Category Archives: Gambling

The Dutch soccer association -KNVB, or Royal Dutch Football Association- stated Monday it is against the total ban on online gambling providers sponsoring sports teams, a move expected to be enforced by the government in January 2025.

The football association and professional clubs of the country have sent a letter toFrank Weerwind, Minister for Legal Protection, in a plea to change the strategy and try more targeted information and measures that could prove to be more effective than the proposed ban.

Online gambling became legal in the Netherlands in October last year, which quickly led to an avalanche of online gambling ads, raising concerns about gambling addiction and protecting vulnerable groups like young people. This prompted the government to announce a series of measures, with have now led stakeholders to reply.

According to the KNVB, a ban on letting online casinos sponsor sports teams goes too far," the association said, as reported by NL Times. With the intended total ban, the Cabinet is not looking further at alternatives to limit the risks of online gambling," the football body wrote.

Instead of properly addressing the concerns around problem gambling, the association says the sponsorship ban would result in much less income for sports teams, between 40 and 70 million euros a year, which could instead be invested in youth training and social programs.

According to the KNVB, the sports world is already taking various measures to combat the risk of gambling addictions and match-fixing. The professional football sector takes risks surrounding online games of chance very seriously and wants to draw up more far-reaching rules and focus on more information," the association's letter reads.

Instead, the body suggested other less drastic measures such as not letting role models or influencers -like football players and coaches- appear in gambling advertisements; instead using them to warn about the risks of gambling.

Moreover, clubs could adjust their contracts with gambling providers to ensure that their ads do not cause moral or material damage, and exclude young people. They could also use their channels to inform supporters about the dangers of gambling addiction, the KNVB proposes.

The alternative to the total ban brought forward by the KNVB also suggests letting the football sector phase its own regulations on matters such as shirt sponsorship, boarding, and naming partners.

An online gambling provider may ultimately be the main sponsor, but must give the place on a shirt to a social organization," the body said, as reported by the cited source. It also pointed out that the sector could also ensure that youth teams are not involved with gambling and phase out gambling companies mentions on signs and boarding.

The associatedbill to limit advertising is set to be introduced in phases, with a ban on untargeted advertising coming into effect in 2023. This provision concerns ads that people have not actively shown interest in, such as when using search engines online to find gambling websites.

From 2024 onwards, online gambling companies will no longer be allowed to sponsor programs and events, with the ban on sponsoring sports facilities and shirts coming into force the following year.This implies current sports clubs have two and a half years to find new sponsors.

Weerwind has also announced aban on the use ofcelebrities and influencers in gambling advertisements.

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Dutch Football Association opposing total ban on gambling companies' shirt sponsorships; proposes alternative measures - Yogonet International

Stake UK, the crypto gambling company that sponsors Everton FC, has been hit with a $400m (346m) lawsuit from a former business partner of its co-founders, alleging they stole from him and bullied him out of the business.

According to court filings obtained by the Guardian, Christopher Freeman, a resident of Florida, claims that he was the brains behind Primedice, a predecessor company of Stake, which is now valued at more than $1bn.

Freeman claims he set up Primedice with school friend Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven, who now run Stake.

The firm has gone from total obscurity to one of the fastest-growing gambling brands within a few years, boasting a partnership with platinum-selling rapper Drake and sponsorship deals with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and F1 driver Pietro Fittipaldi.

It also sponsors Watford FC and is among a glut of gambling firms, many of them with no presence in the UK, that sponsor English and Scottish football.

According to Freemans account, which the company strenuously denies, the trio built the business together but Tehrani and Craven gradually edged him out, using bullying and unlawful tactics.

The key bone of contention relates to the origin of Stake. Freeman says it was his idea to expand Primedice into a more comprehensive crypto casino.

Tehrani and Craven, he says, claimed to be more interested in starting a traditional online casino, using fiat currency. In the end, Craven and Tehrani did build a crypto casino, which became Stake.

Freeman alleges the business was built using his ideas, as well as Primedice funds that rightfully belonged to him. He is demanding a full audit of Stake assets to see what he is owed, which he claims could be more than $400m.

A spokesperson for Stake said his claims were internally inconsistent, intentionally misleading, and provably false.

This filing is a desperate attempt to spread false information and extort money over which Freeman has no claim, they added.

The company does not intend to give in to this sort of blackmail, and are confident that these utterly frivolous allegations will be dismissed by the court in due course.

Stake.com is technically based on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao but is connected to an Australian business called EasyGo.

Freeman also alleges that Stake is not only aware of, but encourages, the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) by customers who want to gamble with Stake but cannot legally do so.

VPNs create a spoof location for a computer, allowing users to gamble with crypto in countries where it is not legal to do so. Freemans claim refers to the US. Crypto gambling is also illegal in the UK.

Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning

Stake denied that it accepts money from bettors skirting the law with a VPN, saying it complies with all applicable laws.

As with all companies in the sector, Stake experiences unauthorised users attempting to evade geoblocking through the use of VPNs, it said.

The company has implemented stringent compliance processes beyond simple geoblocking, including KYC [know your customer] and other anti-money laundering measures.

As one example, customers who attempt to use VPNs to evade geoblocks would be prevented from depositing funds under KYC requirements.

It also pointed to responsible gambling measures, such as offering customers free blocking software for people who want to stop themselves from gambling.

Last month, the Guardian reported that Everton FC told Stake to stop using club branding in a promotion offering a $10 free bet to anyone who wagered $5,000 in a month.

More than 30,000 people had earlier signed a petition urging the club to end its partnership with the gambling company.

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Crypto gambling site that sponsors Everton FC hit with $400m lawsuit - The Guardian

Kindred Group announced it will hostthe Sustainable Gambling Conference for the seventh consecutive year on October 19, at the Johan Cruijff Arena, in Amsterdam. Under the theme "Safer gambling - An honest conversation", the conference aims to "connect people inside and outside the industry who share Kindred's purpose to transform the online gambling industry into a trusted and safe industry that contributes positively to society."

International leading experts such as keynote speaker Johann Hari -a New York Times best-selling author-, Dr. Jonathan Parke, and Professor Mark Griffiths will share their knowledge. They will be joined by Swedish Elite Football (SEF) and European Football Development Network (EFDN), among others. The conference coincides with the UK and the European Safer Gambling Week and will be a hybrid event where parts of the conference will be streamed.

"We want to facilitate the difficult conversations, and build a platform where we can all meet and share experiences and insights so that we can find good, sustainable solutions for our industry together. I am really excited to welcome Johann Hari as our keynote speaker," said Anna Jein, Head of Sustainability, Kindred Group. "Hari is a best-selling author on addiction and online behavior and I am sure the industry can learn a lot from him."

"I am also looking forward to hearing from SEF and EFDN on the beneficial collaboration between sports teams and gambling operators, which is a topic that is very relevant," she added.

Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, venue for the event.

In a press statement, the company explained that it organizes the Sustainable Gambling Conference "to connect stakeholders within and outside the industry to discuss how we all can work together to secure a more sustainable gambling industry."

"The industry is less closed today and more transparent and proactive than it was just a few years back. Hopefully, the Sustainable Gambling Conference has contributed to this transition, but we still have work to do. That is why the theme of this year's conference 'Safer gambling: An honest conversation' is so important. We simply cannot solve future challenges without more collaboration across the value chain and we are happy to take the lead in this," Jein concluded.

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Kindred set to host the Sustainable Gambling Conference for 7th consecutive year in Amsterdam - Yogonet International

Billionaire David Rubenstein says that crypto investors are essentially playing at casinos and that hes identified the motivation behind it.

In a new interview on crypto influencer Anthony Pomplianos YouTube channel, the Bloomberg host says that traders are choosing to buy crypto assets because they are trusting governments and fiat currencies less.

I used to say that if you would go to Las Vegas and you like gambling there, [if] it gives you a form of happiness and pleasure knowing that youre going to lose the money in the end if stay there long enough because the odds are always in favor of the house, go ahead and do it, but dont lose more money than you can afford to lose.

Put one or two or three percent in, if it gives you pleasure, fine. I used to say the same thing about cryptocurrencies, if you want to speculate, you want to read about all the things going on there, you like the thrill of cryptocurrencies, okay, put one or two or three percent in.

Today, what I clearly think is going on is that more and more people are doing more than one or two or three percent and that reason is [because] people have less confidence in governments generally and their currency is being devalued, so they think that cryptocurrencies wont be devalued quite that way.

Rubenstein goes on to say that investors, particularly the wealthy, may enjoy the financial confidentiality that owning crypto assets could provide.

Theres a lot of thrill in the secrecy of it, a lot of thrill that nobody knows what you actually own, a lot of Russian oligarchs saw their assets being taken away by Western governments and many other wealthy people around the world are probably saying, well I want to have some assets that nobody can confiscate, nobody knows that I have [them], and thats what cryptocurrencies do.

I

Featured Image: Shutterstock/Alexander Sviridov/SpicyTruffel

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Billionaire David Rubenstein Compares Crypto to Gambling, Says Investors Take the Risk for This Reason - The Daily Hodl

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has issued an update on the introduction of its new remote customer interaction requirements and guidance. The regulator has also advised gambling operators to consider the contents of the announcement, as the body has now shifted the date on which some requirements will come into force and a consultation has been announced.

In April this year, UKGC published a set of new requirements to ensure companies do more to identify customers at risk of harm Social Responsibility Code Provision 3.4.3 and guidance to assist operators to comply with the requisites followed in June. Both the requirements and the guidance were due to take effect on September 12.

While the regulator notes the industry requested an extension to the timeframe for implementing these requirements due to the technical challenges some companies indicated they are facing in delivering full compliance by the deadline it has now decided that the majority of the new requirements will still come into force as planned, on September 12.

Remote gambling operators are already subject to a duty to conduct effective customer interaction, and the new requirements reflect the minimum steps that we consider are necessary to meet that duty, UKGC noted. However, the UKGC has also decided that certain requirements will not be brought into effect in September.

These now excluded provisions include a requirement to take timely action where indicators of vulnerability are identified and to take account of the Commissions approach to vulnerability as set out in the UKGCs guidance; and a requirement to prevent marketing and the take-up of new bonus offers where there are strong indicators of harm.

In light of this extension, the Commission considers that it would be beneficial to use the time now available to conduct further consultation on matters to be addressed in the guidance associated with SR Code 3.4.3, by way of a consultation on the guidance document itself. Therefore, the requirement to take into account the Commissions guidance on customer interaction for remote operators will also not be brought into effect in September, UKGC said.

The UK gambling regulator said the guidance is a living document that is intended to be amended over time. As part of the consultation, the body will be particularly interested to hear about good practice in implementing the requirements, based on the lessons learned by operators during the period between April and September, and to hear about any implications arising out of recent research, evidence and casework.

Consultation is likely to be launched during late September and will last six weeks. All views expressed in response to this six-week consultation will be carefully considered before a decision is taken on the contents of the guidance on the new requirements, UKGC said.

Subject to consultation, the Commissions provisional intention is to publish the guidance on the requirements in December 2022, with it taking effect approximately 2 months after publication.

In the circumstances, we consider this will allow the industry a reasonable period to consider the guidance before it takes effect, the Gambling Commission noted.

It is the Commissions intention, subject to consultation, to bring the remaining requirements of SR Code 3.4.3 and the associated guidance into effect on February 12, 2023, UKGC concluded.

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UK Gambling Commission Amends Requirements of Social Responsibility Code on Customer Interactions - European Gaming Industry News

After a rare weekend away from UFC action, MMAs premier promotion returns with a historic card. UFC Paris marks the companys debut in France, and is headlined by a heavyweight tilt with title implications between former interim champion Ciryl Gane and the surging Tai Tuivasa. The main event is equally as interesting, showcasing a middleweight contest between former champion Robert Whittaker and former title challenger, Marvin Vettori, plus there are 10 other fights on the card, featuring a bevy of French fighters who are hungry to give their countrymen something to cheer about.

As always, all odds are courtesy of our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Marvin Vettori, +180

In the co-main event, Vettori and Whittaker are fighting for the title of second-best middleweight in the world behind Israel Adesanya, and while Whittaker might be the better overall fighter, Vettori is a tough out for anyone. The Italian Dream has won six of his past seven fights, with his lone loss coming to Adesanya in a failed title bid. Vettoris game doesnt have much flash but it more than makes up for it with relentless pressure and an unbreakable chin. Whittaker should be able to stick and move well enough early on, but he doesnt have the firepower to keep Vettori off of him and so this fight could simply come down to how the judges score forward pressure vs. retreating counterstrikes. Dont get me wrong, Whittaker should be the favorite here, but theres value in Vettori in this line as this fight is closer to an even contest than the bookmakers are suggesting.

John Makdessi, +195

Similar to the above analysis, I perhaps favor Nasrat Haqparast to get the win over Makdessi, but these odds are off. Yes, Haqparast is the younger, bigger man, but his game has never quite impressed and weve seen him struggle with high-volume, tricky strikers before. Makdessi isnt Bobby Green, but hes got a unique Tae Kwon Do style that has troubled more accomplished fighters than Haqparast. It wouldnt be shocking if Haqparast was able to edge out a decision, but this fight is much closer to a 50/50 proposition than the odds suggest.

Gane/Tuivasa OVER 2.5 Rounds, -135

More about this fight later, but for now the important thing to know is that in six of his eight UFC bouts, Gane has hit the Over 2.5 Rounds wager. Now, Tuivasa has had less success with Overs, but the truth is, this should be Ganes show. Hes the superior striker and his style prioritizes safety and movement. I expect him to pick Tuivasa apart, but Bam Bam is more than tough enough to take it. I would also feel decent about betting this line at OVER 3.5 Rounds for +115 odds.

Charles Jourdain/Nathaniel Wood OVER 2.5 Rounds, -150

Arguably the most fun fight on the entire card is the featherweight main card opener between Jourdain and Wood, so let me give you some quick numbers: In nine UFC bouts, Jourdain has gone OVER 2.5 rounds in seven of them. For Wood, hes gone OVER 2.5 in four of seven bouts, but hes done so in his previous three encounters. Both of these men are scrappy and durable, and were more than likely in for 15 minutes of fighting between the two of them.

Ciryl Gane, -520

Heres a simple fact that should tell you all you need to know about this fight: in his eight UFC fights, Gane has never lost a round that took place on the feet. Hes fought Francis Ngannou, Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Junior dos Santos (among others) and took them to school in kickboxing. Why would Tai Tuivasa be any different? Gane is the best striker in the heavyweight division. Its that simple. So unless Tuivasa has been working on an Ngannou-like wrestling game for this fight, his prospects for winning are bleak. MMA is MMA, so perhaps Ill look like an idiot for this one, but this is one of the most confident outcomes Ive felt in a long time, and I would personally feel comfortable betting this outcome straight at a heavy price, in lieu of using it as parlay fodder.

Whittaker/Vettori Goes To Decision, -250

As mentioned above, Vettori is a brick building of a man who seems nearly impossible to stop. But for all his own durability, hes also not much of a finisher; 10 of his 12 UFC fights have gone to decision. Likewise, Whittaker has proven to be a tough guy to finish, but hes seen the final scorecards in six of his previous seven bouts. Oh, and lest I forget, five of those decisions for Whittaker and four for Vettori were in five round bouts, and this is only three.

Makdessi/Haqparast OVER 2.5 Rounds, -205

I may sound like a broken record, but numbers dont lie. 12 of Makdessis 18 UFC bouts have gone to decision, including his previous five in a row. Similarly, seven of Haqparasts nine bouts have seen the scorecards, including his previous four. Despite their high volume, neither of these men are big finishers, so expect this one to go late.

Parlay Ciryl Gane, William Gomis, Fares Ziam, Nassourdine Imavov, and Benoit Saint-Denis for +787 odds.

Parlays are never the smartest way to bet but then again, neither are long shots. But you know what both are? Fun. And so, in the spirit of the UFC making their debut in France, what could be more fun than predicting a stellar night for the French crowd with all five French nationals on the card picking up wins? Theres no real breakdown in the math or the matchups here, this is simply betting with your heart. So don your beret, break out the baguettes, and say it with me, Vive la France!

We got absolutely hammered last time out, but after several winning weeks in a row, it was bound to happen. Time to rebound and build some momentum heading into UFC 279.

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.

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UFC Paris Gambling Preview: Will Ciryl Gane give the French crowd something to celebrate? - MMA Fighting

This is not anti-gambling per se. It is anti the way gambling promotions are shoved down our throats and up our noses. It is anti the infantilisation of sports fans. One of Quiltys themes is masculinity. Betting ads are pitched to a lame caricature of Australian masculinity, taking us all for simpletons (no correspondence will be entered into!).

Even if you can gloss over the insidious effect this brainwashing has on enough of the population to make it a documented social menace, you cannot ignore the ruinous effect it has on the amenity of watching sport. You cannot ignore the fact that its impossible to ignore it. It gets into you, not like an earworm, but a carcinogenic.

Steve Smith gets in for his whack this week.Credit:Getty Images

If you complain, youre likely to be told that you can always watch on pay TV with no or fewer ads. Its true. But its all of a piece. The deafening glut of gambling ads, the pushing onto children of merchandise designed to be obsolete next year, the secretion of sport behind paywalls: that piece is sport as commodity.

Somewhere along the way, Australias enjoyment of sport has been confiscated from us and sold back to us as something we must buy to guarantee our place in sports heaven. The Catholic Church and its Middle Ages indulgences had nothing on the ecclesiastics of 21st century sport. Sport has become crowdfunding for millionaires.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan this week,Credit:AFL Photos

Have a look around this week; its been all about the ledger, not the scorecard. Golfers Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman are following Greg Norman to the promised landing strip. Norman affects to be shaking up pro golf, but Smith himself baldly calls it a business decision. What he will learn is that sports events whose sole raison detre is money soon enough become dead to watch, dead to play and then die. Theres a long history to say so.

As negotiations for a new, 10-figure AFL TV rights deal draw to a close, still on the table is the possibility that more games will be pixelated away on pay. A Super Saturday is proposed. It certainly will be super for someones already super super.

Almost as if to offset this, the AFL announces a funding boost for community footy, $17 million next year, thereafter 10 per cent of the AFLs annual assessable income, whatever that is. AFL CEO Gillon McLachan called this truly historic.

At the sub-pro level, footy is bleeding to death. By the AFLs own figures in the same release, $17 million equates to $35 a head for all registered players. Thats about half a football each.

At the same time, Cricket Australia is trying to head off a mass exodus from its modestly lucrative Big Bash League to fabulously rich leagues in South Africa and the Gulf. CA figures it needs an extra $30 million.

As reported by Daniel Brettig in these pages, among the funding options are to secrete more games away on pay TV, flog bits or all of the BBL off to Indian entrepreneurs and/or American venture capitalists, or jack up charges on club and junior cricketers.

And still it might not be enough. Steve Smith is holding out for a better BBL deal. Anyone would think he was a bit short of scratch. Meanwhile, a national jobs summit was convened and one of its agenda items was five years or more of stagnation in real wages for Australian workers and what to do about it.

The disconnect has rarely before been so stark. Honestly, to the various Smiths, tell someone who cares.

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Gambling ad blitz in sport is a turn-off - Sydney Morning Herald

SUPPLIED

Look out for signs of harmful gambling - and recognise when it's time for change.

It's Gambling Harm Awareness Week in Aotearoa September 5-11. It's a good time to test your gambling and see if it's okay. Is it still just for fun?

Know the signs so you have an idea of what to look for if you think someone may be gambling harmfully.

Pokies, the blackjack table, the roulette wheel. Enjoyed occasionally, these can be a harmless bit of fun. But it stops being fun fast if your gambling starts negatively impacting your life and affecting people close to you.

What makes gambling addictive?

For one thing, there's the hope of winning money, but it goes deeper than that, because it has an effect on our brains. Gambling stimulates your brain's reward centres, in much the same way good food,alcohol or other pleasurable experiences do. Pokies, the most harmful form of gambling, with their bright flashing lights and exciting sounds, are specifically designed to be addictive and keep you playing for a long time.

The casino and other gambling venues interfere with your sense of time for example, they rarely have windows or clocks. This removes visual cues of the time of the day, so you stay longer.

SUPPLIED

There are signs that can indicate a person may be experiencing harmful gambling.

When gambling becomes harmful

Gambling is easy to hide which is why it is often called the 'hidden addiction'. There are no physical cues or symptoms as there are with drugs or alcohol.

But there are signs that indicate a person may be experiencing harmful gambling, including:

The harm caused by gambling

While harmful gambling can cause significant financial hardship, it can impact someone's life in many other ways. Gambling takes up time that could be spent at work or with family, and mounting debts cause additional stress in all aspects of someone's life.

Harmful gambling can cause relationship breakdowns, legal problems (particularly for those driven to theft to fuel their gambling), poor work performance or loss of employment, and declining personal health. In some cases, gambling can even lead to self-harm. Harmful gambling can have consequences so serious it can and does destroy lives.

SUPPLIED

Take a quick test - it only takes a few minutes, is completely anonymous and you get a personalised report at the end.

Test your gambling to see if it's still just for fun

This Gambling Harm Awareness Week test your gambling. If you're not sure whether your gambling has become harmful to yourself or your family and friends, take a quick test it only takes a few minutes, is completely anonymous and you get a personalised report at the end.

Check your gambling now it could be the best 10 minutes you've ever spent: http://www.pgf.nz

If you are concerned about your own gambling or the gambling of someone close to you, help is free and confidential. There's no judgement, just support.

PGF Services

Call: 0800 664 262 | Email:help@pgf.nz| Text: 5819 | Online chat:www.pgf.nz

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Worried about a loved one's gambling? Here's what to look for - Stuff

The story you will read in this column happened more than fifty years ago. It was in 1970, and if I remember it right it was in the month of May when Marisol Manor Hotel was leased by the late lawyer Rogelio Z. Bangsil, a native of Magalang. The hotel owner was his town mate Loreto Feliciano wife of Bob Stewart aka Uncle Bob who started Channel 7 which is now being operated by Atty.Felipe Gozon and partners. My late cousin, Nonong Lumanlan was Marisols comptroller and they needed a public relation man, so I was hired. Later the owner discovered that I have what it takes so I became the general manager and concurrently the PR guy for the casino.

There were other local casinos in operation then in Angeles City. One was at the basement of Oasis hotel and was managed by the late Ed Antonio, husband of Sylvia Nepomuceno, the eldest daughter of then Governor Francisco Nepomuceno and Congresswoman Juanita Lumanlan. The skyline casino was operated by the late businessman Rod Feliciano and the Kontiki Casino was managed by the late Trinidad Lazatin with the late Angeles Mayor CarmeloTarzan Lazatin as a partner.

PRESENT TIME: The pandemic seemingly cascaded fast and life is getting back to normal. Omicron is not as deadly as Delta. Patrons are now queuing to the casinos. (I am one of those). Before the pandemic I used to make some weekend trips to Metro Manila and always in search of luck on their electronic bandits, the slot machines. (Btw. I am only small time bettor and only while my time just like those many seniors enjoying moments and slowing down the possibility of Alzheimers, while hoping to hit it big). The City of Dreams of the Sy family, Solaire of Ricky Razon and Okada now locked in ownership controversy issues can compare in elegance like those you can find in Las Vegas or in Macao. Now big casinos are in Clark Freeport, the one adjacent to Royce Hotel Casino, Heights Casino and the Hann Casino. There are smaller ones like Fontana, Fortune Gate and Capital Wise at Xenia.

HIGH LIFE. Big stakes. Top entertainment. The danger lies when people can no longer control their addiction to gambling. Some don't only lost their shirts, so to speak, but loses dear life, in the case of someone who made a killing spree in Resort World casino few years back. Remember? Dont be afraid to go the casinos if you can afford it, and if you have discipline. There are two reasons why gamblers lost their shirts. First, they don't know how to bet.( Meaning, they control their bettings, when the house is having a down streak, and bet more when the house is lucky). Second, most players eat like birds and shit like elephants and many are always victims of their own greed.( They don't quit despite having sizeable winnings, thinking they can have more only to discover later they lost everything including their capital)

Retro: Casino gambling was introduced by Ted Lewin, an American expat sometime in the fifties. Towards the sixties and seventies the Dewey Boulevard, now Roxas Boulevard, was dotted by casinos. They were strategically located along with the famous night clubs like Bayside, Bulakena and Amihan. The big casinos then were Continental, Ambassador, Chrysantemum, La Sirena and few more others. Some of the operators were Nicanor'Junior' De Guzman, Carlos Magdaluyo, Ramon Joveros and Rodolfo Ilustre.

The Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation is a state owned gambling corporation established during the time of the late President Corazon Aquino. Her relatives and friends changed in leadership in running PAGCOR. And behind all these appointments was her brother, former Congresman Jose 'Peping' Cojuangco. Initially it didn't make good, till the appointment of Alice Reyes as chair and retired air force General Romy David. During their watch, PAGCOR started making billions. It also started expanding to other cities in the country, including the PAGCOR-run casino in Balibago in Angeles.

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Sangil: Gambling casinos, then and now| SUNSTAR - SunStar Philippines

A professor in Macau public administration believes the ongoing suppression of gross gaming revenues in the SAR is not necessarily due to COVID-19 restrictions but more closely linked to mainland Chinas anti-gambling measures.

Speaking with Inside Asian Gaming after the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) reported GGR of just MOP$2.19 billion (US$271 million) in August the second lowest monthly figure of the year Eilo YU Wing-yat said there were greater forces at play than the pandemic.

From [Chinas] point of view, the central government does not want too many mainlanders coming to Macau or other places for offshore gambling., he said.

70% of visitors to Macau used to be mainland residents, but now only 10% [of those mainland visitors] are left. The pandemic is only accelerating the decline of the gambling industry but the root cause is the mainlands restrictions on offshore gambling.

Macau remained open to mainland China between January and late June, but GGR for the first half of the year reached only MOP$26.3 billion, down 46.4% year-on-year.

Perhaps in an effort to boost foreign visitation, the Macau government this week permitted entry for foreigners from 41 countries, albeit with a mandatory seven-day hotel quarantine measure still in place for all foreign arrivals. Eilo YU said even if Macau resumes normal interaction with foreign countries next year, it will not return to 2019 GGR levels.

He pointed out that, The Macau gaming industry, to develop foreign sources of customers, will not be able to do so in a short time, and even if clearance is given GGR will not return to 2019 levels.

In the new gaming license tender in Macau, the government has also added the condition of developing foreign markets to the tender, with the bidders asked to introduce initiatives designed to attract foreign customers, that is customers from outside greater China. The government has said that Macaus gaming industry can no longer rely on a single source of tourists.

The government also estimated the annual gambling revenue at MOP$130 billion for the past two years. Will the government make such an estimate next year? Eilo Yu said, I dont have a crystal ball, so I cant predict how much the gambling revenue will be next year but of the MOP$130 billion gambling revenue estimated, 40% (MOP$52 billion) will be included in the governments gambling tax revenue, and together with other government revenues, total government revenue is expected to reach about MOP$70 billion to MOP$90 billion.

The governments recurrent expenditure, not counting infrastructure projects and other non-recurring benefits, will be between MOP$60 billion and MOP$80 billion, so the MOP$130 billion gambling revenue budget would maintain the fiscal policy of keeping expenditure within the limits of revenues.

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Gambling revenue falls short of expectations not only due to the pandemic - Inside Asian Gaming