There were plenty of interesting stories in the gambling universe last week. In Las Vegas, for example, we saw Park MGM going smoke-free. We also saw Canadian police busting an illegal casino just north of Toronto.
Over in the online casino news, poker sites have been working hard to protect ensure fair play, with PokerStars introducing an active waiting list with the intention of protecting inexperienced players. One of their biggest rivals, GGPoker has also been in the news lately, after banning 40 pro players and confiscating $1,175,305.43.
Then, there’s also the news about the former Playboy bunny Carmen Electra, who now has her own online slot game. Speaking of slots, many internet casinos have released their promo offers for October, some of which are nothing short of awesome.
Las Vegas Casino News from Last Week
Let’s start with some good news – Las Vegas has gotten its first smoke-free casino after the Park MGM reopened on Wednesday with a brand-new set of rules.
The casino was the last of MGM-owned venues in Nevada to reopen after the COVID-19 lockdown. Now that it’s open, the venue looks different than a few months ago, with new pandemic protocols in place. There are handwashing stations installed around the place, together with plexiglass dividers between players and dealers.
Another big news last week with the MGM in the main role is that the company has been ordered by the court to pay $800 million to the relatives and victims of the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting. The incident marks the largest unprovoked attack ever to happen on US soil. The perpetrator Stephen Paddock staged his attack from a room at the Mandalay Bay, a Las Vegas hotel owned by MGM. Paddock killed 58 people, while also injuring 851 attendees of the Route 91 Harvests Music Festival.
Luxury Illegal Casino Busted by Cops in Ontario
Earlier this week, York Regional Police released a statement about the arrest of 29 people involved in an illegal casino operation aimed at high-spending customers. The story goes that the police raided a luxury 53-room mansion in Markham, the worth of which is estimated to be in the ballpark of US$7 million (around C$9 million).
This $9 million Decourcy Court palace in #Markham was the site of a high-end illegal casino and spa operation recently shut down by @YRP investigators as part of Project Endgame. More at https://t.co/3m7Ct9rNDe. pic.twitter.com/waUAx6yXC4
— York Regional Police (@YRP) September 30, 2020
The 20,000-square-foot building was seized, together with C$1 million in cash, as well as 4,000 bottles of luxury liquor, and 11 firearms. The police officers discovered dozens of gaming machines and gaming tables on the property, as well as spa facilities. The later arose suspicions of human sex trafficking. Furthermore, its kitchen was serving banned food items such as shark fin.
Canada has seen a rise in illegal gambling over the course of the last couple of months. The main reason behind this trend lies in the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the crisis, land-based casinos had to be closed for several months this year. They did return to business, but with many restrictions, including the ones regarding maximum capacity.
Poker Platforms Fighting a Just Fight
It’s not an overstatement that online poker platforms have a sort of bad rep in the US. The fact is that some of them were involved in certain controversies in the past, PokerStars being a prime example. Its founder Isai Scheinberg was indicted on charges of illegal gambling, money laundering, and bank fraud by the US Department of Justice in 2011. Fast-forward to 2020, and Scheinberg is sentenced to time served, meaning that he’s now a free man.
But, it’s not Scheinberg why PokerStars has been in the news lately. After all, he hasn’t been involved with the company since 2014. That’s when he sold his shares to The Stars Group Inc (then-known as Amaya Group) for $4.9 billion.
In the five years of The Stars Group reign, PokerStars has been synonymous with fair play, with the platform paying special attention to its less experienced players. The so-called fish are the players who targeted by pro poker players looking for easy money. To protect them, the platform has decided to launch active waiting lists. The announcement published in the PokerStars Blog says the following:
“Our latest feature, Active Waiting List, is all about making the game fairer and the experience better for most players. We created this new system for those who like to play cash games with us and it is primarily designed to combat predatory behavior and level the playing field.”
This way, PokerStars will try to give a chance to less experienced players to gain their poker experience without losing too much money along the way.
GGPoker Continues Its Battle Against RTA
One of PokerStars’ main rivals in the online poker business, GGPoker also made the headlines last week. Following an investigation on the use of real-time analysis, the company decided to suspend a total of 40 player accounts. Of those 40 accounts, 13 had their winnings confiscated, totalling $1,175,305.43. One of those accounts is rumored to be owned by German poker millionaire Fedor Kruse.
What prompted GGPoker to do such an extreme thing is that some players were found to have used the real-time analysis. As per GGPoker rules, the use of real-time analysis is prohibited, as it gives the player an undeserved advantage over others.
Carmen Electra’s Got Her Own Slot Game
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFxaBUInTVS/
Often described as the femme fatale of the 1990s, the former spouse of Dennis Rodman has joined a long list of celebs with their own casino games. Ellen DeGeneres, Dolly Parton, Donald Trump – these are just some of the famous people who have slots inspired by them.
Since last week, Carmen Electra belongs to this group as well. Her game premiered on Celebrity Slots, where the players have a chance to win some nice rewards. One of those is the $500 GIFT CARD. An even bigger gift for Carmen’s fans is the VIRTUAL MEET-AND-GREET.
The luckiest players will get a chance to meet the former Baywatch star, albeit over the internet. The bad news is that only those who pay-up will get a chance to win these prizes. At the moment, there are no free spins available for the Electric Slots game. The good news, however, is that there are many other games that slot fans can play for free in October.
Online Casinos Giving Away Free Spins Throughout October
October has arrived, and so are new promo offers. Slot fans have a chance to claim free spins at several top-rated casinos. One of those is Miami Club Casino, which has a special offer for newcomers. It comes in the form of 50 Free Spins on King Tiger Slot for anyone who uses the promo code KTMS30 when signing-up.
There’s a similar offer available at Lincoln Casino, which is giving away 50 Free Spins on Dog Gone It Slot. The same casino also has a slots tournament that will last until October 17. The tourney gives the players a chance to win up to $600 playing Cash Caboose.
Other casinos with Free Spins offers in October include Liberty Slots Casino, Play Croco, Slotocash, and many others. To keep up-to-date with the last promo offers, make sure to regularly pay a visit to MobileCasinoParty!
