Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Man wins $400, then robbed with hatchet

Man wins $400, then robbed with hatchet:
"A man who won $400 in pull-tabs at a Hanover bar was chased down and robbed with a hatchet, police say.
The victim, known as Shaun, won the money at the Hilltop Bar in the town in western Hennepin County.
Police say as he walked home early Tuesday morning along County Road 117, he was chased down by John Bing and Jacques Lafrenier.
Lafrenier chased him with the truck and Bing chased him on foot, wielding the hatchet.
The victim took cover in a ditch and threw his wallet at Bing, giving up his winnings.
During the chase, one of the suspects referred to the victim using the �n� word, even though the victim is in fact Caucasian.
Bill Chandler of the Hennepin County Sheriff�s Office says the crime is relatively rare.
�This is one of the few times we�ve had somebody running after someone with a hatchet,� Chandler says.
Lafrenier and Bing were caught soon afterward.
The victim was not hurt in the robbery."

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

B.C. government is top lottery winner

B.C. government is top lottery winner:
"BCLC pays a standard commission of five per cent on every lottery product sold, whether it is a standard lottery ticket or pub games like Keno, Pull Tabs and Racetrax. There are also opportunities to increase earnings through bonus programs, Gass said. Until Dec. 31, for example, retailers who sell winning tickets receive graduated bonuses climbing to $2,000 on a prize worth $1 million or more."

MPR: Tribes say government trying to restrict gaming

MPR: Tribes say government trying to restrict gaming:
"The National Indian Gaming Commission is wrestling with a big issue that could affect Indian gaming in Minnesota. It's trying to decide if playing bingo on a video game is the same as playing a casino slot machine.

The federal agency holds a hearing in Minnesota Monday regarding rule changes for so-called video bingo machines. Some tribal officials say it's an attempt to restrict Indian gaming.


Mahnomen, Minn. � There are three classes of Indian gaming. Class 1 includes traditional games of chance used for ceremonies or celebrations.
Class 2 gaming includes bingo and pull-tabs. Class 2 gaming is not covered under gaming compacts between tribes and states, and the state has no regulatory authority over class 2 games.
Finally, there are class 3 games, the high-stakes slot machines and card games played in casinos, that are allowed by tribal/state compacts."

SI.com - The Alaska Baseball League: A major league pipeline

SI.com - The Alaska Baseball League: A major league pipeline:
"Yet five of the ABL's six teams would not survive without revenue from bingo parlors and charitable gaming tickets called pull-tabs. The sixth is funded by a Christian organization. Food and beer sales bring in a large-enough chunk of money that the nonprofit teams sometimes fork out handfuls of free tickets to get fans into the park."

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

The Evening Bulletin - Gambling Fever: Wages On The Rise Along With Ethical Concerns

The Evening Bulletin - Gambling Fever: Wages On The Rise Along With Ethical Concerns: "Social Poison
Doctors who gathered at the recent annual conference of the British Medical Association termed gambling a 'social poison,' the Scotsman newspaper reported June 28. 'Gambling addiction is as corrosive as drug addiction and alcoholism in terms of family breakup and financial ruin,' said Dr. David Sinclair, a general practitioner.
Canada's Vanier Institute of the Family was also critical of gambling. It released a study June 11 entitled 'Gambling with our (Kids') Futures: Gambling as a Family Policy Issue.'
The author, Arlene Moscovitch, noted that the country abounds in places where you can lose your money: 87,000 gambling machines; 33,000 lottery ticket centers; 60 permanent casinos; and 250 racetracks and teletheaters. There are also 25,000 licenses for bingo, temporary raffles, and pull tabs, such as lottery-type tickets.
In 2003-04, government-run gambling rang up a gross profit of $13 billion Canadian ($11.6 billion U.S.), an increase of $700 million Canadian ($629 million U.S.) from the reported profits of the year before. Of that, $6.4 billion Canadian was net profit for the provinces.
People are continually presented with visions of the 'good life' to be gained through getting lucky and raking in a big win. That message arrives via numerous gambling advertisements in print, on radio, television, the Internet and billboards, Moscovitch noted.
The Vanier Institute paper cited research on Canadian gamblers showing the following:
* The per-adult gambling loss in Canada for 2003-04 was $596 Canadian - nearly $50 Canadian per person per month.
* Household spending is estimated at $1,080 Canadian"

The push for pull-tabs gains a little momentum | IndyStar.com

The push for pull-tabs gains a little momentum IndyStar.com: "By Michael Pointer
michael.pointer@indystar.com

Developments at the ballot box during the past two years have pull-tab machine proponents feeling a bit more optimistic than usual.

In 2004, state Sen. Lawrence M. Borst, R-Greenwood, was defeated in the primary. This year, Sen. Robert Garton, R-Columbus, was handed a primary loss.
Both men opposed the racing industry's attempts to add pull-tab machines to the state's tracks -- and could do something about it.
Borst was the powerful head of the Senate Finance Committee. Garton is winding down a 26-year tenure as Senate President Pro Tempore and will leave the legislature in January.
'I think it definitely changes the dynamics,'' said Dwayne Ruhle, a horse owner and trainer from Pendleton and vice president of the Indiana Standardbred Association.
Ruhle is hopeful the Republican-controlled Senate now will at least be given a chance to vote on pull-tab legislation.
But Jerry Walker, a horseman who has lobbied state officials, said another change probably needs to take place during the November elections.
'I think we have a whole lot better chance if we get a Democratic-controlled (House),'' said Walker, a longtime thoroughbred owner and former head of the Indiana Horse Racing and Breeding Coalition.
A Democratic-controlled house passed pull-tab legislation in 2004. But Garton assigned it to a rules committee in the Senate, guaranteeing it wouldn't get a full hearing. Republicans regained control of the House in November's election that year, and pull-tab legislation hasn't come close to passing since.
Even if it were to, there is no guarantee it would become law. Gov. Mitch Daniels has been non-committal on the subject.
'He's general"

Friday, July 07, 2006

Mail Tribune Online Edition - Casinos bring big bucks, but some business owners aren't thrilled - July 3, 2006

Mail Tribune Online Edition - Casinos bring big bucks, but some business owners aren't thrilled - July 3, 2006: "Casinos bring big bucks, but some business owners aren't thrilled
Many small businesses fear large casinos will put them out of business permanently

By MICHAEL ANDERSEN
The Associated Press
KELSO, Wash. � A gaming floor bigger than a Wal-Mart? Dozens of video lottery machines? An adjoining 250-room hotel? Maybe even free food and smoking while you gamble?
And all of it 30 minutes south of Kelso?
Just tell Jim Cunningham when.
'The casinos in this town,' Cunningham grumbled, 'they're not real casinos. They're cardrooms.'
Hunched in Kelso's Highlander Lounge next to a 25-cent video bowling game, Cunningham said he isn't a big gambler. But he'd definitely visit a casino like that from time to time, he said. It'd be a better deal for his money than playing pull-tabs in a local bar.
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Words like those strike fear in the hearts of some local business owners. If the federal government approves the Cowlitz Indians' proposal for a reservation and casino/hotel/restaurant complex near La Center, they say other gambling venues � even some bars, who draw a tidy profit from pull-tabs � may as well cash in their chips."

Native American Times - America's Largest Independent, Native American News Source

Native American Times - America's Largest Independent, Native American News Source: "Tornado warning for Class II gaming
Guest commentary

TULSA OK
D. Michael McBride III 7/6/2006

A tornado warning affecting Class II Indian Gaming has been issued. Although storm spotters have long reported three, impending, super cell storms, the storm system recently gained structure and intensity. It now poses an imminent threat to tribal sovereignty and the economic viability of Class II gaming. Indian Tribes are advised to take immediate action to protect Indian gaming.

The super cells are comprised of the following:

-The National Indian Gaming Commission�s (�NIGC�) proposed classification standards and definitions for �electronic or electromechanical facsimiles� published on May 25, 2006;

-Recent efforts by the United States Justice Department (�DOJ�) to induce the United States Congress to amend the Johnson Gambling Devices Act; and

-Senate Bill 2078 amending the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (�IGRA�).

Each proposal is fueled by a myriad of conditions, including appeals by the DOJ and the NIGC for bright line clarity between Class II and Class III games, the Jack Abramoff scandal and the ascendancy of Indian gaming as the most successful federal economic development policy in history. The desire by many non-Indian observers to restrict Class II Indian gaming provides additional power to the storms. Although the Senate Report accompanying the IGRA states that tribes should have maximum flexibility to use technology in Class II gaming, the DOJ and NIGC appear committed to the notion that Congress could not have envisioned and would not condone the present advances in technology. "

Monday, July 03, 2006

Tribal revenues surge - Seattle - MSNBC.com

Tribal revenues surge - Seattle - MSNBC.com: "Tribal revenues surge

By Deirdre Gregg
Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle)
Updated: 7:00 p.m. CT June 25, 2006
Washington's gaming tribes are generating more revenue by investing heavily in hotels, restaurants, golf courses and other facilities that complement their growing casino businesses.
Gaming revenue at the state's tribal casinos jumped about 28 percent to $1.31 billion in 2005, according to a new study by Alan Meister, an economist at the Los Angeles office of consultant Analysis Group Inc. Tri"