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A former Connecticut funeral director who stole clients’ prepayments to fund his excessive gambling habit will spend the next seven and a half years in state prison.

Philip Pietras, 52, admitted to stealing from more than 170 people, many of whom are senior citizens who sought to limit the emotional and financial burdens placed on their loved ones by prepaying for their funerals. But instead of placing those funds, meant for caskets and burial services, in escrow accounts, Pietras pocketed the money to gamble.

Pietras accepted a plea deal from the state, and prosecutors expect him to enter a guilty plea on Oct. 23 and be formally sentenced on Jan. 22, 2027.

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The LVCVA launched the “Vegas 5-Day Sale” last year in response to growing public sentiment that Las Vegas no longer provided value and that resorts were focused on nickel-and-diming customers. Many on social media criticized the tourism agency’s efforts as “too little, too late.”

The LVCVA, however, seemingly found the campaign successful, returning the five-day sales event this year.

Vegas is where travelers come to trade the expected for the unforgettable. The ‘Vegas 5-Day Sale’ gives visitors even more reasons to book the trip they have been talking about, whether that means checking into an iconic resort, seeing a favorite artist live, celebrating a milestone, or simply making a little room for spontaneity,” said Kate Wik, chief marketing officer at the LVCVA.

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He said the regulation was well established and not with the intention of raising revenue.

“Tax collection is part of the economic game and all sectors contribute,” Durigan said. “The same happens with betting.”

He argued the sector should be treated with the same rigour currently applied to cigarettes.