Let your mouth speak archive

On December 23 2011 the US Department of Justice reversed its decade-long position on the applicability of the US Wire Act to online gambling that does not involve sports betting. In previous years, prosecutions were brought against any form of online gambling based on their interpretation of the Wire Act. This opinion reverses the longstanding position and may well clear the way for states to become more aggressive in legislatively enabling intra-state online gaming; and who knows, perhaps the federal government will consider licensing and regulations permitting online gambling.

This is not simply big news within the United States. Gaming and gambling operators around the world which may already be working with governments on their lottery initiatives and many other companies without a US presence may now be looking to establish a foothold and ultimately a major presence in the United States. Similarly, US casino and gaming operators, already licensed, may sense the opportunity for foreign investment and the injection of new capital, new expertise and a more global platform.

Gambling is legal and present in every state in America, except for Utah and Hawaii, through casinos and lotteries. Twenty-five years ago, gambling was legal in only three states. There is a reason for gambling gaining popularity through the years: It is very profitable and successful and now in a less-dangerous way.

The U.S. Department of Justice has been against online gambling, but a little curiosity has changed the name of the game. Thanks to New York and Illinois asking questions, the federal government clarified the rules for online lottery ticket sales. It admitted the only thing illegal under federal law is sports betting over state and federal lines, as per the Wire Act of 1961.

President Barack Obama's administration's reinterpretation of the Wire Act is that the law is only applied to gambling regarding sports and event wagers, not online gaming wagers. So at this point, it is not a question of if or why online gambling will happen in Florida, but a matter of when.

Laws will be made in the future to help guide this new gambling frontier. They will have to lack the vagueness of past laws and regulations in order to establish a clear understanding of this frontier. Since the gambling will take place on the Internet, there may be security risks like with everything else online.

The success of the Florida Lottery is evidence of online gambling's potential success. Florida has no immediate plans to establish selling lottery tickets online, but with the move by the Department of Justice, the writing is on the wall. The trick is making sure the money is going to the right place. According to The Miami Herald, "The lottery is a reliable source of funding for our public schools and colleges and to date has contributed $23 billion to education."

Who would play? The question is: Who is already playing? Today, Internet gambling includes games such as poker online, which is legal. However, it was illegal to play for money. "John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance, wants to pass a bill legalizing all Internet poker sites. He estimates 8 million to 10 million Americans — about 400,000 Floridians — play online through offshore accounts," according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

This new understanding gives Florida a chance to take a stand on gambling while generating revenue for the state. This money should stay in Florida. Online gambling would also save money for location reasons. It's revenue, and a strong source at that. Imagine, instead of a big casino company building a casino or race track which would use up money, land and state resources, the company could build them online. No fuss, no hassle.

"Proposals to allow or expand slots or casinos are percolating in at least 14 states, tempting legislators and governors at a time when many must decide between cutting services and raising taxes," according to the Associated Press.

Gambling is risky and dangerous. It has made its presence known and has been fairer to some than most. But ridding the world of these dangerous games died when the first state legalized it. While those who completely oppose gambling may not want it online, the best way to keep gambling from physically growing around the Sunshine State is to divert it to the Internet. It beats the alternative.

Internet gambling is on the rise in Australia according to new research from the University of Sydney and Southern Cross University, with factors such as convenience and ease of access contributing to its popularity.

Dr. Sally Gainsbury completed a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology and PhD at the University of Sydney, supervised by Professor Alex Blaszczynski. Her research has focussed on responsible gambling strategies, particularly for electronic gaming machines and online gambling, Internet gambling.

In recent news a study has showed, “Overall, internet gamblers were not more likely to be problem gamblers, but they do appear to be at higher risk of developing problems,” said Southern Cross University’s Sally Gainsbury, who led the study.

University of Sydney Psychology professor Alex Blaszczynski, who collaborated with Gainsbury, said: “While internet gambling has been around since the 1990s, its popularity has soared in the past few years with clear trends indicating an increasing number of participants starting to gamble online.”

“This is a worrying trend as playing on offshore sites may result in identify theft, fraud, losing funds and cheating, leaving Australians with little recourse,” Blaszczynski said.

“Gambling problems take a while to set in before causing severe consequences so as people continue to play online more problems are likely to emerge from this form of gambling,” Dr Blaszczynski said.

“The study’s researchers are calling for the online gambling space to be made safer for users. Among our recommendations are that players be encouraged to set limits on their spending; pop-up messages suggesting a break in long continuous sessions; and self-tests to determine the risk of developing gambling problems.”

On December 23 2011 the US Department of Justice reversed its decade-long position on the applicability of the US Wire Act to online gambling that does not involve sports betting. In previous years, prosecutions were brought against any form of online gambling based on their interpretation of the Wire Act. This opinion reverses the longstanding position and may well clear the way for states to become more aggressive in legislatively enabling intra-state online gaming; and who knows, perhaps the federal government will consider licensing and regulations permitting online gambling.

This is not simply big news within the United States. Gaming and gambling operators around the world which may already be working with governments on their lottery initiatives and many other companies without a US presence may now be looking to establish a foothold and ultimately a major presence in the United States. Similarly, US casino and gaming operators, already licensed, may sense the opportunity for foreign investment and the injection of new capital, new expertise and a more global platform.

Online gambling depends on technology for security, for age verification, and now with the industry attempting to re-enter the US jurisdiction the location of the consumer.
Technology has its challenges with new developments such as live casinos, mobile gaming and in play betting. New markets have been opened to a whole new generation of potential players, so it is vital to keep up to speed with the latest technologies. The controversial issues such as underage gambling, data leakage and player privacy as gambling is becoming more social has created an urgency to comply and advance.

One huge hurdle that online gambling firms must overcome is the geolocating of customers ensuring that the gambler is where they say they are. Geolocating is notoriously unreliable with programs available to users that disguise the true location of the internet gambler. There is apparently a lack of technology to improve upon this situation which would be necessary should a US state declare online gambling within just the states borders be implemented.

Geolocating technology has never been an issue until now because now operators are seeing a financial reason to seek a more reliable solution. Target marketing has been the main benefit from the implementation of the location confirmation applications. Now however the benefit of developing the application has more potential beyond mere marketing goals.
Operators looking at geotechnology are not finding the resources needed in the field to satisfy the need for solid results. The idea of “reasonable certainty” is a must for those operators wanting to, for example, sell lottery tickets online to residents of a particular area. Not being in compliance with this aspect of the regulatory framework under which he operator received its license could result in fines and the possible suspension of business. Online gambling operators prepared to offer these services will rely on accurate geolocating to maintain the integrity of their licenses. Companies are seeing the potential of developing the technology now they see how important it will become to the opening up of the market in the USA.

Defense attorneys in Alabama’s gambling corruption trial said prosecutors have told them that their witnesses for the retrial won’t include two lawmakers who wore wires for the FBI and engaged in a recorded conversation comparing black casino customers to “aborigines.” Defense attorneys said prosecutors revealed in a recent meeting that they don’t plan to call Republican state Sen. Scott Beason of Gardendale and District Judge Benjamin Lewis of Dothan, who was a state representative from Dothan when he helped the FBI.

“They want to limit all the bad stuff that goes along with them,” defense attorney Jim Parkman said Friday.

Laura Sweeney, spokesman for the Justice Department, declined comment.

Beason said prosecutors have not told him anything official. “If I’m called, I will do my duty and help in any way I can,” he said.

Lewis did not respond to a request for comment.

Beason and Lewis cooperated with the FBI in 2009 and 2010 to record conversations with casino owners, gambling proponents and legislators about efforts by gambling interests to pass legislation that would make sure electronic bingo games could continue to operate in Alabama. Federal prosecutors used the recordings to get indictments against two casino owners, four state senators, and several others accusing them of trading votes for the promise of millions in campaign contributions.

One casino owner and his two lobbyists pleaded guilty. But a trial for nine others last summer ended with two acquittals, no convictions and seven defendants facing a retrial because the jury could decide all the charges. That retrial begins Jan. 30 in Montgomery. In the original trial, when Beason was testifying for the prosecution, defense attorneys presented a transcript of a tape Beason made of himself, Lewis and a third Republican legislator at the Statehouse. They were joking about economic development in predominantly black Greene County and the customers at one of the county’s largest employers, Greenetrack casino in Eutaw.

“That’s y’all’s Indians,” Lewis said.

“They’re aborigines, but they’re not Indians,” Beason replied.

Beason later apologized for the remark. But U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, who presided over the trial, issued a ruling in October blasting the two. He said their motive for cooperating with the FBI was not to clear up corruption, but to keep a pro-gambling measure off the November 2010 ballot because they thought it would bring out more black voters and hurt the Republican Party’s chances of winning a majority in the Legislature.

The pro-gambling legislation died after the FBI announced its investigation in April 2010. That kept it off the November 2010 ballot, and the GOP won control of the Legislature for the first time in 136 years.

In Thompson’s ruling, he said Beason and Lewis “lack credibility because the record establishes their purposeful, racist intent,” but he also ruled they could testify at the retrial.

Defense attorneys said prosecutors will try to use FBI agents who worked on the wiretaps as witnesses so they can introduce the tape recordings without calling Beason and Lewis as witnesses, but they will object to that.

Parkman, who represents independent Sen. Harri Anne Smith of Slocomb, said defense attorneys may call Beason and Lewis as witnesses if prosecutors don’t. “We still want to get in conversations about their motives,” he said.

David McKnight, attorney for casino lobbyist Tom Coker, said prosecutors could change their minds about calling Beason and Lewis as witnesses, but it would be highly unusual after telling the trial judge that the two officials won’t be witnesses. One of the defendants acquitted in the original trial, Democratic Sen. Quinton Ross of Montgomery, said the prosecution is trying to clean up a flawed case by keeping Beason and Lewis off the witness stand. “It’s time for the prosecution to admit the political motivations that have driven this trial from the start,” he said Friday.

A third legislator who helped the FBI, Republican Rep. Barry Mask of Wetumpka, also testified in the first trial. He said Friday prosecutors have told him to be on standby for the retrial. He said he does not know if he will be called to testify because the jury in the original trial returned not guilty verdicts on some of the charges where he was a major witness.

In addition to Smith and Coker, the defendants for the retrial are VictoryLand casino owner Milton McGregor, former state Sens. Larry Means and Jim Preuitt, former casino spokesman Jay Walker, and former legislative employee Ray Crosby.

The National Lottery run by Camelot in the United Kingdom has been operating for many years without to much competition. More complaints have been lodged against the Health Lottery explaining that it was taking funds away from revenues traditionally garnered by the National Lottery which it says donates a higher percentage of its revenue to charities.

Now according to a report in the Third Sector Online regarding the UK’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee meeting, Tory MP Therese Coffey asked Gambling Commission Chief Executive Officer Jenny Williams to explain why the Health Lottery had been issued 51 licenses. That’s one license for each community interest company that runs the society lotteries that collectively make up the Health Lottery this despite each CIC being registered in the same place and listing the same three directors.

John Penrose, the minister for Tourism and Heritage which oversees gambling issues in the U.K., defended the Health Lottery as “innovative” and suggested its approach “may have shown opportunities to existing society lotteries … that they may want to copy.” Penrose told the committee that his department would need “strong proof that the Health Lottery is doing something bad” before acting on the complaints.
Penrose has suggested he wants to reform online gambling legislation but he has said numerous times that there may not be enough time to address online gambling reforms in the next session of parliament which will run from May 2012 to Mat 2013. The minister has likened to the revisions of the 2005 Gambling Act as the opening of Pandora’s box and the reacting of the Charge of the Light Brigade. The obvious stalling of reforms to the act has created a feeling of mistrust of the minister’s intentions putting the issues on hold until possibly 2014. Penrose wasn’t counting his chickens yet, commenting on the timeline for online gambling debate, but he may just end up with egg on his face.

BRADENTON – Internet Cafes, those small strip-mall gambling operations that use pre-paid phone cards to sell web-surfing time to customers who can then use credits to play online gambling games, via a loophole in the state's laws governing sweepstakes, have come under fire in the 2012 legislative session, with the governor now coming out against the businesses.



“Sweepstakes” or “Internet Cafes,” sometimes called "storefront casinos" have been popping up all over Florida in the last couple of years and can be seen in many Manatee County Shopping centers. However, they have been pulled into statewide debate on gambling as various factions battle for control over territory in Florida's wagering market.



The House Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee passed HB 3 this Tuesday, outlawing the sweepstakes cafes, while Rep. Erik Fresen (R-Miami) said he will include an amendment to ban the cafes in his destination casino resort bill (HB 487). The Senate Regulated Industries Committee also passed a bill last week on destination casino resorts that included a measure to regulate the sweepstakes cafes.



This week, Governor Scott, who had made made comments indicating he was lukewarm on the businesses coming into the session, came out to say that he thought they should be illegal while speaking to reporters Wednesday in Tallahassee.

WASHINGTON - Internet gaming could raise $15 million or much more for D.C. coffers, a member of the city council told WTOP on Friday.

"It is already the law" to bet up to $250 per week on online games in D.C., Councilmember Michael A. Brown told Mark Plotkin on Friday's The Politics Program. "The question is how to implement it."

The D.C.-regulated alternative to illegal, off-shore sites is different than professional gambling, Brown says, thanks to the weekly limit on bets that deter high rollers.

"Now we can protect it," he says.

Conservative estimates of revenue from the sites falls between $14 million and $15 million, says Brown. He believes the true amount could be much higher.

Brown also discussed his disappointment in President Barack Obama, who has not yet officially supported D.C. statehood. The council member addressed the WTOP story on Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's accusations that D.C. is soft on rodents.

"There are never any silver bullet solutions to our problems," Brown says of the pest legislation proposed by his colleague, Councilmember Mary Cheh, Ward-3. He says he understand the perspective from both sides.

Listen to the full audio at right for more on the national election, including a candidate "gone wobbly," and how one state's governor is going to play a particularly critical role in the upcoming presidential vote.

Investors were salivating on Friday at the prospect of Zynga breaking into online gambling. The company said it is in “active conversations with potential partners” to try and figure out the market, which sent its shares up 7 percent.

Last month, the U.S. Justice Department declared that only online betting on sports is unlawful, setting the stage for some U.S. states to legalize online gambling.

Melissa Riahei, general counsel at the online gaming company, U.S. Digital gaming, said Zynga would not be able to enter the $35 billion online casino market on its own. If Internet gaming is legalized, Zynga would have to partner with an operator that could get a license for Internet gambling, like a casino, and have to figure out which states it can work in.

Still, “the opportunity is huge. Zynga has a very good chance of being a big player in this market because of the player base it can bring”, she said.

Zynga has 30 million monthly players of its poker game and it could also could jump into gambling on the go–on a smartphone or tablet.

Paul Bettner, who leads the Zynga studio behind top mobile games like “Words with Friends” said he is monitoring the new industry closely but nothing has been decided yet.

“I can’t speak to whether there will be ‘A Gamble with Friends’ game in the future. I think some of those mechanics are interesting and could be very fun in mobile games. I am very intrigued by that,” Bettner said.

Bettner said “slotomania”, a slot machine game on the App store charts is “monetizing well”. Caesars Entertainment now owns that game but no real money is wagered in those virtual slots.

The warning from the ratings agency could not have been more direct: The parent company of the Mohegan Sun faces a "wall of debt" due early this year as the casino, struggling with rising competition and a weak economy that's hammered consumer spending, tries to refinance hundreds of millions of dollars in loans.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority has $505 million in loans outstanding and another $250 million due April 1, Keith Foley, an analyst at Moody's Investors Service, recently told investors. The gaming authority, parent company of casinos in Uncasville, Conn., and Wilkes-Barre, Pa., also has about $21 million in interest payments due Feb. 15, he said.

Mohegan Sun announced this month that fourth-quarter net income rose significantly, to $46.7 million, compared with a net loss of $26.3 million in the same period in 2010. But it also said it failed to reach an agreement to refinance debt, though lenders waived a possible default.

"They get to live another day," Foley said in an interview.

Executives at Mohegan Sun did not respond to a request for an interview.

Mohegan Sun is not alone as several Indian-run casinos — some with plans for expansion that have been put on hold — struggle to refinance debt after being caught short when the economy went into recession in December 2007.

Foxwoods Resort Casino in eastern Connecticut seeks to restructure debt, and the Mescalero Apache tribe restructured $200 million in bonds last year for casino resort property in New Mexico. A spokeswoman said Foxwoods is in debt talks, but would not provide details.

An advantage that Indian-run casinos have over their commercial counterparts is that they cannot file for bankruptcy and creditors can't foreclose on their properties because tribal governments are sovereign, said Clyde Barrow, director of the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

Valerie Red-Horse, an investment banker and financial adviser who worked on the Mecalero Apache deal, called it the "best model out there," in part because it preserved the casino's financial distributions to tribal members and tribal government while bond holders kept their stakes, she said.

Some tribes have been forced to agree to cut their distributions until debt is paid down, Red-Horse said. Making sure distributions continue is a "very delicate subject. It causes a lot of angst among tribes," she said.

Financial problems at the casino, the Inn of the Mountain Gods, were due in part to the slowing economy and faltering tourism, she said.

Indian-run casinos expanded rapidly because they are strong economic development tools for the tribes that run the casinos, said Peter Kulick, a Lansing, Mich., tax and gaming lawyer. The businesses survived economic downturns in the 1970s and 1980s and were seen as immune to recessions, he said.

"In the last go-round, that's not the case," he said.

Kulick and Barrow said competition is the newest threat to casinos, even as revenue is now rising as the economy slowly improves.

"There are some real pockets of recovery going on right now," Barrow said.

Massachusetts legalized casino gambling in November, but it will be years before the three casinos authorized will be operating.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this month that he would work with the Genting Group, one of the world's largest gambling companies, to transform the Aqueduct horse track into a megaplex that would eventually include the nation's largest convention center, 3,000 hotel rooms and a major expansion of a casino that began operating in October.

For Connecticut's two casinos, "Aqueduct could be pretty substantial competitive pressure," Barrow said.

"I don't see real revenue growth for Connecticut's casinos, he said.

Declining or stagnant revenue is bad news for Connecticut state government, which takes 25 percent of what the casinos pull in. State revenue from the two casinos reached their peak in 2007 at more than $411 million, said Kevin Lembo, Connecticut's comptroller who tracks state revenue from all sources.

That's declined to $342 million in the state's budget year that ended last June 30, down $69 million, or 17 percent.

"The loss of revenue is one obvious and immediate impact for the state," Lembo said. "What happens to jobs? What happens to future development plans? These are areas of concern for everyone at this point."

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman said the health of the two casinos is critical because they are destinations in southeast Connecticut, drawing tourists who also visit vineyards along the shoreline, the Mystic Aquarium and other sites.

"This is a big thing for us," she said.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says Connecticut is long past the time when it can afford to pontificate and debate about the good or evil of legalized gambling. Past governors may have had the luxury of happily accepting the revenues the two tribal casinos generate, without having to fight for and work with an industry that not everyone holds in high esteem.

But in an era when the administration has to fight for every job and source of revenue to meet its fiscal needs, Gov. Malloy said he views the tribal-run Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort casinos as successful businesses the state has a keen interest in helping.

"We have an industry to protect," the governor told us in a meeting with the editorial board.

It's the right attitude.

In the past fiscal year the two casinos collectively shipped $360 million in slot revenues to the Connecticut treasury. While that is off from peak revenues of $430.5 million a few years back, it is still an impressive number. More importantly, the two casinos employ about 17,000 people and are major economic engines for the state and region.

But the casinos continue to face new challenges. Where once they had the playing field to themselves, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun face increasing competition as neighboring states open the way for casino operations. The prospect for a different sort of competition arrived recently when the U.S. Justice Department issued a ruling that states have the constitutional authority to approve and regulate online gambling operations.

It's an interesting development and something not foreseen when Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. first negotiated the compact with the Mashantucket tribe, giving it exclusive gaming rights in Connecticut, a restriction the tribe later agreed to amend to include the Mohegan tribe.

Potentially, we suppose, Connecticut could raise the legal argument whether gambling online, with no physical location, is covered by the tribal compacts' restrictions on competition. But such a debate would waste valuable time and give other states a jump in developing an Internet market. That is why it was good to hear Gov. Malloy concede that the compacts will likely have to be updated, essentially making the two tribes partners with the state as Connecticut moves toward legalizing online gambling.

He has assigned Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman to lead the discussions that include tribal representatives and state Lottery officials. The governor sees the potential for online gambling incentives that would encourage players to visit Connecticut's casinos. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has also talked about using such incentive tie-ins to bolster the Atlantic City casinos in that state.

Gov. Malloy told us he expects action in this upcoming legislative session. Critics might say many things about the governor, but the failure to act decisively cannot fairly be among them. He is correct in concluding that being among the first states to develop a popular online gaming model could provide long-term benefits. Connecticut is also likely to see state Lottery operations moved online, but doing so without providing direct competition that the tribes consider inappropriate will be among the challenges in negotiating a way forward.

Probably no one could have envisioned this reality when a bingo hall opened at Mashantucket on July 5, 1986, but it's a reality the governor recognizes he must address.

UK gambling companies came under fire last week in a parliamentary debate among politicians.

Members of Parliament expressed their criticism for online gambling firms who employed what they consider to be aggressive publicity techniques.

A suggestion was made an online gambling advertising review by undertaken by Ofcom over the fact that there are no less than 36 hours of casino and advertising ads per week through the UK media.

"At a time when there is £1.45 trillion of personal debt in this country and when we are encouraging people to be moderate in their expectations and behavior, will the Prime Minister please protect consumers, children and the vulnerable from this kind of activity by asking for a review by Ofcom," said Lib Dem Member of Parliament, Tess Munt.

Prime Minister Cameron said that the onus was on internet gambling firms to act responsibly when advertising their services.

Expressing his concerns for what he termed "aggressive" techniques, Cameron said that it was not just a question of regulation, as it is also a question of responsibility by the companies concerned.

"Anyone who enjoys watching a football match will see quite aggressive advertisements on the television, and I think companies have to ask themselves whether they are behaving responsibly when they do that," he said.

UK Bookmakers Defend Advertising Techniques

Several UK bookmakers reacted to the parliamentary debate regarding The Irish land based and online gambling sports betting group, Paddy Power, denied using aggressive tactics.

Earlier this month, Paddy Power was rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using football player Luis Suarez in one of its advertising campaigns.

The watchdog group rebuked the bookmaker for acting "socially irresponsibly" for featuring Suarez, as ASA regulations state that gambling services are not allowed to feature anyone under the age of 25 in their ads. Suarez was 24 years old at the time of the publicity campaign.

The ad featured a facial shot of Suaraz wearing a football shirt, with the line "Money Back if Suarez Scores. Liverpool vs Man Utd. If Suarez scores we'll refund losing bets."

Paddy Power, as well Sun International, the newspaper in which the ad was run issued, a statement saying that they found it hard to believe that it would have "particular appeal to young or vulnerable people, or encourage young people to gamble, on the basis of Luiz Suarez's age or image.complaints over their advertising techniques.

The Acting Premier, Bryan Green, said today that the Tasmanian Government welcomed the new national initiatives to help Australians affected by problem gambling.

“The package of initiatives announced by the Prime Minister today provide a consistent, national framework to tackle problem gambling in a range of areas, from pokies through to on-line gambling,” Mr Green said.

“Tasmania has always supported a national approach to pre-commitment technology on poker machines, and we were the only jurisdiction to give in-principle support for a national mandatory pre-commitment scheme in discussions at the national level last year.

“We are already leading the nation in addressing the harm from problem gambling and promoting responsible gambling.

“For example, Tasmania is the only jurisdiction that bans ATMs in hotels and clubs, and we were one of the first to introduce a comprehensive player exclusion system.

“And later this year, the new Responsible Gambling Mandatory Code of Practice for Tasmania will be implemented, as another strategy to make gambling environments safer.”

Mr Green also noted the Australian Government’s increased focus on additional counselling and other support services to help problem gamblers to break their addiction.

“Tasmania already provides these services through the Gamblers Help network, delivered through the non-government sector, but additional support is always welcome.”

The Florida Legislature’s evolving measures on gambling grew into an even more unacceptable monster this month in the Senate version. In what was initially passed off as a bill to permit three destination resort casinos with tighter restrictions on other forms of gambling has morphed into a statewide expansion.

The chamber’s Regulated Industries Committee approved amendments that would let parimutuels in two South Florida counties operate as full casinos and allow slot machines in dog and horse tracks and jai-alai frontons elsewhere in the state should local voters approve. Plus, parimutuels would receive a tax reduction to the same 10 percent as the proposed casinos.

After the committee vote, even the sponsor of the bill, Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, surrendered her assertion that SB 710 would contain gambling, stating: “I’ve given up saying it’s not an expansion (of gambling) because I’ve lost that battle.”

That’s a major loss for Florida, too, should this measure gain traction.

But if this capitulation to the parimutuel industry doesn’t doom the bill, several other stumbling blocks exist. House Speaker Dean Cannon remains skeptical about passage in his chamber with a majority in favor of less gambling. Plus, last week the House took the opposite approach as the Senate with amendments to its bill that would constrain gambling.

HB 487, sponsored by Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, would also authorize three destination resort casinos should county voters approve. His amendments would also bar the state from authorizing new parimutuel permits and cancel dormant permits.

But the revised bill would also ban the Internet cafes with sweepstakes machines that operate like slots, thus closing a loophole in state law. Bogdanoff’s bill only regulates the games. The proliferation of these arcades -- now at some 1,000 statewide -- has only exacerbated problem gambling. Regardless of how either of these two bills play out, the Legislature must clamp down on these gambling parlors.

Bogdanoff’s bill once limited the three megacasinos to Broward and Miami-Dade counties, but now allows any county in the state to compete for the three licenses, should voter referendums pass.

That endangers the state’s compact with the Seminole Tribe, which gives the tribe exclusive rights to slot machines and table games outside those two South Florida counties. Should a county other than those two authorize a casino, the tribe would no longer be obligated to pay the state at least $1 billion in gambling revenue over the next five years.

The megacasinos would contribute an estimated $400 million to $600 million annually in tax revenue to the state, but subtracting the tribe’s contribution certainly diminishes any potential windfall.

While we continue to oppose any expansion of gambling in Florida, the House bill does the least damage. Still, lawmakers should reject both.

Besides new state revenue, casinos continue to be touted for the ability to create jobs. Gambling proponents claim 100,000 permanent positions will be created at the three destination resorts. How many of those will be low-wage jobs -- janitors, maids, waiters, dishwashers and other service industry posts? And how many restaurants and hotels will be put out of business by casinos?

Societal costs -- in the form of gambling addictions, bankrupt and broken families, and a rise in crime -- should be part of the debate, too.

Florida’s future prosperity would be best served by strengthening the workforce through a first-rate education system and diversifying the economy beyond tourism, agriculture and services. A higher quality of life cannot be obtained through gambling, a fool’s errand indeed.

To say that 2011 has been a banner year for Adele would be quite the understatement. That’s like saying that Angelina Jolie is cute or that Gordon Ramsay is a decent chef. It’s no wonder that Bovada Sportsbook has her as the clear-cut favorite to win the Artist of the Year award at the 2012 Grammys.

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2012 Grammys - Odds to Win Album of the Year
Adele (21) 1/4
Bruno Mars (Doo-Wops & Hooligans) 5/1
Foo Fighters (Wasting Light) 7/1
Lady Gaga (Born This Way) 10/1
Rihanna (Loud) 15/1

Adele’s second studio album entitled 21 was released in February 2011 and it rocked the charts with historic tremors. 21 became so popular that fans went back in droves to get her first album 19. She became the first living artist since The Beatles to have two top five singles and two top five albums in the same week.

Her stirring performance of Someone Like You at the Brit Awards amassed over 87 million views on YouTube but that’s nothing compared to her other hit single, Rolling In The Deep, which garnered more than 213 million views as is nominated for Song of the Year. The album itself (21) reached the No. 1 spot in the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland with worldwide sales surpassing 17 million copies.

She’s all but a lock to go home with a Grammy of some sort as she’s nominated for six in total highlighted by Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. Good luck to the competition. Bruno Mars, Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga and Rihanna have all had banner years but Adele’s performance completely dwarfs theirs and she’s all but a lock to win this award.

Bet on who you think will win the 2012 Grammy for Best Album of the Year at Bovada Sportsbook right now!

Enjoy NFL conference Championship 22 Jan 2012 live stream online just clicking below the link......

[url="nflcrowd-blogspot-com"][FONT="Impact"][CENTER]Live link[/CENTER][/FONT][/url]

New England Patriots vs Baltimore Raven 3:00 pm ET

New York Giants vs San Francisco 49ers 6:30 pm ET

I just hoped that they accepts US players from all part of America. It would be quite something.

_________________

Oh so good!!

Facing yet another year of declining revenue, Connecticut has joined neighboring states around New England -- from Maine to Massachusetts -- in considering online gambling as a way to help plug its budget hole.

But local legislators are wary of introducing online wagering in Connecticut for the sake of competition from other states.

"I think we're moving too fast here," said House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk. "Just because it's happening in other parts of the country does not mean we're going to lose revenue."

"It's not a finite revenue source," he added. "We have to be careful not to move too fast because if we get this wrong we could hurt some very vulnerable people."

Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice ruled that intrastate online gambling does not violate federal law. Many states are now looking to legalize Internet gambling as a means of generating revenue.

Rhode Island lottery officials are reportedly exploring the possibility of instituting online gambling, as are legislators in Maine who are eager to profit from this burgeoning industry.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York spoke this month of expanding gambling in his state following remarks by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who said he wants to make the Garden State an "epicenter" for the online gambling business.

Connecticut legislators are cognizant of the competition.

"We don't want to sit back if there's other competition from states around us," said state Rep. Stephen Dargan, D-West Haven, chairman of the Public Safety and Security Committee. "I think it's important that we're out in front. We need to look at the positives and the negatives and see if it's good public policy."

Dargan said his committee, which oversees legalized gambling in the state, has invited legal experts, as well as stakeholders from Connecticut's two tribal casinos, to an informational session to be held sometime next month.

"This is a major money issue and there are a lot of players involved," Dargan said.

Figures from the Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division show that legalized gambling of all types generated $653 million for the state last year, more than half of which came from the state's two tribal casinos.

To implement online gambling, Connecticut would have to come to an agreement with Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, which have exclusive right to operate video machines in exchange for 25 percent of their slot revenue.

Chuck Bunnell, chief of staff for external affairs at Mohegan Sun, said the casino has been closely monitoring the issue and is confident that the legislature will act swiftly in authorizing online gambling.

The Mohegan Tribe has testified twice before Congress in favor of legalizing online gambling, he said, adding that a regulated, online gaming industry would add "millions" of dollars to Connecticut's coffers.

"It's happening now," Bunnell said of Internet gaming. "It's unregulated and there is no revenue and no jobs being created in the state by it." 

A spokesperson for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said the governor's top priorities for 2012 are job creation and education reform. Online gambling is not an issue the governor is prepared to push through the General Assembly in the upcoming legislative session, the spokesperson said.

However, Malloy said earlier this month that he believes online gambling will inevitably come to Connecticut, given the recent federal opinion, and his administration is investigating what can be done to protect jobs associated with the state's two tribal casinos.

"If it moves forward, and it's clearly going to move forward, it's going to be available in Connecticut," he said. "Now we have to decide, in the state of Connecticut, what is our approach to that."

One state senator in Iowa is preparing a bill to legalize internet poker in the state and the possibility is gaining some serious consideration.

Over the last decade, online poker has seen a dramatic rise in popularity, but questions remain as to whether it's considered legal or not.

"Today we don't prohibit nor do we say it's legal to play poker online. It's in limbo and I believe something's got to give," said Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Cedar Falls.

Senator Danielson is the chair of the state's government committee responsible for gaming policy and has prepared a bill to legalize internet poker in Iowa.

He says after the U.S. Department of Justice seized the assets of the three largest online poker companies last year, the players have struggled to collect their winnings, hurting the economy.

"We have no idea where that money goes to. There's no assurance that the players can actually receive their winnings and we're at a point now where I believe it's affecting not only Iowa's economy but the national economy," said Danielson.

Danielson says online poker can bring in over $5 billion a year nationally and $30 to $100 million in Iowa.

The new bill would be a bonus to local casinos which could offer another service on their website, provided it's safe and secure.

"They always want to make sure that it is regulated and that no minors are gambling. And through regulations I think we can establish a fine that would deter people from gambling," said Kim Pang, general manager at Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood.

The legalization would bring in millions in state tax revenue but Danielson says that's not the focus.

And while Danielson says there's no guarantee it will get done casinos say they'll be ready if it does.

"Some people are telling me that it will go through and if it goes through we want to be a player," said Pang.

Danielson says the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission recently finished up a study into legalizing online poker with evidence to suggest that it can be done safely and securely.

But he also says that he doesn't know when it will get consideration this session.