Voters oppose online lottery, survey finds

By Sean P. Murphy GLOBE STAFF  MAY 16, 2017

Nearly 70 percent of Massachusetts voters do not support legislation that would allow the state lottery to sell tickets online, a new survey has found.

Just 5 percent said they support expanding the lottery to include Internet games “very” strongly, the survey found, while 7 percent said they support the proposal “somewhat” strongly.

The survey was conducted by Princeton Research Associates on behalf of a coalition of business owners who fear they will lose business if lawmakers allow online lottery sales. The coalition includes the Massachusetts Food Association, the Boston Convenience Store Owners Association, the New England Service Station and Auto Repair Association, and the Massachusetts Package Stores Association.

“We’re heartened by this poll because it shows the public is as skeptical as retailers are about taking the lottery online,” said Joanne Mendes, executive director of the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association, which represents convenience stores. “We hope this poll goes a long way in educating lawmakers on how the public feels.”

State treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who oversees the lottery, has pushed for online sales. Last year, a bill to allow online lottery sales passed the state Senate, but failed in the House.

Proponents of online ticket sales note that lottery revenue has fallen 16 percent between 2008 and 2015, accounting for inflation. In an increasingly cashless society, fewer people are likely to have money on hand to buy lottery tickets at convenience and liquor stores, they say.

“The only way to reach the younger market is via online lottery games,” Goldberg has said. “It’s the future and we need to face it.”

Lottery officials declined to comment.

Lottery agents across the state say they rely heavily on lottery sales, and for several years have fought back online proposals.

Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said the state’s lottery is the most successful in the country, raising almost $1 billion annually to help pay for police, firefighters, teachers and other local services.

“Abandoning the current system for a model which has yet to be proven successful anywhere in the country is simply bad policy,” he said.

The survey also found that 80 percent of respondents believe state residents already have enough access to the lottery through the more than 7,500 lottery agents at convenience stores, gas stations, package stores, and other locations. It found that 65 percent of voters believe stores would be better able to prevent minors from playing than an online lottery.

The survey was based on interviews with 550 residents, randomly selected from voter lists across the state.

Sean P. Murphy can be reached at smurphy@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @spmurphyboston.

How irrational is the selection and the COST?

Isn't this ENOUGH?  

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/05/16/voters-oppose-online-lottery-survey-finds/zMPWRIaCePc5PSvmvDpLyN/story.html?s_campaign=bostonglobe%3Asocialflow%3Atwitter

As State Senator, Michael Morrissey spoke in favor of casino gambling at several 

public forums and was wholly uninformed. now he has a 'crime problem' as 

Norfolk DA? 

Expanded FREE Drinking Hours? 

I posted the entire Boston Globe article [it had been archived] when Beacon 

Hill mentioned  expanded ALCOHOL. 

If Rosenberg leaves, this will go through. [He was unmercifully attacked 

about future changes - no one else will remember. This is what Casino Vultures do.] 

 

MASSACHUSETTS DRUNKS ON THE ROAD? Conn. ended push for 24-hour bars at casinos after crash

MASSACHUSETTS DRUNKS ON THE ROAD? Conn. ended push for 24-hour bars at casi... EXPANDED FREE ALCOHOL IS NOT '' another little change'! Massachusetts has only Plainridge Slot Ba...

Norfolk DA wants state funds to deal with Plainridge Casino-tied crime

Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey’s office is asking the state’s gaming commission to help foot the bill for an attorney who would deal specifically with crimes – such as firearm offenses, domestic violence cases and even instances of assaults on police officers – tied to the new Plainridge Park Casino, reports the Herald’s Matt Stout. Crime associated with new casinos? We thought there wasn’t supposed to a big spike in crime tied to casinos, or at least that’s what we were told by gambling proponents. (Insert obligatory snort here.) DA seeks $75G for a casino attorney

DA seeks $75G for a casino attorney Norfolk prosecutors say the Plainridge Park Casino is driving up the number of criminal cases in their workload ...

Norfolk District Attorney ­Michael W. Morrissey confused?

Norfolk District Attorney ­Michael W. Morrissey confused? The Boston Globe presented information this morning about the personal communication between the discredited che...

Woman Jailed For Stealing $427K From Thompson Auto In Doylestown To Play Bingo

The former office manager of the Thompson Organization in Doylestown was sent Thursday to the Bucks County Correctional Facility for stealing more than $427,000 from her employer over a 10-year period.

Kelley M. Lutz, 49, of Silverdale, was sentenced by Bucks County Senior Judge Albert J. Cepparulo to serve one to two years, plus a concurrent 10 years of probation.

Cepparulo also ordered Lutz to pay $427,019 the Thompson Organization, owners of several area auto dealerships, during her probation. Lutz was the business’s longtime office manager in Doylestown.

She blamed an addiction to high-end bingo games for the thefts. Investigators found no evidence that she spent the stolen money on anything but bingo, which Lutz attended at volunteer fire companies or other charitable organizations several times each week.

Lutz pleaded guilty on November 7 to a long list of felony theft-related charges. She admitted that from February 2006 to January 2016, she consistently stole money from her employer by a variety of means, and then altered computer records to cover her tracks.

Deputy District Attorney Marc Furber said Lutz stole $166,540 by creating 302 fraudulent checks made out to cash. Another 559 instances were identified in which Lutz stole $260,479 by withholding or skimming money from bank deposits or stealing money from petty cash reserves.

Furber noted that Lutz committed the thefts despite drawing a substantial salary that ranged from $77,000 to $93,000 over the course of her employment as office manager.

“This is not someone who had a good reason” to steal, Furber said of Lutz’s gambling addiction. “It was a bad reason to do a very bad thing.”

Lutz had worked for Thompson since 1989, and had been office manager since 1994. She had multiple accounting, financial and human resources duties that gave her access to Thompson’s computerized systems for financial records and transactions, enabling her to create false entries to cover her crimes.

Not until Lutz was terminated in January 2016 for an unrelated matter did her thefts come to light, when a senior manager reviewed paperwork that was left on her desk.

“We soon realized a despicable crime was committed by someone we had trusted to oversee our family-run business for many years,” wrote John H. Thompson, owner of the Thompson Organization, in a victim impact statement submitted to Cepparulo. “In the year prior to Mrs. Lutz’s termination, it was discovered that she had stolen over $150,000 in one year.”

Thompson said the damage from Lutz’s thefts went beyond monetary loss, saying she had damaged the reputation of his business, and had cast suspicion on subordinates who unwittingly cashed some of the phony checks that Lutz wrote.

“After a front-page article was published in the local newspaper, residents and business people in the Doylestown community began to question our ability to run a business and even questioned whether we were selling the business,” Thompson wrote. “Words can’t describe the anger and betrayal my family and I and so many of our employees feel.”

Lutz acknowledged that in 2007, she had been confronted by a senior manager after $30,000 went missing. She agreed to make restitution, borrowed the funds from her 401(k) retirement plan, and was able to keep her job.

Furber noted that despite that second chance, Lutz continued to steal even during the time she was repaying that money. She also failed to seek help for her gambling addiction until her arrest this year, despite having an aunt who works as an addictions counselor.

Lutz said that, contrary to common perceptions of bingo, it is possible to lose in excess of $1,000 a night in higher-end games. She described her addiction as a mix of giddy anticipation beforehand and crushing depression after a losing night.

“When I knew I was going to play bingo, I got a natural high,” she said, but then got “seriously depressed” after a bad night. She rationalized that she could return the money she stole once she had a few big wins.

“That’s what I intended to do when I hit it big,” she said.

“But you never hit it big,” defense attorney Andrew Schneider said.

“No,” Lutz replied.

Friends and family, including Lutz’s husband, Shawn, said they knew she played bingo a lot, but never realized the amount of money involved. Several described her as a generous, compassionate person.

“She’s ashamed, devastated, remorseful,” Shawn Lutz said. “She wants to make this right.”

Kelley Lutz said that after she was arrested, she began seeing a therapist for her gambling addiction and joined Gamblers Anonymous.

“They help me to see what I was, and what I’ve done, and how to become a whole person without gambling,” she said. “I have to live with the guilt of what I have done to my family, my place of employment, and my friends.”

Under questioning by Furber, Lutz said she and her husband own their residence, a shore house in New Jersey and a boat, but had made no effort to liquidate any of those assets to start paying restitution. Her husband submitted $2,000 today, calling it “all I could afford.”

Schneider called Lutz “a good woman who has done a bad thing. What is this case about? This case is about an illness.”

Lutz “has learned her lesson,” Schneider said, asking Cepparulo to sentence her to probation. “There is nothing more shameful than being arrested for a crime and having a criminal record.”

Cepparulo said Lutz’s crimes cannot be dismissed as a one-time mistake by a first-time offender.

“There is no mistake when it comes to theft,” the judge said. “Theft is an intentional act” that Lutz committed “on a repeated basis, over time – time and time again.”

Cepparulo rebuked her for not seeking help sooner, saying “it’s hard for me to understand how you ended up squandering $427,000, an average of $42,000 per year, playing bingo. That’s an astounding amount of money.”

Cepparulo said he would approve making Lutz eligible for intermediate punishment such as house arrest or work release. Schneider said that Lutz had already been screened and approved for house arrest.

The case was investigated by Bucks County Detective Eric Landamia and Doylestown Township Detective Anthony Breslau.

(Information provided by the Bucks County Office of the District Attorney, and is assumed accurate.)

http://newhopefreepress.com/2016/12/29/woman-jailed-for-stealing-427k-from-thompson-auto-in-doylestown-to-play-bingo/

Connecticut: Gambling issue leads to larceny charge

Gambling issue leads to larceny charge

December 9, 2016

By Jason Vallee Sun staff writer

STONINGTON — A Mystic man is facing charges after police said he had been “floating deposits” while working as a manager at Dunkin’ Donuts in order to pay for a gambling addiction.

Ryan Richard Farrell, 28, of 207 Whitehall Ave., Apt. #3, was taken into custody by Stonington police Tuesday morning after the department obtained a warrant. He was arraigned the same day in New London Superior Court on one count of third-degree larceny and pleaded not guilty, court records show.

According to a police report, an investigation revealed that between Sept. 19 and Oct. 2, Farrell had operated a “floating deposit” scheme in an effort to help fund what police called a gambling addiction. A “floating deposit” is the act of using money from one deposit to supplement a second in order to skim money off the top.

Over the course of two weeks, police said a review of deposits showed he had taken $6,822 from the two Dunkin’ Donuts locations on Route 27 in Mystic.

Police said the investigation was initiated Oct. 4 after the owners of the two stores, Greg and Karen Daley, reported to police that they believed Farrell, who was employed as a manager, had not made several deposits. Officers spoke with Farrell and discovered he was still in possession of several deposit bags and nearly $445 in cash.

Farrell told police that he had tossed some of the money into the Poquonnock River at Bluff Point and admitted to officers he was experiencing financial hardship as a result of lost wages due to a previous incident. According to the affidavit, he told officers that in May, money had gone missing while he was working as a manager and he was forced to come to an agreement with the Daleys to repay the money over time through paycheck withholdings.

Farrell told Greg Daley that he left the money on a desk by mistake and it was taken, likely by another employee. The May losses totaled nearly $6,500, police said, but the incident was not reported because Daley was concerned that if he fired Farrell and sought criminal charges, he would not be able to recoup the funds.

In early November, police again spoke with Farrell and he told officers that an assistant manager was responsible for the missing money, $800 in all. Farrell said he had been “floating deposits” in an effort to give the assistant manager time to pay it back but that she was unable to do so.

Concerned over inconsistencies in Farrell’s story and having received information that he may have a gambling problem, police then contacted Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun and determined he was a frequent visitor to both. According to the affidavit, the two casinos reported that in 2016 alone, he had run up losses of more than $18,000 — including $5,998 in the two weeks when money went missing.

Further investigation also revealed that Farrell had a similar issue in 2015 while employed at a Groton Dunkin’ Donuts. He was arrested in March 2015 and convicted in October 2016 of third-degree larceny after pleading guilty, according to court records. He was given a two-year sentence in that case, execution suspended pending the completion of a one-year probation period.

The latest charge is not considered a probation violation because, court officials said, the incident occurred prior to his sentencing. Farrell remains in state custody in lieu of a $25,000 bond, records show, and is due back in New London Superior Court for a pretrial hearing on Dec. 23.

http://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/latestnews/9716091-154/gambling-problem-leads-to-larceny-charge.html

Star Casino violence three times worse than official crime statistics, leaked report says

Exclusive by the National Reporting Team's Alison Branley

Sydney's Star Casino has been accused of hiding the full extent of violence at the venue with leaked documents showing nearly two-thirds of assaults on site are not being reported to police.

PHOTO: The review found a higher risk of violent incidents occurring between midnight and 3:00am. (Destination NSW)

RELATED STORY: Casino at 'major risk' from organised crime after gaming inspector exodus

RELATED STORY: Full list of violent incidents at Star Casino not reported to police

Key points:

• Of the 111 violent incidents in six months, police weren't called to 75
• Violence included nightclub brawls, sexual and physical attacks against women
• The leaked review recommends changing casino licence to enforce reporting of violence

Figures contained in an internal NSW Government review of violence at the casino show the number of serious incidents are more than three times higher than official crime statistics and almost five times higher than reported to senior casino managers.

The leaked NSW Department of Justice review suggests this could have serious ramifications for the casino's licence to operate in Sydney.

In the review Liquor and Gaming NSW inspectors analysed the daily incident reports sent to the department between March and August this year.

Inspectors noted many violent incidents had been recorded as "behaviour" or "forced removals" in the computer system instead of assaults.

Officials then formally asked the casino for corresponding security reports or surveillance footage.

They found there were 111 violent incidents in six months and police were not called to 75 of them.

Unreported incidents included a patron whose leg was broken at the Marquee nightclub inside the casino, a melee involving five patrons, people being put into chokeholds and a security guard head-butting a patron.

Seventy-nine per cent of violent incidents were also not included in a monthly report to casino executives that is also passed onto the State Government.

However, the source incident reports were routinely passed onto Liquor and Gaming NSW.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-31/leaked-report-reveals-extent-of-violence-at-star-casino-sydney/7980186

Shop manager stole £31,000 from penny press machine scam to fund his gambling addiction

How Jason Metcalfe plundered £32,000 from The Deep’s penny presses

By Hull Daily Mail  |  Posted: October 21, 2016

By Simon Bristow

Read more at http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/how-jason-metcalfe-plundered-32-000-from-the-deep-8217-s-penny-presses/story-29827336-detail/story.html#VrslRHxddlBtmGPG.99

Shop manager stole £31,000 from penny press machine scam to fund his gambling addiction

• 11:30, 21 OCT 2016
• UPDATED 11:30, 21 OCT 2016
• BY PATRICK LION , SIMON BRISTOW

Father-of-two Jason Metcalfe, 43, was jailed for two years and three months for the theft and may lose his home amid legal action to recover the money

Jason Metcalfe stole almost £90,000 over six years as a gift shop manager at the aquarium

A gift shop manager stole more than £30,000 from penny press machines to fund his gambling addiction.

Jason Metcalfe, 43, spent six years siphoning off takings from the penny presses at The Deep aquarium tourist attraction in Hull.

The father-of-two also plundered another £58,000 from tills at the store, cashing up fake refunds and pocketing the money.

Hull Crown Court heard the penny presses, which customers put a pound into and receive a pressed penny as a souvenir, were emptied by Metcalfe.

Metcalfe stole £31,000 from the penny press machines at The Deep in Hull (stock photo)

He would keep some of the cash and put the remainder through the tills.

The court heard Metcalfe used the cash to cover his gambling debts and spent "all his waking moments thinking about gambling".

His crime was described as a "betrayal" of his colleagues, The Hull Daily Mail reports.

Metcalfe, who had never been in trouble before, then had the "embarrassment" of telling his young family what he had done.

He is now being sued for £113,000 and is likely to lose his house, the court heard.

Metcalfe's wife is standing by him and attended court alongside members of Gamblers Anonymous and GamCare to see him jailed for two years and three months yesterday.

Metcalfe, of Hamlyn Avenue, west Hull, admitted seven counts of fraud, three of theft, and three of converting criminal property.

In total, he stole £58,000 cash from the tills through false refunds, and £31,000 from the shop's "penny press" machines.

Metcalfe's crimes cost lower paid members of staff their bonuses, the court heard, while staff became less trustful of each other.

The Deep's insurers covered the loss, but it was not reimbursed for the cost of recruiting a replacement for Metcalfe, and is facing higher insurance premiums.

Speaking after the hearing, Colin Brown, chief executive of The Deep, told the Mail: "We would like to thank the police for their hard work and support in bringing the case to court.

"I think the biggest emotion is one of disappointment, really. There has to be trust between employer and employees, and we feel that trust was betrayed in this situation.

"It was one individual and we move on."

Metcalfe was employed as a retail manager, and was responsible for purchasing, pricing and merchandising at the gift shop, which allowed him to cover his tracks for six years.

But an internal investigation was launched after anomalies with the penny press takings, and the unusually large number of refunds, came to light.

The company which supplied the machines free of charge was supposed to get 40 per cent commission.

Metcalfe began stealing to replace money in his bank account he was blowing on gambling. No details of his gambling activities were given.

Prosecutor Stephen Welch said: "Metcalfe said that he had a gambling problem and that he had gone through a very low period after the death of his mother.

"He started to gamble with his own money and The Deep's.

"When his offending came to light, he told his employers he was very sorry, that he loved his job and had never done anything like this before."

Antony Farrell, for Metcalfe, said: "Mr Metcalfe is truly remorseful and is disgusted with his actions, and the way he's let numerous people down.

"He has been married for 18 years and has a son and daughter."

Although he was now getting help, at the time Metcalfe "spent all his waking hours thinking about gambling", Mr Farrell said.

Recorder David Dixon told Metcalfe: "There are two very different sides to you that I'm going to have to balance in terms of sentence.

"There's the side of a good, hard-working family man, and on the other side, a man that was hiding and deceiving his employers, and taking substantial amounts of money."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/shop-manager-stole-31000-penny-9094583