Daily Archives: July 4, 2017

Philippine bishop lashes out at government’s war on drugs – Vatican … – Vatican Radio

Posted: July 4, 2017 at 8:47 am

The "Walk for Life" march in Kalookan Diocese, 2 July, 2017. - RV

A Philippine bishop raised his voice on Sunday against the governments war on drugs, asking why the only the poor or small-time drug suspects are targeted while big drug lords and cartels go scot free. But has our government identified even just one of the cartels here in our country? asked Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan which covers the cities of Kaloocan, Malabon and Navotas. If this is a war, who is the enemy? Why is it that only the poor or ordinary people end up being the victims? he asked at Mass after leading a Walk for Life march to denounce the growing number of extrajudicial killings in the diocese.

Around 1,000 people including students, parishioners, lay people and religious leaders walked together for more than a kilometer from San Ildefonso Parish Church to San Jose Parish Church, culminating in Holy Mass.

In his homily, Bishop David lashed out against those who sow violence the same way some supporters of Judas did against Jesus. He described those behind the violence are Judases who are in league with the killers. He said if some people consider the suspected drug users and pushers as termites of society, so are those behind the extrajudicial killings.

Bishop David who has been heading the diocese since January, 2016, questioned why crimes like theft and bag snatching are caught on closed circuit television cameras, while murders, people who abduct and kill the helpless dont appear on surveillance cameras. They kill daily. In Navotas alone, they killed about 30 people in a span of three weeks, the bishop said. Sometimes they kill in groups. They move from one place to another and yet the police fail to arrest them.

Saying that the country cannot suppress crime by committing another crime, the 56-year-old prelate said that summary executions will just worsen the drug problem. At a time of increasing drug-related violence, he lamented that majority of these murder cases remain unsolved and the killers are still on the loose. Bishop David called on the government to solve all incidents of extrajudicial killings, dubbed recently by policemen as death under investigation cases.

President Rodrigo Duterte came to power promising a brutal, bloody war on drugs. His first year in office, which he marked Friday, has been marked by that promise. More than 7,000 alleged drug suspects have died in extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, in encounters with police or gunned down in so-called vigilante killings. Most of those deaths have been classified by police as "deaths under investigation." The killings have drawn widespread international condemnation, with Human Rights Watch describing Duterte's first year in power as a "human rights calamity."

In a pastoral letter in February, read out in the churches of Asias largest Catholic nation, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines agreed that the traffic in illegal drugs needs to be stopped, but "the solution does not lie in the killing of suspected drug users and pushers." The bishops expressed their concern for those killed, their families and the reign of terror in many places of the poor. Many are killed not because of drugs. Those who kill them are not brought to account, the bishops lamented.

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HARDIN: What’s the War on Drugs Got To Do With the Humboldt Brand – Lost Coast Outpost

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John Hardin / Yesterday @ 6:57 a.m. / Op-Ed HARDIN: Whats the War on Drugs Got To Do With the Humboldt Brand

Right now I see a lot of people scrambling frantically to find their niche in the legal marijuana market. In our eagerness to compete in this rapidly evolving market, we should be very careful not to overlook the infected wounds still festering in this county from the War on Drugs, nor should we miss the opportunity to take pride in our heritage, for our role in the marijuana underground, because that is the story of the Humboldt brand.

I realize thats a lot to pack into one sentence, but we need to think about this. Even if a lot of Humboldt County cannabis farmers do well in the legal market, we still have a whole lot of people in Humboldt County who grew up in the black market, and have no other marketable skills or education. They have been traumatized by the War on Drugs, and a lot of them have developed problems with drugs and alcohol as a result. They are never going to become weed tycoons in the legal market, but they were born and raised here in Humboldt County. They grew up in the marijuana underground. They fought the War on Drugs, and they built the Humboldt brand. You cant sweep them under the rug without sweeping the Humboldt brand away with them.

The County didnt haul sacks of chicken shit up the side of a mountain in the rain they did. The County doesnt have a panic attack every time it hears a helicopter they do. The County didnt grow the best marijuana anyone anyone had ever tasted they did. Humboldt County never got arrested for marijuana. Humboldt County never had a gun stuck in its face over marijuana, and Humboldt County was never denied a job, kicked out of school, or had a Workmans Comp claim denied because it smoked marijuana but they did.

Their sweat, their tears and the wounds they suffered in the War on Drugs, as well as the addictions they developed as a result of that pain, built the Humboldt brand. Unless we acknowledge that suffering, the Humboldt brand is worthless. On the other hand, the more we acknowledge that suffering, and treat the wounds we have suffered in the War on Drugs, as a community, the more we can celebrate the accomplishments of the marijuana underground, and the ingenuity and courage it took to fight the War on Drugs, and the more the Humboldt brand is genuinely worth. It seems paradoxical, but we cant expect other people to respect us for what we do here, if we cant even respect ourselves, our community, our environment, and our heritage.

We cant hide the problems the War on Drugs has created in our community behind the money the War on Drugs brought to us. Instead of trying to hide the poverty and addiction we see around us, or beating it to death on the streets of Garberville and Redway, we need to recognize how much our community has suffered in the War on Drugs. We need to show the world what prohibition has done to us, because unless they see the damage that was done to us, they cannot appreciate the heroic effort it took to fight the War on Drugs. For the world to recognize the War on Drugs as a real war, the world has to see real casualties, and weve got them.

The more we focus on how the War on Drugs affects us, and take stock of what it cost, the easier it will be for people to understand who we are and identify with us. Most cannabis consumers dont know what it is like to enjoy a six-figure, tax-free, income from a black market commodity, but they do know what it is like to be terrorized by cops. Millions of people all over the country have been busted for marijuana and had their lives turned upside-down by it. From that perspective, they understand what weve been through. Theyre traumatized too. They know that Humboldt County was ground zero in the War on Drugs, and theyve seen how the War on Drugs has affected themselves, their family, and friends. If we can respect and acknowledge our own truth, they will recognize it as our strength, and draw strength from it.

Marijuana culture survived, endured and ultimately prevailed after more than 40 years of war because marijuana culture is strong, and Humboldt County is at the heart of marijuana culture. Marijuana is medicine, and that is why Humboldt County should be a place of healing for the wounds of the War on Drugs. We were at the center of it; we are at the heart of it; and we need it the most. The more we look after the people among us who are suffering, and the more we pull together as a community, the more we demonstrate the strength of marijuana culture to the world around us, and the more attractive it becomes. By acknowledging the violence and trauma of the War on Drugs, and working to heal our own wounds as a community, we rebuild the strength of marijuana culture, and reestablish Humboldt County as its heart, legitimately and honestly. Thats how we build the Humboldt brand.

We cant truthfully say that Humboldt-grown weed is of higher quality than weed grown in a warehouse in Oakland, or anywhere else for that matter. These days, everybodys weed is plenty strong, if you can just keep the pesticides out of it. As this industry professionalizes, quality becomes a baseline expectation. Brand loyalty will be built on other factors including price, taste, convenience, packaging, and a whole slew of psychological factors. Whether you smoke Marlboros or Winstons probably has more to do with how you feel about cowboys and racecars than it does with any difference in quality. Similarly, successful cannabis marketing depends more on understanding cannabis users and their culture than it does with producing higher quality marijuana.

John Hardinwrites atLike Youve Got Something Better to Do.

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HARDIN: What's the War on Drugs Got To Do With the Humboldt Brand - Lost Coast Outpost

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In Iloilo, 2 pictures of drug war are emerging – Inquirer.net

Posted: at 8:47 am

A tarpaulin protesting alleged summary killings in the war on drugs is displayed at Guimbal Church in Guimbal town, Iloilo province, which President Duterte has described as a key drug area. NIO JESUS ORBETA

ILOILO CITY Their figures, or perceptions, dont match.

President Rodrigo Duterte continued to describe Iloilo as a key transit point for drugs even as police with jurisdiction over the city and province presented a different picture one of success in the antidrug campaign.

In his 27-minute speech at ceremonies for the 120th anniversary of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) on June 28, Mr. Duterte described Iloilo as a bedrock of the narcotics trade in the Visayas.

Last year, he tagged the Western Visayas capital as most shabulized. It wasnt clear, however, whether he was referring to Iloilo the city or the province.

It appears the Presidents perception of Iloilo as a key drug link hasnt changed even as officials of the regional police defended their record in the antidrug campaign.

The Presidents latest statement, however, serves as a challenge to the regional police force, said Chief Supt. Cesar Hawthorne Binag, Western Visayas police chief.

But Binag said if numbers were to be given a closer look, the regional police office hadnt done bad in the war on drugs.

He said the regional police was fifth among 18 regional police offices in terms of accomplishments in the antidrug campaign.

From June 27 to July 1, regional police arrested 1,742 drug suspects, according to Binag.

At least 30 suspects had been shot dead in police operations, he added.

A drug rehab program of the regional police, according to a police report, processed 944 users and pushers who had surrendered.

During his speech at the PSG anniversary, Mr. Duterte said Iloilo had become a key transit point for drugs and from there, drugs have spread to the Visayas.

It involves the mayors and the gangs there, the President said. Mr. Duterte gave no further details.

In August last year, the President tagged Iloilo province as most shabulized and named Mayors Jed Patrick Mabilog (Iloilo City) Mariano Malones Sr. (Maasin), Alex Centena (Calinog), Salagunting Betita (Carles) as involved in drugs.

He also named former city councilors, lawyers and policemen, including high-ranking officers in Western Visayas. No criminal complaints had been filed against the mayors.

In a report, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism said Western Visayas was seventh of 18 regions in the number of villages where drugs were rampant, quoting data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Dangerous Drugs Board.

In April 2017, Western Visayas was eighth in the number of villages influenced by drugs, the same report said.

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The War on Drugs is ending all over the world. Global experts arrive … – The Spinoff

Posted: at 8:47 am

Around the world the War on Drugs has failed; in New Zealand our aging drug law punishes and imprisons drug users. This week the New Zealand Drug Foundation has brought drug reformers to speak at Parliament to guide our laws into the 21st century. Simon Day asks ifour politicianswill finally listen.

Tuari Potiki, chair of the New Zealand Drug Foundation, addressed the UN General Assembly in te reo Mori. He spoke as an indigenous person whose life was nearly destroyed by drugs. As a survivor he told the world their War on Drugs has been an assault against the wrong people.

Many nations have joined up to wage a war against drugs and have ended up attacking people who really need our help and support, he told the UNs Special Session on the World Drug Problem in 2016.

Potiki started drinking and smoking cannabis at 13. By 20 he was injecting heroin. But at 28, a judge gave him a chance when he offered him the choice of jail, or getting help for his problem. He could see I needed a health intervention not a criminal justice one. And he sent me to treatment for my drug problem. And because treatment works I stand here today as chair of the New Zealand Drug Foundation as director of Mori development at Otago University, and as having not used drugs for 27 years, he told the UN.

Potiki was lucky. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 is over 40 years old and a relic of the global fear of drugs and drug users. Its heavy-handed dedication to deterrence through criminalisation and punishment of drug users is not working to prevent the harmful effects of drugs on New Zealanders. The social cost of drug related harms and intervention in 2014/15 was estimated at NZ$1.8 billion.

In 2011 the Law Commission recommended repealing and replacing the Act with new drug laws administered by the Ministry of Health. The commission recommended a more flexible response, to small-scale dealing and personal possession and use, particularly where these activities are linked to addiction.

Afraid of the slow moving morals of the conservative New Zealand voting bloc, politicians have refused to reform our drug law. John Key was unequivocalin saying cannabis would not be decriminalised or legalised during his reign. Bill English quickly rejected legalisation of cannabis aftertaking over as prime minister. While medicinal cannabis is now easier to access, without Pharmac subsidies or a local supply, costs are still significant. Labour leader Andrew Little has endorsed medical cannabis use, but also said no to decriminalisation.

The government appears happy to shirk responsibility, passing the role on to the police who have progressively applied an informal decriminalisation of cannabis. But in doing so politicians are hiding from their duty to the New Zealand public, and the basic premise of their existence, to address legislation that isnt working. And theyve left the application of drug law to the problematic subjectivity of the police, which appears to disproportionately benefit middle class pkeh. While just 15% of the population, Mori are 51% of the prison population perhaps New Zealands most shameful statistic and 40% of those are for drug offences.

Kiwis continue to look into the mirror and squint to see progressive world leading social reformers. But New Zealands anachronistic drug laws are stagnant and failing while much of the world is moving on from the War on Drugs.

In 2001, with one of the highest and most problematic rates of drug use is Europe, Portugal decriminalised all personal use of illicit drugs, and became the beacon of what was possible through drug law reform. The government introduced new policies on prevention, treatment, and harm reduction to support and educate drug users, seeing drug addiction as a health condition not a crime. The Portuguese approach reduced drug use in young people, reduced imprisonment of drug users, reduced H.I.V. infections and overdoses, and increased new patients seeking drug treatment.

In 2016 at the same time Americans went about electing Donald Trump, eight states had voted to adopt new medical and recreational cannabis laws. Now more than half of the US has cannabis available for medical use, and around one fifth of the population live in states where adults can get high, just to get high.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to legalise cannabis during his 2015 campaign, and in April introduced legislation to begin the process. The bill is expected to easily pass Parliament, making cannabis legal by 2018.

The Drug Foundations 2017 Symposium has brought leaders of global drug reform to parliament to show the power and potential of replacing the War on Drugs with laws that treat drug use as a health issue, not a criminal one. The issue is becoming urgent for New Zealand, but theres consistently a reluctance to change, or even talk about change. The Foundation wants to show these conversations dont need to be scary, and show there are successful models and values to build on. But it needs to happen soon.

If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem, Potiki told the UN General Assembly. And that a major part of the world drug problem are those countries that continue to block progress towards compassionate and proportionate and health-based responses to drug use and drug users.

Right now New Zealands politicians are part of the problem. Its fear and failure to move New Zealands drug legislation towards outcomes that are optimistic and equitable, means people who need help, or have done no harm to others are criminalised. Our laws leave thousands of our most at risk citizens with convictions that forever impact their future.

If there is a war to be fought it should be a war on poverty, a war on disparity, on dispossession, said Potiki, and on the multitude of historical and political factors that have left and continue to leave so many people vulnerable and in jeopardy.

A fresh way to deal with drugs is needed more than ever in New Zealand. To debate new approaches to drug law that are fit for the 21st century, the NZ Drug Foundation is running the Through the Maze: Healthy Drug Law parliamentary symposium (5-6 July, Wellington).

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What the Supreme Court’s decision to hear N.J. sports gambling … – The Seattle Times

Posted: at 8:47 am

The Supreme Court has decided to hear a New Jersey appeal against a quarter-century-old federal law banning sports gambling in all but the grandfathered states of Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana.

Our nations widespread prohibition of sports gambling is about to hit a crossroads at the front steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.

But whether that means anything here in our state with some of the countrys strictest anti-gambling laws remains to be seen. Last week, the high court decided to hear a New Jersey appeal against a quarter-century-old federal law banning sports gambling in all but the grandfathered states of Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana.

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992 essentially took the decision of whether to ban sports gaming out of state hands. But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wants to authorize gambling on sports at his states racetracks and Atlantic City casinos and argues PASPA unfairly blocks him from doing so.

Lower courts ruled against Christie, but that the Supreme Court even agreed to hear the case which it does only about 1 percent of the time in its upcoming session beginning in October is being foreshadowed as a potential New Jersey victory.

After all, the federal law allows Nevada to operate legalized sports gambling as a prime revenue source and whats good for one state is theoretically supposed to be good for all others, according to the constitution.

Well leave that interpretation up to the lawyers and judges to rule on.

But what might a New Jersey victory and a striking down of PASPA mean?

Here in Washington, maybe not much. Our state has engaged in vigorous prosecution of suspected illicit-gaming entities to a greater extent than other jurisdictions and the appetite for even softer forms of alleged gambling most notably, Daily Fantasy Sports has been limited at best.

If PASPA is declared unconstitutional, it means basically the states will decide if they want legalized sports gambling or not, said Mark Conrad, director of the sports business program at Fordham Universitys Gabelli School of Business in New York. It really falls back to state law. PASPA was intended to pre-empt states and create a national ban with the exemption of four states that were grandfathered in.

In other words, there would have to be pressure put on legislators here to change things.

Washington state can still say No, we dont want to do it, Conrad said. Its the state legislators decision and the governors decision.

Two years ago, a push for the legalization of some fantasy sports play was made by a couple of state legislators in Olympia. Eventually, the sponsored bill was watered down to exclude Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) play because of the bad press it was getting nationwide as an alleged gateway into full-blown sports wagering.

Soon after that, the movement faded.

Chris Stearns, a commissioner with the Washington State Gambling Commission the states regulatory arm on gambling matters isnt sure a push to legalize sports betting here would catch on.

For one thing, he said, state law is very strict about any attempt at the expansion of gambling and moving to legalize sports betting would certainly be seen as that.

I think that fantasy sports is probably an easier push, Stearns said. Because gambling, at least in the legal framework, is frowned upon.

And as mentioned, even the watered-down fantasy sports effort here two years ago went nowhere. It remains to be seen whether the public appetite for legalized sports gaming is strong enough for lawmakers to reverse our long-held stance.

Then again, big money can change anything. And there is big money to be made for states stepping into the sports-gambling business.

The American Gaming Association a trade group representing the nations casino industry estimates roughly $150 billion is wagered annually on sports in this country, 97 percent of it illegally. The group, which has long called for the repeal of PASPA, conducted a Morning Consult poll of NFL fans in various cities on their gambling views in December and January.

Of 1,334 Seahawks supporters surveyed, 48 percent favored legalized sports betting, 17 percent were opposed and 35 percent were undecided or had no opinion. If the poll which had a margin for error of 3 percent is at all indicative of the overall views of Washingtons sports fans, it could be seen by lawmakers here as a moneymaking opportunity.

When you see the potential (for revenue), I think that would be a decision a number of states would consider, Fordham Universitys Conrad said. In fact, there would be bills introduced almost immediately to legalize gambling after the decision if indeed PASPA is nullified.

Even pro sports once staunchly opposed to gambling have leaned toward a more regulated form of it. NBA commissioner Adam Silver and former commissioner David Stern have come out the strongest in favor, while MLB has done deals with DFS entities the past few years and the NHL has put an expansion franchise in Las Vegas.

Even the NFL, arguably the most formidable gambling opponent, is allowing the Raiders to move to Las Vegas from Oakland.

And money is indeed behind many of their shifting attitudes.

A global gaming research firm estimated in 2015 that legalized sports betting revenue could total $12.4billion annually in the U.S. Thats about equal to all revenue generated yearly by the NFL.

And a slice of that could prove enticing to even the most conservative of anti-gambling states.

So, as to where this upcoming Supreme Court decision might lead all bets are off.

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Exclusive: Okada sues family in bid to regain control of gambling empire – Reuters

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TOKYO Japanese casino and slot machine tycoon Kazuo Okada has filed a lawsuit against his son, daughter and wife in Hong Kong in an attempt to regain control of his sprawling business empire, according to a court filing and Okada.

Okada, 74, told Reuters in an interview that he saw a lawsuit as the only way to get his son and daughter to the negotiating table after they took control of the board of a Hong Kong company at the center of his business holdings in May.

Okada Holdings Ltd, the Hong Kong company that is majority owner of Tokyo-listed gambling machine maker Universal Entertainment Corp, is also a defendant in the suit, according to the Hong Kong High Court online database, though Okada himself didn't confirm that. It was unclear on what grounds the suit was brought and no other details were available from the court.

Okada declined to respond to questions about the details of the suit, which Reuters was unable to view, but said he believed he had been wronged by the move to push him out as director of Okada Holdings, a change that was registered on May 12, according to a public filing.

Okada said he hasn't seen his son Tomohiro in two years and does not know his daughter Hiromi's current whereabouts. Reuters was unable to reach either of them at addresses in public records. Both are Okada's children from a previous marriage.

Okada said he hoped a lawsuit would prompt a judge to order them to negotiate a settlement that would restore his position at Okada Holdings.

"Unless I sue there will be no opportunity to talk. The reality is I am in a losing position in terms of voting rights," Okada said, referring to his 46.4 percent stake in Okada Holdings, versus Tomohiro and Hiromi's combined 53 percent.

Okada said he did not find out he was dropped as Okada Holdings' director until May 18. He said Universal's board told him on May 23 that he was being investigated for alleged misuse of company funds. That was followed by Universal's announcement on May 31 that he would not be reappointed to its board.

"I was totally blindsided," Okada said.

The interview took place last Thursday in the restaurant of a Tokyo hotel where Universal was holding its annual shareholders' meeting. Okada had been denied entry on the grounds he is not a direct shareholder since the Hong Kong holding firm holds his stake.

Universal declined to respond to Okada's assertions. It said it would make additional disclosures once an internal investigation it recently launched to probe Okada's alleged improper use of company funds had submitted its findings.

CANNOT FORGIVE

Okada said Tomohiro turned against him because his son believed he was not being paid dividends from Universal commensurate with his 43.5 percent stake in Okada Holdings. Okada said he planned to investigate the matter.

Okada said he was confident he could convince Hiromi to support him as long as he could get her brother to work towards a settlement.

As for his wife Takako, Okada said he could not forgive her for agreeing to be reappointed to Universal's board. The company said Thursday that Takako would take on responsibility for Okada's art museum and advise the company on its overseas business.

Takako, 43, did not respond to letters left at her home, an email sent to her company address, or a request to speak relayed through her mother.

Last month, Universal issued a press release accusing Okada and another director of misappropriating some $20 million in company funds in three transactions during 2015. It convened an investigative panel composed of three attorneys that is now looking for other alleged irregularities.

Okada described the companys allegations as "nonsense". For example, he said one of the transactions in question was a loan not due until November that had been used for a legitimate purpose: to expand junket operations aimed at attracting high-rollers to Universal's casino in the Philippines.

"That contract is still active. There is no problem." Okada said he could not provide a copy of the contract for Reuters to review because it was located at a company office to which he no longer has access.

Okada said he viewed the investigation as an attempt by Universal President Jun Fujimoto to seize control. Okada noted that he had handpicked Fujimoto to help lead the company founded five decades ago.

"I made Fujimoto president. Now he wants to take over."

Fujimoto called Okada "unfit" to be the director of a public company and vowed to prove that with "irrefutable physical evidence" in a private letter to a shareholder on June 21, Reuters reported last week.

Universal declined to make Fujimoto available for comment. Universal said it was not in a position to comment about Okada's allegations against Fujimoto. Two new directors at Okada Holdings did not respond to emails seeking comment.

(Additional reporting by William Ho in Hong Kong; Editing by Martin Howell)

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will use fast-growing supplies of U.S. natural gas as a political tool when he meets in Warsaw on Thursday with leaders of a dozen countries that are captive to Russia for their energy needs.

SEOUL Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Tuesday it will invest at least $18.6 billion in South Korea to extend its lead in memory chips and next-generation smartphone displays, in a plan that promises to create almost half a million jobs.

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Iowa Lottery dealing with change in law covering gambling self-ban – Radio Iowa

Posted: at 8:47 am

The state law that allowed someone to sign a lifetime self-ban for gambling changed July 1st to give people the option of also signing a 5-year ban.

Anyone who signs the ban is prevented from entering the gaming floor at Iowas casinos. Iowa Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says they sell lottery tickets at thousands of retailers across the state, so they had to take a different approach to the ban.

Obviously we cant ban folks from going to a convenience store or from a grocery store because they have other business that they need to be doing on in those locations, Neubauer says. So the way we came at the motivation to play was to have folks who sign our self-exclusiong agreement to ban themselves from lottery offices across the state. Neubauer says keeping them out of the Iowa Lottery offices ensures they cant chase big jackpots.

Any lottery prize of more than 600 dollars in Iowa has to be claimed at a lottery office, Neubauer explains, so in the process of banning yourself from a lottery office you are preventing yourself from ever being able to claim a big lottery prize. Its believed the change to allow for the five-year ban option may encourage more people who see they have a problem to sign up.

What were all trying to do is give someone who is trying to deal with the issue of dealing with compulsive gambling more tools that they can use to try to make a healthy recover from the difficulty that that has caused in their life, Neubauer says. She says the ban itself wont help if people dont follow through and get some help with the problem, and thats why there also want to ensure people know how to get that help.

Neubauer says the casinos and the Iowa Lottery are working with the Iowa Department of Public Health to develop a brochure that they will give to people who sign up for the ban, to ensure they know about 1-800-BETTSOFF and the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program. Neubauer says the law allows those who think they have taken care of their problem to be removed from the banned list.

Someone who has signed up for a self-exclusion from an Iowa casino or from the Iowa Lottery has the option if youve been on the self-exclusion list

for five years to request that your name comes of the list, Neubauer says. But that does not mean that you can just walk into a casino or walk into a lottery office and the process is done. She says you will have to fill out the proper paperwork to get your name off the exclusion list, and then wait to get a confirmation it has been processed.

For the first couple of months after July there may be some bumps in the road in that regard if folks arent paying attention to the details and arent taking the steps necessary to get off the exclusion list. So, were doing everything that we can to make it very, very clear how the process works, according to Neubauer. You can contact the Iowa Lottery or the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to find out more about the changes to the gambling ban.

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Iowa Lottery dealing with change in law covering gambling self-ban - Radio Iowa

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Wynn Resorts shares fall 2% after weak June gambling revenues for Macau – MarketWatch

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Shares of high-end hotel and casino operator Wynn Resorts Ltd. WYNN, -2.32% slumped 2% Monday, after the latest gaming revenue numbers from Macau fell short of expectations. The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau of Macao said June revenue rose 26% at the Chinese enclave, home of Wynn's most expensive property, the Wynn Palace, opened in 2016 to much fanfare. Instinet analyst Harry Curtis said that was well below the low end of his 30% to 35% estimate. The 22% gain for the second quarter was also below his 24% estimate, as gross gaming revenue fell sharply at the end of June, which the analyst attributed to tensions surrounding China's President Xi Jinping's visit to Macau's neighbor Hong Kong. "While it's too early to determine what, if any, impact the KYC and AML regulations are having on mass and VIP GGR, respectively, this issue will gain increased focus by investors given the June GGR shortfall," he wrote in a note, referring to Know Your Customer anti-money laundering rules. "That said, our view is that Xi's visit (and not KYC/AML regulations) explains most of the end-of-month deceleration." Macau had struggled through several years of declining revenue, after a Chinese government crackdown on corruption that spooked some of the high-rollers that had flocked to its casinos from the mainland. Gaming revenue has Wynn shares have gained 52% in 2017, while the S&P 500 SPX, +0.23% has gained 8.9%.

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Wynn Resorts shares fall 2% after weak June gambling revenues for Macau - MarketWatch

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Japan to collect part of casino revenue to finance steps against gambling addiction – The Japan Times

Posted: at 8:47 am

The government is considering collecting some of the revenue from casino operators mainly to finance measures to help prevent gambling addiction, sources said.

The Diet enacted a law to legalize casinos in December amid ongoing public concerns over potential social ills, including surges in gambling addiction and organized crime.

The nation is plagued by high rates of gambling addiction stemming from its tolerance of pachinko and other types of betting activities, including horse, boat and bicycle races.

The government plan calls for splitting the collected revenue between the central and local governments, and it will also be used to beef up social welfare measures and promote arts and culture, the sources said Monday.

The system will be included in a planned bill that sets guidelines for integrated resorts set to include casinos, the sources said. The government aims to submit the bill to an extraordinary Diet session seen starting this fall.

The government hopes to introduce casino regulations at the worlds highest standards and set up a casino oversight committee as an affiliate of the Cabinet Office. It is considering slapping tough penalties for violations, including revoking business licenses.

The plan calls for distributing the funds for tourism promotion across wide areas, including some that dont host casinos, the sources said.

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Japan to collect part of casino revenue to finance steps against gambling addiction - The Japan Times

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Turkey readies measures to combat illegal gambling – Daily Sabah – Daily Sabah

Posted: at 8:47 am

The government is in the process of initiating a nation-wide offensive against illegal gambling. The two-year plan under consideration will introduce several regulations that will allow authorities to better tackle illegal gambling dens and internet gambling sites.

The plan will be implemented by the Interior and Justice Ministries in coordination with the Revenues Department and the Police Department. While an awareness campaign targeting teenagers and children will outline the many negative effects of gambling, authorities will also discourage the purveyors of such criminal activities through punitive measures.

The first step will be the establishment of a team, headed by a special prosecutor, with members from the Financial Crimes Investigation Council (MASAK), Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK), Revenues Department and Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) and other relevant agencies.

Those organizers and intermediaries who are found to have profited from illegal gambling will forfeit their income. Houses, where illegal gambling takes place, will be temporarily seized by the state.

Shops like internet cafes that allow customers to access illegal gambling sites will receive huge fines. The use of credit cards or banking transactions that allows illegal gambling will be prevented through measures that will be implemented by the BDDK. The same agency will also prevent the use of alternative spending methods, such as Bitcoin, ethereum and ripple, for illegal gambling activities.

The BTK will send SMS's to citizens who access illegal gambling sites. The Interior Ministry will hang posters at many internet cafes or coffee houses telling customers that gambling is illegal.

Internet pages that broadcast TV shows and pornographic material as a cover to advertise gambling sites will be shut down. Any advertisement that encourages gambling will be banned. The public will be invited to alert authorities if they see any overt or covert advertisements for gambling.

Search engines will also be monitored, and users who are directed to gambling sites through adverts will be warned.

Authorities are also studying ways to close all the legal loopholes that allow the reopening of illegal gambling houses despite being repeatedly closed down.

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