Category Archives: Gambling

Image

Time2play to join the battle against gambling addiction by covering the cost of Gamban subscriptions for their website users.

Time2play Gamban

Time2play Gamban

United States, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Time2play.com is a casino comparison site that genuinely prioritizes responsible gambling. Despite massive growth in the last 12 months, Time2play has kept its promise to put the player first. In a bid to set the standard for other iGaming companies, Time2play has now established a partnership with Gamban to support problem gamblers.

Gamban is an application that blocks all online gambling websites when installed on your device. Users are protected from thousands of gambling sites, apps, and services from the second the app is installed. Gamban will not deactivate your service until your subscription has ended, and it cannot be removed manually from your device during the same period.

This means that, even in the most difficult of times, Gamban keeps its subscribers protected. A Gamban subscription costs $35 per year, but the new initiative will see Time2play provide completely free Gamban subscriptions to those that have signed up using their website. Time2play will pay for the subscription for every user that needs it. There are alternatives, but Time2play considers Gamban one of the most effective responsible gambling tools on the market.

Time2play's Co-Founder, Tim Tepass, said: "We wanted to do more to help any of our players that may be struggling with gambling addiction. Gamban was the obvious choice for us because of its reliable technology. Other tools are easily bypassed and don't offer the same level of protection."

Although a focus on reducing problem gambling isn't something new for Time2play, it's something that the business plans to push even further in 2022. This is in line with the growth of the US casino market and Time2play launching in other geographical locations.

"We can't say that we are 'for the user' without considering the implications of our product on problem gamblers. While most of our visitors are casual players looking for information on a casino, some could be at higher risk of gambling addiction. We want to do everything we can to support those people, and this collaboration is just the beginning of our efforts," said Tim.

Story continues

Despite the industry's stigma, Time2play is proof that online casino affiliates and responsible gambling can co-exist harmoniously. By collaborating, both can ensure that players have easy access to the available tools before they even begin gambling.

"It's vital that players understand that there is support available if things get out of control. Affiliates are positioned to make people aware of these resources early on. Through better visibility and accessibility of these resources, Time2play can raise standards for affiliates in reducing gambling harm," said Gamban's Co-Founder, Jack Symons.

To claim a Gamban subscription, send an email to gamblinghelp@time2play.com with the same email address you used to sign up with a gambling operator through Time2play. You will then receive a link to sign up with 100% of the costs covered.

Related Images

Image 1: Time2play Gamban

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment

Continued here:

Time2play.com and Gamban Join Forces to Reduce Gambling Harm - Yahoo Finance

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost everything in the online gaming market produces eye-popping numbers. Even pre-COVID, online gambling was accelerating at a brisk pace as ever more people discovered mobile apps and demand surged with the younger tech-savvy demographic. Enter the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and millions more people suddenly became familiar with remote gaming. Operators were caught off guard by the tsunami of demand and continue to scramble to capture market share in the booming digital sector. As the technology continues to gain ground and more effectively recreate the casino experience, companies with innovative technologies and insight, such as Playgon Games Inc.(TSX.V: DEAL) (OTCQB: PLGNF) (Profile), are providing operators with a variety of new turnkey packages to capitalize on strong consumer demand. Other players in the space, including Bragg Gaming Group Inc.(NASDAQ: BRAG), DraftKings Inc.(NASDAQ:DKNG), Penn National Gaming Inc.(NASDAQ:PENN) and Wynn Resorts Limited(NASDAQ:WYNN), are also focused on making the most of a variety of opportunities in the burgeoning online gambling market.

Click here to view the custom infographic of the Playgon Games Inc. editorial.

Online Gambling Growth Outstripping Broad Market

Hard numbersprovide some clarity to the outsized growth of online gambling (sometimes called iGaming). In 2019, total online gambling revenue was $58.9 billion, forecast to nearly double and reach $92.9 billion in 2023. At the same time, mobile online gambling revenue will grow even faster, jumping from $24.8 billion to $42.5 billion. Even with the tremendous growth, the online segment is still only a small percentage of the total gambling revenue (both land bases and online), which is expected to reach $525 billion next year. However, online gambling has gained traction, capturing growing market share, and big-name Vegas casinos are going all in.

Nevada isn't the only state paying attention. Since the federal government legalized online betting in 2018, states are increasingly warming up to the idea of online gaming, looking to seize a revenue and job-creation opportunity. To date, more than 30 states have abandoned moribund laws blocking online gambling and are now either live or in the process of launching sports betting and iGaming. According to MGM, the total addressable North American market (TAM) will reach $27.5 billion per year, broken down into $14 billion in online sports betting and $13.5 billion in iGaming. iGaming by definition involves any betting online on games of chance.

Technology Is Pivotal

The technology infrastructure that is foundational to operators that offer live dealer content is a bit of an oligopoly, dominated by Evolution Gaming, Playtech and Microgaming.

Playgon Games Inc. (TSX.V: DEAL) (OTCQB: PLGNF)is the savvy upstart, recognizing that the current suppliers have overlooked mobile and offer largely the same or generically similar products. This pioneering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company has taken a business-to-business (B2B) strategy to provide a multitenant gateway allowing online operators the ability to offer their customers innovative iGaming software solutions that outclass the competition. Playgon prides itself on innovation, modernizing live dealer games while developing designs specifically for mobile, rather than desktop like most peers, making a superior user interface (UI) and user experience (UX).

With a B2B model, Playgon doesn't get involved with consumers, which can cripple margins at the hands of high customer acquisition costs and marketing costs. Rather, the company develops and licenses its software platform and suite of games that include four live-dealer casino games (HD-quality streaming content from its studio Live from Las Vegas), four multiplayer e-table games (with nine more in development), Playgon's innovative platform is built for seamless integration at the operator level without compromising any sensitive customer data.

From aesthetics to performance, Playgon offers the most advanced and ingenious mobile offering in the live-dealer space. The company's live-dealer games currently include Blackjack, Baccarat, Tiger Bonus Baccarat (a proprietary game of Playgon) and Roulette. Management was mindful in its design, using ProgressiveWeb App technology to make the product device and store agnostic. By focusing on mobile, Playgon was able to enhance the player UI and UX, which attracts the most sought-after player segment, those that can return remotely.

Playgon went so far as to build its technology to allow for portrait mode only play, meaning games can easily be played with one hand on a mobile phone. Top it off with realistic graphics and live streamed dealers, and architecture built on cloud-based technology for robustness, scalability and high-speed play, Playgon is capturing the attention of online operators, casinos, sportsbooks, and even big database companies.

More Customers, More Players

With the incumbents controlling most of the market and a strict regulatory environment, there are high barriers to entry into the iGaming space. Playgon has cleared the hurdles on the strength of its technology as evidenced by its growing client base and increased player activity following the award of its Malta Gaming Authority License last March. The license gave the green light to Playgon partner SWINTT Malta Ltd, a fast-growing iGaming content supplier and subsidiary of Glitnor Group, to offer the Playgon suite of products to its online gaming operator customers.

Subsequently, international deal flow has been steady. Playgon went live in South Africa with its partner Intelligent Gaming (PTY) Ltd. By June, six operators were onboarded, hosting more than 220,000 bets and 6,000-plus unique visitors in the first month of operations, with a seventh operator onboarded at the end of the month. Come August of last year, and the number of operators leveraging Playgon's Vegas Lounge live-dealer platform was up to 14. In September, SWINTT onboarded three more operators. By October things were starting to hop. The number of live operators stood at 23, and Playgon's platform had exploded to $54 million in player betting turnover in the first half of the month, up from $1.6 million for the entire month of September. Since the end of October, 7 more live operators have been onboarded, bringing the total overseas to 30.

Savvy Team Leads Expansion into Lucrative U.S. Market

Playgon is led by CEO Darcy Krogh, an iGaming industry vet with more than 20 years senior-level management experience, including founding iGaming pioneer Chartwell Technology in 1999, which he subsequently sold to Amaya Gaming Group in 2011. He served as VP of Amaya post merger, ultimately facilitating the sale of the B2B asset portfolio to NYX Gaming Group in 2015.

A recognized subject matter expert in developing real-time, live-dealer tech and platforms, Playgon Interactive president Guido Ganschow successfully built and launched state-of-the-art iGaming technology throughout Asia and Europe.

Playgon COO Steve Baker was previously VP of operations for Shaw Communications, managing M&A activity and spurring sales growth from $300 million to $2.8 billion.

The acumen of the team is evidenced in the stellar international growth and domestic growth should easily follow. In October, Playgon hit a major milestone in going live with Solid Gaming, a Bally's Corporation company. Bally's is a big hitter, and after months of work customizing, integrating, and testing with the Solid Gaming integration team to ensure performance, Playgon got rave reviews and is now live with Bally's Solid gaming. To meet demand and continue expansion, Playgon opened a private placement in October to raise $5.0 million, but due to strong interest, the raise was increased with the company raising $10.5 million, which is likely to increase Playgon's velocity and entry to the U.S. markets.

News about Playgon penetrating the U.S. iGaming market should come soon. The company has engaged Duane Morris LLP to represent it in its application process to license its live-dealer technology in legal markets throughout the country. The play is to first submit applications in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. The U.S. is a coveted market that is regulating quickly since 2018 for online gaming, with a projected TAM of $27.5 billion per year and includes about 400 casino hotels and 465 nonhotel casinos. Based on those numbers, interest in Playgon's new technology should be extremely high.

Online Action

Other players are paying attention to the online gambling market, making moves to leverage their expertise and strengthen their positions, both in the United States and around the world.

Bragg Gaming Group Inc.(NASDAQ: BRAG) is a global gaming technology and content group and owner of leading B2B iGaming companies. The company offers full turnkey solutions in North American, European and other regulated international markets. Most recently, the company debuted its exclusive iGaming content in the Czech Republic in partnership with SYNOT Group, via its SYNOT INTERACTIVE platform, marking its debut in the country and strengthening its presence in central Europe. The announcement marks Bragg's sixth new market entry in the last 10 months.

DraftKings Inc.(NASDAQ:DKNG)has a vision to build the best, most-trusted and most customer-centric destination for skin-in-the-game fans; to develop the most innovative and entertaining real money products and offers; and to forever transform the manner in which people experience sports. As part of that plan, the company launched its mobile sportsbook in Louisiana in January. With the launch, Louisiana became the 17th state to offer DraftKings' online sportsbook, and the company is now live in 18 states including retail-only jurisdictions.

Penn National Gaming Inc.(NASDAQ:PENN) offers Penn Interactive, the online gaming arm of the company. Penn Interactive is focused on creating the best online gaming customer experience available using creative outreach, innovative product design and world-class engineering. Penn Interactive operates the mobile and desktop appsmychoicecasino.com, Viva Slots andHollywoodRaces.com, which offer more than 100 of the most exciting online Vegas-style slots that can be played for free on any device and easy wagering for horse racing online, respectively.

Wynn Resorts Limited's(NASDAQ:WYNN)online gambling offering is WynnBET, which has a world-class collection of casino and sports-betting mobile options for discerning players who understand the difference between placing a bet and experiencing a bet. The company announced last year that WynnBET opened its mobile sports book in Tennessee, marking the sixth state where the app has launched in less than nine months. With the announcement, the WynnBET app became available for download anywhere in Tennessee on Apple and Android devices.

Already generating tens of billions in revenue, there are multiple drivers that support analyst's calls for the online gaming market to soon cross $100 billion globally. The pandemic only accelerated the online action as new users gravitate to iGaming. The trend is now a pattern, and it will continue to drive consumer demand going forward.

For more information about Playgon Games, please visit Playgon Games Inc.

About NetworkNewsWire

NetworkNewsWire ("NNW") is a financial news and content distribution company, one of 50+ brands within the InvestorBrandNetwork ("IBN"), that provides: (1) access to a network of wire solutions via NetworkWireto reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets; (3) enhanced press release solutions to ensure maximum impact; (4) social media distribution via IBN millions of social media followers; and (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions. As a multifaceted organization with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience comprising investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge.

To receive SMS text alerts from NetworkNewsWire, text "STOCKS" to 77948 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only)

For more information, please visit: https://www.NetworkNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published:http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer

NetworkNewsWire is part of theInvestorBrandNetwork

DISCLAIMER: NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. FN Media Group (FNM) is a third-party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated with NNW or any company mentioned herein. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by NNW are solely those of NNW and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable NNW and FNM for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. NNW and FNM and their respective affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.

The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author, and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, NNW, FNM, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer's filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer's securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment.

NNW & FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and NNW and FNM undertake no obligation to update such statements.

Corporate Communications Contact:NetworkNewsWire (NNW)New York, New Yorkwww.NetworkNewsWire.com212.418.1217 Office[emailprotected]

Media Contact:FN Media Group, LLC[emailprotected]+1-(954)345-0611

SOURCE: NetworkNewsWire

SOURCE NetworkNewsWire

Read more here:

Vegas Goes All In as Online Gambling Soars - PRNewswire

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "United States Online Gambling Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecast(2022 - 2027)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The United States online gambling market was valued at USD 2,178.29 million in 2020, and it is is projected to register a CAGR of 17.34% during the forecast period (2021-2026).

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the gambling industry on an international level, including the United States. This led to the closure of casinos, lottery outlets, and gambling venues (i.e., gambling lounges, bars, breweries, hotels, bingo halls, horse racing) and to the suspension of sporting events for which betting systems were in place.

As a result, the market has witnessed migration from offline to online gambling activities. In response to the closure of many gambling establishments, several operators have gone digital.

Many players have expanded their online gambling offerings, and bingo operators have moved their offerings online, which has positively impacted the market.

With more states introducing regulations, online gambling in the country is expected to increase, with the higher number of downloads of various online casino games, and it may add more revenue streams in the overall online gambling market.

After the imminent launch of internet gambling in 2019 in the state of Pennsylvania, companies are forming partnerships to handle the spur in the demand for these online casino platforms and provide consumers with a better online casino experience.

New Jersey is currently the largest market for regulated online gambling in the United States. Over a dozen legal and licensed online casino sites and poker rooms compete for an overall market that is worth more than USD 225 million a year. There are a number of sportsbooks and online sports betting apps live in the state.

As per the data released by the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), in June 2019, the revenues from the top three online casinos in New Jersey were as follows: The Golden Nugget/Betfair accounted for USD 13.6 million, the Resorts AC recorded USD 6.39 million revenue, and Borgata/Party earned a revenue of USD 5.66 million.

Key Market Trends

Live Casino Gaining Momentum in the Country

The live casino market is still at a nascent stage in the country, owing to its stringent regulations. However, software providers, like Ezugi and Evolution Gaming, have been granted licenses to provide their live dealer games in New Jersey. Thus, global players are investing significantly and entering into this market, in order to broaden their geographical presence and customer base.

Moreover, Evolution Gaming signed contracts with several licensed operators, such as Ocean Resort Casino, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, 888casino, and PokerStars Casino New Jersey. Apart from key players, software providers are also embarking on mergers and acquisitions as one of their key strategies to achieve consolidation and optimize their offerings.

Pennsylvania is the Fastest Growing Market

Pennsylvania is the fourth and biggest state to legalize and regulate online gambling. The new law allows for online casinos, online poker, sports betting, and more. Casino gaming (including slots and casino table games, such as roulette and blackjack), poker, sports/horse race betting, and fantasy betting are regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, whereas lotteries are regulated by the Pennsylvania Lottery.

Also, as per the data published by the American Gaming Association, the total gross gaming revenue of Pennsylvania casinos amounted to approximately USD 3226.92 million in 2017, which was the second-highest after Nevada. Therefore, regulation of online casinos in the state is expected to increase the number of downloads of various online casino games and add more revenues to the overall online gambling market.

After the imminent launch of internet gambling in 2019 in the state of Pennsylvania, the companies are forming partnerships, to handle the spur of demand for these online casino platforms and provide consumers with a better online casino-playing experience.

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k3u3xi

See original here:

United States Online Gambling Market Expected to Register a CAGR of 17.34% Between 2022 and 2027 - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

Introduction

On 14 February 2022, the Gambling Control Bill ("GC Bill") and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Bill ("GRA Bill") were read for the first time in Parliament. Their introduction marks the next stage of the reform of Singapore's gambling regime, which began in 2021 with the Ministry of Home Affairs' ("MHA") recommendation for a holistic update to Singapore's gambling laws. This was followed by further recommendations pursuant to a public consultation on MHA's proposed amendments to gambling laws in Singapore ("Public Consultation"), which we covered in our July 2021 Legal Update titled "Public Consultation on Proposed Amendments to Laws Governing Gambling Activities".

With the introduction of the GC Bill and the GRA Bill, Singapore has taken another step closer towards fully modernising its gambling regulation. If passed, the Bills will result in a significant overhaul and consolidation of the current regulatory regime. Key changes include the following:

1. Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore Bill

a. The GRA Bill will establish a Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore ("GRA") to regulate the entire gambling landscape in Singapore.

2. Gambling Control Bill

a. The GC Bill will consolidate and replace other gambling-related Acts, namely the Betting Act ("BA"), Common Gaming Houses Act ("CGHA"), Private Lotteries Act ("PLA") and Remote Gambling Act ("RGA").

b. Substantively, the GC Bill will:

In this Update, we will highlight the key changes introduced by both Bills.

Proposed Changes under GRA Bill

Currently, gambling regulation in Singapore is overseen by various Government agencies. The Casino Regulatory Authority regulates casinos; a unit within the Ministry of Home Affairs ("MHA") regulates online gambling, fruit machines and lucky draws; and the Singapore Totalisator Board regulates gambling services run by Singapore's only licensed betting and lottery operator, Singapore Pools.

Under the proposed new regime, the Casino Regulatory Authority will take over as the single regulator for all forms of gambling, and will be renamed as the GRA.

Proposed Changes under GC Bill

Given that the GC Bill seeks to consolidate, replace and modernise four pieces of existing legislation, it is a very lengthy piece of legislation, spanning 275 pages (including the Explanatory Statement to the Bill). We summarise some of the key changes introduced by the GC Bill below.

Expanded definition of "gambling"

The definition of the term "gambling" has gone through substantial amendments. The traditional three heads of gambling, namely betting, gaming and participating in lotteries, have been amended as follows:

It is clear from these amendments that the authorities are seeking to adopt an extremely wide definition of the term "gambling". One of the reasons for this is to ensure that the definition of "gambling" is technology-neutral in order to capture existing and emerging gambling products. However, with such a wide definition, many activities could potentially be deemed to be "gambling", including even those not traditionally perceived to be "gambling". For instance, many competitive sports contain elements of chance, even though the result is usually determined by the skill of the player. Two examples would be snooker and chess, which are widely recognised as games of skill. In these games, the player who goes first would gain an advantage over the other player. Coin tosses (which constitute an element of chance) are usually used to determine who goes first. While a superior player who loses the coin toss may still emerge victorious due to his higher skill level, snooker or chess may nonetheless be deemed to be games of chance under the GC Bill. Accordingly, chess or snooker tournaments which accept entry fees and which distribute prizes may be deemed to be illegal.

While the GC Bill contains carve outs for certain activities, e.g. financial investments, claw machines which yield prizes of less than S$100 etc., there still remains significant ambiguity about how many other activities not carved out in the Bill would be treated by the authorities.

Changes to what constitutes the conduct of gambling

In addition to the changes in the definition of "gambling", the Gambling Control Bill also seeks to introduce changes as to what constitutes the conduct of gambling in terms of activities. There is now greater clarity on the types of activities that would constitute the conduct of a betting operation, e.g. accepting or receiving bets, operating a totalisator, organising pool betting, and laying or offering odds.

The conduct of gaming now includes controlling or operating a computer server located in Singapore that allows persons, whether in or outside of Singapore, to play games of chance for a prize, and a computer server wherever located that allows Singapore residents to play games of chance for a prize. This could impact companies which provide hosting and/or maintenance services and whose customers include gambling operators.

Legalisation of social gambling

While terrestrial gambling amongst family and friends is commonplace in Singapore, it has never been legally permitted. The GC Bill now seeks to legalise all forms of non-remote social gambling provided that all of the following criteria are met:

This represents a departure from the previous position set out in the Common Gaming Houses Act 1961 proscribing the operation of common gaming houses, which could technically include one's residential premises in which gaming activities are carried out.

It is clear that only terrestrial social gambling is exempted under the new laws, i.e. remote social gambling is still illegal under the GC Bill. This distinction is perhaps understandable as the explicit exemption of online social gambling could pose significant enforcement difficulties, particularly in determining whether individuals are sufficiently and meaningfully acquainted with each other personally. That said, the legalisation of non-remote social gambling is not without its own set of challenges. For instance, it remains to be seen how authorities will define what constitutes spontaneous non-remote gambling, or the yardsticks for assessing whether individuals know each other personally (e.g. social media contacts). Further clarification on the abovementioned criteria is necessary in order to clearly delineate legally permissible social gambling from unlawful gambling activities within residential premises.

New licensing regime for key gambling products, lower-risk gambling products

With its broadened powers, the GRA will be able to issue different types of gambling operator licences, including licences for the following:

For instance, the GRA is empowered to issue licences for key gambling products such as fruit machines, betting and lottery products such as those operated by Singapore Pools (both terrestrial and online), and gambling at private establishments. In determining the grant or renewal of licence to an applicant, the GRA will have regard to, inter alia, the financial capacity and ability of the applicant to provide the gambling service in accordance with the applicable requirements and standards, as well as the suitability of the applicant and all of its responsible executives and key officers. This is similar to the probity assessment carried out by the CRA on casino operators and international market agents under the Casino Control Act 2006. However, the ability of the GRA to issue licences does not suggest that Singapore is liberalising its strict anti-gambling policy, and this policy is likely to be maintained and reiterated during subsequent readings of the GC Bill in Parliament.

The GC Bill also provides for a new class licensing regime under which the Minister may issue such licences to operators offering lower-risk gambling products, such as mystery boxes (to which the earlier mentioned S$100 prize cap applies). Such operators will no longer need to be individually licensed. Details will be provided in future subsidiary legislation which will specify the conditions applicable for the grant of such class licences, such as limits on gambling hours, advertisements requirements, frequency of the gambling service and management of the gambling service.

New offence of proxy gambling

It is presently possible for a punter, as the decision-maker, to send a proxy to gamble on the decision-maker's behalf in casinos or fruit machines rooms. Such an arrangement would defeat the purpose of entry checks for casinos and private clubs put in place to screen out individuals of concern, such as entry bans imposed by casinos.

The GC Bill now introduces provisions criminalising proxy gambling. In effect, both the decision-maker and the proxy may be arrested, and are liable to a conviction to a fine not exceeding S$10,000 or an imprisonment term not exceeding 12 months.

New offences for underaged individuals

Under the new GC Bill, there are no changes to the minimum age for gambling. The minimum age for gambling remains at 21, except for gambling at Singapore Pools' branches and retail outlets which will remain at 18. However, two social safeguards pertaining to underaged individuals will be introduced. Firstly, it will be an offence for underaged individuals to gamble, whether with legal or unlawful operators. This is a step-up from the current set of regulations, where only the person who invites, causes, or permits the underaged person to gamble in Singapore will be committing an offence (but not the underaged person himself).

Secondly, it will also be an offence for underaged individuals to enter gambling areas, except where entry checks are not required (such as Singapore Pools' physical outlets). Underaged individuals are also prohibited from intentionally opening or re-opening an account with a licensed operator to engage in general remote gambling.

Under the GC Bill, an underaged individual who contravenes these prohibitions will be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$1,500.

Standardising advertising and promotion offences

Currently, the threshold for proving an advertising and promotion ("A&P") offence is lower for unlawful online gambling compared to unlawful terrestrial gambling. Notably, an A&P offence can be committed even if there is no online gambling involved, whereas there is a need to link an A&P offence to actual unlawful terrestrial gambling activities.

The new GC Bill is set to decrease the threshold of proof for such unlawful terrestrial gambling activities, and to standardise the treatment of A&P offences across gambling modalities.

Under the GC Bill, a person commits an offence if the person advertises unlawful gambling, or does anything else to promote unlawful gambling, or entices the public to participate in unlawful gambling. For the purpose of deterrence, this is a strict liability offence, meaning that no fault elements need to be shown in order for liability to be established. Significantly, this means that third parties have an obligation to ensure that they only advertise lawful gambling, or risk being liable under this offence.

There are several defences available in respect of advertising unlawful gambling. One of these defences is if the gambling advertisement was published as an accidental or incidental accompaniment to the publication of other matter not forming part of any promotion of gambling, and the publisher does not receive any direct or indirect benefit (whether financial or otherwise) for publishing that gambling advertisement. This would be applicable to broadcasters that accidentally display a gambling advertisement as part of regular broadcasting.

It is also notable that the GRA is empowered under the GC Bill to order that corrective measures be taken in relation to unlawful gambling advertisements, such as stopping the advertisement with immediate effect, or publishing a corrective advertisement containing such information or material that may be specified by the GRA. Failure to comply with such an order would make one liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both. In addition, the GRA can take such steps as it deems reasonable and necessary to implement the requirements of the order and recover any costs and expenses it has reasonably incurred in doing so from the offender.

Family exclusion orders

Currently, families of problem gamblers may make an application to the National Council on Problem Gambling ("NCPG") for an exclusion order against these problem gamblers to inter alia bar them from entering into, remaining in or taking part in any gaming on casino premises, club jackpot rooms and with Singapore Pools for remote gambling in Singapore. The enforcement of exclusion orders is left up to the casinos, the clubs and Singapore Pools, and they may be subjected to disciplinary action should there be any breach of the exclusion orders. Under the GC Bill, it is now an offence for persons under an exclusion order to gamble or enter into gambling areas where the NCPG exclusions are applicable. If found guilty of doing so, they shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both. This provides exclusion orders with more bite, and serves as a deterrent against problem gamblers who wish to defy the orders.

Penalties

Finally, the GC Bill proposes to apply a three-tier penalty structure for unlawful gambling offences across both online and terrestrial unlawful gambling activity, differentiating between punters, agents, and operators in increasing order of penalties. This expands the scope of the present legislation, where this three-tier penalty is only applicable to remote gambling activities.

In addition, agents and operators who facilitate or operate unlawful gambling services shall be liable more onerous penalties including mandatory imprisonment terms, with aggravated penalties for these classes of repeat offenders:

Concluding Remarks

The introduction of these Bills is the culmination of months of assessment, recommendation and reform efforts, and marks a significant milestone in the modernisation of Singapore's gambling regime together with the passing of the Gambling Duties Bill in January 2022. The Gambling Duties Bill harmonises the law on the levy and collection of duties on legalised betting and lotteries, and was covered in our January 2022 Legal Update titled "Bill Amending Laws on Gambling Duties Passed in Parliament".

The GC Bill consolidates and updates the laws relating to the conduct of gambling in Singapore. Once the GC Bill passes into law, the BA, CGHA, PLA and RGA will be repealed. Permits to operate fruit machines under the PLA, certificates of exemptions to offer remote gambling services granted under the RGA and website access blocking orders and payment blocking orders made under the RGA will continue to remain in effect save where such permits and exemptions are inconsistent with the provisions of the GC Bill. Exemptions granted under the BA, CGHA and RGA (save for certificates of exemption) for the provision of gambling services will continue to run for a grace period of 5 months to 12 months after the repeal of these legislation.

The GRA Bill also consolidates almost all of the power and responsibility for regulating gambling into the GRA. This brings efficiency and consistency to Singapore's regulation of gambling, as the GRA will possess specialised domain expertise and will be better placed to holistically take into account policy considerations and the nuances of various forms of gambling when making decisions on gambling regulation. The public will also benefit from such consolidation, as all queries relating to gambling may now be directed to this single authority.

The GC Bill and the GRA Bill will be read in Parliament for the second time in the coming months, and it is expected that many clarifications will be sought in respect of these bills then. We will monitor the Parliamentary debates and will provide further updates where appropriate.

Follow this link:

Two Bills Introduced in Parliament to Overhaul Singapore's Gambling Regulatory Regime - Lexology

Gambling problem? Yes, I believe we have a gambling problem. Currently, the state of Pennsylvania operates multiple daily number-drawing games (some of which have two drawings per day), in addition to participating in the national lottery games Mega Millions, Powerball and Millionaire Raffle.

Then we find, in many grocery stores and convenience stores, slot machine-like games and/or ticket dispensers filled with scratch-off Pennsylvania Lottery cards. And if you visit the Pennsylvania Lotterys website, youll find links to Derby Cash (virtual horse racing) and Xpress Car Racing.

Add all of that to existing casinos and virtual casinos, which you can access 24/7 on your smartphone and computer. And you may have also noticed the recent proliferation of TV advertisements for sports gambling on just about every network.

Who really benefits from all of the billions of dollars of gambling money? The few winners, the game managers, ticket printers, the state government, older Pennsylvanians.

But, then again, who suffers? People who cant afford to lose the little money they have, older Pennsylvanians on fixed incomes and gambling addicts.

Do we have a gambling problem? We sure as heck do have a gambling problem. What I view as essentially a legalized, state-run Ponzi scheme is driving some people into bankruptcy or worse.

And the states answer is to simply call 1-800-GAMBLER if you have a problem with gambling addiction.

Jim Merrell-Thomas

East Lampeter Township

Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Continued here:

Oversaturation of gambling [letter] | Letters To The Editor | lancasteronline.com - LNP | LancasterOnline

To the editor:

New York state allowed mobile sports betting to begin Jan. 8, and during the first 23 days, all the headlines stated there was $1.26 billion wagered, and there was $113 million in revenue.

The gambling industry and gambling providers in New York as well as some lawmakers were extremely pleased with the opening of mobile sports betting in New York.

Betting volume is outstripping even the most optimistic projections so far, said one analyst, Mike Mazzeo.

Adam Greenblatt, chief executive of BetMGM, said, Yes, delighted with how its gone. Look, weve broken all of our records. It was the best first day of any live launch. We broke records for most registrations, for most first-time deposits, for bets, for handle.

In all the excitement, we seem to have forgotten the second part of the equation: For there to be $113 million in revenue, there must be $113 million in losses. This fact is always overlooked, and needs to be part of any discussion regarding gambling revenue. New Yorkers lost $113 million in just three weeks, which is $4.9 million in losses a day.

If that trend continues, over the course of a year, that will be $1.8 billion in losses.

With all the advertisements and continual discussion about odds, over/under, parlays, favorites/underdogs it is easy to see how these losses came to be. We have been bombarded nonstop with celebrities enticing you to sign up with their company, and if you do sign up, they will give you anywhere from $250 to $3,300. If the goal was to sign up as many individuals as possible, they succeeded.

According to GeoComply, there were 770,840 accounts set up by individuals who were new to legal online sports betting in the first two weeks a statistic GeoComply says it has never seen in other states.

You could not imagine this type of recruitment this behavior occurring in any other area and receiving so little discussion. Imagine the uproar if we tried to do the same with alcohol promotion. If we advertised and said, If you sign up, we will give you between 250 mL and 3,300 mL in alcohol, which you can consume risk-free, yes, there would be an uproar.

We do not have to guess where this might lead. Granted, we did not see the crack cocaine crisis coming, and did not see the opioid crisis causing so much destruction and loss of life. But we can see this coming.

Some 20, even 10, years ago, if we had known what the opioid crisis would look like in New York, we surely would have taken measures to avoid the epidemic of death and family destruction we are facing today.

I think we can all agree we would have rather invested in prevention educating prescribers and pharmacists, funding law enforcement, developing other solutions to pain management than to be dealing with the aftermath.

We have that opportunity when it comes to sports betting, and I hope that we will consider the outcomes that are potentially facing New Yorkers because of legalization and expansion.

Unlike the crack cocaine and opioid crises, we have the chance to prevent a problem gambling crisis. The time is now to implement a universal prevention program to address this issue. I urge New York state to invest more in educating parents and youth, creating policies that keep the environment safe, and enforcing those policies.

I urge New York state to invest in public awareness campaigns that show the realities and risks of gambling.

I urge all New Yorkers to take problem gambling seriously, and to also know that your voice matters. We need to act if we are going to keep things safe for our children and our grandchildren, and we need both a state and community response to make that happen.

We must address this issue in real time, and not one or two years down the road. The clock is ticking because now that mobile sports betting has started, there are serious discussions regarding the addition of three downstate casino licenses. And right after that will come betting kiosks at racetracks and arenas like Madison Square Garden.

If New Yorkers are going to lose more than a billion dollars a year, we need to invest in preventing problem gambling throughout the state. Currently, there is $6 million from mobile sports betting set aside to address problem gambling, and we know that is not enough. There needs to be an additional $15 million to address this issue.

All of that $21 million is less than 2 percent of total losses.

Jim Maney

The author is executive director of the New York Council on Problem Gambling

Read more:

Online gambling is a problem - The Riverdale Press

It's been just over two months since Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 29, legalizing sports gambling in Ohio. Since then, it's a safe bet that you've asked or heard someone ask this question:

"So, when can I place a bet?"

Adam Suliman can relate. The vice president of Sports & Digital Gaming for JACK Entertainment gets that question a lot and not just from reporters.

"My friends and neighbors certainly ask me frequently, but I've answered them enough that they've left me alone at least for this past weekend, but I'm sure I'll be asked again

this weekend," Suliman said, laughing. "I try to explain to them that this is gambling, and it needs to be regulated, and there are rules that have to be put in place, and this is something that this state has never done before, so we have to do it the right way.

"I think when you put it like that, folks understand. Nobody wants an industry to go out there and not do well, so getting it set up the right way is absolutely what we need for any gambling product."

To that end, this article will answer 10 common questions about sports gambling in Ohio, with help from Suliman; Matthew Schuler, the executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission; and Eric Ramsey, an analyst for the PlayUSA.com network, which includes PlayOhio.com.

1. So, when can I place a bet?

No later than Jan. 1, 2023, but probably not sooner.

When DeWine signed the bill on Dec. 22, there was hope that the rules and regulations could be in place in time for, say, football season or the World Series, but that's not likely, Schuler said.

"As soon as they passed the bill, folks were like, 'Why can't we game?'" Schuler said, laughing. "The Jan. 1, 2023, start date was done by the General Assembly in a very specific way. They had consulted with us and walked through the statutory process, so it was a very deliberate date. It wasn't just picking a convenient date and letting the commission drift into it. We walked through kind of a best-case scenario of what kind of time would be needed to meet the statutory requirements, and they set the date."

The bill actually passed Ohio's General Assembly on Dec. 8. Had it passed sometime later, the start date would have been 12 months later, Schuler said.

2. Where will I be able to place a bet?

Lots and lots of places, with Ohio state Sen. Kirk Schuring calling it the "most comprehensive sports gaming law in the U.S." The bill allows for 25 Class A licenses, which are for mobile and online operators; 40 Class B licenses for brick-and-mortar locations such as sportsbooks; and 20 Class C licenses, which are for self-service kiosks like the lottery terminals you see in bars.

"It's probably the best set of sports betting policies in the country," Ramsey said. "Ohio is on a really, really firm foundation."

3. What will I be able to bet on?

Lots and lots of sports. The NFL and the NCAA men's basketball tournament are the two big ones, but Ohio will allow bets on everything from pro sports to college sports to the Olympics to esports.

"What we're seeing in the United States and other countries around the world who have experienced this long before us is that sports betting is not as seasonal as it once was," Suliman said. "The amount of wagering that has taken place on the NBA this past season has rivaled the NFL. And a big part of that is the product offering that is available now versus 10 years (ago) in the United States. In a mobile and online environment, it's very easy to show customers what's available. We have statistics that explain the market that they're betting on.

"So if you're talking about tennis, for example, not a lot of folks would know the participants, but we can give them enough information about the participants that they can feel confident about the wager that they're placing."

4. What should I know about the rules and regulations process?

OK, you probably didn't actually ask this question, but it's still an important one.

Ohio has a business-friendly process that allows for input from the stakeholders, Schuler said. Once a rule is approved by the OCCC at a public meeting, it then goes to the Common Sense Initiative headed by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and then the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review.

The stakeholders and in the case of sports gambling, Ohio has more than 300 have two weeks to give responses before the OCCC then reviews them. The OCCC allows for two rounds of responses before approving them at a public meeting.

From the time it leaves the OCCC to the time the rule comes back to the OCCC for its final filing, it takes about six months, Schuler said. The OCCC sends out these rules in batches, with the first batch for sports gambling going out on Dec. 27.

"There's a lot to be done and it could probably be done quicker, but it's hard to fault Ohio for wanting to make sure all the 'i's' are dotted and 't's' are crossed," Ramsey said. "This is an industry that's going to be around for decades, so it's important to get it right."

5. How will most people place their bets?

About 80% to 90% will be online, with the majority of those on mobile phones.

Case in point: In November 2021, close to 95% of all bets placed in Michigan were made online, up from 76.3% in January of that year. In Pennsylvania, online bets make up more than 92% of the handle, while Indiana and New Jersey (both 91%) show similar numbers.

6. Who will be the major players?

FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM control about 75% of the market, with those three companies referred to as the Big 3 in sports gambling.

FanDuel and DraftKings got a leg up by first offering fantasy sports gambling, while MGM and Caesars (the fourth-biggest brand) are well-known due to their casinos.

7. How big will this business get in Ohio?

Estimates vary, but PlayOhio.com is bullish, believing it will generate between $9 billion and $12 billion in bets as soon as the market's third year, which would produce between $700 million and $900 million in gross revenue each year.

Suliman expects something more than $500 million gross revenue when the market matures.

"I don't know if it will crack the top five (nationally), but you can probably put it in the top 10," he said. "There's a lot of people in the state. A lot of sports fans."

8. How much tax revenue will Ohio get?

Not as much as you might think. The bill taxes net revenues at 10%, with 98% of the money going toward public and private schools and 2% for problem gambling programs. The legislature's researchers expect betting to deliver about $20 million in new tax revenues, and $10 million in licensing fees the first year.

"Broadly speaking and this is something we're slowly learning in the U.S. sports betting is not a big tax generator," Ramsey said. "There's no path to generating budget-changing tax revenue in Ohio. At most, you're talking maybe $100 million in new tax revenue, which isn't Earth-shattering. If I have a small bone to pick with the policy, it's that they could have gotten away with a higher tax rate without ruffling any feathers."

9. Who has been active so far?

Among local sports teams, the Cavaliers have been the most aggressive. They've already signed deals with Fubo Gaming and Caesars, with the latter partnering with the team on a 10,000-square-foot sportsbook that will be built inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The JACK Cleveland Casino and JACK Thistledown Racino will both offer Las Vegas-style sportsbooks at their locations, as well as online betting.

The key, Suliman said, is right-sizing those sportsbooks. Las Vegas-style doesn't mean Las Vegas-size.

As the saying goes, you don't build your church for Easter Sunday.

"It's a balancing act, for sure," Suliman said. "We have a great design and construction team here, and they've spent a ton of time traveling all over the country and trying to pull best practices from those regional markets. We feel like we've honed it in. It's not going to be a superbook like what you see in Las Vegas because if we did that, it would be empty a lot of time or feel empty even if you have 100 people in there. For us, it's about finding that balance."

Since so much betting will be mobile, companies like JACK Entertainment view the retail sportsbooks as something that complements the other betting options such as table games and slots, Suliman said.

"Now we have something else for customers to enjoy," he said. "Those game days, the NFL Sundays when the Browns are playing, those sportsbooks are going to be jammed. So for us, it's about how do you program (those) retail sportsbooks on those days when it's not obviously going to packed and still make it fun and exciting, and I think there's a lot of great ways to do that."

10. What are the odds on the Browns winning the Super Bowl?

That depends. Do you mean next season or in your lifetime?

If it's next season, the Browns are +3000 to win the Super Bowl, meaning you'd win $3,000 on a $100 bet.

If it's your lifetime, well, as Browns reporter Tony Grossi likes to say, "Smoker or nonsmoker?"

View original post here:

Wanna bet? Answers to 10 key questions about sports gambling in Ohio - Crain's Cleveland Business

Jordan Lea was 14 when he started gambling.

There were spells where he stopped, but also spells where he was travelling from Colwyn Bay to Manchester to spend thousands of pounds on poker in casinos, spending days there at a time.

Jordan borrowed so much money, if he wasn't in the casino he avoided leaving his home for fear of bumping into someone he owed money to. He spent inheritance he had been given on the poker tables and even committed fraud.

For that, he found himself sat in the cells of a crown court waiting to be told if, like the convicted rapist next to him, he would be sent to prison.

He seriously contemplated suicide more than once. In the three years between being arrested and finding himself in court awaiting his sentence, he was so adamant he would be jailed, and planned to take his own life, he went on a self-destructive gambling streak.

His longest ever spell in casino, five days fuelled by Class A drugs and caffeine. On the fourth day he ran out of money so he listed his phone, laptop and tablet on Gumtree while he was in the casino, with the buyer coming to meet him there to give him cash. The following day when he broke down in tears outside, having been challenged by staff who were concerned by his behaviour, he did so because he planned, not for the first time, on taking his life on his way home.

Read more: New campaigns aim to highlight the issue of gambling addiction

Since then his life has changed more than he can fathom. Now 34, he has been in recovery for four years and has set up Deal Me Out, a charitable enterprise, to help others. It is so successful he has just been shortlisted for a national St David Award.

In 2005, when a Year 10 student Jordan moved to Mold from Colwyn Bay and began playing online games, spending 12 hours a day on them. PC Games, like Runescape or Counter-Strike.

"I was buying the in-game currency with real money, and then I was depositing that on to gambling websites specifically designed for that game and then gambling with that money on roulette or blackjack on those websites. That was at 14 or 15 on black market, unregulated websites.

"I probably had a gambling addiction at 14 or 15 really, but it was disguised under gaming. Then I went on to find the real crack cocaine of gambling, which is online.

"I had a very big win, when I won 7,000 on Deal or No Deal, the first time I'd ever really done that. It was Christmas Eve and I was at my mum's house. I was probably been 18 or 19 and I was on Facebook, which would be reasonably new (at the time). I saw an advert and I clicked on it and went on it and deposited, let's say 100, and won 7,000."

"I withdrew it but what I hadn't realised is that you can reverse your withdrawals. So that 7,000 never actually went to me."

In the morning he reversed 1,000 of it, thinking 6,000 was still a huge sum. Soon it had all gone. Then he stopped playing for some time, the odd football bet but he says it was "reasonably safe".

"I wasn't very good mental state at that point. Then I found poker, which was always my kryptonite really. I played very high stakes for a long time made quite a bit of money for long time at casinos. I very rarely played online.

"I was very depressed, I'd been through relationship breakdowns and I was actually internally very depressed and what had actually happened is I'd created kind of a fake persona, I suppose because the staff don't know who I am. They just know me as some kind of pretty wealthy, good poker player and actually, as a matter of fact, I was a hotel worker, not even working full time."

There was, clearly, a difference between his earnings and spending and he committed a criminal offence of fraud in 2013, which took three years to end up in court. After his arrest he was warned he faced a prison sentence, so while he waited for that, his gambling went "way out of control".

During that time, he would travel to Manchester from Colwyn Bay to the casino. He didn't drive, so often a friend would drive him or he'd occasionally take the train.

He would spend days at a time in the casino, his longest spell was five days. How he did it, he now admits he "honestly doesn't know".

Cocaine, Coca-Cola and coffee were all involved to ensure he could stay awake. As he was a big spender, food was brought to him but of course, the lack of sleep had an impact on his ability to play.

"Probably 60% of the time I would win playing poker that was the I was playing quite high stakes. Generally I would bring about 2,000 or 3,000 of cash with me, sometimes more, sometimes less. I did get some inheritance as well. So I would always bring large amounts with me and I was never going to leave until it all gone.

"I'd never going to think 'I'm going to be out for five days', but it just transpired that way. The card room is always open 24 hours on weekends and bank holidays, so if there was a day where there was no broker on in the day so I just went upstairs and played on roulette but I did run out of money on day four.

"So what I did is I put my phone, my laptop and my tablet on Gumtree and someone actually came into the casino paid for the cash and and walked away with my stuff."

He said he didn't realise at the time how desperate he was.

"I just wanted that money Gambling addiction in general is escapism and you're trying to escape the pain you're feeling internally but also that you are outwardly showing to other people. So I was obviously causing a lot of harm, I was borrowing a lot of money at this point from parents, friends, anyone anyone really."

Mind Cymru infoline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm. To contact them call 0300 123 3393.

Samaritansoffers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on116 123(in the UK and Republic of Ireland this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).

C.A.L.L. (Community Advice & Listening Line) offers emotional support and information/literature on mental health and related matters to the people of Wales and can be contacted on 0800 132 737 or through the website.

The NHS offers help and advice through its 111 service.

He doesn't remember the excuses he gave, guessing that debts was the most common.

"I didn't really leave the house, so when lockdown came in, I was fully prepared for it because I didn't really leave the house for years. So I was stuck in my bedroom eating maybe 10 packets of crisps and four cans of Coke and nothing else if I was at home.

"I would stay in my room, avoid anyone, avoid my dad. Avoid literally anyone because I probably owed them money but I also did feel a guilt internally and that's not a nice feeling knowing what you've been doing to people. I don't think gambling addicts actually really process emotion and I don't think people actually think that they are doing anything wrong at that point.

"They just think 'I'll get this and I'm going to pay back. I'm going to do some of these nice stuff'. That was what was going through my head -' I'm going to treat everybody and I'm going to pay everyone back' but not not only pay people back but I'm going to really make their lives amazing.

"I don't think you're necessarily thinking that you want to hurt people that doesn't come through your head. With addiction there will always be 'that one big win will sort everything out' - but that that one big will never be enough."

All this was while he was on bail for his fraud offence so he wasn't working. "I was incredibly depressed and Ricky Gervais says it brilliantly in Afterlife, that suicide is a superpower, when it gets too much you can just kill yourself and that's how I viewed my sentencing day. I always assumed when that comes around, I'll just kill myself so it doesn't actually matter."

He had been warned he would face prison and was "fully expecting" it and was on self-destruct mode.

When he got to his sentencing day, he had his bag packed and expected prison. Having heard the facts, the judge sent him down to the cells saying she wanted to consider making the category more serious, warning him of a three year term.

"I don't remember any of the conversation apart from her saying that she wanted to increase the category range which would take me over three years, and I was just in absolute shock because I think on some level I did actually think I was being hard done to. It sounds crazy now, but at that point, I probably felt like I was being hard done to."

When he was in the cells waiting to find out his sentence, he was sitting next to someone who had been sentenced for rape.

"He was screaming and shouting but I just sat there and thought I'm the same level as this person."

The judge gave him a suspended sentence including 300 hours unpaid work. He then didn't gamble for some time.

Looking back, Jordan, now 34, has questions of the wider rehabilitation system, including probation and the police, but says one thing now sticks out for him. "No one had ever really mentioned gambling addiction at any point. That sounds so silly but I still didn't think I had a problem. For me, I was always unlucky so I think I could have done with hearing that. Everyone else knew that, I didn't know myself."

Read next: Social media gambling adverts 'more appealing to children than adults' - research

The first time he admitted he had a problem was in 2018, and it was when he had visited a different casino to his usual.

"They noticed some behavioural changes, which is really good and it's something I have to applaud them for and they took the onus said 'I think you have a gambling problem, can we see your proof of funds?' and I couldn't because I was borrowing the money.

"I broke down outside the casino crying because I was planning on killing myself on the way on the way home. That was because I'd already lost all that money in the casino and so I was now playing with the last, the dregs."

He credits his partner with turning his life around because he didn't want to "put her through the mill".

He had moved to Chester and had a job managing pubs, and was living in a pub, but then lockdown hit so all that stopped and he had to move back in with his dad.

"I had no job I had nothing," he said.

He'd already come up with the idea of Deal Me Out, a Community Interest Company, running some workshops but his pub job was needed to help him pay back his debts. "I needed that consistent form of income but then I got taken away from me and I really started to feel myself in the first weeks of lockdown getting into that really poor frame of mind where I could fall straight back into it. So it was a case of sink or swim and use it for something positive or, or go back to the old".

Deal Me Out started after he himself had tried to access services, but by the time he heard back, the moment had passed. He knew it needed to be immediate.

He uses his experiences, and those of his team to help others. "I have lived experience of gambling addiction and almost all of our team are now too so we've ever struggled in some way with gambling, whether that be, I was a very highly addicted person or some people are of lower harm but equally important.

"I'm not a therapist and I'm not trying to be that but I thought 'what can we do?'.

"So I thought, well, we can go in and speak to young people or anyone who would listen really just to try and not just avoid what I went through but also what others in my life had been through. The affect on others is the real legacy effect of gambling.

"I think if you can take a step back from it, which is so much easier said than done, but if you when you do get that moment of clarity you look back and think of the things you've done and the people you've hurt and impacted, one, it can really hurt and that can take a lot that that in itself can take a lot to move past but also it is something that really puts you on the straight and narrow and you just think 'I am not going to go back to that and I'm not putting them through that".

He wanted a service which was a peer support network.

"In the early days of lockdown I was worried about the pressure cooker of the hours and hours where people weren't able to leave their houses".

Then he watched the clap for NHS staff. "I sat there thinking 'Well, I can't drive. I can't leave the house. I can't help' and people were putting on Facebook 'I've been out and delivered this to these people' and I wanted to do something so I sat down one night and thought and really go hard at this now."

But his gambling has had, and continues to have, an impact. He couldn't get a bank account, until Welsh company Starling allowed him to get one.

He found Twitter an immediate and helpful place to make contact with people in need there and then and he's got involved in campaigns for the Gambling Act review, for example. He started going into schools to give talks and workshops, pandemic-pending.

"The kids really get it. All you have to say is who knows what Bitcoin is, and every single hand in that classroom goes up. When you ask 'who thinks Bitcoin makes loads of millionaires' their hands all go up and people do make money from it but it's so volatile and 70% of the crypto market has come in this year and if you came in this year, you're currently down about 50%.

"Gambling is kind of inherently linked to cryptocurrencies and the metaverse one with the process of buying it in itself, but also there are so many black market crypto websites, which people that game do use because you can actually use you can actually trade your skins, your cosmetic items on games, for things like crypto and then there's also streaming so these websites pay people to stream and then you get all these children watching people gambling, not just 1 or 10p stakes, they're gambling with hundreds of thousands of pounds. It's never a case where people should be gambling thousands pounds, that should never be the case but we've created an atmosphere of just I suppose numbness to money."

The group has attended a round table in the House of Lords about loot boxes. Loot boxes are a video game feature involving a sealed mystery "box" - sometimes earned through playing the game and sometimes paid for with real money - which can be opened for a random collection of in-game items such as weapons or costumes.

A report by researchers at the universities of Plymouth and Wolverhampton, found they are "structurally and psychologically akin to gambling" and that large numbers of children are opening loot boxes.

The UK Government is already considering whether gambling laws should cover such loot boxes, something the House of Lords says should be the case.

Jordan says: "People quite often argue that loot boxes aren't a gambling product and theoretically, they're not labelled that yet but I think it's only a matter of time before that is the case."

Now Deal Me Out has eight full-time staff and it is delivering a national education programme in Wales. It has already delivered to over 10,000 students to young people via teams in Cardiff, the north and the northwest of England.

Jordan, who is the CEO, has recently been shortlisted for a St David Award in the business category and he wants the places Deal Me Out operates to keep growing.

"It feels really surreal because I think you accept that you're a failure. When you're in that addiction you accept that your life's not going to amount to anything. I do still have a bit of an issue with accepting any form of I suppose praise or anything like that," he says, partly due to how he got here and also the guilt of what he has put others through.

"I've been a real idiot for 20 years, there's no getting around that, but that doesn't mean that your life has to be defined by that. You can push forward. Whilst there are always legacy issues, and they're always going to be repercussions for anything you've done in the past, that doesn't have to define the way you move forward," he said.

He still has credit issues which means he can't get a credit card and can't get a mortgage, but he says, he feels "amazing".

"The relationships I have with everybody, my family and my partner are all in the best situation," he says.

"Gambling can never really be safe. It's not something that is inherently safe. It's like smoking, smoking is never safe but smoking once is less likely cause harm so it's harm minimization or reducing gambling harm that's all we are interested in.

"We're not interested in bashing the industry. We want to be part of the regulation which is coming. We also have to respect that a lot of people do gamble and they enjoy it and if they can gamble responsibly, that's great. Everyone says, 'Well, gambling addiction won't affect me, I'm not a gambling addict' - but what about your sister or your daughter or your mum?"

Find out more at Deal Me Out's website.

Excerpt from:

'I started gambling aged 14 and once spent five days straight in a casino' - Wales Online

Many people turned to online gambling during the pandemic. And while a large proportion of us are able to gamble recreationally, without serious negative impact, the pandemic has led to a rise in gambling addictions.

In the UK, for example, weve seen the biggest increase in women seeking help ever. Such addiction can lead to problems with mental health, cognition and relationships, as well as leading to bankruptcy and criminality.

Unlike alcohol and drug addiction, where the symptoms are physically noticeable, gambling addiction creates less obvious signs.

Our new article, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, reviews research on gambling addiction, and makes recommendations about how to best prevent and treat it.

Gambling is a huge problem. According to the most recent estimate from the World Health Organisation, from 2016, players annual global gambling losses were estimated to total US$400 billion (295 billion). In 2021, the UKs Gambling Commission estimated that prevalence of gambling disorder was 0.4% of the population.

Another survey found that the highest rates of problem gambling were in Asia, followed by Australasia and North America, with lower rates in Europe.

Researchers have developed game simulations (which they call tasks) to measure problem gambling, such as the Iowa Gambling Task and the CANTAB Cambridge Gambling Task.

In the latter, which assesses risky decision-making and betting, participants are asked to guess whether a yellow chip is hidden within a blue or red box, with the ratios of blue and red boxes changing over time.

They can then decide how many of their points to bet on their decision.

If they win, they add the points to their total, but if they lose, those points are lost. They are told to be careful not to go bankrupt losing all their points.

This task may be able to detect those gamblers who are at risk of developing a gambling disorder, but may not be there yet particularly if they show signs of being impulsive.

Using such tasks, research has shown that betting, in healthy individuals, is most common in people between the ages of 17 and 27 and declines as we get older.

Another study showed that gamblers with addiction problems tend to increase their betting over time, and end up going bankrupt. Alcohol and nicotine dependency have also been linked to greater betting problems.

The gamblers brain

From neuro-imaging studies, it is clear that there are several brain regions associated with gambling.

Studies have shown that important regions associated with risky decision-making include the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (involved in decision-making, memory and emotion regulation); orbital frontal cortex (which helps the body respond to emotions); and insula (which regulates the autonomic nervous system).

Problem gamblers may therefore have increased activity in these areas.

When gamblers watch the results of their bet, they also show increased brain activation in the reward system of the brain, including the caudate nucleus.

This may be particularly strong in people who are addicted to gambling. Dopamine, a so-called neurotransmitter which helps nerve cells to communicate, is also known to be an important chemical in the brains reward system.

One study also found that problem gamblers showed significantly higher levels of excitement when dopamine was released in their brains compared to healthy people.

Dopamine release seems to reinforce problem gambling through increasing excitement levels, reducing inhibition of risky decisions, or a combination of both.

In addition, the nucleus accumbens, which plays a role in processing reward, has been shown to be involved in risky behaviours in adolescents and adults. This region is rich in dopamine and suggests a further role for dopamine in risky behaviours.

Tackling gambling addiction

Currently, gambling disorder is diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Guidelines for the treatment and management of gambling disorder from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK are also being developed and expected to be published in 2024.

Current treatment options include certain forms of cognitive behavioural therapy (which can help people change their thinking patterns) and self-help groups.

Some medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be effective in reducing aspects of gambling disorder symptoms, such as depression.

We also know that opioid receptors in the brain help it process rewards, and have long been suspected to be drivers of addiction.

We discovered that there is some evidence indicating that a drug called Naltrexone, which blocks opioid receptors, may help some people with gambling disorder. But more research is required before this can become a standard treatment.

There are also things you can do yourself to control your gambling. The NHS Live Well website provides information for services available for problem gamblers.

It offers tips such as paying your bills before you gamble, spending time with friends and family who do not gamble, and dealing with your debts.

Gamblers would also be wise to avoid seeing gambling as a way to make money, stop bottling up their worries about gambling habits and avoid taking out credit cards to pay for gambling.

As with all mental health problems, the key is to get early support and treatment.

This is especially important so that normal rewards, such as spending time with family and enjoying walks and exercise, are still pleasurable and the reward system does not get hijacked by gambling.

For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and dont miss out on the latest updates!

The rest is here:

Gambling: What happens in the brain when we get hooked and how to regain control - The Indian Express

WYOMING The Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee voted to move Senate File 109, Wyoming gaming commission-board member, to the Wyoming Senate floor this week.

The bill would prevent Wyoming Gaming Commission officials and staff from engaging in gaming activities while regulating them, a common industry standard imposed in other states.

Teton County Senator Mike Gierau sits on the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee and voted in favor of the bill.

Ensuring integrity and fairness is critical to the credibility of Wyomings gaming industry, said Laramie County Senator Affie Ellis, who is sponsoring the bill. That integrity is called into question when gaming commissioners are allowed to benefit off the games and activities they regulate.

For decades, gambling was generally prohibited in Wyoming. However, Wyoming established the Pari-Mutuel Commission in 1967 to authorize activities such as live horse racing.

In 2013, the Legislature allowed the commission to regulate the use of gaming machines, often referred to as historic horse racing machines, to find a revenue stream that would help support the continuation of live horse racing. In 2020, the Legislature transformed the Pari-Mutuel Commission into the Gaming Commission and assigned the commission to regulate online sports wagering and skill-based amusement games commonly found in truck stops, bars and restaurants.

The Wyoming Lottery Corporation prohibits its staff and board members from playing any lottery games and the Wyoming Public Service Commission prohibits its commissioners from receiving any financial benefit from a public utility.

The bill will head to the Senate floor for further consideration.

About The Author

Lindsay Vallen is a Community News Reporter covering a little bit of everything; with an interest in politics, wildlife, and amplifying community voices. Originally from the east coast, Lindsay has called Wilson, Wyoming home since 2017. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding, hiking, cooking, and completing the Jackson Hole Daily crosswords.

See the original post:

Gambling regulation bill heads to Senate floor - Buckrail