Category Archives: Gambling

Unlike Hong Kong, Macau has long been nicknamed"the good kid"by Beijing.

It was a playground for high rollers from the mainland, who turned this semi-autonomous port city into the world's richest gambling hub.

Macaulived under the same "one country,two systems"political model asHong Kong, just 62 kilometres away,allowing itto also operate a capitalist system in socialist China.

But the two cities were worlds apart.

While pro-democracy protests raged in Hong Kong in 2019, Macau was praised by Beijing authorities for its "patriotism".

But the arrest of one man signals everything might be about to change for this glittering hub of wealth and chance.

Last November, Macau police detained Alvin Chau, the city's so-called Junket King,aftermainland Chinese police ordered thearrest of the 47-year-old casino tycoon.

He was arrested by local authorities overallegations from China that he ran online gambling operations that involved more than 80,000 mainland gamblers.

The billionaire previously made huge investments in Australiancasinos until he was denied a travel visa to Australia in 2019 over money-laundering allegations.

The crackdown on Mr Chau has decimated Macau's gambling industry, which lost nearly $US5 billion ($6.94 billion) in Hong Kong stocks the day after his arrest.

His arrest also drew international attention to Macau's proposal toreformitscasino system, with all six casino operators to see their licences expirein June.

The proposal, released last Friday, aims atincreasinglocal ownership in casino firmswhile giving a maximum of six licences and banning licence transfers between casinos.

It hasalso sent a strong political message to the sector that, for years,dedicated itsloyalty to Beijing, according to Valarie Tan, a China studies analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies.

"The irony is that China is cracking down on the very industry which has been fundamental to sustain support in Macau for Beijing's rules,"she told ABC News.

"The arrest of Alvin Chau is a very, very strong signal to all the casino operators."

Mr Chau established his gambling empire by controlling the majority of VIP rooms in all Macau casinos.

His casino empire also extends to Japan and South-East Asia.

Mr Chau became known as the Junket King by providingVIP roomservices for high rollers, many of them government officials.

In 2013, almost 70 per cent of Macau's gambling revenues came from VIP room services, according to a report by investment consultancy Goldman Sachs.

But the gambling activities among officials concerned Chinese PresidentXi Jinping, who worried the capital outflow could interfere with his political goal ofcommon prosperity, according to Ms Tan.

"This idea of capital outflow has been defined by Beijing asan avenue for corrupt officials to export, save, cover and protect their illegal income,"said Ms Tan.

"This has been clearly defined in Xi Jinping's common prosperity, that he is coming down hard on officials' great income, illegal income, excessive income."

The General Association of Administrators and Promoters for Macau Gambling Industry has declined interview requests from ABC News.

But the association's president,Tony Kwok Chi-chung, told aHong Kong outlet that the arrest of Mr Chau would have "significant impacts"on the city's gambling industry, describing itsVIP services as "the leading sector".

Jasper Lio, sociologist and co-founder of Macaology, said Beijings crackdown on Mr Chau showed that like Hong Kong, Macau is now on a shorter leash.

"Since Xi Jinping took over, Beijing has placed national security at a higher place, and both Macau and Hong Kong are included in this consideration,"he said.

Macau depends on gambling for its survival.

In the first quarter of 2021, despite the impact of COVID-19, gambling contributed to 41.8 per cent of Macau's GDP, with every one in sevenresidents working in the sector, according to the Monetary Authority of Macau.

"We have a saying that there are only two types of jobs available to young people in Macau: Either work for the government or casinos,"Sunny Au Kam San, a veteran localpolitician, told ABC News.

The history of gambling can be traced back to the 19th centurywhen the colonial Portuguese rulers made it legal so that theycould collect taxes from casinos.

Mr Au said the lack of resources in Macau made gambling the city's primary source of income.

"When Macauwas handed over, Beijing also understood the reality and therefore allowed Macauto continue operating casinos."

Beijing also initially saw Macau's casinosas an opportunity to demonstrate its democratic system, according to Jasper Lio.

The core value of 'one country, two systems'is to remain within the existing system of the two cities,"said Mr Lio.

"In the case of Macao, it means the gambling sector will not only be maintainedbut also get better under Beijing's watch."

One way Beijing builds its connection to casinos is to open up the massive Chinese tourist market to them by making Macaothe only city where it islegal to gamble.

Today, like Australia, Macau's tourism heavily relies on the mainland Chinese market, with around 70 per cent of its 27.9 million visitors coming from the mainland in 2019.

When other countries shut their borders during the pandemic, mainland Chinese visitors consisted of 92 per cent of Macaus tourism market, according to Glenn McCartney, associate professor in integrated resorts and tourism management at the University of Macau.

"If you look at the numbers of half a million visitors per month, it's all from China,"saidMcCartney.

The heavy reliance on tourism specifically, gambling has put Macau into crisis during the pandemic, with its GDP dropping 56.3 per cent in 2020.

But for Beijing, the push forMacauto reduce its reliance on gambling is inevitable.

In 2021,Beijinglaunched a plan to diversify Macau's economy by asking both Macau and nearby Guangdongto invest in Hengqin, an area right between the two governance zones.

As Macau's reform on the casino system is on the way, that means new players may enter the market, and the three US resort companies and three Chinese-owned operators could lose their seats at the table.

Despite nerves within the industry, Dr McCartney said he was positive toward the potential reform of the casino licensing system.

"It will bring stability,"he said.

"One of the issues we've seen and also from Beijing authorities is that stability is very important in Macau."

As well as reigning in its economic reliance on a handful of high rollers,Beijing also undertook a political crackdown in Macau.

Last year, it banned the city'svigil assembly for the Tiananmen Massacre. It also forbid 21 pro-democracy candidates from running the legislative council election in September.

This coincided with China's implementation of a controversialnational security law in Hong Kong.

Sunny Au Kam San, the co-organiser of Macaus Tiananmen vigil and former council legislator, said that for years, Macau's pro-democracy group was so small that it posed little threat to the pro-Beijing camp.

"Allowing the pro-democracy group to run for elections at least could be symbolic and shows that Macau is undertaking 'one country, two systems',"said Mr Au.

"This move just makes people feel that even in Macau, the 'One Country, Two Systems'is fake."

Thearrest of Alvin Chau could just be the beginning for Macau, according to analyst Valarie Tan.

She said in the case of Hong Kong, Beijing overrantraditional pillars that heldup Hong Kong society, including press freedom and independent judiciary.

She said a similar crackdown could be implemented on the other side of the Pearl River mouth.

"We should pay attention to Macau to see how this will play out," she said.

"Macau has always been pro-Beijing and has always been a good boy. But will this trigger something else?"

See the original post:

Macau used to be China's 'good kid', but as Beijing turns on its gambling industry, everything might change - ABC News

For years, Dane Carroll would drive an hour or more from his Suffolk County home to New Jersey to make his NFL bets on the weekend. So like a lot of New York sports bettors, he was ready to pounce when online sports gambling went live in New York on Jan. 8.

Carroll wanted to take advantage of all the promotions operators were offering to round up customers at launch, so he downloaded the apps and signed up with FanDuel, DraftKings, BetRivers and Caesars, the first four companies to go live in New York.

One of those names had a particular appeal.

Id been to Vegas a few times. Caesars had the name recognition, so Im thinking, OK, I can capitalize on that. Carroll said.

Right away, however, Carroll began noticing issues with Caesars app. He saw that his telephone number was off by one digit in his profile, but when he went to change it, the app only gave him the option to change his e-mail address. He switched to the desktop version, but had the same problem. He tried different browsers, but again, there was no resolution.

These experiences sent Carroll down a frustrating rabbit hole of customer-service queries, none of which solved his problem. When he finally tracked down a customer-service number from New Jersey Caesars, of all places the voice on the line said the call center was closed, even though it was during listed business hours.

Then he heard a click. Every time he called, he got the same message and was hung up on.

But Carrolls greatest frustration came when he went to withdraw $300 of his initial $800 deposit plus winnings from a few football games. He requested a withdrawal on Jan. 16, but it stayed in the pending stage on his app for four days, with the money finally hitting his bank account Thursday. He said each of the three other apps he used got him his money in less than 24 hours.

Now, he said, hell drain his remaining balance with Caesars, however long that takes, then delete the app.

What theyre doing is borderline criminal, Carroll said.

Carrolls frustrating experience was among scores of complaints from New York bettors who have found Caesars betting app to be problematic. Among other problems, the app simply crashed for three hours on opening night, a glitch the company attributed to massive volume.

One bettor tried to use the apps live chat feature and found that his wait time was going to be considerable:

Matt Tonn, the New York City resident who emailed that screen shot to Jill Dorson after her initial Sports Handle story on the Caesars glitches, said he did eventually get his app working correctly and finally got an emailed response from Caesars.

Good news two weeks later :), Tonn said in an email.

Caesars early problems in the Empire State have reached the desks of elected officials. Sen. Joe Addabbo, the chairman of the committee on racing, gaming and wagering, said Caesars could simply watch the New York market pass it by like a freight train if it doesnt fix its technical issues soon.

I understand [bettors] frustration. What are they asking for? Answers. And the lack of response back, the lack of dialogue from Caesars, adds to the frustration, Addabbo said. We know this is not a small town were talking about. Its New York City and the state of New York. You know these are savvy sports betters with now this huge volume and youre Caesars. Youve got to be ready to handle that. I see all these commercials. Theyre not a rookie in the industry. What are you doing? I shake my head. Youve got to be kidding me.

As of publication time, Caesars had not responded to queries from Sports Handle about the snafus in New York. Caesars CEO Thomas Reeg told CNBCs Squawk Box that the sportsbook took 1 million bets in the first 39 hours of launch, which was nine times the volume of the previous state it opened in, Arizona.

When you have massive demand, thats when you see pinch points in your system, Reeg said before apologizing to New York bettors and adding, We will be better going forward and well improve with every weekend.

Without answers from Caesars, its impossible to know why their server crashed or why so many players have reported technical issues with the app. But one culprit could be the April acquisition of London-based William Hill, which included Hills Liberty Platform, the system that now powers all of Caesars various state wagering apps. Was the platform simply too small for the volume New York produced?

Its too soon to tell where that pinch point was exactly, but with the NFL playoffs moving swiftly along, Caesars may have already missed its only opportunity to make a good first impression in New York.

UPDATE: Shortly after publication of our story, Caesars issued the following statement:

Our customers are of the utmost importance to us and we apologize for any inconvenience theyve experienced since our launch in the Empire State. New Yorkers have tremendous passion for sports and the state operates on an unprecedented scale all its own. That scale has exposed issues in our platform and weve made numerous updates every day since launch to improve the customer experience. Additionally, we are continuing to increase our customer service capacity to ensure we can respond more quickly. Were committed to the state of New York for the long haul and want to assure every customer that we appreciate their feedback and are working to rectify these issues as quickly as we can.

Photo: Shutterstock

More here:

Caesars Draws Ire of New York Gamblers After Weeks Of Glitches And Little Dialogue - Sports Handle

Banking app Revolut is to block credit card payments to gambling sites in Ireland, the Irish Independent can reveal.

he move follows this newspapers investigation showing that betting firms here are profiting from credit card payments made through contactless apps such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Revolut.

Direct credit card betting is banned in Ireland under industry rules.

Revolut is planning to block the use of credit card funds on gambling sites in Ireland, in the same way that we do in the UK, a spokesperson for the payments firm told the Irish Independent.

This is in addition to the 48-hour gambling block that all users can currently activate themselves.

Revolut, which has 1.5 million users in Ireland, can be funded through either a credit card, bank withdrawal or debit card.

It has developed technology that can identify Revolut payments drawn specifically from credit cards and stop them being used for gambling sites.

The company currently uses this system to separate debit and credit cards for gambling sites in the UK, where credit card payments are banned under penalty of fines.

Betting firms currently describe credit card payments through Revolut and Apple Pay in Ireland as a loophole that isnt available to them in the UK.

They say that betting companies have no visibility of the breakdown in debit or credit card payments from Revolut bets.

The Irish Bookmakers Association, which oversees Irelands voluntary Safer Gambling Code, told the Irish Independent that the betting firms had not technically broken the credit card gambling rules.

A spokesperson for Junior Justice Minister James Browne, who is overseeing the Governments plans to introduce a gambling regulator in Ireland, told the Irish Independent that credit card betting through apps is outside the remit of the minister.

He said that the matter was one for the Irish Bookmakers Association. The ministers spokesperson added that the proposed new gambling regulator will have discretion to prohibit the use of credit cards where it is of the opinion that the use of that form of payment contributes to problematic gambling and behaviours.

A spokesperson for Irelands largest bookmaker, Paddy Power, said it was unknown how much the firm would lose as a result of the move, as the company does not know which payments from Revolut come from credit cards.

Online gambling is now a central part of betting firms income, rising from 26pc to 39pc of the multi-billion euro industry here, according to a recent report into the sector. Almost half of online bets are made from phones, with the firms investing heavily in their apps.

The number of gamblers suffering from addiction is way higher than the 30,000 to 40,000 cited in official estimates, according to Barry Grant, the CEO and founder of Problem Gambling Ireland and a counsellor in the area.

Its possibly up to three times that figure, he said. Credit card betting is a massive issue.

Last week, the Irish Independent revealed that another betting app, LiveScore Bet, was refusing to delete betting accounts on request. The company now exclusively streams hundreds of European football matches within its app.

Excerpt from:

Revolut app to block credit card payments to gambling websites - Independent.ie

PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Friday said an amended legislation to ban online gambling was the only solution, and urged the State government to bring in an ordinance immediately and pass a legislation in the next Assembly session in March.

In a statement, he welcomed Chief Minister M K Stalins announcement in the Assembly that the State government would soon put an end to online gambling, but pointed out that the current approach wouldnt fetch the desired results.

The Chief Minister has said the State government has gone on appeal in the Supreme Court against a Madras High Court order quashing the law enacted to ban online gambling by the previous AIADMK regime, and the hearing is going on, and soon they will put an end to online gambling, Mr. Ramadoss said. However, he said history shows that Supreme Court verdict wont put a full stop to online gambling.

A lot of State governments have enacted laws against online gambling and on appeals in at least in 7 cases, the Supreme Court has ruled that such laws are invalid. Even in 2016, Supreme Court has ruled against the Tamil Nadu government on the issue, Mr. Ramadoss said.

The main reason is that the Supreme Court has accepted the argument that it is a game of skill. The enactment passed by the Tamil Nadu government last year banning online gambling did not have strong points to prove that these are games of chance and not games of skill, he said.

There have been no signs of the Supreme Court taking the appeal for hearing. Till such time as a judgement is passed, we cannot allow people to lose money and end their lives by suicide, Mr. Ramadoss said while calling for the amended legislation.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the States health helpline 104 and Snehas suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)

See the rest here:

Amended legislation is the only solution to ban online gambling, says Ramadoss - The Hindu

Navigating the final week of the NFL regular season is always one of the most difficult things as a gambler. Understanding all of the playoff implications and scenarios, along with whos in and whos resting, makes the final week chaotic and complicating. Surely, we are going to see some unsuspecting names score touchdowns today. Then, of course, we have to consider the incentives. Players have incentives baked into their deals with bonuses they can receive for reaching certain statistical markers.

With that said, there are a few potential advantageous situations. Get sportsbook apps and thumbs ready. Lets make this a profitable final week of the season.

Although the Falcons are eliminated from the playoffs and playing a meaningless game, its not useless for everyone. Pitts has had a remarkable rookie season. Last week, he became the only rookie tight end in NFL history with at least 60 receptions and 900 receiving yards. With one game left in the balance, Pitts has a chance to break Mike Ditkas record set in 1961 for most receiving yards by a rookie tight end. He needs 59 yards. Iron Mike achieved the feat in only 14 games, but this is still noteworthy and a tremendous accomplishment.

DraftKings is running a promotional prop where Pitts must only reach his needed yardage to cash the ticket. However, I will also be playing the over on his normal receiving yardage prop up to 64.5 for a better payout with less juice attached. Additionally, I would consider placing a wager on Pitts to score an anytime touchdown.

Starting with the matchup, the New York Giants have allowed over 49 receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends this season. Bates has established himself as the number one tight end option for the Washington Football team over the last few weeks. Hes gone over this number in four of his last five games, including each of the last three.

Ready for another incentive? Lockett needs two touchdowns to get a $1.2 million incentivized bonus. The Arizona Cardinals have a solid secondary, but Lockett was able to catch four passes for 115 yards the last time these two teams met. Lockett also had a huge game in Week 17 last year, catching 12 passes for 90 yards and two scores.

Im willing to sprinkle a little money on him scoring an anytime touchdown as well, but I think Russell Wilson will pepper him with targets today.

Stefon Diggs Over 70.5 Receiving Yards (-110)

Rob Gronkowski Anytime Touchdown (+110)

Cole Kmet Over 30.5 Receiving Yards (-110)

Follow @OnTapBets on Twitter for additional plays and gambling commentary!

RELATED: Illinois Mobile Sports Betting Registration Returns March 5, 2022

Follow On Tap Sports Net on social media!

See the article here:

NFL Week 18 Prop Bets: Navigating Inactives, Incentives, and More - On Tap Sports Net

Security camera image of the robber.09-01-2022Policia Nacional

A 45-year-old man has been arrested by the National Police after robbing the same gambling salon on C. Aragon in Palma on three occasions over the course of one week.

The first of the robberies, which were with violence as he threatened employees with a knife, was on New Year's Eve at around 4am. A female employee was intimidated into opening the safe.

The other two robberies were at roughly the same time in the morning. On the second occasion, the door to the premises was closed - this was as a result of the first robbery. But he managed to get in. An employee took refuge in a room and called for help while he stole from the cash register.

The final robbery was on January 6. This time, employees ran into the street. He took money from the cash register but dropped some of it when he was chased.

At 2am on Friday, he was arrested. A search found two knives, among other items.

See original here:

Arrested after robbing gambling salon three times in a week - Majorca Daily Bulletin

A former government minister said on Sunday that Israel was on the verge of a "catastrophe" in the wake of rising COVID-19 infections and was taking an "insane" gamble with the lives of children by not implementing stricter health control measures.

Yuval Steinitz, a former energy minister for opposition faction Likud, told Ynet that the government's argument against enacting a lockdown for fear of economic instability is flawed since the economy would also suffer any in case the country's hospitals are overwhelmed with patients.

Israel on Sunday logged more than 17,000 new cases of coronavirus and has seen a substantial rise in serious morbidity and hospitalizations.

"These experts assume that the Omicron variant causes a less severe illness, because it does not embed itself in the lungs, and may not cause long-COVID," Steinitz told Ynet.

"But there is no foundation to support this assumption and there may be millions infected," he said.

"Even if there are fewer seriously ill patients than in previous waves, there will be hundreds of thousands of teenagers with long-term health issues. The experts assume that this will be a short wave that will peak quickly and drop off to let us resume our lives, or that there will be herd immunity," Steinitz said.

He said there is no scientific proof to support assumptions that once someone is infected by Omicron, he or she will not be protected from getting re-infected within months.

Steinitz warned of another covert assumption held by ministry experts that Omicron will push the Delta variant away, thereby leading to fewer hospitalizations.

"Once again there is no scientific data supporting such an assumption and the fact that the public is not restricted in any way and that PCR testing is less available could result in more patients unaware of their illness, and we will see more of both variants causing morbidity."

The member of the Opposition called to implement a "flexible" lockdown. "We have to reduce contagion immediately before catastrophe strikes," he said adding that there must be legislation requiring Israelis to vaccinate.

"Even if there is no enforcement of such a law, it will increase vaccination rates considerably," he said.

Steinitz also said some schools must be shut down to reduce mass contagion and the risk to children.

5

A child receives the coronavirus vaccine in a school in northern Israel last week

(Photo: Efi Sharir)

"Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton foiled efforts to vaccinate children en masse, unfortunately, but kindergartens and elementary schools - at least - should shut down," he said. "There is not one classroom without an infected. Some are asymptomatic so they will surely infect others who are not vaccinated," he said.

Steinitz referred to data from the United States, showing a rise in serious illness and death, among children.

"One out of 10 kids infected with coronavirus will suffer from long-COVID, which means one hundred thousand kids with long-term health problems - if we see a million infections. On the one hand, the government refuses to legislate compulsory vaccines and on the other, it sends kids into highly infectious classrooms after failing to convince parents of the need for pediatric vaccines," he said.

"Israel is lagging behind in vaccination rates after leading the world," Steinitz said. "I see other countries such as Britain and the U.S. who have given up, but I also see countries such as Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Austria who had succeeded in achieving higher rates of vaccination."

Steinitz said the public would comply with the government even if it decides on unpopular steps. "Raising a white flag means millions of infections, unknown deaths and long-COVID cases," he said.

Steinitz bashed the coalition of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, claiming the premier had no power to impose his authority because he only had six Knesset seats to back him.

"I call on the prime minister to ignore politics and save the country," he said.

Read the original here:

'Israel gambling with children's lives, on verge of COVID catastrophe' - Ynetnews

Published: 12/31/2021 11:21:19 AM

Modified: 12/31/2021 11:20:51 AM

As I try to make sense of big bombshells and small tidbits of news with friends, I find myself regularly repeating one sentence, with a figurative shrug of my shoulders: Its a different world now. But what does that really mean? Although the multitude of large and small issues add up to a whole that is sometimes unrecognizable, I find specific issues more instructive than a generalized world.

Three unrelated changes quickly came to mind, all considered morally unacceptable by many just a few decades ago. Respected sports figures now talk about the betting odds on a game or various prop bets (over or under a predicted point total, who will score first, what color shoes a star will wear, etc.). As beloved Big Papi flamboyantly throws cash in the air to show how easy it is to win, I recall the time when gambling was strictly limited to illicit bookies, neighborhood numbers games, and the major, Mob-controlled casinos.

Today, 44 states have casinos, and a growing number allow sports betting and online gambling. Theres even one local radio ad that promotes the feeling of having skin in the game to fuel interest in a bad college football game (such as UConn or UMass vs. nearly anyone) when a person has no other rooting interest.

Marijuana laws have turned upside down as well. Smoking or ingesting weed or ganja was a risky activity for most of my life. Possession of even a small amount could bring a felony charge, prison sentence, reduced job prospects and more. At the same time, the risk factor enhanced the impulse to get high as a statement against ... our repressive culture? ... a multitude of authority figures? ... the reefer madness propaganda backed by church and government groups? Regardless, 91% of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use, or both.

Im unsure about the long-term effects of both of these changes. Im not passionate about either: I essentially have no skin in the game in either case. Certainly, its nice to be rid of the Draconian sentencing for marijuana use and the common racial inequality involved.

I try to stay away from what-aboutism, which relies on changing the subject of a debate and suggests that any criticism of an idea is unjust because no person or movement is perfect and blameless. (Its been a favorite rhetorical dodge used by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in defending political assassinations, violations of civil rights, and more.)

For example, there are certainly possible long-term problems with excessive gambling and marijuana use. A what-about argument asks But what about alcohol? Its responsible for more deaths, mental and physical health problems, etc. than gambling or marijuana. But adding another possible harm to our society doesnt address the harm of alcohol abuse or any possibilities connected with gambling or marijuana.

The better question for the two issues is Do the rewards outweigh the risks? I think they do, and Ive seen that repression didnt yield the desired resulteradication of a perceived vice. But its certain that these blobs of toothpaste arent going back in the tube now that theyve been squeezed out, especially since both are heavily-taxed, multi-billion-dollar industries that state and local governments depend on for needed revenue.

One change I find wonderfully positive is that 90% of college dorms are now coed, compared to the single-sex restrictions (and accompanying punishments and elaborate evasions) in colleges before the 1980s. (I apologize for choosing alliteration over the preferred form of address in the title, but I was a boy in a dorm and wished there were girls.) Today, I watch young men and women interact easily in situations that years ago might be fraught with sexual tension: they are comfortable hanging out together in their pajamas, accept sharing bathrooms, and reject the idea that every routine encounter must have sexual overtones. I believe they are much more capable of being pals, buddies, confidants, true friends with the opposite sex than we ever were, not to mention their ability to accept non-traditional gender roles and identifications.

Its a different world now, and I regularly wonder how it will turn out. Cultural change has given rise to dire predictions for centuries, from Aristotle to Bye Bye Birdie, which asked Whats wrong with kids today? in 1963. But Im happy to report that our resilient human spirit has prevailed, and we have an incredibly rich, creative, and complicated world around us.

Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era crime novel The Sword and Scabbard, and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.

Excerpt from:

The World Keeps Turning by Columnist Allen Woods: Gambling, ganja, and girls in the dorms - The Recorder

Former England star Paul Merson says he slipped back into gambling when he thought Covid rules had ended his TV pundit career.

The ex-Arsenal player, 53, said he was convinced he would lose his Sky Sports job when football matches were banned early in the pandemic.

1

The dad of eight said: I got hooked on the news in lockdown.

"My brain was telling me, Im not going to work again. Theres not going to be another Soccer Saturday.

The addict in me was, What am I going to do for a job?. I got scared.

In October, the Sun told how wife Kate gives him only a cash allowance after he gambled away their house deposit in his lockdown relapse.

He says he has not placed a bet since.

View original post here:

Paul Merson slipped back into gambling because he thought he would lose job on Sky Sports... - The US Sun

(Google)

A nearly $7 million townhouse in Murray Hill has been turned into a members only club by squatters hosting prostitution, poker games and after-hours parties, according to published reports.

The New York Post says neighbors have been complaining about crowds, pot smoke and loud music emanating from the five-bedroom apartment in the East 36th Street building just off Park Avenue for more than a year.

And a man who lives in the buildings other apartment said he caught a half-naked stranger walking into his apartment on video.

Legal papers allege the problems started when tennant Patricia Taub sublet the $16,000-month, 3,000 square-foot apartment back in November of 2020.

Shortly thereafter, partiers started forming lines outside the building to get in, with one 311 call claiming two men were acting as bouncers to control the crowds.

Once inside, all bets are on, with complaints to the Department of Buildings alleging the premises are use to host illegal poker games to host sex trafficking and prostitution activities, and to hold illegal after-hours parties, the newspaper reports.

Videos on Instagream promoting parties at the home spotlight a poker table in the apartment along with black-painted walls.

Another social media post claimed a poker game held at the apartment would require a $1,000 minimum to play, with drinks and talent on site.

Legal papers allege Kenyatti Adams has lived in the apartment since April 2021. He admitted in court papers that he is a poker player but denied taking part in any illegal activities. The newspaper says he still lives in the Home, but is not paying rent due to a Covid-19 hardship.

A lawyer for Adams told the publication he was not a squatter, had paid rent in the past, and wasnt involved in any illgal activities.

But lawyer Victor Feraru, who represents the apartments owner, Mitch Spaiser, said Adams was taking advantage of the system.

This is a case of the most egregious abuse of New Yorks tenant protection laws being wrongfully used by bad actors to manipulate and take advantage of the system at the expense of the owners, he told the publication.

[New York Post] Vince DiMiceli

Contact Vince DiMiceli

Go here to see the original:

Suit: Murray Hill townhouse home to gambling, prostitution - The Real Deal