Category Archives: Gambling

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Gambling would harm communities

State lawmakers reportedly are prepared to have serious discussions about whether to allow some form of legalized gambling (Hawaii gambling bills under serious review, Star-Advertiser, Jan. 27). Let there be no mistake: Legalizing gambling would be grave.

Hawaii must stay the course with its conviction of sustaining and enriching communities. It must be strongly opposed to all forms of gambling. Gambling exploits those who can least afford it and undermines community values. Millions of Americans are problem or pathological gamblers, with many between 12 and 18 years of age.

Social and economic costs include unemployment benefits, welfare benefits, physical and mental health problems, theft, embezzlement, bankruptcy, suicide, child abuse and neglect, domestic abuse, divorce, incarceration, work absences and homelessness.

Hawaii must hold steadfast against legalized gambling; the costs far outweigh the benefits.

Ron Bode

Kaneohe

HTA not needed to draw visitors here

Defunding the Hawaii Tourism Authority probably would be a great money saver (Hawaii Tourism Authority readies for defunding, Star-Advertiser, Jan. 25).

People know Hawaiis here. Theyd like to come. And many dont want anything to do with a resort area, in which they are fleeced for resort fees and parking.

While weve never been privy to the amount of TAT (transient accommodations tax) monies received from vacation rentals, I know most hosts were paying them. I had a vacation rental, but not now. Many former guests have called and will not come back until they can stay in vacation rentals.

Move forward with many fewer, and only hosted, vacation rentals and people will come back. Meanwhile, spend the TAT on our Third World roads.

Debbie Aldrich

Haleiwa

Diversify economy with TMT project

Gov. David Ige called for a robust digital economy in order to compete globally while earning higher wages and reverse the brain drain (Gov. David Ige calls for economy to pivot to technology, Star-Advertiser, Jan. 26).

In March 2020, Gordon Squires, Thirty Meter Telescope vice president, said the latest estimate for the cost of the TMT is $2.4 billion. The construction and maintenance of the facility all translate into good local jobs. This brings money into Hawaii.

We have a shovel-ready project with all the legal hurdles having been scaled. All we need is leadership.

Build the telescope and bring scientific prestige to Hawaii. Show the world that we are business-friendly. Let the world news be our travel industry advertisement. Diversify the economy with technology.

Jim Wolfe

Nuuanu

Owners should clean up ocean barriers

Regarding recent articles blaming beachfront property owners for beach loss and erosion due to walls, sand bags and sand burritos in front of their properties, I find the reporting confusing (Hawaiis Land Board cracks down on illegal seawalls, Star-Advertiser, Jan. 23).

I happen to use a beach with all three of these defensive measures being used for many years at great cost and effort for the property owners. Its a bummer when the sand is gone and we can no longer walk along the beach due to these various structures blocking the way, but the sand comes and goes regularly due to swells, tides, currents and rising sea levels.

The thing that my beach-using neighbors and myself are most upset about is when these owners do not take responsibility for their sand bags and black cloth burritos and broken cement that wash onto the beach and into the ocean. Beachgoers often remove them while the owners plan more barriers.

The state should require the owners to clean up the mess, because the ocean will win its battle to reclaim some of the worlds coastlines.

Chip Hartman

Sunset Beach

Put guardrails along scenic Kaiwi byway

Many people have commented favorably on the recently installed boulders at the Wawamalu Beach section of Sandy Beach Park on the Kaiwi coast.

They demarcate generously sized access areas for the many recreation activities at Wawamalu Beach and were sought from the citys Parks Department by the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board.

The next step is the installation of highway guardrails that will preclude vehicles from departing Kalanianaole Highway to and within the natural features (dunes, native vegetation, burial sites and white-sand beach). The guardrails, also sought by the neighborhood board from the state Department of Transportation, would improve driving safety on the Maunalua-Makapuu State Scenic Byway, while contributing to a safer park for wildlife and recreation such as surfing, fishing, beaching, tide-pooling and relaxation on this treasured, undeveloped coast the closest such coast to Oahus population center.

William Reese Liggett

Kaimuki

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Letters: Hawaii Tourism Authority not needed to draw visitors here; Gambling would harm communities; Diversify economy with TMT project - Honolulu...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. The many different types of gambling are quickly coming together with each other and with media outlets and Wall Street is taking notice.

Casino gambling, internet gambling, sports betting and daily fantasy sports are no longer separate silos with unique audiences: Gambling companies are increasingly combining them and partnering with media companies to expand the reach of gambling.

This expansion is leading Wall Street analysts to predict fast-growing revenue in the U.S. over the next five to 10 years. Morgan Stanley sees a $15 billion sports betting and internet gambling market by 2025, and Macquarie Research says that same market could be $30 billion by 2030.

The once disparate categories of online gaming, media and sports are joining teams to create powerful partnerships that we believe will grow viewership, increase overall fan engagement, and drive significantly higher market values for all those connected, Macquarie wrote in a report issued Tuesday.

It cited numerous examples of deals between sports betting and media companies last year, including Ballys and Sinclair Broadcasting; Flutter Entertainment and FOX; PointsBet and NBC; William Hill and CBS; DraftKings and Caesars Entertainment partnering with ESPN; Penn National and Barstool Sports; BetMGM and Yahoo; and Turner Sports deals with FanDuel and DraftKings.

David Schwartz, a gambling historian with the University of Nevada Las Vegas, said combinations like these seem to be the wave of the future.

With geographic expansion nearly complete in the U.S. Texas is the biggest unserved market still out there casino companies are looking to grow their revenues by expanding into new forms of gambling, (and) online and sports betting are the most prominent, he said. Even daily fantasy sports is seen as a viable route, as seen by recent moves by Ballys and Caesars. The media partners get more content and more eyes on their product.

Bill Miller, president of the American Gaming Association, the gambling industrys national trade association, said deals like these are a logical extension of the industrys desire to keep pace with customer expectations.

Responsibly growing these verticals will be essential to the industrys continued success, he said.

In a report last week, Morgan Stanley forecast a $15 billion market for sports betting and internet gambling by 2025, an increase of 27% over current levels. As much as $10 billion of that is likely to come from sports betting, the company said.

Most analysts expect at least half the country will have legal sports betting by the end of 2021, with continued expansion after that.

Morgan Stanley said sports betting and internet gambling revenue reached $3.1 billion in the U.S. last year, well outpacing its forecast of $2 billion. While some of the growth in online wagering was undoubtedly helped by months of casino closures during the coronavirus pandemic, Morgan Stanley says theres a durable market taking shape in these industries.

We see legalized U.S. sports betting and iGaming as a once-in-a-generation shift for what was a mature gaming industry, Morgan Stanley wrote. It is clear to us that Americans interest in sports and gambling should lead to higher revenue (per) adult than we previously expected.

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Different types of gambling, media converging for growth - Nevada Appeal

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Digital sports betting may be the perfect hobby for the bored and the stuck-at-home, and DraftKings and Penn National Gaming are looking to cash in on the trend.

Goldman Sachs says the two stocks have a high likelihood of sustained outperformance, especially as states like New York, Florida, and Texas consider allowing online betting, in part to close budget gaps with the tax revenue.

Goldman upgraded DraftKings (ticker: DKNG) to Buy, saying its national contracts and brand name recognition will allow them to grow faster than smaller rivals. And it reiterated its Buy rating on Penn National (PENN), reflecting the contribution of Barstool Sports to the bottom line, an estimated $4 per share.

Consumers enjoy betting on live events as they stream them on their phones or mobile devices.

We see room for continued development given operators relationships with major traditional media arms (such as ESPN) and the success in-house content at Barstool has had by intertwining its media arm with the sportsbook, Goldman analyst Stephen Grambling said in a note.

Shares of DraftKings jumped 7% and are up 281% over one year compared with the 17% one-year gain in the S&P 500 index. Shares of Penn National fell 1.2% on Tuesday but are up 298% over one year.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo raised online sports betting as a possibility during his state of the state address earlier this month.

PlayNY.com, which covers news and analysis of New Yorks gaming market, says New York could become the largest state for online sportsbooks, generating as much as $20 billion in bets a year and $100 million in tax revenue. That is, however, if the market is open to multiple private operators and not forced to run through the state-run gaming commission.

Some states, like New Hampshire, use existing commercial sportsbooks to run their online betting operations. DraftKings manages it there, PlayNY said. Montana, Oregon, and Rhode Island manage it themselves.

Online betting has gained in popularity globally as traditional casino operators look for new business. MGM (MGM) recently dropped an $11 billion bid to buy the U.K. parent of online gambling company Ladbrokes, citing resistance. But it continues to operate a joint venture with them.

Legislation to allow online gambling have been introduced in Florida and Texas, Goldman said in the note. States where casinos are allowed to operate in person are more likely to allow multiple operators because it encourages adoption and investment in brick and mortar locations.

Goldman put a $65 price target on DraftKings over the next year, implying a 19% increase from the current price. The analyst estimates $244 million in revenue for the fourth quarter and $880 million for 2021, both slightly ahead of consensus.

Write to Liz Moyer at Liz.Moyer@barrons.com

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DraftKings and Penn National Stock Will Rise Because Online Gambling Is in Early Innings, Goldman Says - Barron's

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The many different types of gambling are quickly coming together with one another and with media outlets -- and Wall Street is taking notice.

Casino gambling, internet gambling, sports betting and daily fantasy sports are no longer separate silos with unique audiences. Gambling companies are increasingly combining them and partnering with media companies to expand the reach of gambling.

This expansion is leading Wall Street analysts to predict fast-growing revenue in the U.S. over the next five to 10 years. Morgan Stanley sees a $15 billion sports betting and internet gambling market by 2025, and Macquarie Research says that same market could be $30 billion by 2030.

"The once disparate categories of online gaming, media and sports are joining teams to create powerful partnerships that we believe will grow viewership, increase overall fan engagement, and drive significantly higher market values for all those connected," Macquarie wrote in a report issued last week.

It cited numerous examples of deals between sports betting and media companies last year, including Bally's and Sinclair Broadcasting; Flutter Entertainment and FOX; PointsBet and NBC; William Hill and CBS; DraftKings and Caesars Entertainment partnering with ESPN; Penn National and Barstool Sports; BetMGM and Yahoo; and Turner Sports' deals with FanDuel and DraftKings.

[CORONAVIRUS: Click here for our complete coverage arkansasonline.com/coronavirus]

David Schwartz, a gambling historian with the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, said combinations like these "seem to be the wave of the future."

"With geographic expansion nearly complete in the U.S. -- Texas is the biggest unserved market still out there -- casino companies are looking to grow their revenues by expanding into new forms of gambling, [and] online and sports betting are the most prominent," he said. "Even daily fantasy sports is seen as a viable route, as seen by recent moves by Bally's and Caesars. The media partners get more content and more eyes on their product."

Bill Miller, president of the American Gaming Association, the gambling industry's national trade association, said deals like these are "a logical extension" of the industry's desire to keep pace with customer expectations.

"Responsibly growing these verticals will be essential to the industry's continued success," he said.

In a report earlier this month, Morgan Stanley forecast a $15 billion market for sports betting and internet gambling by 2025, an increase of 27% over current levels. As much as $10 billion of that is likely to come from sports betting, the company said.

Most analysts expect at least half of the country will have legal sports betting by the end of 2021, with continued expansion after that.

Morgan Stanley said sports betting and internet gambling revenue reached $3.1 billion in the U.S. last year, well outpacing its forecast of $2 billion. While some of the growth in online wagering was undoubtedly helped by months of casino closures during the coronavirus pandemic, Morgan Stanley says there's a durable market taking shape in these industries.

"We see legalized U.S. sports betting and iGaming as a once-in-a-generation shift for what was a mature gaming industry," Morgan Stanley wrote. "It is clear to us that Americans' interest in sports and gambling should lead to higher revenue [per] adult than we previously expected."

In this July 2, 2020 photo, a woman plays a slot machine at the Golden Nugget casino in Atlantic City N.J. Gambling companies in the U.S. are increasingly bringing different forms of gambling together, including sports betting, casino gambling, internet gambling and daily fantasy sports, and partnering with media companies as they seek to increase revenue. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

This Oct. 25, 2018 photo, employees at the sports book at the Tropicana casino in Atlantic City N.J. count money moments before it opened. Gambling companies in the U.S. are increasingly bringing different forms of gambling together, including sports betting, casino gambling, internet gambling and daily fantasy sports, and partnering with media companies as they seek to increase revenue. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

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Categories of gambling, media outlets merging to aid growth - Arkansas Online

What to Know

Three men from Newark were arrested in connection with a large gathering involving the illegal serving of alcohol and gambling that took place over the weekend.

Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose announced that Jos DaSilva, 53, Victor Pereira, 61, and Byron Barraza, 31, were arrested following the bust Saturday.

According to Newark officials, at about 10 p.m., members of the Newark Police Divisions Environmental, Graffiti and Vice Crimes Task Force responded to the Portuguese Soccer Club, located at 215 Wilson Avenue, on complaints of illegal alcohol and gambling.

Detectives allegedly observed Barraza unlocking a gate at the location for patrons to enter and exit. Once they entered, police allegedly observed around 50 people inside the establishment drinking alcohol, playing cards and using gambling machines.

According to Newark officials, Pereira was seen serving as bartender at a fully stocked bar with a variety of beers and liquors. Meanwhile, DaSilva, the manager, was allegedly unable to furnish the appropriate paperwork for selling alcohol.

The three men were arrested and police subsequently confiscating $6,829 in proceeds from the alleged illegal sale of alcohol, cash from the gambling machines, along with 403 bottles of various beer, wine and liquor.

DaSilva and Pereira each face charges of maintaining an unlawful liquor establishment, possession of alcohol, illegal sale of alcohol and possession of gambling devices. Meanwhile, Barraza faces a charge of aiding and abetting.

Attorney information for the accused was not immediately known.

This was not the sole social activity with a large gathering in the tri-state area that resulted in arrests, particularly at a time when large groups and certain activities are limited due to the ongoing pandemic.

Dozens of people who were drinking and smoking hookah inside an illegal club in New York City were cited over the weekend and the club owner has been arrested, authorities said.

Sheriff Joseph Fucito announced that deputies found at least 75 people inside an illegal bar located at 65-25 Roosevelt Avenue in Queens on Saturday. The location had a "heavily fortified" door and blocked egresses, creating a safety hazard in the event of a fire or other emergency, Fucito said.

Firefighters had to force their way through the entry into the nightclub and when deputies tried to inspect the bar, owner and operator Marco Chacon allegedly refused to cooperate and attempted to restrain the deputies.

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Illegal Bar and Gambling Operation Bust in NJ Ends With Three Arrests: Police - NBC New York

San Francisco Giants Shortstop Brandon Crawford (35) tries his hand at the TV camera before the Major League Baseball game between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants on August 29, 2019 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA.

Bob Kupbens | Icon Sportswire | Getty Images)

Major League Baseball is at the media rights negotiating table, and it has a wild card to play.

The league's deal with Disney-owned ESPN is in renewal discussions, and the outcome could change how baseball looks on national TV during the week. Some media pundits believe MLB's Monday and Wednesday package is worth $150 million to $200 million per year.

The chatter started to circulate when The Athletic reported ESPN is willing to part with some of its baseball content. The story led to predictions that MLB's media rights fees could collapse.

"I think they will be sold, just not at the asking price of $350 million," media rights expert Dan Cohen told CNBC. Cohen, the senior vice president of Octagon's global media rights consulting division, said he believes MLB will drop its asking price on the package if that's the figure. Not by much, though.

"MLB is not looking to give these rights away for free," Cohen said. "There is value for nationally televised baseball games on Monday and Wednesdays."

The thing is, it's not exclusive value. And it's making MLB get creative about its future, with permission around sports gambling as leverage.

Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs down Gio Urshela #29 of the New York Yankees during a Summer Camp game at Yankee Stadium on July 20, 2020 in New York City.

Jim McIsaac | Getty Images

To help its network partners overcome losses due to Covid-19, the league granted them permission to use limited sports gambling advertisement spots.

MLB controls what ads are aired during games, though there are still restrictions around sports gambling ads. During its pandemic season, in which networks were shortchanged games, MLB approved the ads and helped its partners.

The National Football League pulled a similar move earlier this month, according to the Wall Street Journal. The league provided its national media partners more ad slots during its postseason games and Super Bowl LV.

Sports gambling companies like DraftKings and FanDuel are spending millions on marketing. One of the best options for them is to buy ads around sports content.

The spending should continue. That means the MLB can once again increase the number of ad spots it provides to networks. The partners will collect their fees and pay MLB a slice. In a way, the league is protecting its media rights.

ESPN has a reason to devalue the MLB's package. And again, the games on Monday and Wednesday aren't exclusive.

In 2012, it agreed to pay the MLB $700 million annually in an eight-year, $5.6 billion deal. ESPN gets an exclusive Sunday game and rights to the Home Run Derby.

But on Monday and Wednesday, regional sports networks also air the games, giving in-market consumers no incentive to watch ESPN's telecast.

"If the (New York) Yankees or (Philadelphia) Phillies games are available on a regional network, they get most of the ratings, and ESPN doesn't do that well with its national game," said long-time TV executive and former president of CBS Sports Neal Pilson.

"I always wondered why ESPN has that package in the first place," added Pilson. "And if they are giving it up now, I think that's a smart move."

Octagon analysts used 108 out of 114 games in the last three years to determine average viewership on the Monday-Wednesday package on ESPN, not including ESPN2 broadcasts. The findings: an average viewership of 761,434 in 2018, which dropped to approximately 632,000 in 2019.

Viewership dropped to an average of 358,947 in 2020, but sports viewership was also impacted by the pandemic, social unrest and the U.S. presidential race.

"I call them semi-exclusives," added Cohen. "Sometimes you're talking the big markets New York, LA, Chicago, Boston, Philly but you're still missing 90 percent of the rest of the country."

But lacking exclusivity and other league rights, like the National Hockey League, which is up for bid, MLB may have a new home for its package.

ESPN an MLB declined to comment due to active negotiations.

Reports suggest ESPN wants to trim its annual fee by roughly $150 million. Assuming MLB starts its price at that figure or more, it plans to get creative around its offerings to justify the cost.

Gambling commercials may attract networks. Another is the actual game, since MLB controls what can be displayed, it has a say over the marketing that networks can use on the screen.

According to people with knowledge of negotiations, the league doesn't believe it needs to lower the package's value and will use its broadcast permissions to protect it.

Cohen suggested Sinclair may be interested in a partnership.

The company owns 14 regional networks that broadcast MLB games. It has a streaming play with Stadium, which was backed by Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, one of the most powerful owners in the MLB club.

Sinclair could pay itself with the national package, feeding some of its content into Stadium and selling more ads slots with MLB's permission.

NBCUniversal is dropping its sports network this year and is moving media rights to the more accessible USA network. The channel has a history in sports and NBCUniversal just made a play for wrestling with its Peacock service snagging the rights to stream WWE matches in the U.S. And with live entertainment, the main force protecting the cable model, NBC Sports could make a play for the MLB on USA and gain special advertisement access, too.

"There's a lot to consider," Cohen said. "I think they can get pretty clever and creative."

MLB also has partnerships with Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, which means it already appears to have have streaming options. Using the streaming model, MLB could get short-term deals similar to NFL's Amazon package and create flexibility, since it wouldn't be locked in long-term to a partner.

And if ESPN walks away, MLB is still ahead in the media rights card game.

The league already secured new rights fees with Fox Sports WarnerMedia-owned Turner Sports, the latter of which is adding a Tuesday game to its coverage. The network will pay over $3 billion to retain baseball.

Whatever the play, MLB seems to have its wild card and ready to use. And don't forget, there are still extra postseason games that it can add add to the deck. But for those, MLB will need permission from a top media rights partner the players union.

Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, which is the parent company of CNBC.

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MLB has a sports gambling wild card to protect its media rights - CNBC

UK responsible gambling charities the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM) and GamCare have revealed they surpassed the first-year targets for the joint Young Peoples Gambling Harm Prevention Programme, despite challenges imposed by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Launched in 2020, the four-year programme aims to deliver evidence-led education, training and support to young people across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as collaborating with other organisations in Scotland.

During the first year of the initiative, YGAM trained 2,906 practitioners, ahead of its original target of 2,592. These practitioners are expected to reach 184,700 young people

GamCare also trained 4,185 professionals to work with young people, exceeding the initial goal by almost 3,000 people to date, with two months of the first year of the initiative to go. Educational workshops were delivered to 3,947 young people.

Other achievements included GamCare setting up the UKs first national young peoples support service offering information, advice and support tailored specifically to the needs of young people impacted by gambling. This service is now accessible online or over the phone.

The Young Peoples Gambling Harm Prevention Programme is now established in all regions of England and Wales, and in December, education and support services were extended to young people to Northern Ireland for the first time.

In addition, as a response to the challenges of Covid-19, YGAM and GamCare accelerated the digital transformation of resources to enable them to deliver workshops online during lockdown, while GamCare developed an eLearning resource for young people.

As 2020 unfolded, we saw the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as an invitation to develop YGAMs digital capacity in all areas of our work, YGAM founder and chief executive Lee Willows said. Although this was done as a response to the crisis, the effect has been significantly advantageous for our education programme.

Now that the delivery is entirely digital, we have removed enormous barriers that may have prevented some individuals and organisations from taking part.

GamCare chief executive Anna Hemmings added: The pandemic has proved a huge challenge, yet our teams have continued to deliver great engagement with professionals and young people. Weve also developed a dedicated support service tailored to the needs of young people.

By 2024, YGAM and GamCare aim to work with at least 13,492 practitioners and partner organisations, with the idea of ensuring every young person between the 11 and 19 has at least one session of gambling awareness education during their secondary or further education.

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YGAM and GamCare surpass gambling harm prevention targets - iGaming Business

SCHENECTADY The state Gaming Commission this week released a consultants sweeping report on New Yorks gambling industry, with extensive predictions on the impact new or expanded casinos would bring.

The conclusions and recommendations line up neatly with some of the budget proposals Gov. Andrew Cuomo made last week for the casino industry, which entail the potential benefits of opening three more casinos, the potential reduction of taxes paid by existing casinos, and the implementation of digital sports betting.

This report provides a valuable tool for the Commission and policy makers to use as discussions continue on the future of the gaming industry in New York, said Brad Maione, spokesman for the Schenectady-based Gaming Commission. This reportshould assist withmakingsound fiscal decisions.

Pennsylvania-based Spectrum Gaming Group was selected to provide a market analysis in November 2019; an analysis of the impact of COVID was subsequently added to its scope.

Spectrum has provided research and professional services centered on the gaming industry since 1993, including studies or consultations in 40 states or territories and in 48 countries on six continents.

Its 345-page Gaming Market Study: State of New York provides extensive facts, predictions and recommendations.

Some of the points are quoted or summarized below:

Categories: Business, News, Saratoga County, Schenectady County

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Risks, rewards of expanding gambling in New York highlighted in report - The Daily Gazette

Needless to say, 2020 was a rough year for everyone, so it is not surprising that the European gambling industry experienced many turmoils and challenges.Here are the most dramatic changes in the European gaming industry that happened in 2020!

The Evolution takeover of NetEnt can only be described as the proverbial clash of titans. The most popular live casino supplier completed the $2.3bn acquisition of one of the most prominent gambling software companies NetEnt. What was supposed to be just another merger (at least for the public), turned out to be a story that hogged column inches and set the rumour mill going.

But how will this acquisition affect the industry? Well, Evolution shut down the NetEnt live casino thus establishing Evolution Live's dominance in the live gambling vertical. Despite that, NetEnt appears among the greatest casino games providers. Gambling guides such as Casinofavoritter.com claim that video slot machines from NetEnt can be found in nearly all online casinos.

NetEnt continues to release table games and slots at the same pace as before, and it seems how new owners didn't meddle into it but were primarily focused on removing their no.1 competitor in the industry, as Evolution is focused exclusively on live gambling. One thing's for sure as of 2020, players have fewer live gaming providers to choose from.

In Norway, the situation with gambling is not that clear. In the summer of 2019 the Norwegian authorities made a controversial attempt to stop international online casino providers from sending winnings to Norwegian players. The argument was that these online casinos put the risk on weakening the monopoly of Norwegian Tipping.

The online casinos, on the other hand, believed that they were in their full right to pay out the winnings to their customers, referring to the EEA Agreement which Norway is a part of. It all ended fortunately happy for Norwegian gamblers, and the authorities have apparently stepped down attempts during 2020, mainly because of the new, intuitive payment solutions that make it easier to conduct transactions with both bank cards and e-wallets.

Another important dramatic change in 2020, at least in the UK, that has also something with gambling payments to do, is the ban of all credit card transactions towards casinos. This decision came on April 14 with the general public welcoming this decision.

The ban comes at a vital time as we are seeing an increase in the use of some online products, such as online slots and virtual sports, and our online search analysis shows an increase in UK consumer interest in gambling products since the lockdown began," said Neil McArthur, chief executive of the Gambling Commission. However, most insiders agree on how the ban won't reduce the number of problem gamblers, as they will simply switch to alternative payment methods.

Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be +18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk.

Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.

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Important changes in the European gambling industry during 2020 - Times of Malta

Newark cops busted an illegal alcohol and gambling operation where 50 people had gathered Saturday night.

The departments Environmental, Graffiti and Vice Crimes Task Force responded to the Portuguese Soccer Club on Wilson Avenue around 10 p.m. for complaints of illegal activities, police said.

Detectives saw a man unlocking a gate for patrons to enter and exit the property. Inside, they found the large crowd drinking alcohol, playing cards and using gambling machines.

One of the men arrested presided over a fully stocked bar with various beers and liquors, according to police, and the manager of the operation could provide no paperwork permitting alcohol sales.

Cops seized $6,829 in proceeds from the illegal activities taking place and 403 bottles of beer, wine and liquor.

Officers arrested Newark residents Jos DaSilva, 53, who managed the illegal establishment, Victor Pereira, 61, who was tending bar, and Byron Barraza, 31, who was manning the gate.

DaSilva and Pereira were each charged with maintaining an unlawful liquor establishment, possession of alcohol, illegal sale of alcohol and possession of gambling devices. Barraza was charged with aiding and abetting.

Newark police have busted several similar operations recently.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.

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Cops find 50 people at illegal bar, gambling operation in Newark - NJ.com