Category Archives: Gambling

HARRISBURG Walk in. Buy a shot of whiskey from the clerk behind the plexiglass window; maybe two. Then hit up the gambling machine in the corner.

This is what Democratic state representatives from Philadelphia fear will be the future in countless nuisance establishments across the city known as stop-and-gos if a sweeping gambling expansion bill approved by the House this month is allowed to stand.

The controversial legislation would, among other changes, allow up to 40,000 so-called video gaming terminals (VGTs) essentially slot machines statewide in bars, restaurants, and other stores with a license to sell liquor.

In Philadelphia, that means that the hundreds of neighborhood stores that for years have caused problems ranging from loitering and public drunkenness to other crimes would be able to apply for one of the licenses to install the terminals.

Stop-and-gos are deteriorating the city of Philadelphia, Rep. Stephen Kinsey (D., Phila.), said during last weeks debate on the House floor on the gambling expansion bill. This bill will give them slot machines and games. We should not, and cannot, support this shots-and-slots legislation.

The legislation is now back in the Senate, where support for VGTs is tepid at best. Still, the state is facing a more than $1 billion shortfall entering the fiscal year that begins July 1 and legislators only have a few more weeks to figure out ways to raise new dollars to make up for it. Gambling expansion, and VGTs in particular, has been touted as a money-maker, setting the stage for tense negotiations on the issue in the weeks to come.

But the problem of stop-and-go stores is particularly acute in Philadelphia, whose legislators almost all Democrats are in the minority and do not have a good seat at the negotiating table.

Stop-and-gos are small convenience stores, delis, or gas stations with liquor licenses though many dont technically meet the seating and food sales requirements to have one. They sell a variety of alcoholic beverages, including single shots of liquor.

They are scattered all over the city. In some neighborhoods, they have become a magnet for crime.

But because they hold a liquor license, they would be eligible under the gambling expansion bill to apply for a license to set up VGTs.

This week, several Philadelphia representatives proposed legislation to crack down on stop-and-go stores and prevent them from obtaining VGTs if the gambling bill passes the Senate.The legislation would impose heavy standards and oversight for stop-and-gos, enforcing often-ignored seating, food sales, and food preparation mandates required for liquor licenses.

For some, its personal.

A stop-and-go establishment is right next door to my district office that is currently operating after being cited for various violations, said Rep. Christopher Rabb (D., Phila.), a cosponsor of the bill. Its owner is neither a resident of my district or the city, and has no known ties to the local business or civic community.

Rabb and his staff find themselves performing janitorial duties just to keep the sidewalks clean by his district office on the 7200 block of Germantown Avenue.

The business regularly has intoxicated customers, loiterers and panhandlers, and serves dozens of unaccompanied minors from Henry Houston School every weekday afternoon, said Rabb, adding: VGTs in businesses such as these that prey on historically marginalized communities would make them commercial super-predators.

The anti-nuisance bill that Rabb and other Philadelphia legislators are pushing was approved unanimously in the House Liquor Control Committee last week and is on its way to the full House.

No Pennsylvanian should be held hostage by nuisance businesses, decreased quality of life, and the increased crime associated with them, said Rep. Joanna McClinton (D., Phila.), one of the representatives cosponsoring the bill.

Even proponents of the gambling expansion bill in the House who are supportive of VGTs agree with Philadelphia lawmakers that stop-and-go convenience stores shouldnt be able to have them.

Rep. Mark Mustio (R., Allegheny) said the gambling-expansion bill that passed the House takes pains to address the problem of stop-and-go stores. Among other things, the measure would require small establishments serving liquor a definition that fits most stop-and-go stores to be inspected by a liquor control officer before getting a VGT license.

We tried to address the issue in the bill, said Mustio.

Rep. Mike Sturla (D., Lancaster), who supports the expansion, said the bill includes $3 million a year specifically to increase liquor-law enforcement in Philadelphia.

Sturla also suggested the possibility of punishing suppliers if they supplied alcohol to establishments that clearly didnt comply with the liquor codes.

Despite these provisions, Philadelphia legislators still oppose allowing stop-and-go establishments to introduce another potential problem.

We need to have the stop-and-go issue addressed, not give these nuisance businesses an added source of income and potentially increase the amount of crime associated with them, said McClinton.

Contact Logan Hullinger atl.r.hullinger@gmail.comor(814) 319-5159.

Published: June 16, 2017 9:37 PM EDT

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Concern rises over video gambling at 'stop-and-go' stores - Philly.com - Philly.com

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Community gambling campaign in Inverness a first BBC News An area of Inverness has been the focus of a responsible gambling campaign. The Association of British Bookmakers in Scotland, which is funding the initiative in Merkinch, said it was the first of its kind in Scotland. Usually the campaigns are rolled ... and more »

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Community gambling campaign in Inverness a first - BBC News

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By Evan Reid

While gambling may be legally restricted in most of the United States, some states are starting to tolerate it, at least in some of its forms. Since 2013, when casino expansion was approved in New York, the state is witnessing a steady growth and positive revenue in the gambling sector. This is the fourth most populous state in the country, home to New York City, one of the largest urban areas in the world, and its millions of citizens already have a relatively easy access to plenty of gaming options the increasingly popular New York Lottery, various Native American casinos, charitable gambling venues, and others.

Overall, the gambling industry in the country is regulated at the state level and in New York, there are several legal gaming options 20 tribal facilities, including 5 major Upstate casinos, state lottery, pari-mutuel betting (horse and harness racing), and charitable games, which are regulated, but allowed. Native American gambling venues across New York offer the largest variety of games and betting options, as they are located in sovereign areas where the state has limited jurisdiction. These include bingo halls, large casino resorts, as well as the so-called racinos, facilities where horse racing is paired with electronic game machines.

For more than a hundred years, gambling laws in New York have been extremely restrictive, but in recent years, the state is slowly moving towards lifting some of the bans. In 2013, voters in New York approved an amendment to the state constitution which allowed the introduction of up to 7 Vegas-style casinos that would not be run by Indian tribes. Currently, there are two types of casinos in New York traditional casinos, offering Class III gambling, as well as Class II gambling venues where you can play electronic bingo machines. While Class I and II gambling operations (bingo and poker halls, lotteries) do not require a license, Class III gaming facilities need a license, as they offer high-stake games. These facilities are often racetracks or casinos where customers can place bets on classic table games roulette, blackjack, craps, poker (Classic, Caribbean Stud, Pai Gow, Three Card), keno, and baccarat.

Since 2013, commercial casinos are also allowed they are owned by private gambling operators and are not located on Native American land. Online gambling, on the other hand, is limited to online horse betting, which is the only form of web-based gaming that is allowed. New Yorkers can still gamble online, as long as they stick to offshore websites. Operating a gambling site is illegal, if you are based in New York, but this may soon change. In June 2017, the New York Senate passed a bill which would legalize and regulate online poker, unless the Assembly does not vote against it.

New York is just one of several states that approved gambling legislation in recent years. The loosing of restrictions brings new casinos and new gambling operators into the market. In the north-eastern United States, there are numerous casinos, race tracks, bingo halls, and other gambling venues which are already meeting and exceeding the demand. There is, apparently, a saturation of the market across the whole region expansion of the industry means more gambling facilities, but does not necessarily mean more revenue.

According to official statistics, the market in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland was down in 2013-2014, seeing decreasing revenues. Between 2014 and 2016, five out of twelve gambling venues closed doors in Atlantic City, which was once the only place to offer gambling in the East. However, after years of decline, Atlantic City is starting to recover in the first quarter of 2017, casinos generated $572 million, an increase of 3.56% compared to the figures for the same period of the previous year. Still, competition from other states and New York, in particular, may cause even more closures in the following years.

Speaking of New York, the first commercial Non-Native American casino opened doors in December 2016 and another two followed in the next months. The potential success of these Las Vegas-style gambling facilities in Upstate New York is yet to be measured, but according to the numbers from the New York State Gaming Commission, weekly revenues are rising. As reported by CasinoGamesPro, more casinos are expected to launch in the near future, leading to a huge concentration of venues in New York. Many experts predict that there will be a point of saturation in the market and such overcrowding may harm the traditional tribal gaming facilities and racinos. Others believe that older venues will manage to survive, despite the arrival of modern, more diverse gambling operations, especially if certain improvements in the industry take place.

Just like across the entire United States, land-based casinos in New York are seeing huge competition from gambling websites. Online and mobile gaming is incredibly popular among the younger generations, despite being illegal in the state players have a large number of offshore web-based casinos to choose from. Online gambling operators report sustainable revenue growth, as opposed to brick-and-mortar casinos, some of which are struggling to meet the expectations of millennials.

However, some gambling operators are joining the new generation of casinos, which combine the traditional gaming experience with a more diverse kind of entertainment. Following the states constitution amendment in 2013, the racino Tioga Downs in Nichols, New York received a gaming license and opened its new casino in December, 2016. The facility will soon become a real casino resort and entertainment complex when the planned 160-room hotel opens in 2017. Along with the new gaming floor hosting table games and slot machines, the new Tioga Downs will feature a golf course, several restaurants and night clubs.

Another casino which went through a total remodelling is Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. Orienting itself towards a younger audience, the operator replaced some of the game tables with more diverse entertainment options such as retail stores, bars, and even a a place where you can get a tattoo. The resort also has a concert theater, a golf course, a spa facility, and a bowling alley.

In order to stay up-to-date, New York gambling facilities need to diversify the services they offer opting for more entertainment in favor of old-school gambling is a great step to modernizing, but it is hardly a sufficient one. One of the innovations that slowly make their way into land-based casinos is the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin, in particular, is already an established method for making payments in online casinos. And while many users turn to it because of the anonymity it offers, the cryptocurrency has even more benefits, namely flexibility, security, and no transaction fees.

The gambling industry in New York, land-based and online, probably will not explode in the near future, as the expected liberalization of the legislation is rather slow. After the constitutions amendment of 2013, it took three years for the first commercial casino to open in the state. The future of online poker is still uncertain, as the push for legalizing it has already failed in the past. Another threat for a future booming gambling industry is the market saturation although it still does not put a huge pressure on operators in New York, it may lead to the decline and even closure of some of the older gambling facilities which could not keep up with the new trends.

However, the market is experiencing a steady growth, as well as positive revenue. Compared to New Jersey, where the gambling industry has almost come to a standstill in the past few decades due to the rise of Native American casinos, New York is witnessing growth, as well as a rise in demand. New York City has a high standard of living and a flourishing economy that depends on multiple sectors, as opposed to Las Vegas or Atlantic City where, until recently, gambling was considered the largest driver of economic growth. This is certainly a good business environment that would be beneficial for any industry, including gambling.

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Current State of New York Gambling - The Libertarian Republic

Police in Johor detained over 2,000 people in a combined 388 raids conducted on unlicensed online gambling premises across the Malaysian state from June 1 to June 10, according to local news agencies.

Of the 2,348 individual arrested, 1,935 were customers of the illegal online gambling premises while 413 were the premises caretakers, said Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat, Johor Criminal Investigation Department chief.

Commenting on those detained, Malaysian newspaper, The Sun, cited the department chief, who offered the following statement, They are all aged between 17 and 64. In addition, police also seized 316 digital tablets, 2,835 computers, 4,032 laptops, as well as RM159,995 and SGD1,390 (RM4,282) in cash.

The police chief went on to say in the statement that due to the aggressive operations by police, presently, there has been a significant decline in illegal online gambling activity but that there still exists illegal premises operating secretly during the late night hours.

Members of the public were also urged by the police to come forward and lodge a report if they had any information pertaining to the illegal activity, in order to facilitate investigations so that the offenders can be tried in court.

Malaysia has long been opposed to illegal online gambling activities and has over the past several years exhausted a lot of time and resources in its attempts to try to curb the widespread infiltration of these operations within its borders. Its not the first time a raid on illegal online gambling activities has taken place in the country and raids of this kind are not likely to end anytime soon.

Gambling raids in Johor net more than 2,000 arrests was last modified: June 16th, 2017 by K Morrison

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Gambling raids in Johor net more than 2000 arrests - World Casino Directory

Man escapes captors after he's abducted over gambling debt New York Post A man was abducted on a Boston street and taken to Queens over a gambling debt but he was able to escape through a bathroom window before the goons could cut off his fingers, law enforcement sources told The Post on Friday. The 27-year-old victim ...

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Man escapes captors after he's abducted over gambling debt - New York Post

It sounds like a little thing. Maybe even a little silly.

A proposal in the New Jersey Legislature would allow betting at racetracks on horse races that have already happened.

But in light of a recent report on the high number of state residents with gambling problems, the horse-betting bill deserves serious scrutiny.

Is its intended purpose helping the struggling horse-racing industry worth adding to the growing list of wagering options that entice people at risk of developing serious gambling problems?

One of the main points of the report by the Rutgers University Center for Gambling Studies is that the rise in opportunities to gamble, such as casinos offering internet gaming, has seen a corresponding rise in gambling disorders. The rate in New Jersey is four times the national average and significantly higher than studies showed in 1989 and 1999.

For most, gambling is just another form of recreation.

But the more games you play, the more often you gamble and the more venues you frequent, the more likely you are to develop a problem, says Lia Nower, director of the Rutgers center.

Under the horse-race proposal, tracks would let customers use slot-like machines to bet on a database of old races. They would know the odds and some other details, but not the names of the horses or jockeys.

Proponents say the practice, which is already in place in four states, could triple state and local tax revenue to $300 million per year while helping save an industry struggling to survive.

Opponents see it as a way to improperly extend slot-like gambling to tracks, adding to the competition of already hurting casinos.

Putting aside which industry might be helped or hurt, the idea would add another option that could increase the risks for the nearly 15 percent of state residents who report having gambling problems and the 6 percent who meet the criteria for a gambling disorder. The risk extends to those too young to legally gamble. Researchers at Stockton University reported last year that more than a third of students in four Atlantic County middle or high schools had gambled in some way and that about one in seven of those believed their gambling had caused serious problems such as stress or anxiety.

Before the horse-betting idea advances in New Jersey, officials should focus on the intervention, prevention and treatment recommendations of the Rutgers center study.

Researchers cite the need to make gambling-treatment services available across the state, strengthen online programs that promote responsible gambling and mandate online gaming sites require enrollment and limit-setting at sign-up.

Education is also stressed, ideally beginning in elementary and secondary schools, where, the report says, a majority of educators and parents are unaware of the severe adverse consequences that can result from a seemingly harmless activity.

The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey already does a lot to help problem gamblers, and the states self-exclusion list is a useful tool.

Following the Rutgers centers recommendations would help even more.

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Our view: State should focus on cutting risk for problem gamblers - Press of Atlantic City

Updated June 16, 2017 08:06:21

International gambling sites are collecting play-by-play data on suburban basketball and football games around Australia, raising the spectre of match-fixing.

Sportradar, a company that monitors match-fixing for FIFA, is using a low-profile subsidiary to collect data from amateur sporting competitions on behalf of offshore live-betting sites.

This subsidiary, Real Time Sportscasts, targets students through university job boards, then sends them to amateur, semi-professional and low-level sports to collect the live data.

The scouts feed data into a call centre, where it is distributed to international gambling websites.

There is concern that the use of the data by those international gambling organisations may lead others to encourage match fixing on local Australian games.

Scott Boucher, administrator for Tasmania's Southern Basketball League, one amateur competition targeted by scouts, says players were shocked when they realised odds on their games were available around the world.

"They don't believe that someone would come along just to set up gambling on their games," he says.

He says the implications of offering these games for betting are obvious.

"I could see people backing themselves to lose when the odds were right, or not turning up to play, other people outside getting involved and coercing people to throw matches," Mr Boucher says.

"Wherever money's involved, there's always someone with an extra interest."

In response to the revelations, Senator Nick Xenophon will push for a tightening of gambling laws.

"The potential for corrupting those sporting codes, the potential for compromising players and officials is just too great," Senator Xenophon says.

"We can't let our amateur sporting codes, our amateur games, be infected with gambling in this way."

"I mean, it seems that these people have no shame. It wouldn't surprise me if they decide to target an under-10 footy team somewhere in the country sooner rather than later, because right now, there are no checks, no controls, on the way these jokers operate."

Kate Tominac, a coach in the ACT Premier League Women's competition, another league that has attracted the interest of data scouts and the international betting market, says the scouts have dented her confidence.

"It makes you question every game, the officials, the other coach, the players," she says.

"I wouldn't ever imagine any of the girls in my team or any of the other teams doing that. But I mean, I wouldn't know to be honest. I wouldn't think about it. I won't try to think it about it that way."

Chris Eaton, a former Interpol officer and former head of security at FIFA, has flagged serious concerns about at least one international gambling website facilitating live betting on these matches.

Mr Eaton says this site may be owned by criminals that have used other sites to facilitate match-fixing in international football.

"If you want to control not just the match fix but the betting fraud, [you] manage a piece of the market so that you can not only manipulate odds to the favour of a fix, but be in a better ... informational position to determine the flow of the fraudulent wagering," Mr Eaton says.

There is no evidence of such activity happening in Australia as a result of this site, and Sportradar's managing director of strategy and integrity, Andreas Krannich, defended Real Time Sportscasts' use of scouts at local games.

"Sending scouts [to] matches, to different sports, to smaller events, to big events, is not something which is putting the respective sport into trouble or into risk," he says.

"If we do not send our controlled scouts to these events, you will see the scouts coming from bookmakers, and they will not be controlled.

"When we developed our scout business, it was a natural reaction to the request from the bookmaker industry, and by taking over this service from the bookmakers, we made it transparent and we prevented the dodgy people going to the events.

"At the end of the day, it's not that we are generating a market. We are responding to a market."

Senator Xenophon also has concerns over a memorandum of understanding signed by Sportradar and the Australian Federal Police in 2015.

"We need to see that memorandum of understanding. If the AFP won't provide that willingly, then there is a mechanism through the Senate to have an order for production of documents, and that's something I'll be putting up," he says.

"I can imagine that Sportradar, this multinational corporation headquartered in St Gallen in Switzerland, is probably having a daily chuckle over the fact that they've managed to co-opt the Australian Federal Police, our premier law enforcement agency, to in effect assist them through this Memorandum of Understanding, do their business in Australia, which involves allowing people overseas to gamble on amateur sports."

Background Briefing submitted a freedom of information request for the memorandum, as well as alerts sent over suspicious matches and players, which uncovered numerous documents.

However, the AFP refused to make the documents available, saying their release would have an adverse effect on investigation and intelligence operations.

"The AFP has a non-legally binding memorandum of understanding in place with the Sportradar company to assist in sport integrity and intelligence matters," the AFP said in a statement.

"Services provided by Sportradar to commercial partners are a matter for Sportradar."

Topics: gambling, sport, corruption, australia

First posted June 16, 2017 07:31:59

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Online gambling industry using data scouts to target suburban sports - ABC Online

This year is the 25th anniversary of the federal law that prohibits sports betting in almost every state, yet 50 million Americans bet on Super Bowl LI this year, according to the American Gaming Association, almost all of them illegally.

This is also the best chance to end the federal ban, said AGA president and CEO Geoff Freeman on Monday when he announced the formation of the American Sports Betting Coalition. The group of law enforcement officers, elected officials and casino industry leaders will work together to fight the federal ban fueling what the AGA estimates to be a $150 million illegal sports betting market.

"I have every confidence we will succeed in getting this done," he said. The AGA is speaking with members in both houses of Congress, he said, and he is optimistic congressional hearings will happen later this fall to look at the ineffectiveness of PAPSA, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

Nearly six in 10 Americans are in favor of lifting this federal ban, a recent survey shows, and that number increases to 72 percent approval by avid sports fans. He said new data shows legalizing sports betting could support up to 152,000 jobs, create $26 billion in economic output and generate $5 billion a year in tax revenue for states and local communities.

The coalition will work to educate lawmakers about the negative impact of illegal gambling and the need to align the law with public support. The group also will push to repeal the federal sports betting ban and let states decide, empower law enforcement to monitor and track illegal betting and deliver a safe, legal and transparent environment to "take sports betting out of the shadows," he said.

Freeman cited President Donald Trump, a former casino owner, saying people should be in favor of sports betting, since it's vital to keeping taxes low and putting bookies out of business.

Freeman came to Biloxi in 2015 to announce the AGA was launching a fight to curb illegal gambling. Ed Davis, former Boston Police Commissioner and a member of AGA's Illegal Gambling Advisory Board, said the federal law against sports betting is looked on as a joke.

He's worked on cases involving organized crime, including the Whitey Bulger case. Davis said he saw how organized crime networks use money gained illegally from sports betting to finance their other illegal activities.

"This is a very serious problem we need to talk about in the United States," he said.

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Gambling Lobby Pushes for Overturn of Federal Ban on Sports Betting - CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

MOSES LAKE The Moses Lake City Council is considering lowering its gambling tax rate at the request of the only business it affects.

Lake Bowl CEO B.J. Garbe offered a proposal Tuesday night to lower the gambling tax from 10 percent to five percent incrementally over four years. Lake Bowl operates the only casino card room in the city.

The reason that were asking for this proposal is our industry is dying. It really is, Garbe said. With a combination of tribal competition and legislation, were in a world of hurt and were hoping for some relief from you guys.

In 2016, the Lake Bowl card room provided about $232,000 in revenue to the city through the gambling tax. Garbe said on average the tax costs the business about $220,000.

The state allows cities and counties to collect tax on gambling receipts. The maximum tax rate for card rooms is 20 percent. City Manager John Williams said the revenue collected from the gambling tax goes into the citys general fund, and more specifically is dedicated to public safety.

Nobody else is burdened by what were burdened by, he said. There have been several other municipalities that have lowered their gambling tax. Spokane, for example, was at 15 percent at one point. They are at two percent today. And that is all for relief because we keep getting beaten, beaten, beaten by legislation and competition to where our industry is dying. The one thing that we cannot do with all these increased costs is raise prices in the gambling industry. I can in my restaurant, I can in my bar, I can in the bowling center, but I cannot in the casino. And because of that, all weve been doing for 20 years is incurring all these extra costs.

The Lake Bowl card room opened in 1998 and has paid the city more than $4 million in gambling taxes, according to Garbe.

Councilmember Ryann Leonard voiced concern about losing revenue as the city faces budget struggles.

The big thing that is holding me up here isif we dont have that money, we cant do things for the community, Leonard added. I want to support our businesses and be fair to our businesses but I also want to be fair to our citizens and our responsibility that we have as a city and the reduce monies we have coming in from our other streams.

Garbe hinted that if the card room were to close, that gambling tax revenue would be reduced to nothing.

If youre taking about the budget, 10 percent of zero is zero. Five percent of something is something, Garbe said. And thats literally what were up against. I wouldnt be here today if I didnt feel like we needed this relief. Were literally losing customers every day to (Northern) Quest. This is my only move to offset new expenses coming our way and the competition that is already here.

Lake Bowl employs about 120 people, 50 of which work in the casino. Garbe said the states new minimum wage increases will add about $723,000 in labor expenses by 2020 when the minimum wage increases to $13.50 an hour.

Im very proud of what weve been able to accomplish over decades, how we can support the community and how weve grown our workforce, providing good jobs for a lot of people, Garbe said. Unfortunately, were at that breaking point where we need some relief.

The council agreed to have city staff bring back the gambling tax ordinance to included Garbes proposal and discussed holding a future study session.

The Russell family has been a staple in our community since way back in the 50s, Mayor Todd Voth stated. Theyve contributed over the years so much in our community. This is not a threat to the council, this is not a threat to the community. I think it is reality. If they have to close down, literally were going to lose everything that theyve been doing for the community plus the employees being laid off.

In a letter to the council, the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce supported Garbes proposal.

After much discussion, we do feel that the council should take a look at this significant tax on gross revenue being placed on one business and the economic impact of those jobs in our community, chamber Executive Director Debbie Doran-Martinez wrote. While we understand the need to increase the general fund for the operation of our city, we also need to keep people employed.

Lake Bowl was opened in 1957 by George and Bernice Russell.

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Lake Bowl seeks lower gambling tax rate for Moses Lake card room - iFIBER One News

Dealers check gaming cards inside a casino in Manila. Noel Celis, AFP/File Photo

MANILA - The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation has banned hundreds of gambling addicts from casinos all over the country to promote responsible gaming.

Pagcor chair Andrea Domingo said out of the 406 gambling addicts banned from Philippine casinos, more than 50% are cases of self-exclusion.

"They asked us to ban them for 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years. They are saying, 'I cant help myself, please don't allow us to come here,' and we do that," Domingo told ANC Thursday.

The remaining percentage, she said, were banned after someone -- a family member -- asked Pagcor to ban them.

This was the case of a former government employee, Jessie Javier Carlos, who set fire to gambling tables and tried to steal casino chips at Resorts World Manila earlier this month.

Player exlucsion order on the gunman behind Resorts World Attack. Dennis Datu, ABS-CBN News

Carlos was banned from all Pagcor-regulated casinos about a month before the night of the shooting. Pagcor issued last March 24 a "player exclusion order" restricting Carlos' entry to all state-operated and regulated casinos from March 27, 2017 to March 26, 2018.

At that time, Carlos was already deep in debt due to his gambling addiction, causing a rift in his relationship with his wife and parents.

Domingo said Pagcor has also banned gamblers who become too rowdy or cause a disturbance in a casino.

She said some gambling addicts tend to stay and play overnight in a casino even if he or she had already won hundreds of millions.

"Even if you encourage them to go home na kasi talagang tired na rin 'yung dealers, ayaw yan talaga. Mag-i-stay 'yan," she said.

"Halimbawa meron diyan mananalo ng P150 million. Ayaw pa niya [umalis]. Tapos magdamag siya, tapos malu-lose pa niya 'yung P150 million niya," she added.

(Even if you encourage them to go home because the dealers, too, are already tired, they won't. They'll stay. For example, someone would win P150 million. He will not go home, he'll stay overnight and lose the P150 million.)

ALL GOV'T OFFICIALS BANNED FROM CASINOS

The countrys chief gaming regulator also said all government officials and elected officials are banned from entering all casinos.

Domingo said the policy is they should ban the officials from the casinos and report them to the proper government agency.

"There was a pronouncement by the President that even the first-degree relatives are [banned from casinos]," she added.

Following the incident at Resorts World Manila, Domingo said they will be strict in implementing the rules in all casinos.

She said they task monitoring teams of casinos to roam around the area and look for banned players sneaking in.

Domingo clarified that while the 406 players are banned from casinos, they are still allowed to enter the other facilities of places like Resorts World that has hotels and malls inside.

THE THRILL IN GAMBLING

A renowned Filipino psychologist previously told ANC that gambling addiction is often a "well-kept secret," with its symptoms not as obvious as in drug addiction.

Dr. Honey Carandang, a clinical psychologist, said it is usually the thrill of the possibility of getting "a big amount of money in a short period of time" that hooks a person to gambling.

Domingo said they have a referral system in casinos where players with symptoms of gambling addiction are referred to doctors or rehabilitation facilities.

The Pagcor chief earlier said they are currently preparing a more effective responsible gaming program following the attack at Resorts World Manila.

Domingo said she is consulting financial experts and the Commission on Audit if it is possible for Pagcor to allocate some of their funds to the rehabilitation of gambling addicts.

She said they will also launch a campaign on radio, TV and print to promote responsible gaming. Included in the campaign materials are videos showing symptoms of gambling addiction.

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406 gambling addicts banned from PH casinos - ABS-CBN News