Before catching the bus in New York for one of his casino trips to Atlantic City, Antonio Fava swore to himself he wouldn't gamble more than he could afford. It's a promise, he insists, he always keeps.
"I have $50 with me. When I'm finished with that, I'm done," said Fava, a 76-year-old Brooklyn retiree. "Once in a while, I come here to gamble a little bit and have a good time. I'm in control."
But a new gambling study published in the journal Psychology and Aging suggests not all senior citizens have Fava's self-control. It concludes the elderly are more likely to develop gambling problems than younger people. The study also finds older gamblers face a greater suicide risk.
Philadelphian Jake Brownstein, an 85-year-old veteran of World War II, joked that he is too scared to commit suicide. Brownstein said he gambles at the blackjack tables to relax, but occasionally will bet $5 or $10 playing the slot machines.
"I don't have any gambling problems," he stressed.
Making no attempt to hide their skepticism and amusement, other elderly gamblers scoffed Tuesday at the study's findings. They said they put themselves on a strict budget and consider gambling a fun, relatively inexpensive diversion from the monotony of old age.
"We're on a pension, so we never overspend. We're kind of cheap," said Major Leddy, 80, as he and his wife, Luraine, 82, played slot machines at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort.
For the complete story, please see Donald Wittkowski, Seniors scoff at study that places them at greater risk for gambling problems , pressof AtlanticCity.com, September 17, 2008.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Don't Let Gambling Take Control of You
Jim thought he was smarter than everyone else in the casino. He was college-educated and he had a "system" to win at blackjack.
Which proves, he says, just what a sucker he was.
"I lost all of my money and all of my respect. Everyone thinks they have a system, but the casino is playing with a loaded deck."
Today, Jim has gone almost nine years without gambling. He runs the weekly Gamblers Anonymous meeting in Grand Rapids and answers the group's state hotline.
For the complete story, please see Linda S. Mah When gambling gets out of control: 'All you think about is the next bet and where you're going to get money' for it
, The Kalamazoo Gazette via Mlive, September 9, 2009.
Which proves, he says, just what a sucker he was.
"I lost all of my money and all of my respect. Everyone thinks they have a system, but the casino is playing with a loaded deck."
Today, Jim has gone almost nine years without gambling. He runs the weekly Gamblers Anonymous meeting in Grand Rapids and answers the group's state hotline.
For the complete story, please see Linda S. Mah When gambling gets out of control: 'All you think about is the next bet and where you're going to get money' for it
, The Kalamazoo Gazette via Mlive, September 9, 2009.
Bingo, Gambling Industry Hurt by Smoking Bans
At one point during her Saturday evening on Harrah's casino barge anchored here, Tensi Beavers needed a cigarette. But Illinois had recently banned smoking in casinos. So Ms. Beavers did something that is making gambling executives choke on their smoke-free casino air: She walked away from her game.
``I like to play and smoke, but you can't, so ... ,'' Beavers said, clutching a pack of cigarettes and searching for the smokers' lounge, located just off the casino floor but too far from the nearest slot machine to gamble.
To players like Beavers, smoking and gambling go hand in hand _ cigarette in one hand, slot-machine button in the other.
Now, that ritual is being upended in several states where casino smoking bans have been implemented or are on the way. The bans are hitting casinos at a time when larger economic woes _ such as airline flight reductions, cash-strapped consumers and the credit crisis _ are driving down casino revenues from Las Vegas to Connecticut.
``The smoking ban is having a major impact,'' said Tom Swoik, head of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association. Casinos in Illinois have posted double-digit declines in revenue since the smoking ban took effect in January.
For the complete story, please see Smoking bans forcing gamblers to walk away The Wall Street Journal via AP via The Courier News, September 19, 2008.
``I like to play and smoke, but you can't, so ... ,'' Beavers said, clutching a pack of cigarettes and searching for the smokers' lounge, located just off the casino floor but too far from the nearest slot machine to gamble.
To players like Beavers, smoking and gambling go hand in hand _ cigarette in one hand, slot-machine button in the other.
Now, that ritual is being upended in several states where casino smoking bans have been implemented or are on the way. The bans are hitting casinos at a time when larger economic woes _ such as airline flight reductions, cash-strapped consumers and the credit crisis _ are driving down casino revenues from Las Vegas to Connecticut.
``The smoking ban is having a major impact,'' said Tom Swoik, head of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association. Casinos in Illinois have posted double-digit declines in revenue since the smoking ban took effect in January.
For the complete story, please see Smoking bans forcing gamblers to walk away The Wall Street Journal via AP via The Courier News, September 19, 2008.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Casino or Water Park in Port Huron's Future?
Once the struggling economy rebounds, Acheson Ventures officials say the development of Desmond Landing will quicken — with the possibility of everything from a water park to a casino.
Rich Engle, the chief operating officer of Acheson Ventures, said they are in talks with hotel and water park developers and planners and development experts from Chicago to Ottawa — in total about 20 different groups — about developing the 70 acres owned by Acheson along the St. Clair River on the south side of Port Huron.
“We have all that ammunition sitting here and we are waiting for that first person to come through the door who isn’t afraid to be the first to develop it,” he said. “I think once this economy turns around, I think it will get going.”
He said specifically about a water park feasibility study that “they felt there was a market here; they think it could be done.”
For the complete story, please see Stephen Tait, Acheson still has big plans
, The TImes Herald, September 16, 2008
Rich Engle, the chief operating officer of Acheson Ventures, said they are in talks with hotel and water park developers and planners and development experts from Chicago to Ottawa — in total about 20 different groups — about developing the 70 acres owned by Acheson along the St. Clair River on the south side of Port Huron.
“We have all that ammunition sitting here and we are waiting for that first person to come through the door who isn’t afraid to be the first to develop it,” he said. “I think once this economy turns around, I think it will get going.”
He said specifically about a water park feasibility study that “they felt there was a market here; they think it could be done.”
For the complete story, please see Stephen Tait, Acheson still has big plans
, The TImes Herald, September 16, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Legislation to Devastate 100's of Charity Bingos
SB 1369 is a gut and amend bill headed for the Governor's desk that would devastate hundreds of local charities while allowing California's tribal casinos to expand their gambling operations onto the internet, essentially amounting to the greatest expansion of legal gambling in California's history. This competition would in turn severely weaken the viability of the California Lottery as a potential revenue source, an idea now under discussion through the latest proposed state budget.
SB 1369 outlaws the electronic charity bingo machines that hundreds of small charities throughout the state rely on for funding. In its place, it creates something called "Remote Caller Bingo," a technology that that links simultaneous Bingo games at multiple locations throughout the state. While organizers of Remote Caller Bingo will be able to offer larger, "life altering" jack pots, the technology will be unavailable to small charities and its practicality and profitability is questionable even for larger charities,
Meanwhile, the spread of Remote Caller Bingo through internet technology triggers a little-known clause buried inside the Indian gaming compact: basically, casinos operating under the compact have the right to use the internet for gambling if that technology is opened up to anyone else in California.
Essentially, if charities can offer Remote Caller Bingo online, then the door is open for gaming tribes to do the same. Because bingo is a game authorized by the lottery, tribes will be able to offer lottery games online. And what's more, loopholes in compact language and federal law may give casinos the green light to not only offer Bingo and Lottery games, but to offer other casino games like poker, black jack and slots. Anything that's played inside a casino could be played over the Internet with the approval of SB 1369.
For the complete story, please see California Charity Bingo Association, California Charity Bingo Association: SB 1369 Trojan Horse Legislation That Would be Devastating to Californians, The Sun Herald, September 16, 2008.
SB 1369 outlaws the electronic charity bingo machines that hundreds of small charities throughout the state rely on for funding. In its place, it creates something called "Remote Caller Bingo," a technology that that links simultaneous Bingo games at multiple locations throughout the state. While organizers of Remote Caller Bingo will be able to offer larger, "life altering" jack pots, the technology will be unavailable to small charities and its practicality and profitability is questionable even for larger charities,
Meanwhile, the spread of Remote Caller Bingo through internet technology triggers a little-known clause buried inside the Indian gaming compact: basically, casinos operating under the compact have the right to use the internet for gambling if that technology is opened up to anyone else in California.
Essentially, if charities can offer Remote Caller Bingo online, then the door is open for gaming tribes to do the same. Because bingo is a game authorized by the lottery, tribes will be able to offer lottery games online. And what's more, loopholes in compact language and federal law may give casinos the green light to not only offer Bingo and Lottery games, but to offer other casino games like poker, black jack and slots. Anything that's played inside a casino could be played over the Internet with the approval of SB 1369.
For the complete story, please see California Charity Bingo Association, California Charity Bingo Association: SB 1369 Trojan Horse Legislation That Would be Devastating to Californians, The Sun Herald, September 16, 2008.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Casino to be Debated
The backers of a proposed casino in southwestern Ohio accuse their opponents of not playing fair, but they'll debate them nonetheless.
MyOhioNow.com, which is pitching the $600 million casino resort in a November constitutional amendment, accuses the Ohio Roundtable, which has led opposition to the current and past gambling campaigns, of taking money from rival gambling interests.
This morning, MyOhioNow.com issued a statement pointing out that the roundtable's president, David P. Zanotti, accepted contributions from bingo companies during the successful 1996 campaign to defeat riverboat gambling in Ohio.
MyOhioNow.com partner Rick A. Lertzman even went so far as to say he'd refuse to debate Zanotti or Ohio Roundtable Vice President Rob Walgate because he thinks the group has unclean hands on the gambling issue.
Zanotti and Walgate have denied that the roundtable or its campaign spinoff, Vote No Casinos, will take any gambling money during the current campaign.
For the complete story, please see The Daily Briefing, Casino backers criticize foes, will debate them anyway, The Columbus Dispatch, September 19, 2008.
MyOhioNow.com, which is pitching the $600 million casino resort in a November constitutional amendment, accuses the Ohio Roundtable, which has led opposition to the current and past gambling campaigns, of taking money from rival gambling interests.
This morning, MyOhioNow.com issued a statement pointing out that the roundtable's president, David P. Zanotti, accepted contributions from bingo companies during the successful 1996 campaign to defeat riverboat gambling in Ohio.
MyOhioNow.com partner Rick A. Lertzman even went so far as to say he'd refuse to debate Zanotti or Ohio Roundtable Vice President Rob Walgate because he thinks the group has unclean hands on the gambling issue.
Zanotti and Walgate have denied that the roundtable or its campaign spinoff, Vote No Casinos, will take any gambling money during the current campaign.
For the complete story, please see The Daily Briefing, Casino backers criticize foes, will debate them anyway, The Columbus Dispatch, September 19, 2008.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Smoking Ban Advocates to Renew the Pressure Today.
Word on the street is that a number of smoking ban advocates will be in Lansing today applying pressure to lawmakers to pass a complete, statewide smoking ban.
Those who oppose this smoking ban will face a stiff test. Detroit casinos and charity bingos may or may not be exempt from a smoking ban depending on what the legislatures do. However, Native American casinos would remain exempt from any smoking legislation.
Again, while we see both side of this issue, it is our position that if Native American casinos will be unaffected, then charity bingos and Detroit casinos should be exempt as well. After all, these groups are in direct competition, and a ban over some but not the others is unfair.
3:50pm Update: No vote on this legislation will take place today. Stay tuned tomorrow.
Those who oppose this smoking ban will face a stiff test. Detroit casinos and charity bingos may or may not be exempt from a smoking ban depending on what the legislatures do. However, Native American casinos would remain exempt from any smoking legislation.
Again, while we see both side of this issue, it is our position that if Native American casinos will be unaffected, then charity bingos and Detroit casinos should be exempt as well. After all, these groups are in direct competition, and a ban over some but not the others is unfair.
3:50pm Update: No vote on this legislation will take place today. Stay tuned tomorrow.
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