
***Bryan Zuriff, Ray Donovan producer***
Rather than making a compelling drama, Showtime series Ray Donovan producer Bryan Zuriff is starring in their own crime series, it seems, and it’s not having an extremely happy closing for the distressed Hollywood mogul. Zuriff has now entered a guilty plea with the Southern District Court of New York the Department of Justice arm that indicted Zuriff, along with 33 others, back April of in 2010 for a high-profile Russian mob-spearheaded, organized crime Web sportsbetting and high-stakes poker syndicate ring. The plea ended up being for Zuriff’s indictment on felony gambling charges and had been received by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara a week ago.
Plea Deal and Forfeiture
Specifically, Zuriff’s fees include running an unlawful sports gambling business, transmission of activities wagering information across state lines, and acceptance of economic instruments for unlawful Web gambling; he has only pled guilty, at the time of now, towards the last charge, and might receive up to 5 years into the joint for his role within the international gambling scandal. Moreover, the producer will even have to forfeit half of a million dollars to meet the terms of the feds to his plea deal. He now awaits sentencing on Nov. 25 three times before Thanksgiving and two before the start of (very early) Hanukkah this year so it should be described as a holiday that is really fun for Zuriff in 2010. Maybe he should early eat his turkey; we hear the stuff they serve in prison isn’t made by Martha Stewart (anymore).
Zuriff ended up being apparently as busy being fully a high-end bookie as he had been working on sets; Bharara’s statements concerning the plea deal said that the producer ‘spanned the coasts with his crimes,’ as he was running illegal sportsbetting operations from both LaLa Land in Hollywood, aswell as helping run the show straight back in the Big Apple, beneath the watch of art dealer Hillel Nahmad along with other Russian big-time players. Zuriff’s plea deal wraps up Bharara’s work on this situation since the final conviction in what the attorney has termed ‘this sprawling script of criminal conduct.’ Maybe Zuriff can write some new scripts to be shopped while in their cell; he should have plenty of time on his fingers.
Bestseller in the Making
With Hollywood never shy about making money off a scandal perhaps not even though unique members are included (peoples or areas of the body), word is that another person that is high-profile of who was simply part of this circle has already been composing her own book about it. ‘Poker madam’ Molly Bloom also indicted by the DoJ earlier this year is said to be bandying about lots of big film star names in her tome, perhaps including Spiderman actor Tobey Maguire, whom apparently was a poker game regular in these A-list home that is tinseltown.
The entire procedure laundered some $100 million in unlawful gambling profits, in accordance with federal prosecutors, using hundreds of small bank accounts as well as shell organizations created in the U.S. and Cypress. Mark Galeotti, A russian prepared crime expert at brand New York University, says a sharp uptake in top course wealth in the thing that was previously the Soviet Union has created a whole new underground for making use of the worldwide and enormous -illegal sportsbetting market, with potentially billions in hidden profits (unless they get busted, as happened here, of course.) ‘We’re seeing higher-rolling entrepreneurs involved in these kinds of cases,’ Galeotti noted. The high rollers’ bookies are kept with the issue ‘of trying to figure out what to accomplish with suitcases full of cash, and that leads to the money laundering,’ he added.
Now why an effective Hollywood producer got involved in most of this, putting their own money, reputation and actual life on the line: that’s a good topic for a crime mystery that is future. Meanwhile, most of the publicity surrounding Zuriff apparently hasn’t hurt their show; it was just picked up for another season by Showtime with only three shows having aired thus far.
Stations Casinos Jumping into the Mobile Sports Betting Fray
******Sports Connection Mobile’s new app******
The delicate party between land gambling enterprises and online wagering continues to unfold, as Nevada’s first legal and regulated online poker web site provider, Stations Casinos, has become launching a sports betting application for mobile device users. Named Sports Connection Cellphone, the app means that gamblers is now able to bet on their sports that are favorite the ease and comfort of their mobile devices and tablets.
Going Public
Recently approved by Nevada’s gaming overseers after a rigorous field trial, Sports Connection Mobile can now go beyond its initial marketing field of royal vegas online casino review just Stations’ 16 Southern Nevada casino clients, and spread its wings to the overall populace (including tourists) of the Silver State. And not a brief moment too soon, with football season just around the corner. Needless to say, the financial potential is predicted to be profound once this right-in-your-hand legal bookie system catches on.
‘I think this will be fantastic for the development potential associated with the sports wagering industry,’ said Station Casinos Vice President of Sports Book Operations Art Manteris.
Stations isn’t 1st to go mobile, though; well-known sportsbook operators William Hill and Cantor Gaming beat them to the punch. As with internet poker, in order to place a bet, players will have to be physically located and traceable via mobile GPS within the borders of Nevada.
Much like their online poker site, there will be considered a back-and-forth flow between channels’ brick-and-mortar customers and their mobile ones, as player benefits will be accrued for either and both, providing gamblers more customer power more quickly. Any wins and player rewards can then be redeemed from any Stations Casinos property in Nevada.
‘That’s a huge difference because it ties our application to your gambling enterprises,’ said Manteris of the brand new channels’ mobile app.
Still Live Appeal
Will the cap ability to bet from home mean fewer casino that is actual show up to bet reside? Manteris says no. ‘There is still nothing like watching the event in certainly one of our books. But we realize that sometimes life gets in the way. A customer is kept by the application in the game.’
Channels is making yes as much customers stay static in the overall game as possible; they’ve developed computer software for iPhones, iPads, Androids and now have a Sports Connection Intranet product that presumably will cover someone else. Anyone of legal age (21+) can sign up for the app at any Stations Casino sports book, or at the downtown El Cortez; Stations happens to be managing that home’s sports guide. A $50 wagering deposit is necessary upon signup. Bet minimums will be $5 and bets may be placed on all major events that are sporting. Players will have a way to reload with either cash, credit cards or debit cards, nonetheless it must be done in individual. Wagers include parlay cards, straight bets, teasers, prop bets, circular robins and in-game wagering.
William Hill and Cantor Gaming were recently forced to convert all their sports wagering kiosks to mobile sports betting adjuncts just in every of the Nevada smaller pubs and taverns that had limited gaming licenses (15 slot machines or less); the lobbying organization, United states Gaming Association, that represents the interests of several land casinos stated the miniscule action was cutting too heavily into their casino customers’ company.
Now as William Hill and Cantor Gaming already have mobile sports apps that are betting the market allow the wagering wars begin.
Fremont Street Experience Bringing Live Muay Thai Fight to Downtown
For many years, downtown Las Vegas ended up being known as the Strip’s red-headed stepchild: mocked and minimized as the poorer, less exciting, less glamorous part of Sin City. But a slow but renovation that is steady started in regards to a decade ago, one which includes the addition for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Zappos headquarters, and a museum dedicated to Las Vegas’ Mafia heritage having an actual Mob Museum. Over time respectability has been returning to a location once littered with drug addicts and low-budget hookers.
Fremont Street Moves Up
The Fremont Street Experience, needless to say built in the mid 1990s transformed what had for years been called ‘Glitter Gulch’ for its plethora of rather tacky neon casino indications as a genuine, if notably center class, tourist destination, and pushed the downtown area towards what it is becoming today: someplace where things happen and big names want to be seen. Now the world of Muay Thai will likely be adding some pizzazz to that growing elan, with a planned September twentieth fight night.
Possibly the Strip gets the world-class that is fancy matches, but Muay Thai is a perfect match for the greater amount of rough-and-tumble audience that makes up nearly all of downtown’s tourist trade. And the match that is impending ‘Lion Fight 11’ will be televised live and sanctioned and supervised, the same as boxing is at its uptown relative’s venues. The sport of Muay Thai works perfectly for Fremont Street, since it’s all done standing up, as compared to mixed arts that are martial. And there should be more kicks and punches exchanged than in a bit of good New that is drunken year Eve melee.
Obviously, this being Vegas, there is a casino behind all of it; in this situation, the relatively newly minted D (formerly Fitzpatricks) Casino, which can be positioning itself as the hippest, coolest place you can stay and play north of this Stratosphere. The Sept. twentieth event will simply take destination in a ring on Third Street, conveniently located appropriate outside the D, where no doubt they’ll get tons of TV time. Perhaps surprisingly, the fight could be the first sports event ever nationally televised live from Fremont Street.
Huge TV Viewership Expected
Cable network AXS has the televising rights, and expect big viewership numbers, particularly for a bout featuring champion that is japanese Yamato duking it out with American pugilist Kevin Ross. The network claims a potential viewing audience internationally of 42 million.
‘It’s a location that is iconic so we’re likely to have the lights while the glitz as well as the views on camera that night,’ said AXS CEO Andrew Simon. ‘Our viewers are likely to say, ‘Man, that is the Fremont Street Experience.’ It’s a tourism destination that is national. This can be a good way to show the downtown off to a nationwide market.’
The fight is expecting lots of live market appeal, too. Promoters Lion Fight Promotions say they will have 1,700 tickets, with 1,200 of those being for ‘reserved seating.’
Fremont Street Experience bigwigs are anticipating the big event being truly a huge advertising blast for the area. ‘Muay Thai is just a very exciting action show,’ stated Tom Bruny, Fremont Street Experience marketing director. ‘It’s something new for all of us to do. The television aspect was compelling for the Fremont Street Experience.’
