
Trump Plaza’s shutdown will imply that as four Atlantic City casinos could be closed this 12 months. (Image: Lisa Andres/Flickr)
The casino industry of Atlantic City is currently dealing with an unprecedented freefall. After many years of declining revenues, at least two casinos have already closed or plan to close in 2010, and another is facing a 2nd bankruptcy in couple of years. And now, a fourth has stated that they additionally expect to shut down in only a couple of months.
That is the apparent fate of the Trump Plaza casino, as Trump Entertainment Resorts has said that they expect the venue to close on September 16. While the owners reportedly said that the decision isn’t entirely final, employees were to receive warnings of the expected closing on previously this week.
‘Although [the] review hasn’t been completed and no final decision happens to be made, the business expects that it will end the operations of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino on or shortly after September 16, 2014,’ the business told the Associated Press.
Trump Plaza Joins Other AC Closures
If the closure goes through as expected, the effect could be that up to a third of Atlantic City’s casinos could close down this 12 months. In January, the Atlantic Club shuttered its doors, while the Showboat is planning to close in August. Meanwhile, the Revel is in bankruptcy court for the second time, and may potentially close if a buyer for the property can’t be found. That could keep the city with simply eight casinos that are remaining compared to 12 at the start of the year.
According to an AP report, no buyer has yet come forward to just take over the casino, and it is not yet known exactly what the future could hold for the building after the resort closes.
The Trump Plaza was exposed in May 1984. At that time, it ended up being a project that is personal Donald Trump, though he now just owns a ten percent stake in Trump Entertainment Resorts and is no longer involved in the daily operations for the company. The venue cost $210 million to create.
Loss of Casinos Could Help resorts that are remaining
Although the loss of as much as four casinos may seem apocalyptic for Atlantic City, there’s explanation to believe it might actually aid in the run that is long. The oversaturated casino market in the northeastern United States has hurt Atlantic City, with competition from Pennsylvania being specially damaging.
But there are still many visitors to the city, sufficient reason for eight casinos nevertheless active there, most gamblers will don’t have any trouble locating a resort that appeals to them. That means that there may be nearly as much gamblers as before, but that there will now be only eight casinos to rather split those customers than 12.
Which is cool convenience to those whom lose jobs as a consequence of the casino closures, however. This year alone if both the Revel and Trump Plaza were to close, that could mean that nearly 8,000 casino employees will have lost jobs in Atlantic City. That represents in regards to a quarter associated with the city’s gambling workforce.
Trump Plaza has long been on the market, but Trump Entertainment Resorts has had trouble finding an interested buyer. Final year, the venue was nearly offered for $20 million to a firm in California, but that deal fell through. If the Plaza close down, Trump Entertainment will operate simply one casino in Atlantic City, the Trump Taj Mahal.
Poker Player Paul Phua Arrested with World Cup Gambling Ring
Paul Phua, who’s denied he has any links to crime that is organized was ordered to post $2 million bail, along side stopping his $48 million private jet as collateral. (Image: bankrollmob.com)
Probably on the property of a major Las Vegas casino with their own sports book is not your best idea ever if you plan to set up an illegal sports betting ring, doing it. But that reality seems to have eluded high-stakes poker player Paul Phua, who happens to be arrested along side A world that is illegal cup band running out of three luxury rooms in Caesars Palace on the nevada Strip.
The FBI broke up the procedure at the high-roller suites week that is last where the gang of seven men and one woman had been running what the Gambling Control Board described being a kind of high-tech ‘wire space,’ where illegal World Cup bets were being monitored by computers remotely linked to others computer systems offshore.
The poker world understands Paul Phua, 50, as high-stakes poker player, a ‘wealthy Asian businessman’ and a figure that is prominent the fabled Macau big game; he is rated #1 on the Hendon Mob’s Macau All-Time Money List. Three months he played in the Big One for One Drop tournament ago he came sixth in the EPT Grand Final High Roller Event in Monte Carlo and in 2012. However, according to the FBI, he could be Wei Seng Phua, a high-ranking member of the 14K Triad organized unlawful group.
The ‘Wire Room’
The court heard Phua had been arrested in Macau in mid-June and charged with running a gambling that is illegal there. After being released on bail, this indicates he hot-tailed it over to Las Vegas to continue running the operation remotely.
Caesars became suspicious when Phua, or certainly one of his associates, insisted that the casino install an unusual amount of technical equipment into the suites, enough to help eight electronic subscriber lines on top the normal WiFi access. Employees observed computer monitors that were hooked up to what looked like a sportsbook, and then to the computer stations, there were three large screen televisions, tuned into World Cup soccer games.
(We are going to pause so that you can observe time that is smirk).
Acting on a tip-off from Caesars, undercover law enforcement agents monitored task in the rooms through the thirty days. They raided the suites on July 9, seizing gambling documents, computer equipment and other evidence.
All eight defendants appeared in court on Monday and were charged with a minumum of one count of the unlawful transmission of wagering information and of operating a gambling business that is illegal. Paul Phua’s Las Vegas lawyer, David Chesnoff, denied the link to crime that is organized said that Phua would fight the charges.
‘ This is a very advanced, intelligent individual who wants to defend himself,’ said Chesnoff.
$2 Million Bail for Phua
US Magistrate Judge Bill Hoffman set the bail for Paul Phua at $2 million, together with his $48 million private jet as collateral. Phua’s son Darren Phua, 22, also allegedly a known member of the gang, was bought to post $500,000 bail. Both defendants were ordered to be electronically monitored also to stay on home detention in the custody of a local doctor who had befriended Phua senior through the poker community. According to Chesnoff, several poker players, including Andrew Robl, were rallying around to greatly help publish Phua’s bail, with Robl evidently prepared to pay $1.5 million.
On the list of group was another poker player, Malaysian national Seng Chen Yong, 56. In April 2012, Yong placed fourth in the Asian Poker Tour Manila for $ 439,379, coincidently per year before Phua also placed fourth in the tournament that is same. Yong and his son Wai Kin Yong were both detained as flight risks.
An investigation that is ongoing being conducted by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board. If found guilty, the defendants could face up to five years in prison. Not forgetting the wrath of the Triad.
Bart Tichelman Daughter Charged in Bing Executive Overdose
Bart Tichelman’s daughter Alix was charged with voluntary manslaughter in the loss of A google executive. (Image: Shmuel Thaler/AP)
Medications, prostitution and the death of the major corporate professional sound such as the aspects of a made-for-TV film. But in this case, the story is all too real, and also has a connection that is surprising the globe of gambling.
Alix Catherine Tichelman, a model who police say had been also a prostitute that is high-end has been charged with manslaughter in connection aided by the death of Forrest Tim Hayes, a Google professional. Tichelman is accused of injecting Hayes with heroin on his yacht, then leaving him to die associated with the overdose that is resulting. Hayes died on 23, 2013 november.
That fee was handed down in Santa Cruz Superior Court last week, along side fees of possession, administration and transport of drugs, in addition to destroying evidence, participating in prostitution, and agreeing to prostitution. Tichelman did not enter a plea.
Security Footage Shows Tichelman on Yacht
Police allege that Tichelman had a relationship that is ongoing Hayes inside her role as being a prostitute. Safety footage from Hayes’ yacht, the ‘Escape,’ presumably shows Tichelman stepping over Hayes’ body and ingesting from a glass of wine without doing such a thing to aid him after she had presumably injected him using the ultimately deadly heroin overdose. Fingerprints on the glass of wine helped to spot Tichelman, as did her tattoos that are distinctive which she had shared on social media accounts.
Tichelman had been arrested week that is last authorities lured her to a Santa Cruz hotel. Reports say that police led her to trust that a rich client was willing to pay her $1,000 for intercourse.
The situation could get even worse for Tichelman should the investigation turn up more evidence while the current charge related to Hayes’ death is manslaughter.
‘then we’ll certainly evaluate that when that’s presented,’ said prosecutor Rafael Vazquez if the evidence shows that murder can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. ‘She knew the act was dangerous to life that is human she acted deliberately and in conscious disregard for human life.’
Tichelman is Daughter of CEO Poker Player
Tichelman could be the daughter of Bart Tichelman, the CEO of SynapSense, a firm that is folsom-based manages Internet data centers throughout the world. He’s also a poker that is successful with over $430,000 in profession tournament earnings. Most of that came in one major money: a victory aussie-pokies.club in a 2008 World group of Poker Circuit occasion in Tunica that earned him $425,595 in prize money. Bart Tichelman is still active in poker today, also cashing in a World group of Poker occasion within the past few weeks.
Alix Tichelman was previously linked with Dean Riopelle, a lover that is former died just two months before Hayes. Riopelle died of a heart attack, but police are now apparently reopening an investigation into their death due to the fact circumstances were very similar to those of Hayes.
There’s also another connection with a death that is similar Tichelman’s past. She once dated Warren Ullom, an Atlanta singer who ended up being convicted of the manslaughter that is voluntary of girl who died after a lethal dosage of heroin.
Tichelman was known for modeling under the pseudonym of AK Kennedy, and once said she enjoyed modeling because it allowed her to try out a character. She also saw herself as a journalist and poet, often posting dark poems to Twitter and other social news sites.
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