Category Archives: Gambling

News Gaming Business Military Should Screen for Gambling Problems, says Government Report

The Department of Defense should screen military personnel for problem gambling, concludes a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The watchdog said it was concerned that the DOD had no clear guidance addressing gambling disorders, as it does with other disorders.

The GAO report was requested by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who was concerned that the DOD makes an estimated $100 million a year from slots, while not doing enough to help personnel who might suffer from gambling addiction. (Image: )

It also emphasized that DOD data, which showed that less than 0.03 percent of the average number of service members per year were diagnosed with problem gambling disorder, is likely to be misleading because few sufferers seek treatment directly.

DOD officials stated they do not screen for gambling disorder because they focus on mental health disorders that are high risk to overall readiness, high volume, and have validated measures for assessment, said GAO in its findings. While gambling disorder is not a frequently diagnosed condition, the preoccupation with gambling, financial hardship, and increased risk of suicide can pose a risk to individual readiness.

The report was requested by US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in 2015. Following the revelation that the DOD operates some 3,000 slot machines at US military bases across the world, she asked whether further resources were needed to help US servicemen battling gambling addiction.

The slots yield estimated annual revenues of $100 million per year, none of which goes back into funding problem gambling help programs for service members. This is despite the fact that Congress passed a law in 1951 banning slot machines from domestic US military bases.

The report found the machines are found predominantly in US army bases in Japan and Germany, while the Navy has them in Korea, Italy, Spain, Diego Garcia, Greece and Singapore.

If the military is going to operate gambling facilities that bring in tens of millions of dollars in revenue, it also needs to ensure there is adequate prevention, treatment, and financial counseling available for service members struggling with gambling addictions, said Warren.

Responding to the report, the DOD said it disputed the need for screening, although it added that it would amend its policies to promote education and awareness of problem gambling.

There is no evidence to suggest that gambling disorder is a high prevalence disorder in the DOD, and it is impractical to screen for every low prevalence disorder, it asserted.

But this ignores several studies that have indicated the opposite. Recent research by the University of Georgia, for example, found that rates of pathological and problem gambling were much higher than average among veterans, military recruits and current service members.

Research suggests that military personnel are at risk of experiencing negative consequences as a result of gambling related issues such as stress from financial debts, which may have a negative effect on military readiness, the study said.

Furthermore, military and veteran populations are more prone to substance abuse, mental health problems, and suicide, all of which are highly co-morbid with problem gambling.

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Military Should Screen for Gambling Problems, says Government Report - Casino.Org News

Updated February 08, 2017 14:31:18

People playing poker machines don't expect to win and consider it no different to going to a movie, a hospitality group representative has told Tasmania's gambling inquiry.

A joint select committee, holding public hearings on the Government's gaming policy, was considering the future of Tasmania's poker machine industry along with the economic and social impact.

On the table is a proposal to end Federal Group's monopoly licence to operate electronic gaming machines across the state, the inclusion of a community interest test for new machines, and lowering the cap on how many machines can operate.

The Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group told the inquiry that people who play pokies "don't expect to win".

Greens MP Andrea Dawkins quizzed the group's David Curry on whether gamblers thought they'd win when using the machines.

"Do you think they understand that generally they're not going to win? she asked.

Mr Curry said people did not expect to make a win.

"I don't think people generally expect to win when they play but what they are doing is buying a form of entertainment," he said.

"They are enjoying that form of entertainment, it's no different to me going to the movies - whether it's a good movie or a bad movie - and buying an ice cream."

Tasmanian author and historian James Boyce urged the committee not to ignore the state's two casinos in the debate on whether pokies should exist in pubs and clubs.

Mr Boyce has written a book on the pokies, which is due to be released soon.

"I would plead with you to look at the issue of the casino," Dr Boyce told the committee.

Mr Boyce said as soon as the casino was licensed to operate high intensity poker machines in 1994 it turned into a "giant pokies barn".

"They need to be treated as poker machine venues."

He said the regulation of poker machines was failing vulnerable people, and there was a "tale of two Tasmanias".

"We have this vibrant growth with many things happening in Tasmania, and many people benefiting," he said. "But we have this large group being left behind."

Meanwhile, Dixon Hotel Group director Peter Dixon told the committee pubs in regional areas would struggle to stay viable without the revenue from poker machines.

"We speak from the heart on this, I've had 40 years in this industry and have invested in country areas and I can tell you the vast majority of our places would be broke without the pokies," Mr Dixon said.

"You get into the areas where we deal like Scottsdale, New Norfolk, Longford, Exeter, George Town - most of those venues haven't seen a tourist."

Mr Dixon's group operates 35 pubs, 30 of which are in regional Tasmania.

"The bottom line is they are doing in tough, pokies aren't a big part of the business but that helps us buy."

Topics: gambling

First posted February 08, 2017 14:04:33

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Gambling inquiry: Pokies no different than going to the movies, hospitality group says - ABC Online

If you ever had the overwhelming urge to bet on the primary color of Fox Sports announcer Joe Bucks tie or what Gatorade color will be poured on the winning head coach, then you are probably an avid sports watcher.

These are some prop bets that are popular during the Super Bowl and World Series.

For Super Bowl 51, $4.7 billion was spent on American betting, according to the American Gaming Association. This number is actually an 11 percent projected increase over the 2016 Super Bowl gambling totals, which featured the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.

However, only an estimated $132 million of that money is going to be spent legally through sports books.

The other $4.5 billion will reportedly be illegally wagered through certain bookmakers and off-shore websites.

Fourth year psychology major Aaron Moszkowicz believes there is a gambling problem in America and prop bets might have something to do with that.

Ive never gambled myself, but obviously gambling can be really addicting, Moszkowicz said. So I feel like people just use the Super Bowl to make dumb bets on whatever they want to and maybe theyll continue to gamble as a result of it.

There was an attempt to thwart sports betting in in the 1990s when the government approved the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which took effect on Jan. 1, 1993. This law made sports betting illegal in all states except Nevada.

The bill failed and caused the sports gambling problem in America to gradually increase over the past 25 years.

President and CEO of the AGA, Geoff Freeman, believes lifting the ban would help the country in a number of different ways.

A regulated marketplace would generate tax revenues and jobs, Freeman said. Protect consumers and leverage cutting-edge technology to strengthen the integrity of the games we all love.

It seems like a simple solution, but helping those who have a clinical gambling problem may become more difficult as a result.

CSUN psychology professor, Delinah Hurtwitz, believes the Super Bowl and prop bets contribute to the problem of gambling addiction.

Its a gateway drug, Hurtwitz said. Some of the ridiculous prop bets are tempting to the people who are not usually into sports to be able to bet on aspects within the event without actually forcing the person to have any interest in the game itself.

Some of these include a bet on whether Lady Gaga wears an outfit that breaks Twitter and the odds on which brand will win best commercial.

CSUN computer technology major Jacob Ruprecht said the game has become more of a national holiday rather than a sporting event.

I feel like its becoming less and less about the game and more and more about the commercials and the halftime show, Ruprecht said.

Last years Super Bowl saw the third largest audience of all time with an average of 111.9 million people, according to CNN. source

Hurtwitz explained the signs in which you may be suffering from a gambling problem.

It comes down to whether or not they are ignoring their basic human needs in order to gamble or do something that involves gambling, Hurtwitz said. For example if someone were to get up for work in the morning and play online poker instead of taking a shower in the morning or brushing their teeth then its becoming a problem.

According to the Gambling: Help and Relief website, other signs of a gambling addiction are: feeling the need to hide your gambling from others, gambling to forget, stealing or committing fraud to gamble, and gambling out of necessity among others.

People who believe they have a gambling problem can call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700 or go to http://www.npcgambling.com/chat.

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Dangers of sports gambling - Daily Sundial

Buying cigarettes. Going off to war. Voting. They are things you can do at 18 years old in America.

A Nevada lawmaker wants to add gambling to that list.

Assembly Bill 86, sponsored by Assemblyman Jim Wheeler, R-Minden, would drop the legal gambling threshold from 21 to 18 years of age.

Back in 2008, the idea to lower the legal gambling age to 18 was floated by some state gaming regulators after the question was raised by a lawyer during a gaming law conference in Las Vegas. But the idea was quickly shot down by state lawmakers and never made it beyond an idea.

Wheelers bill, along with more than 200 others, were introduced in their respective houses on Mondays first day of the legislative session.

Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.

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Bill introduced to lower age for legal gambling in Nevada - Las Vegas Review-Journal

By Fred Cicetti

Q. I see lots of seniors in casinos. They come in by the busload. I was wondering whether older people have more problems with gambling than younger people?

A. About 1 percent of all adults in the United States have a serious gambling addiction. The statistics on senior gambling indicate that compulsive gambling is a greater problem among older adults than adults in general.

One study found that 10 percent of seniors were at risk gamblers. The study said a gambler was at risk when wagering more than $100 in a single bet, or betting beyond what was affordable.

A federal study found that the percentage of over-65 Americans who recently gambled jumped from 20 percent in 1974 to 50 percent in 1998, a surge unmatched by any other age group.

New Jersey's Council on Compulsive Gambling has created a program to educate seniors about gambling addiction. According to the council, about 5 percent of the seniors who gamble appear to have a problem. The Council should know about this subject; Atlantic City is in New Jersey.

A study by the state of Florida found that retirees make up 34 percent of casino regulars gamblers who brought their money four or more times a year. The casinos help out by sending buses to senior centers to pick up potential bettors.

The American Psychiatric Association classifies compulsive gambling as an impulse-control disorder. Imbalances in the brain chemicals serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine may be factors in compulsive gambling. Many people are able to control their compulsive gambling with medications and psychotherapy, and with the aid of self-help groups.

Gamblers Anonymous provides a 12-step program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. GA has more than 1,200 U.S. locations and 20 international chapters. You can find GA on the internet at gamblersanonymous.org. The phone number for GA is 626-960-3500.

GA offers the following 20 questions to help people decide if they have a compulsion to gamble and want to stop. Most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions.

1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?

2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?

3. Did gambling affect your reputation?

4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?

5. Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?

6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?

7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?

8. After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?

9. Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?

11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?

12. Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?

13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?

14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?

15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry, trouble, boredom, loneliness, grief or loss?

16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?

17. Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?

18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?

19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?

20. Have you ever considered self-destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?

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Older gamblers face worse odds for addiction - Times Herald-Record

The military should screen its personnel for gambling disorder the same way it does for other addictive disorders, according to a government watchdog report.

The Government Accountability Office released a study last week showing that less than 0.03 percent of service members were diagnosed with gambling disorder or were seen for problem gambling through the Military Health System between 2011 and 2015.

While the report acknowledges those numbers are low, it notes that the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security may not be able to identify and provide treatment to those who need it without specifically screening for it. Only 10 percent of people with gambling disorder seek treatment, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

"While gambling disorder is not a frequently diagnosed condition, the preoccupation with gambling, financial hardship, and increased risk of suicide can pose a risk to individual readiness," the report says.

In a letter responding to the report, the Defense Department disputed the need for specific screening. Instead, it said it would update its policies to promote education and awareness activities intended to prevent or reduce problematic gambling.

"There is no evidence to suggest that gambling disorder is a high prevalence disorder in the DoD, and it is impractical to screen for every low prevalence disorder," the Defense Department said in its response.

The Defense Department said bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder all are just as or more common, but also aren't routinely screened for. The Defense Department said screening for other disorders would require additional time, resources and training that would burden the service member and health provider.

"The decision on whether to screen for a disorder is carefully scrutinized with the DoD, with the priority given to high risk, high volume, and problem-prone disorders with validated measures for assessment," the Defense Department wrote.

Historically, the military has a unique relationship with gambling.

Slot machines were removed from U.S. military installations in 1951 due to a law passed by Congress, but the report notes that many bases are located in states that permit some form of gambling. Virginia, for example, allows off-track betting.

There also are overseas bases that allow slot machines in places like bowling alleys and officers' clubs. The machines are most prevalent at U.S. bases in Japan and Germany, although the Navy also has them in Korea, Italy, Spain, Diego Garcia, Greece and Singapore.

Overseas slot machines throughout the Defense Department generated $538.9 million between 2011 and 2015.

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Military should screen for gambling disorder, GAO says - Virginian-Pilot

The report has been criticised by the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB). Its chief executive, Malcolm George, said the report amounted to little more than the view of a tiny group of anti-betting-shop MPs. He also said that behind the report were the vested interests of those who would benefit should the reports recommendations be implemented.

Despite claiming to be evidence-based, it is clear the report is driven, in the main, by the precautionary principle namely, that in the absence of knowing future risks or harms, we should act just in case. So the report recommends lowering the maximum stake from 100 to perhaps as low as 2, on a precautionary basis until sufficient evidence is presented that the high stakes on these machines do not cause harm.

If these MPs were really concerned about the cost of gambling, the one thing they could do is to lower the minimum stake on betting, so people who enjoy gambling get more for their money. Not that that would appeal to the MPs in the APPG. They dont want to make gambling cheaper. Rather, their underlying objective is to interfere in and regulate peoples everyday lives, to, as the report puts it, protect the most vulnerable in our society.

This move against FOBTs and betting shops sets a dangerous precedent. It treats us all as if we are vulnerable and need to be saved or prevented from doing harm to ourselves. In effect, these MPs are seeking to save us from ourselves.

But there really is no need to do so. There is already help available for anyone who thinks they have a gambling problem. Funded by voluntary contributions from the gambling industry, GamCare, an advice and support service for problem gamblers, is advertised everywhere, including in casinos and betting shops. Better still, one can always turn to ones friends and family for help and advice. As I often say to friends and family who are starting out playing poker, lessons can be expensive, and sometimes you dont know youre being taught a lesson until its too late. As in many areas of life, we sometimes need to learn those lessons ourselves.

The MPs report shows just how negative and condescending is their view of human beings and our ability to make choices for ourselves. The word vulnerable appears 27 times in the report. With the exception of perhaps a small percentage who have real problems with gambling and money, I doubt that there are any gamblers who would refer to themselves as vulnerable.

This moralising assault on FOBTs is unlikely to go down well in the communities the MPs are saying they want to help. The vote for Brexit last year should have taught them the dangers of assuming that a small group of politicians knows what is best for us. Lets hope that the government doesnt listen to this report and leaves us to make choices for ourselves.

Jon Bryan lives and works in Newcastle, is treasurer of the Great Debate and regularly plays poker.

For permission to republish spiked articles, please contact Viv Regan.

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Gambling with people's autonomy - Spiked

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YouTuber admits Fifa gambling offences BBC News Two men who ran a betting website connected to the Fifa video game have pleaded guilty to offences under the UK's Gambling Act. Craig Douglas, a prominent gamer known as Nepenthez, and his business partner Dylan Rigby ran a website that let video ... YouTuber NepentheZ pleads guilty to FUT gambling charges, faces potential prison time and thousands in finesVG247 FIFA YouTuber Pleads Guilty To Gambling ChargesGameSpot YouTuber pleads guilty to FIFA gambling chargesEurogamer.net PVP Live -KitGuru -Videogamer.com -BBC News all 21 news articles »

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YouTuber admits Fifa gambling offences - BBC News

February 06, 2017 9:41 AM by Robert Mann

An apparent crackdown on illegal gambling in the Philippines is now underway as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is in discussions with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to set up a task force aimed at tackling illegal gambling.

Local media reports that PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan said the PCSO has been holding a number of workshops and talks with the PNP and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group with the goal of tacklingillegal gambling.

The enforcement increase is a way to battle illegal numbers games in the Philippines and has been in response to President Dutertes desire to stamp out illegal gambling.

Balutan issued a warning saying, To all illegal gambling operators, your minions and protectors, your days are numbered. Im warning you, you can run but you cannot hide. Go legal or else we will arrest you, and file appropriate charges against you.

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Crackdown on illegal gambling in the Philippines now underway - GamingTodaySlotsToday

Two researchers personally touched by problem gambling are assessing how deeply it afflicts Nevadas tribal communities.

Desert Research Institute archaeologist Ted Hartwell estimates he lost as much as $200,000 over the years he spent crouched over video poker machines. Behavioral researcher and psychotherapist Sydney Smith saw many of her fellow Cherokee Nation members fall victim to problem gambling at the tribal casinos in her home state of Oklahoma.

The DRI enlisted them to survey Nevadas tribal communities to determine the scope of the problem gambling among the states Native American population. Nevada is home to 27 federally recognized tribes, from the urban Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and Las Vegas Paiutes to the Duckwater Shoshones and other tribes in remote rural areas.

Hartwell and Smith have traveled the state to meet with tribal members and health officials. They conduct anonymous surveys about gambling habits and provide resources to those interested in learning more or getting help.

Our hearts are very much in this project, and I believe (the tribes) see that, said Smith, who focuses on problem gambling treatment at Rise Center for Recovery, which has offices in Nevada and Oklahoma.

Hartwell said it is too early to categorize the results of their research, which is ongoing. Early indications, though, are tribal problem gambling rates top whats found in the general population, where an estimated 6.5 percent of people suffer from gambling addiction.

There is a whole range of potential factors, he said. Theres this idea of cultural trauma as a trigger point in terms of the history of being removed from ancestral lands, of having cultural genocide perpetrated.

The Desert Research Institute, the environmental research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education, is best known for its environmental studies. Recent work includes looking for ways to harness aerial drones to fight wildfires and seed clouds.

Its broad charter, though, provides for the use of basic and applied research and the application of technologies to improve people's lives throughout Nevada.

The research fits very well in the scope of our overall mission, Hartwell said.

From Desert Companion: 'You can't hear your heart'

Sydney Smith, left, and Ted Hartwell have traveled Nevada to study the prevalence of problem gambling among the states Native America population./Photo credit: Brent Holmes

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Problem Gambling Researchers Know Issue All Too Well - KNPR