Category Archives: Gambling

By: Josh Sens February 1, 2022

Do you like Jordan Spieth this week? Our expert does.

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The West Coast Swing continues this week with a stop that needs no introduction: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

What was born decades back as Bing Crosbys Clambake lives on today as part competition, part cocktail party, with Bill Murray as leading man, and a supporting cast of celebrities and Tour pros.

Daniel Berger is the defending champ, and hes in the field again. But hes not the odds-on favorite. That designation goes to Patrick Cantlay, who sits atop the betting board, just ahead of Berger, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Cameron Tringale and Justin Rose.

The tournament plays on a three-course rota, with Spyglass Hill and the Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Shore) in the mix over the first two days. On Saturday and Sunday, the entire field plays on Pebble only.

The current weather forecast calls for partly cloudy to sunny skies this weekend, with temperatures in the mid-60s. Scores should get into that range, too.

But who will shoot some of the lowest numbers?

For those predictions, we turn to Erick Lindgren, GOLF.coms expert prognosticator. The terms are the same as ever: we give Lindgren a $1,000 gambling budget (just play money), and he supplies us with his five top picks. Here are Lindgrens wagers for the event, which kicks off Thursday morning in Monterey.

(Looking to play any of these bets yourself? We teamed with BetMGM and the online sports book is offering a Risk-Free Bet of up to $1,000).

Lindgren was among the first last year to go all in on Spieths resurgence, and a T3 at Pebble was where the resurgent play began. There are courses and events where Jordan should not be a dog to anyone, Lindgren says. Pebble is one of those.

Jasons history here is simply too good to ignore, says Lindgren, who also likes what he saw out of Day last week at Torrey Pines. The back pain is gone (for now, anyway), and Days stellar short remains intact. Lets ride his good health, hot hand and history here, Lindgren says.

It seems like another lifetime now, but it was just two years ago that Taylor held off a fast-charging Phil Mickelson and won by four shots in this event. His game is starting to percolate, which matches up with love for this tournament, Lindgren says.

Lindgren is a banking on a repeat performance out of Lashley, who opened with six straight birdies on Pebble last year for an opening round 65. Even with a final-round triple bogey, Lashley finished T5. I look for spots to back Nate, and this is definitely a good one, Lindgren says.

Theegalas stock has been on the rise, but Lindgren still sees him as a great value. This is a bet on talent, trying to get in early on him, Lindgren says.

A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLFs platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.

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5 picks I love at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, according to a professional gambler - Golf.com

Its always interesting whenever two worlds collide. Gambling has always been one of mankinds favorite hobbies and recreational activities. However, as the 20th century rolled along, people started indulging more in content consumption in the wake of the release of a certain device called the television. These days, gambling movies and TV shows make up a huge part of pop culture and mainstream media. So many people are reliant on television to keep them engaged and entertained on a daily basis. One of the most beautiful aspects of television production is that theres practically a show for any kind of person. And in this article, were going to tackle some of the most prominent gambling-related TV shows of all time.

The first show on this list is going to greatly appeal to poker fans around the world. High Stakes Poker is a televised cash game of no limit Texas holdem. This is the most popular variation of poker wherein players are dealt two hole cards in order to form a five-card hand. The show has been on for 8 seasons and its still going strong. As its name implies, High Stakes Poker is only reserved for high rollers, with buy-ins reaching as much as a million dollars.

Breaking Vegas was a short-lived television series that premiered in 2004 on The History Channel. Despite the fact that it was short-lived, many gambling fans still continue the show to be quite binge-worthy. The show covers various real-life stories of people who have been documented to illegally take money from casinos using clever tricks and technology.

Before Max Kellermans big break as an all-around sports commentator for ESPN, he was the host of a gambling series that premiered in 2006 on Spike TV called King of Vegas. Essentially, the way that King of Vegas worked was that it was a competition between gamblers that forced players to play in different kinds of casino games with a fresh set of $10,000 in chips each.

Poker After Dark was a very popular poker show that had a very similar format with High Stakes Poker. It first premiered back in 2007 and had a run of four years before the show was cancelled in late 2011. However, due to popular demand, the show was rebooted back in 2017 and it features a lot of familiar faces who were in the original run of the show.

Breaking away from reality TV, the next item on this list is a show that was inspired by a Japanese manga series that was written and illustrated by Shinobu Kaitani. Its a show that follows the story of a college student named Nao who receives a mysterious package containing cash amounting to 100 million Japanese Yen. Along with the cash is a note stating that she is now a contestant in the Liar Game Tournamenta competition wherein contestants are forced to lie, cheat, and steal their way to the top.

Another poker entry on this list, the World Poker Tour is different from the other shows mentioned so far since the game is done in a tournament-style format. Poker tournaments require a lot more focus, stamina, and endurance on the part of players, and WPT is often dubbed as the most prestigious competition in all of poker.

A gambling show starring Dustin Hoffman. Whats not to love? Luck originally premiered back in 2012 and was cancelled just two months after its release due to animals being harmed on the set. However, despite the fact that the show was cancelled, the remaining episodes of the shows first season continued to air. This may not be Hoffmans best work, but its still definitely a show thats worth watching.

Las Vegas is a popular comedy-drama series that aired on NBC from 2003 to 2008. The show revolves around a team of people who are working for the fictional Montecito hotel on the Las Vegas strip. Its a standard office-setting drama series that takes an interesting approach to telling the stories of people who work in the gambling industry.

The Casino is another reality-based television show that follows millionaires Thomas Breitling and Tim Poster as they oversee the operations at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Its an interesting and more realistic look into the way that casinos are typically run within the gamblnig capital of the world.

Smart Live Casino is an interactive UK-based television show that was first formed in 2007. It differs from the other shows on this list in the sense that its interactive and offers a lot more engagement to its viewers.

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Top 10 Gambling TV Shows of All Time - Critical Blast

As the final regular legislative session of the quadrennium evolves, it is apparent that the Legislature will not touch any substantive or controversial issues, but simply pass the budgets and go home to campaign. It is election year in the Heart of Dixie.

If legislators are listening to their constituents, they are hearing one thing Alabamians want their legislators to allow them the right to vote on receiving their fair share of the money from gambling in Alabama. They are simply sick and tired of their money going to Georgia, Mississippi, Florida and Tennessee while Alabamians are paying for those states schools, roads and bridges.

You can bet your bottom dollar that if a clean lottery/sports betting referendum were to be placed on this Novembers ballot, it would pass in a New York minute. Even the most conservative folks in our state would vote for it, if for only one reason they want their money to stay in state. Every time there is one of these high-dollar Powerball national drawings, every convenience store on our border in the aforementioned bordering sister states parking lots are jammed with Alabamians clamoring to buy a lottery ticket.

Governor Kay Ivey has had a very accomplished five year reign as Governor. The Rebuild Alabama road, bridge and infrastructure program was big and much needed. Most of her successes have been housekeeping chores that required a governor, who was willing to put the state first and get these necessary projects accomplished instead of kicking the can down the road like some of her predecessors. However, these accomplishments will not give her a legacy issue that 50 to 100 years from now folks can point to and say Kay Ivey has a legacy.

The legacy awaiting Governor Ivey is the creation of a Constitutional Amendment that garners the tremendous amount of money spent on gambling in Alabama and also a Gambling Regulatory Commission to monitor and police gaming. You are talking about some real money for Alabama. Conservative estimates are $700 million a year to the state. In addition, there would be 12,000 new jobs.

The Legislature and governor by themselves cannot achieve this reaping of the gambling gold mine. It would have to be approved by you the voters of Alabama in a Constitutional Amendment. If polling is correct, it would pass 65-35. With it being a constitutional amendment, it needs a three-fifths vote in the Legislature to place the initiative on the ballot. The issue was discussed, extensively, and voted on in the 2021 session. It passed in the Senate but was never put to a vote in the House.

The Senate would pass it again. There were 23 votes for the Constitutional Amendment and only 21 were needed for passage. There needs to be 63 votes in the 105 member House to place the amendment on the ballot in this years November General Election.

Therefore, the question is will it be placed on the ballot this year for Alabamians to vote to reap this financial bonanza? In order to pass the Constitutional Amendment to allow Alabamians to vote on a lottery and expanded gambling, Governor Ivey probably will need to weigh in with both feet and promote the issue in a Special Session.

Because it is an election year, the legislature probably will not want to deal with the issue until after the elections. The primary election is May 24. The current regular session will end in April, so gambling probably will not be dealt with in this regular session. Therefore, the best way to get the amendment on the ballot is a special session during the month of June because it has to be done by the first of July to get on the November ballot.However, with most legislators being unopposed they may take the bull by the horns and pass the constitutional amendment for you to vote on in November without the need for a special session.

In observing the Legislature, it is bittersweet seeing Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon presiding over probably his last session as Speaker. He has done an excellent job as Speaker. He is a kind, even tempered gentleman, who exudes integrity. He is decisive and fair, and you can tell he is a man of faith who truly cares about the House members, both Republicans and Democrats.

See you next week.

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Opinion | Will gambling be addressed in 2022? - alreporter.com

The House Always Wins: Nevada collected an all-time record of gambling revenue in 2021, beating the previous record set in 2007.

Despite Covid, Nevadas casinos had an historically healthy year in 2021the state reported a record $13.4 billion in gambling revenue.

The total gaming jackpot last year also beat prepandemic numbers in 2019 by 11.6%, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The last all-time high was in 2007 when the state reported $12.8 billion in gaming revenue.

Michael Lawton, a senior research analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, says that revenue increased last year across all areas of Nevada, with 11 out of 18 gambling markets setting gambling revenue records in 2021.

The reasons for the record level of gaming win recorded this calendar year began with the successful rollout of vaccines, which eliminated capacity restrictions on the gaming floor, says Lawton.

Once restrictions were lifted, pent-up demand for gambling propelled Nevada on a record ten-month streak of more than $1 billion in monthly revenue. This demand was being driven by healthy consumer savings as the result of stimulus payments and the sustained rebound of leisure travel, says Lawton. Additionally, the return of special events and entertainment continued to boost gaming win to record levels.

Slot machines remained Nevadas cash cow. The state collected $9.2 billion last year.

Revenue from The Las Vegas Strip for all of 2021 increased 7.4% over 2019a good sign that Sin City has bounced back from thepandemic-induced recession. In a report published late last year, Fitch Ratings predicts that 2022 will be another growth year for Las Vegas and U.S. regional gambling markets with gross gaming revenue estimated to outpace 2019 levels, despite tourism being down by 10% compared with 2019.

Roulette helped bolster the numbers with a total win of $428 million last year, an all-time record. Nevada sportsbooks collected $8.1 billion in wagers and won $445.1 million during 2021both all-time records.(The previous high came in 2018, when gamblers wagered $5.3 billion and sportsbooks won $329.1 million.) For the last three months of 2021, sportsbooks recorded more than $1 billion in wagers. This threshold had never been reached, says Lawton. And mobile sports betting accounted for 64.6% of total sports wagers statewide, up from 57.1% in 2020.

Wanna Bet? After an anemic 2020, slots helped Nevada recoup some of its losses.

Slot machines remained Nevadas cash cow in 2021. The state collected $9.2 billion last year from slotsanother all-time record for the state and a 16.4% increase over 2019.

Brendan Bussmann,partner and director of government affairs with Global Market Advisors, who covers the gaming industry, says the record-setting year is a sign that the gambling industry is booming after a disastrous 2020.

It was a great year for the gaming industry, says Bussmann. It shows the resiliency of the industry to be able to bounce back from one of its worst years seen over the course of time. Last year also shows that Nevada's number one industry survived and thrived along the way.

Bussmann says the main takeaway is that the recovery is not yet complete. Regional and local gaming has continued to excel, but The Strip, despite record revenue numbers, still has room to grow.

We're not in full recovery, says Bussmann. If you look at the numbers, on their surface, it looks like we're more than back from the pandemic low because of the growth and the record year, but you have several segmentslike business and international travelthat still arent back.

Research firm Macquarie wrote in a note published this week that it remains bullish on Vegas and expects a strong recovery no later than 2024. The firm gives MGM its top pick rating.

But its not all rosy for gambling stocks. Macquarie downgraded regional casino company Red Rock Resorts, which is majority owned by the billionaire brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, from outperform to neutral. We find more value in other names in our coverage universe, the firm writes.

Wynn saw its stock price dip 24% over the last year due to concerns over Macaus licensing process and 4% just this week after news broke that its looking to sell its mobile betting outfit WynnBet for a steep discount. Macquarie remains neutral on its stock while the companys VIP business is still being hurt by Covid restrictions in Macau. Las Vegas Sands, which sold its Vegas properties, also saw its stock price drop 37% over 2021 due to concerns in Macau. But Macquarie is keeping its outperform rating because we believe Las Vegas Sands remains best positioned to capitalize on the China recovery.

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Nevada Hits All-Time Record Of $13.4 Billion In Gambling Revenue In 2021 - Forbes

As executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, Keith Whyte doesnt spend too much time answering calls from people struggling with gambling addiction. But every so often, the phone rings after hours at the NCPG offices in Washington, D.C., and Whyte gets a reminder of why he got into the business of helping people to battle addiction.

Whyte recalls one woman in Maine who called the NCPG after being turned away from other help lines, whose personnel advised they couldnt assist because her issue was gambling not alcohol or drugs or suicide.

I picked up the phone, and she said, This is the last call I am going to make. I am here in Maine, I have a severe gambling problem, I want to end it all, and I cannot get any help,' Whyte said. Fortunately, weve had training, so I talked to her while on my cellphone I was calling people I knew who ran problem gambling programs in Maine. And I was able to get a crisis team to her house.

The crisis team ran into the same snags as the caller they called a suicide prevention center in Maine, but were told, We dont know anything about gambling. But as Whyte pointed out, Who cares? Shes suicidal. As far as Whyte knows, that story had, for lack of a better term, a happy ending. But not so much for a caller he talked to in Las Vegas.

Whyte came to talk to the man, a military veteran, through a contact at The New York Times, who was working on a story about gambling in the military. The reporter had been talking with a former Army helicopter pilot with a gambling problem Whyte says the military makes $100 million per year off its own slot machines, but does not provide gambling addiction services. The reporter was concerned because the pilot, who had resigned to avoid a court martial, had dropped out, so the reporter asked Whyte if he could help should the pilot turned up again.

He called the reporter from a pay phone on the Strip in Las Vegas, Whyte said. Hed gone on a gambling binge, and [the reporter] calls me, and I call the head of problem gambling in Nevada, and she leaves her office to race down to this street corner to try to find this guy. Dr. Rena Nora was about five minutes away from the street corner, but didnt make the connection. The guy had been on his last gambling binge, he made his way back home to the Northeast and shot himself.

He was an Apache pilot, he was stationed alone his family didnt go with him and he lost money on slot machines on base and couldnt get any help. The thing that gets me is that we were so close to getting him help. We were so close

Since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was deemed unconstitutional in 2018, legal sports wagering has proliferated across the United States. More than 30 U.S. jurisdictions have legalized so far, sending tax dollars to education, water programs, and other worthy causes. Many jurisdictions also dedicate a portion of their gambling tax revenue to gambling treatment or education programs, but advocates such as Whyte will say that its never enough.

Stakeholders point to the legalization of wagering as contributing to a rise in the number of people suffering from gambling addiction. In many states, there are an overwhelming number of sports betting ads on billboards, social media, and television that are increasing such concerns. In both Ohio, which legalized wagering in December, and Louisiana, where mobile wagering went live Friday, news outlets have run stories related to concerns about addiction. Its a common theme across the country.

Professional sports teams and leagues including the NFL, whose Super Bowl weekend is the single biggest betting weekend of the year are joining problem gambling initiatives. In the last week alone, the NCPG launched a program in partnership with the NFL Foundation to fund program gambling initiatives, and the NCAA partnered with EPIC Risk Management to expand gambling harm education for its athletes. Operators have also forged partnerships to combat addiction.

The NCPG is a national clearinghouse for work on addressing problem gambling and promoting responsible gambling. The nonprofit organization lobbies state legislatures to allocate funds, works to make sure that residents anywhere in the U.S. can call a hotline for help, and educates the public and the industry on the topic. But there are no national standards, and most states run their own programs. Those can range from the minimum manning hotlines to more extensive programs that include funding for counseling by therapists, running retreats, and other support.

But no matter what the setup, when a gambler dials a hotline number, the process is similar.

According to Jennifer Davis-Walton, director of gambling addiction services for First Choice Services, the goal is getting necessary information from callers and directing them to the right resources. Davis-Waltons company contracts with the state of West Virginia to provide gambling addiction services, and the program is among the most comprehensive in the country.

What happens when somebody calls is, one of our trained hotline coordinators picks up, and one of the first things we are going to say is, Tell me whats going on. We want to hear from their perspective whats going on, so well ask open-ended questions. Some people are kind of closed and some people tell you pretty much anything and everything. We are as conversational as you and I are today, and were going to treat the person on the other end of the phone like someone we know.

We want to make sure they feel like were listening or that we know a little bit about what were talking about and that we care.

Davis-Walton said callers are not required to identify themselves. She recounts a story in which a woman who worked for another government agency called in. The woman told the person answering the phone that she had been in the office where Davis-Waltons staff works, so was hesitant to give her name but wanted to see a counselor. In the end, Davis-Walton and her staff were able to get the woman the help she wanted without ever knowing who she was.

In West Virginia, according to Whyte, technology is available that allows the PG/RG staff to connect callers with a local counselor based solely on their address. With the advent of the internet, callers can be directed to websites that list Gamblers Anonymous meeting times and locations; chat rooms where people share problems and solutions; and other resources, such as software that can block a user from betting on their devices.

The program in West Virginia for those seeking help also includes followup phone calls, meetings, and retreats, all of which allow the staff to offer continued support. In general, though, hotlines function a lot like a paramedic unit they are the first responders, but the fate of the patient or caller is often unknown.

Brianne Doura-Schawohl, a longtime advocate who worked for the NCPG and EPIC Risk Management before opening her own boutique consulting firm this year, got into the problem and responsible gaming world when she took a job with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling.

Thats the big challenge for many of us who answer that call for help, she said, We dont really know what happened. Were not treatment-based, were just a clearinghouse. The majority of callers, you dont really know how the story ends. Sometimes, you get notes thanking you for the help, but mostly you just pray that you were a helpful, friendly voice that encouraged someone to take the next step.

Doura-Schawohl said that when she was working in Massachusetts, the range of callers varied. She recalls one gentleman who would call the hotline because he was in recovery, so when he was triggered he might call as often as 25 times in a week. There were others who called just to hear a friendly voice. And still others who were seeking information for where to get help.

Its important to note that problem gambling and responsible gambling are not interchangeable terms or issues. Problem gambling refers to programs for people who have already developed an addiction, while responsible gambling refers to education to prevent a problem from developing. The two generally go hand-in-hand.

Those who work in problem and responsible gambling are quick to point out that they are not anti-gambling. Rather, they feel that they understand that there are risks involved and some small percentage of people will fall prey to addiction. Their job is to get those people help, not to judge.

Were not anti-gambling, were gambling-neutral, Davis-Walton said. Some people are going to be able to gamble and not have any problem at all. But then youve got some people who, unfortunately, are going to develop a problem.

For those who develop a problem, hotlines are the first line of defense, but sometimes reaching out for help doesnt result in a positive solution.

One young man, he is in his 20s and very smart, Davis-Walton said. He would sleep in his car three or four nights a week and at a hotel in Delaware (which has legal gambling and sports betting) depending on his points the other nights. And he would eat there, basically based on his rewards.

For a while, I was checking in on him every day, then once a week, then once a month. But he would tell me that while he didnt feel suicidal at the moment, he knew that that is how he would die. On my last few calls, he didnt answer.

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What Happens When Someone Calls A Gambling Hotline? - Sports Handle

Over the past 10 years, the gambling industry has undergone tremendous growth and many changes have been made. Gone are the days of having limited titles available and being restricted by downloads. There have been some great trends that have changed how we gamble today. Here, we take a look at some key moments that have changed the industry and continue to promote growth and success.

These have all played a key role in revolutionizing online gambling. Today, players are able to engage in exciting games safely and securely while having the ability to gamble on any PC or mobile device.

The introduction of mobile casinos changed how players were able to access games and place bets. In the early 2000s mobile technology started to become enhanced and players welcomed 3G technology. This allowed for online casinos to be accessed using a web browser. With the ability to now play games from a smartphone or a tablet, players have more access and additional ways for opening and managing casino accounts.

In 2007, the iPhone was released and Googles App Store launched in 2008. These two things played a huge role in the development of mobile gambling. Online casinos started focusing on developing mobile platforms that could be downloaded. Even though Wi-Fi connections were not as common, the release of casino apps provided a new and exciting way for players to engage in gambling activities.

Along with 3G technology, players saw HTML5 tech introduced. This allowed developers to create games that were not OS-specific, enhancing the experience for all gamblers by allowing all titles to be played on any device. HTML5 platforms also offered better security measures than Flash. Today, you will find that most operating casino sites have an HTML5 powered mobile platform that requires no download or app.

As online casinos started to emerge and new sites entered the industry, there was a huge change in promotional offers that were presented to players. Websites started competing to attract loyal members and began offering appealing welcome bonuses to those that signed up. One type of bonus that was effective in appealing to new customers was a no wagering casino bonus. With this, players could sign up, redeem an offer, and instantly cash out what was won. It eliminated any need to complete wagering requirements.

As more players signed up, casinos had to increase and improve the promotional deals that were being offered. In addition to welcome bonuses that had no wagering, players started to see recurring deals like reload offers, free spins, and cashback bonuses. Today, gamblers are able to find casino sites that feature daily, weekly, and monthly promos that all provide free funds or free spins to enhance their experience.

Live dealer games are now a top choice for gamblers online as they provide you with the most realistic experience. With these titles, players can engage in real-time play on games that are streamed from land locations. Changing how players are able to place bets and enjoy classic card and table games, these live dealer titles are controlled by real professional dealers and you have the ability to interact with others. In 2006, Evolution Gaming hit the scene and was the first company to launch a full portfolio of live card and table games.

Starting with just one studio, Evolution games started to attract thousands of players. Today it is hard to find any online casinos operating that do not feature live games. Evolution now has 8 studios worldwide and there are other developers available, including Ezugi, Pragmatic Play, Playtech, and even NetEnt. With the ability to have social interactions while playing games that are streamed in HD, the world of online gambling quickly changed.

These games are designed to replicate the same experience one would have in a land casino. You will find all of the popular games offered, from classic blackjack to game show titles such as Deal or No Deal. Featuring various betting options, jackpot payouts, side bets, and amazing animations and graphics, these games have been one of the key things to change the online gaming industry.

Online casinos remain a popular choice for gamblers all over the world. With enhanced gameplay, better bonuses, exciting live options, and top payouts, the games we play today are far more enhanced than those years ago. As new technology comes into play, the industry is always evolving, presenting players with new and exciting ways to place bets and win.

With these key moments, players enjoyed the ability to play on any mobile device with no download required, could obtain better-paying bonuses with no wagering requirements, and can now interact with real players and dealers at their favorite tables!

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How Online Gambling Evolved: Key Moments in the Formation of the Online Casino Industry - Fish Stripes

Denise Coates betting company, Bet365, disbursed 480,000,000 in levies last year and again topped the list of Britains highest taxpayers. Peter and Fred Done of the BetFred empire came fifth.

You shouldnt be impressed; be angry. These are the spoils of one of our most damaging, swaggering, sordidly profiteering industries.

People are hurting, people are ensnared, people are dying because they are caught in the cycle of gambling addiction. Successive governments merely tinker with regulations because they do not want to weaken the cash cows. Profits come before human well-being every time.

I hear reports that the NHS will no longer accept donations for addiction clinics from gambling businesses. Good. But why was this money ever accepted? We know why.

In 2016 Fintan Drury, chairman of Paddy Power between 2002 and 2008, spoke out about the cosy relationship between gambling companies that was unchecked by any moral code. He also said that this was because the British governments desire to boost Treasury coffers override[s] consideration of acute social ills.

Another excited Paddy Power boss, Stewart Kenny, now a psychotherapist, has misgivings about the damage caused by the products he sold. I say to these apostates: Its too bloody late. If I seem unforgiving, its because I am.

Before I was born, my father was a compulsive gambler. His debts devastated the family. One night he went into City Bar in Kampala, Uganda, and left his toddler son and daughter in the car to play Blackjack. My frantic mum walked to the bar and shouted. Papa, never previously violent, broke her little finger. It stayed bent. That made him stop.

Millions of Britons will relate to this story. According to the Gambling Commission, punters annually spend around 14.5 billion on gambling, much of it now online. More than 340,000 Britons are seriously hooked and children are impacted too.

In 2013, when they were deregulated, TV gambling adverts increased by 600 per cent in the space of a year. Many of these still appear during live football broadcasts. According to the BBC, there has been a 114 per cent rise in gambling-related hospital cases since 2014.

Tony Blair facilitated this social disaster. He and Tessa Jowell liberalised the laws and here we are. Does he show remorse? Jowell did, but not him, not ever.

Hundred of suicides are related to gambling problems. My colleague Ian Birrell has written movingly about victims, among them Phil Stretton, 20, Aaron Sluman and Joshua Jones both 23, Jack Ritchie 24, Ryan Myers, 27, Kimberly Wadsworth 32, Lewis Keogh and Daniel Clinkscales both 35. After Jack Ritchie died, his parents Charles and Liz founded Gambling with Lives to share grief and stop the evil. They are like those protestors in Tiananmen Square, small and helpless as the tanks roll on.

Most addicts are male, but the number of compulsive, secret female gamblers is rising. Experts believe almost a million of them are in that dark place. It was reported that Reality TV star Scarlett Moffatts mother and manager, Betty, stole 50,000 from her daughter to fund the habit; Beauty blogger Abbey Little bet once for fun, was besieged by online adverts, lost 5000 and took an overdose. Since the lockdown, she fears says it has got out of hand.

One reader emailed this week: My husband, he lost all our savings putting money on horses. It was terrible. He died in 2014. My twin girls 19, are now gambling online using my cards. I cant live like this again. How can this be happening?

How indeed. Its a question Ms Coates et al and Rishi Sunak will never answer, because they have the power.

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The government will never act on gambling addiction, betting firms are their favourite cash cow - iNews

Sports betting is a giant industry, with more than $92 billion wagered since the Supreme Court ruled in May 2018 that states could allow it. Thats why, if youve watched any NFL games on television this year, youve seen almost as many commercials for online betting sites as for beer and trucks.

Lets get one thing straight at the outset, though: Betting on the Super Bowl at those sites (or on any other sports played by humans not on horseback at a licensed racetrack) is illegal in California. Even if its legal in your home state, if you come to Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI, you cannot place a legal bet on the game at a licensed U.S. sports book while youre here.

For many Californians, however, legal restrictions are merely a speed bump. An unpublished study in 2019 estimated that Californians were making $15.7 billion in sports bets, whether with friends, bookies or offshore sites.

Hence the countless commercials touting betting sites, along with the chatter on TV and radio about point spreads and favorites.

According to the California attorney generals office, state law generally prohibits wagering on the outcomes of contests between animals and/or people (including sporting events). The only exceptions are for the state lottery and licensed card rooms, tribal casinos and horse races.

You will note here that the prohibition is on outcomes of contests. Thats one reason fantasy teams and drafts the purview of companies such as Fan Duel and Draft Kings can legally take money from people in California, even though the games they offer involve wagering. (The companies also argue that fantasy contests are games of skill, not chance, and some researchers and state legislatures agree.)

California state law is probably the broadest in the country when it comes to restricting gambling, said I. Nelson Rose, a gambling law scholar and emeritus professor at Whittier College. It makes it a crime a misdemeanor to accept, record or even make a bet on a sports event. Obviously, nobody ever gets arrested for making bets on sports events. But its clearly against the law.

Federal laws, such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and the Illegal Gambling Business Act, bar gaming sites from operating in states that prohibit gambling. In 2011 and 2012, federal prosecutors brought charges against four major foreign online poker sites, successfully prosecuting a number of their executives. Three of the companies remain in business, although they have stayed out of states where online poker isnt legal.

The Supreme Courts 2018 ruling shifted the tide dramatically, and now 30 states have at least some kinds of legal sports betting within their borders. In California, however, legislation to create a regulated online gambling industry has been stalled amid tussling by the states card rooms, its tribes, sports leagues and Nevada casinos over what to allow and where to allow it. California voters are likely to see one or more initiatives on that subject this November sponsored by various special interests.

The 2018 ruling also has drawn some of Las Vegas most famous casino operators into the online sports betting business. Yet Rose said they still have to abide by the federal Wire Act, a law enacted to help then-Atty. Gen. Robert Kennedy crack down on organized crimes gambling operations. The Wire Act prohibits the use of phone or telegraph lines to convey sports bets or betting information across state lines, regardless of whether wagering is legal.

As a consequence, companies such as Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts had to set up separate sports betting sites in each state where sports betting is legal, and then take bets only from people in those states. If youre a California resident and you try to place a bet at one of those casinos sites, you wont be immediately shown the pages where you can bet on games. Instead, Caesars will invite you to bet on fantasy sports, and MGM will suggest that you travel to a nearby state where betting is lawful.

It doesnt take a wizard at online search, though, to find places online that will gladly take a Californians wagers. These are foreign sites, often based in Latin America or the Caribbean, and they contend that California law doesnt apply to them. They accept cryptocurrencies, which are exchanged anonymously, and at least some of them even take credit card payments from Californians, which federal law would seem to prohibit.

Jeff Ifrah, a gambling law expert who leads a trade association for regulated online gaming companies, doesnt buy the argument that offshore sites can legally take sports bets from Californians. The feds, of course, still have the authority to go after offshore sports betting, Ifrah said.

Stephen M. Hart, an attorney in Phoenix who specializes in gaming law, said the key factor isnt where the sports books servers are its where the bets are placed. As long as the bets being placed here in California, California has jurisdiction, Hart said. A states authority does not stop at the border, when gaming occurs in the state.

Federal court rulings back that up. For example, Rose pointed to a 2018 ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals holding that a tribal reservations online bingo game violated the federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act when it accepted bets from players within the states jurisdiction.

Offshore sports books may be counting on the insulation of distance to protect them from prosecution. Practically speaking, Hart said, it is very difficult for California law enforcement officers to travel around the world enforcing the law.

But if you place bets there, Ifrah warned, your bet or wager may be unsafe because its being placed with an operator thats acting illegally and is unregulated.

Thats the main issue for bettors when they send their money offshore. If there should be a problem with their account or their bets with winnings not being recorded, funds vanishing or terms not being honored theres no authority that can help them. Theres nowhere to go, other than a media forum or a complaint center, Ifrah said.

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Don't bet on it. Wagering on the Super Bowl is illegal in California - Los Angeles Times

I am in touch with an FX trader in the UK. He trades on different FX markets. I invested 15,000 with him, on which he pays me a monthly 3 per cent return. So each month I get approximately 420 paid into my bank account. Sometimes its a bit more thats an approximate figure.

This comes under the spread-betting sphere he assures me from which income generated is not taxable in the UK or Ireland.

I started doing this six months ago. I am wondering are there any other tax implications for this income, or can I just keep on reviewing?

Mr D.L., email

Trading currencies can be a volatile business; spread betting only increases that volatility risk. It does sound like that is what your UK-based trader is up to. I hope you know what youre doing. And I certainly hope you have placed a stop to limit losses should your traders bets turn sour.

Basically, in spread-betting you are gambling on the future price direction of the underlying asset. In the case of foreign exchange trading, your trader is betting that one currency will strengthen (or weaken) compared to another currency. If you think itll weaken, you go short; if your view is that it will strengthen, you go long.

You bet a certain amount on each point that a bet moves in either direction. If you bet 5 a point long on the dollar against sterling and the dollar advances against the British currency, you win. But, if sterling firms relative to the dollar, you are out of the money and it could prove costly.

For currencies, which I gather are generally quoted out to four decimal places, the point is that fourth decimal place.

So if, for example, the dollar is trading at $1.3401 against sterling when you buy and moves to $1.3521 when you close the bet, your 5/point bet has made you 600 (5 x 120 points).

Of course, if the dollar weakens to, say, $1.3240, you will be on the hook for 805 (5 x 161) and if you dont close the bet those losses could keep mounting.

The real peril in spread-betting is margin. You only have to put up a fraction of the potential stake on the bet. Thats makes it very accessible for investors with modest stakes. But it means that both winnings and losses can be magnified.

Thats fine on the winnings side but if the bet runs against you, the potential loss is open-ended unless you have placed an instruction to close the bet and accept your losses at a certain financial point. With spread-betting, chasing losses in the hope a bet will come good is generally a one-way ticket to the poorhouse.

But what about the tax?

This is one of the major attractions of spread betting. In both Britain and Ireland, spread betting is not subject either to capital gains tax or, with one significant caveat, to income tax.

The exemption to capital gains tax (CGT) is fairly logical. CGT is assessed on gains from the sale of physical assets, but with a spread bet, you never actually own anything: youre simply betting on the movement of an underlying asset.

Its not beyond governments to change their view on this as budgetary needs or a view on the proliferation of such untaxed income emerges but it would need legislation so there would be plenty of advance warning. And theres absolutely no suggestion of anything like that at the moment.

On the income tax side, betting wins generally are not seen as subject to taxation. This applies to lotteries and sports betting, and the same principles apply to spread betting.

But, its not entirely a blank cheque. The issue is whether the betting (and winnings) are incidental, or whether they can be seen as part of your trade. If the latter, then yes, the Revenue Commissioners would argue, they are taxable.

The real question is, if this activity forms a regular part of your activity, how do you determine whether its a trade? Revenue says it looks at it on a case-by-case basis; legal analysts think it would need to be very much part of your working business for Revenue to be able to enforce taxation if challenged.

Id imagine Revenue will look both at what share of your income is accounted for by spread-betting earnings and also what other employment earnings you have and in what type of business.

The bottom line is that, in your case, I doubt Revenue will consider these winnings taxable.

The flip side, of course, is that if you get a losing bet, you cannot offset those losses against other taxable gains under CGT rules in the same way that you could if you owned and sold a physical asset, such as a share, at a loss.

To be perfectly honest, my view is that if you did not have a very clear understanding on spread betting including the tax implications then you probably shouldnt be playing that game, but thats your call.

Please send your queries to Dominic Coyle, Q&A, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2, or by email to dcoyle@irishtimes.com. This column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice.

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Gambling is a winner on taxes but the losses can hit you hard - The Irish Times

The National Football League is nearing $2 billion in partnership fees, the most in professional sports.

Agreements from betting firms and technology companies helped the NFL lure a record $1.8 billion in sponsorship revenue, sports partnerships consultancy firm IEG told CNBC. The NFL's figure is a 12% increase year-over-year from $1.62 billion it made in the 2020 season. It pulled $1.47 billion from sponsorships in the 2019 season.

Sports gambling companies, casinos and lotteries saw the most significant spike in NFL sponsorship agreements. DraftKings, FanDuel and Caesars became sportsbook partners in 2021 after the companies struck five-year pacts worth just under $1 billion combined. The NFL also landed secondary deals with BetMGM, WynnBET, Fox Bet and PointsBet.

Partnership deals with the NFL usually run from three to seven years and cost a minimum of $10 million per year for smaller companies. More prominent firms could pay more than $200 million per year.

FanDuel app

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Verizon has one of the more prominent NFL deals and paid the league over $300 million annually. In September, the communications company agreed to a new 10-year deal with the NFL and added 5G rights. But the new deal doesn't include live streams of games, which makes it less valuable. That also means the NFL's mobile rights are also up for grabs.

IEG's estimates come days after the NFL produced one of its most memorable playoff weekends, which included the thrilling overtime game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. That game attracted over 42 million viewers, the highest divisional postseason game since 2017.

"It's not coming from traditional places," said Peter Laatz, IEG's global managing director. "It's coming from emerging categories. Not only are we seeing emerging talent on the field; we're seeing emerging categories."

Although gambling sponsorships saw the biggest increase in the NFL's 2021 season, tech deals ranked first in absolute dollar figures for 2021, led by Microsoft. The tech giant has an on-the-field deal with the league, which uses Microsoft's Surface tablet. That agreement is worth roughly $100 million per year, according to IEG data.

Gambling deals ranked second, and alcoholic beverage deals ranked third.

In December, the NFL renewed its deal with Anheuser-Busch, which pays the NFL more than $250 million per year for beer and hard seltzer rights. The company lost control of hard alcohol rights, which Diageo took over for a reported $30 million per year.

The NFL put its wine and champagne rights up for auction but has yet to strike a partnership for that category.

"They've cut those categories (tech and alcohol) pretty fine," said Laatz, calling the NFL's sponsorship money a "runway revenue train." He then projected the NFL would endure a "finer cutting of categories" in the future to grow deals in the U.S.

Although the NFL's total sponsorship revenue increased significantly, the bulk of that growth went to league-wide sponsorships, which grew 23%. NFL clubs took in only 4% additional revenue in rights fees year-over-year.

To grow revenue streams for clubs, the NFL is taking a page from the National Basketball Association's playbook and allowing teams to leverage international markets. Last month, the NFL permitted 18 teams to market their intellectual property in 26 territories, including Canada, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

But it could be a while before teams see real traction in that department.

There's no doubt the NFL is dominant domestically, but American football isn't a big draw overseas like the NBA. In addition, Canada and Australia already have established football leagues, so the NFL has serious competition.

Laatz said he's "skeptical" of the NFL's overseas plan, which the league labeled the "International Home Marketing Areas." The NFL has tried to grow its product in London with its annual games, and Germany has shown interest in the NFL.

But those sporadic overseas games may not be enough to vault the NFL into international prominence like the NBA.

"There's a big difference between playing games internationally, which the NFL has clearly done, and having a prominent NFL footprint to grow the sport overseas," Laatz said.

Still, to get a sense of the value a U.S.-based sports club can earn from international deals: The Golden State Warriors one of the most popular NBA teams abroad agreed to a multiyear global rights sponsorship with crypto platform FTX for roughly $10 million total.

Laatz believes NFL teams' deals could be even more lucrative.

A Bitcoin symbol on an advertisement at Mass Transit Railway station in Hong Kong, China, on Oct. 27, 2021.

Tyrone Siu | Reuters

Meanwhile, the NFL is taking a wait-and-see approach toward deals in the cryptocurrency space.

In October, at the NFL's owner meetings in New York, officials told CNBC that crypto-related deals are still being examined. Laatz called it the "sideline model" as in, the NFL waits to see how other institutions maneuver.

"They're careful about not getting into speculative arrangements that can cause backtracking," said Laatz.

While the NFL stalls on crypto deals, companies are pouring millions into the NBA.

In addition to the FTX-Warriors deal, crypto platform Coinbase agreed to a $192 million deal over four years with the NBA. On the team level, the Los Angeles Lakers landed a $700 million naming rights deal with Crypto.com. And the Portland Trail Blazers landed the NBA's first crypto jersey patch deal.

Outside basketball, Major League Baseball added a crypto patch agreement for its umpires, and individual NFL players like Tom Brady are also striking crypto deals.

But Laatz says the delay won't really matter, given the NFL's ample revenue growth. "The thing they are leaving on the table right now is risk."

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Tech, gambling and alcohol helped the NFL earn almost $2 billion in sponsorships this season - CNBC