Daily Archives: May 18, 2017

Thirteen Chinese nationals, 12 men and one woman, arrested for running an online gambling centre, and some of their equipment, shown at Pattaya police station. (Photo taken from @Pattayapolice.fan Facebook page)

CHON BURI - Thirteen Chinese nationals have been arrested for running an online gambling operation from a rented house in Pattaya beach resort city, mainly taking bets from their own countrymen.

The suspects, 12 men and one woman, were apprehended at a four-storey commercial building on Chalermprakiart Road in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district during a raid on Wednesday. They were found receiving gambling bets made over the internet.

They were identified as gang leader Ming Chou Lee, 40, Xie Ruihao, 26, Wang Yong, 28,JunzeQin, 28, Gong Chengjian, 26, Cai Yao, 22, YiZhipeng, 24, Chang Hongfei, 26, Liu Lei, 22, Li Bin, 31, Zhu Liangjiang, 24, Tang Jibin, 22 and Ms Huang Lo Min, 30.

Seized from the building were 15 computers, four internet routers, a one-time password generator for online transactions, lists detailing bank accounts of customers and other documents.

Pol Lt Gen Jitti Rodbangyang, chief of Provincial Police Region 2, announced the arrests during a media briefing at Pattaya police station. The raid followed a tip-off, he said.

The suspects confessed they were hired by a person in China to run the gambling centre in Pattaya. Their online customers were mainly punters in China, he said.

Gang leader Ming had been paid 100,000 baht a month and his 12 accomplices 25,000-35,000 baht. They had operated in Pattaya for 2-3 months before being arrested. Millions of baht circulated through their bank accounts each month, he said.

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Chinese online gambling centre busted in Pattaya - Bangkok Post

Updated May 18, 2017 15:55:57

Clubs in Canberra are donating large amounts of poker machine revenue to themselves, new research has found.

Clubs are required to set aside 8 per cent of profit from pokies to support communities, but the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) asked gambling researcher Charles Livingstone to find out where that money was going.

Dr Livingstone said the clubs said they contributed more than $7 million in cash in 2014-15, but most of that appeared to be the clubs donating to themselves.

"So about 70 per cent of the claims appear to be the clubs basically making donations to themselves and much of that goes to elite sportspeople, wages for coaches and that sort of thing," he said.

"Our research discovered the contributions they make to the community are minuscule compared to the amount of harm they inflict on the ACT community."

The FARE report also found only $63,000 was given to problem gambling, with only a few of Canberra's 46 clubs making a donation.

"The money only came from one or two clubs and most of the money that was claimed as a contribution to problem gambling was spent by a club on its staff training rather than on providing services to gamblers," Dr Livingstone said.

But local clubs have rejected the research.

Gwyn Rees from Clubs ACT labelled the report "offensive" and "farcical".

"The community contributions are set at a certain level. Separately there is a fund specifically allocated to dealing with problem gambling," he said.

"That fund is set at the moment at 6 per cent of net gaming revenue and it will move to 7.5 per cent at July 1."

Canberra Southern Cross Club chief executive Ian Mackay also criticised the research.

"We support over 350 community groups, schools and local charities to the tune of around $1.5 million," he said.

"We just don't agree with the research that has been done."

In a statement, a spokesperson from the ACT Government said it would work with clubs and other interested stakeholders to improve the community contributions process.

The ABC has approached the five biggest clubs in Canberra for a response.

A spokeswoman for the Labor Club said: "We don't have a comment for the media."

The Tradies Club was also unavailable for comment.

Topics: gambling, community-and-society, clubs-and-associations, canberra-2600, act, australia

First posted May 18, 2017 12:16:39

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Canberra clubs giving gambling profits back to themselves, rather ... - ABC Online

Pennsylvania isone of the most likely candidates to become the fourth state in the US to offer legal online poker or casino games.

Read on for the latest news and analysis of the developing situation for regulated online gambling in PA. Scroll below for a synopsis of the status quo and background on efforts to bring legal gambling sites to Pennsylvania.

Want to support online gambling in PA? Use this tool to contact your representative.

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Pennsylvania has taken multiple looks at online gambling, and gaming reform in general, during the 2017 session.

Gaming reform remains a contentious issue in the state, with legislators divided on what reforms to legalize and how to implement them.

Among the most hot topic debates are:

In the coming weeks and months, Pennsylvania lawmakers are expected to debate these issues, and (hopefully) reach some sort of consensus on gaming reform and the pressing local share tax issue.

There are currently 12 land-based casinos in Pennsylvania. Only one Sands Bethlehem will almost definitely abstain from online gambling. Or at least it will, unless it is acquired by MGM Resorts.

The rest are likely to either be enthusiastic or reluctant participants in the industry. Some, such as Mount Airy Casino, Parx Casino, andValley Forge have already forged online gambling partnerships.

Combine these fees with the proposed $2 million fee charged to significant vendors, and its easy to see the industry filling the $100 million earmarked by Gov. Tom Wolf for gaming reform in FY 2016/17. Internal projections have the final estimated upfront licensing fees at $126 million.

But the real question is: Once they collect fees, how much tax revenuewill the industry generate on a recurring basis?

The bestmeans of answering that question is to look at the performance of the regulated NJ online gambling market.

In its first full year (2014), the NJ industry generated nearly $123 million in gross gaming revenue.Using this figure as a baseline, and accounting for PAs larger population, we arrive at an estimate of $176 million. At a 20percent tax rate, thats $35.2 million in first-year tax revenue.

In reality, that figure stands to be much higher.Improvements ingeolocation technology,payment processing, and other areas willprovide Pennsylvania operators with luxuries that werent available in NJ at launch.

Accounting for this, it wouldnt surprise if Pennsylvanias first year was nearly as strong as NJs third (2016).

NJ generated nearly $197 million in online gambling revenue for 2016. If PA enjoys nearly as muchsuccessin its first year, online gambling revenue will top $230 million,rising to $364 million by year five.

Of course all efforts may be for naught if lawmakers insist on a 54 percent tax rate for slots, which could kill the industry before it finds its footing.

Pennsylvania has a booming land-based casino economy, but rising competition from neighboring states threatens to put a dent in the industrys margins. The state is trying to remain competitive.

Any online poker bill that makes its way to the Governors desk is likely includeonline casino games and other reforms. Although the presence of multiple reforms and the recent tax rate debatecomplicates the equation, theres still a fair chance Pennsylvania players will be playing on legal online poker sites within the next 12 18 months.

Presumably, yes. All bills to date have included online casino.

Its worth noting that online casino is a much bigger revenue generator in NJ than online poker games. It accounts for over 85 percent of annual industry revenue.

Under the provisions of all proposed legislation, land-based casinos would operate online poker and casino sites. License holders wouldhave to pay a fee between $8 10 million, and significant vendorsa $2 million fee.

The possibility is there. Certainly, New Jersey would likely be interested in forging an interstate online poker network with Pennsylvania. PA is roughly 1.5 times the size of its east coast neighbor, and will presumably make use of some of the same operators.

You wont have to hold residence in Pennsylvania to play at the states regulated sites. However you will have to be physically located within its borders.

For a time, it looked like Pennsylvania was a slam dunk to legalize online gambling in 2016. Those hopes were dashed when the Senate failed to reach a consensus before the last scheduled session day.

After a strong but ultimately fruitless push in 2015, the latest legislative effort started off with more of a whimper than a bang. It wasnt until late May that the wheels began turning. Thats whenthe House of Representatives consideredtwo gaming reform amendments. This amendments, if passed, would become part ofa separategaming bill, HB 1925.

The first, A7622, packaged online poker/casinoand other reforms alongside the inclusion of video gaming terminals (VGTs) at non-casino locations. The other, A7622, was a mirror of Rep. John Paynes omnibus gaming reform bill (HB 649) from the year prior, and did not include VGTs.

Confusion ruled the day, and both amendments were soundly defeated.(Although the margin of defeat for A7622 was significantly smaller.)

Momentum shifted to the side of online gambling proponents in late June. Thats when a new, multifaceted gaming reform bill that linked online gambling, daily fantasy sports, and other gaming reforms emerged in the House.

An amendment to allow VGTs nearly derailed the bill, failing by a vote of 118-79. But a last-minute amendment by Rep. Rosita Youngblood (the aptly titled Youngblood Amendment) calling for the exclusion of VGTs, turned the tide. The amendment ultimately passed 115-80.

In the week that followed, HB 2150 saw a whirlwind of activity. This culminated in thebill clearing a vote in theHouse.

In July, Governor Tom Wolf allowed a $1.3 billion revenue packagethat earmarked $100 million forgaming reform, to become law. All indications pointed to licensing fees from online gambling operators would be counted on to fill the gap.

Unfortunately, the Senate signaled that it would not be addressing online gambling legislation until the fall. In the interim, the legislature raised taxes on casino table games, while online gambling advocates spoke up about the need to pass legislation sooner rather than later.

Online gambling first appeared on the legislatures radar in April 2013, when State Rep. Tina Davis introduced HB 1235. The bill would permit both online poker and casino within the commonwealth. It also set operator licensing fees at $5 million, and called for a 28 percent tax rate on gross gaming revenue.

By June of this year, a general lack of interest among lawmakers resulted in the House Committee on Gaming Oversight chair Tina Pickett recommending the bill be stalled until 2015. But it wouldnt take nearly that longfor the ball to begin rolling again.

In December 2013, the Senatetook a mammoth step forward when it passed SR 273. The resolution tasked Econsult Solutions with conducting a study that would measure the economic impact of online gambling.

The results were published in May 2014, and were cause for optimism. Econsultestimatedthat online gambling would yield $68 million in first year tax revenue, and $110 million annually going forward.It also concluded thatonline gambling would have a complementary impact on land-based casino revenue.

Granted, the revenue estimates are alwaystaken with a massive grain of salt, as they presumed a blended 20 percent tax rate on online poker and 60 percent on slots.

In either case, the results provedfavorable enough for State Sen. Edwin Erickson to introduce a new online gambling bill (SB 1386) in June 2014. There was little actionon that particular bill, but it set the stage for what would prove a very active 2015 session.

Rep. John Payne introduced HB 649 in February 2015. Payne viewed online gambling as part of the solution to the states projected $2 billion budget shortfall. Hebacked his beliefs by championing online gambling legislation efforts for the next two years.

In the spring of 2015,two competing bills emerged in the House. One, HB 920, was from Tina Davis, a near replica of her 2013 bill. The other, Nick Miccarellis HB 695, was an online poker only bill. Of the three, Paynes becamethe most likelycandidate for serious consideration.

Ahead of the June 30 budget deadline, there was the introduction of a fourth bill this one from the State Sen. Kim Ward. SB 900 wassignificant in that it marked the Senates official entry into the conversation. Unfortunately, SB 900 was radically different than HB 649. It calledfor a 54 percent tax rate, a $10 million operator licensing fee, in-person registration, and the exclusion of Category 3 casinos.

Suffice it to say, the rigid nature of SB 900 would make it so license holders would have trouble operating profitably.

The Senate held two hearings on online gambling in June 2015. After thatlittle was heard on the topic until the fall. In October, Pennsylvania was still in the midst of a budget stalemate. When Gov. Tom Wolfs tax plan sawdefeat in the House, he becamewilling to discuss new revenue sources, online gambling among them.

The following month, the GO committee passed HB 649 by a margin of 18-8. This markedthe first time an online gambling bill passed a vote in Pennsylvania. But by then, an omnibus package was attached to the bill. It calledfor slot machines at non-casino venues and airports, Category 3 casino expansion, and a report on daily fantasy sports, among other reforms.

Its believed that the controversial elements of the bill, namely allowing video gaming terminals at non-casino locations, was one of the reasons efforts stalled in 2015.

Pennsylvania is currently home to 12 land-based casinos. Together theycreate the second-largest gambling economy in the United States. Hard to believe that just over a decade ago the industry was non-existent.

The ball got rolling in 2004, whenlawmakersauthorized 61,000 slot machines at existing horse tracks, resorts and slot parlors. Concurrently, the state set up thePennsylvania Gaming Control Board.The Board would issue up to 14 licenses, and provide regulatory oversight for the nascent industry.

On December 20, 2006, six licenses for existing horse racing venues and five more for standalone casino were awarded. Of the 11 licensed operators, 10 opened or expanded their facilities by 2010. And by 2011, two Category 3 casinos Valley Force Casino Resort and Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin had also flipped over the open sign.

The industry took a monumental step forward in early 2010, with the legalization oftable games including poker at slots casinos. By July 2010, top earners Sands Bethlehem, Parx Casino, and Harrahs Chester (later rebranded as Harrahs Philadelphia) had all instituted table games.

It was then that land-based casino revenue really began to take off, growing from $1.62 billion in 2008, to $2.49 billion in 2010, and $3.16 billion in 2012.

For fiscal 2015-16, PA recorded $3.2 billion in revenue a record high.Since, the industry has mostly stabilized,and is even beginning to show a few chinks in the armor.

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Pennsylvania Online Casinos - OnlinePokerReport.com

Over the past few years, there has been an increasing focus on gambling online with Bitcoin. Although not all online casinos accept cryptocurrency payments right now, there are quite a few that do. It is not hard to see why Bitcoin is a popular payment method in the gambling industry either. It even makes a lot of sense for gambling providers as well.

From a consumer point of view, gambling online with Bitcoin is almost a no-brainer. The payment method is fast, cheap, and presents an aura of privacy no other payment solution can provide right now. Moreover, users are in full control of their funds at all times, which makes it somewhat easier to manage the gambling budget as well. Funds are deducted from your Bitcoin wallet immediately.

This is what makes cryptocurrency gambling very different from using credit cards. When depositing funds into an account with a Visa or MasterCard, it will not affect your bank balance immediately. In fact, the money will only be withdrawn the month after once the billing cycle ends. This creates a false degree of being able to gamble without financial repercussions. Unfortunately, this is also one of the main reasons how people slowly build up a gambling debt.

Bitcoin gambling platforms are not hard to come by, although things are a bit different in the United States. Different states have their own licensing requirements for gambling operations. Luckily, there are platforms such as Bitcoincasino.us, who provide users with the most trusted casino platform across all of the United States. The platform has seen a lot of support as of late. That is not surprising, considering Bitcoin gambling is becoming more popular.

The platform offers players everything they could look for in a Bitcoin casino. A wide variety of games can be played, and new games are added on a regular basis. Right now, BitcoinCasino.us has over 650 games to play. Moreover, the company provides some very powerful bonuses that will attract a lot of users. Being able to gamble with Bitcoin in the United States without concern is an absolute breeze.

It is evident there is a growing demand for trusted Bitcoin gambling platforms across all of the United States. The country has always been somewhat friendly toward gambling, although things are a bit different when it comes to online casinos. Moreover, the lack of Bitcoin regulation can pose an additional problem for any gambling operator in the country.

Now that people are slowly becoming more aware of why Bitcoin makes sense for gambling purposes, they will start looking for additional platforms providing such a service. Bitcoincasino.us provides an invaluable service to the Bitcoin community in this regard, that much is evident.

If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @themerklenews and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and technology news.

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Only Use Trusted Bitcoin Casinos When Gambling Online as a US ... - The Merkle

The state spectacle in the U.S. has been great for overseas online gambling companies, with the latest wave of political scandals on Capitol Hill bringing the action on Trumps presidency ending prematurely to new levels.

U.K. gambling site Ladbrokes said Wednesday in a press release that Trump is now odds-on to leave office before the end of his first term. The company slashed odds of Trump being impeached or resigning to 4/5 (55 percent). A $100 bet would net you $80.

An early Trump exit previously had been 11/10 on the platform.

Political punters are wondering how many more scandals can Trump overcome," said Jessica Bridge of Ladbrokes. "And despite the short price on offer, money has poured in for the president to be impeached, leaving us with little option but to cut the odds.

Some political commentators have drawn parallels between Watergate, which led to President Nixons demise, and Trumps firing of the FBI Director during the middle of a probe into the administrations ties to Russia.

From a betting perspective, Donald Trumps presidency has triggered a massive boom for these kinds of markets, Ladbrokes said. With Donald Trump, everything he does, it can be turned into speculation, and that can be turned into gambling.

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power lists Trump impeachment at 2/1 and resignation at 15/8.

Impeachment has been a hugely popular topic ever since Election Day when it was 16/1, immediately after news of Trumps victory emerged," Paddy Power told MarketWatch. By the time of his inauguration, the price was at 10/1.

Weve been betting on impeachment for all recent U.S. presidents but, even at the height of the Lewinsky scandal, Bill Clinton was only ever 6/1 to be impeached.

An estimated $250 million was bet on the 2016 U.S. presidential election in the U.K.

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Gambling Site: 'Money Has Poured In' For Donald Trump Impeachment - CardPlayer.com

The Tohono Oodham Nation will finally be able to conduct full-scale gaming at its new casino in Glendale.

In an agreement announced this morning, the state will give up on its contention that the tribe acted illegally in building a casino in the Phoenix area. That has resulted in the state Department of Gaming refusing to provide the necessary certification for operation of a full-blown casino.

The facility has been open since last year. But while the devices available look like slot machines, they essentially are a form of interlinked bingo, something considered Class II gaming, which federal law blocks the state from controlling.

True slot machines and table games like blackjack and poker, all forms of Class III gaming, have until now been prohibited because of state action.

In exchange, the tribe is agreeing that it will not attempt to open any more casinos in the Phoenix area. There had been some legal question about whether a 1986 federal law actually permitted such a move.

Todays agreement also politically undermines efforts by some Republican members of Congress to thwart the tribes Glendale casino by retroactively amending that 1986 law.

In a prepared statement, tribal Chairman Edward Manuel said todays agreement caps years of efforts.

It establishes an agreement concerning the nations right to conduct Class III gaming on its West Valley land and it brings to an end the final dispute that was constraining this important project.

That includes not just building a real casino the current one is operating in what eventually would be a warehouse but also plans for a resort.

Gov. Doug Ducey, in his own statement, said he was glad to finally extinguish the years of litigation between the state and the tribe.

While the state never wanted a casino in Glendale there were multiple legal efforts to block it the governor said a key concern was making sure that situation was not replicated elsewhere.

This agreement ensures that there are meaningful restrictions on additional casinos in the greater Phoenix metro area, Ducey said. It is time for us to move forward.

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Gambling a go in Glendale as tribe, state strike accord - Arizona Capitol Times