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About Spaceman
More than a year after then-Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers faced menacing threats from an exasperated bettor, questions remain about whether the proposed bans will serve as a meaningful deterrent to agitated sportsbook customers. An investigation later determined that the bettor resided overseas.
Since the Supreme Court’s PASPA decision in 2018, there has been an uptick on harassment against athletes from bettors. The collection of incidents, in the view of the industry, is typically construed as both troubling and prevalent. Against a backdrop of alarming threats in numerous sports, perhaps the most disconcerting occurred at the hands of Benjamin “Parlay” Patz, a California bettor.
Approximately 15 months after the high court’s ruling, Patz sent a series of explicit messages to four members of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, threatening to “sever” their necks open. Accused by federal investigators of targeting more than 300 accounts of pro and college athletes, Patz pleaded guilty in 2021 to transmitting threats in interstate or foreign commerce. Although a judge ordered Patz to undergo mental health treatment and abstain from gambling, he did not sentence the bettor to prison.
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EARLIER: Carrot Top, the comic with the longest-running current Strip residency at more than 20 years, was rushed to a hospital on Friday (Sept. 18) after what TMZ reported as a suicide attempt.
His publicist, Jami Schlicher, confirmed only that he is recovering and receiving care. She asked for privacy on behalf of his family and close friends and did not address the reported cause.
“Scott is a beloved member of the Luxor and MGM Resorts family, and we are relieved to hear that he is recovering,” an MGM Resorts spokesman told news outlets on Friday night. “We are thinking of him and wish him strength as he receives the care and support he needs.”
What is Spaceman?
Last month the UK Gambling Commission agreed a regulatory settlement with Evolution of £4.75 million, after finding its games had been accessible via a handful of unlicensed operators in the UK.
In July the Commission said its investigation had discovered the supplier had failed to maintain adequate anti-money laundering and customer due diligence controls in the UK.
It considered suspending Evolution’s licence, but the supplier acted swiftly, carrying out ring-fencing controls across Europe to prevent its games from being used in grey markets.