Thursday, March 08, 2007
Three-headed man shows evils of VLTs
"This is a major step for a state lottery to take," said Jeff Marotta, problem gambling services manager in the Oregon Department of Human Services.
The "three-headed man" ad shows a man deeply absorbed in playing a video game when a second head appears and encourages him to stick with his budget and time constraints. Then a third head appears arguing that he has plenty of time and is about to win.
The Myth Buster section of the Oregon Lottery's website, inspired by responsible gaming pioneer Atlantic Lottery Corporation, is also a shining example of a creative awaress campaign by a state lottery.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Cohen conviction upheld
The ruling supports the Department of Justice's long-standing position that the Wire Act applies in Internet gambling. Gambling considered unlawful by the United States was previous possible on the Internet due to loopholes in enforcement. UIGEA aims to close some of those loopholes by obliging financial institutions to block transfers to online casinos.
Labels: online gambling, UIGEA
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Online gambling firms brace for French crackdown
The once mighty Internet gambling giant later announced a 56 percent drop in annual profits, Forbes reports, largely attributed to its forced departure from the US market in September.
Labels: international, online gambling
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Gambling crackdown linked to terror fight
Gaming expansion could cost €5bn
warns that liberalisation of the EU gaming market could siphon as much as €5.5 billion from good causes and redistribute the money to players. But the report does not quantify the full economic and social costs of gaming addiction "due to a lack of good comprehensive data".
Monday, February 26, 2007
Purifying the cyber environment
Gambling has technically been illegal in China since 1949, although gaming enjoys wide popularity, as it does throughout Asia -- which has been tipped as the "new hot market" for online gambling companies forced from the US market.
Sites where punters can exchange virtual money for real money and properties have become a money launderer's paradise. They're top of the list of targets in the Chinese crackdown.
Labels: international, online gambling
Texas defends its moral right to sell worthless tickets
A player in Corpus Christi sued over the practice three years ago, the Houston Chronicle reports. Since that case settled (out of court) the lottery and its primary contractor are now making some information public about what kind of prize money is still available in each game. But the information available at retail outlets is often out of date.
Scratch tickets are the Texas Lottery's cash cow, generating $2.8 billion in sales last year and accounting for nearly 76 percent of its ticket sales.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Merck on the Texas money trail
Making matters worse, Perry angered state officials this week by suggesting that turning over the state lottery to the private sector would be a "smart move"."Are we not smart enough to run the lottery?" an incensed state legislator replied.
Labels: privatization
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Player protection measures take super-casino to Manchester
Labels: responsible gaming
Monday, February 12, 2007
Camelot proposes World Lottery
Camelot has unveiled plans for a World Lottery Draw as part of its bid for the United Kingdom's third National Lottery licence, which was submitted to the National Lottery Commission on February 9. The draw is expected to involve scores of lotteries from around the globe, from the Americas in the west, to Australasia in the east – as well as a host of lotteries from across Europe. Camelot has already received expressions of interest from lotteries in 48 states and countries around the world – and is in ongoing negotiations with individual and multi-jurisdiction lotteries. Camelot says it met with potential partners in November 2006 at the World Lottery Association Conference in Singapore, and will be meeting with those parties again later this year.
Congressman abandons national lottery proposal
The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that a
"If we had a national lottery, it would just take money from the Tennessee Lottery and that would take money away from scholarships and away from pre-kindergarten and away from education in
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Mendel says he will meet with McCreevey
Texas governor proposes lottery selloff
According to some estimates, selling the Texas Lottery could raise up to $14 billion. The news of Perry's plan comes the year after Texas Lottery recorded it's best year in history, reporting $3.7 billion in sales. The New York Times notes that New Jersey is also considering a similar plan - along with a proposal to lease the New Jersey turnpike.
Critics in both states are attacking the proposals, arguing that a private firm is unlikely to apply the same degree of oversight as local government and that in the end states are likely to get the worst of the deal. Republican opponents in Texas downplayed the chances that the legislation would pass. "I don't know anybody who is supporting it" said Texas Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "I'd give it only a 10 percent chance of passing."