e6087d93750dc244999.html#uC9fqrd0erf0e8Y4.99
Mega Millions Jackpot Soars To $550M, And Beyond?
There was no winner in the “Mega Millions” game on Friday night. The jackpot has been boosted to $550 million, according to lottery officials. The next drawing is Tuesday at 11 p.m.
The winning numbers in Friday night’s drawing were: 19-24-26-27-70, Mega Ball: 12
With the Friday the 13th drawing failing to produce any winner lucky enough to claim the fifth-biggest jackpot ever, officials raised the jackpot amount by $125 million. That now ranks as the fourth-biggest.
Paula Otto, the Virginia Lottery’s executive director and Mega Millions’ lead director, told The Associated Press early Saturday that she expects the amount to rise even higher before the drawing. It could approach or surpass the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever claimed, $656 million in March 2012.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/Mega_Millions_jackpot_hiked_to_425_million.html#RRVWeTLFeyyqs8AZ.99
Gergely Chief Of Staff Testified Before ‘Operation Pork Chop’ Grand Jury In Mon Valley Gambling Case
Map of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The chief of staff for Pennsylvania state Rep. Marc Gergely, D-White Oak, testified in June before an investigating grand jury looking into the suspected Mon Valley gambling operation of Ronald “Porky” Melocchi.
Thomas Maglicco appeared June 17, his attorney, Douglas Sughrue, said this morning.
Mr. Sughrue declined to provide details of his client’s testimony.
“I’m not gonna get into those specifics,” Mr. Sughrue said. “It was brief.”
Suspects In Mon Valley Gambling Ring
Map of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
• Kirk A. Mollica, 46, 506 Princess Drive, Elizabeth, is charged with two counts of corrupt organization, one count of dealing in proceeds of illegal activity, one count of lotteries, one count of gambling devices and two counts of conspiracy.
• Ronald Melocchi Sr., 54, 324 Vernon Drive, West Newton, is charged with two counts of corrupt organization, one count of dealing in proceeds of illegal activity, one count in criminal use of a communication facility, one count of lotteries, one count of pool selling and bookmaking and two counts of conspiracy.
• Ronald D. Prest, 65, 109 Midway Drive, White Oak, is charged with two counts of corrupt organization, one count of dealing in proceeds of illegal activity, one count of criminal use of a communication facility, one count of gambling devices and one count of conspiracy.
• Terence P. McNelis, 52, 4812 McAnulty Drive, Whitehall, is charged with one count of corrupt organization, one count of dealing in proceeds of illegal activity, one count of lotteries, one count of pool selling and bookmaking and one count of conspiracy.
Pa. Leads In Casino Tax Revenue
Map of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From 2009 through 2012, Pennsylvania collected more money from casino gambling taxes than any other state. The four-year total was $5.4 billion.
Because it keeps almost half the money casinos win from gamblers – more than all but a couple of states – Pennsylvania’s casino tax revenue even topped the combined totals of Nevada and New Jersey, long the two biggest gambling states, from 2009 through 2012.
But in the 12 months ended June 30, Pennsylvania’s total take of $1.41 billion was 2.8 percent less than the $1.44 billion the year before, as the spread of casinos in Maryland, Ohio, and New York turned the tables on Pennsylvania.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20130825_Pa__leads_in_casino_tax_revenue.html#uKHaJOE3IE0lGZlb.99
Atlantic City Casino Earnings Fall Nearly 45 Percent
English: Picture of the Tropicana from the Boardwalk. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Atlantic City’s 12 casinos saw their collective earnings fall by nearly 45 percent in the second quarter of 2013, state regulators said Thursday.
According to figures released by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement, the casinos made just over $65 million in profits during the second quarter, down from nearly $118 million in the same period last year.
The biggest gain was posted by the Tropicana Casino and Resort, whose quarterly profits were up nearly 28 percent to $12.6 million.
Caesars Atlantic City had a quarterly profit of $24.2 million, up 17.4 percent from last year’s second-quarter profit of $20.6 million. Four of the 12 casinos posted operating losses in April, May and June.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20130822_ap_6c1d4d224d384634a79f46ef48f30199.html#2VB8CKmuYW8ZlDD5.99
Atlantic City’s Aging Casinos, Storm Aftermath And A Glut Of Gambling Capacity Spell Trouble
English: Picture of the Tropicana from the Boardwalk. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ATLANTIC CITY — Can this casino resort be saved?
Over Memorial Day weekend, it was easy to see all is not well here. Eight of the 12 casinos predate the mid-1980s — carpets are grungy, paint is chipping off the walls, and far fewer employees are working the gaming floors.
As the sun broke through after a blustery Friday and Saturday, the Sunday crowds picked up on the Boardwalk. By midafternoon, it teemed with strollers and patrons at the outdoor restaurants.
But parking was available at several casino garages, a telltale sign it was not the hoped-for blockbuster weekend. Business volume varied among properties.
At the newer Borgata, for example, there was a waiting list in the poker room and a steady stream of traffic throughout the casino. At the barely year-old Revel, which just emerged from bankruptcy and opened new smoking lounges Friday, the sixth-floor casino parking level was filled with cars for the first time. At dowdy Trump Plaza, meanwhile, an older generation half-filled the intimate gaming floor, and people in their 20s and 30s packed its outdoor beach bar.
Scranton Shop Sells $1 Million Powerball Ticket
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lackawanna County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
MIDDLETOWN – As the Powerball jackpot has rolled again to $183 million for the March 13 drawing, one Powerball ticket worth $1 million from the March 9 drawing was sold at Convenient Food Mart, 1100 Moosic St., Scranton, Lackawanna County.
The ticket correctly matched all five white balls, 10-37-40-46-52, but not the red Powerball 12, for a $1 million second-tier prize, less 25 percent federal withholding.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/340977/Moosic-Street-shop-sells-$1-million-Powerball-ticket
Charleroi Area Lunch Ladies Steal Cafeteria Proceeds, Police Say
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Washington County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Editor’s note: Is nothing sacred!!!!????
Two Charleroi Area School District cafeteria workers stole about $94,000 in a scheme that involved pocketing cafeteria money and using it to gamble at a casino, according to Washington County criminal complaints.
Stacy Lee Shipley, 50, and Sheila Ann Cook, 49, both of Charleroi, went to The Meadows Racetrack and Casino with money that Ms. Shipley stole from the school cafeteria, the complaints say.
Ms. Shipley would tell Ms. Cook that she had “extra money” with the understanding that the money was stolen. The pair promised each other they would split all winnings, according to the complaint.
Ms. Cook told police that she “just got caught up in the thrill of it all.
Governor Christie Quietly Takes On New Jersey Lottery
English: , U.S. Attorney, Governor-elect of New Jersey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
TRENTON – Gov. Christie hasn’t held a news conference about it, and his treasurer has refused to testify on it. But the Republican governor is close to privatizing the bulk of a $2.8 billion New Jersey institution.
Following a national trend already under way in Pennsylvania, Christie is negotiating a 15-year contract with a company to operate the state lottery in an effort to increase sales, thereby building more revenue for schools and state institutions.
Like Pennsylvania’s Republican Gov. Corbett, Christie bypassed the Legislature, much to its chagrin, in bidding out the system. And like Pennsylvania, New Jersey got just one bid in response to its request for proposals.
Unlike in Pennsylvania, where the pending contract was ultimately posted online and must be submitted for approval to the Democratic attorney general, New Jersey’s lottery bid is not public. Christie could just sign a contract in the next two months.
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/nj/20130128_Christie_quietly_takes_on_lottery.html
Pennsylvania No. 2 In Casino Revenue, Behind Only Las Vegas
Map of Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
PHILADELPHIA — Gross revenue from Pennsylvania’s 11 casinos rose 4.4 percent last year to more than $3.1 billion, further cementing the state’s status as the second-largest U.S. gambling market as the Atlantic City market saw another decline.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported the state’s 11 casinos brought in nearly $3.16 billion in gross revenue from slot machines and table games last year, up from just over $3 billion in 2011. The figures were boosted by growth in table games, which generated $687.4 million in gross revenue last year, up about 11 percent from the year before. Earlier this month, the state reported revenues from slot machines in 2012 were $2.47 billion, up about 2.7 percent from 2011.
Sands Casino In Bethlehem Is For Sale
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Northampton County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem is on the selling block, a source familiar with company thinking told The Morning Call.
Las Vegas Sands, the world’s largest casino company, is asking as much as $1 billion for the Bethlehem casino. But the source cautioned it’s part of company policy to gauge outside interest on every company property in the United States.
In other words, while Las Vegas Sands’ highly lucrative Macau properties are off-limits, every Sands casino in the U.S.— even the Venetian — theoretically could be had, for the right price.
Some analysts theorize that with Sands Bethlehem revenues riding high, and potential gambling competition brewing in New York state, the time is right for Las Vegas Sands to sell Bethlehem — its only U.S. casino outside Las Vegas.
Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/bethlehem/mc-bethlehem-sands-sale-20130117,0,5249878.story
Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem Table Games Boom Benefits Easton
English: Skyline of Easton, PA from Lafayette College (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Editor’s note: Great to see this money benefit the taxpayers of Pennsylvania!
The city was left out of the local share of taxes on the casino’s thousands of slot machines, but came away with a 25 percent cut of local table gaming taxes. The games — poker, blackjack and more than a dozen other options — remain a fraction of the tens of millions poured into Sands’ slot machines, but the casino’s tables are the most popular in the state and show no sign of slowing down.
The city budgeted $560,000 in table games money this year, a slight uptick from 2011’s $530,000 haul, yet Easton could see more than $700,000 if the boom in south Bethlehem continues. Through the first two quarters this year, Sands shunted $336,000 into Easton’s coffers and the table games at Sands remain the state’s highest grossing.
“We are definitely getting more than we expected,” Easton Finance Director Chris Heagele said.
Sands Bethlehem Leads The Way As Pa. Slot Machine Revenue Up In May
English: Slot machines at Wookey Hole Caves (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
PHILADELPHIA. PA (AP) — Pennsylvania’s gross slot machine revenue was up 3.4 percent in May over the year before, boosted by the second full month of play at Valley Forge Casino Resort in suburban Philadelphia. Existing casinos, meanwhile, saw a modest rise after they registered just the third such monthly decline in April.
The state’s 11 casinos — including Valley Forge, which opened March 31 — collected $212.5 million in gross slots revenue in May, an increase over $205.5 million from the same period the year before, according to revenue figures released Monday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The 10 existing casinos that were open in both May 2011 and May 2012 saw an increase of 1.5 percent, a month after their gross slots revenue had dipped .6 percent.
Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem showed the most growth in May, pulling in $25.1 million in gross slots revenue, an increase of 11.2 percent over May 2011. The state’s second-newest facility, Sugarhouse Casino in Philadelphia, wasn’t far behind: It reported $16.4 million in gross revenue, an increase of just less than 10 percent.
Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-pennsylvania-casino-revenue-060412-20120604,0,4866675.story
The No. 1 State For Lottery Suckers
English: Great Seal of the State of Georgia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Georgia‘s lottery players are the biggest suckers in the nation, according to Bloomberg Rankings, buying nearly $5 billion of the $50 billion a year in tickets for U.S. state-run games that have the worst odds of any form of legal gambling.
Players in Georgia, whose per capita income is about 10% below the U.S. average, are doing the most damage to their personal finances. According to the Sucker Index created by Bloomberg Rankings, Georgia residents spent the second-highest chunk of their income on the lottery, which funds college scholarships and prekindergarten.
Read more: http://money.msn.com/personal-finance/the-no-1-state-for-lottery-suckers-bloomberg.aspx
Longaberger Basket Bingo – North End Fire Co., Pottstown
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20 games and 3 specials Food available for purchase.
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Pennsylvania Cements Status As Nation’s No. 2 Gambling Market
Slot machines at Wookey Hole Caves (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Editor’s note: PottsVegas never happened but evidently other communities have embraced casinos! King of Prussia wasn’t too good for a casino!
PHILADELPHIA – Pennsylvania’s 11 casinos pulled in more than $233.1 million in gross slot machine revenue last month, setting an all-time monthly high since the state’s first casino opened in November 2006 and cementing the state’s status as the nation’s second-largest gambling market.
The slots totals released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board include revenue from two test nights and one day of operations at the state’s 11th casino, Valley Forge Casino Resort, which opened Saturday. Overall, the figures broke the previous monthly record of $218.3 million set in July, and they represent an 8.5 percent increase over March 2011.
Casino Nears Completion At Valley Forge Convention Center
Image via Wikipedia
Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on Pennsylvania’s 11th slot-machine casino, set to open next month at a convention center just outside Valley Forge National Historical Park.
The sounds of drills, power lifts and hammers filled the air at the still-under-construction casino Tuesday, when the casino’s operators gave tours of the new facility. That cacophony, however, will soon give way to the cha-ching of coins and the whirr of slot machines when the casino fully opens for business on March 31 with 600 slots and 50 table games.
The scheduled opening comes as competition for gamblers is growing in the suburban Philadelphia market, which already has the Parx Casino in Bensalem, SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia and Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack in Chester. By law, Pennsylvania could one day be home to 14 casinos.
Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-valley-forge-casino-20120228,0,6627210.story
Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem To Build Events Center
The Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem‘s newest addition is to open next May as a destination aiming to attract large-scale conventions, boxing matches, comedians and concerts with “Mariah Carey-level” acts that usual bypass the Lehigh Valley on tour at the big stadiums…
Read the rest of this article from the Morning Call here: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-bethlehem-sands-casino-live-nation-20110906,0,1033622.story
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