Monthly Archives: January 2020

Crime

EL PASO, Texas -- Allegations of El Paso County Sheriff's deputies gambling using betting boards on county time surfacedTuesday.

Former deputy Joe Kluge initially made the claim in a social media post that Sheriff Richard Wiles was made aware of the gambling and turned a blind eye to it. He also alleged in an interview with ABC-7 that that high-ranking and command staff have participated in the scheme.

According to Kluge, "a current deputy lieutenant has been running a gambling scheme by selling Super Bowl squares at $350 a square."

Sheriff Wiles told ABC-7 that he's not aware of any gambling within the Sheriff's Office, and added that no formal complaint has been filed.

However, Kluge says he submitted information about the alleged gambling to the Texas Rangers, who in turn, turned the information over to the El Paso County Attorney's office.

Wiles says gambling is illegal in the state of Texas under penal code 47.3 and would be treated as an illegal activity even in his office.

Wiles adds that Kluge's allegations are politically motivated. He says he demoted Kluge several years ago for questionable behavior. Wiles indicated Kluge eventually resigned and took a job with one of his opponents running against him for sheriff of El Paso County.

Kluge adamantly denies his allegations are politically motivated.

The sheriff said he consulted with legal staff to make sure there is no ongoing investigation regarding illegal gambling.

Wiles tells ABC-7 that his office will be sending an email out to all of his employees reminding them that this type of activity is both a violation of the law and a violation of department policy, adding employees should refrain from it.

El Paso / News / Texas Politics / Top Stories

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El Paso County Sheriff accused of allowing deputies to partake in illegal gambling pools at work - KVIA El Paso

Ukraines legislature has approved a bill that would legalise gambling in the country in its first reading, with 260 of the countrys 450 deputies voting in favour.

The bill, 2285-D, was introduced by Oleg Marusyak as one of six alternatives to the reforms submitted by the Servant of the People Party-led government in Parliament in October.

Eastern Europe-facing operator Parimatch hailed the bill's passing its first reading, noting that legal gambling could boost the Ukrainian economy.

"The adoption of Bill 2285-D in its first reading is the first step towards creating a fair and transparent gambling market, which will in turn attract investment and introduce new technology to the country," Parimatch said.

"Once legalised, the market will create thousands of jobs, contribute to both state and local budgets, lead to an increase in tourism, and will help to counter corruption in professional sports. Also, the increased tax revenues generated will provide much needed funds to support culture, medicine, and sports in Ukraine."

Marusyaks bill includes a lower licence fee for online gambling than any of the alternatives, at UAH6.7m (212,800/249,500/$277,300).

The bill also includes a minimum licence fee of UAH41.7m for casinos in hotels with 200-250 rooms and a fee of UAH62.6m for casinos in hotels with 250 or more rooms. These licence fees will track the countrys minimum wage to adjust for inflation.

The bill would determine bookmaking licences through a system where each licensee would have the rights to open 5 bookmaking shops. 32 bookmaking licences would be available in Kyiv, 16 between Ukraines other large cities of Odes and Kharkov and a further 32 in the rest of the country.

The number of gambling machines is limited to 40,000 and players must be 21 to gamble, an increase from 18, which it had been in an earlier version of the bill which did not pass when read in December.

In addition, it proposed a register for self-excluded players and the distribution of responsible gambling information to staff.

The bill will now face a second reading, before which further details - such as the tax rate on gambling - may be worked out for inclusion in the final bill.

"Deputies in Ukraine shoulder great responsibility when preparing the bill for its second reading, which must meet the highest international standards for legalizing the gambling industry," Parimatch said.

"Parimatch is open to dialogue and working with lawmakers as part of the finalization of the bill. We are happy to share our comprehensive global expertise and knowledge gained over the years operating as a successful, internationally focused and responsible gambling company."

If passed at the second reading, it will be presented to President Volodymyr Zelensky and if signed will become law. Zelensky has pushed for legal gambling in Ukraine, ordering a new gambling bill in the country in September 2019 and putting his support behind Oleg Marusyaks law in December when it went to an earlier vote.

Zelensky previously threatened to strictly enforce the countrys existing anti-gambling laws if a framework for legal gambling was not adopted.

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Ukraine's parliament approves gambling bill at first reading - iGaming Business

The gambling industry is back under the spotlight after it was revealed that the bookmaker Betfreds owners make millions from a company that treats gambling addicts.

Following the news, the shadow health secretary, Jon Ashworth, said the fact the company is simultaneously cashing in from betting and gambling addiction treatment is an unacceptable conflict of interest.

The owners of Betfred are the billionaires Fred and Peter Done. The Guardian has revealed that pair also own Health Assured.

That companys clients include multiple NHS trusts that treat gambling addicts from the public sector. Health Assureds website states that the NHS staff can access counselling for issues such as reckless behaviour, including excessive drinking or gambling.

The Dones have taken 5.2m in dividends from Health Assured in the past three years. They are also both Tory donors, handing 375,000 to the Conservative party since 2016.

The mental health chief of the NHS, Claire Murdoch, has written to the Gambling Commission to say the health service should not be left to pick up the pieces from gambling firms tactics to retain customers with addiction issues.

A government spokesperson said any public authority awarding a contract should also carry out its own thorough due diligence, including looking for conflicts of interest.

Health Assured said: All public sector contracts we have been awarded have thorough due diligence carried out before are they issued, including looking for conflicts of interest.

One of the UKs largest bookmakers, Betfred, has previously been criticised for its attitude to problem gambling and towards staff.

Last year, the gambling regulator weighed in after it introduced games that mimicked fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs).

Betfred, which had revenues of 728m last year, was accused of cheating on new rules after high-stakes roulette-style games were launched on the same day as restrictions on curbing fixed-odds betting terminals came into force.

The Guardian says the move was seen as an attempt to bypass a crackdown on the much-criticised machines.

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How Betfred makes millions treating gambling addicts - The Week UK

The roll of the dice.

It is back to work for statelegislators who are trying to solve problems around the county in their areas.While legalizing sportsbooks should not be considered a major problem, thereare elected officials who want to see sportsbooks coming to their states. In2020, this much is certain, there will be no discussion of legalizing sportsgambling in Utah as gambling is prohibited by law in the states constitution.Alaska, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Wyoming would have to change state law thatprohibits sports gambling. The states that have not enacted legalized sportsgambling can take up the question. Maine legislators agreed to a sports bettingbill in 2019 but Governor Janet Mills vetoed the bill. Georgia and Kentuckyelected officials are going to try and get a sports betting bill passed thisyear. A number of other states are in the same boat. Connecticut andMassachusetts lawmakers will for a third year in a row try to get a billpassed.

On the federal level, New York Democrat Chuck Schumer and Utah Republican Mitt Romney are trying to concoct a bill that could establish some federal rules for the states that have legalized sports gambling to enforce. There was an attempt in 2018 to get some federal guidelines on the books as retiring Utah Republican Orrin Hatch put forth The Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act of 2018, which would have required bookmakers to use official data that was provided or licensed by professional sports leagues in posting odds. Hatchs legislation went nowhere. Nevada got legalized sportsbooks in 1949.New York, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, Oregon, New Mexico, Arkansas, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Colorado and Tennessee have various forms of sportsbooks.

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States Without Legalized Sports Gambling Are Debating Whether To Allow Sports Betting - Sports Talk Florida

The owners of Betfred have been criticized because of their ties to both the flagship British betting company and Health Assured, a company with multiple government contracts, some of which pertain to gambling treatment.

The names of Betfred owners Fred and Peter Done have been cited in a new development related to the treatment of gambling addicts, the Guardian reported. According to the newspaper, the brothers, who are also big Tory donors, have been making millions off the treatment of gambling addicts.

The pair are owners of Health Assured, which is a government-picked company tasked with the provision of health and well-being services to staff. Amid the dozens of contracts, several arrangements targeting the treatment of gambling addicts have surfaced prompting indignation.

According to The Guardians report the Dones have claimed 5.2 million in dividends from their health business so far. The newspaper also noted that the brothers have donated 375,000 to the Conservative Party since 2016.

A number of government officials and MPs have spoken against the arrangement, including Jon Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, who stated outright that the Dones brothers had an unacceptable conflict of interest, providing both betting products as well as treatment to vulnerable players.

The National Health System (NHS) chief, Claire Murdoch chimed in speaking of tokenism and hypocrisy, and that measures would need to be taken. According to The Guardians analysis, the services provided by Health Assured may be reaching tens of thousands of government employees as of this moment.

Murdoch urged players who experience issues with gambling to visit one of the newly set-up NHS clinics offering gambling problems help. Murdoch has also been vociferous in urging gambling companies to avoid trying to retain players who exhibit problem gambling issues.

In a recent letter addressed to gambling bosses, Murdoch said that she has seen first-hand the devastating effects that gambling addiction could have on mental and financial well-being. This view is also shared by Gambling Commission boss Arthur McNeil who just this week announced a credit cards gambling ban, citing concerns about the financial well-being of players.

Murdoch stressed on addiction in general, explaining that whatever the source of the addiction drugs, drinks or gambling should be addressed and be a national concern. Another critic, Ian Duncan Smith, who is the chair of a cross-party gambling group, said that it was cynical to both create a problem and try to amend it.

Betfred has been criticized on several other occasions as well. Last year, the company reportedly underestimated the pay it owed to employees and ended up underpaying without notifying staff members once the mistake was discovered.

In October, 2019, the company was slapped with a 322,000 fine by the UK Gambling Commission, after failing to meet money laundering norms. The company was also affected by the introduction of the fixed-odds sports betting terminals restrictions, with Betfred estimating that it might close down up to 500 shops.

Its worth noting, however that Betfred and Health Assured operate as completely separate businesses with no legal ties outside of their owners. Yet this detail has been enough to prompt criticism.

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Betfred Owners Have Government Gambling Treatment Contracts - GamblingNews.com

Blockchain is the new emerging technology in the gambling and betting business. Today industries from almost every sector, starting from academics to finance to retail, are deciphering the various benefits that blockchain technology can bring into for their betterment. Yet even, with the advent of the internet, playing online poker and bitcoin games have become a lot easier, without the need to visit a casino or a gambling club physically.

Online gambling is a flourishing industry with its own set of bottlenecks. Implementing blockchain technology can eliminate these bottlenecks and bring in more transparency in the industry. Innovative development is the utmost important factor that can drive the online gambling industry and today the most advanced and innovative technology is the blockchain. How blockchain technology is gradually taking over the gambling and betting industry is explained below.

Truth has always been a key issue in gambling and online casinos. Gamblers expect fairness in the calculation of odds and protection of their money along with the protection of personal data. The attributes of blockchain technology have the robust potential to resolve these issues that the modern-day gambling industries are facing. Being a decentralized technology, it removes the centralized control that brings in legitimacy in the gambling industry. Certain details like the payouts, winning frequencies, etc. are not revealed to the gamblers and also, they are not open to the public, which results in the lack of trust. However, with the help of Blockchain, this problem can be solved. Blockchain technology is a distributed ledger where everyone in the system can have access to every information. Thus, integrating Blockchain technology with online casinos can ensure an overall transparent system.

With the implementation of blockchain technology in the gambling industry, much-needed transparency across the online industry would be delivered, along with the verified and permanent records that cannot be manipulated. With blockchain technology, the gamblers would be able to place bets with transparency. They will also be able to gauge that the odds for each bet are generated fairly, which will, in turn, produce fair results.

With the advent of technology, the world has become a narrow place. Likewise, the innovative technology of blockchain eliminates the geographical restrictions that the gamblers face. There is no need to visit a casino or a gambling club; one can enjoy the cozy corners of their homes and play the betting games and make the payments online by a single swipe on their smart devices.

This term is familiar with the brick and mortar casinos, where the winner needs to pay an average share to the casino owner, so whatever he wins, a good portion of the winning amount goes to the casino owner. This is a serious bottleneck in the emerging gambling industry, where the gamblers are looking for a better alternative where their winning amounts remain exclusively theirs without the need to pay anything to the casino owner. This problem is solved by the blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies as the winning amount gets directly credited to the account of the winners.

Some gamblers who dont want to reveal their identities in public, prefer online casinos. When the gambler initiates a payment through the existing electronic payments transfer involving his bank accounts, all his personal details that are linked to his bank account come in the forefront, which he did not want to actually. However, integrating blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies can eliminate these issues. If he uses cryptocurrencies and the online casino also accepting crypto payments, then this problem can be solved. The gambler can make the payments using a hid crypto wallet where he does not have to reveal any of his personal details for making any payments. Also, the use of cryptocurrencies relieves the players to wait for the long processing times that the banks take to initiate the payments. Even sometimes, there are bank charges involved, which are eliminated with the integration of blockchain technology to the online casinos.

Blockchain eliminates the issues related to accessibility that the conventional gambling industry faces. Blockchain integrated gambling allows the complete withdrawal of the winning amount in just a few minutes, which cannot be done in conventional gambling. This ensures that the gamblers can easily take part in online gaming without worrying about the money.

Therefore, blockchain and its inherent innovative attributes are changing the fabric of the online gambling industry. Blockchain technology has given a highly disruptive solution to the problems faced by the gambling and betting industry.

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How Can Blockchain Technology Revolutionize the Gambling Industry - FinanceLong