Alice Wonderluck

About Alice Wonderluck

More than a year after then-Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers faced menacing threats from an exasperated bettor, questions remain about whether the proposed bans will serve as a meaningful deterrent to agitated sportsbook customers. An investigation later determined that the bettor resided overseas.

Since the Supreme Court’s PASPA decision in 2018, there has been an uptick on harassment against athletes from bettors. The collection of incidents, in the view of the industry, is typically construed as both troubling and prevalent. Against a backdrop of alarming threats in numerous sports, perhaps the most disconcerting occurred at the hands of Benjamin “Parlay” Patz, a California bettor.

Approximately 15 months after the high court’s ruling, Patz sent a series of explicit messages to four members of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, threatening to “sever” their necks open. Accused by federal investigators of targeting more than 300 accounts of pro and college athletes, Patz pleaded guilty in 2021 to transmitting threats in interstate or foreign commerce. Although a judge ordered Patz to undergo mental health treatment and abstain from gambling, he did not sentence the bettor to prison.

About Alice Wonderluck

Unfortunately, a jackpot win did not occur, although the game continued to award smaller prizes to players across the US and UK. As mentioned, a second Match 5 win happened in the UK, where a lucky player succeeded in matching all five winning numbers to redeem a $1 million payout. The drawing did not have a Match 5 + Power Play win of $2 million.

At the same time, 14 players matched four white numbers plus the Powerball, which netted them tier three prizes. As a result, 8 players won $50,000 each, while the remaining 6 took home $100,000 each instead, thanks to Power Play.

With no jackpot win materializing, the game’s top prize has continued to grow, reaching $332 million ahead of the Wednesday drawing. A hypothetical winner would be able to either claim the annuity option for the full sum or the one-time lump sum option of $141.7 million.

About Alice Wonderluck

During his tenure, Rodano was instrumental in deploying an AI-powered behavioural analytics platform, BetBuddy, which is designed to identify and intervene in potentially harmful gambling behaviours. 

Before moving to the private sector, Rodano served as the director of remote gaming at Italy’s regulator, Agenzia Dogane e Monopoli, for almost a decade.

He played a significant part in establishing Italy’s national online gaming framework and liaised with international regulatory bodies.