Betfair points out its anticipated payment to the NRL is not a sponsorship
because advertising restrictions in NSW mean it can't promote its investment
via signage, branding or hospitality. Under NSW law, only wagering operators
licensed in NSW are allowed to advertise in the state.

Tabcorp's insistence that its new deal with the NRL be called a sponsorship,
rather than a product fee, is consistent with its reluctance to concede
sports are entitled to a fee for use of intellectual property.

However, Betfair, keen to legitimise a business in which punters can back a
team to lose, seeks strong relationships with sports via the product fee,
even though it can still take bets without the sport's endorsement.

Betfair points out it has no-charge information-sharing arrangements with
the International Cricket Council, Premier League football and English rugby
league and rugby union, yet has no commercial arrangements with these
sports.

On the other hand, it has information-sharing and product-fee agreements
with Cricket Australia, Tennis Australia, the PGA Tour and AFL. Both Betfair
and Tabcorp are keen to promote their integrity, with Betfair being the
first to name AFL player Simon Goodwin in an audit last November and Tabcorp
revealing another three players three months later.

Betfair boasts that it has a staff of nine checking records to determine if
athletes are gambling on their sports, while Tabcorp says: "No organisation
takes integrity more seriously than Tabcorp. We have the right level of
resources and excellent processes in place to monitor betting patterns for
account holders."

Tabcorp concedes it has no access to information on bets laid with TABs in
Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

The forthcoming deals with Tabcorp and Betfair are independent of the NRL's
membership of the Coalition of Major Professional Sports, which has been
lobbying the states for a fixed return on betting on sporting events.

The AFL intended to join COMPS but signed with Tabcorp and Betfair. NRL
chief executive David Gallop expects the Victorian Government to introduce
legislation soon which would set a mandatory percentage return for all
sports on money gambled on their events.

10 percent would be divided among the remaining 51 counties in the state.

10 percent would be divided among the remaining 203 municipalities in West
Virginia.

4 percent would be placed into track employee pension funds.

The Senate Judiciary Committee specified that the money received by
municipalities be used for capital improvements and municipal pensions.
Counties can use the funds to cover regional jail costs.

The West Virginia Lottery Commission has predicted that table gambling would
bring in an additional $10 million annually to racetracks.

The racetracks still would have to pay an initial $1.5 million license fee
to offer table gambling products, as well as an annual $2.5 million renewal
fee under the legislation.

"We thought it important that all municipalities in the state share in these
revenues," Kessler said. "We thought it was important that all 1.8 million
people in the state and the track employees get the money - rather than the
tracks and owners of the dogs and horses that race. Many of them live out of
the state."

State Sen. Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, termed West Virginia's purse fund "one of
the richest in the country."

"We will still have additional $3 million going in there, according to
figures provided by the lottery commissioner," John Musgrave, Bowman said.
"He told us his figures are 'conservative,'but once people come in to play
table games, slot play will increase. There will be more money from slots
going into the fund.

"The fund could realize as much as another $10 million," he added. "They
could get another $13 million, if he is correct. This is a very rich purse
fund."

The senators said they already have conversed with Senate President Earl Ray
Tomblin, D-Logan, as well as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Walt Helmick,
D-Pocohontas, regarding the legislation.

The Senate Finance Committee is slated to pick up the table gambling bill
early next week. If quickly approved in committee, a vote by the whole
Senate on the legislation could come within a week.

"They say the bill is satisfactory,'' Bowman said. ''But there are X number
of committee members. Not knowing their thoughts, it is hard to say.''

McKenzie added that Senate Judiciary Committee members knew they had to make
a decision.

"The House put a higher emphasis on the purse fund than the counties and
municipalities in West Virginia," he said. "We shifted the numbers and made
cities, counties and pensions more important."

Historically, expanded gaming faced opposition in the Legislature,
especially in the House where Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi opposes it.

The stakes on this are obviously high for gambling interests -- and for the
Patrick administration. With Rubin potentially in the mix as an advocate for
gambling interests, the governor could have an appearance problem bigger
than a leased Cadillac and expensive new office drapes.

Rubin is not a state employee. He has a right to make a living. But he
sounds naive when he talks about a "bright line" between lobbyist and
communications strategist. The line might be bright to him, but it's not
that bright to anyone else. His closeness to Patrick is part of his appeal
to any client.

If someone as close to Patrick as Rubin takes on a gambling client, it will
be another example of this administration not understanding perception and
its critical role in politics.

Symbolism means everything in politics. The leased Cadillac, the $10,000
damask drapes, and new office furniture were the wrong symbols for a
candidate who ran a populist campaign, and now heads an administration
grappling with a $1 billion budget deficit.

It took a while, but Patrick finally got that message. He announced he would
contribute $543 each month to the lease of the Cadillac DTS he uses for
state business, bringing the cost to the public in line with the Ford Crown
Victoria used by Governor Mitt Romney. He also said he would repay the state
for the draperies and new furniture.

Patrick promised a new order of business on Beacon Hill. Having a close
political associate such as Rubin represent a gambling client represents a
very old order of business.

In the drug conspiracy, Gilman admitted to conspiring with co-defendants
Keele Vesnefski, Ahisa Kaluhiokalani and others to distribute three pounds
of crystal methamphetamine, or "ice."

As part of the plea agreement, Gilman has agreed to cooperate with
investigators and testify if required against any co-defendants in any
criminal or civil proceedings.

Gilman was allowed to remain free on bail until his sentencing July 12
before Chief U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor. He faces a maximum life term
for the drug charges and up to five years for the gambling offenses.

Three kidnappings last year were said by police to have been related to
gambling activities there, several women were assaulted and robbed earlier
this year after leaving the casino with large winnings, and Rong Lilly Li,
last seen in the casino's parking lot, was killed.

"There is zero tolerance for unlawful activity in casinos," Mr. Gass said.
"We co-operate fully with police."

Whenever these commissioners tell you sports betting is evil and ruins the
carefully crafted image of their sport, just think of the unspoken harm they
cause. Their hands are dirty from the addictions they promote and push to
their benefit. Betting on sports is a sin, but buying a baseball themed
instant lottery ticket is a virtue?

The sports leagues spend money to warn of the dangers of betting on sports,
but when are they going to take responsibility for the addictions they
support with fantasy sports. Maybe it's time to produce some public service
warning messages for fantasy participants?

In the meantime thinking about the hypocrisy just might be a sign of being
addicted to anxiety. To kick such a habit make sure when the NCAA website
in a few weeks posts brackets for office pools, you fill them out and put
your money into the prize pool with great joy. Celebrate the fact you won't
get fired like you are some $2 million a year football coach who didn't get
the right memo.

Canada has another unique quandary. Although operating online gambling sites
here is supposed to be illegal, the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve in Quebec has
been hosting dozens of betting sites for a decade, claiming that Canadian
laws don't apply to them. They insist that they maintain sovereign authority
over Internet gambling on their territory, arguing gambling is part of their
ancient rites and traditions.

Now the Alexander First Nation near Morinville plans to start a similar
online-hosting scheme, forcing the Alberta government to make a decision
about the future of online gambling in this province. As such, the Alberta
Gaming and Liquor Commission has commissioned a poll to determine what
Albertans think of the issue.

"People are forgetting it's a complicated process," said Sen. Michael
Morrissey, D-Quincy, who said he supports casinos only because Massachusetts
is losing money to neighboring states with casinos like Connecticut and New
York.

Morrissey said Massachusetts could agree to license a casino, put that
license out to bid, and allow the tribe to compete with other commercial
casino operators - perhaps giving the tribe the exclusive right to bid last.

"What's to say that we couldn't force them to act like a commercial
operator," Morrissey told the Advocate. "Just because they're recognized,
doesn't mean they have the right to casinos, and if they want to, they
should be prepared to pay full freight."

Govenor Deval Patrick has publicly said he hasn't made up his mind whether
he would support casino gambling, and continues to listen to both sides. He
has said he may put together a study group to examine the issue and report
back to him.

Patrick has a $1 billion shortfall in the state budget, but has said the
budget plan he'll release at the end of the month will not include any new
gambling revenues.

In the end, Bosley said, the decision whether to give the Mashpee Wampanoag
tribe the right to build a casino comes down to a larger decision about the
wisdom of gambling, and specifically highly lucrative slot machines.

"The issue still becomes do we allow slot machines or don't we allow slot
machines," Bosley said. "As you put more gambling in your society, you're
putting less money into more profitable enterprises."

The Mashpee Wampanoag are the second Massachusetts tribe to receive federal
recognition. The first are the Wampanoag of Gay Head-Aquinnah on Martha's
Vineyard. There are more than 560 recognized tribes across the United
States.

Further, the act refers only to gambling that violates existing federal or
state laws, thereby recognizing each state's right to develop and enforce
its own regulations on gaming.

After the passage of this legislation, publicly traded gambling operations
lost 50 percent of their market value. Cyber ventures listed on the London
Stock Exchange announced that they would no longer be accepting wagers from
players in the United States. And many Internet gambling sites chose to deny
wagering by residents of the United States, where these bets would be in
violation of existing laws.

Rather than supplying an Internet retailer with financial and personal
information directly, many consumers use digital wallets (e-wallets) such as
PayPal to more securely transfer these data and complete their transactions.
FirePay, an offshore e-wallet, has announced in response to the act that it
will not transfer funds to online gambling operations.

Last month, the two founders of a British e-wallet known as NETeller were
arrested on charges of transferring funds with the intent to promote illegal
gambling. After these arrests, the company decided to eliminate the transfer
of funds by United States bettors to Internet gambling sites, instantly
eradicating about 65 percent of its activities in this industry.

Existing technologies used by credit card companies and banks to block
illegal transactions by verifying the identities (and, if appropriate, the
ages) of the parties involved also can be helpful in enforcing the act. Most
important, this legislation illustrates one method for effectively
controlling some of the harmful effects of cyberspace.

Gamblers have to be aware at all times what there addiction means to the
loved ones around them. Often times, addicts neglect their loved ones either
emotionally and/or physically. Children are affected the most. Children are
not able to think logically and abstractly and often times perceive
themselves as a contributing factor toward their parent's miserable moods.
Addictions have a powerful influence on a child's self-esteem and
self-confidence. The attitudes and beliefs children develop being around an
individual with a chronic addiction often times leads to problematic
behaviors in the child.

"There's more advertisement for it. Everywhere you look," he said.

Chris Chamberland, 24, said he regularly gambles with his money "because I
can."

Chamberland said he can afford his gambling and he knows where his limit is.

"It's like drinking, if you're going to drink you better know your limit,"
he said.

Neither Chamberland nor Leroux had seen the Responsible Gambling Council
display.

"There's gambling every day and it's got nothing to do with money,"
Chamberland said. "You're gambling every day when you cross the street, when
you drive on the highway. Now there's a little bit of money and they're
calling it evil."

Bay said students are "extremely receptive" to her organization's message.

"We find that a lot of students have been touched either personally or
they've
known people who have been touched with gambling problems," she said.

At Canterbury Card Club in Shakopee, Minn., crowds are getting younger, said
Kevin Gorg, media relations manager. "Because of the popularity of poker on
TV, it's become, you know, kind of the cool, in-vogue thing to do."

On that cold December morning in 2005, Melancon, now 21, decided to quit
college. He and a group of friends have since bet their livelihood on cards.
They spend hours at card tables and computers, winning and losing thousands
of dollars at a time. They make fast money from less experienced players who
don't know what they're doing.

They don't want to do this forever, they say, but they're going to ride the
poker train as long as it keeps paying.

By 7:30 p.m. one October Thursday, Melancon's friend Mike Pickett had
already been playing cards for nearly seven hours.

He and more than 400 others had traded an autumn day for the green felt
tables and fluorescent lights of the poker room, hoping to win the $117,000
championship-event prize at the Fall Poker Classic at Canterbury Card Club.

Now, partway through the first day of the two-day tournament, the field was
down to 96 players. Pickett, now 22, was among the youngest. The oversized
hood of his sweatshirt shielded his baby face from his opponents' view.

Bryan Devonshire, another young professional gambler, had lost out early -
they call it "busting out" - and came back to watch Pickett and size up the
competition. "This is quite possibly the weakest field I've seen in a
tournament," he said with satisfaction.

Good players quickly earn reputations in the poker world, and Devonshire,
who stood off to the side spitting chew into an empty beer can, saw few of
them there. "There are one, two, three ... nine people left that can play,
and four of them are sitting right here," he said, pointing to Pickett's
table. "Ah, the nature of poker."

Pickett was on a roll. With each passing hour, he added to the towers of
chips piled up in front of him like tiny skyscrapers. Deal, bet, hope for
the best. Deal, bet, hope for the best. Hour after hour after hour. They
broke briefly for dinner and then got back at it.

In tournaments, chips can't be cashed in; the only money involved is the
entry fee and prize money. The player with the chip lead has an advantage at
the tables, and some of Pickett's friends were watching his stacks grow with
a special interest. Five of them had formed a team and made a $5,000 side
bet with another team of five. If Pickett outlasted the remaining player
from the other team, he and his buddies would win the cash.

The night wore on. The pool of players continued to dwindle. Pickett
continued to win. Deal, bet, hope for the best.

By 11:30 p.m., some of the players were yawning, struggling to stay alert
after nearly 10 hours at the table.

Pickett, though, was in no mood to rest. Though his stacks of chips had
dwindled a bit during the last few hands, he was feeling like a winner.

With just over two dozen players left, the tournament organizer called it a
day. Playing would resume at one the next afternoon. The dealers started
collecting people's chips and sealing them in labeled bags.

The American Gaming Association is on record as saying the new Internet
Gaming Legislation is "confusing".

Americas Watchdog believes that the American Gaming Association or
affiliated Associations should begin to lobby Congress & the Bush
Administration for immediate amendments to the Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act that will allow for licensed US Casinos to be able to offer
their services to US Citizens or International players. This would have
three positive affects.

1. US Citizens who go online to US licensed casinos would get a regulated
gaming or casino environment. A regulated environment is not offered by
existing offshore casinos or sports books. The offshore gaming industry
would effectively be out of business losing the bulk of even their European
or Asian clients to the US.

2. Off shore-Internet Gambling is a multi billion dollar a year business.
Why not tax it and control it? Further by taxing & regulating the US online
casinos and effectively shutting down off-shore gaming, US law enforcement
could pursue other criminal activities because this particular issue would
no longer be a major problem, provided US banks actually comply with
anticipated federal banking regulations.

This change would also put most illegal US bookmakers out of business
because US consumers could actually place a legal wager on a sporting event,
or other gambling activity with a licensed US casino/sports Book. Illegal
bookmaking-sportsbook in the US is also a multi billion dollar a year
business.

Why not tax & regulate this activity?

3. The entry of licensed US casinos into online gaming would effectively
shut down or cripple all offshore gaming web sites. This could create
thousands of new tax paying jobs in the US. Why support some other countries
economy, when the US should be able to control & regulate its own?

The United States has a poor at best record on prohibitions. From alcohol in
the 1930's to its current 'war on drugs'. The new US legislation will not
stop offshore online casinos or gambling. Why not create a sensible
regulated environment that will be a win for US Citizens, and for the US
Government and individual State Governments that can control the activity,
and tax it?

"A robust association was found with medication-induced mania 'a psychiatric
disorder involving excessive physical and mental activity and impulsive
behaviour'." Pathological gambling was also weakly linked to younger age,
Parkinson's disease that began in the brain's left hemisphere and a high
score on a scale measuring the impulsiveness of behaviours. Screening for
such features and advising those at higher risk may be warranted," they
conclude.

Records show Kiel has struggled with financial problems in the past year. On
Sept. 7, a notice of default was filed by a loan corporation against Kiel,
seeking payment of $16,610 from a $591,634 mortgage. The property no longer
is being foreclosed. In 2005, Kiel obtained a $50,000 home equity line of
credit. When $49,438 became due, Kiel "refused to pay," according to the
lender. The case was settled in April.

Prosecutors allege Kiel was illegally obtaining codeine-based cough syrup
from a friend, Hope Devina Vines, who worked at a San Diego pharmacy and was
stealing it from her employer. Vines, a licensed pharmacy technician at
Sharp Rees-Stealy in San Diego, has been arrested on felony charges of theft
and possession of a controlled substance in connection with the case. Kiel
and Vines have pleaded not guilty and both are expected in court today.

Kiel was arrested in September after Drug Enforcement Administration agents
intercepted two express mail packages containing 18 pint bottles full of the
drug. Authorities said Kiel admitted to shipping the cough syrup to his
native Texas, where it can sell for up to $325 on the street and where it is
mixed with soft drinks.

In an unrelated matter, the San Diego city attorney's office has charged
Kiel with public urination, a violation of the municipal code. Police cited
Kiel in the Gaslamp Quarter in December.

But who knows -- maybe Goldberg has racked up huge gambling debts from
ignorant wagers like the one tendered to Cole.

So I have a solution. Let the Tribune media conglomerate pay the $1,000. Not
only does Tribune syndicate Goldberg's column, it was Tribune's Los Angeles
Times that added the analytically-impaired Goldberg to its columnist roster
in November 2005 -- at the same time it fired renowned columnist Robert
Scheer, whose Iraq analysis had been breathtakingly accurate.

Despite financial upheavals, the highly-profitable Tribune Company has
plenty of money, as it lays off journalists en masse and squeezes the life
out once proud newspapers like the L.A. Times.

Professor Cole may be right to dismiss Jonah Goldberg as a "dime-a-dozen
pundit." But it's time to hold media corporations like Tribune responsible
for elevating the Goldbergs and their reckless predictions -- as they
strangle newspapers and silence serious journalists like Bob Scheer.

"It just gets rid of this gray area," Birleffi said. "If your customers want
to play poker, they can't even do that."

Birleffi said allowing patrons to gamble in bars and restaurants is a
tradition in Wyoming.

"It's the way things have been," Birleffi said. "Any place that has a Texas
Hold 'em poker night, or private clubs, it's just the way things have been."

The Court of Appeal here today allowed the appeal with costs by two foreign
casinos to recover RM7.1 million gambling debts owed by former Sabah Chief
Minister Datuk Seri Osu Sukam. The three-man bench, Justices Datuk James
Foong, Datuk Abd Hamid Embong and Datuk Mohamad Raus Sharrif held the High
Court judge was wrong to conclude that to register the English High Court
judgment in pursuant to Section 5 (1) (a) (v) of the Reciprocal Enforcement
of the Judgement Act 1958 was against public policy in Malaysia. The judges
also dismissed the cross appeal with costs by the respondent's counsel
Sugumar Balakrishnan. A representative for the appellants, London-based Ritz
Hotel Casino Limited's compliance director Alexa Brummer was elated when
leading judge, Foong, read the judgment. She was accompanied by an
instructing solicitor from Kuala Lumpur Ruben Mathiavaranam. Osu was not
present, reports Bernama.
The casinos Ritz Hotel Casino and RHC Limited were represented by counsel
Colin Lau. Following a judgment obtained by the English High Court whereby
the respondent failed to appear in the London Court over a bounced cheque he
issued to the casino in 2002, the appellants made an application to register
the judgment in the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak on Sept 13, 2004.
However, on July 5, 2005, High Court judge Datuk Ian H.C. Chin, here,
dismissed the application by the casinos to enforce the judgment against Osu
for RM7,142,859.98 in gambling debts.

WITH BARBADIANS and visitors spending $200 - in some cases much more - in
Mega 6 tickets to win the $2.5 million jackpot, some priests have come out
and condemned the gambling fever now sweeping the island. "It is evil and
should be avoided," said Father Harcourt Blackett on Sunday in a telephone
interview. The Roman Catholic cleric said that the "seriously" addictive
behaviour had led to the break-up of families and ruined a good few lives.
"It isn't just the poor people who become addicted; every one across the
social strata has," he said. Blackett said that because of people's
addiction, they were some who borrowed to play and then could not pay back
which in turn led to threats and violence. President of the Barbados
Evangelical Association (BEA), Reverend Dr Nigel Taylor, simply said
gambling was destructive. Noting that his organisation had not conducted any
scientific surveys on the effects of gambling, he said it promoted greed,
caused family neglect, was a wastage of money that could be used for
productive purposes and promoted gains by a few at the expense of all the
other players. "The BEA wishes to repudiate the claim being made in some
quarters that the church has been silent on the matter of gambling and the
ills associated therewith. "The membership of BEA has always spoken out from
its more than 300 pulpits against the practices of gambling for many years.
Because some Christian churches have tolerated some of the less harmful
games, such as raffles, in no way means that the church in general approves
and sanctions lotteries and casinos," he said. Pastor Lennox Boyce, from the
Silver Sands Church of God, said Barbadians were practically throwing their
money away going after the big jackpot. He saw gambling as "the wasting of a
God-given resource".

Nothing in this world can be said to be certain, Ben Franklin noted in a
letter to a friend, except death and taxes. And, he should have noted,
there's one more thing: Every new governor of Massachusetts looks at casino
gambling as a potential source of revenue. Daniel O'Connell, the state's
secretary of housing and economic development, confirmed in an interview
with The Republican that Gov. Deval L. Patrick plans to create a commission
to study whether Massachusetts should legalize casino gambling. O'Connell
said the commission will have members from different parts of the state,
including someone from Western Massachusetts.
Here's a suggestion: Put some slot machines in Richmond. Think of all the
jobs it would create for neighboring Pittsfield, where the unemployment rate
is 5 percent. And the governor could stop in and drop a few coins in the
machines on his way to his spacious vacation home in Richmond. But first,
here's another suggestion: Check with Attorney General Martha Coakley before
doing anything. She cautions that the state might be creating an environment
for crime to prosper if it expands gambling. As the state's top law
enforcement officer, her opinion is important. "I have no moral compunction
against it," she told reporters last week. "I just think that people always
see it as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And I'm here to say, as
someone who's been a prosecutor ... the pot doesn't have as much gold in it
as people think." With the promise of huge payoffs in revenue and jobs, it
is certainly tempting. Yet it would be dangerous to mistake casinos for
economic development. For one, the jobs and revenue would come much too late
to help the governor with his deficit, which he estimates at $1 billion.
More important, giving the people of Massachusetts a place to gamble because
the state can use the revenue is no different than urging people to smoke
because the state can use the revenue from the cigarette tax. The governor
should focus his energies on what can be done to discourage businesses from
leaving Massachusetts, and what can be done to help businesses here expand.

American Indian tribes and preservationists trying to buy Valmont Butte from
the city of Boulder say they have absolutely no intention to turn it into a
gambling site.
Boulder City Attorney Ariel Calonne said he can't rule out the possibility
that tribes could assert sovereignty and override any deed restrictions
placed upon the property. But, he said, the tribes wouldn't have an easy
path toward asserting sovereignty over the land, which would require it to
be placed in trust by the federal secretary of the interior. The key
question is whether tribes have any desire to look at gambling, said Steve
Moore, who's serving on the Valmont Butte Heritage Alliance board as a
member of the Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs. And the answer to that
question is an emphatic "no," he said.

Acting on information and armed with a search and arrest warrant, police
raided an office of a well-known general trading and contracting company in
downtown Kuwait City and arrested 4 men -- three Indians and a Bangladeshi -
for using the office as a gambling den, reports Al-Watan daily. During the
raid police also seized from the men 72 bottles of whisky packed in four
cartons, porno films and thousands of dinars in cash. Police have also
seized a roulette machine used in gambling. Meanwhile the Al-Rai daily said
police also raided an Arabic house in Khaitan and arrested 32 Asian gamblers
and seized from them KD 1,650. It has been reported most of them are
residence law violators. Family probed in maid death: Police have detained
an Egyptian family for interrogation for allegedly pushing to death an
Indian maid, identified only as Teety, from the balcony of their apartment
in Farwaniya, reports Al-Watan daily. The daily quoting a security source
said the Egyptian sponsor, after allegedly pushing the 29-year-old maid to
her death, called the Operations Department of the Ministry of Interior and
reported that his maid had jumped from the balcony of the apartment in an
apparent attempt to end her life. The maid who survived the fall was rushed
to a hospital. However, she died a short time later. The family was detained
for interrogation after an unidentified nurse at the hospital told the
hospital interrogator that the victim before her death said she was being
tortured by her sponsor and thrown down from the balcony of the apartment.
Kuwaiti rescued from burning car: Timely arrival of police saved the life of
a Kuwaiti man who was refusing to get out of his burning car, reports
Al-Watan daily. The daily quoting a security source said several motorists
called the Operations Department of the Ministry of Interior when the man
locked the car from inside the car after the vehicle caught fire on Maghreb
Expressway and refused to open the door. Police rushed to the car, broke
side glass of the vehicle and pulled the man out to safety against his will.
The daily did not give more details but from the man's behavior it has
become apparent he wanted to end his life. Journalist's brother stabbed: The
brother of an unidentified journalist has been admitted to a hospital in
critical condition with nine stab wounds on various parts of his body,
reports Al-Qabas daily. The daily quoting a reliable security source said it
was the case of a mistaken identity. The suspects believed to be brothers of
an unidentified member of the National Assembly lay in wait for the victim
and thinking it was a journalist who had criticized their brother in his
articles pounced on him, stabbed him and escaped leaving the man in a pool
of blood. The daily did not give more details. However, it is believed
police are investigating the incident. Gang of thieves nabbed: Salmiya
securitymen arrested a gang of four people - a Kuwaiti, Iranian, Saudi and a
Jordanian - for robbing shops in Salmiya and Farwaniya areas says
Al-Seyassah. Hawally Security Department, on receiving information about the
gang, put them under surveillance and found that they specialized in robbing
mobile shops and groceries. The gang resided in Salmiya area and securitymen
laid a trap to arrest them. All four confessed their crimes and have been
referred to Public Prosecution for further interrogation.

15 residence violators held: During a crackdown on vice and residence law
violators in Farwaniya, police have arrested 15 hawkers - Asians and Arabs -
for violating residence laws, reports Al-Rai daily. Police also seized from
them a quantity of foodstuff, clothes, and several various types of goods
including toys and referred them to the authorities.

Maid injured in escape bid: An Indonesian maid, whose identity has not been
disclosed, has been admitted to the Mubarak Al-Kabeer hospital with serious
injuries and broken limbs, reports Al-Anba daily. A reliable security
source, quoting the maid's sponsor, told the daily the maid fell from the
third floor apartment while attempting to climb down with the help of a
'rope' made of bed sheets in an attempt to escape from his home. The rope
allegedly snapped when the maid was halfway and fell in the building
compound. However, police said to be waiting for the maid to recover to take
her statement.

Kuwaitis victim of police brutality: Two Kuwaitis recently complained to the
Al-Watan daily how some securitymen tortured them for no reason, reports
Al-Watan daily. One of the victims said he was visiting his friend and
suddenly police barged into the home and accused them of possessing and
consuming alcohol and drugs. According to the victims police raided their
home without a warrant from the Public Prosecution. However, they were taken
to the Rumaithiya Police Station and detained for four days. They claimed
they were tortured by police in a vain attempt to force them to confess to
the charge under duress.

Officers at the police station are also said to have threatened to cause
them harm if they reported the incident. The men also told the daily police
failed to find either drugs or alcohol in the house or were there any traces
of drug or alcohol consumption. Moreover, when they were referred to
Forensics a test showed negative results. The victims have filed complaints
with the General Department for Interrogation and the Public Prosecutor has
been informed about the incident.

Stray horse causes road panic: Traffic on the Fahaheel Expressway was
disrupted for some time after a horse which had escaped from a farm caused
panic among motorists, reports Al-Anba daily. It has been reported the horse
was also responsible for a two-vehicle collision. Securitymen rushed to the
spot, caught the horse and restored the traffic flow. Police are looking for
the owner of the horse.

Indian found dead in lorry: Police are investigating the death of an
unidentified Indian man whose partially decomposed remains were found in the
back of a half lorry at an unidentified location in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh,
reports Al-Anba daily. Initial Forensic report showed the man, who was
wanted by law for allegedly trading in liquor, died five days ago.

Officers from the Gambling and Anti-Vice Unit of the Criminal Investigation
Department, Royal Brunei Police Force, acting on a tip off, conducted an
inspection at a house in Kg Ayer where they detained four local men on
suspicion of involvement in gambling activities. Police confiscated
notebooks believed to be used to record 4-digit lottery debts, three mobile
phones and over B$4,000 in cash believed to be the money collected from the
4-digit lottery operation. Under the Common Gaming House Act, the suspects
could be fined $5,000 and imprisoned for 12 months. Meanwhile, on Sunday
night, the Gambling and Anti-Vice Unit raided a room at a hotel in the
capital where they found a female foreign national in a compromising
situation with a man, believed to be her client. Officers also found on her
$150 believed to be proceeds from prostitution.

Charles Barkley said Monday that he won "about $700,000" gambling in Las
Vegas over the weekend. "That was all profit (from) blackjack and I bet on
the Super Bowl. I had the Colts," Barkley said in an interview with Phoenix
television station KTVK. "I played a lot of blackjack." Barkley did not say
how much be bet on Sunday's game in which Indianapolis beat the Chicago
Bears 29-17 in Miami. In an ESPN interview in May 2006, Barkley estimated
that he'd lost about $10 million gambling over the years. He said Monday
that he lost $2.5 million "in a six-hour period" one night last year. "It's
a stupid, bad habit. I have a problem," Barkley said. "But the problem is
when you can't afford it. I can afford to gamble. I didn't kill myself when
I lost two and half million dollars... I like to gamble and I'm not going to
quit." Barkley, who lives in the Phoenix area, was elected to the Hall of
Fame last year. He averaged 22.1 points and nearly 12 rebounds in a 16-year
career that included stops in Philadelphia, Phoenix and Houston. He was the
league's MVP in 1993 with the Suns, and he won gold at the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics as part of the original U.S. Dream Team.

BOSTON A survey finds nearly seven (m) million Massachusetts residents
visited Connecticut casinos in the past year. The figures released today by
the U-Mass-Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis are part of a study of New
England residents' attitudes toward gambling. It finds that 36 percent of
all Foxwoods patrons and 21 percent of all Mohegan Sun visitors are from
Massachusetts. Overall, one-in-four Bay State residents say they went to one
of the Connecticut casinos in the past year. The survey has a margin of
error of six-point-seven percent. The U-Mass researchers released the
results of another survey last week that found 57 percent of Massachusetts
residents polled would support the authorization of casino gambling in the
state.

After Nick Colangelo won more than $110,000 on a $2 slot machine bet in
July, the 47-year-old Fontana man paid off his car and truck and even
invested in the stock market. But his winnings "created a monster,"
Colangelo says. He returned to Highland's San Manuel casino less than two
days after the jackpot and has since lost $20,000 by gambling regularly. He
lost more than $9,000 in December alone. He had to use a credit card to pay
his January rent, and his financial losses have put him at risk of losing
his carpeting business. "I've never tried heroin, but I think this is
worse," Colangelo said.

A federal judge is convinced that John Neal returned to his role as the
"invisible ... kingpin" of a multi-county video gambling enterprise shortly
after being freed from prison. As a result of violating the conditions of
his supervised release, the 69-year-old Delaware County resident will be
imprisoned for two more years.
"It's simply a shell game, a clumsy sleight of hand," U.S. District Judge
John Tinder said Monday of Neal's attempt to hide his control of the
gambling operation. "It's as though I'm re-hearing the same case from 2000."
Neal was freed from prison on April 19, 2004, after serving 85 percent of a
42-month prison term for operating an illegal gambling business, conspiracy
to defraud the IRS and money laundering. After his imprisonment, Neal was
placed on three years of supervision by federal probation officers. Probably
while he was still in prison, but certainly after his release, Neal headed a
video gambling business that operated out of two dozen taverns in Delaware,
Madison and Henry counties, according to assistant U.S. Attorney Christina
McKee. This past September, an investigation by state excise and Anderson
police culminated in a search of Neal's rural Yorktown home, where
investigators found $1.5 million in safes and a desk drawer. Neal was jailed
in Madison County on charges of video gambling, money laundering and corrupt
business influence. Authorities also seized $1.4 million from Neal's bank
accounts. Neal had told federal probation officers that he was receiving
$71,160 a year in pension payments as the former head of the Teamsters union
in Indiana.
He admittedly lied to probation officers about his other income. Neither
Neal nor his attorney explained to the judge where that other money came
from.
Because there can't be a probation officer in every tavern, the government
expected Neal to truthfully report his income, which he lied about "month
after month after month," the judge said. Excise police followed the money
to Neal. "Follow the money," the judge said. "It's all over his house. I can
infer by that fact alone" that it was illegally derived. "Cash was rolling
in by the barrel." Neal had returned to video gambling "with a vengeance"
after prison, said the judge, who accused the defendant of "laughing his way
through supervised release," acting as a "puppet master" and "thumbing his
nose at the law, at law enforcement and at this court."
"In his view, he can walk all over the law," Tinder said. "It's stunning,
shocking. He was inspirational to others in a negative way."

The Virginia Senate gave preliminary approval yesterday to a measure that
would allow Colonial Downs, the horse racing track east of Richmond, to
offer a new form of off-track gambling that would generate as much as $300
million annually that could be directed toward transportation needs. A
similar measure was defeated last week in the House. But the idea is sure to
resurface as lawmakers work toward striking a transportation deal this
session. Del. John S. Reid (R-Henrico), who pushed the measure to a vote on
the House floor, said the relatively close 54 to 42 vote shows that
lawmakers should continue to look at the gambling bill to help pay for
transportation improvements. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) has said that he has
not ruled out supporting the gambling bill.

Oregon middle-school students are invited to enter artwork for a 2008
calendar that will be used to increase problem gambling awareness. An
estimated 75,000 adult Oregonians experience problems related to their
gambling, which also impacts children and families. "This is a chance for
students both to learn more about the risks of gambling and to capture the
attention of parents and educators who may not have problem gambling on
their radar as a health issue to look out for," said Jeff Marotta, problem
gambling services manager in the state Department of Human Services.
Teachers are invited to encourage students to participate during Oregon
Problem Gambling Awareness Week, March 5-11. Gift certificates ranging from
$25 to $100 will be awarded to 12 students and two teachers. Artwork should
be entered on white, letter-size paper with the name of the student artist,
grade level, school and teacher's name on the back. Entries should be
submitted to DHS's Greta Coe at 500 N.E. Summer St., N.E., E-86, Salem, OR
97301.

OLYMPIA, Wash. The state Gambling Commission meets Friday in Olympia to
consider an agreement with the Spokane tribe. The deal would allow the tribe
to offer as many as 47-hundred slot machines at five casinos. State
lawmakers are concerned that other tribes in Washington will seek the same
expansion of gambling. Tribal officials say it would be a refinement of
agreements reached after the 1988 federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Some of you may have done well last night, and are rejoicing to the heavens.
And others -- maybe you're trying to bury your head in the sand. Why? You
either won a load of cash or you're dead broke from betting on the Super
Bowl. Whether you won or lost, you must beware of a disease that is plaguing
men across the country: Gambling addiction. I know, it's in our nature to
take risks. But we need to start thinking with our heads -- and not our
hearts -- when it comes to rooting for our favorite teams. Anything can
happen throughout the course of a football game, as we saw last night in the
Super Bowl. And if you already have a history of making bad picks and losing
money that should've have gone toward your mortgage, you need help. Gambling
effects - A Web site by the Los Angeles-based Gamblers Anonymous
International reports that there are a number of reasons why men gamble.
Some men gamble for the high, the crack, the action. For others gambling
covers over problems of depression, panic attacks, mania, drug and alcohol
abuse. The group said most men start off as casual social gamblers. These
individuals typically gamble for enjoyment, and it doesn't affect any major
areas in their lives. But they still risk becoming compulsive/pathological
gamblers -- someone who loses control of their gambling habits. If
untreated, their gambling behavior would lead to loss of hope, and even
imprisonment.

Here are five tips on how to curb your gambling addiction, according to
Gamblers Anonymous International:

* Avoid the venue. Find other interesting hobbies to enjoy during the times
when you tend to gamble.

* Limit the availability of your cash. Arrange to have daily withdrawal
limits on your bank account, set up a joint account that requires two
signatures or pay bills electronically.

* Manage stress. Exercise regularly, or do things that enable you to relax
such as listening to music and hanging out with friends. (Of course, avoid
the ones who gamble.)

* Keep a record. A diary could help you understand your gambling activities,
identify trends and patterns. For example, you might go gambling when you
feel bored or depressed, or when you need money.

ChristiaNet.com the world's largest Christian portal with twelve million
monthly page loads, recently polled reader's on the question, "Is day
trading on the stock market gambling?" The majority was unsure but some of
the participants felt that it is gambling since you can win or lose. One
respondent wrote, "It's like a game of chance." The people who felt that
trading is wrong overall seemed to agree that the Bible warns against
foolish spending and as Christians we should be investing in the Kingdom of
God, avoiding temptation because greed is never satisfied. Out of 291
polled, 94 felt that day trading was a form of gambling. 128 of the
respondents were unsure and many stated that they didn't have sufficient
knowledge about it to comment while others felt that it was a personal
choice. Some participants seemed to have mixed feelings on whether it is
investing money wisely since the results are uncertain and Christians
considering this type of investing should do some research on it or rely on
a broker who knows more. Sixty-nine people did not feel that there was
anything wrong with it. One person commented, "All investments are a gamble
and we are told to invest our money and be wise stewards." One participant
leaned towards the Bible scripture of the good servant who turned 5 coins
into 10. A few of the respondents stressed that one's attitude is what
matters most because of the temptation of greed. One person argued that it
isn't taking a chance because there is a calculated way to invest and if a
person has enough knowledge about it they can be successful.

There are sights you just don't see anymore in La Salle County. For example:
In the 1950s, La Salle County State's Attorney Harland Warren brought the
hammer down on gambling in the county. One day during that time, he and one
of his assistants, Craig Armstrong, raided Becker & Currie's Cigar Store in
Peru, where sporting gentlemen took pleasure in placing wagers upon such
elegant games of chance as craps. Warren and Armstrong, who both served in
World War II, rousted about 20 gamblers and lined them up military-style in
two columns on the sidewalk in front of the joint. They then marched the sad
sack gamblers to the cop shop a few blocks away, as if the group was a
platoon of recruits. But such sights are a thing of the past. The good
old-fashioned La Salle County gambling raid has gone the way of the Dodo
bird, rotary dial phones and leisure suits. The last time there was a
gambling raid in these parts was April 1996 -- that's pre-Google to show how
long ago that was. Since then, there have been only a handful of minor,
accidental gambling charges, such as when police make a traffic stop and
find pull tabs. But gone are bona fide police-barging-in-with-search warrant
raids. Today is a good time to talk about gambling raids -- or the lack
thereof -- in the county, because we're in between the biggest wagering days
of the year, Super Bowl Sunday and the March 11 NCAA March Madness
basketball picks.
Gambling raids were common in these parts through the mid-1990s -- almost as
regular as milk deliveries from Pitstick Dairy. It's not that there aren't
any gambling dens to raid anymore in the county. There are plenty, with some
towns or their outskirts having more than others. In the past, raids were
often spearheaded by outside killjoys, such as the FBI, the Internal Revenue
Service and the State Liquor Control Commission. Local agencies also made
raids on their own, too. In particular, Ottawa Police hassled gamblers in
the early 1990s, often in response to complaints from the relatives of bad
luck gamblers who had blown paychecks on too few jacks or too many lemons.
In 2007, police at every level have greater priorities than swinging axes at
video poker machines -- those priorities namely being drugs and on the
federal level in particular, terrorism.

Several different types of gambling are conducted through the Internet in
Hungary, and they are taxed depending on the type of operation. Gambling is
legal in Hungary. Online gambling organizers in Hungary are required to file
tax returns and pay taxes on the basis of self-assessment. The tax rates
vary for different types of gambling operations, including: a casino,
money-winning and gambling machines, draws, and continuously organized
totalizer-type betting. Online gambling is treated as a service, and any
such service provided from the territory of Hungary, through any mode of
communication equipment or networks, is required to be carried out under the
provisions of Act XXXIV of 1991. In Hungary, a game tax is applicable to
income derived from casinos, money-winning and gambling machines, draws, and
continuously organized totalizer-type betting. The mode of application of
the tax and its rate vary. In Hungary, all online gambling organizers are
obligated to file tax returns and pay game taxes on the basis of
self-assessment. The main objective of Act XXXIV of 1991 is to organize
gambling activities, thereby preventing unlicensed gambling. The Act
controls the activities of gambling organizations.

CONCORD, N.H. A survey finds about one-in-five New Hampshire residents
visited Connecticut casinos in the past year. The figures released today by
the U-Mass-Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis are part of a study of New
England residents' attitudes toward gambling. In a survey of 220 New
Hampshire residents between September and November last year, 19 percent of
respondents said they'd visited the Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun casinos in the
last twelve months. It reports that the majority of New Hampshire visitors
are 30 or older, have some college education, and 62 percent are women. New
Hampshire gamblers make up just two or three percent of all Connecticut
casino visitors. The survey has a margin of error of six-point-seven
percent. The same survey last year reported that in 2005, New Hampshire
gamblers spent 73 (M) million dollars at the casinos.

As a mature Mohawk College student, as well as a parent, I was not shocked
to see this article. I feel that because of the media, newspaper articles,
and frequent television commercials, we should be prepared to deal with this
gambling phenomenon. Even within the bathroom stalls at the college, posters
warn students to take notice of their peers' activities, with catchy slogans
such as: "Are your friends cutting class to cut cards?" Gambling is both a
physiological and psychological dependence. Family and friends should
recognize the symptoms, which are similar to those of substance abuse. The
lack of money and sleep go hand in hand with the addiction, along with
moodiness, isolation, late nights and endless excuses. Finally, grades are
affected. With one in every three teens 15 to 17 gambling, it is up to us as
a society to acknowledge these statistics and deal with the problem. What do
we do? We should organize assemblies to address the issue with students.
Parents and council members should draw up a petition that would make online
gambling illegal, at least to the age of 21. At this age, the student should
have the maturity to avoid this unhealthy activity. These students are the
leaders of our future. Let's eliminate teenage gambling addictions and
concentrate on the students' education.

MILLIONS OF Americans have engaged in criminal behavior leading up to
today's Super Bowl. You know who you are - those of you outside Nevada who
placed bets on the Indianapolis Colts or Chicago Bears. It's estimated that
about $5 billion will be on the line this afternoon in a nation in which
even office pools are technically illegal in some states. President Bush in
October signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, a law
intended to resolve any ambiguities about the unlawfulness of placing bets
online. Although most fans in the free world can place bets with regulated
online casinos, U.S. law enforcement has been busy cracking down on the
heinous crime, going after enabling credit card companies, detaining those
who run legal foreign online sites if they deign to enter the country and
subpoenaing major Wall Street investment banks involved in overseas initial
public offerings of online casinos. It's another brazen attempt to extent
prudish American mores to other jurisdictions. One bemused Las Vegas sports
handicapper told the Wall Street Journal last week that the ban on Internet
gambling should be renamed the "Sopranos Support Bill," because the main
beneficiaries of keeping closely regulated casinos from doing business
online are bookies. Instead of protecting consumers and raising tax revenue
from this popular entertainment, the government is protecting the turf of
unsavory bookies, many of whom have ties to organized crime. The gambling
crackdown is part of a broader trend of a paternalist state protecting
citizens from themselves, curtailing their freedoms in the process. We live
in a nation still engaged in a war on terror and in a city struggling with
escalating gang violence, yet precious law enforcement resources are being
spent on prosecuting morality. But, for today, enjoy the game while
pretending you don't know the spread. After all, that could prove
incriminating.

Gamblers heading to the nonsmoking sections of Lincoln Park and Newport
Grand might not be escaping the smoke after all. A study commissioned by a
New Jersey antismoking group shows significant levels of pollutants in the
nonsmoking sections of the two gambling halls. At Lincoln Park, the
nonsmoking area was found to be 39 percent as polluted as the track's
smoking section. At Newport Grand, the pollutant levels were 17 to 37
percent of the levels in the smoking section. The New Jersey Group Against
Smoking Pollution (GASP) has been pushing to get Atlantic City to ban
smoking in its 12 casinos. The City Council there had initially contemplated
an absolute ban but recently moved to a plan where smoking would be
prohibited in 75 percent of the gambling space. The antismoking group
conducted testing in Rhode Island as part of an effort to build their case
that nonsmoking sections do not protect nonsmokers. They also found that the
smoking sections of Rhode Island's two gambling halls had heavy
concentrations of smoke. "How dismal that the separately walled and
ventilated nonsmoking sections are still one-third as polluted as the
extra-polluted smoking sections," Regina Carlson, executive director of GASP
said in a statement. "Clearly, at least in Rhode Island casinos, this
so-called solution doesn't work." "Bottom line, the only way to protect
employees and patrons is to make casinos smoke free," she said.
When Rhode Island banned smoking in all indoor public spaces on March 1,
2005, lawmakers made two exemptions. Lincoln Park and Newport Grand could
allow smoking as long as they also provided nonsmoking sections. New Jersey
also exempted Atlantic City's casinos from its smoking ban, but the City
council is about to set its own restrictions. A vote on that partial ban is
scheduled for Wednesday. Rhode Island originally prohibited its cities and
towns from enacting ordinances that were more restrictive than the state
law. But that so-called preemption clause expired in October. Lincoln and
Newport could now theoretically ban smoking in their gambling halls,
although there has been no move to do so. Lincoln Park and Newport Grand
spokeswomen both dismissed the findings of the tests done for GASP by the
Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Spokesmen Both said they had not even been
aware the testing was done. "We don't know where they tested. We don't know
how they tested," said Lincoln Park spokeswoman Cynthia Stern. She said the
track routinely does its own testing, hiring an outside environmental firm
with testing taking one to two weeks. The Roswell Park Cancer Institute
tested at both facilities from Jan. 26 through Jan. 29.

Amy Kempe, spokeswoman for Newport Grand, said "it's difficult to respond to
the results without knowing under what circumstances the testing was
conducted nor how those results compare to industry standards."

"The comfort and safety of our patrons is our first priority, Kempe added.
"We welcome the opportunity to meet with GASP so they can share with us
their results and we can take a look at how we can improve under their
standards."

Newport Grand did notice a situation where smoke was traveling down an
escalator from the smoking to the nonsmoking areas and is taking action to
fix it. As part of a planned expansion and renovation, the ventilation
systems will be upgraded further.

At Lincoln Park, Stern said continuing construction has hurt air flow. She
said that a new addition soon to open will include "state-of-the-art
ventilation" and fix any air-quality problems.

A new global initiative and international code of conduct to address
responsible online gambling procedures is under discussion by the industry
following a top-level roundtable discussion held at a recent London trade
show. The roundtable, convened by top software developer Microgaming,
discussed the need to review what is currently being done by the industry
and how a single common code might be created and implemented globally. The
resulting draft code of practice is likely to cover individual operating
sites as well as software providers. A working party led by GamCare - the
UK's
leading authority on problem gambling and eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online
Gambling Regulation and Assurance), a self regulatory player protection
body, will meet within the next week to formally launch consultations on the
initiative, which it is hoped will be completed by the autumn. The
organisations hope to merge their current codes to provide a framework to be
tabled at an international summit later in the year. As well as leading
figures from the online gambling industry, the wide ranging roundtable
discussion was attended by the Portman Group, invited to outline how the
major players in the drinks industry had combined to address problem
drinking within the UK. Roger Raatgever, CEO, Microgaming, comments:
"Contrary to some of the reportage on this industry, much is already being
done to address issues surrounding responsible online gambling. However, we
recognise that the current situation of having a number of codes of practice
covering a diverse range of areas is not ideal for the industry or the
players. The formation of one clearly defined international code
demonstrating best practice with a unified voice will strengthen
communication to both the players and the industry as a whole." Editorial
note: InfoPowa was present at this very productive round table discussion,
where leading industry executives exchanged views on how better to identify
and protect problem gamblers in the future. Further details will be
released as the initiative shapes up, but for now we can report a
significant level of common purpose and determination from a diverse group
of senior people to carry through a very substantial project.

Gambling won't save West Virginia, but it may drag it a little closer to
hell. The juggernaut in favor of table games seems unstoppable, leading to
further expansion of gambling in the state. Yes, revenues from the addition
of table games will likely shore up the state's coffers for a while, leading
to a sense of satisfaction among legislators who supported the bill. Yet in
the long run, the expansion of gambling will turn out to be just another in
a long list of dead ends that keep this state last in almost everything.
Over time, once Maryland and Pennsylvania expand their gambling operations,
West Virginia could be become a gambling ghetto. Our state would probably be
the third choice for those seeking to spend their money on games of chance.
Maryland and Pennsylvania too, have diverse and healthy economies. West
Virginia is co-dependent with coal and more recently, gambling, to fill
state coffers. "Gambling creates more problems than it solves. Gambling is
dragging this state down. It's not giving us hope," said the Rev. Dennis
Sparks, of the West Virginia Council of Churches, in an Associated Press
story published in Monday's Journal. He's right, of course. Gambling gives
an appearance of hope, that lady luck will bring a big payout out the
roulette wheel or from the slot machine. But the house always wins and the
few lucky winners often end up with many problems of their own. "Our future
really needs to be about other economic investments, and diversification in
West Virginia so we're not reliant solely on one economy or two economies,"
Sparks said, and by gosh, he's right. Soon, West Virginia will have every
imaginable type of gaming establishment. We'll have little street corner mom
and pop shops with gray machines turned angelic glowing white by legislative
fiat, huge casinos like that growing up in Charles Town, and the ubiquitous
lottery retailers. Vice attracts vice, so certainly besides more strip clubs
we'll probably see a growth industry in massage parlors and bars. Instead of
pursuing real solutions to the state's economic problems, this legislative
session will be focused on table games legislation. Another lost opportunity
and nary a voice, except those of a few preachers, to oppose the very idea
of table games legislation. Yes, there are a few legislators against the
idea, but table games could only be stopped by a public outcry and not a few
votes in the Capitol. There is no public outcry, except an outcry for
government services, for which no one wants to pay. Some gambling opponents
believe West Virginia is simply being used by gambling interests. Big
gambling companies have simply used us to get into better markets in states
with better economies and more population, according to an Associated Press
story.

Henry Thaxton said: "If you are not careful, you will project the image that
you are bought and paid for... . (The tracks) work both sides of the street.
They have no shame."

It's not the gaming interests that should be ashamed, they're capitalists
out to make money. We should be ashamed that our state is so weak that every
few years we grovel at the feet of big gambling hoping they expand to help
the state's pitiful economy. Why can West Virginia not do better?

This state relies too much on Big Daddy, big government and big coal
companies to provide jobs and fill state coffers. And where have 50 years of
reliance and groveling brought us? They've brought us to nearly last in
everything. If there was something about our economy to celebrate, it could
be celebrated, but I don't think the fact that anyone can get a job at
Sheetz or Wal-Mart is something to celebrate.

What almost everyone concedes is that the state needs a massive economic and
legal overhaul, but there's no time for that when table games are on the
agenda.

Instead, West Virginia will spin the roulette wheel again, hoping for the
best.

The introduction of legislation that will greatly expand gambling in the
state has finally arrived, and I am firmly opposed to it. As a construction
worker, I could possibly personally benefit from all the new construction.
However, as a resident of the state, the cost to our social services will
far outweigh any benefits. Our state lottery director is functioning as a
paid lobbyist on behalf of the four racetracks and not as civil servant.
And, several legislators seem more intent upon getting a "good price" rather
than a good reason why we should even be considering this expansion. I see
from the campaign expenditures in the last election that no one in the
Cabell delegation took money from the gambling interests. Furthermore, not
one tax dollar is likely to arrive in this county due to an expansion of
tabletop gaming. Hence, it should be simple for both of our senators and all
six of our delegates to stand united in their opposition to this issue. The
lottery director projects annual revenue from this expansion to be in the
neighborhood of $180 million gross profit. As a population of 1.8 million,
these gaming interests view each citizen as an annual $100 dollar profit on
this expansion alone. If I am to be seen only in terms of dollars and cents,
I want my legislator to get something that will actually be of benefit to my
way of life. I would propose that these gaming interests pay off our
underfunded public employees and teachers pension plans as the price to get
a license. Then we can begin to haggle over an appropriate percentage of the
gross profits. This would prove that the tracks truly want to act as
partners in the state.

MILLIONS OF Americans have engaged in criminal behavior leading up to
today's Super Bowl. You know who you are - those of you outside Nevada who
placed bets on the Indianapolis Colts or Chicago Bears. It's estimated that
about $5 billion will be on the line this afternoon in a nation in which
even office pools are technically illegal in some states. President Bush in
October signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, a law
intended to resolve any ambiguities about the unlawfulness of placing bets
online. Although most fans in the free world can place bets with regulated
online casinos, U.S. law enforcement has been busy cracking down on the
heinous crime, going after enabling credit card companies, detaining those
who run legal foreign online sites if they deign to enter the country and
subpoenaing major Wall Street investment banks involved in overseas initial
public offerings of online casinos. It's another brazen attempt to extent
prudish American mores to other jurisdictions. One bemused Las Vegas sports
handicapper told the Wall Street Journal last week that the ban on Internet
gambling should be renamed the "Sopranos Support Bill," because the main
beneficiaries of keeping closely regulated casinos from doing business
online are bookies. Instead of protecting consumers and raising tax revenue
from this popular entertainment, the government is protecting the turf of
unsavory bookies, many of whom have ties to organized crime. The gambling
crackdown is part of a broader trend of a paternalist state protecting
citizens from themselves, curtailing their freedoms in the process. We live
in a nation still engaged in a war on terror and in a city struggling with
escalating gang violence, yet precious law enforcement resources are being
spent on prosecuting morality. But, for today, enjoy the game while
pretending you don't know the spread. After all, that could prove
incriminating.

When Chris Armentano called Linda Piotrowicz with his cookbook idea, she was
immediately enthused. What a great way to publicize Connecticut-grown
agricultural products. And for Armentano, it could shed more light on the
dangers of sports gambling. Collaborating, the two could serve both
purposes. For the past 25 years, Armentano has been director of problem
gambling treatment services for the state Department of Mental Health and
Addiction Services. Piotrowicz is a marketing representative for the
Department of Agriculture. The book will be titled "The March Madness
Kitchen Survival Guide," with the subtitle "Recipes for the Road to the
Final Four." It should be completed around March 6. As I informed Armentano
when he asked me my favorite TV game-watching snack, I'm partial to a
toasted cheese sandwich with tomato - sometimes two - at halftime. Not very
exciting, but it's what I like. That's what I'll have this evening as I'm
watching the Bears edge the Colts in Super Bowl XLI. But this cookbook won't
be a toasted-cheese-sandwich sort of thing. It will contain party recipes
interspersed with basketball facts and other entertaining items. But mostly
it will contain recipes from all over the state. "I'm using my contacts to
collect recipes for our project," said Piotrowicz, who grew up in Simsbury
and now lives in East Hartford. "Through my work, I know a lot of chefs in
the state. Also, many state farmers will be contributing their favorites.
We'll have all kinds of things." A limited number of the cookbooks will be
printed, but it also will be available on the Department of Agriculture's
website (ct.gov/doag). The cookbook also hopes to give folks something to do
other than bet during a time of intense gambling.
"It is not new news that addiction to gambling has ruined uncounted
marriages, families and lives. It's going to get worse before it gets
better," Armentano said.
He knows he's shoveling sand against the tide. "It's true," he said. "With
the casinos in Connecticut, and now the poker shows on television and
Internet betting ... it's glorified and it hasn't lost its shine." Super
Bowl Sunday is a heavy betting day, too. "It's a day when folks who wouldn't
ordinarily do it place a bet," he said. "And some frequent gamblers view it
as a chance to get even for past losses." Piotrowicz also welcomes a chance
to highlight the many food products produced in Connecticut. "There is great
diversity in our home-grown products," she said. "Shellfish, dairy products,
eggs, meat, poultry, cheese - there are some exquisite cheeses made here in
Connecticut - maple syrup, apples and other fruits, winter squash, hothouse
tomatoes and many other things."

Farmland is disappearing at an alarming rate in our small state as
developers gobble up the open space despite considerable resistance.

"It's a real concern," Piotrowicz said, "but there is a lot of
specialization and diversification going on now. Farmers are doing more with
less land."

So a new cookbook will soon be born. Its message will be twofold: "Think
cooking, not gambling" and "Use Connecticut-grown food products for your
March Madness parties." They will taste better.

With the increase in casinos, lottery games and TV coverage of professional
poker tournaments, it's not a surprise that the culture of gambling has
spread to teens.
Now, there are data to support what local kids have been saying - that kids
in the mid-Hudson have increased gambling as much as teens across the
country.
A recent study of teen risk factors among students in the eighth, 10th and
12th grades in Middletown showed that more than 73 percent had gambled
within the past year. The findings remain on par with a similar survey at
Newburgh Free Academy, said researcher Danette Shepard. State and national
figures show a 25 percent increase in gambling among teens since 1988. "This
younger generation, their whole lives they've been growing up with gambling
commercials. You know, 'You've got to be in it to win it,' " said Roslyn
Jefferson, director of the Center for Problem Gambling in Albany. "That
makes them more open to gambling, because society allows it." The Middletown
study found kids are doing more than just playing Texas Hold 'Em. The survey
of nearly 1,000 Middletown students shows kids gamble on everything from
sports to dice, from the lottery to games of skill. In Middletown, what kids
bet on differs with age. The eighth- and 10th-graders seem to prefer betting
on sports, while seniors play the lottery, restricted by law to those 18 and
older. Betting on cards tends to increase as kids get older, jumping from 24
percent to more than 33 percent by the 12th grade, the survey showed. Not
enough school officials are aware of the problem, Jefferson said. "I want to
see it included in health-education classes when they teach drug education,
so that kids can see that this could be a problem for some of their buddies
and even for themselves." Middletown school Superintendent Ken Eastwood did
not question Shepard's findings, but said administrators have not seen, on
school grounds, the type of card- or dice-playing mentioned in the survey.
Nonetheless, the school intends to implement a gambling education program
into its curriculum, possibly this spring, with part of a three-year, $5.4
million federal grant to improve student health and school safety, he said.
Studies show that adult problem gamblers started the habit at 10 or 11 years
old, and that they become introduced to gambling through family members,
Jefferson said. And kids who gamble are more likely to engage in other risky
behaviors, such as drug use, unprotected sex and joining gangs, experts
said. "Teens, especially male teens, are already at risk to take risks, so
they are more vulnerable than adults to become preoccupied with gambling,"
Jefferson said. "And that's what parents need to be aware of."

Most kids who gamble tend to play cards, sometimes with the consent of their
parents, Jefferson said. Parents who allow card playing at home should
encourage gambling for chips rather than money, and should look for signs
that their children are pushing off other activities and interests for the
activity, she said.

A federal law passed last summer has helped curb the problem of Internet
gambling among teens by making it illegal for major banks to allow the use
of their credit cards for payment, Jefferson added.

But while education about the risks of gambling could deter some kids, it
likely will not be effective without a larger social campaign about the
potential addiction.

"We have to do some kind of intervention, but it's awfully tough when
millions of dollars are being thrown into advertising every day to keep
these kids gambling," Eastwood said.

It was stated in the House of Lords that Malta supports the UK intention of
raising standards in on-line gambling. Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her
Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Gambling
Commission to hold talks with gambling regulators in Gibraltar and Malta to
ensure that the standards of on-line gambling regulation in those
jurisdictions are comparable to those in the United Kingdom. Lord Davies of
Oldham said: "The government work very closely with the Gambling Commission
on all issues relating to on-line gambling. Representatives from both
Gibraltar and Malta attended the government's international remote gambling
summit held on 31 October 2006 where they, along with many other
jurisdictions, indicated that they fully support the UK Government's
intention to raise standards in on-line gambling regulation. Following the
summit, we will continue to involve Malta and Gibraltar in the process for
establishing international standards, which is now underway. The Gambling
Commission will also continue to meet representatives of Gibraltar and Malta
through their membership of the International Association of Gambling
Regulators."

A simple bet on which team will win today's Super Bowl matchup between the
Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts won't be enough for hard-core gamblers.
Bookmakers are taking hundreds of side bets that range from choosing the
winner of the opening coin toss to picking the direction of the first errant
field goal, wide left or wide right. Wide left is favored. Most of us may
laugh at the unusual bets that will be laid down, but for compulsive
gamblers the Super Bowl is serious business. For many of them, it represents
the ultimate score, the last chance to win back everything they lost in the
past year. "Compulsive gamblers use the Super Bowl as a catch-up day," said
Harvey Fogel, an addictions counselor and expert on compulsive gambling.
"They'll put a lot on Chicago or Indianapolis in the hope that they'll break
even for the year. But half of them will be losers. It will be a disaster
financially. They will hit rock bottom." Fogel expects to be busy fielding
calls from despondent bettors when he walks into work Monday morning at
AtlantiCare Behavioral Health in Egg Harbor Township. For losing gamblers,
Super Bowl Sunday will be a day of pain, like the alcoholic who deals with a
severe hangover after a heavy night of drinking on New Year's Eve. Dave, a
recovering compulsive gambler who asked to be identified by his first name
only, said the turning point for him was three days before last year's Super
Bowl. He was arrested for bookmaking and decided then to give up gambling.
He said he had a relapse during the March Madness of the NCAA men's college
basketball tournament, but has been straight ever since. For the Super Bowl,
I won't put myself in a situation where I'll want to bet," he said. "I won't
read the newspapers. I won't watch the game without my family. If I feel the
need, I'll reach out to people in the treatment program. It's the same thing
during March Madness, because that's weeks of betting action." Experts
estimate the NCAA basketball tournament is the nation's largest gambling
event, but the Super Bowl is the biggest single game for wagering. Nevada,
where sports betting is legal, is expected to take in more than $100 million
in Super Bowl wagers. It is anyone's guess how many illegal bets will be
placed on the game, although estimates range in the billions of dollars.
Sports betting is illegal in New Jersey. Ed Looney, executive director of
the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling, said Internet gambling and
illicit bookmaking offer easy avenues for Super Bowl betting. However, a
recent federal crackdown on Internet gambling, which is illegal in the
United States, may force bettors to use bookmakers even more, he noted.
"This is going to be the biggest day of the year for sports betting," Looney
said. "Traditionally, this seems to be a real big payout for the bookies."
In the next four or five weeks, the number of calls likely will surge to the
1-800-GAMBLER hotline that Looney's agency operates. Looney said compulsive
gamblers will scurry around for a few weeks after the Super Bowl hoping to
find the money to cover their losses, but eventually they give up and call
the gambling help line in desperation. Dave, the recovering compulsive
gambler, said losers will tap out their bank accounts or credit cards,
embezzle from their employers or beg, borrow or steal from family members.
"You're making up stories that you know they aren't believing, but you do it
anyway because you have to feed your addiction," he said of borrowing money
from family members. In the old days, compulsive gamblers would often turn
to loan sharks for cash, but now credit cards are a convenient way for them
to continue their binges, according to Fogel. "One of the big problems today
is the credit card," he said. "A lot of compulsive gamblers are hard workers
and have good jobs, but they max out their credit cards. For a while, they
get by by paying the minimum. Then it falls down around their ears."

The Pennsylvania Gambling Control Board has three words for Donald Trump on
why he lost his bid to build a slots casino in Philadelphia: location,
location, location. The board decided in December against licensing the
proposed $350 million TrumpStreet Casino complex on the edge of North
Philadelphia. Instead, it approved projects on two riverfront parcels. On
Thursday, the board disclosed the rationale behind the selections. Trump's
project would have been built near an "economically depressed (area) with
decaying infrastructure," calling into question whether visitors would come
and other businesses would invest, the board said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's bet that the state could balance its budget
next year with revenue from bigger Indian casinos is unrealistic, a report
released Friday by the state's nonpartisan Legislative Analyst said.
Schwarzenegger's proposal to let tribes install some 22,500 new slot
machines and then collect more than $500 million in new fees and taxes from
them is critical to his plan to wipe out the state's chronic budget deficit
next year. Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill, who in recent weeks has
blasted the governor's spending plan for relying on rosy revenue
projections, on Friday took aim at its Indian gambling component, saying it
would likely take three to 10 years for the state to realize the revenue
boost Schwarzenegger is counting on in a matter of months. "The governor's
budget assumes that annual general fund revenues related to tribal-state
compacts grow from $33 million in 2006-07 to $539 million in 2007-08," Hill
wrote. "This projection is not realistic."
What's more, according to her report, the compacts could leave California on
the hook for millions in unexpected costs. The compacts would require the
state to spend millions of the projected revenue increase in coming years to
help poor tribes that don't operate casinos - money Schwarzenegger is
relying on for the budget. The compacts also would let the richest tribes
stop paying into funds for gambling addiction and other programs, the
analyst said. "The Legislature could face funding shortfalls for gambling
addition, regulatory, and local government programs," she wrote. H.D.
Palmer, spokesman for the governor's finance department, downplayed Hill's
concerns and said the administration sticks by its projections. "We're
confident given the number and timing of the devices we've assumed in these
agreements that we have the right dollar amounts," Palmer said. "These
tribes are ready to immediately put the machines in place that form the
basis of our revenue projections." Another large hurdle for the governor's
Indian gambling plan is the Democratic-controlled state Legislature. The
Assembly in September squashed the pending compacts, which Schwarzenegger
has already signed, over concerns they would weaken the power of casino
workers to unionize. The deals still face heated opposition from unions,
card clubs, the horse racing industry and the antigambling lobby. Democratic
leaders also have said they would need substantial changes before they win
approval.

Nevada lawmakers will be asked to continue fees imposed for the first time
in 2005 on slot machines to fund programs to help problem gamblers in this
wide-open gambling state. The fee, approved by the 2005 Legislature, started
out at $1 per slot machine and then rose to $2. That has brought in $2.5
million for problem gambling programs in the current two-year budget cycle.
Laura Hale, a state Health and Human Services grants manager who helps to
staff the state's Advisory Committee on Problem Gambling, said Thursday that
continuing the $2 fee during the coming two fiscal years will mean another
$3.2 million for the fledgling program. "We have made excellent progress in
the first two years," said Hale, adding that it's essential to help people
whose gambling addictions could lead to "devastating" problems such as
family breakups, loss of jobs and even criminal activity. "The best thing
about this is that people who had no access to treatment before now have
that access," said Hale. "And the long-range program potential is to do more
prevention programs." "Two years ago, it was a first," Hale said. "Many
other states have been funding these programs for years, so it's really good
that Nevada has finally gotten into this." Gov. Jim Gibbons has supported
the fee in the spending plan he has submitted to the 2007 Legislature. When
the fee plan passed in 2005 - with heavy casino industry support - it had a
"sunset" clause which requires the 2007 Legislature to take action to keep
it going. A report on use of the fees so far shows that more than half the
money was used for treatment programs while the rest was used for prevention
efforts, research and related services. More than 500 people got treatment
for gambling problems while more counselors got financial assistance to
become certified in gambling counseling. The total of such counselors now
stands at 14, and Hale said another 50 to 60 counselors could get through
the training in the coming two years. Statistics included in the report show
that nearly 20 percent of those getting treatment range in age from 25 to
34, and 22 percent range in age from 45 to 54. Also, there's a 54-46 ratio
of men to women who went through treatment. The report also shows that
nearly a quarter of those getting treatment make less than $10,000 yearly
while another quarter are in the $35,000-$75,000 income range. The document
also shows that about a third of those getting treatment are married, while
nearly a third are separated or divorced.

A new report says more and more Californians are hitting the casino
regularly. The state-sponsored study found nearly a million people in
California consider themselves compulsive gamblers. That's second in the
nation only to Nevada. Steve Hedrick with the State Office of Problem
Gambling says they're responding by getting the word out. Hedrick: We're in
the process right now of starting up a new training program trying to raise
awareness among the general public. Just trying to help them understand that
gambling can be a problem and some of the signs to recognize that people may
have a difficulty. More than 7,000 people were interviewed for the study.
Hedrick says it was the largest of its kind.

Wyoming poker fans are one hand closer to the return of "social" poker games
to state bars and restaurants. A House committee is backing a bill that
would allow friendly poker circles to play games in public establishments.
The Senate has already approved the legislation. Attorney General Pat Crank
effectively banned poker games from bars and restaurants in 2004. Crank says
the games are illegal because they allow establishments to profit from
gambling, even if the profit just comes from people buying drinks. The
measure would NOT permit establishments to sponsor tournaments between
strangers. The Wyoming State Liquor Association is backing the bill. The
group's executive director Mike Moser said the law does NOT expand gambling
in the state. He says it just provides clarification of the state's
policies. The bill now moves to the full House.

Betonsports Plc, the British Internet sports book indicted in the U.S. on
charges of racketeering and violating interstate gambling laws, was found in
contempt of court for failing to answer those charges. U.S. District Judge
Carol Jackson today in St. Louis found the company in contempt for violating
a Dec. 28 order to appear in court. Prosecutors asked her to impose daily
fines on the company's officers until a representative comes forth.
Betonsports' St. Louis counsel Jeffrey Demerath called the judge's chambers
yesterday and ``told us he had been instructed by his client not to
appear,'' Jackson said. ``I clearly believe Betonsports' actions are
contumacious and disregard the court's order without any excuse.'' The
London-based company was indicted last summer, together with its founder
Gary Kaplan, then-Chief Executive Officer David Carruthers and nine other
individual defendants. Prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of $4.5
billion. Reached by phone in his office this morning, Demerath, a partner at
Armstrong Teasdale, said he hadn't seen a contempt order from the court and
couldn't comment on today's proceedings. Carruthers and six other defendants
appeared in court on July 31 and entered not guilty pleas. Kaplan and two
other defendants are still at large. A not guilty plea was entered by the
court on the company's behalf on Jan. 11. Ginny Pulbrook, a London-based
spokeswoman for the company, did not return an after-hours phone message
seeking comment on today's contempt citation. In November, Demerath was one
of two corporate attorneys who signed a civil consent agreement with federal
prosecutors paving the way for Jackson to issue an order permanently banning
Betonsports from doing business in the U.S.
On the eve of the company's scheduled arraignment on the criminal charges
last month, Demerath also told the court his clients had instructed him not
to answer the charges. Betonsports' decision ``suggests that corporate
management is neither in a coma nor dead but, instead, contemptuous and
defiant,'' Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Fagan said in court papers asking
Jackson to make the contempt finding. ``The defendant is the company,''
former Assistant U.S. Attorney James Montana said in a telephone interview
from his office in Chicago. ``It would be appropriate for the company to be
fined,'' he said. ``I don't understand how the court could impose fines on
officers or directors who are not a party to the lawsuit,'' he said. Now
chairman of the litigation practice group at Chicago's Vedder Price Kaufman
& Kammholz, Montana was formerly general counsel to casino operator, Bally's
Entertainment Corp. Montana said he didn't believe Jackson would grant
prosecutors' request to fine the officers. Fines against the corporation, if
unpaid, could eventually be converted to a money judgment held by the U.S.
and enforceable against Betonsports assets at least in the U.S. and possibly
abroad, he said. Betonsports suspended trading of its shares on the London
stock exchange on July 18, one day after the U.S. indictment was unsealed.
Last month the company was de-listed.

Manchester will be the home of the United Kingdom's first super casino,
ushering in new "hard forms" of gambling never before seen in the island
nations, including unlimited-prize jackpot machines. British Methodist
Church officials say the new Gambling Act has paved the way for the
Manchester super casino, announced on Jan. 30, and 17 smaller casinos around
the country, expected to put huge profits in the pockets of the gambling
industry and the UK government. The British Methodist Church is challenging
the government and industry to channel "substantial resources to help those
many thousands, if not millions" who will develop gambling-related problems,
said Anthea Cox, the church's coordinating secretary for public life and
social justice. "Unfortunately, evidence suggests that the new casinos,
along with the increasing popularity of online gambling and the general
normalization of gambling within [Britain], could result in many more people
developing a serious gambling addiction over an extended period," Cox said.
Research indicates an estimated 370,000 people in the United Kingdom already
have gambling problems. A poll commissioned by the Salvation Army shows 56
percent of British people (and 64 percent of British women) do not want a
casino to open where they live. Manchester officials cite regeneration of
rundown areas, £265 million ($503 million) in investments and up to 2,700
new jobs as good reasons to welcome the super casino. But the Rev. Cris
Acher, a Manchester-based Methodist minister, believes his city has "sold
out on this one." Acher, who heads up the innovative Night Café ministry
catering to 18-30s club-goers in Manchester's City Centre, told United
Methodist News Service that Manchester already has culture, commerce and
night life without the casino. "There are potential benefits, but at what
cost?" he asked. The Rev. Keith Davies, chairman of the Methodist church's
Manchester and Stockport District, challenged the city's claims about
potential economic benefits. "Most of the jobs created will be low paid and
the benefit for the community as a whole will be minimal," he said. Given
the potential social costs of gambling, Davies suggested a greater
investment in social housing and social amenities would have a far more
significant impact on people living in the area of the proposed casino
site - one of the most deprived communities in the United Kingdom. "When the
act came in, we decided that we had no choice but to live with it, but we're
still banging on about the problem," said Alison Jackson, a member of the
Joint Pubic Issues Team for the British Methodist Church. "There's been a
massive consultation since the bill became an act (of Parliament) and we've
been talking to the government about how they will implement provisions to
protect people from problem gambling."

The team has contributed to the design of a government study that will chart
British attitudes and actions as more gambling opportunities are introduced.
The first stage of a five-year study is already under way.

Church officials acknowledge there is no evidence showing how a new regional
casino will affect the United Kingdom. However, they cite the U.S.
experience of rising gambling-related debt, crime, bankruptcy and associated
social problems - including unemployment and family breakdown - as a
predictor of what could happen here.

Jackson said British Methodists are just as worried about Internet gambling,
noting that recent crackdowns in the United States will push this form of
gambling underground.

"There are always ways of getting your money to gambling sites on the
Internet regardless of what the U.S. does," said Jackson. If Internet
gambling goes underground, she said, people will be at risk both from
gambling itself and from unscrupulous people who will charge extortionate
rates to channel money to Internet sites.

Government officials in British cities such as Blackpool and Greenwich,
which lost out to Manchester, hope more super casinos will be sanctioned,
though officials overseeing the Gambling Act say they won't approve more
regional casinos for the next three years.

Provisions in the gambling law require "proper monitoring" by the government
of the effects of increased gambling opportunities. British Methodists say
they will be "keeping an eye on the situation" to make sure the government
keeps its promise.

THE world's biggest gaming company could join the race to build Britain's
first supercasino in Manchester. Harrah's Entertainment, the Nevada-based
firm behind Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, said it was `looking forward' to
finding out about the bidding process and claimed it would offer `the most
complete package for the UK'. Stanley Leisure, Britain's biggest casino
firm, also confirmed its interest and called for a `truly open and
transparent bidding process'.
The news follows Tuesday's shock announcement that Manchester had been
chosen as the site of Britain's first supercasino, with more than 1,000
unlimited-jackpot slot machines. While council chiefs had already chosen a
site outside the City of Manchester stadium and a preferred operator -
Kerzner International - the law states that the competition has to be
reopened. Kerzner's plan was for a £265m complex, including a 5,000-seat
arena, swimming pool and hotel plus the casino itself - which would have
taken up just six per cent of floorspace. But interest is expected to be
much greater now Manchester is the only city that will be able to operate a
supercasino. The Kerzner consortium has so far refused to confirm they will
be bidding again. In a statement, they said they were `proud' to have played
a role in helping Manchester win the supercasino, adding: "Our bid, with its
key elements of stunning design, joined-up regeneration and maximum economic
benefits, clearly made a compelling case. "The consortium notes that due
process in this project involves a competitive tender to comply fully with
the Gambling Act and keenly awaits more details on the process which will
lead to the regional casino being developed in Manchester." Michael Riddy,
finance director for Liverpool-based Stanley Leisure, said: "I think a
standalone UK casino operator might struggle to compete against bidders
from, say, the US, but our position now as part of a multi-national group is
a very strong one." But it is Harrah's, which has revenues of more than
£3.5bn a year, that is likely to prove the biggest threat to any renewed bid
by Kerzner. Andrew Tottenham, of Harrah's, said: "We look forward to
learning the details of the public tendering process necessary to
objectively select the casino operator to ensure the local community of
Manchester will realise the maximum benefit of this planned development.

"Harrah's Entertainment offers the most complete package for the UK as we
have a proven, worldwide track record of responsibly operating successful
casino-integrated resort complexes."

Developers are already predicting a boom in property prices, with Mike
Kidd - manager with Edward Mellor in Gorton - telling the M.E.N. after the
announcement that people were `hanging out the bunting'.

House prices in many areas near the stadium have already doubled in just two
years as a result of other post-Commonwealth Games regeneration in the area.

Israel has effectively banned online poker and casino websites from offering
services to Israeli customers following a court case ruling against Victor
Chandler's CEO Michael Carlton. The new ruling closes a legal uncertainty
that online gambling companies previously operated in. "A foreign company
operating an online gambling site may not hide behind the fact that the
company and its servers sit in another country, and it is breaking the law
if does not block access to Israelis," Judge Abraham Heiman said. Israel has
become increasingly perturbed with Gibraltar-based Victor Chandler's
presence in Israel as they sought to challenge the state-run gambling
monopoly that operates there. Last year Victor Chandler embarked on an
aggressive advertising campaign in Israel that offered greatly improved
incentives than the state-run services. Accordingly, Israel swiftly became
the second largest market for Victor Chandler. And as such has since caused
much concern for Israeli authorities, culminating in Carlton being detained
in Tel Aviv in January.

Unlike past public hearings on legislation to legalize racetrack games,
which were split evenly, Thursday's hearing on the latest version of the
bill was a one-sided affair. Pro-table games speakers outnumbered
anti-gambling advocates by a 52-16 margin at a two-hour, 40-minute hearing
in the House of Delegates Thursday.
For the first hour, the hearing alternated between supporters and opponents
of the legislation. After that, it was all speakers touting the economic and
tourism potential of legalizing the casino-style gaming. "Personally, I was
surprised at the disparity of the number of people for it as to those
against it," said House Judiciary Chairwoman Carrie Webster, D-Kanawha.
"It's
a huge issue for the people who are for it, that's how I personally
perceived it," said Webster, whose committee is expected to take first crack
at the bill (HB2718) next week. The turnout Thursday may have some influence
on legislators, Webster said, but the bill's future ultimately will come
down to legal, constitutional and fiscal issues. The Rev. Dennis Sparks of
the state Council of Churches, a leading opponent of gambling expansion,
said he was not surprised that opponents of the bill were vastly
outnumbered. He said it is difficult to mobilize opponents of gambling on
short notice, suggesting that the racetracks didn't have that disadvantage.
"All the gambling industry has to do is go to their employees and say, 'Take
the day off and go to Charleston to testify,' " Sparks said. While the list
of speakers did include a number of employees of the four racetracks, the
advocates also included representatives of the tourism industry and various
county and city officials, including Charleston Mayor Danny Jones.

A Coshocton man has waived his right to a speedy trial in anticipation of
what's happening in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Rich Pica, owner of
High Caliber Pit Stop on Chestnut Street, entered a not guilty plea in
Coshocton Municipal Court on a first-degree misdemeanor charge of allowing
gambling on his premises in November 2006. Pica contacted the Coshocton
County Sheriff's Office on Nov. 17, 2006, letting them know he'd plugged in
his six Tic-Tac Fruit machines located at the gas station/convenience store.
Earlier that month the State of Ohio Attorney General's Office had issued an
opinion the machines were illegal, and local authorities had notified
operators to unplug their machines or face charges. Pica's jury trial was
initially scheduled for Friday, Jan. 26, but Judge Tim France granted a
continuance after the prosecutor asked for time to locate an expert in
gambling. The trial was then rescheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7.
However Pica's attorney, Eric Yavitch, asked the trial be postponed to await
a declaratory judgment in a case of Tic-Tac Fruit manufacturers and
distributors against the Department of Public Safety that should take place
in the next couple of months in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. "Rather
than litigate this over and over, the prosecutor, our office and Mr. Pica
just feel it's a better use of resources to see what happens in Franklin
County," Yavitch said. "Once a ruling is issued, the prosecutor will revisit
the case and make his own evaluation."

CHINA has secretly harboured the eldest son of North Korean dictator Kim
Jong-il in Macau for three years, despite the US-led crackdown on North
Korea's finances in the former Portuguese colony, local reports say. Kim
Jong-nam, the North Korean leader's eldest son and former heir apparent, has
been living with his family in Macau, dividing his time between five-star
hotels and a family villa, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday
citing a six-week investigation. The newspaper said the younger Kim had made
Macau his home, and was not just a frequent visitor as previously thought.
In contrast to the deprived conditions, and in some cases starvation,
suffered by most North Korean citizens, Mr Kim spends much of his time
wining, dining and gambling in Macau's growing number of casinos and slot
machine parlours, and travels frequently to the mainland and abroad using
passports from the Dominican Republic and Portugal, the paper said.
The rotund younger Kim hit the headlines in 2001 when he was deported from
Japan after trying to enter with his wife and then four-year-old son on a
fake passport, apparently to visit Tokyo Disneyland. The humiliation led his
father Kim Jong-il to cancel a planned visit to China. Macau, like
neighbouring Hong Kong, is a special administrative region of China and as
such enjoys limited autonomy. But there is little doubt that Beijing would
be aware of Mr Kim's presence in Macau as North Korea is such a touchy
issue. "He's been on the move for much of the decade but Macau is the place
he calls home now," a source familiar with Mr Kim's movements told the South
China Morning Post. "He's been free to stay as long as he lives quietly. He
believes he is among friends and he appears to be happy."
Macau has been a key conduit for North Korean financial dealings for more
than 40 years, but in November 2005 the Macau Government froze $US24 billion
($A31.7 billion) in North Korean-linked accounts at the request of the US
Treasury, which said they were used for money laundering. The financial bans
strangled Kim Jong-il's cash flow and North Korea angrily blamed them for
the breakdown of talks. If confirmed, the news that China has been
harbouring Kim Jong-il's son is likely to embarrass Beijing, which has been
under intense international pressure to use its much vaunted influence to
pull North Korea back into line after it tested its first nuclear device
last October. China voted in favour of unprecedented Security Council
sanctions against North Korea after the October 9 nuclear test and North
Korea eventually agreed to return to six-party talks in December. These are
due to resume in Beijing next Wednesday.

Under the deal brokered by China last year to resume the stalled talks, the
US agreed to hold separate meetings with North Korea on the Macau bank
accounts.

The latest talks on this issue ended in Beijing on Wednesday but afterwards
a source told Reuters that the North Koreans might threaten to conduct a
second nuclear test at the resumption of six-party talks next week if the US
did not lift the Macau financial bans.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled against the US in an online
gambling dispute with the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda. The US is
breaking international trade rules, it is expected to say. Though the ruling
is still private, Reuters has reported that the WTO has found the US guilty
of not complying with a 2005 order in the case. Antigua and Barbuda has
built up a significant internet gambling industry to replace falling tourist
revenue and took the US to the WTO over entry to the US gaming market. Laws
passed previously banned non-US companies from operating in the US gaming
market. Antigua argued that this was an illegal trade restriction and broke
a free trade pact that the US had signed. A WTO dispute resolution panel
found in Antigua's favour in 2003. The US appealed but the Appeals Board
found largely for Antigua in 2005. The WTO has now found that the US has not
tried hard enough to stick to that decision.
Antigua had taken a case relating to a ban on all bets placed across state
lines. The WTO, though, only ruled in its favour in relation to the narrower
issue of horse race betting across state lines. It found that foreign
bookmakers seemed to suffer discrimination. The WTO has provided both sides
with a preliminary report on its findings. Both parties can submit further
comments to it before a final report is published in March. A spokesperson
for the US Trade Representative told Reuters that the ruling was only a
minor issue. "[We] did not agree with the United States that we had taken
the necessary steps to comply with that ruling," she said. "The panel's
findings issued today involve a narrow issue of federal law." Since the
disputed laws were passed in the US further, more stringent anti-online
gambling legislation has been passed. Last autumn, the US passed laws which
made almost all internet gambling illegal in the US and several online
gambling executives have been held by US authorities.

Online gambling 24 hours a day. EuroMillions jackpots in the tens of
millions of pounds, and now the UK's first "super-casino" in Manchester.
Never before have there been so many opportunities - and incentives - for
people to become seriously addicted to gambling. According to the British
Medical Association there are an estimated 300,000 'problem gamblers' in the
UK, and the BMA expects this figure to rise with September's introduction of
the Gambling Act 2005, which will lift entry restrictions on casinos and
bingo halls, and permit TV advertising for casinos. Gambling now has the
potential to reach far more than those individuals who are currently classed
as addicts. Research by Morse into the habits of office workers (January
2007), for example, found that one in three of these workers gamble at least
once a week for at least 15 minutes during work time. To help deal with
these issues, Professor Mark Griffiths, co-author of the BMA report, has
called for addiction services to be made available countrywide, and stated
that money is needed for prevention campaigns. Until such time as these
resources are introduced (assuming they ever are), if you are an employer
it's important to be on the lookout for any employees who may be developing
a gambling habit, especially because - as with other forms of addiction -
once established it can be far more difficult to break. 'Unlike drug or
alcohol addiction, there are no obvious physical signs of a compulsive
gambler. Like other addicts, however, they will typically deny any problem
until they hit rock bottom and are desperate for help.' explains Business
Stress Consultant Carole Spiers of The Carole Spiers Group. 'Among the
clearest indications of a serious gambling problem are borrowing money to
gamble or pay off debts; any effort to conceal gambling (as this implies
guilt that there is a problem); and the amount of leisure time devoted to
gambling. Pre-internet, compulsive gamblers might have had poor attendance
records due to their gambling, but it may now be necessary to look for
subtler signs such as only having half their mind on their job; appearing
withdrawn and less of a team player; secrecy; reduced productivity;
irregular time-keeping or general capability issues.'

The importance of dealing with gambling before it takes hold is highlighted
by research showing that by the time most compulsive gamblers seek help,
they are hugely in debt and their family life is a shambles. Around 80%
seriously consider suicide, and up to 20% attempt or succeed in killing
themselves. Three studies of Gamblers Anonymous members and others in
treatment also found that roughly two-thirds admitted to committing crimes
or fraud to finance their gambling; while in another study, 47% of the
Gamblers Anonymous members surveyed admitted to engaging in some form of
insurance fraud, embezzlement or arson.

"What started as a simple bit of fun almost ended up costing me my life,
says one reformed gambler. I couldn't sleep, couldn't pay my bills, was
constantly lying to cover up what I'd been doing, but I simply couldn't
stop. I used to steal money from my wife's purse, and was making her and our
family's life an absolute misery. Fortunately a work colleague spotted that
I had a problem and persuaded me to see a specialist counsellor. If he
hadn't, I might not be here today."

To help employers deal with these issues, Carole Spiers Group operates a
nationwide network of fully trained counsellors, capable of providing
specialist advice on the best ways of tackling gambling addiction. Carole
has also contributed an article on gambling at work to Gambling Trends,
published by Independence Educational Publishers, click link to view
details.

'If you suspect an employee is regularly engaged in internet gambling, use a
performance review to draw attention to any concerns. Prior to this, talk to
the employee about any stressors they are experiencing, as people can gamble
when they see 'no way out', and an early intervention could resolve this,'
concludes Carole Spiers.

'If their work appears to be suffering you should ensure regular appraisals
especially if jobs are not completed on time. If you find someone has been
gambling online during work hours, use an informal warning, followed by a
more formal approach if the problem persists. And in extreme cases,
seriously consider recommending the employee for help with their gambling
addiction.'

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 makes unlawful the
receipt by a gambling business of proceeds or monies in connection with
unlawful internet gambling. The Act, which represents the first piece of
Federal legislation to explicitly deal with online gambling, makes clear the
US government's intention to stop the flow of funds from Americans to online
gaming operators through criminal sanction. The scope of the act is broad,
in so far as a "Restricted transaction" is taken to mean any transmittal of
money involved with unlawful Internet gambling, whilst a "bet" is construed
as including; "any instruction or information pertaining to the
establishment or movement of funds by the bettor or customer in, to, or from
an account with the business of betting or wagering." The Act also provides
that an interactive computer service (ISP) may be asked by an Attorney or an
Attorney General to remove, or disable access to any online site that
violates the prohibitions contained within the Act. The site in question
must reside "on a computer server that such service controls or operates."
This raises the prospect that the likes of Google and Yahoo might be asked
to erase from their search engines any links to websites that are seen to
violate the prohibitions contained in the act. This would include links to
some of the most infamous US-facing gambling portals; EOG, Casino City,
theonlinewire, Major Wager and Gambling911. Prior to the passing of the
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, much time was spent
musing over whether advertisements for online gambling constituted "aiding
and abetting" within the meaning of the U.S. Criminal Code. In Casino City,
Inc. v. U.S. Dep't of Justice, Civil Action, Casino City, funded by a number
of online sportsbooks, filed a suit against the Department Of Justice in
Louisiana, claiming that they it a right under the First Amendment to carry
online gambling advertisements. The Court claimed that there was no right
under the First Amendment to advertise services that are illegal or to
claim, or give the impression that online gambling was legal, when it
clearly was not. Drakos was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 90 days
on a manual labour program and three years' probation for illegally
promoting gambling. County Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Smith said that
under state law, a person is guilty of promoting gambling when he or she
knowingly engages in conduct that "...materially aids any form of gambling
activity." In a recent case brought by Nassau County Legislator Jeffrey
Toback, it was claimed that Google promoted and profited from child
pornography, to the degree that it formed part of the company's business
model. Toback was reported as saying;

"Defendant is willing to accede to the demands of the Chinese autocrats to
block the search term 'democracy,'" the complaint states, "but when it comes
to the protection and well-being of our nation's innocent children,
Defendant refuses to spend a dime's worth of resources to block child
pornography from reaching children."

In repsonse to the charge, a Google spokesperson said that the company would
remove such material from its website where it had been made aware of it.
This policy is consistent with UK and US law, which states that a search
engine must remove illegal material, when it has been brought to its
attention.

It is not inconceivable that the scope of the Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act of 2006, combined with a mindset that links online gambling
with child pornography, will lead to U.S. Attorneys or state Attorney
Generals enforcing a major clampdown on online gambling advertisements. This
is likely to include requests to google and yahoo to remove links to any
sites that are known to be violating the act.

Over the years bettingmarket.com has provided a comprehensive analysis of
European and US gambling law. In the case of Europe, we did not succumb to
the post-Gambelli euphoria that befell many leading lawyers in the field and
many online gambling companies. In the case of the US, we refused to
perpetrate the myth that the only person ever charged in relation to online
gambling, was one Mr Jay Cohen. Our seminal rticle in this area; "The War
against online gambling" has been read over 1/2 million times! At the
country level, our main area of focus has been Sweden and France. Sweden,
where a new Government promises to review exisiting gambling legislation,
and France, where the government has chosen to get tough with online
gambling operators.

The California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs released a study on
the prevalence of problem gambling "in the nation" this week, but did not
identify which company conducted the research, how big a sample it covered
or whether it was confined solely to land gambling. The department's Office
of Problem Gambling (OPG) said that the study had revealed that between 750
000 and 1.2 million California adults are considered pathological or problem
gamblers.
"The legislation that created the Office of Problem Gambling focused
resources on prevention and research," said Steve Hedrick, director of OPG.
"Now with this prevalence study we'll be able to develop more effective
prevention strategies and better understand how to help people with gambling
problems." Key findings included: The prevalence of problem and pathological
gambling is particularly high among men, people with disabilities and
unemployed individuals. Between 296 500 and 490 000 adults in California are
classified as lifetime pathological gamblers. Between 450 000 and 713 400
others experience significant problems but do not meet the established
criteria for pathological gamblers. The majority of adults in California (83
percent) have gambled some time in their lives. Playing the lottery is the
favourite gambling activity for Californians in the past year. Casinos are
the preferred place to gamble. Card rooms and internet gaming account for
the greatest personal losses, but these are not adequately explained. The
multi-lingual telephone survey was conducted between 2005 and 2006 and
included California residents aged 18 and over. Full methodology and the
identity of the organisation which conducted the study was not disclosed in
the public statement announcing he study's findings.

As The Gazette launches its most important ever campaign - to save
Blackpool's casino and regeneration dreams - SHELAGH PARKINSON and NICK HYDE
speak to those who believe it is vital we keep fighting That is message as
the dust settles on the resort's supercasino snub. Amazement, anger,
bewilderment - the list is endless when trying to describe the sense of
feeling against what many see as a gross injustice. "Blackpool had the best
case, proved it and still lost" is a sentiment shared by a town in shock at
the decision to award the lucrative prize to Manchester. Our North West
neighbours were, said the CAP, the best bet on all counts - for helping
assist regeneration of a poor district and as the social impact test bed for
Las Vegas-style glitz and gambling. Not so, say MPs, council leaders and
Gazette readers who today made an 11th hour appeal to Culture Secretary
Tessa Jowell to think again ahead of the crucial Parliamentary vote on the
matter.
Blackpool will lose millions in potential regeneration revenue by the
decision to hand the one-and-only licence to a modern, cosmopolitan city
already having benefited from £2bn of private sector investment in the last
five years.The reason for such strong support for Blackpool's case locally
comes from the 180-page CAP report - the same one which so publically damned
the resort's bid. It stated the casino was not enough to boost Blackpool's
fortunes, would not be instrumental in its rebirth and claimed Blackpool was
not in terminal decline. The Fylde's four MPs have branded the Casino
Advisory Panel report as littered with "inconsistencies" and
"contradictions". They have accused the panel of missing the point when it
came to assessing the "catalystic potential" of the super casino to trigger
further massive investment in Blackpool. They also argue the decision to
locate the development in a residential area of Manchester is completely at
odds with previous recommendations that such premises are not located close
to people's homes. Blackpool Council chief executive Steve Weaver and his
team are now formulting their official response to the panel's ruling. But
in Westminster, the Fylde's four MPs are already calling for a full debate
on the issue. Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP Joan Humble said: "The panel
report says a single casino will not regenerate our town, but they are
ignoring the effect the casino would have on pulling in other private sector
investment to Blackpool. "We have always referred to the casino as a
catalyst yet the panel doesn't take that as an issue.
"Of particular concern to me is the fact that they don't believe our
proposal would represent the best test for social impact because the
customers would be visitors who would then go home. "But that was always one
of the most positive parts of our proposals that a destination casino in a
resort like Blackpool would have a minimal effect on the impact of problem
gambling." Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden accused the panel of
systematically failing to adhere to the remit given to them. He said: "There
are serious questions to be asked about the inconsistencies within the
report. "Firstly, Blackpool is criticised in that it wouldn't be able to
handle so-called doorstep gambling because the proposal site was in a
residential area, and yet the committee seem to have passed without comment
the fact they are proposing to site it in one of the most deprived areas of
East Manchester. "Secondly, they appear to have paid no attention whatsoever
to the instructions Parliament gave them to look at the regional context of
the development. We had the support of the Northwest Regional Development
Agency but that seems to have been ignored." Fylde MP Michael Jack added:
"The thing that surprised me was the emphasis given to the social
implications of gambling and therefore the reference to Manchester as the
best test bed, which was a fundamental shift from the main point which I
think everyone thought was the impact of this kind of development on
regeneration.

Heading into the second third of this legislative session, the casino
gambling war officially is on, and opposition forces wasted no time Tuesday
with words and threats. In the House, a longtime foe, Delegate Kelli
Sobonya, R-Cabell, is preparing 40 amendments to the proposal that would let
voters in dog-and-horse track counties of Hancock, Jefferson, Ohio and
Kanawha vote on table games. "I have every intention to kill the bill," she
declared, moments before the House version of the table measure game was
officially put on the list of fresh bills. "I believe absolutely it will
require a statewide vote, a change in the Constitution." Mindful a statewide
vote would assuredly bury table games, industry figures are steeling
themselves for this tack, one they argue isn't supported by the
Constitution.
But Sobonya strongly disagrees, pointing to the constitutional amendment
needed to approve scratch-off games by a state-run lottery. "It's not what
people envisioned when they approved of the lottery, not Las Vegas-styled
casino games," she said. Republicans are divided in both chambers on the
issue. In fact, the first lawmakers listed as co-sponsors in the Senate are
Sens. Karen Facemyer, R-Jackson, and Andy McKenzie, R-Ohio. The gambling
industry is trying to use the jobs argument to brush the Constitution under
the rug," Sobonya complained. "I'm here to say if they want to crack open
the code, we need to make it beneficial to the state of West Virginia. If
you have a West Virginia gaming industry and tracks willing to spend $50
million for a slot license in Pennsylvania, they can do it here."
In the Beckley area, Ray Lambert, chairman of the West Virginia Family
Foundation, sees table games as another expansion of gambling. "We've
already seen the harm that gambling has done to West Virginia families in
that it's a regressive tax on those who can least afford it," Lambert said.
"Their hopes and dreams are placed upon winning the lottery, when, in fact,
all they're doing is taking money from the families that otherwise could be
used to pay bills, put clothes on their children and food on their tables."
Lambert's position, mirroring that of Sobonya, is that any vote should be
put before the entire state, not just the four counties directly affected,
because "the negative impact" will embrace all of West Virginia, he said. As
a 29-year business operator, Lambert said "it infuriates me" the state taxes
businesses and individuals, and uses those dollars to compete with state
businesses by promoting gambling. Lambert suggested the state abide by a
long-held credo of the medical community and "do no harm" to the electorate
by approving gambling legislation. Otherwise, he warned, expanding gambling
through table games would merely be "breeding a new wave of addicts" whose
costs will be borne by society at large.

The 10th annual Educational and Awareness Conference sponsored by the
Kentucky Council of Problem Gambling will be held Thursday and Friday at the
Holiday Inn North in Lexington. Arch Gleason, president of the Kentucky
Lottery Corp., and Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council
on Problem Gambling in Washington, D.C., will be among the conference
speakers. The conference will focus on issues faced by counselors of serious
gamblers and financial and economic problems that gambling can cause. A
series of roundtable discussions will center on issues, trends and future
needs in combating problem gambling.
Attendance is open to the public; the registration fee is $90 for members of
the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling and $115 for non-members.
Registration is available on site.

MANCHESTER has beaten off the more fancied Blackpool and Greenwich in the
race to host the UK's first Las Vegas-style super casino. Scarborough and
Leeds are to get smaller casinos too. Altogether, there will be 17 new
gambling houses built across the country. But where does yesterday's
announcement leave York's chances of one day having its own casino? And will
the new wave of casinos lead to a surge in gambling addiction and associated
problems? A casino for York? YORK could still be in the running for a new
casino in a few years time - and the city would be an obvious place to have
one, a local businessman insisted today. York did not apply to be among the
17 cities whose new casinos were announced yesterday. If it had, believes
Scarborough businessman Don Robinson, who is behind plans to turn the
derelict ikon & Diva nightclub at Clifton Moor into a casino, it would have
been a shoe-in. "York used to be all chocolate factories. Now it is
Britain's third biggest tourist destination after London and Edinburgh," Mr
Robinson said. "It will boom over the next ten to 20 years with ever more
tourists coming. It has the racecourse, the shopping malls on the outskirts,
the latest leisure facilities and hotels being built. It is an obvious place
for a casino."
The next wave of casino licences is likely to be announced within two or
three years, Mr Robinson said. "And I think York will be in the forefront
then. If the city council had applied for a casino licence this time, I'm
sure they would have got one." The ruling Liberal Democrats in York are
famously ambivalent about whether a casino would be good for the city. They
stopped short of passing a "no casino" resolution which would have slammed
the door for good on the idea, but applying for a casino licence in this
first wave of new casinos was never on the cards. So might the council
reconsider in future? The council's deputy leader Andrew Waller is,
personally, opposed to a casino, but left the door on a future bid
cautiously open today. "I'm sure there will be some members who are hoping
for it and there will be others like myself who don't see that," he said.
The next round of applications would not be due for about three years, he
said. "We will have the debate again then." Labour appears more keen on a
casino for York. Scarborough's recently-opened Opera House Casino had
definitely been good news for the town, said York Labour councillor Paul
Blanchard.

"We would need to take all the facts into full consideration and York
residents must have a say in any application," he said.

"But if the local community supports the idea, I think York could benefit
greatly from having a casino.

"York is a historic city that relies on tourism. A casino would create jobs
and draw in a new kind of visitor, one who likes to gamble and be
entertained.

"Gambling already exists in the city - betting offices, amusement arcades
and even in internet cafes. A casino provides facilities to gamble in a
strictly controlled and regulated environment. It could be a great source of
revenue and additional visitors.

"But there has to be a full debate as to whether the residents of York want
it. The main concern really is the necessary steps to ensure that any
gambling in the city would not be a source of crime, disorder or antisocial
behaviour. Children and other vulnerable people should also be protected
from being harmed or exploited by gambling."

The city may have already missed the boat, warns Neil Horwell, one of the
businessmen behind proposals for an £8 million casino and leisure complex
off Foss Islands road.

Mr Horwell said he and his associates would push ahead with their plans.
"But realistically, I think City of York Council has been so slow in
recognising the need for a casino they have let the ship leave the harbour,"
he said.

That was a wasted opportunity, he said. York without a casino was "like not
having a racecourse".

The impulsive behavior that sometimes develops as a side effect of treatment
with "dopamine agonists" drugs may not be limited just to patients with
Parkinson's disease. Patients with restless legs syndrome who are treated
with a drug belonging to this class may also be at increased risk for
pathologic gambling, according to a report in the medical journal Neurology.
Dopamine agonists are a class of drugs that contain agents commonly used to
treat Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome, both neurological
disorders. Some of these drugs commonly used for one or both conditions
include Requip (generic name ropinirole), Mirapex (pramipexole) and Sinemet
(levodopa plus carbidopa).Dr. M. Tippmann-Peikert and colleagues from the
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, conducted a review of
the available medical literature, and found that the lifetime prevalence of
pathologic gambling in the general U.S. population is 1.93 percent. "A
similar or even higher frequency has been suggested in patients with
Parkinson's disease treated with dopamine agonists," they report in the
medical journal Neurology The researchers described the case history of
three patients -- two middle-aged women and an older man -- with restless
legs syndrome who became pathologic gamblers after treatment with dopamine
agonists began. Restless legs syndrome is a neurological disorder that
causes unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable urge to move
to get relief. Patients have described the sensations as a burning or
creeping feeling, or like insects are crawling inside the legs. What
characterized the syndrome is that patients primarily develop symptoms when
they are trying to relax or sleep. None of the three patients had signs of
parkinsonism on neurologic examination, and none was aware of the possible
link between dopamine agonists and pathologic gambling reported for
Parkinson's disease patients. One of the patients had never gambled before
starting dopamine agonist therapy, and the other two patients had just a
little past experience of recreational gambling. At the time gambling
commenced or worsened, the three patients were taking an average of 0.5
mg/day of pramipexole, and one other patients was on a daily dose of 0.25 mg
of ropinirole. The gambling behavior got worse with each dose increase. The
patients had been treated with dopamine agonists for an average 9.3 months
when the gambling compulsions began.

Industry leaders teamed with local officials this week to tout casino-style
gambling as the doorway to more jobs and tourist bucks, while fighting off
slot machine competition in cross-border Pennsylvania. Before they spoke,
bipartisan bills surfaced in both the House of Delegates and Senate seeking
local option referendums in the dog-and-horse track counties of Ohio,
Jefferson, Kanawha and Hancock. And it appears the House - normally the
dead-end of such legislation - is taking the lead this time. New Judiciary
Chair Carrie Webster, D-Kanawha, reserved the House chamber for an afternoon
hearing Thursday and indicated she intended to work the bill in her
committee next week. Is this the year the measure escapes the Legislature?
"If this isn't, I'll be shocked," said Sen. Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, who
represents one county directly affected. "I really believe the people in the
areas of the four tracks and people want this. We've been working for three
years now. It's an issue that simply says, just let us have the right to
vote in our counties." Those same four counties would gladly allow any other
county to exercise the same power at the ballot box, Bowman said. John
Cavacini, president of the West Virginia Racing Association, suggested the
opposition is firing blanks at the idea by demanding a statewide
constitutional change to accommodate casino gambling. Already, he said,
voters have exercised similar votes in eight counties, with five losing and
three passing, and "the most notable" was the defeat of casino gambling in
2000 at The Greenbrier in Greenbrier County. "We already have a table games
statute on the books in the state of West Virginia," he said. "So the issue
of table games has been addressed by previous legislators. The process
worked. The racetracks are asking the Legislature to give us the same
opportunity that they gave the citizens of Greenbrier County in 2000, and
this is to allow citizens of racetrack counties to vote on adding table
games." With pressure coming from Pennsylvania's slot machines, he warned,
West Virginia could lose a revenue stream of $423 million, while local
governments stand to sacrifice some $17 million. The tracks face the lose of
$17 million in its purse, he said. Cavacini portrayed the tracks as "an
integral part" of the tourism industry, pointing out 12 million
non-residents visited the tracks last year, not just to gamble, but to take
in a variety of amenities from live entertainment to restaurants and
athletic events such as boxing. Charleston Mayor Danny Jones agreed,
saying, "If you don't think this attracts people, you don't know much about
the motor coach business."

Jones said each of the four counties could add that many good-paying jobs
with health care benefits by adding table games.

"Tell these legislators to 'let's save these jobs, let's expand this
business in West Virginia, and let's help these people keep their jobs.
Let's
vote.'"

Hancock County Commissioner Dan Greathouse portrayed Mountaineer Track as a
good neighbor, making up shortfalls in the United Way's budget, giving money
to boys and girls clubs and buying holiday turkeys for the jobless.

Warner Robins Police raided three businesses Friday in a crackdown on video
poker machines. "We have a history of problems with them," said, Lt. Lance
Watson of the Warner Robins Police Department Narcotics Intelligence Unit.
Watson said he was working with the District Attorney's Office on the
crackdown on video gambling. "We gave them a warning. Kelly (Burke, DA) gave
a seminar," to local business owners. The investigation revealed that
several businesses were paying cash for winning tickets from gambling
devices, while they are only allowed to issue vouchers for in-store
merchandise. "This is what happens," Watson said. "Maybe this will serve
notice." "We'll probably go try another in a few weeks, he added." On
Friday, the Warner Robins Police Department Narcotics Intelligence Unit
executed three search warrants at the following locations in reference to
commercial gambling: Andy's Food Mart, 1101 North Houston Road; All-In-One
Gifts, 748 C North Houston Road: and Quick Stop Food Mart, 935 Coder Road.
As a result of the search warrants, approximately $8,000 in cash and 24
gambling devices were seized and the following persons were arrested on
charges of commercial gambling, keeping a gambling place, and possession of
gambling device or equipment: At Andy's Food Mart, Anilaben Patel, 44, and
Jitendra Patel, 48, both of 107 Montview Way, Centerville; At Quick Stop
Food Mart, Ambitbhai Patel, 61, and Shakuntalaben Patel, 57, both of 102
Plaza Drive, Perry; At All-In-One Gifts, Teresita Woods, 63, of 822 Pine
St., Warner Robins.
The commercial gambling charge is a felony, while the other two charges -
keeping a gambling place, and possession of gambling device or equipment are
misdemeanors. The felony charge has a $1,100 bond, while the misdemeanors
are $600 each. All five have been released from jail, each paying $1,700 to
bond out. Watson said the city is looking at an ordinance on the gaming
machines like neighboring municipalities have. Perry has such an ordinance.
"The biggest problem is controlling it," Watson said. "If we could get a
handle on them. If there were five and we knew where they were, it would be
easier. Right now we have so many locations in the city."

Some New York lawmakers want the state to tell lottery-ticket buyers how
slim the odds are of winning, and raise the gambling age from 18 to 21 to
try to discourage gambling sprees. But those who oppose change have a ready
rejoinder: The state is, in effect, addicted to the billions in revenue that
Lottery games generate. The status quo is likely to prevail. "If you put in
the ad 'The New York Lottery jackpot is now $10 million' and in the next
graph say the odds of wining are 1 in 12 million, will that affect sales?
Sure," said John Cape, who was state budget director during the
administration of former Gov. George Pataki. "Then we could spend less on
education." So while some lawmakers decry what they see as the harmful
effects of gambling in general and promoting Lottery sales in particular,
their attempts to rein in the program over the almost four decades it has
been in place have been mostly futile. In fact, the Lottery has expanded.
Tinkering with the New York Lottery would result in billions less for state
education and higher property taxes, some state lawmakers say, and despite a
few vocal critics, the games have been largely untouched by legislation
recently. "Where are you going to get that kind of money if you don't have
this system?" said Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee Chairman
William Larkin, R-New Windsor, Orange County, referring to the $2.2 billion
the Lottery raised in 2005-06.
The majority of funding for education in the state comes from state and
local property taxes, which are among the highest in the nation. Lottery
supporters say that without the games, the taxes would be even higher. "One
of the hardest things to do in this state is deal with property taxes,"
Larkin said. "The total amount of Lottery money would go down to education"
if the Lottery was restricted. Lawmakers defeated some Pataki proposals to
expand Lottery games, said Duane Motley. He is head of an evangelical
Christian group called New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, which is the
largest member of the newly formed Coalition Against Gambling in New York.
For example, lawmakers turned down a Pataki plan to allow the Quick Draw
keno game around the clock instead of 13 hours a day, and also rejected the
introduction of some new scratch-off games.

Don't look for a big change in the Lottery because a new governor has taken
office. Gov. Eliot Spitzer hasn't taken a position on the Lottery, according
to spokeswoman Christine Anderson.

Critics of the Lottery in the state Legislature introduced several bills
last year that would place restrictions on advertising and other
regulations, but they languished in committee.

Larkin said the bills introduced, like changing the legal gambling age from
18 to 21 or limiting where Lottery vending machines can be, aren't victims
of typical Albany gridlock. They're just not realistic.

That hasn't dissuaded some in the Legislature from hammering away at the
issue that they fear will cost the state more in the long run.

"The problem is that state government is addicted to gambling," said
Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo. "Under the Pataki administration, we have
seen one of the largest expansions of state-sponsored gambling in New York
state from all of the casinos and all the expansion of the video slot
machines."

In the last five years, Hoyt has proposed several restrictions on the
Lottery. Few have made it out of committee. Meanwhile, he has seen
advertisements become increasingly sophisticated.

"They are flashier and more seductive and more misleading than ever before,"
Hoyt said of the ads, since they emphasize more than ever the extremely rare
event of getting rich by just buying a ticket. "And they certainly don't
offer the truth about the 'dollar and a dream.' They talk about becoming a
millionaire, but the chances of you succeeding are a million to one."

Hoyt called for the state to advertise the odds of winning in television
commercial and print ads.

Sen. Frank Padavan, R-Queens, another critic of the Lottery, also introduced
a measure that would require the odds of winning to be shown in
advertisements.

"It advertises in a fashion that is obscene using every gimmick you can
think of," Padavan said. "They latch on in some way or another to entice
individuals and get young people to play as well."

Hoyt and Padavan both want to raise the legal age to gamble from 18 to 21.
That, too, has remained in committees of both houses. Children as young as
10 can develop a gambling problem, according to anti-gambling advocates.

The decision to give Britain's one super-casino to Manchester is
inexplicable. If just one of these airless temples to 24-hour addiction is
so badly needed as to require state sponsorship, then the obvious place is
Blackpool - if not the Goodwin Sands. Blackpool is Britain's citadel of
vulgarity, indulgence and self-abuse, and could have done with a boost. It
is the perfect site. To capitulate to Manchester's slick marketing is as
gratuitous as would have been a decision for the Greenwich dome. But what is
this to do with government? Libertarians have long pondered how far
politicians should stop the free market from meeting the demands of citizens
who wish to please or harm themselves. Most adults are responsible for their
actions, which is why they are held guilty if they disobey the law. If these
actions damage their families, as gambling certainly does, or disrupt their
communities or annoy their neighbours, then authority customarily
intervenes. But to what extent is an open question. As an inhabitant of the
libertarian fringe, I may dislike all sorts of things but am reluctant to
ban people from doing them: be it drinking, smoking, taking drugs, hunting
foxes, reading pornography, or excluding women from clubs and men from book
prizes. Nor should government be overprescriptive in restricting the offence
such activities cause to others. The job of government may be to ban certain
antisocial behaviour, but mostly it should be to install frameworks whereby
local communities can make such decisions for themselves. If Westminster
does not want a film shown within its borders or Wales does not want
drinking on a Sunday, I may laugh; but that is their decision. Gambling
proliferates in Britain, from bingo to betting on horses and dogs,
scratchcards, raffles, lotteries, fruit machines and poker clubs. There are
casinos aplenty already. Anyone wanting to pull a one-armed bandit or dabble
in roulette, blackjack and poker can find somewhere to do so. As a result,
the stake value of gambling under Labour has soared from £7bn in 1997 to
£48bn in 2005, plus a further £5bn on the lottery. This is hardly an
industry that seems in chronic need of government support. Most countries
are paranoid about supercasinos, treating them like gargantuan opium dens.
Across America they are confined to a few resorts such as Las Vegas and to
native American reservations (such as the "world's biggest" at the Pequots'
Foxwoods casino, in Connecticut). The federal government has also recently
declared all online gaming illegal. Russia is restricting gambling to
designated zones from 2009. Both countries clearly regard easy access to
betting as a social menace - as does most of Europe.

So what persuaded Tessa Jowell to welcome supercasinos to Britain's shores
with open arms? The answer is that the Las Vegas cartel, already under
pressure at home, targeted Britain as the "soft underbelly" of new-wave
gaming in Europe. Either the law or the mafia had the market sewn up in
Scandinavia, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Blair's government was
regarded as an easy touch, and tens of millions of pounds were spent
lobbying for it. Philip Anschutz invited John Prescott to his Colorado ranch
not for the colour of his eyes. Anschutz's interest in the dome was as a
supercasino, as he made abundantly clear. The only amazement is that none of
the Vegas money appears to have reached Labour party coffers (or will I have
to eat these words?)

Blair and Jowell capitulated with astonishing speed. They passed no laws
against online gaming. Under the 2005 act Jowell said she wanted not one but
40 supercasinos and was beaten back only by the massed ranks of the church
and anti-addiction lobbies. She did not take no for an answer. She retreated
from 40 to eight and then to just one, an inexplicable outcome. Why make big
punters burn petrol crossing the country to Manchester rather than stay
closer to home? Why benefit just one operator and eliminate competition? If
super-gambling is to be suppressed, stop it. If not, leave it to the free
market. The appearance of limp-wristed semi-regulation was incoherent, like
a government trying to be half a virgin.

Jowell's department seems unable to carry the weight of moral responsibility
placed on it. Under pressure from the drinks lobby she legislated to
liberate alcohol consumption in pubs across the land - while those who
supply cannabis and ecstasy in those same pubs are imprisoned in ever
greater numbers. She allows thousands to be crammed into basement raves
across England's cities, yet persecutes any church or social club that dares
to put on a string quartet. She is for more gambling yet against "problem
gaming". There is no rhyme or reason to her nannydom.

Whenever the government tries to ban something people enjoy, it makes a
mess. It tried to ban off-course horse-race betting and had to capitulate to
the high-street betting shop. In an earlier age it capitulated to the gin
shop and the brothel, and then half-uncapitulated to the latter. Now it is
trying to pretend that it disapproves of high-stakes casino gambling while
at the same time wishing to appease the casino lobby.

I imagine this whole argument is on the way to oblivion. The supercasino is
so unappealing (and now inconveniently located) as to be easily undercut by
smaller local ones and by internet sites. In a few years we shall be reading
of casino bankruptcies and closures. The free market will make decisions
that ministers find it hard to make for themselves.

The one question remaining is by what moral compass the cabinet is guided.
How can Jowell and her colleagues patronise the alcohol and gambling lobbies
and yet blindly repress other indulgences and addictions, notably street
drugs. Why are they filling city centres with drunks and gamblers yet
filling prisons with drug users?

The obvious answer to the assault of the supercasino lobby would have been
to leave decisions to the cities in which operators wanted to locate their
premises and to decide on size and regional impact if necessary at planning
appeal. As long as gambling is legal and Blackpool council wants a larger
casino, it should not be the business of London or Jowell or the cabinet to
say no. This is not a matter of postcode morality but of postcode choice.
Instead the government has handed millions of pounds and thousands of jobs
to Manchester, which does not need them, and denied them to Blackpool, which
does. It is plain unfair.

If other Washington tribes succeed in getting the liberalized gambling rules
that are part of a new state agreement with the Spokane Indian Tribe, it
could set off a new round of expansion for the 25 Washington state tribal
casinos that generated about $1.2 billion in net receipts in 2006. In a
prepared statement, Lummi Nation chairwoman Evelyn Jefferson said the tribe
prefers not to comment on its negotiations with the state on gambling
issues. But she also noted that Lummi Nation's gambling agreement "allows
incorporation of new features that other tribes have gained through
negotiations with the state." The Lummis expanded their Silver Reef Casino
last year, adding more gaming machines and a hotel. Silver Reef's current
total of 675 machines is the maximum allowed under the existing compact, but
that could change if the Spokanes get permission to operate a larger number
of machines. Mike Wootan, general manager of the Nooksack Indian Tribe's
Nooksack River Casino, said he could not speak for the tribe. But he thinks
some features of the Spokane agreement would be welcome at the Nooksack
casino.
The 2,300-member Spokane Tribe is the only tribe in Washington state that
still operates gambling casinos without a compact - a deal between the tribe
and the state that limits gambling operations. The proposed Spokane compact,
worked out between the tribe and Washington Gambling Commission staff, needs
the approval of that commission, Gov. Chris Gregoire and the U.S. Department
of the Interior. Rick Day, executive director of the gambling commission,
said it's important for both the state and the tribe to get Spokane gambling
out of legal limbo. The deal will make it easier for the tribe to arrange
financing of new gambling development, while the state gets some limits on
the tribe's gambling growth, Day said.

The poll, conducted by the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of
Massachusetts Dartmouth, found 57 percent of respondents support the
authorization of a resort casino, 30 percent are opposed and 14 percent are
undecided. The poll and behavioral survey of 1,041 Massachusetts residents
was conducted between September and November last year, according to the
CFPA. When asked to rate a location for a casino, residents statewide
favored western Massachusetts, Boston and the New Bedford/Fall River region,
in that order, as preferred sites. They ranked Cape Cod and the Plymouth
area as the least desirable locations for a casino, the CFPA said in a
statement. "Support for casino gambling in Massachusetts runs deep through
virtually every region, group and socio-economic strata," said Dr. Clyde W.
Barrow, the CFPA's director. "Massachusetts residents strongly believe it is
time the commonwealth authorize a casino to compete with Connecticut for the
gambling, entertainment and tourism dollars associated with Foxwoods and
Mohegan Sun." Residents also rated the potential fiscal and economic
benefits of a casino above their concern over any potential social costs,
with 76 percent agreeing that a casino will generate new tax revenues for
the state, 69 percent believing it will spawn new job creation for
Massachusetts residents, 67 percent citing its benefits to increased
tourism, 62 percent believing a casino will recapture gambling monies being
lost to other states, such as Connecticut and Rhode Island, and 56 percent
saying it will stimulate economic development, according to the CFPA.
Residents did, however, express concerns that a casino could increase
political corruption. Political corruption was cited as a concern for 44
percent of respondents while gambling addiction in the state was a concern
for 48 percent. The survey results echo the findings of a Boston Business
Journal Business Pulse online survey conducted in early January. 65 percent
of BBJ readers who took the survey said they favored legalized gambling in
Massachusetts.

Today, the Office of Problem Gambling (OPG) today unveiled the most
comprehensive prevalence study of problem gambling ever conducted in the
nation. The survey found that between 750,000 and 1.2 million California
adults are considered pathological or problem gamblers. "The legislation
that created the Office of Problem Gambling focused resources on prevention
and research," said Steve Hedrick, director of OPG. "Now with this
prevalence study we'll be able to develop more effective prevention
strategies and better understand how to help people with gambling problems."
Key findings include: The prevalence of problem and pathological gambling is
particularly high among men, people with disabilities and unemployed
individuals. Between 296,500 and 490,000 adults in California are classified
as lifetime pathological gamblers. Between 450,000 and 713,400 others
experience significant problems but do not meet the established criteria for
pathological gamblers. The majority of adults in California (83%) have
gambled some time in their lives. Playing the lottery is the gambling
activity for Californians in the past year. Casinos are the preferred place
to gamble. Card rooms and internet gaming account for the greatest personal
losses. The multi-lingual telephone survey was conducted between 2005 and
2006 and included California residents aged 18 and over. Over the past three
years, OPG completed implemented a number of prevention programs including:
Public awareness campaigns Two gambling help lines Community and government
organization training on recognizing problem gambling and available
resources About Problem Gambling: Gambling problems vary in severity and
duration. Pathological gambling is the most severe gambling problem.
Pathological gambling is a treatable mental disorder characterized by loss
of control over gambling, lies and deception, family and job disruption,
financial bailouts and illegal acts.

The US is discriminating against foreign gambling companies by banning
payments to betting Web sites, said Charlie McCreevy, commissioner for the
European Union's internal market. McCreevy told a panel of lawmakers on
Tuesday that the EU should complain to the US over the October 13 bar to
online gaming.
McCreevy, who doesn't have authority over external trade, said he'll ask his
staff to raise the issue with his colleague in charge of trade, Peter
Mandelson.
"In order to protect, I'd say, their own business, their industry there,
they have de facto prevented foreigners from online betting into the United
States," McCreevy said at the European Parliament in Brussels. To
journalists afterward he labeled it "a protectionist measure." The
legislation seeks to close the business to people in the US, representing
half of the world's Internet gaming market. Its backers argued that a past
ban on online gaming in the US had just pushed the business offshore. A
spokesman for the US in Brussels declined to comment, saying it was
premature to respond to remarks by a commissioner where no action has been
taken. To crimp the flow of funds to betting sites, Congress passed the bill
September 30 to bar credit card companies from processing payments to such
businesses. Bush signed the measure into law on October 13. Online gaming
shares plunged and companies including Sportingbet Plc, Leisure & Gaming
Plc, PartyGaming Plc and Empire Online Ltd. ceased US operations or sold
them for nominal amounts. "It is probably a restrictive practice and we
might take it up in another forum," McCreevy said at the EU Parliament's
Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee. Asked by journalists afterward if
that referred to a World Trade Organization complaint, McCreevy said, "The
WTO talks have enough to be going on with at the present time without adding
this in. It's not something that has major momentum." The US is contesting a
WTO decision from 2004, based on a complaint brought by Antigua and Barbuda,
that the ban on Internet gaming is illegal. A group representing US casino
operators such as Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and MGM Mirage has pushed
Congress to fund a study of whether online gambling could be regulated, as a
possible way to get into the business themselves.

Relaxing restrictions on slot machines and casino-building later this year
could lead to rising numbers suffering from gambling problems, doctors and
church leaders fear. The British Medical Association (BMA) said earlier this
month it was particularly concerned about adolescent gamblers and called for
a review of whether slot machine gambling -- popular among teenagers --
should be banned to anyone under 18. In a report on gambling addiction, the
BMA said there were believed to be at least 300,000 people with gambling
problems in Britain at present. The Salvation Army and Methodist Church put
the number even higher at 370,000.
In a joint statement, they called for new casinos to be monitored for
adverse affects on their local community for up to five years, longer than
the three years currently stipulated. They were particularly concerned about
so-called "regional" casinos -- huge, Las Vegas-style supercasinos that will
be able to have up to 1,250 unlimited jackpot fruit machines. "There is no
evidence to show what effect a regional casino may have on a UK community,
but experience in the United States shows a rise in gambling-related debt,
crime, bankruptcy and associated social problems including unemployment and
family breakdown," they said.

Surveying West Virginia's rural neighborhoods, where most people lack
broadband access to the Internet, you would never guess the state is a
lottery cash cow.
That is until you drove by the racetracks that dot major population centers.
There you would see crowds of people shoving streams of dollars into buzzing
and blinking video lottery terminals - the reason this small state, with one
of the country's lowest per-capita incomes - is home to one of the most
lucrative lotteries in the nation. While the New York Lottery is the largest
and most profitable in the country, several other states less than half New
York's size have found a way to close the gap: video lottery terminals, or
VLTs. The results of instituting the slot-like machines have been dramatic,
with states that use them earning as much as five times more money per
capita than New York. Rhode Island leads the nation in lottery sales per
capita, pulling in more than $1,500 for every one of its nearly 1.1 million
residents, or $1.6 billion in fiscal 2005, according to the most recent data
from the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries.
South Dakota is second with its $675 million in lottery sales, representing
nearly $880 per resident. No. 4 on the list is West Virginia, which took in
$1.4 billion in lottery sales in 2005, or $772 per resident. By comparison,
New York's nation-leading lottery sales of $6.3 billion amounted to just
$325 per person last fiscal year. New York has about 5,000 video lottery
terminals at six upstate racetracks and another 5,500 at Yonkers Raceway. As
many as 7,500 VLTs have been authorized for the Yonkers racetrack. The state
is considering plans for another 5,000 machines at Aqueduct Race Track in
Queens. West Virginia, which has 1.8 million residents compared with New
York's 19 million, has 9,000 authorized machines in operation. "(Our
customers are) spending a lot on the lottery," said Libby White, marketing
director of the West Virginia Lottery. "You have astronomical per-capita
revenues simply because you have a product, VLT." Per-capita sales are total
lottery sales divided by the number of residents in a state. Since some
states are larger than others and report substantially higher lottery sales,
the measure is used as a way to compare performance.

On that scale, Delaware also does quite well, pulling in about $830 per
person for a total of $689 million a year.

"It's the excitement to win dollars just as any other lottery, but we are
are probably doing better than states that just offer Lotto products and
scratch products," said Norman Lingle, director of the South Dakota Lottery,
which was the first state to introduce video lottery, in 1989, a year after
legislators approved the state's lottery program.

If any state knows the value of VLTs, however, it's West Virginia.

In 1994, before VLTs, the state's lottery brought in $142 million, White
said. Last year, lottery sales totaled $1.4 billion. Of that, $942 million,
or nearly 70 percent, came from VLTs, she said. About $283 million was spent
on video gaming in 1999.

"It is a tourism industry. That is why the revenue is so high," said White,
noting the state's proximity to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and other major
metropolitan areas.

Still, there has been some criticism of video gaming, with some calling it
the most addictive form of gambling.

Residents in many states, however, welcome VLTs. In South Dakota, video
lottery revenues are deposited in the state's property-tax relief fund, and
provide an annual 30 percent reduction in property taxes, Lingle said.

The popularity of the terminals has led many states to expand their
operations. Pennsylvania lawmakers have authorized the use of up to 61,000
VLTs in gaming facilities.

And, taking a cue from the popular Mega Millions and Powerball multistate
lotteries, Delaware, Rhode Island and West Virginia have created Cashola,
the first multistate video lottery.

Jackpots start at $250,000 and grow until someone wins. It's expected that
jackpots will climb to about $1 million once a month.

US restrictions on online gambling may be challenged by the European Union,
the bloc's top financial regulator said today. The legality of Internet
gambling in the United States was ambiguous for many years, but it was
effectively banned last October when US President George W. Bush signed
legislation outlawing financial transactions for gaming. Several British
online gambling firms were forced out of the US market as a result. "In my
view it is probably a restrictive practice and we might take it up in
another fora," EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy told the
European Parliament. The United States was protecting its own gambling
industry by stopping foreign companies from entering the online betting
sector, Mr McCreevy said. "It's not my intention to bring forward a
harmonised piece of legislation on gambling in the European Union," McCreevy
added. US pressure on the industry continues. The US Justice Department last
week demanded information from some of the world's biggest investment banks
as part of the probe into online gambling companies such as Britain's
PartyGaming. The move was the latest in a US crackdown on online gaming,
which began with the arrest of BETonSPORTS' Scottish Chief Executive David
Carruthers in Texas last July.
Mr McCreevy later told reporters the US rules were a "prima facie" case of
protectionism and that the World Trade Organisation was a possible venue for
tackling them. However, due to the WTO's protracted negotiations to secure a
new world trade agreement, he would not rush to file a complaint. "It's not
something of major momentum," Mr McCreevy said. There have been no
face-to-face talks about the issue with Peter Mandelson, the EU trade
commissioner, Mr McCreevy said. Mr McCreevy has launched legal actions
against several EU countries to tackle obstacles to foreign competition.

The poll, conducted by the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of
Massachusetts Dartmouth, found 57 percent of respondents support the
authorization of a resort casino, 30 percent are opposed and 14 percent are
undecided. The poll and behavioral survey of 1,041 Massachusetts residents
was conducted between September and November last year, according to the
CFPA. When asked to rate a location for a casino, residents statewide
favored western Massachusetts, Boston and the New Bedford/Fall River region,
in that order, as preferred sites. They ranked Cape Cod and the Plymouth
area as the least desirable locations for a casino, the CFPA said in a
statement. "Support for casino gambling in Massachusetts runs deep through
virtually every region, group and socio-economic strata," said Dr. Clyde W.
Barrow, the CFPA's director. "Massachusetts residents strongly believe it is
time the commonwealth authorize a casino to compete with Connecticut for the
gambling, entertainment and tourism dollars associated with Foxwoods and
Mohegan Sun." Residents also rated the potential fiscal and economic
benefits of a casino above their concern over any potential social costs,
with 76 percent agreeing that a casino will generate new tax revenues for
the state, 69 percent believing it will spawn new job creation for
Massachusetts residents, 67 percent citing its benefits to increased
tourism, 62 percent believing a casino will recapture gambling monies being
lost to other states, such as Connecticut and Rhode Island, and 56 percent
saying it will stimulate economic development, according to the CFPA.
Residents did, however, express concerns that a casino could increase
political corruption. Political corruption was cited as a concern for 44
percent of respondents while gambling addiction in the state was a concern
for 48 percent. The survey results echo the findings of a Boston Business
Journal Business Pulse online survey conducted in early January. 65 percent
of BBJ readers who took the survey said they favored legalized gambling in
Massachusetts.

In the build up to the government announcing the location of the UK's first
supercasino, it has emerged that TV advertising laws for UK gambling
operators are to be relaxed. However, those gambling operators that are
based outside Europe and Gibraltar wishing to advertise in the UK will have
to apply for a special licence and prove that they are based in a
jurisdiction that employs tight regulatory policies. The aim of the new
legislation, which will be implemented with the new Gambling Act 2005 on
September 1, is to seal a loophole in current laws that allow gambling
companies from badly regulated regions to dodge British rules, thus
protecting consumers. However, concerns are being raised that an increase in
television advertising from gambling companies could be a danger to
vulnerable groups and children. Mark Griffiths, Professor of Gambling
Studies at Nottingham Trent University is wary of the dangers and believes
the new laws should be accompanied by public awareness campaigns. "Hardly
any work has been carried out on whether advertising contributes to problem
gambling, but in my view is does," Griffiths said. Tessa Jowell, Culture
Secretary, is hopeful that gambling operators will help fund counselling for
addicts through a levy. Although The Responsibility in Gambling Trust has
announced that the industry is £3 million short of agreed contributions,
Jowell has instructed ministers to put in place procedures that would force
companies to make significant payments.

The idea of money management and having a bankroll specifically for gambling
is a foreign concept to many casino players. Most casual players simply
deposit money when they want to play and that is fine, but unless you
understand money management, you could be putting more at risk than just
your bet. Money management is not a system for winning at Roulette,
conquering the Baccarat tables or beating any other game of chance. It's
simply a way to ensure that you have fun, extend your game play and don't
lose more than you can comfortably afford. The opportunity for a big win is
certainly possible for anyone, but you need to make sure your money lasts
long enough to give yourself that chance. Money management and gambling may
sound like complete opposites, but in reality those who understand gambling
realize that money management is vital to success. If you are used to
entering a casino or playing casino games online without using any money
management techniques, then this article is for you. Here are some tips to
keep in mind when you are playing at online casinos: Your "bankroll" is a
sum of money that is set aside specifically for gambling purposes. By having
a bankroll it means that you are only ever gambling with money that you can
afford to lose. You are not gambling with the rent or grocery money. If you
lose you are not hurting yourself or loved ones. It is important because
those who do not have a bankroll are taking online gambling from being fun
to being a serious issue if things go wrong. Only ever gamble with your
bankroll and within your limits.
By having a bankroll your can control what you risk. Have a plan and set a
limit that you are happy to wager and if you reach your limit then walk away
and take a break. Understand that gambling involves a lot of luck and so you
can't win all the time. When you are on a losing streak then resist the
temptation to place larger bets. Doubling your bets when losing is a
mythical betting system that simply does not work. Also do not try and win
back all of your losses with one big bet. This is unnecessarily risky and
will only cause more grief is the losing continues. A better approach is to
increase your bet sizes when you are winning and try to take advantage of
the good run, and reduce your bet sizes when you are losing to minimize the
damage. If you've had an excellent winning session then do not let it go to
your head. Be thankful that the dice rolled your way on this occasion and be
happy to cash out a profit. Do not think you are now a high roller and start
to play at limits that are beyond your bankroll. You should only play at
limits where your bankroll can handle the variance of either big winning or
losing sessions. When you win, cash out and enjoy your success.

When you're in the middle of a losing session you need to have patience to
work your way through it to come out in front. Don't be concerned if you go
on a bad streak, as each game is a new event and the previous results have
absolutely no impact on the next game. Statistically you are the same chance
of winning the next game as you were the last, no matter how many times the
dealer turns over Blackjack!

Be smart with your money and enjoy your time gambling at online casinos so
that you are never in a situation where you've lost more than you can
afford. Remember that gambling should always be fun and you'll enjoy it much
more when, thanks to your wise money management techniques, you still have
cash in the Online Slots when that huge jackpot strikes!

Christian groups today warned the opening of Britain's first supercasino
could lead to an explosion in the number of gambling addicts. Tomorrow the
Government's Casino Advisory Panel will announce the location for the first
Las Vegas-style gaming complex, with the Dome and Blackpool heading the
race. But a report by the Methodist Church and the Salvation Army said today
that "substantial" resources would be needed to help victims of Labour's
gambling reforms. Anthea Cox, a co-ordinating secretary of the Methodist
Church, said: "Evidence suggests the new casinos, along with the increasing
popularity of online gambling and the general normalisation of gambling in
this country, could result in many more people developing a serious gambling
addiction over an extended period. "The gambling industry and the Government
will benefit most... We are challenging them to channel substantial
resources to help those many thousands if not millions of people who will
experience problems." Lieutenant-Colonel Royston Bartlett, of The Salvation
Army, added: "Much has been made of the potential economic benefit of
casinos but that needs to be balanced against the potential devastating
effects of problem gambling." Meanwhile the Dome's owner, Anschutz
Entertainment Group, warned it might have to cancel £350 million of
investment in the Greenwich site if it failed to win its bid to host a
supercasino. David Campbell, AEG's chief executive in Europe said: "There is
no plan B. If we don't get the casino, we have to take a view on the
decision and whether we should challenge it."

As one of the world's largest and most popular entertainment and news sites
focusing on "events" betting odds, whether that be related to sports,
political elections, celebrity breakups, awards shows and so on,
Gambling911.com realizes the need for clarity in laws imposed by local,
state, country jurisdictions. As such, through extensive research, we offer
our readers an easy-to-follow breakdown of current laws and restrictions
pertaining to online gambling.
Ambiguity is not just present in US law - which has been a main focus of
late as it relates to online gambling - there are jurisdictions throughout
the world that allow betting on some forms of activity and not others. Some
online gambling jurisdictions do not allow betting with online casinos and
sportsbooks located in the country itself by their own citizens while taking
bets from outside the nation are okay and placing bets outside the nation is
not clearly illegal. France reportedly has no laws prohibiting its citizens
from betting online with gambling sites located outside the country but has
been aggressively going after those individuals who run said sites (even
outside the country - similar to the stance of the US). Recently, a law
passed on the US Federal level clarifies that the acceptance of bets on US
soil remains illegal but has now been adapted to the internet. The law
further seeks to have banking institutions monitor such transactions that
may be made from US citizens in order to prevent operators from collecting
said betting funds. However, the banks and others have been lobbying to
remove such language from this law that would hold financial institutions
liable. Legislators have admitted that the wording in this law needs to be
studied over the next several months. Poker may still be exempt from this
measure, though that is yet to be determined as of January 30, 2007. For
actual gamblers/bettors, the law is not applicable to them. Amazingly,
under the new US law, gamblers themselves will not be held liable. The law
only serves to focus on bet-takers and banks. This is why with US law, we
will focus on individual states appearing below. This report focuses
exclusively on the placement of bets in various jurisdictions with the
knowledge that many of our readers may be interested in gambling online (as
opposed to taking bets from others). Clearly, it is illegal for anyone in
the US to operate an online casino or sportsbook within US borders.
Likewise, it is illegal for anyone to physically collect money from another
individual that relates to the proceeds derived from online gambling.
Furthermore, our focus is on individual states within the US since we are
unaware of any internet-specific laws outside the US pertaining to the
actual bettor.

The Responsible Gambling Council is 'betting' that college-age students will
be smarter about gambling once they 'Know the Score.'
The council, a non-profit, independent organization committed to problem
gambling prevention, is running the program this week at Fleming College in
Lindsay.
Co-ordinator Tim Hawkes said that while most people gamble responsibly,
gambling online, especially poker, is on the rise among college and
university-age youth.
In a study conducted in 2005, the council found that while fewer people in
Ontario are gambling, the 18 to 24 age group of gamblers is growing,
especially in poker and other online games. "It's just so easy to play
online, and the 'celebrity factor,' where they see people winning big money
or making a living playing poker makes it pretty attractive," said Mr.
Hawkes. "The aim of the program is to educate the students about gambling
responsibly." The program is broken into four parts. The first dispels the
myths about gambling. The second outlines the signs of addiction. The third
highlights treatment agencies and the fourth shows ways to limit the risks.
Mr. Hawkes said students aren't the only ones who have shown interest in the
program, which is visiting more than 30 colleges and universities in
Ontario.
"We even have faculty members who have noticed students who seem to have a
problem," he said. Problem gambling is an addiction, Mr. Hawkes said, adding
the signs are there. They might start skipping classes, lying to their
family and friends, or spending money to win back losses. Student Shawn
Parks took the quiz, and told This Week that while he doesn't gamble much
himself, some of his friends "are really into the Pro-Line sports online."
"It's usually just a couple of bucks here and there, but you could get into
trouble," he said. "But, most of my friends are pretty good; it's just for
fun."

Real estate prices in two of the four zones designated for legal gambling,
set to come into existence in mid-2009, have seen a spectacular rise since
the beginning of the year. Under a new anti-gambling law, which received
President Vladimir Putin's official approval Dec. 31, gambling in Russia
will be restricted to four zones from July 1, 2009. Elsewhere in the
country, gambling will become illegal. The positioning of the zones -- the
Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, the Primorye region, the Siberian Altai
region and the southern Krasnodar-Rostov area -- raised eyebrows when it was
first announced in December. Besides the Primorye region, which already
attracts a large number of gamblers from nearby China, the economic logic
behind the selection of the other zones seemed unclear. Investors, however,
now appear keen to get on board the potential gaming boom, which has caused
real estate prices to skyrocket. One of the intended zones, a 1,000-hectare
site by the Sea of Azov, on the border between the southern regions of
Rostov and Krasnodar, has seen real estate prices shoot up tenfold in recent
weeks, Vedomosti reported Thursday. This is despite the fact that civil
servants will only settle on the exact parameters of the zone in early
February. Private businesses are expected to invest up to $2.5 billion by
2010, with the government putting in $500 million for initial
infrastructure, Krasnodar Deputy Governor Alexander Remezkova said in a
statement published on the region's official web site. The reports of a
meteoric price rise in the Krasnodar-Rostov zone followed similar news from
Altai, where another of the gambling zones will be situated. With investors
from all over Russia looking to buy up land for potential hotel
redevelopment, prices have quadrupled in the village of Solonovka, on the
edge of the intended zone, Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported Jan. 11. Former
inhabitants have even begun returning to reclaim any land they once owned,
local news agency Amic reported. Describing the proposed site as little more
than a cluster of typical Russian villages, Alexander Smirnov, director of
the Altai-based Tourist Agency Plot, expressed incredulity at the expected
rate of change. "Its difficult to imagine that this will become a Russian
Las Vegas, but that's what they've said will happen," Smirnov said. "You
know what Russians are like -- they'll spend today and wait to see what
happens tomorrow."
Officials in Kaliningrad and the Primorye region could not be contacted for
similar figures Friday.

Some analysts, however, are skeptical about the accuracy of such high growth
rates and questioned the wisdom of any speculative investment in the
proposed zones.

"We are getting interest from various hotel chains in the Russian regions
but no particular interest expressed in the proposed gambling zones," said
Konstantin Demetriou, national director at the capital markets department of
Jones Lang La Salle.

With presidential elections scheduled before the law's implementation,
Demetriou questioned whether the gambling law would ever come into effect
and who would risk investing in the areas at such an early stage.

"It is far too early to talk about a possible surge in prices, and I
seriously doubt that the figures are as dramatic as claimed", said Oleg
Repchenko, director of the analytical department at IRN.ru, a web site that
tracks the market.

Lavrenty Gubin, spokesman for Storm International, one of the country's
biggest gaming companies, which runs the Super Slots chain and several
Moscow casinos, said his company had no intention of venturing into the
gambling zones before carrying out marketing research.

Also, although foreign gaming giants are backed by the necessary financial
resources, they will not be prepared to risk investing in the zones without
guarantees that the gambling law will come into effect and with the limited
infrastructure in place, Gubin said.

"This is Russia, and anything could happen. It is obvious that these zones
are not going to start functioning in 2 1/2 years," he said.

However, supporters of the gambling law see it as a way to wrest control of
the industry from the criminal elements that controlled it during the '90s.

Uprooting the gaming industry piecemeal and relocating it to remote
locations, with the state able to determine how any new operating contracts
are divvied up, will give the industry a clean start, proponents of the move
argue.

Most Massachusetts residents support the legalization of casino gambling in
the state, according to a poll released today by the Center for Policy
Analysis at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. About 57 percent of
those surveyed said they support the authorization of a resort casino in the
state, while 30 percent were opposed and 14 percent were undecided. The
poll, which was conducted this past fall, involved more than 1,000
Massachusetts residents. Percentages add up to more than 100 because of
rounding. Respondents in general said the increase in tax revenue and jobs
that a casino would bring outweighed the social costs. But nearly half
expressed concerns about the potential for increased gambling addiction and
political corruption should casino gambling be allowed in the state.
Asked to pick the best location for a casino, respondents favored Western
Massachusetts, Boston and the New Bedford/Fall River area, in that order.
They ranked Cape Cod and the Plymouth area as the worst places in the state
for a casino. The Cape & Islands region was the only part of the state where
less than 50 percent of respondents supported a casino. There, 43 percent
were in favor and 41 percent were opposed. In Southeastern Massachusetts,
excluding Cape Cod and the Islands, 57 percent favored allowing casino
gambling in Massachusetts while 31 percent were against it. Men were more
likely to support a casino, with 63 percent saying they approved of casino
gambling in the state. About 51 percent of women supported casinos. About 52
percent of people making more than $150,000 opposed casino gambling, but
majorities in all other income levels supported it. ''Massachusetts
residents strongly believe it is time the commonwealth authorize a casino to
compete with Connecticut for the gambling, entertainment and tourism dollars
associated with Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun,'' said Clyde Barrow, the director
of the Center for Policy Analysis and a casino supporter. ''They understand
the amount of money that Bay Staters are gambling out-of-state. They grasp
the potential fiscal and economic benefits, and they understand that there
are potential social costs involved.'' The issue of whether the state should
allow casino gambling periodically comes before the Legislature. The
question is expected to resurface this year, especially because the state is
facing a possible $1 billion budget shortfall, putting pressure on state
officials to look for new sources of revenue.

Jay Melancon hunkered down in an auditorium chair for his morning psychology
class at the University of Minnesota, flipped open his laptop and logged on.
The instructor yammered on at the front of the room, but Melancon wasn't
listening. He was exhausted from staying up all night playing online poker.
And now, sitting in the back of the class, he was playing again. On his
screen, tiny decks of cards flipped and twisted in cyberspace, and Melancon
placed bets with the click of his mouse. The profits just kept getting
bigger. $1,000. $2,000. $3,000. Dude, check this out, he told his buddy. As
class ended and the other students got up to leave, he checked his total one
more time. In the space of an hour, he'd won just about $4,000. Melancon
closed his laptop and walked out into the cold December air. What am I doing
in school? he wondered. Why don't I just do this all the time? Poker is red
hot on college campuses these days. A small number of students have made it
a full-time job, turning what is a game for most into a profession where
tens of thousands of dollars can come and go in a single night.
Today's college students are among the first to grow up with gambling so
accessible. Credit is easily available. Casinos, once relegated to Las Vegas
and Atlantic City, are now scattered across 37 states. Poker is a regular
feature on cable TV. Going to the casino has become a rite of passage for
students as they turn 18. Freshmen play poker in dorm rooms, fraternities
and bars host Texas Hold 'Em tournaments, and students hold sports betting
pools and use wireless Internet connections to play anytime, anywhere. "I
make a joke that ... the second-best gambling environment in America is the
college dorm," said Ken Winters, a professor at the University of Minnesota
who has studied youth addictions, including gambling. "You've got your
privacy, you've got your high-speed Internet, you have independence from a
parent, you probably now have some credit card money. ... It's like a little
mini casino right in your laptop. ... It's almost too easy."
College-age men, especially, have embraced the poker phenomenon.
Card-playing and Internet gambling have increased among college-age males
over the past five years, the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the
University of Pennsylvania found. About 16 percent of them played cards
weekly in 2006, up from nearly 13 percent in 2005, and nearly 6 percent of
them gambled online weekly, up from 2.3 percent in 2005. At Canterbury Card
Club in Shakopee, Minn., crowds are getting younger, said Kevin Gorg, media
relations manager. "Because of the popularity of poker on TV, it's become,
you know, kind of the cool, in-vogue thing to do." On that cold December
morning in 2005, Melancon, now 21, decided to quit college. He and a group
of friends have since bet their livelihood on cards. They spend hours at
card tables and computers, winning and losing thousands of dollars at a
time. They make fast money from less experienced players who don't know what
they're doing. They don't want to do this forever, they say, but they're
going to ride the poker train as long as it keeps paying.