Category Archives: Gambling

When last we paid close attention to sports betting, the Maryland General Assembly had overwhelmingly approved legislation seven months ago to legalize the practice in the wake of the 2020 voter referendum on the subject, and it seemed almost uncontroversial. Not only were Democrats and Republicans in the legislature, along with Gov. Larry Hogan, united in their support of the move, but Maryland was joining at least 18 other states that either already had done, or were in the process of doing, the same thing: taking wagering on sporting events out of the shadows, as already happened with casino games and the lottery. But as readers of this newspaper have noticed in recent days, this gambling business comes with some strings attached, including the prospect of and we advise readers to take a deep breathe at this point $5 million bets on the outcome of a single game.

Thats right. As reported by The Suns Jeff Barker, the states Lottery and Gaming Control Agency is pondering the rules for legal sports wagering and one of the calls that needs to be made is how big a bet should be allowed. The proposed regulations cap bets at $5 million. But heres the thing: While that might seem extreme to average folks, some of the major players in the industry like FanDuel and DraftKings say its too restrictive. Theyd like no cap. And why? They offer the example of a thoughtful, informed gambler who might, for example, own a chain of stores holding a promotional giveaway if a local sports team wins a championship. Thus, such a bet would help cover the potential cost. That might sound preposterous, but then theres 70-year-old Houston furniture store owner named James Franklin Mattress Mack McIngvale with a habit of placing seven-figure bets on his beloved Astros.

What the companies dont detail in their formal public comments is whether there might be gambling addicts who cannot afford a $100,000 wager let alone a $5 million one, who might be tempted to place such a potentially ruinous bet. Were guessing there might be. And one thing about legalized sports gambling, its going to not only take matters out of the shadows, its going to place them front and center. Not only through the states half-dozen casinos, race tracks and stadiums but perhaps at the touch of your cellphone through various apps. Instead of tracking down a bookie who might limit bets for fear of messy collections (perhaps involving broken limbs), state-sanctioned companies will be texting you with all kinds of offers. Oh and theyll be accepting credit cards, PayPal or Venmo and taking steps to simply foreclose on your home should you lose. They have worse than hired thugs, they have lawyers.

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Now, if that doesnt sound disconcerting enough, there was also news that the state also needs to address risky bets. And whats meant by that? Well, Major League Baseball worries that purveyors might, for example, allow wagering on the first pitch of a game whether its a ball or strike. That may not seem so bad on the surface but baseball executives have a point. Throwing a ball or strike on a first pitch has little meaning for the outcome of a game or even the performance of the pitcher. Might the pitcher throw one or the other to benefit gamblers with their own pitch, if not directly to him, to his friends or family? Its called a fix and its not exactly a new concept but it is a potentially ruinous one for the integrity of sports.

Maryland has a few weeks yet to offer a final version of its sports gambling rules, but based on public comments like these, wed offer this bit of advice: be very, very cautious. If the Old Line State ends up with a reputation for being conservative on sports wagering compared to other states where the rules might be more lax, were good with it. Gambling addiction is real and so, alas, is the possibility of gamblers seeking to fix events, whether the final score or something as trivial as the first pitch. Surely, theres no rush for the late autumn startup. As recently reported, the state treasury is flush with cash right now thanks in large part to federal aid and sports gaming isnt a huge benefit to taxpayers anyway as its only expected to raise just $17 million per year, primarily for schools. We see little reason to loosen the rules to accommodate the industry or some nutty purveyor of furniture.

Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.

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Is there a plan to scare Marylanders about sports gambling? If so, its working. | COMMENTARY - Yahoo Tech

The state of Connecticut has launched a new online portal that will allow people to voluntarily exclude themselves from being able to gamble.

The website, which is already active, comes as legalized sports betting is scheduled to be up and running on Oct. 7 in Connecticut and available both online and at establishments around the state, including the two tribal casinos and 10 Sportech locations.

While this may be a form of entertainment many people can enjoy, for others it can be a harmful addiction. The ability to voluntarily exclude yourself from these activities is one of the many tools available to help, said Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull in a statement.

People can choose to be added to the states Gaming Self-Exclusion List for one year, five years or for their lifetime. Names will remain on the list until someone requests to be removed. The website warns that gambling licensees may ban individuals on the list from land-based properties as well as all of their online gambling, online sportsbooks, and any fantasy sports contests, including those located in other states.

The website also warns that individuals on the list could forfeit any rewards points they may have earned in Connecticut and elsewhere.

In the problem gambling community, self-exclusion is an essential step in helping people who are addicted, Diana Goode, executive director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, said in a statement. By creating a barrier from participating, it allows those in recovery a much-needed respite from triggers and reduces the likelihood of relapse.

Both Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, which will begin offering sports betting and fantasy sports next month, have allowed people to self-exclude themselves from the tribal properties for years.

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Connecticut allows residents to exclude themselves from gambling ahead of sports betting launch date - MassLive.com

Jason White| Special to the Courier & Press

Week 3 of the NFL season was a mixed bag of highs and lows for the betting public.

While bettors scored big when the Bills, Cardinals, and Packers covered their spreads in high volume betting, the sportsbooks regained their footing with outright wins by the underdog Saints, Chargers, and Vikings.

Underdogs continue to bark in the early stages of the seasonand now have a 30-18 record against the spread. Thats the best against the spread record by underdogs through the first three weeks of the season since 2002.

Remember to be disciplined this week when it comes to bankroll management. You should have a certain percentage of your bankroll designated to be utilized during each week of action. Its important to not go off script as a reaction to the results of your early game picks.

If you get off to a hot start and cash some big tickets, stick to the game plan. If you get off to a rough start and string together a few losses, stick to the game plan. Failing to do so can quickly erase any big gains, or dig an even deeper hole if you start chasing.

2-Team 6-point Teaser (-120):

CARDINALS (-7.5) @ Jaguars - WIN

BILLS (-7.5) vs. Washington - WIN

The Bills embarrassed Washington with an easy cover, while the Cardinals overcame a rough start to beat the number to gain.

OVER (42.5) Saints @ Patriots: Two missed field goal attempts by the Saints completely killed what would have been an easy cover. Saints 28, Patriots 13 - LOSS

UNDER (55.5) Buccaneers @ Rams: Things were going according to the plan as both teams combined for only 21 points in the 1st half. But a 27-point explosion in the 3rd quarter buried this bet. Rams 34, Buccaneers 24 - LOSS

JETS (+10.5) @ Broncos: The Jets were even more inept than anyone could have predicted. They managed to gain a meager total of 162 yards from scrimmage. Broncos 26, Jets 0 - LOSS

OVER (64.5) Receiving yards by Deebo Samuel - Packers @ 49ers (-115): Samuel had tallied a total of 17 targets, and 282 receiving yards in his first two games. And despite getting 40 yards in the 1st half, he finished with only 5 catches for 52 yards. Packers 30, 49ers 28 - LOSS

OVER (37.5) Rushing yards by Josh Allen - Washington @ Bills (-110): The overrated pass rush of Washington was non-existent in this one. Josh Allen had all day in the pocket and was never pressured into running the football. 4 carries, 9 yards - Bills 43, Washington 21 - LOSS

2-Team 6-point Teaser (-120)

BILLS (-17) vs. Texans: This Bills have the fourth best defense in the NFL, while the Texans continueto sputter with a backup quarterback. This is the biggest line of the season thus far, so teasing it to a more manageable number is too tempting to resist.

UNDER (51.5) Browns @ Vikings: Look for both teams to try to establish their running games early to set up opportunities down the field. The defense of the Browns has been stout, giving up the third fewest offensive yards in the league. There will be some points scored in this gamebut not enough to beat this teased number.

BEARS (-3) vs. Lions: Before the season began, the Bears would have looked at the schedule and viewed this matchup as one of their easiest home games. But the start to their season has been nothing short of a dumpster fire. In honor of the stout Chicago defenses of the past, Im putting my faith in their defense once again. Look for the Bears to dial up pressure on Jared Goff and produce some takeaways. Rumored changes to the offensive play calling for Chicago will result in a much more palatable performance.

RAVENS (-1) @ Broncos: The Broncos have exploded onto the scene this year with one of their best starts in recent memory. But theyve done so on the backs of a schedule that provided victories over three winless teams. Dont shy away from this one simply due to my pathetic Jets prediction last week. If Lamar Jackson plays, the Ravens will provide the Broncos with a serious reality check. Shop around for the best juice on this one, checking both the spread and money line odds.

BUCCANEERS (-7) @ Patriots: This matchup has been capturing all of the headlines this week with Tom Brady returning to the city where he dominated the NFL for two decades. There are a ton of off the field storylines here, centering around who needs this win more from a legacy standpoint. But even against a suspect Tampa Bay defense, quarterback Mac Jones will need to be absolutely perfect to have a chance. New England head coach Bill Belichick is regarded by many as the best head coach in NFL history, but the Bucs have far too many weapons for the Pats to keep this game tight.

OVER (65.5) Rushing yards by Antonio Gibson - Washington @ Falcons (-115): This is the week Washington finally utilizes their stud running back. If Gibson can get the 12-15 touches he deserves, hell blow past this total.

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Here are The Commish's gambling picks for Week 4 of the NFL season - Courier & Press

In 2019, the Department of Health and Social Care commissioned PHE to undertake a review of the evidence on gambling harms. The review includes the most comprehensive estimate of the economic burden of gambling on society to date, revealing that the harms associated with gambling cost at least 1.27 billion in 2019 to 2020 in England alone. This analysis includes the first estimate of the economic cost of suicide (619.2 million) and provides an updated cost of homelessness associated with harmful gambling (62.8 million).

Gambling related harms in the analysis range from financial such as bankruptcy and employment issues, to family issues, and health harms such as suicide.

The review also shows that people at risk of gambling harms are concentrated in areas of higher deprivation, such as the North of England, and may already be experiencing greater health inequalities. The review found a clear link between higher levels of alcohol consumption and harmful gambling, with only 35.4% of non-drinkers participating in gambling compared to 74.4% of those consuming over 50 units of alcohol (equivalent to 16 pints of beer or large glasses of wine) per week. Alcohol use in children and young people was also found to be a risk factor for subsequent harmful gambling.

The review also highlights the link between gambling and mental health issues. The report found that gambling can increase the likelihood of some people thinking about, attempting or dying from suicide. Evidence suggests that people with gambling problems are at least twice as likely to die from suicide compared to the general population, with one overseas study showing that people with a gambling disorder had a 19 times increased risk of dying from suicide.

The review also found that gender and poor mental health were the strongest indicators of gambling related harm:

The evidence suggests that harmful gambling should be considered a public health issue because it is associated with harms to individuals, their families, close associates and wider society with an approach that focuses on prevention, early intervention and treatment. The new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) will work closely with other government departments, including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and key stakeholders to develop a workplan to address the knowledge gaps identified in this review, improve data collection, and deliver an effective response to gambling-related harm.

Rosanna OConnor, Director of Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice at PHE, said:

There is so much more at stake from gambling than just losing money from the toll on mental health to the impact on those around the gambler.

The evidence is clear harmful gambling is a public health issue and needs addressing on many fronts, with an emphasis on preventing these harms from occurring as well as with help readily accessible for those directly and indirectly affected by the wide ranging and long lasting negative impacts of gambling.

Minister for Mental Health, Gillian Keegan said:

Whilst the economic costs of harmful gambling are stark, the cost to individuals as a result of their addiction, and those around them, cannot be overstated.

We are working to protect vulnerable people from the damaging impacts gambling can have, including through specialist NHS gambling addiction clinics and investing at least an extra 2.3 billion a year by 2023 to 2024 to expand mental health services.

I encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out support is there for you.

Gambling Minister Chris Philp said:

We are gathering all the necessary evidence to reset the balance between giving adults the freedom to choose how they gamble safely, with the right protections for those at risk of harm.

We are determined to protect vulnerable people from exploitation by aggressive advertising or unfair practices that entrench problem gambling.

Jim McManus, Vice President, Association of Directors of Public Health said:

This evidence review from PHE paints a stark picture of the avoidable harms from gambling to the economy, society and the individual. Again, we see that existing regional inequalities are exacerbated by these harms with those from poorer areas at higher risk from the negative impacts.

A public health approach, with cross-government support, properly funded, is essential to reducing harmful gambling and all the negative consequences highlighted by this research in relation to debt, relationships and jobs.

Tim Miller, executive director at the Gambling Commission said:

We are pleased to welcome this important independent report from Public Health England.

Protecting people from gambling harms is a priority for the Gambling Commission, and we take a public health approach to do so. Public Health Englands work will help to support the continuing collaboration of a wide range of bodies under the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.

Faculty of Public Health President Professor Maggie Rae said:

Harmful gambling is a major public health issue which seriously impacts on health in a number of ways. As well as suicide and severe mental health problems, this report highlights harms caused by gambling including financial, employment, relationships, physical health, and criminal activity.

Gambling organisations are preying on peoples addictions, and we see that the burden of gambling harms is born by those already facing disadvantage, serving to widen existing health inequalities. This report is welcome as it highlights the wide range of harms caused by gambling, and calls for concerted action to tackle this major public health problem. This urgent call is especially timely as we have seen these problems exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Landmark report reveals harms associated with gambling estimated to cost society at least 1.27 billion a year - GOV.UK

Yokohamas infamous gambling hall wont open its doors unless you find its hidden Gambling Hall code. Unlike most access and locations youll unlock organically through progressing the story such as the skateboard or items you can find lying around like the rare beehives, the Gambling Hall code is a bit more off the beaten path. Without a guide like this, youd maybe bump into it after running around for quite a while but luckily AOTF can save you the hassle. Heres everything we know on how to find the gambling hall code in Lost Judgment.

To find the gambling hall code in Lost Judgment, youll need to eavesdrop on the two men talking about the hall in Fukutoku Park. They will reveal how to figure out the code with two hints and youll be able to work it out once you head back to the halls keypad. Dont worry though, below we have the two hints if youd like to solve it yourself as well as the code if you want to skip that headache.

If youre looking to solve this mystery for yourself, here are the two hints provided by the men. As a little hint from AOTF, think of what they are providing you in terms of a keypad or touch-tone phone where you would enter a code or phone number into. Perhaps the hints are actually meant to be worked in a different direction

For those not wanting to solve the code themselves, see below for the code to the gambling hall in all of its glory.

The gambling hall code is 7120. After entering it, hit the ENT (enter) button and the door will unlock with a slightly enthusiastic comment from Yagami. Congrats!

Lost Judgmentis available now for Playstation 4 and Playstation 5. Check back for moreLost Judgment guidesas we come up with them!

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Lost Judgment: How to Find the Gambling Hall Code - Attack of the Fanboy

From Friday it is possible to legally gamble online in the Netherlands. The Dutch Gambling Authority issued licenses to ten providers of digital gambling games, including Holland Casino and the Dutch Lottery, known for example for the Staatsloterij and Lotto. They are bound by strict rules to prevent gambling addiction.

The providers must comply with strict conditions regarding supervision and regulations in order to limit the risk of gambling addiction as much as possible. Money laundering must also be prevented. The providers also have to pay a gambling tax. In addition, there is a minimum age of 18 to play and advertising for gambling online must not be misleading or lead to excessive gambling.

It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million people are actively gambling online in the Netherlands. That market has an estimated value of 800 million euros. This includes games like poker, roulette, blackjack, slot machines and sports betting.

Incidentally, the Consumentenbond suspended its collaboration with the Advertising Code Foundation for an indefinite period. The reason was dissatisfaction at the consumers' association over agreements on gambling advertisements. According to the consumers' association, these offer too little protection for vulnerable groups and against gambling addiction.

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Online gambling now legally possible in Netherlands - NL Times

As of Tuesday, ticket prices for the game were as high as $4,750 each on Ace, with a cheap seat available for $475; the average ticket was priced at $1,640, making it the most expensive regular-season game in Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins history, according to Ace records.

The highest priced tickets Ace has sold so far were four seats on the 50-yard line behind the Buccaneers bench for $5,750 apiece.

Only one playoff game Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, when the Bruins lost to the Blackhawks, at $2,008 has topped the Brady game, with five days on the secondary market still to go. The current price for Patriots-Buccaneers would top the last time the Red Sox clinched a championship at Fenway Park ($1,445 for Game 6 of the 2013 World Series) and when the Celtics won the NBA title in 2008 ($1,505).

There has never been a Super Bowl game played in New England, so a fair comparison to another Patriots playoff game cant be made. But considering the record of average ticket prices for any Patriots game was $686 for the Cowboys visit two years ago and the average ticket price for a Patriots game over the past few years has been around $250, the magnitude of this game stands out.

Whats driving that has everything to do with Bradys long and now complicated history with New England fans, Holzman said.

This is somebody we thought wed never see again, and schedule-wise, were seeing him, so its combined with the situation where we never got to say goodbye and thank you and theres a lot of people who wish they had the chance to say that, said Holzman. Now they have that opportunity.

Being one of 65,878 fans at Gillette is an experience that wont be shared by the vast majority of Patriots fans, who will be tuning in to the national TV broadcast on NBC.

Chris Wayland, general manager of Bostons NBC-owned NBC 10 as well as the three other NBC Universal local businesses, compared the impact to the ultimate NFL standard.

Wow, were basically getting two Super Bowls in one season one with this game and then we get the other one in February on NBC, Wayland said of his initial reaction to hearing the Brady game would air on NBC. We were thrilled, obviously, for every reason.

NBC 10 has the opportunity to sell approximately a dozen local commercials spread out over pregame, in-game, and postgame coverage. With a rate that likely will be three times any other regular-season game, NBC 10 will reap an unprecedented in-season bonus.

It will be a huge revenue opportunity for us, said Wayland. In terms of revenue impact locally to us, it will have a similar impact that a Super Bowl game would have for us which is amazing.

Wayland declined to specify dollar figures, but one industry insider estimated an average local 30-second TV spot for such a game would sell for $50,000 to $60,000, with the price dropping to around $10,000 for a game without the Patriots.

Nationally, those spots will sell for between $750,000 and $1 million.

Digital advertising on NBC websites also is growing, with NBC flooding its websites with video and articles on Brady as often as possible. Wayland expects the digital numbers will probably be the highest impression levels (i.e. clicks) maybe weve ever seen.

The game is driving new advertisers for the limited TV spots, as those companies are coming forward to take advantage of this audience, said Wayland.

The audience is expected to be immense, said Wayland, approaching Super Bowl viewership numbers. According to CBS and Nielsen, the Buccaneers victory over the Chiefs in the most recent Super Bowl drew 96.4 million viewers across all platforms.

We anticipate here in Boston, because of the enormity of the game, probably not exactly Super Bowl- type numbers but probably a non-Patriots Super Bowl number, said Wayland. This will be by far the highest-rated Patriots non-Super Bowl game maybe ever. That would be my guess.

Fanatics, the NFLs official e-commerce partner, did not project the impact the Brady game will have on merchandise sales. But it noted that since the start of the regular season, Brady, followed by Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones, were the two top-selling players among all sports leagues for all product categories, including jerseys, T-shirts, and memorabilia. After Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, Boston ranks as Bradys third-best-selling market.

Not surprisingly, Bradys own business empire is taking advantage of the opportunity.

His TB12 brand is offering a $35 white T-shirt heralding The Return. With QB and the TB12 logo hovering over a large blue 12 on the front, and Brady over the 12 on the back, the shirt also features gray stenciling on the inside saying The Return, TB x NE 10/3.

While sports betting is not legal in Massachusetts, in the 26 states and Washington, D.C. where it is allowed, the game is expected to generate the biggest handle (total money bet) of any game in this young season.

For sure, all of the narrative, all of the hype around it definitely drives betting dollars into the game, said John Sheeran, director of risk and trading at FanDuel.

According to GeoComply, a company that tracks sports bettors, during Week 1 of this NFL season, 58.2 million legal bets were placed, a 126 percent increase from Week 1 a year ago. In a recent SportsHandle article, one expert estimated approximately $350 million is wagered every week of an NFL season.

As of late Tuesday morning, FanDuel had taken close to 3,000 bets on the game, with the Patriots 6-point underdogs, and thats a lot of bets for a Tuesday morning, said Sheeran.

More than 2,850 of those bets were placed on the Buccaneers, a huge, huge percentage that I doubt will change, he said. People tend to bet more with their head than their heart when it comes to these games, and I would be surprised if a lot of Patriots fans havent bet on Brady and the Buccaneers already.

Michael Silverman can be reached at michael.silverman@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeSilvermanBB.

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From tickets to gambling, there's a lot of money surrounding the Tom Brady game Sunday - The Boston Globe

If you are looking for examples of future sports betting, you only need to look to the United Kingdom, which legalized it half a century ago. The legalization of sports betting in the U.S. was officially ushered in by the Supreme Court when it overturned a federal ban. Even though the legalization of this type of gambling in the USA began in 2018, many states have failed to come through with a new bill and allow big brands to start operating.

The UK and U.S. markets share many similarities both have large middle classes and a strong interest in sports, and both show enormous affection towards wagering.

Betting on horse races at local race tracks was legalized in Illinois in the 1920s. By 1990, the Riverboat Gambling Act made running commercial casinos legal if they were located in counties with more than 3 million people and outside Lake Michigan. In 2009, the Illinois Lottery was allowed to install lottery terminals in local bars and other similar venues. It is currently illegal to offer online gambling in Illinois, as no iGaming regulations have been passed since then.

During the 1960s, UK gaming became legal. Following the decline of moralistic political forces, in 1960, the UK legalized private casinos through the Betting and Gaming Act. Since 1994, the government has run the National Lottery. Regulation of betting in the UK is relatively young, and thanks to the Gambling Act of 2005, UK residents can legally gamble and win money while placing wagers.

British players enjoy taking a chance on everything from sports to casino games, and fortunately, today, there is a wide range of legal 300 casino bonus online casinos and sportsbooks to make the experience more convenient. The UK Gambling Commission oversees and regulates gambling laws in England, Wales, and Scotland. In addition to arcades, betting, bingo, casinos, fruit machines, and lottery games, the UKGC also regulates remote playing and betting, including internet sites and mobile sportsbook/casino apps. To provide sports betting, bingo, arcades, lotteries, or gaming machines to UK citizens, a business must have a license from the UKGC. In addition to licensing and regulating operators, UKCG also provides a safe and secure playing environment for punters.

Residents and foreign visitors in the UK are allowed to participate in online gaming. Across the United Kingdom, all forms of gambling, including online casinos and sportsbooks, are regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. The players from the UK have two restrictions to bear in mind when it comes to online wagering:

Just for reference, the British call online gambling remote. The name remote may even be more appropriate because it encompasses both mobile and social gaming apps, as well as desktop gaming. Online gambling is highly popular in the United Kingdom due to its legality, regulation, and a wide array of games. By enacting the Gambling Act of 2005, practically every form of online wagering is legal. These days, players in the UK have access to different options such as a top online casino, sports betting site, daily fantasy sports, online poker, and lottery.

Considering how many UK residents enjoy legalized online gambling and how much the government can profit from it, it is a wonder that the Illinois official still hasnt passed the bill. The Illinois state government ought to realize that many people are not fans of online sports betting, so online casinos seem like a good investment.

After all, the only thing they need to do is hop on the US gambling bandwagon and realize that the USA has managed to reach 44 billion dollar gambling revenue in 2021. With the popularity of online sports betting, the UK has managed to take advantage of the trend and turn it into a growing industry and Illinois has a lot to learn from such countries. Illinois casino enthusiasts will have to wait and see if the state expands to include all forms of online gambling.

Authors Bio

Leslie Alexander, a Content Lead of the Gamblizard site, is an avid writer who enjoys dabbling into topics related to the casino industry. As a writer and coordinator, she handles the writing of all important articles on the site. Leslie goes that extra step to make all her content unique and informative.

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What Illinois Should Learn From the United Kingdom About Legalizing Online Gambling - Illinois News

Britney Spears' lawyer has taken off the gloves in his war with Jamie Spears, calling him a "reported alcoholic and gambling addict," and that's just for starters.

Attorney Mathew Rosengart has gone on the attack, after Jamie filed legal docs challenging the person Rosengart has tapped to replace Jamie temporarily as conservator of Britney's estate.

TMZ broke the story, Jamie claimed CPA John Zabel is unqualified to assume that position, but Rosengart's new legal docs refer to Zabel as a "highly-esteemed, nationally-recognized, award-winning CPA with an impeccable record of serving in positions of trust."

Rosengart finds it rich that Jamie is blasting Zabel, saying Jamie has "zero financial background or experience in financial matters, who previously filed for bankruptcy and has a Domestic Violence Restraining Order currently in effect against him."

Rosengart's legal docs challenge Jamie's request for fees for himself and Jamie's lawyers. He calls Jamie incompetent and rails on what he says is "abuse of his daughter (which evidently goes back to her childhood), and the dissipation of Estate assets."

He also references the latest revelation that Jamie allegedly engineered secret recordings in Britney's bedroom, which Rosengart believes is a square violation of law.

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Britney Spears' Lawyer Rails on Jamie, Calls Him 'Alcoholic and Gambling Addict' - TMZ

In a letter to her Democratic colleagues on Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote, The next few days will be a time of intensity. That was an understatement. Democrats in the House and Senate are struggling to broker a compromise on two huge spending bills that embody much of President Bidens domestic agenda. If Democrats fail to pass the bills, it could derail his Presidency and strengthen Republican chances of gaining control of the Senate or House in next years midterm elections. Meanwhile, after Senate Republicans blocked a temporary spending bill on Monday, Congress must also pass a funding measure by Thursday to avoid a government shutdown, and also deal with the threat of a potentially catastrophic debt default. Its possible that each of these challenges will be resolved smoothly, but it would take a brave person to bet on this outcome. Like many other parts of the U.S. political system, the federal governments budget process no longer operates on rational lines.

Its important, however, to distinguish between two different strategies at work. On the Democratic side, there is a bitter but familiar tussle between progressives and moderates over tax and spending priorities. Fearing a last-minute double cross by moderates and the Party leaders, members of the House Progressive Caucus are refusing to support a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill until there is an agreement on a historic three-and-a-half-trillion-dollar Democratic spending package designed to bolster the social safety net and promote green energy. Given Democrats single-vote majority in the Senate, a deal of this nature requires Party-wide unanimity, including the participation of Senator Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, of Arizona. Both have said repeatedly that they wont support the broader spending bill with its current price tag. Hence the standoff.

On Sunday, Pelosi postponed a vote on the infrastructure bill from Monday to Thursday of this week. She also acknowledged, for the first time, that the three-and-a-half-trillion-dollar spending package would be trimmed back. In order to move forward, we have to build consensus, she told George Stephanopoulos, of ABC News. Appearing on Meet the Press, another Democratic Senator, Cory Booker, of New Jersey, predicted that his colleagues would reach an understanding. This is Washington, Booker said. Im sure there is going to be some sort of compromise. Given that the alternative is an ignominious failure for the Party and its President, Booker may well be proved correct. Right now, though, the fault line running through the Democrats polity remains in place, with both sides trying to exert maximum leverage.

This sort of high-stakes intra-party politics is long familiar in American politics. As is common in such disputes, the onus will fall on the President to unite his partys elected representatives behind a particular outcome, even though they may not like parts of it. By contrast, the brinksmanship surrounding the debt ceilingwhich brings the threat of a government defaultrepresents something more recent and ominous. Led by Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority leader, Republicans in Congress are cynically exploiting for partisan advantage a set of antiquated rules and procedures that should have been done away with years ago. They are displaying a willingness to bring the country to the edge of a financial cataclysm amid a global pandemic.

Last week, the House passed a temporary funding bill that would keep the government running until December 3, 2022, and also suspend the debt ceiling until that same month. It was this bill that Senate Republicans blocked on Monday, with the Democrats failing to get the sixty votes needed to defy a filibuster and McConnell accusing them of engaging in a socialist spending binge. For weeks, McConnell has made clear that his goal is to force the Democrats to raise the ceiling on their own, through the reconciliation bill, so that Republicans can attack them for profligacy going into next years Senate and House races. The G.O.P. is pursuing this cynical and reckless course even though Democrats twice agreed, during Donald Trumps Presidency, to raise the debt limit on a bipartisan basis.

Todays G.O.P. is utterly shameless, of course. Arguably, the Biden Administration and Democratic leaders in Congress should have acted upon this information sooner and taken steps to raise the debt ceiling before the threat was so close at hand. During the Obama Administration, Republicans in Congress blocked an increase and refused to budge in 2011 and did so again in 2013. During the first standoff, Standard & Poors, the ratings agency, cut the debt rating of the U.S. government for the first time in the nations history, noting that the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges. During the 2013 crisis, the federal government shut down for more than two weeks, and Fitch, another ratings agency, warned that the debt ceiling is an ineffective and potentially dangerous mechanism for enforcing fiscal discipline.

Despite these warnings, and others like them, nothing was done to reform or eliminate the debt ceiling, which is a hopeless anachronism. It dates to 1917, and most other advanced nations dont have one. Like the filibuster, it survives simply because it can be used to frustrate the executive branch and, potentially, to bring the entire government to a halt. It has practically no positive utility. All it does is authorize the issuance of debt to spend money that Congress has already appropriated through the legislative process. A major reason that we are so close to breaching the existing ceiling is that the Trump-G.O.P. tax bill of 2017 has already added more than a trillion dollars to the national debt. McConnell doesnt mention that, of course.

On Wall Street, most analysts are assuming that this confrontation, like the previous ones, will be resolved without an outright default, which would almost certainly cause a global financial crash. On Monday, the markets remained calm, with no sign of panic about the showdown on Capitol Hill. This stoic attitude toward happenings in Washington is probably reasonable, but, even so, its hard not to wonder just how much more self-harm and degradation the American politicaland financialsystem can take. After all, this country depends heavily on the faith of overseas creditors. (Of the roughly twenty-one trillion dollars in publicly owned U.S. government debt, about a third is owned by foreign investors, including foreign governments.) Not for nothing has Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary, been calling the C.E.O.s of major corporations and asking them to help persuade the Republicans to raise the debt ceiling.

Even if some corporate executives carry out Yellens request, Republicans on Capitol Hill are likely to ignore their entreaties, especially because Trump said publicly, last week, that his partys representatives would be both foolish and unpatriotic not to use their leverage now. On some issues, the McConnell and MAGA wings of the Republican Party have their differences. When it comes to meeting the U.S. government's financial commitments, they are equally feckless and irresponsible.

This article has been updated to include news developments.

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Republicans Are Gambling Recklessly on the Debt Limit - The New Yorker