Let your mouth speak archive

After getting the better of a massive brain hemorrhage, Type 1 diabetes, an emergency appendectomy a “warning stroke” and a hole in his heart, rocker Bret Michaels won the title of Celebrity Apprentice on live television last night.

For the final task, Michaels and Holly Robinson Peete were asked to each create a new flavor of Snapple as well as a marketing campaign for the new flavor. Robionson Peete came up with "Compassionberry" while Michaels did a rocker version, "Trop-a-Rocka," which are being sold for a limited period with the proceeds going to their respective charities.

Michaels, who was warned by his doctors not to fly to New York for the finale, showed up anyway to take the $250K prize for his charity, the American Diabetes Association, bringing is fund raising tally to $390K.

All was not lost for Robinson Peete, however. Snapple matched Bret's prize giving her Autism charity, the HollyRod Foundation, $250K. She seemed honestly happy for Michaels and seemed to realize there was no way she would take the win against Michaels.

"Holly, that's so beautiful. You're crying," Trump said after Michaels limped out on stage.

"Well, I mean, who in America isn't?" she replied.

"My 5-year-old son woke up this morning and said, 'Mom, I love you, but I'm kinda pulling for Bret.' How do you beat that?" Robinson Peete admitted.

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With the legalization of online gambling becoming a hot topic of debate amongst officials, one large question remains relating to the taxation of the industry.

There was a meeting held last week where congress brought up this issue, with a clear and concise answer still yet to be determined.

Several members of Congress are not quite ready to sit back and watch as online casinos that a government-regulated begin to operate.

A bill introduced to the floor of the House Ways and Means Committee by Jim McDermott brings forth the idea to tax Internet gambling.

Estimates by McDermott say that he can produce $42 billion in tax revenue from players of online gambling.

Barney Frank has announced that the mark-up for his online gambling bill is just around the corner. He recently announced that the bill would be ready by July. Online gamblers have been waiting over a year to see Frank’s bill make it to the floor of the House and Senate. Americans had expected that it would be voted on in 2009, but Frank continued to build co-sponsors throughout 2009 while the US Congress focused on some more pressing financial issues.

The UIGEA will likely be implemented on June 1st before the US Congress has a chance to vote on Frank’s bill which would repeal the UIGEA and put the US government on a path to regulate the online gaming industry. The UIGEA will make it illegal to process online gambling transactions, but many experts believe that the UIGEA will have little if any affect on the online gambling industry.

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Supporters of legalizing Internet gambling told a House panel Wednesday that to do so would raise $42 billion for the federal government over the next 10 years.

Under companion bills from Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.) and Jim McDermott (D., Wash.), most of that revenue would come from income taxes collected on individuals' winnings.

But Mr. McDermott's bill would also impose an 8% tax on online gambling deposits, paid by the operators of gaming websites.

"We are sending a multi-billion dollar industry offshore and underground. As a result, we are making tax criminals of Americans who can't declare their online winnings to the IRS," Mr. McDermott told the House Ways and Means Committee during a Wednesday hearing.

The bills would legalize and regulate online poker, but would continue a ban on some other forms of online gambling, including betting on professional sports.

The banking and gaming industries support the legislation. Conservative groups, professional sports leagues and state attorneys general oppose it.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.), testifying against the legislation before the House panel, charged the bills do not adequately protect minors and could lead to societal ills like addiction and divorce.

"It is unfathomable that Congress would consider legalizing a currently illegal activity that imposes harm on the most vulnerable members of our society just to raise money for more big government spending," said Mr. Goodlatte.

Mr. McDermott's bill would funnel one-quarter of tax revenues from online gambling to foster care programs, the arts and early childhood education.

Mr. McDermott said states could opt out and decline to decriminalize gambling, under his bill. But states that did so would not benefit from revenue generated by the deposit tax paid by operators.

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Just a matter of time before they get there piece of the pie

Enjoyed this season of celebrity apprentice overall.
Doubt I will watch regular one in fall though.

8% on deposits will the gaming sites be willing to go with this of course to get all of usa back into their rooms im sure they would . just wonder how much they gonna tx us on the other end with withdrawals . and sure the deposit bonuses will go down !

True. Thanks for sharing this post with us, Manne. We're grateful! Also, we need to read reviews before we sign up on any sites. This is one way we can avoid scam sites.

Gambling and related issues have featured prominently in the local media in recent weeks, since Graham Steele, minister responsible for Part 1 of the Gaming Control Act, announced the process to develop a new gaming strategy for Nova Scotia.

As we consider the future of gambling in our province, I hope we will include in our deliberations a serious discussion around the public health impacts of gambling. As those of us who work in the field of addictions know all too well, gambling has a human face, and it often incurs a human cost.

According to the 2007 Adults Gambling Prevalence Study (AGPS), approximately 6.1 per cent of adult Nova Scotians (or about 47,000) are at risk for, or already experiencing, problems with gambling. The same study noted that, of those 47,000 individuals, about 19,000 are considered to have moderate or severe problems with gambling. It is also true that less than 12 per cent of Nova Scotians know about gambling treatment services. As a result, many who are experiencing problems with gambling do not get the professional help that they need.

At Addiction Prevention and Treatment Services, we support individuals who are affected by a harmful involvement with gambling. Unfortunately, by the time many individuals come through our doors, their involvement has already seriously harmed their relationships, employment, financial situations and — often — their mental and physical well-being.

For this reason, promotion of our services as well as prevention and education are all important parts of our organization’s mandate. Empowering people to seek treatment earlier and helping Nova Scotians make wise choices about their involvement with gambling — thereby preventing more serious problems down the road — are crucial. To make wise choices, Nova Scotians need to be aware that gambling is not a risk-free activity. The Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection offers helpful strategies to reduce the risks involved with gambling. I encourage people to view these strategies on the HPP website at Addiction Services | Health Promotion and Protection | Government of Nova Scotia.

Moreover, some gambling products are associated with greater harms. According to the 2007 Adult Gambling Prevalence Study, one out of every four Nova Scotians who regularly takes part in video lottery terminal gambling goes on to experience problems with gambling, and one in five who have ever tried daily lottery take up regular playing patterns. Gamblers should inform themselves about the risks involved in any products they use. When choosing to use high-risk products, they should exercise caution and set limits in advance of play.

New player card technology is now available to help individuals set limits on their play. This type of player card can be an extremely useful tool, particularly if it has universal application, so that all VLT players, including those who have already experienced problems with their gambling, can set safe limits of play. We applaud our province for introducing this technology, and we hope that it will be made even more widely available in the coming years.

Finally, I want to encourage anyone who is concerned about their — or a loved one’s — involvement with gambling to seek professional support. Help is available, and treatment works. In Capital Health District, individuals can access counselling, education and other types of support by calling Addiction Prevention and Treatment Services at 424-8866 or 1-866-340-6700. Or please visit Addiction Services to find the contact information of an addiction services organization in your community.

Trevor Briggs is director, Addiction Prevention and Treatment Services, Capital Health.

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Washington-state Congressman Jim McDermott has introduced legislation that would legalize internet gambling. He says it would give the U. S. opportunities to regulate such websites and to collect tax revenue from winnings.

However, with millions of Americans already gambling online through offshore sites, how many would switch to legal ones if they could? Presumably, Americans could still get around paying taxes on winnings by using the offshore sites.

What do you think? Should gambling online be legalized? Would it make any difference in Americans' gambling habits and tax revenue?

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The law as a rule is about definitions and the laws regarding online gambling in the European Union have not as yet been clearly defined. It is complicated and difficult for everyone to be on the same page for Europe's online gambling legislation. Some progress seems to be made regarding clarity, recently when the Spanish E.U. Presidency suggested that a common definition of illegal gambling is vital to the coordinated and effective regulation of gambling throughout the E.U. trading bloc. If illegal gambling is to be successfully prevented throughout Europe then a collaborative effort by the member states is essential. The E.U. Competitiveness Council was presented with proposals that appear to suggest that the different national laws of the 27 E.U. member nations must be considered in order to adopt a common definition of illegal gambling and to respond effectively to situations created by illegal operators. The E.U. Presidency sent a questionnaire to all member states asking about their policies on online gambling and how each country defines the term ‘illegal gambling’. It was noted that all member states have a public authority in charge of regulation and control of the sector. It was also pointed out that online gambling is either regulated, or is in the process of being legalized in most of the 27 states, excluding states that have been stalling on the issue such as Greece, Portugal, Germany, Romania, Poland, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Lithuania. Control measures for illegal gambling web sites include blocking of ISPs, blocking financial transactions, fines and possible imprisonment for violators. Secretary general of the European Gambling and Betting Association, Sigrid Ligné, stated, "This report is the most balanced," she said pleased, "It tries to strike a fair balance between member states’ right to regulate the sector and the obligation to respect treaty rules”.

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As a result of European Commission pressure on Denmark to loosen up the monopolistic ways of state-held gaming provider Danska Spil, new Danish gambling laws go into effect on July 1. And some players are worried they won’t get any money they win before then.

On the positive side, Denmark’s licensing systems for foreign operators of online gambling websites does not include prohibitively expensive taxation regulations that often prove unappealing to foreign business interests, as is the case in recently introduced French gambling laws.

On the negative side, a loophole has been provided in the law to give Danska Spil a head start on establishing online poker in Denmark. Though the law goes into effect on July 1, licenses to foreign-based operators will not be issued until January 1, 2011, meaning that for six months Danska Spil poker will be the only legal game in town.

The amount of Internet betting in Denmark is estimated at about €8.3 million annually, with a large percentage of this currently going to non-Danish website operators.

Denmark’s gaming magazine “Ace” recently claimed that government interests will be using ISP blocking once the new law goes into effect to prevent any potential players from going to an online casino without a Danish license.

Even more frightening for current Danish players is a rumor that the government will be making withdrawals from non-licensed sites after July 1 – even on winnings earned before the new law goes into effect. Players have been warned to keep a minimum in their accounts in essentially all non-Danska Spil casinos.

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The leading poker advocacy group, with more than one million members nationwide, has welcomed proposed new legislation which would tax, license and regulate the online gaming environment in the United States.

Commenting on the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2010, Executive Director of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), John Pappas, said that the proposals "underscore the increasing Congressional interest in a licensed and regulated online gaming environment."

"While the robust consumer protections provided by regulation are the biggest selling point, in the current economic environment, additional tax revenue derived from a licensed industry is certainly appealing [for the government] as well,” he added.

"It is important to note that this bill would not levy a new tax on poker players. Rather, it requires each licensed Internet gambling operator to pay a licensing fee – nothing would be deducted from a player's deposit. Individuals would be required to pay annual income taxes on their net winnings, just like players who collect winnings in land-based casinos do,” Pappas observed.

According to a summary of the legislation, the Act would:

* Impose an Internet gambling license fee on Internet gambling operators and an additional tax on unauthorized bets or wagers;
* Require such operators to keep daily records of gambling deposits and file informational returns identifying themselves and the individuals placing bets or wagers with them;
* Require operators to pay state and Indian tribal governments a 6% fee on gambling deposits;
* Require withholding of tax on net Internet gambling winnings and on the gross amount of winnings of nonresident aliens; and
* Extend the excise tax on wagers to include wagers placed with the United States or any commonwealth, territory, or possession by a US citizen or resident.

Concluding Pappas said:

"The PPA is working to remove language from the bill that would fine players who play on unlicensed sites as we firmly believe the unlicensed sites should bear the full consequences of not obtaining a license in the US.

"We look forward to a successful mark up of legislation to license and regulate online gaming in July in the House Financial Services Committee."

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On June 1st, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) will be fully implemented by the US Treasury Dept. which would make it illegal for banks to process gambling transactions.

The UIGEA does not penalize the players, but it does go after the processors that process US gambling transactions and it pushes the banking industry to monitor transactions and begin restricting any transaction if it relates to any form of online casino gambling.

The US government is using the UIGEA to strike a fatal blow to the online gambling industry, but many experts believe it will fail. The UIGEA may look good on paper but it will be difficult for the banking industry to find all gambling-related transactions and the casinos will find new ways to process deposits without any real problems.

This is not the only tactic being used to strike a blow to the online gambling industry. The government has also used scare tactics to force casino operators into compliance. This method has worked on some of the biggest operators in the industry, but the tactic is getting worn out.

The UIGEA will likely fail once its fully implemented and it’s failure will just give Barney Frank another reason why online gambling needs to be licensed and regulated within the country. Players should have the right to gamble online, if they have the right to gamble offline.

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In the United States of America there are many different laws that apply only in certain states. Washington State for example has laws that prohibits engaging in online gambling, both for poker and casinos, making these activities a felony.

Recently the law there was challenged by the Washington State branch of the Poker Players Alliance and after going to trial court and the appeals court now the case is before the Washington State Supreme Court.

State Director of the Poker Players Alliance Lee Rousso presented the case challenging the law under the Commerce Act. This Act points out that no state can pass legislation that discriminates against a section of any particular industry. the Washington legislation discriminates against the online gambling industry.

Mr. Rousso argues that the legislated law is biased against the online gambling industry. The argument contends that if a person playing poker or other casino games is in a land based casino then they are legal but the same activity online is a felony. It was suggested that the only benefit of the Washington State law is for the aboriginal tribal owned casinos that don't want the competition from online gambling sources.

Assistant Attorney General, Jerry Ackerman, represented the State of Washington, and said to the court that online gambling cannot be regulated and is therefore unsafe.

Thomas Goldstein, who spoke for the online gambling industry said that it was not sufficient for the state to claim that online gambling cannot be regulated and they had failed at the two previous court hearings to prove that online gambling could not be controlled or regulated. Goldstein also added there are many instances of regulated online gambling in other jurisdictions and the State of Washington allows for online betting on the horses.

Justice, Jim Johnson, questioned Ackerman, "Aren’t these the same games that are played in Indian casinos?" Ackerman said the Indian casinos were allowed because federal legislation required them to do so. The judges pointed out that the state receives a substantial fee from the Tribal casinos dismissing Ackerman's contention.

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[FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium]Definitely no argument from me on the very last point. It's completely hypocritical to say you can go to a brick-and-mortar casino and play, but you can't online. But when haven't politics been -- I don't doubt there are some politicians who may not be -- hypocritical in some way or another. . .[/FONT] :mad:

[FONT=Franklin Gothic Medium]And, as the last graf points out, in the end legality or illegality all comes down to money and how much can be extracted. . .[/FONT]

I think we should after all have a right to do whatever we want to with our money.the native Americans have their casinos we should have our online sites. the government will tax the winnings and they want a cut. i signed the ppa petition last year and this year but the government hears only what they want to hear and not the people. i live in Washington state where they are tough on us. its a felony to play online poker and it needs to stop. sorry i needed to vent thank you for listening

Nothing Will Change :dirol

All in all, it is believed that it is business as usual for online gambling sites :thumbsup