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Maxey scores 28 as 76ers rout Pistons 111-96The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday took away the gaming license of the former top executive of the MGM Grand and Resorts World Las Vegas. Commissioners voted 3-0 with Commissioner Rosa Solis-Rainey absent to revoke the license of Scott Sibella by approving a stipulation of settlement signed by members of the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Dec. 10. Commissioner Abi Silver, citing a long-time friendship with Sibella, recused herself from deliberations. As part of that settlement, Sibella, 62, will not be able to apply for gaming licensing in the state until the end of 2028. He also was fined $10,000, a portion of the cost of the state’s investigation of him which hasn’t been completed, but already has cost well over $10,000. The Control Board’s settlement agreement with Sibella notes that while the disciplinary complaint against the former executive addresses his tenure at MGM Grand, it also resolves any “responsibility attributable” to him at Resorts World, which is involved in two pending disciplinary complaints filed by the board in August. License revocations are rare. Most often, a settlement involves an agreement for a casino company to voluntarily surrender its license when the two sides agree the accused company doesn’t have the resources to continue disputing a complaint. According to Gaming Control Board records, the Gaming Commission has revoked 15 licenses between January 1989 and August 2021. The last ones occurred July 30, 2020, when the Stateside Lounge on Las Vegas Boulevard North and its owner, Luca Bertolini, had license revocations when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police determined the bar was a hangout for gang members. The revocations were uncontested. In a more high-profile case, CG Technologies LLC, formerly known as Cantor G&W Holdings and Cantor Fitzgerald, escaped the revocation of its license when the company was bought out by William Hill in 2019. CG and Cantor entities paid $9 million in fines and gaming commissioners considered revoking their license after a series of three sports betting complaints over a four-year period from 2014 to 2018. In 2018, commissioners fined CGT $2 million in a settlement after Control Board investigators determined that the company was taking wagers from outside the state, taking bets after events had concluded, made incorrect payouts to 1,483 bettors and misconfigured a satellite sports book betting station for the 2018 Super Bowl. Previously, CGT paid a fine of $5.5 million in 2014 when the company was known as Cantor G&W Holdings, and $1.5 million in 2016. Sibella’s gaming career The action at Thursday’s commission meeting in Boulder City – one of two municipalities within the state that do not permit gambling within their city limits – ends a lengthy saga for Sibella, who was a rising star within the industry in the early 2000s. The UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration alumnus with a degree in hotel administration began his career in hospitality with an internship at the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas and eventually worked his way up to hotel manager. Sibella was named president and chief operating officer of The Mirage in 2007 and subsequently went on to become president and chief operating officer of the MGM Grand. In 2011, he appeared on “Undercover Boss,” a reality television show in which a top executive, usually in disguise, works among front-line employees. In Sibella’s appearance, he posed as a roulette dealer and mingled with casino customers. He capitalized on the notoriety of his appearance on the show and when he became the property’s president hosted “Undercover Weekends” with invited guests at the MGM. Among the invited guests was Newport Coast, California resident Wayne Nix , a former minor league baseball pitcher with Modesto in the Oakland Athletics farm system, who illegally took sports bets from major league players of several sports who liked to gamble. In multiple trips to Las Vegas, Nix would obtain chips on credit, the casino’s credit department would run a background check which would include obtaining credit reports, calling banks and obtaining banking information, conducting public record searches, contacting marketing hosts, asking customers to self-identify their occupation and business position, and contacting unaffiliated casinos to determine the credit worthiness of the customer, according to court documents. But court documents say Sibella deliberately avoided learning how Nix paid his marker and didn’t file any suspicious activity reports to authorities. Those are required whenever a transaction of more than $5,000 occurs. When Resorts World Las Vegas was near its opening in June 2021, Sibella took a buyout from MGM to become its top executive. When at Resorts World, Sibella helped the resort enter into a franchise agreement with Hilton Hotels Corp., which brought the Hilton Honors program and its vast database to the Las Vegas property. Hilton brought its Hilton, Conrad and Crockfords brands to Resorts World. While at Resorts World, Sibella disclosed to his bosses in September 2023 that he was being investigated by federal authorities for the illegal gambling activity at MGM and he was asked to leave, citing that he violated company policies and the terms of his employment contract. Federal investigators determined it was a money-laundering scheme and focused their attention on Nix and Sibella. In January 2024, Sibella pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles for failing to file suspicious activities reports while employed at MGM to federal officials investigating the presence of illegal bookmakers in violation of anti-money-laundering laws. In a 17-page plea agreement, Sibella admitted to knowing Nix ran an illegal bookmaking business, but still allowed him to gamble. MGM was also penalized. In non-prosecution agreements with the Justice Department, MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas were ordered to pay a combined $7.45 million fine as part of a money-laundering settlement for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. Under those agreements, MGM Grand paid a monetary fine of $6.5 million, and forfeited $500,000 in proceeds traceable to the violation, which were counted toward the fine. The Cosmopolitan paid a monetary fine of $928,600, and forfeited $500,000 in proceeds traceable to the violation, which also were counted toward the fine. Sibella was sentenced to one year’s probation and fined $9,500, plus a $100 special assessment, for violating the federal Bank Secrecy Act. U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee pronounced the sentence May 8 in the Central District Court of California in downtown Los Angeles. Pending complaints against Resorts World Now that Sibella has been disciplined, regulators are expected to move next on Resorts World which is involved in two pending disciplinary complaints filed by the board on Aug. 15. A 12-count complaint against Resorts World’s affiliated holding company, Genting Berhad, alleges that the Las Vegas property allowed gamblers with ties to illegal bookmaking and histories of federal felony convictions to play at its casino. In that complaint, the Control Board said several individuals placed millions of dollars in wagers at Resorts World over several months, damaging the reputation of Nevada’s gaming industry. Suspected or known felons wagering at Resorts World included Mathew Bowyer, who earlier in August pleaded guilty to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering and subscribing to a false tax return; Edwin Ting, convicted in federal court of conducting an illegal gambling business and known to have ties to organized crime; Chad Iwamoto, convicted in federal court of transmission of wagering information and failing to file a monthly tax return for wages; and another individual suspected of being an illegal bookmaker. At the time, Resorts World acknowledged the complaint. “Resorts World Las Vegas is aware of the Nevada Gaming Control Board complaint,” an emailed statement said. “We are committed to doing business with the utmost integrity and in compliance with applicable laws and industry guidelines. We have been actively communicating with the GCB to resolve these issues so we can move forward and focus on our guests and nearly 5,000 team members.” On the same day the complaint against Resorts World was filed, the board also issued a complaint against Nicole Bowyer, Mathew Bowyer’s wife and a registered independent agent contracted by Resorts World. As an independent agent, Nicole Bowyer was allowed to directly profit from casino wagering. “Ms. Bowyer received payment from Resorts World despite surely knowing that her husband’s source of funds derived, at least in part, from illegal activity,” a Control Board representative said in a statement in August. According to the Control Board complaint, Nicole Bowyer earned more than $667,000 in 2022 and 2023 from her husband’s gambling activity at Resorts World. Nevada Revised Statutes suggest Resorts World could have its nonrestricted gaming license revoked or suspended, and the company could be fined up to $250,000 per count — for a total of $3 million. Earlier this month, Resorts World and Genting announced the formation of a four-person board of directors helmed by Jim Murren, the former CEO of MGM Resorts International. Murren’s tenure at MGM coincided with Sibella’s, which industry experts say should prompt state gaming regulators to ask questions around what Murren knew about the situation at MGM Grand, when he knew and what he did about it. In addition to appointing a board of directors, Malaysia-based Genting also named Alex Dixon, a former executive with both MGM and Caesars Entertainment, as CEO of Resorts World Las Vegas. Dixon’s tenure at Resorts World Las Vegas will begin Jan. 16. Resorts World posted its worst financial returns in two years during the third quarter of 2024, citing extreme summer heat, consumer economic concerns and domestic election anxiety for the underwhelming results. It’s unclear what will happen next with Sibella. There also are indications the illegal bookmakers who played at MGM Grand and Resorts World played elsewhere in Las Vegas. Control Board authorities would not confirm if an investigation is ongoing and whether other casinos would be implemented. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.ka slots 。

Eli Manning and Antonio Gates are among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’Trump’s pick for housing agency chief has opposed efforts to aid the poor

NEW YORK — An early rebound for U.S. stocks Thursday petered out by the end of the day, leaving indexes close to flat. The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1% following Wednesday’s tumble of 2.9% when the Federal Reserve said it may deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than earlier thought. The index was up as much as 1.1% in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 15 points, or less than 0.1%, following Wednesday’s drop of 1,123 points, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.1%. This week’s struggles took some of the enthusiasm out of the market, which critics were warning was overly buoyant and would need everything to go correctly for it to justify its high prices. But indexes remain near their records, and the S&P 500 is still on track for one of its best years of the millennium with a gain of 23%. Traders now expect the Federal Reserve to deliver just one or maybe two cuts to interest rates next year, according to data from CME Group. Some are even betting on none. A month ago, the majority saw at least two cuts in 2025 as a safe bet. Wall Street loves lower interest rates because they give the economy a boost and goose prices for investments, but they can also provide fuel for inflation. Micron Technology was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500 Thursday. It fell 16.2% despite reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected. The computer memory company’s revenue fell short of Wall Street’s forecasts, and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said it expects demand from consumers to remain weaker in the near term. It gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that fell well short of what analysts were thinking. Lamb Weston, which makes French fries and other potato products, dropped 20.1% after falling short of analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue in the latest quarter. It also cut its financial targets for the fiscal year, saying demand for frozen potatoes is continuing to soften, particularly outside North America. The company replaced its chief executive. Such losses helped overshadow a 14.7% jump for Darden Restaurants, the company behind Olive Garden and other chains. It delivered profit for the latest quarter that edged past analysts’ expectations. The operator of LongHorn Steakhouses also gave a forecast for revenue for this fiscal year that topped analysts’. In the bond market, yields were mixed a day after shooting higher on expectations the Fed would deliver fewer cuts to rates in 2025.The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.57% from 4.52% late Wednesday and from less than 4.20% earlier this month. But the two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for action by the Fed in the near term, eased back to 4.31% from 4.35%. All told, the S&P 500 slipped 5.08 points to 5,867.08. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 15.37 to 42,342.24, and the Nasdaq composite lost 19.92 to 19,372.77. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — JuJu Watkins scored 21 points to lead No. 6 Southern California to a 66-53 win over Oregon in the Big Ten opener for both teams on Saturday. Watkins was 6 for 15 from the field, including 3 of 9 on 3-pointers, in 28 minutes before fouling out. Kiki Iriafen added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Trojans (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten). Deja Kelly scored 16 points and Peyton Scott added 13 to lead the Ducks (7-3, 0-1). Oregon led 13-12 after the first quarter, but USC scored the first 18 points of the second quarter and never trailed again. The Trojans built the lead to 40-19 at halftime with 15 points from Watkins. Scott opened the third quarter with four straight points, but USC scored five straight points right after and kept the lead in double digits the rest of the way. USC: The Trojans won their fourth straight since a loss to No. 10 Notre Dame. USC returns to nonconference play over the next three weeks, including a trip to No. 2 UConn. Oregon: The Ducks started the season 6-0 and moved up to No. 23 in the AP poll but have now lost three of four games. Kelly scored to put Oregon up 13-12 early, but USC held the Ducks scoreless for more than five minutes to start the second quarter while scoring 18 straight points. Watkins had a seven-point run of her own within that span. USC outrebounded Oregon 45-31, including 34 defensive rebounds. The Trojans are averaging nearly 12 more rebounds per game than their opponents on the season. USC hosts Fresno State on Tuesday night, and Oregon hosts Air Force on Dec. 17. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballMcDonald’s is launching a new ‘McValue’ menu — which includes $5 deals for 2025

First of its kind, AI-powered innovation center in National Landing will support startups targeting critical national security challenges at the intersection of defense and energy ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Venture capital firm Energy Innovation Capital (EIC), global digital and AI transformation consulting firm A&MPLIFY by Alvarez and Marsal , world class engineering and research university Virginia Tech , leading cloud and AI platform Amazon Web Services (AWS) , and DC region real estate owner and developer JBG SMITH today announced the launch of the Virtus Innovation Center (Virtus) in National Landing ( www.virtusinnovation.com ). While Washington, DC is the epicenter for energy policy and national security, there is untapped potential in the market and a lack of innovation programs that effectively bridge capital formation, incubation, and acceleration for early-stage companies. Once funding is secured, Virtus' differentiated platform aims to leverage the collective expertise of its partners to provide startup companies the physical resources, capital, and strategic support they need to develop innovative national security and energy technologies. The plan for Virtus' integrated approach includes: "Over the last 20 years the team at EIC has invested in 150 industrial technology companies enabling electrification, decarbonization, AI, autonomy, and critical technology onshoring. The convergence of these sectors has created significant national security and energy resiliency innovation opportunities,” said Andrew Lackner, Managing Partner of EIC Virtus. "The Virtus Innovation Center will enable startups to leverage DC's defense and energy ecosystem to accelerate the commercialization of dual-use technologies. We look forward to collaborating with startups, corporations, federal agencies, and other investors to accelerate technologies critical to the national interest of the US.” "We've seen the success that is possible when startups and corporations work together to find better technological solutions, and Virtus Innovation Incubator is an exciting opportunity to accomplish that in an established and global industry,” said Bob Ghafouri, Co-Founder and Managing Director at A&MPLIFY by Alvarez & Marsal. "Large, forward-thinking companies are engaging successfully with startups, looking at startups as discovery arms and co-collaborators for innovation.” "With the increasing importance of supporting the growth and energy demand of Artificial Intelligence, the intersection of energy and defense has become a national security priority,” said Matt Kelly, JBG SMITH CEO. "As the incubator partner of the Virtus Innovation Center, we are well-positioned with our physical space near the Pentagon and AI infrastructure to collaborate and scale innovation across the startup community to create new solutions for defense and energy.” Virtus aims to meet the heightened demand for technological advancement in energy and security, driven by various factors including: increased geopolitical activity and the evolving complexity of physical and digital threats; the multi-decade shift to lower-carbon energy; and the exponential growth of data, large language models, data centers, and widespread digitalization across sectors that has transformed how work is done. Virtus will also directly benefit from its strategic location in National Landing, which offers a high concentration of defense-tech and adjacent industries, all of which are clustered together with immediate proximity to the Pentagon, Amazon HQ2, Virginia Tech's $1B Innovation Campus and dozens of relevant private enterprises and government agencies, including seven of the ten largest recipients of federal defense spending. "Virginia Tech could not be more excited to collaborate with Virtus and partners to ensure cutting-edge technologies with dual-use applications including artificial intelligence, integrated communications and networking, and quantum information and sensing reach the marketplace to support the pressing needs of the nation,” said Eric Paterson, Virginia Tech National Security Institute Executive Director. "With proximity to the nation's Capital, the institute and Innovation Campus bring vast expertise, unique research facilities, and mission-oriented initiatives, which position us to assist partners in the curation of new startups that seek to solve emerging national security challenges.” Learn more about the Virtus Innovation Center: www.virtusinnovation.com About A&MPLIFY by Alvarez & Marsal A&MPLIFY is the artificial intelligence and digital transformation unit of Alvarez & Marsal. We are marketers, product managers, technologists and data scientists from industry, consulting and technology with innovation studios across the US, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and the Middle East. To learn more, visit www.a-mplify.com . About Alvarez & Marsal Founded in 1983, Alvarez & Marsal is a leading global professional services firm. Renowned for its leadership, action and results, Alvarez & Marsal provides advisory, business performance improvement and turnaround management services, delivering practical solutions to address clients' unique challenges. With a world-wide network of experienced operators, world-class consultants, former regulators and industry authorities, Alvarez & Marsal helps corporates, boards, private equity firms, law firms and government agencies drive transformation, mitigate risk and unlock value at every stage of growth. To learn more, visit AlvarezandMarsal.com . About Energy Innovation Capital (EIC) Energy Innovation Capital invests in companies that are developing industrial technologies transforming energy, national security, and resource intensive industries. EIC currently manages four venture capital funds with AUM of $350M, a corporate innovation partnership program, and an active portfolio of 33 companies. For more information, please visit www.energyinnovationcapital.com . About JBG SMITH JBG SMITH owns, operates, invests in, and develops mixed-use properties in high growth and high barrier-to-entry submarkets in and around Washington, DC, most notably National Landing. Through an intense focus on placemaking, JBG SMITH cultivates vibrant, amenity-rich, walkable neighborhoods throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Approximately 75.0% of JBG SMITH's holdings are in the National Landing submarket in Northern Virginia, which is anchored by four key demand drivers: Amazon's new headquarters; Virginia Tech's under-construction $1 billion Innovation Campus; the submarket's proximity to the Pentagon; and our retail and digital placemaking initiatives and public infrastructure improvements. JBG SMITH's dynamic portfolio currently comprises 13.1 million square feet of high-growth multifamily, office and retail assets at share, 98% of which are Metro-served. It also maintains a development pipeline encompassing 9.3 million square feet of mixed-use, primarily multifamily, development opportunities. JBG SMITH is committed to the operation and development of green, smart, and healthy buildings and plans to maintain carbon neutral operations annually. For more information on JBG SMITH please visit www.jbgsmith.com . About Virginia Tech In 1987 Virginia Tech was designated an R1 institution, which is the highest designation for research universities. With locations in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia, and the Washington D.C. metro area including the Innovation Campus, Virginia Tech offers approximately 280 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 38,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across the commonwealth. The university's research enterprise encompasses over $419 million in sponsored research expenditures in fiscal year 2023. Virginia Tech is one of six senior military colleges in the U.S., a National Security Agency Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research , Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations, and an Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence. One of the university's seven research institutes , the Virginia Tech National Security Institute brings together transdisciplinary researchers, programs, and resources from across the university, integrating student learning and cutting-edge research at a scale unmatched by other organizations, producing research and impacting policy related to legal and practical challenges facing national intelligence, defense, law enforcement, homeland security, and cybersecurity communities that are relevant to current questions of national security law and policy and that aid senior policymakers, key departments, and agencies. CONTACT: Contact: Bethany Hilt [email protected]Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’

LA Galaxy strike early, hold off New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win their record 6th MLS Cup championship

EU Provides Guidance on How AI Developers Can Obey Privacy LawsConsider the curious case of the bone-headed "Nasdaq diversity rules" — edicts by the stock market giant to force every company that "lists" there to choose a board of directors that stresses intersectionality — racial, sexual and gender diversity — as opposed to competence. Sure, diversity is a worthy goal, but demanding outcomes in hiring through practices such as Diversity Equity and Inclusion is the most counterproductive way to run a business that woke mankind ever thought of. Forcing it on corporate boards as Nasdaq has been doing since 2020 is particularly scary. And now it's illegal. Boards perform a vital function of oversight of public companies, and the C-suite. Making sure the CEO isn't robbing the place blind is what the law — established through the Depression-era Securities and Exchange Act — ­demands from directors. Nasdaq turned decades of corporate law on its head at the height of the so-called social justice movement. It came at a particular hysterical time in American history, when the left tried to convince the country it was inherently racist because of the police killing of an ex-con named George Floyd as he was resisting ­arrest. That was then. These days, sanity is returning and woke is in retreat. Courts are ruling that DEI is illegal. The Fifth Circuit federal court did just that, telling Nasdaq it will have to end the insanity. Yes, the ruling is a sign wokeness is dying. But it's not quite dead. The rules will likely find an afterlife because of a quirk in the disclosure system, and the way the securities regulators might interpret the court finding, The Post has learned. Reminder: Nasdaq, like its main competitor, the New York Stock Exchange, is a stock market; it wasn't created to serve as a lefty NGO. One of its functions is to make sure people can buy and sell shares, in an ­orderly fashion, of the companies... Charles Gasparino