Forbes Ranks Michigan Cities Among the Worst for Jobs

Many of you may or not know that this blog and Wholesale Bingo Supplies are located in Jackson, Michigan. Therefore, we can tell you firsthand that Michigan has been hit extremely hard with a poor economy for a number of years now. Still, to have Jackson given the distinction of "Worst Small City" for jobs by Forbes magazine was surprising.

From Forbes:

"Given the failing auto industry, it's no surprise Jackson tops the list of worst small cities for jobs. Located in the South Central area of Michigan, the city's two largest employers are CMS Energy, Michigan's main electric and natural gas utility, and Michigan Automotive Compressor, which produces air conditioning compressors and magnetic clutches for cars. Between 2003 and 2008, jobs in the natural resources, mining and construction sector dropped almost 30%; those in manufacturing dropped 13.5%. Overall employment has declined 9.2% since 1997."

Jackson wasn't alone. Four other Michigan cities are ranked in the top ten.

For the complete story, please see Brad Flory, Jackson's job market earns city 'worst' distinction from Forbes magazine, Jackson Citizen Patriot, April 30, 2009.

Alabama Fights for Legal Electronic Bingo

Two bills in the state Legislature (HB 676 and SB 471) seek to make what is now illegal electronic bingo gambling legal in Alabama. The purpose of these bills is to thwart Gov. Bob Riley's task force on illegal gambling.

At the recent House Tourism and Marketing Committee meeting, Chairman Johnny Mack Morrow said all of the parties with an interest came together in preparation of the bill. It is certainly true that all gambling interests in Alabama came together to propose a constitutional amendment which would monopolize, expand and immunize electronic bingo gambling in Alabama.

The Constitution of Alabama does not permit games of chance. Alabama citizens have permitted only 18 constitutional amendments to permit limited charitable bingo by churches, civic groups, fire halls and other charities.

In the 1970s, gambling interests tried to expand gambling in Alabama with proposals such as video poker. These were based on electronic machines. The efforts failed, but it opened the door for conversion of these machines to electronic bingo gambling. Under the guise of the 18 amendments, charitable bingo expanded into real gambling. The certain knowledge of this was realized when Houston County in 2008 decided it had authority to open a casino. Following that, Etowah County proposed a casino, and bingo gambling began to expand in other counties.

Law enforcement was having a difficult time contending with this, and when there were no aggressive efforts to address the problem, Riley set up a task force and charged former Jefferson County District Attorney David Barber with the authority to bring a case to the Alabama Supreme Court to determine if this electronic bingo is legal.

For the complete story, please see A. Eric Johnston, Electronic bingo: Let's finally decide gambling issue, Al.com, April 26, 2009.

Odds Increase for Online Bingo and Other Internet Gambling in US

Is online gambling coming in from the cold?

When the U.S. Congress cracked down on Internet betting in 2006, the big, publicly traded European companies that had dominated the business closed up shop in the United States. Growth in the booming industry shifted away from these companies, once the darlings of the stock market, to private operators in offshore locations like Antigua and the Isle of Man.

But now, executives of some of the European companies whisper excitedly that they may soon get a second chance in the United States. Meanwhile, a number of European countries that have long maintained barriers are moving, under pressure from regulators, to legalize, and tax, online gambling.

“There’s still a lot of gambling going on, where there’s no revenue coming in to the governments,” said Gavin Kelleher, an analyst at the research firm H2 Gambling Capital in Ireland. “They realize they could use the revenue.”

The biggest potential change would be in the United States, where, perhaps within days, Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, is expected to introduce legislation aimed at overturning the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

For the complete story, please see Eric Pfanner, A New Chance for Online Gambling in the U.S., The New York Times, April 26, 2009.

Ohio Bar Owners Propose Local Approval for Slot Machines

Will slot machines be allowed in Ohio bars, restaurants, bingo halls, and veterans clubs? Below is an excerpt detailing the latest in the fight for slots to be legal.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Is there room for yet another player in the high-stakes, backroom discussions on whether Ohio should expand gambling?

Tavern owners hope so, and they think they have a winning hand that could appease gambling critics, including the governor - a plan that would require a vote of the people and wouldn't rewrite the state's constitution.

Groups representing liquor-serving establishments are floating a plan in the state legislature that could allow more than 80,000 Ohio Lottery-authorized slot machines in bars, restaurants and bingo and veterans halls and at horse-racing tracks.

Under the plan, residents of cities, villages and neighborhoods would decide whether they want the table-top games at their corner bars in precinct-by-precinct votes - the same process used to determine where Sunday liquor sales are allowed in Ohio.

For the complete story, please see Reginald Fields, Ohio bar owners propose letting local communities vote to approve slot machines, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 26, 2009.

What are Pulltabs and/or Charity Tickets?

One of the most popular charitable gaming products used at bingos and/or clubs is the pulltab or charity ticket. Many people unfamiliar with bingo have no idea what a pulltab and have no idea what they look like.

Basically, they're a type of lottery ticket where players peel open windows to reveal the prize rather than scratching off certain spots. Many styles of pulltabs exist (some meant more for bingo and some meant more for clubrooms) and they are typically sold either in pulltab machines or by bingo workers and/or other staff. Regardless of where they're sold, they've become an essential part of most nonprofit groups charitable gaming fundraising efforts.

For more information on pulltabs, please see What Are Charity Game Ticket Games (or Pulltabs)?, Wholesale Bingo Supplies.com

Nonprofits Lose Bingo Fight

The following is an excerpt from an article in Mother Jones detailing the recent e-bingo fight between tribal casinos and charity bingos.

"Californians can say goodbye to the electronic bingo machines (better known as e-bingo) in their charitable bingo halls thanks to a ban signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger that takes effect tomorrow. Turns out that bingo isn't just good old-fashioned fun anymore. Instead, it's at the center of a fight between nonprofits and Native American tribes who are all clamoring after bingo's big money.

Federally recognized tribes will still get to operate the machines on their reservation land, but charities will have to shut theirs down. Despite a few upshots for charitable bingo operators in the new law, like an increase on prize caps from $250 to $500 for traditional bingo games, the e-bingo ban still puts them on the losing end because many have come to rely on the machines to keep their business afloat.

Doug Pringle, who operated 80-plus machines out of Sacramento’s North Watt hall for his nonprofit, Disabled Sports USA, worries that he won’t be able to fulfill the terms of his 5-year lease without e-bingo. “Even if we close this building, we’re obligated to about $850,000 in rent over the next 2 years,” he said. “How are we going to replace three-quarters of a million dollars?”

For the complete story, please see Anna McCarthy, California's Charitable E-Bingo Is E-Liminated, Mother Jones, April 10, 2009.

Sides Battle Over Potential Tribal Casino Smoking Ban

A second legislative committee has approved a bill extending the state smoking ban to Connecticut's two tribally operated casinos, though the proposal's chances of becoming law remain unclear.

The Government Administration & Elections Committee voted 8-3 Monday to pass legislation that would remove the exemptions from Connecticut's bar and restaurant smoking ban for the two casinos. The bill, which has already triggered a threat of legal action from tribal officials, was previously approved by the Public Health Committee, 28-2.

The second committee vote went down on party lines — Democrats supporting the measure, Republicans opposing it — with one legislator, Rep. Andrew Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, abstaining.

But despite the handy committee victory for supporters of the effort, doubts remain among legislators about the attempt to force the smoking ban on the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, which operate Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, respectively, as well as the potential cost.

The tribes have long held that such a move by the legislature would violate their rights as sovereign entities, and Mohegan Tribal Chairman Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozsum has warned legislators that passage of such a law will trigger a long and costly court battle, during which the tribe would withhold its current payments to the state of 25 percent of the take on the casino's slot machines.

For the complete story, please see Ted Mann, Second committee approves proposed casino smoking ban bill, TheDay.com, April 20, 2009.