Latest news with #HollywoodCasino
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania men lost hundreds of thousands gambling on DraftKings. Now they're suing.
Five Pennsylvania men are trying to launch a class action lawsuit against DraftKings, the online sports betting behemoth that they say used predatory tactics and deceptive marketing to fuel their gambling addictions. The federal lawsuit claims that, instead of trying to help people in the throes of compulsive gambling, DraftKings targets and exploits these individuals. The company also extends promotional deals that offer "no sweat" bets or deposit matches, while hiding convoluted conditions in the fine print, according to the lawsuit. More: Pennsylvania gaming revenues hit record high in 2024 for one main reason DraftKings 'uses these tactics to identify and cultivate the people it wants on its platform: those who are most susceptible to these sorts of promotions and most likely to lose a lot of money betting,' the complaint filed in late April contends. 'In other words, marks.' The suit notes that online sportsbooks such as DraftKings have exploded in popularity since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 decision opening the door to this betting. DraftKings is Pennsylvania's second-highest grossing sports betting platform through a partnership with Hollywood Casino at the Meadows, according to state data. It also owns an online casino. More: As sports betting skyrockets, more Americans search for addiction help, study finds DraftKings as of May 20 had not filed a court response to the complaint, and its spokespeople did not immediately answer a request for comment. One of the plaintiffs, a Pittsburgh teacher who earned about $50,000 a year, borrowed money from his loved ones to keep gambling after he'd drained his own bank account. In total, he lost $134,000 on DraftKings, the lawsuit states. After recognizing his gambling had become a problem, an Allentown man asked DraftKings to shut down his account permanently. Instead, the man was able to access it again and lost more than $350,000 on DraftKings as a result, the suit alleges. The lawsuit said this man's 'life was ruined gambling on DraftKings,' reporting that he'd lost friends and a job and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Another plaintiff continued to gamble on the app even after adding himself to a state self-exclusion list, which should have locked him out of gaming sites, according to the complaint. A Chicago-based civil rights law firm filed the lawsuit on behalf of the five men. The office, Loevy + Loevy, has also sued DraftKings in Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey and New York. More: Inside the high-stakes, high-risk world of sports betting and how it's gripping young men If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER, operated by the National Council on Problem Gambling. Bethany Rodgers is a USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania investigative journalist. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: PA men sue DraftKings, alleging deceptive promotions
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Aurora mayor warns residents that property tax hike likely: 'They know we're in trouble'
The Brief Mayor John Laesch says Aurora faces a fiscal crisis after years of tax giveaways and rising costs. The city must borrow $88 million, and a property tax hike is likely on the table. Laesch promises transparency and says residents are prepared for tough choices. AURORA, Ill. - Aurora's new mayor isn't sugarcoating the financial state of the city—and says a property tax increase may be unavoidable. What we know It isn't often that a mayor enters office telling residents he's going to have to raise their property taxes. But that's the situation John Laesch says he's inherited in Aurora from two-term Republican Richard Irvin. Laesch took over as leader of the state's second-largest city last Thursday after defeating Irvin in the April runoff election. He says the town has to borrow $88 million just to make ends meet — because the previous administration has given tens of millions in tax incentives to development projects — some have panned out, many have not. Big picture view Laesch says residents elected him because they knew that a financial mess would have to get cleaned up. "We didn't get into this mess overnight and we're not going to get out of it overnight," Laesch said over a cup of coffee at downtown café Society 57. "I've got a lot of support from the community. They know we're in trouble. I think they're going to be patient as I work through some solutions as long as I communicate with the community on where we're at, and I plan to be open and transparent moving forward." Laesch says some of the big spending involves infrastructure for the new Hollywood Casino facility on Farnsworth Road, as well as incentives and tax breaks given to developers with connections to former Mayor Irvin. He says that half the projects that the town helped fund are now underwater. He also says the former mayor signed generous public employee labor contracts, saddling the town with escalating costs — thus the potential for a tax hike. "I let the public know that was a likely outcome. I'm going to do my best to cut back, but many of these contracts that were signed are already a done deal," Laesch said. The Source FOX 32's Paris Schutz reported on this story.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR Through the Gears: Kyle Larson dominates Kansas, now eyes Indianapolis 500 forecast
Kyle Larson sure took the drama out of that one. No need to check the scoring monitors or fetch pictures from the Fotomat. The official margin of victory was seven-tenths of a second (0.712 is the officially official margin), which compared to a year ago seems like Kyle lapped the field. Advertisement Next up, all NASCAR eyes turn to a little village in North Carolina called North Wilkesboro, where the reborn antique of a racetrack will again be host to racing's version of the All-Star Game, but with enough complications, considerations and adjustable formats to make the infield fly rule simple to explain. More on that as the week goes on and our auditors figure it all out. Also, we'll send the Weather Dog on a long walk in order to bring back an extended forecast. TITLE TOWNS NASCAR makes right move with championship rotation, but which tracks will host? We'll wonder why Poor Ol' Brad Keselowski (that's becoming his official title, by the way) tempted fate prior to Kansas. Advertisement And we'll visit a stat many of us didn't even know existed until Sunday — career laps led — and see which Hall of Famer is NASCAR's all-time leader. You'll never believe it. (Psst … yes, you will). Sink the clutch, jam that cue-ball shifter knob up to the top left, and let's get up to speed. First Gear: Kyle Larson gladly ruins the show at Kansas Over the years, maybe even over generations, many NASCAR fans have tried to watch Formula One but soon left bored. Too often, the top driver/team combo was fastest in qualifying, got the jump from the pole and never looked back — leading from first green to the checkers is no rarity in that high-tech world. Well, Kyle Larson and his No. 5 Hendrick Chevy team went all Max Verstappen on 'em over the weekend at Kansas. He won the pole Saturday, won the first stage Sunday, then the second stage, then the final for the checkers. Advertisement Oh, he also grabbed that new-for-2025 bonus point for posting race-day's fastest lap. Makes you wonder why he didn't stop outside of Turn 2 on his way home and pull a slot handle at the Hollywood Casino. Overall, Kyle bankrolled seven more playoff bonus points (five for the win, one each for the two stage wins), and we've seen those bonus points save a driver's season when things get a tad sideways in the playoffs. Those bonus points can be big, big, big. Kyle's points might also be gone, gone, gone in two weeks. Why? Glad you asked. Second Gear: Will it rain at the Indy 500? Expert forecast here Remember last year at the rain-delayed Indy 500 when Team Kyle waited out the weather and basically elected to miss the start of that night's Coke 600 in Charlotte? Indy eventually started, Kyle ran the whole thing and got to Charlotte, ready to take over his No. 5 ride, just as that race was officially shortened by rain. Advertisement It was a rotten predicament for Kyle and team owner Rick Hendrick, who'd invested a lot of time, money and sponsor equity for the Indy effort. Few people disagreed with his decision to stick it out at the Brickyard. Few, but not none. Hence, a new NASCAR rule this year. If a driver misses a points-paying race for something other than medical reasons but is granted a playoff waiver regardless (as Kyle did last year), he must forfeit all playoff bonus points he's accumulated so far, as well as ANY FUTURE PLAYOFF POINTS. Yikes. With that in mind, let's bring back the Weather Dog. Good news: The tail is wagging. Of three extended-weather forecasts he sniffed, one says 20% of Indy rain on May 25, one says 0%, and the other doesn't stretch that far. Advertisement But as we know, the more extended a forecast, the thinner it is in certainty. Third Gear: NASCAR's all-time laps leader? Come on Post-race at Kansas, a neat little sidebar involved news of Kyle going over 10,000 laps led for his career. According to stats from NASCAR, he's the 22nd driver, and the third current racer (after Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin) to reach that mark. Only another 40,000 or so before he catches King Richard Petty, who, unsurprisingly, is the all-time leader at 51,514. Whaddaya say we rattle off the rest of the top 10, which offers no surprises whatsoever … 2. Cale Yarborough, 31,556; 3. Bobby Allison, 27,556; 4. Dale Earnhardt, 25,714; 5. David Pearson, 25,422; 6. Jeff Gordon, 24,936; 7. Darrell Waltrip 23,134; 8. Rusty Wallace, 19,951; 9. Kyle Busch, 19,441; 10. Jimmie Johnson, 18,941. Advertisement Yes, the King is the King for a reason (200 wins, after all), but that 20,000-lap gap between him and Cale is somewhat deceiving. Keep in mind, for the first decade of Petty's career, when he was most dominant, he was getting between 40-60 starts a year. Fourth Gear: Brad Keselowski still taking on water What another Sunday to forget for POBK (Poor ol' Brad Keselowski). Yet again, there were promising signs. He started 36th due to pre-qualifying issues (no, that wasn't a promising sign) but picked off spots and by the end of Stage 1 was 14th (yes, promising). He continued moving forward and finished Stage 2 sixth (more promising) and was soon running second to Chase Elliott, which was a promise soon broken when a tire let go and sent Kez into the wall. He finished 37th. Of 38. Of the 36 drivers to start all 12 races, he's 33rd in points. Advertisement Prior to Kansas weekend, Kez made a promotional stop in Southeast Georgia, at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. The press release described it as an event 'honoring America's undersea war fighters.' He'll carry the group's colors and logo at the Coke 600 on Memorial Day Weekend. All worthy and good, no doubt. They do important stuff at that base, and all of us on dry land are thankful. But for symbolism's sake, visiting such a group during your own underwater season might be a tempt of racing fate. Kez might want to visit an aircraft carrier soon. — Email Ken Willis at This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR, Indy 500 double duty has Kyle Larson at mercy of Weather Dog
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Four banned from Pennsylvania casinos for leaving children alone to gamble
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — Four men have been added to the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List after they left children unattended to gamble at casinos. According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), 17 people have been added to that list, but four of whom were added for leaving children unattended. The exclusion list prevents them from entering casinos in Pennsylvania and betting online. FBI: Pennsylvania ranked top 10 for cyber crime complaints in 2024 Here are the details for each incident: A male patron left three children, ages 2, 11 and 12, in a vehicle in the parking garage at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course for two hours and six minutes while he gambled at table games A male patron left minors unattended on two occasions at Rivers Casino Philadelphia: Two children ages 3 and 12 in a vehicle in the parking lot for nine minutes while he gambled at the sportsbook Two children, both 14 years of age, in a vehicle in the parking lot for 10 minutes while he gambled at the sportsbook A male patron left three children, ages 8, 11 and 13, unattended in a vehicle in the parking lot at Presque Isle Downs and Casino for 10 minutes while he gambled at the sportsbook A male patron left a 12-year-old unattended in the lobby of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia for 41 minutes while he gambled at slot machines 'Actions such as these to deny statewide gambling privileges serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children,' The PGCB said in a release. Another four people who were added to the list were part of a dice sliding team from Texas. They were able to cheat and gain almost $50,000 in winnings at Hollywood Casino Morgantown before their activity was detected and shut down. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Four men banned from Pennsylvania casinos for leaving kids unattended
(WHTM) – Four men were banned from Pennsylvania casinos for leaving children unattended, some of whom were left in a vehicle. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board placed the individuals on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List for their actions at Pennsylvania casinos. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now One man had left three children between the ages of 2-12 in the parking garage at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course for more than two hours while he gambled at table games. Another man left three kids unattended on two occasions at Rivers Casino Philadelphia. Two children, ages 3 and 12, were left in a vehicle for nine minutes while the man gambled at the sportsbook. The second time, the man left two 14-year-olds in a vehicle for 10 minutes while he was at the sportsbook. Harrisburg mayor candidate proposes building 'Harrisburg International Aquarium' A third man had left children ages 8-13 in a vehicle at Presque Isle Downs and Casino for 10 minutes while he was at the sportsbook. A fourth man left a 12-year-old unattended in the lobby of Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia for 41 minutes while he gambled at slot machines. Adults are prohibited from leaving children unattended in the parking lot, garage, hotel, or other casino venues. Seven other people were placed on the Involuntary Casino Exclusion List due to various crimes or actions, including four who were part of a 'dice sliding team' who gained almost $50,000 at Hollywood Casino Morgantown. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Six other people were placed on the Board's Involuntary Interactive Gaming list for fraudulent actions. Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
