Blackjack is a global game and here we take a look at some of the biggest blackjack stories from around the world that have taken place in the last week or so. Some might be considered boring, as they relate to yet more legal changes in the USA but let’s start with a great story from the other side of the Atlantic.
Cab Driver Wins $137,000
A cab driver in England won a blackjack jackpot of almost £90,000 last week which equates to around $137,000! 53-year-old Goksel Selay was supposed to be working but as there were few people seeking his taxi (cab) services he popped into his local casino in Westcliff in south-east England.
The father of two won the huge payout via a progressive link game that connected 35 casinos in the UK and paid out the huge Blackjack Aces’ jackpot of £89,950 when Selay was dealt four aces.
The cab driver said “I don’t usually play blackjack as I prefer roulette. But I wasn’t having much luck there, so I decided to play blackjack instead, as I saw the jackpot was rising. A few days earlier, I had had a dream about winning big money and told my wife about it.”
From MIT to $50m
Jeff Ma, one of the key players on the infamous MIT blackjack team that took global casinos for millions of dollars through team card counting, has recently sold his startup tech firm, tenXer, to Twitter… for a cool $50m!
Ma, in part the inspiration for the movie 21, starring Kevin Spacey, has plenty of business interests and has also worked for the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Francisco 49ers. He wasn’t exactly short of cash but hey, an extra $50m always helps!
Florida Can’t Decide
The state of Florida recently voted in favor of making big changes to the current gambling laws but progress is being slowed by lawmakers adding countless provisions to amendments.
The changes seek to allow a whole slew of new resorts, as well as changing blackjack regulations, permitting slots in Palm Beach county and Lee and ending greyhound racing statewide. These laws and the various rights of the Seminole tribe to exclusively offer blackjack and slots now seem in danger of being postponed, meaning yet more confusion with US gambling legislation.