Daily Archives: February 18, 2017

The idea to lower Nevadas legal gambling age percolated after a veteran asked Assemblyman Jim Wheeler a simple question.

The man, who had served in Afghanistan, asked Wheeler how a person could be old enough vote or fight in wars but be considered too young to legally gamble.

I didnt really have an answer for him, Wheeler, R-Gardnerville, said last week.

And thus Assembly Bill 86, which seeks to lower Nevadas legal gambling age from 21 to 18, was born.

No one in the gaming industry has raised the idea to the commission in nearly a decade, said Tony Alamo, chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, so the bill came out of left field to him.

The industry has not come to us with any wants for dropping this. Everyones happy with 21 years of age, he said.

Alamo said he wondered if this is a solution for a problem that doesnt exist.

Wheeler said the goal is simply to start a dialogue on whether 21 is the correct threshold.

I just wanted to have the conversation more than anything, Wheeler said.

There is some precedent for allowing people under 21 to gamble in certain circumstances across the U.S.

Several casinos on Native American land in other states set the threshold at 18. Some states, like New Jersey and Louisiana, allow 18-year-olds to play bingo, but set the age restriction at 21 for other gambling games such as slot machines, poker and blackjack.

But dropping the age to 18 on all gambling in Nevada would present a list of issues, Alamo said most notably the interaction between gambling and alcohol.

With both gambling and drinking having the same 21-year-old threshold, casino workers do not have to verify the person sitting at a poker table is old enough to order a drink, Alamo said. Allowing 18-year-olds to sit down at a slot machine or poker table could get burdensome for workers who would likely have to ask for ID every time someone at gaming table orders a drink, he added.

Wheeler agreed that those interactions could become a problem, but argued that servers should be checking IDs in casinos anyway.

Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4683. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.

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Veteran's question spurred Nevada lawmaker to propose gambling age bill - Las Vegas Review-Journal

KEARNEY From online poker and slot machines to daily fantasy sports, the Internet has made gambling accessible to anyone interested in logging on.

That easy access has changed the face of gambling, according to Deb Hammond, a provider with the state of Nebraska Gamblers Assistance Program. Hammond will be conducting a public forum in Kearney Saturday afternoon at First Baptist Church to raise awareness and spark a discussion about problem gambling.

What were seeing now is a different generation of gambling. Millenials are who are having problems. Theyre gambling on the phone not casinos. Its a population that isnt going to a casino in another state anymore. They can gamble at anything they want on the Internet, Hammond said.

Gamblings shift from table games to tablets has made it harder to recognize the traditional problem signs, Hammond said. Thats why its important to open up a dialogue in forums where experts, community members and, of course, gamblers can collaborate.

The goal of Saturdays forum is to talk about how we can talk about this together, said Hammond. How can we open up a dialogue between political leaders, community leaders, problem gamblers and the gaming community? Its not the gaming communitys fault anyone loses control, but we should talk about how they can help.

The forum also will address how the Gamblers Assistance Program can help those who may be in over their heads. The program uses a portion of the proceeds from the Nebraska State Lottery to certify and train gambling counselors and pay for problem gambling counseling, making it easier for people with financial barriers to receive treatment.

Problem gambling is not isolated to just the gambler, Hammond said. Family members, employer and friends of problem gamblers can all be affected, and all are eligible for counseling services with the help of the program.

GAP is available, and its free to anyone whos affected by a problem gambler, Hammond said.

People need to figure out how to gamble responsibly, Hammond said. Were never going to get rid of gambling, and I dont think we should. Gambling isnt wrong or a moral issue, but it can get out of control, and we need to be sure to talk about that, and offer help when its needed.

There are three Gamblers Assistance Program providers directly serving the Kearney area as well as several in McCook, North Platte, Scottsbluff and Norfolk. All have certified gambling counselors.

The providers with the program are allowed to treat at no charge to the client whatsoever, according to Hammond. There are no limits to the amount of counseling sessions people can receive through the Gamblers Assistance Program, she said.

State Sen. John Lowe of Kearney is expected to attend, Hammond said.

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Millenials new target for gambling addiction | Local | kearneyhub.com - Kearney Hub

Deputies raided a gambling establishment that resulted in the seizure of 70 illegal gambling machines and two arrests in rural Alamo, according to a criminal complaint. Photos courtesy of Hidalgo County records.

Deputies raided a gambling establishment that resulted in the seizure of 70 illegal gambling machines and two arrests in rural Alamo, according to a criminal complaint.

On Wednesday, Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office deputies entered a suspected eight-liner off of Moore Road.

When authorities arrived, 31-year-old Maria Elena Garza and 25-year-old Salvador Matias Lopez attempted to flee the scene, according to the criminal complaint.

Garza was accused of paying out patrons in cash for winnings inside the establishment, according to the criminal complaint. Lopez served as a bouncer of the establishment and was paid by proceeds made from the gambling operation, according to the criminal complaint.

Lopez and Garza were arrested and charged with possession of gambling devices/equipment/paraphernalia, keeping a gambling place, and gambling promotion -- all Class A misdemeanors.

Garza was released Thursday from the Hidalgo County jail on a $15,000 bond.

Lopez remained in the Hidalgo County jail Friday evening. A judge set his bond at $30,000.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Records: 70 gambling machines seized, two arrested in Alamo raid - KGBT-TV

A legislative committee approves the bill, which has changed from allowing bingo to green-lighting keno

The Arizona State Capitol(Photo: David Kadlubowski/The Republic, David Kadlubowski/The Republic)

A legislative effort to legalize gambling in bars and clubs is advancing, despite warnings from the American Indian tribes that it violates their gaming contract with the state.

But the bill's sponsor has changed the proposal significantly, limiting itsscope to allow electronic keno games instead of bingo, saying that keno is essentially the same as a lottery something Arizona already allows without conflicting with tribal gaming.

The revised Senate Bill 1312 would create a new State Electronic Keno Commission to regulate and oversee keno games statewide. It would requirethat revenue be divided among the state general fund, public safety and full-day kindergarten. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, said the new commission would decide how and where the game is played.

Some video keno machineslook like and work almost identically to video slot or poker machines, allowing players to pull a lever or push a button and watch a row of symbols spin as lights flash and music plays. The real game is played via a random-number generator and a tiny digital keno card displayed somewhere on the edge of the screen. The players win based on the results of that card.

Borrelli said keno could go into the same locations that offer lottery games, including bars, gas stations and fraternal clubs.

Angel Juarez, with the American Legion, supports the bill. He said the state has 47,000 American Legion members and 140 posts, and already has lottery and pull tab games.

"This proposal will enable our posts around the state to a great new revenue source that can replace those we lost when conventional bingo went to other locations," he said, referring to bingo moving to the casinos. "With that loss, our post saw a marked decrease in the programs we were able to support, hampering our ability to serve our veterans."

Tribal representatives said they believe the proposal would violate the state gaming compacts.

Arizona's 2002 gaming compacts with American Indian tribes include a "poison pill" that saysif the state allows non-tribal entities to offer casino-style gaming, the tribes no longer must comply with limits on casinos, card tables and machines. They also don't have to give as much revenue to the state.

Mike Bielecki, representing the Navajo Nation, said the poison pill is triggered when the state allows a new game that wasn't grandfathered in under the compact. He said he believes keno would apply.

Bernadine Burnette, president of the FortMcDowell Yavapai Nation and chairwoman of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association, opposesthe bill.

"Gaming has been one of the very few economic activities that has succeeded in Indian country. It has created tens of thousands of jobs. It has allowed us to provide services to our tribal members that we could never have afforded before," she said.

Borrelli said he changed the bill because he believes keno is clearly under the state's jurisdiction and not the tribes'.

"The state reserves the rights for certain games ... lottery, keno," he said. "We didn't give away all our rights."

If the bill is approved, Borrelli said revenueraised could go a long way toward funding full-day kindergarten, which is estimated to cost about $240 million a year.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-3 Thursday to support the bill, with most of those in support saying they have concerns about the bill's impact on the compact but are willing to continue the conversation. The bill is scheduled for another public hearing Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Arizona bar and club gambling proposal advances - but only for keno - AZCentral.com

The gambling watchdog may have carried out a probe into how a rapist tricked his way to a lottery jackpot, but it seems they are not prepared to share the results with the public.

And they were accused of staging a cover-up over Edward Putmans 2.5million payout which he obtained with a dodgy ticket and alleged insider help.

Of the 270-page Gambling Commission report obtained by the Mirror, 195 are blacked out either in part or fully that is 72%. Another 79 pages have been removed from the dossier entirely.

Among the questions left unanswered were whether Camelot knew of the friendship between alleged inside man Giles Knibbs and 51-year-old Putman and what was the rapists side of the story.

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson MP blasted the watchdog for denying the public details behind the 2009 win.

He said: It seems the Great Lotto Robbery is in danger of turning into the Great Lotto Cover-up.

Whilst the Gambling Commission have taken action against Camelot for its failure, the public will rightly want to see further action taken by authorities in order to recoup the money fraudulently taken.

To maintain public confidence in the integrity of the lottery, we need full disclosure of facts, the sequence of events and the failures to make sure something like this can never happen again. Pages of redacted evidence are not good enough.

The Gambling Commission, which had ruled it was more likely than not Putmans jackpot was paid out of a dodgy ticket, said: We believe the public interest does favour the disclosure of certain parts of the information.

There is, however, still material which remains exempt where the public interest balance favours maintaining the exemption and withholding information.

But Campaign for Freedom of Information director Maurice Frankel branded the withholding questionable.

The report did reveal alarm bells should have been ringing at Lottery HQ from the day Putman made his claim. He rang the lottery claimline bosses 10 days before the 180-day deadline.

Putman said his ticket had been damaged but had enough information about where the winning line was bought and was paid a week later.

It is feared he had the help of Camelot IT specialist Knibbs, who worked in the fraud detection department.

The Commission report said: The circumstances of the claim made it an exceptional onewhich should have caused concern.

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And it remained troubled as to why the prize was paid out in all the circumstances. If Camelots inadequate investigation been done properly, there was a real possibility the fraud would have been spotted.

The operator was fined 3million last year over the scandal.

Police looked into the alleged fraud when it came to light in 2015 and arrested Putman, of Kings Langley, Herts.

He was told four months later he would face no further action and the file has now remained closed for more than a year.

Camelot said: We accept that, at the time of the alleged incident, there were weaknesses in some of the processes we had in place to prevent a potentially fraudulent claim of the very specific kind seen in this case. And, as we said at the time, were very sorry for that.

Running The National Lottery with the utmost integrity has always been our priority.

"Having investigated the circumstances of the alleged incident and having reviewed and strengthened the systems we have in place to prevent potential fraud, we are completely confident that the alleged fraud could only have been carried out under a unique set of circumstances and would certainly not be possible today.

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The great Lotto 'cover-up': Gambling watchdog redacts details on rapist's dodgy jackpot - Mirror.co.uk