Category Archives: Gambling

PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Online Gambling Market is another survivor that thrived in during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sudden rise in the revenues of online gambling service providers, thus positively impacting the overall market growth. According to Google Trends, gambling has moved online amid the closure of physical gambling venues coupled with cancellation of various sports events and tournaments. Accordingto ResearchAndMarkets, the figures show that the online gambling has emerged as one of the biggest winners during the shutdown alongside services such as online retail, food delivery, and subscription services.The report also said, "Increasing number of cost-effective mobile applications to play different online gambling games on smartphones is also contributing to the market growth of online gambling worldwide. Ease of sports betting using a portable connected device such as smartphone, laptop, and tablet has increased the number of players in the online gambling industry. The report projected that the global online gambling market, which was valued at US$44.317 billion in 2019, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.13% over the forecast period to reach a total market size of US$66.994 billion in 2025. Active gaming and tech companies in the markets today include: Esports Technologies(NASDAQ: EBET), NeoGames S.A., (NASDAQ: NGMS), Score Media and Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ: SCR) (TSX: SCR), Boyd Gaming Corporation(NYSE: BYD), Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN).

ResearchAndMarkets continued saying, "Growing popularity of betting across different regions around the globe is significantly driving the global online gambling market. According to the American Gaming Association (AGA), around 2,800 sites are active online and offer games and activities such as poker, lottery, and bingo, as of 2018. Growing adoption of smartphones coupled with rapid penetration of better internet connectivity across various regions/countries is supporting the easy access to various online gambling platforms. With companies offering freemium model to their customers, the number of people engaged in various types of online gambling is rising at a considerable rate which, in turn, is boosting the growth of global online gambling market. Moreover, proliferation of sports betting along with other online gambling ads is further attracting people to try online gambling, thus positively impacting the market growth during the forecast period."

Esports Technologies (NASDAQ: EBET) BREAKING NEWS - Esports Technologies Odds Modeling and Wagering Technology to Integrate with Aspire Global's Platform - Esports Technologies Signs Strategic Deal with Aspire Global - Esports Technologies, a leading global provider of advanced esports wagering products and technology, announced today a strategic license agreement with Aspire Global (STO: ASPIRE) to integrate Esports Technologies proprietary odds modeling, market creation, and trading feed into Aspire's esports platform. Through this agreement, Esports Technologies will have access to Aspire's range of offerings and managed services.

Aspire Global is a leading B2B-provider of iGaming solutions, comprising a robust technical platform, proprietary casino games, a proprietary sportsbook, and a game aggregator. Aspire also operates several B2C brands, including Karamba, the premier showcase of its B2B offering.

Tsachi Maimon, Aspire Global's CEO, said, "We are happy to welcome Esports Technologies as an esports partner. We look forward to providing the esports proprietary solutions for iGaming operators. We are also thrilled to integrate Esports Technologies groundbreaking and engaging wagering products on our platform."

Bart Barden, COO, Esports Technologies, said, "We are at an exciting rapid growth phase, expanding our business across multiple markets and service offerings. When executing on our plan to expand our presence in key markets, Esports Technologies searched for a solution that would allow us to further differentiate ourselves in our goal of becoming a leader in esports wagering and technology. In Aspire Global, we have found a long-term partner that meets our high demands." CONTINUED READ THIS AND MORE NEWS FOR EBET BY VISITING: https://esportstechnologies.com/news/

In other entertainment and gaming recent news of interest:

NeoGames S.A., (NASDAQ: NGMS), a technology-driven provider of end-to-end iLottery solutions, recently announced the rollout of a multi-game progressive jackpot feature in selected eInstant games to be rolled out across its customer base.

NeoGames Studio's progressive jackpot can be implemented flexibly across clusters of eInstant games. The greater chance to win in a shared progressive jackpot heightens the attraction for players, increases overall player engagement and accelerates jackpot growth.

Score Media and Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ: SCR) (TSX: SCR) recently announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Score Digital Sports Ventures (Canada) Inc. ("theScore Bet"), has entered into a multiyear agreement with Golf Canada to become its Official Gaming Partner. The exclusive partnership makes theScore Bet the first ever gaming partner for Golf Canada and its prestigious National Open Golf Championships - the CP Women's Open and the RBC Canadian Open.

The partnership, which begins in 2022, provides theScore Bet with access to activate across Golf Canada's high-profile events and large digital footprint. As an exclusive gaming partner of the RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women's Open, theScore Bet will be able to engage fans through a variety of on-site activations, including creating members club experiences for theScore Bet users, as well as digital activations through both tournaments and Golf Canada's channels.

Boyd Gaming Corporation(NYSE: BYD) recently reported financial results for the second quarter endedJune 30, 2021.

Keith Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming, said, "Our second-quarter results reflect the strength of our operating strategy as our streamlined cost structure, enhanced capabilities, and focus on our core customers all continue to drive strong results throughout our portfolio. We achieved record results for Adjusted EBITDAR and operating margins, with Companywide margins exceeding 43% and Las Vegas Locals margins approaching 57%. During the quarter our business continued to strengthen, as gaming revenues surpassed 2019 levels. We are encouraged that the strength from the first half of the year has carried into July and are confident in our ability to continue delivering robust levels of EBITDAR and margin performance. These outstanding results are a tribute to the hard work of the entire Boyd Gaming team and their shared dedication to our transformed operating model, which will continue to create long-term value for our stakeholders."

Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) recently announced that it has opened a career center and is accepting applications for approximately 375 new positions at Hollywood Casino Morgantown, which is expected to open by the end of 2021, pending customary regulatory approvals. The career center is located at the Holiday Inn Morgantown at 6170 Morgantown Road. In addition, the Company will be hosting a number of Table Games Dealer School Open House hiring events over the next two weeks at the career center.

"We are thrilled to begin accepting applications for our newest property from residents of Berks, Lancaster, and Montgomery counties, and other neighboring communities," said Erin Chamberlin, Senior Vice President of Regional Operations for Penn National. "We look forward to interviewing candidates for the vast array of jobs that will support our expected grand opening later this year."

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Showing No Signs of Slowing Down, Global Online Gambling Market Expected To Reach A Total Market Size Of $66 Billion In 2025 - PRNewswire

It's been a rough week, to say the least, for gambling stocks with exposure to Macao's once-thriving market, with most of the industry down double digits over the last five trading days. Melco Resorts (NASDAQ:MLCO), Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS), and Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN) have been the hardest hit because they generated a majority of their revenue in Macao before the pandemic began. MGM Resorts (NYSE:MGM) has two resorts in the region as well, but most of its properties are in the U.S., so it's been spared the worst of the market crash, while Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) is trading higher because it doesn't have a presence in Macao at all.

Sometimes a sell-off like this is an overreaction by the market, but in this case the underlying business operations in Macao could be under threat. Here's what we know today, and what we'll need to know by June 2022 when Macao's current gambling concessions are expected to be renewed.

WYNN data by YCharts

The biggest news of the week was the government potentially looking to add restrictions to gambling companies. We don't know what final rules will be yet, but the government opened a 45-day public consultation period on September 15 looking for comments on topics including:

We don't know exactly what the government is thinking, which isn't new for investors in Macao, but if the rules are changing to restrict the revenue opportunity or squeeze margins it could be very bad for a region that was once a cash machine.

There are two areas where I think we're clearly seeing the government focus over the next year. One is that it would like to see more mass-market tables, rather than high-limit junket rooms, which once accounted for 70% of Macao's gambling revenue. The second is that Macao would like to see more non-gambling revenue.

Gambling companies have been talking about adding more non-gambling products for many years, so that wouldn't be a surprise for most companies. A focus on mass-market gamblers has also been a trend for every operator, although it's hard to turn down a player who might lose millions of dollars in a weekend.

It's possible that new rules would have very little impact on Macao operations and that these will become great growth stocks coming out of the pandemic, but the opposite could also be true. I think the best-case scenario for gambling stocks is that the status quo holds.

Image source: Getty Images.

Complicating matters for Macao casino companies is China's crackdown on businesses and consumers over the past year. The government has put rules on activities it doesn't approve of or sees as vices, like kids playing video games, for-profit education companies, and ultra-wealthy entrepreneurs.

As China looks to crack down on "undesirable" activities by its citizens, investors have to wonder if there will be restrictions on visiting Macao.

Worse yet, Macao's relationship with China is complicated. The region is what's known as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, with economic autonomy and separate borders but some control from China. It's one of the "One Country, Two Systems" regions, just like its neighbor Hong Kong.

As China exerts more control over Hong Kong and puts limitations on businesses and consumers within China, there's a risk it will do the same in Macao. Until now, that risk has seemed small -- but it's absolutely worth taking it seriously now, even if we don't know what the outcome of any reforms or Chinese intervention will look like.

I own shares of Wynn Resorts, which has two casinos in the U.S. and two in Macao, and MGM Resorts, but I'm not selling yet. I think there's a significant risk to the casino business in Macao, but if the regulations the government puts in place are light, we could see a rapid recovery in Macao's casino stocks, which are still down big from where they traded pre-pandemic.

Like a bet in a casino, there's a big risk to holding Macao's casino operators today, and it's possible the bet will go against me. Until we learn more about what the rules will be like after June 2022, when concessions are due to expire, investors should be ready for anything -- because investing in Macao got a lot more complicated this week.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

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Macao Nightmare: What We Know About the Future of Gambling There - The Motley Fool

BOSTON (WWLP) In their continued efforts to promote positive play and reduce gambling-related harms, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) is supporting Responsible Gaming Education Week (RGEW), which runs from September 19 through September 25.

This years campaign them is Have a Game Plan

According to the MGC, a 2014 population survey conducted in Massachusetts found that2%or roughly110,000adult residentsmet the criteria for problem gambling, and8%or440,000were experiencing harm to a lesser degree.

The MGC realized the importance of offering options to support safe play, harm reduction, and abstinence and launched GameSense in 2015. The program is a player-focused responsible gaming program that encourages players to adopt behaviors and attitudes that reduce the risk of gambling-related harm. Operated by the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health, GameSense Info Centers are located at each casino property and staffed by trained advisors who give players and employees information, tips, and tools to keep gambling a safe and enjoyable experience.

Since the first casino opened in Massachusetts in 2015, more than 1,200 people enrolled in the MGCsVoluntary Self-Exclusion (VSE) program, supporting individuals who elect to abstain from casino gambling in Massachusetts.

RGEW was developed by the American Gaming Association in 1998 to prioritize responsible gaming as an integral part of the gaming industrys daily operations. The annual advocacy week also provides an opportunity to strengthen employee training, promote gaming literacy among casino guests, and further advance responsible gaming programs.

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Responsible Gaming Week: Have a Game Plan to reduce gambling-related harms - WWLP.com

Roe v. Skillz, Inc., decided earlier this month by a Ninth Circuit panel (Judges Morgan Christen and Danielle Forrest, and Sixth Circuit Judge Eugene Siler), held that "a district court's decision not to seal judicial records and its denial of leave to proceed anonymously" was not "an abuse of discretion":

"[W]e allow parties to use pseudonyms in the 'unusual case' when nondisclosure of the party's identity 'is necessary to protect a person from harassment, injury, ridicule or personal embarrassment.'" Because there is a presumption that parties' identities are public information, anonymity is only proper under "special circumstances when the party's need for anonymity outweighs prejudice to the opposing party and the public's interest in knowing the party's identity."

Roe maintains that special circumstances warrant her need for anonymity because her claims relate to her compulsive gambling and the impact on her mental health, her suicidal ideations, and personal harms she suffered. She generally states that disclosure could negatively affect her professional standing, as her employer is unaware of her struggles and her work requires interaction with the public who may "weaponize" it against her.

However, this court has made clear that use of a pseudonym should only be permitted occasionally and in "unusual" cases. Here, the magistrate judge did not find Roe's case to be unusual, noting that "in today's environment, a past gambling addiction with accompanying mental health problems is not so out of the norm as to constitute sensitive and highly personal in nature."

Roe has not presented medical evidence that supports the assertion that she will suffer substantial additional mental injury if her identity is disclosed. Instead, she states conclusory and general statements without explanation or support. Further, while there is no identifiable prejudice to Skillz should Roe remain anonymous, Roe failed to address and therefore show that the need for anonymity outweighs the public's interest in the proceedings.

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Revelation of Plaintiff's Gambling Addiction Doesn't Justify Pseudonymity or Sealing - Reason

September 21, 2021Law & Politics

The UK gambling industry may have found a friend in the new Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Nadine Dorries.

The British MP took over from Oliver Dowden on Friday after a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Dorries appointment comes at a time when the UKs Gambling Act is being updated to make it relevant in the digital age.

The news has been welcomed with a tinge of optimism by industry insiders. Indeed, the sometimes-outspoken politician has long been a fan of horse racing which has strong links with the gambling industry.

Although her views on gambling in general arent as clear, Dorries has been seen at a number of high-profile racing events, including Royal Ascot.

Shes also on record as saying that horses in the racing industry are the best looked after animals in the world. That may bode well not just for any forthcoming Gambling Act reforms but the industry in general.

Outside of gambling, Dorries could also be described as a member of the anti-woke movement. She tweeted in 2017 the left wing snowflakes are killing comedy.

Left wing snowflakes are killing comedy, tearing down historic statues, removing books from universities, dumbing down panto, removing Christ from Christmas and suppressing free speech. Sadly, it must be true, history does repeat itself. It will be music next.

Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) December 27, 2017

This pushback against cancel culture is backed by what some would describe as non-leftie views on the BBC, race, and religion.

Dorries also lost her job as Conservative Party whip when she took time away from Parliament to appear on the British TV show, Im a CelebrityGet Me Out of Here!

Unlike many of her colleagues, Dorries isnt from an upper-class background. She comes from a working-class home in Liverpool and trained as a nurse before moving into politics.

By those measures, shes more akin to the average gambler in the UK than many politicians. This may give her a better insight into the industrys positive and negative effects on communities. Whats clear, however, is that shell spearhead the Gambling Act reform in her new role as Secretary of State for the DCMS.

Very little has been said about the potential changes over the last nine months. Dorries predecessor, Oliver Dowden, had indicated that tighter controls were likely to be introduced, particularly with regards to deposit limits.

Beyond that, there has been talk of online betting limits being reduced so they match the changes made to FOBTs back in 2019.

The final list of rules will be the result of public and private consultations. However, Dorries will have the final say on what gets passed on for final approval from the Prime Minister.

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Daniel Smyth

Dan Smyth is a poker media journeyman who politely reminds CardsChat readers that poker is played all around the world, not just America.

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Nadine Dorries To Lead DCMS and UK Gambling Act Reform - CardsChat.com

Q: I am really struggling with my emotions at the moment. I have a six-month-old baby with my husband of three years. He had issues with gambling in the past but he assured me that it was all firmly behind him. We have plans to do some work on the house and I had a lump sum from a redundancy and some savings to do the work. But now my husband has told me that the money is gone he gambled it. He swears that he will get help but I wonder if I should give him another chance? I had no idea he was lying to me. Will he ever stop gambling? How can I ever trust him again?

Allison replies: Trust, once broken, is hard to fix. Lets imagine trust is like glass, pottery, and a rubber ball. Drop a rubber ball and you can bounce back from it; these are the normal life stressors and disagreements that can be brought to the fore, resolved, or accepted. But when you drop glass it shatters, this can happen with addiction when the trust has been broken too many times.

Perhaps you are at the pottery stage where the trust is broken, but if we think of the Japanese art of kintsugi or golden joinery, they fix broken pottery with gold to show where the vulnerabilities and breaks were with the intent that it can still become something else and develop.

I love this idea, as no one is perfect or without flaw. Everyone makes mistakes and it is possible to change. However, we cant underestimate what it takes to change and that unfortunately is completely out of your control and addiction is never a quick fix.

Sitting with this for a moment, lets bring back what you can control and bring some space back to you. How are you doing? That must have been an awful shock for you. Six months into having a baby is when the weight of the pure exhaustion and continuous lack of sleep or disrupted sleep makes its presence loudly known along with everything else. Post-partum can be a vulnerable time physically, emotionally, and psychologically, and becoming a mum for the first time is life changing. The sense of love and responsibility is on a whole new level.

There are many new fears and worries, and post-partum anxiety can be present and yet less openly discussed than the more commonly known post-natal depression. Add in the rug being pulled from underneath you and I imagine you feel blindsided by this financial infidelity, and it would be only normal to feel angry and betrayed. You had your hopes and dreams for your new future as a family.

As you land in motherhood it can make your head spin as you try to find your feet in a foreign terrain, with many mothers expressing doubt in themselves, their confidence and decision-making.

When you add having a partner who has a gambling problem into the mix, this is when you need to reach out and get the support that you need. You can contact Gam-Anon of Gamblers Anonymous Ireland, which provides support to family members and partners as they live with someone who is gambling. At present, they are providing one-to-one phone support until further changes with Covid. Check out their website for more details gamblersanonymous.ie.

A gambling addiction, or compulsive gambling, is a progressive illness and the compulsion to get pulled back in is so easy even after long periods of not gambling. From your perspective, even though it may feel out of the blue, it might be helpful to look back and see if there are any patterns that lead to periods of gambling.

Does it occur at times of stress or change, are there any other addiction issues with alcohol, drugs, or sex? Have you noticed any changes in his mood or behaviour? At times of gambling is he more distant, not present, or preoccupied? Are there major mood changes in terms of highs or lows of noticeable irritability?

The difficult truth about addiction is that it is up to your husband to get help and that is so hard. He may go and get help now, but until he is ready, the change wont come. That can be so upsetting to everyone, and the frustration can be immense for you and your husband.

One red flag word is that he says he will get help, this is future based, there is no quick one-step solution or answer to your question. Keep the focus on what you can control and create boundaries about what you wont accept.

Seek support and help, but help yourself first. Set out your non-negotiables separate them into financial, emotional and what you wont accept going forward. Wishing you the best of luck.

Helplink has joined forces with the Gambling Awareness Trust to provide a national gambling addiction/gambling dependency counselling service that is available for free; seven days a week and out of hours. For a minimum of six free counselling sessions contact gamblingsupport@helplink.ie or call 0818 99 88 80.

Allison regrets that she cannot enter into correspondence. If you have a query you would like addressed in this column email allisonk@independent.ie

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Ask Allison: 'My husband told me he had sorted his gambling issues, but now he's blown money I had saved to fix the house. Can I trust him again?' -...

Wingo told me, At the end of the day, once the Supreme Court ruling happened, the N.F.L. was really good at three things. One, they put out a product you just cant get enough of. Two, they know how to market the hell out of it. Three, they know how to make money. And once this thing came open, they knew that there was money to be made. And the NFL is a moneymaking machine.

Wingo himself recently joined Caesars Sportsbook as chief trends officer and brand ambassador. He told me that he sees his job as having changed little from his work with ESPN. Hes still the why guy, explaining to an audience on his podcast and on YouTube how a players stats and performance might influence how they do on any given Sunday (or Thursday or Monday). But with respect to gambling, he said: We can talk about it now. Its a little more open.

A historical aside: Gambling was part of the N.F.L. at its inception. Its rumored that the Steelers founder Art Rooney kept the team afloat through the 1930s with gambling winnings, and the Giants founder Tim Mara was a successful bookmaker. Even basic aspects of the games operations like the weekly injury report teams are required to submit to the league are arguably done for the benefit of Vegas casinos looking to set the lines and determine which teams they think will win and by how much.

But despite the games betting origins, gambling on the N.F.L., if it took place at all, was heavily discouraged by the league, meaning that it was largely kept an open secret, an activity only for mobsters and the very sad.

Some with close ties to the league arent happy about the changes in recent years. In a conference call with reporters, the former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy said that he didnt support the N.F.L.s new stance on betting. I dont think we should encourage people who are watching the N.F.L. to gamble, especially young people, he said. Ive got boys, and I want them to enjoy the game for what it is, the headiness of it and those kinds of things.

There are two main concerns about legalized sports betting and the N.F.L.: first, that the game itself could be corrupted if players, coaches or referees fix games to help gamblers, and second, that users may risk developing gambling addictions with the prevalence of so many options for betting.

Wingo told me that he hoped that legalized sports betting would actually help stop players (or coaches) from intentionally trying to score fewer points or lose games. He gave me the example of a 2007 tennis match held in Europe, where in-game betting is far more common than it is in the United States. After noticing suspicious activity namely, a lot of money coming in favoring a player who was already losing the sports book Betfair halted all transactions and notified the A.T.P. of its concerns.

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Opinion | The N.F.L. Bets on Betting - The New York Times

A few minutes before Paul Merson tells the surreal story which makes him cry, in a beautiful but broken memory, he looks at me intently. Its been 36 years of pure madness, Merson says as he reflects on the gambling disorder which, coupled with alcoholism and a brief but ruinous addiction to cocaine, has scarred his life.

Merson won two league titles and three cups with Arsenal, while playing some visionary football which he produced again for Aston Villa. He won 21 caps for England, played in the 1998 World Cup and, now, at the age of 53, he is a much-loved, or often cruelly mocked, member of Sky Sports Saturday Soccer panel alongside his close friend Jeff Stelling.

But, as Merson makes plain in his endearingly candid way, he has an illness above all else. He has lost more than 7m to betting companies but, as he stresses, the real cost has nothing to do with money. If someone lived in my head they would think: How did you even get through those 36 years? People go: Oh, you lost all that money. But the money is irrelevant. You lose time. Time just goes and that breaks my heart more than anything.

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People ask: What was it like when you won so much at Arsenal and played for England? I dont know. All I remember was winning the league at Portsmouth. I wasnt drinking, I wasnt gambling too much and I sucked it in. I remember one game we played Millwall away [in March 2003]. Portsmouth and Millwall dont like each other and so none of our fans were allowed in. I also remember having 30 grand, in cash, to give to someone after the game.

Even if this was one of his less wasteful years, Merson was still so lost in his gambling maze that paying off 30,000 in bad debts remained a routine problem. Harry Redknapp, his manager at Portsmouth, was taken aback. When they couldnt lock the away dressing room at Millwall, Redknapp had to look after Mersons possessions. Harry said: What is it, Merse? A watch? I said: No, Ive got some money. Harry shoved 30 grand down his big, baggy tracksuit bottoms.

I went out and had the best game of my career. We were 5-0 up and I got a standing ovation from Millwall fans with five minutes to go. Then, in the car park, this 75-year-old geezer comes up to me: I just want to say, Merson, Ive been coming to the Den 60-odd years and Ive never seen what I seen today. Weve never had a standing ovation for an opposition player.

Merson pauses as he begins to cry. He shakes his head. It was The words are choked by his tears. He tries again. It was His mouth crumples, and I apologise. No, dont worry, Merson manages to say.

It sounds like he played beautiful football that afternoon? Yeah, he says, wiping his eyes. But the addiction kills you. There should have been more of them good times. I live quite a nice life now but I wouldnt wish this on anybody in the whole world. Its a horrible addiction. Even your footballing career, no matter how great it was, passes you by.

Ive only got some memories of the really good times. I remember another standing ovation I got at Maine Road with Villa with five minutes to go. But at the time, Im walking off the pitch like: God, lets get changed, lets fucking get going. I want a bet now or a drink. It takes over your life. Its a hard and draining illness. Football offered Merson a refuge. The only time I lived in the moment, he says, was playing football.

In Mersons raw and sometimes harrowing new book, which is also full of pathos, he describes how he saw space and clarity on the pitch. He compares this ability to a chess prodigy plotting a strategy four or five moves ahead. But in real life he saw little but blurring chaos. He suggests that his brain is wired differently. It helped me on the pitch. Ask the lads at Arsenal, or anywhere I played. It drove them up the wall. They would complain I was always aiming for the glory ball. It was like my gambling, my drinking, my drugging. It was risk-taking. I didnt see fear. I could do it and I kept on doing it.

People talk about being brave on the football pitch. Being brave and clever for me is getting the ball and putting your head up and trying to open up the game. Glenn Hoddle always said: See the picture. Some players have all the skill in the world, but they cant see that picture. I could. Im not saying it happened all the time. I had some shocking games. But I was so much better in football than life.

His certainty that he is wired differently has re-emerged. They want me to see someone now to get diagnosed with ADHD. Im 53. This could have been nipped in the bud before, surely? So that scares and frustrates me.

Merson stresses that his gambling disorder is by far the worst of the three addictions spread across nearly four decades of his life. He was only 16 when he had his first bet as a Youth Training Scheme [YTS] apprentice with Arsenal in 1984.

I was picking my first wages up on a Friday afternoon. 100. Just finished training, cleaning the boots, the toilets and the bath. Id never seen a hundred quid in my life. I was counting it and thinking: Oh my God. I said to my mate, Wes Reid, who went on to play for Millwall; What are we doing now, Wes? I thought hed say wed go shopping on Bond Street. He went: Im going across the road to the betting shop. We walked in and it was like stepping onto a spaceship. People roaring and shouting. I lost all my money in no time.

It was like: Oh God, what do I tell mum and dad? I had 21 stops on the tube to think about it. I got to the estate and scraped my face against the wall. I ran in and told my mum Id been mugged on the train. She gave me her digs money. Merson scrunches up his face. Every gambler becomes such a good liar. If lying was in the Olympics, gamblers would represent every country.

There were disturbing times when he considered breaking his fingers with a hammer or slamming a door shut on them so he would no longer be able to call the betting companies. I was with Villa and we played Charlton away in a night game. I hated night games because I sat in the hotel room all afternoon and gambled. I was constantly ringing up, putting bets on. And then it come into my brain: Break your fingers. If you break your fingers, you cant pick the phone up. People who dont understand would think that is madness. But this addiction grips you and doesnt let you go.

Merson has not had a bet in more than a year but, he says: This is with me forever. Im doing all I can to arrest it, one day at a time. But it aint going away. If I got to 75 and I still aint had a bet, I bet you bottom dollar, if I started betting again it would be worse than last time around.

He is an amiable and even cheerful man, despite the bleak topic, but Merson feels anger when he considers the gambling industry, Theres a betting company I used and I looked through my accounts with them. I gave them 135,000 in four months. I rang them up, I emailed them. I said: You let me down. I know you understand Im a compulsive gambler and you did nothing to stop me. They said: No, weve looked through the rules and we did nothing wrong. But I know hundreds of people have had their accounts shut because theyve won big.

I was like a cash machine to them. I was placing a hundred bets a day. All these companies do nothing to stop people with this illness. It hurts me now at the time it didnt because I used to hate myself. I saw it as punishment I deserved. But they took full advantage of me and that disgusts me. They fobbed me off: Youre a piece of shit. Youve gone. Weve got loads of new ones coming through. Its a conveyor belt of people being destroyed.

Merson highlights the way gambling advertising is so pervasive especially around football on television. Its so in your face now. People are virtually telling you on the telly you cant watch football without gambling. Imagine what it triggers in me? Even when Im driving in the car at seven in the morning and an advert comes on for the prices of a football match in 13 hours time, thats a major trigger. Theyll give the odds on Man United and something in my brain goes: That aint bad.

Last year, during the first lockdown, Merson spent all his and his wife Kates savings in a desolate spree. At the time I was reading and watching the news a lot and my brain started telling me: Were not getting out of this. I need to get a future for my wife and three little kids. We had a deposit [for a house] and my brain said: Youre not going to be working, theres not going to be any money coming in. Youve got to use that money to gamble to make it better. I lost everything.

He has not had a bet since then but he received another jolt last August when his good friends Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas and Matt Le Tissier were all axed from Soccer Saturday. Merson and Stelling were retained but they felt the loss deeply. Its scary. You think youve got this job as long as you dont do something amazingly silly or get in trouble. I love my job. Ask Kate. Saturday mornings, Im as happy as Larry. Its a massive part of my life. I like structure, I like to know what Im doing. Them lads helped me massively so that was a hard wake-up call.

The old Soccer Saturday gang had made Merson very comfortable, being dyslexic, on telly. Some footballer names are so long they cant even get around the shirt. I struggle to say the name and they used to laugh and make me feel at ease. I mess up the names now and everybody goes quiet and it makes me feel thick. Id rather they were laughing at me in a relaxing way.

Im so conscious now that if I mess up a name I think; Oh, you thick because no ones taking the power out of it by having a laugh. But its getting better and I get on so well with new lads like Clinton Morrison. Im doing OK. So many people worry about yesterday or tomorrow. They miss out on today. Im trying to live every day and thats why having a barbecue, going to Homebase, are ordinary things I love. I never did any of that before now.

About two months ago Im sitting on the sofa. Kate said: Whats wrong? I went: Its boring. Im not used to this flat life where everything stays the same. Ive been on a rollercoaster so long. She said: Is this better than down there at the very bottom? I said: A hundred times better.

Mersons eyes are gleaming again, with light rather than tears. Ive never been able to sit with my feelings until now. I used to push them down with a bet, with whatever. No one ever sat around a table before dinner and asked: How do you feel? But now I say to [his young son] Freddie: How do you feel? I know he gets a little nervous before playing football. But I say: Its not a problem. Remember last week? You had them feelings and they passed. Same with me, I might get jealous, insecure, sad. Thats my addiction waiting. Its out there doing press-ups. But I keep myself around people who love me and I keep talking about it. If I keep doing that I can keep it away. I can stay quiet and happy.

Hooked by Paul Merson is published by Headline

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. For more information visit http://www.samaritans.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at http://www.befrienders.org

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Paul Merson: Gambling is a horrible addiction. Your career passes you by - The Guardian

The Netherlands continues to put an emphasis on consumer protection in its soon-to-launch gambling industry with the media watchdog, theCommissariaat voor de Media (CdvM)and Kansspelautoriteit, the countrys gambling regulator, agreeing to exchange complaints and signals regarding potentially harmful advertisements pertaining to the gambling sector.

The regulators expect their collaboration to lead to better overall consumer protection and ensure that media standards are kept up to snuff as per the countrys gambling regulation. With only a few weeks before the industry goes online in October, the Netherlands will experience an influx of betting and gambling companies advertisements that have already secured positions in the market.

The debate to re-regulate gambling has been on since at least 2018, with the country going after what it considered rogue operators at the time. The past years have allowed legislators to establish clear-cut rules for everyone to follow, including with regards to media presence.

The media watchdog will enforce the Media Act, which will come into effect on November 1 and will mandate how games of chance can be presented in public broadcasts and during what specific hours. Television and radio ads featuring gambling or promoting those brands that are official operators in the country may not be aired between the hours of 6 am and 9 pm.

Through this collaboration, the pair expects to have a swift response to any possible violation of the media rules. Both the Kansspelautoriteit and the CdvM have issued strict guidelines as to what advertisement is considered acceptable.

Essentially, the regulators want to ensure that underage individuals are safe and that advertisement does not target them, whether that is done purposefully or unwittingly. There have already been calls for greater restrictions on gambling advertisement, with operators pitching in and agreeing that the limit of three gambling ads per commercial block is too much.

Operators, includingBet365,Flutter,Entain, andKindred, have previously objected to the newly-proposed media guidelines, arguing that those advertisement standards werent up to par with what should have been introduced instead.

The brands commented that they should have been invited to the discussions as they could have offered valuable insight. All operators, which are part of theNetherlands Online Gambling Associationtrade body, agreed that the code does not go nearly enough.

All brands have an understandable business interest in maintaining a clean and fair gambling advertisement environment, as a lack of proper regulation could result in stricter measures as the ones currently enacted inSweden,Spain, andItaly.

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Netherlands to Pool Regulatory Efforts in Monitoring Gambling Advertisement - GamblingNews.com

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Robert Whitcomb, Columnist

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Robert Whitcomb, columnist

All summerlongwe loved him for the samePerennialinspirationof his lies;And when the russetwealthofautumncame,There flew but fairer visions to our eyes-Multiple, tropical, winged with a featheryflame,Like birds ofparadise.

From Uncle Ananias, by Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869-1935)

Incessant company is as bad as solitary confinement.

-- Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), English novelist

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Growing populations of coyotes PHOTO: file

You might call coyotes invasive species in these parts, but then so are we, if you go back far enough. And maybe, like dogs, their canid cousins, they too will ultimately be domesticated. Maybe even raccoons, who have also become suburbanites and even urbanites, will be domesticated. Theyre quite intelligent creatures. (Even moose, who arent smart, are wandering into some New England cities, such as Worcester.)

But keep your house cats inside. Coyotes will kill and eat them. But then, cats kill many, many songbirds so.

Meanwhile, gird yourself for the colorful Spotted Lanternfly, an invasive species moving into southern New England, aided and abetted by global warming. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture reports:

The spotted lanternfly causes serious damage including oozing sap, wilting, leaf curling and dieback intrees, vines, crops and many other types of plants. In addition to plant damage, when spotted lanternflies feed, they excrete a sugary substance, called honeydew, that encourages the growth of black sooty mold. This mold is harmless to people; however, it causes damage to plants.

If you see any of these execute as many as you can. But happily, it will take a while for Burmese pythons to make their way up here from Florida.

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I love those quaint Rhode Island fire districts that act as private clubs and block access to beaches by the general public. And some dont even fight fires. When will the state seriously review their legal status?

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William Blackstone PHOTO: RI Heritage Society

The bookish William Blackstone (1595-1675) (also called Blaxton) was an Anglican minister who might have been the first permanent white resident of what is now Rhode Island, moving down from Boston and settling in todays Lonsdale section of Cumberland in 1635, the year before Roger Williams founded Providence. The Blackstone River and a bunch of other things around here are named for him.

In the future Cumberland, on the east bank of the river that would bear his name, the reclusive and apparently kindly and tolerant intellectual read, wrote, tended cattle, planted gardens, and cultivated an apple orchard; he came up with the first variety of American apples, the Yellow Sweeting. He called his home "Study Hill," and it was said to have the largest library in the English colonies at the time. Sadly, his library and house were burned down in 1675 duringKing Philip's War, the very bloody and destructive conflict between Native Americans and English colonists that lasted from 1675 to 1678 and changed the course of American history. Blackstone died in 1675, just before the outbreak of the conflict.

Consider that his friends included theNarragansett tribe chiefs MiantonomiandCanonchet and theWampanoagsMassasoitandMetacomet. Metacomet is also known as King Philip (to mark the friendly relations his father, Massasoit, had with the English), whose followers were the ones who destroyed Blackstones home.

But now some Narragansetts want a new stainless-steel sculpture of Blackstone at the corner of Roosevelt and Exchange streets in Pawtucket taken down. Theyre trying to make him into some sort of symbol of the brutal white takeover of their lands and the vast suffering and death of Native Americans that accompanied the English colonialization of what the English named New England. But Blackstone is a pretty inaccurate example of white aggression!

Its appropriate that his statue remain up, given his importance to the history of the region. Its not as if this is a statue of the likes of the cruel slaveowner, and traitor, Robert E. Lee. Such works are best kept in museums. (There are no statues of Hitler in outdoor parks in Germany, despite his historical importance.)

But why not see if a statue of a Native American chief from Blackstones time in Rhode Island could be commissioned to be put up near Blackstones? It would be culturally healthy if we had a wider range of historical figures represented by our public statues.

Heres a nice crisp biography from the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame:

More Bad Gaming Ideas

Another bad idea: for Massachusetts to allow table games at the commonwealths lone slots parlor, at Plainridge Park Casino, in Plainville, and to permit slot machines at certain veterans clubs both aimed, of course, at getting more state tax revenue. Plainridge, for its part, wants to be able to better compete with the casinos in nearby Rhode Island.

Thus would come a further expansion of a business that especially preys on poorer people, that can become addictive and that can lead to such crimes as embezzlement, fraud and robbery. Oh well, states are addicted to gambling revenue just as some gamblers are addicted to betting.

Racial Demographics and Politics

Backers of African-American candidates in Bostons depressingly low-turnout primary mayoral election on Sept. 14 were frustrated that the two finalists werent Black. Michelle Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, and Annissa Essaibi George, the daughter of Tunisian and Polish immigrants, will face off in the Nov. 2 election. A Black person has never been elected mayor of Boston, despite a large African-American community about 22 percent of the citys population, at least in the 2010 Census, with 17.5 percent Hispanic and 8.9 percent Asian. The populations of the last two groups have grown substantially since then.

If racial identity is to be many voters main criterion for supporting someone, then the prospect of a Black mayor in the future looks dim because of the growing percentage of Bostonians with Asian or Hispanic backgrounds.

Do we want in our multi-ethnic quasi-democracy for race/ethnicity to be the main determinant in choosing candidates, as opposed to policy positions, experience and character, at least in some elections?

Keep the Pandemic Cooking?

In the face of obvious scientific facts, why do so many members of the GOP/QAnon Party continue to undermine efforts to stop COVID by mass vaccination? One is just ignorance reflecting the failure of public schools to teach basic biology, especially in Red States, where schools tend to be underfunded. And then there are social media and right-wing radio and TV, which make their money promoting lie-based conspiracy theories.

But does it also reflect the wish of GOP leaders to hurt the economy by keeping the pandemic going and thus damaging the Democrats in 2022 and 2024? Anything for power? That in turn would help the cynical plutocrats who bankroll the Republicans and hope for even more goodies for themselves in return. The fossil-fuel sector, hedge funders, the Koch Brothers and real estate developers (like the Trump Organization) eagerly await new bonanzas.

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President George W. Bush

Pushing Back on Beijing, but.

The U.S., Britain, and Australia have formed a new defense pact to try to thwart further aggressive expansion by China, pushed by dictator-for-life Xi Jinping. Lets hope that more nations in the Asia-Pacific region join. As NATO has been crucial in defending large parts of Europe from Soviet/Russian aggression, so a NATO-like organization is needed to push back against Chinese aggression.

BUT, this deal was clumsily done in one very important way.

France had a 50 billion euro deal with Australia to supply its navy with diesel-powered submarines that it now has to scrap with this deal, which calls for Australia to build eight nuclear subs with U.S. and British technology. France, a crucial NATO ally, feel overlooked and bypassed by the Biden administration. Making matters worse is that France was blindsided kept out of the talks that produced this pact and not even warned about its announcement ahead of time.

How to lose an ally! How can we make amends?

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UConn Bassketball PHOTO: UConn

Thanks to the great columnist Chris Powell for this in a column about the University of Connecticut:

Having just been appointed president of Huxley College in the Marx Brothers' 1932 movie Horse Feathers, Groucho's Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff quickly diagnoses the institution's failure. This college is a failure. The trouble is, he tells the faculty, we're neglecting football for education."

Its nice to see big-time college sports and the cartel called the National Collegiate Athletic Association coming under increasing pressure to boost compensation for the student-athletes who bring in the big bucks. And now athletes at some schools can make money off commercial endorsements.

But how perverse that colleges sports programs have become far more about making money than about higher education. Thats why some head coaches in the biggest programs --- football and basketball make more than the presidents of their institutions.

Academic leaders in other Western countries express astonishment at such commercialization of colleges. So much for the life of the mind.

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We still dont really know why the FBI seems to have covered up the sex crimes of Larry Nassar, the former osteopathic physician who as the team doctor of theU.S. women's national gymnastics team molested many girls and young women.

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Whitcomb: Rewilding of the Suburbs; History on the Blackstone; Gambling for More State Revenue - GoLocalProv