Daily Archives: April 21, 2017

CONCERN: Fixed odds betting terminals

SELBY could soon be backing national calls for a clampdown on betting machines labelled the crack cocaine of gambling.

Six betting shops in the district - including four in Selby town itself - currently have Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) which let gamblers stake up to 100 every 20 seconds on casino games like roulette.

A group of MPs have called for national law changes to cut down those stakes and slow the machines down, and for local councils to get the power to stop clusters of gambling shops springing up.

Next week Selby councillors will be asked to back those calls, and reports prepared for the council shows some people in the area are already concerned.

Selby Town Council has responded to a consultation to raise some fears.

Concern was raised over the Fixed Odds Betting Terminals and suggest that a limit to the stake being made be reduced from 100 to 2. It was felt that there is a possibility of money laundering with so much money going into the machines and other vulnerable people may be exploited with such high stakes available, it says.

The district council does not have those powers, so the law would have to be changed nationwide to make that possible.

The recommendations have come from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on FOBTs, which looked into the impact the machines can have and heard evidence from experts including academics, addiction specialists, policy makers and representatives from the gambling sector.

The MPs found that between 2002 and 2012 the number of FOBTs rose to over 34,000. Betting shop chains like Ladbrokes, William Hill and Coral can make more than 900 a week profit from each roulette machine, and can have up to four per shop.Their report calls for smaller stakes and slower spins to cut down the harm the machines can do, as well as more powers for local councils, and it accuses the Gambling Commission of failing to adequately advise the Government in recent years.

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Gambling crackdown - The Press, York

Shawn Raymundo , sraymundo@guampdn.com Published 5:13 p.m. ChT April 20, 2017 | Updated 20 hours ago

Keep Guam Good spokeswoman Jackie Marati and Sinajana Mayor Robert Hoffman offer contrasting testimony on Sen. Telena Nelson's bill to prohibit gambling activities during the Liberation fair and village fiestas. Shawn Raymundo/PDN

Attorney Joaquin "Jay" Arriola Jr. expresses concern over minors betting on beto-beto or color games at the Liberation carnival during his testimony on a bill that would ban gambling at the Liberation carnival and other fairs or carnivals at the Guam Legislature on Thursday, April 20, 2017.(Photo: Rick Cruz/PDN)

Village mayors on Thursday appeared before lawmakers to defend casino and gambling activitiesat the islands annual Liberation Carnival.

Citing public sentiment against casinos and gambling, freshman Sen. Telena Nelson, D-Dededo, and Speaker Benjamin Cruz, D-Tumon, introduced legislation to outlaw such operations from the Guam Island Fair Liberation Day Carnival.

Nelson said it's elected officials' responsibility to prevent dilemmas such as gambling addiction.

If were part of the community or the agencies that brings this gambling, this addiction towardour people, we cannot say, It is not our problem, Nelson said of Bill 50-34.

If enacted, the bill would repeal the local statute that has allowed the MayorsCouncil of Guam and Liberation Historical Society to manage gambling enterprises during the fair. It also would prohibit mayors from hosting fiesta-related casino events.

The poll,Should casino-style gambling be eliminated at the Liberation Carnival? closes at 5 p.m. April 21, 2017.

Representing the Mayors Council, Sinajana Mayor Robert Hoffman testified against the bill. He said profits raised from the gambling operations make up a substantial amount of the funds needed to host the carnival and other fair-related activities.

Presently, no public funds are used to host the ... events, memorials, parade, carnival, fireworks. And we can safely say, if there is no money, these events will not take place, Hoffman said.

Hoffman said the cost to execute Liberation events runsabout $650,000. If the bill passes, he said, the Legislature should amend the law that places the Mayors Council in charge.

Get it away from us, he said.

Liberation gambling, Hoffman added, also has helpednonprofits such as first lady Christine Calvos Riglu Foundation and GovGuam agencies, including the Guam Police Department, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Chamorro Affairs and the Chamorro Village.

Merizo Mayor Ernest Chargualaf also told lawmakers the money the Mayors Council has raised from Liberation gambling has allowed the individual mayors to put the money to good use village events and activities for manamko and children.

Gambling opponent Jackie Marati, representing Keep Guam Good, said the issue isnt about the Liberation fair or all the good things mayors do.

Detailing Guams history of companies and organizations that tried to get casinoson island, Marati noted that voters consistently said no to ballot initiatives between 2004 and 2012. Yet gambling operations have continued during fairs and fiestas.

The issue, Marati said, boils down to a lack of respect for the peoples choice and disrespect for their will.

John Dungca also testifiedin favor of the bill. The Sinajana resident said opposition to gambling on Guam has been growing.

This is a generational problem that isnt going to go away. But you can also see that its growing. The people who oppose gambling is growing through the generations, he said We are just carrying what our parents started before us.

In prepared written testimony, Dungca explained why he has opposed casino initiatives.

I did not believe the money the government would have received from casino gambling would offset the problems and social ills that follow the gambling industry, he wrote.

Hoffman was critical of the testimony that compared casino initiatives to the gaming operations at the carnival.

The initiatives, Hoffman said, should not be used as a standard or baseline, 'cause each proposal was different and involved slot machines none of which are used and found in the carnival or fiesta gaming, no matter where it takes place.

READ MORE:

Sinajana mayor: Fiesta gaming events are not casinos

Bill could prohibit fiesta casinos at fairgrounds

Mayors oppose casino bill

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Mayors oppose anti-gambling bill - Pacific Daily News

Armenias government has approved plans to create a registry of high-rolling gamblers, because the countrys supply of trust is apparently running even lower than its capital reserves.

On Thursday, the Armenian government approved a proposal introduced by the nations deputy finance minister that will create a database of gamblers who spend over AMD 1m (US $2,060) on any wager, be it land-based or online. Gambling operators will be required to report these transactions and keep copies of gamblers identity documents.

The new measure, which will take effect on June 1, is ostensibly aimed at reducing opportunities for money laundering, although one cant shake the suspicion that the laws true intent is curbing gambling activity, based on the natural human impulse to get your name on as few government lists as possible.

Sandwiched between Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Armenia has a full spectrum of gambling options, including a state-run lottery, a few large land-based casinos, numerous small gaming halls and a handful of approved online gambling operators. However, the government has been making life more difficult for gambling operators in recent years.

In laws that took effect at the beginning of 2014, Armenia banned casinos from its capital Yerevan, confining the activity to a few designated geographic territories mainly resort areas including Tsaghkadzor, Sevan, Jermuk, Meghri and at the Zvartnots International Airport. This step was justified as a means of reducing the potential harms of gambling activity on Armenias citizens.

In late 2015, Armenia passed laws banning online gambling sites from advertising in the country, with the only exceptions being ads at land-based gaming venues and four-star hotels. Again, minimizing social harms was cited as the primary reason for the ban.

In late 2016, the government proposed a fivefold hike in annual licensing fees for gambling operators, from the current AMD 100m to AMD 500m ($1.03m). Deputy Finance Minister Karen Tamazyan justified the hike by saying gambling operators profits had been increasing at rapid rates while the governments take hadnt been boosted since 2006.

Tamazyan claimed that Armenias online gambling operators had seen their revenue jump from AMD 44b in 2014 to AMD 108b ($222.5m) through the first 11 months of 2016. When another legislator pointed out that rising revenue didnt necessarily indicate profitability, Tamazyan claimed online operators profits had risen by 5% to 20% during this time frame, although she declined to cite her sources for these stats.

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Armenia orders gambling sites to report all wagers over $2k - CalvinAyre.com

There are various forms of commercially operated gambling in Guam, including game rooms, some of which have landed in the news occasionally when they got robbed.

Gambling is, by law, illegal on the island.

Somehow, gambling continues to be run, not clandestinely, but out in full public view, sponsored in part by mayors under the guise of these mini-casino table games being part of fiestas that, ironically, are held to honor Catholic patron saints.

Bingo gambling is held all the time, in the name of fundraisers, run by nonprofits.

The mayoral-sponsored gambling allows mini-casino operations every year during the Guam Liberation carnival. The carnival is to celebrate the U.S. militarys invasion that freed Guam Chamorros from the atrocities of the Japanese wartime occupiers, but somehow, this is celebrated all summer long, through a carnival that showcases a pop-up casino operation that offers table games.

At these table games, paychecks are lost and squandered, and many family breadwinners return home from hours of gambling without the money their family needs to pay for power, water, gasoline and other needs of the household.

So why do certain mayors insist on allowing gambling, in the name of fiestas, for Catholic patron saints?

Some of them have said their villages cut in the gaming" operation helps them to offer certain services to constituents.

One mayor went as far as saying that gambling money revenues help pay for village events such as Easter egg hunts.

There needs to be a point, and hopefully that will be soon, when the mayors, island senators and executive branch officials who seem to be OK with gambling activities take a stand. Hopefully it will be soon when they say "No more."

Guam voters have taken to the polls several times to say "No" to various forms of gambling.

There should be no excuses for fiestas, no excuses for establishments called game rooms, no excuses for nonprofit fundraisers for elderly folks or health care, and no lame excuses like: The gambling revenues help young kids hunt for plastic eggs and candy for Easter.

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Gambling is illegal in Guam: Elected officials must stop making excuses and exemptions - The Guam Daily Post (press release) (registration)

LAS VEGAS, April 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PlayUSA.com has captured the current state of the rapidly evolving legal online gambling industry with its newly released white paper entitled, "Online Gambling and Sports Betting in America: The 2017 Landscape." In the report, PlayUSA analysts take a critical look at seven emerging gambling products online gambling, daily fantasy sports, online skill gambling, online lotteries, social casinos, and online horse betting. In doing so, PlayUSA offers a snapshot of the present and future of the U.S. gambling industry.

In all, 44 states legally allow some form of online betting, and 26 states are currently considering bills to expand online gambling.

The study details the widely varying positions of significant stakeholders from federal and state governments to commercial casinos to paint a clear picture of the hurdles to progress. The report also crystallizes the significance of what is at stake.

"Yes votes in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Massachusetts would have nothing less than a transformative impact on the U.S. online gambling industry," said Robert DellaFave, the senior analyst for PlayUSA who authored the report. "With a few sweeping pen strokes, a $250 million per year industry would metamorphose into one with billion-dollar potential."

Some states are mulling progress on multiple fronts, showing how critical a time this is for the legalized online gambling industry.

"Unsurprisingly, many of the same states that have either legalized or are considering online gambling, including New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, are taking a hard look at the merits of an online lottery rollout," DellaFave said.

For a summary of the PlayUSA report, visit http://www.playusa.com/gambling/. To download a free copy, visit http://www.playusa.com/gambling/#download.

About The PlayUSA Network: Based in Las Vegas, The PlayUSA Network is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in the United States. With a presence in over a dozen states, PlayUSA.com and its state-focused branches (including PlayNJ.com, PlayNY.com, PlayPennsylvania.com, and PlayCA.com) produce daily original reporting, publish in-depth research, and offer player advocacy tools related to the advancement of safe, licensed, and legal online poker and gaming options for consumers.

Contacts: Zack Hall, DVA Advertising & PR, 541-389-2411, zack@dvaadv.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-playusacom-report-captures-where-legal-gambling-stands-in-the-us-and-where-industry-is-headed-300442545.html

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New PlayUSA.com Report Captures Where Legal Gambling Stands In The U.S., And Where Industry Is Headed - Yahoo Finance

ONSLOW COUNTY, NC (WITN) - More details have emerged about an undercover investigation which led to six arrests and the seizure of gambling machines.

Major Chris Thomas with the Onslow County Sheriff's Office says the illegal gambling machines were seized after a two-month undercover investigation.

Thomas Newkirk, 31, of Jacksonville, Teresa Evans, 66, of Holly Ridge, Richard Melton Jr., 29, of Jacksonville, Teresa Blakley, 57, of Jacksonville, Eyad Saleh, 20, of Jacksonville, and Malek Taher-Maswarah, 32, of Jacksonville, were all charged with misdemeanor gambling violation, misdemeanor operate/possess slot machine, misdemeanor allow gambling in public house, misdemeanor allow gaming tables, and misdemeanor keeping slot machines/gaming tables.

Maj. Thomas says the investigation was prompted after people playing the machines say they were ripped off.

"They say they have been ripped off and not been paid, a lot of people go and play, and a lot of people lose their money," he explains. "But the games themselves are a violation of North Carolina gaming law, and we're just enforcing those laws."

Search warrants were issued Thursday for the Holly Mart on U.S. 17 South in Holly Ridge, BJ's Yard Sale on Richlands Highway, and Best Exxon on Richlands Highway.

Deputies say almost $12,000 in gambling receipts, along with ledgers, receipts and tally sheets were seized during the raid of three Onslow County businesses.

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Eleven gambling machines have been seized along with thousands of dollars in cash with the arrest of six people.

Onslow County deputies say the arrests came after a two-month long investigation into illegal gambling in the county.

Search warrants were issued Thursday for the Holly Mart on U.S. 17 South in Holly Ridge, BJ's Yard Sale on Richlands Highway, and Best Exxon on Richlands Highway.

Thomas Newkirk, 31, of Jacksonville, Teresa Evans, 66, of Holly Ridge, Richard Melton Jr., 29, of Jacksonville, Teresa Blakley, 57, of Jacksonville, Eyad Saleh, 20, of Jacksonville, and Malek Taher-Maswarah, 32, of Jacksonville, were all charged with misdemeanor gambling violation, misdemeanor operate/possess slot machine, misdemeanor allow gambling in public house, misdemeanor allow gaming tables, and misdemeanor keeping slot machines/gaming tables.

Saleh was also charged with conducting gambling at a licensed ABC premise, and consume alcohol by 19/20 year old.

Bonds for the six ranged from $3,000 to $7,000, all unsecured bonds.

Deputies say they seized more than $11,600 in gambling receipts, along with ledgers, receipts and tally sheets.

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NEW INFO: Six arrested in illegal gambling case - WITN - WITN