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Showing posts with label Super Bowl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Bowl. Show all posts
Thursday, February 17, 2022
What you should know about the national headlines our members made last week
Sunday, February 1, 2015
SORRY. NO BREAD OR CIRCUSES TODAY
SORRY. NO BREAD OR CIRCUSES TODAY
January 31, 2015
Graphic shows Citigroup draft wording and then actual wording that ended up mysteriously in the final spending bill. Courtesy David Johnson and SmirkingChimp.
Chronicle News & Opinion
(MONROE, WA.) -- You might have noticed that much if not most of the national and local news media has been hard at work of late feeding you copious amounts of bread and circuses mostly in the form of an infinitely long strand of meaningless trivia having to do with "deflated footballs" and who'll be eating what for snacks during the Super Bowl game.
Seeing this day after day some Americans, perhaps those who possess an IQ slightly above room temperature might be tempted to give in to the ongoing conspiracy theory that this is not an accident; it is a calculated plan of the corporate media elite to keep working class Americans stupid, happy and drooling at high noon on Main Street with that thousand-mile stare in their eyes.
You know. The patented Alfred E. Neumnan look replete with the goofy grin.
"What? Me worry?"
The "elite" in total being comprised mainly (it appears) of large, corporately owned media now firmly in bed with lawmakers who are now virtually (if not outright) owned by huge corporations, the Wall Street investment banks and billionaires -- all the people and entities your lawmaker needs to be reelected.
And, as you well know there is no need more pressing than a lawmaker being reelected.
How else, some ask, other than a grand conspiracy to explain the sheer tonnage of stories about deflated footballs and $7500 Super Bowl tickets when the mass media told you so little of how you and your family were sold down the river last month by your elected leaders in a move that may cost you dearly during the next Wall Street ignited Second Great Recession meltdown?
And there will be another one because your lawmakers unlocked for Wall Street the only door that had been separating the Street from gambling with your money as it did during the wild, crazy days of insane (and ultimately worthless) "derivatives" that sparked the Great Recession and virtually sank the American economy.
Did you enjoy losing your job/and or business and/or home during that time? Still haven't quite recovered you say?
Well, don't get too comfy attempting to crawl back up that ladder of middle class success because the next meltdown may be only a few years away and it may hit even harder and last longer than the first Great Recession.
GOT THAT RIVERBOAT GAMBLER FEVER
The huge banks can now, once again legally gamble with your (taxpayer) money thanks to the government spending bill Congress and the President agreed to last month.
Buried deep within that bill was a Weapon of Mass Economic Destruction: a clause that repeals part of the Dodd-Frank Act.
That clause was the only door protecting you and your family from the insatiable greed and uncontrollable gambling habits of the huge investment banks on Wall Street.
The ultimate hosing of the Great Unwashed has begun.
The act was designed to stop Wall Street from using other peoples’ money to support its gambling addiction, as it displayed quite nicely before the near-full economic meltdown of 2007-2008. Dodd-Frank had stopped the banks from using commercial deposits that belong to you, your aunt Sally and Uncle John (which are insured by the government) to make the kind of risky bets that got the "too big to fail" banks into trouble and forced taxpayers to bail them out so they could survive to do it again another day.
The reason they were too big to fail is because they had access to gambling with your money and then your money again to bail them out once they got into trouble.
And now at a time when those same banks are bigger and far more powerful than before the Great Recession, they have that open door once again to gamble with your money.
HERE'S SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO PUT YOUR FUTURE IN WALL STREET'S CROSSHAIRS
In Washington State, here's the lawmakers that voted yes for the "cromnibus" spending bill - a vote that allowed Wall Street and billionaires to get at your money again - and those who voted no.
Doc Hastings - Washington 4th R YES
Dennis Heck - Washington 10th D NO
Jaime Herrera Beutler - Washington 3rd R YES
Derek Kilmer - Washington 6th D VOTED NO
Rick Larsen - Washington 2nd D VOTED NO
Jim McDermott - Washington 7th D VOTED NO
Cathy McMorris Rodgers - Washington 5th R YES
David G. Reichert - Washington 8th R YES
Adam Smith - Washington 9th D NO
Now you know who to call up and complain to after the next Wall Street ignited meltdown of the economy that just might claim your job and/or your house.
And just where did that clause in the cromnibus bill come from almost word for word?
Citigroup.
A Dec. 16, 20914 story by David Johnson over at SmirkingChimp.com put it this way:
"Citibank (the consumer division of Citigroup) literally wrote the provision and paid someone to put it in the bill. This “Citibank” provision undid months of hard work getting the Dodd-Frank bill in place. No one in the House or Senate would admit to putting it in the bill. No one would say they supported the provision. But House/Senate leadership would not take it out of the bill because it was part of a “deal.” And, of course, it was put in at the last minute, making the choice “vote for it or shut down the government.”
Check the graphic at upper right he ran with the story showing the Citigroup draft of the bill and then the final wording.
Any questions now about who owns your lawmakers?
And just who is Citigroup? Only one of the largest "too big to fail" banks in the world.
ONE HUGE FINANCIAL GORILLA. IT GETS WHAT IT WANTS
Citigroup is a massive multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City that was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate Travelers Group in October 1998.
As of January 2015, it is the third largest bank holding company in the US by assets. Its largest shareholders include funds from the Middle East and Singapore. At its height until the global financial crisis of 2008 Citigroup was the largest company and bank in the world by total assets with 357,000 employees.
Citigroup suffered huge losses during the global financial crisis of 2008 and was rescued in November 2008 by you the generous, always giving taxpayers of the United States in a massive stimulus package handed to it by your government.
They gambled and won-won with your money then, and they will do it again now that that the Dodd-Frank protection door is toast.
Former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich put it this way in a recent column:
" The new legislation, incorporating language drafted by lobbyists for Wall Street’s biggest bank, Citigroup, does just this. It reopens the casino. This increases the likelihood you and I and other taxpayers will once again be left holding the bag."
Johnson asks this question in his December 2014 piece:
"How could something like this be in a bill if no one put it in the bill and no one indicated support for it? How is it that We the People not get it taken out if no one would say they put it in and no one would say they support it?
How FAR can we go from the principles of democracy, transparency, accountability and everything the country, the Constitution and the Congress are supposed to stand for?
This is one more example of how the economy is rigged against We the People. It is an example of how the government now works for a wealthy few against the interests of the rest of us.
In an honest system this would be a scandal deserving of a full, public, transparent investigation followed by prosecution of those responsible. In our current system what we got was “it must pass or the government will shut down.”
Johnson forgot one thing. In our current system we also get the pleasure of the major news organizations of our day - and almost all the local TV stations and newspapers - giving us a story after story about deflated footballs, 12th man flags above Space Needles and on buildings and football game nachos so those goofy, blank, thousand mile, what-me-worry stares shall never vanish from our faces.
As bread and circuses go, it's pretty effective stuff.
http://www.skyvalleychronicle.com/FEATURE-NEWS/SORRY-br-NO-BREAD-AND-CIRCUSES-TODAY-2005467
For gambling addicts, Super Bowl wagers could bring ruin
We all know what Sunday is — it’s Super Bowl Sunday, the day for one of the most-watched sporting events in the world.
For hardcore wagerers, as well as the casual “You wanna bet” types, Sunday also is known as the Super Bowl of gambling. The website superbowlbets.com predicts more than 200 million people will bet on the game, part of an estimated about $10 billion Super Bowl betting industry in the United States.
“The Super Bowl is fun to bet on simply because it is such a cultural event these days,” said Jimmy Boyd, who runs the Walnut, California-headquartered BoydsBets.com. “Trying to win a few extra bucks is always fun, but when you can combine it with something that virtually everyone you know is going to be watching, it really amplifies the enjoyment.”
For Brevard County, and all of Florida, sports betting is illegal, though still very common.
There are straight-up bets between individuals and organized office pools where managers often turn a blind eye to the activity. At many gatherings tonight, party goers will pick a Super Bowl square for a small cash payout. And of course, there’s also betting through online gambling sites.
Sports gambling is growing so large that last month the U.S. Treasury Department threw a warning flag at casinos.
“Increases in sports betting conducted on behalf of third parties are facilitating criminal activity and posing a money laundering risk to the U.S financial system,” Treasury said in a letter on Dec. 24.
Because of the popularity of the Super Bowl, and sports betting, FLORIDA TODAY took a look at what’s happening with this issue on the Space Coast.
Victory Casino
There is only one place to gamble — legally — on the Super Bowl in Brevard County and that’s on the Victory Casino Cruise ship. Even then, you have to be international waters to make your bet and collect your winnings.
Passengers already have been laying plenty of action .
“The betting is happening on every cruise” for the past two weeks said Pete Lynch, the casino marketing manager at Victory Casino Cruises, Lynch said.
And the betting isn’t just on who will win the game. Gamblers can bet on dozens of things related to the game — even which team wins the coin toss before the game starts and how long it will take Idina Menzel to sing the national anthem.
Naturally, all the ship’s televisions will be tuned into the game — 20 screens in the ship’s sports book area and 10 at other locations.
Some additions:
•A Super Bowl “tailgate” party with burgers, chicken wings and nachos.
•Cocktail servers and card dealers in referee-striped outfits.
•At least five former National Football League players mingling with the customers. Lynch said some of them have played in previous Super Bowls.
“It’s going to be a fun day,” Lynch said.
It costs $10 to get on the ship. Sunday cruises are noon to 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. to midnight.
Drinks are free for customers actively betting in the slot machine or table game areas. But if you’re just there to watch the game, be prepared to buy your own beers.
Sports bars and office pools
The beers and cocktails will be flowing at Duffy’s Sports Grill in Melbourne, where a full house is expected. Duffy’s has been selling tickets for $25 each for guaranteed seating.
While you can expect wings galore and loud cheering, don’t expect to see any gambling. And if anyone at Duffy’s is seen wagering, they can expect a swift reprimand.
“Frankly I’ve never come across that,” said Renee Masse, assistant general manager at Duffy’s. “If we saw something like that taking place, we’d tell them to stop and go some place else.”
Though there are probably informal office pools in Brevard, there are few employers that sanction them. Many strongly discourage any kind of gambling in a work setting.
In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, it is common for human resources departments to send out warnings to workers telling them not to make sports bets on office property, said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, Inc., a national employment consultancy based in Chicago.
Challenger said betting in the workplace is a risky move, since it can result in a formal reprimand or termination.
“In the banking industry or the financial sector, in particular, gambling is counter to the culture,” he said. “Those are companies that make their name by keeping people’s money safe and making wise investments, which is the complete opposite of gambling.”
Arguments against gambling laws
Some in Brevard say that gambling in moderation is harmless, and believe that Florida’s laws against sports betting are hypocritical, given that there is an official state lottery.
That’s the view of Jamie Nance, an attorney for Nance Cacciatore law firm in Melbourne.
“I imagine that there is a vocal minority that opposes gambling for moralistic or religious reasons, but look, man has been gambling since the dawn of time,” Nance said. “It’s probably one of the world’s oldest professions.”
Nance said given strained government resources it seems unwise for law enforcement to spend money on the incarceration of gamblers and bookies “for relatively victimless vices.” If any punishment was warranted, it should be a small fine.
“There supposedly is a big libertarian movement in this country, but for some reason with the libertarians I know, their philosophy stops with gambling and prostitution,” Nance said. “Even if you disapprove of those activities, regulating them is still a government intrusion.”
Enforcement
State gambling statutes say sports betting is a second-degree misdemeanor. Those convicted can get up to 60 days of prison time and a maximum fine of $500.
There are stiffer penalties for “bookies,” a person who accepts bets based on set odds..
Bookmaking is a third-degree felony for first-time offenders and a second-degree felony for repeat offenders. A bookie’s first conviction can lead to a five-year prson sentence and $5,000 pine. The penalties escalate for repeat offenders. Those who are twice convicted of bookmaking can get a 15-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine.
Bill Respess, the chief trial attorney in Brevard, said that law enforcement rarely prosecutes individual bettors and primarily focuses its energy on “the people that are making money off the operation.”
In the past, Brevard has prosecuted operators of internet gambling cafes, but gambling prosecutions are rare, Respess said.
“I don’t see us spending a lot of time enforcing the gambling law to prevent Super Bowl bets between friends, but that doesn’t mean it’s legal,” he said. “There are lots of things that go on that are illegal. I hear fireworks go off around the holidays all the time. When people are caught breaking the laws, we enforce them.”
Addiction
Arnie Wexler, a self-described former compulsive gambler who operates a national hotline for gambling addicts, said that the Super Bowl is the time of year when temptations for gambling addicts are the most prevalent and intense.
“The Super Bowl is a hotbed for gambling. Compulsive gambling is an all-year kind of thing, but what happens is that the Super Bowl is the last game for gamblers to bet on in the football season,” he said. “With compulsive gamblers, if they’ve won money before, they’re putting it all on the line right now, and if they’ve lost money, they’re trying to get it back during the Super Bowl. It’s the get-out bet for a gambler.”
Wexler said that every year after the Super Bowl, he gets inundated with desperate phone calls to his hotline, 1-800-LAST-BET. In his new book, “All Bets Are Off,” he shares how he recovered from a gambling addiction and describes how others can do the same.
“Nobody really cares about gambling addicts. They look at alcoholics and drug addicts as sick people, but they see compulsive gamblers as crooks,” he said. “The motive of my book is to get people to understand that compulsive gambling is an addiction, and it’s treatable.”
Contact Price at 321-242-3658 or wprice@floridatoday.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Fla2dayBiz.
Giving props
A big part of Super Bowl gambling is proposition, or “rop” betting, wagering on aspects of the game other than the outcome of the score. Examples:
Will the winning coin toss land on heads or tails?
Will the performer singing the National Anthem remember the words?
Which player will score the first touchdown?
Which team will score first?
Which team will score last?
Will the first score of the game be a field goal or touchdown?
How many songs will the half-time performer sing?
Which team will have the most penalty yards?
Which quarterback will have the most passing yards?
Who will be named Super Bowl MVP?
Source: American Gaming Association, Indianapolis Star research
http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2015/01/31/odds-gambling-popular-super-bowl/22601763/
VIDEO ON LINK:
Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL
For gambling addicts, Super Bowl wagers could bring ruin
Posted: Jan 31, 2015HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
Super Bowl XLIX is coming up on Sunday. It's the world's biggest sports spectacle, and also the event with the heaviest bets. Legal betting will rake in over $100 million this year, but that's dwarfed by illegal betting, which may total $3.7 billion.
So for problem gamblers, the Super Bowl may be a the last chance for a big win. A loss could be especially catastrophic.
Think you're a big roller?
"I lost a hundred thousand dollars on one bet," said a man we're calling Al. He's the head of Gamblers Anonymous in Hawaii. He lost the 100 grand rolling dice.
"I had 4, and I did not make the 4. I threw a 7," he said. "And it's the worst feeling of your life. But if you make the 4, it's the best feeling of your life."
Al said he even had to ask his relatives for about a quarter of a million dollars to pay gambling debts.
"During my 16 or 17 years gambling compulsively, we estimate that I lost over two million dollars."
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 10,000 people in Hawaii are pathological gamblers, those whose wagering has a severe negative effect of his or her job, relationships or mental health. Another 20,000 are problem gamblers, who wager despite possible negative consequences.
The Washington, D.C., group said last year, it received 2,759 calls for help from Hawaii because there are no local hotlines for gambling addiction. And since legal gambling doesn't exist in Hawaii, there's no public funding for treatment and prevention. Those programs could be useful on Monday, as Al expects hardcore gamblers to go big on Super Sunday.
"Football season is ending. The Super Bowl is the wrap up of this. So people are running out of games to bet on, and they can't recover all their losses and they can't bet enough to recover their season."
"I wouldn't be surprised if there were an increased number of people calling G.A. (Gamblers Anonymous) after the Super Bowl," said Dr. Robin-Marie Shepherd, a University of Auckland professor who has done research on gambling in Hawaii. "That would be interesting to find out if that's the case."
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/27990718/for-gambling-addicts-super-bowl-wagers-could-bring-ruin
Former gambling addict talks about desperate days around Superbowl
Posted: Jan 30, 2015 10:53 PM ESTHONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
Super Bowl weekend is not just the climax of the football season -- it is the biggest weekend of the year for legal and illegal gambling.
Only social betting is legal in Hawaii, but the state still has its share of desperate gamblers according to the leader of Hawaii's only chapter of Gamblers Anonymous.
"Football season is ending the Superbowl is the wrap-up of this, so people are running out of games to bet on."
Speaking under the pseudonym "Al" the chapter leader said the festive weekend is a frightening time for many players.
"They can't recover all their loses and they can't bet enough to recover their season. So we are getting a lot of phone calls from people asking about how to stop."
Al says recovery is similar to recovery from a drug addiction and can take years. He himself took nine years and multiple lapses before he gave up betting completely 21 years ago. National experts say Hawaii does not have the enough resources to prevent chronic gambling or help wean gamblers of the addiction, primarily because of the assumption that gambling addictions would not be as common in a state with no legal gaming.
Click HERE for more information on how to get help in Hawaii.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/27990206/former-gambling-addict-talks-about-desperate-days-around-superbowl
Friday, January 30, 2015
Queens gambling ring busted days ahead of Super Bowl
Queens gambling ring busted days ahead of Super Bowl
Five suspects, including alleged kingpin Christopher Morrissey, of Yonkers, were charged in the operation that collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in bets annually on the big game and other sporting events.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Sunday, February 2, 2014
The NY Times: Should government promote sports gambling
On the eve of The Super Bowl, The
New York Times is having a debate today on whether state governments should
add sports betting to its current roster of casinos and lotteries as yet another
form of gambling to drain dollars from local citizens.
On behalf of SPG, I was invited to
participate and presented how government sponsorship of casinos and
lotteries is a significant contributor to the unfairness and inequality in
American life. I encourage you
to participate in the debate and read my op-ed in The Room for Debate section of
The Times here.
The message of the piece is rooted in what
I've learned from all of you who have helped me in our work the last six years.
I've met thousands of citizens during that time whose stories have left a
profound mark on me. The work of our SPG National Board, the transformative
writing by The Institute for American Values on this
issue, and your willingness to support our work together with your time, effort
and financial support, have brought this just cause to a higher level. While
there can be no denying our progress, you and I know we need to keep pushing
harder.
If you
support our mission and work, please
participate by contributing $10 or more today to help sustain it.
With gratitude,
Les
____________
Les Bernal
National Director
"Ending the unfairness and inequality produced
by government sponsorship of casinos and lotteries."
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