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Kott predicts that some form of gaming will move forward in the next legislative session, which starts in January. State senators are interested in at least discussing it. The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee is talking about holding a hearing in the next couple of months on gaming issues, in advance of the January start of the legislative session. The idea of expanding gambling in Alaska has passionate opponents both in and out of the Legislature. They blocked gambling plans in the last legislative session and are vowing to fight even harder this time. The Alaska Department of Revenue, at the request of legislators, has launched a month long study that aims to get good numbers on how much money activities like video gambling and a lottery could bring to the state. The idea is that Alaska would join a multistate Powerball lottery. Tom Anderson, a member of the state House, backed a bill in the last legislative session that sought to legalize video gambling machines in bars and clubs. The machines, which could include poker, keno and blackjack, would take quarters. They would return 85 percent in prizes. Of the rest, the state would take 30 percent, charities would get 30 percent and the local government in the area would get 10 percent. The Anchorage Cabaret Hotel and Restaurant Retailers Association, a group that Anderson used to work for, has pushed hard for the video gambling machines. Bar owners in the association stood to gain from the bill. The state faces a recurring budget shortfall in the hundreds of millions of dollars and is in the midst of working up reliable numbers on gaming. But Deputy Revenue Commissioner Steve Porter said that previous talk of $40 million to the state each year from video gambling machines might be in the ballpark. Proponents have claimed a state lottery could bring in $10 million a year to the state. A major figure in last session's fight against gambling was Tom Grey, head of a Washington-D.C.-based anti-gambling group, the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. Grey traveled the state, talking to churches, civic groups and others. He expects such organizations will mobilize to fight in the coming legislative session. A big question mark is Gov. Frank Murkowski. He has so far pretty much steered clear of the battle over gambling, although he has "kind of expressed a general interest" in a lottery, said his spokesman, John Manly. When the battle over video gambling raged in the Legislature last session, Murkowski said he thought it needed more study. The governor might weigh in if it looked like a video gambling bill was really moving in the Legislature, Manly said.
Britain is now preparing to change its laws to allow the opening up of Las Vegas-style casinos. Even so, compared with counterparts in many other rich nations, relatively few Britons visit such institutions. Most people looking to have a flutter have to buy a lottery ticket, bet online, join the white-haired brigade at the local bingo hall or brave the slightly unsavory surroundings of high-street bookmakers or amusement arcades. "Only something like two to three percent of British adults have ever been to a casino," said Professor Peter Collins, director for the study of gambling and commercial gaming at Salford University, northern England. In France, for example, the number is much higher than that - a bit more like 30 percent. But change is in the wind. Proposed reforms aim to scrap existing rules requiring casinos to be private clubs that any would-be gamblers must wait 24 hours to join. They would also be able to advertise their services and offer live entertainment, betting, bingo and more slot machines alongside table games to widen their appeal. And bigger is better in the eyes of the government, which announced earlier this month that new casinos would have to have a gaming area of at least 450 sq. meters to discourage small high-street competing venues. The casinos' share of the British gaming market is currently only about one fifteenth, or 500 million Euro (US$800 million), but is likely to soar to about 4 billion Euro given favourable reforms, estimates Collins. Foreign players are already looking to get in on the action, even though the proposed legislation, due to be presented to parliament towards the end of the year, is not expected to become law for several years yet. US operators Harrah's Entertainment and Rival MGM Mirage are already tapping local knowledge through partnerships with British peers, and some operators are reportedly looking to combine the appeal of gambling with another addictive pastime: football. Gambling operators have apparently approached several English clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea about teaming up to open casinos on their grounds.
One person was reported to be seriously injured, however, most of the injuries were minor, a police representative said. Police said part of the bus roof sheered off and collapsed onto passengers. The driver, Willie Blaine, 58, of Irvington, N.J., may face charges, authorities said. Casino officials said the bus driver meant to take the passengers to Foxwoods Resort Casino, which is several miles to the east. "The bus was supposed to be going to Foxwoods," said Jennifer Harris, a Mohegan Sun spokeswoman. "He was disoriented. He was not familiar with this garage. He went through an area he should not have been in." State police said the bus was leaving the Sky Valet area and heading into the Riverview parking garage when it struck the entrance's facade. Damage to the garage was minimal, casino representatives said. The bus is owned by Nate's Transportation Inc., based in Newark, N.J.
The casino complex is projected to cost $175 million, generate 3,000 new jobs and include a 2,000-seat theater complex, 500-unit hotel, a 300-seat buffet restaurant, 150-seat coffee house, 150-seat upscale restaurant, a 250-seat sports bar, a 35,000 square-foot convention center and a 68,000 square-foot water park. It is also projected to create more than 2,100 jobs through indirect and induced impacts on growth in surrounding businesses and ancillary developments. The assessment's study of traffic patterns and projections found the casino would generate more than 3,000 trips per day to the casino with an average daily attendance of 13,400. About 50 percent of casino patrons would travel from Illinois while 35 percent will come from Wisconsin and about 15 percent from Beloit, the assessment predicts. It recommended several improvements to roads in the vicinity of the casino. The assessment said the surrounding environment, including soil, air and water, would not be seriously impacted by a casino. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs began a 30-day period Tuesday for public comment on the assessment.
"Our civic government has let us down," said Worthington, "All the neighbors around here are going crazy. This land was supposed to be a greenbelt." But other residents, including city officials, believe that the tribe and its casino would offer a significant economic boost to the cash-strapped city. A news release published Tuesday promised thousands of high-paying union jobs for the Rohnert Park community; a revenue stream to local schools, parks, health facilities and public safety departments; millions of dollars to city businesses; and traffic and road improvements to the surrounding area. Jake Mackenzie, a Rohnert Park councilman, was the first official to invite the Graton Rancheria to relocate its plan to his city of 42,000. He made the offer at a June City Council meeting. Mackenzie said consultants with the tribe called him the next day. Rohnert Park Mayor Armando Flores has joined the councilman in supporting the tribe's move north. Hazel Brubaker, who lives in nearby Cotati, said the tribe has every right to bring its business to town. I'm for a casino. This city is losing money ... and the city needs jobs, she said. "They haven't been treated right as history shows. As far as a casino is concerned, I don't see why not. As long as they keep it under control. The new proposed site just north of the Rohnert Park expressway is located in an agriculturally zoned area. A portion of the site encompasses Laguna de Santa Rosa, a marsh home to endangered plants and rare species such as the tiger salamander. Worthington, the man leading the opposition, says he hopes the environmental groups that railed against the Sears Point plan will join him in the fight to keep the casino away from the new Rohnert Park site. Worthington said he has already received dozens of phone calls from people wanting to help. But Worthington and other casino opponents will have to contend with what appears to be a sizable group of Rohnert Park citizens supporting the proposal. Graton Rancheria representatives will offer a presentation at a special meeting of the Rohnert Park City Council at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The council will form a committee to review the tribe's proposal. The tribe hopes to build a casino facility with 1,900 slot machines, a hotel, and possibly housing and an entertainment center on the 360 acres it secured Tuesday. The tribe also pledges to donate 2,000 acres of Sears Point land it owns to Sonoma County, and establish an open space and tribal information center there, according to Graton Ranch-eria Chairman Greg Sarris. "Local leaders asked us - and we agreed - to find a site where we could partner with the local community, protect the environment and provide maximum economic benefits for local residents and business," Sarris said Tuesday. "We believe we have that opportunity in Rohnert Park."
John* has a gambling problem, but he doesn't want people to know about it: I was just looking for something to do. Bored at work. Figured, I like sports. Why not try a little online gambling?" he said. Fortunately, John just lost money before deciding to seek help. Others lose their loved ones and sometimes everything else. "It wasn't like I was spending my house payment on it. It got to the point I was spending up to $600 on a game of college basketball. And I didn't even like college basketball. I wouldn't even watch the game. It was because I had to bet that day," he said. Psychologists say that in the last few years their visits from gambling addicts have grown 10 times. Bill Dubin explains why Internet gambling has become so addictive: "The magnetic force of earth influences a compass needle to point to the North Pole. If I put a magnet near the compass, the greater the influence over the compass needle than the magnetic force of the earth because it's so close. The desire to gamble is analogous to the magnet. It's not that a person wants to gamble more than be a good dad or a good husband. But, the desire to gamble could have a bigger influence over their behavior because it's so close," he said. My recommendation? Have fun, but make sure you have enough money left to buy you dinner and a peace of mind. *The name have been changed.
Nicole Corcoran, a spokesman for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, said: "We will be closely monitoring the situation.... If there are laws being broken, we will deal with it appropriately." State officials, protective of the casino-based economies built by Kansas' four indigenous tribes since 1996, have sued in federal court seeking to overturn a U.S. Interior Department decision earlier this year that granted the Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma de facto reservation status for its tiny plot of downtown real estate. That handful of acres, purchased in 1996, is next to the tribe's historic Huron Cemetery burial grounds, established in the 1840s. The tribe has sought to develop a casino in that area since federal law first allowed gambling on reservation land in 1989. Last year the tribe moved several mobile building units onto the site. Tribal officials made no public announcement about the opening, and no tribal officer responded Wednesday to interview requests. One tribal spokesman referred callers to the tribe's Oklahoma lawyer - who also did not return a call. Penny Coleman, acting general counsel for the National Indian Gaming Commission, which regulates tribal casinos nationwide, would not comment Wednesday on whether the tribe had obtained all the federal approvals it needed to properly open its doors to the public. Among other things, Coleman said, the tribe must submit its gambling operations and internal control plans and policies for approval, along with the names of gaming employees and managers for personal background and criminal history investigations. The tribe began posting wanted ads since two weeks ago. "If they are going to open, we will be looking at whether these are Indian lands over which the tribe has jurisdiction," said Coleman. "And we will be providing the necessary oversight to ensure the tribe is complying with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act." If it is not, Coleman said, the commission has authority to issue notices of violation, orders of closure and impose civil fines and assessments for substantial violations. The U.S. Department of the Interior ruled earlier this year, in effect, that the tribe's downtown land was eligible for federally licensed Class II gambling activities -- a status that does not require further approvals by state or local governments. Class II Indian gambling includes bingo, "pull tab" games and a variety of electronic pull tab devices that look and play like slot machines. Class III gambling permits traditional slots and table games like blackjack and dice games. The tribe for years has used the threat of opening a downtown Class II casino as leverage to force approval of its preferred plan for a Class III casino and resort hotel near Kansas Speedway. That project, however, is dependent on state and congressional approval in exchange for the tribe's dismissal of a class-action lawsuit that claims historic land rights to nearly 2,000 acres in the Fairfax Industrial District in Kansas City, Kan., including the site of the General Motors auto assembly plant. The tribe has acknowledged that the Fairfax land claim was filed as further leverage for its speedway casino, but the Kansas Legislature earlier this year refused to approve the deal. While the city and the tribe have a casino development agreement in place for the speedway site, they are bitter foes in court over the Fairfax land issue. The city is not a party to the state's lawsuit against the tribe, but Walker said officials were watching with great interest. He said that case eventually would decide whether the reservation land status decision by Interior was proper. Until there is a ruling, Walker said, the state's legal action "is probably not going to stop them from operating, at least for a foreseeable period of time."
The company is also planning to revamp its online and telephone services, allowing customers to bet through both channels from one account, and will add a language option to its website. It said the language was likely to be a European rather than Asian language. CEO John O'Reilly expects the online business to show a profit by year-end. Paddy Power has a 10pc brand awareness in the UK, according to chief financial officer Ross Ivors, largely due to successful sponsorship deals at the Masters snooker championship. In Ireland, it has an 85pc awareness level. Ivors expects that Paddy Power's UK business will eventually overtake its Irish business in size, but said the firm will continue to develop its operations here. He also said there were no plans to switch its call center in Tallaght - which handles telephone bets - abroad. All of the new UK stores will include the controversial fixed-odd betting terminals but the company believes that the UK gaming commission is preparing to clamp down on these machines and will impose restrictions next year. The company also has expansion plans for Ireland; over the next five years, it aims to open 40 new stores here, taking its estate to 170 outlets.
The word casino is not mentioned in the application to transform the bingo hall and cinema into a £3.2 million "mini resort", but the owners have admitted it will contain one if government deregulation of the gaming industry allows. Earlier phases of the scheme for the Palace in Crescent Road though will see a 52-bedroom hotel built ready for the casino's clients along with a health and fitness club, bars, restaurant, and a bingo/entertainments complex. Last time the scheme was withdrawn before it could be decided because owners Palatial Leisure were upset at the 200 protests sent to Suffolk Coastal council. This time Felixstowe Town Centre Residents' Association is hoping there will be even more objections and has sent 1,000 leaflets to residents, shops and church leaders urging them to oppose the project. Association chairman Mary Wyatt said: "The bingo hall, currently much used, can as the promoter has admitted be changed into a casino without the need for a planning application. "The opening hours for the casino will not be determined in this planning application so local people will have no control over what may happen. Casinos are permitted to open to 4am. Residents may be awoken by gamblers leaving late at night or in the early hours of the morning." But many people are already expressing support for the project. Felixstowe resident Lynda Keeble said: "The Palace bingo hall has great plans to bring some life to the town, yet to be opposed again. I strongly feel this would benefit Felixstowe and spice up the boring town we already live in." Catherine Coone, of Garrison Lane, said: "I am a pensioner and I live alone so it is essential for me to have somewhere to go like the Palace. I can have lunch there at a very low cost and I meet people and have a good chat. I go there every afternoon, and I don't know what I would do if it closes." Will Catherine have a place to have lunch and meet her friends? We'll keep you posted.
The Hardings claim that by processing their bets, the businesses violated not only California's Unfair Business Practices Act and a state law that prohibits providing credit for gambling but also the USA Patriot Act, which bans any illegal transfers of funds. The couple's lawsuit is actually a countersuit to a lawsuit originally filed by Retailers National Bank. The credit card company charged the couple with not paying the debt. The couple is suing credit card companies Visa International, Visa USA, MasterCard International and Discover Financial Services; several card issuers, including Retailers National Bank and Citibank; and Western Union Holdings, which transferred the funds electronically. Because of the financial dangers and addiction associated with Internet gambling, many efforts are being made to ban it in the U.S. In July, the Senate Banking Committee approved a bill to block U.S. financial institutions from processing online gambling transactions; the House has passed a similar bill. Many major credit card companies have policies against processing Internet gambling transactions (although a few bugs appear to be in the system), and eBay's online payment division, PayPal, has stopped sending payments to these types of businesses. Efforts by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer since June 2002 have resulted in many credit card issuers and banks agreeing to block these types of transactions. Legislators and U.S. financial institutions still might face an uphill battle. A recent report, "Wagering on the Internet," from River City Group and Christiansen Capital Advisors, LLC, predicts revenues from online gambling will double to $12.6 billion in three years. Most of the revenue still comes from gamblers in the U.S. who find ways to send funds to offshore Web site operators around the world where Internet gambling is legal.
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