Monthly Archives: April 2021

Vaccine Passports and Supply Chain Political Blacklist Risk – Reason

Posted: April 4, 2021 at 5:04 pm

I'm not in principle opposed to "vaccine passports," in the sense of reliable mechanisms of showing that you have been vaccinated (against COVID or against future diseases). That is especially so if they are used by private businesses, such as bars or stadiums or cruise ships, which want to reopen relatively safely, and in a way that assures patrons that they are relatively safe. (Since the vaccines aren't perfectly reliable, even vaccinated patrons might reasonably prefer close gatherings only with people who have been vaccinated.) But I think they would make sense for some government functions as well; for more on why I think such requirements are permissible even from a libertarianish perspective, see my Libertarianism and Communicable Disease post.

Still, the devil is in the details. Some involve substantive judgments: For instance, how would the vaccine passports deal with people who have good medical reasons not to get vaccinated? Others involve judgments about how best to minimize the risk that sensitive medical information will get hacked, or that the infrastructure will be too easily adapted for future improper uses (depending of course on which uses one thinks might be improper).

But there's also the supply chain political blacklist risk I discussed in a post earlier this morning. Say a venue (a meeting hall, a hotel, a university) starts using a passport that's supplied by some tech company, and that tech company then decideswhether because of its managers' or employees' ideological views, or because of pressure from other customers or suppliersthat it will stop serving venues that host "extremist" or "hateful" or "pro-insurrectionist" or anti-"anti-racist" events. Or say that the company decides to stop serving passport-holders who have attended such nefarious events; they reject such evil ideas, the company would say, and they don't want their technology to be used to spread such ideas.

What started out as just a health and safety decision by the venue, or by the government if it is requiring certain venues to check the vaccine passports, will have turned into extra private company control over what people can say and hear. Such control might be perfectly legal; I'm not claiming otherwise. But people (whether venue owners or customers or advocates or government officials) deciding whether to adopt such passports, and whether to support such passports, might want to try to prevent this up front.They might, for instance,

In any event, I think the events of recent months and years should remind us to consider supply chain political blacklist risk, just as we consider technological security risks, mission creep risks, and other such concerns.

Read more:
Vaccine Passports and Supply Chain Political Blacklist Risk - Reason

Posted in Libertarianism | Comments Off on Vaccine Passports and Supply Chain Political Blacklist Risk – Reason

Glenn Nielsen and David Tyson Smith race toward the 45th District special election – Columbia Daily Tribune

Posted: at 5:04 pm

The 45th House District seat wasn't supposed to be on the April ballot.

Former state Rep. Kip Kendrick was re-elected to the post in November, his final term representing residents in Boone County.

Kendrick, however,announced his decision to leave the position later that month, opting to join Greg Razer, D-Kansas City, as his chief of staff this year.

Gov. Mike Parson called the special election Jan. 27, and Libertarian candidate Glenn Nielsen and Democratic candidate David Tyson Smith on Tuesday will vie for votesto become the 45th District state representative.

Nielsen, a member of the Missouri Libertarian Party for over two decades, decided to run after the events of the death of George Floyd last summer and the economic downfall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More: Columbia City Council Sixth Ward election preview: Minchew, Merriman challenge incumbent Peters

Smith is a local attorney at Smith & Parnell. His potential election would make him the first Black legislator to represent Columbia and the first African American legislator elected outside of St. Louis or Kansas City.

Here is a summary of where thecandidates stand on a variety of issues:

The state legislature last week voted downa bill aimed at restricting the power of local health departments during health emergencies, such as the coronavirus pandemic.

Local control is imperative, Nielsen contends,but not health department orders instead he wants individuals to make decisions for themselves.

I am for local control but with proper checks and balances regarding COVID and other things, Nielsen said. I think individuals, families and businesses should have access to all the available information, recommendations and make decisions on what they feel is the best interest for them for their health and business.

That philosophy extends to COVID-19 regulations for businesses,mandates for citizensand strict property rights in regardto concentrated animal feeding operations.

More: School board candidates talk free speech, transgender student-athletes in final forum before election

Forcing a solution on the public generates resentment, Nielsen said.

Nielsen supports measures to require voter identification. The better the ability to validatevotes and auditvotes, the less polarization Missouri will face in future elections, Nielsen said.

"I agree that voters should have to provide ID when they vote," Nielsen said.

Nielsen advocated the state should waive fees associated with photo identifications to help create more access to voting if photo ID laws are enforced. He also believes charitable organizations will step up to help pay for additional costs.

The Missouri House did notinclude funding for Medicaid expansionin the passed budget proposal Thursday. Nielsen sees Medicaid and its expansion as a band-aid for the real issues in health care for Missourians.

More: 45th District candidates Smith, Nielsen discuss voting rights, local control, Medicaid expansion

The real problem is underscored by the excessive cost of health care, Nielsen said. That is the real underlying problem. Medicaid is just the band-aid that the government tries to apply to that problem. You need to address the problem with health care.

The Certificate of Need from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and added regulations over health care are driving prices up, according to Nielsen. The CON is a way to protect larger health systems from competition, Nielsen said.

More: Q&A: Columbia school board candidates share their views on pandemic, racial disparities and isolation rooms

Nielsen reported less than $500 of contributions and expenditures during the election in a report to theMissouri Ethic Commissions on March 28.

Missouri residents voted in favor for Medicaid expansion last August, and ever since, Smith has been wary of it actually receiving funding. Those fears were realized this week when the House passed a budget without funding for Medicaid expansion.

Smith always knew it was gong to be a fight in Jefferson City to implement the wishes of Missouri voters. He's hopeful he'll be able to advocate to secure funding if elected.

The voters of Missouri voted to have Medicaid expansion, and the majority is ignoring them, Smith said. ... For them to cut it against the will of the voters is hard to fathom. People need to rise up and call their legislators.

Smith's campaign, which started with an emphasis on COVID-19, has shifted to Medicaid expansion fundingand voting rights.

More: Boone County clerk to offer expanded Saturday hours

Smith has been an outspoken adversary of voter ID laws that require photo identification. Those provisions have nothing to do with voter fraud, Smith said.

The majority knows in Missouri and in America that if everybody votes, theyre not going to win, Smith said. If everybody votes, theyre not going to stay in power. They are doing everything in their power to suppress the vote.

... We are not far behind Georgia. House Bill 334 requires photo IDs to vote, which will significantly reduce the number of people that can vote. Every layer you add just reduces the voter pool.

More: Who leads in campaign funds for the Columbia school board race

A potential wayfair tax is another measure Smith plans to support if elected. It's a way to level the playing field for local brick and mortar businesses, according to Smith. Missouri municipalities need the wayfair fix to help generate more revenue, Smith said.

Smith also supports a potential increase in gas taxes in Missouri.The state legislature passed a bill aimed at increasing the state's gas tax by 12.5 cents per gallon by 2025 earlier this month.

Im not opposed to the gas tax, Smith said. Itll be the first gas tax increase in 25 years. Its about two and a half cents over five years … and allowspeople to get a rebate if they keep their receipt. ... I think Missourians are ready for it."

The state "desperately" needs that money to help repair I-70, Smith said.

Smith raised $17,153 during this campaign cycle, according to Missouri Ethics Commission's April Report. He had $8,526 on hand on Friday.

Here is the original post:
Glenn Nielsen and David Tyson Smith race toward the 45th District special election - Columbia Daily Tribune

Posted in Libertarianism | Comments Off on Glenn Nielsen and David Tyson Smith race toward the 45th District special election – Columbia Daily Tribune

Letters to the Editor for March 31, 2021 | Serving Carson City for over 150 years – Nevada Appeal

Posted: at 5:04 pm

Time to reopen AmericaIt has been one year since America shut down because of COVID-19. The closures have devoured our small businesses, resulting in a sharp rise in unemployment. Suicide rates have gone up as well. The problem is, some of our national leaders just don't seem to care anymore. They choose to incite racism as a weapon in order to get what they want. They want to remove our statues by any means necessary while doing absolutely nothing about riots or businesses being destroyed by perpetrators. They want to silence the Americans by erasing or canceling as much of our culture as they can. They want to steal our Second Amendment, our right to bear arms.And the saddest part? We, as Americans, are allowing this to happen. It is time for us to grow some spines and backbones. We need to tell our national leaders how extremely disappointed we are with them. I will not allow them to destroy America or let our U.S. Constitution crumble.Lastly, I want no more masks or social distancing ever again; reopen America now!Joshua DealyCarson CityPlain as dayLetter regarding Republican voter suppression/cheating #14. Never stops.Anyone with half a Trump brain, and paying some attention to life (Appeal columnists perhaps), has seen the non-stop assault by Republican-led state legislatures on the voting rights of Americans. Beyond stunning and appalling, this latest barrage on our civil liberties is the last ditch effort of a minority ideology doing whatever it takes to keep power.Face it folks, being anti-fill in the blank just ain't playing like it used to. So what else is there to do but cheat! Big time!The recent signing of abhorrent voter suppression laws by the governor of Georgia is beyond comprehension. It goes without saying that polling places will be reduced to one per 100,000 voters. Mail ballots/drop boxes will be harder to find than Ted Cruz telling the truth.And finally, as a late-night talk show fella from the past once said, I believe Jack Parr, "I kid you not." It will be against the law to offer food or drink to those Americans waiting in line for hours to vote. I can only imagine that Brian Kemp will reduce unemployment by hiring, monitoring and patrolling the election process.I can see it plain as day.The party of hate, the party of the big lie (Biden won, dudes), the party of insurrection... has gone beyond disgusting.Rick Van AlfenCarson CityBiden created border crisisRegarding Robert Simpsons letter criticizing my recounting of President Trumps accomplishments: Most importantly, Trump had implemented successful measures to control our southern border, starting with the wall. Illegal immigrants were turned away, asylum applicants were fairly treated, and remain in Mexico allowed an orderly process manageable by the Border Patrol and ICE.Now, the exact same libs who were hysterical about kids in cages (an Obama creation) support Bidens political weaponizing of illegal immigration. Coyotes and drug smugglers sexually abuse children on their journey north; mothers are sending their little girls to the border with Plan B pills. The surviving kids who get lucky are vaccinated for COVID, then are dumped onto our military bases while theyre still contagious, putting our soldiers and DOD civilians at risk.The Border Patrol is overwhelmed by sprawling camps with scabies, lice, the flu, COVID, crime, and drugs on a scale never before seen. Kamala Harris, who was appointed to be in charge of this ongoing human tragedy, has yet to visit the border.The Biden administration deliberately created this crisis because their goal is to grant millions of illegal immigrants U.S. citizenship and full voting rights to create a permanent voting Democrat majority.If Simpson thinks this is an improvement over Trumps border policy, in the words of his Uncle Joe, cmon man!Lynn MuzzyMindenLibertarian Party plans to become more visibleLast November, one-third of Douglas County voters surprised the status quo by supporting a Libertarian candidate for commissioner. That's more than any non-Republican candidate has won in this county in decades.Libertarians come from all political persuasions, from extreme liberal to ultra-conservative. What they have in common is the desire to pursue their interests, operate businesses, educate their children, and strive for prosperity without interference from intrusive government regulations.Basically, the party's mantra is "Do what you want as long as you don't hurt anyone." As simple as that sentence is, it seems to be a radical idea in this age when both the GOP and the ever-more-progressive Democratic Party want to control everyone's health care, business activities, and use of private property. Libertarians just want to be left alone and allow you the same freedom.If you're one of those who want an alternative, investigate the Libertarians, either on Facebook or http://www.lpnevada.org. Or come to the next meeting April 23 at 6 p.m. at Cook'd in Minden.Meanwhile, be on the lookout for Libertarians at local events, fairs, farmers' markets, wine walks, anywhere where you can meet and discuss issues with people who want to return America to a time where people said, "it's a free country" rather than "there oughta be a law."Sue CauhapeMinden

See original here:
Letters to the Editor for March 31, 2021 | Serving Carson City for over 150 years - Nevada Appeal

Posted in Libertarianism | Comments Off on Letters to the Editor for March 31, 2021 | Serving Carson City for over 150 years – Nevada Appeal

How Living on a Socialist Kibbutz Reveals the Value of Private Property – Reason

Posted: at 5:04 pm

In an interesting recent article, Dartmouth economist Meir Kohn describes how he gradually shifted from being a socialist to eventually becoming a libertarian. A key role was his experience of living on a kibbutz, the famed Israeli socialist agricultural settlement:

A kibbutz is a commune of a few hundred adults, plus kids, engaged primarily in agriculture but also in light industry and tourism. Members work wherever they are assigned, although preferences are taken into account. Instead of receiving pay, members receive benefits in kind: they live in assigned housing, they eat in a communal dining hall, and their children are raised communally in children's houses, and can visit with their parents for a few hours each day. Most property is communal except for personal items such as clothing and furniture, for which members receive a small budget.

Kibbutz is bottomup socialism on the scale of a small community. It thereby avoids the worst problems of state socialism: a planned economy and totalitarianism. The kibbutz, as a unit, is part of a market economy, and membership is voluntary: you can leave at any time. This is "socialism with a human face" as good as it gets.

Being a member of a kibbutz taught me two important facts about socialism. The first is that material equality does not bring happiness. The differences in our material circumstances were indeed minimal. Apartments, for example, if not identical, were very similar. Nonetheless, a member assigned to an apartment that was a little smaller or a little older than someone else's would be highly resentful. Partly, this was because a person's ability to discern differences grows as the differences become smaller. But largely it was because what we received was assigned rather than earned. It turns out that how you get stuff matters no less than what you get.

The second thing I learned from my experience of socialism was that incentives matter. On a kibbutz, there is no material incentive for effort and not much incentive of any kind. There are two kinds of people who have no problem with this: deadbeats and saints. When a group joined a kibbutz, the deadbeats and saints tended to stay while the others eventually left. I left.

As Kohn explains, the kibbutz experience did not lead him to become a libertarian (that came later). But it did persuade him to reject socialism.

Kohn is far from the only person who reached that conclusion after getting a taste of kibbutz life. Margaret Thatcher's daughter Carol had a similar reaction after spending some months as a volunteer living on a kibbutz. The experience left with her with an "unromantic view of the kibbutz," and (as her father, Denis Thatcher put it), "inoculated [her] against socialism."

Over time, the flaws of the socialist kibbutz model became sufficiently glaring that most kibbutzim gradually abandoned key parts of the socialist model, such as equal pay, rejection of private property, and communal child-raising. See also this 2007 discussion by Nobel Prize-winning economist Gary Becker, who himself spent some time on a kibbutz during its pre-reform heyday.

In 2016, I myself visited a kibbutz as part of a trip to Israel with a group of other American legal academics. Our guide admitted that her community had abandoned several key socialist institutions over time, including communal child-raising. She herselfa socialist Zionist immigrant from Canadadecried these ideological deviations. But much of the community evidently felt they could not be avoided.

For reasons mentioned by Kohn and Becker, kibbutzim present the best-case scenario for socialism. At least initially, most participants were self-selected, highly motivated volunteers. Abuses of power and information problems typical of large-scale socialism were mitigated by the right of exit and the relatively modest scale of the community. Strong support from Israeli government and civil society helped alleviate financial and resource problems. Nonetheless, kibbutzim eventually had to adopt market incentives, expanded property rights, private child-raising, and other "capitalist" institutions in order to survive.

By contrast, Israeli "moshavim" have been much more successful. A moshav is an agricultural settlements with private property in both houses and land, though some equipment and communal facilities (e.g. schools) are collectively owned. On the same 2016 trip, we also visited a moshav in southern Israel. The people we met seemed happy with their institutions. But our guide lamented the fact that "the kibbutz has better PR" than moshavim do. People all over the world have heard of kibbutzim. But hardly anyone outside Israel knows what a moshav is, except for property scholars.

Most moshavniks are far from libertarian. Many, including the ones we met, are left-wingers strongly opposed to the right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But they do appreciate the benefits of individual and family autonomy, private property, and economic incentives.

The lessons of the kibbutz and the moshav are worth remembering at a time when socialist ideology is enjoying something of a resurgence in much of the Western world. For reasons I summarized here, many of shortcomings of full-blown socialism are also shared by the "democratic socialism" advocated by the likes of Bernie Sanders in the United States and former Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in Britain.

Read more:
How Living on a Socialist Kibbutz Reveals the Value of Private Property - Reason

Posted in Libertarianism | Comments Off on How Living on a Socialist Kibbutz Reveals the Value of Private Property – Reason

Its Easy (and Legal) to Bet on Sports. Do Young Adults Know the Risks? – The New York Times

Posted: April 2, 2021 at 10:51 am

Most adults who bet on sports do so without major negative consequences. But about 1 percent of American adults have a gambling disorder, in which the core symptom is continuing to gamble despite harmful consequences, said Dr. Fong, who is a director of the Gambling Studies Program at U.C.L.A.

A vast majority of those with a serious gambling problem never seek or gain access to treatment, he said.

Studies have shown that sports bettors are typically male, under 35, single, educated and employed or preparing for a career. According to a new survey commissioned by the National Council on Problem Gambling, sports bettors showed significantly higher levels of problematic gambling than other gamblers. The risk of addiction is higher for young adults specifically sports bettors than for those of any other age, the survey found.

According to CollegeGambling.org, a subgroup of the International Center for Responsible Gaming, 6 percent of college students in the United States have a serious gambling problem that can lead to psychological difficulties, unmanageable debt and failing grades.

Young adults are at particular risk for developing a gambling problem, especially if there is a family history of gambling or if they are introduced to it at a young age, Dr. Fong said. The increased accessibility of online gambling may accelerate the development of problems, he said a phenomenon known as telescoping.

As sports betting has grown household names like FanDuel and DraftKings now offer legal avenues the need for recovery programs and dedicated treatment facilities has quickly outpaced their availability, recovery experts said. Rick Benson, the founder of the Algamus Gambling Recovery Center in Arizona, said the number of young adults who have sought treatment for gambling problems has more than doubled in the past two years.

Sex, drugs and alcohol are commonly covered in school and in the coming-of-age conversations that parents have with their children, but discussions about the consequences of gambling are rare, former gamblers and experts said. This can lead young people to underestimate the addictive nature of sports betting and other forms of gambling. Warnings, often in small fonts, that caution visitors to online sports books and gambling websites about the risks of addiction are easily overlooked.

Read more from the original source:

Its Easy (and Legal) to Bet on Sports. Do Young Adults Know the Risks? - The New York Times

Posted in Gambling | Comments Off on Its Easy (and Legal) to Bet on Sports. Do Young Adults Know the Risks? – The New York Times

Online Gambling Legalization in California: The Pros and Cons – LA Progressive

Posted: at 10:51 am

If you are an American who is into gambling, you are probably already aware that the laws and regulations regarding betting in the United States are a little fuzzy and even confusing sometimes. Although the country has laws that are in effect throughout the land and its territories, the government has also given each state the right and power to write, pass, and enact their gambling laws within their area of jurisdiction. The state of California, for one, allows very few select games of gambling, although they are yet to legalize most games that people play.

In California, casino gaming, most sports betting, and localized online gambling and US online casinos are still prohibited and considered illegal. Despite that, its citizens can still play and gamble online through offshore casinos. Considering how huge the market and interest for online gambling is, is the state of California losing a lot when online casinos could be paying taxes to their government? What are the pros and cons of legalizing online gambling in the state?

Although the state is yet to join its neighbors in embracing gambling and its online counterpart, it is on its way, at the very least. Since 2018, at least 22 states have legalized gambling and are already enjoying revenue from it. California, on the other hand, is looking to be still skeptical about it.

Although the state is yet to join its neighbors in embracing gambling and its online counterpart, it is on its way, at the very least.

However, two key people in making the push to have gambling legalized would be legislators Senator Bill Dodd and Assembly member Adam Gray. To these advocates, legalizing and ending the criminalization of gambling is a wise move that will only bring benefit to everyone.

We must bring illegal sports wagering out of the shadows and support our communities with the revenue, said state Sen. Bill Dodd. We cant afford inaction.

With these in mind, what are the pros and cons for finally legalizing gambling and online gambling in California?

Revenue is one of the first things that would come to mind. People hiding in the shadows would now be able to freely conduct their activities, in exchange for paying taxes and other fees to the government.

It is estimated that Californians spend around $4 billion in gambling annually. If this money would be taxed by the government and would also increase due to the activity now being publicly recognized, it would help a lot in meeting the deficit and the needs of the state economy.

If casino games and sports betting are to be legalized, it would mean that establishment would be built and would provide jobs for more peoplefrom security to the house staff to dealers and casino managers. More jobs for the people are always good news for the economy.

Although legalizing gambling has its pros, it has also several conswhich are only some of the reasons why there are still people opposing its eventual legalization.

One of the most common problems that arise in a place open to gambling is minors venturing into it. Although there would be clear laws that would allow minors into any form of betting activity, loopholes around it are always being questioned.

Just like every hobby, gambling is prone to abuse. It is no longer news to hear of someone who fell into excessive gambling and ended up losing most of what was under their nameif not all. However, some implementable regulations and strategies can help people who are at risk of falling into this negative handling of gambling.

Visit link:

Online Gambling Legalization in California: The Pros and Cons - LA Progressive

Posted in Gambling | Comments Off on Online Gambling Legalization in California: The Pros and Cons – LA Progressive

Dave & Buster’s is betting on sports gambling and virtual brands – Restaurant Business Online

Posted: at 10:51 am

Photograph: Shutterstock

The Dave & Busters eatertainment chain is aiming to spark a comeback this summer through innovations ranging from onsite sports betting to a trio of new restaurant ventures, at least one of which is virtual.

It also announced the retirement of chairman and longtime brand leader Steve King, who will be succeeded in June by Kevin Sheehan. King has served in leadership positions for the games-and-food chain for 15 years.

The concept he exits will likely be considerably different from the arcade brand he joined as CFO in March 2006, judging from the list of changes that were foreshadowed for financial analysts Wednesday by CEO Brian Jenkins.

Many of the recovery tactics he aired have become virtually standard features in the comeback plans of full-service restaurant chains. The brand will try to capture more off-premise sales, for instance, in part by launching a virtual wings concept called Wings Out. The startup is currently being tested in seven Dave & Busters stores.

It is also rebranding the food operation within its cavernous units as the Inspired American Kitchen. The menu currently extends to just 22 items, with the roster scheduled to grow to 28 selections next month. The bill of fare is 33% shorter than the menu previously offered to on-site game players.

The selections will also be offered for takeout and delivery.

Management also made reference to a second virtual concept slated for testing this fall. The executives were not clear about the specialty of that venture. The forecast incremental annual sales for all three restaurant initiatives at $50,000 per unit.

Part of the America rebranding is outfitting the foodservice operation with high-speed ovens that trim the production time for one-third of the offered items by 40%, according to management. A new kitchen management system will be installed by July to get food to customers more quickly so they can spend more time playing games.

This is the most extensive update to our food offering in more than 10 years, and it allows our guests to explore new flavors, said Margo Manning, Dave & Busters COO.

The gaming portion of the eatertainment concept is also being updated. Additions will include consoles based on Minecraft, a favorite of online game players, as well as an arcade version of Hungry, Hungry Hippo, a board game aimed at young children.

New entertainment options for adults could include sports betting where allowed by law, Jenkins revealed.

We feel like sports betting could represent a meaningful opportunity for this brand, he told financial analysts. This is a wave that's really just kind of beginning.

To help margins, Dave & Busters is also looking at its service model. Digital ordering, even in-store, is being encouraged by the addition of tablets and encouraged the use of an app. Servers stations are being expanded to shave labor costs, the officials explained.

The various initiatives were described to Wall Street analysts after Dave & Busters posted evidence that the rebound bringing casual dining sales back to 2019 levels has been slow to take hold in the eatertainment sector. During February and March, same-store sales at fully re-opened stores were still down 24% from 2019 levels, according to Jenkins. Many full-service competitors posted positive comparable sales for at least a portion of that period.

The chain ended January with 107 of its 141 restaurants in operation.

Go here to see the original:

Dave & Buster's is betting on sports gambling and virtual brands - Restaurant Business Online

Posted in Gambling | Comments Off on Dave & Buster’s is betting on sports gambling and virtual brands – Restaurant Business Online

The Threat That Legalized Gambling Poses to Professional Sports Maryland Matters – Josh Kurtz

Posted: at 10:51 am

Maryland is poised to follow in the footsteps of neighboring states that have legalized sports betting.

A measure backed by Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County), approved overwhelmingly in the House of Delegates earlier this month, is moving through the state Senate.

And a lawmaker who sponsored sports gambling legislation last year has pledged that the General Assembly will approve a bill before lawmakers leave Annapolis on April 12.

The focus of debate in the legislature this year has been on minority business participation making sure Maryland doesnt replicate what happened with medical marijuana, when Black entrepreneurs were shut out when licenses in the lucrative new industry were awarded.

Gambling advocates have lobbied the legislature to boost the number of both bricks and mortar and mobile licenses, claiming that the more venues there are, the more likely it is that businesses run by people of color and women will benefit.

All that remains, it would appear, is for the final details to be nailed down.

But a scholar and journalist who has tracked the impact of gambling around the world both legal and illegal has a warning for states like Maryland.

Declan Hill, a University of New Haven professor and the author of two books on sports gambling, said states must insist on stricter federal oversight of the industry.

Without it, he said in an interview, theres a wave a tsunami of match-fixing that nobody is preparing for in this country.

Before a Supreme Court 2018 ruling, sports gambling outside of Nevada occurred underground.

With sports wagering about to be both legal and convenient (as close as your phone), observers expect a huge increase in the amount of betting that occurs in Maryland.

Hill warns that if no one is tracking unusual patterns in the wagers that are placed, match-fixing schemes orchestrated by people involved in organized crime will go undetected.

We need an integrity board to make sure that we can see whats going on in the gambling market in live time, the Oxford-educated scholar said. And if youre not an illegal bookmaker, why would you care about that data? Lets get it out there. Lets get it shared.

If the U.S. fails to oversee patterns between betting trends and match outcomes, American sports will become mere theater a phenomenon Hill says has already happened abroad to a significant extent.

One of the reasons that American sports are growing internationally is because they still have a high reputation for integrity. But unless we get this right, were going to risk that integrity. Were going to risk our competitive advantage.

Hill insists he supports the legalization of gambling in the U.S. to get it out of the shadows, wrestle at least some of it away from organized crime, and make sure that its properly regulated and taxed.

But he warns that there are insufficient efforts to combat the spread of gambling addiction that is endemic in Europe.

It used to be, say in 2005, a bunch of guys would sit down and watch a soccer game, and they would be wholly interested in the soccer game, he said. Now, theyll have 20 phones open, multiple different betting accounts going, and theyre consuming the sport in the way that [people who bet on horses] consumehorse racing.

That is the long-term danger for American sports, that they cease to be primarily athletic competitions and they slowly and gradually transform into vehicles for gambling.

Hills advice for state lawmakers across the country is not to believe the promises from industry lobbyists. Also: prepare for them to come back in a year or two, seeking a reduction in the states share of the action.

As soon as the law gets passed, theyll start whining for them to lower their taxes, he said. And theyll start claiming that they havent reallyaffected the illegal gambling market and if they are going to compete, they need to have lower taxes.

[emailprotected]

View post:

The Threat That Legalized Gambling Poses to Professional Sports Maryland Matters - Josh Kurtz

Posted in Gambling | Comments Off on The Threat That Legalized Gambling Poses to Professional Sports Maryland Matters – Josh Kurtz

Opinion Sports gambling is another tax on the poor and minorities – The CT Mirror

Posted: at 10:51 am

While our political class is hoping to aid the urban minorities by proposing zoning law changes to allow more affordable housing in the suburbs, and woke school curriculums, another plan is being hatched to further soak urban minorities of the little disposable income they have sports gambling.

This regressive taxation against our poor has been going for decades. Connecticut legalized the lottery in the early 1970s and with clever marketing plans, convinced poor minorities that they actually had a chance of winning enough money to change their lives even though the odds are infinitesimal.

The lottery now brings in $370 million annually to the Connecticut governments coffers and studies have shown the majority of ticket sales occurs in overwhelmingly poor minority neighborhoods over 50%. There are not a lot of Powerball winners in New Canaan, Darien or Greenwich. But this was even made worse with casino gambling.

Gov. Lowell Weicker made a deal with the Foxwoods casino in 1992, that later was extended to the Mohegan Sun casino in which 25% of the revenue from the slot machines was turned over to the state. Presently, this brings in close to $300 million annually. But this is a grossly regressive tax because those who play slot machines tend to be poorer. The high rollers playing on the expensive blackjack and crap tables pay nothing. Furthermore, slot machines have a notoriously low payout, only 92% in Connecticut, meaning you will lose $8 for every $100 you bet.

Following Governor Weickers footsteps, Gov. Ned Lamont has made a deal with both casinos in which they pay a 13.75% tax on sports betting profits. This is estimated to bring in an additional $40 million annually.

Sports betting, like the lottery and slots, is a suckers game. It is almost impossible to win in the long run. This is because there are basically two types of bets. On entails how much a team is going to win by over another team. This is called the spread. For example, no one in the right mind would bet with even odds that High Point College was going to beat the UConn women. However, with a spread of 40.5 points, you may want to consider betting with even odds. So, lets say you bet $100 on High Point to beat the spread and the final score is UConn Women 100 and High Point 65. You should win $100. But you dont. The casino takes around 10%. Thus, you only get $90. The House always wins.

Now you could also bet on High Point College to beat UConn with 20 to 1 odds, meaning if you bet $100 and High Point wins, you get $2,000. The problem here is that the chance of the UConn women losing to High Point is much less than 20 to 1. In fact, it is about as likely as an asteroid hitting the arena during the game. Again, it is a suckers bet. The bookies who figure out these odds are highly intelligent people who do this for a living. You cant outsmart them in the long run.

But it gets worse. The casinos are working with an online betting company called DraftKings that allows you to deposit money with a credit card. But DraftKings also has other features including in-running bets in which you can bet on live action during a game. Is Paige Bueckers going to make both her foul shots? Will Chris Boswell make that 50-yard field goal? Will the ref call roughing the passer when Tom Brady gets hit with a feather duster? This is insanity. Gambling addicts will be losing hundreds of dollars a game.

There are those who will argue that since the surrounding states are in on the action, we have to do the same. But why should we stoop to their level? If this is allowed, soon we will be seeing ads with jovial minority actors displaying their iPhones with thousand-dollar deposits they made gambling on sports. But the reality will be much different despair, domestic violence, substance abuse, alcoholism and bankruptcy. A relative of one of my patients blew his brains out in the Foxwoods casino parking lot after losing big.

The state assembly and Senate have yet to approve of the governors plan. Maybe a few Black politicians will step up to the plate and go to bat for their constituency, but this is unlikely. They would risk losing political support from public employee unions whose main interest is preserving ample pensions and Cadillac health insurance. And this constituency will never be satisfied. Within a few years, the Democrats will be back asking for more and all that our urban minorities will receive is more credit card debt.

Joe Bentivegna is an ophthalmologist in Rocky Hill.

CTViewpoints welcomes rebuttal or opposing views to this and all its commentaries. Read our guidelines andsubmit your commentary here.

Read the original:

Opinion Sports gambling is another tax on the poor and minorities - The CT Mirror

Posted in Gambling | Comments Off on Opinion Sports gambling is another tax on the poor and minorities – The CT Mirror

UMass Amherst Research Team Previews Findings and Recommendations from Groundbreaking Gambling Study – UMass News and Media Relations

Posted: at 10:51 am

AMHERST, Mass. Coinciding with Problem Gambling Awareness Month, a University of Massachusetts Amherst research team previewed findings on Wednesday from the groundbreaking Massachusetts Gambling Impact Cohort (MAGIC) study in a free, public webinar.

The webinar drew more interest and attendance than any previous event presented by the UMass Amherst research team known as SEIGMA (Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts), according to Rachel Volberg, principal investigator of the SEIGMA and MAGIC studies, who moderated the webinar.

MAGIC was the first major cohort study of gambling in the United States, surveying the same individuals over six years to understand more about how gambling and problem gambling develop and progress, and how remission from problem gambling occurs. The study was commissioned by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) as part of its robust research agenda aimed at gauging the impacts of introducing casinos in the state.

Following a presentation by MAGIC co-lead investigator Robert Williams, a panel representing problem gambling research and prevention efforts across the Commonwealth discussed the preliminary findings and policy recommendations.

The findings revealed evidence that the state has been successful in its goal to repatriate Massachusetts dollars previously spent at casinos in nearby states. This is good news, Williams said. In addition, the introduction of casinos had no negative impact on lottery participation.

The study found a decrease in out-of-state casino gambling participation from about 33% in 2013-14 to 16% in 2019 and an increase in in-state casino gambling, up to 14% in 2019, following the opening of Plainridge Park, MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor.

The four gambling categories non-gamblers, recreational gamblers, at-risk gamblers and problem gamblers remained relatively stable over the study period, with about 70% of participants identifying as recreational gamblers. About 14% of the 3,000-plus participants from across the state were non-gamblers; about 12.5% were at-risk gamblers; and about 3.5% were problem gamblers.

Nearly 20% of the at-risk gamblers subsequently become problem gamblers, but a much more common route was moving back to recreational gambling, the study found.

Researchers theorize that the very small but statistically significant increase in problem gamblers from 2.3% in 2013-14 to 3.7% in 2019 resulted not from the opening of MGM and Boston Harbor but from the publicity in various media that preceded the openings. They found a coinciding increase in internet searches related to casinos during this period, suggesting that the media hoopla and advertising precipitated relapse. We cant prove that but its very tantalizing, Williams said.

Williams presentation emphasized that there is no silver bullet to prevent problem gambling. Rather, a wide array of educational and policy initiatives is neededto address the multifaceted biopsychosocial causes.

The study identified more than 100 individual, social and environmental variables that predict and mediate the development of future gambling and problem gambling. Gambling-related variables, such as biggest loss or win in a single day, were the strongest variables associated with problem gambling.

The findings of the many other risk factors such as having lower income, being male, having substance abuse or mental health challenges were consistent with previous research.

Each problem gambler has a unique array of risk factors, Williams said. You need to tackle problem gambling from a multidirectional way as well.

When problem gamblers were asked what they thought caused their problem, the top three responses were: a desire to win, 30.2%; boredom/enjoyment/excitement, 21.4%; and 9.3% denied a problem even though they self-scored in the problem gambler category.

The research teams preliminary policy recommendations, which are aimed at supporting the development and expansion of effective, efficient treatment and prevention programs in Massachusetts, include:

In the webinars closing remarks, MGC chair Cathy Judd-Stein called the studys findings riveting and said they would provide guidance for state regulators and policy makers.

There has been no other longitudinal study of gambling behavior of this scale in the United States, she said. It shapes our understanding of gambling behavior in Massachusetts and contributes to the few comparable studies worldwide.

Read more:

UMass Amherst Research Team Previews Findings and Recommendations from Groundbreaking Gambling Study - UMass News and Media Relations

Posted in Gambling | Comments Off on UMass Amherst Research Team Previews Findings and Recommendations from Groundbreaking Gambling Study – UMass News and Media Relations