This week’s gambling news includes Ashton Kutcher admitting being the front for the nation’s biggest sports betting syndicate, Kickstarter closing down a crowdfunding campaign for an online casino startup and the Borgata experimenting with in-room gambling.
Gambling news of late has usually been restricted to word of the latest attempts for a particular state legislature to pass online casino and poker gambling legislation, but the past week saw three new and interesting stories coming out of the gambling world.
In one, actor Ashton Kutcher came out admitting having been the front man for the country’s largest sports betting syndicate which is reputed to include actor Bruce Willis, poker pro Phil Ivey and golf pro Phil Mickelson.
Kickstarter squelched a crowdfunding campaign launched on their site for an online casino startup from developer Virtual Gaming Worlds called Chumba World after only four days on the site. Kickstarter says the campaign was taken down for privacy and legal reasons. Chumba World if it comes to fruition will allow users to create their own online casinos to which they can then invite their friends via social media. The company is looking for $50,000 to complete funding on the project.
And in Atlantic City, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is starting to offer in-room gambling that allows guests to play real money video poker and slots directly from their own hotel rooms, using their television remote controls. The Borgata says this is possible after a 2012 law allowing online gambling within New Jersey’s borders and that it’s a sign of more such changes to come.