Archive for July, 2010
Friday, July 30th, 2010
It’s been four years now since the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, has been in effect. Though it was meant to help the cause of gambling problems, in contrast it ended up harming it. US casino gamers moved their gambling to offshore companies instead and fueled millions out of the country. Banks were tasked with monitoring all activities and denying those that were direct results of gambling activities. The added cost has proven to be a hefty pricetag for financial institutions, but if they aren’t as staunch they could end up facing huge fines by the government. In an effort to not be fined they were overzealous in their watch for illegal activity and some legal gambling activities were swept away with the rest.
Now, Barkey Frank is petitioning hard for changes. He has been the leader in US remodeling of gambling law and hoping for new laws to replace the UIGEA. He would like to replace the law with a bill that would license and regulate gambling in the US. Financial institutions are in favor of the change because they no longer want the responsibility of monitoring gambling activity. It costs them a lot to manage the issue and that cost is not going to diminish over coming years since all signs are showing that gambling is increasing in popularity. If Frank’s bill is accepted, it will change the face of gambling in the country and this is why Frank is so important to the cause. He has made this his primary focus for the past few years and is number one in finding a solution.
It will take time to sort through the issue, but all signs are showing that the US is in dire need of a change in gambling law. The UIGEA has long failed to meet its intended purpose due to incomplete writings and incomplete definitions. One of the main problems with the bill was that though it revolved around gambling, it never defined what “gambling” really was. The bill was passed without adequate wording. Hopefully Frank’s replacement laws will take on the necessary precautions and be a complete solution to the issue and all it entails.
Tags: Barney, Frank, legal, UIGEA
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Online gambling is lucrative, but not without controversy. In fact, almost every country is heavy in debates over the issue and trying to come up with laws that adequately police the issue. They want to take advantage of the million-dollar business, but still protect all players involved. Gamers need protection so as not to be hurt by unscrupulous gambling companies. Companies need to be protected by adequate gaming law. Governments need to be protected to make sure they are getting the appropriate portion of revenue from the activity. There are a lot of rules to write and that is why legislators are working so hard to come up with solutions.
Australia is the latest country to be working on gambling law. The Prime Minister is known to be staunchly against internet gambling and wants to shut down websites that deal with casino gambling. He has long been an opponent to the activity in the country and is working to ban it for good. Despite his individual position on the issue, recent studies are showing that some Australian statees are considering changes to their gaming law. They are seeing the benefit of gambling and legalizing it and want to at least toy with the idea before completely denying it. They are stating that they are open to increasing legalized offshore gambling for their residents and aren’t completely against it like the Prime Minister.
In addition to state legisator’s decisions on gambling, the country also has the support of residents. New research is showing that Australians are welcoming of gambling, namely slots and other luck-based games. They are curious about the possibilities of bringing gaming in and with the numbers that have been thrown around in terms of revenue, it is looking more and more positive. Although the Prime Minister is against gambling, Australian citizens are spending over $790 million in offshore casinos. This is the same mistake that the US made- it banned gambling in2006 and gamblers merely moved their gaming to other offshore companies. As a result, they put millions into other countries and the US lost big dollars. Australia is set to repeat the same mistake if they don’t change their stand on the issue and create legislation that works for all parties involved.
Tags: Australia, gambling, legal, residents
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Japan is a country that is thinking about gambling—but not in a positive way. The government recently was debating legalizing gambling and regulating it, but then quickly did an about face on the issue. The recession was a reason for many countries to consider legalizing gambling, but for Japan it was the opposite. Prior to the recession was when the country was considering the move—every country was though. There are huge potential dollars available due to gambling and its legalization, but that doesn’t mean that every country is going to immediately bite
Money is the main reason why countries are seriously considering legalizing gambling. Though there are inevitably going to be problems in implementation, many legislators are willing to over look them. They believe that if the proper legislation is written, then the problems can be dealt with, or at minimum mitigated. The huge potential dollars are difficult to overlook. Even legislators who were formerly against gambling regulation are now jumpingship. They are hoping that with the proper laws in place, they can come up with the money necessary to turn their budgets around while still protecting casinos and gamblers from illegal activity rises.
Japan isn’t taking chances though. All gambling activities are illegal in the country however lawmakers know that activities relating to gambling are still happening underground. Japan fully recognizes the illegal activity, and is cracking down on the activity in mass numbers. One example was the recent arrest of Tomoyuki Miyamoto. Miyamoto was accused of operating an illegal gambling ring. Not only did it break the prevailing law of no gambling, but it also allowed underage people to wager and place bets. this makes it a difficult thing for Miyamoto to get out of since he was accused of illegal activities that spanned a cross section of the ban. Miyamoto was only a small portion of the illegal gambling activities going on in the country. It will take a stronger force to monitor the illegal activities, and that means that Japan is going to have to shore up their policing of the country. It may take time to get to the bottom of all the illegal activities going on, but Japanese lawmaker are determined to flush out the gambling activity.
Tags: gambling, illegal, Japan, Miyamoto, Tomoyuki
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Everyone knew that Ohio was set to make waves in the gambling market. It announced last year that it would be solidifying plans to create four new casinos—each one huge, each one premiere in its own right. The state positioned the casinos at the four main cities of Columbus, Toledo, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Penn National Gaming company is heading up the developments and already have released details on the Columbus Hollywood Casino. So far, it is set to be a 3,000 slot machine location that also allows for thirty poker tables along with seventy other table games. Any gambler should have hours of fun here—even seasoned gamblers who aren’t impressed by much in the world of gaming.
The casino is set to be a “moderate-sized” location despite the huge amount of games available. Penn National Gaming of course is a huge company that specializes in gaming developments. If you are a fan of gambling and visited large casinos throughout the nation most likely you have been in a Penn National Gaming creation. The company has been around for a while now and knows how to build casinos that are top-notch and create a huge buzz in the market. The secret partially is due to their expertise at varying games. You won’t just find one specialty here—rather the huge space allows for poker, baccarat, slots, roulette, backgammon and any other game you can think of. You will never get bored here if you just visit and test out all the games they have to offer.
Ohio is a state that is truly taking advantage of the gambling market. The state is set to develop four locations for premiere gaming and estimates that once they are all up and running, they could potentially bring in $1.8 billion a year in gambling revenue to the state. That’s a huge amount and any state would welcome it to help rebuild after the difficult recessionary period of last year. This is a great time for the state and most likely they will begin to reap benefits in coming months. Expect projections to be surpassed due to the overwhelming interest the public has shown in the new casinos and in gambling in general.
Tags: Columbus, gaming, National, Ohio, Penn
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
It’s no secret that Indiana is embracing a surge in gambling with its recent approval of creating four top-notch casinos to the market. There are four major cities in the are that are set to build the casinos and one of the premiere locations gave residents a sneak peek this past week. Columbus’ casino was featured and proved to be a sight for various gamblers to enjoy. It is a blast from the past and the décor focuses on Hollywood’s Golden Age of film. If you want a luxurious and lush looking casino that screams decadence and posh riches, then this could be the best casino for you. It is decorated with a classic 1930s theme to it and you’ll expect to see members of the brat pack come around the corner when you are gambling there.
The casino is set to be built in southern Indiana and it is the largest riverboat casino in the states. That means that operators should expect to build up a gambling hub for the residents, and hopefully for visitors from other countries. No longer is Las Vegas the only center of gaming, or Atlantic City for that matter. Now states around the country are looking to bring in gambling as a means of generating revenue. They are hoping that the billion-dollar business will be good to them and allow them to build up the revenue they need to shore up state coffers. Post recession states are all suffering and looking for ways to manage. The deficits are huge and gambling seems to be one of few ways to generate the millions needed to overcome financial distress.
If you visit the new Columbus Casino you are going to be part of a huge space—300,000 square feet or five football fields in length. That is huge and it is enough to accommodate 3,200 slots games, a forty-one table poker room and eighty-eight other table games. It’s a great tourist attraction for other states too. Not only are residents of Indiana excited but so are all states in the near areas. It is a casino that most likely will take over the gaming world in its area.
Tags: casino, Columbus, gamble, luxury, new
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
One of the main concerns of legislators and opponents of online gambling’s legalization was a rise in crime. Many opponents said that inevitably gambling brings in money laundering, corruption, gangs, theft, and addiction. Without the proper programs to manage the surge in problems, states would be hard-pressed to fix the repercussions. It could mean potential disaster for all involved and cause a greater cost to fix the problems. For example, a rise in crime would necessitate an increase in police protection and possibly even the development of a task force solely focused on gambling watches. One incident recently proved that opponents of legalizing gaming have point.
In the Chicago-land area a police officer, Dino Vitalo, plead guilty to conspiring to obstruct justice when he was found to be feeding information to various mobsters in the area. He told them about surveillance camera positioning throughout the city and also helped them by running various license plates for them. The goal was to help them to avoid various undercover police officers and tell mobsters if they were in danger of being caught for their illegal activities. Vitalo is now facing charges but is maintaining that his motivation was friendship. He claims that his actions, though he knows they were wrong, were namely done to help out his friends who have been loyal to him over the years.
There very well may be a surge in illegal activities since the question of gambling is being debated. There will be an added financial aspect to the communities up for debate and that means added temptation for various residents—even municipal workers. It’s an age old problem- people who work for the state or city government are asked to help the “wrong” side of the picture. They are tempted and fall. So what can be done? Possibly all cities that legalize gambling will have to shore up their own police forces and create task forces to monitor and police gambling. It may take the move to truly protect people from the possible temptations of illegal activities. If people know there are task forces specifically working to uncover their actions, they may think twice prior to committing crimes.
Tags: crime, guilty, plea, police, Vitalo
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
It’s no secret that California is under a huge financial burden these days. Since the recession, the state has suffered greatly and is having a hard time recovering. The recession brought hefty foreclosure rates, a huge unemployment cost and overall depression to the state. Now, it has few options in terms of bringing in much-needed revenue. One of the newest trends in the US is to find creative ways of legalizing gambling. Gambling has proven its worth—it is a billion-dollar and growing business. No one anticipated the overwhelming response gambling would get when it was first introduced to the market. Sure land-based casinos have been popular, but that didn’t mean that they would translate well into the online gambling market.
Over the years, land-based casinos have found a lot of success with bringing in tourists. States have used them to create a tourist buzz and in turn a new revenue stream. Once online gambling came into play, it was not known if people would continue gambling, or cut back due to the overwhelming possibilities. Online gambling took off and proved to be a huge draw in the market. If you look at the numbers, it is one of the only industries that has consistently grown over the past five years, without any dip. Since the recession, it has only gained momentum due to its convenience and affordability. Though land-based gambling can be costly—of both money and time—internet gambling proves to be a popular alternative because it overcomes both.
If you love land-based gambling then check out internet gaming. Most likely if you are in California you will soon see a lot of new gambling activity. The state is under a lot of pressure to find millions of dollars for the 2011 budget’s needs, and there are few options that will bring in that kind of money other than gambling. Legislators are now debating the possibilities and how to write laws that make it truly possible to legally gamble in the state. Only time will tell how long it takes, but most likely in coming months the state will embrace gambling and gaming activities that involve wagering online and at land-based casino locations.
Tags: budget, California, legal, legislation
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
One of the best things about online is that it is consistently changing in today’s market. Gambling is taking off—no one will debate that there are thousands of new entrants to the market every month. Casinos are working overtime to handle the flow of new customers and creating premiere bonuses and games to attract this new customer base. If you love gambling, now is the perfect time to get in on the fun. One of the best things about gambling is that technology is offering programmers new capabilities that were not even thought of a few short years ago. It’s like the new phones that keep coming into the market, or the new laptops or the new vehicles…everything is moving at warp speed in the world today and gambling is not an exception.
Portsmouth, Virginia is now introducing a new top-notch poker room to the market called ShowDownPoker.com. It has been live for about ten days now and has already made a splash in the market. Not only does it offer a wide range of games, but there are great bonuses to get in on. That is another thing that online gamblers will love—the introduction of new casinos means that they will become more and more competitive and bring new bonuses and promotions to benefit the customer. They want you to wager at their casino and to get you to do so, means they have to be even more creative than ever. Do a quick Google search for casino bonuses and you are going to find tons of them. It’s just a matter of sorting through them all and finding games that you want to play and making sure they come along with the bonuses that serve your gaming style well.
This new poker room may just be what gamers need. Remember that whenever a new casino comes into the market there are going to be specials attached to attract new customers. One of the best things about this new casino is that it offers a wide range of tournaments, Hold’em and Omaha style poker games. It also is offering dual chances at WSOP prizes. Check out the new casino and see how many great bonuses you find here. If you are a poker lover, this could be the perfect location for you to visit time and again.
Tags: casino, introduce, new, poker, Showdown, Virginia
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Like other states within the US, North Carolina is debating legalizing video sweepstakes games. Governor Beverly Perdue signed a new law that banned sweepstakes games in the state. It seemed like decisive action making the hobby illegal and changing the climate of online gambling. Now, the governor seems to have backtracked a bit by confirming that she would be willing to hear proposals on legalizing video poker. Part of the issue is that legislators in North Carolina want to reform the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control methods and part of that starts with reworking gambling. The ban on tradition poker machines was the governor’s first step in controlling alcohol and by no means is she done with the issue. It will take time for legislators to adopt the adequate rules that change the world of gambling. But now that the governor seems more open to new ideas, that changes things entirely.
Almost every state is debating the issue of online gambling and trying to implement some way of capitalizing on the millions of tax-revenue dollars involved. If one thing is for sure, people will gamble. This was proven with the UIGEA that caused millions of US gamers to move to offshore companies for their gambling needs. It cost the US billions of dollars and was a mistake that won’t be lived down any time soon. Now, states are all coming together to try to write laws that legalize and regulate gambling. They know that it is a lucrative pastime and their suffering budgets can surely benefit from it. Since the recession, people have suffered and so have state and county budgets. Now they are hoping that the new legislation they come up with regarding gambling might help to shore up diminished state coffers and help them to overcome the huge deficits they are trying to manage.
It will take time for North Carolina and the governor to come up with a viable legislation to manage online gambling, but most likely it will happen. With the Governor’s newfound willingness to look at new rules, it seems as if gambling is just a matter of a few months away for residents of the state.
Tags: gambling, legislation, North Carolina, Perdue
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
The world of gambling is on its head in today’s market. No one really knows what is going to happen, but most countries believe that online gambling is going to be legalized. British Columbia is a country that started off with a negative view of the hobby. Lawmakers and opponents petitioned hard, stating that gambling’s legalization would only bring addictions and crime to the area. They took the worse of online gambling and decided that that is what would manifest and British Columbia would not have the resources to overcome.
It seems that gambling has had two sides in the past. On one side was the British Columbia legislator’s viewpoint. They saw nothing good in online gambling and committed to decrying it. On the other hand was an equally strong group of supporters who believe that the huge dollars that gambling provided were too much to deny. They believed that online gambling’s big-dollar potential would so considerably help the market that saying no to the potential billions of dollars would be a big mistake. If history is any teacher, then proponents cited how things played out with the US and its UIGEA rule. When the country put together the UIGEA and banned internet gambling, all it caused people to do was to gamble out of the country. Legislators were hoping that it would cause US citizens to stop gambling, but it didn’t. they just found alternative areas where they could wager and that meant that millions of dollars were moved out of the country to offshore gambling companies.
British Columbia seemed to have taken a lesson from the US and its legislation regarding online gambling. It now is backtracking a bit and allowing gambling into its borders. It became the first area in North America to allow online casino gambling one week ago. It first began by introducing virtual blackjack and virtual roulette. Though it was slow to start, that doesn’t mean that it won’t work. Hopefully it will change with the market and be able to keep up with the growth in online gambling. It may take some time to regulate it completely, but most likely legislators will find viable laws to govern the addition of online gambling into the market.
Tags: British Columbia, gambling, law, legal
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