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The city of San Jose had been taxing telecommunications services and charging a fee on monthly phone bills for the 911 emergency dispatch systems. Now court rulings indicate both may need voter approval. This could place $48 million in revenue at risk, a serious danger for a city already struggling with a chronic budget deficit. The card alternative So today the city will decide whether to ask voters to lower these two taxes that most people pay and increase a tax on the city's cardrooms, which few residents patronize. Mayor Reed wants to lower the taxes by 10 percent to persuade voters to keep paying them. The mayor is offering a sweetener as well - expanding gambling capacity - in hopes of buying off the club operators, who are threatening to launch an anti-tax campaign that would defeat the city's entire tax package and dramatically deepen its budget problems. The clubs have the city over a barrel. But if San Jose is going to reverse its anti-gambling positions and allow this expansion, it has to get more in return than Reed proposes. Tax figures and table numbers Tax on cardroom revenue currently yields $12 million a year. City council members voted to raise it from 13 percent to 18 percent without adding more tables. Reed suggests allowing a 23 percent expansion in the number of tables. But this would raise the tax rate only to 15 percent. The city needs to cut a better deal for such a major concession. Raising the tax by 5 percentage points without more tables would generate an additional $4.5 million. The city has to do better than that if it's going to permit more card tables. So it comes down to Texas Hold'em with the cardrooms. Under any other circumstance, they wouldn't be getting more tables. We're betting they'll go for the tax increase to secure that advantage.
The state known as being the East-West crossroads is experiencing a decidedly South wind, as state officials and organizations divide over repealing the $500 gambling loss limit and other regulations in favor of a casino-tax hike. The raucous debate has drawn in everyone from school organizations to local municipalities to anti-gambling groups, as the State prepares itself for the November vote. For and against The toughest proponent for repealing the law is easily the ‘Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry,' which argues that canning the "outdated" law would shield over 12,000 jobs and over $100 million extra tax dollars from up-and-coming Kansas casinos that aren't impeded by the loss limit. Also joining the anti-loss limit forces is Scott Charton of the ‘Yes for Schools First' Coalition, who claims that the $100 million tax boost could be used for schools statewide. Repealing the law, he argues, "will let Missouri... keep and attract more visitors and revenues here, to benefit our economy and our schools." Against removing the loss limit are anti-gambling groups, as well as the municipalities of Sugar Creek and Cape Girardeau who are fighting to introduce casinos into their communities. How the limit works Gamblers are currently only allowed to purchase $500 worth of poker-machine credits or table-chips every two hours, a step which is safe-guarded by the mandatory use of identity cards. To balance the removal of the loss limit and the use of identity cards, the industry and the government have agreed to a 1% tax rise on casino revenues, as well as a limit of 13 casinos that may exist state-wide.
The swimming pool will continue to take center stage on day three (Monday) of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Swimming odds The Men's 4 x 100m freestyle final leads a strong field of mouthwatering action for spectators and punters on day three. With a team containing Michael Phelps, the United States is the country to beat in men's swimming's flagship event. The USA is an almost-unbackable 1/4 at British bookmaker Ladbrokes. Second-favorite is France, 3/1, followed by a big drop to Australia, 25/1, and Italy, 33/1. The Women's 100m butterfly also has its own star, with Aussie Libby Trickett (formerly Libby Lenton) a hot 4/9 favorite to take the event, followed by compatriot Jessica Schipper, 4/1. American Christine Magnuson is the only other swimmer considered a chance, at 5/1. With several swimming finals taking place each day in week one, the betting options are endless. And in addition, Ladbrokes and most other bookmakers are offering specials on the swimming, such as head-to-head betting between selected competitors. And of course, all eyes remain on Michael Phelps as he continues on his quest to break compatriot Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals from the 1972 Munich Olympics. Phelps already has one gold at these Olympic Games, having set a new world record of 4min 3.84sec in the men's individual medley on day two. He is now even money to take all eight expected gold medals, and 8/11 to fall short of the mark. Team sports: baseball and softball Baseball (for men) and softball (for women) are two of the many team sports being contested at this the Olympics. Although baseball has continued on and off at the Olympics since first appearing in 1904 in St. Louis, it had only been since 2000 that professionals have been allowed to get involved, following the lead of other sports like basketball - which dropped their own rule against professionals for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Despite the rule-change, nothing much is different in terms of which teams dominate, with arch-rivals the USA and Cuba still considered the top two teams. Cuba is the 2008 Ladbrokes favorite at 1/2, followed by the USA at 2/1. Japan is 4/1. In softball, which varies slightly in rules from its sister sport, the United States is a 1/6 favorite, ahead of Japan 4/1, and Australia and host China, 8/1. Get on these sports while you still can: baseball and softball have actually been voted out of the 2012 London Olympics, making them the first sports to be eliminated from the schedule, rather than added, since polo was given the flick back in 1936. Medal tally Host China has shot out of the blocks in its race with the USA to head the medal tally. Late on day two, China had four gold medals from a total of five medals, against the USA's two gold medals from a total of eight (the country with the most gold medals heads the table). UK bookmaker Betfair lists China 3/8 favorites to top the tally, ahead of the USA 28/11. But the US is tipped to win more medals overall, with Betfair quoting them 7/12 against China's 30/17.
A family of men and almost a daughter too entered and received guilty pleas to federal charges on Wednesday August 6, 2008 in St. Louis Missouri for involvement in BetOnSport's Gambling Corporation. BetOnSports Corporation has been the subject of a high profile investigation since 2006 where the US Attorney's office accused, charged and won the case for the company accepting any bets from US Gamblers. The company itself even pleaded guilty to the charges. Marketing co. William Henan Lenis. 55 years old, is the owner and operation of both Mobile Promotions and Direct Mail Express, advertising companies which promoted BetOnSports from the years of 2000 to 2006. Mobile Promotions would send a mobile home emblazoned with the BetOnSports company logo, to sporting events all over the country to garner interest. Direct Mail Express mailed fliers and ads out nationwide. His son Will, 28, and nephew Manny, 29, worked for him. Will pleaded guilty to transmission of wagering information and Manny for a misdemeanor of failing to pay a wagering tax. The daughter Monica's charges were dropped in a plea agreement. Don't shoot the messenger... The attorney for the Lenis family stated that "These are the marketing people that do direct mail, the advertising," Ross said. "They have nothing to do with the operation of the Web site, gaming - nothing. The government has launched this campaign against Internet gambling. Unfortunately, they sometimes leave in the wake the people who were not necessarily involved." Sentencing is set for October 24, 2008.
If the US Justice Department insists on continuing its pursuit of European online gambling companies that operated in the US market before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act came into effect in 2006, Washington could face a potentially damaging trade dispute with the European Union at the World Trade Organization, two US lawmakers have warned. European Internet gambling sites such as PartyGaming and 888 lost billions of euros in market value when the UIGEA came into effect, effectively closing the US market to free trade in the gaming industry. Companies that are traded publicly on the London Stock Exchange and are regulated chose to withdraw from the market rather than risk violating US law, yet prosecutors in Washington still seek to press charges from before 2006. The forecast "In all likelihood, this issue will escalate and, I understand, could result in WTO action focused specifically on how the US government enforces its laws. I cannot see how that can be in the interests of this country," wrote Rep. Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat, to US Attorney General Michael Mukasey. In a separate letter to Mukasey, Tennessee Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen said the Justice Department had yet to come up with a good reason for investigating "foreign operators who respected congressional intent in 2006 and withdrew from the market, while US companies continue to operate uninterrupted." Next round of talks The warnings come on the backdrop of the postponement of meetings, scheduled for July, between US trade representative and a delegation from the EU following complaints by the Remote Gambling Association regarding the discriminatory manner in which US law is being enforced. The EU officials will travel to the United States in September instead.
Michael Phelps continues to dominate the action in the pool at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Swimming specials Phelps remains on track to win eight gold medals. After being a part of the American team that won the 4 x 100m freestyle relay in a stunning come-from-behind victory over the French on day 3, the swimming sensation has now shortened to a likely 4/7 to win eight gold medals at Beijing with bookmaker Ladbrokes, against 5/4 to fall short of the mark. The United States is also considered a possibility to win the four main relay races - the men's and women's 100m and 400m freestyles - with their odds of quadruple gold shortening to 10/1. Team sport: Handball Day four (Tuesday) presents some key match ups in the men's and women's handball tournaments. While some matches are simply not worth betting on (France is an incredible 1/500 favorite to beat hosts China in the men's tournament on Tuesday), other games, such as the men's contest between Spain (4/6) and Poland (7/5), will help separate the medal contenders from the also-rans. Handball, also known as European handball, was first introduced to the Summer Olympics at Berlin in 1936, apparently because of a request by the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, who was a fan of the sport. After such murky beginnings, the sport disappeared from Olympic competition before re-emerging in 1972, again in Germany (Munich). Handball has been traditionally dominated by the European nations, and 2008 is expected to be no different. France is 2/1 favorite in the men's, ahead of Germany 7/2, Croatia 4/1 and Denmark 6/1. Not every bookmaker is offering odds on the women's event, but UK bookmaker Betfair is allowing online bets, with Russia and Norway the two run-away favorites. Croatia beat Germany in the men's final at Athens in 2004, while Denmark defeated South Korea in the women's gold medal play-off.
A bill in the United States to commission a comprehensive, independent study into online gambling will not come up for discussion before next month, at the earliest, after being put on the backburner along with various other pieces of legislation. Congress' priorities The House of Representatives apparently believes that a debate on a resolution on former deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove should take precedent over the Internet Gambling Study Act, which seeks set up a mechanism to understand the pros and cons of regulating and possibly taxing online gambling. US politics And what makes the Rove resolution such a pressing issue? The former White House official is alleged to have leaked the identity of retired ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV's wife, Valerie Plame, as a Central Intelligence Agency in retaliation for Wilson's op-ed in The New York Times in which he criticized the Bush administration's handling of the war in Iraq. The Internet Gambling Study Act, sponsored by Nevada Representative Shelly Berkeley, was proposed last May and has the support of the American Gaming Association and many politicians. Alas, it will have to wait.
With Michael Phelps set to dominate again on day five (Wednesday) Olympic swimming finals, it's the women's races that are sure to attract more interest from punters. Swimming odds The women's 200m freestyle final is shaping up as a contest between three swimmers. Italian Federica Pellegrini will be hoping to give Italy its fourth gold medal of these Olympic games. She is 5/6 favorite at Ladbrokes, ahead of Slovenian Sara Isakovic, 15/8. American Katie Hoff, who will be hoping to better the one bronze and one silver she's already won at the Games, is 4/1. Australian Stephanie Rice is an evens favorite to win the 200m individual medley, and add to the gold she has already won in the 400m individual medley. Michael Phelps will be hoping to make it gold medals four and five when he competes in the men's 200m butterfly final and the 4 x 200m freestyle relay. Phelps and the Americans are unbackable favorites in both races, with the best choices for punters lying in the "Betting without USA" and "Betting without Phelps" categories, which could be found at VC Bet and other sports betting sites. As usual, the focus continues to be on whether Phelps will win eight gold medals. With the American swimmer fast closing in on that target, he is now 4/9 to achieve the aim, and 13/8 to fall short. Field hockey Field hockey has been played at the Olympics since the 1908 London Games. Like cricket and rugby, the game is British in origin, and as such the winners have traditionally come from within the Commonwealth - nations such as the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan and Australia in particular. More recently though, the game has taken off in other parts of the world, particularly Europe, where Germany and Holland prove strong competition. Germany has started the men's tournament strongly this year and is the team to beat, listed 11/4 favorite at Ladbrokes. Defending gold medalists Australia are 3/1, followed by Holland, 7/2. Traditional giants of the women's game Holland and Argentina lead the field in the betting at Betfair (many bookmakers aren't yet offering online odds on the women's winner), although China could prove to be the surprise of the games, listed on the fifth line of betting.
The seas in the west pacific became a lot more choppy on Tuesday as Jesuit priest Richard McGowan suspiciously sat on the fence in a hot-topic forum concerning legalized gambling. McGowan's move is easily recognizable as a slap in the face to Catholic Archbishop Anthony Apuron, who upholds the staunch Catholic line that gambling should stay illegal on the island of Guam. Yet it is becoming evident that the carefree beach summer is about to turn into a tropical typhoon as Guam Greyhound, the company wishing to build a casino at the Tamuning Dog Racing Track, has no intention of giving up on changing the law. To help their case, they sponsored the Tuesday forum at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, where McGowan, an associate professor at the Carol School of Management at Boston College, shocked the crowd. "I will not say one way or another how you should vote on this." He then gave several successful examples of casinos working inside cities, including Cairo and Atlantic City. Cairo casinos, he claims, are regulated by the government to only allow entry to holders of foreign passports, although locals often slip in. A similar initiative is proposed in Guam, where entrance would require an international departure ticket. Atlantic City received less praise from McGowan as he admitted that divorces and bankruptcies rose considerably after gambling became legalized, although he was careful to mention that this was offset by the yearly $400 million received in taxes from the industry. Archbishop Apuron was quick to retort that McGowan was no expert, despite his research on the issue at Harvard College. A ballot on legalizing gambling on the Island will be held on November 4th.
The UK Gambling Commission was established under the 2005 UK Gambling Act and took effect in September 2007. Its purpose is to regulate gambling in the public interest. The GC replaced the Gambling Board as the body responsible for keeping crime out of gambling, ensuring fair and open operations and protecting children and vulnerable people. They have another important task - that of keeping tabs on online gambling activity. This is useful material for the online gambling casinos to help them in the development of their businesses. The findings In a survey released last week, on the first anniversary of online gambling in its regulated form in the UK, 8.8 percent of the 8,000 adults surveyed said they had participated in at least one form of remote gambling (through a computer, mobile phone or interactive/digital TV) in the previous month. This is the same figure as the 2007 calendar year figure, which was up on the 2006 7.2 number. 90.9 percent of respondents said they had not participated in any form of remote or online - gambling. Those participating in remote gambling remain more likely to be male than female, and are more likely to be aged 18-44. The lottery effect The figures include players in the National Lottery. Without them, 5 percent of respondents had participated in remote gambling. Remote gambling via a computer, laptop or handheld device was most popular (6.9 percent of all adult respondents), followed by gambling via mobile phone (2.3 percent) and interactive/digital TV (2.0 percent). An earlier report released by the UK government on Wednesday, reports that the number of people who regularly gamble online is 3.5 million. While this number represents a considerable increase compared to past surveys, the number of problem gamblers seems to have remained constant, at about 250,000.
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