Online Casinos Directory

California is a state leading the pack in developing a gambling initiative. Most likely it is because of its record deficit. This year the deficit made waves at a staggering $19.1 billion. That means that programs are in danger of being further cut…and there isn’t really much the state can spare. It has already pared down on a lot of programs that in former years were abundant. That means that there aren’t possible changes to fix things. The state has to elevate its revenue stream or it is facing an even higher deficit in the future and more problems with public programs. So far democrats want to borrow billions of dollars or increase taxes to overcome the problems. Other legislators are looking to expand gambling. This could be a good option, but it points to elevated levels of addictions as a possible outcome. California is making history by creating the first publicly funded gambling addiction program. It is the UCLA Gambling Studies Program that is teaming up with the Department of Alcohol and Drug Program to deal with the issue. The program is going to be a full-service center that helps gamblers deal with varieties of issues related to gambling problems.

The intriguing thing about this plan is that it is the first program that is going to be fueled publicly. That opens the door to other states to come through with a same problem. The joint venture between these two is unique and the first of its kind. The main focus is for research to be done not only on the issue, but also on its origins, and in turn a better treatment program. UCLA is known as one of the biggest research centers for various issues with the public. Now that the state is looking to increase its gambling addiction potential it has to come up with a plan for problems. The best way to do this is to create a joint venture with its biggest addiction-related companies and let them come up with solutions. The state of California is well on its way to creating a new publicly funded program that should help residents with any problems they have when it comes to over-gambling.

When gambling was first being debated one of the biggest questions was addictions. Though states could offer gambling, how would addicts manage? Would new addicts have the resources needed to help them? Where would funding come for these additional resources? All of these questions were used by anti-gambling legislators who believed that without the proper safeguards in place, no one would be able to manage if they had an addiction. They surely would fall into joblessness, foreclosure, bill defaults and overall financial disarray. Their stand, though debatable, held some viable arguments. What would legislators do if the problems with addiction became too hard to manage? Do people have the proper amount of resource centers and treatment facilities to handle an influx of gambling addicts? This is a question that California is facing right now and trying to find answers to.

California has long been a state that is trying to implement gambling. The state has a huge deficit to manage, and without the tax revenue dollars of gambling, there are few other options for bringing in the billions needed. This week the state looked into a new web-based program that would allow states to share a “self-exclusion” list for consumers. This is a list of people who feel that they can’t handle gambling, or don’t want that temptation, so they put their names on the “self-exclusion list.” Then, when they try to enter a casino their name will appear in the database and they will be denied access to the location. It is easy for customers to submit their names. The process involved downloading the paperwork or getting it from a land-based casino. Then the person has to fill it out, notarize it and return it to the state. Their name is then automatically submitted to the database. Casinos are tasked with checking every entrant into the location against the database and denying entrance to people on the list. It is going to work a lot like clubs that have an infrared scanner for all patrons to pass their IDs through. It easily checks their birth date and if they are banned from the club or have any complaints at the club. The self-exclusion list works a lot like that and it is hoped to save people with potential addictions from surefire financial disaster.

This time the new generation of self-exclusion check points will include asking all patrons for their state IDs or driver’s licenses. Those then are checked via a computer and a program to see if they come up on the database. It’s a lot like the types of machines used by bars and clubs when checking to make sure patrons are of age. A special light notes the date of birth but the name is also scanned to make sure the patron is not on a “banned” list for the club. It is this same type of technology that is going to be used by casinos to make sure that customers aren’t on the self-exclusion list. The list also will be shared throughout the country so gambling addicts have no way of moving from casino to casino or state to state for their gambling needs. This is the main way that the program will help out casinos.

In addition, with the added legal push of states for casinos to be more honest, transparent and customer-centric in their dealings, they need programs like this. States are putting the bulk of managing addictions and citing helpful programs for anyone with gambling problems directly in the hands of casinos. Casino operators have to be more advanced than ever because if they allow a patron who is on the self-exclusion list into the casino, states are going to start fining them big bucks. They know that every person who gets past their front door will potentially cost them. Though they can say they “tried” this is hard to uphold. Without qualified programs, state legislators are going to blame the casinos and bring them up to code. Some legislators are hinting that there will be a three-time rule where if a casino gets caught three times allowing gambling by a self-exclusion name, the casino will be not only fined, but also shut down for a set period of time. That means there are millions of dollars that could be lost if casinos aren’t ready to take on the responsibility of watching the self-exclusion list and managing it properly.

The self-exclusion rule for gamblers is again in the news. This is a list that casino gamblers can opt in on. If their name is submitted to the self-exclusion list, then they are denied entrance to casinos. Their name is included in a database and then it is the job of casinos to make sure all patrons’ names aren’t included. If they are, they legally have to deny the person entrance. This list was created to help people who have problems, but there have been glitches in the system. For example, a few months ago one player who was on the self-exclusion list was still allowed entrance to a casino and was allowed to wager for six hours. It wasn’t until he won and tried to collect his jackpot that the casino realized he was on the list and denied him his winnings. The problem with ignoring the self-exclusion list is that the casino benefits from the player’s money and wagering. A player theoretically could wager for hours before winning and that means he or she could wager thousands at the casino. In the end though, the player has no chance of winning even if they get the winning combination of cards or reel symbols. So the casino is knowingly taking their money with the final “out” of the self-exclusion list.

California is the first state tackling the self-exclusion list’s problems. It just created a web-based protocol that is networked for all-state access. Now it should be easier than ever for casinos to check their list and make sure a player is not on it prior to allowing him or her entrance to the casino. The reason casinos are being pushed to strengthen their laws is that this way legislators can now hold casinos responsible for players who manage to get into the casino if they are on the self-exclusion list. Casinos know this and are working to create their own laws that safeguard them. Letting players who are on the self-exclusion list into the casino is problematic on all levels. Not only is the player who wanted help at risk, but casinos are also in line for hefty fines from the government if they don’t uphold the procedures of the self-exclusion list and how it works.

Part two coming next.

California is one of those states that is having problems with online gambling legislation. The deficits for the state are huge though and without some gambling allowance, the state is at a loss for generating the additional cash needed to overcome the budget problems. Earlier this year the state’s legislators met to discuss an intrastate online poker network. It was an introduction and an indication of where the state wants to go in terms of gambling in the future. If anyone had the thought that the state would shelf the issue, this proves that they are actively searching for solutions to the problem of implementing an online gambling resolution.

In the meeting were thirty-five experts in the field and each one was asked to voice their opinion on the issue and cite the pros and cons. The overall decision was that online gambling should be addressed conservatively at the beginning. Legislators believe that it is unrealistic for communities to believe that immediate implementation of the hobby can occur. Rather, it will take time to truly utilize online gaming as a means of bringing in tax-revenue dollars.

One entity offering aid is the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. The tribal leaders are offering answers and hoping that their involvement can help speed up the process. The tribe would like to be instrumental in the development of an online gambling network that would be introduced in conjunction with their own expansion efforts. They want to bring in a number of land-based casinos throughout the state. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians wants to get in from the ground floor with their own ideas about online wagering. Unfortunately for the tribe there is a lot of opposition. Other tribes in the area maintain that allowing the Morongo Tribe to go forward with their initiative would shut them out of the gambling world. Many other tribes also have land-based casinos in the state and feel that the acceptance of the proposal would create a monopoly of the market. Recent research shows that California could potentially bring in upwards of $600 million over the next 5 years if they approve online gambling within the state.

“Californians have a right to know the truth about the size of the problem our state is facing and the steps we will take to solve our deficit. That is why I am proposing two May Revision Budgets today to ensure the people of this state are informed and are not surprised by what is coming,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “With the continued global recession we face a certain $15.4 billion shortfall and, if $6 billion in February budget solutions are rejected on May 19 that number will increase to $21.3 billion.”

The above statement made by the Governor is indicative of the huge financial problem the state is having. To manage, lawmakers have been contemplating the legalization of online poker gambling. If the state could settle the issue, they would be one of the first US states to potentially successfully work gambling into the budget.

The battle over legalizing internet poker, however, is getting tricky within the state of California. Currently there are a group of casinos in California that want the blessing of legislators before they move along with their expansion plans. The group is citing the fact that millions of people in the country play online poker and many are moving to offshore websites due to the lack of legalization in this country. Patrick Dorinson, spokesman for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, said, “About one million Californians are playing poker offshore now.” The casinos want to bring money back into the country and keep it in California. That is the stance they are taking as they petition lawmakers to make a formal ruling on the activity of internet gambling.

The group of casinos is also focusing on making sure that lawmakers build provision into law that will protect online players against any dangers that may come from playing on international casino websites. Indian tribes would have to sign off on any new laws to the state’s gambling industry. There are currently laws in place that protect the tribes against expansion, but they may be willing to rework those compacts for a chance to offer online poker to residents of the US and namely the state of California.