It was another news-filled week in the world of gambling.
In this installment of the weekly roundup from US Bets, we’re giving you a rundown of some of the more interesting new nuggets from the world of sports betting and beyond.
Also be sure to check out Sports Handle for its weekly news recap, “Get a Grip.”
Alleged bookie in trouble again for illegal gambling
The second time wasn’t the charm for a Chicago-area man who allegedly took illicit sports bets from 2015 to 2019. The federal government is seeking the forfeiture of $274,000 in cash. Assuming a 7% hold and assuming that amount of cash was his revenue, the alleged bookie would have taken around $40 million in wagers during the period. Again, allegedly.
A 66-year-old Illinois man convicted on federal racketeering charges in 2002 was charged on Friday for allegedly running an illegal sports betting operation. @AlTruda73 on the new charges and previous ties to organized crime: https://t.co/Qos1srimqd pic.twitter.com/s77izjF5rx
— HoosierStateBets (@HoosierBets) October 6, 2020
Land dispute on new casino in Indiana
A $300 million new Hard Rock-branded casino coming to the state of Indiana has hit a snag of sorts, with some property owners claiming that the casino developer has started to develop the casino on land that they actually own. A court fight is ensuing. The casino is expected to open next year.
An attorney for the family claiming ownership of the parcel said the firm assembling land for the casino was “bulldozing” its way through a tax deed case, the same way it bulldozed the land itself. https://t.co/wVIHvs7YgV
— nwi.com (@nwi) October 9, 2020
Accused poker cheat suing accusers for $300 million
No one has proven the cheating allegations about infamous poker player Mike Postle, but the poker community still has its foot on the pedal claiming that his winning streak at the cash game tables in California was not possible without access to information on what his opponents were holding. In a twist to the saga, Postle is suing fellow poker players for defamation.
Poker player Mike Postle filed a defamation lawsuit last week naming a star-studded list of defendants, from Daniel Negreanu to Joey Ingram and even ESPN. @BergenBrennan on the $300 million suit from the controversial Postle: https://t.co/Mz6uO12EVP pic.twitter.com/LMvTS5Net1
— US Bets (@US_Bets) October 6, 2020
Barkley talks more about problem gambling activity
Charles Barkley has long admitted he gambled a lot — and more than he should have. He has admitted he lost nearly $30 million gambling. Barkley reportedly made a little more than $40 million lifetime from his NBA salary. Of course, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when you consider endorsements. Plus, he’s earning a large income from his analyst job these days. Still, losing $30 million is a ton of money for someone like Barkley. This week on The Dan Patrick Show, Barkley relived a moment when he lost $100,000 on the Super Bowl. He also reminisced about taking shots of liquor during half-time. In an era when in-play gambling is becoming more popular, Barkley’s story sounds especially problematic.
Charles Barkley lost $100,000 when the Falcons lost their 28-3 lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. pic.twitter.com/1dDBxqolcf
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 7, 2020
Largest parlay gamble of the NFL season
The largest National Football League wager of the season so far, according to what’s been publicly disclosed in reports, is a parlay on three futures outcomes. Check out the math on the wild wager:
Here’s the math behind the $3 million, three-leg parlay at DraftKings. https://t.co/xdnkhJT4jo
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) October 7, 2020
Gamblers liking Biden, but not as much as Clinton
According to the political news website 538, the 2020 election is about the same as the 2016 election. The Democrat has about an 80% chance, versus the Republican with 20%. In poker terms, that’s an overpair like aces versus basically any underpair. The underpair’s best chances are making a set.
On the political gambling site PredicitIt, the odds are different. 538’s Nate Silver has said repeatedly he thinks bettors are wrong. At any rate, on PredictIt, gamblers actually have the election closer than they did in 2016 at this stage in the race. There’s probably some 2016 whiplash still going around.
A chart comparing the 2016 & 2020 presidential election prediction markets:
Current 2020 forecast:@JoeBiden – 67%@realDonaldTrump – 37%https://t.co/u8nyQf5pdJ pic.twitter.com/WFelulqccP
— PredictIt (@PredictIt) October 9, 2020
Fortune cookie purportedly leads to $138K lottery win
It’s actually more common than you think. Lottery players sometimes use the numbers on their fortune cookies for their tickets. That’s what a woman in Nebraska is claiming after she recently hit a $138,000 jackpot. The prize is far from the largest that has been credited to a fortune cookie. According to the Associated Press, a North Carolina man in 2019 claimed a $344.6 million Powerball lottery jackpot, saying his ticket’s numbers came from a tiny cookie from an Asian restaurant.
Patricia Rivera on Wednesday claimed a $138,000 Nebraska Pick 5 lottery jackpot she won by playing numbers she found inside a fortune cookie message. Read more here from @SteveLiewer: https://t.co/TpVHwQ5guT
— Omaha World-Herald (@OWHnews) October 9, 2020
Back in 2005, there was actually an usually large number of second-tier winners in a Powerball drawing, which reportedly led to an investigation by the lottery group. It turned out that the more than 100 winners all used the same fortune cookie numbers.
In 2005, a fortune cookie company got the lottery numbers right, resulting in 110 winners and an investigation.
— What The F*** Facts (@WhatTheFFacts) November 14, 2018
