Gaphai

Pennsylvania is US’ second largest gambling market

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:39:52 +0000

For years Atlantic City was the Eastern United States’ answer to Las Vegas, and New Jersey the second largest market in the country. Now Pennsylvania’s revenue numbers have pushed it into the runner-up spot, thanks in part to the newly-opened Valley Forge Casino Resort in southeastern PA. The state has 11 casinos, which pulled in just over US$233 million last month. Joe Weinert from Spectrum Gaming Group, a New Jersey casino consulting firm, called Pennsylvania the “envy of the casino industry”.

Pa. cements status as No. 2 gambling market in US [Bloomberg Businessweek]

Vietnam keeps locals out of casinos, but may allow sports betting

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:08:06 +0000

Vietnam has reinforced its ban on its own people entering its casinos, while looking into the possibility of legalizing sports betting. Foreign investors have been told not to submit proposals for new gambling halls in the Southeast Asian country unless they will comply with the prohibition on locals, which is cited as a protection for Vietnamese citizens from gambling harm. Laos and Cambodia also have this rule. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Vuong Dinh Hue recently visited Singapore, which has experienced growth in gambling, to investigate the possibility of allowing sports betting in an effort to curb illegal gambling on European soccer matches.

Vietnamese? Stay out of your homeland’s casinos [Global Post]; Vietnam Plans to Legalize Sports Gambling [Wall Street Journal]

Pokies in South Australia to be reduced

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:30:45 +0000

The government of South Australia wants to remove more than 800 poker machines. After establishing a new trading round for machine entitlements, which will close on May 4, the government said one in four pokie licences sold by local hotels during the period would be cancelled. With this reduction of 800, SA would have a total of 3000 fewer pokies than it did in 2005.

In other pokie news, Greens MP Kim Booth has proposed a new harm minimisation strategy: Australia’s poker machines should be stripped of their colourful exteriors, just as cigarette must have plain packaging in an effort to curb smoking.

South Australia Government wants to remove 800 pokies [Adelaide Now]; Greens in bid to tone down pokies [ABC News]

US states starting online lottery sales

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:39:29 +0000

The state of Indiana may follow in the footsteps of Illinois by offering online Lottery. This comes after the Department of Justice ruled in December that the relevant law, the Wire Act of 1961, did not apply to purchasing lotto tickets online. Michael Jones, Illinois’ Lottery Superintendent, says the website restricts sales to only state residents who are of age to gamble.

Lottery to take look at online sales [The Journal Gazette]

NZ Government ‘selling the law’ to casino company

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:36:34 +0000

The New Zealand government is in private talks with entertainment corporation SkyCity to relax gambling laws in exchange for the casino giant building a new convention centre in Auckland. In a move that has been criticized as ‘selling the law’, Parliament is on the verge of changing the law restricting new EGMs, or ‘pokies’, which will allow SkyCity to install 500 new pokies. Economic development minister Steven Joyce, who is spearheading the negotiation, is also reportedly requiring the pokies are decorated with ‘Kiwiana’, symbols that are part of New Zealand’s national culture. Joyce has been criticized by many, including the Labour Party’s David Cunliffe, for hiding details of the deal. ‘It’s a secret negotiation. This is not a transparent process with a number of parties. This is a one on one deal in which the minister is personally involved,’ he says. SkyCity is also in the news after it was revealed they were secretly paying local celebrities to be seen in their hotel and dining facilities.

Gambling laws to be relaxed in exchange for convention centre [3 News]; Government wants Kiwiana theme in SkyCity deal [3 News]; Celebs strike it big at SkyCity [NZ Herald]

US government seizes Canadian gambling website

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:57:38 +0000

The US seizure of a Canadian gambling website may have widespread implications for internet gambling as well as other websites that do business internationally. Canadian billionaire Calvin Ayre and three others have been indicted by the US for money laundering and conducting an illegal sports betting operation, Ayre’s website Bodog.com. The site now displays a Department of Homeland Security seizure message. Ayre and the others are accused of wiring millions to advertisers and gamblers in the US, where accepting payments for internet gambling is illegal.

Though Bodog.com is Canadian in origin, the .com registry is operated out of the US, and this case may represent the US asserting a claim of jurisdiction over all sites with that domain, regardless of where their servers are stored. In Canada, only provincial governments are allowed to operate online gambling sites, although police authorities don’t consider it a priority to target illegal gambling sites and are reluctant to charge gamblers or operators with crimes.

Canada keeps online gambling in play [The Ottawa Citizen]; Four Canadians indicted on US gambling charges [AFP]; Feds seize gambling site Bodog, indict founder [AP]; Bodog.com case sends warning to all Canadian websites [The Toronto Star]

Match-fixing has Olympic organisers worried

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:55:12 +0000

Organisers of the 2012 Olympics in London will meet with representatives from the UK gambling industry, the International Olympic Commission and others on March 20 to discuss measures for preventing illegal betting at the global games, with the IOC warning that match-fixing could pose a bigger threat than doping. Spot betting on all sports is legal in the UK, but Olympic athletes, coaches, team officials and referees are prohibited from betting during the games. While there were no irregularities that suggested match-fixing in the 2008 and 2010 Games, officials are concerned after last year’s scandal in which three Pakistani cricketers were found to have taken bribes to cheat.

Olympics desperate to stamp out betting rings [3 News]; Olympics organisers step up efforts to stop illegal gambling [Reuters]

We Love Pokies Reform needs your help!

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:00:45 +0000

We Love Pokies Reform is a page is for Australians and overseas supporters who want to send Australian Federal MP’s a clear Valentines Day message that We LOVE Pokies Reforms.
Parliament begins debating the Pokies Reform Bill in March/April 2012
Press “Like” to tell our MP’s that pokies reform is a TOP Priority.
Order cards via Facebook OR via return email and we will print them, add your message and take all the Valentines Day cards we collect to Canberra.

Multiple cards welcome. Red Cards represent all the people you know who have had a problem.
Pink cards represent the number of people you know who have been affected by another persons gambling
White cards represent a request for Federal MP’s to support the Pokies Reform Bill.
Purple cards are for international supporters.

** Please share our link with your friends, far and wide?
We will put all cards on a HUGE heart-shaped placard on the green front lawn of Parliament House, on February 14th 2012.
** Want to remain private / anonymous? Then send an email to nellgwynn55@bigpond.com or send a Valentines Day card to PO Box 91, Para Hills, SA 5096.

THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP AND BEING COUNTED!
https://www.facebook.com/events/108087755978878/
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Conference in Melbourne on Friday 10th February

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:33:39 +0000

Gambling from a public health perspective – lessons from tobacco control for the reform of gambling regulation. Centre for Regulatory Studies, Monash Law Chambers, Melbourne, Friday 10th February 2012. Key note address Charles Livingsgtone. FREE.
Read more

Real gambling getting closer on Facebook

admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:43:04 +0000

UK- Facebook revolutionized social gaming by creating a credit system for some of the most popular online games like CityVille, Zynga Poker and FarmVille. But now it looks like the social network giant could be doubling down on the real gambling market.An exclusive published Wednesday from the UK’s eGaming Review revealed that Facebook is in talks with “several operators to open its platform to real-money gambling in the UK.” Vator News.

AUSTRALIA- A loophole in federal gambling legislation is allowing an online casino to take money from Facebook punters but not pay out winnings in cash, leaving unsuspecting punters out of pocket. The DoubleDown casino on Facebook gives players free chips – but once they are exhausted, punters are required to buy credits to continue to play online casino games such as poker and blackjack.

In a reminder to always read the fine print, the terms and conditions explicitly say “regardless of the terminology used, Virtual Currency and Virtual Goods may never be redeemed for “real world” money, goods or other items of monetary value from the Site or any other party.” The Age.