A Thriller-themed Casino in Las Vegas

An odd Michael Jackson rumor goes hand in hand with Las Vegas.

While he was living here, there was talk of Jackson staging a comeback, in residency at a casino. That didn't happen, but he did announce a tour in the UK.

Another rumor had Jackson installing a giant replica of his face in the Nevada desert, big enough for landing plans to see.

Now, Jackson wants to open a Las Vegas casino themed around his hit song "Thriller." The horror-branded casino would contain zombies and songs from the multi-platinum album.

Jackson has over $100 million in debt, and along with his tour, he's looking for ways to pay it down.

If it happens, it would come at a time when Las Vegas casinos are moving away from themes.

Guy Laliberte to go into space

Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque du Soleil (which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year), plans to go into space.

At a cost of $35 million, Laliberte will take a trip on an international space station aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-16 to raise awareness for his ONE DROP Foundation, an organization centered around environmentalism and water conservation.

The mission aboard the 3-person spacecraft is expected to last about 2 weeks beginning Sept. 30.

Laliberte will become the seventh private citizen to pay his way to fly to the orbiting station. If you have $35 million to spare, you can be the eighth. Simply write your check to Space Adventures and set up a press conference.

Online Poker Room faces Fraud Charges

The development of an online poker room was the root cause of the charges leveled against a Texas father and son recently, as they face security fraud charges from the Texas State Securities Board. Martin Graham Tyson Sr. and his son, Martin were indicted by a Hidalgo County grand jury for misleading the backers of their online poker business. The claims include that the men to notify investors of an ongoing civil fraud suit against the company. Investors lost around $300,000 in the venture, according to the indictment filed in the case.

Poker Robber gets 66 Years

When a high-stakes poker game at a Delaware country club was robbed six men were involved, and all six recently turned down a plea bargain during their trials. One man, 22 year old Philadelphian Akua Powell, was convicted of 11 counts of first-degree robbery and possession of a firearm during a felony plus other charges, earning him a total of 66 years in prison. A former state trooper, Hyun Jin Kim, was involved and himself sentenced to 6 years in prison. The men robbed a dozen high stakes poker players at the Wild Quail Country Club near Dover.

ECheck Gone From Online Poker Rooms

Some online poker rooms offer their players the ability to use Echeck, an online money transfer system that works like drawing money from a checking account using an electronic check. Two major poker rooms, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, suddenly lost the ability for US players to use Echeck with no explanation on Thursday. The reason behind this move is unknown but a lot of speculation has been floated on the poker forums that it may the first step towards limiting US players all together. Players can still use their funds at these poker rooms, however.

Pueblo man decided not to testify

The informant in a case against a Pueblo man decided not to testify, resulting in the charges of illegal poker gambling being dropped. The two misdemeanor gambling charges will not be pressed and Larry Lee Wittman, the target after raids by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, will go free. The CBI claims that Wittman was running illegal card rooms for at least five years. Not all defendants have benefit from this stroke of luck, however as William Benjamin Gradishar will still face misdemeanor gambling charges; the result of a raid conducted in 2007. His trial begins in July.

Players Alliance (PPA) declared victory…?

Poker News Daily has learned that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division has sent letters to 11 of the world’s largest internet service providers (ISPs) rescinding its notice to block 200 internet gambling websites. The news comes four days after the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) declared victory in the state.

In April, John Willems, Director of the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, served notice to 11 ISPs, including Charter, Comcast, Qwest, Sprint, and Verizon, calling for the blockage of 200 sites by Minnesota residents. The list, which was initially kept under wraps, included a bevy of online poker, sports book, casino, and Bingo sites and was pulled at random from a larger sample. In addition to USA-friendly online poker rooms like Players Only, Bodog, and Full Tilt Poker, the list also included a handful that do not accept action from the United States. Headlining this group was Everest Poker, which is the official on-felt sponsor of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Also appearing was Titan Poker, one of the largest sites on the iPoker Network.

Shortly after the list of 200 sites was made public, the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) filed a lawsuit against Willems. The organization charged that Minnesota did not have jurisdiction to act, that the First Amendment was trampled on, and that the State’s actions represented a breach of the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. iMEGA also authored a letter to the 11 ISPs in question urging non-compliance. The State contended that the Wire Act of 1961 applied to internet gambling, while the law has traditionally applied to online sports betting and “common carriers,” a term used to describe companies that provide home telephone service.

iMEGA and the Minnesota Attorney General’s office then began working towards a conclusion, culminating in today’s proclamation that the censorship order had been rescinded. The letter sent to ISPs, authored by Willems and obtained by Poker News Daily, reads, “I believe it may be more appropriate to resolve this problem by working to create clear and effective governmental policies concerning regulation of gambling.” In addition, iMEGA has agreed to withdraw its civil court case against Willems in his capacity as Director of the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division.

The letter sent from iMEGA to the ISPs explained, “Because website operators are not subscribers of yours, have no contracts with you, and are not provided facilities by you, you should be aware that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is attempting to mislead you into believing you are bound by federal law.” The casino arm of Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, was also targeted. However, its parent company recently inked a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Government in a New York courtroom and agreed to shell out $105 million over a three and a half year period. In addition, one of its co-founders, Anurag Dikshit, admitted to violations of the Wire Act in December and faces up to two years behind bars.

Whether the Minnesota legislature elects to develop internet gambling legislation remains to be seen. iMEGA is also a central party in the case that pits the organization and the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) against the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. In October, Judge Thomas Wingate upheld an order by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear calling for the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 domain names belonging to some of the world’s largest online poker sites and internet gambling outfits including Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, PokerStars, Cake Poker, and Doyle’s Room. Several sites have since blocked new Kentucky sign-ups.

In January, the Kentucky Court of Appeals in Louisville overturned Wingate’s decision by a two to one margin, causing the State to appeal to its own Supreme Court. iMEGA filed its brief to Kentucky’s highest court two weeks ago and the State’s attorneys are in the process of filing a response brief. No date has been set for a possible Supreme Court hearing. The organization is also suing to declare both the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional.