Posts Tagged ‘vote’
Saturday, November 6th, 2010
Oregon is another state that has had hefty debates over legalizing gambling. The issue came to a head on Tuesday as voters were asked the final decision whether or not they want wagering to be allowed. It was a close race that was ushered in by a vast array of advertisers. On one side legislators were pushing for gambling in non-tribally owned locations. They believe that the extra money will allow for millions of additional tax revenue dollars to come in and that will allow them to improve government funded programs like expansion, building and education. On the other hand there is the con side. They believe that legalizing gambling will bring in crime and corruption. There is some validity to their arguments because it’s only natural that if you increase a market, there will be an increased number of incidents that are negative.
Despite the arguments, the issue came to a head on Tuesday when the voters decided they are passing on bringing the non-tribal casino to the state. It was startling to many because they believed that the promise of more revenue and jobs would be too much for the majority of voters to pass on, but they were wrong. Though people voted against it, legislators are not shelving the issue just yet. What people disagreed with was the specific plan that was being promoted to them. They didn’t like that plan, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be more welcoming of a different one. This is where legislators are going back to the drawing boards and coming up with different plans for gamers to take advantage of. One of the main deterrents to accepting the proposal was people believed the money generated may leave the state and benefit neighboring states. If legislators can rebuild the laws to prove to them that this won’t happen, it may be a choice they will be supportive of. Despite the negative vote this time, the issue will no doubt show up on future ballots for review. Legislators will present it differently and most likely have different backers of various proposed projects, but then they will leave it in the hands of the voters again for their decision on the issue.
Tags: casino, OR, Oregon, vote
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Friday, November 5th, 2010
Measure 75 is the new move up for debate in Oregon. The state’s voters are going to visit the polls and tell their opinions on the issue so there will be no doubt where the majority stands. Measure 75 is a casino gaming proposition that has been included in the ballot. This is a sign of how important gambling is these days. Not only are companies and legislators fighting it out, but the people’s collective opinions are being rallied to add support to whatever side is stronger. Informal studies showed that voters were on the side of legalizing gambling because of two reasons: money and jobs. They are concerned about money because the government needs it. Traditionally when a government needs money they raise taxes. Voters don’t want added tax strains to deal with. They want to stay at the level of tax they are now, or even bring it down. The hope is that if casinos open, that could possibly substitute for a heftier tax law that would strain residents. The other big asset to bringing in casino gambling is jobs. There are still millions of people without jobs in the market. They know that to reinvigorate their own budgets, they need to find more available employers. A big name casino built in the area could be the answer. These are the two most convincing part of deciding to vote yes on Measure 75. It is estimated that if a casino was allowed it would bring in $150 million to the state every year and create over 5,000 new jobs for the local residents.
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Of course there is another side. There are still opponents to the proposition. They are citing that bringing casino gambling to the state would bring in crime and that alone is too big a problem to take a chance at. The entire argument over the issue is centered on the Multnomah Kennel Club location. Of course the facility right now is abandoned and empty, but it would take only a good gaming company to come in and revamp that. Whether or not they get the chance has yet to be seen.
Tags: Measure75, Oregon, poll, vote, voter
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Monday, November 1st, 2010
South Dakota is another state that is looking to gambling changes, but it seems that residents don’t view it in a positive light. Rather they seem to be dragging their feet on the issue. Of course gambling’s legalization is a hot topic in the world. Legislators know that gambling is a billion dollar business and most likely is one of the very few options that can bring in the millions of dollars needed to turn their economies around. A good casino can bring in anywhere from $2 to $5 million in added revenue to states for any given month. This is a huge asset for any state especially when deficits are so large. Legislators know how lucrative the gambling casinos are and want to capitalize on them as quickly as possible. It is interesting because Ohio is the only state that seems to be so negative about the issue of bringing more casinos in. A recent poll showed that 63% of residents would prefer to not increase the number of casinos in the state’s market. Most other states are swayed the other way or divided more closely. It was odd that Ohio residents are collectively so negative on the issue. Still there was a group of 30% who were all for the changes. This is enough to keep the issue on the table as the future unfolds.
Part of the faction for gambling expansion believe that to keep up the state has to increase its gambling market. They note that neighboring states have plans to expand gambling and if Ohio denies it, they could be opening the door up for their residents to start wagering at other states. This could fuel money out of the state’s coffers and cause problems down the road. Still the larger voice of the people in the state want to hold off on gambling expansion so for now most likely this is what legislators will respond with. They are going to put the issue on hold and work with what they have right now. If enough pressure comes in from neighboring states though, it could change the minds of the people and sway the issue.
Tags: illegal, SD, South Dakota, vote
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Monday, November 1st, 2010
Ohio is another state that has been desperately in search of some financial relief from its hefty deficits and financial situation. Like most other states it is pushing for gambling to be the answer to its problems. Ohio voters recently were given the chance to decide whether or not casino gambling should be allowed into the market. they voted a resounding yes, seeing the virtues of gambling and its financial benefits. The interesting thing is that the issue of gambling ahs been on the table for some time now. It has been tossed around as an option for years. First now though there have been clear signs to make moves in on the state with a good gambling initiative. So far there are four different locations in Ohio that are up for casino development: Cincinnati, Toledo, Columbus and Cleveland. All four areas are prime locations for gambling due to their accessibility and hefty populations neighboring them.
The casinos that are going to be coming into the market are creating huge news for the state. It is mostly positive though there is still a group of anti-gambling activists who believe that the state is in line for a big problem once the casinos are up. They believe that crime will infringe on any gambling revenue that comes in and make it almost impossible for gaming companies to keep on benefiting from the revenue. They believe that a lot of the money coming in from gambling will have to be used to fix problems gambling creates. So who is right? Only time is going to tell what the real issues are but one thing is for sure: the state of Ohio is moving ahead with its gambling plan for its four large cities. The state is hoping that an immediate surge in revenue will turn the economy around quickly and bring back public works programs that have long been shelved due to lack of funding. Overall if the casinos can each bring in $10 million per month, that means the state will have a great revenue to work off of as it tackles future budgets. 2011 should be a telling year and it won’t take long once all four casinos are up and running to decide whether or not the casinos truly were a good idea.
Tags: casino, gambling, new, Ohio, vote
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Saturday, October 30th, 2010
Once again gambling is taking a front seat in a political run. New York’s Republican candidate Carl Paladino is holding gambling as one of his main focuses when it comes to the coming election. It isn’t new to anyone that gambling is a huge political tool. You can scan the most pertinent information in the market and easily find out how big dollar gambling is a huge attention grabber. Not only are politicians drawing up lines on the issue, but voters are making their own decisions too. They know that casinos mean big dollars and those dollars can be fueled into their economies to aid in them turning things around. In addition, voters know that big dollars mean jobs too. If anything can contend with money, it is jobs. The American public has long been having problems finding jobs since the recession. Millions of people lost their jobs and have been scrambling to find new ones since. It has been a recurring problem with Americans who are ready to get back to their old lives, but still are in the unemployment lines.
Right now Paladino is pushing his agenda to the state by citing a revamped contract with the Oneida tribal leaders. The tribe currently runs Turning Stone Casino and Paladino is questioning the amount of revenue that the casino is bringing in. He wants to rework the contract and maximize the amount of money accessible to the state. His next move is to close down roads that lead to the tribe’s casino if they refuse to start negotiations. The tribe thus far has a two-week window to respond to the politicians call for negotiation. Unfortunately due to the situation, the tribe has few other options than to negotiate right now. Their numbers are already down thanks to the recession. Like other casinos in the country, the Turning Stone Casino has been losing revenue due to lack of customers for some time now. Without a reinvigorated market, they have few options than to hope a new contract will help them to bring in more revenues. In coming months expect the gambling issue to be the center of the issue for politicians in all states—especially New York.
Tags: gambling, New York, Paladino, revenue, vote
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Friday, October 29th, 2010
More and more legislators are working with various gaming law to see what works for them. Oregon is a state that has long been debating the issues. No one is doubtful of the millions of dollars that are available via a good gambling plan. It can bring in millions of dollars per month and that is money that no state can really pass up. Since the recession, governments everywhere have been in search of financial revival. The problem is that people are not yet spending like they once were and the unemployment rate is still higher than manageable for many economies. Jobs are opening up, but not at the rates high enough to absorb the sheer number of unemployed who are in search of them. Oregon is still debating the issue as a result—this time it is Measure 75 that is coming into play. It is asking residents of the state if they are supportive of a new non-tribally operated casino in the state’s Multnomah County. The attraction here is that if a casino is brought in, the money from operations would go to the state’s own coffers. Twenty-five percent of all earnings by the casinos would go directly to the state in tax revenue dollars. Residents are being wooed by the possibility of that cash being brought into the market. it could not only turn things around due to more growth, but it also could bring in more job possibilities for the locals to benefit from.
The difference with this pending proposal is that it would be a mass scale casino. Developers are promising to make it even more profitable than anything the state has seen thus far in terms of gambling casinos. It isn’t a question of when they bring in money, it is a question of whether or not the gambling public is going to support it based on the advantages. Measure 75’s support is the goal of the developers looking to bring the casino into the market. It may take some time, but it will be an issue to make it happen. Part of that issue will rely on the amount of overall advertising the developers provide to the market and how convincing they are that this is beneficial for all parties involved.
Tags: legislation, Measure 75, vote, voter
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Thursday, October 21st, 2010
The question of whether or not to bring slots gambling into the market is heavy on the minds of Saginaw Michigan residents. They are showing a desire to change their economy and many residents see gambling as the most obvious way to bring about the financial revival the city needs. It’s no secret that other cities use gambling to generate money. A good casino can bring in huge dollars in tax revenue. Just look at a city that brings in a slots parlor. They can expect for an addition of a 1,500-game parlor to see a consistent revenue of anywhere from $2 to $3 million per month. (Assuming a mid-sized city.) That money then is used to fund public works programs, education, expanding and other programs. Saginaw residents have heard of the success stories of gambling programs and more and more voters are open to bringing the games to their own markets.
Not only is the money a huge draw, but for most residents it is the promise of jobs that is speaking most clearly to them. The market has been in a recession for the past eighteen months and millions of Americans suffered. The job market still hasn’t returned to what it was prior to the recession. There are few businesses that are able to open the market for jobs up like a good casino or slots parlor. People know this and are pining for changes in the economy. Residents everywhere know the value of bringing in jobs and are hard pressed to find new ways of changing things. Saginaw residents are just pushing the issue but no formal changes have been brought to the market as of yet. Legislators have to look at the issue and see what the possibilities are. There certainly is room for slots parlors throughout the state but no one knows how much resistance the state will get if a real slots plan is initiated and brought to the table. Though there is a benefit, there also is a downside and further regulation that has to be planned for. Only time will tell whether or not gamblers are going to make a big push for gaming and whether or not legislators of the state are going to listen.
Tags: gambling, Michigan, Saginaw, vote
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Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
Anyone following gambling these days knows how legislators are debating it out. There is one part of the sector that wants gambling because of the huge revenues. But there is another sector that doesn’t want gaming because they know how many problems it could potentially bring in. More and more US states are putting the issue to vote and asking residents to make up their minds on what they want. Now Oregon is coming together to make a decision based on the voting public. It is called Measure 75 and it is going to be included on the ballot coming up for the mid-term elections. It is going to ask voters if they want a privately owned, non-tribal gaming facility built in Multnomah County. The biggest draw is of course is the huge tax revenue dollars a casino would bring in. So far developers are announcing to the public that 25% of the revenue generated from a casino in Multnomah would go directly to the state. The purpose here is to woo voters who are currently unemployed or were unemployed during the recession with the promise of direct money to the state funds for job creation and restructuring. Most likely this is a great way to reach the gaming public because all over the US people are still showing a concern for economic revival and job creation.
Currently the Multnomah Kennel Club is situated at the location where the casino would be erected. This makes perfect sense because the casino that developers are striving for is going to be a massive undertaking. They are hoping to create a gambling mega-center that can bring in the millions of dollars the state needs. The casino facility is only about one-third of the scope of the project. Included in planning are a water park, I-Max theater and regular movie theater. Overall this is scheduled to be a casino, but also to bring an entertainment center for all ages to the market. It seems that the voters of Oregon will vote in favor of the facility but only time will tell whether or not they truly come up with the support. It is their vote that will make the final decision on what they want to do.
Tags: Measure 75, Oregon, resident, vote
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Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
Maryland is looking to expand its gambling world and it seems that the voting public most likely is alright with that. A recent poll showed that the majority of residents believe that gambling would bring much needed jobs and revenue to the state. They are in support of the move as long as it is regulated by the state. The issue is set to be put on the November ballot, but that still needs approval. If residents voted in favor of expanding gambling, it would allow the state to build the biggest casino facility in the state of Maryland. The casino proposed would be located in Arundel Mills mall area in Anne Arundel County. It is proposed that this casino would dwarf others in the state and be the biggest money maker for the state. It would have a huge number of slot machines and be a premiere slots parlor.
Now that there is debate over putting the vote on the ballot, anti-gambling activists have come out with their own advertising plans. You can’t watch television or listen to the radio in the state without hearing or seeing some hefty campaign warning of the dangers of bringing gambling into the state. It is David Cordish, of Cordish Company, that is on the other side of the argument. He is the one who would help to build the facility of over 5,000 slot machines into the state. He thus far has accused anti-gambling companies of running advertisements that were riddled with untrue information about the problems of gambling. Chairman of “No Slots at the Mall” though believes differently. He says that all advertisements run by the company have been based in fact and there have been no exaggerations to name. Both sides are pushing hard for the issue, but if the people have the final say, it could be that much closer to bringing slots gaming on a big scale into the state. Though organizations keep on decrying gambling, it may do little to actually defray the overall plan of action. There is just too much revenue on the table for gamers or legislators to pass up the chance to bring the slot parlor to the area.
Tags: gambling, MA, Maryland, vote
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Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
There are more problems in the gambling market and this time it is Representative John Tierney who is seeing the repercussions of his actions. Tierney was a supporter of gambling in the past and even voted to get rid of the UIGEA, Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. He has petitioned hard against anti-gambling lobbyists and hoped to come up with some reasonable solution to the world of online gambling. Now- he may be in too much trouble though to do much to push the market forward. Tierney is being questioned by regulators, as is his wife. His wife recently pled guilty to an alleged involvement in online gambling run by a relative. She was instrumental according to the claims in the business and has a vested interest in seeing gambling pushed forward into legal activities. This is a just another incident in a long line of gambling problems that have seemed like corruption.
One of the main problems anti-gambling activists have had with gambling is corruption and crime. They believe that if the doors are opened for gambling, this inevitably will bring both. They also state that if gambling is legalized it could lead to addictions and create more addicts to manage. Though the claims were unfounded a few months ago, now things are changing. As more and more politicians are indicted and accused of illegal activities stemming from gambling, it is putting a bad light on gambling. It could give anti-gambling legislators the fuel they need to push forward from their points of view and make things difficult to move forward. Though the market is a billion dollar one that promises to bring in huge tax revenue dollars, the cost could be too much for markets to manage. If politicians are already acting illegally and gambling isn’t even legalized fully yet, it could be a sign that the money and power are too much for people to handle. They may be right in that it opens the door to crime and corruption and that could be what it takes to keep the door to legalizing gambling closed for a longer period of time.
Tags: illegal, indictment, Tierney, UIGEA, vote
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