Category Archives: Gambling

Islamabad: The Islamabad Police have arrested 13 outlaws including five gamblers from various areas of the city and recovered narcotics, cash, mobile phones, gambling tools and stolen valuables from their possession, a police spokesman said.

Following the directions of IGP Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfqar Khan and DIG (Operations) Waqar Uddin Syed, all officials of Islamabad police have accelerated their efforts to curb activities of anti-social elements and drug pushers.

On a tip off, Superintendent of Police (City) Omer Khan constituted special team under supervision of ASP Rana Hussain Tahir including SHO Bani Gala Sub-Inspector Muhammad Imran, ASI Muhammad Rizwan along with others to raid at a gambling den.

This team raided there and nabbed five gamblers red handed who have been identified as Wajhat Ali, Waseem Sajjad, Zeshan Shokat, Umer Safdar and Wajid Hussain. Police team recovered stake money, and gambling tools from their possession.

Meanwhile, Golra Police arrested, Habib-Ullah, and recovered 360 gram hashish from him. Shalimar police arrested two accused, Altaf and Tanveer, and recovered stolen valuables from their possession. Noon Police arrested two Afghans Imran and Ustari Gul living illegally.

Shahzad Town Police arrested accused, Adeel Hussain, and recovered stolen valuables from him. Lohi Bher Police arrested accused, Shabbir, and recovered stolen mobile phones from him. Karachi Company Police arrested, Muhammad Furqan, and recovered 15 litres alcohol from him.

Nilore Police arrested accused, Israr, selling diesel and petrol illegally. Cases have been registered against these nabbed persons and further Investigation is underway from them.

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13 outlaws including five gamblers held - The News International

The title card for Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, the German director Fritz Langs 4-hour silent so-called super-film, promises a portrait of our time. That time was 1922. Yet Langs tale of financial panic, profiteering and doomsday revelry speaks to our own.

Mabuse, which was originally shown in two parts but may be streamed as one uncut film online, was greeted by its initial German audiences as akin to a news bulletin. One Berlin paper speculated that a century hence, the movie will show people a time that they could perhaps scarcely comprehend, a time that saw the extravagance of the newly rich, the rapid gambling on the stock exchange, the clubs, the addiction to pleasure, the speculation, the vast amount of smuggling, counterfeiting and more.

Stream Dr. Mabuse the Gambler on the Criterion Channel or Kanopy.

Adapted from a popular novel by the journalist Norbert Jacques, Mabuse was a lightning bolt that crackled across the stormy sky of Weimar Germany a newly established, shellshocked democracy where two abortive revolutions followed the loss of World War I, hyperinflation was mounting and social unrest was ubiquitous.

In his later years, Lang would maintain that Mabuse originally started with a rapid-fire montage (since lost) that juxtaposed scenes from the left-wing Spartacist uprising led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, the right-wing Kapp Putsch that enlisted nationalist military leaders and the assassination of the German foreign minister, Walther Rathenau. This seems unlikely since Rathenau was shot two months after Mabuse opened, but the intro was unnecessary. Mabuse merged with its moment and even prophesied what was to come.

Paranoia rules. A habitu of decadent Art Deco nightclubs, Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge, who would play the mad scientist Rotwang in Langs Metropolis) preys upon his wealthy victims. Not just a criminal mastermind but a psychoanalyst to boot, Mabuse has multiple ways to cloud the mind. In one newly relevant sequence, he tricks an unfortunate fall guy into self-quarantine and, having destroyed his tenuous grasp on reality, induces him to commit suicide.

Mabuse is introduced shuffling a deck of cards showing his various disguises. A more accurate translation of the title would be Dr. Mabuse the Player, for this protean villain is also an actor. Who is Behind All This? an intertitle demands. Mabuse is both ubiquitous and unknown. In his classic film history, From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film, the German critic Siegfried Kracauer characterized Mabuse as everywhere present but nowhere recognizable. (Or, as President Trump described Covid-19, an invisible enemy that came out of nowhere.)

The movies first chapter concerns an elaborate scheme, directed by Mabuse from his study, whereby a secret trade pact is stolen from the suitcase of a diplomat traveling by train. News of the theft, as well as the document itself, is used to crash the commodity exchange, much to Mabuses profit.

While economic chaos is inherent in Mabuses intrigues (he also operates a counterfeit money ring, staffed with blind slaves who cannot identify him), looting the rich seems to be his preferred pastime while, thanks to his hypnotic gaze and mental powers, world domination is his ultimate goal. A behind-the-scenes manipulator whose many disguises include that of a stage mesmerist, a proletarian rabble-rouser, and a Jewish peddler, he is aided by a gang of accomplices that include his cocaine-addled manservant and a saucy dancer, Cara Carozza (the Norwegian actress Aud Egede-Nissen), a star of the Folies Bergre.

These minions are in Mabuses thrall, despite the abuse they suffer at his hands. The movie is steeped in individual as well as social pathology. In addition to practicing hypnotic mind control, Mabuse inspires the sort of unquestioning, zombielike obedience (known in German as kadavergehorsam) that, a decade later, Hitler would demand from his SS and indeed all Germans. Carozza, whom Mabuse uses as a honey-trap, insists that he is the greatest man alive even after his erotic interest has been piqued by a sultry thrill-seeking countess (Gertrude Welcker).

At once wanton and repressed, the countess is a terrific character, haunting the same casinos as Mabuse but never gambling because, as she explains, she prefers to watch. Her luckless husband (Alfred Abel, who plays Joh Frederson in Metropolis) is another sort of aesthete a collector whose mansion is overstocked with mock Cubist canvases and faux African sculptures. (The cluttered parlor offers a preview of the infamous Nazi exhibition of so-called degenerate art.) The countess also casts her indolent spell on the resolute state prosecutor Norbert von Wenk (Bernhard Goetzke), who doggedly pursues Mabuse until he is hypnotized by the master to drive a speeding death car.

It has been suggested that as a conjurer of mental images, Mabuse was a sort of alter ego for the domineering director. Lang spared no expense. Mabuse was shot in a studio vast enough to accommodate city streets and even neighborhoods. The swanky nightclubs are set pieces in themselves. One sequence juxtaposes a spiritualist soiree in a luxurious apartment with the opening of the Petit Casino, a cabaret promising all that pleases is allowed. Mabuse operates in both places simultaneously.

The Petit Casino features a shimmy by the notorious naked dancer Anita Berber, here wearing a tuxedo. (According to some accounts, she arrived late on the set and out-divad Lang.) The Petit Casino also provides the arena for Cara Carozza to lead on the most hapless of Mabuses victims, while he himself infiltrates the sance to hypnotize the countess into inviting him for dinner.

With a dozen chapters, Mabuse lends itself to both incremental and binge watching. Exerting its own form of mind control, it starts slowly and, abetted by an edgy modernist score, builds in intensity to a mad climax. The violent denouement anticipates by a decade the grand finale of Howard Hawkss Scarface. We have long since become inured to onscreen mayhem, but original reviews suggest that early audiences were stunned by the movies pace. Speed, horrifying speed characterizes the film, one critic wrote. Applause broke out during a scene of cars racing through the nocturnal streets of a studio-built Berlin.

Mabuse entered German popular culture and, over the course of his career, Lang was inspired to make several sequels. His second sound film, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (available to stream on the Criterion Channel and Kanopy) was in postproduction when Hitler became chancellor in 1933. Now confined to a mental hospital, the spectral Mabuse (again Klein-Rogge) uses mental telepathy and a form of radio to incite a crime wave. Lang left Nazi Germany before the film was banned. Life under a terror regime could not be rendered more impressively, Kracauer wrote. It was not shown publicly in Germany until 1951.

In the late 1950s, Lang returned to Germany to make several films including his swan song, The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (rentable from Amazon Prime). No less than its predecessors, this Cold War Mabuse is a trove of prophetic paranoia with intimations of James Bond and Dr. Strangelove. It was sufficiently popular in Germany to inspire six sequels. You can imagine an internet version made today.

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Fritz Lang's 'Dr. Mabuse the Gambler' Still Casts a Spell - The New York Times

I enjoyed the opinion piece penned by Mr Ho Kwon Ping, founding chairman of Singapore Management University and Banyan Tree Holdings (A questioning of inequities: The legacy of Covid-19, May 2).

He presented views on how global as well as regional and domestic affairs might have changed post-Covid-19.

There were two standout segments for me: first, on our delicate co-existence with "invisible" migrant workers; and second, on concerns over complacency among the younger generation.

Other societal changes may also unfold before our eyes.

As local betting outlets have been shuttered during the circuit breaker period, I wait with bated breath to see if our national gambling rates will be brought down substantially.

Gambling is just as highly addictive as other vices and can exact a heavy price on hooked punters and their families.

It is no small issue in the Singapore context.

For those undergoing the current cold turkey treatment, my hope is that they seize this opportunity to scrutinise their finances in the light of present economic difficulties, and kick the habit for good.

Tang Kum Cheong

Originally posted here:

Forum: Circuit breaker a good time to kick gambling habit - The Straits Times

ComeOn Group has announced the shutdown of two brands for the Swedish market. Cherrycasino.com and Sveacasino.com will close on May 18.

The online casino saga in Sweden continues. This time, ComeOn Group is shutting down two of its licenses in the country as a protest towards the countrys restrictive measures planned to come into effect on June 1. The operator has announced that the brands Cherrycasino.com and Sveacasino.com will be shut down only in Sweden.

The sites will be shut down on May 18 but the brands have already stopped accepting new sign-ups or deposits. Player accounts are also going to be closed by that date. ComeOn Group recommended consumers to check the other available ComeOn/Cherry brands which are still available in Sweden, such as Snabbare, Hajper and Mobilautomaten. Due to the planned shutdown, the countrys regulator, Spelinspektionen, will need to update its online licenses list.

The latest shut down operations is not the first challenge for the ComeOn/Cherry brands. Back in January 2019, when the brand just entered the market, Cherry received a license for duration of only two years. For example, most licenses are for a five-year period, but Cherry was deemed as an uncertain organization, thus resulting in the short-term license. Then Cherry went to an administrative court in order to appeal this decision. In October 2019, the appeal was rejected.

Other ComeOn brands also suffered from Swedens authorities. Hajper received a penalty last year after the countrys ombudsman took issue with the company cartoon mascot which was displayed on a poster. Spelinspektionen applied a penalty on ComeOn, Hajper and Snabbare under the pretext that sports betting was offered to players which were under 19 years old.

Earlier this week, ComeOn Group CEO Lahcene Merzoug joined the petition organized by the countrys operator association Branscheforenigen for Onlinespel (BOS). The petition disapproves the restrictive measures proposed in April by Social Security Minister Ardalan Shekarabi.

The restrictions, planned to be implemented on June 1 include a time limit and deposit restrictions for online gamblers. So far, twelve operators running business in Sweden have joined, which according to BOS secretary general Gustaf Hoffstedt represents nearly half of the Swedish online gambling market.

The main concern that the petition is raising is that if such restrictive measures are applied, many consumers will turn to online unregulated markets. Such occurrence can be devastating for the gambling industry as well as the countrys economy, BOS fears.

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Swedish Gambling Market Takes Another Hit Two Online Brands Closed by ComeOn Group - GamblingNews.com

Bob* only ever had to travel four miles to go to the casino. When the coronavirus pandemic shut it down, his gambling got even closer to home.

Before March 13, when casinos in Delaware closed following Gov. John Carney's emergency declarations, the business owner in his late 30s had enjoyed the slot machines and the poker tables as harmless entertainment, and he often went with his wife.

He had been gambling for nearly two decades. However, she started to worry that, over the last four years, things could sometimes go sideways. It became more of a wrench for him to cut his losses, which had, until that point, never been too big.

But the clink of the chips and the whirr of the machines were always tangible reminders that real hard-earned cash was at stake, that he had a home to return to, and that commitmentsboth family and businesshad to be met.

Bob never viewed gambling as a solitary pursuit. Going online for a wager held little interest for him; after all, part of a casino's appeal was being in the company of others.

Since the shutdown, things have changed: "The casinos closed, I was still looking for an outlet so I thought I would download an app, and try it." Tempted by an offer that matched the $200 he bought in for, he played slot machines online and got hooked quickly. "It was eye-opening," he told Newsweek.

Stripped of the adrenaline that the atmosphere a brick-and-mortar establishment confers, the money gambled at the swipe of a finger suddenly felt abstract.

"It's more real at the casino. Even if you are losing a lot, there is still that sense of nervousness, that makes you feel it is real. But when you do it online, I did get upset about losing the money, but it did not have the same effect," he told Newsweek.

Already struggling to control his gambling in the flesh, in the virtual world, Bob's worse instincts started to run riot: "That's where the danger came in, because isolated by myself, I could do my own thing. The sky's the limit, so to speak."

When they were able to go to the casino, his wife fruitlessly urged him to get help. Now, grappling with a more disengaged way of losing money, he was spurred on to take action.

The person he called was Jeffrey Wasserman through the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems' gambling helpline. Bob thinks that call allowed him to nip a problem in the bud before the losses, which were only ever in the low thousands, ever became life-changing.

Wasserman, an addicted gambler who has been in recovery for five years, is part of a group that is not anti-gambling but aims to provide problem gamblers with treatment that is educational and preventative.

He also volunteers to host support sessions on Zoom, which since the start of the coronavirus crisis have gone from three a week to daily.

Wasserman puts this spike in demand down to the effects of isolation, boredom, loneliness, and anxiety about the loss of a control a pandemic posesall potential triggers for problem gamblers as well as those who are recovering.

"There are definitely new issues arising in terms of access to gambling and regarding the emotional effects of isolation," Wasserman, who hosts a podcast called "The Addicted Gamblers," told Newsweek.

"You can be sitting in the same room as your loved ones and you are just on your device and you are gambling away and no one knows what you are doing. It is that experience that allows someone to develop a problem because it is so easy to hide it."

He added: "People who gamble online are twice as likely to develop a gambling problem than those who gamble in brick-and-mortar casinos."

Online gambling is legalized on a state-by-state basis and Delaware is one of the three states where real money casino games can be played, along with New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Online poker is also legal in those states as well as Nevada, according to PlayUSA. Online sports betting is legal in a handful of other states.

Senior vice president of strategic communications at the American Gaming Association (AGA) Casey Clark said his organization was pushing for a responsible approach to online gaming, especially given the new normal where people are forced to stay at home.

Clark said he wants to make sure that consumers in states with legal online casinos have the resources they need to engage with mobile offerings responsibly.

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"The gaming industry has a longstanding commitment to responsibility, which includes ensuring all patrons who may need help can access it and that gaming advertisements provide responsible gaming messaging and are targeted to an age-appropriate demographic at a reasonable frequency," Clark said in a statement to Newsweek.

"Gaming is a form of entertainment that should always be enjoyed safely and responsiblythat includes setting a budget, keeping it social, knowing the odds, and playing with legal operators.

"If patrons find that wagering is no longer a fun, affordable activity, it's time to take a break and seek out help from the industry, state, and nonprofit resources available."

Alan Feldman, distinguished fellow at the UNLV, International Gaming Institute, in Las Vegas, said it may be too early for exact numbers on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on online gambling. But he did believe there had been increases of around 10 to 15 percent since the shutdown's start.

"I think there are some things we should be prepared for. I think that people have more time, they are looking for activities and distraction," Feldman told Newsweek.

"I do believe operators must reinforce their customer protection policies because even though we don't know anyone is going to get into trouble, there are too many signs that point in that direction.

"Problem gamblers tend to be depressives, have anxiety disorders, tend to be isolationist.

"I think the point for the gaming industry who are related to it, this is an incredible opportunity to study this, to see how this moves forwardwill there be an increase in problematic behavior?"

Tom*, a small business owner in North Carolina, who through help from a gambling support group has not had a wager for nine months, believes the coronavirus conditions are providing "a perfect storm for a compulsive gambler."

He said his business has shut down completely and everything disappeared overnight for him.

"This would be the time I would try to find extra money," he said. "My saving grace is that sports was my biggest worry and there are no sports right now. I might be telling a different story if it was.

"With a lot of people sheltering in place, and a lot of them probably dealing with their wives and husbands and families full time for the first time, creates that need for an escape a little bit."

Jody Bechtold, co-founder of the Better Institute, treats problem gamblers and is worried about the impact of receiving the government stimulus check of $1,200.

Facing the turmoil of unemployment or the uncertainty of a furlough, they might view it as a windfall that could get them out of a sticky financial predicament.

"The issue in the U.S. is the check is around tax time. If they get a refund, those are all triggers for them to say, 'This is some good money, but I can double it or triple it? How do I do that?"

Tom has applied for grants and economic disaster loans for his business and has told his wife that he would be transparent with her if they ever see the money.

"I know for other people it would be a temptation. It seems when you get money for free, it is a lot easier to gamble, the same thing as a bailout," he said. "I think these economic loans could be a huge problem for someone who has a problem gambling."

And as Wasserman says: "If someone who has an addiction that is so strong, when the money comes in, the first thing they think of is, 'Here is money, maybe I need it. This is stimulus money and $1,200 can help somewhat but I can turn that into $2,400 or $3,600, that would really be helpful.'"

"That is when the fantasies come and that is when they are prepared to take that risk," he added.

Keith Whyte, executive director for the National Council on Problem Gambling, whose proposals for best practice for online gambling were taken up by five operators, believes the risk factors for gambling addiction during the coronavirus crisis are increasing.

"You are isolated and you are stuck at home, your access to all your traditional support services have been cut off, and then you receive all these offers and come-ons in the mail," he told Newsweek.

Not everyone has the desire or wherewithal to shift their gambling online, but those in recovery are potentially vulnerable to the economically volatile circumstances.

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"Whether you are a recreational gambler who shifts to a higher risk form of gambling, whether you are an at-risk gambler who may now increase your gambling participation because you are stuck at home, someone with an existing problem who is now stuck at home and gambling online constantly and obsessively, is making the problem much worse," Whyte said.

He wants online operators to set mandatory limits and for gambling advertisements not to target the isolation and boredom and be tailored to the current climate.

In his view, the social pressures of isolation and the financial pressures of online "combine to push them back onto the bet in a way that can be devastating and even life-threatening."

Tom has increased his support sessions from one a week to four due to the pressures addicts like him are facing in the current climate.

"I am extremely happy that I am not gambling right now," he said.

*Bob and Tom are not the interviewees' real names to protect their identities.

The infographic below, provided by Statista, shows the confirmed cases in the U.S. as of April 23.

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Locked Down With a Stimulus Check and Online Casinos, Gambling Addicts Face a 'Perfect Storm' - Newsweek

DUBLIN, April 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Online Gambling Quarterly Report - Spring 2020 Edition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

A comprehensive quarterly report analysing updated benchmarks, KPIs, trends, and covering all sectors of the online gambling industry. The report covers a wide range of topics from key company sectors, such as finance, marketing, strategy.

Due to this extensive coverage, the report is a must-read for executives and departments of all companies active in the online gambling market.

The report covers:

Companies Mentioned

Key Topics Covered:

Part 1 - COVID-19 Impacts

Part 2 - Trends

Part 3 - Financial Figures and KPIs

Part 4 - Marketing Analyses

Part 5 - Product Analyses

Part 6 - Regulated Markets Analyses

Part 7 - Methodology

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/askie2

About ResearchAndMarkets.comResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

http://www.researchandmarkets.com

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Global Online Gambling Market 2020: Impact of COVID-19 on Overall Revenues and the Light at the End of the Tunnel - PRNewswire

Online gambling, while officially regulated in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) in late February, is struggling to get off the ground on two fronts; firstly the health crisis and secondly opposition from the Association of the Personnel of Racecourses Agencies Gambling and Related (Aphara).

LOTBA, the local gaming authority, had begun the licensing process for online gambling and sports betting in Buenos Aires just days following its regulation. But with the COVID-19 crisis bringing proceedings to a standstill, that debut remains off the agenda. Now, online gambling is coming under fire from Aphara which has warned that its debut in CABA would put 2,000 jobs at risk.

Diego Quiroga, head of the association, said: These policies promote a modality that benefits a few foreign companies under a tax regime that is based on unfair competition. They dont generate genuine employment like land-based entities.

The mandatory quarantine established by President Alberto Fernndez in March forced lottery agencies, racetracks and casinos to suspend their activities. All gambling modalities in Buenos Aires have been affected by the crisis, as none of them are reporting any other type of income.

Despite supporting the quarantine to protect health, Quiroga pointed out that although the president is in favor of measures to prevent layoffs, the CABA government encourages online gambling which, he claimed, leaves hundreds of families who depend on land-based gambling on the brink of the abyss.

He said: Its unfair that the local lottery wants to replace employees with online platforms that dont generate employment, commenting further that land-based companies are the ones that create genuine jobs, while online gambling is unfair and discriminatory.

The licenses to operate online games in CABA will run for five years, but LOTBA could extend them with previous authorization. Any company can participate in the process on internet platforms and mobile applications. Poker, bingo, sports betting, betting on cultural events, virtual casinos and more will be allowed.

In addition, those interested in obtaining a license, both local and international companies, must pay an administrative fee of $500. They will also have to prove that they have more than two years of experience and a net worth of $370,000, as well as certifications from accredited laboratories from LOTBA.

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Association says online gambling in Buenos Aires risks thousands of jobs - SBC Americas

As strange as it may seem, the real root cause of gambling addiction is not gambling, writes Jason Shiers of UK addiction rehabilitation provider UK Addiction Treatment Centres (UKAT). However, there are steps operators can take to help those showing signs of a serious problem

The manifestation of an addiction seems like the most obvious place to look, and many modalities of help and treatment often look to control the outward manifestation of the issue as a root to resolve the problem.

Anyone suffering with gambling addiction will try everything before getting professional help.

Well-intentioned spouses and family members will reach their wits ends trying to help, whether thats by hiding money or controlling the individuals whereabouts and what or who they spend time around.

It can go further: monitoring what they watch on TV, access to the internet, gaming and anything that could possibly trigger them into gambling further.

It makes perfect sense that people look to control their own and others habits by trying to make what they perceive to be the problem less accessible. However, this shows an innocent misunderstanding of the problem.

Just as friends or family members attempt to help those suffering from addiction, gambling operators also, either voluntarily or because of legal requirements, try to take similar steps to help the afflicted.

Yet once again, the measures taken only address the problem at symptom level, with tactics such as:

Stopping credit cards being used to fund online gambling Offering limits on how much, and how often, players can spend on gambling Setting limits on time spent gambling Offering complete self-exclusion via GamStop Reducing maximum stakes on fixed odds betting terminals from 100 to 2

These initiatives might help with the illusion of control but they are of no real help in tackling the underlying problem.

In this gambling is similar to drugs, in that taking away the addictive element does not stop the addiction. For the individual, its just an obstacle to overcome they will find a way to gamble, by foul means or fair.

Misunderstanding of traditional treatmentsAttempting to teach gambling in moderation, learning to control triggers, avoid certain geographical locations or to identify emotions that lead us to gamble are all innocent attempts to control the misunderstood habit at its final destination.

But if anything, they will only offer short-term respite.

Look at it this way: its like taking the rear carriage of a train, and trying to get it to change the direction of the engine, 15 carriages ahead.

It simply isnt going to work and it would take much less effort if you knew the real root cause to start with.

To further the misunderstanding, traditional psychological treatments attempt to see where past events and experiences have impacted the persons psychology and compel them to attempt to escape from reality.

People often spend years in therapy digging into their relationships with their parents, childhood trauma, failed relationships and mental health issues, to desensitise themselves to the emotions they experience so the need to gamble is reduced.

This often has little effect as the problem is not created by the past.

This sort of therapy may well help to some extent, but for creating long-term freedom without having to maintain something, it is not the best solution.

The traditional treatments see addiction as a disease, as a real thing inside the person struggling. They are labelled addicts, and treated as sick people trying to get well.

The treatments suggest there is no respite, and that recovery is a lifelong process, with constant practices and processes needed to maintain a life free from gambling.

The reasoning is that only through abstinence can an individual regain control.

So, what really is the problem?Gambling addiction, at its root cause, is a misunderstanding of how the mind works. Its a valve for letting off steam we innocently create our own reality in the mind, and it looks scary, unhappy and unfulfilling.

The need to stop uncomfortable emotions becomes unbearable, and gambling addiction becomes the solution for coping with this fundamental misunderstanding.

Think about the how the body heals itself. If you cut your finger, it heals. The signs of the cut soon disappear and before long it looks like there was no injury in the first place. The mind works in the same way, only most people dont understand that.

Rather than seeing the true nature of thought as transient, something that passes, they pick and prod at the content of the thoughts, creating negative emotions and a low state of mind.

And imagine what would happen if that is allowed to build up with no outlet. Most of the time it would end in a psychotic episode or a breakdown the system has to regulate itself.

Gambling is the steam valve that stops people from becoming overwhelmed. It is a coping mechanism, rather than the cause.

The solutionSome find traditional therapy helps but only in the short-term.

People sometimes get help from 12-step programmes such as those offered by Gamblers Anonymous, but often addiction manifests itself in other areas of life, or life is difficult, there is not much joy, peace, security and contentment.

For many of those suffering from addiction, this can mean they return to gambling after a period of abstinence, as the problem was only addressed at its final symptom or with a temporary process or technique.

The solution has to be in a deeper understanding of how we work as human beings. Your treatment should answer the questions you have about why you gamble, what caused it to get out of control and what creates the cycle of dependence.

It should also show you a different way to live life in the moment, free of overthinking, stress and anxiety.

A treatment that can free you from misunderstanding, and addressing why the system needs a valve in the form of gambling addiction, is key.

Our understanding of psychology and how the mind works is developing all the time.

There are thousands of people worldwide with recovery stories who lost everything to gambling but have rebuilt their lives and are completely free without having to maintain or practice any type of recovery.

For them its not a disease or something that will never be cured, they are free.

Lasting change comes through insight. When we get an insight into the suffering we are creating, things start to look different.

The need to gamble dissipates and disappears because we are no longer creating our own stress, anxiety and uncomfortable feelings, we are free to be present in the world and enjoy life in a different way.

It no longer makes sense to self-destruct.

What can operators do to help people who are struggling?Thats not to say that nothing can be done to help, especially by gambling operators.

Everyone is chasing something when they gamble, so those offering it must have effective ways of identifying those whose habits are getting out of control.

It would be useful if operators provided an opportunity for anyone suffering to connect with the right people if their behaviour looked like it was on a downward spiral. This could be done in numerous ways, including:

AI programmes to detect patterns of behaviour related to addiction Pop-ups or live chat features that ask if people need help Resource sections on digital media visible at all times Employing the relevant expertise to be part of game creation Employing a team of addiction specialists that can assist people who ask for help Surveys or data gathering methods to assess usage and experiences Allocating a percentage of profits to gambling help/rehabilitation charities or organisations

Of course, you cannot force anyone to get help. Many will reject any offer of assistance because they have a lack of hope, but if the opportunity is there I am sure many would take it.

Whats most important is to remember that gambling addiction is not a sign that someone is bad or broken. It goes beyond any ideas about disease, morals or beliefs, whats right or whats wrong.

Its a fundamental attempt to regulate the mind from a misunderstanding of the innocent use of the principle of thought.

Jason Shiers is a certified transformative coach and certified psychotherapist, and also the creative innovations marketing manager for UK Addiction Treatment. Jason has been working with addictions and people in recovery for 25 years and is always looking towards the innate mental health that is inside everyone. He has been cited in multiple articles about addiction and is a regular contributor to many different websites.

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The real root cause of gambling addiction - iGaming Business

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With casinos closed across the country and sports betting drying up, online casino-style gambling is proving to be a bright spot for the industry.

Internet gambling revenues (excluding sports betting) in New Jersey rose 66%, to $65 million in March, the state reported recently. Online gambling includes slots as well as table games like blackjack. New Jersey is a leader in internet gambling.

We believe the impact of Covid-19 could spur more states to legalize online casino and sports betting, Morgan Stanley gaming analyst Thomas Allen wrote in a client note.

Only a small number of states allow online casino-type gambling including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. More than 15 states permit online sports gambling, with an even greater number allowing sports betting at physical casinos.

Allen wrote that online gambling revenues (excluding sports betting) in New Jersey are on track to exceed $700 million this year, up from $483 million in 2019, helped by a shift of bettors from traditional casinos, as well as by online sports bettors.

Sports bettors, meanwhile, face meager offerings. On Friday, for instance, there was horse racing from a number of venues around the country, including Gulfstream Park in Florida. Other sports open to wagering include table tennis from Russia, pro basketball from Taiwan, and darts.

Despite the collapse in online sports betting, investors remain excited about Diamond Eagle Acquisition (ticker: DEAC), a special purpose acquisition company that has a deal to merge with internet sports betting leader DraftKings.

Diamond Eagle shares gained 49 cents, to $16.58 Friday, up about 50% this year. The stock had traded around $10 before it announced the merger with DraftKings in late 2019. Many casino stocks are off 40% or more this year. Diamond Eagle shareholders are due to vote on the merger on Thursday. Upon approval, the company will change its name to DraftKings.

Diamond Eagle has a sizable market value of $5.8 billion based on a fully diluted share count of around 347 million shares. That is considerably above the market values of Penn National Gaming (PENN) and Eldorado Resorts (ERI) in the $1 billion to $2 billion range, as well as exceeding that of Caesars Entertainment (CZR) at about $5 billion.

Diamond Eagles strong stock price shows investor enthusiasm for what had been the high-growth online sports gambling business led by DraftKings and FanDuel, which is controlled by Flutter Entertainment (PDYPY).

Most online sports betting is done on mobile phones. Once professional sports resume, many bettors may feel more comfortable wagering on sports on their phones than going to a casino for traditional games like blackjack, craps, and slots.

Barrons wrote a cover story earlier this year about the boom in online sports gambling.

Writing about the prospect for more states legalizing online casino and sports gambling, Allen said:

Covid-19 will likely have a negative impact on state budgetary positions, forcing them to look for new sources of taxes. In addition, legalization and the rollout of online forms of gambling can be much quicker than building bricks-and-mortar casinos (Massachusetts a good example). Finally, online can be at least a slight offset to lost revenues during phases of social distancing as we are experiencing today.

Write to Andrew Bary at andrew.bary@barrons.com

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Online Gambling Is Booming. Why More States Could Legalize It. - Barron's

Its the kind of story on which Las Vegas was built: A young athlete is comped a few suites, hits the tables, loses $140,000 and asks a star quarterback for a bailout.

Ex-NFL wideout Brandon Marshall recalled his ill-fated gambling run in the debut of his I Am Athlete podcast Wednesday. Marshall, who played for seven teams in a 12-year career, reached back to his third year in the league with the Miami Dolphins. Jay Cutler, crucial to this story, was the Dolphins QB.

(And a note on the Vegas coincidences in these names: Jay Cutler is not the bodybuilding champion who has lived here; Brandon Marshall is not the Raiders linebacker who graduated from Cimarron-Memorial and played at UNR.)

I lost all my money. I started at The Mirage. I was good with my $3,000-$4,000, Marshall said. He soon learned the concept of a marker, and arranged a line of credit with the casino for $70,000. He lost that.

I call my people. Im like, Yo, get me at the Wynn. Now, Im chasing, Marshall said. So I go to the Wynn and lose another 70-something thousand dollars. Im literally in the Wynn hotel, and I call Jay. Im like, Jay, Im in some trouble. I need $60,000.

Marshall didnt explain the $60,000 figure offsetting losses of $140,000. Probably some quick negotiations. But Cutler completed this pass.

Hes like, Aw, sheesh. B-Marsh! All right. This is what were gonna do, though: Youre gonna sign a paper. Some type of document. You owe me, Marshall said. As soon as I landed, he had that $60,000 check. I paid the marker off. We went back into the season. The marker got me.

John Katsilometes column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.

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QB Jay Cutler once rescued receiver from Las Vegas gambling tab - Las Vegas Review-Journal