ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — It doesn't happen all that often, but when it does, it can seem like a dream come true for sports gamblers: being able to bet on a game after it has already ended. And it has happened again in Atlantic City, where a sportsbook has been fined for taking $25,000 worth of bets on college basketball and hockey games and boxing matches after they were over. In action made public last week, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement fined William Hill Sportsbook $20,000 for bets it wrongly took in 2022 and 2023. The company voided most of the bets after discovering the errors. But others had already been paid out to customers. William Hill operates retail sportsbooks in Atlantic City at the Caesars, Harrah's and Tropicana casinos. The casinos' parent company, Caesars Entertainment, did not respond to messages seeking comment Friday and Monday. According to documents from the enforcement division, on Feb. 23 and 24, 2022, it took 42 bets via in-person kiosks on 12 college basketball games after the results were already known. William Hill paid just over $5,000 to customers on six bets before it became aware of the error. The remainder of the bets were voided and the customers' initial wagers were returned to them. William Hill blamed the error on a sportsbook content supplier, London-based OpenBet, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Similar errors allowed illegal bets on two boxing matches. On June 11, 2022, William Hill took bets on a Chris Kongo-Sebastian Formella boxing match that it had advertised as starting at noon. However, the match began at 11:15 a.m. and concluded at 11:55 a.m. On April 15, 2023, William Hill took bets on a Denzel Bentley-Kieran Smith fight after it, too, had already ended. The company listed the fight as a noon start, but it began at 11:55 a.m. and ended just 45 seconds later with a knockout. The division also fined Amelco, a London-based sports betting technology company, $10,000 for violations including allowing sportsbook PlayUp to take a bet in March 2022 on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg becoming the next U.S. president. Although recent court decisions allowed political betting in last month's election, it was not allowed at the time the bet was made. PlayUp utilized Amelco and Sportradar as its sportsbook providers. In documents filed with the enforcement division, Amelco said Sportradar listed the U.S. presidential election under a category of bets that Amelco marked as “true,” automatically listing it on its menu of betting markets. Amelco told the division its own trading team failed to recognize the U.S. election as an event that was not authorized to be bet upon. Sportradar said it does not label any of the betting markets in its data feed as authorized or unauthorized, adding it is the responsibility of each sports betting company to make sure they only offer bets that comply with local laws. Sportradar also noted that the division did not assess a fine against it, adding that Amelco was “solely liable” for the violation. PlayUp also accepted two bets worth nearly $700 on a Seton Hall University basketball game on Jan. 18, 2023, in violation of a state law prohibiting bets on New Jersey college teams. PlayUp and Amelco did not respond to requests for comment Monday. The $1 bet on Buttigieg was voided. It's not the first time this has happened. In November 2021, the division fined the Malta-based sports betting technology company Kambi Group and Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive $1,000 apiece for taking bets on a British soccer game that was already over . And in September, it fined bet365 $33,000 for taking bets on already-completed basketball, golf and mixed martial arts events. Follow Wayne Parry on X at https://x.com/WayneParryAC .Senator Amy Klobuchar , a Minnesota Democrat, said Sunday that she's "not a fan" of preemptive pardons that President Joe Biden is reportedly weighing to issue before he leaves office in January. Politico and NBC News reported last week that Biden is considering issuing preemptive pardons for prominent critics of President-elect Donald Trump , including Democratic Senator-elect Adam Schiff of California, Dr. Anthony Fauci and former GOP Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Trump has repeatedly suggested some of his prominent critics should face investigations and be jailed, spurring fears that his Justice Department may follow through on his threats. A preemptive pardon is a pardon that is granted before any formal legal proceedings against the individual have begun. This compares to the more traditional form of pardons, which are issued during legal proceedings, or after a conviction. Klobuchar pushed back on the idea in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday. She also criticized Biden's controversial decision to issue a pardon for his son, Hunter Biden . "I am not a fan of these [preemptive pardons]," the senator said. "I didn't like the pardon of the president's son. I didn't think that that was prudent. But I also am very concerned about this idea of the preemptive pardons." Although she said she is "very concerned" about Trump's incoming Justice Department, Klobuchar added that Schiff specifically had told her he does not want a preemptive pardon. "He believes that this is a nation of laws and that there are judges that make decisions all the time, including during the last Trump administration, including Republican appointees from many different administrations, who did the right thing in many cases under the law," the Minnesota Democrat said. Last month, Schiff told NPR about preemptive pardons: "I would urge the president not to do that. I think it would seem defensive and unnecessary." Newsweek has reached out to the White House and Trump's transition team on Sunday via email for comment. In an exclusive interview with NBC News' Meet the Press that aired on Sunday, Trump reiterated that he believes some of his political opponents should be jailed . He specifically mentioned Cheney, as well as other members of the House select committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Biden's decision to pardon his son after previously saying that he wouldn't has already drawn criticism from leading Democratic lawmakers, although some have defended the decision as well. Hunter was due to be sentenced in December in his two criminal cases involving federal tax fraud and a gun charge. He was facing up to 25 years in prison as he was found guilty on three felony charges. "If I have to have a bias in this area, it's a loving parent who wants to protect his child," Senator Dick Durbin , an Illinois Democrat, told CNN on Sunday , defending the president's controversial decision. Other Biden defenders have pointed out that Trump issued a number of pardons for prominent allies, including the father of his son-in-law and key White House adviser Jared Kushner . Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, was also announced at the end of November as Trump's pick to be U.S. ambassador to France.
French President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a new prime minister in the coming days whose top priority will be getting a 2025 budget adopted by parliament, he said on Thursday after the government was toppled by lawmakers. Michel Barnier, a veteran conservative, became the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history when he resigned on Thursday after parliament voted him out over his fiscal plans, barely three months after he was appointed. In a televised address to the nation, Macron said he would name a successor to Barnier “in the coming days.” “The priority will be the budget,” Macron said. A special law to roll over the 2024 budget and avoid any gap will be put forward by mid-December. Then the new government will prepare a full budget early next year, in particular to account for inflation, for a vote by parliament. Macron, whose ill-fated decision to call a snap ballot in June delivered a much-divided parliament, denied he was responsible for the political crisis. The president, who represents a centrist party, said the far-right and left-wing parties united in an “anti-republican front” to create “a mess” by ousting Barnier. Macron has been weakened by the crisis but resisted calls by some in the opposition for him to resign. He reaffirmed that he will stay in office until his term ends in May 2027. “The mandate you have given me is for five years and I will fulfil it until the very end,” he said. In a 10-minute speech, he added that the new government should represent a variety of parties willing to take part in it or at least agree not to censure it. He did not say which ones. Meanwhile, Macron has asked Barnier and his government to stay in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed. FISCAL DEFICIT, DIVIDED PARLIAMENT It was unclear if a new government will be in place before a ceremony on Saturday to reopen Notre-Dame Cathedral, which has been renovated after a devastating fire. World leaders including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump are expected to attend. Macron cited the rebuilding of the Gothic cathedral and successful Paris Olympics over the summer as evidence that France can deliver. “They are proof that we can do great things. We can do the impossible,” he said. “The world admires us for that.” Macron had lunch on Thursday with Francois Bayrou, whose name has been cited by French media as a possible successor to Barnier, Le Parisien newspaper reported. An aide to Bayrou did not respond to a request for comment. Any new prime minister will face the same challenge of dealing with a fractured parliament that Barnier did, notably passing a budget at a time when France needs to rein in its public finances. French bonds and stocks rallied on Thursday on what some traders said was profit-taking following the widely expected outcome of parliament’s no-confidence vote that ousted Barnier. But the relief rally is unlikely to last, given the scale of political uncertainty. “Until potential new elections, ongoing political uncertainty is likely to keep the risk premium on French assets elevated,” SocGen analysts said in a note. The earliest possible date for a parliamentary election would be in July. The fall of France’s government leaves the country without a clear path towards reducing its fiscal deficit, and the most likely outcome is less belt-tightening than previously planned, credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s said.
Ousted Syrian leader Assad flees to Moscow after fall of Damascus, Russian state media say DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Russia media say ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad has fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally. The reports came hours after a stunning rebel advance swept into Damascus to cheers and ended the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule. Thousands of Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire, joyful after a stifling, nearly 14-year civil war. But the swiftly moving events raised questions about the future of the country and the wider region. The rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country still split among armed factions. One rebel commander said “we will not deal with people the way the Assad family did." Analysis: Collapse of Syria's Assad is a blow to Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — For Iran’s theocratic government, it keeps getting worse. Its decadeslong strategy of building an “Axis of Resistance” supporting militant groups and proxies around the region is falling apart. Hamas has been batttered by Israel's campaign in Gaza. In Lebanon, Israeli bombardment has crippled Iran’s most powerful ally, Hezbollah, even as Israel has launched successful airstrikes openly inside of Iran for the first time. And now Iran’s longtime stalwart ally and client in Syria, President Bashar Assad, is gone. Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria's Assad? BEIRUT (AP) — Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader who led the stunning insurgency that toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image and that of his fighters. He renounced longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicts himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. The extent of that transformation from jihadi extremist to would-be state builder is now put to the test. The 42-year-old al-Golani is labeled a terrorist by the United States. He has not appeared publicly since Damascus fell early Sunday. But he and his insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, stand to be a major player in whatever comes next. Trump says he can't guarantee tariffs won't raise US prices and won't rule out revenge prosecutions WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump says he can’t guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers. And he's suggesting once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. He also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning “things do change.” The hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's elusive killer yields new evidence, but few answers NEW YORK (AP) — Police don’t know who he is, where he is, or why he did it. As the frustrating search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer got underway for a fifth day Sunday, investigators reckoned with a tantalizing contradiction: They have troves of evidence, but the shooter remains an enigma. One conclusion they are confident of, however: It was a targeted attack, not a random one. On Sunday morning, police declined to comment on the contents of a backpack found in Central Park that they believe was carried by the killer. Thompson was shot and killed Wednesday outside of a hotel in Manhattan. Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a US withdrawal from NATO is possible WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is pushing Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine. Trump describes it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office. Trump also said he would be open to reducing military aid to Ukraine and pulling the United States out of NATO. Those are two threats that have alarmed Ukraine, NATO allies and many in the U.S. national security community. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says any deal would have to pave the way to a lasting peace. The Kremlin's spokesman says Moscow is open to talks with Ukraine. Gaza health officials say latest Israeli airstrikes kill at least 14 including children DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian health officials say Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza have killed at least 14 people including children, while the bombing of a hospital in northern Gaza has wounded a half-dozen patients. Israel’s military continues its latest offensive against Hamas militants in northern Gaza, whose remaining Palestinians have been almost completely cut off from the rest of the territory amid a growing humanitarian crisis. One airstrike flattened a residential building in the urban Bureij refugee camp Sunday afternoon. That's according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah, where the casualties were taken. South Korea's democracy held after a 6-hour power play. What does it say for democracies elsewhere? SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A short-lived martial law decree by South Korea's leader last week raised worries about budding authoritarianism around the world. In the end, though, democracy prevailed. President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that he was declaring martial law and giving his government sweeping powers to crack down on protesters, ban political parties and control the media. Members of the military blocked lawmakers from using the legislature's constitutional power to cancel the power grab. But the National Assembly within hours unanimously voted to do so. Trump's return may be a boon for Netanyahu, but challenges abound in a changed Middle East TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is jubilant about President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House. Trump's first term policies skewed heavily in favor of Israel, and he has picked stalwart Israel supporters for key positions in his administration. But much has transpired since Trump left office in early 2021. The turmoil in the Middle East, the lofty ambitions of Netanyahu’s far-right governing coalition and Netanyahu’s own personal relationship with the president-elect could dampen that enthusiasm and complicate what on the surface looks like a seamless alliance. First 12-team College Football Playoff set, Oregon seeded No. 1 and SMU edges Alabama for last spot SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1. The selection committee preferred the Mustangs (11-2), losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama (9-3) of the SEC but one fewer loss. The first-of-its-kind 12-team bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear there is no perfect formula. The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta.