While the Toronto casino proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by city council last month, the debate could continue in the weeks or months ahead. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his brother, Councilor Doug Ford mentioned on their weekend radio show that they would reopen debate on expanded gambling at the Woodbine racetrack. The OLG casino proposals…
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Gambling reformists in the US will get another shot at legalized online casinos. New York Congressman Peter King tabled a new online gambling bill entitled the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2013, which will authorize legalized online gambling under federal jurisdiction. The US tried and failed to pass online poker laws…
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The OLG modernization strategy, which shifts towards offline and online casinos, is costing Ontario taxpayers more money than anticipated. Ontarians paid nearly $81 million to horseracing racetracks as compensation for the OLG’s controversial cancellation of the slots at racetrack revenue sharing program. The Ontario government says the payouts were made to racetracks that spent money…
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Communities in the surrounding GTA defined their positions on the casino proposals this week. The city of Markham, following the lead of councilors in Toronto, rejected the casino, but Vaughan councilors voted in favour of opening negotiations with the OLG. Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua remained relatively quiet on the casino file ever since the OLG…
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Changes in Ontario’s gambling environment over the last few weeks are raising questions in Ottawa. The city is the only community to approve the OLG proposed casino, but that support is wavering in light of the changes. When Ottawa approved the casino, the Ontario government was operating on the path set out by former Premier…
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PokerStars lost its bet on the Atlantic Club casino in New Jersey. Judge Raymond Batten ruled that the Atlantic City casino is free to accept purchase bids from other companies in its fight to avoid bankruptcy and foreclosure. The ruling is a significant setback for PokerStars, which hoped to use the Atlantic Club as a…
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The Ontario government is moving ahead with the OLG modernization strategy, but the new government leaders are revamping some pieces of the strategy, including extending support for Ontario’s beleaguered horseracing industry. Premier Kathleen Wynne and Finance Minister Charles Sousa stated that candidates are under consideration to replace OLG Chairman Paul Godfrey. Wynne and Sousa’s predecessors,…
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Canada crowned a new World Poker Tour champion this week at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal. Amir Babakhani crushed the final table to win the Canadian Spring Championship leg of the tour, capturing the top prize of $442,248, along with a $25,000 stake in the WPT World Championship at the Bellagio Casino in Las…
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Earlier this week, a bid submitted by PokerStars to purchase the Atlantic Club casino was pulled off the table, according to spokespeople at the casino. Despite the setback, the online poker room remains committed to its plans to purchase a casino, and enter the newly legalized New Jersey online gambling market. According to state…
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Will there ever be a time when the New York Yankees aren’t considered one of the leading contenders for the World Series? Sports bettors and baseball analysts wrote the Yankees off as a contender at the start of this season, but an impressive early performance improved those odds as the month of April went on.…
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