Live! Casino Pittsburgh opens a new poker room, PokerStars partners with another NHL team, and a dealer in Cleveland caught steeling from the players are the short stacks CardsChat picked up in its latest orbit of poker news.
Poker dealer indicted
A poker dealer at Cleveland’s JACK Casino was fired and indicted after a player spotted him stealing from the pot and informed management.
Jason Saliba, 51, was indicted in an Ohio court on 14 felony counts of violating casino gaming laws and a misdemeanor theft count. As reported by Cleveland.com, on Sept. 6, a player watched Saliba pocket some chips from the pot. After management reviewed the security tapes, investigators found five instances where he had stolen from the table that day. He was fired the next day.
That number went to 14 after more security footage was examined. It’s not known how much the disgraced dealer swiped. After facing a judge, he was released in a $2,500 bond.
Live! Pittsburgh open new room
Live! Casino Pittsburgh has moved and improved its poker room as part of a $7.5 million upgrade to the four-year-old casino.
The room, which was originally located in a cramped space on the second floor, has been moved downstairs near the casino floor. The room now has its own bar, six tables, and a space for private games.
“It’s incredible to think that we’ve been part of this community for four years and it just keeps getting better,” said Live! Casino General Manager Sean Sullivan. “I don’t think there could be a more appropriate way to celebrate than with these three exciting additions to our beautiful property. These investments underscore our commitment to being a good community partner and world-class gaming and entertainment destination.”
Live! Casino Pittsburgh is actually about 45 minutes outside of Pittsburgh in neighboring Westmoreland County. Located in a mall in a former Bon-Ton store, it’s one of a handful of mini-casinos that were approved in Pennsylvania in 2017.
Western Pennsylvania is the home of three casinos, all of which have poker rooms. Despite having a thriving poker community, Live! Casino is the only one that hosts daily tournaments.
PokerStars partners with Flyers
Meanwhile on the other side of Pennsylvania, Flutter Entertainment’s PokerStars and the Philadelphia Flyers announced a partnership this week that will put the poker giant’s branding throughout their home arena of Wells Fargo Center and on TV spots.
“We’re excited to welcome PokerStars to the Flyers family,” said Todd Glickman, Chief Revenue Officer at Comcast Spectacor, the Flyers’ parent company, in a press release. “Their dedication to innovation and giving epic rewards and experiences to their players aligns perfectly with our goals of engaging our fantastic community of fans.”
It’s not the first time PokerStars teamed up with an NHL team. In 2022, the online giant partnered with the Detroit Red Wings in the same capacity.
“We are thrilled to partner with such a beloved hockey team,” said Rob Battista, Senior Director of Commercial, PokerStars North America. “Hockey fans are some of the most passionate in the world, and we can’t wait to collaborate with the team to bring exciting tournaments and rewards to our communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.”
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