Daily Archives: May 26, 2017

Congress may soon consider a bill that would repeal outdated federal gambling prohibitions, and thus allow states to legalize and regulate any form of gambling, online or offline.

The Gaming Accountability and Modernization Enhancement (GAME) Act, sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), details minimum standards for state-based regulation.

Despite the federal gaming laws in place today, Americans are betting up to $400 billion a year on sporting events alone, Pallone said in a news release issued by House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats. Its time to recognize that the laws are outdated, and the GAME Act will modernize them by increasing transparency, integrity, and consumer protections.

The proposal would end the 25-year prohibition on state-authorized sports betting by repealing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA of 1992a law that is likely unconstitutional and awaiting a possible hearing before the Supreme Court.

However, the GAME Acts comprehensive draft doesnt stop there; it also allows states to legalize and regulate any form of gamblingonline or offso long as the states enact rules that address problem gaming, restrict access to minors, comply with federal banking and reporting laws, and contain other consumer protections.

The bill is merely a discussion draft, meant to stimulate conversation and feedback from interested parties, but not likely something on which Congress will vote. Still, should the draft result in a similar comprehensive bill, it would end the the longstanding injustice of Congress preventing state legislatures from regulating and taxing intrastate gambling activities as theyand their constituentssee fit.

It also would open up new avenues for desperately needed tax revenue and reduce the enormous black market into which current federal law forces millions of Americans.

It also has the potential to fuel the creation of an enormous coalition in support.

In the past, groups representing various aspects of the influential gaming industry have foughtoften at odds with one anotherfor their particular slice of the pie.

The Poker Players Alliance, a nonprofit outfit representing players, has opposed the online gambling prohibition and fought for state-regulated Internet poker for years, but hasnt weighed in on sports betting.

The American Gaming Association, which once supported online gambling but recently switched to a neutral stance, has begun pushing for legalized sports gambling.

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) companies, resisting the label of gambling, have focused on protecting their own business model as a form of skill games.

Still, other groups like the lotteries, race tracks, and tribal gaming authorities have weighed in on various legislative effortsmostly at the state level.

If the final version of the GAME Act is as wide-ranging as the current discussion draft, it could unite these disparate gaming interests, creating something of a regulatory unicorn within the gaming world: universal industry support.

Furthermore, because the draft merely puts the power to regulate in the hands of the states, it could mollify congressional conservativesalways skeptical of gambling expansionbecause it restores a principle most of them champion: federalism.

The 10th Amendment of the Constitution was intended to protect the states from undue federal influence, giving them the power to regulate commerce within their own borders. Pallones bill, in its current form, would simply undo the violation of state sovereignty perpetrated by PASPA and other federal gambling laws, giving states the choice of whether or not they want to legalize gambling while preserving their right to prohibit the activity if they desire.

Right now, this is a win-win bill with little to criticize. One can only hope that as it moves through the legislative meat-grinder, it remains as noble a proposal as it is now.

For the GAME Act draft proposal, see here.

Update (5/25/17, 2:10 pm): As Dustin Gouker over at Legal Sports Report notes, language in the bill that defines fantasy sports as gambling is, perhaps, the bills big Achilles heel. This puts the proposal at odds with both state and federal laws, which exempt fantasy sports from laws aimed at gambling. The inclusion of fantasy sports betting in the bill may temper some support and generate opposition.

While Daily Fantasy Sports companieswould likely oppose any attempt to legalize sports betting (since it directly compete with theirbusiness model) they will certainly fight against being labelled as gambling by federal law.

Furthermore, this inclusion of fantasy sports could also prompt opposition from sports leagues, like the National Basketball Association, thatmight otherwise support sports betting legalization. This is because many professional sports teams have sponsorship deals with DFS companies, but also because most of the leagues have very strict rules about gambling. Designating DFS as gambling could put them in a tricky situation.

If Rep. Pallone and GAME Act supporterswant to give the bill its best chance of passage, they ought to strike all the language related to fantasy sports.

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Breaking: Gambling Bill Could Restore Freedom to States - Competitive Enterprise Institute (blog)

HARRISBURG A gaming expansion bill passed by the state Senate would not only allow a variety of new privately run gambling options, but it would allow the Pennsylvania Lottery to go online.

The health of the Lottery has emerged as a matter of concern because its revenue is directed toward programs benefiting seniors, including funding local agencies on aging, subsidizing bus rides and providing property tax rebates, said state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria County.

Those concerns are amplified because seniors are already nervous about how a planned merger of state agencies, including the Department of Aging, might impact services, Langerholc said.

The legislation will put the Lottery on an equal footing, he said.

Its a necessary step to keep the Lottery afloat as consumer tastes change and gambling expansion creates increasing amounts of competition, said Gary Miller, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Lottery.

"We're pleased the Senate recognized the need for the Pennsylvania Lottery to modernize by selling games online, which will help us to meet our players where they already are and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving gaming environment, Miller said. Expanding into Lottery games will help us to generate the long-term, sustainable profit growth necessary to maintain the Lotterys funding of vital services for older Pennsylvanians.

The Pennsylvania Lottery expects to finish 2016-17 with 2.3 percent less revenue than it generated in the prior year, Miller said.

Part of the problem is that 2015-16 was a good year for the Lottery, as a $1.6 billion jackpot in the Powerball inflated sales, he said.

But the Lottery has also been struggling with the fact that gamblers are spending less on the daily drawing games. Those games generate more money for the Lottery than the instant games that are becoming increasingly popular.

In 2015-16, 67 percent of the $4 billion spent on Lottery games in Pennsylvania was spent on instant scratch-off tickets. Just five years ago, instant games accounted for 59 percent of the $3.2 billion in Lottery sales.

Gov. Tom Wolfs budget anticipates that the Legislature will follow through and allow the Lottery to offer online games.

The Lottery provision is part of a broader gaming expansion that would make Pennsylvania the first state to allow both casinos and the Lottery to offer online games. It would also allow the state to regulate fantasy sports games and allow airports in the state to open gambling parlors.

In an April hearing on the solvency of the Lottery, Wolfs budget secretary, Randy Albright, estimated that letting the Lottery offer online games would generate $19 million in new revenue for the Lottery fund. On the other hand, if the Legislature expanded gambling in other ways without allowing the Lottery to go online, it would have an immediate negative impact on the Lottery.

Albright said that if the state allows online gaming for other operators and not the Lottery, it would cost the Lottery $6 million in revenue a year.

The Senate approved the gambling measure by a 38-12 vote.

One of those who opposed the bill was state Sen. John Gordner, R-27, of Berwick.

Gordner said that despite the bills provision allowing the Lottery to offer online games, he thinks the legislation will create too much competition for gambling dollars.

If there is further expansion, there are going to be losers, Gordner said. Those on the wrong side of expansion could be the Lottery, the casinos and horse tracks that employ thousands of people in the state, he said.

Determining who will get the pieces of the gambling revenue pie isnt the only consideration. Gordner said its not sound public policy to make gambling too accessible.

Do we want people sitting at home gambling at 11 oclock at night? At 3 oclock in the morning? he asked.

The Senate gambling bill is an amended version of Legislation that had already passed in the House. The altered bill now goes back to the House.

John Finnerty is the Statehouse reporter for Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., parent company of The Daily Item. Email comments to jfinnerty@cnhi.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnhipa.

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Pennsylvania moves closer to allowing Lottery to offer online gambling - Sunbury Daily Item

According to a May 14 Gazette article, a Las Vegas company, Golden Entertainment, has moved into western Montana and reported, about $15 million in revenue for the first quarter in its newly acquired Montana operations. Its Montanas second-largest producer of gaming (gambling) machines. It reported a $692,000 profit for the quarter in Montana. Remember, the tax rate on gambling machine revenue is only 15 percent. Thats right only 15 cents on the dollar!

During our recent legislative session, the Legislature tried to raise taxes on beer and tobacco and raid the coal tax trust fund to balance the budget, but no one mentioned increasing the tax on gambling revenue. Are they all afraid of the gambling lobby?

It is way past time to increase the tax from 15 percent to 25 percent, and we have two years to prepare for a vote. With 25 percent tax on gambling machine revenues the state could not only fix all of its dilapidated infrastructure, it would have enough cash left to bore a tunnel through Homestake Pass!

The old 15 percent tax is out of date. Are we all a bunch of wimps who are afraid of the gambling lobby? We can change this. Lets get a move on.

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Stand up to the gambling lobby - Billings Gazette

BBC News

Bangor researchers study gambling public health impact - BBC News BBC News Research by Bangor University will look at the impact of gambling on health in Wales. and more »

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Bangor researchers study gambling public health impact - BBC News - BBC News

Gambling outside is one of the most fun experiences you can have in Las Vegas.

Gambling outside is one of the most fun experiences you can have in Las Vegas.

Its that time of year in Las Vegas. The temperatures are hitting 100 degrees for the first time and, although its been pool season for a couple of months already, we're now entering peak pool season.

Some of us will choose to grab a book and relax by the pool, others will look for the most fun dayclub experience, and some families will take a leisurely drift down a lazy river - yeah, MGM Grand has a six mile long lazy river.

Theres a pool scene for everyone in Las Vegas. Caesars Palace alone has six different pool experiences.

Personally, Im always looking for a new place to gamble. Mobile sports betting apps are great for a lot of reasons and gambling anywhere is one of the best features.

Gambling By The Pool

During the summer, the sportsbook apps allow you to place wagers while hanging out at the pool. You can be in a cabana at a dayclub and happen to have a game on and think theres an in-game play that makes sense. The apps can make that happen. Maybe youre so chill while floating down the lazy river that you remember a bet you forgot to place in the casino. Good thing you have your phone handy.

While betting on sports with a mobile app may be new to Sin City theres always been a tradition of gambling outside in Las Vegas. There are casinos that offer poolside and in-pool gambling. Most of these casinos will offer poolside blackjack while a few even have a poolside craps table.

The casinos that offer gambling outside by the pool come and go but many have been offering the games for a few years now. Caesars Palace, Cosmopolitan, Downtown Grand, Encore, Flamingo, Golden Nugget, Hard Rock, Mandalay Bay, Plaza, Planet Hollywood, Red Rock, and Wynn are all offering poolside gambling this year. Caesars Palace and Tropicana both offer swim-up blackjack where you can gamble while sitting in the pool.

The poolside blackjack game that might be the most fun is at the Cosmopolitan. They offer poolside blackjack at Marquee Dayclub during the day on weekends and at night when the club is open (Friday, Saturday, and Monday).

Not The Sharpest Blackjack

You might be able to research games and make sharp sports bets by the pool but the same cant be said for playing blackjack. These games are meant for recreational players just looking for another way to have fun in the sun.

The blackjack games offered at the pool are often some of the worst blackjack games at each casino. When youre dealt a blackjack youll almost always be paid 6:5 instead of 3:2 regardless of the minimum bet. This payout increases the house edge for the casino threefold.

Youll find this payout at many low limits tables and party pits on the Vegas Strip already. The rules are something to be aware of because it swings the house edge to the casino in a big way. This is not a blackjack game to play if youre looking for the best bet in Las Vegas.

Poolside blackjack is a game you play because you want to gamble outside and gawk at people wearing very little clothing - remember that and have fun.

Roll Dem Bones

Flamingo, Golden Nugget, and Plaza each offer a single dealer mini-craps game at their pool. These craps games are played in small tubs that are about half the size of normal dice tables. In the past, each game has offered the same odds as the casino has inside.

This is the game youll want to play if youre looking for a fair casino gambling experience by the pool. Sorry, there are no long swim-up craps tables in Las Vegas.

Pros And Cons Of Gambling By The Pool

Make no mistake about it, gambling by the pool is gambling. Casinos may be distracting but you'll certainly find more things impairing your judgment when you're gambling outside by the pool.

Even if the odds in blackjack were optimal its nearly impossible to focus on just the game with all the scantily clad guests and employees. Remember the house edge is based on perfect play. Every wrong move you make plays into the hands of the casino. There are plenty of stimuli at the pool to take your attention away from making the best decision.

Having said all of this, gambling outside is one of the most fun experiences you can have in Las Vegas. I love all of the distractions. Its nearly impossible not to look when someone walks buy. Its so hot out that theres never a time when a drink isnt in hand. Some casinos have the music so loud that I want to yell at the DJ to get off my lawn! And I love it all.

Knowing the pro's and con's should allow you to manage expectations and manage your bankroll to have a great time at the pool this summer. Chances are good that Ill already have had my first poolside blackjack session by the time you read this!

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'Tis the season for gambling at (and in) the pools of Las Vegas - Covers.com

A fixed-odds betting terminal in a Paddy Power betting shop in east London. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

British gamblers lost a record 13.8bn in the year ending September 2016, including an all-time high of 1.82bn on controversial fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs).

The figures, released by the industry regulator the Gambling Commission, come just weeks before a long-awaited government review of the industry is due to be published.

The review has seen FOBTs, which allow gamblers to stake up to 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino-style games, become a focal point for campaigners supporting tighter regulation. Both the Liberal Democrats and Labour are promising to cut the maximum bet to 2 if they win the general election. Punters losses on FOBT machines are the equivalent of nearly 5m a day, every day of the year.

The commissions figures showed that gamblers losses on the machines continue to grow, and increased by 57m from the last update in November to 1.82bn for the year to the end of September 2016.

The amount lost on FOBTs has increased by 73% since 2009, despite the number of machines rising by just 9% over the same period to 34,388, indicating punters are increasing the amount they stake.

Each machine brought in an average of 52,887 a year, according to the figures, about twice the national average wage.

Carolyn Harris, who is standing for re-election as the MP for Swansea East and has campaigned for a reduction in FOBT stakes, said the scale of the losses was obscene.

Losses on FOBTs are spiralling out of control. Every year more and more is lost on these addictive machines, so the next government must act to reduce the maximum stake to 2 a spin.

Bookmakers, who derive more than half of their revenue from FOBTs, have defended the machines, warning that thousands of jobs and billions in taxes could be lost if they are restricted.

But the Campaign for Fairer Gambling said the machines were a net drain on the economy.

The bizarre experiment to allow high stakes, high speed roulette in betting shops is delivering huge profits for the bookmakers at the expense of an even greater cost to society and the economy, said a spokesperson. More jobs would be created if money lost on FOBTs was spent elsewhere.

The industry review, by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is widely expected to recommend new curbs when it is published after the election, with industry insiders expecting stakes will be cut from the current 100 to between 10 and 20.

The Association of British Bookmakers said: The increase in revenue from gaming machines in betting shops of 3% [compared with the last report] is in line with the average growth in revenue across the whole of the gambling industry (3%) and growth in the economy as a whole.

To put the growth in gaming machines revenue in context the Gambling Commissions figures show a 20% increase in revenue in casinos, a 7% increase in lotteries (other than the National lottery) and a 5% increase in online revenue.

The total lost on internet gaming climbed from 4.2bn to nearly 4.5bn, while the National Lottery declined slightly, falling from 3.4bn to 3.2bn.

The overall figure for gamblers losses of 13.8bn is a 39% increase on the year to the end of March 2014, but the increase is exaggerated by the inclusion in recent years of figures for online gaming.

The last update from the Gambling Commission, for the year to the end of March 2016, put the figure at 13.4bn.

While the industrys revenues grew, the size of the gambling sector in terms of jobs declined by 1.5% to 104,896.

This was partly due to a 1.8% decrease in the number of betting shops to 8,709 and a 4.3% decrease in bingo halls to 575.

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UK gamblers lose record 13.8bn as industry braces for FOBT crackdown - The Guardian

Gamblers in Britain spent a record 13.8 billion ($17.8 billion USD) in the 12-month period ending in September 2016, according to a report from the countrys Gambling Commission.

The commission said that nearly 4.5 billion ($5.8 billion) came from all forms of online gambling, an increase of about seven percent from the 4.2 billion ($5.4 billion) won from April 2015 to March 2016.

Remote gambling (mostly online) is the largest sector and has been regulated by point of consumption in Great Britain since November 2014, the executive summary said.

This sector constitutes 32 percent of the overall market and 4.5bn [gross gambling yield]. Within the remote sector, casino games have generated the highest turnover and 2.4bn in GGY, predominantly through slots games (1.6bn). GGY for remote betting, including betting exchanges and pool betting, totals 1.9bn and is dominated by football and horses.

Brick-and-mortar casinos contributed nearly 1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) to the total, according to the report. Thats up 15 percent from the last report.

There are 147 casinos in the country.

The $17.8 billion figure for the overall U.K. gambling market includes revenue from the lottery. For comparison, U.S. casinos (commercial and tribal) win about $70 billion a year from gamblers, with lotteries in America adding another $70 billion to the overall gambling market.

Its worth noting that the U.S. doesnt have a nationwide sports betting framework yet and online casino gambling is legal in just three states.

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British Gambling At Records Levels, Report Says - CardPlayer.com