This week’s casino news starts off with a couple of underground gaming busts. While many figured that they’d go away now that online gambling is legal in many states, this week’s headlines tell a different story.
Michigan Busts Alleged Slot Gambling Dens
Investigators in the state of Michigan just took down a number of illegal slot gambling dens in Flint. They were able to confiscate 11 slot machines and 56 computers that were used for this underground gambling ring. On top of that, they obtained $10,141 in what is suspected to be gambling proceeds there. This was all found across two different locations in the area.
They came across these dens after receiving anonymous tips for each location. The Michigan Department of Attorney General along with the Michigan Gaming Control Board thanked the public for their help in shutting these places down for good.
Online casino gambling is currently legal in the state of Michigan, so the hope was that this would curb the craving for these black-market gaming venues. However, it appears that they are still popular.
Online casinos were able to generate $126.6 million in revenue during the month of July with the majority of that coming out of their online slot machines.
Feds Bust Mob-Run Gambling Dens In New York City
Speaking of illegal gaming outlets, the state of New York cracked down on unlawful dens too. The federal government just crashed two mob-run gambling operations in the state. In total, nine different people were charged with illegal gambling, money laundering conspiracy, racketeering, obstruction of justice and a few others. Some of the indictments that were given include members of the Bonanno organized crime family called La Cosa Nostra. It also included names from the Genovese crime family of La Cosa Nostra.
These two families created a joint operation back in 2012 to set up illegal gambling dens and a major operation called Gran Caffe. These two families have been a consistent thorn in the side of the law for years now, but this recent breakthrough was a win for New York.
There is a little more to this story that has yet to officially unfold though. Hector Rosario is a detective that works for the Nassau County Police Department. Rosario allegedly took a bribe from the Bonanno family in order to raid other gambling locations outside of their own, so he’s going to be facing the long arm of the law as well.
UFC Legend Bans Gambling Ads In MMA Promotion
Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the best UFC fighters ever to step into the Octagon. He’s retired from fighting but he’s in the midst of launching his own fighting league. However, there won’t be any gambling companies advertising at his events.
The former UFC superstar said that he isn’t looking for any gambling brands to approach him for his MMA promotion, Eagle FC. While it’s a great source of income, they’ll find other ways to make money.
Khabib is a fighter that has done his best to stay away from the harmful aspects of life including drinking and gambling. He’s never taken a sip of alcohol in his life nor has he done any drugs. He’s also stayed away from gambling. As a result, he doesn’t want to promote any of these activities that he feels would have a negative impact on the lives of his fans and viewers.
As for the UFC, the place where Khabib ended his career with a perfect 29-0 record, they are going to keep on doing business with gambling companies now that they’re all legal and regulated. They just recently signed a massive deal with DraftKings back in 2021, which is why their odds are featured at every event.
