Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming November 2016 44 LVS let housekeepers gamble millions The Nevada Gaming Control Board is looking into claims that Las Vegas Sands Corp allowed local housekeepers to take out millions of dollars in credit and bet on behalf of Chinese high rollers. The allegations surfaced in 2015 after Clark County prosecutors brought charges against two women accused of failing to repay millions of dollars in gambling debts at the Venetian and Palazzo casinos. The women’s attorneys revealed at the time that the pair were in fact shills – local housekeepers recruited with the cooperation of Sands personnel to take out millions of dollars in credit in their own names. The women would then sit near the actual players, allowing them to use the chips and gamble millions of dollars without a paper trail. Prosecutors later dropped the charges against the women during preliminary hearings in Las Vegas Justice Court. The Nevada Gaming Control Board is now investigating the allegations and whether the use of fronts violates the state’s bookkeeping regulations and broad “decency” requirements. A recent investigation by Reuters found that some casinos have allowed high-stakes players to gamble through front men who would sign the credit paperwork. In 2013, Sands paid US$47 million to settle a US Department of Justice investigation after it was discovered that an alleged Chinese-Mexican drug trafficker lost more than US$84 million at the Venetian. North Jersey casino campaign smashes spending record Campaign spending both for and against a proposal to allow two casinos in North Jersey has smashed all spending records for a New Jersey ballot question, it has been revealed. Disclosure reports show that almost US$21 million had been spent up to late October – way above the previous record of US$1.4 million – around US$5.6 million when adjusted for inflation – spent on the 1976 ballot question that allowed casinos in Atlantic City. The figure includes US$12.5 million from opponents connected with Atlantic City and New York casinos and determined to block any regional competition, plus US$8.5 million from developers wanting to build casinos in Jersey City and the Meadowlands. INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS Those developers have since shut down their campaigns following polling that shows voters are likely to vote against casinos in North Jersey. However, the Executive Director of the state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission, Jeff Brindle, has predicted spending could still climb towards US$40 million by the time votes are cast on 8 November. “This has broken all records, absolutely,” said Brindle, noting that gambling campaigns were usually the most expensive. “Historically in New Jersey, that certainly is the case. Casinos have always been, and gambling in general.” The majority of the “no” campaign spending has come from the action group Trenton’s Bad Bet, which is funded by companies and people connected to companies that operate casinos and slots parlors in Monticello, Queens and Yonkers, New York, as well as Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. Another US$500,000 apiece has been spent by the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council and the Hotel, Restaurant and Club Employees and Bartenders Union Local 6. WSOP-Europe to call Czech Republic home The Czech Republic is set to become the new home of the World Series of Poker Europe after King’s Casino in Rozvadov signed a multi-year agreement from 2017 onwards. The announcement comes as King’s Casino prepares to welcome a WSOP International Circuit event for the first time. It seems, on the surface at least, to be somewhat of a surprising choice for the biggest brand in poker given that Rozvadov, a small village near the German border, boasts a population of just 500 people. However, the casino also happens to be home to Europe’s largest poker room and is a popular destination for players from all around the region due to its wide array of cash games and tournaments. It will now add WSOPE to that list in both 2017 and 2019 – the first time the WSOP has held bracelet events in Europe since 2015. Each festival will include at least 10 WSOP gold bracelet events and a minimum of €5 million in guaranteed prize money. King’s Casino will also host two WSOP Circuit Events each year in 2018 and 2020 and one in 2017, 2019 and 2021. Dates and official schedules for 2017 are yet to be finalized. The Rozvadov property is currently in the middle of a massive Taj Mahal recently became the latest Atlantic City casino forced to close its doors