Get real on web gambling
Kansas City Star, MO
Rick’s Gambling & Tourism column in today’s Star Business Weekly looks at the US’s untenable position in the worldwide on-line gambling industry. …

State cracks down on Net gambling
Kentucky.com, KY
By Jack Brammer FRANKFORT — Kentucky is commandeering 141 domain names of Internet gambling sites in a novel legal move to crack down on the unregulated …

Ky. governor seeking to block online gambling
Forbes, NY
By JOE BIESK 09.23.08, 7:39 AM ET Kentucky’s pro-gambling governor is looking to make sure all bets are off for more than 140 online gambling Web sites that … Online gambling takes its toll
Aftenposten, Norway
Top community officials are among those who unwittingly lent large sums of money to finance a Norwegian bishop’s son’s gambling debts. …

Casino gambling, poker table revenue up in FL
CBS 4, FL
But the stakes weren’t as high for other kinds of gambling. Racing at horse and dog tracks and other sports wagering declined 43 percent, to $159 million. Gambling case fallout remains as Donaghy reports to prison
USA Today
The league has determined that for the first time in major professional US sports, a referee will walk into prison a convicted felon on a gambling charge …

Former gambling site worker cops to ID theft
Register, UK
The former employee of an internet-based gambling website has admitted he used his position in the company’s credit department to steal the identities of … Arizona gambling feels economic pinch, report shows
East Valley Tribune, AZ
“Gambling is a form of recreation,” she said. Morago compared it to people making decisions whether to go to a movie, go out to dinner or even “go shopping …

Gambling grows to unexpected levels in Poland
Puls Biznesu, Poland
Last year, the Poles spent more on gambling than on beer, vodka and medical services. If the upward trend continues the gambling market will be worth as … Unexpectedly, Las Vegas hit by US downturn
Reuters
And while free rooms and room discounts have kept hotels relatively full — occupancy is down just 1 percent in the year to July — gambling revenue is down …

Blogosphere:

Online Sports Gambling
Ken
The best sites to find Online Sports Gambling, a leading online casino gambling guide. Includes online casino reviews and recommendations, online casino directory, best payouts and bonuses, blackjack strategy and tips, … BetOnSports.com Gambling Site Worker Pleads Guilty After Stealing …
CyberInsecure
An employee of the offshore Internet gambling website BetOnSports.com has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his role in a large Internet-based identity theft ring. BetOnSports PLC does not exist since July 2006 and the Antigua …

Kentucky Seizes Gambling Domains
MHB
The seizure was taken after the Commonwealth found that the “domains were being used in connection with illegal gambling activity”. The domains seized include:. fulltiltpoker.com. indiancasino.com. bet21.com. allslots.com. bodoglife.com … Kentucks Seizes 141 Gambling Domain Names
Chad Kettner
There were a number of popular gambling sites listed for seizure including PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com, BodogLife.com, GoldenPalace.com, Bet21.com, DoylesRoom.com and also Rick Schwartz’ IndianCasino.com. …

KY governor after online gambling domains
maconlinepoker
To be very frank and honest, this is not a good news at all for online gambling industry. US Kentucky state governor, Steve Beshear is trying all his efforts to crack down online gambling industry and in oder to boost offline local … NBA Ref Starts Prison Term for Gambling
The NBA referee who admitted gambling on basketball begins his 15-month federal prison sentence today, reports USA Today . The conviction of referee Tim Donaghy, 41, has rocked the NBA, even though officials determined he didn’t bet on …

Bingo Betting
gamblingguide
online gambling has typically been a mans world (sorry for the huge generalisation but this is a blog after all). Perhaps the influx of Bingo sites will even that up slightly. Certainly Bingo seems to be a more social than playing a … Judge Tosses Gambling Attorney’s $20 Million Lawsuit Against Casinos
Law.com – Newswire
A federal judge has dismissed a $20 million racketeering lawsuit against seven casinos by a former New York City attorney who said they had a duty to stop her from gambling. The judge wrote that Arelia Margarita Taveras failed to …

Responsible Gaming – Psychology of a Gambler
To be honest, gambling gets a bad rap, especially when you consider that it’s one of the prime driving forces of humanity. Nobody has ever gotten rich by playing it safe, and if you have a stock portfolio, you’ve bet your money that … Seniors Doubt Study’s Finding of Gambling Problems
Wholesale Bingo Supplies Blog – Bingo Bob
But a new gambling study published in the journal Psychology and Aging suggests not all senior citizens have Fava’s self-control. It concludes the elderly are more likely to develop gambling problems than younger people. …

Video: NFL Football Best Bet of the Week with Odds from Gamblers Television

The MIT Blackjack Team, as the name suggests, was a group of students and ex-students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who attempted to beat casinos at blackjack worldwide. The team and its successors operated from 1979 through the beginning of the 21st century.

The plan and operation

Blackjack gives the house a low statistical advantage compared to other casino games. Beyond the basic strategy of when to hit and when to stand, individual players can use a combination of betting strategy, card tracking, and card counting to improve their odds. Accurate card counting is a fairly difficult skill, but since the early 1960s a large number of schemes have been published — and casinos have adjusted the rules of play to counter the most popular methods.

The chance to make large amounts of money card counting appealed to some mathematically minded students at MIT. The university had card playing clubs, but some students decided to develop their hobby. The group combined the individual player advantages with a team approach of counters and players to maximise any opportunities and disguise the betting patterns card counting produces. In a 2002 interview in Blackjack Forum magazine, MIT team manager Johnny Chang reported that, in addition to classic card counting and blackjack team techniques, the group at various times made use of advanced shuffle tracking and ace tracking techniques. While the card counting techniques used by the MIT team can give players an overall edge of up to about 2%, some of the MIT team’s methods have been established as gaining players an overall edge of up to about 4%. However, in his interview Chang reported that the MIT team had difficulty attaining such edges in actual play, and their overall results had been best with straight card counting.

The original team recruited students through flyers posted around campus. The team tested interested students to find out if they were suitable candidates, and if they were, the team thoroughly trained the new members. A corporate called Strategic Investments bankrolled the team. With the backing of the corporation, they were able to play with a bankroll of hundreds of thousands of dollars, far larger than would normally be available to college students. Eventually, with team morale suffering after a series of large losses, the corporation closed shop, and the original team disbanded, to be replaced by several new teams founded by alumni of the first group.

The team approach used by the MIT groups was originally developed by Al Francesco, elected by professional gamblers as one of the original 7 inductees into the Blackjack Hall of Fame. Blackjack team play was first written about by Ken Uston, an early member of Al Francesco’s teams. Uston’s book on blackjack team play, Million Dollar Blackjack, was published shortly before the founding of the first MIT team. The team methods devised by Al Francesco, and later used by the MIT team, at first made it more difficult for casinos to detect card counting at their tables. Unfortunately, Uston’s books alerted casinos to the methods of blackjack team play, and several MIT team members were identified and barred. These members were replaced by fresh MIT students, and play continued. Investigators hired by casinos eventually realized that many of those they had banned had addresses in or near Boston, and the connection with MIT became clear. The detectives obtained copies of recent MIT yearbooks and added photographs from it to their image database.

With most of the original team barred, most members retired, having made an amount variously reported as $1 million to $10 million. Some members have used reports of their successes to start public-speaking careers or businesses selling blackjack card counting systems or running blackjack seminars.

In the media

The story of the MIT Blackjack Team was told in the documentary Breaking Vegas, in the book Bringing Down the House, and on an episode of the Game Show Network documentary series, Anything to Win. The private investigation firm referred to as Plymouth in Bringing Down the House was Griffin Investigations.

Notes

1. Blackjack Forum interview with Johnny Chang
2. Bearcave.com review of Bringing Down the House

Links

• Wired Magazine: Hacking Las Vegas
• Discussion of the Team and card counting
• BBC documentary about card counting and the Team

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

A new MGM Grand casino will open at Foxwoods this weekend. The festivities will be overshadowed by the United Auto Workers that will protest against unfair tipping policy and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe’s refusal to bargain, trying to negotiate a union contract.

A new way the tips are distributed among dealers is going to decrease their earnings.

“We’re glad we could reach an agreement on this event that works for everyone. We’re glad to be there, we protected our first amendment rights, and we are confident we will get our message out,” said Director of UAW Region 9a, Bob Madore.

The Union will try to make aware the casino customers of the unfair labor practices, many dealers joining the protest.

The opening will have as guests many celebrities, such as Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Jamie Lynn Sigler.

Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American retired professional basketball player. Nicknamed “Sir Charles,” for his aggressive and outspoken demeanor, and “The Round Mound of Rebound,” for his unusual build and talent as a player, Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association’s most dominating power forwards. He was selected to both the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team five times and once named to the All-NBA Third Team. He earned eleven NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991. In 1993, he was voted the league’s Most Valuable Player and during the NBA’s 50th anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States’ Dream Team. In 2006, Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (Wikipedia)

Barkley is known for his compulsive gambling. In an interview with ESPN’s Trey Wingo, he revealed that he lost approximately $10 million through gambling. In addition, he also admitted to losing $2.5 million “in a six hour period” while playing blackjack. Although Barkley openly admits to his problem, he claims it is not serious since he can afford to support the habit. When approached by fellow TNT analyst Ernie Johnson about the issue, Barkley replied, “It’s not a problem. If you’re a drug addict or an alcoholic, those are problems. I gamble for too much money. As long as I can continue to do it I don’t think it’s a problem. Do I think it’s a bad habit? Yes, I think it’s a bad habit. Am I going to continue to do it? Yes, I’m going to continue to do it.”

Despite suffering big losses, Barkley also claims to have won on several occasions. During a trip to Las Vegas, he claims to have won $700,000 from playing blackjack and betting on the Indianapolis Colts to defeat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. He went on to state, however, “No matter how much I win it ain’t a lot. It’s only a lot when I lose. And you always lose. I think it’s fun, I think it’s exciting. I’m gonna continue to do it but I have to get to a point where I don’t try to break the casino ’cause you never can.” In May 2008, the Wynn Las Vegas casino filed a civil complaint against Barkley, alleging that he had failed to pay a $400,000 debt stemming from October 2007. Barkley responded by taking blame for letting time lapse on the repayment of the debt and promising to pay it back.

Basketball: Barkley plans to pay up
Ottawa Citizen, Canada
Hall of Fame basketball player Charles Barkley told a radio station he will repay the $400000 US he owes the Wynn Las Vegas casino for gambling debts. …

Charles Barkley faces gambling debt case
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A prosecutor says retired NBA star Charles Barkley will face felony charges if he fails to repay a $400000 gambling debt to a Las Vegas …

Business Glance
Salt Lake Tribune, United States
Hall of Fame basketball player Charles Barkley told an Alabama radio station he will repay the $400000 he owes Wynn Resorts Ltd. for gambling debts. ..

Barkley says he will pay $400000 to Wynn Las Vegas
Sportsnet.ca, Canada
t’s a good bet that Charles Barkley will pay back the $400000 he admits he owes Wynn Las Vegas LLC. But the Hall of Famer and TNT NBA analyst disputes some …

Charles Barkley’s Gambling Debt Raises 10 Questions
Bleacher Report, CA
by Greg Adams (Scribe) To be fair, in the article, it is noted that Barkley can make restitution to avoid felony bad check charges. Yowsers. $400K? …

Sports Watch
KFOR, OK
LAS VEGAS (AP) – A prosecutor says retired NBA star Charles Barkley will face felony charges if he fails to repay a $400000 gambling debt to a Las Vegas …

Celebrity Gossip Round-Up
CKFR, Canada
The Wynn Las Vegas resort has filed suit against former NBA star Charles Barkley, claiming he owes the casino $400000 in gambling markers. …

Sports Buzz
Kansas City Star, MO
A day after being sued for failing to repay four $100000 casino markers, former NBA star Charles Barkley acknowledged he owed the $400000 gambling debt. …

Sox set to fatten up on home cooking — if they hit
Chicago Tribune, United States
Charles Barkley owes $400000 dating to markers the Wynn Hotel extended to him last October. Barkley previously said he has a gambling problem. …

Sports Buzz
The Birmingham News – al.com, AL
Charles Barkley has a right to spend his money as he wishes. If he wants to gamble and lose $400000 in a Las Vegas casino in a two-day span, …
Basketball briefs News & Observer

Sports Briefs
Windsor Star, Canada
BARKLEY SUED The Wynn Las Vegas casino has sued former NBA star Charles Barkley, saying he owes US$400000 in gambling debts, the Las Vegas Sun reported …
Bob Ford: Pimlico stirs memories of triumph and tragedy Philadelphia Inquirer

Off the wire
Arkansas Democrat Gazette, AR
Former NBA star Charles Barkley, 45, now a basketball analyst for Turner Network Television, acknowledged he owes a $ 400, 000 gambling debt to a Las Vegas …

Basketball: Casino sues Barkley
Ottawa Citizen, Canada
The Wynn Las Vegas casino has sued former NBA star Charles Barkley, saying he owes $400000 US in gambling debts, the Las Vegas Sun reported yesterday. …

“I’ve learned to love gambling,” she told People.com, “I was in Australia for a few months and gambling is like a national pastime there, so I learned to love betting on horses, and now I even put in a few football bets and I’m kind of obsessed and into it.”

She likes most of all blackjack and horse racing, but she declared that she was never winner at sports betting.

Christina Ricci is an Emmy Award-nominated American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (1991), and its sequel Addams Family Values (1993).

Currently holds her own production company, Blaspheme Films, responsible for Pumpkin and Prozac Nation.

In February last year, along with Samuel L. Jackson, she presented a Grammy Award at the 2007 Grammys. Ricci has starred in Penelope, alongside Reese Witherspoon, a modern day fairytale, and in 2008, she will play the female lead in The Wachowski Brothers’ feature film adaptation of Speed Racer.

She is currently dating Australian actor Christopher “Kick” Gurry who she met on the set of Speed Racer.