Casinos are often targets of illegal activities and this is primarily because they handle large amounts of cash. However, gambling [Read more…] about Jacksonville Police Arrests Suspect in Casino Robbery Case
Meskwaki Casino Visitor with Homemade Firearm Sentenced to Prison
A 56-year-old Council Bluffs, Iowa resident who visited a casino while carrying a homemade large-caliber pistol and drugs was sentenced recently. Confirmation about the sentence came from the US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Iowa. The criminal case was investigated by the Meskwaki Nation Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Patrick J. Reinert.
The case involved Som Boun Cam, a resident of Council Bluffs who had a couple of felony convictions dating as far back as 1995. The man who visited Meskwaki Casino in April 2022 was arrested after drugs along with an unregistered homemade firearm were found in his backpack. On September 18, 2023, Cam pleaded guilty to possession of one smooth bore, .410-gauge pistol. The homemade large caliber pistol was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Recently, US District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Cam to a total of five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Considering the sentence to federal prison, there’s no parole applicable. While Cam is currently under the custody of the US Marshals, he will be transported to serve his sentence in federal prison.
The Firearm Was Found in a Backpack
The incident that resulted in Cam’s prison sentence dates back to April 14, 2022. At the time, the man was involved in a scuffle with another guest at the Meskwaki Casino hotel. In the brawl, Cam lost his backpack which was subsequently found by hotel staff on April 18, 2022. When the employees looked into the backpack, they found a homemade smooth bore .410-gauge pistol along with methamphetamine.
Strangely enough, despite knowing what was in the backpack, Cam returned on April 19, 2022, and asked for it. Subsequently, he admitted to manufacturing the firearm at home. Homemade or not, the gun had to be registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record but that was never done by Cam.
An online discussion on a smooth bore .410 pistol on Reddit describes the firearm as a “super duper deadly murder machine.” Compared to a .45 ACP round, the .410 ammo is twice the length. Although it is approximately as long as a 20 gauge or a 12 gauge, the .410 shell is half of the width and is known as the smallest caliber for shotguns.
While usually .410 rifles can be used for pest control or small game hunting, such rounds have lethal force against people. Considering that the 56-year-old was detained with a homemade rifle, it is likely that it was a single shot gun. Still, this doesn’t mean that the firearm did not have sufficient power to kill a person.
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Powerball Jackpot to Hit $443 Million for Next Drawing
At the start of the year, a player from Michigan secured Powerball’s staggering $842 million jackpot. The lucky winner guessed correctly all winning numbers, including white balls 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 along with the red Powerball 1, taking home a whopping $842 million or $425.2 million cash value jackpot. Yet, ever since this drawing, the jackpot from the popular game has been continuously growing.
With the next drawing of the game scheduled for Saturday, March 2, 2024, it has now been roughly two months since the last win of the grand prize. Data from Powerball reveals that the estimated cost of the jackpot for Saturday’s drawing is a staggering $443 million. The cash value for the jackpot is $210.3 million, which is half of the estimate if the lucky winner accepts annual installments but still a life-changing sum.
The latest drawing for Powerball was held on Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Winning numbers from the draw included white balls 16, 26, 29, 38, 50, as well as red Powerball 6. While no one secured a second-tier prize of $1 million, one lucky customer took home a Power Play prize of $2 million from the drawing on Wednesday after guessing correctly all winning white numbers.
Another 10 lucky winners won $50,000 each for guessing correctly four white balls along with the red Powerball. Three more players who guessed the same number of winning numbers collected a $100,000 Power Play prize each.
Some 284 Powerball players hit a $100 prize each by guessing correctly four winning white balls, while 93 took home a $200 Power Play prize each.
Mega Millions’ Grand Prize Increases Too
Besides Powerball, the jackpot from another favorite lottery game in America continues to swell. After surviving the drawing on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, the grand prize from Mega Millions continued to grow.
The next drawing of the popular lottery game is scheduled for Friday, March 1, 2024, at 11 PM ET. The grand prize from Mega Millions is estimated at a staggering $607 million for the next drawing. A cash option is also available which is estimated at $286.9 million.
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Bloomberry Resorts Reportedly Explores Jeju Casino Sale Options
Bloomberry Resorts Corp, the leading integrated resorts operator in the Philippines, may be looking to offload its South Korean casino asset, Jeju Sun, a new report suggests. The potential divestment comes less than a decade after the company attempted to sell its resort back in 2016. At the time, the sale of Jeju Casino did not go through so this may be Bloomberry’s latest effort to offload the asset.
The pandemic impacted the operations of the South Korean casino which has been recovering ever since. Traveling gradually has been returning to pre-pandemic levels in the past few years, which impacted the performance of Jeju Casino positively. For example, the casino’s gross gaming revenue increased by threefold to PHP 14.7 million ($261,900) for the third quarter. Despite the increase, the resort’s gross gaming revenue represented a tiny fraction when compared to the PHP 13.3 billion ($236.8 million) in revenue reported by Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila, the Philippines.
Divesting the Asset Is Sensible Decision
Juan Paolo Colet, the managing director at China Bank Capital Corp, a leading investment bank, who was recently cited by Philippine Daily Inquirer, commented on the topic. He revealed that Jeju Casino has been generating losses for Bloomberry. This is why, according to Colet, it makes sense for the company to consider offloading the South Korean casino asset. Finally, Colet said: “At this time, Bloomberry is more focused on domestic growth, but I will not be surprised if they eventually reinvigorate their international strategy.”
“The Korea operations have been a losing proposition for Bloomberry, so it makes sense for them to divest from that market.“
Juan Paolo Colet, managing director China Bank Capital Corp
Divestment of strategic assets isn’t a new occurrence in the gambling vertical. Hospitality and gaming operators across the globe consider offloading certain assets or in some cases engaging in multi-million and even multi-billion mergers and acquisitions. Such deals help gaming and entertainment operators focus on specific targets or offload assets that are not generating enough proceeds.
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Powerball Jackpot Bumps to Almost $300M for Upcoming Drawing
The start of the year made one lottery player who purchased a ticket for Powerball a millionaire. The lucky Michigan Lottery player hit the game’s grand prize, a staggering $842 million after guessing [Read more…] about Powerball Jackpot Bumps to Almost $300M for Upcoming Drawing
Jackpots Galore At Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino
An extraordinary number of patrons of Rivers Casino Pittsburgh who played Aristorcat’s Dollar Storm slot game won five-digit jackpots, the casino announced Tuesday.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh is currently one of the most popular gambling and entertainment destinations for Pennsylvania and only recently paid out its biggest jackpot. Back in August 2022, [Read more…] about Jackpots Galore At Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino
Four Card Keno Jackpot Strategy – How To Win More and Play Longer
How A Four Card Keno Strategy Changed My Casino Gambling Life
This is the story of a Keno strategy that I found that has now helped thousands of Keno players win more often, play longer, and win more jackpots.
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