House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is remaining quiet on the New York City mayoral race, despite his self-imposed deadline of weighing in before early voting fast approaches on Saturday morning.
The top House Democrat was asked multiple times about Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, and whether he will endorse him, during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Friday.
Jeffries has said multiple times that he would speak about the race before early voting begins in New York City — which is coming at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday.
‘Stay tuned,’ he told one reporter when asked if he was ready to endorse Mamdani.
He was asked about Mamdani again a short while later, when a reporter queried, ‘Why are you refusing to endorse?’
‘I have not refused to endorse. I have refused to articulate my position, and I will momentarily, at some point in advance of early voting,’ Jeffries said.
A third reporter asked Jeffries whether he believed his refusal to endorse was ‘splitting the Democratic Party.’
‘I traveled throughout the country, and the Democratic Party is as unified as I’ve seen us throughout the entirety of this year, and you’re about to experience that in real time. So it won’t be hypothetical. You’re about to see it in real time in Virginia, in New Jersey, and in California as it relates to prop 50,’ Jeffries said, without mentioning his home state of New York.
‘As I’ve said, I will have more to say about the mayor’s race when I have more to say about the mayor’s race in advance of early voting, when I’m back home tomorrow.’
Fox News Digital then asked why Jeffries was waiting until the 11th hour to weigh in on the race, to which he tersely responded, ‘This question has been asked and answered repeatedly.’
Notably, Jeffries would not have been able to make his endorsement at the press conference. Lawmakers are barred from making political statements or solicitations on Capitol grounds.
Mamdani is the current frontrunner in the race between himself, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an Independent.
While he’s gained support from progressives in Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the top two Democrats on Capitol Hill — Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — have been silent.
Politico reported on Friday afternoon that Jeffries would endorse Mamdani later Friday.
The State Department has spent nearly $100 million less on travel this year than last amid a wider effort to trim budgets, according to documents exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.
From January to September 2024, the Biden administration State Department spent $306 million on foreign and domestic travel. At the same point this year, the department under President Donald Trump spent $212 million, according to documents seen by Fox News Digital.
Some $37 million in cuts was focused on domestic travel, largely driven by a decrease in conference attendance, which made up nearly $7 million of the cuts.
Site visits and consultations within the U.S. also decreased by around $14 million and domestic special mission travel was down around $5.5 million.
Overseas travel decreased from $206 million from January-September 2024 to $149 million.
Site visits and consultations overseas were down around $12.5 million and travel for training was down around $15 million.
‘The Trump Administration has consistently been on the side of the American people and the American taxpayer, and these numbers prove that,’ principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Piggot said.
‘We believe in real diplomacy, not meetings for the sake of meetings.’
This travel-spending decline comes amid a broader effort by the Trump administration to shrink the department’s footprint and reduce overseas commitments. In April 2025, the Office of Management and Budget wrote a memo recommending the combined budget of the State Department and USAID be cut nearly in half in the upcoming fiscal year.
The plan would reduce the budget from about $55 billion to $28.4 billion, slash funding for humanitarian assistance and global health programs by more than 50%, and potentially shut down or significantly scale back dozens of U.S. missions abroad.
And as of July, the department had initiated layoffs of over 1,300 domestic staff.
1911 Gold Corporation (TSXV: AUMB,OTC:AUMBF) (OTCQB: AUMF) (FSE: 2KY) (‘1911 Gold’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to announce that it will be participating in the 51st Annual New Orleans Investment Conference at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside November 2 – 5, 2025. Shaun Heinrichs, President & CEO, will be presenting on Wednesday, November 5th, and is looking forward to networking with investors during the Conference.
The New Orleans Investment Conference gathers some of the world’s brightest and most successful analysts, newsletter writers and investors. This year’s event will highlight all major asset classes, including Gold.
Don’t miss out. Register for the 51st Annual New Orleans Investment Conference by clicking here.
About 1911 Gold Corporation
1911 Gold is a junior developer with a highly prospective, consolidated land package totaling more than 61,647 hectares within and adjacent to the Archean Rice Lake greenstone belt in Manitoba, Canada. The Company also owns the True North mine and mill complex in Bissett, Manitoba. 1911 Gold believes its land package represents a prime exploration opportunity, with the potential to develop a mining district centred on the True North complex.
In addition, the Company holds the Apex project near Snow Lake, Manitoba and the Denton-Keefer project near Timmins, Ontario, and remains focused on advancing organic growth while pursuing accretive acquisition opportunities across North America.
1911 Gold’s True North complex is located within the traditional territory of the Hollow Water First Nation, signatory to Treaty No. 5 (1875-76). 1911 Gold looks forward to maintaining open, co-operative and respectful communication with the Hollow Water First Nation, and all local stakeholders, in order to build mutually beneficial working relationships.
About The New Orleans Investment Conference
The New Orleans Investment Conference is the one place where the world’s most sophisticated investors gather every year to discover new opportunities and strategies, exchange ideas, plan for the coming year and enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded individuals in America’s most fascinating and entertaining city.
Headliners at the New Orleans Conference over the last 50 years have included Lady Margaret Thatcher, former President Gerald Ford, novelist Ayn Rand, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Nobel Prize-winning economists Milton Friedman and F.A. Hayek, Dr. Henry Kissinger, Senator Barry Goldwater, Admiral Hyman Rickover, Louis Rukeyser, Sir John Templeton, Lord William Rees-Mogg, Charlton Heston, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Robert Bleiberg, Jack Kemp, William F. Buckley, General Colin Powell, Ron Paul and J. Peter Grace, among hundreds of other notables.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Shaun Heinrichs President and CEO
For further information, please contact:
Shaun Heinrichs Chief Executive Officer
(604) 674-1293 ir@1911gold.com
www.1911gold.com
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271734
/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES./
Quimbaya Gold Inc. (‘Quimbaya’ or the ‘Company’) (CSE:QIM,OTC:QIMGF) (OTCQB: QIMGF) (FSE: K05) is pleased to announce that due to investor demand, it has entered into an amended agreement with Stifel Canada to act as sole underwriter and bookrunner (the ‘Underwriter’), to increase the size of its previously announced ‘bought deal’ private placement offering, pursuant to which the Underwriter has agreed to purchase on a bought deal basis, 17,900,000 units of the Company (the ‘LIFE Units’) at a price of C$0.70 per LIFE Unit (the ‘Offering Price’) for aggregate gross proceeds of C$12,530,000 (the ‘Offering’), with the LIFE Units to be issued pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (as defined below).
The Company has granted to the Underwriter an option, exercisable up to 48 hours prior to the closing date, to purchase for resale up to an additional 15% of LIFE Units at the Offering Price for additional gross proceeds of up to C$1,879,500.
Each LIFE Unit will consist of one common share (a ‘Common Share‘) and one-half (½) of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a ‘Warrant‘) of the Company. Each Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one Common Share for a period of 36 months following the closing date of the Offering at an exercise price of C$1.00 per common share.
The net proceeds from the Offering are expected to be used to advance the Company’s exploration programs, including drilling at the Tahami South project and follow-up work on regional copper-gold and gold targets, as well as for general working capital.
Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions (‘NI 45-106‘), the LIFE Units will be offered for sale to purchasers resident in Canada other than Quebec and/or other qualifying jurisdictions pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of NI 45-106 (the ‘Listed Issuer Financing Exemption‘). Because the Offering is being completed pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption, the LIFE Units issued pursuant to the Offering will not be subject to a hold period pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws. There is an offering document related to the Offering that can be accessed under the Company’s issuer profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company’s website at quimbayagold.com. Prospective investors should read the offering document before making an investment decision.
The Offering is scheduled to close on or about November 4, 2025 (the ‘Closing Date‘) and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals including the acceptance of the Canadian Securities Exchange.
The securities referred to in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ‘U.S. Securities Act‘), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, ‘U.S. Persons’ (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent such registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act. This news release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities for sale, nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities. Any public offering of securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus containing detailed information about the company and management, as well as financial statements.
About Quimbaya
Quimbaya aims to discover gold resources through exploration and acquisition of mining properties in the prolific gold mining districts of Colombia. Managed by an experienced team in the mining sector, Quimbaya is focused on three projects in the regions of Segovia (Tahami Project), Puerto Berrio (Berrio Project), and Abejorral (Maitamac Project), all located in Antioquia Province, Colombia.
Quimbaya Gold Inc.
Follow on X @quimbayagoldinc Follow on LinkedIn @quimbayagold Follow on YouTube @quimbayagoldinc Follow on Instagram @quimbayagoldinc Follow on Facebook @quimbayagoldinc
Cautionary Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute ‘forward-looking information’ as that term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. Generally, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as ‘intends’, ‘expects’ or ‘anticipates’, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results ‘may’, ‘could’, ‘should’, ‘would’ or ‘occur’. Forward-looking statements herein include statements and information regarding the closing of the Offering, Offering’s intended use of proceeds, any exercise of Warrants, the future plans for the Company, including any expectations of growth or market momentum, future expectations for the gold sector generally, the Colombian gold sector more particularly, or how global or local market trends may affect the Company, intended exploration on any of the Company’s properties and any results thereof, the strength of the Company’s mineral property portfolio, the potential discovery and potential size of the discovery of minerals on any property of the Company’s, including Tahami South, the aims and goals of the Company, and other forward-looking information. Forward-looking information by its nature is based on assumptions and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Quimbaya to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These assumptions include, but are not limited to, that the Company’s exploration and other activities will proceed as expected. The future outcomes that relate to forward-looking statements may be influenced by many factors, including but not limited to: future planned development and other activities on the Company’s mineral properties; an inability to finance the Company; obtaining required permitting on the Company’s mineral properties in a timely manner; any adverse changes to the planned operations of the Company’s mineral properties; failure by the Company for any reason to undertake expected exploration programs; achieving and maintaining favourable relationships with local communities; mineral exploration results that are poorer or better than expected; prices for gold remaining as expected; currency exchange rates remaining as expected; availability of funds for the Company’s projects; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services (including transportation); no labour-related disruptions; no unplanned delays or interruptions in scheduled construction and production; all necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals are received in a timely manner; the Offering proceeds being received as anticipated; all requisite regulatory and stock exchange approvals for the Offering are obtained in a timely fashion; investor participation in the Offering; and the Company’s ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. Although Quimbaya’s management believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of Quimbaya as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Except as required by law, Quimbaya does not expect to update forward-looking statements and information continually as conditions change.
SOURCE Quimbaya Gold Inc.
View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2025/24/c2082.html
Thor Energy (ASX:THR,LSE:THR,OTCQB:THORF) has finalized a binding agreement with US-based DISA Technologies to treat abandoned uranium mine waste in Colorado to recover saleable uranium and other critical minerals as well.
Under the agreement, DISA will deploy its patented High-Pressure Slurry Ablation (HPSA) technology at Thor’s Colorado uranium projects, which are held through its US subsidiary, Standard Minerals. The company owns 25 percent of the uranium mineral rights, while the remaining 75 percent is held by London-listed Metals One (LSE:MET1).
Thor said it will receive a share of gross revenues generated from the sale of uranium and critical mineral concentrates recovered from the sites, with no capital or operating expenditures required on its part.
“This agreement finalises the details under which Thor will potentially generate revenue from the recovery of uranium and critical metals from its Colorado projects,” said Andrew Hume, Thor’s managing director and CEO.
“It is also fantastic to report that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted DISA a Service Provider’s License to remediate abandoned uranium mine waste. DISA is now the first company in the US to receive such approvals.”
DISA’s newly granted Service Providers License (SPL) from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) allows it to proceed with remediation of legacy uranium waste sites across the country.
The license, secured after a multi-year review process that began in 2021, enables DISA to operate modular mobile treatment plants using HPSA technology, a process designed to recover valuable resources from waste while mitigating environmental hazards.
Under the agreement, DISA will act as the project operator, responsible for all costs related to evaluation, permitting, treatment, and remediation.
Meanwhile, Thor, through Standard Minerals, will receive between 2.5 and 4 percent of gross product sales, depending on market conditions.
Beyond resource recovery, the process is expected to deliver environmental benefits by improving water quality and restoring legacy mine sites to productive use.
The project aligns closely with recent US policy efforts to unlock domestic mineral supplies from legacy sites. The Department of the Interior’s Secretarial Order No. 3436, issued earlier this year, directs agencies to accelerate recovery of critical and strategic minerals from mine waste and streamline permitting processes.
Next steps for Thor and DISA include conducting a detailed characterization program using assays and gamma probes to determine the quantity of recoverable minerals in the waste dumps.
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Duane Nelson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Torchlight Innovations Inc. (TSXV: RZL) (‘Company’), and its executive management team, joined Omar Khafagy, Head Client Success, Toronto Stock Exchange (‘TSX’), to open the market and celebrate the Company’s new listing on TSX Venture Exchange.
Torchlight Innovations Inc., doing business as RZOLV Technologies (‘RZOLV’), is a Canadian clean-technology company redefining the $240 billion global gold mining sector. Their proprietary RZOLV formula provides a safer, more eco-friendly alternative to the $2B of cyanide used annually. RZOLV delivers similar leach kinetics and recoveries—at similar costs on ores, concentrates, and tailings. The Company is transitioning from pilot to commercial rollout with strong industry partnerships and recurring-revenue potential from reagent sales and licensing agreements. As the mining sector accelerates toward ESG-aligned operations, RZOLV stands at the intersection of profit and sustainability—offering investors scalable exposure to one of the most transformative shifts in modern resource extraction.
MEDIA CONTACT: Duane Nelson President & CEO 604-512-8118
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271794
GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA TheNewswire – October 24, 2025 – Angkor Resources Corp. (TSXV: ANK,OTC:ANKOF) (‘ANGKOR’ OR ‘THE COMPANY’) announces it has finalized the sale of all mineral rights on Oyadao North license to Almighty Natural Resources (‘Almighty’).
Angkor negotiated a sale of mineral rights of the Oyadao North license to Almighty Natural Resources and announced on June 26, 2024. After delays from Almighty, the Company received $325,000 US as the final cash component in the transfer of license to Almighty and signed a 4% Net Smelter Royalty for Angkor to receive on production revenue from any mineral recovered and produced from the Oyadao North license. The Company provided written confirmation to the Ministry of Mines and Energy of its agreement to transfer mineral rights.
Hommy Resources Ltd., holding a 30% interest in the property, chose to receive shares for their entire interest in the sale of the license, and participated in the shares for debt announced on Sept 23, 2025 receiving a total of 542,857 common shares of Angkor.
With final documentation completed on the disposition, Angkor continues with its priority projects of Block VIII onshore oil and gas, and its two remaining mineral licenses, Andong Meas in Ratanakiri and Andong Bor, which straddles Oddar Meanchey and Banteay Meanchey provinces in northwest Cambodia.
Angkor Resources Corp. is a public company, listed on the TSX-Venture Exchange, and is a leading resource optimizer in Cambodia working towards mineral and energy solutions across Canada and Cambodia. Since 2022, Angkor’s Canadian subsidiary, EnerCam Exploration Ltd., has been involved in gas/carbon capture and oil and gas production in Saskatchewan, Canada. ANGKOR’s carbon capture and gas conservation project is part of its long-term commitment to Environmental and Social projects and cleaner energy solutions across jurisdictions.
The company’s mineral subsidiary, Angkor Gold Corp. in Cambodia holds two mineral exploration licenses in Cambodia with multiple prospects in copper and gold.
Its Cambodian energy subsidiary, EnerCam Resources, was granted an onshore oil and gas license of 7300 square kilometers in the southwest quadrant of Cambodia called Block VIII. The company then removed all parks and protected areas and added 220 square kilometers, making the just over 4095 square kilometers. EnerCam is actively advancing oil and gas exploration onshore Cambodia to meet its mission of discovering and proving commercial oil and gas in Cambodia.
Please follow @AngkorResources on , , , Instagram and .
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to the potential for gold and/or other minerals at any of the Company’s properties, the prospective nature of any claims comprising the Company’s property interests, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory approvals, uncertainty of sample results, timing and results o f future exploration, and the availability of financing. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.
Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.
The American cattle ranching industry is blasting President Donald Trump’s proposal to purchase beef from Argentina in an effort to lower supermarket beef prices.
“This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices,” Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said in a statement Monday.
Wyoming-based cattle operation Meriwether Farms addressed Trump directly in a social media post Monday.
“We love you and support you — but your suggestion to buy beef from Argentina to stabilize beef prices would be an absolute betrayal to the American cattle rancher,” the farm wrote on X.
By midday Tuesday, the post had already received 4 million views. A representative for Meriwether Farms did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump floated purchasing beef from the South American nation Sunday aboard Air Force One to push down U.S. beef prices by increasing the overall supply.
‘We would buy some beef from Argentina,’ he told reporters, ‘If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down.’
Beef prices have hit record highs this year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,fueled in part by depleted herd counts and steady demand from U.S. consumers.
A group that includes activist investor Jana Partners and NFL player Travis Kelce says it has accumulated one of the largest ownership stakes in Six Flags Entertainment and intends to press the company’s leadership on ways to improve the struggling amusement park operator’s business.
Jana said Tuesday that the investor group now owns an economic interest of approximately 9% in Six Flags. The group plans to ‘engage’ with Six Flags’ management and board of directors to discuss ways to enhance shareholder value and improve visitors’ experience.
Shares in the Charlotte, North Carolina-based Six Flags surged 17.7% on the news. The shares added another 5.1% gain in after-hours trading. Even with Tuesday’s rally, the company’s shares are down about 47% so far this year.
Six Flags reported a loss of $319.4 million for the first half of the year. The company said attendance fell 9% in the three months that ended June 29, due partly to bad weather and a ‘challenged consumer’ in most of the markets it operates in.
The investor group also includes consumer executive Glenn Murphy and technology executive Dave Habiger.
Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, said in a statement that he grew up going to Six Flags amusement parks.
‘The chance to help make Six Flags special for the next generation is one I couldn’t pass up,’ he said.
Card-reading contact lenses, X-ray poker tables, trays of poker chips that read cards, hacked shuffling machines that predict hands. The technology alleged to have been used to execute a multistate, rigged poker operation sounds like it’s straight out of Hollywood.
And those were only some of the gadgets that authorities say were used to swindle millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims through rigged, high-dollar, underground poker games over more than five years.
A sprawling indictment unsealed Thursday by the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York charged Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, and Damon Jones, a former NBA player, along with members of the Mafia and dozens of other defendants, with being part of a conspiracy.
The victims were “at the mercy of concealed technology, including rigged shuffling machines and specially designed contacts lenses and sunglasses to read the backs of playing cards, which ensured that the victims would lose big,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella of Brooklyn said in a statement.
Cheating at poker is as old as poker itself. But today, wearable tech and nano-cameras are putting even upstanding poker players on their guard.
The defendants used “special contact lenses or eyeglasses that could read pre-marked cards,” Nocella said at a news conference announcing the indictments.
He also showed a photo of an X-ray table that “could read cards face down on the table … because of the X-ray technology.”
An X-ray poker table in an image from defendant Robert Stroud’s iCloud account.U.S. Justice Department
“Defendants used other cheating technologies, such as poker chip tray analyzers, which is a poker chip tray that secretly reads cards using a hidden camera,” he said.
And while marking poker cards so they are visible only with special eyewear is an old trick, new radio-frequency identification and infrared technologies have ramped up the sophistication levels.
Technically speaking, many of the devices involved in the alleged scam authorities detailed Thursday are relatively cheap to manufacture, said Sal Piacente, a gaming security consultant.
By the time they reach their customers, however, the cost of industrial shufflers or tables can easily approach $100,000, once distributors and middlemen are factored in.
“You could make a lucrative career buying this stuff,” Piacente said.
Casino and gaming security consultants told NBC News that the alleged scheme was possible only because the games were underground. In backrooms, there was none of the surveillance tech that reputable casinos use to catch players cheating.
“A lot of the features which made this scheme so successful would have been ID’d a lot sooner, or very quickly, in a traditional regulated gaming environment,” said Ian Messenger, a former U.K. law enforcement officer and founder and CEO of the Association of Certified Gaming Compliance Specialists.
More than any other tech, it was the reprogramming of the industrial card shufflers — identified in charging documents as Deckmate-brand machines — that authorities said was key to the alleged game rigging.
A DeckMate 2 shuffler taken apart on a table in an image from defendant Shane Hennen’s iCloud account. U.S. Justice Department
Deckmates are not sold directly to the public — though many used ones can be found for sale online. The ones at the high-dollar games cited in the indictment could read cards and predict which player had the best hand. Neither Deckmate nor its parent company, Light & Wonder, were implicated in any way in Thursday’s indictments.
A spokesman for Light & Wonder told NBC News in a statement that the company was aware of reports about the charges against people but said they were not affiliated with the company.
“We sell and lease our automatic card shufflers and other gaming products and services only to licensed casinos and other licensed gaming establishments,” said Andy Fouché, the company’s vice president of communications. “We will cooperate in any law enforcement investigation related to this indictment.”
Reprogramming shufflers is not a new trick. In 2023, hackers at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas presented research showing how to hack a Deckmate shuffler and use it to cheat.
The rigged shuffler machines would transmit information about the players’ hands to an off-site “operator,” according to prosecutors.
The computer program showing information transmitted by the rigged shuffling machine in an image from defendant Shane Hennen’s iCloud account. U.S. Justice Department
The operator would then communicate the information to someone else at the table, dubbed the “quarterback.” The victim was known as the “fish.”
Here, the high-tech gadgets met the low-tech of a card game.
The quarterback might touch the $1,000 poker chip or tap his chin or touch his black chips to indicate who at the table had the best hand.
Text messages obtained by prosecutors also appear to show defendants concerned that a fish would leave the table if he lost too many hands.
“Guys please let him win a hand he’s in for 40k in 40 minutes he will leave if he gets no traction,” read one text message released by authorities.
But according to Messenger, the consultant, it was not the tech that made the alleged scheme so successful for so long. What set it apart was the level of communication.
For example, he said, the card information had to be seamlessly passed from the dealing machines to an off-site operator and back to a person back at the table, all without alerting the fish.
“The piece that made this so successful was the coordination, not the technology,” he said.
