Let your mouth speak archive

It may only be once or twice in your life when you come across a big chunk of change so why not use it wisely, like for example, use it to fund a drug ring. Big Brother 9 winner, Adam Jasinski, was sentenced on Friday for drug trafficking and tax related charges where he will have to serve a total of four years in a federal prison.

That’s a real bummer for Adam at only 32, being busted for attempting to sell 2,000 oxycodone pills in 2009 to a cop in the state of Massachusetts.

According to the Associated Press, Jasinski was seeking leniency at his sentencing trial and told the judge that he wanted “a chance to get out and find out who I really am.” That statement didn’t exactly fly with the judge who told Jasinski, “You were trafficking, and you were trafficking until they caught you.”

In Jasinski’s defense, he claimed that he was suffering from a mental illness (bi-polar) and that he was a drug addict who had no control but was making progress after seeking treatment. Judge William Young probably would have been more lenient with the guy but he had a previous drug charge which made any appeals for leniency crash and burn. When he was originally arrested back in 2009, the courts forced him to go to rehab and all assets were seized along with his passport which meant he couldn’t leave the country or the state of Massachusetts for that matter.

Apart from his drug charges he was also convicted for failing to pay taxes on his $500,000 Big Brother prize money. He should know that Big Brother is always watching……

As Governor Chris Christie ponders whether or not to sign the New Jersey online gambling bill into law, he should think about why this legislation is good for his state.

Make no mistake, this is a momentous occasion - the Intra-State Internet Gambling bill passed both houses of the legislature last week, paving the way for New Jersey casino to be the first in the United States to accept bets online.
Why this law is good for New Jersey

Beat Nevada: Atlantic City plays second fiddle to Las Vegas when it comes to land-based casinos, but the passage of this law would put New Jersey in prime position to dominate online gambling once the federal government regulates the industry.

Revenue: This is another no-brainer for Gov. Christie. A report published by iMEGA, the trade industry representing internet gambling, estimated that the new laws could raise up to $55 million in tax revenue for state coffers.

Employment: The jobless rate in New Jersey is still around 9.0%, which is way too high for any state to accept. So how can one justify knocking back the chance to open up an industry that would create thousands of jobs?

Because it's the right thing to do: It's time the US and its states treat their citizens like adults and allow them the option of gambling in a safe and secure environment online.

'How Old Is Your Brain'
This is a fun game, but will drive you nuts.
The site instructions are in Japanese, so read below!
And do it only once!
1. Touch 'start'
2. Wait for 3, 2, 1.
3. Memorize the number's position on the screen,
then click the circles in order
from the smallest number to the biggest number.
4. At the end of game, the computer will tell you the age of your brain.
If you like... post your scores here!:thumbsup

😟😟01 😟😟?

It’s not really news that 48-year-old actor George Clooney won’t be walking down the aisle anytime soon. While appearing together with his father on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, Nick Clooney suggested that his son should marry again – a subject that George has had no interest in after his first marriage bombed.

George Clooney has been on the dating scene for quite some time ever since his divorce from actress, Talia Balsam, who he was married to from 1989-1993, reported Access Hollywood. Talia is also in the acting world and is currently appearing in the recent release “No Strings Attached”, a comedy starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. She got her start back in the 70's with roles in "Happy Days" and "Taxi".

During the CNN interview, George Clooney told his father “I hate to blow your whole news story, but I was married,” he said. He also added, “Yeah, so I’ve proven how good I was at it, and I just. I’m allowed one.”

Clooney has been dating Italian model-actress Elisabetta Canalis since 2009 and while they both seem happy, he's standing his ground and is happy living his life as an unmarried man. Since his divorce, he’s been linked to various Hollywood actresses including Kelly Preston, Renee Zellweger as well as Lisa Snowdon and cocktail waitress Sarah Larson among many many others.

The guy is happy living the life of a bachelor, he gave marriage a shot and it just didn’t seem to work for him so why ruin a good thing.

Wow with kind of cash i could understand having an addiction and get caught buying,but selling .good thing he wasnt in florida because i think they got a law now that states if you get caught selling 1 pill its 5yrs mandatory. florida is well known for the oxy epedemic and all the pain clinics thet peeps go to from all over to get them.they have a special that comes on tv called the oxycontin express based on florida and the pain clinics etc. G4 or national geographic channel i think.

Not funny 😄

President Barack Obama will deliver the State of the Union address for 2011 tonight, and one of the hot topics being discussed will be job creation. Despite the words that will come out of Obama's mouth from the prepared speech, US lawmakers have already turned away an opportunity to create thousands of jobs.

Representative Barney Frank and Senator Harry Reid both brought online gambling regulation bills to the table in 2010. Although different in nature, if either had passed, it would have meant thousands of jobs for unemployed Americans.

"The online gambling industry is one of the largest industries in the world," says Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz. "If lawmakers ever got on the same page when it came to regulation at a federal and state level, there could be upwards of a million jobs created within the industry."

All of the gaming companies would have to be licensed in the US under the plans that have been proposed. That means that foreign companies would have to set up offices in the US, and between the customer service, the computer technicians, and other employment opportunities for each company, Schwartz's estimate on job creation may not be far off.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have their own ideas about how to create jobs, but neither seems interested in tapping into the unexplored Internet gaming market. Currently, all US customers must send their money overseas to play at their favorite online poker sites.

In addition to job creation, President Obama will speak in the State of the Union address about reducing the deficit. This is another area where online gambling regulations could have helped. It has been estimated that billions of dollars annually would be gained in tax revenue if Internet gambling was regulated.

The biggest thing holding back online gambling bills from passing is bipartisan support. In recent years, more Conservatives have warmed to the idea of changing the current laws, but not enough have committed to ending online gambling prohibition.

President Obama will touch on the need to cooperate, and although the speech will likely fall on deaf ears, the need for cooperation is central to giving millions of online poker players the protection they need while playing the game that they love.

Oprah Winfrey is full of surprises and today, she revealed a long-lost family secret today on her show, introducing her secret half-sister, Patricia, who she met for the first time this past Thanksgiving.

Winfrey explained that her mother, Vernita Lee, had kept her pregnancy a secret and had given Patricia up for adoption when Oprah was just nine years old and living with her father. Oprah said she never even knew her mother was pregnant.

"I made the decision to give her up because I wasn't able to take care of her," Lee said during a recorded interview that aired Monday. "So when I left the hospital, I told the nurse I wasn't going to keep the baby."

Patricia, a single mother of two, apparently spent years looking for her mother and saw Lee in television interviews discussing certain details that matched the few details she knew about her birth mother. Lee declined contact with Patricia twice. Patricia sought out the children of her other sister — also, incredibly, named Patricia — who had died in 2003, and a DNA test from one of the late Patricia's children, which confirmed the new Patricia’s relation to Oprah. Sound complicated? Although the results of which came back in 2007, Patricia tried and failed to contract Oprah, but did not go to the media with her story. Patricia "never once thought to sell this story" Oprah raved.

"This, my friends, is the miracle of all miracles," Winfrey announced before she was joined on stage by her 48-year-old half-sister Patricia, who was born in 1963. Winfrey said the news about her half-sister left her "speechless."

“I thought nothing could surprise me. But this shook me to my core. This left me speechless,” she said.

How did Oprah find out about her sister? Through her assistant.

"Here's how I was told," Oprah told her audience. "I got an e-mail from [two nieces by another half sister, who was also named Patricia and who is deceased], saying, 'There's something in the family you need to know about, and your mother needs to tell you.' And Mother tells me nothing. . . . I finally said to my assistant, Libby, 'What is going on in this family?' And Libby says, 'Do you really want me to tell you – 10 minutes before coming down to do a show? . . . She said, 'You have a sister,' and I'm like, 'What😡?!' So that is how I find out. I call my mother and literally confront my mother with the story: 'Is this true?' And she says, 'Well yes, I think it's true.'"

Other revelations included that Oprah was pregnant at 14 and lost the baby. What will the big O reveal next? Get all your celebrity odds. If you need an account, Join Bodog today.

There seems reasonable assurance that two other European nations, Greece and Denmark, will have regulated online gambling regimes in place by the end of 2011. They will join France and Italy that already allow some forms of online gambling.

According to reports in the Reuters news agency, the Greek government is moving ahead with its plan to liberalize and legalize the online gambling sector by the end of 2011. Government sources have unofficially confirmed that the bill will be voted on in the first quarter itself and that 50 licenses will be awarded by the end of the year. Simultaneously thousands of low stake video lotto terminals will also go on stream by the end of 2011. However there is no information on the details of the licenses proposed such as their duration and the restrictions they would function under.

Though the government has officially not made any statement, a government officer has revealed further details to Reuters on the condition of anonymity. He said that Greece expects to receive over €700 million from new gaming licenses and royalties in 2011 and another €625 million in 2012. These funds are desperately needed by the Greek government to pay off fines and to comply with the terms of the €110 billion bailout it received from the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund last year. This will also stop the imposition of further fines.

In Denmark the licensing process was supposed to start in January 2011, but had to be delayed because of the taxation dispute. Last week the Danish tax minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, met the industry managers and informed them that the dispute will be resolved and the new online gambling regime will be put in place by the autumn of 2011. This meeting became essential because market rumors indicated that it could take up to two years to sort out the dispute. The minister stated in the meeting that he had met the EU minister for competition and stressed the importance of a quick resolution. He had been assured that the European Commission (EC) would act as fast as possible. The Danish minister committed that the government would implement the licensing process within three months of receiving the EC opinion. The tax dispute relates to the higher taxation rates for land gambling operators as compared to online gambling operators. This has been objected to by the land gambling operators.

The online gambling industry is aware of the adage that there is many a slip between the cup and the lip, but is keeping its fingers crossed. Another event that the industry is looking forward to is the incorporation of online casino gambling in the regulated regime in Italy.

If you thought Italy's online gaming market was booming last year you weren't mistaken - it grew by 28% in 2010, according to data published this week by Italian regulator AAMS.
Tournament poker responsible for most growth

Tournament poker was responsible for most of the growth in skill gaming, accounting for 65% of total online gambling turnover in Italy last year. Turnover of skill games rose by 34% in 2010 to 3.15 billion euros, up from the mark of 2.35 billion euros recorded the previous year.

Fixed odds sports betting rose by 11% to a total mark of 1.35 billion euros, while bingo revenues reached 146.1 million in its first full year since being fully regulated in December 2009.

AAMS said upon publishing the figures that the dominance of skill games, sports betting and online bingo in 2010 showed that the three products were better suited to online use. The three categories accounted for more than 96% of online gaming turnover in 2010.
Poker and casino to give further boost

The upcoming launch of poker cash games in February and casino games in June should at least double turnover in Italy by 2012, analysts say. Italy's internet gambling industry has become a target for all the major companies since the country removed barriers to foreign operators last year in order to comply with European Union standards.

I would hope that somebdy is watching to see how much online gaming improves a countrys budget.Online gaming is here to stay,they may as well realize it,and get onboard.
Of course,Im sure some greedy politician will pocket alot of any profits.

I really dont expect to hear anything about online gaming coming out in president Obamas speach.In reality,the usa sponsors alot worse things than online gaming.I could elaborate,but its a mute point.
With all of the talk about how bad the economy is,wanting to overturn the great healthcare bill,which is going to help those who need it most and is actually great for most americans,that if you could suggest something that would solve all the money problems,nobody is listening nor do they want to hear it.Most people do not know enough about online gaming to make a decision I guess.
So,in my opinion,The online gaming industry is Not spending enough money to get the message out,and convince those who are on the fence,or havnt even considered online gaming.
The online gaming industry need to lobby the people of the usa,more than they are lobbying washington.

Personally im scared of what kind of mess the goverment would create in online gaming

Amid concerns of reviving the now-dead video poker industry, a Senate panel Tuesday approved a bill allowing dice and card games, including poker, in S.C. homes.

Critics say the move — which stems from a police raid on poker party at a Mount Pleasant home — risks the chance the video poker and gambling industry once again could find a way to legalize games of chance that the state outlawed in 2000.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 15-6 Tuesday to send the bill to the full Senate. The measure would replace the state’s 1802 antigambling laws. Read literally, those laws ban any games with dice or cards.

The bill, S. 254, is intended to allow poker and other games of chance in private homes. It sets no limit on how much could be gambled, though the homeowner is forbidden from taking a share of the winnings, and the use of electronic machines is banned.

Supporters, including Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, say the bill would allow adults to make their own decisions regarding card games and does not burden law enforcement with “policing what games they play at the kitchen table.”

“The law is antiquated, outdated, outmoded, and it needs an overhaul,” McConnell said.

Critics say the proposed change could allow the operation of casinos in private homes, adding they fear the gambling industry will use it as a vehicle to go to court to legalize all gambling.

Video poker came to South Carolina in the 1980s after a court struck down a portion of the state budget, opening the door to further lawsuits that eventually legalized the games.

The bill creates “fertile ground for high-paid gambling attorneys to hammer away and create a loophole,” said state Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston.

Supporters of the bill, including state Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, point to the bill’s second-to-last line, a catch-all intended to explicitly ban video poker.

“Nothing … may be construed to allow electronic gambling machines or devices, slot machines, or video poker play or to change or alter in any manner the prohibitions regarding video poker,” the bill reads.

“There’s no way to construe that video poker is part of this,” said state Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston.

The bill is the second gambling-related proposal this year to reach the Senate floor, joining a bill to allow churches and other nonprofit groups to raise money with raffles.

Oran Smith with the anti-gambling Palmetto Family Council said lawmakers should have spent more time with the bill in committee to ensure it was drafted carefully. “Everything has to be considered very carefully.”

Some people may be celebrating today while others may be cursing and spitting at the release of the 2011 Oscar nominations. Many of the selections were quite predictable including “The King's Speech” and “The Social Network” while others were surprising such as “Biutiful” with Javier Bardem. Here are the nominations for 2011.

Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffery Rush, The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Actor
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jessie Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

Best Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David Fincher, The Social Network
Joel Coen/Ethan Coen, True Grit

Best Screenplay — Adapted
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Michael Arndt, Toy Story 3
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit
Debra Granik and Anne Roselini, Winter's Bone

Best Screenplay — Original
Mike Leigh, Another Year
Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, The Fighter
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right
David Seidler, The King's Speech

Best Foreign Language Film
Biutiful (Mexico)
Dogtooth (Greece)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Outside the Law (Algeria)

Best Animated Feature
How to Train your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land

With 12 nominations, “The King’s Speech” will be sure to win a few but it’s always fun when the underdog snags a few as well, which in this case could be “The Fighter”, “The Kids are All Right” and “127 Hours.”

There’s a good chance we’ll be posting this list in our Entertainment Props section, so you can bet on your own personal predictions. Best of Luck!

For a full list of Oscar nominations, access Oscargo-com and you can catch the show on February 27 at 8 p.m. EST/5 Pacific.

Bet on the latest entertainment props at Bodog Sports anytime you feel the need to dive into the Hollywood scene. Get your celebrity kicks at Bodog Sports today!

This is a big deal for those of us in SC!

Former Alabama Governor Robert Riley created the Task Force on Illegal Gambling after he decided that electronic bingo machines were illegal in Alabama. With Riley now out of office, it appears the new powers in office will take a more diplomatic approach to gambling.

Shortly after Governor Robert Bentley took office, he turned the Task Force over to Attorney General Luther Strange, and the two soon decided to disband the Task Force. That game gambling hall owners in Alabama hope that they could soon reopen their facilities and put thousands of Alabamians back to work.

On Wednesday, AG Strange said he would be willing to turn the issue over to the Alabama courts. That is a sharp contrast from Riley, who believed his interpretation of the gambling law in Alabama was the only one that should be considered.

"Our position is that these are illegal slot machines and don't fit the definition of bingo," said Strange. "But we recognize they (casino owners) have a different position. We think we've got a procedure that would allow them to make their case in court."

Their day in court is all that the casino owners have been asking for in the past couple of years. The owners of Country Crossings and VictoryLand have been seeking a Supreme Court ruling on the machines, and now it looks as though they will receive their day in court.

Of course both owners will be in court for other reasons as well. The two owners were part of an indictment that came down last year, and they are accused of attempting to bribe lawmakers with cash in exchange for positive votes on a bill that would have allowed Alabama residents to decide the future of electronic bingo machines.

Strange does not anticipate that the casinos, which have been shut down for fear of raids from the Task Force, will reopen before their day in court. Strange also said he does not expect future raids, and he claims he will focus on other issues in the coming months.

State Sen. David Thomas of Fountain Inn said bills to legalize charitable raffles are a pretext to expand gambling in the state. Proponents of the bills, however, say such arguments are a “red herring” and that no state that has allowed raffles has been plagued by professional gambling or organized crime.

Debate resumed Wednesday in the Senate on a pair of bills designed to allow the state's voters to have their say on the issue and amend the state's Constitution, which allows bingo and the state lottery but not other forms of gambling.

Sen. Raymond Cleary, a Georgetown County Republican who is leading the effort to pass the legislation, told the Senate on Wednesday the bills are necessary because the charities that use raffles use the proceeds for good causes, such as paying for hospital bills, vision checks and hearing aids.

He also said the legislation is needed because of selective enforcement. Some charities operate raffles and don't know doing so is illegal, he said.

Thomas and some others object to a provision in the legislation allowing “casino nights” by charities at which proponents say players could try various forms of gambling to win more chances at raffle tickets. Supporters of the legislation say it is aimed to only allow players to win chances at raffle tickets, not cash prizes.

But Thomas said the legislation allows more than its proponents say.

“We'll see a scenario where people will be able to go into very large buildings and see an imitation of Las Vegas,” Thomas told The Greenville News.

“The loopholes are not just loopholes. They are very intentional open doors to something other than just raffles. Raffles are a face to Las Vegas-style gambling.”

Cleary denied Thomas' assertions in Wednesday's debate.

“It's not going to be there,” Cleary said of Las Vegas-style casinos. “This is narrowly drawn.”

After Thomas pointed out, however, that the legislation doesn't restrict cash prizes, Cleary promised to tighten the legislation.

Cleary told the Senate that in other states with raffles, they have not “led to video poker. It has not led to organized gambling. It's not led to organized crime.”

Thomas likened the legislation to changes years ago made at 2 a.m. by lawmakers that subsequently allowed video poker to proliferate.

He told The News the legislation, if passed, would “legitimize” other forms of gambling, such as black jack and roulette wheels.

Debate on the bills is scheduled to continue today.

Was Jimmy Buffett wasted away in Margaritaville when he fell off the stage during a concert in Sydney, Australia? Apparently not. There are a couple of different versions of what actually happened after the 64-year-old legend plunged into a large gap in front of the stage during the show's finale at Hordern Pavilion. The good news, however, is that Buffet is staying in St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney for observation and is currently listed in stable condition.

TMZ took quotes from front-and-center audience members, with one reporting that a large beam of light during Buffet's solo at the end of the concert disoriented the singer and caused his fall. The concert-goer, named Sean Fogarty told TMZ he heard Buffett's head strike the metal on his way to the floor.

Another version of the story from a different concert-goer says that Buffett was about to jump off the stage to shake hands when he misjudged the gap and fell. The audience member also says he saw Buffett's head strike a metal strip on his way down.

Buffett was rendered unconcious for approximately 10 minutes. Fans at the sold-out show were then asked to leave by Buffett's manager as the singer lay on the ground awaiting paramedics, but many fans stayed.

One audience member told the Daily Telegraph, “We were told to leave the premises. No one really wanted to leave because everyone was anxious to know if he survived the fall. Everyone was pretty horrified."

Q: I live in Illinois and I come over to Iowa to the casinos to gamble. What I need is a revenue IRS tax chart for my tax man so he can figure out how much to deduct for my winnings. Where can I get one? I really need it before April.

- Illinois resident

A: We contacted the Internal Revenue Service, which has several resources available to help taxpayers understand their tax obligations when it comes to gambling winnings. You can visit Internal Revenue Service and Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax at Publication 505 (01/2010), Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax.

In general, how gambling winnings are taxed depends on whether the winnings are a little or a lot. It also could be impacted by other facts and circumstances of your personal tax situation.

According to the IRS, gambling winnings generally are regarded as taxable income and must be reported on your tax return, typically on the Form 1040, line 21, as "Other income." Casual gambling winnings are calculated, along with your other income, and taxed at your normal rate.

If you are among the lucky people who hit a big jackpot - including winnings of at least $1,200 from bingo or slot machines or $1,500 from keno, and certain other gambling winnings of at least $600 - then tax is typically withheld on site by the casino. If this is the case, you will be required to fill out a W-2G tax form right then and there. The form will allow you and the casino to account for your winnings at tax time.

Larger winnings are withheld or taxed at a flat rate of 25 percent. If you don't supply your Social Security number when you fill out the paperwork, the withholding goes up to 28 percent.

The IRS also wants to remind taxpayers to remember that you may deduct gambling losses. But you have to itemize deductions, and the amount of losses you deduct may not be more than the amount of gambling income reported on your return, or your winnings. You would claim your gambling losses on Form 1040, Schedule A, as a miscellaneous itemized deduction.

It is important to keep an accurate diary or record of your gambling winnings and losses. To deduct your losses, you must be able to provide receipts, tickets, statements or other records that show the amount of both your winnings and losses. Refer to IRS Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions, for more information at Publication 529 (2010), Miscellaneous Deductions.

You may also find the following IRS Tax Topic helpful: Tax Topics - Topic 419 Gambling Income and Losses - IRS Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax. In part, it says: Income tax is withheld at a flat 25 percent rate from certain kinds of gambling winnings. Gambling winnings of more than $5,000 from the following sources are subject to income-tax withholding: any sweepstakes; wagering pool, including payments made to winners of poker tournaments; the lottery; and any other wager if the proceeds are at least 300 times the amount of the bet.

If you do not pay enough tax, either through withholding or estimated tax, or a combination of both, you may have to pay a penalty.

Q: Can you give me the date in 2003 that the Eagle Food Centers distribution center in Milan, Ill., closed?

- Sharon, Davenport

A: According to Quad-City Times archives, the last of the Eagle Food Centers grocery stores in the Quad-Cities closed Oct. 18, 2003, after 110 years in the Quad-Cities, when the Milan, Ill.-based regional grocer company filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated. Work at the distribution center was phased out from summer to fall until the trucks and equipment at the distribution center were auctioned Oct. 28, 2003. A few management employees worked through November 2003.