Category Archives: Gambling

Ive always been a fan of dystopian literature with its what-if premises and cautionary tales. George Orwells 1984 was an early favorite, soon followed by Aldous Huxleys Brave New World. Television shows such as Rod Serlings classic Twilight Zone and Charlie Brookers contemporary Black Mirror offer similar plotlines that match my thematic interests.

Most recently, Squid Game has captured my attention along with 142 million other Netflix subscribers, making it the streaming services most popular original series to date. Produced in South Korea, Squid Game envisions the consequences of debt-ridden people playing reimagined childrens games for considerable prize money. Violent and gruesome, it is a dystopian allegory that criticizes a rapacious capitalistic society in which people are so desperate to rid themselves of debt, theyd wager their very lives.

Many South Koreans despair of advancing in a society where good jobs are increasingly scarce and housing prices have skyrocketed, reported Kim Tong-Hyung of the Associated Press, enticing many to borrow heavily to gamble on risky financial investments or cryptocurrencies.

Just as I began watching Squid Game a few weeks back, my CTNewsJunkie colleague Christine Stuart posted this story:

Starting at 6 a.m. [on Oct. 19] residents across the state will have a casino in their pockets. Thats because residents will have access to three different online gambling platforms, two operated by the tribes and one by the Connecticut Lottery.

The Connecticut Lottery Corporation in partnership with Rush Street Interactive will begin taking bets via PlaySugarHouse.com, the Mohegan Tribal Nation will take bets via FanDuel and the Mashantucket Pequots will be taking bets via DraftKings, Stuart explained.

Not by coincidence, advertisements for DraftKings began showing up on TV as I watched NFL games and on my Twitter feed as I scrolled through posts. I could now place bets on my smartphone at any time of day from almost any location. An absolute sports gamblers dream!

Or maybe more like a nightmare.

Before Im labeled a prudish, anti-gambling crusader, Ill admit that I have placed friendly wagers on sports contests on occasion. I understand the allure of betting. But I also understand that gambling can be powerfully addicting and I worry that making it as easy as checking the weather forecast on your phone is a perilous proposition.

The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services says broader access to gambling with online betting exposes gamblers to vulnerabilities, such as financial difficulties, troubled relationships with family members and significant others, poor work performance, an increase in money-related crime, and a reported increase in severity of mental health-related symptoms, according to the Hartford Courant.

Diana Goode, executive director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, said Connecticut does not make it easy for gamblers who know they have a problem to self-exclude, or submit to bans in the casinos and online, reported the Courants Stephen Singer. Self-exclusion is incredibly difficult, she said gamblers must notify the state Department of Consumer Protection and the two casinos.

The National Survey of Problem Gambling Services estimates that 1.1% of Connecticut adults nearly 40,000 in total have a gambling disorder.

Suffice it to say, I find the confluence of these two events the massive popularity of Squid Game and the introduction of app-based gambling in Connecticut more than a bit ironic. Even as gambling continues to destroy lives, we find ways to make it more accessible.

Before Im labeled a prudish, anti-gambling crusader, Ill admit that I have placed friendly wagers on sports contests on occasion. I understand the allure of betting. But I also understand that gambling can be powerfully addicting and I worry that making it as easy as checking the weather forecast on your phone is a perilous proposition.

Dystopian literature has told this tale before. One episode of the Twilight Zone The Fever features a character who is transformed from an anti-gambler into a gambling addict. It seems he just cant resist the siren song of a slot machine he thinks is calling his name.

A preposterous plot, not unlike that of Squid Game. But its a theme from dystopian literature that nonetheless deserves serious attention.

Barth Keck is in his 31st year as an English teacher and his 16th year as assistant football coach at Haddam-Killingworth High School in Higganum where he teaches courses in journalism, media literacy, and AP English Language and Composition. Follow Barth on Twitter @keckb33 or email him at keckb33@sbcglobal.net.

The views, opinions, positions, or strategies expressed by the author are his alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of CTNewsJunkie.com or Regional School District 17.

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OP-ED | It's a Good Bet That App-Based Gambling Will Cause Problems - CT News Junkie

Nov. 1During Tuesday's municipal elections, voters in Nashua will be asked again if they want to see an in-person sportsbook location in the Gate City, and Portsmouth voters will be asked if they want Keno locations.

After a 2019 law legalized sports betting in New Hampshire and up to 10 brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, voters in six cities, including Manchester, approved sportsbook locations. Nashua narrowly rejected sportsbooks in 2019, as did Concord.

Fourteen towns approved sportsbooks during their spring 2020 town meetings.

But that does not guarantee a location will open. The state lottery commission and the sole company the state contracts with to run sports betting DraftKings can decide if they want to take up a city's invitation to open.

Absent a brick-and-mortar location, bets can be placed from a mobile phone app, as long as the gambler is physically in the state of New Hampshire.

In August, the lottery commissioner said he was eyeing locations on the Seacoast and the Massachusetts border. The commissioner estimated half of the sports bets made in New Hampshire come from Massachusetts residents.

In the two years since sports betting was legalized in New Hampshire, only two sportsbooks have opened, one in Seabrook and one in Manchester.

The Manchester location has been the site of at least two violent crimes this year. A man was shot nearly to death in the parking lot in April, and another was threatened with a gun in February.

Portsmouth voters will be asked to decide if they want to allow Keno in city businesses.

Approval for Keno has become far more widespread than approval for sportsbook locations. The quick-pick game was legalized in 2017, in an effort to catch money from gamblers who had been crossing into Massachusetts to play Keno, and help pay for full-day kindergarten.

Voters in almost 90 towns and cities have let Keno in. That has led to more than 200 kiosks in restaurants and social clubs around the state.

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Gambling on the ballot for Nashua and Portsmouth - Yahoo News

Safer gambling is the regulated betting and gaming industrys top priority all year round, standards body boss Michael Dugher has declared.

Mr Dugher, chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, spoke out as this years Safer Gambling Week which runs until November 7 kicked off.

He also vowed to use the event to build on the now two million people using deposit limits one of the safer gambling tools offered by BGC members.

The campaign was launched in the wake of a Gambling Commission report which showed that the rate of problem gambling has fallen from 0.6 per cent to 0.3 per cent over the past year.

The study also showed that the rate of those classed as being at moderate risk of harm fell from 1.2 per cent to 0.7 per cent in the same time frame.

Once again, Safer Gambling Week is being supported by the BGC, the Bingo Association and bacta, the amusement machine trade association.

The annual campaign has been running since 2017, when the industry united for the first time to promote Responsible Gambling Week.

This years event will see a blitz of safer gambling messages both online and in land-based venues, sparking a nationwide conversation on how to bet responsibly.

Every arm of the regulated industry will come together to encourage staff, customers and the general public to raise awareness of, and talk about, safer gambling.

It comes just two weeks after the launch of Take Time To Think, the BGCs campaign to encourage customers to use tools like deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion to stay in control of their betting.

It stands in contrast with the unsafe, unregulated online black market, which has none of the safeguards used by BGC members.

BGC Chief Executive Michael Dugher said: Safer Gambling Week is now an established annual event. We know that rates of problem gambling are low and are now falling, which is great news, but Safer Gambling Week is further evidence of the regulated industrys determination to keep raising standards.

Millions of people enjoy a flutter every year on the National Lottery, at the bingo, on sports, in casinos and gaming online - and the vast majority of them do so safely and responsibly. But one problem gambler is one too many, which is why Safer Gambling Week is so important.

This is about building on the two million customers who now use deposit limits, and it is also about making sure that those who need help know where they can get it.We dont want people drifting off to the unsafe, unregulated black market online.

Safer Gambling Week brings together everyone who genuinely wants to see safer gambling including the regulator, the Government and so many cross-party MPs.

For the regulated industry, safer gambling isnt just an issue for one week of the year, its our top priority all year round.

Gambling Minister Chris Philp MP said: "Safer Gambling Week is an important moment for the industry to come together and continue to do all it can to promote safer gambling and prevent gambling-related harm year-round.

"We need to find ways of doing more to protect those with severe gambling addiction from the life changing damage they can suffer. Our ongoing review of the Gambling Act will ensure our laws are fit for the digital age, and strike the right balance between protecting those most at risk and giving adults the freedom to choose how they gamble safely."

Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission said: We know that over 20 million people in the UK regularly gamble in some way and for the vast majority this is something they do without any issue. However, around 340,000 people in Britain are problem gamblers.

With this in mind, Safer Gambling Week is the ideal opportunity for operators to demonstrate how they can raise standards and showcase how Britain can become a world-leader in making gambling as safe as possible.

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Problem gambling rates are falling but safer gambling 'our top priority all year round', says BCG Boss at start of Safer Gambling Week -...

Seven Alabamians were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges stemming from an illegal cockfighting operation and bird breeding business in Chilton County, prosecutors announced Friday.

The defendants, all from Verbena in Chilton County, allegedly had a cockfighting arena with stadium seating that fits 150 people and had several rings to host cockfights, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The operation allegedly began in 2018, prosecutors claimed.

William Colon Big Jim Easterling, 75; Brent Colon Easterling, 37; Kassi Brook Easterling, 38; William Tyler Easterling, 29; George William Billy Easterling, 55; and Thomas Glyn Junior Williams, 33, were charged this week with one count of conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act and to operate an illegal gambling business since at least 2018, the DOJ said.

Those six defendants along with 23-year-old Amber Nicole Easterling were charged with operating an illegal gambling business.

All of the defendants were also charged with violations of the animal welfare act, while Tyler Easterling was additionally charged with violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for allegedly capturing and killing a great horned owl.

The Easterlings also operated three fighting bird breeding operations adjacent to each other, one owned and operated by Big Jim Easterling; one called L&L Gamefarm, owned and operated by Brent and Kassi Easterling; and one called Swift Creek Gamefarm, owned and operated by Billy and Tyler Easterling with help from Junior Williams.

At these operations, prosecutors said, the defendants bred birds for promising fighting traits, sold and shipped birds from their breeding operations to other people for purposes of cockfighting and producing more birds to fight, and promoted the fighting abilities of the birds they bred.

Brent and Kassi Easterling also promoted and sold cockfighting weapons from their breeding operation, the DOJ said.

At least one buyer allegedly paid $800 for one rooster, said prosecutors.

The defendants face up to five years in federal prison if convicted on the Animal Welfare Act violations and operating an illegal gambling business charges.

Tyler Easterling faces up to six months in prison if convicted of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

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7 Alabamians indicted on federal gambling, animal fighting charges in connection with cockfighting ring - AL.com

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 04: The Fountains of Bellagio launch for the first time since the resort closed on March 17 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on June 4, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fountains went off twice twice just before the doors were opened; first to the song "Simple Gifts," a tribute to frontline workers around the world, and then to "Viva Las Vegas," to celebrate Las Vegas residents. Hotel-casinos throughout the state are opening today as part of a phased reopening of the economy with social distancing guidelines and other restrictions in place. MGM Resorts International reopened Bellagio, New York-New York Hotel & Casino, MGM Grand Hotel & Casino and The Signature today. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Las Vegas is still on a winning streak.

Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip set an all-time quarterly record during the third quarter by collecting $2.1 billion in gambling revenue, according to numbers reported by the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday. The Strip beat the previous record of $1.8 billion, which was set during the fourth quarter of 2006.

Michael Lawton, a senior research analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, says that the Las Vegas recovery is in full swing.

Its old news that the Strip is laggingits officially out pacing pre-pandemic numbers, says Lawton.

The third quarter started with a bang when Nevada collected $794 million in gambling revenue from casinos on The Strip, the highest single month win total in state history.

Sin Citys gambling revenue is also up 0.6% current year to date compared with the same time in 2019. Revenue from The Strip during September hit $604.6 million, a 9.9% increase over September 2019, before the pandemic-induced recession hit the city.

Brendan Bussmann,partner and director of government affairs with Global Market Advisors, who covers the gaming industry, says hes not surprised.

It makes sensetheres been tons of pent-up demand and the third quarter was kicked off with events in Vegas like Garth Brooks, Bruno Mars and the McGregor fight and it ended with the Raiders, says Bussmann. It shows Vegas is not only back but shows its resiliency.

Statewide, Nevada is also continuing to hit records. In September, the state collected $1.2 billion in gaming revenue, marking the seventh consecutive month of $1 billion-plus in revenue. Gambling revenue increased 9.4% in September over the same month in 2019.

The current seven-month rally is the second-longest streak of $1 billion-plus in monthly gambling revenue collected by the state. The states record for recording $1 billion-plus in monthly gambling revenue is eight months, which was recorded from November 2006 to May 2007, just before the Great Recession tore through the economy.

Bussmann says he thinks the recovery will continue cautiously for now.

I don't see it stopping in the short term, but I want to see what happens with the economy, he says.

The two biggest challenges going forward include a potential covid resurgence, which would lead to closures, and the other concern is the U.S. economy. With fuel prices up, inflation and supply chain costs going up, these can make the consumers wallet more limited and have an impact on domestic travel.

But two things that can add buoyancy is the return of international travel to Las Vegas for vaccinated foreign nationals in November and the continued climb of business travel and conventions, says Bussmann.

There are a few factors driving the rally, especially in Las Vegas. Baccarat, which historically delivered an average of 17.6% of total Strip revenues between 2016 and 2019, has been down to 13% of total revenues in 2021. But slot machines and sports betting have picked up the slack.

Record slot play is filling that gap, says Lawton. This third quarter represents the highest slot win in The Strip's history.

Total slot win at casinos in Vegas during September hit $355.3 million, a 15.6% increase over September 2019. For the quarter, slots generated an all-time record of $1.1 billion. This is up from the previous record set during the second quarter of this year of $1.04 billion. (The previous record before this year, $897.5 million, was set during the third quarter of 2007.)

Sports betting is also doing its share across the state. Sports pools brought in $54.2 million in September, the third highest total of all-time. Sports pool drop of $786.5 million hit an all-time record set last year. Mobile sports wagers hit $495.1 million, with the state bringing in $16.7 million.

After Julys record-breaking numbers, Colin Mansfield, an analyst from Fitch Ratings, said the recovery timeline has not changed and Fitch is still predicting a full Vegas recovery in 2023. In a note published last month, Macquarie Research referred to the outlook for Las Vegas as positive and predicts Vegas will recovery fully by 2022.

October has been trending positively and November, with big events like the Rolling Stones playing at Allegiant Stadium, the Canelo Alvarez middleweight championship fight and a big auto convention, could also produce positive results for Vegas and the state.

Right now, theres nothing out there that tells me we won't continue this monthly $1 billion dollar gaming win, says Lawton.

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The Las Vegas Strip Reports $2.1 Billion In Gambling Revenue, Highest Quarterly Win In History - Forbes

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Gambling is a fun and exciting form of entertainment. Whether youre spending a Friday night at the casino or playing online poker: its all about the thrill of potentially winning big and having fun.

But to fully enjoy gambling, you need to make sure that your wallet doesnt end up empty and you are not more angry than happy after visiting the casino. This is why it is important to master certain habits which can keep you entertained and your budget safe. You know you should be responsible gamblers and walk away with some money. But what are the habits of successful gamblers?

If you do not feel confident in a certain game, you keep losing at it and it just makes you more and more frustrated. You should leave the table and try something else or give yourself a break and stop gambling for today at all. Generally, if you start getting angry, it is a red flag and indicator to make a pause. However, winning a lot or winning a couple times in a row can lure us to gamble more, or risk winning even greater prizes. Have you ever heard of a gambler who wins big and saves those money, investing them? Yeah, most of them lost it, some of them even during the same night. If you have strong will, you can win, and then walk away with money in your pocket to spend it on other goods than a few moments of thrill in the casino.

It is opposite to the previous point. Sometimes there are opportunities that are worth risking and you should hold on to win more. Recognizing those moments is even harder than knowing when to give up. If you miss such a lucrative prize, just because you were too afraid to risk even though your budget was ready for that and you have enough time, you might get frustrated because someone else took your prize due to your insecurity.

There are many mistakes that gamblers make and some of them are a straight path to addiction. Major one is trying to catch your losses. If you suddenly notice that you lost 10$ and you think, I need to catch those losses and go on with gambling you just caught yourself on a straight path to an addiction. It is no longer about the fun of playing different games and having a pleasant time, its the brutality of losing some money and then thinking how to get them back as soon as possible.

Playing a game that you dont understand is pointless. It is very important to know exactly what you are doing and what payout probabilities are. If you win a lot, it should increase your confidence that this game is for you because there is really a possibility that you will win big time. However if the odds are low, even though the payouts could be huge, it is more likely that you lose than win those huge prizes. Odds for some games might be simple while others can have more complicated rules. For beginners it is better to start with the straightforward ones.

Setting up a budget for gambling activities is essential and sticking with it is obligatory to be sure that gambling is only a pastime and entertainment. It is better not to take your credit card to the casino. Better be safe than sorry and if you leave it at home, you wont be tempted to spend more than you planned in the first place.

Many state that time in the casino flows differently and owners only design the interior to keep this that way. Most of the casinos do not have windows to keep you unaware of time changes. Moreover, casino staff do everything to keep you entertained. They will try to keep you in the gambling focus for as long as they possibly manage. That is you who should have a time limit set and alarm clock to inform when you should exit the casino. This rule is especially important when playing a live online casino at home. You do not need to commute anywhere so you can lose track of time even faster.

Gambling as the only way of entertainment isnt healthy. It should be a rare pleasure to go to the casino, not a daily basis activity. It is good to set up one day in the week for this pastime and devote the rest for other hobbies, family and friends. This will keep you away from the addiction and you will enter the casino with a fresh mind and in high spirits.

Gambling isnt a bad thing as long as you follow the rules and if you master them, you can call yourself a successful gambler. Success in casino games does not mean that you win often and big money, because generally very little depends on your skill in games. It means that you have fun, not get addicted and develop logic, mathematics and self control skills. If you win money in the process, it is only an additional benefit.

Please gamble responsibly.

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Successful gambling habits (Sponsored content from Chilli Fruit Web Consulting) - Varsity Online

In failing to make any serious new government investment in the UKs green future, Rishi Sunak has chosen to gamble that the market will deliver instead. That is a very high-stakes bet in the face of a climate emergency.

Four days before the UK hosts the crucial Cop26 climate summit, the virtual absence of the climate crisis from Sunaks budget speech was startling. The most eye-catching announcement was the halving of taxes on domestic flights, which are already far cheaper and more polluting than trains.

Sunak appeared to splash the cash for public transport in the UKs city regions. But only 1.5bn turned out to be new money. The Green Alliance estimates 7.6bn a year is needed. Meanwhile, he announced 21bn for roads and a freezing of the duty on fossil fuels used by cars for the 12th year in a row.

It could have been different. This government chooses to invest in a high-wage, hi-tech economy fit for a new age of optimism, said Sunak in his budget speech. He just wasnt talking about the low-carbon economy.

The UK government set out its net zero strategy last week. Clearly, its a very market-led strategy, said Chris Stark, head of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the governments official advisers. We shall see how that fares.

Cutting emissions from homes is vital, but Sunak will part-subsidise just 30,000 heat pumps a year for three years. Will that get us to the governments 600,000 a year in just six years time? Not many would take that wager, with the Green Alliance estimating funding needs to be three times higher.

The governments previous flutters on energy efficiency have been also-rans. The recent green homes grant was botched, according to the Public Accounts Committee. The earlier green deal also failed, despite clear prior warnings. We think there is a significant risk in leaving it to the market, as that has never worked anywhere in the world and is unlikely to happen in the UK, said Starks predecessor way back in 2011.

One big punt Sunak is taking with taxpayers money is on a new nuclear power station, to be seeded with up to 1.7bn of new direct government funding. Energy bill payers will also pay upfront for the power plant, described as writing a blank cheque that the consumer is on the hook for by the BBCs business editor.

But nuclear power stations have an appalling record of delays and ballooning costs. In 2017, two nuclear power plants in South Carolina, funded by energy bill payers in a similar way, were abandoned, half-built, with billions of dollars down the drain.

The cut in domestic air passenger duty follows the net zero strategy having nothing to say on curbing the growth of flying or reducing the amount of meat and dairy people eat. Ignoring these areas is another gamble, making hitting climate targets more difficult and riskier, the CCC said.

The recent net zero strategy was seen as a big step forward, but if the chancellor really wants to get the UK on track to net zero, an extra 21bn a year in public investment is needed, said Sam Alvis, of the Green Alliance. The government has provided about half that but says it will leverage new private investments of up to 90bn by 2030.

The Labour party has pledged 280bn of green capital investment by 2030, equivalent to half the defence budget, and by far the partys biggest spending pledge.

There is always an argument to be had about the relative roles of the state and private sector in investment. Sunak railed against reckless unfunded pledges on Wednesday and said governments should have limits. But Alvis said: The fiscally responsible approach is to invest now rather than facing huge risks to the economy and environment later.

Four days from the most important global climate summit in history, Sunak mentioned Cop26 just once in passing. On Tuesday, economist Prof Nicholas Stern said: The move to net zero [emissions] can be the growth story of the 21st century.

Missing this economic opportunity by playing roulette with climate action is shooting ourselves in the foot. But risking the catastrophic impacts of global heating means Sunak is playing Russian roulette we may be shooting ourselves in the head.

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Rishi Sunaks budget is gambling with the climate crisis - The Guardian

Posted on: October 26, 2021, 04:39h.

Last updated on: October 27, 2021, 02:41h.

Oakland, Calif. police are continuing to investigate an illegal gambling shack they raided earlier this month. Eleven people were detained trying to flee the gaming joint and three were arrested, according to a police Facebook post released Monday.

While there on Oct. 14, cops seized four loaded firearms, a 50-round drum magazine, a flame thrower, and more than $17,500 in cash.

Police also seized eight gambling machines, a quarter pound of suspected meth, and a large amount of suspected tar heroin packaged for distribution inside of the gambling operation, police claim.

Two of the three people arrested were charged on outstanding warrants. A third person was charged for being a felon in possession of a firearm. That person was believed to run the gaming joint.

The court-ordered raid was the result of an ongoing police investigation.

In an unrelated case, Oakland cops raided another alleged illegal casino operation in July as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal gaming in California. It was run out of a car wash, police said.

While there, police seized 18 illegal, unlicensed gaming machines, six firearms, and two assault rifles, 30 high-capacity magazines, and $21,000 in cash. Police say these operations are tied to gangs.

The raid took place after cops got complaints from residents. Oakland police said in July the raid was the fourth operation of its kind broken up by officers so far in the year.

Weve shut down at least three illegal gambling operations in and around the same area. We do know that theyre tied to violence, including murders, kidnappings, narcotics trafficking, and human trafficking, Oakland Police Capt. James Beere told KTVU, a local TV station, in July.

In California, in February some 70 people were arrested after a police raid on an alleged illegal gambling joint operating as a slap house in Anaheim.

Slaphouse is the term used to describe an illegal gambling operation found in a residence or business, KABC, another local TV station, explained in a recent report. The name relates to players slapping the controls on some of the games.

Several gaming machines and firearms were seized, police said. The business allegedly fronted as a furniture store.

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Gambling Shack Raid Leads Oakland Cops to Arrest Three, Seize Flame... - Casino.Org News

They say that back in the 19th century, Owensboro was known up and down the rivers as a sporting town.

In other words, a place where games of chance could be found at any hour on any day.

But that had all changed by the mid-20th century.

The police had cracked down on the illegal gamb-

And about the only gambling around was bingo.

In the late 1980s, we got the Kentucky lottery.

And then, in 1993, when Indiana was beginning to license riverboat casinos, the Green family, which then owned Executive Inns in Owensboro and Evansville, announced plans to apply for one in either Evansville or Rockport.

A Rockport casino boat would cruise to Owensboro and bring people to town because Rockport didnt have enough hotels.

But nothing ever came of that.

In 2002, John Bays, who owned the Executive Inn then, began lobbying the state to allow him to build a casino at the hotel.

He dreamed big, pushing unsuccessfully for the state to allow casino gaming, saying he would build a casino, a 20,000-seat arena, an indoor water park, a convention center and parking for 14,000 vehicles a total of $200 million worth of construction if he had a casino license.

Bays finally gave up in 2005 and sold the hotel.

Then in 2014, Ron Geary, who owned Ellis Park, said he wanted to build an off-track betting and simulcasting parlor with a restaurant downtown.

That plan had to be approved by Kentucky horse racing officials.

And it wasnt, he said.

Geary also talked about the possibility of building a casino in Owensboro if race tracks were allowed to have casino licenses.

But now, Ellis Entertainment, the new owners of Ellis Park, are planning to construct a 60,000-square-foot entertainment venue in the Towne Square Mall area that will feature historical racing machines (similar to slots but legal), simulcast wagering and a sports-themed restaurant.

Theyre talking about a $16.7 million project with 100 permanent jobs.

Will it happen this time?

I hope so, but weve seen these dreams go up in smoke a lot of times over the past 30 years.

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Will we get legal gambling this time? | Features | messenger-inquirer.com - messenger-inquirer

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Walk into a casino today, and chances are it wont look that much different than it did in the 1942 movie "Casablanca" when Humphrey Bogart made his way through the gambling tables in the smoke-filled room.

Sure, the slot machines are larger, louder and flashier than they were back then. But the central fact remains that the casino floor of today is not all that different than the casino floor of yesteryear.

What the casino floor of the future should look like is a question the gambling industry has wrestled with for decades.

A woman plays a slot machine June 23, 2021,at Bally's casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry / AP Newsroom)

VIVA LAS VEGAS: HOW CONSTRUCTING SIN CITYS STRIP BROUGHT THE GAMBLING MECCA TO LIFE

And it still has no definitive answers.

The topic was discussed Monday at the East Coast Gaming Congress, a major gambling conference in Atlantic City.

One big question: How to get young people interested in what casinos have to offer.

"It's tough to get that kid out of his parents' basement, and casino games aren't going to do it," said Joe Lupo, president of Atlantic City's Hard Rock casino, referring to young adults.

The industry has tried several tactics to attract younger gamblers, with varying rates of success. Six years ago, Atlantic City debuted so-called "skill-based" games for its casinos.

They were games in which a player's ability to perform a certain task was taken into account in determining whether he or she would win or lose a game a departure from the strict random games of chance that have been the backbone of the gambling industry since its inception.

But they never really caught on, and most were quietly removed in less than a year.

Casino executives and gambling equipment manufacturers at Monday's conference agreed younger customers want varied experiences, much more than the monotony of pushing a button and waiting to see whether they've won or lost.

"The younger generation likes to do things," said Rick Meitzler, CEO of gambling manufacturer Novomatic Americas. "They like to play on their phones. Ten to 15 years from now, you'll see that 25-year-old become a 40-year-old and part of our target audience."

But can casinos afford to wait that long?

Jacqueline Grace, senior vice president of Atlantic City's Tropicana casino, said her company is constantly studying younger gamblers.

"What appeals to them?" she asked. "What gets them going? They like games of skill, not games of chance. They like to eat. They like to travel. They like experiences."

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People play roulette June 23, 2021, at Bally's casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry / AP Newsroom)

Most casinos have embraced electronic tables games, not only as a way to save on labor costs, but to offer a low-stress introduction to games, particularly card games, that novice gamblers might find intimidating.

Panelists agreed that sports betting and particularly esports, or competitive video gaming, offer an opportunity to connect with younger potential customers.

Atlantic City and particularly Las Vegas have begun to embrace esports as a way to fill their casinos and hotels with young customers interested first and foremost in playing online games against each other. But when they're done, they order food and drinks and engage in nongambling activities that the casino resorts offer.

"We think esports is the next big thing," said Robert Heller, president and CEO of Spectrum Gaming Capital. "Every casino company I've talked to is interested. This is happening."

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Ari Fox, co-CEO of Gameacon, an esports tournament company, said the key is reaching younger customers where they are.

"Younger people don't go on Facebook; they don't play on Instagram," he said. "They talk on Discord. The key to earning them as customers is earning their trust." He said gambling companies need to tell these customers, "This is not where your parents go. This space is for you."

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Gambling industry wonders what casino floor will look like in the future - Fox Business