Let your mouth speak archive

Online gaming proponents are vowing to push ahead despite a leading casino industry lobbying group’s withdrawal of support for expanded Internet gambling, which has proved to be a divisive issue among Las Vegas gaming titans.

State Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Steven Grossman said the reversal by the American Gaming Association does not chill his interest in exploring online gaming to boost the state Lottery.

“They can have their squabbles out there all they want,” Grossman said. “We’ll continue to move forward … to study this issue and how it can potentially affect us, one way or another. Any smart business of any kind, public or private, would study that. You have to change to survive and flourish.”

The AGA announced this past week it would no longer push to expand online gaming into new states, an issue that has pitted opponents such as Sands chief Sheldon Adelson and Wynn Resorts head Steve Wynn against supporters such as MGM and Caesars Entertainment.

Grossman said the near $5 billion state Lottery still wants to explore if online gaming can help preserve its market share, so long as credit cards can’t be used to play and if it doesn’t increase gambling addiction or hurt Lottery retailers.

“I hear the differences of opinion out there,” Grossman said. “We’re not going to get dragged one way or another into that debate. We’ll simply study and be very careful with any approach to online gaming that doesn’t protect the people of this commonwealth appropriately.”

A bill is pending in the Legisla-ture that would clear the path for the Lottery to experiment with online gaming.

Adam Krejcik, managing director at Eilers Research, which tracks online gambling, said the AGA’s move dampened the prospects for new states jumping into the arena, particularly in the wake of poor returns in New Jersey.

“I think a state would much rather have the AGA support … someone needs to be leading the charge,” Krejcik said. “It’s hard to put a positive spin on it.”

Krejcik said online gaming revenue this year in New Jersey, where casinos run gambling sites, “will come in below the most conservative estimates out there,” about $140 million. Projections were as high as $1.2 billion, he said.

The state Gaming Commission — whose chairman, Stephen Crosby, called a forum in March to discuss online gambling, saying “the time is now” to discuss legalizing it — said the AGA decision does not change its posture.

“The AGA’s decision to withdraw from discussions regarding online gaming reinforces the commission’s position on this topic,” the commission said in a statement. “The commission believes that a slow and deliberate approach to this issue is the most responsible way to move forward given the significant varying opinions on this matter.”




Chips still on web gambling | Boston Herald

Knowlton Nash, a veteran CBC broadcaster best known as long-time anchor of The National, is dead. He was 86.

The CBC reported Saturday that Nash had been battling Parkinson's for some years.

Nash, who had a 37-year career with Canada's public broadcaster, including spending a decade behind the anchor desk of The National, CBC's flagship news program before the creation of Prime Time News.

It was there that the broadcaster whose warm eyes appeared magnified behind his oversized glasses earned the unofficial title Uncle Knowlty. It was a reflection of his steady, easy-going style and earnest, scholarly delivery.

Tributes from Canada's media community started pouring as soon as word of Nash's death spread.

"We've lost a very special journalist tonight .. Knowlton Nash has passed away at the age of 86. A great friend and a mentor to so many," tweeted Peter Mansbridge, who took over from Nash as the National's anchor.

"Had the privilege of working many times with Knowlton Nash. The integrity, intelligence and kindness we aspire to. Thinking of you," anchor and reporter Ian Hanomansing tweeted.

There were also tributes from some of the political leaders who Nash interviewed and covered during his long career.

"Arlene and I mourn the passing of Knowlton Nash, who was a friend and mentor over many years," former Ontario premier Bob Rae tweeted.

Ironically, his dedication to the craft led Nash to walk away from perhaps the most influential spot in Canadian television news in April of 1988.

It was the strongest enticement Nash could offer Mansbridge, then a national correspondent for CBC-TV, to stay in Canada.

Mansbridge had reportedly been offered a $1-million salary to co-anchor a morning show on the U.S. network CBS.

But he agreed to stay over a late-night cup of hot chocolate after Nash volunteered to move to The National's weekend desk.

His departure -- marked by a telephone call by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney -- marked the end of one of the most important decades in the history of the CBC's television news division.

Nash had been a key player in transforming an ailing news show into a major ratings success. From 1969 when he retired his correspondent's trenchcoat to 1978 when he took over anchoring The National, Nash was director of news and current affairs for the English network of the CBC.

It was under his steady guidance that The National moved to a then-unheard-of 10 p.m. time and was paired with his risky creation, The Journal.

The National/Journal hour became an unassailable jewel in the network's crown until anchor Barbara Frum's death in 1992 brought the Journal to a halt and CBC executives took another gamble with the creation of a 9 p.m. news show, Prime Time News.

Born Nov. 18, 1927, Nash was the son of a promotions manager. His mother, 20 years his father's junior, was the first woman to fly over Hamilton, he once bragged in an interview.

Except for a brief spell when Nash wanted to be a jockey, he always said he would be a newsman.

As a lad of less than 10, he put out several editions of his own weekly newspaper -- six laboriously typed pages -- which he sold for less than a nickel. He understood the business well enough to sell ad space in exchange for bubble gum and chocolate to local merchants.

By the Second World War, Nash was hawking the Toronto Star and Telegram on a Toronto street corner.

And before leaving his Forest Hill high school he was selling stories about collegiate football to the Globe and Mail.

After attending the University of Toronto, Nash was hired in 1947 for $18-a-week by the wire service British United Press. But before that he tried his hand writing for the magazine True Confessions and edited prisoners' letters for True Crime.

In 1951, he began a handful of years in Washington as head of public relations for the International Federation of Agricultural Producers, representing about 35 million farmers in some 40 countries.

Later, during a lengthy stint as a freelancer for the CBC, MacLeans magazine and anyone else who would pay him, Nash covered everything from police courts to presidents. He followed John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, and got the last lengthy interview given by Robert Kennedy before he was assassinated.

He has written books about his career: History on the Run in 1984 and Prime Time At Ten in 1987. He is also the author of Kennedy and Deifenbaker (1990), Visions of Canada (1991).





Read more: Canadian broadcaster Knowlton Nash dies at 86 | Entertainment & Showbiz from CTV News

Online gambling depends a great deal on trust. The player who registers with on online gambling operator must be careful to look at the background of the gambling services provider to ensure the information that is being revealed is stored in a secure manner.

The internet has been seeing more and more violations regarding the security of personal information. Not long ago the personal information of Target customers was hacked and the personal information of customers stolen. Recently the eBay site was hacked and thousands of personal accounts became vulnerable. Cyber bandits after payment card data are advanced and persistent in their attacks and we have to be just as advanced and persistent in our defenses, relying not just on one layer of protections but many. No longer do we have the luxury of assuming our efforts are good enough, or that security just falls into one part of the business. This new frontier requires a cultural shift that builds security awareness and responsibility into every single job description across an organization.

The future of data security is of utmost importance for consumers and the online gambling business community. When making the choice of an online gambling operator it is critical that the internet punter takes the time to research the security features of the provider. Online-Casinos-com is one source that provides the required information about a casino or sports book to ensure a stress free and secure environment in which to play. Regulation of online gambling is the best way to keep security standards at a high level keeping the bad actors away from the industry. Remembering when ever one provides personal information over the internet a really effective password should be used to mitigate the hacker’s efforts. It was recently reported for example that ‘password’ was used by as many as eight percent of consumers so there is no wonder why these criminals have such an easy time getting what they want.





Online Gambling Takes Security Seriously | Online-Casinos-com

Hollywood funnyman Will Ferrell and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith have faced off in a hilarious drum battle.

The lookalike pair bashed out some epic drum solos on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, after a fan pointed out the pair's similarities in an online Q & A.

"It has been acknowledged many times that myself and Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, share a resemblance to each other," Ferrell wrote at the time.

"A lot of people think that it's me playing for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But that would be an insult to Chad Smith. The truth of the matter is there is no Will Ferrell. Only Chad Smith."

Dressed in identical outfits, the comedian and Smith took turns trying to out play the other on the late night show, before the battle ended with a surprise for the audience.

As the months roll on and talks continue, common ground has yet to be found on the subject of online gambling in the United States. The myriad of states, casinos, organizations and individuals on each side of the argument are firmly planted in their beliefs on the matter.

When such a sweeping decision is to be made, it makes sense to have the best of the industry rallied for the cause. But now the movement hoping for regulation in the US has lost one of its biggest supporters yet.
AGA Bows Out

The American Gaming Association has withdrawn their support for the legalization of online gambling in the US. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the decision was made due to the highly divisive nature of the issue between the largest casino operators in the country.

With Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey being the only states to have a system of legalized online gambling in place, many companies such as MGM and Caesars have pushed for an expansion of the market.
A Market Divided

Despite its limitation in the US, online gambling has been a highly profitable industry across the world. Freshly legalized New Jersey was thought to have the potential to meet those multibillion dollar expectations, but technical issues and payment problems have interfered with momentum.

On the other hand, Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson and Wynn Resorts’ Steve Wynn have openly expressed their disdain for an increased online presence in the states. Adelson, one of the richest and most vocal of this side of the debate, says online gambling is harmful to society. The Las Vegas Sands also sees a large part of its profits come from foreign markets such as Macau.
Change of Heart

“One of the things I’ve learned in this industry is we are extraordinarily competent at shooting at one another,” said Freeman in his WSJ interview. And though the AGA’s reason is a good one, it’s quite a different stance than the one the group established a few years back.

In 2011, the AGA put their full support behind legalization efforts in the US. Shortly after the events of “Black Friday” on April 15 where the Department of Justice shut down three major poker websites, the AGA took to Washington D.C. to plead the case for a bill that would legalize online poker. The AGA’s argument was that over a thousand foreign sites were still taking online bets from American players. The association argued that these websites had systems in place to fend off money laundering, underage gambling and other illegal activities.

Freeman also submitted written testimony to the House of Representatives in December 2013. His testimony further advocated the legalization of online gambling saying that prohibition only drives players into black markets and profits offshore.

“Make no mistake: online gaming is here to stay,” said Freeman in his testimony. “The government cannot put the Internet back in the bottle.”

To the AGA, it seems as if trying to get casino operators and other groups to reach common ground is a futile effort, unlike keeping players away from online gambling. The association says it will instead shift its efforts to less combative causes, like the US Treasury Department’s issues with possible money laundering at casinos.



AGA Withdraws Support for Online Gambling

Michael Jackson's longtime manager once planned to have the King of Pop kidnapped and admitted to a rehab facility in a desperate bid to save the superstar from his drug demons.

Ron Weisner, who guided the singer's career at the height of his fame with hit albums Off The Wall and Thriller, has opened up about his attempts to help his famous client in his new memoir, Listen Out Loud.

In the book, Weisner reveals Jackson's friends and family became deeply concerned about his painkiller dependency.

This followed serious burns to his scalp during an infamous Pepsi commercial accident in 1983, when the King of Pop's hair caught on fire while filming.

Weisner claims their efforts had little affect on the star and it prompted him to come up with a more drastic plan of action, which he outlined to sister La Toya Jackson.

In excerpts obtained by the New York Post, he recalls advising her "I'd snatch him.

I'd get some people to grab him, take him to some rehab facility in the middle of nowhere."

It was only in 2006, when the King of Pop had taken up residency in Bahrain, that Weisner was given the go-ahead to execute the plan.

He writes: "That's exactly what this was, a kidnapping (on) the other side of the world ..."

However, La Toya pulled the plug on the mission and Weisner admits it was probably for the best.

"There was little question that (the law) would view this as a kidnapping rather than an attempt to help a colleague," he said.

Weisner, who ended his partnership with Jackson in the late 2000s, also recalls his final meeting with the pop icon, days before he died in June, 2009.

"He hadn't looked really healthy for a good long while, but this was a whole other level," Weisner writes.

"I thought, 'He looks like a goddamn prisoner of war.' He had that look in his eyes ... a look of resignation, a look that said, 'It's over,' and it broke my heart."

Internet gambling in the United States is off to a slower start than many had imagined, held back, experts say, by illegal offshore operators who are continuing to draw users and siphon off millions of dollars.

A year since the first legal online U.S. poker company opened, the industry’s growth has been slowed by a number of factors, including technical hurdles as well as laws limiting players to the three states where Internet gambling is legal.

“Internet gambling exists in all 50 states today,” said David Rebuck, director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, speaking Monday at the East Coast Gaming Congress in Atlantic City. “It’s just not regulated.”

Rebuck said his state recently sent cease-and-desist letters to out-of-state gambling companies that are marketing to New Jersey residents. State law says online gambling can only be conducted within New Jersey’s borders.

Nevada and Delaware, the other states where it’s legal, signed a pact that eventually will allow poker players in the two states to challenge each other, but the impact is bound to be limited. The two states have less than 4 million residents total.

Despite its relatively slow start, panelists were unanimous that online gambling has plenty of room for growth in the U.S.

“We think what’s happening in the U.S. is the single most exciting happening in I-gaming in the world,” said Eamonn Toland, president of the North American arm of the Irish-based Paddy Power online betting firm.

Morgan Stanley predicts that by 2020, legal online gambling in the U.S. will generate $8 billion a year. At least eight states have introduced legislation in hopes of capturing the windfall, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Ultimate Poker, the first legal online U.S. poker company to start dealing, and two other Nevada-based operators brought in $926,000 in revenue in March. All Nevada casinos brought in $982 million that month.

Nevada regulators did not publicly release projections about the first year, saying there was too much uncertainty. Online poker revenues totaled $9.4 million in their first 11 months.

Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie initially estimated that online games in his state would bring in $1 billion in their first year. Wall Street analysts now predict the haul will be closer to $200 million.

Online gambling companies face plenty of hurdles, including technical glitches with the software, getting players comfortable with using the system, industry in-fighting and, most ominously, the threat of new federal legislation to ban online gambling.

After a 2011 crackdown, the Justice Department ruled all online gambling except sports betting legal, so long as it’s permitted on the state level. Republicans in both chambers of Congress have introduced bills to ban online gambling.

The bills, backed by casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, illustrate larger divisions within the casino industry.

MGM Resorts, which owns Circus Circus Reno, and Caesars Entertainment, which owns Harrah’s Reno, have launched online gambling divisions and are pushing to legalize the practice, while Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands, is bankrolling the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling.

“I see what exploitation of poor and vulnerable people does to a family,” the billionaire said, citing his impoverished childhood and his father’s gambling. “I don’t want a casino to be put on every kitchen table or iPad.”

His statements seem to mirror public sentiment. A Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released this month found that 27 percent of respondents support legalizing Internet gambling in the 47 states that don’t allow it, while 63 percent oppose it.

Proponents of online gambling have organized into a group called Coalition for Consumer and Online Protection, arguing that legalizing and regulating the practice will protect people from unscrupulous operators.

“Banning online gaming will only make it less safe and drive it deeper into the shadows,” said Mary Bono, a former Republican U.S. representative from California and the group’s co-chair.

Nevada state law requires online poker companies to maintain tight controls that keep minors out of the system and block players from out of state. But sensitive geolocation technology has booted out some players who live close to state lines.

“There was a steep learning curve in the beginning,” Gaming Control Board Enforcement Chief Karl Bennison said.

Rebuck said some people are hesitant to give their Social Security number and credit card information to a gambling provider, even one licensed by the state. Toland said continuing problems with credit card acceptance are a drag, too.

“People who come online have 20 minutes in the den; they don’t have three hours to work out payments,” Toland said.

California gambling control commissioner Richard Schuetz and several others compared Internet gambling to an infant.

“The people who say it’s not doing well enough are like the two parents who look at their 5-month-old and say, ‘It doesn’t speak any languages!” Schuetz said. “Let’s get our expectations in line.”






Experts: Online gambling slowed by offshore operators

At the online version of the Foxwoods Resort Casino, customers can play nearly every game and buy credits that build up reward points for merchandise and hotel stays at the real property. One thing they cannot do, at least for now, is wager money.

Foxwoods and its local rival, Mohegan Sun, the two biggest tribal-owned casinos in the United States, each have launched websites in case Internet gambling is legalized at the federal level or in their home state of Connecticut.

While prospects for changes to the law remain uncertain, the casinos have found the sites offer value as marketing tools for the giant resorts, sources of market data through user registrations and, at least in the case of Foxwoods, revenue through credit purchases.

"What we're finding is that it's actually a useful tool for building a database, getting our brand out there and connecting people to the property," said Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates Foxwoods.

Foxwoods launched its "online casino" in January, through a partnership with GameAccount Network, and Butler said about 50,000 users have set up accounts. Users can buy credits to play longer or gain access to exclusive games. The credits add to reward points for use at stores, hotels and restaurants at Foxwoods.

Mohegan Sun teamed with Bally Technologies to begin offering an online poker site more than a year ago. It doesn't sell credits for money, but users can compete for hotel stays and gift vouchers. Chuck Bunnell, a spokesman for the Mohegan Tribe, said there is strong interest in the site and it has helped measure who likes to play and when.

The two tribes, who claim exclusive rights to casino-style gambling in Connecticut, say they want to be ready for Internet gaming.

Online gambling is legal in only three states — Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware — and similar legislation has been proposed in several other states. The federal government cracked down on online gambling in 2011 but said later that year that it's legal as long as it's permitted by the state.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy S. Wyman aren't interested in pursuing Internet gambling, said Juliet Manalan, a spokeswoman for Wyman.

Bunnell said the tribe has talked with lawmakers about changing the law, mainly at the federal level but also in Connecticut. He said Internet gambling is already taking place without regulations.




Online gaming sites boost Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun Republican American

Justin Bieber has apologised for telling a racist joke.

The Confident hitmaker, 20, admits he made a "childish and inexcusable mistake" by repeatedly using the N-word in a controversial leaked video, captured five years ago.

Bieber appears in the clip joking with friends and uses the 'N word' five times after asking them: "Why are black people afraid of chainsaws?"

One friend repeatedly warns the pop star: "Don't even say it. Don't say it," but he laughs and decides to deliver the punch-line, saying: "Run n*****, n*****, n*****, n*****, n****."

A female friend, who cannot be seen, then tells him: "You could say motorcycle too", before making revving engine noises.

After the footage was posted online, he issued a statement to GossipCop.com saying: "As a young man, I didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was okay to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn't realise at the time that it wasn't funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance."

He added: "Thanks to friends and family I learned from my mistakes and grew up and apologised for those wrongs. Now that these mistakes from the past have become public I need to apologise again to all those I have offended. I'm very sorry."

The Canadian star insists he isn't racist and respects all cultures.

He continued: "I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say but telling the truth is always what's right. Five years ago I made a reckless and immature mistake and I'm grateful to those close to me who helped me learn those lessons as a young man.

"Once again ... I'm sorry."

A source previously claimed that Bieber and his management had known about the video for a while and tried to pay for it to be kept out of the public eye.

The European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that Germany's strict regulation of online gambling was justified even though the regional state of Schleswig-Holstein had temporarily eased the rules.

The operators of digibet.com had been blocked by a German court from offering online gambling to users in Germany, which it challenged before the European court.

Digibet.com and its managing director Gert Albers claimed that looser rules in one German regional state should entail that these rules also apply in the rest of Germany.

"The 15 remaining states were not required to change their rules just because a single state had pursued a more liberal policy for a limited time," the European court said in a statement. (Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Kirsti Knolle)

Dutchess County taxpayers who shelled out nearly a quarter-million dollars for a band shell in Bowdoin Park saw Peter Frampton, Kenny Loggins and the band America grace its stage after a 2005 unveiling.

Each annual concert in the Town of Poughkeepsie also featured the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and drew about 10,000 people.

Last year, the return that county taxpayers saw on the band shell did not involve numbers that were nearly as impressive.

According to the county, the band shell in 2013 was reserved 26 times for private events. At a cost of $75 per day, plus an added fee for a nonresident, that resulted in an earning of $1,975 for the year, the first in which the county rented out the band shell as a pavilion for private use.

So far for 2014, there are 18 reservations for the band shell as a pavilion. In addition to these band shell events, revenue was generated recently when the band shell, along with surrounding pavilions, were utilized for events that included a high school band performance and graduation ceremony. A pavilion at Bowdoin Park can be rented for $125 per day.

The county paid $236,000 for the band shell.

Demand for pavilions throughout Bowdoin Park has been so high that starting last year, the county Department of Public Works, which operates the park, began offering the band shell as an alternative to pavilions.

But the county's vision for the band shell as a venue to draw large crowds, along with the economic impact they can leave on a community, has not materialized. Beyond the cultural offerings, the arts in Dutchess County leave a multimillion-dollar impact through spending, income generated by spending and tax revenue.

"The vision hasn't matured and because of the economy and the public's expectation that we can't afford to take a direct financial loss, we've had to make use of that facility in other ways, until it becomes profitable again," Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said. "I believe it will be profitable again."

The band shell serves as a reminder of how struggles with the economy continue, how this challenge can shape the arts, and how taxpayers can get caught in the middle.

"I think that's crazy," said Annette Simmons of the Town of Poughkeepsie, when told of the original plans for the band shell and how it is being used. "Aren't you wasting our money?"

The relationship between the arts, public facilities and the poor economy is also underscored by a stage in the City of Poughkeepsie's Waryas Park. The stage, which is used for community events and private gatherings, was utilized during the annual Hudson River Arts Festival, which over years drew thousands to the city's waterfront, but was canceled in 2009 because of the economy. Poughkeepsie Mayor John Tkazyik did not respond to a request by the Journal for data related to the cost of constructing the stage, how much it costs to rent and how often it gets used.

"Certainly, the end of the Bowdoin Park concerts and the arts festival were both directly related to the economic bust," said Chris Silva, executive director of the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie. The Bardavon coordinated the artistic end of the band shell concerts, helped design the stage at Waryas Park and, along with the city, staged the Hudson River Arts Festival. "They do kind of reflect the economy. There was an upswing and then a downswing and then there was no swing at all."

Molinaro, a county legislator when the band shell was built, said the county is working to draw arts and entertainment events that utilize the band shell, as at the hangar at Dutchess County Airport in Wappingers Falls; Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, home to the minor league baseball Hudson Valley Renegades; and Wilcox Park in Milan.

"We are actively pursuing promoters and others who are interested in bringing arts and entertainment to any one of our venues," Molinaro said.

But, he continued, success "hinges on the economy."

John W. Barry: [email][email protected][/email], 845-437-4822; Twitter: @JohnBarryPoJo

By the numbers

$236,000

Cost to construct Bowdoin Park band shell

10,000

Number of people who attended each of three concerts — America, Peter Frampton and Kenny Loggins — at the band shell after it opened in 2005

$1,975

Band shell earnings for 2013, excluding events that incorporated surrounding pavilions

26

Number of private events that utilized the band shell as a pavilion in 2013

Louisville-based Churchill Downs Inc. has identified online gambling, including poker, as one of its hoped-for growth areas. A major indication of that potential came last week with the announced sale of the parent company of PokerStars for $4.9 billion.

The owner and operator of the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker is being sold for $4.9 billion to Canada-based Amaya Gaming Group Inc. in an effort to return the brands to the U.S. market after a federal internet gambling crackdown three years ago led to their exit.

Internet gambling in U.S. has been off to a slower than anticipated start, with experts saying that it is being held back by illegal offshore operators who are continuing to draw users and siphon off millions of dollars. The first legal online U.S. poker company opened a little over a year ago. Since that time the industry's growth has been slowed by several factors, such as technical hurdles and laws limiting players to the three states — New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware — where Internet gambling is legal.

The size of the deal is due to PokerStars being the world's largest online poker site; it and Full Tilt boast more than 85 million players. Canada's Amaya said the deal with Oldford will make it the biggest publicly traded online operator of casino games.




What's the potential of online gambling? Ask PokerStars

A new Pennsylvania online gaming bill has been introduced in the state senate. The bill’s prime sponsor is Senator Edwin Erickson.

The bill has a major change that is different than previous versions. A line from the definition of “authorized game” has been removed from the previous draft. This missing line stated, “The board only may approve poker games pursuant to this chapter”. It now simply reads, “Any interactive game approved by the board pursuant to this chapter”, which was a part of the original language. This may mean that casino games could be allowed under the proposal.

The remaining bill looks similar to the previous version. Most of the language is word for word.

Interstate Compacts

The bill would allow for interstate compacts with states or territories. It specifically mentions these and not any international possibilities. It is thought that international networking of liquidity by U.S. states is impossible due to the probability that there must be federal approval.

Bad Actors

The bad actor clause remained intact. It would forbid “any trademark, trade name, service mark or similar intellectual property that is used to identify any aspect of the Internet website or the operator offering the wagers or interactive games to its customers” from companies that accepted Pennsylvania players after December 31, 2006. Player databases, software or derivatives of, or any hardware used in violation of the UIGEA would be excluded from Pennsylvania’s potential online gaming industry.

Taxes

The tax rate would be 14 percent. Promotions could be deducted. Funds seized from fraudulent players would be counted as taxable income.

A license for operators would be $5 million. The licensing fee for significant vendors was intentionally left blank. Affiliates would require licensing in Pennsylvania.

Unlicensed Operators

Unlicensed operators would still need to pay taxes. This does not immune them from prosecution for offering illegal gambling, only for tax evasion. The first conviction of illegal online gambling is a first degree misdemeanor. Subsequent violations are second degree felonies. The minimum fine would be $75,000.

Other Terms

Other items that are found in the bill include the requirement that all deposits be segregated from operating funds. Players must be at least 21 years of age. Internet cafes would be banned unless offered by a site operator. Bot play is strictly forbidden. Gaming sites would be required to prominently display problem gambling information.



Pennsylvania Online Gaming Bill Introduced in Senate |

Beyonce and Jay Z celebrated Father's Day by taking in an exhibition.

The superstar couple and their two-year-old daughter Blue Ivy enjoyed the special day in New York City, where they visited conceptual artist Kara Walker's new exhibit 'A Subtlety' at the refurbished Domino Sugar Factory on Sunday.

Beyonce, 32, and Jay, 44, are said to be "big fans" of Kara, who is renowned for her silhouette figures and expression of race, gender and power.

A source told UsMagazine.com: "They were both dressed very casual and Beyonce was carrying Blue around the exhibit."

The exhibit also had sentimental value for Jay, who grew up in Brooklyn and was excited to revisit an old haunt from his younger days.

The 'Holy Grail' rapper was reportedly overheard telling fellow art enthusiasts he was "really excited to see the exhibit because growing up, he had always seen the Domino Sugar Factory and he had a lot of memories of it".

Online gambling might do more than generate tax money and let people play from their living rooms.

“This industry is forcing a massive change in how the Internet works,” says Matthew Katz, founder and CEO of Central Account Management System, or CAMS, which provides payment processing and player verification services to online casinos in New Jersey.

CAMS connects online-casino operators with third-party companies that verify players' identity and location and allow gamblers to deposit or withdraw money.

States that allow or are considering online gambling require that players be at least 21 and physically in the state. Katz says the casinos' need to provide that information is shifting the Web from a network that knows no borders to one that independently verifies exactly where and who its users are. That eliminates some of the anonymity Internet users have come to expect.

“The whole concept of the Internet, when it was created, is it's everywhere,” Katz says. “Now, we have an industry coming into play where borders are critically important for making sure the operators adhere to state law.”

“That's a significant change in the Internet — from anonymity to full transparency, from no validation to a true validation that's applicable under state law.”

Katz predicts the changes required for online gambling will be a test for future taxation across the Internet.

In most states, approval of online gambling — whether the lottery, poker or all forms of casino games — is a matter of when, not if, he says.

Legal online poker is probably two years or more away in Pennsylvania.

“It's a matter of time before Pennsylvania goes down this path,” says John Pappas, executive director of Poker Players Alliance, which supports government regulation of online poker. “There is near consensus among the (state's) brick-and-mortar gaming industry that the Internet is something they want to get into.”

Sue Schneider, a founder and former chairman of the Interactive Gaming Council, says Pennsylvania is an attractive online poker market because of its size, but Internet gambling regulation typically takes a couple of years to gain approval — more if it generates controversy.

Even state Sen. Edwin Erickson, R-Chester County, who this month introduced a bill to legalize and regulate online poker, says the state should move slowly to ensure the technology works and to allow time to gauge the potential impact on traditional casinos.

Only Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey offer legal online gambling now. Nevada allows only poker, while the others permit additional casino games. Georgia and Illinois sell lottery tickets online.

States with online gambling can form compacts to share players, much like the Powerball and MegaMillion lotteries offer games that cross state lines.

Other states considering proposals for online gambling include New York, California, Mississippi, Iowa and Illinois.

Pappas describes Pennsylvania as “the next emerging market” for online poker and says it could become “the crown jewel of the East Coast.”

“Liquidity,” or having enough players to provide a wide range of games and betting ranges, is especially important in poker.

That's one reason Schneider has described California, population 38 million, as the “Holy Grail” for online poker. It's so large that state officials say it would not have to enter compacts with other states. This month, 13 Native American tribes that operate casinos in California announced that for the first time they had agreed on language regulating online poker.

Pennsylvania, population 12.8 million, could become “a very attractive partner” for smaller states that approve online poker, Pappas says.

“Any other state would rather compact with Pennsylvania than Nevada, Delaware or even New Jersey,” he says.

Read more: Online gambling triggers big change in Internet, CEO says | TribLIVE
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Country music star Dolly Parton drew the biggest crowd of Britain's Glastonbury music festival on Sunday, regaling the dusty crowd with hits while dressed in a white diamante suit.

Over 100,000 people are believed to have seen Parton perform hit songs such as 9 to 5, Jolene and Coat of Many Colours, her publicists said in a statement after the show.

Parton told the crowd it was an "honour and a thrill" to perform at the festival.

"I've been waiting a lifetime for this and of course we want all of you to have the best time," she said.

The crowds chanted Parton's name and clapped and danced as she performed, with some fans dressed up as the glamourous musician in tribute.

All walkways leading to the Pyramid Stage where Parton performed were full, and some festival-goers complained they could not see the diminutive star.

Backstage, Parton was given an award to recognise her selling 100 million albums over a career that has spanned five decades.

Parton's much-anticipated performance marked the final day of the festival, where heavy metal band Metallica played on Saturday.

The 68-year old star performed a song about mud that she wrote for the five-day festival, which is notorious for its ground turning to deep sludge when it rains.


"I thought I had to write a song about the Glastonbury mud, even though the sun's shining today," Parton told a press conference before her performance.

The star said she felt at home at the festival - which is held on Worthy Farm in the Somerset countryside - because of her upbringing in rural Tennessee.

"I'm just a country girl and now I feel like a rock star," she said.

Matthew Katz, the founder and CEO of Central Account Management System (CAMS), has said that the online gambling industry “is forcing a massive change in how the internet works.” CAMS is central to payment processing and player verification in New Jersey. Katz believes that the requirement for New Jersey online casinos to be certain of a player’s age and location is changing the internet from a network without borders to one that independently verifies exactly where and who its users are.

Katz said, “The whole concept of the Internet, when it was created, is it’s everywhere. Now, we have an industry coming into play where borders are critically important for making sure the operators adhere to state law. That’s a significant change in the Internet — from anonymity to full transparency, from no validation to a true validation that’s applicable under state law.”

He believes that these changes will be a test for future taxation across the internet. As legal online gambling spreads across the state, it will cause a faster rate of change. Online gambling looks set to come to Pennsylvania in the coming years and possibly New York, California, Mississippi, Iowa and Illinois.



Online Gambling Changing the Nature of the Internet

For 30 years, tourists from around the world have paid money to get a look at two airplanes once owned by Elvis Presley at Graceland in Memphis. Fans enjoy touring the planes for their direct connection to Presley and his jet-setting lifestyle, a sort of touchstone to the life of the King of Rock and Roll and his family.

By April of next year, the planes named Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II could be gone.

Elvis Presley Enterprises, which operates the Graceland tourist attraction, has written to the planes' owners saying they should prepare to remove the jets from Graceland by next spring.

The planes have been a tourist attraction since the mid-1980s. They had been sold after Presley's death, and were eventually purchased by OKC Partnership in Memphis.

OKC Partnership and Graceland agreed to bring the two jets to Graceland. The agreement called for OKC Partnership to receive a cut of ticket sales in return for keeping the planes there.

In an April 7 letter to OKC Partnership's K.G. Coker, Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden says the company is exercising its option to end the agreement and asks Coker "to make arrangements for the removal of the airplanes and the restoration of the site on or shortly after April 26, 2015."

Their removal could cause an uproar among fans, especially those who visit Graceland every year as part of an annual pilgrimage to events such as Elvis Week and the candlelight vigil commemorating Presley's death.

Dedicated Elvis fan Paul Fivelson of Algonquin, Illinois, says he expects many fans will be upset to hear the planes may be leaving.

"The people who come to Memphis for Elvis Week like seeing those planes there because it's just part of the whole aura of what Elvis was about," Fivelson said Tuesday. "It would be kind of blasphemous to take them away, and I think there are probably a lot of fans who will feel the same way."

The disclosure also raises questions about the future use of the site where the airplanes now sit, across the street from Presley's longtime home.

Elvis Presley Enterprises declined immediate comment.

In November, New York-based Authentic Brands Group bought Elvis Presley Enterprises and the licensing and merchandising rights for Presley's music and image from CORE Media Group. As part of the deal, Joel Weinshanker, founder of the National Entertainment Collectibles Association, acquired the operating rights to Graceland, which attracts about 500,000 visitors each year.

After the sale, Authentic Brands said upgrades to the tourist attraction were planned. Earlier this year, Elvis Presley Enterprises announced plans to build a 450-room hotel, theater and restaurant, with a projected opening date of August 2015. Their plan was approved Tuesday by the Memphis City Council.

Today, Graceland visitors can buy a ticket that includes a tour of Presley's home-turned-museum and the two airplanes. Fans climb into the airplanes for an up-close look at their interiors.

The larger plane, a Convair 880 named after Presley's daughter Lisa Marie, is like a customized flying limousine, complete with a large bed, a stereo system, conference room and gold-plated bathroom fixtures. It was renovated after Presley bought it from Delta Air Lines. Presley took his first flight on it in November 1975.

When Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977, Presley's pilot flew the Lisa Marie to California to pick up Presley's ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, to bring her back to Memphis.

The smaller jet, a JetStar named the Hound Dog II, was also used by Presley.

At one point, after the planes were sold following the singer's death, the Lisa Marie was owned by Raymond Zimmerman, owner of the Service Merchandise chain, according to Coker. The Hound Dog II was in the hands of Hustler head Larry Flynt for a time, Coker said.

OKC Partnership eventually bought the planes and the Lisa Marie was installed at Graceland in 1984. The Hound Dog II came later.

Coker, 76, says OKC may sell the planes if they're removed from Graceland, but he still hopes to negotiate a deal that would keep the planes there. Coker acknowledges that he and his partners would lose money from ticket sales if the planes were removed.

"I would love to see the airplanes stay where they are forever," Coker said. "Millions of fans have toured those airplanes and there's a real connection between fans and those airplanes. Those airplanes are part of the Elvis experience."

Interesting post Mod. I'm sure these changes will prove to be fruitful.

A EUROPEAN Commission report on the protection of online gambling users and the prevention of underage gambling has been welcomed by Gibraltar’s Government.

Minister for Gaming, Albert Isola MP said: “These principles reflect the existing regulations in Gibraltar for ensuring online gaming services are safe and reliable. For nearly two decades Gibraltar has helped set the standards for online gaming and we will continue to do so. It is pleasing to see among the Recommendations so much of what we already do, and that Gibraltar’s own proposal for national self-exclusion registers has been adopted by the Commission.”

Gibraltar licenses only 30 online gambling operators, all with established reputations in the industry.

Commenting on the EU report Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner Phill Brear said:

“Gibraltar licence holders are the ‘top drawer’ of the remote gambling industry and much of what is recommended is already firmly in place here.”




Gibraltar leads the pack in online gambling