Coming soon in the Garden State of New Jersey is a referendum to determine whether online sports betting will be permitted within the state. New Jersey is having great difficulty balancing its public purse and has come close to legalizing online wagering in the past. The governor vetoed a proposal recently that would have seen Atlantic City become the first city and New Jersey the first state in America to regulate and offer online casino games and poker to its residents.
November 8 2011 the public will again have the opportunity to voice their opinion on whether online betting should or should not be allowed. The federal Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act is the act that is being considered for revision. The Act bans sports wagering throughout the United States, except in specified jurisdictions. New Jersey legislators want to permit regulated sports betting to generate much needed tax revenue for the government.
The process for changing the act is a long protracted one which requires changes to the state's constitution. If the referendum called for on November 8th passes the state legislature will then have to draft a proposal with applicable wording.
The Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee is in the process of drafting a bill to allow betting on non-college sports teams at Atlantic City casinos and at two specified race tracks.
Legislators are going to be watching the results of the referendum in hopes that it will begin the ball rolling towards further revisions to the gambling laws of New Jersey. There is a certain amount of disagreement among supporters as to where and how revenues form sports, betting should be divided.
There is a lot riding on the referendum for Atlantic City and surrounding horse racing venues who also need a positive vote to make much needed changes to old and inconsistent New Jersey laws.
Although this news is disconcerting – and yes – upsetting, it's still a little funny. A bunch of zombie extras shooting a scene in Toronto were injured today and paramedics had a rough time which injuries were real and which were, well, just regular old zombie injuries.
Sixteen actors dressed as zombies were injured on the set of horror flick Resident Evil 5 when a set that was on wheels suddenly moved, causing the zombie actors to fall roughly 20 feet to the ground.
Luckily, none of the injuries were life threatening, though some of the zombies have been treated for broken arms, legs as well as back injuries.
We're guessing paramedics had the toughest day ever assessing injuries to the bleeding, corpse-like people.
An unlikely duo is gunning for the supercommittee to take up the cause of legalizing online gambling.
Conservative firebrand Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and New England liberal Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) are talking up members of the powerful deficit-slashing committee, arguing that virtual betting could boost tax revenue and even create jobs.
And the pair isn’t alone in its support of the industry. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) tried to slip legalizing language into a must-pass tax package last year. And even supercommittee member Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who has opposed the idea, appears to be softening.
While the odds are long for getting the panel to include a provision for online gaming, or even just online poker, as part of its final deficit-reduction package, the stunning depth and breadth of support for a niche industry, particularly one recently embroiled in a legal scandal, reveals the political payoff of an industry’s sustained lobbying effort.
“Several of us are trying to get it into the supercommittee,” Frank told POLITICO. “It would create $40 billion [in revenue] over 10 years.”
Frank also said there’s an economic and jobs impact argument to be made, plus a common-sense angle: “More people died because of bad booze during Prohibition than not,” Frank said. The Massachusetts Democrat described the panel as “open” to including the issue.
Frank’s Republican counterpart, Barton, said he has had conversations about the issue with Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), a member of the supercommittee.
“We’re making that an option they can seriously consider,” Barton said. “It’s being seriously considered.”
Strategically, Barton and Frank can’t do this alone. Frank conceded that Reid and Kyl will be necessary.
“A lot depends on [Sens.] Reid and Kyl. There’s a lot of discussion involved on it,” he added.
While Kyl vocally put the kibosh on Reid’s online gaming proposal in last year’s tax compromise, Internet poker advocates say his position has softened.
In July, Kyl and Reid sent a letter to the Justice Department urging the agency to aggressively pursue illegal Internet gambling. While the letter on its face looked bad for legalizing online gambling, industry lobbyists said it was the clearest sign that the two have continued discussing the issue since Reid’s failed attempt in December.
For his part, Kyl declined to comment about whether online gaming would be included in a final supercommittee package as recently as last month.
Spokesmen for Reid and Kyl did not return calls for comment.
Both Barton and Frank have previously introduced bills to legalize online gambling, and they are still pushing full speed ahead despite the Justice Department’s move last month to accuse online poker player site Full Tilt Poker of operating a $440 million Ponzi scheme. The charges come nearly a year after the agency charged PokerStars, Absolute Poker and Full Tilt with bank fraud, money laundering and other illegal gambling charges.
Frank and Barton both said the charges demonstrate that more needs to be done to clarify the rules.
“There’s so much money that was apparently not accounted for,” Barton said.
Still, Frank has put the $18,500 he received from Full Tilt and others related to the company in trust either to reimburse people who lost money or to donate to a cause related to online gambling, according to his spokesman, Harry Gural. A Barton spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on whether Barton will remove contributions from his campaign coffers.
Nevada Reps. Shelley Berkley and Joe Heck and Sen. Dean Heller have pledged to donate their Full Tilt and Poker Players Alliance contributions to charities, according to a recent Las Vegas Sun news article. Reid has also said he will donate money he received from Full Tilt board members but plans to keep the PPA’s money, according to the report.
The industry isn’t sitting on the sidelines. It’s long been an aggressive lobbying and PR force.
PPA, one of the biggest advocates on the Hill for legalizing online poker, has harnessed its grass-roots network to target the supercommittee.
PPA Executive Director John Pappas said the group has made strong contact, sending nearly 7,000 emails through the PPA system to members of the supercommittee. Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) have been sent the most, getting 1,632 and 1,607 emails, respectively.
Since the supercommittee was constituted, PPA has also met with nearly all the panel’s members or their staff, trying to tell the story of how it would create jobs, generate revenue and ensure strong consumer protections, according to Pappas.
PPA has also encouraged its members to call offices and contact lawmakers, and has also gotten about 8,300 co-signers for an online petition on the White House’s website that encourages the public to create petitions for issues.
“We’d be happy to see this go in any form in any bill before the end of the year. Certainly, the debt committee seems like a natural fit. It should be appealing to Republicans on the committee,” Pappas said.
PPA, which spent $800,000 on lobbying during the first half of 2011, has also tried to distance itself from the Full Tilt scandal. Full Tilt paid dues to the Interactive Gaming Council, which in turn paid dues to PPA.
“Certainly, we have been associated with them in the past. A lot of our members played on their website. … We haven’t gotten our money back,” Pappas said, stressing that his organization’s 1.2 million members are its heart and soul.
Not everyone is betting on the supercommittee to be the way to resolve the issue. The NFL, a longtime opponent of online gaming bills because of potential sports betting issues, is closely watching the deficit panel. “We’ll monitor the process closely, and we will consider the degree to which we want to engage in this as the process unfolds,” said Covington & Burling’s Martin Gold, the NFL’s lon
Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are each exploring partnerships with operators of Internet gambling sites in the event online gaming is legalized in the United States.
Foxwoods is reported to be close to reaching a deal with Sportingbet, an English company that touts itself as one of the world's best-known online gaming operators. EGR Magazine, a London-based publication that covers the online gambling industry, first reported that Sportingbet and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, which owns Foxwoods, plan to launch a free-play poker site "ahead of exploring options for real-money poker and casino."
A Foxwoods spokesman said this week he could not confirm the report.
In a statement Tuesday, Bill Satti, the tribe's director of public relations, said: "The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has been investigating the possibilities of Internet gaming given the significant momentum and discussion it has garnered recently in the U.S. As part of this, representatives of Mashantucket have spoken with numerous major Internet gaming companies worldwide to understand the business and analyze partnership opportunities, but will not comment on any of those discussions."
Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, has also been talking to online gambling companies.
"We have had and continue to have" such talks, said Chuck Bunnell, the Mohegan Tribe's chief of staff. "I think the entire industry is looking at what's happening in Europe and in the U.S. as it tries to craft legislation to clearly legalize Internet gaming.
"Part of our due diligence is to prepare for that possibility."
Online gambling was effectively outlawed in the United States in 2006 when Congress enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which prohibited the transfer of money between online gamblers and websites. Not until this spring, however, did the federal government attempt to enforce the law. In April, it blocked U.S. gamblers from logging on to offshore gaming sites and indicted 11 executives and bank officials.
Online gambling is legal in much of Europe and in other parts of the world.
Congress, in revisiting the matter, has been considering legislation to regulate online gambling - chiefly online poker at this point - a potential source of new income for casino companies.
Back in 2006, Sportingbet announced it would comply with the U.S. ban on the transfer of money to online gambling sites by requiring its Paradise Poker site to stop accepting deposits from U.S. players.
In September 2010, Sportingbet agreed to pay $33 million to settle a U.S. Department of Justice investigation of alleged illegal Internet gambling. The department said at the time that the sum represented illegal proceeds Sportingbet had derived from providing services to U.S. customers.
As part of the settlement, the department agreed not to prosecute Sportingbet over its Internet gambling business with U.S. customers from 1998 to 2006, according to published reports.
Online gamblers love to talk about their winning experiences, their bad experiences and anything related to online gambling and the best place to do this is at an online gambling forum. Forums are full of information about the online gaming industry ranging from the best casinos, poker rooms and online bingo sites to register at as well as all their special promotions, exclusive bonuses for members of the forums and updates on all casino games and winners! For a person who is new to the online gambling industry, a gambling forum is an excellent place to find feedback on which casinos/poker/bingo sites are trustworthy, fair and have banking methods that most players around the world can use. Gambling forums also are a great place to ask questions and get fast answers to help a new online gambler enjoy their gaming experiences and get the best tips for each online gambling establishment found on the Internet.
Another fantastic thing about online gambling forums are their contests where members can enter numerous different contests for sponsoring casino/poker/bingo sites which offer free chips, deposit bonuses and special tournaments run just for the members of a forum. You get to meet and chat with other people for all areas of the world who share the same excitement about gambling as you do. Players talk about which casino games are hot and paying off constantly or which games are cold and should be avoided. Forums also offer entertainment in other areas besides gambling, joke telling, and recipe ideas for those who like to cook and some forums even have areas for fun and games. Chain games are a way to pass the time when you don’t have the funds to gamble for a day or so, they can be fun and you get to know other members of the forum and create new friendships with people around the world who you may never meet in person but will eventually consider family.
Owners of gambling forums always look out for their members, so if you are having a problem receiving your winnings for one of their sponsored casino/poker/bingo sites, they will step in and contact their sponsors and help to get your winnings and bring some type of conclusion to any problem you may be experiencing. Forum administrators also stay active on their forum and are always available for any advice of ideas you as a member may have to make your gambling experiences more profitable, enjoyable and safe. To find some of the best online gambling forums all you have to do is use a search engine like “Google”, type in the words online gambling forums and thousands of sites will be at your fingertips. Search each one that interests you until you find one that clicks with what you’re looking for. There is usually a room for new members to introduce themselves and meet the other forum members. Registering at an online gambling forum is quick and easy and some offer newsletters every month, which they will send to the email, address you use when registering. These newsletter help to keep you updated on up coming events at casinos/poker rooms/bingo sites so you don’t miss out on any special events, promotions, bonuses or free cash!
Javier Bardem played the role of a lifetime in No Country For Old Men as the assassin who rocked a chili bowl haircut which earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and now he’s taking on another amazing role as the villain in the upcoming James Bond movie, Bond23 – minus the awkward cut.
Spanish actor Bardem was chosen for the villain role which seems like a perfect fit and claims that he is a big fan of the films, “I am very excited because my parents took me to watch the movies and I saw all of them, so to play that is going to be fun,” he quoted.
Bardem does have a sense of cool confidence and talent which may be the main reason he was chosen for the role and yeah, he's handsome. There have been no details released concerning how devilish his character will be or how exactly he and Daniel Craig will interact but there is now some serious anticipation building up to its release date especially since the project came close to being cancelled.
Due to the MGM studios experiencing financial difficulties, the project was postponed for up to 9 months but in the end it was Spyglass Entertainment that was able to resurrect the project which is now set for release in November 2012.
Other characters to be joining the Bond23 cast include Judy Dench as M, Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris as Money Penny, French actress Berenice Marlohe has been confirmed as a Bond girl and actress Helen McCrory from Harry Potter fame has also been added.
The Remote Gambling Association launches “Online Gambling: Key Objectives for a successful regulatory and tax framework” in Milan.
Against the backdrop of the establishment of online gambling trade mechanisms in a number of European countries, Europe’s most significant trade association, the Remote Gambling Association (RMA) is seeking to streamline the process across the continent.
Based in London and Brussels, the RMA launched their guidelines at the recent EiG expo and conference in Milan. With European countries introducing different mechanisms, not all of which comply with European Union provisions, the RMA is providing a guide which it hopes will protect online operators, regulators and players alike.
“Online Gambling: Key Objectives for a successful regulatory and tax framework” is divided into three sections. The section on “Key regulatory objectives” sets out the need for a fair, competitive and crime-free gambling environment. A further section on “Taxation” outlines the importance of taxation for state revenue while at the same time highlighting that the tax burden will ultimately fall upon the player. Finally, there is a section which describes the various product verticals and how they generate revenue, which is directed primarily at players.
The RGA publication also emphasises that regulation must be regarded as an ongoing effort, rather than a single event. As a relatively new industry, online gambling is constantly developing new technologies which will need addressing.
Chief Executive of the RGA Clive Hawkswood explained that the publication has been brought out specifically to aid those contemplating legalizing and regulating online gambling operators.
Hawkswood commented, "Our message to them is that working in partnership with responsible operators and building modern remote gambling regimes that balance consumer interests and commercial opportunities presents the greatest prospect for new remote frameworks to be successful from a social and fiscal perspective."
Politicians tinker with the NHS at their peril. But, says Rob McCargow, taking risks with commissioning still poses a serious threat to reforms
The NHS represents much of what the public holds valuable in society and politicians must tread carefully to avoid undermining its fundamental values. Even in the current economic environment, where the need for public sector spending cuts is real and pressing, it is a gamble to mess with the NHS.
The coalition government's solution to the economic dilemma is radical – and may create the most challenging period in the NHS's long history.
On the face of it, there's a lot that makes sense in the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 – its call for the reduction of top-down targets; the removal of unnecessary red tape; a focus on clinical outcomes rather than outputs; more streamlined national and regional structures; putting the patient at the centre of the service. All these measures instinctively feel right.
As likely costs of delayering and restructuring look set to nudge £2bn, it is GPs, working in clinical commissioning groups (CCG), who will be at the forefront of reform and entrusted with the bulk of the UK's £105bn health budget. They will be in control of decisions that influence the quality and efficiency of care, against a backdrop of £20bn cost improvements to be realised over the lifetime of this government.
There has been widespread resistance from all corners of the sector including the unions, hospital consultants, senior NHS management and the BMA, leading to significant amendments to the proposed reforms. Empowering clinicians, particularly GPs, may hold appeal for those within the service, but they are already worried about how successfully they can sustain quality standards, productivity and morale while pushing through major reforms and cutting costs.
The new NHS Commissioning Board – a body described by Labour as the biggest quango in the world – has been tasked with developing a process that will hold CCGs (in conjunction with clinical senates and local authority health and wellbeing boards) to account and creating a commissioning outcomes framework to monitor their performance against a national outcomes framework.
But this has only added to the existing tensions between government and
some GPs. The BMA has expressed its opinion that GPs must not allow themselves to become the "whipping boys" of the new board.
There will be considerable scope for each CCG to lead decisions regarding local governance and organisation. This will require them to assess the skills needs of the CCG and where those skills will come from – a potentially serious threat to the reforms.
GP involvement in commissioning has been patchy thus far and it's hardly surprising observers see this as something of a leap of faith. The likely outcome is that it will fall to a smaller group of enthusiastic GPs to lead CCG strategies and clinical engagement, and to maintain good relationships among their own community.
Meanwhile, where will they source the senior management skills needed to ensure effective commissioning? There's a broad expectation that this should cost less in future, and that better, cheaper means of commissioning within a leaner system can become effective more quickly.
There is a need for greater clarity at national and local level about just what CCGs can and cannot do – and what this means for their workforce. But they must ensure this clarity within the constraints of a reduced management allowance, funded out of savings from the abolition of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts. Denying CCGs access to much-needed management skills in the interest of austerity is misguided and risks jeopardising the whole reform process. Some of what they need is already present (and improving, according to world-class commissioning scores) in the doomed PCTs, but they must be allowed freedom to recruit much needed new skill sets from other industry sectors.
Enlightened GPs already recognise the value of drawing on existing commissioners' experience, talent and management capacity, but a systematic approach to identifying the dynamics of the current commissioning workforce is urgent. A coordinated effort will be needed across the NHS to relocate commissioning talent and to challenge less engaged GPs' lack of enthusiasm.
It is crucial that talented people are focused on their contribution to the NHS, as opposed to their own livelihoods. This is at least as important as driving down commissioning costs. Leaving it to chance or treating it as an unnecessary expense would be to risk wrecking the reforms before they even take root.
There is political allure to the prospect of being the government that successfully improved the NHS. But the ambitious scope and timescale (albeit now "relaxed" following the listening exercise) of the current reforms, coupled with traditional failure to factor in passive resistance to change, narrows the current government's chances of success considerably.
For reforms to be successful, we'll need strong leadership, accurate resource and talent management, and recognition that such fundamental changes require a unified approach to workforce engagement.
Where there is change, there is opportunity as well as risk. There must remain a relentless focus on genuinely delivering better services to the public and, if the politicians, senior management, and clinicians all work together with this target in mind then the reforms have a fighting chance of succeeding. But that's a big "if".
Rob McCargow is a partner at Green Park Interim and Executive Search
Richard Glynn, Ladbrokes’ chief executive, said the growth in the number of online customers from outside the UK would be achieved on “a case-by-case basis”, following the gambling group’s decision to abandon takeover talks with Sportingbet.
Ladbrokes has fallen behind rivals in online gambling, which have grown their international digital presence through acquisitions, joint ventures or mergers.
Two attempts by Ladbrokes this year to catch up with rivals through M&A deals foundered, the latest coming on Monday when the Sportingbet takeover collapsed over regulatory concerns, leaving Mr Glynn under pressure to deliver a turnround in the betting group’s fortunes.
Unveiling its latest quarterly results, Mr Glynn sought to refocus investors’ attention on what he called “Plan A”, the drive to grow Ladbrokes organically, primarily through a £50m investment boost.
Net revenues for the three months to September 30 were up 2.5 per cent on the equivalent 2010 period, but operating profit fell 2.7 per cent to £49.7m.
Mr Glynn said Ladbrokes’ online marketing push had resulted in the number of active customers increasing by 11 per cent. “We are starting to see clear evidence of momentum,” he said.
There was a 2 per cent rise in net revenues at Ladbrokes’ 2,100 betting shops, thanks to a 20.4 per cent rise in the takings from its betting terminals. They were now averaging £866 a week per terminal, compared to £836 in the 2010 third quarter.
In contrast, the amounts staked over the counter in the shops fell 3.5 per cent, and net revenues from this activity were down 8.3 per cent.
Mr Glynn said that 70 to 75 per cent of Ladbrokes’ online customers came from the UK. “We have got a lot more to play for in the UK,” he said. “We haven’t done as well in the last few years as we can do.”
Regarding other online markets, the chief executive said Ladbrokes had an “on-the-ground presence” in Spain, Belgium and Ireland. Ladbrokes also had a fully-regulated betting product in China.
“We will be taking licences in other jurisdictions and we will be doing it on a case-by-case basis,” he said, citing Spain and Denmark as examples. “In the next few years, a far higher proportion [of online customers] will be coming from Europe.”
Nick Batram, analyst with Peel Hunt, said the update was “enough to feed both the bulls and the bears”, adding that a turnround of the business was deliverable and that the bid talk had been a distraction for both investors and management.
The computer virus that infected part of the military’s unmanned aerial vehicle fleet was a common credential-stealing program that poses no threat to drone missions, the Air Force said.
The virus, discovered by the Air Force Sept. 24 and first reported by Wired, infected computers in a ground control system separate from flight control systems used by Air Force pilots and is “more of a nuisance than a threat,” the Air Force Space Command said in a statement.
Drone missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, controlled by pilots at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., have not been interrupted by the virus.
How did it get there? A defense official speaking anonymously told the Associated Press that the malware is a kind used to steal log-in and password information from people playing games such as “Mafia Wars” or gambling online. But the official made no comment on whether it got there because crews were playing online games.
The Air Force said the malware is not a keylogger, as was first reported, and does not transmit data or video, or corrupt data or anything else on the infected computer. And it was limited to the ground system, not infecting the UAVs or pilots’ systems at all, the Air Force said. But it has proved difficult to scrub from the ground system.
It’s unusual for the military to comment on its operations. But Col. Kathleen Cook, Air Force Space Command spokesperson, said, “We felt it important to declassify portions of the information associated with this event to ensure the public understands that the detected and quarantined virus posed no threat to our operational mission and that control of our remotely piloted aircraft was never in question.”
August comScore numbers show that mobile iPad casino gamblers outnumber all other tablet players at every mobile casinos online.
The numbers are out from August, and the iPad has clearly remained the king of tablets in the exciting world of mobile casinos online.
The folks at comScore, a reliable web analytics firm, have released their August Device Essentials Report which shows that 97.2% of all web traffic coming from tablets belongs to the users of the iPad.
iPad Casinos went all out to ensure that their libraries of mobile casino games take full advantage of iPad’s amazing graphic and audio capabilities.
iPad mobile gambling offers players the best of both worlds, the ‘on the go’ ability of smartphones and the screen size and audio capabilities of the desktop.
Not only has the iPad dominated the tablets category, it even pushed it little brother, the iPhone out of the way, to take the overall lead in the Apple iOS mobile family of devices. The report shows that 46.8% of all iOS web traffic is coming from the iPad and iPad2 mobile devices, 42.6% is coming from iPhones
Besides those fantastic figures, mobile casinos are seeing an increase in the overall number of new players. During August 6.8% of web traffic originated from both smart phones and tablets. A third of that number account for tablets whiles the rest from mobile phones.
Today Apple still is holding its ground with 58.5% of the market share of digital traffic. Android is in second place with 31.9%, RIM (Blackberry) at 5% and the remainder is split between other mobile platforms.
Ipad Mobile Casinos Online
The good news for mobile casinos is that tablets are the king of the hill when it comes down to the type of individuals who own those expensive devices.
Almost half were in households which earned more than $100K per year, 54.7% were men, and a third were 25-34 years of age. Half of the owners made a purchase using their iPad and half use the social bookmarking sites.
The current estimate is that 116 million Americans use web enabled mobile phones and enjoying top quality mobile casino games at reputable mobile casinos online.
Lindsay Lohan is untouchable. She can apparently violate her probation a gazillion times and go unpunished. Now, it's the gazillionth and one time, as Lohan has been kicked out of the program where she was supposed to complete her community service because she violated the rules numerous on numerous occasions.
As part of her probation for her crime of stealing a necklace from a jewelry store, Lohan was ordered by Judge Stephanie Sautner to serve 360 hours at the Downtown Women's Center in L.A., with the stipulation that Lohan be a reliable, non-disruptive, worker and serve at least 4 hours at a time.
However, apparently that's not been the case, since Lindsay has been a no-show for nine shifts. TMZ reports that on the rare days she did show up, she would often leave after only working for about an hour.
Sources say two weeks ago, Lohan was booted from the Women's Center due to her poor work ethic and she has been reassigned to work at the Red Cross.
Lindsay is due back in court next week for a progress hearing andJudge Sautner had told the fallen starlet that if she couldn't mend her careless ways, she was going to jail.
And just for bad measure, we've learned aside from Lindsay's violations at the Downtown Women's Center, the number of community service hours she has racked up so far is "very unimpressive."
It’s actually quite surprising that Las Vegas hasn’t had a ‘Real Housewives of Las Vegas’ series in addition to the all the other hit reality shows. Well, it seems that Bravo is currently on the lookout for five gals in Las Vegas area who fit the profile of the wealthy socialite who isn't afraid to dish out a little drama.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, the project has been in the planning stages for over a year but for some reason Bravo put the project on the back burner. Now, the Bravo channel is ready to revive the project and is currently searching for five saucy housewives that are ready and willing to expose intimate details about their personal lives within Sin City.
It would be great to cast some of the local casino mogul’s wives like Steve Wynn’s new lady and a few other big shots within the casino industry. Casting agents have signed on to produce a 10-week series and claim that “good looks and personality will be everything for this show.”
It will be produced by Pilgrim Films who currently handles shows such as Ghost Hunters, The Ultimate Fighter and American Casino.
Once these spicy gals are chosen, they will conduct some interviews with the women and submit it to Bravo for approval. Bravo has been capitalizing on the these shows for a few years now and include frustrated and spoiled women from Atlanta, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, NYC, O.C., D.C. and now Las Vegas. Is a Las Vegas catfight different from one in New Jersey? You’ll soon find out.
The Massachusetts Senate approved casino gambling yesterday, setting the stage for Governor Deval Patrick to sign the measure by the end of this year, with slot machines arriving as early as 2012. Proponents called it the culmination of a decades-long debate, and said the 24-14 vote offers an opportunity to recapture hundreds of millions of gambling dollars that have crossed state lines - mostly to casinos in Connecticut - as well as the jobs that accompany them.
“The must-haves for me are jobs, and that’s what it’s all about,’’ said Senate President Therese Murray, a Plymouth Democrat. “We have over 250,000 people out of work in the Commonwealth, and that’s why we’re doing this bill.’’
Opponents warned of spiking crime, increased addiction, and potential corruption, and said the state’s historic character would be forever compromised as local businesses are squeezed out by new competition.
“This is a fancy name for a tax on the poor,’’ said Senator Sonia Chang Diaz, a Jamaica Plain Democrat.
But the Senate’s vote put many of those arguments in the rearview mirror, at least at the state level.
The House overwhelmingly passed a similar proposal last month, and Patrick has said he agrees with the major elements approved by both chambers. Yesterday his office said in a statement that he was “pleased to see continued movement on a gambling bill.’’
The House and Senate now have to work out what several lawmakers characterized as minor differences in the bills, including variations over who would be allowed to approve a casino at the local level, before submitting a final version to Patrick. Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat who helped write the legislation, predicted the governor would have a final product on his desk by Thanksgiving. House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo agreed the House and Senate would move quickly.
“We’ve got a good foundation,’’ DeLeo said yesterday. “The good thing is that the major pieces of the bill are in place.’’
After a drawn-out dispute between Patrick and DeLeo last year over the number and types of gambling facilities that would be allowed, Beacon Hill’s power brokers spent the summer behind closed doors, ironing out their differences, to help ensure approval this time.
The proposal would authorize up to three full-scale casinos: one designated for Western Massachusetts, another in the southeast, and a third in or around Boston or Worcester. It would also allow a slot machine parlor, which could be located anywhere in the state.
The bill would give the Mashpee Wampanoag a leg up in obtaining the right to open the casino in the southeast, one of several provisions that could prompt a court battle among competing developers that could delay construction.
Developers, who have spent millions lobbying the Legislature over the past four years, have been lining up potential sites around the state, including the Suffolk Downs race track in East Boston, a spot in Palmer, Plainridge Race Course in Plainville, and various locations in the South Coast. Casino gambling has proliferated throughout the Northeast in recent years, as cash-strapped states have sought a way to balance their budgets without raising taxes. Massachusetts’ decision to enter the industry has prompted another flurry of activity among border states, including New York and New Hampshire, with lawmakers eager to get a slice of the market share.
One oft-cited Patrick administration study estimated it could take five years to set up regulations and build full-scale casinos in Massachusetts. But DeLeo and Rosenberg have predicted a shorter time-frame, perhaps two to three years for a full-scale casino. And they say a slot parlor could be up and running within a year, because it requires far less capital investment than resort-style casinos and could be housed at an existing track.
For the full-scale casinos, the state envisions something akin to Mohegan Sun, which has a full compliment of table games, restaurants, and live entertainment. The proposals require a minimum $500 million investment and the promise of a hotel in order to win a full casino license.
Operators would pay the state a licensing fee of at least $85 million, with the slot parlor paying $25 million. Casinos would be taxed at 25 percent, while the slot parlor would pay 55 percent under the Senate's plan and 49 percent under the House plan. The state’s share would be divvied up for a number of purposes, including schools, the state’s rainy day fund, transportation projects, and gambling addiction programs.
But before any facilities are built, the bills would require communities to approve casinos in a referendum. That issue is one of the few sticking points between the House and Senate. The House version exempts Boston, Springfield, and Worcester from a citywide vote. In those cities only a local neighborhood or ward would be allowed to decide whether a casino can be built. The Senate bill carves out only Boston and Worcester, but it leaves it up to their city councils to decide who can vote.
Opponents see local approval as the next battlefront for casinos. Opposition groups have already formed near several potential locations, including East Boston and the southeastern part of the state.
“It moves to those fights,’’ said Senator Patricia D. Jehlen, a Somerville Democrat. “Most people are very nervous about having a casino in their neighborhood.’’
The bill would designate a five-member gambling commission - appointed by the governor, the treasurer, and the attorney general - to make most of the major decisions about where casinos can open, the final licensing fee, and other regulations.
That commission would decide how much slot machines would have to pay out to players. Rosenberg said on average, slot machines pay out 92 percent of what they take in. But some states allow casinos to pay out closer to 80 percent, he said.
The Senate bill also differs from the House in two othe
City officials are kicking off a series of community meetings examining the implementation of online gambling in the District as questions of legality still remain for the gambling proponents.
The meetings are meant to air out some of the issues neighborhoods might have with allowing online gambling within the city's borders after a bill legalizing the gambling was passed last year as a rider on the 2011 budget bill. The D.C. lottery board initially planned to introduce six games, including poker and blackjack. In September, however, it pledged not to move forward until the community has weighed in.
At-Large Councilman Michael Brown proposed the measure as a way to close the city's budget gap and has argued that no federal gambling laws would technically outlaw his online gambling proposal for the District. The city's attorney general has also backed up that claim.
But Marie Drissel, an opponent of the proposal and author of the blog Stop DC Gambling, said she is doubtful of the lottery board's and the attorney general's ability to evaluate the level of cyber security required to stop games from being played illegally. The process hasn't been publicly vetted, she said.
"I am very concerned that no expert has been sworn in to tell us what this is all about," Drissel said. "Give me the experts who can say under oath that there is staff and expertise to make sure there will not be interstate gambling and that no minors are going to be involved."
Brown has said that the D.C. lottery vendor is using state-of-the-art anti-hacking technology and will have five security filters to ensure that users are of age and located in the District. In a recent letter to his colleagues he calls online gambling "a natural progression of lottery systems," and that New York, California, Illinois, Nevada, Iowa and Florida are all considering similar measures.
The council -- and especially Brown -- drew criticism in December after approving online gambling as part of the budget bill without public hearings. A bill to repeal the gambling was submitted last month, but finance committee chairman and Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans has tabled the bill until the public hearings and an investigation by the city's inspector general have finished.
But so far the public response has not mirrored the ire of last December. Drissel characterized the first hearing, held in Ward 5, as subdued.
"I have found that hardly anybody knows what I'm talking about when I'm speaking with public citizens," she said. "And so it'll [pass] and people will be surprised."
Dave Matthews, known for his band The Dave Matthews Band as well as for pooping on people, is trading in his record label for a wine label. Matthews has teamed up with a California vineyard to release a collection of high-quality wine, which will be available to the masses later this month.
Working with wine guru Steve Reeder, the line of wines will be called The Dreaming Tree, named after the band's 1998 song.
Reeder said, "Dave and I wanted to make wines that are complex yet approachable – fun wines that are food friendly and available for anyone to enjoy. With The Dreaming Tree wines, we've combined the worlds of wine and music and have created something that we personally enjoy, and enjoy sharing with friends."
The California vineyard is currently working hard to make all Matthews' dreaming trees come true and wine lovers can look forward to his collection being offered in red, white and blends.
Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the third of four children of Americans. At two years old, Matthews' family moved to Yorktown Heights in New York, where his father began working for IBM. He now lives in Seattle with his wife, Jennifer Ashley their twin daughters, Stella Busina and Grace Anne, and son, August Oliver.
In another US State first, New Jersey is holding a referendum to consider whether online sports betting should be allowed in the State! With the dire straits that New Jersey’s economy has been dealing with and the difficulty balancing their books, lawmakers in the State have been considering all venues of online gambling in the past few months and now one of the most restricted areas of the gaming industry is now on the table for consideration, online sports betting. But one thing standing in the way could be the ‘hearty’ Governor Chris Christie who was once thought to be a supporter of legalizing intrastate gambling in New Jersey just to turn around and veto any bill brought before him, so with this Governor’s topsy turvy mind set on the gaming industry it’s anyone’s guess if he may be a friend or foe. Since it’s been announced that he has no plans to run for US President in 2012, which is why we believe he vetoed the online gambling intrastate bill in the first place, he may now ‘flip’ again and start supporting the idea of sports betting and online gambling as a whole.
On November 8th, 2011 the citizens of New Jersey will once again have the opportunity to speak up and voice their opinions on whether they would enjoy legalized online betting. The Federal Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act is what will be put on the table for revising. This act bans any type of sports wagering across the US except in certain areas including Nevada. The reason for the new interest in the online gaming and sports betting venues is to help once again, find a way to generate tax revenue that is very much needed. We will report more on this new referendum once news becomes available.
In the USA many people are a little tired of the argument against online poker especially in the city of Washington D.C. The poker players of America were looking forward to at least one jurisdiction in good old America where they could play online poker for real money legally and set a standard for the next move to legalize it federally.
Washington D.C. has a fair number of issues when it comes to its financial situation and the implementation of online poker would help tremendously. Taxes generated could help the needy and maintain a crumbling infrastructure at least for the time being.
As luck would have it though the politicians are adamant about making it a fair and public process with all the usual bureaucracy the system could afford.
Recently the city political watchdogs initiated a public consultation process that will engage the public and the varied opinions on the proposed online gambling legislation put forth and passed by city officials last year. The bill was passed as a rider on the 2011 budget much to the surprise of many who finally have their chance to object to it. The District of Columbia’s lottery board had initially planned to introduce six games, including poker and blackjack to the public who reside in the Capital region. Backtracking on the move the council back in September, said it would not fully approve of the plan until the community was consulted.
Marie Drissel, an opponent of the proposal, was not pleased with the security levels and said, "I am very concerned that no expert has been sworn in to tell us what this is all about," Drissel continued, "Give me the experts who can say under oath that there is staff and expertise to make sure there will not be interstate gambling and that no minors are going to be involved."
Meanwhile council member Brown who was the author of the plan said, that the D.C. lottery vendor is using state-of-the-art anti-hacking technology and will have five security filters to ensure that users are of age and located in the District. In a recent letter to his colleagues he calls online gambling "a natural progression of lottery systems,"
November 8 2011 the public will again have the opportunity to voice their opinion on whether online betting should or should not be allowed. The federal Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act is the act that is being considered for revision. The Act bans sports wagering throughout the United States, except in specified jurisdictions. New Jersey legislators want to permit regulated sports betting to generate much needed tax revenue for the government.
The process for changing the act is a long protracted one which requires changes to the state's constitution. If the referendum called for on November 8th passes the state legislature will then have to draft a proposal with applicable wording.
The Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee is in the process of drafting a bill to allow betting on non-college sports teams at Atlantic City casinos and at two specified race tracks.
Legislators are going to be watching the results of the referendum in hopes that it will begin the ball rolling towards further revisions to the gambling laws of New Jersey. There is a certain amount of disagreement among supporters as to where and how revenues form sports, betting should be divided.
There is a lot riding on the referendum for Atlantic City and surrounding horse racing venues who also need a positive vote to make much needed changes to old and inconsistent New Jersey laws.