Monthly Archives: July 2017

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In all the back-and-forth about how to pay for Pennsylvania's budget, gambling fans should take one point to heart: Legalized online casino gaming, daily fantasy sports betting and online lottery sales are almost certain to be part of the ultimate agreement. The main question appears to be whether other expansions of legalized gambling are in store. Satellite casinos, airport gaming areas, skill-based gaming and even sports betting are being considered.

That's quite a list for the state second only to Nevada in commercial casino revenue. Whatever winds up being added will mark a significant shift in the gambling landscape in a relatively brief time. Pennsylvania's first legal casino opened in 2006. Mohegan Sun and its successors were slots-only operations until table games were approved in 2010. In November 2011, Pennsylvania topped New Jersey in monthly gaming revenue for the first time.

Now the Keystone Sate seems about to become the fourth and by far the most populous state to approve Internet gaming open to people physically within its borders. In addition to providing an influx of tax revenue and protections for Pennsylvania gamblers using unregulated offshore sites, that move could herald approval of Internet gaming in other states that want to help their casinos grow.

Predicting what the Legislature and governor will do, and when, is difficult. Gov. Tom Wolf let the 2017-18 spending plan become law without his signature, and his office and legislative leaders are wrangling over how to come up with the money for it. House and Senate members were sent home July 11 but put on notice that they could be called back to Harrisburg with six hours' notice.

We're in one of those periods where everyone needs to take a step back, says Rep. George Dunbar, R-Westmoreland, a longtime backer of legalized online gaming and daily fantasy sports. According to multiple media reports, those measures were uncontested parts of a revenue plan in negotiations before legislators left Harrisburg.

Dunbar says Internet gambling and daily fantasy sports wagering are already common on unregulated sites.

Why don't we give the consumer protection and collect the tax revenue that we need? he says. It makes sense to me.

If online gaming is approved and carries a tax rate that doesn't keep operators away, it would take about six months for regulations to be written and the sites set up, experts say.

Pennsylvania's plan would give the states' 12 land-based casinos first shot at operating online gaming sites offering slots, table games and poker. That's an effective approach, says a recent nationwide report by Spectrum Gaming Group, an independent research firm.

Harnessing online gaming to land-based licensees will not only grow online and land-based revenue, but will also do more to increase employment, generate capital investment and encourage other sources of revenue, such as sales taxes, says the report, presented to the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States.

The study found that online gaming attracts primarily new customers and that existing customers of land-based casinos who also wager online typically increase how much they spend at the casino.

Online gamblers tend to be younger than those who currently frequent traditional casinos.

People are hard-wired to enjoy games of chance and to take reasonable risk, regardless of the decade in which they were born, the Spectrum study says. People are also hard-wired to enjoy social settings, and to seek entertainment experiences with other adults.

The Spectrum study advises states with both casino gaming and lotteries to find common ground when those operations go online, as Pennsylvania is considering. Lotteries' online instant-game tickets will evolve into the equivalent of an online slot machine, the study says. There will be competition between the two, unless policymakers encourage joint ventures or similar arrangements to boost convergence, rather than competition, Spectrum says.

Mark Gruetze is the Tribune-Review's gambling columnist. Reach him at PlayersAdv@outlook.com

Western Pa. players rack up cash at WSOP

Western Pennsylvania players have combined for more than $300,000 in winnings at this year's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The 74-event series is wrapping up its 48th year of competition. Local players finishing in the money in the final tournaments before the $10,000-per-seat Main Event are:

Event 19, The Giant: No Limit Hold 'Em, $365 buy-in, 10,015 entries (ended July 9): Shannon Milasincic of Butler, 598th, $532; David Lundie of North Huntingdon, 932nd, $720; Alan Chute of Pittsburgh, 1,005th, $652; Dalaine Ofchinick of Braddock, 1,192nd, $595

Event 49, Pot Limit Omaha, $3,000 buy-in, 630 entries: Jeff Hakim of Wexford, 83rd, $4,516

Event 50, No Limit Hold 'Em Bounty, $1,500 buy-in, 1,927 entries: Robert Mazzie of Pittsburgh, 50th, $4,687; Jeff Hakim of Wexford, 88th, $2,513

Event 57, Omaha High-Low 8 or Better/Seven-Card Stud High-Low 8 or Better Mix, $2,500 buy-in, 405 entries: Adam Stoller of Wexford, 26, $5,200

Event 58, No Limit Hold 'Em, $1,500 buy-in, 1,763 entries: Samuel Ganzfried of Pittsburgh, 221st, $2,329; Travis Hartshorn of Sarver, 244th, $2,249

Event 60, Eight-Handed No Limit Hold 'Em, $888 buy-in, 8,120 entries: Simon Mattsson of Pittsburgh, 535th, $2,023; Nicholas Immekus of Jefferson Hills, 542nd, $2,023; Griffin Abel of Pittsburgh, 556th, $1,949; David Eldridge of Cranberry, 901st, $1,473; Billy Pilossoph of Presto, 1,006th, $1,334; Ryan Milisits of Pittsburgh, 1,068th, $1,332; Jeffrey Francia of Monessen, 1,093rd, $1,332

Event 61, Online No Limit Hold 'Em High-Roller, $3,333 buy-in, 424 entries: Jeff Hakim of Wexford, 34th, $7,613

Event 63, No Limit Hold 'Em, $1,000 buy-in, 1,750 entries: Richard Tatalovich of Pittsburgh, 47th, $4,587

Event 65, No Limit Hold 'Em (30-minute levels), $1,000 buy-in, 1,413 entries: Mark Ayoub of Pittsburgh, 208th, $1,503

Event 66, No Limit Hold 'Em, $1,500 buy-in, 1,956 entries: Griffin Abel of Pittsburgh, 75th, $4,639; Mark Ayoub of Pittsburgh, 226th, $2,494

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More legalized gambling seems to be a sure bet in Pa. - Tribune-Review

Sir, We are writing in relation to a letter from Dr Colin OGara (June 30th) on gambling addiction in Ireland and the urgent need for the enactment of the Gambling Control Bill. We are in complete agreement with Dr OGara and strongly urge the Government to enact the legislation as soon as possible.

As mentioned by Dr OGara, the Bill would create a social fund, which would provide much-needed funding for problem gambling treatment, prevention and research, through the creation of a levy on gambling industry turnover. We strongly believe that, as in other jurisdictions, the gambling industry must be compelled to mitigate the harm caused by their products and services. Currently there is no dedicated statutory funding for problem gambling services in Ireland, and gambling addiction is not part of the HSEs service plan for 2017. Unfortunately, even with the best efforts of government, it may take years before the social fund is active.

The Department of Finance recently held a review of betting duty. Betting duty in Ireland is among the lowest in the world, at 1 per cent of gambling industry turnover. The equivalent turnover rate in the UK is roughly 1.5 per cent. In our submission to the Department of Finance, we proposed that the betting duty be increased to 1.1 per cent, with the additional funds ring-fenced for problem gambling services. We proposed that this would be an interim measure, until the social fund is activated. While we are aware that Government is generally not in favour of ring-fencing funds, a precedent has been set in relation to betting duty, as the entire tax-take from this duty is ring-fenced for the Horse Racing & Greyhound Fund. Betting duty receipts amounted to approximately 50 million in 2016. This 50 million, plus an additional 30 million, was allocated to the Horse Racing & Greyhound Fund in 2017 and yet zero funds were allocated to addressing the harm caused by problem gambling.

We believe our proposal to the Department of Finance to be a simple, effective and expedient way to resource services which deal with the rapidly escalating issue of gambling-related harm in Ireland. Yours, etc,

BARRY GRANT,

Chief Executive,

Problem Gambling Ireland,

Viewmount House,

Viewmount Park,

Dunmore Road,

Waterford City;

MAEBH LEAHY,

Chief Executive,

Rutland Centre,

Templeogue,

Dublin 16.

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Tackling gambling-related harm - Irish Times

Having spent more than 40 years living in the Fairfield area and lost more than $500,000 gambling, it was gratifying to finally see Fairfield City Council stand up and be counted last week on the enormous damage caused by poker machines.

I'm now 77 and have been off gambling for 17 years but still require monthly counselling to keep me safe.

The Fairfield area is ground zero of the predatory gambling industry in NSW and I feel much safer having moved away to the South Coast in the 1980s.

Looking back on my time in Fairfield it is easy to understand how the pokies became so embedded in NSW society.

The problems start with the registered clubs and the way they control so much of the great game of rugby league, effectively on behalf of the pokies industry.

Over the years I played league for Mounties, Smithfield and the Liverpool Colts all of which were funded by pokies. They normalised poker machine gambling into everyday life.

Sure, I also used to punt on the races and even worked as a greyhounds judge for a while, but it was the pokies that really cleaned me out, especially after the Carr government introduced them into hotels in 1997. A lot of my old rugby league mates have also been cleaned out by the pokies, leaving us to rely on federal government support to see out our twilight years.

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There are 38 pokies venues in Fairfield and I lost money at many of them, including the Guildford Leagues Club, the Canley Heights RSL Sports Club, the Cabramatta Leagues Club and, of course, Mounties in Mount Pritchard which drains almost $100 million a year from the Fairfield community.

The Mounties directors proudly declared in the 2015-16 annual report that they are "currently ranked No.1 in NSW for gaming machine profit". But at what cost to the community?

Back in the day of the coin-operated one-armed bandits, you could only lose so much in a single session, but the modern pokie is far more addictive.

In fact, Australian-style pokies are the most dangerous in the world and NSW is the worst in Australia with $10 maximum bets. The Productivity Commission recommended $1 maximum bets in 1999, Victoria has moved to $5 bets, but NSW remains immovable because of political capture of the Coalition and Labor parties. We still haven't even banned ATMs at venues, like the rest of Australia.

The Herald was right to use the word "political blackmail" in Thursday's editorial when describing how ClubsNSW influences our state politicians. It has donated millions to the Liberal and Labor parties, both of which have failed to protect the community.

The Liberals are locked up by a so-called Memorandum of Understandingwith ClubsNSW which runs until 2019 and totally favours the pokies industry and Labor runs its own pokies venue at the Randwick Labor Club.

The 1400 registered clubs in NSW have become so rich from the pokies that they are now an economic force in their own right and can deploy their familiar arguments about community grants and jobs. I used to work behind the bar at the Liverpool Bowling Club and the Marconi Club;I was just a foot soldier for the gambling industry inflicting damage on members and visitors to these clubs.

Len Ainsworth and his family have built more of the NSW pokies than anyone through their companies Aristocrat Leisure and Ainsworth Gaming Technology. It's all very well for them to be worth more than $3 billion, but what about the people they harm along the way? If you're worried about rising inequality in Australia, just compare Len Ainsworth and me.

It is a shame registered clubs have become so entangled in everyday community life when an overwhelming majority of their revenue comes from a dangerous addictive product. In the case of Mounties Group, it raked in $127 million in revenue in 2015-16, but $107 million of this was from the pokies at seven different sites across NSW.

The state government should introduce a rule that says no pokies venue can derive more than 50 per centof their revenue from pokies. That would force a few changes.

Ralph Bristow is member of the NSW Gambling Impact Society which assists people harmed by gambling. For further information: http://gisnsw.org.au/

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I lost $500,000 living in Fairfield, NSW's ground zero for predatory ... - The Sydney Morning Herald

TWO suspected operators of illegal gambling machines and a bettor were arrested in separate operations in Barangay Jubay, Liloan, Cebu, on Sunday evening, July 16.

Authorities caught Jessie Vargas Emit, 40, an illegal gambling machine operator, and bettor Jorino Pogoy Miro, 34, around 6:30 p.m. Sunday in Sitio Pamutungan, Barangay Jubay. Emit yielded a video carrera machine that was placed at the back of Emits store.

Fifteen minutes later, another operator, identified as Consorsio Bastatas Tapsadan, 54, was caught in the act of maintaining the video carrera machine outside his house in Sitio Fatima, Barangay Jubay.

Town Police Chief Melbert Glade Esguerra said they will determine the manufacturers of the machines.

Esguerra said they are going after illegal gambling activities as one of the methods in curbing illegal drug trade.

He added that some pushers are into illegal gambling, so they can gain more profit. (SunStar Cebu)

Latest issues of SunStar Cebu also available on your mobile phones, laptops, and tablets. Subscribe to our digital editions at epaper.sunstar.com.ph and get a free seven-day trial.

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2 illegal gambling machine operators arrested in Liloan | SunStar - Sun.Star

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News Gaming Business Japan to Slash Pachinko Payouts by Half as Part of Problem Gambling Review

Shares in Japans Pachinko companies fell this week on the news that the government is planning to tighten regulations on the machines and slash payouts by 50 percent.

Japans pachinko parlors have escaped the kind of oversight imposed on other forms of gambling because they are classed as amusements, but with the advent of casinos, thats all about to change. (Image: CNN Travel)

According to the Japan Times, the National Police Agency wants to lower the amount that can be won within four hours play from 100,000 ($880) to 50,000 ($440). This is part of its initiative to combat problem gambling as the country prepares to legalize and regulate casinos.

The colorful, noisy machines, which can be found in parlors throughout cities in Japan, have in the past escaped the stricter regulatory oversight imposed on other forms of gambling because they are classified as amusements, like fairground attractions.

A kind of slot/pinball hybrid, pachinkos dont pay out cash directly. Instead, players trade captured balls for tokens that can be exchanged for money elsewhere.

But thats all about to change. The NPA wants to apply exactly the same kind of rules to pachinko machines as they will to the slots that will line the casino floors of its future integrated resorts.

It believes that limiting the amount that can be won in one sitting will make people less likely to chase their losses.

The pachinko market has actually shrunk dramatically over the past 20 years, from 18,244 parlors at its 1995 peak to 10,986 in 2016. But its still huge. The Japanese spent $209 billion playing pachinko in 2015, around 4 percent of the countrys GDP.

The Japanese are concerned that they may have a pachinko problem. A 2014 study found that 5.36 million Japanese, or 4.8 percent of the adult population, could be problem gamblers.

With the new casinos coming, the government has promised to devote more resources to research into dependency. Its plans to legalize casino gaming have been met with little public enthusiasm and it wants to deflect criticism that it is allowing gambling to run rampant.

The NPA said it will call for managers of pachinko parlors to educate employees about problem gambling and provide information to customers to how they can get help if their gambling is out of control.

Stock in major pachinko operators and manufactures Sega Sammy Holdings and Universal Entertainment plummeted seven percent and five percent, respectfully, in the wake of the news.

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Japan to Slash Pachinko Payouts by Half as Part of Problem ... - Casino.Org News