Category Archives: Gambling

February 16, 2017 3:26 PM By Colin Dunlap

PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) Rob Matzie!

What a guy.

Hes a man after my own heart and certainly after the hearts of many who just want to place a couple bucks down on a game and dont feel the need to deal with a bookie or some seedy, off-shore racket.

I dont know much about politics. Actually, I dont know much about politics by choice its complicated, convoluted and Ive never had much of an interest in it.

All that said, I know this much, I can get behind State Rep. Rob Matzie if for nothing more than his logical stance on one thing.

He wants to bring sports betting to Pennsylvania.

And I ask, fundamentally, who would be hurt by this?

Who would suffer?

How would this be a bad thing in the least?

Seems to me, the only people who would be hurt by what Matzie wants to institute are the people acting crooked right now the illegal bookies and people of that ilk who make much of the profits in an industry that reportedly pulls in billions (largely illegally) in the United States annually.

You see, State Rep. Rob Matzie, who is from Ambridge, introduced legislation Tuesday to allow sports betting in all licensed casinos in Pennsylvania. Those include the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County and the Lady Luck Casino at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Fayette County.

There are still a ton of hurdles at the federal level but, in truth, its a needed start.

To be 100 percent forthright, I have never placed a sports bet outside the state of Nevada. I save such endeavors for the sports books of Las Vegas, places that are heavenly to a sports fan.

The bright lights, the zillion screens, the beers and the action on everything - oh man, those sports book. They are a slice of utopia smack dab in the middle of the Nevada desert.

Thats why its so puzzling to me why I can walk into one of the aforementioned Pennsylvania casinos and see people gambling plopping dollar after dollar into slot machines or playing table games and I cant for the life of me understand why a college football Saturday cant be met with a $20 three-team parlay. I dont know. Im a person who can control myself, I set a budget, plan to lose all I bet and just have a little more fun when theres money riding on a game. Its that simple for me.

I envision a time on the way home from work when I can shoot into Rivers really quick on an autumn Friday and lay a few bucks on some college games for the following day and the NFL card on a Sunday. Man, that would be a wonderful way to add just a little spice to the weekend.

And, again, I would bet nominally, just well within my budget as a bit of a hobby thats why Im not seeing any problem with anything.

The bill Matzie introduced is expected to be assigned to the House Gaming Oversight Committee for future consideration.

But I ask, again if we are already gambling in Pennsylvania, wouldnt this just be the best thing going if we could add sports gaming here? I know Id love it.

Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 The Fan. You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.

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Mornings, 5:40 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Colin grew up in Sharpsburg and Aspinwall and attended Fox Chapel Area High High School. He graduated from West Virginia University and then came back home to write for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. While th...

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Dunlap: State Rep. Gets It Right With Sports Gambling - CBS Local

Friday February 17 2017

A person inserts a coin into a fixed odds betting terminal in Githurai on November 27, 2015. Firms have objected to a bill seeking to regulate the sector. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The proposed law by Gem Member of Parliament Jakoyo Midiwo to regulate gambling will end up killing the industry, betting companies have said.

Their representatives asked a National Assembly committee to defer it until after consultations and a compromise reached.

Members of the association of betting firms met the committee on social welfare and said the Bill is misguided.

The Bill requires significant amendments. It would not be the same Bill as it was at the first reading, said Association of Gaming Operators of Kenya chairman Ronald Karauri.

The second reading was on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Karauri said the draft law would breach the Constitution and make it difficult to run gaming companies.

There appears to be a concerted targeting of the industry through measures that are designed to cripple the industry, Mr Karauri said.

Mr Karauri batted away claims that gambling is addictive, saying: That I cannot take. It has never been scientifically proven that betting is addictive.

"It is my personal belief that if there was a problem with betting, it would not grow.

The association presented a report from the police showing that there was no truth in claims on social media and by one media house that a person committed suicide after losing a bet.

Mr Karauri said the amendment to the law on their taxation last year had led to double taxation on revenue and then on their profits.

He said taxing revenues and profits would begin on February 20.

Kenya Revenue Authority say they dont know about taxes, yet they are aware that they have been collecting significant revenue, he added.

Members of the committee were surprised to hear that betting firms pay tax one paid Sh700 million in 2015.

They however told the association that the Bill would not be deferred and asked them to draft their desired amendments.

There is some urgency in the matter, David Were, the committee chairman, said.

Cherangany MP Wesley Korir (independent) said: We cannot just say that we defer. Bring your proposals. Lets sit again. Lets talk again. Lets become friends and we deal with this.

The associations lawyer, Mr Mwangi Muturi, said the law would violate the right to property as foreigners in local betting firms would be removed.

Mr Midiwos Bill proposes to increase betting tax from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent of revenues, lottery tax from five per cent to 20 per cent of their turnover, gaming tax from 12 per cent to 20 per cent of revenue and prize competition tax from 15 per cent to 20 per cent.

Telcos hold meetings to plot resistance against the plan to protect customers data.

The two got a 9.1 per cent pay rise last year.

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Firms oppose Bill regulating gambling - Daily Nation

Patch.com

Cumming Man Arrested In Gambling Raid Patch.com CUMMING, GA A Cumming man who authorities say was running illegal gambling operations out of two residences was arrested in a raid on Thursday. Frank Michael House, 54, of Somerset Court, is charged with felony commercial gambling as well as ... Operation Parlay | Authorities: Online sports betting ring operated out of Georgia homes11alive.com Georgia man accused of being online sports bookieAtlanta Journal Constitution all 5 news articles »

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Cumming Man Arrested In Gambling Raid - Patch.com

The Florida House of Representatives quietly released its gambling overhaul for 2017 Thursday afternoon, setting it for a hearing next Thursday.

As expected, the 81-page bill (PCB TGC 17-01) includes arenewed blackjackdeal, or compact, between the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, as first struck by Gov. Rick Scott.

No Casinos, the gambling expansion group, soon tweeted: Still analyzing bill, but at first blush @MyFLHouse seems to have found a way to renew compact without turning FL into Vegas/Atlantic City.

But the House already is at odds with the Senates 112-page measure (SB 8), which is set for its second and last committee hearing next week before the Appropriations panel.

In onesignificant example, the House bill outlaws designated-player card games, but the Senate wouldlet all cardroom operators offer designated player games.

In banked card games, players betagainst the house, or the casino, and not each other. In traditional poker,people play against each other for a pot of money.Designated-player games area hybrid, where the bank is supposed to revolve among the players.

Moreover, the House would prohibit the expansion of slot machines, retroactively to Jan. 1 of this year, by barring state regulators from issuing any new slots licenses.

The Senate generally expands theavailability of slot machines, including allowingany licensed pari-mutuel facility toget slots.

Last month, House Speaker Richard Corcoran suggestedhis chambers approach to gambling would be different.

Ive seen the (Senate) bill, and look, its not where were at, Corcoran told reporters. The three things weve said are, it has to be a contraction (of gambling) we want a constitutional amendment that bans the expansion of gaming; the Senates said they have no interest and we have courts that keep encroaching upon our ability to make those decisions.

TheHouseTourism & Gaming Control Subcommittee will hear the bill next Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in a meeting scheduled for two and a half hours. Its chair, St. Cloud Republican Mike La Rosa, could not be immediately reached.

And the Senate Appropriations Committee will hear its chambers bill that same day at 9 a.m.

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House gambling bill teed up for next week - SaintPetersBlog (blog)

ATTLEBORO - The city has applied for $400,000 in gambling mitigation money from the state to help design a $2.3 million public safety dispatch center in the South Attleboro fire station.

The application to the state Gaming Commission states the center would be used jointly for fire, police and ambulance services.

Gambling mitigation money is being requested because a recent study found traffic and crime incidents have increased in the area since the June 2015 opening of Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville.

Casinos in Massachusetts pay into the mitigation fund, so neighboring communities can apply for financial aid to offset any negative consequences from the casinos.

Mayor Kevin Dumas said the idea of the joint dispatch center is a new one, and specific plans have not yet been developed.

"This is in the absolute incipient stage, as there has been no detailed information provided. A consultant was contacted for a broad idea of cost without analyzing a possible location, details of staffing and capital costs," he said.

A capital improvement plan will be written later, Dumas said.

The city's application is based on the notion that police and fire calls have increased in recent years.

It states it is "plausible" that the increase in Attleboro is due in part to the casino.

One example it cites is the case of two North Attleboro and Plainville residents arrested in Attleboro for shoplifting.

One of the suspects told police she paid for a brand new car with winnings from Plainridge.

"One might infer from this story that they may impart a sense of risk-taking that lowers individual inhibitions to committing certain crimes," the application states.

The application notes that traffic accidents, especially along Route 1, which leads to the casino, were up significantly.

Traffic stops by police went from 5,772 in 2011 to 11,648 in 2016, a 102 percent increase over six years.

The city backs up its application with a report on police incidents done by a consultant to the commission.

The city received a cost estimate on a dispatch center from Pomroy Associates on Jan. 30, and applied for the grant on Feb. 1.

The estimate is based on a facility with 2,500 square feet of space, including a break room, lockers, a bathroom and a computer room.

The city's application was posted online by the commission Thursday afternoon. It has not set a date on when to vote on the request.

Plainville was the only other local community to apply for funding in the current round of grants. It is asking for $148,750 to buy a small fire truck for use within the casino parking garage.

JIM HAND covers politics for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0399, at jhand@thesunchronicle.com and on Twitter @TSCPolitics.

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Attleboro seeks gambling grant for new dispatch center - The Sun Chronicle

Baseball is back and so is Pete Rose, as he continues defending his gambling habits.

The Major League Baseball hit king and current Fox Sports 1 analyst made an appearance on the season 3premiere of Joe Bucks talk show Undeniable, which airs on the AT&T Audience Sports Network. During the interview, Rose offered some particularly strong words for those who criticize his continued legal gambling on sports by stating the following:

Who cares if I want to make a legal bet and go home and watch it? Who am I hurting? Im not hurting anybody, Im living my life.

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Rose, who was denied reinstatement to Major League Baseball by commissioner Rob Manfred and remains shut out from the Baseball Hall of Fame, also questioned the Halls selection process and its guidelines based on members who are already in.

I know a lot of guys in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is not full of altar boys. You want me to reconfigure my life? Tell me what you want me to do.

Its the same song and dance weve heard and seen for many years with Rose. Though with each passing year it seems hes somehow further removed from the understanding that his actions were damaging to the integrity of baseball.

Pete Rose continued defending his gambling habits during an interview with Joe Buck. (Getty Images)

That Rose continues gambling today is not the biggest concern of the parties he criticizes. Its the lack of remorse hes shown as the evidence hebet on baseball as a player as well as a manager continued to grow, even as Manfred considered overturning his ban from 1989. Its also the fiery manner with which Rose lashes out year after year.

Theres always a path to forgiveness, yet Rose continues to take detours rather than taking responsibility or acknowledging the possibility he may have been wrong.A lot of people root for Pete Rose regardless, which is fine. A lot of other people would love to get behind him, but find it difficult when he constantly positions himself as a victim.

One thing seems certain though. Pete Rose is never going to change. Not for his critics. Not for anyone.

More on Yahoo Sports: UFC champ Conor McGregor takes on President Trump protesters How crawfish and beer saved the NBA in New Orleans Tennis star Bouchard pays off blind date bet at NBA game Tony Romo reportedly believes his Dallas career is over

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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Pete Rose defends legal gambling: 'Who am I hurting?' - Yahoo Sports - Yahoo Sports

Marietta police arrested three men they say were running an organized gambling operation out of two storefronts in town.

Investigators found at least 15 unlicensedcoin-operated slot machines when they raided Gantt food store at 1033 Franklin Gateway and a Citgo at the corner of Windy Hill andBenson Poole roads Monday.

They arrested Gantt ownerKhubaib Hussain, Gantt employee Samson Beye and convenience store workerArif Muhammad each on a felony charge of commercial gambling.

What started as a drug trafficking case by Marietta cops in mid-2014 ended upa substantial organized crime investigation involving Cobb County police,Douglas County Sheriffs Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.

According to warrants, Hussain ran the unlicensed operation and the other two men handed out the cash winnings.

The legal line is crossed when owners pay cash prizes instead of giving store credit or lottery tickets,said Kimberly Starks, Georgia Lottery spokeswoman.

The machines were disabled and the agency cited the businesses, she said.

When searching the Douglasville home of Hussain, police officers found $250,000 in cash, five high-end vehicles, eight computers and a large tote full of gold jewelry.

All three men bonded out. Hussain had the highest bond,$38,720. Beye and Muhammad paid $2,970 each.

Investigators plan to get subpoenas for several bank accounts they believe are connected to the investigation.

Anyone with information about the case can call the anonymous Marietta police tip line at 770-794-6990.

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Cops bust alleged gambling ring being run out of Cobb storefronts - Atlanta Journal Constitution

LAKEWOOD The village will remain free of video gambling machines after the Village Board rejected an ordinance to overturn its ban.

Board members voted Tuesday evening, 3-0 with two abstentions, against ending the last remaining ban still in force in McHenry County. About 50 people attended the meeting, with speakers during public comment overwhelmingly opposed to allowing the machines within village limits.

The request to overturn the ban was made late last year by the new management of Turnberry Country Club, where the village meeting was held.

Constituent opposition to the idea prompted the opposing votes from Trustees Paul Serwatka, Gene Furey and Bev Thomas. With Furey seconding, Serwatka successfully forced a vote against an attempt to table the ordinance so Turnberry, which at 9600 Turnberry Trail is in a residential area, could speak to residents and club members.

Serwatka said that although he supports smaller government and less regulation of commerce, he voted for what his constituents wanted and said Turnberrys location makes it a unique case. Both Serwatka and Furey said they received numerous calls and emails from residents opposed to allowing video gambling.

Were not talking about a cafe in a strip mall were talking about the heart of a residential community, and the people are very, very set against it, Serwatka said.

Lakewood was one of six local governments that banned video gambling under an opt-out in the 2009 state law that legalized it to finance a $31 billion capital plan, but five of them have since changed their minds and overturned their prohibitions after bar and restaurant owners complained that the bans put them at a competitive disadvantage..

Establishments that serve alcohol, truck stops, and fraternal and veterans organizations can have up to five of the machines under state law. The state gets 30 percent of the proceeds, 5 percent of which goes back to local governments. The remaining 70 percent is split between the business and the company that operates the machines.

Turnberry and three of the four other businesses holding village liquor licenses would have been eligible for gaming permits had the ban been overturned, according to village records.

Besides public outcry, Furey said video gambling would not be a good fit for the villages character. As a former village treasurer, he added that the small amount of revenue the machines would generate for village government would not justify lifting the ban.

I dont think it really contributes anything at all to the village, Furey said.

Village President Erin Smith, who lives in Turnberry, opposed lifting the ban, but she was one of several who favored tabling the matter to a later date. She did not vote, but said she would have voted no to break a tie.

Unlike other governments that lifted their bans at the request of multiple business owners, only Turnberry requested it, Smith said. Both the owners of Lou Malnati's and the Lakewood Commons behind it said they have no interest in video gambling, Smith said.

"There were no other businesses asking us for a video gambling ordinance," Smith said.

Another concern the Village Board had was that during the winter months in which the golf course is closed, the country club essentially would become a video gambling parlor.

The proposed ordinance scuttled Tuesday explicitly prohibited such parlors, which are legal in some other local municipalities.

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Lakewood Village Board keeps video gambling ban in place - Northwest Herald

Updated February 16, 2017 08:45:08

Retail group Wesfarmers has thrown its weight behind gambling reform by not ruling out dumping its gaming operations unless changes are introduced to limit the social damage caused by poker machines.

The company's chief executive, Richard Goyder, has told ABC's The Business it was pushing poker-machine manufacturers to make software changes that would allow it to introduce a $1 per spin limit to poker machines, which it could trial in its hotels.

"We had a conversation at board level about this and there's a really strong desire from both Wesfarmers and Coles to move this along and I'm hopeful this will happen," he said.

Wesfarmers began its push last year but it is being stonewalled by poker-machine manufacturers.

"I'm hoping we get a positive response because we'd like to trial it we think it is the right thing to do and we're a bit frustrated at the moment that we can't do it," Mr Goyder said.

Wesfarmers inherited a large gambling business when it bought Coles in 2007, including a swag of Queensland hotels bought in order to compete against rival Woolworths in the liquor business.

"The reason we're in pokies is that legislation in Queensland mandates that to retail liquor, you have to own hotels," he said.

When asked if the company would consider selling its poker machines, Mr Goyder said: "We need that legislation to change and it's fair to say we'll look at all options, but at the end of the day we are a good operator and an ethical operator of these businesses and we should be allowed to trial $1 spin limits in line with the Productivity Commission recommendations."

He added the limit would "reduce the harm that comes from one end of the pokie industry".

"But if we can't do that, we'll look at other options," he said.

When asked how quickly the Wesfarmers board wanted the issue resolved, Mr Goyder replied: "I'm serious about it and there's no doubt the board and John Durkin [managing director] at Coles is serious as well, so we would like it to move forward as quickly as we can."

Pokies reform is shaping up to be an issue that could be a legacy for Mr Goyder as he prepares to leave Wesfarmers at the end of the year.

The issue was put on Mr Goyder's agenda at a meeting with World Vision Australia's Tim Costello three years ago, when he made a promise to tackle problem gambling.

Coles has been in communication with long-time anti-gambling campaigners senator Nick Xenophon and MP Andrew Wilkie.

Mr Wilkie told the ABC Wesfarmers should be congratulated for continuing to push against the might of the gambling lobby.

"It's nothing short of scandalous that Australia's poker-machine manufacturers are refusing to make safer $1-maximum bet machines, and vitally important that Coles doesn't buckle to such unscrupulous behaviour," he said.

"We know that 40 per cent of money lost on poker machines is lost by gambling addicts and any corporation whose business model depends on this, or which supports the operators of poker machines, is patently unethical and to be condemned."

Wesfarmers rival Woolworths is the biggest poker-machine operator in the country and has not shown interest in pushing for $1 machines.

Topics: gambling, retail, community-and-society, australia

First posted February 15, 2017 21:24:14

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Wesfarmers considers pokies exit in bid to tackle problem gambling - ABC Online

By Paul Seago, Guest Columnist

The Herald-Tribune editorial on Feb. 7, regarding the gambling debate taking place in the Legislature, argues for decoupling at Floridas pari-mutuels and specifically urges a straightforward bill on this subject.

A straightforward gambling bill in Tallahassee is something of myth and legend like Bigfoot or a unicorn that people claim its real, but of which there is little evidence.

Many things hailed as reforms when it comes to gambling are held hostage by those seeking to expand gambling in order to argue there is somehow a reduction.

Throughout Florida history, every limited, seemingly simple, decision related to gambling leads to more gambling than originally intended. It is a phenomenon we call gambling creep (and is the subject of a video we have posted on our website at http://www.NoCasinos.org).

This gambling creep is most on display when one looks at Floridas pari-mutuels industry.

Since horse and greyhound racing and jai alai were legalized in Florida in the 1930s, pari-mutuel owners have engaged in an almost ceaseless yearly pilgrimage to the state capitol to beg, cajole and lobby for more and more gambling with the same mantra, give us more gambling so we can compete

Over the years, the Florida Legislature has given pari-mutuels simulcast wagering, poker rooms, higher poker-hand limits, and no-limit poker over the years without a vote of Floridians and without competitive bids.

Now, pari-mutuels have their sights set on slot machines, essentially making each one a casino.

Recall that Florida voters rejected the idea of turning every pari-mutuel in the state into a casino in 1994 by a 2-to-1 ratio. That didnt stop the pari-mutuels from continuing to ask lawmakers for more gambling, finally receiving card rooms in 1996.

At first their arguments were that people loved racing and jai alai but needed new forms of gambling to enhance prize purses so they could continue to offer their races and live performances.

Now they argue no one wants to watch racing and live jai alai so they need more gambling to continue to exist and they no longer want to offer races and live events.

We take exception to pari-mutuel owners feeling that their license gives them a birthright to whatever forms of gambling become fashionable over time.

If the free market had been allowed to have its say, the way it has for other industries like travel agents, video-rental stores and TV repair stores, many of these pari-mutuels especially greyhound racetracks would have gone the way of the dodo, meaning they would have become extinct.

If pari-mutuels no longer wish to do the only thing the Florida Constitution authorizes them to do, they should turn in their licenses and find another purpose for their land.

Instead, the Legislature has given each of these license-holders the idea that their permit is a Willy Wonka-style golden ticket that will one day transform their ancient track or fronton into a Las Vegas-style casino.

That is not following the free market, or the wishes of Florida voters. Its giving into crony capitalists looking for another round of corporate welfare.

Paul Seago is the executive director of No Casinos, which opposes the expansion of gambling in Florida.

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Paul Seago: Decoupling aids gambling - Sarasota Herald-Tribune