Category Archives: Gambling

Coffee magnate Travis Boersma has launched one of the great longshots in Oregon business history.

The co-founder of the Dutch Bros empire of coffee kiosks has brought live horse racing back to the state. Hes spent $15 million on a complete makeover of the old Josephine County Fairgrounds horse track in Grants Pass. Hes prepared to spend another $10 million on an adjoining restaurant and entertainment center dubbed the Flying Lark in honor of a famed Oregon horse.

My friends say Im crazy, he said. The thing is, Im having a great time. Im determined to do this.

Boersma doesnt expect the actual horse races to make money. But hes got a plan to cover any losses: The main attraction at the Flying Lark will be 250 betting terminals known as historic horse racing machines. The controversial machines allow players to bet on a replay of a past horse race, disguising the identities of the racers so gamblers cant know which horse won before placing their bets.

They have landed Boersma in the middle of an acrimonious argument over what constitutes legal gambling in the state. Native American tribes as well as advocates for problem gamblers argue historic horse racing terminals are nothing more than slot machines, which they sometimes resemble, and say the Flying Lark will be a casino.

Boersmas plans have thoroughly shaken up the perennial debate over gambling in Salem. For the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, which operates the Seven Feathers Casino Resort in nearby Canyonville, the Flying Lark will be direct competition.

With an increasing number of internet gambling purveyors now offering their own version of historical horse racing games, it is available to any Oregonian with the right phone and app.

The rise of horse racing betting has to some degree put a tiny state agency into the gambling policy drivers seat. The Oregon Racing Commission will ultimately rule on Boersmas plan. Gov. Kate Bown will defer to the racing commission, a spokeswoman said.

The agency has 10 employees and a biennial budget of $7.3 million. Its charter is to regulate the horse racing business for the good of the horses, the horsemen and women, the bettors, the licensees and the citizenry.

Most observers expect it to approve Boersmas plan.

It caught a lot of people off guard, said Julie Hynes, executive director of the Oregon Council on Problem Gambling. Everyone is keeping such a close eye on the lottery, no one was looking over at the other corner of the internet where these historic horse racing machines came online. A lot of people dont even know these things exist.

Jack McGrail, executive director of the racing commission, said the agency is not a rubber stamp.

Recommendation by this office will be based on a rigorous examination of factors like security, technology and vendor approval.

For Oregon tribal officials, who are struggling to maintain their share of the states gambling dollar, the racing commissions new clout is troubling. They allege that the horse racing terminals are essentially slot machines and their introduction is an end-run around established gambling rules.

Its concerningthat the Oregon Racing Commission has already moved to a mobile slot machine platform without any consultation with tribes, evaluation on affected communities, or broader public input, said Dan Courtney, chairman of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. The way the state is managing its gaming policies and oversight is starting to feel like a frantic race with no course or end. If the state isnt thoughtful, Oregon is going to open doors that cannot be shut, and the tribes are not the only people who will be impacted.

The Sport of Kings

Sixty years ago, horse racing competed with baseball and boxing as the nations most popular sport. Huge crowds spent the day at the track, pored over the Daily Racing Form, and put some money down on their favorite.

But the sports popularity nosedived. Portland Meadows, Oregons one major track, played to a largely vacant grandstand for years before closing down entirely in 2019.

The major players in the industry realized they needed to diversify if they were to survive.

Racing is on life support, said Jonathan Stettin, a professional handicapper and columnist for the pastthewire.com website. The decline in fan base has led to an environment where the tracks that survive and thrive are the ones with casinos, slots, other unconnected sources of revenue.

Strangely enough, many of those big gambling companies came to Oregon years ago to take advantage of favorable laws and a friendly racing commission. Oregon has become to the online horse race betting industry what Delaware is to corporations: a user friendly and inexpensive place to get licensed.

TwinSpires, the gambling subsidiary of famed Kentucky track Churchill Downs, is licensed in Oregon. So is NYRA bets, the online operation of NYRA, which owns Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga.

The pandemic was very good to the online gambling concerns. As tracks shut down, gamblers turned to their computers and smartphones in record numbers. The total handle in 2020 nationwide was a record $11 billion, according to the Jockey Club.

More than half that -- $6.6 billion -- was done by companies licensed in Oregon.

McGrail, executive director of the racing commission, said the state should be proud of Oregons status.

Our stamp of approval means something, he said. Its a significant imprimatur. Its why the biggest companies in the industry come to Oregon.

Commission meeting minutes do not mention a single investigation or compliance action against one of its large gambling licensees over the last four years. McGrail did not respond when asked to detail any recent enforcement actions.

Questions persist about the legality of the historic horse racing machines. It boils down to an arcane and highly technical argument over whether the machines qualify as pari-mutuel wagering. Pari-mutuel refers to the kinds of legal betting that are unique to the horse racing business.

Over the years, the definition of pari-mutuel betting expanded to include a limited number of off-site betting locations and simulcasts of real races. More recently, historical horse racing machines were introduced. They look like slot machines, but advocates insist the machines qualify as pari-mutuel wagering because they allow players to compete against other players and the odds of winning can change depending on the bets placed.

Regulators and horse tracks have argued over the machines, sometimes called instant racing machines, for nearly two decades. The Oregon Racing Commission first approved them in 2003, then reversed itself in 2006 amid doubts about their legality. The Oregon Legislature explicitly legalized them in 2013.

Reviews of the machines are mixed. Izzy Trejo, executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission, decided to give the historical horse racing machines a try while traveling through Kentucky recently. Trejo assumed the machine would give him the time and opportunity to carefully consider his wager, just like real horse racing.

But he never did figure out how to get information about any of the virtual horses.

To me, it played like a slot machine, only I lost my $20 faster, Trejo said. It was gone in a heartbeat.

The Family Foundation of Kentucky argued all the way to the Kentucky Supreme Court that the machines are simply slot machines under a different label. The Supreme Court shocked the gambling industry when it sided with the Family Foundation in 2020 and again in 2021.

In response, the Kentucky Legislature tweaked the statutory language of what constituted a legal betting machine.

It was a total David and Goliath situation, said Martin Cothran, a policy analyst at the Family Foundation. We won the battle but lost the war.

The political gamble

Gambling is one of the hot-button issues in Salem. All of the major players came into the 2021 session with an agenda.

Boersma is seeking a tweak to existing law that would lower the payments Grants Pass Downs will have to pay the state. Instead of a percent of revenue, Boersma wants to pay a flat fee.

The bill is pending.

Anti-gambling groups hope to forbid the Oregon Lottery from expanding its mobile gambling operation. But House Bill 3078 has hit a snag. Gov. Kate Brown has directed lottery Executive Director Barry Pack to try to negotiate a peace treaty of sorts with the anti-gambling groups that both sides can live with.

The racing commission entered the session with an audacious policy goal. It got a bill introduced that would allow all of its regulated gambling companies to launch their own Oregon sports betting operations. It would have been a boon for gambling companies but politically, it was a nonstarter.

The tribes have not yet tipped their hand. They are considering a call for a complete moratorium on new gambling products and initiatives until the state can undertake a comprehensive review of how the current system is working.

Were 25 years into this, said Justin Martin, an influential lobbyist and member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Lets slow down and take a breath and reassess where were going.

Martin was blunt about the racing commission.

This is group of about five people that spends much of its time debating track conditions and the safety of horses, which is great, he said. But should they be making these big, important decisions on the states gaming policy?

The tribes eight casinos are losing ground financially to the Oregon Lottery.

Bob Whelan, an economist with ECONorthwest who has long studied gambling issues, estimates the revenue from the eight tribal casinos peaked in 2006 at about $500 million a year and has been flat since then. Sales at the lottery, meanwhile, have continued to grow and now exceed $1 billion a year.

Elizabeth Merah, spokeswoman for the governor, said Brown recognizes the issues facing the tribes. We have told our tribal partners that all plans for Oregon State Lottery expansion are on hold until we consult with them.

The problem gambling groups agree that its fitting time to hit the pause button. Polling indicates that about 83,000 Oregonians self-identify as problem gamblers, said Hynes, with the problem gambling nonprofit. She said that number will only increase as mobile gambling grows.

We have an opportunity to be a national leader here, Hynes said.

Feeling Luckii

In a quiet office park on Northeast Stucki Avenue in Hillsboro, the urgent politicking around gambling seems a world away. Tucked between a title company and an investment firm, Luckii.com has set up shop.

It is the latest gambling company to come to Oregon and be licensed by the state racing commission. It is also a unique animal in horse racing gambling. Luckii is purely virtual. It is not affiliated with any track.

Luckii offers a variety of what it calls Vegas-style games. They qualify as pari-mutuel because the results of each game are powered by the results of actual horse races previously run at hundreds of tracks around the country.

The company is owned and managed by ELS Gaming in Boston.

For now, Luckii is making its website available only to Oregonians, which offers a unique look at the size of the local market. Since launching late last year, the company claims more than $2 million has been bet on its site.

Volume is showing consistent double-digit weekly growth. Dozens of Oregonians have won $10,000 or more and hundreds have won more than $1,000 since the sites launch, it claims.

Larry Lucas, company chairman, said the future for online gambling and for his company are bright.

Oregon is just the first stop, he said.

-- Jeff Manning | jmanning@oregonian.com | 971-263-5164

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Return of horse racing makes for a crowded field in the contest for Oregon gambling dollar - OregonLive

Gambling problems can happen to any gambler at any point in time. One doesnt even understand that when casual bets turn into obsessive and unhealthy ones bearing serious consequences and after-effects. Whether one gambles on sports, slots, poker, scratch cards, roulette, or any other form, a gambling addiction can severely cause harm to a persons life in terms of work interference, relationships, and financial disasters.

Problem gambling is an impulse control disorder that needs to be curbed before one has no other options left in life. Overcoming gambling is never forceful. It has to come willingly and one must really want to mend relationships, regain control of his own life. Thus, taking the first step and thinking about leaving gambling behind itself can do wonders.

Gamstop is a free self-exclusion scheme that helps UK gamblers to overcome gambling addictions. All the Uk based businesses are licensed under the UKGC and Gamstop prevents individuals who have signed up for self-exclusion to access any Gamstop registered gambling site for a minimum period of time.

Gamstop can only stop access to sites that are UK-based. For offshore casinos operating under licenses from Malta Gaming Authority, Curacao, Government of Gibraltar, etc., Gamstop is not effective at all. British players can easily access UK online casinos not with GamStop self-exclusion via several gambling portals such as CasinoGap or NonStopCasino.

Gamstop might not be able to spot inaccurate details provided by a punter. Thus, failure is not achieving ones goal is entirely upon himself.

If a punter has any pending withdrawable funds in any online gambling accounts in the UK, upon beginning the session and self-exclusion has been activated, the gambling operators of those accounts are bound to return these funds to the gambler. Gamstop uses certain personal data in order to register the users details for protection purposes.

In certain cases, placing bets can quickly escalate to severe gambling addictions and one loses control over his betting behaviour which is extremely harmful. People who struggle with problem gambling must definitely consider therapy for personal benefit. Gambling can stem from a lot of problems and it becomes severe when it cannot be controlled and interferes with other aspects of life. Most of the problem gamblers are unaware of their addiction and keep falling deeper into the trap.

Certain trigger factors that lead to a change in behavioural patterns include:

People developing an addiction are at a higher risk for developing more addictions due to neurological and genetic factors and pre-deposition for addiction.

Therapies related to this are split into three main types:

Gamcare was founded in 1997 and is the leading provider of advice, support, and information to people affected by gambling. Gamcare operates the National Gambling Helpline and provides treatments for the problem gamblers in order to create awareness about the importance of safer gambling methods.

Gamcare can be considered as a doctor in the UK gambling industry as it informs and sensitizes people about the possible effects of gambling. This organization takes a three-dimensional approach to the issue and helps the people with gambling issues, offers preventive measures, public education, and the people who work with gambling operators are also protected.

Gamcare also helps the punters who have signed up with Gamstop and are facing issues in controlling their gambling urges. This organization not only caters to problem gamblers but also their partners, family members, and people around them.

Overcoming gambling in the UK is much easier in terms of prospects and options available. One must always try to identify his own problem first and then decide upon choosing Gamstop in order to be able to give his best shot at it.

Gamcare national centre for information is looking forward to having a successful second mission to cooperate with gambling companies and operators. The approach of this body requires the operators to implement effective policies in order to protect their customers who will also be given a certificate for arrival at Gamcare. The aim of this organization is to educate and raising awareness about the risks that gamblers can experience.

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Where To Get Inspiration To Overcome Gambling? - Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Posted on: April 2, 2021, 01:33h.

Last updated on: April 2, 2021, 03:39h.

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has laid out its three-year corporate strategy that is designed to improve oversight of the countrys ever-expanding gaming industry.

Formed in 2005 under the Gambling Act, the UKGC is responsible for the regulation of commercial gambling throughout Great Britain. The agency additionally oversees the National Lottery.

In its publication released yesterday, the UKGC highlights the important work it intends to deliver over the next three years. The ultimate goal is to remain flexible as the fast-changing industry continues to evolve, and also ensure that a competitive bidding process is completed for the next National Lottery license.

We understand that the gambling businesses we license will need to adapt and respond to the demands of their consumers. But in evolving products and services, consumer protection must be at the forefront of businesses minds and plans, stated UKGC Chairman Dr. William Moyes.

Given the innovative and fast-moving nature of the gambling industry, and our intention to help the National Lottery go from strength to strength, our regulatory approach cannot stand still, Dr. Moyes added. We need to adapt to live up to the international reputation we have earned as an effective regulator.

The UKGC plans to accomplish its mission by way of five Strategic Objectives. They are:

The key issues are similar to the UKGCs first three-year strategy plan, which debuted in 2018. The 2021 blueprint, the UKGC explains, is designed to build on the achievements and implement policies developed over the past three years.

The Gambling Commission says the latest strategy plan takes into account the ongoing review of the UKs gaming industry being conducted by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS). The Parliament agency is considering the UKGCs powers and resources needed to better regulate the industry.

We expect the DCMS review to conclude partway through the life of this strategy, so we must balance the need to make progress while remaining flexible to adapt to the outcomes of that review, the Commission said.

The UKGC oversees one of the largest gaming industries in the world.

Prior to the pandemic, total gross gaming revenue (GGR) in Great Britain for the 12 months between April 2019 to March 2020 totaled 14.2 billion, or roughly $20 billion. By comparison, Nevadas casino industry reported 2019 GGR of $12 billion.

Online gaming in the UK continues to expand. The UKGC says online GGR was 5.7 billion during the 12-month period, an increase of 8.1 percent.

The UKGC oversees more than 10,000 brick-and-mortar betting locations and casinos. That number, however, continues to decrease, as COVID-19 keeps many high street betting shops closed. The 2018 change to the maximum bet on fixed-odds betting terminals dropping from 100 to just 2 also led to hundreds of shops closing.

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UK Gambling Commission Pinpoints Strategy to Improve Industry - Casino.Org News

After 2020 brought many challenges for casino operators in the US, the industry is ready to begin its recovery. Some 54.8% of the senior population is already fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 75.1% have received at least one dose. This means that it may be the seniors that would help the industry start recovering from the devastating hit of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many industries, including the gambling industry across the United States. Despite the increase in online activities, many land-based venues indicated millions in losses last year. Although 2020 proved to be difficult and challenging for many land-based operators, the recovery of the industry may start as early as this year.

Looking at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released yesterday, we see that approximately 32% of the population in America has received at least one vaccine dose. On the other hand, fully vaccinated is 18.5% of the population or 61,416,536 people. Further breakdown of that data shows that 23.2% of adults age 18+ have been fully vaccinated. However, looking at the population age 65+, we see that 54.8% of the people have been fully vaccinated. Furthermore, 75.1% of the people, age 65+, have received at least one vaccine dose.

Considering that more people have access to vaccines, and many have already been fully vaccinated, undoubtedly, many Americans may start holiday traveling. While oftentimes it is millennials that are leading the way forward, this time, it may be the seniors that would start the recovery of the gambling industry.

Although the US is yet to shake off the COVID-19 pandemic, many operators in Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world, are ready to welcome back visitors. Operators have already indicated that older gamblers have started to return to the casinos. Last month, during an earnings conference call, Blake L. Sartini, Chairman and CEO at Golden Entertainment, a company that operates casinos and taverns in Nevada, Montana, and Maryland, indicated that visitors 65 and older started to trickle back in.

One reason why senior gamblers can lead the industry recovery is money, which they can spend on entertainment. The various lockdown measures introduced in each state, combined with reduced traveling, resulted in many seniors saving money during the pandemic. With more than 50% of the senior population vaccinated, now, many of those seniors would start traveling, which will undoubtedly result in a boost for the hotel and gambling industry across the US.

Although operators in Las Vegas are ready to meet more visitors, Nevada remains cautious until more casino employees receive COVID-19 vaccines. Currently, the venues in the Silver State are allowed to operate at 50% reduced capacity, and strict health and safety protocols.

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Will Seniors Lead the Recovery of the US Gambling Industry? - GamblingNews - GamblingNews.com

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Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) paves the way for artificial intelligence to be used for identity verification in Germany and sets milestone for the application of German technology.

he decision of Bundesnetzagentur to allow AI (artificial intelligence) based identification methods for new use cases in Germany is a confirmation of IDnows platform strategy and at the same time a turning point in international competition for German technology companies.

With the publication Video identification with automated procedure for automated optical identity verification by Bundesnetzagentur in cooperation with the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), AI-based solutions for the verification of customers are now approved for certain use cases in Germany in addition to the proven methods.

The published order is based on the German Trust Services Act, which implements the eIDAS Regulation in Germany. The catalogue of criteria published by Bundesnetzagentur and BSI prescribes high technology standards for automated identity verification. IDnow is one of the few European providers that has already been officially confirmed with other methods by Bundesnetzagentur within the scope of an accredited conformity assessment and is now also already working on the confirmation for AutoIdent.

IDnow has been using automated identification technology for many years. With its product IDnow AutoIdent, IDnow is one of the leading providers of automated identification in Germany. As early as 2012, IDnow filed a patent application for fully automated identification procedures, which has since been granted by the European Patent Office. We are pleased that the regulatory authorities have now finally opened up to technological development in Germany and see our years of research into the development of our own AI technology confirmed, says Armin Bauer, founder and Chief Technology Officer of IDnow. In addition to this patent, IDnow holds other patents and patent applications at the European level.

IDnows technology uses so-called Deep Learning to perform an identification at the same security level as a personal identification for example in a branch. For this purpose, the self-developed artificial intelligence automatically recognises the security features of the ID documents in a video stream and performs a biometric face comparison of a video selfie with the ID document. This is complemented by new security mechanisms such as a liveness detection that prevents attacks through recorded videos and photos.

IDnow sees the regulators decision as an important step towards a digital society in Germany and a fundamental turning point for German companies in international market comparison. The established and very successful services such as the electronic ID card, BankIdent or the VideoIdent procedure can now be supplemented with AI-based AutoIdent methods for new use cases. IDnow expects a significant change for German consumers: The new decree will make innovative technologies such as digital identities accessible to the broad population in the future regardless of the individual citizens affinity for technology. This is because the new regulation enables platform companies such as IDnow to offer the appropriate digital methods for identity verification in each case.

The decision of Bundesnetzagentur is an important milestone for platform companies like IDnow. In the future, IDnow, as one of the leading European platform providers, will be able to offer additional, automated identification methods to numerous other industries in Europe. This is an essential step towards a digital future in Germany and for Europe and shows that the time for secure digital identities has come, says Andreas Bodczek, CEO of IDnow. Consumer security is always at the forefront of the development of our procedures. For many years, we as IDnow have therefore been actively working with various organisations in politics and regulation to jointly shape this secure, European future, he adds.

IDnow is one of the leading providers of digital identities with a broad portfolio of products and solutions and identifies several million citizens per year with its platform. The portfolio offered here includes identification methods from offline to online, from automated methods to procedures carried out by identity specialists, available flexibly online, offline in branches and even by courier at the users doorstep. IDnow has expanded its role in recent years far beyond simply offering individual ident methods and has become the overarching platform for digital identities with several million transactions per year.

Just last month, IDnow announced the acquisition of identity Trust Management AG, one of the leading international providers of on and offline verification from Germany. This is the second acquisition in the last six months for IDnow and represents an important milestone on the way to becoming the leading identity platform in Europe. The acquisition of identity Trust Management AG enables IDnow to expand into new industries and offer its services to a broader customer base in Germany and beyond.

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Regulator-Issued Sanctions to Gambling companies in Q1 2021 Exceed First Half Total of 2020 - European Gaming Industry News

Most adults who bet on sports do so without major negative consequences. But about 1 percent of American adults have a gambling disorder, in which the core symptom is continuing to gamble despite harmful consequences, said Dr. Fong, who is a director of the Gambling Studies Program at U.C.L.A.

A vast majority of those with a serious gambling problem never seek or gain access to treatment, he said.

Studies have shown that sports bettors are typically male, under 35, single, educated and employed or preparing for a career. According to a new survey commissioned by the National Council on Problem Gambling, sports bettors showed significantly higher levels of problematic gambling than other gamblers. The risk of addiction is higher for young adults specifically sports bettors than for those of any other age, the survey found.

According to CollegeGambling.org, a subgroup of the International Center for Responsible Gaming, 6 percent of college students in the United States have a serious gambling problem that can lead to psychological difficulties, unmanageable debt and failing grades.

Young adults are at particular risk for developing a gambling problem, especially if there is a family history of gambling or if they are introduced to it at a young age, Dr. Fong said. The increased accessibility of online gambling may accelerate the development of problems, he said a phenomenon known as telescoping.

As sports betting has grown household names like FanDuel and DraftKings now offer legal avenues the need for recovery programs and dedicated treatment facilities has quickly outpaced their availability, recovery experts said. Rick Benson, the founder of the Algamus Gambling Recovery Center in Arizona, said the number of young adults who have sought treatment for gambling problems has more than doubled in the past two years.

Sex, drugs and alcohol are commonly covered in school and in the coming-of-age conversations that parents have with their children, but discussions about the consequences of gambling are rare, former gamblers and experts said. This can lead young people to underestimate the addictive nature of sports betting and other forms of gambling. Warnings, often in small fonts, that caution visitors to online sports books and gambling websites about the risks of addiction are easily overlooked.

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Its Easy (and Legal) to Bet on Sports. Do Young Adults Know the Risks? - The New York Times

If you are an American who is into gambling, you are probably already aware that the laws and regulations regarding betting in the United States are a little fuzzy and even confusing sometimes. Although the country has laws that are in effect throughout the land and its territories, the government has also given each state the right and power to write, pass, and enact their gambling laws within their area of jurisdiction. The state of California, for one, allows very few select games of gambling, although they are yet to legalize most games that people play.

In California, casino gaming, most sports betting, and localized online gambling and US online casinos are still prohibited and considered illegal. Despite that, its citizens can still play and gamble online through offshore casinos. Considering how huge the market and interest for online gambling is, is the state of California losing a lot when online casinos could be paying taxes to their government? What are the pros and cons of legalizing online gambling in the state?

Although the state is yet to join its neighbors in embracing gambling and its online counterpart, it is on its way, at the very least. Since 2018, at least 22 states have legalized gambling and are already enjoying revenue from it. California, on the other hand, is looking to be still skeptical about it.

Although the state is yet to join its neighbors in embracing gambling and its online counterpart, it is on its way, at the very least.

However, two key people in making the push to have gambling legalized would be legislators Senator Bill Dodd and Assembly member Adam Gray. To these advocates, legalizing and ending the criminalization of gambling is a wise move that will only bring benefit to everyone.

We must bring illegal sports wagering out of the shadows and support our communities with the revenue, said state Sen. Bill Dodd. We cant afford inaction.

With these in mind, what are the pros and cons for finally legalizing gambling and online gambling in California?

Revenue is one of the first things that would come to mind. People hiding in the shadows would now be able to freely conduct their activities, in exchange for paying taxes and other fees to the government.

It is estimated that Californians spend around $4 billion in gambling annually. If this money would be taxed by the government and would also increase due to the activity now being publicly recognized, it would help a lot in meeting the deficit and the needs of the state economy.

If casino games and sports betting are to be legalized, it would mean that establishment would be built and would provide jobs for more peoplefrom security to the house staff to dealers and casino managers. More jobs for the people are always good news for the economy.

Although legalizing gambling has its pros, it has also several conswhich are only some of the reasons why there are still people opposing its eventual legalization.

One of the most common problems that arise in a place open to gambling is minors venturing into it. Although there would be clear laws that would allow minors into any form of betting activity, loopholes around it are always being questioned.

Just like every hobby, gambling is prone to abuse. It is no longer news to hear of someone who fell into excessive gambling and ended up losing most of what was under their nameif not all. However, some implementable regulations and strategies can help people who are at risk of falling into this negative handling of gambling.

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Online Gambling Legalization in California: The Pros and Cons - LA Progressive

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The Dave & Busters eatertainment chain is aiming to spark a comeback this summer through innovations ranging from onsite sports betting to a trio of new restaurant ventures, at least one of which is virtual.

It also announced the retirement of chairman and longtime brand leader Steve King, who will be succeeded in June by Kevin Sheehan. King has served in leadership positions for the games-and-food chain for 15 years.

The concept he exits will likely be considerably different from the arcade brand he joined as CFO in March 2006, judging from the list of changes that were foreshadowed for financial analysts Wednesday by CEO Brian Jenkins.

Many of the recovery tactics he aired have become virtually standard features in the comeback plans of full-service restaurant chains. The brand will try to capture more off-premise sales, for instance, in part by launching a virtual wings concept called Wings Out. The startup is currently being tested in seven Dave & Busters stores.

It is also rebranding the food operation within its cavernous units as the Inspired American Kitchen. The menu currently extends to just 22 items, with the roster scheduled to grow to 28 selections next month. The bill of fare is 33% shorter than the menu previously offered to on-site game players.

The selections will also be offered for takeout and delivery.

Management also made reference to a second virtual concept slated for testing this fall. The executives were not clear about the specialty of that venture. The forecast incremental annual sales for all three restaurant initiatives at $50,000 per unit.

Part of the America rebranding is outfitting the foodservice operation with high-speed ovens that trim the production time for one-third of the offered items by 40%, according to management. A new kitchen management system will be installed by July to get food to customers more quickly so they can spend more time playing games.

This is the most extensive update to our food offering in more than 10 years, and it allows our guests to explore new flavors, said Margo Manning, Dave & Busters COO.

The gaming portion of the eatertainment concept is also being updated. Additions will include consoles based on Minecraft, a favorite of online game players, as well as an arcade version of Hungry, Hungry Hippo, a board game aimed at young children.

New entertainment options for adults could include sports betting where allowed by law, Jenkins revealed.

We feel like sports betting could represent a meaningful opportunity for this brand, he told financial analysts. This is a wave that's really just kind of beginning.

To help margins, Dave & Busters is also looking at its service model. Digital ordering, even in-store, is being encouraged by the addition of tablets and encouraged the use of an app. Servers stations are being expanded to shave labor costs, the officials explained.

The various initiatives were described to Wall Street analysts after Dave & Busters posted evidence that the rebound bringing casual dining sales back to 2019 levels has been slow to take hold in the eatertainment sector. During February and March, same-store sales at fully re-opened stores were still down 24% from 2019 levels, according to Jenkins. Many full-service competitors posted positive comparable sales for at least a portion of that period.

The chain ended January with 107 of its 141 restaurants in operation.

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Dave & Buster's is betting on sports gambling and virtual brands - Restaurant Business Online

Maryland is poised to follow in the footsteps of neighboring states that have legalized sports betting.

A measure backed by Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County), approved overwhelmingly in the House of Delegates earlier this month, is moving through the state Senate.

And a lawmaker who sponsored sports gambling legislation last year has pledged that the General Assembly will approve a bill before lawmakers leave Annapolis on April 12.

The focus of debate in the legislature this year has been on minority business participation making sure Maryland doesnt replicate what happened with medical marijuana, when Black entrepreneurs were shut out when licenses in the lucrative new industry were awarded.

Gambling advocates have lobbied the legislature to boost the number of both bricks and mortar and mobile licenses, claiming that the more venues there are, the more likely it is that businesses run by people of color and women will benefit.

All that remains, it would appear, is for the final details to be nailed down.

But a scholar and journalist who has tracked the impact of gambling around the world both legal and illegal has a warning for states like Maryland.

Declan Hill, a University of New Haven professor and the author of two books on sports gambling, said states must insist on stricter federal oversight of the industry.

Without it, he said in an interview, theres a wave a tsunami of match-fixing that nobody is preparing for in this country.

Before a Supreme Court 2018 ruling, sports gambling outside of Nevada occurred underground.

With sports wagering about to be both legal and convenient (as close as your phone), observers expect a huge increase in the amount of betting that occurs in Maryland.

Hill warns that if no one is tracking unusual patterns in the wagers that are placed, match-fixing schemes orchestrated by people involved in organized crime will go undetected.

We need an integrity board to make sure that we can see whats going on in the gambling market in live time, the Oxford-educated scholar said. And if youre not an illegal bookmaker, why would you care about that data? Lets get it out there. Lets get it shared.

If the U.S. fails to oversee patterns between betting trends and match outcomes, American sports will become mere theater a phenomenon Hill says has already happened abroad to a significant extent.

One of the reasons that American sports are growing internationally is because they still have a high reputation for integrity. But unless we get this right, were going to risk that integrity. Were going to risk our competitive advantage.

Hill insists he supports the legalization of gambling in the U.S. to get it out of the shadows, wrestle at least some of it away from organized crime, and make sure that its properly regulated and taxed.

But he warns that there are insufficient efforts to combat the spread of gambling addiction that is endemic in Europe.

It used to be, say in 2005, a bunch of guys would sit down and watch a soccer game, and they would be wholly interested in the soccer game, he said. Now, theyll have 20 phones open, multiple different betting accounts going, and theyre consuming the sport in the way that [people who bet on horses] consumehorse racing.

That is the long-term danger for American sports, that they cease to be primarily athletic competitions and they slowly and gradually transform into vehicles for gambling.

Hills advice for state lawmakers across the country is not to believe the promises from industry lobbyists. Also: prepare for them to come back in a year or two, seeking a reduction in the states share of the action.

As soon as the law gets passed, theyll start whining for them to lower their taxes, he said. And theyll start claiming that they havent reallyaffected the illegal gambling market and if they are going to compete, they need to have lower taxes.

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While our political class is hoping to aid the urban minorities by proposing zoning law changes to allow more affordable housing in the suburbs, and woke school curriculums, another plan is being hatched to further soak urban minorities of the little disposable income they have sports gambling.

This regressive taxation against our poor has been going for decades. Connecticut legalized the lottery in the early 1970s and with clever marketing plans, convinced poor minorities that they actually had a chance of winning enough money to change their lives even though the odds are infinitesimal.

The lottery now brings in $370 million annually to the Connecticut governments coffers and studies have shown the majority of ticket sales occurs in overwhelmingly poor minority neighborhoods over 50%. There are not a lot of Powerball winners in New Canaan, Darien or Greenwich. But this was even made worse with casino gambling.

Gov. Lowell Weicker made a deal with the Foxwoods casino in 1992, that later was extended to the Mohegan Sun casino in which 25% of the revenue from the slot machines was turned over to the state. Presently, this brings in close to $300 million annually. But this is a grossly regressive tax because those who play slot machines tend to be poorer. The high rollers playing on the expensive blackjack and crap tables pay nothing. Furthermore, slot machines have a notoriously low payout, only 92% in Connecticut, meaning you will lose $8 for every $100 you bet.

Following Governor Weickers footsteps, Gov. Ned Lamont has made a deal with both casinos in which they pay a 13.75% tax on sports betting profits. This is estimated to bring in an additional $40 million annually.

Sports betting, like the lottery and slots, is a suckers game. It is almost impossible to win in the long run. This is because there are basically two types of bets. On entails how much a team is going to win by over another team. This is called the spread. For example, no one in the right mind would bet with even odds that High Point College was going to beat the UConn women. However, with a spread of 40.5 points, you may want to consider betting with even odds. So, lets say you bet $100 on High Point to beat the spread and the final score is UConn Women 100 and High Point 65. You should win $100. But you dont. The casino takes around 10%. Thus, you only get $90. The House always wins.

Now you could also bet on High Point College to beat UConn with 20 to 1 odds, meaning if you bet $100 and High Point wins, you get $2,000. The problem here is that the chance of the UConn women losing to High Point is much less than 20 to 1. In fact, it is about as likely as an asteroid hitting the arena during the game. Again, it is a suckers bet. The bookies who figure out these odds are highly intelligent people who do this for a living. You cant outsmart them in the long run.

But it gets worse. The casinos are working with an online betting company called DraftKings that allows you to deposit money with a credit card. But DraftKings also has other features including in-running bets in which you can bet on live action during a game. Is Paige Bueckers going to make both her foul shots? Will Chris Boswell make that 50-yard field goal? Will the ref call roughing the passer when Tom Brady gets hit with a feather duster? This is insanity. Gambling addicts will be losing hundreds of dollars a game.

There are those who will argue that since the surrounding states are in on the action, we have to do the same. But why should we stoop to their level? If this is allowed, soon we will be seeing ads with jovial minority actors displaying their iPhones with thousand-dollar deposits they made gambling on sports. But the reality will be much different despair, domestic violence, substance abuse, alcoholism and bankruptcy. A relative of one of my patients blew his brains out in the Foxwoods casino parking lot after losing big.

The state assembly and Senate have yet to approve of the governors plan. Maybe a few Black politicians will step up to the plate and go to bat for their constituency, but this is unlikely. They would risk losing political support from public employee unions whose main interest is preserving ample pensions and Cadillac health insurance. And this constituency will never be satisfied. Within a few years, the Democrats will be back asking for more and all that our urban minorities will receive is more credit card debt.

Joe Bentivegna is an ophthalmologist in Rocky Hill.

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Opinion Sports gambling is another tax on the poor and minorities - The CT Mirror