A woman who pleaded guilty to robbing people playing a poker game in Putnam County will spend 25 years in prison. A judge sentenced Jacqueline Dennis Friday morning.
Deputies say last November, Dennis and another woman wore camouflage and carried guns when they busted into the poker game. They got away with $18,000 in cash. Dennis pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this month.
During Friday’s hearing, Dennis cried when she apologized for the crime. She also told the judge she accepts responsibility for what happened. I wonder which one of the players they were working with? And maybe next time she will rob a sports betting joint and pick up a better return.
Titan Poker, the largest online poker room on the iPoker Network, has awarded more than $7,000,000 to players winning its special jackpot sit ‘n’ go tournaments. And they have plans to keep on giv’in!
Launched soon after the popular online poker room’s inception in 2005, the Jackpot tournaments have grown in popularity and attract more and more players every day. Titan Poker manager, Robin Steele, is very pleased by the huge amount awarded to winning players, saying ‘this shows that Titan Poker’s jackpot tournaments are very popular, and are continuing to grow at a fast rate.’ Any player who wins six consecutive six-player Fort Knox Jackpot Sit ‘N’ Go Tournaments will take home a jackpot prize starting at $50,000. This prize grows progressively each week and can reach as high as $200,000 until it is eventually claimed.
Players who finish in first or second place in six consecutive Fort Knox tournaments are awarded a $750 jackpot prize. Also popular at Titan Poker are the Rio and Maui Progressive Jackpot Sit ‘N’ Go Tournaments, which offer starting jackpots of $25,000 and $15,000 respectively. The Rio and Maui jackpots grow progressively each week if no player manages to win enough consecutive tournaments to take the jackpot prize. I think I need to head over and open an account and give Titan a try and I getting a bit sick of Jokerstars!
J. Packer is reported to be considering the acquisition of a $US2.4 billion chain of US casinos that spreads across six states, a move that would instantly triple his presence in the American market. According to a note to clients of broker UBS, which cites a US gambling industry journal, Crown is a likely bidder for takeover target Ameristar Casino as its eight casinos are considered a perfect fit with Crown’s growing collection.
Mr Packer is executive chairman of Crown, the gambling company that emerged from Publishing and Broadcasting (PBL) as part of the company split-up late last year. He has rapidly created a global casino empire since he freed up cash in the demerger. Ameristar shares have been trading at record lows but have risen in recent days on strong speculation of an imminent bid. With low share prices plaguing the entire industry I think it is a safe bet that we will be seeing a lot of these types of mergers in 2008-2009.
With a tight economy many casino goers in South Florida are finding it hard to scrape together the money to fund their favourite hobbies. “Mortgages are going up, interest is going up, gas food, you know everything is going up,” said Annie, a local casino patron. “So by the time you take care of your household needs, you don’t have anything left.”
The lack of disposable income for many across the area creates a problem for some casinos, which have to lay off employees when less money is being taken in. And for casinos in more remote areas, the price of gas compounds the issue. “People gotta fill up their tank and drive here. I think they’re going to go where it’s more convenient to gamble,” said Dan Adkins of Mardi Gras Gaming.
But, one casino seems to be bucking the trend, the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. Blackjack tables opened up for the first time over the weekend, and even with the $100 million due to the state of Florida in the first year of card games allowed, the Casino believes it can still push the profits in the weakened economy. I guess it depends on how desperate the economic situation gets, if it really tanks then most casinos can probably expect a sharp upturn as folks look for a way to feel better in tough-times.