Monthly Archives: February 2017

MANILA, Philippines Following the war against illegal drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered law enforcement and government agencies to curb illegal gambling.

The president issued Executive Order (EO) 13 which directs the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies to intensify the fight against illegal gambling.

Concerned agencies such as the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Information and Communications Technology were also ordered to coordinate with law enforcement agencies.

RELATED:Next war: Illegal gambling

"The same law enforcement agencies are further directed to coordinate and promptly act on requests of gambling regulatory authorities to investigate and put a stop to illegal gambling activities in their respective jurisdictions," the order read.

The president noted that the confusion in the jurisdiction and scope of authority of gambling regulators contributes to the proliferation of illegal gambling and gaming.

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The EO defined illegal gambling as a manner of directly or indirectly taking part in a game scheme wherein wagers consisting of money or articles of value at stake which is not authorized or licensed by the government.

The EO also clarified that online gambling operators are prohibited from allowing persons physically located outside the country to place bets or participate in games through an online portal.

The Office of the President will exercise oversight in the implementation of the intensified fight against illegal gambling.

"Whereas, the State condemns the existence of illegal gambling activities as a widespread social menace and source of corruption, as it has become an influential factor in an individual's disregard for the value of dignified work, perseverance and thrift," the order read.

The president signed EO 13 on February 2 through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

RELATED: Duterte orders closure of all online gaming firms

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Duterte orders war on illegal gambling - Philippine Star

The ongoing battle over appropriate Indian gambling is once again coming to a head in the Idaho Legislature, with both sides preparing to rip open old wounds.

Rep. Tom Loertscher, a Republican from Iona, introduced legislation Wednesday that would ban lucrative video gambling terminals inside the tribes' casinos. The proposal was tepidly accepted by the House State Affairs Committee, with some lawmakers raising concerns about the ripple effects of the bill.

Click 'play' to hear the audio version of this story.

"We've been bothered by several gambling issues over the last few years," said Loertscher, chairman of the House panel. "This is a major policy thing that we need to address."

The move comes two years after lawmakers banned the use of so-called historical horse racing due to fears that the electronic betting machines resembled slot machines. The repeal effort generated outrage from the horse racing industry. It claimed the tribes were unfairly trying to squelch competition because they have a monopoly on video gambling in Idaho.

Yet the fight over Indian gambling has been a sore subject since 1988 when the Idaho Lottery was established.

Under federal Indian gambling law, Idaho tribes can only operate their own bingo and lottery operations as long as the state has already authorized that form of gambling. This has created lingering tension between the state and tribes over what types of gambling devices are legal.

According to the tribes, they operate what the state allows: A video form of the state lottery.

However, prolonged disagreement led the tribe to successfully push a 2002 ballot initiative amending Idaho's law to say as long as the tribe's machines do not have a lever or dispense coins only cash out tickets then the machines could not be defined as a slot machines and are not a simulation of casino gambling.

Then in 2006, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the tribes' ability to offer video gambling devices after the state sued. The court's decision also influenced a 2009 ruling where the Idaho Supreme Court declared Idaho could no longer sue regarding the constitutionality of the tribes' machines.

Loertscher's bill would remove a key section of the law amended in 2002 so that even if the tribe's machines do not have a lever or dispense coins, they would still be banned from possessing slot machines. It's a subtle difference, but one that would could potentially upend the entire system.

"This issue has been addressed in the judicial branch and now they want to get the Legislature involved," said House Assistant Majority Leader Brent Crane, R-Nampa, who said he only voted to introduce the proposal to learn more about the issue. "I'm not convinced that's going to happen."

Other lawmakers contend that the Idaho Constitution outlaws casino-style gambling but claim tribes are violating that ban due to a loophole in the law.

"We simply can't have any statute that would attempt to override the constitution," said Rep. Steven Harris, R-Meridian, who has supported other efforts to limit gambling in Idaho this year.

For the tribes, the issue comes down to protecting their sovereignty.

"This is highly unnecessary," said Rep. Paulette Jordan, D-Plummer, a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, who voted against introducing Loertscher's bill. "I don't believe this bill will make it out of committee and I would urge the chairman to reread our laws."

A full hearing for the bill has not been scheduled.

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Idaho House Panel Introduces Bill Limiting Indian Gambling | Boise ... - Boise State Public Radio

Gamblers caught during the raid on an open-air gambling den at a rubber plantation in Songkhla's Hat Yai district on Thursday night are taken by police pickup to Hat Yai police station on Thursday night. The shade net screen concealing the casino is in the background. (Photo by Assawin Pakkawan)

SONGKHLA - Sixteen gamblers were arrested and about 400,000 baht seized during a raid on a rubber plantation in Hat Yai which was operating as an open-air casino on Thursday night.

A team of soldiers, police and local officials swooped on the rubber plantation at Soi Prasarnmit in tambon Khuan Lang around 9pmon Thursday.

A large shade net had been erected around the plantation to screen it, with many cars and motorcycles parked inside.

As the authorities arrived gamblers started running away in panic, but 16 were caught - four men and 12 women. Others made good their escape - but left their transport behind.

Gambling gear, about 400,000 baht cash, 20 cars and pickup trucks and around 40 motorcycles were seized.

The gamblers were handed over to Hat Yai police station for legal action, a member of the combined team said.

It was the gambling den's opening night, the officer said.

An investigation found it was run by the same person whose gambling den in Hat Yai was raided and shut down in early January.

Thursday night's raid was led by Col Jatuporn Kalampasut, chief of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 intelligence office.

Around 60 vehicles - cars, pickup trucks and motorcycles - found parked at the open-air gambling den concealed in a rubber plantion that was raided in Hat Yai district on Thursday night. Sixteen gamblers were caught. Others made good their escape, but left their transport behind. (Photo by Assawin Pakkawan)

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Gamblers caught in Hat Yai open-air casino bust - Bangkok Post

Rochester, N.Y.

(WHAM) - Questions about the connection between a missing Spencerport teen and the man arrested as part of an illegal gambling investigation in Rochester, have been put to rest.

Lead investigators assigned to the case of missing teen Joshua Redfield said there is no truth to these claims he is connected to Dan Elliot. Instead they say it's confusion about another family member's ties.

Elliot, also known as Miami Dan, was arrested last month during a raid at an alleged illegal gambling operation in the city.

Two sources close to this investigation said Redfield, missing since December 7, has a step brother serving jail time for breaking into and trying to burn down the alleged illegal gambling joint on West Ridge Road.

Ogden Police said, while they have received tips about allegations Redfield is connected to the illegal gambling joint, there is no truth behind the rumors.

Elliot was in court Thursday morning where his hearing was waived to a grand jury.

He is out on bail, accused of having two semi-automatic pistols, both loaded and drugs in his possession. He has not been charged for illegally gambling, but his lawyer, Vincent Merante said it is not out of the question.

"I haven't heard anything from the U.S. Attorney's Office; they have the prerogative to move forward with their own charges, but let's hope not," Merante told 13WHAM News. "I'm here to say and make it perfectly clear, my client has nothing to do with the disappearance of Joshua Redfield."

Ogden Police also made their message clear - that Redfield is not linked to the illegal gambling operation.

"The FBI came to us an offered any resources we might need," Chief Mears said. "We don't have any indication of foul play, but we always have to leave that open as a possibility."

Mears said they do not have any leads at the time and they have done everything in their power to track down the information they can. Two investigators are assigned full time to the disappearance of Joshua Redfield.

Police said Redfield did make some indication to friends that he would leave home. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 423-9300.

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No truth to alleged link between missing Spencerport teen, illegal gambling - 13WHAM-TV

PHOTO | FILE By AGEWA MAGUT

Kenyan youth spend more than half (55 per cent) of their income on personal care and the least amount on travel and entertainment.

A study conducted in January by digital research firm Geopoll on people aged 18 to 35 revealed that the majority spend a huge amount of their earnings on items that boost self-image.

The study says that youth invest 26 per cent of their earnings, six per cent on entertainment and five per cent on gambling.

Other items accounted for seven per cent of the total income.

AFRICAN MILLENNIALS

The January survey is part of a series on African millennials in which GeoPoll seeks to understand the habits of the continents youth.

The survey was done in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa in addition to Kenya.

About 51 per cent of youth who took part in the survey are employed, with 32 per cent relying on the support of parents or guardian.

When it comes to savings, young Africans invest the most on furthering their education, said the study.

Advancing in education is one of the most important pursuits for millennials, with many saying that they save up to 10 per cent of their monthly earnings towards it. This is in comparison to buying a car, a house or travelling, says the report.

Young Kenyans are among the highest savers towards this cause, squirrelling away about 34 per cent of their salaries to get better educated.

The survey says that the data on expenditure was an indicator of lack of knowledge on finance management and proper planning.

Many, the researchers says, are striving towards financial independence, prosperity and believe in their own ability to chart their own course with education.

GAMBLING

Gambling also eats up significant chunk of their income.

Gambling is becoming popular among male African millennials in sub-Saharan Africa due to their high affinity to sports and the proliferation of local sports betting players. This is still a very nascent industry, says the report.

Kenyas mobile-based sports betting industry has recorded phenomenal growth aided by the ease of placing bets online or through SMS and paying via mobile money platforms such as M-Pesa and Airtel Money.

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Kenyan youth splashing cash on looks, gambling Geopoll study - Nairobi News (satire) (press release) (blog)

The major professional sports leagues have begun to embrace or, at least, take steps toward embracing the concept of legalized sports gambling. The NFLs Oakland Raiders may possibly move to Las Vegas. The NHL has already established the first major pro sports franchise in the city. And NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has come out in favor of sports betting.

And now, Major League Baseball appears to be softening its stance against legalized wagering. At a forum hosted by Yahoo! Finance on Wednesday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged that sports betting happens, and questioned whether his sports opposition to the practice was an outdated position.

We are reexamining our stance on gambling, Manfred said. Its a conversation thats ongoing with the owners.

Manfred seemed to be making much of the same argument that Silver did in his New York Times op-ed, saying that federal regulation could prove beneficial to the sport.

I think the question for sports is really, Are we better off in a world where we have a nice, strong, uniform, federal regulation of gambling that protects the integrity of sports, provides sports with the tools to ensure that there is integrity in the competition Or are we better off closing our eyes to that and letting it go on as illegal gambling? And thats a debatable point.

Watch above, via Yahoo! Finance.

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MLB Commish Opens Door to Legalized Gambling: 'We Are Reexamining Our Stance' - Mediaite

William Hill is among the online bookies to be registered in the Northern Territory, where the tax and regulatory environment is more favourable.

The South Australian government will introduce from July a point-of-consumption tax to claw back some of the gambling tax revenue it is seeing disappear over the border.

The new tax is a reasonable response to a growing problem, and probably wont send bookmakers to the wall. But it does highlight the current regulatory mess surrounding how we tax internet wagering in Australia.

In 2008, the High Court decided it was unlawful for a state government to protect local wagering operators from the emerging competition provided by online bookmaker Betfair.

The case turned on Section 92 of the Constitution, which provides for free trade between the states. What the decision meant was internet bookies licensed in one Australian jurisdiction (the Northern Territory, for example) could offer their wares to anyone living anywhere in Australia. It led to dramatic increases in the promotion and advertising of internet betting, and also to very rapid growth in that commodity.

One of the consequences of this has been a decline in racing revenue going to governments. In 1990-91, the SA government derived A$52.6 million in racing tax revenue. By 2012-13, this had declined to less than A$1 million (both numbers in real terms, at 2014-15 values).

Meanwhile, in the NT, growth in wagering revenue for both racing and sports betting has been exponential.

People in the NT have not taken to racing and sports betting like theres no tomorrow. But the NT has become home to most of Australias internet bookies, thanks to a low-tax regime and relatively loose regulation.

There are 18 internet bookies registered in the NT, including William Hill, CrownBet, bet365 and Ladbrokes. They get most of their revenue from other states including SA.

They also dont pay a lot of tax. In 2014-15, with total wagering expenditure of A$937.6 million, the NT government collected taxes amounting to a little over A$10 million. Thats a bit less than 1.1% of the money gamblers lost. So, its easy to see why the bookies like the NT.

The SA government has decided to try to get a slice of that action, or to dissuade the bookies from marketing their wares into the state or perhaps a bit of both.

State governments have to pick up the pieces when their residents suffer gambling harm and its effects. This includes domestic violence, job loss, suicide, mental and physical health problems, and so on. Its pretty galling when another state takes all the benefits (at a discount rate) and doesnt contribute to the costs involved.

The SA tax is intended to take 15% from net wagering revenue (that is, gambler losses).

All wagering operators will pay the tax not just the internet bookies. So, it may not amount to a discriminatory or protectionist measure. This is important: if it is discriminatory, the High Court would probably find it unconstitutional, as the Western Australian governments actions in the Betfair case were deemed to be.

It is abundantly clear that the federal government has the power to regulate internet gambling, via the Constitutions telecommunication provision. It has adopted legislation that does just that, although in a minimal way.

The federal legislation provides for bookmakers licensed in any Australian jurisdiction to be able to offer wagering services throughout Australia. Their actual regulation, however, is left to the state jurisdictions. This is how weve ended up in the current mess.

The federal government recently convened a ministerial meeting to propose new consumer protection regulations to the states. The government has sensibly realised that inadequate regulation at state level has to be tackled.

But this leaves at least two key issues unresolved.

The main concern of ordinary people when it comes to internet gambling is the continuing bombardment of bookies ads accompanying sports broadcasts. These are consumed by millions of children because there is an exemption for sport in the TV broadcast self-regulation code. This needs to be tackled, and the federal government is the only jurisdiction with the clear authority to do so.

Also, the tax regimes of the various states differ; the NT clearly leads the race to the bottom. The federal government can regulate and tax the bookies uniformly, if it wishes, and distribute the revenue according to a GST-style formula or some variation thereof.

That might diminish the NT revenues a little. But it would at least regularise the industry, enable uniform regulation and stop the states trying to pinch each others revenue base.

Earlier this week, online bookmaker CrownBet announced a deal with ClubsNSW to provide internet wagering with the co-operation of clubs, which would recruit their members to the cause. In return, the deal would allow the clubs to get a slice of the action. If this works, club-based TABs will see their revenue decline.

In effect, this means a transfer of revenue from the New South Wales government to the NT government. No state wants to see its revenue base decline particularly when the jurisdiction benefiting doesnt even tax (or regulate) its bookies as well as it might.

Maybe its too much to ask for a sensible national gambling policy with uniform tax rates and reasonable consumer protection and harm-prevention measures in place. But allowing state governments to regulate internet-based services seems like a fairly 19th-century approach to regulation. We can probably do better than that.

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South Australia's gambling tax highlights the regulatory mess of online betting - The Conversation AU