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Oakland Police Department has charged a suspected illegal casino manager with multiple felony charges.
An Dao, 44, has been charged with multiple felony counts following a high-speed chase that saw Oakland police follow him throughout the city. This came after a shooting related to an alleged illegal casino ring, managed by Dao.
Inmate records from Alameda County Sheriff’s Office show that Dao’s most recent arrest on October 2 was based on multiple charges, including but not limited to possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a felon, carrying a loaded firearm in a city, unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle, and evading an officer. He is currently being held at Santa Rita Jail, with his bail amount set at $350,000.
The pretrial hearing is due to take place on November 7 at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse. The current charges come on the heels of previous felony charges after an arrest on September 29.
A high-speed chase in Oakland
While the jail log defines Dao’s profession as a landscaper, police authorities allege that Dao is the manager of a gambling shack on the 1300 block of East 15th Street. The location was raided on September 17, three days after a nonfatal shooting took place at a gambling den nearby. Allegedly, the shooter was in a BMW that police suspect belonged to Dao. He was identified as a person of interest in the shooting at that point, but was not charged, according to court records.
On September 29, police attempted to pull Dao over for driving without a front license plate, sparking a high-speed chase along East 12th Street until East 10th Street. A stun gun and body armor were found inside the BMW.
This comes after Oakland authorities believe there are links between dozens of nonfatal shootings in 2025 alone, suspected to be connected to rivalries between illegal gambling groups. Violent behavior has been linked to similar gambling networks across the US, including in San Diego and North Carolina.
Featured image: Oakland Police Department
The post Illegal casino operator charged with multiple felonies in Oakland after high-speed chase appeared first on ReadWrite.

Hard Rock Bet has announced slots-style sports betting options in Florida in a surprising (and controversial) move.
Named “Games – Powered by Past Motor Racing,” Hard Rock Bet has seemingly launched slots-style games in its Florida sports betting app, despite online casino gambling being illegal in the state. They claim outcomes are based on past race data, so not a traditional RNG-slot (random number generation), though the interface uses “spin” style visuals. The results are essentially based on historical racing events rather than an RNG.
Hard Rock Bet and Seminole Gaming currently have the exclusive rights to legal online sports betting. The company is now seemingly taking its lead from historical horse racing (HHR) machines, adapting the game convention to past motor sports races. It described the games as being “powered by Past Motor Races”.
To play, users will be given anonymized pre-race odds for a past real-life motor race, with any details about the location, date, or participants removed. They then need to guess the finishing order of the cars and are presented with a slots-style graphic to show whether they win – despite no RNG taking place.

pic.twitter.com/fn6igNTZeC
— tate (@TateJettas) October 29, 2025

It delivers all the bright colors and flashiness of slots, without any of the randomized features in the background that would make it an actual slot game.
Where is Hard Rock Bet legal?
Hard Rock Bet’s sports betting feature is currently available in: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. Hard Rock Digital launched its Hard Rock Bet platform in New Jersey back in August of 2023, before rolling out across different states in the US.
To this day, New Jersey is the only state where Hard Rock Bet operates online casino games alongside its sports betting options.
Is it legal in Florida?
Just a few months later, on December 7, 2023, Hard Rock Bet launched in Florida. It offers sports betting, becoming the only sportsbook operator in Florida outside of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Florida officially approved betting on past sports events, as seen in this new game, as part of the 2021 gaming compact, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on May 25, 2021. The compact authorized wagering on past sporting events, as well as giving the Seminole Tribe of Florida a monopoly over sports betting in the state.
Is Hard Rock Bet offering sports betting or online casino gaming?
Despite appearing like a slot game, Hard Rock Bet continues to only offer sports betting in Florida, under the allowances given by the state authorities. The company leads with its legal authority to do so heavily on its website, naming itself “the only legal sportsbook in Florida”.
Hard Rock Bet offers same-game, prop, and flex parlays across NFL, NBA, MLB, MMA, soccer, golf, college and more.
ReadWrite has reached out to Hard Rock for comment.
Featured image: Hard Rock Bet
The post Where is Hard Rock Bet legal? Casino giant appears to launch ‘slot-style’ games in Florida appeared first on ReadWrite.