Daily Archives: January 17, 2021

Nowadays gambling became one of the most popular forms of entertainment for people all around the world. The gambling community immediately became wider, and now its quite common hobby for people with different budgets.

The key to success is simple: gambling is a hobby, that flexible, interesting, thrilling and inspiring at the same time. And each person can find something personal and favorable that will make them love this type of entertainment.

On our website you can get familiar with reviews on the best online casinos and pick the one, that seems to be the most attractive to you. Playing on a decent gambling platform, you can get a truly precious and bright gaming experience that will become a base for your opinion https://www.topnongamstop.co.uk/ about this sphere in general.

Online gambling is a hobby, that doesnt need any physical effort, but yet it managed to surprise and entertain you every single day. You can play while listening to your favorite music. You can wear comfortable clothes and drink or eat during the game whatever you want. All you need to play gambling games at home is a device, such as a computer, laptop or mobile phone, and an internet connection.

If you have a strong competitive spirit, you surely will love this type of entertainment. You can not only play against other players on the same table but also take a part in different gambling tournaments. Here you have a chance to win money for taking one of the prize places, and of course, compete against other advanced players. Here you can earn your first popularity and introduce yourself as a powerful and skillful player.

In the gambling community, you have a high chance to build a tight and long-termed friendship. People here are very talkative and active, they often get together on different forums to discuss different gambling news, their personal experience in some games, all kinds of tips and tricks and ways to make a profit.

They will willingly accept a newbie to their community and explain all the basics of the gambling hobby. Perhaps, even help you to understand some main strategies and ways to apply them in your games.

So if youve thought about online games dont hesitate and give it a chance. Perhaps, this sphere will completely fascinate you and become your new hobby.

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Reasons Why Gambling Is One Of The Best Ways To Entertain Yourself - South Florida Reporter

Every week through the Super Bowl, I will attempt, using tools and stats from FTNBets.com, to slay the sportsbooks, scribbling my favorite side, total or prop picks for the weeks upcoming NFL slate. Some will win. Many will lose. Fade or follow? That, of course, is up to you. With the Divisional Round on tap this weekend, here are three picks worth diving into:

Prop 1: Cam Akers

OVER 16.5 rush attempts (-125, DraftKings)

After stints with Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown as his primary rushers, It only took Sean McVay approximately one full millennium to realize the rookie running back is good at what he was drafted to do, carry the football. As displayed occasionally before the playoffs, the youngster was a three-down monster last week against the Seahawks. He exhibited spectacular open-field burst, cutback skills, break-tackle brawn (3.46 YAC/att.) and soft hands in a 30-touch, 176-total-yard thrashing of Seattle. Including that intoxicating effort, hes received ball-to-belly at least 21 times in five of his last six contests. The increased snap and opportunity shares combined with the Rams unyielding defense and Jared Goffs tender thumb arrow to another rigorous workload. Green Bay tightened the trench screws down the regular seasons homestretch, but it still surrendered 4.37 yards per carry and 91.6 rush yards per game to RBs. Assuming Jalen Ramsey and his L.A. cohorts prevent Aaron Rodgers from dissecting them, Akers will reach the 20 rush attempts mark.

Prop 2: Lamar Jackson

OVER 75.5 rush yards (-110, BetMGM)

Attempting to chase down Jackson is akin to sprinting after Usain Bolt behind the wheel of Ferrari 812 Superfast GTS, a woefully futile exercise. Once he sees a crease, hes gone. Jackson has sprinted past the proposed threshold in five of his last six contests, often obliterating the number. In a game with a 50.5 total, he should add more napalm to the hot streak. The Bills performed only adequately against dual-threat QBs during the regular season. Ryan Tannehill, Patrick Mahomes, Cam Newton, Kyler Murray and, heck, even Drew Lock rushed for at least 36 yards against them. Though the Dachshund of the Desert is a step below Lamar, hes not on the same plane. Action Jackson shuttles his way to at least 80 yards. Oh, and if youre into same-game parlays, matching Lamars rush yards prop with an anytime TD (+105) is a likely profitable exercise.

Prop 3: Mike Evans

UNDER 4.5 receptions (+100, DraftKings)

Based on their prior pugilistic engagements, Evans and Marshon Lattimore arent frolicking on a Caribbean beach hand-in-hand anytime soon. Its a full-blown rivalry, one in which the Saint have won fairly handily. In their past four encounters, Evans failed to haul in five passes each time. Theres no questioning the receivers toughness. He tweaked his knee in Week 17 only to return six days later, catching six-of-10 targeted passes for 119 yards in Washington. Still, hes not quite 100%. Evidenced by his 101.6 passer rating and 1.24 yards per snap allowed on the season, Lattimore is an unsteady contributor. He, however, typically rises to the occasion in high-leverage contests and has given up just a 58.3% catch percentage in 15 games. His big-stage, big-game mentality matched with his ownership of Evans suggests the DBs smack talk will be backed.

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Gambling: Three player props to consider betting on in the NFL divisional round of the playoffs - Colorado Springs Gazette

Arizona is struggling in the midst of the pandemic to maintain its budget and cover the losses done during COVID-19.

For generating the revenue, Arizona Governor is trying to build the momentum in the state for legalization of the sports betting. Governor Doug Ducey has started the debate for the setting up of in-state sportsbooks shop.

The Governor believes that the state could benefit from sports gambling. However, this is not the first attempt to legalize gambling in the state because in previous years the effort could not yield positive results.

The key problem is the laws in Arizona prohibit sports gambling and this position would have to reversed before any progress can be made. For doing so, Gov. Ducey presented a letter to the Arizona Legislature this week explaining the ground work that needs to be done to legalize gambling.

As per CalvinAyre.com, the press aide of the governor stated that: Our goal is to bring Arizona gaming into the 21st century.A lot has changed since the first compacts were signed, back when cell phones werent the thing they are now.The world looks a lot different today and our proposal is intended to reflect the way people live their lives today.

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Arizona governor building momentum in the state for legalization of gambling - The Indian Wire

We kick off this weeks show with a discussion about Elis unbelievable hot streak in the world of sports betting, a streak that will surely never end. I then move into discussing how I recently pulled the trigger on Apples new AirPods Max headphones, because Im an idiot that hates money. We then talk about GPDs new handheld gaming PC the Win 3, which is a marvel of engineering and just went up for crowdfunding, before moving into the important mobile gaming stories of the week. Links to everything we discuss can be found in the Show Notes at the bottom of this post.

Dont forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to [emailprotected]. We read em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games were talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure youre logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.

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It's Not Gambling If You Always Win The TouchArcade Show #477 - Touch Arcade

About two weeks before the start of spring training across the league, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has been rocked by its latest gambling scandal.

The Doosan Bears on Tuesday asked the KBO to place two of their minor leaguers, pitcher Jeong Hyun-wook and catcher Kwon Ki-young, on the inactive list, for engaging in illegal betting activities.

Once placed there, they must be reinstated by the league commissioner before they can play again.

Though the latest incident involved little-known minor leaguers, their lack of star power is beside the point. The aftermath of the damaging match-fixing scandal from 2012 and from 2016 is still fresh on the minds of many in the league. Along the way, there have also been drunk driving accidents and sexual misconduct among KBO players.

The league scrambled to create Clean Baseball Center in 2017 and tasked it with educating players on pitfalls of match fixing, gambling, driving under the influence of alcohol, doping and sexual offenses.

Given the recent string of off-field incidents, it's doubtful that Clean Baseball Center has accomplished its goals so far. And the KBO could ill afford another potential PR disaster, coming off a season in which it earned high marks for completing a full schedule without a positive case during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bears recently learned that Jeong, 22, had run up a debt and found out he had been buying Sports Toto lottery tickets. Although Sports Toto is the only form of government-sanctioned sports betting in South Korea, the KBO still bans its players from purchasing Sports Toto tickets. It is also covered by the National Sport Promotion Act, which prohibits all active professional athletes from betting on sports.

The Bears then interviewed all the other players in their system about their personal financial situations and Kwon's illegal betting came up. Kwon, 21, had gambled on an illegal betting site, the Bears said.

Upon joining the league, all KBO players must sign pledges stating that they shall bear criminal responsibility if they violate league regulations and the National Sport Promotion Act covering illegal gambling.

On Wednesday, Kwon reported himself to police and said he would fully cooperate with their investigation. Kwon has yet to follow suit.

The scandal took a turn for the bizarre earlier Wednesday, when the Bears said Jeong accused a former teammate of extortion.

According to the Bears, the ex-teammate has already been released for reasons unrelated to the alleged incident and is currently serving in the military.

"Since we're still trying to verify some details, we can't identify that former player," a Bears official said. "We don't know if he had also gambled on sports, and it's difficult to confirm that because he's in the military. But we did include that allegation in the report we submitted to the KBO."

Under the league rule on gambling, the first-time violators will face a suspension of minimum 50 games, 120 hours of community service, and a fine of 5 million won ($4,560).

The second offense will result in a ban of 70 or more games, along with a 10 million won fine and 180 hours of community service. The third violation will lead to a lifetime ban.

A KBO official said the league will soon process the Bears' request to deactivate Jeong and Kwon but will wait until the conclusion of police investigations before launching disciplinary proceedings.

"Both players have acknowledged their wrongdoings, but there are other issues that need to be examined," the official said. "Both the league and the club recognize the gravity of this situation. It may be a while before we can open our disciplinary proceedings, but in the meantime, we'll continue to think of ways to prevent recurrence of similar cases."

For what it's worth, new KBO Commissioner Chung Ji-taik has vowed to come down hard on any player or team that violates league rule.

"The KBO and its 10 clubs strive to practice good sportsmanship with a high sense of morality," Chung said during his inauguration ceremony on Jan. 5. "But problems do emerge from time to time. It is of utmost importance to never allow those instances to go unpunished. I will be as strict as the KBO rules allow." (Yonhap)

Continued here:

KBO rocked by latest gambling scandal - The Korea Herald

The NBA has only five games on the schedule Thursday, but its a very intriguing slate. The big news revolves around James Harden being sent home from practice Wednesday. This game will be our first glimpse of what the Rockets will be without him. John Wall was also listed out more than a day in advance, so they will be very thin in the backcourt and thirsty for scoring and playmaking.

It makes it tough to predict without a decent sample size of how minutes and usage will be distributed to the remaining players with the two leading the team not in uniform. That does still leave four other games we can potentially bet on and here are some intriguing facts to know before you do.

The Indiana Pacers have the second-best record against the spread this season.

The Pacers are not 100% healthy, but they still are rolling. They have a 7-4 record against the spread, which is behind only Chicago at 8-3. Indiana has beaten the spread by an average of +1.5 points, top 10 in the league. They face off against Portland, which has just a 4-6 record against the spread with an average loss of -1.2 points vs. the closing line. Bettors have been higher on Portland and lower on the Pacers so far this season.

The Charlotte Hornets have a bottom-five record against the total this season.

The Hornets are a young, exciting team with solid guard play. The kind of team people just assume plays a fast-paced high-scoring type of game. This could not be further from the truth to start the year. The Hornets are in the bottom third of the league for pace. That means they tend to have a few less possessions than other teams do. They are also in the bottom 10 for points per 100 possessions, a number that goes right to the heart of offensive efficiency. Slow-paced teams that do not average many points per 100 possessions are rarely going to be in high-scoring games. So far, the Hornets have gone over in just three of 11 games. The perception of this team and their production are far apart, which means the trend should continue until bettors and books start adjusting their totals downward.

The Denver Nuggets have the best record to the over this season.

The Nuggets have gone over in 81% of their games this season. That 9-2 mark is the best in the NBA. Will it continue? The Nuggets offense ranks third in points per 100 possessions, so they have been extremely efficient on that end of the floor. The Nuggets' defense has allowed the fifth-most points per 100 possessions in the league at 114.3. Teams that can score and allow points are always going to see the overs hit more than the unders. This will be especially true against opponents that play at high paces and push the Nuggets above 100 possessions in a game. They have a game against a top-three-paced Golden State Warriors team on Thursday, which is the perfect recipe for another high-scoring affair.

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Gambling: Three NBA games to consider betting on Thursday, including the Denver Nuggets - Colorado Springs Gazette

The puck drops on the 2021 NHL season Wednesday and the Colorado Avalanche are hosting the St. Louis Blues at 8:30 p.m. The Avs have high expectations, as they enter as Stanley Cup favorites at +650 and have the highest point total at 76.5.

Below youll find a few of my favorite bets for opening day in the NHL. For more bets, check out the FTN Bet Tracker at FTNBets.com

St. Louis Blues +125 (DraftKings) at Colorado Avalanche -140 (PointsBet) - 5.5

The Colorado Avalanche open the season at home against the St. Louis Blues with Philipp Grubauer expected to get the call. This marks the first of two straight games against St. Louis, as these two teams will face off against each other eight times this season. Colorado took three of five against the Blues last season, including a 2-1 win in the bubble.

The Avalanche are absolutely loaded on offense, finishing 2020 second in goals, seventh in scoring chances and sixth in shots for per 60 minutes at 5v5. They brought in one of the better 5v5 players in the league in Brandon Saad, who adds to an already explosive top-six. The Avs also acquired Devon Toews, who is one of the most underrated skaters and puck-moving defensemen in the league. Hes expected to be paired with Cale Makar.

The Blues have plenty of firepower on offense, as they added Mike Hoffman and Torey Krug, but I believe theyll feel the loss of former captain Alex Pietrangelo. Give me the Avs and the over.

Pick: 4-2, Colorado

Montreal Canadiens +115 (DraftKings) at Toronto Maple Leafs -135 (DraftKings) - 6.0

The Montreal Canadiens will play their first six games of the season on the road, and theyll start in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. The Habs are one of if not the most improved team in the NHL and if you remember, they upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the bubble last season, led by Carey Price.

The Canadiens took all three meetings against the Maple Leafs last season, scoring 13 goals in the process, and theyve won four straight against them (19 goals in four games). This is a much different team, as they added two former 20-goal scorers to their roster in Josh Anderson and Tyler Toffoli. The emergence of Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi make them a true contender in the North Division.

Like the Avs, the Maple Leafs are loaded on offense, but Montreal was one of two teams (Vegas) to rank inside the top 10 in shots, scoring chances, high-danger scoring chances and expected goals per 60 minutes at 5v5, while ranking in the top 10 in scoring chances and shots against.

Pick: 5-3, Montreal

Others to consider: Tampa Bay -1.5 & Edmonton and over 6 goals

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Gambling: Take the Avalanche and the over in NHL season opener - Colorado Springs Gazette

Please note: These are our FREE picks, not our PREMIUM picks which are reserved for MEMBERS only at SI Fantasy PRO. Members receive alert notifications immediately upon pick release.

OFFICIAL VEGAS WHISPERS PICKS DOCUMENTED

YTD: 218-142-3 | MLB: 79-60 | NFL: 70-49-1 | CFB: 31-21 | January-March (2020): 38-12-2 | Casey Olson's MMA PICKS: 210-87-6 (71% on all released betting plays)

If you are an SI PRO member and have yet to receive your invite to our Discord Community, please reach out to customer support, or send us a DM via Twitter.

EDITOR'S NOTE: ALL ODDS ARE SELECTED VIA DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Ben Heisler (@bennyheis) - POSTSEASON RECORD: 0-0-1 ATS

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers (-6.5) | TOTAL: 45.5

While I find this weeks slate of games to be fascinating for a wide variety of reasons, Im having a difficult time locking in any particular side or total without looking to use a teaser to shift the odds. For the record, SI PRO members have already received not one, but TWO Vegas Whispers teaser plays for the divisional round along with multiple prop bets.

Instead, Ill take a shot on a matchup driven play offering outstanding odds that is mostly matchup driven.

Packers TE Robert Tonyan tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns (11) with Travis Kelce this year. Even more remarkable? He did it on less than half as many receptions as Kelce: 105 to 52. Tonyan has also scored a touchdown in six of Green Bays last seven games.

The likely MVP of the league in Aaron Rodgers has an affinity for looking Tonyans way in the red zone, and hes capitalized on the opportunities all season. With Jalen Ramsey attempting to lock down Davante Adams in a shadow matchup, I love Rodgers to find Tonyan at least once at home against a Rams defense that finished in the bottom half of targets and touchdowns allowed to tight ends.

BEST BET: Robert Tonyan Anytime Touchdown scorer (+160) on DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK

Frankie Taddeo (@Frankie_Fantasy)-POSTSEASON RECORD: 0-1 ATS

Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills (-3) | TOTAL: 49.5

BEST BET: Ravens +3

Corey Parson (@TheFantasyExec) -POSTSEASON RECORD: 0-0 ATS

Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills (-3) | TOTAL: 49.5

BEST BET: Ravens +3

Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano)-POSTSEASON RECORD: 1-0 ATS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (-3) | TOTAL: 52

BEST BET: Saints -3

Roy Larking (@StatsGuru6) -POSTSEASON RECORD: 1-0 ATS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (-3) | TOTAL: 52

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers (12-5) are on the road for a second straight week following a 31-23 win in Washington last week. Tampa Bay racked up 507 total yards on offense but needed a late field goal to produce a PUSH on the -8 point spread (closed between 8-9.5 depending on the book). Drew Brees and the Saints (13-4) are playing a second straight home game after a 21-9 win over Chicago. The final score is misleading as the Bears scored a last-second touchdown. Chicago managed just 239 yards on offense and New Orleans owned a 38:58 to 21:02 time of possession edge.

New Orleans has won the last five meetings between these NFC South rivals. That includes a 34-23 win at home in Week 1 and a 38-3 victory on the road in Week 9 this season. The Saints owned a huge time of possession edge (40:04 to 19:56) in the second meeting and held Tampa Bay to just eight yards on five rushing attempts. Those are key stats New Orleans will aim to duplicate in this game. Both teams are loaded with playmakers on offense but the Saints have an edge on defense. Lay the point spread and bet on New Orleans.

New Orleans is a3-point favorite at DraftKings Bet on the Saints to cover.

BEST BET: Saints -3

Ian Ritchie (@SIGambling)-POSTSEASON RECORD: 0-1 ATS

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers (-6.5) | TOTAL: 45.5

BEST BET: Packers -6.5

Scott Atkins (@ScottFantasy)-POSTSEASON RECORD: 0-1 ATS

Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs -10 | TOTAL: 57

BEST BET: Browns +10

Casey Olson (@Y2CASEY)-POSTSEASON RECORD: 0-1 ATS

Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs -10 | TOTAL: 57

BEST BET: Browns +10

Mitch Goldich, The MMQB (@mitchgoldich) -POSTSEASON RECORD: 0-0-1 ATS

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers (-6.5) | TOTAL: 45.5

Last week I was on the Rams to win outright in Seattle, but now Im trying to hop off the bandwagon at the right time. A big part of why I took them to win in the wild card round was their matchup against a frequent opponent Sean McVay has handled in the pastnot an indication that I was ready to put them on the same tier as Green Bay.

The Packers have been playing great, and one week out of sight, out of mind shouldnt let us forget that. I often underrate home field advantage and pick a lot of road teams, but I do think Green Bay has a home advantage here, especially since weve seen them show up in cold, dark games late this season already.

*Note, this is not technically a night game, with its 3:35 p.m. local time kickoff, but the sun will set during the second quarter at 4:40 p.m. and it will be cold because thats how the weather works. Yes, I googled the sunset on Saturday because I am committed to giving you my best information.

I know everyone wants to talk about the Rams defense, but the Packers have a good D too, averaging just 18.5 points allowed in their six game winning streak to end the regular season. They look every bit the No. 1 seed on both sides of the ball, and I expect them to win by at least a touchdown on Saturday.

BEST BET: Packers -6.5

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LAST WEEK'S POSTSEASON RECORD ATS: 2-5-2

COLLECTIVE POSTSEASON RECORD ATS: 2-5-2

MORE NFL FROM SI.com

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2021 NFL Divisional Round - Best Bets against the Spread From the SI Gambling Team - Sports Illustrated

Gambling operators in Spain will have to deal with new, stricter regulations in 2021 as the countrys Ministry of Consumer Affairs continues the rollout of new measures that started in 2020.Some of the most important changes will see the implementation of and better control over advertising restrictions that came into force late last year, as well as increased licensing fees for the operators.

In the first quarter of 2020, Spain introduced a series of advertising restrictions for private gambling companies.

First, advertising hours on TV and radio were limited to between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM for all operators offering online casino games, sports betting, and online poker in Spanish.

Employing public figures to advertise gambling products was also forbidden under these restrictions, and the operators received strict guidelines pertaining to the language that can be used in adverts.

Then, in April, the country reconfirmed all of the previous measures and introduced some new ones, explaining the motivation behind these actions as wanting to protect the Spanish people during the Covid-19 pandemic.

These temporary measures were then introduced into permanent regulations and Spain sent the new set of laws to the European Commission for the approval.

Finally, in October, all sports clubs were notified that they must end their sponsorship deals with any gambling operators by the end of the season 2020/21.

The increasingly strict set of gambling regulations for licensed operators in Spain created a lot of turmoil in the gaming industry as the key stakeholders continue to warn the government that these measures will not achieve the desired goal.

Many in the industry believe that advertising restrictions as well as limitations on bonus offers for new and existing players will simply push players towards unregulated operators who do not have to play by the book and are under no obligation to adhere to local laws.

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has also warned Spanish decision-makers that their advertising restrictions might be in violation of EU competition guidelines, especially since two state-run lotteries are exempt from these rules.

The EGBA also concluded that, while Spains actions to protect the citizens from gambling-related issues were commendable, they were not based on real evidence as the country has a remarkably low number of problem gamblers.

Despite the pushback coming from within the country and from the EU, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs seems set on the implementation of new rules as they were originally proposed and adopted in 2020, with the creation of the national self-exclusion register the first priority in 2021.

Jdigital, the countrys gambling industry association that gathers almost all important operators in Spain, has warned the government that these efforts will fail as well as players will move over to unregulated sites, which will create the opposite effect, putting the most vulnerable categories at even greater risk.

So far, all pleas have fallen to deaf ears as the government continues to ignore all the warnings. It will be interesting to see what happens in the months to come as the new set of restrictions comes into full force, as these changes are bound to make a big dent in privately-owned gaming companies

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Stricter Gambling Regulations Expected in Spain in 2021 - Pokerfuse

A renewed push is underway to expand sports betting in Washington state beyond tribal casinos, this time with a couple of noteworthy twists attached.

The filing Wednesday of a Senate bill aimed at widening the scope of such gambling to include the state's licensed card rooms and racetracks is once again being driven by Nevada-based Maverick Gaming. But unlike a similar, failed effort last year, SB 5212 is now a bi-partisan push with the pitch that tax revenues derived from sports gambling can help the state's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only legal sports gaming in Washington was signed into law last spring for Native American tribes, but has yet to take effect as government compacts are still being negotiated. Lawmakers last winter had also rebuffed a Republican-sponsored bill seeking to open sports gambling to non-tribal competition. Maverick Gaming had pushed the bill, arguing unsuccessfully the state stood to gain financially through taxes generated by sports gaming beyond tribal casinos.

But that rejected argument happened before the pandemic triggered widespread business shutdowns and revenue losses the state is now trying to recoup.

"Some people are going to be supportive and some people aren't, but at the end of the day the product that we're trying to offer the state is what's desired by constituents," Maverick Gaming CEO Eric Persson said this week as the new Senate bill was being readied. "The tax revenues that we can generate are desired by Olympia."

SB-5212, co-sponsored by Sen. Curtis King (R-Yakima) and majority floor leader Sen. Marko Liias (D-Lynnwood), would apply only to existing card rooms and racetracks. It allows for online sports gambling, but only taking place within the limits of the gaming venues.

No licenses would be granted before the sports gaming compacts currently being negotiated with tribes are completed.

Persson, a Hoquiam native whose company controls 19 of Washington's 44 licensed card rooms, has estimated up to $50 million in state taxes can be generated annually off sports gambling. The company says it already pays about $13 million annually to local governments as part of a tax of up to 20% cities and counties can impose on all non-tribal gambling activity in-state.

"It's no secret COVID has been devastating both in Washington and around the world," Persson said. "I think that it's a lot harder to turn down $100 million biennially than it was maybe a year ago."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who'd previously opposed sports betting for his state, last week announced that he'll make it a central part of his new policy proposals to help rebuild its pandemic-battered economy.

For decades, tribal casinos have operated most of the legalized gambling in Washington a state with some of the nation's toughest anti-gambling laws while lobbying heavily against outside competition. Washington allows limited gambling outside tribal facilities in "card room" casinos, but only card games such as blackjack and some poker are allowed.

The pressure to legalize sports gambling has grown nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018 struck down a federal law that had banned it everywhere but Las Vegas and a handful of other jurisdictions.

Individual states can now determine their own course and Washington joined two dozen others last year in legalizing it in some form. But this is also one of only three states nationwide New Mexico and North Carolina being the others that allows sports gaming only for tribal casinos and no one else.

State lawmakers have long argued that Washington's tribal casinos have a three-decade proven track record of offering safe, responsible gambling. But the bill's co-sponsor, Liias, said it "makes sense" now to look at possible expansion given negotiations on tribal sports gaming are on their way to being finalized.

"I view this as sort of an opening of that dialogue and working on, 'How do we make sure we can do this in a safe and regulated way?' " said Liias, who has two card rooms within his district. "So, we're continuing to let the tribal casinos go first, but respecting the fact that there are workers involved and that particularly there's an opportunity to create family-wage jobs which has been a real game changer in this industry."

Liias said a handful of his fellow Democrats have expressed interest but wouldn't guess on his chances of succeeding this session.

Tribal gaming entities are not subject to state tax, though proponents argue they provide ancillary state revenues by spending on supplies and services that generate sales taxes beyond tribal communities. "The benefits don't stay on the reservation," Rebecca Kaldor, executive director of the Washington Indian Gaming Association which promotes tribal gaming interests said last year when the new law was being passed.

Kaldor added that tribes employ about 30,000 people statewide, and they need gambling revenues to run their communities.

"One hundred percent of our revenue goes to essential governmental services and reaches into some of the poorest communities in our state," she said.

The relatively recent fight to operate sports gaming platforms in this state has been a high-powered, mostly behind-the-scenes fight. The state's 29 tribes and Maverick both spent six-figure amounts on lobbyists and campaign contributions in the year preceding last spring's approval of the new law and have repeated that ahead of this current expansion attempt.

Maverick Gaming has the support of Teamsters Local 117, the union representing the company's 2,000 statewide employees. Brenda Wiest, vice-president of legislative affairs for the local, said adding sports gambling would create roughly 200 new jobs at the card rooms many of them family-wage.

"If you've legalized it for one group, it seems blatantly unfair to not allow it for others who fit that category of business when that would improve those business interests," Wiest said, adding that Maverick nearly overnight has become her local's largest private sector employer in the state.

Maverick Gaming two years ago embarked on a buying spree of in-state card rooms. Part of that push was in anticipation of sports gambling being legalized here, and Persson feels last year's stalled legislative effort raised enough awareness to garner his card rooms more serious consideration this time around.

"When I came to Washington, access to Olympia was very low," he said. "I think last year we made great progress, both at the Olympia level and more importantly the communities within which we operate."

While Persson makes no promises he'll succeed this session, he added: "I can tell you, Maverick isn't going anywhere. And eventually, I think that the state of Washington is going to see things the way that we do. I'm optimistic we're going to have a partnership that's going to be a great service to constituents and generate a lot of tax dollars that are badly needed."

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Pledge to Boost Depleted Washington Tax Revenues Now a Main Thrust of Expanded Sports Gambling Push - Centralia Chronicle