Category Archives: Gambling

RICHMOND, Va (WRIC) In a state where decades-long debates raged over legalizing varying forms of gambling, sports betting has added itself to Virginias ranks of risk opportunities.

After FanDuel went live last week, advertisements have been pushed to consumers as additional competitive sports books launched.

BetMGM, Draft Kings, Caesars and Rivers Casino Portsmouth all have approved permits according to the Virginia Lottery.

The General Assembly passed a measure legalizing sports betting during the 2020 session, and less than one year later sports fanatics can get in on the action.

The move is the latest green light for gambling in the Commonwealth over the last three decades.

The Virginia Lottery went live in the late 1980s, Colonial Downs off-track betting first happened in the late 90s, and was later revived in gaming hubs like Rosies Gaming Emporium.

Like other modes of gambling operations, sports books have guidelines to follow, as Mike Raffensburger with Fan Duel explained.

We have requirements, much like a bank does to know our customers. So in order to actually sign up and deposit to play on FanDuel, we require certain information like your address, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and we use other databases to sort of confirm your identity and that you are of age and legally allowed to place a gambling wager in the state of Virginia, Raffensburger said.

In Virginia, bets on in-state teams cannot be wagered ona provision similar to several other states who have legalized sports betting.

Many may be interested in placing bets, but Brenda Hurt in Richmond said she will keep her money close.

I mean, they [sports fans] might want to [wager], but I cant tell you who because I know I dont want to. I just watch the game, Hurt said.

I need my money. Ive got to pay bills, I cant do nothing with gambling and giving away my money free, she said.

Full-fledged casino projects are also in the works across Virginia, including the potential one may pop up in Richmond, which is still under consideration.

For those with gambling addictions, resources are available to you, including the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling.

The VCPG toll free hotline is 1-888-532-3500.

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Virginia sports betting is live, adding to the states list of gambling opportunities - WJHL-TV News Channel 11

By ANDREW T. WALKER

According to Kentucky Today, the Republican-led state Senate is set to introduce a new bill next week that would expand gambling in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The expected legislation would attempt to resolve the ongoing debate over the Historical Horse Racing slot machines that the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled against. Because the Supreme Court ruled against their illegal implementation, the legislature is hoping to pass enabling legislation that would allow these machines to get up and running again.

Why would the legislature take time out of their short session during a pandemic to see such legislation pass? So that the state can continue to generate the tax revenue from Kentuckians gambling losses. Thats right, some legislators think Kentucky wins when Kentuckians lose. The Kentucky legislature is so preoccupied with Kentuckians losing their money to a predatory industry that it is prioritizing it over and against a myriad of other issues facing Kentucky.

The first rule of public policy is to do no harm. By that standard, what the legislature is embarking upon upends the first principle of governments purpose according to Scripture: to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good (1 Pet. 2:14). To pass a gambling bill is to get this biblical formula exactly backwards: It is to praise a vice by allowing it to prosper with government approval and to punish the good by incentivizing financial mismanagement. Talk about a mix-up of priorities.

To get a sense of why gambling is wrong and counterproductive, lets take a look at the idea of Kentucky being a Commonwealth. Commonwealth is derived from the idea of the Commonweal which is an archaic term referring to the idea of the general welfare, or what we might call the common good. The common good is the idea that we all have a stake in promoting the types of conditions that cause everyone to thrive in society. To focus on the common good means to maximize the ability for people to flourish. The common good is only common insofar as it serves everyone equally. Gambling does exactly the opposite. It serves the interest of a few to the detriment of the many by catering to powerful financial interests.

Some may make the libertarian argument that increased tax revenue serves the interest of all. But to focus on the interests of the state through increased tax revenue is at odds with looking out for the interests of those who would be most likely to gamblethose on the lower socioeconomic ladder. We as Christians and Kentuckians cannot love our neighbor and seek the financial interests of the state while simultaneously fleecing our neighbor.

What are some other reasons to oppose gambling? There are reasons too numerous to count, but lets name just a few.

There is more at stake in this debate than just personal entertainment preferences. Gambling is one of the few forms of entertainment that results in the proliferation of human misery. A hands off libertarian approach to gambling may relieve someone of their own personal dislike of gambling, but it only feeds the wrongheaded assumption that individual behavior has no bearing on the rest of society. Where someone suffers from gambling, others have to be present to pick up the broken pieces. We all have a stake in caring for one another by resisting an industry that seeks no higher interest than its own profit margins.

Kentucky Baptists should stand united against this legislation and should contact their legislator to voice their opposition. You can call the legislative message line at 1-800-372-7181. Operators will help you identify your legislator and take your message. You can also email your legislator directly to let them know you are opposed to expanded gambling sinking its teeth into Kentucky.

Kentucky Baptists, right now is the time to have our message heard. If were looking for a way to love our neighbor and be salt and light in our culture, doing so is only a phone call or email away.

Andrew T. Walker is Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Public Affairs Advisor to the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

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OPINION: Right now is the time to stand up against gambling - Kentucky Today

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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