Claims ex violated NDA

A billion-dollar lottery winner in Maine who has to this point remained anonymous is at risk of losing his identity shield should he continue with a lawsuit against his ex.

signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the mother of his child

The man won $1.35bn in Mega Millions in 2022, taking the lump-sum payment for $724m before taxes. Maine does not technically allow for lottery winners to claim their prizes anonymously, but does allow them to set up trusts and LLCs to claim winnings, effectively protecting their identities. “John Doe” did this and signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the mother of his child, known only in court documents as “Sara Smith.”

The NDA restricted Smith to telling only their child, her significant other, and financial advisors and attorneys of the lottery haul. In late 2023, the winner sued Smith for $100,000, claiming that she told his parents of the windfall in a phone conversation.

But now, with a trial a possibility, a judge has denied John Doe’s request for closed-door proceedings. A public trial would naturally unveil the man’s identity.

Plaintiff concerned with safety

According to the Portland Press Herald, US District Judge John Woodcock called the man’s request for a private trial a “nonstarter,” adding that the idea “runs hard against historic concept of what the courts are and what they are not in this country.”

A public trial would put the plaintiff in a difficult situation. He filed the lawsuit because Smith allegedly violated their NDA, which they signed so that he could conceal his identity as a now-wealthy man. But a public trial would ruin that.

His attorneys said that “his identity and confidential information would be revealed to the public and the media; he would effectively lose the privacy war and subject himself and his minor daughter to the irreparable harm he brought suit to avoid.”

The plaintiff says remaining anonymous is important because he believes that if people know he is rich, his safety and the safety of his daughter could be at risk.

Judge believes public access is top priority

In addition to his opinion that a closed trial would run contrary to what the legal system stands for, Judge Woodcock did not buy John Doe’s argument that revealing his identity would put him at any unusual risk, at least not risk that would merit a private trial.

a party’s wealth alone is not a legitimate reason to restrict the right of public access”

“By the Court’s reckoning, one of Mr. Doe’s main points is that because he is now wealthy, the consequences of his filing this lawsuit are different for him as opposed to other less financially fortunate individuals,” Woodcock wrote in his opinion. “He fears his new-found wealth will make him the target of an inquisitive and occasionally malevolent people …  However legitimate his concerns, a party’s wealth alone is not a legitimate reason to restrict the right of public access.”

The judge added that with his millions, John Doe can easily afford “levels of security and isolation not generally available to the general public.”

The lottery winner presented an alternative option of an audio-only trial using pseudonyms, but Judge Woodcock rejected that, as well.

John Doe has filed an appeal.

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MGA, Penn reach understanding

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission and Penn Entertainment have reached an accord over controversial comments made by ESPN “College Game Day” host Rece Davis. 

not gambling but “risk-free investing”

On Thursday, the Massachusetts Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) presented its findings to an MGC adjudicatory hearing over Davis’s 2024 comment on an ESPN Bet segment that a suggested sports betting pick was not gambling but “risk-free investing.”

The IEB told the MGC panel Davis’s comments violated state sports betting compliance and ESPN Bet content guidance policy, which bans terms such as “free,” “risk free,” and “can’t lose” where sports bets are concerned.

Penn signed a ten-year, $2bn ESPN Bet deal with Disney in 2023 and, as such, shares the betting platform’s responsibility for regulatory compliance. 

At the hearing, a Penn lawyer didn’t dispute the IEB’s findings, focusing instead on the partnered firms’ quick actions over Davis’s comments. Rather than making Penn sweat, the MGC accepted its efforts to rectify Davis’s controversial comments. 

Relationship rescued

Penn Entertainment’s Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer Chris Soriano was in the MGC hot seat on Thursday. He made the case that his firm and ESPN Bet’s shared commitment to regulatory compliance “led to the prompt action and reporting of the incident” to the state regulatory body.

At the hearing, MGC Commissioner Paul Brodeuer praised the partner firms for their speedy reaction to dealing with Davis’s “off-the-cuff comment.”

Davis made the comment on the back of ESPN Bet’s Erin Dolan’s pick for an NCAA matchup. Davis responded with: “Some would call this wagering, gambling, I think the way you sold this…I think what it is, is risk-free investment.”

Commissioner Brodeuer acknowledged that an ESPN producer caught Davis’s incendiary statement immediately and confronted the host straightaway. 

best you can do in the circumstances of an unplanned comment”

“I think that was an excellent outcome and the best you can do in the circumstances of an unplanned comment,” Brodeuer said.

MGC Chair Jordan Maynard also praised Penn and Soriano for their “swift action on that day and the day after, and your swift reporting to us.”

What next?

According to reports, the “MGC will take action at a later date, which could result in a fine.” 

The worst-case scenario would be Penn losing its Massachusetts sports betting license, which appears highly unlikely given the MGC’s approval of how the involved brands cleaned up their mess. 

According to the New York Times last week, Davis has agreed to a new seven-year ESPN deal for “tens of millions of dollars.” This will guarantee that Davis will lead ESPN’s hosting duties through the rest of the network’s College Football Playoff deal set to run until 2031-32.

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A harsh new bill in New York would make sweeping changes to the state’s gambling landscape. Despite tax revenue from sportsbooks reaching almost $3bn in the Empire State since the market went live in January 2022, Assemblymember Robert Carroll went ahead and introduced the legislation to the Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee.

wouldn’t be able to mention free bets, odds boosts, and other similar types of offers

The bill would introduce a daily betting cap of $5,000, only allow people to make up to five deposits in a 24-hour period, and significantly curtail advertising of these products. Marketing materials wouldn’t be able to mention free bets, odds boosts, and other similar types of offers.

The bill would also stop all sports betting ads between 8am and 10pm or during live sports events. Most of these types of marketing materials run in these timeframes.

Lawmakers who oppose the proposal believe that if passed, it would significantly hurt tax revenue as high-stakes gamblers would go across state lines to New Jersey or use offshore sportsbooks to place their action.

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Nobody will forget the experience

By now, anyone who pays even a little attention to the goings-on in Las Vegas has heard about the debacle that was the MrBeast Experience at Resorts World. Running April 13-15, the event was supposed to consist of “a variety of on-site activations designed to offer an immersive and unforgettable experience.”

no activities, no events, nothing

It was certainly an unforgettable experience, but not for good reasons. Attendees reported not just a disappointing experience, but quite literally no experience. There were no activities, no events, nothing. Gift bags included seemingly random MrBeast merch with no regard to apparel sizes, and low-quality Feastables chocolate (MrBeast’s brand).

All of this for about $1,000. And MrBeast did not make an appearance.

Attendees were eventually given a $50 voucher for use at the property, but $50 does not go far at Resorts World. Fortunately, after everyone rightfully raised a stink, Resorts World agreed to issue refunds.

MrBeast had no involvement

It sounds like the “experience” was destined to fail from the very start because of a combination of greed and lack of communication.

According to the in-the-know social media account Las Vegas Locally, a Resorts World insider said: “The MrBeast Experience was essentially just a licensing deal with the MrBeast IP. There was no experience ever planned, and internally none of the teams were informed of the extent of the hotel package.”

So, on Team MrBeast’s end, it was a quick and easy way to make some money, to get “clicks,” as it were. Just give Resorts World permission to use the name and logo and cash the check. Additional evidence that it was a completely hands-off situation with MrBeast was his response on X to a disgruntled attendee:

“Hey! This definitely isn’t the experience we hoped they’d deliver. My team’s already on it—I’d love to personally make it up to you and anyone else by inviting everybody affected to tour my actual studio! Can’t wait to meet you all and my team is reaching out to everyone :D”

Note the wording: “the experience we hoped they’d deliver.” It really was just a licensing deal and MrBeast had no input.

Ok, you made the deal…now do something

On Resorts World’s side, as the insider told Las Vegas Locally, “internally none of the teams were informed of the extent of the hotel package,” clearly a gigantic communications screw-up.

no idea what they were doing

It is unknown publicly exactly what happened – and really, that’s Resorts World’s business – but some marketing manager probably got overexcited about the deal they just made with the almighty MrBeast and ended up over their head. They got all pumped to get signage printed and the promo announcement made and then either forgot about the rest or assigned tasks to someone else who had no idea what they were doing.

Basically, it was amateur hour. It’s like when I was a green IT consultant, fresh out of college, and was sent to New York City for a day to oversee the installation of racks of equipment in a client’s new server room. I had no idea what I was doing and just hoped that everyone on the client site did. The best I could do was observe, nod, and peer closely at times. I did “tip” a cargo delivery person $20 to bring the equipment into the building when he was just going to plunk everything on the sidewalk. So that was quick thinking.

So, there was likely one person who knew much of anything about the MrBeast Experience, but nobody who was actually tasked to design any events or collaborate with MrBeast’s team. I wouldn’t be surprised if the person who put together the goodie bags had no idea what they were and just said “umm….ok” when told to do something.

MrBeast was happy to make money, Resorts World was happy to draw people in with the MrBeast name, but nobody involved actually talked to each other about doing anything.

The post The MrBeast Experience at Resorts World Las Vegas Doomed to Fail Right From the Jump appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.

Law enforcement has targeted a St. Petersburg, Florida, police officer for allegedly sharing confidential information from private databases with the suspect allegedly responsible for two explosive devices that were left at the Tampa Hard Rock casino in September.

facing up to five years in prison for the third-degree felony

Officer Brandon Klaiber is facing two counts of offense against intellectual property and has been suspended without pay. He is facing up to five years in prison for the third-degree felony.

The 40-year-old is a long-time friend of the suspect, Bryan Eckley, who was released on $200,000 bail in April following his arrest on October 30. Eckley still denies involvement, and a judge in the case said that he was entitled to bail as the devices were more akin to fireworks than viable destructive devices.

He allegedly left two devices in restrooms in late September, leading to an evacuation.

Investigators found text messages between Eckley and Klaiber that contained information from restricted databases. The release announcing the second arrest did not shed any light on the nature of the information.

Klaiber has been an officer since 2008 and regularly provided information to his friend about different individuals. The authorities are now trying to determine if he disclosed similar information to others.

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A hot topic in recent times is the seemingly ever-increasing cost of parking on the Las Vegas Strip. While once upon a time you could leave your vehicle for free, most resorts now charge you for doing so.

properties have gradually hiked up these rates

Some properties have gradually hiked up these rates. MGM Resorts, for example, brought its prices up in December to a daily rate of $20 for hotel guests from the previous $18 level.

The high cost of parking clearly disgruntled one individual on Wednesday, with casino security having to respond to an incident in the parking garage of an unnamed Strip property:

The man wasn’t going to pay and decided to drive through the barrier after throwing his ticket at the workers. Many of the comments to the X post were sympathetic to the angry customer:

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A homeless man has won $1m through a California lottery scratch-off ticket. He was still in the liquor store where he bought the ticket when he realized that he had won big.

initially thought the prize was $100,000

While the unnamed individual initially thought the prize was $100,000, the store’s manager told him it was actually $1m after taking a look.

They high-fived each other and the manager gave him a ride to the lottery headquarters in Fresno to submit the winning ticket. After realizing the result, the lucky winner said: “I’m not homeless anymore.”

The man is a long-time customer of the liquor store; the manager Wilson Samaan said that he has “a lot of happiness for the person, especially like a loyal, regular customer … I wish them all the best.”

He intends to use the money to make a down payment on a house, purchase a car, and then save the remainder. It will likely take the California Lottery several weeks or even a few months to process the prize.

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Stole to gamble

US District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced a Florida woman to ten years in prison after she stole over $4m from her employer for gambling and personal expenses. 

The US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (USAO-MDFL) on Monday reported that Judge Barber sentenced Madelyn Hernandez, 49, for wire fraud and money laundering.

faked her own death when her employers discovered her fraud

The USAO-MDFL took to X with news of the sentence for the Lee County woman who faked her own death when her employers discovered her fraud:  

The DOJ news release stated Hernandez emailed her textiles and apparel firm posing as a family member who claimed Hernandez had died from surgery complications.

Ruse unravels

The USAO-MDFL release cited prosecutors as stating Hernandez worked for the company for 20 years where she placed orders and ran the company’s shipping, invoicing, and inventory. 

Over a six-year period under federal scrutiny, Hernandez submitted fraudulent invoices directing the payments to her bank accounts. 

The false invoice paper trail eventually linked to a fictitious company and a defunct firm. The scheme netted Hernandez $4,199,498.42 in total from her employer between 2018 and 2024.  

In June 2024, however, Hernandez’s employers uncovered her fraud. Instead of coming clean, the now-convicted felon sent her firm an email fraudulently claiming she was a member of Hernandez’s family and that her under-investigation relative had died following illness and complications from surgery.

found the fraudster very much alive

Unfortunately for Hernandez, her employers reported her to the FBI and Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation. The feds executed a search warrant for Hernandez’s home in October and found the fraudster very much alive. 

Ruse blown, Hernandez admitted to the feds she’d concocted fake invoices, fictitious companies with which to steal the firm’s money, and her own death. 

Closing statements

The DOJ cited court documents in which Hernandez stated she didn’t think what she stole “was as high as $4 million.” 

Prosecutors said that Hernandez would occasionally return some stolen funds in the hope that her employers would remain ignorant of her scheme.

Judge Barber ordered Hernandez, who initially pleaded guilty on January 28, to forfeit the $4m as part of her sentence.

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Lawmakers in North Carolina want to cash in on the massive success of the legal sports betting market since it went live in March 2024. Handle hit a record $685m last month, largely because of the massive interest in March Madness.

A proposal submitted to the state Senate on Monday aims to double the tax rate from the current 18% to 36%. If this change comes into effect, North Carolina would only be behind the flat tax rates of four other states.

lawmakers think that doubling the tax rate would bring in an extra $53m during the 2025/2026 fiscal year

In the first year of legal sportsbooks, the eight licensed operators contributed over $135m in tax revenue, which is significantly more than the pre-legalization estimates. Lawmakers think that doubling the tax rate would bring in an extra $53m during the 2025/2026 fiscal year.

Sportsbook operators didn’t waste any time in fighting back against the idea, with DraftKings sending messages to customers in the Tar Heel State to oppose the measure:

North Carolina isn’t the first state to consider hiking sports betting taxes. Illinois was the first to do so when it changed its model to a tiered system up to a maximum of 40% in July. The governors of Ohio and Maryland failed recently to double their taxes in their own jurisdictions, while New Jersey and Massachusetts are currently considering proposals.

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Resorts World Las Vegas is facing the wrath of disgruntled YouTuber influencer fans after a disastrous start to a MrBeast Experience at the Genting-owned resort casino marketed as the “ultimate Vegas vacation package.”

only to be left twiddling their thumbs

“False advertising,” X user JamieY stated in a live post from Resorts World, summing up the mood of the many MrBeast fans who snapped up the three-day package only to be left twiddling their thumbs.

Las Vegas Locally took to X Tuesday to cite multiple event attendees condemning The MrBeast Experience as “a total disaster”:

JamieY’s video from the resort lists a litany of event fails, starting with being sent to her room for three hours to wait for the advertised “exclusive mystery bag.” When the bag arrived the next day, it was filled with disappointing merch, including “extra-extra small t-shirts” for adults.

The MrBeast fan goes on to describe the lack of promised activations and front desk Resorts World employees claiming they had zero knowledge of the event. 

“We’re just stuck waiting because no-one knows anything,” she added.

Another video clip included Resorts Worlds employees trying to placate a large group of angry MrBeast Experience attendees, including a woman unhappy with being “forced to drink $63 coffees.”

This is the second time MrBeast event organizers have caused havoc in Las Vegas, with a chaotic Beast Games film shoot resulting in contestants filing lawsuits.   

JamieY summed up her MrBeast Experience at Resorts World as “horrible” with “nobody taking any accountability at all.”

“Parents took their kids out of school for this event so it’s super disappointing.”

Resorts World Las Vegas’ Chief Marketing Officer Ronn Nicolli had previously asserted the MrBeast Experience would be “special and unexpected.” MrBeast President and CEO Jeffrey Housenbold likewise promoted the event as including “fun, surprises, and generosity.”

According to MrBeast fans, the disappointment is, ultimately, an unexpected surprise.

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A New Orleans roulette dealer has been arrested for stealing from her employer. The Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division announced on Monday the apprehension of both 46-year-old Margaret Lake and her accomplice, 23-year-old Ahmod Junius.

Lake intentionally allowed Junius to place late wagers

Detectives from the Gaming Enforcement Division’s New Orleans Field Office began investigating a possible theft of more than $10,000 from Caesars New Orleans last Tuesday, April 8. They found that Lake intentionally allowed Junius to place late wagers, thus assuring that he would win. Though the police have not made public the exact amount of money that was illicitly won, both individuals have been charged with one count of theft between $5,000 and $25,000.

While dealers stealing or cheating is a fairly rare occurrence, the opportunity is there, so it does happen. In September 2024, for instance, JACK Cleveland Casino poker dealer Jack Saliba was found to have swiped chips from the pot and players’ stacks. He was fired and was charged with 14 separate gaming law violations.

In October and November of last year, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh blackjack dealer Jamie Smith dealt nearly 200 “fake” hands, resulting in players winning almost $22,000. Law enforcement confirmed suspicions when they saw Smith on surveillance footage not taking players’ chips on lost hands and overpaying on winning hands.

The post New Orleans Casino Dealer Arrested for Helping Player Cheat appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.

Elaine Wynn, the co-founder of Wynn Resorts alongside her ex-husband Steve Wynn, has passed away at the age of 82.

transforming properties like the Golden Nugget, The Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn, and Encore

The Elaine Wynn and Family Foundation announced the news without giving a cause of death, describing the “instrumental role she played in shaping the modern-day Las Vegas.” The release on Tuesday morning specifically mentioned her work transforming properties like the Golden Nugget, The Mirage, Bellagio, Wynn, and Encore.

She was still a major shareholder of Wynn Resorts, controlling about 9% of the company at the time of her passing. The New York native is survived by two daughters and seven grandchildren.

Elaine was a prominent philanthropist, especially in funding programs for children and their education. She married and divorced Steve Wynn twice, most recently in 2010, when the pair split for good. They first moved to Las Vegas in 1967 and soon began building their empire.

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