Category Archives: Gambling

A charity is hoping to prevent teenagers from becoming hooked on gambling by bringing them the stories of people who have lived through the addiction experience.

Gambling With Lives has been working with the Lagmore Youth Project for the past three weeks, trying to prepare them to make informed choices about gambling products they may be confronted with.

The program finished on Monday night, with a specially commissioned film and a talk from a local man who is recovering from his own gambling addiction.

Read more: West Belfast man's mission to educate young people about dangers of gambling addiction

Declan said he had been through extreme periods of gambling in his life but was in recovery now and determined to help others getting hooked the way he was.

At one point, he had lost 30,000 in just days, saying that he would have bet anything between 100 and 1,000 on any race, such was the hold his addiction had on him.

He said: "I started gambling when I was around 16, I started gambling when I was in school.

"Of course it started small and gradually it gets a lot worse and more out of control.

"Throughout the years, throughout the gambling, it took its toll on me.

"I started to lose a lot of money and I was completely invested and addiction completely took over my life.

"I'm now in recovery, I haven't had a bet in 1,005 days, so things are going well.

"Of course I always have to keep my guard up as well, just so I don't slip down that path again because it's very easily done.

"It's been amazing to be honest to be able to share my story and I think if I can even help one of the kids out there, it'll be absolutely brilliant."

The young people involved in the program told Belfast Live they had found it useful and an eye-opener.

"Even if you're just playing bingo once a week, just to know everything that can happen," Saorse Hannaway said.

"I just think it's better to know it now, so that obviously when you get older you know and you're more aware and understand the consequences that go along with gambling."

"I think it was really educational," Caoimhe Denver added .

"I think it taught us a lot about the dangers of it, to be cautious of it and if there's anyone that has this addiction, to tell them to get the help and offer them the help that's needed."

Aron Hughes is a youth support worker with the Lagmore Youth Project and said the program's message was something that resonated with the local community.

"I think especially here in West Belfast, it is a prevalent issue, a lot of people don't see that - it may be a very underlying issue, but it is present, it is there," he said.

"A lot of these people in this room might have had family members or friends who have had issues with gambling.

"Being able to have this awareness-raising, being able for them ones to engage with this organisation, to understand what this can do, allows them to go and spread that word with their other friends, with their peers, so that the awareness is constantly like a ripple effect.

"With that hopefully, maybe it can help save someone's life or it can help prevent one of these young people from going down that route of spending money they don't need to spend, or getting into that bad habit cycle."

Barry Fennell is the Program Manager for Gambling With lives in Northern Ireland and said they focus on challenging the young people to think about potential harms.

He said they provided information on the types of gambling products young people might see and how they might trigger addictive behaviour.

"There's a lot of focus around drugs and alcohol awareness, we feel as an organisation that this (gambling awareness) is important as well.

"For me, it's very much about allowing and providing the opportunity for young people to unpack all of this information and I think that's the most important thing as well.

"We're very keen to have that lived experience voice and input, I do feel that young people can relate to that lived experience or story, whatever you want to call it.

"I do think that Declan's input and there's another guy I work with, I think that input is invaluable to what we're doing.

"Our approach would be 'we will give you as much information as we can and we hope that further down the line you can make a decision that's based on an informed choice.'"

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For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.

If you or someone you know would like help with a gambling problem, Gambling With Lives has resources here.

Continued here:

West Belfast teens hear from those whose addiction had them 'gambling with their lives' - Belfast Live

Former Wrexham striker Marc Williams has spoken passionately about helping others who have suffered from addiction problems after he himself experienced what he calls his 'rock bottom' just a few years ago. Now aged 33, Williams is enjoying his football once more after a succession of injuries and gambling addiction threatened to derail his once-promising career.

Williams came through the ranks at Wrexham AFC, breaking into the first team at the age of 18. After enjoying an impressive start to the 2008/09 season, the former Wales under 21 international was widely tipped for a bright future in the game until a broken foot hampered his progress significantly.

It was during his period on the sidelines that his gambling addiction took hold. Thankfully, Williams has overcome his demons and now visits sports clubs in order to share his experiences as well as educating others about gambling addiction.

READ MORE: Stadium for the North: The big names backing the campaign as signatures top 15,000 mark

Speaking to North Wales Live, Williams revealed that he had opportunities to move clubs just before his injury but decided to stay with his beloved Dragons. "Gambling took me to my rock bottom, I got injured at the biggest purple patch of my career (during the 2008/09 season). I potentially could have moved in the January but I wanted to stay at my boyhood club Wrexham and get them promoted," said Williams.

"I struggled with that injury - I was lonely, bored and on my own. The only way I could cope with that was to start gambling and from that it got worse."

"My football wages were there and when I got back fit there was something else occupying my brain - I just wanted to get off the training pitch and continue gambling. It completely changed me, I became extremely angry and I changed how I treated people.

"I neglected my little girl. I remember the last day I had a bet, November 7, 2018 - I broke down in front of my little girl, crying my eyes out.

"I'd just had my last 10,000 I could get my hands on, I couldn't get any more money I was that much in debt. I looked at her and thought to myself 'wow, not only am I ruining my life, I'm ruining her future'.

"That was my rock bottom. I knew I needed help, from that point I vowed I was going to get help and be a better person and father."

To sign the Stadium for the North register of support click here

Williams said that having the support of his family and friends has been a huge boost. He also went on to say he hopes that to see the stigma around gambling removed so that more people will open up about their struggles.

Williams said: "I'm coming up to four years now, this November. It's been a long road, but I've had a lot of support from my parents, my siblings and my partner Zoe has been really supportive. I can only try to be a better person from this point, I can only try and help people as much as I can.

"I don't want other people to feel alone, we need to take that stigma away from gambling and stop it being that taboo subject. For all those years I was embarrassed and ashamed but I just felt I couldn't open up and that's what we're trying to change.

"At Epic Risk Management we have partnerships with the EFL (English Football League) and the Rugby Players Associations as well as the cricket also. We're quite fortunate to be able to visit these sports clubs, delivering our lived experiences and providing the educational side of it.

"Recently I've done a few talks at Blackpool, Hull City, Newport County, Tranmere Rovers and Crewe Alexandra. We go around all 72 EFL clubs so it's been great to share my experiences.

"We cover all bases to raise that awareness. We also go to schools and make them aware of how detrimental gambling can be."

Williams went on to say that he is finally enjoying his football again, plying his trade for Cymru North side Llandudno FC. He said: "I love being back at Llandudno, it's probably the lowest level I've played but it's not about that - it's about putting on the jersey, working hard and being part of a team. Eards (Llandudno manager Sean Eardley) brings the best out of me and it's a great place to be.

"I'm looking forward to next season already. Hopefully we can go one better and win the league, but for me now it's how I feel around the place - playing with a smile on my face, that means the world to me."

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Ex Wrexham star Marc Williams tells of gambling addiction and the moment he knew he'd hit 'rock bottom' - North Wales Live

A simple coloured graphic on train platform screens can help you determine exactly which carriage to head for, to score yourself a seat.

Despite being around for the past three years, the carriage capacity indicator has surprised NSW commuters travelling on Waratah trains.

Watch the video above to see the simple train hack

For more Travel related news and videos check out 7Travel >>

Coloured rectangles representing the Waratah train carriages and their current capacity were introduced by Transport for NSW on the platform service display signs in 2019.

They were introduced on real-time apps the year prior, but the seat-finding hack is still largely unknown.

The carriage capacity indicator colour codes the blocks in green, orange and red to show commuters which carriages are respectively empty, moderately full, and at capacity.

The information comes via weight sensors, which use the data to calculate how many passengers are onboard each carriage.

The feature is designed to help commuters know where to stand as the train approaches, so they can easily hop straight onto the emptiest carriage.

This type of technology is used in stations around the world, including in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong, according to Transport for NSW.

These displays will now be available on all stations that are serviced by Waratah trains, including the busy T1 North Shore and Western Lines, and will help customers to board the trains more efficiently, former NSW transport minister Andrew Constance said when the technology was launched in May 2019.

These capacity indicators will help passengers know where to go on the platform to get onto the train quickly and easily.

Ultimately its about using the latest technology to make life easier for our customers.

It has proven to be a great way for customers to quickly find out where seats are available on a train.

The hack was shared recently on TikTok, surprising Sydney commuters who hadnt been aware of the capacity indicator.

What? I have been travelling on Sydney trains my whole life and I just learned this tonight, one TikTok user wrote.

I genuinely thought it was Sydney Trains just trying to be cute, another user wrote.

Just need to show how many eshays in the back carriage now, another wrote.

However, the online reaction also highlighted that the little-known feature is not entirely inclusive or relevant for some people living with disabilities.

Im red-green colour-blind, so didnt notice, one user wrote

But if youre in a wheelchair you always get put in the back carriage no matter how full, another wrote.

Excerpt from:

Sydney trains: Hate gambling on which train carriage will have a spare seat? Heres a secret peak hour hack - 7NEWS

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The U.S. Supreme Court sided with two Native American tribes in Texas in a ruling Wednesday that reaffirmed their autonomy to regulate non-prohibited gaming on their lands and strengthened tribal sovereignty in the state.

The justices came to a 5-4 ruling. The nations highest court stated that the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribe near El Paso, also known as the Tiguas, and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, north of Houston, have the autonomy to regulate electronic bingo games on their lands, regardless of the states rules on non-prohibited gambling. In other words, if the game isnt outright prohibited and criminalized in the state, Texas cant impose its regulations on the tribes games.

The Courts decision is an affirmation of Tribal sovereignty and a victory for the Texas economy, Ricky Sylestine, chair of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Tribal Council, said in a statement. The highest Court in the land has made clear that our Tribe has the right to legally operate electronic bingo on our reservation, just as we have the past six years."

But in the majority opinion, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch emphasized that Wednesdays ruling doesnt mean Native American tribes can offer any games they choose in their lands.

None of this is to say that the Tribe may offer gaming on whatever terms it wishes. The Restoration Act provides that a gaming activity prohibited by Texas law is also prohibited on tribal land as a matter of federal law, Gorsuch wrote. Other gaming activities are subject to tribal regulation and must conform to the terms and conditions set forth in federal law.

Texas has some of the strictest gambling laws in the country. The Tiguas have battled the state in courts for decades over expanding gambling on their land. Texas has repeatedly blocked efforts in federal court.

Ben Kappelman, a partner at international law firm Dorsey & Whitney who handles cases involving federal American Indian law issues, said Wednesdays ruling is a win for the tribes but doesnt mean tribal games will be totally unregulated.

This is a significant victory for the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Indian Tribe after decades of losses in the lower court, Kappelmann said. Still, the Supreme Courts decision will hardly leave the Pueblos gaming unregulated. They will simply join the large number of tribes whose gaming ventures are regulated by the National Indian Gaming Commission.

The case now returns to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for further deliberation.

Join us Sept. 22-24 in person in downtown Austin for The Texas Tribune Festival and experience 100+ conversation events featuring big names you know and others you should from the worlds of politics, public policy, the media and tech all curated by The Texas Tribunes award-winning journalists. Buy tickets.

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Supreme Court sides with tribes in fight with Texas over authorized gambling on their lands - The Texas Tribune

Online gambling has become very popular in a relatively short period of time. This can be seen for example from the number of new opportunities there are for the players. This is only one of the many markers for the popularity of online gambling.

But why is online gambling so popular? This article will take a look at some of the main factors, and why online gambling is one of the most popular ways to entertain yourself in your free time.

As we mentioned, one of the biggest markers for the increasing popularity of online gambling is that there are more and more options of websites to play at. Therefore all kinds of players can always be sure that they can find a website fitting for their wishes.

If you are interested in finding out about all the best online casinos, you can take a look at top10-casinosites.net T10. There you can find a list of ten fantastic options. You can also see that the casinos differ from each other. Regardless of what type of gambling experience you are looking for, you can find a fitting option online.

One of the big reasons for the popularity of online gambling is obviously the games it provides. These have an effect in two ways. First of all, just like with casinos, there are also many different types of games. This means that all types of players can certainly find a game that will entertain them.

Additionally, the games are simply more accessible. Many gambling games have been popular for a long time now. The only problem with them has been that they are not so easy to start. Now that the players can have fun in online casinos, they can play any games whenever they want, without even leaving their homes.

The last big factor in the popularity of online gambling as entertainment is mobile gaming. Mobile gambling has actually become so popular that many people even choose this option over gambling on their computers.

Because mobile gambling has become so popular, more online casinos have made it possible. Therefore now almost all high-quality casinos are optimized for all devices. You can start playing your favorite games from wherever you are whenever you wish to play.

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Online Gambling is One of the Most Popular Entertainment - UrbanMatter

The governor of California stood in a patch of dry brown grass as he made his proclamation:

Were in a new era. The idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water every day thats going to be a thing of the past, he said. Were in a historic drought, and that demands unprecedented action.

But it wasnt Gavin Newsom speaking it was the states previous governor, Jerry Brown, and the year was 2015.

Seven years later, California is once again facing urgent calls for cutbacks as heat waves, record dryness and climate change converge to create critically short supplies. But what has California learned since then? Is the Golden State really ready to do this again?

Yes and no, experts say. While some of the promises made during the previous drought including greater investments in water capture and recycling have been advanced or upheld, progress has been slow going and conservation is slipping. Whats more, a rash of well drilling is still threatening the states groundwater supply, and fish and forests are continuing to suffer as the region grows drier.

In some ways, the way we use water is pretty much like gambling, said Felicia Marcus, a fellow at Stanford Universitys Water in the West Program. Were going to have to learn how to hold back in normal times to see us through the longer dry times and more frequent dry times under climate change.

Heres a look at where we stand today:

CONSERVATION

In 2016, when then-Gov. Brown lifted the last statewide drought emergency, he also issued an executive order vowing to make water conservation a way of life in California.

The state largely responded to the call, maintaining daily per capita water use of around 90 gallons for the next several years, according to state data. But Californians have been slipping, and used about 18% more water in April compared with the same month in 2020, the year the current drought began.

Still, some experts said the big picture remains promising.

We always backslide after a drought, but we backslide to a level which isnt as high as it was before the drought, and thats how we make progress in conservation, said Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California.

Indeed, many Californians have made lasting changes that have helped keep overall usage down, including upgrading appliances for higher efficiency and generally being more conscious of their consumption. A growing number of residents have also taken advantage of programs to help convert grass lawns into drought-tolerant landscaping.

Whats more, the last drought prompted a flurry of legislation that led to more stringent requirements for regional water suppliers, Mount said. Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606, passed in 2018, required state agencies to establish long-term efficiency standards and to standardize their water shortage contingency plans.

Droughts are really important because they push policy, Mount said. Having two major droughts within 10 years is pretty grim, but its pushing things along.

That doesnt mean theres no room for improvement, however. A recent study from the Pacific Institute found that California could still reduce urban water use by as much as 48% through a host of existing technologies and improved efficiency measures.

The Pacific Institutes co-founder Peter Gleick decried the states recent backsliding and criticized authorities for not acting sooner.

State officials have not rung the alarm bells the way they need to to help the public understand, first of all, that it really is a crisis, and second of all, that there are things they can do and should do, he said.

GROUNDWATER

Perhaps the greatest advancement born of the last drought was the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, a historic law intended to address over-pumping and help regulate the states supplies.

During dry periods, many Californians agricultural users in particular rely heavily on groundwater, especially when faced with cutbacks in deliveries from the state. But experts say the overdrafting of wells not only saps groundwater but also contributes to land subsidence.

Jay Lund, co-director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis, said California has made some progress when it comes to implementing regulations and better managing groundwater, but the state is still a long way from achieving sustainability.

You have to find ways during the non-drought years to repay that extra water that you pumped out of the ground, and thats a big change, and I dont know that everybody understands that yet, Lund said.

Part of the problem is that the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act laid out a timeline for implementation that spanned more than two decades, leading to a frenzy of well drilling even against the setting of two back-to-back droughts. Now, thousands of household wells in the Central Valley and other areas are at risk of going dry, and policymakers have acknowledged the legislation contained flaws.

In an effort to slow some of that drilling, Newsom this year signed an executive order requiring local groundwater agencies to verify that new wells are in accordance with sustainability plans. Also, proposed legislation, Assembly Bill 2201, seeks to make that change permanent.

But in the meantime, some California communities are already losing water while others are dealing with contaminated supplies.

Marcus, who also served as chair of the state water board during the last drought, remained optimistic about the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, particularly because the state is using its authority to call balls and strikes on inadequate local management plans, she said.

Its more of an iterative process, so the jurys out on whether it will work in the long run, Marcus said, but if it does work, its going to be more sustainable and more durable than another way of doing it. What we were going for in SGMA was long-term sustainability not immediate drought fix.

CAPTURE AND REUSE

There have been other promises too. In 2018, L.A. County voters approved Measure W, a massive tax aimed partly at capturing more storm water before it reaches the ocean.

This year, a Times review found that the county had disbursed only a fraction of the funds for the project, and that construction was lagging despite the urgent need to boost supplies of water. Though the project could eventually capture as much as 98 billion gallons of water annually, it might take as long as 50 years to build out the system, officials said.

Bruce Reznik, whose group Los Angeles Waterkeeper pushed to get the measure passed, credited the county for getting the massive project off the ground, but said hed like to see more investments in smaller-scale residential-level projects in addition to the big-ticket items.

The reality is weve made really big strides, but we are still largely dependent on imported water, which is drying up, Reznik said. That isnt a lot of water security.

There are several other projects in the works to help boost the areas supply, he said, including a major initiative from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power called Operation Next, which aims to recycle as much as 100% of purified wastewater from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant by 2035.

DWP spokeswoman Ellen Cheng said its one of many such projects in development, including a groundwater replenishment project in the San Fernando Valley that, when completed, will recycle 100% of available wastewater supply from the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant and ultimately produce drinking water for more than 200,000 Angelenos.

The key point is that LADWP continues to make significant investments in several programs to further diversify the citys water supply portfolio which includes local groundwater, recycled water, storm water capture, water conservation and water-use efficiency, Cheng said.

The agency is also developing projects to collect rainwater and runoff from East San Fernando Valley parks, as well as a direct potable reuse project near Griffith Park that will treat wastewater to drinking water standards, Cheng said.

Statewide, officials with the Department of Water Resources are continuing to fund advanced water infrastructure and resilience projects at local agencies to help droughtproof the state, officials said. At the same time, the California Coastal Commission recently rejected plans for a desalination plant in Orange County.

When asked to grade the regions readiness for the current drought, Reznik offered a C-minus, but when asked to grade its efforts to get more water, he said it was more in the B-plus range.

Were in the right direction; its just we could use more and sooner, he said.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

While the last drought shined a light on issues facing millions of residents, some of its most devastating impacts were felt in the states forests and rivers. Experts say vulnerable fish species, particularly salmon, have been pushed to the brink of extinction due to warmer waters and shrinking stream flows.

The problem was absolutely exacerbated during the last drought, said John McManus, president of the Golden State Salmon Assn.

A big heavy flush of water in the spring basically doesnt happen during the drought, and the ability to maintain cold water on the eggs of the fish that are incubating in the fall is compromised and often gets too warm, he explained.

Though California is continuing to lose huge volumes of naturally spawned salmon as the state gets hotter and drier, officials have taken some actions to help mitigate the problem, McManus said, including managing strategic releases of cold water from reservoirs and trucking salmon to areas where they have a better chance of survival, though the concept is not without controversy.

Theyre reaching into their bag of tricks and saying, Where else can we park some of these adult fish where they can spawn naturally and therell be cold enough water to keep eggs alive?" McManus said. Though winter-run salmon, in particular, remain endangered, there are many stakeholders within the state that are quite worried about seeing an extinction on their watch, he added.

But while salmon may benefit from some of these solutions, Californias forests are facing a harder road. During the last drought, an estimated 102 million trees that depend on soil moisture died, according to a 2018 report that Lund co-wrote. The tree mortality has dangerous implications for wildfires, erosion and public safety.

For the forests, were kind of stuck, he said, adding that it would take many millions of acre-feet of water to turn things around. There are some of these environmental impacts that we just have to adapt to that were not going to be able to push back the clock on and thats true for forests, he said.

That may not be all bad, however, because many of the states forests have become overgrown during the last century due to wildfire suppression, he said.

But as with groundwater and green lawns, it does mean residents of the Golden State should get used to the idea of a California that looks considerably different.

We have to find a way to prepare ourselves for the aridification, essentially, of much of Californias natural landscape, Lund said.

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Did California learn anything from the last drought? 'Gambling' with water continues - Los Angeles Times

Nearly every year a team who finished last place in their division, wins their division the following year. The worst to first phenomenon has given basement-dwelling franchises hope for at least the past two decades. Since 2002, only twice (2014, 2019) have all eightlast-place division finishers, failed to win a divisional crown the following year.

While that news is great for fans of the perpetually terrible Detroit Lions, how does that help casual gamblers and degenerates? Well, even recognizing the trend takes us halfway there. Consider the following:

*Odds listed were betting odds AFTER the 2021 pre-season.

If you want to capitalize on the trend that has hit 90% of the time over the past two decades, you should bet on one of last year's divisional last-place finishers, to win their division this year. Your options include:

*Odds via BetMGM as of 6/20/22

Vegas seems to have gotten wise, as the odds arent as favorable as last year. You may notice that none of the teams listed have the same odds(+2500) as last years Bengals did.

Aside from the Ravens, who are actually the favorites right now, it may seem like there are no solid options - either to win outright or with fantastic odds. Things fluctuate and odds, as they currently stand, are not what they will be in August.

Consider this though, in 2021, $800 spent, placing a $100 bet on each of the previous year's worst place finishers, to win the division, would have left you with $2600 at years end. Now, it's unclear if 2022 will have its own version of the Cincinnati Bengals, but the potential exists forone of the teams tocome out on top.

If you were to place $100 on each of last years last-place finishers to win the division this year, you would needthe Panthers, Seahawks, Lions, or Jets to win their division outright. To replicate 2021s gambling success, youd need a combination of two to three teams to make the leap.

While there are no surefire outcomesin sports or gambling, a bet on divisional futures is an option to consider.

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NFL Futures: Why Gambling On 'Worst To First' Is Gaining Popularity With Sports Bettors - Benzinga - Benzinga

Casino games are exciting and if you want to play with your money, it is important to be well informed before you start. So without further delay, lets find out how to keep your money safe when playing online casinos.

Think of it as entertainment

Gambling should not be seen as a way to make money, but only as a way to have fun. By doing this, you will greatly reduce the risk of losing money as you will be less tempted to gamble away all your money. To provide you with the best possible experience, online casinos now offer a wide range of games: roulette, slots, card games such as poker or bacarra, live games, scratch cards, etc. Enjoy yourself !

Set yourself a budget

For the sake of your bankroll, its important to know in advance what youre going to play and how much youre going to play. This allows you to be more in control of your money and thus avoid making bad decisions. To do this, you can set a time or bet limit, or even decide to stop playing when your bank account reaches a certain amount. You can also limit the amount of time you spend gambling.

To help preserve yourself, it is very important to limit the amount of time you spend gambling. The more time you spend gambling, the more money you are likely to spend. So it can be helpful to take your time before you start playing. As well as allowing you to concentrate on the game, it will also ensure that you understand how the games work and the rules.

Take advantage of bonuses

Online casinos are different from physical casinos in several ways. While the atmosphere is different when playing online, there is one major advantage: the casino bonuses.

First of all, we will summarize the different types of bonuses that you can enjoy when playing at an online casino:

When you sign up at a reliable casino, take the time to check the rules for promotional offers. The casino bonus is an opportunity for the player only if he is well aware of the terms and conditions that apply to it. Never hesitate to contact the casinos support staff with questions about promotions, they are there to answer them.

Dont gamble during times of emotional instability

You should also stay away from gambling when you are in a moment of emotional instability. When your head is not clear, you may be inclined to take foolish risks, which can lead to losing money

Beware of frustration: frustration at losing can lead to a vicious cycle of repeated unsuccessful bets. Look for the fun of the game first and stop as soon as you feel negative emotions.

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How to try out gambling without risking your own money? - Deadline News

CLEVELAND, Ohio The downtown JACK Cleveland Casino ushered in Ohios modern gambling era in 2012, and since its inception, the urban casino has been a learning experience for the people running it.

Cleveland was new, said Jack Clevelands General Manager Scott Lokke. No one really understood the urban gaming market. Learning came very fast and very quick and forced us to run audibles very quickly.

Originally called the Horseshoe, Clevelands casino was the first to open in Ohio after a constitutional amendment in 2009 made them legal. Its doors opened on May 12, 2012, and was followed by three more casinos, with one in Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo.

The casinos together have funneled billions of dollars of tax revenue to the state, even though they didnt live up to some early projections.

When Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, the original owner of Clevelands and Cincinnatis casinos, introduced the Horseshoe, he promised the casino would be a source of two-way traffic, attracting and sharing visitors with the rest of downtown.

Lokke said a lot has changed in the casino and downtown, but the mantra stays the same.

Were such a part of the fabric of Cleveland, Lokke said.

Ohio welcomed legal gambling at the ballot box in 2009 after four failed attempts. Gilbert was one of the main figures pushing for legalization, and at the time Caesars Entertainment had an ownership stake in Clevelands casino.

Lokke worked for Caesars at the time and worked on the development side for both the JACK Cleveland Casino and what is now the Hard Rock Casino in Cincinnati.

Clevelands Casino was much different, he said. It was Caesars first urban casino outside of Vegas. Most casinos were built as destinations, with resorts, hotels and other amenities built to encourage days or weeklong stays.

The JACK Cleveland didnt even have its own hotel and was attracting a customer that may pop in for a few hours. Most visitors live 15 to 20 miles from the casino, Lokke said.

Lokke said the Horseshoe debuted with 2,500 slot machines and just 60 table games, since slots were the revenue drivers in most suburban casinos.

Patrons quickly showed they wanted something different. They skewed younger, and wanted more bars, music and entertainment, fewer slots and more table games.

Lokke said 1,500 slot machines were cut from the casinos lineup and the number of table games was raised to 100. He said the model for the JACK has been a more fun, entertaining atmosphere that fits in with downtown nightlife, and changes since the beginning have skewed towards that direction.

The trend towards more interactive gaming has spread to more urban casinos and even Las Vegas in the last decade, Lokke said. Slot machines used to be three rolling columns. Now video gaming machines look more like video games.

More recently JACK Cleveland has added an outdoor gaming space, a second parking garage (casino-goers park for free) and a new poker room. Now its in the middle of adding a 5,000 square-foot sportsbook in anticipation of legal sports betting in Ohio.

When the casino moved into the Higbee Building, a phase 2 was always envisioned, but never panned out. Soon after casinos were legalized, horse-racing tracks in Ohio won the right to have slot machines. This added seven competitors across the state and two in Northeast Ohio, though unlike the casinos, the racinos cannot offer table games, poker rooms or even games of skill at the slots.

In 2016 Rock Gambling separated from Caesars and become JACK Entertainment, which came with a rebranding of the downtown casino. Matt Cullen, the casinos first CEO, later led a team of investors that bought JACK Entertainment from Gilbert, turning it into an Ohio-based gaming company with two locations.

In 10 years of existence, JACK Cleveland Casino has brought in $2.19 billion in gambling revenue, which is money it makes on people placing bets.

Its paid one-third, or about $731 million of that revenue, in taxes. Its sent $373 million to Ohios 88 counties, $248 million to school districts and $37 million to its host city, not counting Clevelands split of the taxes sent to Cuyahoga County.

Those pushing for legalization were careful not to predict how much revenue would be made, but Ohios gambling industry hasnt lived up to estimates from the state.

In October 2009, before legal gambling hit the ballot box, Ohios Department of Budget and Management and Department of Taxation analyzed the impact of opening casinos on the states budget.

Even considering the possibility of racinos also opening for business, that analysis predicted $1.42 billion in yearly gambling revenues from Ohios four casinos. The casinos combined brought in $984 million in 2021 during a record year.

JACK Cleveland had a record year in 2021 with $257 million in gambling revenue, but the 2009 analysis predicted $473 million of annual revenue. The same analysis over-predicted how much revenue the Columbus and Cincinnati casinos would pull in by wide margins as well. Only Toledos prediction was close.

Since 2013 the casinos gambling revenue has grown from $821 to $984 million a year. The seven racinos now bring in upwards of $1.2 billion every year.

Ohio was late to gambling compared to its neighbors, with Indiana, Pennsylvania and Michigan all having casinos first. The analysis didnt expect gamblers to flock from outside Ohio. It did predict, though, that Ohio would recapture its in-state gamblers.

Detroit was an early adopter and became an established market before any Ohio casinos opened. The citys three casinos brought in $1.3 billion of gambling revenue in 2021, dwarfing Ohios four casinos.

Clevelands casino has been outperforming the one in Pittsburgh. From January to April, Pittsburghs Rivers Casino has brought in $74 million in slots and table games revenue, compared to $86 million at JACK Cleveland.

Its not like gambling revenue in Ohio isnt growing. Ohios casinos and racinos have broken the record nine out of the last 10 years. The only year they didnt was in 2020, when COVID-19 related shutdowns and curfews disrupted the industry.

Over 10 years, Ohios casinos have brought in $8.15 billion in revenue, paying about $2.72 billion in taxes on gambling earnings alone.

Lokke would later become JACK Casinos general manager in 2015. Since then, downtown Cleveland has seen major change, as well as a pandemic.

Since the casinos inception, both Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse and Public Square have been renovated. The residential population, even after being deterred by COVID-19, reached the Downtown Cleveland Alliances goal of 20,000 people living downtown by 2020.

From the beginning Lokke said the casino was developed with minimal food and beverage to help push people out of the venue into downtown. Gamblers are still rewarded with vouchers for restaurants and tickets to shows or games through JACKs reward platform.

Lokke said the casino has welcomed 35 million visitors since May 2012, and as of late averages 10,000 people through a 24-hour day. While casinos set revenue records since the COVID-19 pandemic began, attendance is still down compared to two years ago.

As workers return downtown and Sherwin-Williams builds its new headquarters on Public Square, Lokke said hes expecting even more change.

A rising tide raises all boats, Lokke said.

The JACK casino isnt done changing either. Lokke said there was many capital improvements made in the first half of the casinos life. In the past 18 to 24 months, he said JACK has invested tens of millions of dollars into the property.

Lokke said he expects several more years of growth for the casino.

Ten years really isnt that long for an entirely new industry that really didnt exist before in Ohio, Lokke said.

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Part of the fabric of Cleveland JACK Casino, Ohios gambling industry now 10 years old - cleveland.com

Monday, 20 June 2022, 12:06 pmPress Release: Problem Gambling Foundation

An impressive line-up of international and local speakerswill feature at the 8th International Gambling Conference(IGC2022), being held at the Sir Paul Reeves Building atAuckland University of Technology (or virtually for thoseunable to attend), from 29 June 1 July 2022.

Theprogramme includes inspiring presentations from four keynotespeakers: Psychiatrist Dr Diana Kopua and herhusband Mark Kopua - a tohunga and T Mokopractitioner, Professor Amanda Roberts fromthe School of Psychology at the University of Lincoln, UK,and Dr Aaron Drummond, a cognitivecyberpsychologist from Massey Universitys School ofPsychology, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

TheConference, themed He haerenga A journey from harm towellbeing, will provide a platform for all to sharetheir unique journey in the area of gambling related harmand wellbeing.

Prior to the Conference anInternational Think Tank on Gambling Research, Policy andPractice is being held at the AUT City Campus, 27-28 June.The Think Tank will bring together experts in their field toensure progress on current collaborative projects andidentify new initiatives to expand knowledge and advancegambling policy and practice.

IGC2022 will open onWednesday 29 June with a mihi whakatau and an address todelegates from Hon. Jan Tinetti, Minister of InternalAffairs.

The International Gambling Conference is awell-established biennial event and one of the leadinginternational conferences on preventing and minimisingharmful gambling, attracting delegates from New Zealand andaround the world. It is hosted by the Gambling andAddictions Research Centre at AUT University, and theProblem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand.

For moreinformation on the conference and to view the completeprogramme please visit http://www.internationalgamblingconference.com.

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Impressive Line-up Of Speakers At The 8th International Gambling Conference | Scoop News - Scoop