Grandma Beats House With Record 154 Rolls

(NEWSER) - The Delaware State Senate has approved a bill legalizing sports betting and allowing casinos to operate table games like roulette, the News Journal of Wilmington reports. The governor, seeking to close a gaping budget gap, will sign the bill this week. The measure sailed through the senate after a pitched battle in the house that resulted in many changes. The state’s casinos lobbied hard against it. More»

Poker pegs Obama as deep thinker; McCain's flash evident in craps

(NEWSER) - The presidential contenders are both gambling men, and long ago picked poisons—flashy craps for McCain, backroom poker for Obama—that reflect strikingly different competitive natures. McCain, whom aides recently had to drag from the tables, loves the “thrill seeker’s” game, Time notes: He heartily plays for thousands at a time—fitting what one ex-aide called a passion to “take a chance, play against the odds.” More»

Texan was game's first superstar

(NEWSER) - Amarillo Slim, a poker Hall of Famer who was instrumental in bringing the game into the national limelight, died Sunday at 83 of colon cancer, his son tells the Los Angeles Times . Slim, born Thomas Austin Preston, Jr., "brought poker out of the back alleys," says a historian of the game. "It was really Slim that became the face of poker for middle America." Born in Arkansas in 1928, Slim spent years as an illegal bookmaker and pool hustler—both in and out of the US Navy— before turning his attention to poker in the 60s. More»

Mardi Gras promotion at Gulfstream Casino aims to put big butts in the seats

(NEWSER) - It's Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, and the Gulfstream Park and Racing Casino in Florida is celebrating—what else?—fat people. In a promotion that's sure to make Michelle Obama cringe, the casino is offering players 10 cents in free slot machine credits for every pound they weigh. The casino will even have Krispy Kreme donuts on hand in case patrons want to bulk up a bit before their weigh-in, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. More»

New study discovers why some people may take financial risks

(NEWSER) - Why are some stock traders and gamblers so willing to take financial risks? A new study shares a possible answer: Scientists found that people with higher levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in a critical part of the brain related to sensory and reward systems are less sensitive to the pain of financial loss. The discovery could help researchers to develop drugs to treat gambling addicts, Reuters notes. More»