CDC Newsroom

Investor pulls out of Suffolk Downs casino bid (AP)

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BOSTON (AP) - The company with a nearly 20 percent stake in Suffolk Downs has decided to divest that share because its executives are unwilling to submit to background checks required by the state gambling commission as the horse track pursues a casino license. The commission on Thursday approved a transfer of Vornado Realty Trust's shares to a blind trust over which the company will have no … [Read more...]

W.Va. Senate advances 2 pro-gambling bills (AP)

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David Gutman, Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced two pro-gambling bills Wednesday, reducing fees on existing casinos and allowing the creation of a sixth casino in the state. One bill would reduce the fee that the four existing racetrack casinos pay to be able to offer table games like blackjack and roulette. The second bill would allow for the … [Read more...]

NC sweepstakes cafes still open, despite 2010 ban (AP)

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A. Breed, Associated Press LOUISBURG, N.C. (AP) - At Goodtimes Internet Cafe, a handful of patrons wiled away the afternoon playing Wheel O' Treasure, a fast-moving computer game with spinning pots of gold and cartoon leprechauns dancing in a shower of shamrocks. The games that mimic Vegas-style slots are supposed to be banned. Still, they are offered at this sleepy Louisburg sweepstakes … [Read more...]

Missouri House panel mulls privacy for lottery winners (AP)

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Missouri Lottery would not be able to release the names and addresses of prize winners under a bill presented to a Missouri House committee on Thursday. Sponsoring Rep. Rochelle Walton Gray, of Black Jack, told the House Local Government Committee that winning the lottery can subject a person to hardship. She cited constant phone calls, harassment and loss of … [Read more...]

WVa Senate advances bill lowering fees on casinos (AP)

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David Gutman, Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A bill advanced by the West Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee would lower the annual fees that the state collects from its four racetrack casinos by $1 million. The bill passed Thursday would reduce the licensing fee for table games from $2.5 million per year to $1.5 million per year. Because of declining table game revenues, the … [Read more...]

Bets at Pa. horse tracks rose 12 percent in 2012 (AP)

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(Updated) Patrick Walters, Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Bettors wagered more than $776.9 million at the state's six horse-racing tracks last year, a 12 percent increase over 2011 that was fueled by a surge in bets from out-of-state and marks the most wagered since the state's first casino opened in 2006, according to state gaming regulators. The state's race horse fund, however, fell … [Read more...]

Sweepstakes gaming company pulls up stakes in NC (AP)

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Michael Biesecker, Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A company providing software for video sweepstakes cafes said it's leaving North Carolina because it's getting too hard to do business in the state. International Internet Technologies LLC, sent the March 19 letter outlining its plans to several North Carolina law enforcement agencies. The company said it would cease operations … [Read more...]

Wynn unveils more details of Everett, Mass. plan (AP)

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(Updated) EVERETT, Mass. (AP) - Las Vegas gambling magnate Steve Wynn's firm on Wednesday unveiled a rendering of a $1.2 billion riverfront casino proposal that will compete with two others for the sole eastern Massachusetts resort casino license. The rendering envisions a 19-story hotel and casino with a glass facade rising on the banks of the Mystic River, connected to what appear to be … [Read more...]

Revel would have closed without emergency money (AP)

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Wayne Parry, Associated Press CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - On its first day in bankruptcy court, Atlantic City's newest casino revealed just how bad things had gotten. A lawyer for the $2.4 billion Revel resort told a bankruptcy court judge Wednesday that the casino was within days of running out of money, and that it would have shut down had she not approved a plan for $250 million in temporary … [Read more...]

NJ Revel bankruptcy plan includes allowing smoking (AP)

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Wayne Parry, Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - When the smoke clears from Revel's bankruptcy ... there will be smoke. Atlantic City's only smoke-free casino will soon allow patrons to light up on the gambling floor as part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing it made late Monday night. Allowing patrons to smoke is only one of several big changes the $2.4 billion resort is … [Read more...]

Neighbors thrilled by NJ man’s $338M Powerball win (AP)

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David Porter, Associated Press PASSAIC, N.J. (AP) — Pedro Quezada's neighbors see a lot of themselves in the winner of the $338 million Powerball jackpot: hardworking, a family man, an immigrant, and someone who has known hard times. That's why they're so thrilled that one of their own has finally struck it rich. Quezada, 44, entered Eagle Liquors store, where his ticket was sold, late … [Read more...]

NJ Revel casino files for bankruptcy (AP)

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Wayne Parry, Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP) - From the day it opened less than a year ago, Revel decided to break the rules. The newest casino in Atlantic City banned smoking, didn't offer a buffet, turned its back on bus-riding day trippers and focused on the upscale leisure traveler more than the slot-playing senior citizen. But Monday, the $2.4 billion resort found it … [Read more...]

Minnesota Governor: I didn’t know source of e-pulltab estimate (AP)

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Gov. Mark Dayton said Monday that Minnesota's Gambling Control Board should have revealed from the start that it consulted the gambling industry when compiling its projections for how much the state would raise by expanding electronic gaming to help pay for the new Minnesota Vikings stadium. The amount raised so far has fallen far short of the original projections. Dayton … [Read more...]

Nevada bill would allow wagers on federal elections (AP)

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CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Who needs political pollsters when Nevada has oddsmakers? A bill introduced Monday in the Nevada Senate would authorize Nevada sports books to take bets on the outcome of federal elections. SB418 introduced by the Senate Judiciary Committee would allow pari-mutuel wagering on elections for president, U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Judiciary Chairman … [Read more...]

Fla. Gov. shuts down office after resignation (AP)

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Gary Fineout, Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott is shutting down the lieutenant governor's office for now. Former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigned earlier this month after she was interviewed as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged widespread gambling ring. She has not been accused of any wrongdoing. But part of the fallout is the decision to … [Read more...]

NJ liquor store sold $338M Powerball ticket (AP)

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David Porter, Associated Press PASSAIC, N.J. (AP) - One mystery was solved Monday in the $338.3 Powerball jackpot drawing - the location in New Jersey where the winning ticket was sold. But a bigger mystery remained: Who bought it? New Jersey lottery officials announced a liquor store in the city of Passaic, 15 miles northwest of New York City, had sold the ticket but said they hadn't heard … [Read more...]

As casinos struggle, tribes seek more federal aid (AP)

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Michael Melia, Associated Press LEDYARD, Conn. (AP) - Once the envy of Indian Country for its billion-dollar casino empire, the tribe that owns the Foxwoods Resort Casino has been struggling through a financial crisis and pursuing more revenue from an unlikely source: U.S. government grants. The money provided annually to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation through the Interior Department … [Read more...]

Twin River to give update on casino plans (AP)

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Executives from the Twin River slot parlor are set to update state lawmakers on plans to expand their offerings to table games. The General Assembly's Joint Committee on the State Lottery is scheduled to receive an update on Twin River's plans Monday at state lottery headquarters in Cranston. Voters approved Twin River's request to offer table games in last fall's … [Read more...]

NH towns face tough choices over aging bridges (AP)

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Morgan True, Associated Press FRANCESTOWN, N.H. (AP) - Traffic flows through Francestown on a narrow road with patches of cracked asphalt and a notorious blind left at one end, leaving Jim Howe and his wife, who live on the road, feeling as though they're playing "some horrible video game" every time they pull out of their driveway. The closing of two nearby bridges created the detour. … [Read more...]

Panel backs ban on using debit cards on lottery (AP)

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BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Senate State Affairs Committee has advanced a bill nixing over-the-counter purchase of Idaho lottery game tickets with a credit or debit card. The committee approved the bill Friday and sent it to the floor of the Senate for debate in the final days of the Legislature. It has already cleared the House. Republican Rep. Lynn Luker of Boise is among the leading advocates … [Read more...]

Hawaii House committee defers gambling resolution (AP)

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Anita Hofschneider, Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) - A Hawaii House committee rejected a resolution Friday asking the state to study the potential social and economic effects of gambling in Hawaii. Hawaii and Utah are the only states where gambling is illegal. Past attempts at legalization have failed. Proponents say gambling could stimulate Hawaii's tourism industry. Opponents say they … [Read more...]

Fla. to probe 2nd sweepstakes chain (AP)

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Michael Biesecker, Associated Press ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) - Fresh off a nearly $300 million racketeering case involving a veterans' charity that benefited from simulated gambling at Internet cafes, Florida regulators will investigate a children's cancer group connected to a sweepstakes network that is four times bigger. The new probe comes in response to Associated Press inquiries about … [Read more...]

IOC calls May 21 meeting to discuss WADA, betting (AP)

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LONDON (AP) - Olympic leaders will meet on May 21 to discuss the World Anti-Doping Agency's role in fighting performance-enhancing drugs and ways to combat illegal betting and match-fixing. The meeting at International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, was arranged after international sports federations complained of deteriorating relations with WADA. IOC director … [Read more...]

Mass. gaming commission weighs opening SE region (AP)

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Jay Lindsay, Associated Press FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) - The state gambling commission on Thursday considered extending an Indian tribe's exclusive right to build a casino in southeastern Massachusetts, with the tribe claiming progress on its project but others saying it will never happen and the region should be opened to other bidders. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission didn't vote on the … [Read more...]

Louisiana casino revenue up from January, down from 2012 (AP)

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Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana's state-licensed casinos won nearly $226.9 million from gamblers last month - $25.4 million above their January winnings but down $6.6 million from a year earlier. Harrah's land-based casino in New Orleans took in $31.7 million in February - about 17.5 percent more than January and 9.7 percent more than a year earlier, … [Read more...]