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Two million pounds lost in gambling, not to mention a wife and general health, have brought this gambler to take action - legal action against his bookmaker. Graham Calvert, 28, of Tyne and Wear in North East England, who has gambled compulsively and accumulated £2 million of losses, wants his bookmaker William Hill to pay him damages. The bookmaker's policy is to exclude and not accept bets from problem gamblers. Calvert's lawyers believe their client falls under the category, and that the bookmaker has thus failed to operate by its own policy. Generally speaking, problem gamblers of Calvert's scope are less than one percent of the gambling population. This seems to strengthen his claim that he should have been singled out. His lawyer, Anneliese Day, further accuses William Hill of manipulating her client and profiting from his gambling disorder. The case, if won of course, will establish for the first time that bookies owe a duty of care in such circumstances. Then again, Calvert is an adult of full capacity. This has been the case even when he had lost £347,000 in a single bet on the US team who he thought would win the 2006 Ryder Cup. It is needless to say that his losses and their personal consequences are tremendous. Would this change bookmakers' policy, or even the law? Understandably, William Hill will fight the case. But surely it is also in its interest to protect its clients.
Thanks to a 1995 US federal law, lobbyists are required to disclose their activities in Washington, DC. This is how we are able to learn, and report, that the American Gaming Association has spent $1.7 million in 2007. It is clear that the AGA has spent this amount on lobbying on online gambling. But what is its stand on the issue? This the disclosure does not reveal. The AGA represents the casino industry. Bally Technologies Inc. and MGM Mirage, to large casino operators, are among its members. This leads us to one guess what legislation it encourages. The Association has, however, remained neutral on the UIGEA law passed in 2006. It publicly supports legislation that would fund a federal study on online gambling. The American Gaming Association The AGA has a history of sorts of high spending lobbying. In 2006, it was reported that its president and chief executive, Frank Fahrenkopf, was the 13th highest paid lobbyist in the nation’s capital. Representing the Nevada establishment has paid Fahrenkopf $2 million that year (as reported in a survey by National Journal, based on IRS reports filed by the AGA). Of course this is a legitimate practice in Washington. It also proves that lobbying, and representing the casino industry in particular, involves large investments as the online gambling industry hovers above. Surprising Survey The AGA has acted on its mission to promote research of the industry in the past. A Harvard research, funded by the National Center for Responsible Gaming, which is affiliated with the AGA, has come up with interesting findings. Challenging the accepted view about compulsive gambling, the research showed that a substantial percent of compulsive gamblers do in fact recover from their problem. Compulsive gambling, the Harvard Medical School research study shows, is not necessarily a progressive and incurable disorder.
Everyone is invested in tonight’s 80th Annual Academy Awards. Some, however, are more invested than others. Online gambling sites thrive on days like these. They offer betting odds for the event, its winners and just as they did for the Super Bowl a month ago, offer betting odds on quirky categories. Betting on Winners Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, Supporting Roles and all the major categories are up for grabs. As they will be announced at tonight’s Oscar Ceremony, so will bettors find out if they won the windfall. This year is especially interesting. The suspense over the mere event, whether it would take place or not due to the writers’ strike, has mounted with a close race between several exceptional movies. Competing for the Best Picture award are No Country for Old Men (the Coen brothers much talked about movie), There Will Be Blood (Daniel Day Lewis showing off another accent from his arsenal), Juno (the non-bloody option), Atonement (the British rep), and Michael Clayton (a ceremony is not complete without George Clooney). Tight races offer decent size payouts, more so than sure bets, as Day-Lewis seems to lead in the Best Actor category, which only an upset earns bettors a substantial pot. “Other” Betting Options Then there are the proposition bets. Prop bets are exclusive to online gambling sites. As was the case on Super Bowl night, they are quite all over the place at that. This year gamblers can bet on how many Oscar Award winners will go over time on their acceptance speech and be interrupted by music; what topics will host Jon Stewart make jokes about (namely whether Cuba’s Fidel Castro will be one such); and will anyone fall as they walk over to accept the award. Oscar Betting Promos Competing over who offers the quirkiest betting odds is actually about drawing gamblers to the sites. Sports books and odd betting sites have not neglected online promotions and bonuses for Oscar betting, though. Signup bonuses and special promotions await gamblers at the sites. They include 10% signup bonuses, along with free movie tickets for an entire year and $10 concession stand vouchers (Sportsbook.com); 20% and 10% signup bonuses (Bookmaker.com and Bodog, respectively); and more. You pick the site and you pick the winner.
Lee Rousso, 44, is well known among poker players ever since the early 80’s, winning tournaments and large prizes as a little known player on the circuit. Mr. Rousso has since added several activities to his resume, including: a career in law; the Washington State Representative for the Poker Player’s Alliance; and running for governor, which he intends to do in the next elections. On April 25, 2008, Mr. Rousso will receive maybe his most defining and audible moment, as his legal challenge of the state law will be discussed in court. Rousso received his sought after day in court, after challenging the constitutionality of the Washington law that bans online wagering. Honest to his belief that he represents millions of poker players and fans, Rousso promised in a statement to post his brief on the PPA website by March 28. On the line is a core question for poker and online gambling, namely whether the states have the jurisdiction to intervene and regulate the games and wagering.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has reviewed the advertising practices of online casino and gambling websites. Of 56 gambling related ads, only 6 were "flagged." The online gambling industry scores a 9 out of 10. This is considered rather successful, especially considering the industry has started advertising on the UK media channels only in the fall, following the 2005 Gambling Act coming into force. No adverts were named or listed by the ASA. It is not mentioned which advert is for a land-based operators and which for online sites. The rules and standards forbid gambling related adverts to target children or suggest any financial security, or a boost to one's self image.
The Weekly Edition, an OCR Live! production, in which Kate brings you the headlines for the past week, including: Winds of Change from Bulgaria Bulgarian legislators have formulated a new approach to online gambling, deciding to allow its citizens to play online, in a regulated industry. Casino Earnings Beat Expectations The first full year of operating in the UK, leaving the American market, has proved that good can come out of the ban after all. Urban Legend: Casinos Do Spam A report shows that online gambling related websites are responsible for less than 4% of the web’s spam emails.
Representing the ordinary men of America, Sam Martin of Newberry claims that having a video poker machine is no different than the state running the lottery. With 15 percent of the registered voters’ signatures, Martin marched up to the County election officials with demands of legalizing video poker machines. The results of his legal attacks ended with embarrassing results, escorted out of the building. Martin, who claims to have never even played a video poker machine, believes that by legalizing cash generated video poker machines, the county will be able to rid of its property taxes. Due to gambling being banned by the state several years ago, County officials said that they couldn’t be a part of actions that are simply illegal. Martin was accompanied out of the building because of his voluntary act of representing the people’s voice. "If it's ok for churches to have gambling, why is it not OK to have them at convenience stores and all," Martin said. Close to half the people in the county support Martin’s views. "Now this is a new approach, it's novel," said former State Attorney General Charlie Condon. Condone is also known for his rejected attempts to return poker machines into the community’s local stores. Although the County claims to allow any petition from voters, gambling seems to have an obvious response of rejection.
Playing poker, unfortunately, has players not only watching their cards and their opponents' faces, but also their backs. Another shooting occurred this week, this time at a poker game in a private home in San Antonio, Texas. Three masked men broke into the house, robbed the pot of about $3,000 and shot one of the players twice. Twice in his chest. Deuces are it. The shooting came only a week after another violent incident involving poker game. The earlier incident was in Florida, where three players were killed after a game. The shooter in this case believed they had cheated him in the game. Only last week, mind you, the police broke up a poker game in Hawaii, where 15 players were playing Texas Hold 'em. So if it's not criminals, it's the police we need to fear? Ironically, the man shot in the more recent of the two incidents, a famous poker player by the name of Charles Lineberry, who has won massive prizes in past tournaments, once wrote online that if there was one thing he could change about poker, he would make it legal to play the game in Texas.
A Danish municipal court has ruled that poker tournaments do not go against Danish gaming laws. The court decision has arisen through the age-old debate of whether poker is merely a game of chance or if it requires skill. The Lyngby court has ruled that it does in fact require skill and therefore is legitimately legal in the country. This decision will make one person in particular happy, namely the president of the Danish Poker Association, Frederik Hostrup. Mr. Hostrup had been sued by hotel and restaurant trade organization Horesta on behalf of the nation’s casinos for organizing illegal gambling events. He has since been acquitted of these charges. His attorney told a Danish newspaper that "Poker has become a sport of the people." He added that "There are between 200,000 and 300,000 Danes who play poker at least once a week and more than half a million who now play regularly." Research suggests that there are some 85,000 Danes who may be poker addicts with that number rising. The court ruling goes against a 2006 decision made by the Justice Ministry’s legal affairs committee that poker was an illegal form of gambling. According to the Danish criminal law, illegal gambling is games or competitions where the organizer "attempts to achieve a commercial economic gain." Hostrup’s attorney said that poker is more about betting wisely, playing smart and getting the other players to think you have different cards than those you actually have in your hands.
Texas Shooting On Wednesday, Charles Lineberry, 49, of San Antonio was taken to University Hospital as a result of a robbery. Lineberry was enjoying a game of poker when three masked men burst through the back door of the Texas home. Shots were fired and Lineberry was caught in the gun-fire. When officials arrived, Lineberry was found with two bullets in his chest. The attacking men grabbed the money from the game and continued to harass the players by demanding them to empty their pockets. the three walked away with $3,000. Florida Shooting Unfortunately, that was hardly the first shooting taking place in the US, nor was it the first shooting involving a poker game. Earlier in the week, 28 year old Duane Demaris Crittenden of Florida was charged with three accounts of first-degree murder after believing that he was cheated during a private game of poker. It was the day after the game, on a Saturday morning, that Crittenden had killed Jerome Anthony Henry, 48, Richard David Smith, 50, and Robert Erwin Ford, 50, all participants of the alleged fraudulent game. With a history of non-violent crimes in Florida and Georgia, Crittenden was found with money that he had supposedly removed from the scene, according the Puntam County Sheriffs Office. Crittenden's arraignment has been scheduled for March 19th and he is currently being held without bond. Tragic End Game In one of his online posts, from a successful and rather famous career in poker, Lineberry wrote that poker had to be legalized. These shootings represent the negative effects of forced upon, unprotected underground gambling.
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