Anti-casino groups and activists have been rallying against the creation of casinos in Florida. "Casinos are magnets for the wrong type of people," said billionaire car mogul Norman Braman, who opposes the casinos.
Florida's Chamber of Commerce recently released a TV ad against the expansion of gambling across the state. The ad presented statistics that showed an increase in crime, lost jobs, bankruptcies and foreclosures in places like Atlantic City and Las Vegas, two cities known for their casinos.
From:
Read more: http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21006592303844/casino-debate-continues-in-light-of-150m-expansion/#ixzz1lR4nNT4m
Florida lawmakers end casino push
By Howard Stutz
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
MIAMI -- Lawmakers ended an effort to build three Las Vegas-style hotel-casinos in the southern part of state Friday, dashing the hopes of major Nevada gaming companies that saw Florida as a potentially lucrative casino market.
A Florida legislator withdrew the destination resort bill before a key House subcommittee in Tallahassee could hold a vote.
The House rules chairman immediately released a statement declaring the bill would not be heard by other committees or be taken directly to the full House. Florida's annual 60-day legislative session ends in early March.
Barry Johnson, president of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, which supported the casino legislation, said after the nonvote Friday the issue "was in the ICU (intensive care unit)." He didn't believe the measure would be heard again brought up before the end of the Legislative session nor would it be heard during any special legislative session this summer.
"I think we're looking at next year," Johnson said.
Supporters could also try to take the issue to voters in the future as a constitutional amendment.
The legislation, which would authorize three new nontribal casinos in Florida, had been closely watched by gaming industry leaders in Las Vegas. Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts Ltd., Caesars Entertainment Corp. and MGM Resorts International were linked to potential interest in opening hotel-casino developments in South Florida.
Officials from Malaysia-based Genting Group were the most disappointed by the bill's demise. The company spent more than $400 million to assemble roughly 30 acres along the Biscayne Bay waterfront here, including spending $238 million to acquire the headquarters of the Miami Herald newspaper.
Genting planned to build the $3.8 billion Resorts World Miami, which company officials had boasted would become a dramatic feature along the waterfront of downtown Miami, with 5,200 rooms over four hotels, creating 30,000 permanent jobs, attracting almost 3 million visitors, and producing annual gaming revenues that would equal the Strip.
Jessica Hoppe, the senior vice president of government affairs and general counsel for Resorts World Miami, said Genting would not give up on the idea of Resorts World Miami. The company operates Resorts World New York at the Aqueduct Race Track in New York City and Resorts World Sentosa, one of two hotel-casinos in Singapore.
"We greatly appreciate the hard work of the destination resorts legislation bill sponsors, as well as all those who support efforts to bring common sense gaming reform and jobs to Florida," Hoppe said. "Resorts World Miami remains committed to the vision of world-class destination resorts in South Florida, and will continue to work with the state legislature and the South Florida community to bring this vision into a reality."
Nevada-based companies, such as Las Vegas Sands, expressed interest in developing a hotel-casino in Miami, but had not bought property for a development.
The company, which had hired Florida-based lobbyists and met with Miami civic and elected leaders, was opposed to the language in the current legislation that had been rewritten late Wednesday.
Andy Abboud, vice president of government relations for Las Vegas Sands, said the company opposed a change that replaced an independent gaming commission with a state Department of Gaming Control under the auspices of the governor and key lawmakers. The new department would issue licenses and control all aspects of gaming in Florida, a state that is not known for clean government.
Abboud said company leaders hoped the bill could be rewritten and improved.
"It's not dead and it could come back next year," Abboud said. "There is always going to be a demand for casinos in Florida. We're very supportive but the bill was moving in the wrong direction."
Expansion of casino gambling in Florida was a matter of fierce debate. The state has five racetrack casinos and eight Indian casinos. The Seminole Indian Tribe operates seven of the casinos, including the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood and the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa. [How much is enough?]
Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen said tribal leaders opposed any casino expansion bill and hired lobbyists in Tallahassee to fight the measure.
Besides the Seminoles, opponents include some heavy hitters in Sunshine State politics, including the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Walt Disney Co., which operates theme parks in Orlando. Racetrack operators, including Isle of Capri Casinos, which operates at track in Pompano Park north of Fort Lauderdale, opposed the legislation.
Union Gaming Group principal Bill Lerner said after the bill's demise was understandable given the interests that opposed gaming expansion. But he also thought the debate wasn't over. [Translation: We'll wear you down! Outspend you, but we'll NEVER give up!]
"Our sense is that we'll see revisions," Lerner said. "It's not over. This will be a long and windy road."
Proposed Vegas-style casinos in Florida face key vote
By Howard Stutz
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Reworked legislation that could bring three Las Vegas-style hotel-casinos to South Florida will face a crucial vote today in a state House panel that could kill the controversial issue.
And even if the bill wins approval from Florida's House Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee, the legislation faces an uphill battle.
The legislation, which would authorize three new nontribal casinos in Florida, is being closely watched by gaming industry leaders in Las Vegas. Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts Ltd., Caesars Entertainment Corp. and MGM Resorts International have been linked to potential interest in opening hotel-casino developments in South Florida.
Watching the legislation has been difficult -- it's a moving target. Legislative staff in Tallahassee late Wednesday gave the legislation a heavy rewrite, just days before it is to go up for a vote.
Among the proposed changes was replacing an independent gaming commission spelled out in the Senate version of the bill with a state Department of Gaming Control under the auspices of the governor and key lawmakers. The new department would issue licenses and control all aspects of gaming in Florida, a state that is not known for clean government.
"The last thing we want to see are elected officials who accept political contributions having a say on who gets a gaming license," said Andy Abboud, vice president of government relations for Las Vegas Sands, which has been exploring the prospects of a hotel-casino development in Miami. Like the other Las Vegas gaming powerhouses, the Sands has lobbyists working on lawmakers in Tallahassee.
Abboud said he hopes the final bill would make the gaming commission independent.
"We know this is a long process, but staff made some changes that we don't agree with," Abboud said.
Regardless of the details, the expansion of casino gambling in Florida is a matter of fierce debate.
Seminole Gaming Chief Executive Officer Jim Allen, whose company operates seven Indian gaming-owned casinos in Florida, including the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood and the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, said tribal leaders oppose any casino expansion bill. He said the legislation, which could lead to increased competition, "seems to change on a daily basis."
Allen, who was participating the grand opening of a $150 million expansion to the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek on Thursday, said the debate has caused the tribe to delay other projects in Florida, including a 1,500-room addition to the Coconut Creek property and hotel expansion at both Hard Rock properties.
Allen said the Coconut Creek expansion that opened with tremendous tribal fanfare Thursday has been in the works since 2006, long before the casino legislation came about. The project expanded and remodeled the casino, added a poker room, a 1,200-seat events center, three restaurants and a parking garage.
"Our compact with the state limits us to seven locations, but doesn't limit us on what us on the size of out locations," Allen said.
However, the tribe, which is lobbying against the casino bill, will wait until there is clarity on the issue before unveiling additional expansion plans.
"Number one, the changes in the legislation do not change the tribe's position," Allen said. "Keep in mind, there are three to four committees in both the House and Senate it has to go through before it gets to any potential merger on the floor. Just because there is a vote in one particular committee doesn't give any clear indication of it being positive or negative."
The bill up for a vote today still provides for three destination resorts with full casino games, and requires a minimum $2 billion per location investment from the casino companies. And amendments to the House bill now bring it in line with the Senate version, which sets a casino license fee of $125 million per site. The House version previously called for a $50 million fee.
In an effort to quell opposition from operators or racetracks, which also have slot machine parlors but no table games, the bill offers a reduced tax rate on racetrack slots that would kick in when the new full-service casinos open in 2015, at the earliest. Even with the tax break, racetrack operators, including Isle of Capri Casinos, which operates at track in Pompano Park north of Fort Lauderdale, oppose the legislation.
While some lawmakers thought the amendments would help push the bill through the subcommittee, but the issue still faces a long and difficult journey to Gov. Rick Scott's desk. In addition to the Seminoles, opponents include some heavy hitters in Sunshine State politics, including the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Walt Disney Co., which operates theme parks in Orlando.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
By whatever name....
the vultures of greed are circling in an interesting display.
Will lawmakers, blinded by campaign contributions and lobbyists false flattery succumb to the insanity?
Destination Casinos Are Nixed, but Pari-Mutuels Stagger Onward; Bergeron Eyes a New One
By Stefan Kamph
This year's legislative session has issued its first blow to Florida gambling, roundly rejecting the proposed "destination casinos" like the one Malaysian company Genting wanted to build on Biscayne Bay.
So we're left with the current situation: Indian casinos like the Seminole Hard Rock, and the pari-mutuels: strange old bastions of jai alai, dog racing, and harness racing, where slots and poker rooms are also allowed. Every night, these old games proceed with minimal spectators while the slots and cards rake in the money.
But a few weeks ago, a proposal drew attention: Developer Ron Bergeron submitted a proposal to build a jai-alai casino on his own residence at the swamp's edge in Weston. What gives?
Turns out Bergeron was originally interested in quarter-horse racing, according to his attorney and 10 percent partner in the prospective casino, David Romanik.
"No more quarter-horse permits were available in Broward," says Romanik. So he told Bergeron, a longtime associate, that they could pursue a jai-alai permit under a state rule.
The Summer Permit Statute allows a pari-mutuel facility with the lowest handle (gambling revenue) for the preceding two fiscal years to "convert" its permit into a summer jai-alai permit, which means jai alai can be played in the summer but cards/slots can continue all year long.
The state rejected Romanik's submission (marked in several places by Bergeron's florid signature, taking up the entire page), saying that no more permits were available in Broward and questioning Romanik's implication that Summersport Jai Alai, an existing venue, could "convert" its permit to a new jai-alai permit since its permit already was for jai alai. Romanik, addressing the question of "how can you convert to yourself" (his words), says he needs to conduct further review but doesn't see anything in the statutes preventing him from moving ahead with the plan.
This all hinges on the state not "decoupling" the old competition sports from poker and slot rooms -- something that has been floated as a possibility, spelling doom for races and jai alai. And will people actually want to come see jai alai? That's not as critical as you might think. "A jai alai [fronton] can easily become an auditorium, a place for events," says Romanik.
"We're ready to respond" to the deficiency letter, he says. "I don't think it's insurmountable."
Oh, and the place wouldn't be built on Bergeron's ranch -- the permit would be transferred to a site in a municipality that wanted a new gaming site.
So the big casino companies may be out for now, but as long as there's still business to be done with the old pari-mutuel rules, there will be the possibility of new gaming sites in South Florida.
Will lawmakers, blinded by campaign contributions and lobbyists false flattery succumb to the insanity?
Destination Casinos Are Nixed, but Pari-Mutuels Stagger Onward; Bergeron Eyes a New One
By Stefan Kamph
This year's legislative session has issued its first blow to Florida gambling, roundly rejecting the proposed "destination casinos" like the one Malaysian company Genting wanted to build on Biscayne Bay.
So we're left with the current situation: Indian casinos like the Seminole Hard Rock, and the pari-mutuels: strange old bastions of jai alai, dog racing, and harness racing, where slots and poker rooms are also allowed. Every night, these old games proceed with minimal spectators while the slots and cards rake in the money.
But a few weeks ago, a proposal drew attention: Developer Ron Bergeron submitted a proposal to build a jai-alai casino on his own residence at the swamp's edge in Weston. What gives?
Turns out Bergeron was originally interested in quarter-horse racing, according to his attorney and 10 percent partner in the prospective casino, David Romanik.
"No more quarter-horse permits were available in Broward," says Romanik. So he told Bergeron, a longtime associate, that they could pursue a jai-alai permit under a state rule.
The Summer Permit Statute allows a pari-mutuel facility with the lowest handle (gambling revenue) for the preceding two fiscal years to "convert" its permit into a summer jai-alai permit, which means jai alai can be played in the summer but cards/slots can continue all year long.
The state rejected Romanik's submission (marked in several places by Bergeron's florid signature, taking up the entire page), saying that no more permits were available in Broward and questioning Romanik's implication that Summersport Jai Alai, an existing venue, could "convert" its permit to a new jai-alai permit since its permit already was for jai alai. Romanik, addressing the question of "how can you convert to yourself" (his words), says he needs to conduct further review but doesn't see anything in the statutes preventing him from moving ahead with the plan.
This all hinges on the state not "decoupling" the old competition sports from poker and slot rooms -- something that has been floated as a possibility, spelling doom for races and jai alai. And will people actually want to come see jai alai? That's not as critical as you might think. "A jai alai [fronton] can easily become an auditorium, a place for events," says Romanik.
"We're ready to respond" to the deficiency letter, he says. "I don't think it's insurmountable."
Oh, and the place wouldn't be built on Bergeron's ranch -- the permit would be transferred to a site in a municipality that wanted a new gaming site.
So the big casino companies may be out for now, but as long as there's still business to be done with the old pari-mutuel rules, there will be the possibility of new gaming sites in South Florida.
Eliminating $150,000 Annual Payments to Members
San Diego County Indian tribe expels roughly 15 percent of members
By Adrian Florido Fronteras Project
An Indian tribe in San Diego County has expelled 154 of its members, and those ousted from the Pala Band stand to lose out on a hefty share of the tribe's casino profits.
The tribal council made the decision Wednesday, the Fronteras Project reports.
The 154 people account for roughly 15 percent of the tribe's population, the North County Times reports.
Those people will no longer receive $150,000 in annual payments that members get from the tribe's casino, located on reservation land east of Oceanside.
Doug Elmets, the tribe's spokesman, would not say why the members were kicked out. He did say they could appeal the decision, but that the tribe had the right to determine its own members.
"The Supreme Court has held, and it is the law of the land, that Native American tribes have the ability to decide what constitutes and who constitutes their membership," he said.
This isn't the tribe's first expulsion. Last June, eight people were expelled from the Pala when tribal leaders claimed they didn't possess at least one-sixteenth Pala Indian blood, the minimum "blood quantum" required for membership.
Nationwide, tribes have exercised disenrollment rights for generations, but they have become more common as tribes have reaped profits from casinos that must be split among members.
By Adrian Florido Fronteras Project
An Indian tribe in San Diego County has expelled 154 of its members, and those ousted from the Pala Band stand to lose out on a hefty share of the tribe's casino profits.
The tribal council made the decision Wednesday, the Fronteras Project reports.
The 154 people account for roughly 15 percent of the tribe's population, the North County Times reports.
Those people will no longer receive $150,000 in annual payments that members get from the tribe's casino, located on reservation land east of Oceanside.
Doug Elmets, the tribe's spokesman, would not say why the members were kicked out. He did say they could appeal the decision, but that the tribe had the right to determine its own members.
"The Supreme Court has held, and it is the law of the land, that Native American tribes have the ability to decide what constitutes and who constitutes their membership," he said.
This isn't the tribe's first expulsion. Last June, eight people were expelled from the Pala when tribal leaders claimed they didn't possess at least one-sixteenth Pala Indian blood, the minimum "blood quantum" required for membership.
Nationwide, tribes have exercised disenrollment rights for generations, but they have become more common as tribes have reaped profits from casinos that must be split among members.
The Genesis of Foxwoods
Charles de Garmo: As Florida thinks about gambling, Pequot-Foxwoods story comes to mind
The incredible genesis of a massive gambling operation in Connecticut
Charles de Garmo, of Sewall's Point, is a graduate of Quinnipiac (Conn.) University and has a Coast Guard master's license.
All this talk about casinos in Florida got me thinking about another "can't make this up if you tried" event: creation of Foxwoods Casino and Resort in Ledyard, Conn.
In 1969, Tom Tureen, a Princeton and George Washington University Law School graduate, was on a mission in Calais, Maine. He wanted to test a 1777 treaty signed by George Washington that gave perpetual protection to the Passamaquoddy Indian tribe for its help against the British.
He sued Maine using the Non-Intercourse Act, which said no land could be taken from American Indians without approval of the U.S. government. After years of Washington tap-dancing over the Indian claim to 75 percent of Maine, they settled for $81.5 million and 300,000 acres of Maine land.
Attorney Tureen then went looking for other American Indian tribes to represent. He eventually ended up in Ledyard and found Elizabeth George, the only remaining person claiming to be a Pequot living on 214 acres called the Pequot Indian Reservation. This tribe of one was not recognized by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs as a legal tribe but was by the state of Connecticut.
For years, Ms. George had successfully held off state efforts to take the reservation and was trying to will the land to her unemployed, uninterested grandson, Skip Hayward. Skip Hayward and his wife were living in a trailer in Maryland when Elizabeth George died June 7, 1973. Skip and his wife returned to the reservation and became full-time Pequot Indians.
On May 10, 1976, Tureen sued Connecticut and Ledyard landowners on behalf of the Pequot tribe for return of ancestral lands. Before a meeting in Washington at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the plaintiffs used a AAA map from their Connecticut rental car and drew an outline of more than 2,000 acres of supposed reservation, knowing the original reservation given to the Pequots by treaty in 1666 was 1,000 acres. Eight hundred acres were taken by the state in 1855.
In three days of congressional hearings, Hayward's lawyer had to prove the Pequots were a true tribe. During the hearings Sen. Sam Gejdenson, D-Conn., said 187 American Indians had lived on the 214 acres for the last 25 years. In reality, only 55 names were on the membership list, mostly of African- American descent, including some never-before-met relatives and Skip's drinking buddies. Ms. George's genealogy showed she was the product of an interracial couple with ties back to the Narragansett tribe in Rhode Island.
Connecticut Sen. Lowell Weicker got the Pequot Settlement Act passed in 1982, which included $900,000 to purchase land from homeowners in Ledyard. Congressmen Christopher Dodd, Weicker, Gejdenson and Joe Lieberman and Gov. Ella Grasso all were willing participants in the race to rectify the great injustice and suffering of the Pequots, later claiming they didn't fully understand the amount of land involved.
The 2,000 acres was now under the protection of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, exempt from federal and state taxes, building codes, wetland regulations, land use regulations or environmental laws.
On July 26, 1986, the tribe got a $5 million loan from the United Arab Bank using creative collateral agreements, since reservation land cannot be used for collateral or likened. It quickly built a 3,400-square-foot, high-stakes bingo hall that grossed $20 million the first year.
Hayward then asked the state to allow all casino privileges including blackjack, roulette and craps. The state interpreted the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to mean they were under no obligation to grant permission. The Pequots promptly sued and on May 15, 1990, Judge Peter Dorsey ruled in favor of the Pequots.
Not being able to mortgage the reservation land limited who would finance the project's $60 million first phase. The tribe found Genting Berhad, a Malaysian company traded on the Hong Kong Exchange and owned by Goh Tong, a Chinese national. Their collateral became the right to take over and run the casino until they got their money back if the loan defaulted.
Today, Foxwoods encompasses 4.7 million square feet with 380 gaming tables, 7,200 slot machines, 1,416 hotel rooms, a 4,000-square-foot performing arts center and two 18-hole golf courses.
In 1993 it negotiated an agreement with Connecticut to allow slot machines and now pays the state 25 percent of its gross — $90 million in 2010.
After 23 years of leading the Pequots, Hayward was voted out of office in 1998 by the all-African-American (Pequot) council.
The incredible genesis of a massive gambling operation in Connecticut
Charles de Garmo, of Sewall's Point, is a graduate of Quinnipiac (Conn.) University and has a Coast Guard master's license.
All this talk about casinos in Florida got me thinking about another "can't make this up if you tried" event: creation of Foxwoods Casino and Resort in Ledyard, Conn.
In 1969, Tom Tureen, a Princeton and George Washington University Law School graduate, was on a mission in Calais, Maine. He wanted to test a 1777 treaty signed by George Washington that gave perpetual protection to the Passamaquoddy Indian tribe for its help against the British.
He sued Maine using the Non-Intercourse Act, which said no land could be taken from American Indians without approval of the U.S. government. After years of Washington tap-dancing over the Indian claim to 75 percent of Maine, they settled for $81.5 million and 300,000 acres of Maine land.
Attorney Tureen then went looking for other American Indian tribes to represent. He eventually ended up in Ledyard and found Elizabeth George, the only remaining person claiming to be a Pequot living on 214 acres called the Pequot Indian Reservation. This tribe of one was not recognized by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs as a legal tribe but was by the state of Connecticut.
For years, Ms. George had successfully held off state efforts to take the reservation and was trying to will the land to her unemployed, uninterested grandson, Skip Hayward. Skip Hayward and his wife were living in a trailer in Maryland when Elizabeth George died June 7, 1973. Skip and his wife returned to the reservation and became full-time Pequot Indians.
On May 10, 1976, Tureen sued Connecticut and Ledyard landowners on behalf of the Pequot tribe for return of ancestral lands. Before a meeting in Washington at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the plaintiffs used a AAA map from their Connecticut rental car and drew an outline of more than 2,000 acres of supposed reservation, knowing the original reservation given to the Pequots by treaty in 1666 was 1,000 acres. Eight hundred acres were taken by the state in 1855.
In three days of congressional hearings, Hayward's lawyer had to prove the Pequots were a true tribe. During the hearings Sen. Sam Gejdenson, D-Conn., said 187 American Indians had lived on the 214 acres for the last 25 years. In reality, only 55 names were on the membership list, mostly of African- American descent, including some never-before-met relatives and Skip's drinking buddies. Ms. George's genealogy showed she was the product of an interracial couple with ties back to the Narragansett tribe in Rhode Island.
Connecticut Sen. Lowell Weicker got the Pequot Settlement Act passed in 1982, which included $900,000 to purchase land from homeowners in Ledyard. Congressmen Christopher Dodd, Weicker, Gejdenson and Joe Lieberman and Gov. Ella Grasso all were willing participants in the race to rectify the great injustice and suffering of the Pequots, later claiming they didn't fully understand the amount of land involved.
The 2,000 acres was now under the protection of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, exempt from federal and state taxes, building codes, wetland regulations, land use regulations or environmental laws.
On July 26, 1986, the tribe got a $5 million loan from the United Arab Bank using creative collateral agreements, since reservation land cannot be used for collateral or likened. It quickly built a 3,400-square-foot, high-stakes bingo hall that grossed $20 million the first year.
Hayward then asked the state to allow all casino privileges including blackjack, roulette and craps. The state interpreted the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to mean they were under no obligation to grant permission. The Pequots promptly sued and on May 15, 1990, Judge Peter Dorsey ruled in favor of the Pequots.
Not being able to mortgage the reservation land limited who would finance the project's $60 million first phase. The tribe found Genting Berhad, a Malaysian company traded on the Hong Kong Exchange and owned by Goh Tong, a Chinese national. Their collateral became the right to take over and run the casino until they got their money back if the loan defaulted.
Today, Foxwoods encompasses 4.7 million square feet with 380 gaming tables, 7,200 slot machines, 1,416 hotel rooms, a 4,000-square-foot performing arts center and two 18-hole golf courses.
In 1993 it negotiated an agreement with Connecticut to allow slot machines and now pays the state 25 percent of its gross — $90 million in 2010.
After 23 years of leading the Pequots, Hayward was voted out of office in 1998 by the all-African-American (Pequot) council.
name a community .....
One quote says it all --
Billionaire and former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman, a Florida resident, is no fan of the recent push:
“Wherever these casinos have come, they have brought nothing but heartache and misery to the communities that have hosted them. I challenge the industry to name me one community in the United States that has benefited from casino gambling after a period of five years.”
Thoughts On Gambling and the Super Bowl
Karl Shmavonian, Forbes Staff
Las Vegas is expecting as much as $100 million to officially be wagered this weekend on Super Bowl XLVI (46 for those of you not wearing a toga) as the Patriots and Giants butt heads. Add in the amount blown unofficially in office pools, bars and living rooms—as well as the dollars devoured on food, beer and football merchandise—and the number will easily rise into the billions. My crazy call: The game will be a stinker, and the Giants will roll, 35-13. Second prediction: Madonna will tear off her brassiere during the halftime show and Dennis Rodman will come tumbling out.
It’s only fitting that the theme for our Thoughts post this time is gambling.
Jay Kornegay, director of the sports book at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, offers this on football betting:
“A lot of the movement is dictated by the sharps, the professionals, the wise guys—the sophisticated bettors who go with the bigger amounts. They know the value of point spread, while the average Joe just picks who he thinks is the better team.”
Terry Cox, director of race and sportsbook at Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada, offers this tidbit on how gender and psychology play out at the gaming tables:
“Women are more measured and intellectual when it comes to betting. There are guys out there who throw down $5,000 on the game without checking the line first. You would almost never see that from a woman.”
Back in 1978, Malcolm Forbes wrote colorfully about Florida’s desire to roll the dice:
“Taking a leaf from New Jersey’s book, Floridians this November will vote on whether to make gambling legal on their Miami-centered Gold Coast. Though by no means as long-gone in decay as Atlantic City, the glitter (and gouging) that made Miami Beach so long a mecca for Big Spenders has considerably tarnished. The profitability of the Fontainebleau-y showtels has disappeared, along with most of the beach itself. So now it’s likely that gambling will put the color back in Miami’s cheeks. One-armed bandits will join the throng of two-armed ones who’ve been wintering there since Al Capone led the way decades ago.”
Thirty-four years later, Florida is trying again to bring casinos to its beaches. Billionaire and former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman, a Florida resident, is no fan of the recent push:
“Wherever these casinos have come, they have brought nothing but heartache and misery to the communities that have hosted them. I challenge the industry to name me one community in the United States that has benefited from casino gambling after a period of five years.”
W.C. Fields had this to say about wagering on Thoroughbreds:
“Horse sense is a good judgment which keeps horses from betting on people.”
Medieval philosopher Maimonides (1135-1204) wouldn’t approve of Vegas and Super Bowls:
“A gambler always loses. He loses money, dignity and time. And if he wins, he weaves a spider’s web round himself.”
A few years younger than Maimonides, FORBES ASIA editor Tim W. Ferguson has this to say about Americans’ lack of financial restraint:
“Only the occasional parson of prudence— and he is often an economist, not a preacher—will be heard to remind us that it is those who can least afford it who are most taken in. Could a weakening of household fiscal rectitude in the past generation have had something to do with the ‘instant millionaire’ craze?”
I like Ferguson’s turn of phrase—rumor has it that he was a member of a 1980s punk band named Parsons of Prudence.
SOURCES: CBS MIAMI; ESPNW.COM; A TREASURY OF JEWISH QUOTATIONS; THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF HUMOROUS QUOTATIONS; FORBES; FOXSPORTS.COM; THE YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS.
Billionaire and former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman, a Florida resident, is no fan of the recent push:
“Wherever these casinos have come, they have brought nothing but heartache and misery to the communities that have hosted them. I challenge the industry to name me one community in the United States that has benefited from casino gambling after a period of five years.”
Thoughts On Gambling and the Super Bowl
Karl Shmavonian, Forbes Staff
Las Vegas is expecting as much as $100 million to officially be wagered this weekend on Super Bowl XLVI (46 for those of you not wearing a toga) as the Patriots and Giants butt heads. Add in the amount blown unofficially in office pools, bars and living rooms—as well as the dollars devoured on food, beer and football merchandise—and the number will easily rise into the billions. My crazy call: The game will be a stinker, and the Giants will roll, 35-13. Second prediction: Madonna will tear off her brassiere during the halftime show and Dennis Rodman will come tumbling out.
It’s only fitting that the theme for our Thoughts post this time is gambling.
Jay Kornegay, director of the sports book at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, offers this on football betting:
“A lot of the movement is dictated by the sharps, the professionals, the wise guys—the sophisticated bettors who go with the bigger amounts. They know the value of point spread, while the average Joe just picks who he thinks is the better team.”
Terry Cox, director of race and sportsbook at Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada, offers this tidbit on how gender and psychology play out at the gaming tables:
“Women are more measured and intellectual when it comes to betting. There are guys out there who throw down $5,000 on the game without checking the line first. You would almost never see that from a woman.”
Back in 1978, Malcolm Forbes wrote colorfully about Florida’s desire to roll the dice:
“Taking a leaf from New Jersey’s book, Floridians this November will vote on whether to make gambling legal on their Miami-centered Gold Coast. Though by no means as long-gone in decay as Atlantic City, the glitter (and gouging) that made Miami Beach so long a mecca for Big Spenders has considerably tarnished. The profitability of the Fontainebleau-y showtels has disappeared, along with most of the beach itself. So now it’s likely that gambling will put the color back in Miami’s cheeks. One-armed bandits will join the throng of two-armed ones who’ve been wintering there since Al Capone led the way decades ago.”
Thirty-four years later, Florida is trying again to bring casinos to its beaches. Billionaire and former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman, a Florida resident, is no fan of the recent push:
“Wherever these casinos have come, they have brought nothing but heartache and misery to the communities that have hosted them. I challenge the industry to name me one community in the United States that has benefited from casino gambling after a period of five years.”
W.C. Fields had this to say about wagering on Thoroughbreds:
“Horse sense is a good judgment which keeps horses from betting on people.”
Medieval philosopher Maimonides (1135-1204) wouldn’t approve of Vegas and Super Bowls:
“A gambler always loses. He loses money, dignity and time. And if he wins, he weaves a spider’s web round himself.”
A few years younger than Maimonides, FORBES ASIA editor Tim W. Ferguson has this to say about Americans’ lack of financial restraint:
“Only the occasional parson of prudence— and he is often an economist, not a preacher—will be heard to remind us that it is those who can least afford it who are most taken in. Could a weakening of household fiscal rectitude in the past generation have had something to do with the ‘instant millionaire’ craze?”
I like Ferguson’s turn of phrase—rumor has it that he was a member of a 1980s punk band named Parsons of Prudence.
SOURCES: CBS MIAMI; ESPNW.COM; A TREASURY OF JEWISH QUOTATIONS; THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF HUMOROUS QUOTATIONS; FORBES; FOXSPORTS.COM; THE YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS.
Maryland's Race to the Bottom undoes protections
This is how those phony protections initially offered in Gambling Legislation get un-done --
Md. gambling bill packed with less-noticed provisions
By John Wagner
A gambling bill set to be introduced Monday in the Maryland Senate is drawing most attention for its authorization of Las Vegas-style tables games at existing casinos and its call for a new location in Prince George’s County.
But the legislation also includes several less-noticed but still-noteworthy provisions related to casino ownership, alcohol and entertainment.
Among the most significant is the repeal of a prohibition in existing law that limits individuals or businesses from owning more than one Maryland casino.
That provision could benefit Penn National Gaming, the owner of Hollywood Casino Perryville, which was the first slots venue to open in Maryland. Rosecroft Raceway, one of the potential sites for a casino in Prince George’s, is also owned by Penn National.
The new bill, sponsored by Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Prince George’s) with the backing of Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), would also do away with a provision in existing law that keeps casinos from offering free or discounted alcohol to its patrons.
And the bill also loosens some restrictions on amenities that can be offered at the Casino at Ocean Downs on the Eastern Shore.
In response to concerns from businesses in nearby Ocean City, the General Assembly outlawed several forms of entertainment on or near the casino property.
Under the new legislation, those that would become legal include: amusement rides, miniature golf, live music and dancing.
Md. gambling bill packed with less-noticed provisions
By John Wagner
A gambling bill set to be introduced Monday in the Maryland Senate is drawing most attention for its authorization of Las Vegas-style tables games at existing casinos and its call for a new location in Prince George’s County.
But the legislation also includes several less-noticed but still-noteworthy provisions related to casino ownership, alcohol and entertainment.
Among the most significant is the repeal of a prohibition in existing law that limits individuals or businesses from owning more than one Maryland casino.
That provision could benefit Penn National Gaming, the owner of Hollywood Casino Perryville, which was the first slots venue to open in Maryland. Rosecroft Raceway, one of the potential sites for a casino in Prince George’s, is also owned by Penn National.
The new bill, sponsored by Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Prince George’s) with the backing of Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), would also do away with a provision in existing law that keeps casinos from offering free or discounted alcohol to its patrons.
And the bill also loosens some restrictions on amenities that can be offered at the Casino at Ocean Downs on the Eastern Shore.
In response to concerns from businesses in nearby Ocean City, the General Assembly outlawed several forms of entertainment on or near the casino property.
Under the new legislation, those that would become legal include: amusement rides, miniature golf, live music and dancing.
Government Addiction to Gambling Revenue
When residents no longer have control of their communities......
As a resident in Castlemaine I am appalled and shocked by what appears to be an unbelievable decision.
The local council has said NO, overruled by the State authorities. The local residents have said NO looking at the results of Council's community survey (79% of those surveyed say either there are enough pokies in the Shire already or too many) the MHS CEO has not even bothered to read the council policy, he simply has no consideration for the local community.
574 people lodged formal written submissions to the VCGR, all were opposed, none in support. The VCGR has ignored that. Honestly how much opposition does the town need to provide??
VicTrack closed down a long running community use for the site as the only indoor cricket centre in the area to squeeze many times more rent. Shame on you.
The MHS stepped in and wants to strip mine some $6,000,000 per year from the local economy with this venue. Shame on the board.
The State Government is clearly hooked on pokie revenue like some cheap smack addict and does not care that they know hard data shows increased pokies = increased poverty, crime and social hardship. Shame Mr Ted Baillieu and all involved, Blood is on your hands if this goes ahead.
The commitment page on the Premiers website opens with the text "The Coalition Government is committed to providing vulnerable Victorians with the support and care they need. Our plans are about ensuring that we have effective, efficient and responsive community services to provide the comprehensive solutions that people and families require."
What a joke. To borrow from the Bard, Out out damn spot.
Gaming Commission refuses to block new Castlemaine pokies
Richard Willingham.
CASTLEMAINE residents have lost their battle to block 65 new poker machines in their central Victorian town after the gambling regulator approved an application to build a sports club in an old railway shed.
The Maryborough Highland Society bought 65 machines at the 2010 state pokies licence auction and applied to develop old railway buildings in Castlemaine - owned by the state government - into a sports and community club.
The proposal met community opposition with the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation receiving 574 submissions, all against it. The Mount Alexander Shire Council also resolved to oppose it.
Yesterday the commission approved the application on the grounds that the social and economic benefits outweighed the negative social impact.
Castlemaine is a popular ''tree-change'' destination but the commission said it did not believe the character of the town would change ''appreciably'' because of the development.
The commission accepts there will be an increase of gaming expenditure in the shire. The town already has one pokies venue, the Cumberland Hotel, where $3.4 million was spent on 30 machines last financial year.
The president of the group Enough Pokies in Castlemaine, David Stretch, said the decision was ''devastating''.
''This case was a litmus test for whether the commission will listen to communities. Castlemaine has spoken louder than any other community before it, and still the commission wants to let more pokies in.''
Mr Stretch vowed to keep fighting, taking inspiration from the Romsey community that took five years to keep pokies out of their town. He called on the local council to appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
But mayor Janet Cropley said it was beyond the financial means of the council to mount a challenge with VCAT. Any appeal must be lodged within 28 days.
Ms Cropley was disappointed but said the state government was dependent on gaming revenue and the application was for state land, over which a 2006 council decision to have no more pokies in the Castlemaine CBD had no binding power.
The society's general manager, Malcolm Blandthorn, said he was pleased with the ruling, but was anticipating a VCAT challenge.
''This is one stepping stone towards building a venue for the Castlemaine community,'' Mr Blandthorn said. ''As a not-for-profit we are trying to capture the gaming revenue and reinvestment in the community.'' The society operates 80 machines in Maryborough and Kyneton.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/gaming-commission-refuses-to-block-new-castlemaine-pokies-20120203-1qxv3.html#ixzz1lQLwuH5Y
As a resident in Castlemaine I am appalled and shocked by what appears to be an unbelievable decision.
The local council has said NO, overruled by the State authorities. The local residents have said NO looking at the results of Council's community survey (79% of those surveyed say either there are enough pokies in the Shire already or too many) the MHS CEO has not even bothered to read the council policy, he simply has no consideration for the local community.
574 people lodged formal written submissions to the VCGR, all were opposed, none in support. The VCGR has ignored that. Honestly how much opposition does the town need to provide??
VicTrack closed down a long running community use for the site as the only indoor cricket centre in the area to squeeze many times more rent. Shame on you.
The MHS stepped in and wants to strip mine some $6,000,000 per year from the local economy with this venue. Shame on the board.
The State Government is clearly hooked on pokie revenue like some cheap smack addict and does not care that they know hard data shows increased pokies = increased poverty, crime and social hardship. Shame Mr Ted Baillieu and all involved, Blood is on your hands if this goes ahead.
The commitment page on the Premiers website opens with the text "The Coalition Government is committed to providing vulnerable Victorians with the support and care they need. Our plans are about ensuring that we have effective, efficient and responsive community services to provide the comprehensive solutions that people and families require."
What a joke. To borrow from the Bard, Out out damn spot.
Gaming Commission refuses to block new Castlemaine pokies
Richard Willingham.
CASTLEMAINE residents have lost their battle to block 65 new poker machines in their central Victorian town after the gambling regulator approved an application to build a sports club in an old railway shed.
The Maryborough Highland Society bought 65 machines at the 2010 state pokies licence auction and applied to develop old railway buildings in Castlemaine - owned by the state government - into a sports and community club.
The proposal met community opposition with the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation receiving 574 submissions, all against it. The Mount Alexander Shire Council also resolved to oppose it.
Yesterday the commission approved the application on the grounds that the social and economic benefits outweighed the negative social impact.
Castlemaine is a popular ''tree-change'' destination but the commission said it did not believe the character of the town would change ''appreciably'' because of the development.
The commission accepts there will be an increase of gaming expenditure in the shire. The town already has one pokies venue, the Cumberland Hotel, where $3.4 million was spent on 30 machines last financial year.
The president of the group Enough Pokies in Castlemaine, David Stretch, said the decision was ''devastating''.
''This case was a litmus test for whether the commission will listen to communities. Castlemaine has spoken louder than any other community before it, and still the commission wants to let more pokies in.''
Mr Stretch vowed to keep fighting, taking inspiration from the Romsey community that took five years to keep pokies out of their town. He called on the local council to appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
But mayor Janet Cropley said it was beyond the financial means of the council to mount a challenge with VCAT. Any appeal must be lodged within 28 days.
Ms Cropley was disappointed but said the state government was dependent on gaming revenue and the application was for state land, over which a 2006 council decision to have no more pokies in the Castlemaine CBD had no binding power.
The society's general manager, Malcolm Blandthorn, said he was pleased with the ruling, but was anticipating a VCAT challenge.
''This is one stepping stone towards building a venue for the Castlemaine community,'' Mr Blandthorn said. ''As a not-for-profit we are trying to capture the gaming revenue and reinvestment in the community.'' The society operates 80 machines in Maryborough and Kyneton.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/gaming-commission-refuses-to-block-new-castlemaine-pokies-20120203-1qxv3.html#ixzz1lQLwuH5Y
teenagers - twice as likely to have a gambling problem as adults
More than half of women gamble after a surge over the last decade, MPs are warned
By Daniel Martin
There has been a surge in gambling by women over the past decade, experts have warned MPs.
Excluding those who only enter the National Lottery, the proportion of the female population who gamble has soared by a third to more than half for the first time.
So many women are now problem gamblers that one addiction centre in London is offering child-minding services to encourage mothers to attend.
There have been particularly large rises in the numbers of women buying scratch cards, playing slot machines and betting online.
At the same time the number of ‘grey gamblers’ – over-75s and particularly widowed people – who have taken up betting has increased.
The revelation comes just weeks after the Daily Mail disclosed that teenagers are now twice as likely to have a gambling problem as adults.
A submission by the National Centre for Social Research to the Commons culture select committee, which is investigating the working of Labour’s 2005 Gambling Act, gives details of the changing profile of gamblers over the past decade.
The researchers wrote: ‘We see more women and older people becoming involved with gambling and an increase in the proportion of people who gamble regularly.
‘The latter is particularly important as higher levels of gambling involvement are associated with problem gambling.’
Figures in the British Gambling Prevalence Survey for 2010, quoted by the research team, show that men are still more likely than women to gamble, but that the gap is getting narrower.
In 2010, some 75 per cent of men said they had gambled over the past year, slightly down on the 76 per cent recorded in 1999. However, the proportion of women who gambled went up from 68 to 71 per cent.
If the effect of the National Lottery is taken out, the rise among women is from 41 to 53 per cent – almost a third.
Some 33 per cent of women took part in gambling during the week before they were questioned, the survey found, against 38 per cent of men.
Around 0.3 per cent of women are deemed to be ‘problem gamblers’, up from 0.2 per cent in 1999.
Women aged between 45 and 65 are most likely to be frequent gamblers.
The report also looked at types of gambling. Women are far more likely to play bingo than men.
But while men are less likely to gamble on slot machines than a decade ago, the percentage of women playing them has gone up from 8 to 10 per cent.
Spelling out the soaring numbers of pensioners, widows and widows taking up gambling, the report said: ‘Estimates among those aged 75 and over increased from 52 per cent in 1999 to 63 per cent in 2010.
‘However, for those aged 16-54, estimates in 2010 were largely similar to those observed in 1999.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096270/More-half-women-gamble-surge-decade.html#ixzz1lQJGLLo4
By Daniel Martin
There has been a surge in gambling by women over the past decade, experts have warned MPs.
Excluding those who only enter the National Lottery, the proportion of the female population who gamble has soared by a third to more than half for the first time.
So many women are now problem gamblers that one addiction centre in London is offering child-minding services to encourage mothers to attend.
There have been particularly large rises in the numbers of women buying scratch cards, playing slot machines and betting online.
At the same time the number of ‘grey gamblers’ – over-75s and particularly widowed people – who have taken up betting has increased.
The revelation comes just weeks after the Daily Mail disclosed that teenagers are now twice as likely to have a gambling problem as adults.
A submission by the National Centre for Social Research to the Commons culture select committee, which is investigating the working of Labour’s 2005 Gambling Act, gives details of the changing profile of gamblers over the past decade.
The researchers wrote: ‘We see more women and older people becoming involved with gambling and an increase in the proportion of people who gamble regularly.
‘The latter is particularly important as higher levels of gambling involvement are associated with problem gambling.’
Figures in the British Gambling Prevalence Survey for 2010, quoted by the research team, show that men are still more likely than women to gamble, but that the gap is getting narrower.
In 2010, some 75 per cent of men said they had gambled over the past year, slightly down on the 76 per cent recorded in 1999. However, the proportion of women who gambled went up from 68 to 71 per cent.
If the effect of the National Lottery is taken out, the rise among women is from 41 to 53 per cent – almost a third.
Some 33 per cent of women took part in gambling during the week before they were questioned, the survey found, against 38 per cent of men.
Around 0.3 per cent of women are deemed to be ‘problem gamblers’, up from 0.2 per cent in 1999.
Women aged between 45 and 65 are most likely to be frequent gamblers.
The report also looked at types of gambling. Women are far more likely to play bingo than men.
But while men are less likely to gamble on slot machines than a decade ago, the percentage of women playing them has gone up from 8 to 10 per cent.
Spelling out the soaring numbers of pensioners, widows and widows taking up gambling, the report said: ‘Estimates among those aged 75 and over increased from 52 per cent in 1999 to 63 per cent in 2010.
‘However, for those aged 16-54, estimates in 2010 were largely similar to those observed in 1999.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096270/More-half-women-gamble-surge-decade.html#ixzz1lQJGLLo4
Everyone know someone who's negatively impacted by gambling
Poll: 50 per cent of Torontonians don’t want a casino in city
Half of Torontonians don’t want a casino in the city, a new poll suggests
Fifty per cent of respondents oppose construction of a new casino, while 35 per cent are in favour, according to Forum Research, a Canadian survey firm. Fifteen per cent said they had no opinion on the issue.
“Even though the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation may want to build a casino in the Toronto area, there’s going to be some opposition to that,” said Lorne Bozinoff, the firm’s president.
Still, he added, “People are fairly split about this thing.”
The survey also revealed that Torontonians would prefer to see a casino built at the Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto, or at Woodbine Racetrack in the city’s west end.
The Exhibition Place site is acceptable because it’s “a separate entertainment section of the city and it’s a little bit away from the residential areas,” while Woodbine already has existing gambling facilities for horse betting and slots, Bozinoff said.
Opposition to building a casino is highest in East York and North York with 55 per cent each (compared to 44 per cent in Etobicoke and 43 per cent in Scarborough). Women and residents aged 65 and over are also more likely to disapprove, with 55 per cent and 59 per cent opposed, respectively.
The results are not surprising, said Robert Williams, a research coordinator at the Alberta Gambling Research Institute.
Over the past two decades, Canadians’ perception of gambling has “become considerably more negative in all regions of the country,’ he said.
“Before we had all these casinos and before gambling was omnipresent, people were fairly naive about the potential negative repercussions of gambling. But now, everyone knows someone either in their immediate family or knows a friend or a colleague who’s been seriously negatively impacted.”
Over 60 per cent of Ontarians gamble and 3.4 per cent of the province’s adult population are problem gamblers, according to a 2005 study by the Toronto-based Responsible Gambling Council.
Rumours that OLG officials are pushing to build a Toronto-based casino have reignited debate over the need for a local gambling operation. The corporation generates $7 billion a year in business, with returns to the province ranging from $1.7 to $2 billion, said spokesperson Tony Bitonti.
Bitonti would not comment on the poll results or the possibility of a new casino in Toronto, but said the OLG will release a strategic business review of its gaming operations that will “come out soon.”
“We’re looking at the entire gaming picture — not in one specific area, but across the entire province,” he said.
Forum Research polled 1,560 randomly selected residents, aged 18 and over, through an “interactive voice response telephone survey” from Jan. 30 to 31. The margin of error of the survey is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Half of Torontonians don’t want a casino in the city, a new poll suggests
Fifty per cent of respondents oppose construction of a new casino, while 35 per cent are in favour, according to Forum Research, a Canadian survey firm. Fifteen per cent said they had no opinion on the issue.
“Even though the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation may want to build a casino in the Toronto area, there’s going to be some opposition to that,” said Lorne Bozinoff, the firm’s president.
Still, he added, “People are fairly split about this thing.”
The survey also revealed that Torontonians would prefer to see a casino built at the Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto, or at Woodbine Racetrack in the city’s west end.
The Exhibition Place site is acceptable because it’s “a separate entertainment section of the city and it’s a little bit away from the residential areas,” while Woodbine already has existing gambling facilities for horse betting and slots, Bozinoff said.
Opposition to building a casino is highest in East York and North York with 55 per cent each (compared to 44 per cent in Etobicoke and 43 per cent in Scarborough). Women and residents aged 65 and over are also more likely to disapprove, with 55 per cent and 59 per cent opposed, respectively.
The results are not surprising, said Robert Williams, a research coordinator at the Alberta Gambling Research Institute.
Over the past two decades, Canadians’ perception of gambling has “become considerably more negative in all regions of the country,’ he said.
“Before we had all these casinos and before gambling was omnipresent, people were fairly naive about the potential negative repercussions of gambling. But now, everyone knows someone either in their immediate family or knows a friend or a colleague who’s been seriously negatively impacted.”
Over 60 per cent of Ontarians gamble and 3.4 per cent of the province’s adult population are problem gamblers, according to a 2005 study by the Toronto-based Responsible Gambling Council.
Rumours that OLG officials are pushing to build a Toronto-based casino have reignited debate over the need for a local gambling operation. The corporation generates $7 billion a year in business, with returns to the province ranging from $1.7 to $2 billion, said spokesperson Tony Bitonti.
Bitonti would not comment on the poll results or the possibility of a new casino in Toronto, but said the OLG will release a strategic business review of its gaming operations that will “come out soon.”
“We’re looking at the entire gaming picture — not in one specific area, but across the entire province,” he said.
Forum Research polled 1,560 randomly selected residents, aged 18 and over, through an “interactive voice response telephone survey” from Jan. 30 to 31. The margin of error of the survey is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Florida woman loses $14 million on slots in Seminole casino
After watching this news report, how could anyone associated with the Seminole casino in Tampa not have known this woman was a gambling addict? It is impossible to conceive that an individual could lose $250,000 in a day at the casino...$14 million over a period of time... inside the casino without the casino knowing full well this woman was a gambling addict. The argument that "no one made her do it" does not hold water. Someone who is an addict, by definition, has no free will.
Florida Mega-Casino Bill Is Withdrawn Due to Opposition
Florida Mega-Casino Bill Is Withdrawn
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
MIAMI — The richly financed push to bring three mega-casinos to South Florida fizzled in the Legislature on Friday, defeated for the time being by mounting opposition across the state and the uncertainty of election-year politics.
“It was one of these ideas that the longer it sits around and the more it is scrutinized, the smellier it becomes,” said Dan Gelber, a former member of the State House and the South Florida chairman of No Casinos, an advocacy group that fought the bill. “At least this proves that money can’t buy you love sometimes.”
Major casino operators, including Genting Berhad, a Malaysian conglomerate that bought bayfront property in Miami on which to build a mammoth resort, unleashed a torrent of political contributions and lobbyists on Florida’s Capitol. Their job was to convince lawmakers that casinos would churn out jobs and revenue, and help dispel the state’s economic gloom.
But powerful forces aligned quickly against the bill. Led by Disney World and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, opponents argued that Florida’s wholesome family-friendly image would suffer. Other critics soon joined them, including Norman Braman, an auto dealership magnate in South Florida, religious groups, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association and the mostly conservative Legislature, which is generally opposed to gambling. The groups expressed worries about crime, the impact on local businesses and hotels, and traffic, among other things.
Support began to erode, not build, over the past few months. A poll in late January by Bendixen & Amandi International showed Miami-Dade County voters evenly divided about the prospect of casinos at their doorstep, with 46 percent opposed. Several months ago, a survey of likely voters found 38 percent opposed to casino gambling.
The bill faced its first test before a committee in the State House on Friday but lacked the votes to progress. Rather than lose the vote, Representative Erik Fresen, the Miami Republican who sponsored the House bill, pulled the measure and postponed the vote. There is next to no chance that it will come up for another vote this year.
Both sides agree that the battle is far from over. A retooled casino bill is expected to make a comeback during the 2013 legislative session, when redistricting skirmishes and election wrangling will no longer be a factor.
“I’m sure it will be back,” said Nick Iarossi, a lobbyist for Las Vegas Sands, one of the companies pushing the bill. “There are lots of embedded interests who want to see it happen and who are in it for the long haul.”
Mr. Gelber agreed. “This is Round 1,” he said.
Jessica Hoppe, the senior vice president for government affairs and general counsel of Genting’s Resorts World Miami, said in a statement that the company remained “committed to the vision of world-class destination resorts in the South Florida community.”
After the vote was postponed on Friday, Mr. Fresen said it was important to withdraw the bill “to continue the conversation.” He said he knew that getting the bill through the conservative Legislature would be difficult. If anything, he said, this year’s attempt served as a curtain-raiser, exposing voters and lawmakers to the idea of resort casinos.
Mr. Iarossi, who said the bill would have failed in committee by one vote, acknowledged that the legislation was swamped by layers of competing special interests. They include the Seminole tribe, which runs several large casinos in the state; the “racinos,” or racetrack-gambling parlors in South Florida, which wanted equal treatment; tourism titans and large out-of-state casino companies. All of them sought revisions in the bills to suit their needs. If the bill had been approved, the casinos were required to bring $2 billion each in investment to their projects.
The two bills — one in the Senate and one in the House — tried to bring greater regulation and oversight to gambling in Florida. But in a bid to draw support the bills morphed into two divergent proposals, with the Senate bill vastly expanding gambling in the state, a move that further complicated efforts.
“This is just a very difficult issue with a lot of moving parts,” Mr. Iarossi said. “I don’t think any one opponent could stop it. I think it’s a combination of factors.”
The fact that redistricting is taking place this year, leaving a number of lawmakers uncertain about which districts they will run in and who will run against them, also contributed to the bill’s downfall, Mr. Iarossi said.
“The safe vote is no,” Mr. Iarossi added.
But Mr. Gelber said that gambling proponents tried to sugarcoat the impact that large casinos would have had on South Florida, inflating the benefits. The tactic, he said, ultimately backfired and bolstered the opposition.
“There was a lot of deception in how they sold it initially,” Mr. Gelber said. “They said it was not an expansion of gambling, yet they are building the largest casino in the world, and they are saying it’s not going to change the texture of our quality of life.”
As Mr. Gelber geared up to raise money for the effort to stop the bill, he found it was quite easy. Mr. Braman and Tony Goldman, the real estate developer, were the first to write big checks. Soon, homeowners’ associations in Miami were railing against the bill and testifying before the Legislature.
“They thought people would just say, ‘Oh, what a pretty picture,’ and line up for it,” Mr. Gelber added. “They got a community that was thoughtful, that said this isn’t who we want to be.”
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
MIAMI — The richly financed push to bring three mega-casinos to South Florida fizzled in the Legislature on Friday, defeated for the time being by mounting opposition across the state and the uncertainty of election-year politics.
“It was one of these ideas that the longer it sits around and the more it is scrutinized, the smellier it becomes,” said Dan Gelber, a former member of the State House and the South Florida chairman of No Casinos, an advocacy group that fought the bill. “At least this proves that money can’t buy you love sometimes.”
Major casino operators, including Genting Berhad, a Malaysian conglomerate that bought bayfront property in Miami on which to build a mammoth resort, unleashed a torrent of political contributions and lobbyists on Florida’s Capitol. Their job was to convince lawmakers that casinos would churn out jobs and revenue, and help dispel the state’s economic gloom.
But powerful forces aligned quickly against the bill. Led by Disney World and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, opponents argued that Florida’s wholesome family-friendly image would suffer. Other critics soon joined them, including Norman Braman, an auto dealership magnate in South Florida, religious groups, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association and the mostly conservative Legislature, which is generally opposed to gambling. The groups expressed worries about crime, the impact on local businesses and hotels, and traffic, among other things.
Support began to erode, not build, over the past few months. A poll in late January by Bendixen & Amandi International showed Miami-Dade County voters evenly divided about the prospect of casinos at their doorstep, with 46 percent opposed. Several months ago, a survey of likely voters found 38 percent opposed to casino gambling.
The bill faced its first test before a committee in the State House on Friday but lacked the votes to progress. Rather than lose the vote, Representative Erik Fresen, the Miami Republican who sponsored the House bill, pulled the measure and postponed the vote. There is next to no chance that it will come up for another vote this year.
Both sides agree that the battle is far from over. A retooled casino bill is expected to make a comeback during the 2013 legislative session, when redistricting skirmishes and election wrangling will no longer be a factor.
“I’m sure it will be back,” said Nick Iarossi, a lobbyist for Las Vegas Sands, one of the companies pushing the bill. “There are lots of embedded interests who want to see it happen and who are in it for the long haul.”
Mr. Gelber agreed. “This is Round 1,” he said.
Jessica Hoppe, the senior vice president for government affairs and general counsel of Genting’s Resorts World Miami, said in a statement that the company remained “committed to the vision of world-class destination resorts in the South Florida community.”
After the vote was postponed on Friday, Mr. Fresen said it was important to withdraw the bill “to continue the conversation.” He said he knew that getting the bill through the conservative Legislature would be difficult. If anything, he said, this year’s attempt served as a curtain-raiser, exposing voters and lawmakers to the idea of resort casinos.
Mr. Iarossi, who said the bill would have failed in committee by one vote, acknowledged that the legislation was swamped by layers of competing special interests. They include the Seminole tribe, which runs several large casinos in the state; the “racinos,” or racetrack-gambling parlors in South Florida, which wanted equal treatment; tourism titans and large out-of-state casino companies. All of them sought revisions in the bills to suit their needs. If the bill had been approved, the casinos were required to bring $2 billion each in investment to their projects.
The two bills — one in the Senate and one in the House — tried to bring greater regulation and oversight to gambling in Florida. But in a bid to draw support the bills morphed into two divergent proposals, with the Senate bill vastly expanding gambling in the state, a move that further complicated efforts.
“This is just a very difficult issue with a lot of moving parts,” Mr. Iarossi said. “I don’t think any one opponent could stop it. I think it’s a combination of factors.”
The fact that redistricting is taking place this year, leaving a number of lawmakers uncertain about which districts they will run in and who will run against them, also contributed to the bill’s downfall, Mr. Iarossi said.
“The safe vote is no,” Mr. Iarossi added.
But Mr. Gelber said that gambling proponents tried to sugarcoat the impact that large casinos would have had on South Florida, inflating the benefits. The tactic, he said, ultimately backfired and bolstered the opposition.
“There was a lot of deception in how they sold it initially,” Mr. Gelber said. “They said it was not an expansion of gambling, yet they are building the largest casino in the world, and they are saying it’s not going to change the texture of our quality of life.”
As Mr. Gelber geared up to raise money for the effort to stop the bill, he found it was quite easy. Mr. Braman and Tony Goldman, the real estate developer, were the first to write big checks. Soon, homeowners’ associations in Miami were railing against the bill and testifying before the Legislature.
“They thought people would just say, ‘Oh, what a pretty picture,’ and line up for it,” Mr. Gelber added. “They got a community that was thoughtful, that said this isn’t who we want to be.”
Illegal gambling on Super Bowl won't go undetected
SAPD warns: Illegal gambling on Super Bowl won't go undetected
by Phil Anaya / KENS 5
When it comes to gambling the bigger the game, the bigger the pot and that’s why local law enforcement agencies are on the lookout this Super Bowl weekend.
“When we have these major sporting events such as the super bowl coming up, our vice unit knows typically there are folks out there that want to gamble,” said SAPD Sgt. Chris Benavides.
Those who do gamble are hoping to win big. In June the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office made a large gambling ring bust.
They confiscated close to $200,000 which was supposed to be paid out to numerous people following the NBA finals.
While many may be unaware that San Antonio has its fair share of gamblers, therapist Tim Collingham said they’re out there.
“I would say San Antonio has more than its fair share of gamblers,” said Collingham.
Collingham is a licensed therapist who has helped people with gambling problems. He said while some people are looking to make a quick buck, there’s also people who have a serious addiction and ignore the fact that there’s serious consequences.
“People betting on the Super Bowl they might say, ‘yeah well it might be illegal for me to bet on the super bowl I’m not in Las Vegas, here I am in San Antonio,’ but it’s the same thing if I go speeding down the road. It’s against the law,” said Collingham.
That’s why local law enforcement agencies are warning people now that they won’t always go undetected.
“Our vice detectives and our vice unit will be out there looking at certain areas, going into certain areas, trying to prevent this illegal gambling,” said Benavides.
by Phil Anaya / KENS 5
When it comes to gambling the bigger the game, the bigger the pot and that’s why local law enforcement agencies are on the lookout this Super Bowl weekend.
“When we have these major sporting events such as the super bowl coming up, our vice unit knows typically there are folks out there that want to gamble,” said SAPD Sgt. Chris Benavides.
Those who do gamble are hoping to win big. In June the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office made a large gambling ring bust.
They confiscated close to $200,000 which was supposed to be paid out to numerous people following the NBA finals.
While many may be unaware that San Antonio has its fair share of gamblers, therapist Tim Collingham said they’re out there.
“I would say San Antonio has more than its fair share of gamblers,” said Collingham.
Collingham is a licensed therapist who has helped people with gambling problems. He said while some people are looking to make a quick buck, there’s also people who have a serious addiction and ignore the fact that there’s serious consequences.
“People betting on the Super Bowl they might say, ‘yeah well it might be illegal for me to bet on the super bowl I’m not in Las Vegas, here I am in San Antonio,’ but it’s the same thing if I go speeding down the road. It’s against the law,” said Collingham.
That’s why local law enforcement agencies are warning people now that they won’t always go undetected.
“Our vice detectives and our vice unit will be out there looking at certain areas, going into certain areas, trying to prevent this illegal gambling,” said Benavides.
Outrage as former drug addict launches online poker site
Outrage as former drug addict Robbie Williams launches online poker site
By Lucy Buckland
He is no Angel, but former drug addict Robbie Williams has enraged fans once again by launching an online poker site.
Anti-gambling campaigners also slated the Take That singer for launching the website claiming the 37-year-old would be raking in the cash from vulnerable addicts.
The site, which is set to launch this year, claims the main focus is having 'fun' but some of the games do cost money.
Liberal Democrat MP Tessa Munt said it was disgraceful the star was making money from addicts - seeing as the singer was once famously addicted to antidepressants.
She told The Daily Mirror: 'I’m outraged by this. It directly targets his fans, including children. The money he makes should go to addiction charities.'
Even his own fans turned against him with one writing on his official website: 'Taking advantage of vulnerable people for financial gain does not sit right with me.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2096370/Anger-drug-addict-Robbie-Williams-launches-poker-site.html#ixzz1lQ67m9pG
By Lucy Buckland
He is no Angel, but former drug addict Robbie Williams has enraged fans once again by launching an online poker site.
Anti-gambling campaigners also slated the Take That singer for launching the website claiming the 37-year-old would be raking in the cash from vulnerable addicts.
The site, which is set to launch this year, claims the main focus is having 'fun' but some of the games do cost money.
Liberal Democrat MP Tessa Munt said it was disgraceful the star was making money from addicts - seeing as the singer was once famously addicted to antidepressants.
She told The Daily Mirror: 'I’m outraged by this. It directly targets his fans, including children. The money he makes should go to addiction charities.'
Even his own fans turned against him with one writing on his official website: 'Taking advantage of vulnerable people for financial gain does not sit right with me.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2096370/Anger-drug-addict-Robbie-Williams-launches-poker-site.html#ixzz1lQ67m9pG
Teen Suicide Blamed on ATM Access
ATM at Warragul pokies venue found key to teen’s death
A coroner has found the suicide of a teenager in Warragul last year was due to an ATM at a local gambling venue inflaming his gambling addiction.
Jacob Anton Van Berlo, 19, hanged himself in the garage of his parents’ Maple Way home on May 11 last year after almost draining his bank account in 40 minutes at the Warragul Downtowner pokies.
The teenager had depression and a known gambling problem and contacted Gamblers Anonymous for help in September 2010 after losing his week’s pay in a day. His parents also knew of his problem.
The coroner, E C Batt, stated in his findings that access to an ATM inside the venue fuelled Mr Van Berlo’s gambling addiction.
“There is a strong inference arising from the circumstances of the young person’s death that the opportunity to access an automatic teller machine located within the gambling venue, operated to feed his gambling addiction and so fuel his depression as to drive him to commit suicide,” Mr Batt said.
Mr Batt also said the case should be brought to the attention of key bodies and policy formulators concerned with ATM’s and other cash dispensing machines in gambling venues.
From July this year ATM’s will be banned from pubs and clubs with poker machines, a policy implemented by the previous state government and extended by the present government to cover all automatic money withdrawal services.
Mr Van Berlo was an apprentice in pre-press graphics at the Warragul & Drouin Gazette, and visited the Downtowner in his lunch break on the day of his death. He did not return to work and was later being discovered dead by his mother when she returned from work just after 4PM.
He spoke with his employers about his problem early in 2011 and was prescribed a daily dose of Zoloft by a psychologist, a drug designed to combat major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Zoloft’s manufacturer, Pfizer, however warns the drug increases the risk of suicidal thinking and behaviour in children, adolescents and young adults.
The drug did not cure his gambling addiction and Mr Van Berlo went on to lose his week’s pay on at least two other occasions, once borrowing money from his mother having lost his pay at the pokies.
In the morning of the day of his death Mr Van Berlo texted a friend to say he would repay him the $100 he owed him.
The coroner described Mr Van Berlo as “a highly intelligent young person who became frustrated and somewhat directionless in his final years at secondary college.”
A coroner has found the suicide of a teenager in Warragul last year was due to an ATM at a local gambling venue inflaming his gambling addiction.
Jacob Anton Van Berlo, 19, hanged himself in the garage of his parents’ Maple Way home on May 11 last year after almost draining his bank account in 40 minutes at the Warragul Downtowner pokies.
The teenager had depression and a known gambling problem and contacted Gamblers Anonymous for help in September 2010 after losing his week’s pay in a day. His parents also knew of his problem.
The coroner, E C Batt, stated in his findings that access to an ATM inside the venue fuelled Mr Van Berlo’s gambling addiction.
“There is a strong inference arising from the circumstances of the young person’s death that the opportunity to access an automatic teller machine located within the gambling venue, operated to feed his gambling addiction and so fuel his depression as to drive him to commit suicide,” Mr Batt said.
Mr Batt also said the case should be brought to the attention of key bodies and policy formulators concerned with ATM’s and other cash dispensing machines in gambling venues.
From July this year ATM’s will be banned from pubs and clubs with poker machines, a policy implemented by the previous state government and extended by the present government to cover all automatic money withdrawal services.
Mr Van Berlo was an apprentice in pre-press graphics at the Warragul & Drouin Gazette, and visited the Downtowner in his lunch break on the day of his death. He did not return to work and was later being discovered dead by his mother when she returned from work just after 4PM.
He spoke with his employers about his problem early in 2011 and was prescribed a daily dose of Zoloft by a psychologist, a drug designed to combat major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Zoloft’s manufacturer, Pfizer, however warns the drug increases the risk of suicidal thinking and behaviour in children, adolescents and young adults.
The drug did not cure his gambling addiction and Mr Van Berlo went on to lose his week’s pay on at least two other occasions, once borrowing money from his mother having lost his pay at the pokies.
In the morning of the day of his death Mr Van Berlo texted a friend to say he would repay him the $100 he owed him.
The coroner described Mr Van Berlo as “a highly intelligent young person who became frustrated and somewhat directionless in his final years at secondary college.”
Internet Gambling Addiction
An internet gambling addict has been jailed for frittering away £400,000 from a company she worked for, meaning her boss has to retire five years later than planned to pay for it. Has gambling ever affected your life? Gambling expert Chris Brady and Anthony Jennens the Chairman of GamCare discussed the addiction and we took your calls. The story of Ray in Earl’s Court was particularly compelling.
Alabama: Trial Resumes, Gag Order Requested, Crosby Death Ruled 'Natural Causes'
Prosecution In Gambling Corruption Case Requests Gag Order For Retrial
Defense Attorneys fighting the request for a Gag Order.
Todd Prater
Prosecutors in the gambling vote buying case are requesting a gag order on the retrial set to begin Monday. The first time the case was tried there were frequent comments by the defense criticizing the prosecution's case. However Federal prosecutors haven't spoken to the press other than the initial news conference announcing the arrests over a year ago. Defense lawyers are fighting the gag request. No ruling from the judge yet.
Read more: http://www.hallelujah1051.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=118702&article=9709584#ixzz1lPxjo2k8
Coroner: Crosby died of natural causes
Written by Sebastian Kitchen
Dealing with legal problems, a divorce, health issues and financial difficulties, Joseph "Ray" Crosby died of heart problems on the eve of a second corruption trial in which he hoped to vindicate himself.
"After this investigation, it has been concluded that the death was natu ral and the cause of death was hyperten sive cardiovas cular disease," Special Coroner David Thrasher wrote in information he released Friday afternoon.
Also on Friday, a federal judge dismissed the one remaining charge against Crosby, who was accused of accepting a bribe.
Crosby, one of seven defendants scheduled to go on trial this week in a federal corruption case related to gambling in the state, died Jan. 29 at his Gunster Road home in Montgomery, according to Thrasher.
Thrasher released that information after the Alabama Department of Forensic Science conducted an autopsy and toxicological analysis. He wrote that the forensic science department and the Montgomery Police Department conducted an investigation of the death.
A friend told the Montgomery Advertiser earlier this week that he found Crosby dead in his bed about 4:30 p.m. Sunday after Crosby's daughter became concerned because she could not reach him. Danny Corbett said paramedics told him Crosby had been dead about 12 hours.
He said there were no signs of wrongdoing or foul play.
"When I opened the door (to his bedroom), he looked like he was asleep," said Corbett, a former state senator.
He said his friend was lying on his side with a book beside him and had his cellphone charging.
Corbett said, after calling 911, he and his girlfriend looked through the house, which he said was "neat," and that everything was "normal as could be."
"It appears to me his heart just quit beating," he said.
Crosby, according to his friend, had trouble with his heart and was extremely stressed from the trial, ensuing financial issues, and a divorce. He had filed for bankruptcy the week before he died, according to an Associated Press report.
(Page 2 of 2)
"He went to sleep and didn't make it back," Corbett said.
He said the trial cost Crosby financially, damaged his family, and possibly cost him his life.
"I understand it because I lived a lot of it with him," he said.
Corbett said he talked about the death because there had been false rumors that he was trying to quash. He said there was no note at the house and no signs of physical harm to Crosby.
Crosby, a former longtime employee of the Legislature, was scheduled to go on trial Monday, less than 24 hours after he was found dead.
There were no convictions in the original 10-week trial, which began in June, and two of the defendants were found not guilty on all of the charges against them.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson declared a mistrial on the remaining 33 counts, with the jury deadlocked on those, and set the date for the second trial after prosecutors decided to move forward with the case.
Thompson ruled Monday, while Montgomery police were investigating Crosby's death, that the trial would be delayed a week and begin with jury selection at 9 a.m. this Monday.
The judge threw out 12 counts against Crosby before the case went to the jury and the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the one pending bribery charge against him.
Thompson dismissed that charge against Crosby on Friday. He has not dismissed the correlating charge against McGregor.
Crosby was among 11 people arrested in October 2010. Two pleaded guilty before the case went to trial.
The defendants are accused of allegedly being involved in a scheme in which casino owners bribed state lawmakers, with offers of cash and campaign funds, to support gambling legislation.
Prosecutors accuse casino owner Milton McGregor of bribing Crosby with monthly payments to craft legislation that would benefit him, but defense lawyers pointed to legislation that Crosby drafted for legislators that would have hurt McGregor's operations.
The other defendants are state Sen. Harri Anne Smith; former state Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt; McGregor lobbyist Tom Coker; and former Country Crossing spokesman Jay Walker.
After delay, corruption retrial begins Monday
By: Lance Griffin Dothan Eagle
Alabama’s gambling corruption retrial begins Monday, almost six months after the first trial ended in numerous acquittals and several hung counts and eight days after one of the defendants was found dead.
Six defendants will stand trial, five fewer than were originally arrested in October of 2010 when federal authorities swooped into the state and made a roundup of arrests. Two of the original defendants, Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley and lobbyist Jarrod Massey, pleaded guilty to multiple bribery counts. Two defendants, Sen. Quinton Ross, D-Montgomery, and lobbyist Robert Geddie, were acquitted of all charges in the first trial that ended in August of 2011. The retrial was scheduled to begin Jan. 30, but was delayed one week after defendant Ray Crosby, a former legislative analyst, was found dead in his home Jan. 29. Crosby faced a single count of bribery, which was dismissed in the wake of his death.
Jury selection begins at 9 a.m. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson has ordered attorneys and defendants to be present at 8 a.m. in order to take care of any pre-trial motions that may still be pending.
One motion that still remained unresolved Friday is a motion by prosecutors to bar attorneys from making public comments about the trial. The prosecution motion and defense responses have been filed under seal and are unavailable for public view.
A federal jury acquitted the defendants on 91 counts during the initial trial, but was unable to come to a consensus on 33 counts.
The remaining defendants and counts follow:
» Milton McGregor: Owner of the VictoryLand casino. McGregor still faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery in an alleged offer of $1 million in public relations business to Sen. Scott Beason, two additional bribery counts in the alleged offer of campaign donations to then-Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt in exchange for a pro-gambling vote, bribery in the alleged payment of $42,000 to former legislative analyst Ray Crosby, and nine counts of honest services wire fraud.
» Tom Coker: Lobbyist for McGregor. Coker still faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery in the alleged offer of campaign support to Preuitt in exchange for a pro-gambling vote and one count of honest services wire fraud.
» Larry Means: Former state senator from Etowah County. Means still faces a charge of conspiracy, and a bribery count in which prosecutors allege Means sought $100,000 in exchange for his pro-gambling vote.
» Jim Preuitt: Former state senator from Talladega. Preuitt still faces a charge of conspiracy, one count of bribery in which prosecutors allege he agreed to accept $2 million in campaign support for his pro-gambling vote, and one count of making a false statement to FBI investigators.
» Harri Anne Smith: State senator from Slocomb. Smith still faces a charge of conspiracy, bribery in connection with what prosecutors say was an agreement to accept $400,000 in campaign donations from Gilley in exchange for help with pro-gambling legislation, two counts of honest services wire fraud and four counts of money laundering.
» Jay Walker: Former Country Crossing spokesperson. Walker still faces a charge of conspiracy and a single count of bribery in connection with an alleged offer of $2 million in campaign help to Preuitt.
Coroner: Alabama gambling defendant's death from natural causes.
PHILLIP RAWLS Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A defendant died from natural causes on the eve of his retrial in the gambling corruption case involving lawmakers and others at the Alabama Statehouse, a coroner said Friday.
An autopsy and toxicology analysis by the state Department of Forensic Science showed Ray Crosby's death resulted from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, said Montgomery County Coroner David Thrasher.
Crosby, 63, was found in his bed at his Montgomery home shortly after 4 p.m. on Jan. 29.
A retrial for him and six other defendants was scheduled to start the next morning. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson delayed the trial one week because of Crosby's death.
Montgomery County Coroner David Thrasher said Friday an autopsy by the state Department of Forensic Science showed Crosby died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
Before his indictment in October 2010, Crosby worked at the Legislature writing bills for lawmakers, including on gambling issues. Prosecutors accused him of taking bribes of $3,000 a month from casino owner Milton McGregor to advise him about gambling bills that were being written. At the request of prosecutors, the judge on Friday dropped the bribery charge, as is customary when a defendant dies before a verdict.
Former state Sen. Danny Corbett, who found the body, said the autopsy results should end speculation about how Crosby died.
Corbett had told reporters that it looked as if Crosby died in his sleep with a paperback book by his side and that high-blood pressure medicine and a blood thinner were on his nightstand.
McGregor is slated for trial Monday along with state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, former Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt, casino lobbyist Tom Coker, and former casino spokesman Jay Walker. They are accused of using campaign contributions to buy and sell votes for pro-gambling legislation.
Attorneys estimate the retrial could last six to eight weeks.
The original lasted 10 weeks and ended in August with two defendants acquitted on all charges, no convictions, and the jury unable to decide all counts against seven defendants, including Crosby.
Defense Attorneys fighting the request for a Gag Order.
Todd Prater
Prosecutors in the gambling vote buying case are requesting a gag order on the retrial set to begin Monday. The first time the case was tried there were frequent comments by the defense criticizing the prosecution's case. However Federal prosecutors haven't spoken to the press other than the initial news conference announcing the arrests over a year ago. Defense lawyers are fighting the gag request. No ruling from the judge yet.
Read more: http://www.hallelujah1051.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=118702&article=9709584#ixzz1lPxjo2k8
Coroner: Crosby died of natural causes
Written by Sebastian Kitchen
Dealing with legal problems, a divorce, health issues and financial difficulties, Joseph "Ray" Crosby died of heart problems on the eve of a second corruption trial in which he hoped to vindicate himself.
"After this investigation, it has been concluded that the death was natu ral and the cause of death was hyperten sive cardiovas cular disease," Special Coroner David Thrasher wrote in information he released Friday afternoon.
Also on Friday, a federal judge dismissed the one remaining charge against Crosby, who was accused of accepting a bribe.
Crosby, one of seven defendants scheduled to go on trial this week in a federal corruption case related to gambling in the state, died Jan. 29 at his Gunster Road home in Montgomery, according to Thrasher.
Thrasher released that information after the Alabama Department of Forensic Science conducted an autopsy and toxicological analysis. He wrote that the forensic science department and the Montgomery Police Department conducted an investigation of the death.
A friend told the Montgomery Advertiser earlier this week that he found Crosby dead in his bed about 4:30 p.m. Sunday after Crosby's daughter became concerned because she could not reach him. Danny Corbett said paramedics told him Crosby had been dead about 12 hours.
He said there were no signs of wrongdoing or foul play.
"When I opened the door (to his bedroom), he looked like he was asleep," said Corbett, a former state senator.
He said his friend was lying on his side with a book beside him and had his cellphone charging.
Corbett said, after calling 911, he and his girlfriend looked through the house, which he said was "neat," and that everything was "normal as could be."
"It appears to me his heart just quit beating," he said.
Crosby, according to his friend, had trouble with his heart and was extremely stressed from the trial, ensuing financial issues, and a divorce. He had filed for bankruptcy the week before he died, according to an Associated Press report.
(Page 2 of 2)
"He went to sleep and didn't make it back," Corbett said.
He said the trial cost Crosby financially, damaged his family, and possibly cost him his life.
"I understand it because I lived a lot of it with him," he said.
Corbett said he talked about the death because there had been false rumors that he was trying to quash. He said there was no note at the house and no signs of physical harm to Crosby.
Crosby, a former longtime employee of the Legislature, was scheduled to go on trial Monday, less than 24 hours after he was found dead.
There were no convictions in the original 10-week trial, which began in June, and two of the defendants were found not guilty on all of the charges against them.
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson declared a mistrial on the remaining 33 counts, with the jury deadlocked on those, and set the date for the second trial after prosecutors decided to move forward with the case.
Thompson ruled Monday, while Montgomery police were investigating Crosby's death, that the trial would be delayed a week and begin with jury selection at 9 a.m. this Monday.
The judge threw out 12 counts against Crosby before the case went to the jury and the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the one pending bribery charge against him.
Thompson dismissed that charge against Crosby on Friday. He has not dismissed the correlating charge against McGregor.
Crosby was among 11 people arrested in October 2010. Two pleaded guilty before the case went to trial.
The defendants are accused of allegedly being involved in a scheme in which casino owners bribed state lawmakers, with offers of cash and campaign funds, to support gambling legislation.
Prosecutors accuse casino owner Milton McGregor of bribing Crosby with monthly payments to craft legislation that would benefit him, but defense lawyers pointed to legislation that Crosby drafted for legislators that would have hurt McGregor's operations.
The other defendants are state Sen. Harri Anne Smith; former state Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt; McGregor lobbyist Tom Coker; and former Country Crossing spokesman Jay Walker.
After delay, corruption retrial begins Monday
By: Lance Griffin Dothan Eagle
Alabama’s gambling corruption retrial begins Monday, almost six months after the first trial ended in numerous acquittals and several hung counts and eight days after one of the defendants was found dead.
Six defendants will stand trial, five fewer than were originally arrested in October of 2010 when federal authorities swooped into the state and made a roundup of arrests. Two of the original defendants, Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley and lobbyist Jarrod Massey, pleaded guilty to multiple bribery counts. Two defendants, Sen. Quinton Ross, D-Montgomery, and lobbyist Robert Geddie, were acquitted of all charges in the first trial that ended in August of 2011. The retrial was scheduled to begin Jan. 30, but was delayed one week after defendant Ray Crosby, a former legislative analyst, was found dead in his home Jan. 29. Crosby faced a single count of bribery, which was dismissed in the wake of his death.
Jury selection begins at 9 a.m. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson has ordered attorneys and defendants to be present at 8 a.m. in order to take care of any pre-trial motions that may still be pending.
One motion that still remained unresolved Friday is a motion by prosecutors to bar attorneys from making public comments about the trial. The prosecution motion and defense responses have been filed under seal and are unavailable for public view.
A federal jury acquitted the defendants on 91 counts during the initial trial, but was unable to come to a consensus on 33 counts.
The remaining defendants and counts follow:
» Milton McGregor: Owner of the VictoryLand casino. McGregor still faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery in an alleged offer of $1 million in public relations business to Sen. Scott Beason, two additional bribery counts in the alleged offer of campaign donations to then-Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt in exchange for a pro-gambling vote, bribery in the alleged payment of $42,000 to former legislative analyst Ray Crosby, and nine counts of honest services wire fraud.
» Tom Coker: Lobbyist for McGregor. Coker still faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery in the alleged offer of campaign support to Preuitt in exchange for a pro-gambling vote and one count of honest services wire fraud.
» Larry Means: Former state senator from Etowah County. Means still faces a charge of conspiracy, and a bribery count in which prosecutors allege Means sought $100,000 in exchange for his pro-gambling vote.
» Jim Preuitt: Former state senator from Talladega. Preuitt still faces a charge of conspiracy, one count of bribery in which prosecutors allege he agreed to accept $2 million in campaign support for his pro-gambling vote, and one count of making a false statement to FBI investigators.
» Harri Anne Smith: State senator from Slocomb. Smith still faces a charge of conspiracy, bribery in connection with what prosecutors say was an agreement to accept $400,000 in campaign donations from Gilley in exchange for help with pro-gambling legislation, two counts of honest services wire fraud and four counts of money laundering.
» Jay Walker: Former Country Crossing spokesperson. Walker still faces a charge of conspiracy and a single count of bribery in connection with an alleged offer of $2 million in campaign help to Preuitt.
Coroner: Alabama gambling defendant's death from natural causes.
PHILLIP RAWLS Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A defendant died from natural causes on the eve of his retrial in the gambling corruption case involving lawmakers and others at the Alabama Statehouse, a coroner said Friday.
An autopsy and toxicology analysis by the state Department of Forensic Science showed Ray Crosby's death resulted from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, said Montgomery County Coroner David Thrasher.
Crosby, 63, was found in his bed at his Montgomery home shortly after 4 p.m. on Jan. 29.
A retrial for him and six other defendants was scheduled to start the next morning. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson delayed the trial one week because of Crosby's death.
Montgomery County Coroner David Thrasher said Friday an autopsy by the state Department of Forensic Science showed Crosby died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
Before his indictment in October 2010, Crosby worked at the Legislature writing bills for lawmakers, including on gambling issues. Prosecutors accused him of taking bribes of $3,000 a month from casino owner Milton McGregor to advise him about gambling bills that were being written. At the request of prosecutors, the judge on Friday dropped the bribery charge, as is customary when a defendant dies before a verdict.
Former state Sen. Danny Corbett, who found the body, said the autopsy results should end speculation about how Crosby died.
Corbett had told reporters that it looked as if Crosby died in his sleep with a paperback book by his side and that high-blood pressure medicine and a blood thinner were on his nightstand.
McGregor is slated for trial Monday along with state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, former Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt, casino lobbyist Tom Coker, and former casino spokesman Jay Walker. They are accused of using campaign contributions to buy and sell votes for pro-gambling legislation.
Attorneys estimate the retrial could last six to eight weeks.
The original lasted 10 weeks and ended in August with two defendants acquitted on all charges, no convictions, and the jury unable to decide all counts against seven defendants, including Crosby.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Florida: The Future Costs of CRIME and PRISONS
Attaching DOLLARS to the cost of Predatory Gambling is essential to the health of the future and to make an informed decision, something Massachusetts lawmakers refused.
The report below sheds light --
http://nocasinos.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CasinosFloridaReport.pdf
The report below sheds light --
http://nocasinos.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/CasinosFloridaReport.pdf
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
KG Urban seeks an injunction
Casino developer seeks an injunction
Says tribe has unfair advantage
By Mark Arsenault
A developer with sights on a casino in New Bedford argued yesterday in US District Court that the state’s new casino law gives an unconstitutional advantage to the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe in its pursuit of a gambling resort in Southeastern Massachusetts.
The developer, KG Urban Enterprises, filed its suit hours after Governor Deval Patrick signed the legislation into law in November, authorizing up to three resort-style casinos.
KG alleges that the casino act gives a federally recognized Indian tribe “explicit, race-based’’ advantages, by delaying competition. In the state’s two remaining regions, casino development rights are open to private competition.
“What KG needs is an opportunity to compete on an equal footing,’’ said lawyer Paul Clement in court, representing KG.
The state, in its defense, argued that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is many months from accepting applications for any casino, and KG has not been harmed. The law “is not keeping KG Urban from being able to apply,’’ said Kenneth Salinger, assistant attorney general, representing the state. “Nobody can apply.’’
At issue in the case is language in the casino law that forestalls open bidding for a commercial casino in the southeast until at least July. The law lists benchmarks for a federally recognized Indian tribe - expected to be the Mashpees - to show progress toward winning the rights to a tribal casino under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. If there is likely to be a tribal casino in the southeast, the state Gaming Commission is expected not to seek bids for a commercial casino resort in that region.
But if the tribe cannot acquire land for the project and negotiate the operating terms of a tribal casino with Patrick by July 31, the Gaming Commission must open the southeast to bids for a commercial casino license, no later than Oct. 31.
In court documents, KG Urban says that “because of the Act’s racial set-aside provisions for Indian tribes,’’ the developer “likely will never have the opportunity to apply’’ for a commercial casino license. KG also said that casino companies have been scared off by the law’s deference to the tribe, and have declined to join KG in a partnership.
But in pursuing a tribal casino, the Mashpee Wampanoag face many obstacles. Most pressing is the fact that under federal law, tribal gaming can only occur on Indian lands.
Once the tribe buys real estate for a casino, it must apply to the US Department of Interior to have the land taken into trust on its behalf.
That historically long process recently became more difficult, if not impossible, due to a US Supreme Court ruling. The court, in 2009, stripped the federal government of much of its power to take land into trust.
Legislation to amend the law has stalled in the US Congress, and an ongoing court case that could clarify the process may be years from a resolution.
KG is seeking an injunction; Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton heard oral arguments yesterday and then took the matter under advisement.
Says tribe has unfair advantage
By Mark Arsenault
A developer with sights on a casino in New Bedford argued yesterday in US District Court that the state’s new casino law gives an unconstitutional advantage to the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian tribe in its pursuit of a gambling resort in Southeastern Massachusetts.
The developer, KG Urban Enterprises, filed its suit hours after Governor Deval Patrick signed the legislation into law in November, authorizing up to three resort-style casinos.
KG alleges that the casino act gives a federally recognized Indian tribe “explicit, race-based’’ advantages, by delaying competition. In the state’s two remaining regions, casino development rights are open to private competition.
“What KG needs is an opportunity to compete on an equal footing,’’ said lawyer Paul Clement in court, representing KG.
The state, in its defense, argued that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is many months from accepting applications for any casino, and KG has not been harmed. The law “is not keeping KG Urban from being able to apply,’’ said Kenneth Salinger, assistant attorney general, representing the state. “Nobody can apply.’’
At issue in the case is language in the casino law that forestalls open bidding for a commercial casino in the southeast until at least July. The law lists benchmarks for a federally recognized Indian tribe - expected to be the Mashpees - to show progress toward winning the rights to a tribal casino under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. If there is likely to be a tribal casino in the southeast, the state Gaming Commission is expected not to seek bids for a commercial casino resort in that region.
But if the tribe cannot acquire land for the project and negotiate the operating terms of a tribal casino with Patrick by July 31, the Gaming Commission must open the southeast to bids for a commercial casino license, no later than Oct. 31.
In court documents, KG Urban says that “because of the Act’s racial set-aside provisions for Indian tribes,’’ the developer “likely will never have the opportunity to apply’’ for a commercial casino license. KG also said that casino companies have been scared off by the law’s deference to the tribe, and have declined to join KG in a partnership.
But in pursuing a tribal casino, the Mashpee Wampanoag face many obstacles. Most pressing is the fact that under federal law, tribal gaming can only occur on Indian lands.
Once the tribe buys real estate for a casino, it must apply to the US Department of Interior to have the land taken into trust on its behalf.
That historically long process recently became more difficult, if not impossible, due to a US Supreme Court ruling. The court, in 2009, stripped the federal government of much of its power to take land into trust.
Legislation to amend the law has stalled in the US Congress, and an ongoing court case that could clarify the process may be years from a resolution.
KG is seeking an injunction; Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton heard oral arguments yesterday and then took the matter under advisement.
Dan Lawlor: Casinos are a Bad Bet for Rhode Island
Dan Lawlor: Casinos are a Bad Bet for Rhode Island
Daniel Lawlor, GoLocalProv Guest MINDSETTER™
The Republican Primary in Florida brought to light much about that state's high unemployment rate, and some mention of the struggles in its cities for quality education. Similar to nearby Massachusetts, the lure of casino revenue is a hot topic in Florida, as it is here in RI. Yet, gambling seems a questionable economic path. Mississippi has Casino gambling - and on so many levels ranks among the last in quality of life surveys among the states.
As of fall 2011, Mississippi and Florida had unemployment rates of 10.5 and 10% respectively. Those numbers were despite an attractive climate, tourism, and lower tax rates. For the record, as of 2005, Mississippi's overall high school graduation rate was somewhere around 61%.ambling doesn't solve long standing issues of poor economy, limited skills, and corruption.
We hear politicians wail about casino gambling in Massachusetts. We hear about the need to allow smoking inside state -run gambling facilities - of the necessity to turn the state facilities into full-fledged casinos. Aside from the hypocrisy of saying it’s okay for the state to operate a gambling facility but not the Narragansett tribe, in either case, it's poor economic strategy!
Won’t Help Old Mill Towns
As proposals are bandied about for expanding state-run gambling, I think of some of the forgotten cities in this fine state, places like Woonsocket, Central Falls, and West Warwick. Those cities, like Lawrence or Holyoke in Massachusetts, developed out of the mill industry. Without those industries, these cities are struggling. Expanded gambling in Lincoln or Newport won't reverse overall unemployment, raise graduation, or diversify the economies of those old mill towns. The state's continuing cuts to housing and higher education programs won't help these cities.
I am at times perplexed by the economic state of Woonsocket. It is the headquarters of CVS, a major retailer. Certainly, couldn't some of the storefronts of downtown Woonsocket been a base for some CVS operations? Wouldn't the move of a corporate headquarters downtown spur restaurants, clothing shops, gadget stores, art galleries - perhaps even a hotel or two? Why is CVS' headquarters on the outskirts of the city - I understand the ease of highway access, but at the same time, it seems like a poor design for a city's growth.
Downtown Woonsocket is full of empty store fronts and beautiful architecture. When Woonsocket has a full rebirth, it will be dynamic. There are classic stand-bys - the Stadium Theater and Chan's. There are new comers -the Museum of Work and Culture and Riverzedge. These organizations help create a buzz. Large corporate citizens should be engaged to mutually benefit the city and state. Building economies off existing assets - and creating new ones - will spur innovation. Gambling doesn't seem to have the same positive effects on a region as a diverse economy.
Not a Solution
Mississippi still struggles with education and economics, despite its casinos. Bridgeport CT still struggles with education and economics, despite having Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods just down the road. Florida's low tax rate did not prevent it from experiencing recession, and I doubt that a Casino in Miami or Orlando will stave off the current one. Underlying problems - including education quality and lack of a diverse economy - have caused that populous state with nice weather to suffer challenges of unemployment, much as we do here.
Some have proposed gambling casinos as a solution to Florida's crisis - as many propose gambling revenue to be Rhode Island's cure all (or the cure all for Fall River). Instead of expanding gambling, how about expanding job training, have streamlined, fair small business taxes, and work to allow as many RI's as possible to become local entreprenuers? How about engaging corporations to become more strategic partners in developing the city, thus contributing to their own quality of life?
Corporate or State Run gambling does not seem to improve the lot of most New England mill towns. Being strategic with the assets already available in each city just might.
Daniel Lawlor, GoLocalProv Guest MINDSETTER™
The Republican Primary in Florida brought to light much about that state's high unemployment rate, and some mention of the struggles in its cities for quality education. Similar to nearby Massachusetts, the lure of casino revenue is a hot topic in Florida, as it is here in RI. Yet, gambling seems a questionable economic path. Mississippi has Casino gambling - and on so many levels ranks among the last in quality of life surveys among the states.
As of fall 2011, Mississippi and Florida had unemployment rates of 10.5 and 10% respectively. Those numbers were despite an attractive climate, tourism, and lower tax rates. For the record, as of 2005, Mississippi's overall high school graduation rate was somewhere around 61%.ambling doesn't solve long standing issues of poor economy, limited skills, and corruption.
We hear politicians wail about casino gambling in Massachusetts. We hear about the need to allow smoking inside state -run gambling facilities - of the necessity to turn the state facilities into full-fledged casinos. Aside from the hypocrisy of saying it’s okay for the state to operate a gambling facility but not the Narragansett tribe, in either case, it's poor economic strategy!
Won’t Help Old Mill Towns
As proposals are bandied about for expanding state-run gambling, I think of some of the forgotten cities in this fine state, places like Woonsocket, Central Falls, and West Warwick. Those cities, like Lawrence or Holyoke in Massachusetts, developed out of the mill industry. Without those industries, these cities are struggling. Expanded gambling in Lincoln or Newport won't reverse overall unemployment, raise graduation, or diversify the economies of those old mill towns. The state's continuing cuts to housing and higher education programs won't help these cities.
I am at times perplexed by the economic state of Woonsocket. It is the headquarters of CVS, a major retailer. Certainly, couldn't some of the storefronts of downtown Woonsocket been a base for some CVS operations? Wouldn't the move of a corporate headquarters downtown spur restaurants, clothing shops, gadget stores, art galleries - perhaps even a hotel or two? Why is CVS' headquarters on the outskirts of the city - I understand the ease of highway access, but at the same time, it seems like a poor design for a city's growth.
Downtown Woonsocket is full of empty store fronts and beautiful architecture. When Woonsocket has a full rebirth, it will be dynamic. There are classic stand-bys - the Stadium Theater and Chan's. There are new comers -the Museum of Work and Culture and Riverzedge. These organizations help create a buzz. Large corporate citizens should be engaged to mutually benefit the city and state. Building economies off existing assets - and creating new ones - will spur innovation. Gambling doesn't seem to have the same positive effects on a region as a diverse economy.
Not a Solution
Mississippi still struggles with education and economics, despite its casinos. Bridgeport CT still struggles with education and economics, despite having Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods just down the road. Florida's low tax rate did not prevent it from experiencing recession, and I doubt that a Casino in Miami or Orlando will stave off the current one. Underlying problems - including education quality and lack of a diverse economy - have caused that populous state with nice weather to suffer challenges of unemployment, much as we do here.
Some have proposed gambling casinos as a solution to Florida's crisis - as many propose gambling revenue to be Rhode Island's cure all (or the cure all for Fall River). Instead of expanding gambling, how about expanding job training, have streamlined, fair small business taxes, and work to allow as many RI's as possible to become local entreprenuers? How about engaging corporations to become more strategic partners in developing the city, thus contributing to their own quality of life?
Corporate or State Run gambling does not seem to improve the lot of most New England mill towns. Being strategic with the assets already available in each city just might.
'Dead' trader found working in Las Vegas casino fined $90,000
'Dead' trader found working in Las Vegas casino fined $90,000
A former Chicago commodities trader who disappeared in 1979 in murky circumstances and was found last year working in a Las Vegas casino was fined nearly $90,000 on Tuesday but was spared jail time for fraud, authorities said.
Arthur Gerald Jones, 73, who was arrested in July after he was discovered living under an assumed name, admitted to one count of fraud in September stemming from a driver's license application.
Jones had disappeared over three decades earlier from Highland Park, Illinois. Police believed at the time that he might have been a victim of foul play, citing gambling debts and possible links to organised crime, according to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.
He was declared dead in 1986.
But earlier this year, Jones was found working at the Rampart Casino in an upscale Las Vegas neighbourhood, a job he had held for a decade, the Nevada vehicles department said at the time of his arrest.
Jones, who had originally had been charged with four felony charges related to identify theft and fraud, will serve three years of probation on a suspended 18- to 48-month jail term, the Nevada Attorney General's office said in a statement.
He was ordered to pay roughly $90,000 in fines, the bulk of that to the Social Security Administration for payments made to his family after he was declared dead. Of the total, another $11,400 will go to a man whose identity Jones stole.
After Jones resurfaced, an investigator concluded that he had "voluntarily left his family and friends in 1979, possibly fleeing the mob" to start a new life, according to an affidavit.
Jones, who once held a seat on the Chicago Board of Trade, told authorities that following a trading mistake, he had been forced to sell his seat to pay his debt, the affidavit said.
He then decided to leave his family, citing a troubled marriage, unemployment, and a desire for a "fresh start," according to the affidavit.
His former wife gave a different story, telling authorities he sold his seat to pay personal gambling debts. She said he once bet $30,000 on a basketball game and at one point took out a second mortgage to pay gambling debts, the affidavit said.
A former Chicago commodities trader who disappeared in 1979 in murky circumstances and was found last year working in a Las Vegas casino was fined nearly $90,000 on Tuesday but was spared jail time for fraud, authorities said.
Arthur Gerald Jones, 73, who was arrested in July after he was discovered living under an assumed name, admitted to one count of fraud in September stemming from a driver's license application.
Jones had disappeared over three decades earlier from Highland Park, Illinois. Police believed at the time that he might have been a victim of foul play, citing gambling debts and possible links to organised crime, according to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.
He was declared dead in 1986.
But earlier this year, Jones was found working at the Rampart Casino in an upscale Las Vegas neighbourhood, a job he had held for a decade, the Nevada vehicles department said at the time of his arrest.
Jones, who had originally had been charged with four felony charges related to identify theft and fraud, will serve three years of probation on a suspended 18- to 48-month jail term, the Nevada Attorney General's office said in a statement.
He was ordered to pay roughly $90,000 in fines, the bulk of that to the Social Security Administration for payments made to his family after he was declared dead. Of the total, another $11,400 will go to a man whose identity Jones stole.
After Jones resurfaced, an investigator concluded that he had "voluntarily left his family and friends in 1979, possibly fleeing the mob" to start a new life, according to an affidavit.
Jones, who once held a seat on the Chicago Board of Trade, told authorities that following a trading mistake, he had been forced to sell his seat to pay his debt, the affidavit said.
He then decided to leave his family, citing a troubled marriage, unemployment, and a desire for a "fresh start," according to the affidavit.
His former wife gave a different story, telling authorities he sold his seat to pay personal gambling debts. She said he once bet $30,000 on a basketball game and at one point took out a second mortgage to pay gambling debts, the affidavit said.
Children going hungry because of Gambling Addiction
Children going hungry because of pokies
The Problem Gambling Foundation says more needs to be done to stop children in the Far North going hungry because their parents are spending money playing on the pokies.
The New Zealand Herald reports today of the frustrations of Te Aupouri Maori Trust Board, which has been feeding children at five schools in Kaitaia because "Mums and Dads are investing in the poker machines."
Graham Aitken, Problem Gambling Foundation Acting CEO, says so often it is the children that are the innocent victims.
"The children aren't getting fed because the money that puts food on the table is being fed into the pokie machines," he says.
"The impact of problem gambling on families doesn't stop at poverty - it can lead to family breakdown, domestic violence, suicide and crime."
Mr Aitken says there is a significant social cost to communities from pokie machines.
"We want to see less of these dangerous machines in communities to reduce the harm that they cause," he says.
"Over 40 percent of the money lost on pokie machines comes from people who have a problem with gambling on pokies."
Kaitaia and surrounds has 81 pokie machines in six venues. Nearly $4 million per year is lost on pokie machines in the region.
The Problem Gambling Foundation believes people should have more say in the number of pokie machines and venues in their community.
"We welcome the Government's plans for reviews on gambling legislation in the near future," Graham Aitken says.
The Problem Gambling Foundation says more needs to be done to stop children in the Far North going hungry because their parents are spending money playing on the pokies.
The New Zealand Herald reports today of the frustrations of Te Aupouri Maori Trust Board, which has been feeding children at five schools in Kaitaia because "Mums and Dads are investing in the poker machines."
Graham Aitken, Problem Gambling Foundation Acting CEO, says so often it is the children that are the innocent victims.
"The children aren't getting fed because the money that puts food on the table is being fed into the pokie machines," he says.
"The impact of problem gambling on families doesn't stop at poverty - it can lead to family breakdown, domestic violence, suicide and crime."
Mr Aitken says there is a significant social cost to communities from pokie machines.
"We want to see less of these dangerous machines in communities to reduce the harm that they cause," he says.
"Over 40 percent of the money lost on pokie machines comes from people who have a problem with gambling on pokies."
Kaitaia and surrounds has 81 pokie machines in six venues. Nearly $4 million per year is lost on pokie machines in the region.
The Problem Gambling Foundation believes people should have more say in the number of pokie machines and venues in their community.
"We welcome the Government's plans for reviews on gambling legislation in the near future," Graham Aitken says.
Alabama: Corruption Trial Delayed One Week
Corruption Trial Delayed One Week
By Lisa Blackwell
The retrial of the statehouse corruption trial is on hold.
That’s after a federal judge put jury selection on hold.
Jury selection was supposed to begin today in the retrial of seven defendants accused of a legislative vote buying scheme.
However Judge Myron Thompson ordered that today’s selection process be temporarily suspended.
The retrial of the statehouse corruption trial is on hold.
That’s after a federal judge put jury selection on hold.
Jury selection was supposed to begin today in the retrial of seven defendants accused of a legislative vote buying scheme.
However Judge Myron Thompson ordered that today’s selection process be temporarily suspended.
This comes after the sudden and unexpected death of one of the defendants in the case.
The trial scheduled for Monday, was put on hold after one of the remaining defendants, Ray Crosby, a former legislative employee, was found dead in his home early Sunday evening.
Former State Senator, Johnny Ford says Crosby’s death was a tragedy.
“He was a very decent person, no one’s perfect , Ray Crosby drafted legislation both ways, pro gaming and against gaming, both ways, he did his job as far as I was concerned,” said Ford.
It’s been about five months since jurors in the first corruption trial aquitted two defendants, Senator Quinton Ross and lobbyist Bob Geddie. Jurors couldn’t reach a verdict on 33 other counts involving seven other defendants.
Crosby was aquitted of all counts against him except one bribery charge. Defense attorney Susan James says she’s couldn’t comment on how his death will impact the trial, but she offered condolences to the family.
"We’re just terribly saddened by the death of Ray Crosby and our heart sympathy and condolences to his family and as it relates to other comments which just wait for further order of the court," said James.
An autopsy was performed on Crosby but the results have not been released pending toxicology reports.
Judge Myron Thompson has pushed the re- trial date back one week which means jury selection will start on Monday February 6.
VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor, Crosby, Senator Harri Anne Smith, two former state senators and two others are accused of offering or accepting bribes in connection with a 2010 gambling bill.
Court Records Show Ray Crosby Filed Bankruptcy Before Death
Ala. gambling trial defendant had filed for bankruptcy shortly before his death
PHILLIP RAWLS Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — One of the defendants in Alabama's gambling corruption case filed for bankruptcy four days before he was found dead in his bed.
Court records show that 63-year-old Ray Crosby filed for bankruptcy Jan. 25 in Montgomery. He was found dead in his Montgomery home Jan. 29. He and six others were scheduled for retrial Jan. 30 in Montgomery, but U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson delayed the retrial one week due to Crosby's death.
Crosby once earned more than $150,000 annually writing bills for the Legislature, but by the time he died, he was so broke that a federal judge had to appoint an attorney to represent him for the retrial.
A close friend, former state Sen. Danny Corbett, found Crosby's body Sunday. He said Crosby appeared to have died in his sleep.
Corbett said Crosby had been under much stress due to the trial, financial problems, and a recent divorce. He also had listed his house for sale.
"He had run out of money. The federal government broke him," Corbett said.
Crosby's bankruptcy filing showed he had assets of $386,000 and liabilities of $618,136. He listed monthly income of $5,119 in retirement income from his state job with the Legislative Reference Service, but his house payment of $3,248 consumed much of that.
Crosby retired from his state job after being indicted in October 2010 for bribery. He was accused of taking $3,000 a month from casino owner Milton McGregor and advising McGregor about gambling legislation. Prosecutors said the payments totaled $72,000.
In the first gambling trial that ended in August, the judge dismissed most of the charges against Crosby, and the jury was split 8-4 for acquittal on the one bribery charge that remained against him.
Court records made public Tuesday show that Crosby sought the court's help paying an attorney for the retrial. A federal judge appointed Montgomery attorney Tommy Goggans, who represented Crosby in the first trial, to represent him in the second trial.
In the bankruptcy filing, Crosby reported owning Goggans $85,976.
He also listed more than $120,000 in credit card debt, a $48,000 debt to a family member and debt on his Montgomery home, which was valued at $374,400.
Crosby filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, which is an attempt to reorganized debts rather than making a total liquidation.
Montgomery police are investigating Crosby's death. Police Sgt. Regina Duckett said the state Department of Forensic Sciences performed an autopsy, and police are waiting on a toxicology report.
A memorial service is planned for noon Thursday at the Church of the Ascension in Montgomery, with visitation at the church at 10 a.m.
Those scheduled for retrial Feb. 6, in addition to McGregor, are state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, former Sens. Jim Preuitt and Larry Means, casino lobbyist Tom Coker and casino spokesman Jay Walker.
By Lisa Blackwell
The retrial of the statehouse corruption trial is on hold.
That’s after a federal judge put jury selection on hold.
Jury selection was supposed to begin today in the retrial of seven defendants accused of a legislative vote buying scheme.
However Judge Myron Thompson ordered that today’s selection process be temporarily suspended.
The retrial of the statehouse corruption trial is on hold.
That’s after a federal judge put jury selection on hold.
Jury selection was supposed to begin today in the retrial of seven defendants accused of a legislative vote buying scheme.
However Judge Myron Thompson ordered that today’s selection process be temporarily suspended.
This comes after the sudden and unexpected death of one of the defendants in the case.
The trial scheduled for Monday, was put on hold after one of the remaining defendants, Ray Crosby, a former legislative employee, was found dead in his home early Sunday evening.
Former State Senator, Johnny Ford says Crosby’s death was a tragedy.
“He was a very decent person, no one’s perfect , Ray Crosby drafted legislation both ways, pro gaming and against gaming, both ways, he did his job as far as I was concerned,” said Ford.
It’s been about five months since jurors in the first corruption trial aquitted two defendants, Senator Quinton Ross and lobbyist Bob Geddie. Jurors couldn’t reach a verdict on 33 other counts involving seven other defendants.
Crosby was aquitted of all counts against him except one bribery charge. Defense attorney Susan James says she’s couldn’t comment on how his death will impact the trial, but she offered condolences to the family.
"We’re just terribly saddened by the death of Ray Crosby and our heart sympathy and condolences to his family and as it relates to other comments which just wait for further order of the court," said James.
An autopsy was performed on Crosby but the results have not been released pending toxicology reports.
Judge Myron Thompson has pushed the re- trial date back one week which means jury selection will start on Monday February 6.
VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor, Crosby, Senator Harri Anne Smith, two former state senators and two others are accused of offering or accepting bribes in connection with a 2010 gambling bill.
Court Records Show Ray Crosby Filed Bankruptcy Before Death
Ala. gambling trial defendant had filed for bankruptcy shortly before his death
PHILLIP RAWLS Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — One of the defendants in Alabama's gambling corruption case filed for bankruptcy four days before he was found dead in his bed.
Court records show that 63-year-old Ray Crosby filed for bankruptcy Jan. 25 in Montgomery. He was found dead in his Montgomery home Jan. 29. He and six others were scheduled for retrial Jan. 30 in Montgomery, but U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson delayed the retrial one week due to Crosby's death.
Crosby once earned more than $150,000 annually writing bills for the Legislature, but by the time he died, he was so broke that a federal judge had to appoint an attorney to represent him for the retrial.
A close friend, former state Sen. Danny Corbett, found Crosby's body Sunday. He said Crosby appeared to have died in his sleep.
Corbett said Crosby had been under much stress due to the trial, financial problems, and a recent divorce. He also had listed his house for sale.
"He had run out of money. The federal government broke him," Corbett said.
Crosby's bankruptcy filing showed he had assets of $386,000 and liabilities of $618,136. He listed monthly income of $5,119 in retirement income from his state job with the Legislative Reference Service, but his house payment of $3,248 consumed much of that.
Crosby retired from his state job after being indicted in October 2010 for bribery. He was accused of taking $3,000 a month from casino owner Milton McGregor and advising McGregor about gambling legislation. Prosecutors said the payments totaled $72,000.
In the first gambling trial that ended in August, the judge dismissed most of the charges against Crosby, and the jury was split 8-4 for acquittal on the one bribery charge that remained against him.
Court records made public Tuesday show that Crosby sought the court's help paying an attorney for the retrial. A federal judge appointed Montgomery attorney Tommy Goggans, who represented Crosby in the first trial, to represent him in the second trial.
In the bankruptcy filing, Crosby reported owning Goggans $85,976.
He also listed more than $120,000 in credit card debt, a $48,000 debt to a family member and debt on his Montgomery home, which was valued at $374,400.
Crosby filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, which is an attempt to reorganized debts rather than making a total liquidation.
Montgomery police are investigating Crosby's death. Police Sgt. Regina Duckett said the state Department of Forensic Sciences performed an autopsy, and police are waiting on a toxicology report.
A memorial service is planned for noon Thursday at the Church of the Ascension in Montgomery, with visitation at the church at 10 a.m.
Those scheduled for retrial Feb. 6, in addition to McGregor, are state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, former Sens. Jim Preuitt and Larry Means, casino lobbyist Tom Coker and casino spokesman Jay Walker.
Early exposure to wagering on games of chance can have devastating effects
Early exposure to wagering on games of chance can have devastating effects
By PATTIE SCHAEDLER
Gambling has been called the hidden addiction because it is not physically visible until the very late stages (depression/suicide/illegal activity) and participation is often not viewed as a problem by parents, teachers and society in general.
However, as the first generation of young people to be inundated with gambling opportunities and messages moves into adulthood, we are learning that early exposure to wagering on games of chance or skill can have devastating effects.
The Oregon Student Wellness Survey, conducted biannually in all counties with sixth-, eighth- and 11th-graders, tells us that about 1 in 4 youth gamble and about 1 in 25 have a gambling problem.
The definition of gambling is “risking money or something of value on the outcome of a game of chance or skill for which the outcome is uncertain.”
In increasing numbers children are betting online, betting on sports teams and betting that they can do something faster or better than someone else.
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, problem gambling is defined as “gambling behavior which causes disruptions in any major area of life: psychological, physical, social or vocational.”
Most of our youth do not gamble and of those that do, most do not have a problem with gambling. However, research also tells us that children who gamble are twice as likely to participate in risky behaviors such as skipping school, smoking, as well as using alcohol and other drugs. So gambling is not a safe alternative to alcohol or drug use.
We know that the excitement of winning a bet and the anticipation or possibility of winning can activate the same pleasure center of the brain that is activated when alcohol and other drugs are used. Gambling can become addicting.
We are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of talking to our children about the risks of gambling just as we do about other risky behaviors.
By PATTIE SCHAEDLER
Gambling has been called the hidden addiction because it is not physically visible until the very late stages (depression/suicide/illegal activity) and participation is often not viewed as a problem by parents, teachers and society in general.
However, as the first generation of young people to be inundated with gambling opportunities and messages moves into adulthood, we are learning that early exposure to wagering on games of chance or skill can have devastating effects.
The Oregon Student Wellness Survey, conducted biannually in all counties with sixth-, eighth- and 11th-graders, tells us that about 1 in 4 youth gamble and about 1 in 25 have a gambling problem.
The definition of gambling is “risking money or something of value on the outcome of a game of chance or skill for which the outcome is uncertain.”
In increasing numbers children are betting online, betting on sports teams and betting that they can do something faster or better than someone else.
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, problem gambling is defined as “gambling behavior which causes disruptions in any major area of life: psychological, physical, social or vocational.”
Most of our youth do not gamble and of those that do, most do not have a problem with gambling. However, research also tells us that children who gamble are twice as likely to participate in risky behaviors such as skipping school, smoking, as well as using alcohol and other drugs. So gambling is not a safe alternative to alcohol or drug use.
We know that the excitement of winning a bet and the anticipation or possibility of winning can activate the same pleasure center of the brain that is activated when alcohol and other drugs are used. Gambling can become addicting.
We are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of talking to our children about the risks of gambling just as we do about other risky behaviors.
Online gambling has social costs
Online gambling has social costs, lawmakers told
Ken Dixon, Connecticut Post
HARTFORD -- If Connecticut legalizes online gambling, it must prepare for the consequences of more addicts stealing and putting stress on their families, lawmakers were told Monday.
Officials from the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling backed away from offering support or opposition to online wagering, which was recently cleared for legalization by the U.S. Department of Justice.
But Marvin Steinberg, executive director of the council, told the General Assembly's Finance Committee that even if surrounding states adopt online wagering, Connecticut families will suffer some of the added social costs, including increased suicide attempts among failed bettors.
Earlier in the day, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, while also being non-committal on whether he'll support online gambling, told reporters that at least 1 percent of new revenue should be added to the effort to address problem gamblers.
"If we were to go any direction, and by the way this is a legislative question, if we were to go any further with respect to types of gaming, I think an appropriate factor would be 1 percent, a full 1 percent of any increase," Malloy said after the monthly meeting of the State Bond Commission. "I am going to say to you that regardless of what Connecticut does, this is likely to be a bigger problem because the landscape has changed very significantly."
Steinberg, a Ph.D. who retires from the council next month after 32 years leading the nonprofit, said that more gamblers, including teens and young adults who are Internet savvy, could be in danger of developing addictions if the online opportunities become legal.
"People who have problems encapsulate themselves in a little bubble and don't let anything else in," Steinberg said. "They don't get up to go to the bathroom. We need to be alert to even more problems.
Currently, the state spends about $1.9 million a year to tackle problem gaming, most of which is administered by the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The Council on Problem Gambling, which was formed in 1980, gets about 5 percent of the $1.9 million.
In a 2009 study, the council estimated that 1.2 percent of the state population, about 32,000 people, fit the profile of problem gamblers, with 192,000 a year considered at-risk for addiction. The two Indian casinos, Off Track Betting and the lottery bring in about $640 million a year in revenue for the state.
According to the American Gaming Association, 85 countries have legalized Internet gambling, with about 2,700 sites owned by 665 companies, as of June 2010 including sports, casino games, bingo and poker.
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Online-gambling-has-social-costs-lawmakers-told-2844821.php#ixzz1l8N5KmNv
Ken Dixon, Connecticut Post
HARTFORD -- If Connecticut legalizes online gambling, it must prepare for the consequences of more addicts stealing and putting stress on their families, lawmakers were told Monday.
Officials from the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling backed away from offering support or opposition to online wagering, which was recently cleared for legalization by the U.S. Department of Justice.
But Marvin Steinberg, executive director of the council, told the General Assembly's Finance Committee that even if surrounding states adopt online wagering, Connecticut families will suffer some of the added social costs, including increased suicide attempts among failed bettors.
Earlier in the day, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, while also being non-committal on whether he'll support online gambling, told reporters that at least 1 percent of new revenue should be added to the effort to address problem gamblers.
"If we were to go any direction, and by the way this is a legislative question, if we were to go any further with respect to types of gaming, I think an appropriate factor would be 1 percent, a full 1 percent of any increase," Malloy said after the monthly meeting of the State Bond Commission. "I am going to say to you that regardless of what Connecticut does, this is likely to be a bigger problem because the landscape has changed very significantly."
Steinberg, a Ph.D. who retires from the council next month after 32 years leading the nonprofit, said that more gamblers, including teens and young adults who are Internet savvy, could be in danger of developing addictions if the online opportunities become legal.
"People who have problems encapsulate themselves in a little bubble and don't let anything else in," Steinberg said. "They don't get up to go to the bathroom. We need to be alert to even more problems.
Currently, the state spends about $1.9 million a year to tackle problem gaming, most of which is administered by the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The Council on Problem Gambling, which was formed in 1980, gets about 5 percent of the $1.9 million.
In a 2009 study, the council estimated that 1.2 percent of the state population, about 32,000 people, fit the profile of problem gamblers, with 192,000 a year considered at-risk for addiction. The two Indian casinos, Off Track Betting and the lottery bring in about $640 million a year in revenue for the state.
According to the American Gaming Association, 85 countries have legalized Internet gambling, with about 2,700 sites owned by 665 companies, as of June 2010 including sports, casino games, bingo and poker.
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Online-gambling-has-social-costs-lawmakers-told-2844821.php#ixzz1l8N5KmNv
Confession of addict: Gambling starts at early age
Confession of addict: Gambling starts at early age
SÜMEYRA KIRCA , İSTANBUL
A confession by a gambling addict reveals that gambling is very common among high school students and that the seeds for addiction are sown during high school or sometimes even during the primary school years.
Many addicts of games of chance such as Milli Piyango, Sayısal Loto, Spor Toto and İddia are being treated to overcome their addiction. Confessions by addicts reveal that such addictions start at an early age.
One former gambling addict, Eren Kadız, who started placing bets in high school and overcame his six-year-long İddia addiction, told Today’s Zaman that 90 percent of his friends at school were playing İddia, a type of sports betting, always carrying their İddia papers, which include betting tips and bulletins that show which matches are available for betting on instead of bringing their books to school.
“There were two desks reserved for betting in class. During each lesson, two friends [of mine] were studying the papers and making coupons for İddia. The teachers were aware of this. Our girlfriends were also placing bets, and they were asking us [the boys] for advice,” Kadız said.
Recalling the financial burden of such betting, Kadız said he sometimes didn’t eat lunch at school so that he could spend his all pocket money on gambling. “I even spent my school bus money that my father gave me to pay the fee to buy more İddia slips. Playing İddia became a lifestyle for me at that time,” Kadız noted.
Kadız further said that families should take a lesson from his confession and take the necessary precautions to protect their children from such games of chance. “Children or teenagers generally start such betting in Internet cafes or learn about it from their friends, so families and teachers should monitor the students and take precautions before they become addicted to such activities,” he said.
Kadız was involved in sports gambling for six years but recovered from his addiction with the help and support of his family and friends. After he overcame his addiction, he passed his university entrance exam and is currently studying physics at Yıldız Technical University. Stating that she counseled an 8-year-old boy who stole his parents’ credit card to play İddia and other types of sports betting on the Internet, family counselor Meryem Bal told Today’s Zaman that children first come across such games at Internet cafes and added that “parents should be watchful and protect their children from such activities.”
SÜMEYRA KIRCA , İSTANBUL
A confession by a gambling addict reveals that gambling is very common among high school students and that the seeds for addiction are sown during high school or sometimes even during the primary school years.
Many addicts of games of chance such as Milli Piyango, Sayısal Loto, Spor Toto and İddia are being treated to overcome their addiction. Confessions by addicts reveal that such addictions start at an early age.
One former gambling addict, Eren Kadız, who started placing bets in high school and overcame his six-year-long İddia addiction, told Today’s Zaman that 90 percent of his friends at school were playing İddia, a type of sports betting, always carrying their İddia papers, which include betting tips and bulletins that show which matches are available for betting on instead of bringing their books to school.
“There were two desks reserved for betting in class. During each lesson, two friends [of mine] were studying the papers and making coupons for İddia. The teachers were aware of this. Our girlfriends were also placing bets, and they were asking us [the boys] for advice,” Kadız said.
Recalling the financial burden of such betting, Kadız said he sometimes didn’t eat lunch at school so that he could spend his all pocket money on gambling. “I even spent my school bus money that my father gave me to pay the fee to buy more İddia slips. Playing İddia became a lifestyle for me at that time,” Kadız noted.
Kadız further said that families should take a lesson from his confession and take the necessary precautions to protect their children from such games of chance. “Children or teenagers generally start such betting in Internet cafes or learn about it from their friends, so families and teachers should monitor the students and take precautions before they become addicted to such activities,” he said.
Kadız was involved in sports gambling for six years but recovered from his addiction with the help and support of his family and friends. After he overcame his addiction, he passed his university entrance exam and is currently studying physics at Yıldız Technical University. Stating that she counseled an 8-year-old boy who stole his parents’ credit card to play İddia and other types of sports betting on the Internet, family counselor Meryem Bal told Today’s Zaman that children first come across such games at Internet cafes and added that “parents should be watchful and protect their children from such activities.”
Gambling addict stole groceries
Gambling addict stole groceries
A GAMBLER who stole groceries from the same supermarket on two occasions had his case adjourned at Swords District Court for a Probation Report.
Eoin Galligan, Castle Kevin Road, Kilmorewest, Dublin 5 pleaded guilty to the theft of €46.37 worth of groceries from Eurospar, The Green in Malahide. He further pleaded guilty to the theft of €80 worth of groceries from the same supermarket on October 6th, 2011. Garda Michael Mccabe told the court that Galligan had taken the groceries and left the supermarket without paying on both occasions.
The goods from the first theft were recovered but the goods from the second theft were not. Galligan, who has 82 previous convictions, brought €80 in compensation for the supermarket into court. Gda Mccabe agreed with Galligan's solicitor Mr Patrick Jackson that Galligan was co-operative and admitted he was a gambling addict. Galligan told the court he realises now he has a severe addiction to gambling and has started to face up to it by attending Gamblers Anonymous and counselling to which Judge Brian Sheridan remarked: 'After 82 previous convictions you didn't realise you had a problem?' 'I realise the damage I am doing,' said Galligan, 'I know I have an appalling record over the years and I apologise.' Mr Jackson told the court Galligan left school early and started to bet on horses over the years. 'He was also let go from a number of jobs because of his addiction,' explained Mr Jackson. Judge Sheridan said 'it comes to a point where I heard it all before' but decided to adjourn the case until March 5th for a Probation Report.
A GAMBLER who stole groceries from the same supermarket on two occasions had his case adjourned at Swords District Court for a Probation Report.
Eoin Galligan, Castle Kevin Road, Kilmorewest, Dublin 5 pleaded guilty to the theft of €46.37 worth of groceries from Eurospar, The Green in Malahide. He further pleaded guilty to the theft of €80 worth of groceries from the same supermarket on October 6th, 2011. Garda Michael Mccabe told the court that Galligan had taken the groceries and left the supermarket without paying on both occasions.
The goods from the first theft were recovered but the goods from the second theft were not. Galligan, who has 82 previous convictions, brought €80 in compensation for the supermarket into court. Gda Mccabe agreed with Galligan's solicitor Mr Patrick Jackson that Galligan was co-operative and admitted he was a gambling addict. Galligan told the court he realises now he has a severe addiction to gambling and has started to face up to it by attending Gamblers Anonymous and counselling to which Judge Brian Sheridan remarked: 'After 82 previous convictions you didn't realise you had a problem?' 'I realise the damage I am doing,' said Galligan, 'I know I have an appalling record over the years and I apologise.' Mr Jackson told the court Galligan left school early and started to bet on horses over the years. 'He was also let go from a number of jobs because of his addiction,' explained Mr Jackson. Judge Sheridan said 'it comes to a point where I heard it all before' but decided to adjourn the case until March 5th for a Probation Report.
Gambling addict sentenced for Neighbourhood Watch theft
Gambling addict sentenced for Neighbourhood Watch theft
By Loukas Founten
A woman who admitted stealing more than $20,000 from the Neighbourhood Watch Volunteers Association has avoided a jail term.
Magdalena Paluba, 65, faced Adelaide Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to 29 charges of theft committed over eight months in 2009.
She had been acting as the Association treasurer.
The court heard she wrote unauthorised cheques and deposited cash into her bank account, using the money to gamble or meet living expenses her gambling habit caused.
Paluba shook as she told the court she had repaid the money.
Magistrate Paul Foley said that did not excuse her abuse of a position of trust.
"You used the proceeds either directly for gambling through pokie machines or to meet living expenses you couldn't otherwise afford due to your addiction to gambling," he said.
But he suspended a seven-month prison sentence and put the woman on a bond for a year.
By Loukas Founten
A woman who admitted stealing more than $20,000 from the Neighbourhood Watch Volunteers Association has avoided a jail term.
Magdalena Paluba, 65, faced Adelaide Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to 29 charges of theft committed over eight months in 2009.
She had been acting as the Association treasurer.
The court heard she wrote unauthorised cheques and deposited cash into her bank account, using the money to gamble or meet living expenses her gambling habit caused.
Paluba shook as she told the court she had repaid the money.
Magistrate Paul Foley said that did not excuse her abuse of a position of trust.
"You used the proceeds either directly for gambling through pokie machines or to meet living expenses you couldn't otherwise afford due to your addiction to gambling," he said.
But he suspended a seven-month prison sentence and put the woman on a bond for a year.
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