Category Archives: Gambling

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. Boynton Beach police arrested the owner of a record shop Thursday, following a seven-month investigation into an illegal gambling operation at the store.

The owner of the Caribbean Record Shop, 49-year-old Alison J. Henry Abner, was charged with keeping a gambling house and bookmaking.

Police arrived at the record shop with a search warrant and found Abner behind the cashier window. One more person was inside the shop at the time, 34-year-old Adjiny Haiti.

During the search, police found laptops, desktop computers, several printed gambling tickets, gambling receipts, bank deposit slips, business documents, and $6,100. They also found $2, 173 bundled together in the main office that consisted of 12 separate payouts, each with a gambling ticket attached, police said.

More money was found throughout the shop. Police said $511 was found in the main office inside a desk, along with another $554 in a different desk. They also found $2,573 hidden inside a bathroom wall and a little over $200 inside Abner's car, which was parked on the property.

According to police, Abner admitted to running a gambling game out of her business but said she didn't know the name of the gambling game. She stated it was a game of chance where a person would pick anywhere between one and four numbers and place money on each number.

Abner told police she takes 100 bets on average a day, which can total anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 a day in bets. She said she was just the middle man and that the game is run by another male who she only knows as "Geo," who picks up all of the money of the bets and gives her 8 to 10 % of it.

Abner stated she is the only person working at her business and all of her money received from the gambling operation is placed into her business account at Bank of America.

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Gambling investigation leads to arrest of Boynton Beach record shop owner - WPTV.com

Radio personality and New Rochelle native Craig Carton has been charged with fraud.

HBO Sports and StreetSmartVideowill air a documentary about former WFAN sports radio personality Craig Carton in October.

The New Rochelle native was convicted ofconspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud related to a secret gambling addiction in November 2018.

He was subsequently sentencedto 3 years in prison.

The documentary, titled "Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth," will include Carton's rise and fall in his own words.

Craig Cartons radio persona gained him a public following, while his private struggles lost him everything one casino run at a time,Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President of HBO Sports, said in a statement. Many knew Carton, but never knew his secrets, as we learn from Carton himself in this documentary about success, self-destruction, lies and blackjack.

Radio Personality Craig Carton on stage during the MR. CHIBBS Opening Night screening and Q&A at the IFC Center on May 3, 2017 in New York City.(Photo: Lars Niki, Getty Images for BMG)

In a press release issued by WarnerMedia, "Carton talks openly about his upbringing in New Rochelle, New York, detailing the childhood trauma he never truly dealt with. He discusses his rise to fame in talk radio that turned him into a star in every market he worked in, culminating back home in New York where he was hired to helm the coveted drive-time morning show in the wake of the downfall of Don Imus."

The documentary is scheduled to air on Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Christopher J. Eberhart covers breaking news. Click here for his latest stories. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisEberhart2. Check out how to support local journalism here.

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Craig Carton discusses his gambling and growing up in New Rochelle in upcoming documentary - The Journal News

KUALA LUMPUR: Police will take action not just on gambling syndicates, but owners who rent out their property for illegal purposes as well.

"Prior to this, our focus was on the syndicates but now we will be taking action against all those connected to illegal gambling, including owners of premises who have abused their business licenses," said Bukit Aman CID director Comm Datuk Huzir Mohamed (pic).

He said action can be taken under the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca) and Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act (Amlafta).

"We are seriously considering using these two Acts as certain gambling syndicates have resumed operations.

"Bukit Aman CID has been going all out to combat illegal online gambling since early last year but the activity has returned nationwide, especially in Selangor," he said on Sunday (Aug 9).

"We will cooperate more closely with agencies such as Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and local councils.

"We will also identify (those involved) and recommend to local councils to revoke the business licenses of those in cahoots with illegal gambling syndicates," Comm Huzir said.

Agencies such as TNB would be tasked with cutting off electricity to the premises used by the syndicates, he added.

Comm Huzir said every OCPD would also be instructed to identify and track down premises owners who assist gambling syndicates in their respective districts.

"I am confident we will be able to eradicate the illegal gambling network, in stages," he said.

Comm Huzir also urged the people to inform the police of illegal gambling activities so that immediate action can be taken.

On Saturday (Aug 8), videos showing illegal gambling taking place and contraband cigarettes being sold in Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh went viral on social media.

An eight-minute video garnered over two million views and another 13-minute clip has over 4.5 million views.

A complainant also alleged that his life could be in danger for revealing the illegal activities.

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Bukit Aman: Owners renting out property to gambling syndicates will face the music as well - The Star Online

DETROIT, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Detroit experts heavily criticized U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and President Trump this week on a webinar hosted by the non-profit, Protect Our Public Schools (POPS). The webinar, "How Do We Safely Reopen Schools? Detroit Experts Weigh In," explored the current challenges and issues facing the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) with the start of the new school year roughly a month away.

"Given the level of prevalence of COVID in the community right now, opening the schools [means] there will inevitably be cases," said Dr. Eric Kessell, a lecturer at Wayne State University specializing in public health and epidemiology. "If the decision is made to reopen in person, it'll be important to have those plans well-developed and published and vetted within the community."

President Trump and Secretary DeVos are pushing to force all schools to reopen across the country without a safe planregardless of local infection rates. Secretary DeVos has done little to ensure public school districts have personal protective equipment, school nurses, adequate building space, proper HVAC systems, or the expertise to guide schools through this crisis.

"Betsy DeVos, as well as Trump, the puppet master, is playing games with the lives of people all over the country," said Michigan Representative for District 8, Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo. "You can't market your way into convincing parents that it's safe, or teachers that it's safe. There should be a rubric or some type of guideline to highlight checkoffs that show that the HVAC systems are up to date. If they're not new, that they are being serviced regularly."

President Trump and Secretary DeVos are pushing to force schools to reopen at a time when experts such as Dr. Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, are warning of increased and widespread COVID-19 transmission. Earlier this week, Dr. Birx said, "The epidemic right now is different, and it's more widespread and it's both rural and urban."

LaMar Lemmons, who served as President of the Detroit Board of Education and a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives, slammed the federal approach to reopening schools. "As the billionaire sports entertainment enterprise owners, and their millionaire players cannot protect themselves from COVIDif they're still continuously having outbreaks, how can we protect the least of [us] in the Detroit area," said Lemmons.

Parents, teachers, administrators and public school advocates have pointed to under-investment in education by the Trump Administration as an issue impacting public schools across the country. Out of the roughly $2.2 trillion in the CARES Act, only $13.5 billion of that went to K-12 public schools, or less than one percent.

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is currently being sued by a coalition of attorneys general, including Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, for unlawfully diverting CARES Act dollars to wealthy, private schools.

"If the President's son's school is not opening, I don't understand why Betsy DeVos is sending money that should be for COVID protection to private schools that are going to do virtual learning," said Dr. Jimmy Womack, a retired physician and former President of the Detroit Board of Education. "What are they doing with that money?"

About Protect Our Public Schools

Protect Our Public Schools (POPS)is a community of teachers, retired educators, students, parents, and citizens who are dedicated to protecting our public schools. Protect Our Public Schools operates as a section 501(c)(4) tax exempt organization.

SOURCE Protect Our Public Schools

https://protectourpublicschools.org

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Detroit Experts: Secretary DeVos and President Trump Gambling With Lives of Students, Teachers, and Parents By Forcing School Reopenings - PRNewswire

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Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! It was again an eventful week in the USA, despite the still-active virus attack.

Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news, new partnerships and new appointments. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

As part of Colombias measures to combat the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Decree has been proposed, which allows, the operation of gambling halls of mayor districts, if they follow the pilot plan proposed. The municipalities with low cases will be able to implement pilot plans and open doors to bingos and casinos following the measures stated in the decree published by the Colombian president Ivan Duque.

The reopening of Atlantic City casinos has brought many young visitors to the casino-hotels in the state. The operators noted that many of the older regular clients have retreated temporarily, possibly because of the ongoing COVID-19 situations. Also, the operators observed a rise in visitors from the younger generation.

Partnerships

International Game Technology PLC has entered into a multi-year agreement with leading sports betting and iGaming provider, FanDuel Group. As per the agreement, IGTs PlaySports platform will power all of FanDuel Groups new and existing retail FanDuel Sportsbooks across the US through September 2024.

Sportsbook operator PointsBet has entered into a partnership agreement with Twin River Management Group. The agreement will see PointsBet provide iGaming and online casinos in the state of New Jersey.

Leading iGaming platform provider BtoBet has intensified its partnership with Camanbet, with the Venezuela-based operator going live online by making use of the Neuron 3 platform. Camanbet has been present on a national level for the past 14 years, primarily through its vast retail network.

New Appointments

Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, the casino consulting company based in London, has appointed Ross OHanley as its Senior VP. He will focus on expanding the companys consulting services division across the land-based casino market, especially on slot operations and systems technology.

New Launchings

William Hill has launched a temporary land-based sportsbook in the ticket box office area of Capital One Arena in Washington. In this temporary space, the first sportsbook in the Capital district, bettors can place bets through seven ticket windows and there will be nine electronic kiosks.

Everi Digital, the online gaming division of Everi Holdings, has partnered with ROAR Digital, a joint venture of MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings, to launch three of its popular three-reel mechanical titles on Borgata Online Casino, BetMGM and Party Casino New Jersey. Smokin 777, Meltdown and Double Ruby are available for play now on these market-leading brands for online real-money gaming in New Jersey.

New Report

The American Gaming Association has published its new report Casino & Communities: Michigan. The report, which was completed before the nations COVID-19 outbreak, shows how critical casino gaming is to Michigans economy, and consequently, how important gaming will be to the states economic resurgence. The reportshows that the states 27 commercial and tribal casinos have an annual $6.3 billion economic impact on the state.

Compliance

Nevada gaming regulators are seeking fines against two casinos and a bowling alley, alleging that employees and patrons failed to comply with requirements including a mandate for people to wear masks or face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Global payment technology company Nuvei has received a certificate of registration for sports wagering in the state of Indiana. The approval from the Indiana Gaming Commission authorises Nuvei to provide payment services supporting sports betting transactions in Indiana.

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Michigan's Sports Betting and Online Gambling To Bring $650M In First-Year Revenue, According to MichiganSharp.com - European Gaming Industry News

SUNGAI BULOH: Police have denied allegations of inaction over illegal gambling activities in the district.

This is in response to viral videos by "Hot Burger Malaysia" which was shared by Facebook user Asri Janggut on Saturday (Aug 8), claiming that police were in cahoots with illegal gambling syndicates.

Sungai Buloh OCPD Supt Shafa'aton Abu Bakar described the allegations made by the Facebook user as untrue and inaccurate.

"Two police reports have been lodged by the Sungai Buloh police station chief and an officer from the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA).

"His allegations could tarnish the image of the police force, especially that of the Selangor police in our efforts to curb illegal gambling in the state especially in Sungai Buloh," she told a press conference on Sunday (Aug 9).

She added that the police are investigating the matter and will call up the man who made the allegations.

"We will record his statement soon," she added

On Saturday, police also conducted six raids, resulting in the arrests of two Bangladeshi men, she added.

"The premises were not the ones highlighted by the Facebook user.

"We discovered the ones he alleged as illegal gambling dens were not in operation," Supt Shafa'aton said.

She also urged the public to come forward with any information on criminal activities but not in the manner that the Facebook user had done.

"Members of the public can also come and meet with me or my officers on any criminal incidents and activities

"We hope for the strong cooperation from people to combat crime," she said.

She also denied allegations made by the same Facebook user that the police report was leaked to the syndicates.

"Any information given to the police will be safeguarded.

"We never close one eye to criminal activities let alone be in cahoots with them," she said.

The Facebook Live videos, which went viral on Saturday had received more than three million views.

The Facebook user claimed that the police were in cahoots with illegal gambling syndicates while the smuggling of contraband cigarettes were also rampant.

He also complained of unfair actions of the MBSA in seizing his burger stalls

Police also conducted a total of 11 raids on illegal gambling dens in Sungai Buloh since early this year, Supt Shafa'aton said.

"The last of the raids were conducted two weeks prior to the videos going viral.

"The 11 raids resulted in the arrests of 10 caretakers and 13 players.

We also seized five laptops and 39 tablets during the operations," she added.

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Sungai Buloh police deny allegations of inaction over illegal gambling activities - The Star Online

Monday, 10 August 2020, 4:57 pmPress Release: Problem Gambling Foundation

A recent New Zealand Institute of Economic Research(NZIER) report commissioned by The Salvation Army and theProblem Gambling Foundation estimates that if householdexpenditure on Class 4 pokie gambling was diverted to otheruses, the retail sector could have gained an estimated $445million in 2018/19.

Paula Snowden, Problem GamblingFoundation CEO, says the report highlights the surprisingextent of the drain on the retail sector from gambling onpokies in pubs, clubs and TABs.

With the retail andhospitality sector still hurting from the COVID-19 lockdown,it is time to acknowledge that Class 4 gambling not only hasa significant social cost, but it is also a drain on thewider economy, she says.

NZIER analysis suggeststhat the increased retail sales would generate an additional1,127 full-time equivalent jobs for 1,724 workers, worthapproximately $50 million in wages and salaries. These jobswould be in the food and beverage services, specialised foodretailing, supermarkets and grocery stores.

Withlosses on pokie machines trending upwards year by year, thisreport shows how the economy could benefit from divertingthose gambling losses into spending elsewhere in localcommunities, Ms Snowden says.

Lynette Hutson,National Director, The Salvation Army Addiction Services,says community groups are struggling with the ethics ofbeing forced to rely on pokie money.

Communitiesand community sport are desperate for funding yet rely ongrants from a mere 40 percent of the $939 million lost onpokies in pubs, clubs and TABs in 2019.

If thosetotal losses were spent in local economies, business coulddirectly support their own community interests without theheavy toll being borne by the most deprived communities inNew Zealand, Ms Hutson says.

Jason Alexander,Interim CEO, Hpai Te Hauora Tapui, says Mori aredisproportionately impacted by gambling because 50 percentof the pokie machines are located in areas where Maori andPasifika people live.

We see the effect of gamblingon whnau and children, yet we are using money from pokiemachines to fund communities, with 60 percent of it goingtowards the cost of running the system. Mori have nocontrol on the density of these machines in theircommunities yet experience 2.5 times the rate of gamblingharm, he says.

The report suggests that additionalGST revenue is estimated to be $58.01 million and income taxcollected from additional retail sector workers is expectedto be between $7 million and $7.6 million.

PaulaSnowden says as a nation we need to start thinking aboutwhere the gambling losses that support our good causes areactually coming from.

It is encouraging that ifgambling losses were diverted into the retail and serviceindustries, there would be more employment, more tax andmore business revenue available to sponsor and supportcommunity interests and community sport, shesays.

The full report is attached.

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Pokie Gambling In New Zealand Pubs And Clubs Costing Retail Sector Over $400 Million A Year - Scoop.co.nz

By Asik Banerjee

Incidents of gambling at homes in the city seem to be on the rise. Vejalpur police raided a house in Shrinandnagar-3 in the wee hours of Sunday and booked 13 persons for involvement in gambling activity.

This is for the second time in two days that such activities were reported at residences.

They immediately went and raided the house. They found seven persons, including Kayastha (32), engrossed in the game. Upon looking further, they found six other persons gambling in another room.

The cops booked all the 13 and seized Rs 1.22 lakh in cash and other items from them. Besides Kayastha, the others who were booked were identified as Varun Jadhav (36), resident of Parishar phase 2 in Khokhra, Mitesh Bhatt and Anirudh Vaghela (both 32) and Prakash Shrimali (36), residents of Vejalpur, Dhaval Patel (26) and Prerak Shah (33), residents of Shrinandnagar-3, Gota residents Virat Patel (25) and Vishal Patel (33), Paldi resident Saumil Shah (32), Makarba resident Akash Bharvad (24) and Nikul Bharvad (27) and Shrinandnagar-1 resident Ramsundar Yadav (45).

They were all booked under the Gambling Act.

Early on Friday, Bopal police had booked six persons found gambling at a house in Sun City in the South Bopal area of Ahmedabad.

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13 booked for gambling in Vejalpur; cash, other items worth Rs 1.22 lakh seized - Ahmedabad Mirror

BELLEVILLE The Illinois Gaming Board hasn't announced when it will allow casinos to reopen or when video-gaming machines will be turned on at bars, restaurants and gaming parlors, but officials are reviewing plans submitted by owners on how they will reopen safely.

The board is indicating that many gambling and gaming locations could be back in business by June 26, when the state is expected to move into Phase 4 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan to recover from the coronavirus shutdown, even though the plan doesn't mention those industries specifically.

"The timing of resumption of video gaming and casino gaming is entirely dependent on the public health conditions at the time," board spokesman Gene O'Shea said. "Additionally, any resumption of video gaming or casino gaming will resume within the framework of the Restore Illinois plan and, under that plan, the earliest gaming could resume is (Phase 4)."

The board oversees 10 casinos, as well as 36,145 video-gaming machines in 7,291 locations across Illinois. All have been shut down since mid-March as part of the state's actions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19.

Restore Illinois Phase 4 allows for gatherings of 50 or fewer people and the operation of schools and child-care centers, parks and outdoor recreation, manufacturing plants, health clubs, restaurants and bars, theaters, retail stores and other businesses with capacity limits and adherence to Illinois Department of Public Health safety guidelines.

Last week, the Illinois Gaming Board released two detailed memorandums, one for casino gambling and one for video gaming, with checklists to help owners develop reopening plans that must be approved before they can get back to business.

"(The board's) primary concern during these challenging times is the health and welfare of gaming patrons, employees, IGB staff and all Illinois residents," the memorandums state.

The checklists give clues to how operations will be different in the coming weeks and months at casinos with table games and slots, bars and restaurants with video-gaming machines, independent gaming parlors and those in chains such as Ruby's and Debbie's Slots and Gaming.

At least five practices will be prohibited at casinos initially. That includes buffet food service, poker rooms, table-game tournaments, valet parking and promotions that require patrons to "cluster."

Masks and health screenings required

In plans submitted to the Illinois Gaming Board, casinos must explain how they will ensure that:

--Crowds are limited to 50% of maximum fire-code capacity.

--Patrons maintain 6 feet of social distance.

--Employees and patrons wear face coverings.

--Employees and patrons are screened for fevers and other COVID-19 symptoms.

-- Casinos are cleaned, sanitized and disinfected regularly.

--Ample signage informs people of rules and best practices.

--Employees are trained on a variety of coronavirus-related issues.

--Violations, deficiencies and COVID-19 cases are reported.

--Restaurants, hotels and spas comply with local and state health requirements.

Video-gaming locations have a similar checklist, except they must follow Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Security capacity and occupancy guidelines for bars and restaurants. The number of gaming machines allowed will depend on how they're arranged and what other safety measures are put in place.

Options include 1) installing plastic or safety-glass partitions between machines and customers, 2) rearranging machines so they are 6 feet apart, 3) activating only machines that are already 6 feet apart or 4) coming up with a combination of 1 and 2.

PHOTOS: Have you seen these missing children?

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Illinois businesses are betting that casino gambling and video gaming will be back soon - Cherokee Tribune Ledger News

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PennLive/The Patriot-News. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter.

HARRISBURG Last fall, more than 2,300 miles from Pennsylvanias Capitol, the top lobbyist for a gaming company seeking a lucrative gambling expansion helped host a fundraiser in Las Vegas for the leading Republican in the state Senate, Joe Scarnati.

The elaborate event was held at the famed Bellagio Hotel and Casino, records show. For tickets ranging in price from $7,500 to $25,000, donors gained access to rounds of golf, a hockey game, and a cocktail hour and dinner at a glitzy restaurant overlooking the Vegas strip.

Several months later, executives from the gaming company, Golden Entertainment, poured thousands of dollars into a campaign committee controlled by Scarnati and close associates.

Now, Scarnati and other top Republicans are working feverishly behind closed doors to whip up votes for a bill that would help Golden and others like it cash in on the next frontier of expanded gambling, potentially worth millions of dollars: video-gaming terminals, known better as VGTs.

In recent days, lobbyists and top Republican leaders have mounted a full-court press to convince rank-and-file senators to vote for ushering in thousands more of the slots-like terminals, according to two legislative sources familiar with the effort.

The behind-the-scenes push, expected to culminate in a Senate vote as soon as Monday, comes as the legislature faces massive challenges, most notably the fallout from a pandemic that has killed 6,361 Pennsylvanians and ravaged the economy, as well as the largest civil rights protests of a generation and demands for systemic overhauls of the police.

But with lawmakers set to soon depart Harrisburg for a summer of campaigning leading up to the November elections and Scarnati set to retire from the Senate the rush is on to expand VGTs. The maneuvering offers a window into the raw intersection of politics and policy-making in Pennsylvania, and how campaign dollars can drive the legislative agenda.

A spokesperson for Scarnati said the senator typically does not respond to inquiries on bills that have yet to see movement.

Calls and emails to Golden Entertainment officials were not returned. Dave Thomas, the lobbyist who heads the Harrisburg-based firm that helped organize Scarnatis Las Vegas fundraiser, declined to comment specifically on the fundraiser or the bill under discussion.

But speaking generally, Thomas said: Giving them money doesnt mean jack.

Campaign records and other documents reviewed by Spotlight PA and The Caucus show that gaming operators and their lobbyists have donated tens of thousands of dollars to legislative leaders and even appear to be drafting the exact language to be used in the expansion bill.

The push for more VGTs has been controversial in a state that has grappled with balancing the rapid expansion of gambling with the need for new revenue. In Pennsylvania, casino gambling was legalized in 2004. Since then, lawmakers have vastly expanded the types of games people can play and where they can play them. That includes VGTs.

They were first approved on a limited basis in late 2017 as part of a hard-fought budget deal between Gov. Tom Wolf and Republicans, who control both legislative chambers. That agreement which also legalized online gambling and authorized new mini-casinos around the state permitted VGTs, but only at truck stops.

There are now 135 terminals at 27 truck stops across the state.

The proposal now being championed by Scarnati and other top Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre), would allow those machines in bars, taverns, social clubs, and other venues with liquor licenses, vastly expanding their reach and profits.

Under current law, truck stops brought in nearly $6 million in VGT revenues in the most recent fiscal year. The state takes a 42% cut, and the host municipality another 10%. The steep taxes, however, are indicative of just how lucrative the machines are for operators.

Separately, the proposal also seeks to regulate and tax so-called skill game machines for the first time, which currently are in thousands of venues across the state, including gas stations. That proposal also has powerful and deep-pocketed interests for and against it.

In an interview Thursday, Corman confirmed there is a push to expand VGTs, which he said could raise money to offset property taxes for seniors.

Beyond that, supporters believe expanding VGTs and taxing them will help rake in revenue, not just for the state, but for many small bars whose business has been ravaged by the coronavirus. Detractors counter that the state already has too much gambling. The states casinos also fiercely oppose the proposal because they believe it will cut into their earnings.

We are shocked and alarmed by the persistent speculation that the General Assembly is considering an expansion of gaming to include both broad-based VGT gambling throughout communities and the legalization of currently illegal skill game slot machines that are being operated outside of our facilities, 13 licensed casino owners and operators wrote in a letter this week to legislative leaders. The legislature determined that such broad-based gaming expansion would have had a devastating impact on both Pennsylvanias casinos and the Pennsylvania Lottery. This is even more true today.

One legislative aide, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said some senators were surprised at the push given the legislature is wrestling with bills related to the states coronavirus response and measures to improve police oversight.

As of late Thursday, there did not appear to be a draft of an actual bill. But proposed language written by a lobbyist for the trade association representing gaming operators of VGTs including Golden Entertainment was making the rounds inside the Capitol.

In a statement, Jeff Sheridan, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Video Gaming Association, did not address why the trade groups lobbyist had drafted the language, or to whom it was circulated.

Instead, he reiterated the associations support for the expansion and said it would benefit small businesses as they recover from the greatest economic and health crisis in our lifetimes.

The association and its members have pushed hard for placing VGTs beyond truck stops. And gaming operators, their executives, and their lobbyists have also contributed thousands of dollars to campaigns of key decision-makers in the Capitol.

One of the biggest beneficiaries was a campaign committee run by Scarnati.

In a series of stories last year on how some lawmakers are able to hide campaign expenses in their public disclosures, Spotlight PA and The Caucus reported that Scarnati and his campaign advisors began fundraising with casino executives in Las Vegas in May 2018.

According to newly obtained campaign receipts, Scarnati, his wife Amy, and his former chief of staff returned to Las Vegas last October. Almost all of the receipts totaling $1,757 for their flights and some meals between Oct. 16 and 19 have handwritten notes indicating they were for a DT event or DT fundraiser.

DT refers to Dave Thomas, the lobbyist for Golden Entertainment and a one-time top House and Senate lawyer. Campaign finance records show Thomas also does campaign work for Scarnati. In the months leading up to the October 2019 fundraiser, for instance, Scarnatis campaign paid The DT Firm $60,000 for consulting services.

According to a copy of the invitation for the fundraiser obtained by the news organizations, the event was a private reception supporting Scarnati that spanned several days. It was held during the same week of the 2019 Global Gaming Expo, which is North Americas largest gaming trade event. It asked guests to RSVP to The DT Firm, and make checks payable to Scarnatis campaign.

Check-in was at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on Oct. 17, followed by a hockey game between the Ottawa Senators and the Vegas Golden Knights. The next day included a round of golf at the Cascata Golf Club and dinner that evening at Top of the World, a restaurant in The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Skypod located more than 800 feet above the Las Vegas strip that offers panoramic views as it revolves 360 degrees every 80 minutes.

The STRAT hotel and casino is owned by Golden Entertainment, according to its website.

This year, in the waning days of the primary election, four top executives at Golden Entertainment contributed a total of $42,500 to a political action committee run by Scarnati and his close associates called Citizens for a Better Pennsylvania.

Those were the only donations the committee which had $581,600 in the bank at the start of 2020 received all year. They came as Scarnati spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to prop up the failed campaign of his hand-picked successor in Jefferson County, Herm Suplizio.

Most of Scarnatis spending was to pay The DT Firm, which then paid for advertising related to Suplizios campaign.

It is not clear when Thomas firm began doing paid campaign work in addition to lobbying, a practice that has been criticized by good government advocates as blurring the lines between politics and policy-making, and between lobbyists and elected officials.

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Top Pa. GOP lawmaker fast-tracking a lucrative gambling expansion that would benefit a major campaign donor - Spotlight PA