Is 21 Bad? Bet the Bank on It

Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess star in Lone Scherfig's film

(NEWSER) - One Day, which tells the story of two almost-lovers over 20 years, should have worked. But despite great actors and bestselling source material, it definitely doesn’t:

• The film “seemed so promising given its pedigree,” which includes Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, and director Lone Scherfig, writes Betsy Sharkey in the Los Angeles Times . “But as so often happens with love, what you hope for is not even close to what you get, and in this case we are left with a heartbreaking disappointment of a film.”

Jasons Bateman, Sudeikis star in Seth Gordon's comedy

(NEWSER) - Horrible Bosses is shockingly crude and a bit “uneven,” but it’s also amusing, critics say—because we can all identify with such workplace horrors. (Except maybe Jennifer Aniston as a crude, harassing dentist.)

• The film is “frequently very funny,” writes AO Scott in the New York Times . For one thing, it “does not bother to cut its coarseness with a hypocritical dose of sweetness or respectability,” he notes. “The laughter is mean but also oddly pure: it expels shame and leaves you feeling dizzy, a little embarrassed and also exhilarated.”

...Singapore

(AP) - Asia will be home to the world's two biggest casino markets as early as this year, with Singapore set to take the No. 2 spot from Las Vegas, a US gambling industry group said today. Singapore raked in $5.1 billion in gaming revenue last year and could bring in up to $6.4 billion this year. The city-state opened its first two casinos last year. Las Vegas, which lost its No. 1 spot to Macau in 2006, earned $5.8 billion in casino revenue last year, but is a mature market with little potential for big growth, says the American Gaming Association president. More»

And he's not cheating, says Pennsylvania man

(NEWSER) - The house always wins, right? Not for blackjack aficionado Don Johnson, who’s won $15.1 million over six months at Atlantic City casinos. The Pennsylvania man took home $4.23 million from Caesars, some $5 million from Borgata, and $5.8 million from Tropicana—and he scored that last bundle in a matter of 12 hours. How does he do it? “There's no magic to this. Eventually, someone would whack them. I'm just glad it was me,” he tells the Press of Atlantic City . But when it comes to wagers, he knows what he's doing: Johnson runs a company that uses betting software for horse racing. More»

Vegas prepares for 'cutter' scam

(NEWSER) - Las Vegas casinos are readying their defenses against a group of baccarat cheaters, the Las Vegas Sun reports. The group, known as "cutters" and described by police as "extremely well-organized," are thought to have stolen tens of millions from casinos worldwide. They take advantage of the baccarat custom in which the dealer allows a player to cut the deck after shuffling. Using a tiny camera embedded in a sleeve or cufflink, the "cutter" spreads the cards slightly, videotaping their suit, value, and order. More»