Category Archives: Gambling

Steven Caulker, who says he is feeling good and ready to relaunch his career, admits: Id drink myself into oblivion so I wouldnt have to feel anything. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

Steven Caulker has a tale to tell and, as hard as it is to hear, it is best simply to listen. His stream of consciousness veers from scoring on his England debut less than five years ago and the thrill at potential being realised to the horrific mental health issues that have almost ended it all in the period since. A player who, from the outside, appeared blessed with talent and opportunity speaks of desperate anxiety and self-loathing.

He contemplated killing himself in his darkest moments with his path one of self-destruction. Attempts at escapism cost him hundreds of thousands of pounds, wages frittered away in casinos. Then came the drinking aimed at numbing the pain. The 25-year-old finds himself recalling the times spent in custody watching CCTV footage of his misdemeanours, his lawyer at his side, and not recognising the vile person on the screen.

Football is still coming to terms with mental illness and Caulker, an international and a last lingering reminder at Queens Park Rangers of financially misguided days as a Premier League club, has been an easy target. He is not seeking to make excuses or win sympathy. These are details he finds painful to recount. Ive sat here for years hating myself and never understood why I couldnt just be like everyone else, he says. This year was almost the end. I felt for large periods there was no light at the end of the tunnel. And yet he has not placed a bet since December, or touched alcohol since early March. The healing process that can restore him to the top level is well under way, with this interview, one he sought out, potentially another step on the road to recovery.

A little under a year ago Caulker had spoken to the Guardian about a life-changing week spent in Sierra Leone, of humbling yet inspiring charity work with ActionAid that had provided him with a sense of perspective. He returned to be galvanised under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at Loftus Road and, having spent the previous season on loan at Southampton and Liverpool unfulfilling stints which fuelled his latent insecurities was ready to give his all. Early season performances against Leeds and Cardiff suggested confidence had been restored, reward for a summer of incessant fitness work.

The trigger that would send him spiralling to rock bottom would be injury. He tore his groin at Barnsley and played in pain for weeks, dreading a spell back in rehabilitation, before succumbing to an associated hip complaint. I owed it to QPR to try, he says, but I was naive thinking I could still perform with the tear. He has not played since last October, with the period marked by personal turmoil and, only of late, revival. Talking publicly, he suggested, may point younger players towards seeking help if they find themselves treading the same route, or experiencing the same sense of desertion, in a brutal industry. The real hope is the exercise, as brave as it is, may ultimately prove more cathartic for Caulker himself.

Im addicted to winning, which people say is a positive in football, but certainly not when it extends to gambling

He recognises his football ability as a gift but also a curse. It took him from Sunday League at 15 into the Premier League four years later, to the 2012 Olympics with Great Britain and into Roy Hodgsons England side for a friendly in Sweden later that year. His talent has convinced some of the most respected managers he is worth pursuing. Yet, while he could still get away with it on the pitch, he lived in denial. It was more than six years into his career before he accepted he needed help. You always think you can rein it back in again and the money provides a false sense of security. But at Southampton I realised, mentally, I was gone. I wasnt playing, my career was going nowhere and I had to reach out to someone. The doctor there tried to help me but others were just telling me to go out on the pitch and express myself.

There was no understanding as to what was happening in my head. I know theyd brought me in to do a job and they werent there to be babysitters. Just like at QPR, I needed to justify the money they were paying me but I was in a state and, at some point, there has to be a duty of care. Football does not deal well with mental illness. Maybe its changing but the support mechanisms are so often not there. Ive spoken to so many players who have been told to go to the Sporting Chance clinic and theyve refused because they know, if they take time off, theyll lose their place in the team. Someone steps in and does well, so youre gone. That dissuades people from getting help. You feel obliged to get on with things.

I would urge lads to speak to the PFA, to speak to their manager, and not be scared about being dropped if they are feeling like I did. Be brave enough to say you need help before its too late. The anxiety Id always needed something to take the edge off. Football was my escape as a kid but that changed when I was chucked into the first team as a teenager and suddenly football came with pressure. My way of dealing with it, even in the early stages of my career, was gambling. Im an addict. Im addicted to winning, which people say is a positive in football but certainly not when it extends to gambling. I was addicted to trying to beat the system, because you convince yourself there is a system to it and you can beat it. You can never get your head around why you arent.

He has played 123 times in the Premier League and for eight clubs with the same, horribly familiar cycle of insecurity and self-destruction pursuing him to each. There is always a catalyst to the nosedive. The sleepless nights, sat up till 5am replaying every bad decision Ive ever made in my life, worrying what will be next Tottenham sent me to Bristol City on loan at 18 and they put me in a flat in the city centre surrounded by nightclubs, two casinos opposite, the kind of money Id never seen in my life, and no guidance whatsoever. I was pulled once by a member of staff and told Id been spotted in the casino at 3am but their attitude was: What you do in your spare time is your business. Just dont let it affect your performances out on the pitch.

At Swansea a year later it was an injury which brought it all to the surface, and Spurs sent me to Sporting Chance to sort myself out while I was recovering from my knee but I wasnt ready. I hadnt experienced enough pain to make me want to stop. I was gambling heavily when I went back to Tottenham, staying up to crazy hours of the night in casinos. I guess never feeling good enough played a big part in that. I never felt I was on the same level as any of the first-teamers but a big win in the casino and money in my back pocket might change that. Being dropped rattled me even more because football was what I had relied on to make me feel better. So then the gambling was every single day. The pain of losing all my money, combined with the shame and guilt, ate away at me. So Id drink myself into oblivion so I wouldnt have to feel anything. I was numb but I was out of control.

The chairman, Daniel Levy, eventually sought him out on a post-season trip to the Bahamas. He just said: The way you act is unbelievable. You either sort yourself out or go but I can assure you, if you leave, youll be going down, not up. I was young, stupid. I took it as a challenge, a chance to prove him wrong. I was so immature. So I went to Cardiff and, for six months, everything was amazing. I was captain, the manager, Malky Mackay, knew I had some issues but offered to be there for me. I felt wanted, so there was no gambling, no heavy binges but the second he was sacked, all the demons came back. Thats all it took. Even before we played the next game, Id convinced myself nothing would be the same. Thats the kind of catastrophic thinking Ive had to address.

I ended up at QPR that summer, 2014, trying to hold it together, but the trigger there came in the second game when we were thrashed 4-0 at Tottenham. That feeling coming off the pitch at White Hart Lane, knowing wed been embarrassed and that Levy was sitting up in the stand thinking: I told you so There was no denying it any more. Id made a big mistake leaving Spurs. I should have stayed and sorted myself out. I wanted the ground to swallow me up. It just pounded in my head: regret, regret, regret. From that moment I was gone, even if I never wanted to accept it, and everything just escalated. Id go for days without sleeping. I dont know how I survived it. That year was an absolute nightmare.

It was a vicious circle. Wed lose at the weekend and the fans would get at me, and Id be breaking. I really wanted to help us get results but we werent good enough and Id walk away taking responsibility in my head for the whole teams failings. I couldnt sleep, worrying about what had happened. The only relief I found was in alcohol. It would silence the voices of doubt and self-hate, temporarily anyway, but Id be too intoxicated to go into training, and the blackouts Id have no memory of anything. It could be Monday and Id have no memory of what had happened since Saturday night. Id wake up, roll over and look at my phone, and thered be texts from people saying: Did you really do this last night? The manager wants to see you. It was petrifying because I didnt know what had happened.

There were occasions when he would wake up in a police cell. He grimaces when asked how often he has been arrested, embarrassed to admit the figure, but the drunk and disorderly offences would flare up from London to Southampton to Merseyside. Sometimes Id be sat there with the police and my lawyer, watching the CCTV footage of what Id done, and I didnt recognise myself. I couldnt believe the person I was. Its so hard to accept I could be like that. In Liverpool I was waking up in the middle of the night throwing up, people were blackmailing me, club owners and bouncers: Pay money or well sell this story on you. And I had no idea what Id even done on those blackouts. I eventually told the club I couldnt function and needed to go back into rehab.

Id be too intoxicated to go into training, and the black-outs ... Id have no memory of anything

Things might have improved last season under Hasselbaink had the hip injury, diagnosed as a week-long issue that became a complaint which prompted five different prognoses, not rendered him helpless once again. Id cost the club 8m, was one of the top earners and one of the few left from the Premier League, and people had no explanation why I wasnt performing. Why I was absent. It ended up as my toughest year ever. I couldnt train. My girlfriend lost her mother and was grieving while living with someone struggling with addiction. My son, who lives with his mother in Somerset, is now at school so Id go months without seeing him. He had always been my safe place. There was no release.

QPR and my agent tried to push me towards Lokomotiv Moscow in January, saying it would be a fresh start. Part of me thought the money they were offering could solve all my problems but why would being on my own out in Russia help? I had no idea how to break the cycle and being in Moscow while still injured just felt a recipe for disaster. The manager, Ian Holloway, was actually telling me to stay. Id been in his office close to tears, so he said: How anyone could think sending you there would be a good idea is beyond me. You need to get yourself right. I appreciated him for that but, for the club, I can see why it was appealing to be shot of me but I was in no fit state to move and eventually pulled the plug on it.

Id had one last gamble and lost a hell of a lot of money in December. A last blowout. It was at that point I finally accepted I could not win; that there was no quick fix, no more daydreaming I could save the world through one good night on the roulette wheel. It was all a fantasy that took me away from having to feel anything. I contemplated suicide a lot in that period. A dark time. Everything Id gone through in football, where had it taken me? All the guilt, the embarrassment, the shame, the public humiliation in the papers and for what? I could cling to my son, to what Id done in Africa, or the properties Id bought my family, but Id blown everything else. I reckon Ive lost 70% what Ive earned. When you lose that amount of money, the guilt thats so many lives you could have changed. There was no escape, no way out, other than to leave.

But, in the moments of clarity, I knew I couldnt do that because of my son. I havent gambled since but the drink filled the void for a while. I was scared and didnt feel like there was anywhere else to turn. Rehab didnt work before so why would it work now? I stupidly took comfort in the alcohol but it ended up deepening the depression. It was relentless from every angle. Until 12 March. Thats the day I lost my driving licence. Thats when I realised my life had become unmanageable.

Caulker was ordered to pay 12,755 in fines and costs at Slough magistrates court at the end of March and was banned from driving for 18 months, having refused to blow into a breathalyser after police were called to a car park near Windsor Castle. I knew I was over the limit, I knew Id get the ban but I didnt want to tell my parents Id fucked up again. What if I had driven the car out of the car park and killed someone? No, that was it. Ive been up before a judge four or five times. No more second chances. Its a jail sentence next. I was still injured and unable to play, so I signed off sick. I went to see a specialist who diagnosed me with depression and anxiety. He prescribed me medication and we put together a plan where I would take some time away to sort myself out.

At 40% of my ability, I was playing at the top level. I want the chance to to show people what I am truly capable of

He and his girlfriend travelled to Africa and India, helping in orphanages, homeless shelters and schools where the suffering was exposed and obvious. He has attended countless Gamblers Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and has reached out to support workers in the game such as Clarke Carlisle for advice. He has not touched alcohol since his arrest in March. He takes medication, a mood stabiliser to try to balance my highs and lows, and address that chemical imbalance which makes my behaviour so catastrophic, twice a day. Golf is a new, more constructive vice.

People say Ive done all this because Ive had too much money thrown at me but I know teenagers without a penny who have the same addictive traits as me. Whether I played football or not I would still be suffering from this illness, just without the public pressure and humiliation. Addiction does not care. I am a man of extremes. People dont see me doing the extra training, eating right, going to the pool every night to get fit, attending the anonymous meetings, doing the charity work. That is still me. That is who I am. But I get fucked by these other demons and I desperately need something in the middle. I feel like Im getting there now, that things have finally changed.

Im doing little things just to remind me to stay on track. I could be relying on taxis to get me everywhere while Im banned but Im using public transport. Im living in one of the properties I own in Feltham, back where I grew up, to make me remember how hard I had to work to get out of here aged 15. Its a reminder that, if I continue to unravel, I wont improve my position again. Money covers the cracks. It can be evil. It prolongs the agony.

QPRs players reported for pre-season last Friday but Caulker, who has one year to run on his contract and has been training all summer with the former league player Drewe Broughton at Goals centre in Hayes, had been signed off until July. Life at the club had degenerated into an endless stream of internal disciplinary hearings and, despite Holloway having made clear his desire to retain the centre-halfs services, his future will not be at Loftus Road. What happens next is all a bit confused, all a bit unclear, he says. The manager has texted me several times offering his support and saying he wants me at the club but my new representative has been informed by the owners Im not welcome back.

For too long Ive hated everything about myself and I needed to learn to love myself again. I miss the game like crazy. I dont feel as if Ive enjoyed playing football since Cardiff. I dont want to type my name into Google and just see a list of humiliating stories. I want people to remember I am a footballer who was good enough to represent his country at 20 and still has 10 years left in the game. At 40% of my ability, I was playing at the top level. Now I feel good mentally and I want the chance to show people, including my son, what I am truly capable of. Wherever the opportunity arises, Im just thankful still to be alive.

In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123.

In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255.

In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14.

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Steven Caulker: 'I've sat here for years hating myself This year was almost the end' - The Guardian

It isnt finalized, but all signs point to the city of Westlake soon becoming part of the Calcasieu Parish Gaming Revenue Districts gambling revenue pool.

The move is a smart one for Westlake, especially since the city hasnt received the gambling revenue it once did after the Crown Casino riverboat at the Isle of Capri was sold to a Bossier City venture in February 2012. Because that boat was partially located inside Westlake city limits, the city got part of the gambling proceeds generated by the boat.

The sale of the Crown Casino left one remaining boat at the Isle the larger Grand Palais which is not docked in the city.

Westlake still gets an impact fee paid directly by Isle of Capri to the city after the Crown Casino sale. Last year, the city got just over $126,000 from the impact fee, which expires in 2023.

Discussions on bringing Westlake into the gambling revenue pool were mentioned right after the Crown Casino riverboat sale. Parish Administrator Bryan Beam said at the time that informal talks had begun.

More than five years later, Westlake is closer than ever to being included in the gambling revenue pool. The parish Gaming Revenue District Board of Commissioners on Tuesday adopted a resolution including Westlake in the pool. That decision followed similar actions by the Police Jury and Lake Charles City Council on Monday.

The next step is for the Westlake City Council to approve an ordinance. They have until July 31 to do so.

If approved, Westlake will be included in the smaller cities allocation that already includes Sulphur, Iowa, DeQuincy and Vinton. The gaming district has been in place since 2007.

The smaller cities have seen their share of gambling revenue over the years. Last year, Sulphur received just over $861,000, while DeQuincy, Vinton and Iowa collected more than $380,000 each.

While we will have to wait and see what the casinos bring in this year, Beam said Westlake could collect around $360,000 per year, minus the impact fee.

Westlake Mayor Bob Hardey said bringing the city into the gambling revenue pool will bring a stable revenue stream that could benefit them over time.

After years of not being part of it, Hardey said it feels like its the right thing to make the change a reality.

The rest is here:

Westlake close to being part of gambling revenue pool - American Press

NCAA President Mark Emmert.(Photo: Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)

On the heels of a federal judge issuing an injunction on March 7, 2013, that barred New Jersey from allowing sports betting in the midst of an ongoing legal battle between the state and five sports organizations, the NCAA affirmed its stance that the spread of gambling is a threat to the integrity of athletic competition and student-athlete well-being.

A lot has changed since then.

Las Vegas has become the de facto hub of college basketball in the week before the NCAA tournament, with four conference tournaments held there (plus another in Reno). The NHL has expanded there. The NFL is on the way.

And now, in perhaps the most interesting stress test for the NCAAs ban on holding events in states where sports betting is legal, the Supreme Court announced Tuesday it will hear a case that could determine whether the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act is legal.

Supreme Court's decision could spur action in Congress, sports leagues on gambling

NCAA women's basketball needs Sweet 16 to Vegas idea

If New Jersey wins and the federal law is ruled unconstitutional, states could be able to determine for themselves whether to allow sports betting. Which could put the NCAA in an interesting situation.

Its hard to say how many states would legalize sports betting immediately. If New Jersey and a handful of others opened betting parlors, the NCAA could certainly go on about its business without much interruption as silly as that might be.

But over time, this is a losing issue for the NCAA, as the NHL and NFL have now tacitly admitted by moving into Las Vegas after going out of their way for years to avoid it. The reality is a large percentage of people who watch sports like to wager on sports and will find ways to do so whether its in a casino, online or with their local bookie.

New Jersey isn't much of a loss for the NCAA. Its a state with one FBS university (Rutgers) and one facility (the Prudential Center in Newark) that is equipped to host an NCAA basketball tournament. Even at that, the NCAA would rather play in Brooklyn or Manhattan anyway.

But if Florida or Texas or California legalized sports gambling, does it stand to reason that the NCAA would pull its events and ignore those states?

Again, its difficult to handicap how the Supreme Court is going to rule on this. Maybe status quo wins out, but on a common-sense level its getting more difficult every year to justify the NCAAs stance on sports betting.

While protecting college athletes from some seedier elements of sports gambling remains a crucial part of its mission the NCAA conducts a study on the topic every four years to guide its educational efforts much of the negative perception of Las Vegas is rooted in a different time and place. The famous photograph of UNLV players in a hot tub with Richard The Fixer Perry in the early 1990s still resonates.

Still, its difficult to reconcile a hard-line stance against holding an NCAA tournament game at the new T-Mobile Arena on The Strip when the Pac-12 holds its tournament there without incident one week earlier. And it's certainly hard to justify pulling a women's soccer tournament or an NCAA track and field event out of New Jersey because of some existential gambling threat.

Even NCAA President Mark Emmert hinted at a possible softening of the policy during his annual news conference at the Final Four in April when asked if Las Vegas would be considered for the next round of bidding for the basketball tournament.

The board has been having active discussions about that issue, Emmert said. They have not changed the policy yet. And they won't be able to do so for this round of bidding. And I've communicated this to some of the leadership in Las Vegas. They will not be eligible for this round. Whether or not the board changes its mind before the next round, I can't say. Obviously there's a lot of collegiate athletic events going on in Nevada, both regular season and tournament events. And the board's acutely aware of that, and they'll be considering it.

The NCAA didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. But ultimately, the Supreme Court could be what ends up forcing its hand.

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Supreme Court decision to take on sports gambling issue might force NCAA to accept Las Vegas - USA TODAY

Published Thursday, Jun. 29, 2017, 8:51 am

Front Page Sports Online gambling profits: The numbers dont lie

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The global online gambling industry is pretty large (even though its far from being as large as the land-based one). The value of the global online gambling market was close to $40 billion last year, and it is estimated to grow further in the years to come, thanks to many jurisdictions regulating the industry. The United States could be one of these jurisdictions if more states follow the example of New Jersey and regulate rather than ban online poker, casino games, and lotteries. Aside from satisfying a demand for online gambling thats present in all states the success of social casino games in the US and the number of offshore casino operators in a legal gray zone is attesting this such a move would also mean extra income for the states budgets. And not a small amount either the numbers published by the New Jersey authorities have demonstrated that.

Unlike Canadian players, who can use loopholes to play at the best online Canadian casino vegaspalmscasino.com, US players are left out thanks to the restrictive laws in force. Since the passing of the UIGEA in 2006, the majority of international operators, both independent like the Vegas Palms and major gaming groups have closed their virtual doors in front of US-based players. Only a handful of operators remained open for US players, and many of these have proven to be shady operations over the years. There was no legal way to gamble online for American citizens until 2011 when an opinion issued by the Department of Justice changed things completely.

Today, individual states have the right to regulate their online gambling market much like they can do with their land-based one. This means that they are free to issue gambling licenses if they like or ban any and all forms of online gambling the decision is theirs to make. Three states have acted on their newfound liberty in the early 2010s Delaware and Nevada legalized online poker, and New Jersey did the same with online casinos. For them, the decision has proven to be the right one, at least from a budget point of view: the states online casinos are generating quite a lot of revenue for the state while having little to no effect on the states problem gambling numbers.

In the first five months of 2017, New Jersey received over $100 million from online casino operators, in the form of taxes.

Several US states are working on online gambling bills as we speak. Pennsylvania is considered to be the closest to finalizing such a bill the piece of legislation, amended by the local House of Representatives, is now waiting for the Senates approval to be pushed through. Other states, like Illinois, are attempting to push their own online gambling regulations through as we speak. California and New York are also on the verge of regulating some forms of online gambling most notably online poker and other states are considering similar moves for the near future.

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Online gambling profits: The numbers don't lie - Augusta Free Press

Charles Gillespie, CEO for the re-branded Gambling.com Group, has targeted a level of growth to ultimately dominate the online gambling affiliate space.

The affiliate marketing specialist recently changed its holding company name from KAX Media to better represent its legacy domain Gambling.com and to improve communicate of its services.

Following the $2.5 million acquisition of the domain name in April 2011, Gambling.com became the groups largest website in 2012, and remains the companys leading publishing asset having grown substantially year on year for each of the last three years.

Despite this change, Gambling.com Group will continue to use the KAX Media brand as the name of its internal digital agencies located in Dublin, Ireland and in Tampa, US.

Gillespie told TotallyGaming.com: Gambling.com continues to go from strength to strength in the affiliate industry and doing anything other than putting it forward as our company name would not have taken full advantage of the value of the asset.

We see it continuing to grow and ultimately dominate the online gambling affiliate space globally, in both English and non-English markets."

Totally Gaming says: With a network of over 30 casino focused news and review portals across 14 national markets in eight languages, the group continues to deliver a deep source of players for operators across the online gambling industry. However, Gambling.com is undoubtedly the companys leading asset, as demonstrated by this recent rebrand.

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Rebranded Gambling.com targets affiliate dominance - Totally Gaming (press release)

Which other states are on the path to getting legalized sports betting like Nevada?

Sports betting is increasingly getting the attention of state lawmakers.

The uptick in legislative activity for traditional sports betting -- think point spreads, totals, money lines and prop bets -- follows dozens of states that have considered laws specifically permitting daily fantasy sports.

New state laws about sports betting had been largely dormant since the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was enacted. For two decades, PASPA dissuaded states from legalizing sports betting. But that changed in 2012 when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation to permit Nevada-style sports gambling. The NCAA, NBA, NHL, MLB and NFL sued to stop New Jersey's plan. That lawsuit will now be heard by the Supreme Court.

Now that the Supreme Court has decided to hear New Jersey's appeal in its long-running quest to offer legalized sports betting, ESPN's gambling experts examine how we got to this point and answer other key questions moving forward.

Despite the lawsuit, additional states have recently moved to introduce legislation that would legalize sports betting. Some of the proposals would only be activated if PASPA is repealed by Congress or overturned by the courts. Other proposals are direct affronts to PASPA and might result in additional litigation.

At the same time various state lawmakers are considering sports betting legislation, Congress is too. Representative Frank Pallone, D-N.J., introduced a "discussion draft" in early 2017 that would replace PASPA. Hearings on the bill have yet to be scheduled.

The dual track of proposals -- state and federal -- have increased in frequency since the start of 2017. Below is a synopsis of the newly proposed state laws, with updates to follow.

This file was updated on June 27, 2017.

According to the Hartford Courant, Connecticut's new bill would empower state regulators to allow sports betting within the state, but the law would not take effect if in conflict with PASPA or any other federal law. As of June 23, a copy of the bill had yet to be posted on Connecticut's publicly available legislative website.

Maryland House Bill No. 989 was introduced on Feb. 9 and calls for the establishment of a task force to "study the implementation of sports gaming in the state." The draft legislation includes the allocation of a "sports gaming license" and the ability to accept wagers on sporting events if the bettor is at least 21 years of age. The proposed Maryland legislation would only come into effect if federal law allowed it.

On Jan. 18, legislation was introduced to amend the state's current gaming control law. Michigan's proposed bill would allow any holder of a casino license to "accept wagers on sporting events." The state's gaming board would be required to "promulgate rules to regulate the conduct of sports betting under this act."

In addition to the legislation part of the long-running court case with the five sports leagues, New Jersey has also seen a "nuclear option" introduced. The proposal -- bent on getting around PASPA's ban -- would be a full repeal of "all NJ laws against sports betting," according to State Sen. Raymond Lesniak. A bill to "remove and repeal all State laws and regulations prohibiting and regulating the placement and acceptance ... of wagers on professional, collegiate, or amateur sport contests or athletic events" was introduced late last year.

Bill S01282 "authorizes gambling on professional sporting events and athletic events sponsored by universities or colleges." The New York bill would allow gambling to take place at any authorized racetrack, off-track-betting location or casino in the state. The proposed legislation mandates that all proceeds from any sports gambling be applied to education.

Pending legislation would allow the Oklahoma governor to expand the tribal-state compact and include "sports pools." The expansion would consist of "wagering on the outcome of one or more competitive games in which athletes participate, or on one or more performances of such athletes in such games where all bets are placed in a common pool or pot from which all player winnings, prizes and direct costs are paid." The proposed bill would only take effect if permitted by federal law.

Pennsylvania saw two sports betting bills introduced in 2017. Senate Bill No. 750 would expand current gaming law to allow sports wagering. The Senate bill defines sports wagering as the "business of accepting wagers on sporting events or on the individual performance statistics of athletes in a sporting event or combination of sporting events by any system or method of wagering, including, but not limited to, exchange wagering, parlays, over-under, money line, pools and straight bets." House Bill No. 519 includes the same definition and also provides for applicants to receive a sports betting "certificate" upon approval from the regulatory board.

House Bill No. 3102 would amend South Carolina's Constitution to allow "sports betting on professional sports." Any betting would be "strictly" regulated and limited to "specified" areas. According to a court document from the now-resolved New York daily fantasy litigation involving DraftKings and FanDuel, South Carolina's current definition of gambling "includes betting money on the outcome of any 'game,' regardless of the skill involved in the game."

On March 1, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill titled "Legalizing Sport Pool Betting." The legislation would allow the state's lottery commission "to promulgate legislative rules establishing sports betting." The bill also includes language indicating that is a direct affront to PASPA, finding that "federal law prohibiting sports betting in West Virginia is unconstitutional."

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Sports betting bill tracker - ESPN

After you complete the Take Back the Sea side quest (which is as simple as just killing a bunch of bokoblins on a nearby beach) and restore Lurelin Village, youll find a house in the northeast of the town where you can gamble your rupees for a quick buck.

Travel to the Yah Rin shrine and head down into Lurelin Village. Keep heading roughly northeast as you follow the paths through town. Youre looking for a house with the door open you can see it when you look northeast from the Lurelin Village inn.

Bear in mind that this is by no means a get rich quick scheme. When you walk into the house, talk to Cloyne. Hell explain the rules of the game to you you pay 10, 50 or 100 rupees for a one-in-three chance to win money. Buying in at 10 or 50 rupees gives you the chance to double your money. Paying 100 rupees, on the other hand, will triple it.

After you buy in, all you have to do is go pick a treasure chest. Theres no way to game the system here youre just at the mercy of chance. Two of the chests contain a single rupee, and the third has either double or triple what you paid in.

Originally posted here:

Zelda Breath of the Wild guide: Gambling - Polygon

Joe Heider

Demanding clients can push advisers to do better. Joe Heiders client pushed him against a wall.

A financial planner in Cleveland, Ohio, Heider befriended a tech entrepreneur in 1990. Lets call him Dave (not his real name). Over the next decade, Heider offered Dave informal financial advice on occasion.

At first, he had no real money to invest, Heider recalled. But that changed as Daves company grew.

By 2000, Dave became Heiders client. Soon after, their friendship took a nose dive.

For years, Heider had noticed that his pal enjoyed alcohol and gambling. But he never seemed like an addict.

Hed have a drink in his hand at a party, but it wasnt binge drinking, Heider said. And he liked to gamble maybe $100 on a Sunday football game, but he didnt have a bookie or anything.

Yet Heider began to suspect something was amiss. Reviewing Daves wire transfers from his brokerage account, Heider detected several unusually large withdrawals just before the Super Bowl and college basketballs March Madness.

Because his friend had recently sold his business and reaped a windfall, his net worth soared above $7 million. That meant Dave had more money to lose, and Heider helped him craft a plan to alleviate financial worries for the rest of his life. (Both Heider and Dave were in their 40s at the time.)

After Dave moved to another city, Heider retained him as a client, visited regularly and even stayed at his house. Heider realized he needed to confront his chum on his next trip.

Even though he was a friend, when people have problems they dont want to acknowledge it, Heider said. So I brought it up very carefully.

The conversation occurred on a Saturday morning, after Heider awoke to find Daves four landlines lit up in the midst of basketball season. No one else was home.

You have a pattern of unsustainable withdrawals in your portfolio, Heider told his friend later that morning. My concern is what youre doing will destroy the financial plan that we agreed to.

Heider hoped that Dave beefy former professional athlete would reply, Yeah, I know I have a problem.

Instead, he grabbed Heider, lifted him up and shoved him against a wall.

It wasnt like youre wrestling with your brother and you get a little rambunctious, Heider said. It was so violent. It was shocking. I wasnt afraid hed really hurt me. But it pissed me off.

Dave barked at Heider to mind your own business and do your job, but Heider stuck to his message after Dave released his grip.

Im concerned about you as a person, Heider replied. Im concerned youll destroy yourself and everything you have.

The gambling abated in the months that followed, only to resurface with a vengeance. And Daves drinking worsened as well. Eventually, he lost his home and declared personal bankruptcy.

Heider cut the cord with Dave, but looked him up two years later and invited him to dinner. Dave agreed as long as Heider paid.

On his second martini, he starts telling me, Its your fault. You shouldve done an intervention and had me go into a rehab center, Heider said. That was the last time I saw him.

Now 63, Heider extracts a lesson from his experience: Speak up sooner rather than later when a clients behavior threatens their financial future.

The takeaway is to become more assertive earlier when I see signs of trouble, he said.

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This client physically attacked his financial adviser when confronted about his gambling - MarketWatch

SALEM, N.H. Though the opening date has been pushed back, town officials are anticipating that Salems forthcoming charitable gambling operation will have a regional impact.

During a planning board meeting on Tuesday, Planning Director Ross Moldoff proposed that the board consider naming the new charitable gambling business as a development with regional impact.Under state law, local land use authorities such as planning and zoning boards can formally mark a project as having a regional impact. Once designated, the town must notify a regional commission and it is recommended that the town or cityto consider the interests of other potentially affected municipalities.

Its such an unusual type of facility, thefirst of its typethat weve seen. Its going to attract people from all over, Moldoff said.The board ultimately did not make the designation.

Cheers Poker Room and Casino will be the first charitable gambling organization to open in Salem sincethe voters approved charitable gambling andthe closure of Rockingham Park last year, and will bring in money for many local nonprofit organizations.

Money made at Rockingham Park supplemented the budgets of 36 local nonprofits, generating nearly $2 million annually, according to the racetracks general manager.After the racetrack closed last September, multiple businesses filed proposals to open charitable gambling locations. However, citing zoning concerns, the town rejected all of them. The issue then went to the voters, who approved it in March.

The poker room and casino will be located at 286 North Broadway next to Isabellas Pizzeria. The 12,00-square-foot facility once housed a gym and, previously, Maxwell Plumbing Supply.

About anything that Dan Dandreo does to this site will be an improvement, planning representative George Fredette said.

Dandreo had originally planned to open the gambling business in June, but has pushed it back to the last week of summer as they work to get permits and building plan approvals. The poker room has yet to determine where the driveway will be and submit a traffic study. They also must get approval from the state Department of Transportation, as North Broadway is a state road.

Once it opens, Cheers Poker Room and Casino will be open until 1 p.m. There are homes 350 feet away on nearby Old Rockingham Road, and a police detail will be employed during peak times.

Hobbyist and self-professed poker room expert Ashley Adams and other poker players attended Tuesdays hearing in support of the business and dismiss any misconceptions about gamblers.

Poker rooms and poker players are almost always exceptional corporate citizens. There are exceptions, but theyre less than at Fenway Park or what used to be called the Boston Garden, he said.

Cheers will seat almost 300 people and will include food and beverage options. It is expected to employ close to 30 people.

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Charitable gambling site opening delayed - Eagle-Tribune

The question of whether New York state has enough gambling outlets is on a lot of minds lately.In fact, some people have been saying for quite some time that the state has well more than enough.

To our way of thinking, public gambling has gone from virtually off limits to plentiful. Adding more would produce seriously diminishing returns.

As recently as the mid 20th century, gambling was considered by many a moral affront. Ironically, religious and philanthropic organizations used it in fundraising efforts while chastising those who endorsed it as a money-making and tax-producing mechanism.

In our region, only Saratoga Race Course has enjoyed full government and public approval over the generations.

But, as other gambling venues began to thrive in other states, New Yorkers wondered if they were missing out on something lucrative. The Atlantic City casinos may have begun the second-guessing.

Native-American gambling enterprises sprang up as the tribes negotiated with the federal and state governments over Indian rights.

In the North Country, we have the Akwesasne Casino in Hogansburg and, on a much smaller scale, the Ganienkeh bingo and slot-machine operation in Altona.

Meanwhile, the state lottery has become a central factor in many peoples daily lives.

New state-chartered casinos were approved in three regions of the state, including one in Schenectady, and Massachusetts is among nearby states where gambling parlors are either open or about to be.

The New York State Legislature is now considering allowing online poker. The beneficiary would be state education, as is the case with the lottery.

Currently, New York is home to 11 Native American casinos, nine racinos and the three state-approved casinos. Last year, the legislature added sports betting to the states list of allowable gambling opportunities.

Vernon Downs Racetrack in Oneida County is threatening to close down because of too much competition from other kinds of gambling.

So the question people are asking these days is, Is there too much gambling in New York to go around? It used to be, Is New York too prudish for its own good by not allowing public gambling?

The tone of the debate has switched entirely, from moral and ethical to practical.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo was a proponent of the new casinos. His father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, was steadfast in his opposition to gambling.

It has become clear that something can be learned from each. Weve not heard an avalanche of complaints that state-sanctioned gambling has ruined lives and families on a large scale across the state.

On the other hand, when institutions such as Vernon Downs are threatened by competition from other gambling venues, its time to assess the inventory.

Imagine, for example, if Saratoga Race Course were jeopardized by the lure of other gambling offerings. The New York Racing Authority is having trouble enough without taking gambling competition into account.

It may be time to draw the line. The gambling market may finally be saturated.

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Editorial: On NY gambling, enough is enough - Plattsburgh Press Republican