Fairmount CA

April 1, 2012

Gambling could be key issue in NH governors race

By Doug Ireland

direland@eagletribune.com
The Eagle Tribune

Sun Apr 01, 2012, 12:52 AM EDT

(04-01) 19:14 PDT LAS VEGAS, (AP) –

Jason Aldean wasnt having much luck at the slot machines. He already lost $500 this weekend.

I have such high hopes when I get off the plane, he said. I have a pocketful of money and then I have a half pocket full of money.

Perhaps he should have been hanging with Chris Young. The singer had already won $2,100 from the slot machines before the show began.

It happened to be the first machine I walked up to, said Young.

___

Scotty McCreery is joining the Wolfpack.

McCreery, the ACMs best new artist winner, says he was accepted to four colleges this spring, but settled on North Carolina State, where his dad got his degree.

The 18-year-old also said he wasnt having a hard time finding something to do in Las Vegas, where he isnt old enough to drink or enter most nightclubs.

There aint no temptations, said the reigning American Idol champ. I have been riding the roller coasters.

___

Paul Stanley of KISS said he heard Taylor Swift dressed up as him recently, so he joked that he was thinking about returning the favor and putting on a pink dress.

Band mate Gene Simmons was not amused at the suggestion.

Theres no reason to dress up like anybody else when you are an icon, he said.

As the band posed on the red carpet, LL Cool J ran up and demanded they pose for a picture with him.

Life will never be the same, the rapper and actor said.

LL Cool J conceded that he wasnt much of a country music, but he was willing to learn.

I know its a little out of context me being here. But Im here anyway. I just wanted to check out the music.

__

Brantley Gilberts look at the ACMs was far from cuddly: He sported a black jacket with spikes on both shoulders.

It guards against hugs, joked the new artist of the year nominee.

The Country Must Be Country Wide singer said he used to be more touchy-feely. As a college student, he planned to become a couples counselor before he went into music.

I probably would have been responsible for more divorces than Facebook, he said.

___

Beth Behrs of CBS2 Broke Girls admitted she has a slight crush on Nicole Kidmans husband.

Id like to paint the town with him. It would probably be a lot of fun, she said of superstar Keith Urban.

Behrs, who grew up listening to Dolly Parton, barely batted an eye when she found herself on the red carpet next to KISS.

Im actually more star struck abut Miranda Lambert, she said.

I guess I want a nine on, with an early bird.

At least that’s what I tell the guy at the window, hoping that I haven’t just screwed up that bit of lingo — because it sure seems like the type of phrase you don’t want to screw up.

Eighteen dollars later, my new friend Jim passes me 17 sheets of paper through the window, most with nine sets of numbers — thus the nine on — and the magic “B” word plastered across the top.

That’s right. I’m at the American Legion on West Sixth Street to play some bingo. Correction. I’m here to win some bingo.

Tonight’s the night to do it because there’s the potential for two $1,000 pots, a guarantee of at least two $300 pots and a $200 winner. Everything pays at least $50, except for the early bird games that pay $40. (Oh yeah, I got the early bird.)

That’s good news because these days winning money has never been bigger business around these parts. The state of Kansas has gotten into the casino industry. New multimillion-dollar facilities have been built near Wichita, Dodge City and now in nearby western Wyandotte County.

The loosening of the state’s casino laws has made it easier than ever to test the axiom that “money won is twice as sweet as money earned.” But for decades it wasn’t so easy. If you wanted to gamble in Kansas — legally, anyway — there was basically only one way to do it.

And (apologies in advance) bingo was its name-o.

o o o

If bingo is the old-school way to gamble, the Hollywood Casino just 29 miles east of Lawrence in Wyandotte County is new school. Where American Legion banners and baseball trophies line the walls of the bingo hall, velvet ropes leading to $14 lunch buffets and waitresses equipped with black skirts and cheap drinks fill the casino.

And slot machines, wing after wing of electronic

gaming machines with names like China Shores, Voyages of Sinbad, and Super Lucky Lotus. Nostalgia was evident there too. John Wayne’s name graces one machine, and Dean Martin’s Vegas Party lights up another.

But what the … is this? Alice and the Mad Tea Party. Pink and frilly and empty. This is gambling these days? I nearly take a seat, but surely Dean Martin would rise from the dead and whack me with an empty vodka bottle.

o o o

In my little hometown, the American Legion runs bingo three nights a year for the community’s fair days. For more than 20 years I’ve been a regular player of those games — and I’ve never won a single, solitary time.

Maybe I’m a trendsetter because fewer people are winning at bingo all the time. Patsy Congrove, the state official who oversees bingo regulations for the Kansas Department of Revenue, said the level of play has declined over the years. The state collects .002 of a cent on every bingo card played in the state. In 1997, the state collected a little more than $1 million from the tax. Last year, it was about $400,000.

The pastime isn’t what it used to be in Lawrence either. Not even a decade ago you could still find a bingo game every night of the week in Lawrence. Now, it is down to the American Legion on Wednesdays and Saturdays and the Eagles Lodge on Fridays.

But Hank Sipple, finance manager for the Lawrence American Legion Post, said better days may be ahead. A 2011 change in state law began allowing for “instant bingo,” a type of game that involves elements of the lottery, bingo and even horse racing. (I’m not going to explain it further, other than to say there is a lot of bingo involved because I didn’t win at that game either.)

Sipple said that before the law change, the American Legion had gross receipts of about $240,000 a year in bingo and pull tab sales. Now he’s expecting gross revenues of about $380,000.

“It is paying quite a few bills out here,” Sipple said.

And tonight it is going to pay a few bills at this table, too. I can just feel it. It is the first game of the evening, and we’re playing some bingo game called Chevron. Your bingo has to be in a pattern that looks like an old Chevron gas station logo. Really. I couldn’t make that up if I tried. Bingo is full of such wackiness. There’s an almost endless number of patterns, and tonight we’ll play Small Diamond, Postage Stamp, Checkmark and others.

The first ball comes out and it is O 66. O, six, six. Oh yeah, one for one. Ten calls later and my card still only has a 66 marked. Too bad there’s not a game called 66.

But by game No. 5, I’ve found my bingo rhythm. The place definitely has a flow. The socializing before games comes to a grinding halt, and out come the dabbers: Big ink sticks used to mark your card when a number is called. It is not uncommon to see women or men carrying bags full of dabbers — easily holding a dozen or more dabbers of varying colors.

Across the table from me, Sunny Church has so much ink it would make a Journal-World pressman blush. She’s a children’s librarian in Wyandotte County and a widow. She plays bingo three nights a week, and she wins almost every night — even when she doesn’t win money.

“I’ve met a lot of people playing bingo,” Church says.

That’s the mantra of most bingo players. It is a chance to be social.

“We talk about each other to each other,” says bingo player Janene Rist.

But most also will admit that the money is nice, too.

Indeed it will be.

All that is left before I stand up, flip this table over, rip off my shirt a la a soccer goal celebration and yell BINGO is G-59. G, five, nine.

One ball goes by, two balls go by … six balls in total go by. Then, then … “BINGO” — from Sunny, right across from me. Calm and cool, she says it. Did I mention she was also a Marine Corps captain?

“He gets you there and then leaves you sitting,” is the refrain I would hear from some bingo players. But from Sunny, no words of encouragement.

“You don’t even feel bad, do you?” I ask her.

“No, I don’t,” she says.

I regroup and remember something a bingo player had told me earlier in the evening.

“Bingo is a blood sport,” says Connie Nokes from Eudora. “Didn’t you know that?”

Do now.

o o o

Here’s the experiment: I kept track of how much money and time I spent playing bingo. And now I’m at the Hollywood Casino to spend the same amount of money and see how much time it takes me to do so.

I paid $18 for my bingo cards. That allowed me to play all 17 games called at the Legion that night. The rest of the money I spent at the bingo hall was for what you could call the equivalent of Gatorade for bingo players. You must stay fueled up, and I did so with a polish sausage, nachos, a root beer, a Snickers and a piece of chocolate pie from the snack bar. I also bought two instant bingo pull tabs for $1 a piece.

In total, I spent $27 at the bingo hall. I was there for five hours. The instant bingo — and the socializing — begins at 4:30. The real bingo begins about 6:30.

At the casino’s dollar slot machine, it has taken me six minutes and 20 seconds to go through $18. I have won $9 of the $18 back, but it seems like I’ve lost something besides money.

I remember a comment Mary Benteman told me in the bingo hall. She has played bingo for 47 years, and I was trying to get someone to explain why such an arcane game exists in such a high-tech world.

“It is the anticipation,” she said. “Waiting for that next number to be called. At my age, that is something to enjoy.”

With a slot machine it is different. Every push of the button can bring financial reward, but there is so little time for hope with a slot machine. On one spin, I was a single “7″ away from winning $40. But I didn’t realize that until the game was already over.

With bingo, there’s plenty of time to wait and wonder. And mutter.

G-59. G, five, nine.

Lotteries are a tax on dreams. Or hope. Or something worse, like desperation.

Who would seek to profit from deceptive dreams, false hopes and desperate people? Your government.

Consider all those wonderful ads with dancing, happy people the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) uses to push lottery tickets. The truth is lotteries are a voluntary way to pay taxes. Taxes generally dont make people want to dance.

But governments view taxing as the art of plucking the most feathers with the least amount of screeching. If taxing dreams makes some people at least temporarily blissful, governments are more than happy to provide the opportunity.

In fact, given last weeks announcement of a modernized gaming industry, the government of Ontario is delighted to encourage more Ontarians to lose even more money.

Last week, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan rolled out OLG Chair Paul Godfrey to announce a dramatic expansion of gambling in Ontario.

Forget the concerns of local communities or debate in the Legislature. The government made the announcement of radical changes to gaming as a fait accompli.

Duncan doesnt have the time to have a public debate on the merits of expanding gaming. He needs the cash.

The government is booking $1 billion in additional tax revenue from the new scheme. Thats $1 billion in cost savings the spendthrift Duncan wont have to find.

All of this had to be a little embarrassing to Godfrey. After all he was compelled to announce the expansion of gambling has been driven by changes in the gaming industry and a need to contribute more money to health care and education. Dont step in that Paul, youll never get it off your shoes.

Godfrey has been around long enough to know better. Every previous government has constrained gaming, at the cost of increased revenue, out of respect for community concerns.

Thats why there isnt a casino in Toronto. But there will be soon. Because Duncan needs the cash.

The Mike Harris government rejected the most profitable gaming technologies, like video lottery terminals, because of the potential social harm. Harris introduced slot machines in racetracks where gaming was already a normal community activity.

Harris agreed to share the revenue from slot machines with the horsemen so the racehorse industry would not be harmed by the imposition of slots. Duncan doesnt care about horses or horsemen. He just wants more cash.

The local communities around the tracks also took a share of the slot revenue. Towns like Milton have benefited from the extra dough. But Duncan doesnt care about the host communities either. He just wants more cash.

Godfrey and Duncan talked a lot about the benefits to education and health care from all the extra revenue that will come from having more lottery outlets and more casinos. They both know thats not true.

The additional cash will go towards paying down Duncans $16-billion deficit.

And what about the 2,300 new jobs Duncan claims more gambling will bring to Ontario? I wonder if some of those jobs will go to the 60,000 people who will be thrown out of work by the death of the racing industry?

There is a dark side to gaming Duncan didnt talk about. Addiction. Broken homes. Shattered lives.

I guess none of that is worth mentioning. Duncan needs more cash.

Im not suggesting Ontario doesnt need a new gaming strategy. But I believe changes to gambling should be discussed with people across Ontario and not simply imposed by the OLG.

It seems having an honest conversation about gaming would be inconvenient for Duncan. After all, he just wants your cash.

Snoblen is a former cabinet minister in the Mike Harris Conservative government

When the city of Las Vegas decided to waive hefty liquor license fees for people willing to open a tavern in the burgeoning Arts District, it was as if fate had smiled on Pam and Christina Dylag.

After leaving Las Vegas for college and to travel, the two sisters were ready to return to their hometown to start their own business.

They even saved tens of thousands of dollars to invest in the Velveteen Rabbit, a boutique tavern concept named after their favorite childrens book.

It was like everything opened up, said Pam Dylag, 27, of the opportunity to start a lounge with crafted cocktails, unique draft beers and independent music without having to pay $20,000 for a liquor license. The reason we left was because places like this werent here.

But fate failed to account for fallout from a high-level battle over Nevada gambling regulations that unfolded last year.

That battle between lobbyists for the states largest casino companies and operators of the Dottys Tavern chain of slot-machine parlors resulted in a requirement for bars such as the Velveteen Rabbit to include at least 2,000 square-feet of public space and to offer food for patrons.

It is me and my sister; weve been saving our own money, Pam Dylag said. There is just no way. We dont have the extra capital to put into a kitchen.

Now the sisters and their slot route operator, Eagle Rock Gaming, are working to unravel the process of applying for a waiver from the state Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission that would allow them to install the five machines allowed in their urban lounge license without the kitchen or the extra floor space.

I didnt realize this whole gaming thing was so political — and it is political, Pam Dylag said.

The sisters are the first to seek such a waiver. The fate of their urban lounge could determine whether other taverns locate downtown to further shape the Arts District.

CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE

The battle over whether businesses such as Dottys, a growing chain that catered to women who didnt want to gamble in a traditional casino environment, didnt focus much on potential fallout for smaller operators.

Lobbyists for gambling giants such as Station Casinos and the Nevada Resort Association argued Dottys was operating under restricted gambling regulations even though the businesses were more like casinos and deriving the bulk of their income from gambling.

The restricted model, the lobbyists argued, is meant for businesses such as taverns, restaurants and other places that offer gambling as an amenity not a core business.

Dottys fired back by insinuating that the big gamers werent concerned about the integrity of regulation, but instead wanted to make it difficult for a competing business model to succeed.

The regulators sided with the resort association and beefed up the restricted license standards to require a restaurant and minimum amount of public floor space in a bar, tavern, saloon or other similar location licensed to sell beverages by the drink … if the establishment intends to operate more than four (4) slot machines.

There are provisions for operators to ask the control board and commission to waive the regulations, but the waiver requirements arent completely clear, saying the operators need to show exceptional circumstances.

What you need to do is lay out your reasons why you cant meet the standards, said Brian Duffrin, executive secretary to the board and commission. The board and commission will look at each one individually.

Kimberly Riggs, president of Eagle Rock Gaming, which is seeking the waiver on behalf of the Velveteen Rabbit, said the amended gambling regulation conflicts with the citys urban lounge license, which allows five machines without the extra requirements.

I think it is a new regulation and there are some bugs that need to be worked out between the city and the state, Riggs said.

CITY RESPONSE

So far city of Las Vegas staff members have yet to pick up the baton on behalf of the Dylag sisters or potential future urban lounge operators.

When asked whether city attorney Bradley Jerbic planned to get involved, city spokeswoman Diana Paul said its a matter for state regulators.

Jerbic suggested you contact the state entity that made the ruling to discuss any intended/unintended consequences, Paul said in an email. The CAs (city attorneys) office hasnt done an analysis of this particular ruling.

Wes Myles, owner of the building where the Dylag sisters want to open the Velveteen Rabbit, said he is disappointed city staff isnt offering more help.

Myles said the urban lounge fee waiver was intended to help small-business people who are less influential than city government when it comes to pressing a legal or political issue.

There is this assumption that all businesspeople are wealthy and sophisticated, said Myles, who also owns the Arts Factory. They dont understand Mom and Pop.

Although Myles said he thinks city staff could be more proactive, there is some support for the Dylag sisters coming from City Hall.

Ward 3 Councilman Bob Coffin, whose ward includes the Arts District, has helped the women get meetings with gaming lobbyists to learn more about how to approach the issue.

Hes also reaching out to other members of the City Council in the event the city needs to approach state regulators or the Legislature.

The Gaming Control Board regulations have an unintended consequence, and that is to make it tough on a lot of little people, said Coffin, a former legislator.

He is hopeful the women can make their case with supporters of the tighter restrictions that a waiver is in order for the Velveteen Rabbit and others like it, so if the issue gets to regulators they dont encounter opposition.

The meetings have been going well, Coffin said. It may be that they cant take an official position in favor of the waiver, Coffin said about the gaming lobbyists.

It might be they just dont show up to challenge the waiver.

SISTERS UNDETERRED

Despite the unplanned encounter with new gambling regulations, the Dylag sisters remain undeterred.

They are working with Myles to restore a gutted building on Main Street, a couple blocks south of Charleston Boulevard. They are installing a new roof, bathrooms and a bar, as well as creating parking, a patio and a walk-in cooler.

Theyre even moving forward to acquire Victorian style furniture to complement the shabby chic decor.

In addition to cocktails made with fresh ingredients, hard to find beers and unique music, the women want to offer a comfortable vibe for locals, in part by keeping prices low and the atmosphere casual.

Neither sister appears close to giving up.

While discussing the challenges, Christina Dylag, 24, recounted what motivated her to pursue the tavern dream in the first place.

She attributed it to a man she met while traveling in India. He had ridden a bicycle all the way from England.

A bar had been something I had wanted to open for a while, she said, recalling the chance meeting. I was like, you really can do anything. You just have to have the motivation.

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.

Ned was a widower. To fill his lonely hours after Shelleys death, he began gambling innocently enough. He never anticipated it to become a nightmare for him. Before he knew what happened he was in over his head. At first he gambled for entertainment. Then he gambled to make back what hed lost. But the losses far exceeded the wins and he was in serious trouble with gambling debt.

He went to his late wifes brother. They had put their house in Charles name because he was going to look after them when their health became impaired and when they were gone, they wanted him to have the house. Ned asked Charles to help him out, to give him a share of the homes value. Charles would not cooperate. He told Ned to get help for his gambling problem. Ned insisted it was just a string of bad luck. Charles told him he was in a state of denial. They parted company on bad terms. Charles was glad his sister didnt have to know about Neds problem.

Gambling may be entertainment to some people, but for others it easily goes out of control, becomes problematic. Ned was retired so he didnt lose work time due to gambling. But he wasnt sleeping well because he didnt have the resources to pay off his gambling debt. He had gambled away every cent of his savings.

Gamblers Anonymous (GA) is a support group for people with gambling problems, like Neds. The purpose is two-fold: stop gambling and help others to stop compulsive gambling, too. The first step, advises Gamblers Anonymous (www.gamblersanonymous.org). Until the gambler admits the problem, it will continually worsen.

Do you think you may have a gambling problem or know someone who does? Visit the GA website and click on 20 Questions. If you answer seven or more questions with yes, you may, indeed, have a gambling problem.

Also available is help for family and friends of compulsive gamblers, Gam-Anon. This organization helps you to learn to accept and understand gambling addiction, learn skills that will hep you put your life back together and when recovered, to help others who are going through the same or similar circumstances.

Compulsive gambling, as the web site describes it, is the obvious symptom of an emotional disorder, such as denying reality, emotional insecurity, immaturity, and low self-esteem. The bottom line: It is believed that compulsive gambling is about self-destruction.

The National Council on Problem Gambling describes problem gambling as a progressive addiction as the gambler becomes more and more preoccupied with gambling, unable to stop, suffering more consequences as the obsession continues.

Gambling is not just a problem for adults. Children may be at greater risk of gambling problems. Parents attitudes and behaviors influence their children. And along with the good things derived from the Internet, there are bad things, too, like gambling onlinejust a word to the wise.

Family Recovery Center cares, and promotes the well being of individuals, families and communities. For more information on this topic or to find out about local meetings of Gamblers Anonymous, contact us at 964 N. Market St., Lisbon; phone, 330-424-1468; or e-mail, info@familyrecovery.org. FRC is funded, in part, by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS).

State Rep. Angelo D’Emilia, R-Bridgewater, has been appointed to a special advisory council on that will study the impact of the gambling industry on communities and tourism.

D’Emilia, appointed by House Minority Leader Bradley Jones Jr., R-North Reading, joins other legislators and individuals from federally recognized Indian tribes and people who live near a gambling establishment.

Jones said he chose D’Emilia for his experience “as he … represents a district that includes a gambling facility.”

D’Emilia represents the 8th Plymouth district, which includes Bridgewater, precinct 6 in Easton, and Raynham, where Raynham Park is.

“We need to ensure that the facilities built in Massachusetts are second to none,” D’Emilia said in a press release issued last month from his office. “We also need to guarantee that this new industry is successful for the long term and that the citizens of this commonwealth will have jobs as we move into the future.”

Members appointed to the council will serve two-year terms and will meet at least once annually.

Caesars Entertainment Corp., which heads a group of investors bidding on a casino in downtown Baltimore, supports legislation to expand gambling in Maryland, officials said.

While the gambling giant doesnt take too kindly to the idea of a casino in Prince Georges County — a potential competitor to its proposed casino in Baltimore — other measures in the bill would make Marylands gambling industry more competitive with surrounding states, according to Trevor Busche, vice president of corporate development.

Bills in the House and Senate would legalize table games, something Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware already boast, as well as lower taxes on slots revenues.

The legislation would allow casino operators to hold more than one casino license, leading some Baltimore lawmakers to question if Caesars was more interested in a proposed venue at National Harbor than in Baltimore.

Busche said the company is focused solely on its Baltimore bid.

Were not pursuing any opportunities in Prince Georges County, whether it be at National Harbor or elsewhere, he said.  -  Ben Giles

State government?s insatiable hunger to glean more money from citizens reached cleverly into homes across Iowa last week. The Senate passed a bill to make Iowa one of the first states to approve Internet poker ? a revenue enhancer of up to $15 million, according to the nonpartisan legislative services agency.

Iowa?s casino industry supported this legislative expansion of their powers. Native American casinos could be expected to follow suit. Presumably individuals could establish accounts and deposit money with casinos for use in online poker games. Voila! Establish an account, deposit some money, and play online poker from the comfort of your home.

And to think just a few short years ago a few hundred sites hosting touch-play machines were considered too intrusive by Iowans.

Well, this new game may not be so visible, but it will expand gaming from casino sites into private households all in the name of protecting Iowans from an unregulated environment.

The bill now moves on to the House for consideration. It is doubtful if it will be debated there.

However, should the bill become law in the name of protecting the integrity of Iowans, remember to send the cash! State government is hungry, and becoming more and more addicted to gambling revenues.

What kind of government bets against its own people?

By J. Scott Trubey

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia Lottery officials in recent months have quietly explored how to roll
out video gambling in the state if the idea ever gains political backing,
documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution show.