Currently, the regulation of gambling activities in Maine is in the hands of the Maine Gambling Control Unit. An ongoing goal for the agency is to oversee gambling activities across the state, providing effective, efficient and consistent regulation.

As such, the authority constantly monitors the activities of land-based casinos. Online betting, which launched in November, is also scrutinized by the Maine Gambling Control Unit.

While the constant monitoring of casino operators was among the requirements set by Maine’s residents when they approved such activities, internal changes to the gambling regulator’s policies may result in more lax control.

This is according to a recently released report by WGME, which highlights the concern of one gambling inspector who complained about the actions of their boss who allegedly created a hostile work environment and implemented changes to the monitoring schedules for the inspectors.

Gayle Craig currently holds the role of a gambling inspector for Bangor’s Hollywood Slots and Casino. She is a subordinate of the Maine Gambling Control Unit’s director, Milton Champion. According to the recent report, Craig complained that her boss retaliated after she raised different concerns.

Decreasing the Monitoring Frequency as a Result of the Changes

The gambling inspector said that she and the other inspectors’ schedules changed from 10 hours for four days to eight hours for five days. But Craig’s main concern is that the changes in schedule deprived the casinos across Maine of 24/7 monitoring, something which was a standard practice before.

In the words of the gambling inspector: “Removing us two days a week is really impacting the casinos, and as far as I’m concerned the public would be interested because when people voted to bring casinos into Maine they voted for strict oversight and he’s removing it.”

Craig explained that the aforementioned change in the inspectors’ schedule means that there won’t be a representative of the gambling regulator in the late hours. Moreover, she warned that the changes mean that there won’t be a casino inspector present on Sundays and Mondays.

Michael Sauschuck, a commissioner with the Department of Public Safety, supported the change made by the gambling regulator’s boss. Sauschuck spoke in defense of the gambling regulator’s boss during a meeting earlier this week.

The recent report did not reveal what concerns the gambling inspectors raised with their boss. It is yet to be seen how the sector or gambling addiction groups will react to the change.

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Still, a final push to see a bill closing the loophole in public health law has been lacking, and this is why the United Auto Workers president, Shawn Fain, is now dead set on snuffing out cigarette smoke from gaming floors.

Mustering Support for Smoke-Free Casinos in New Jersey

He has recently won a pay rise for the union members, as the industry is scurrying to absorb costs, but also retain capable and skilled labor in the post-pandemic period. Shain and the UAW want lawmakers who are backing the proposed anti-smoking bill to make sure they move with it this Thursday during a scheduled hearing.

Casino workers have been the most passionate advocates calling for an end to smoking mandates since the pandemic, fearing for their health, but also because of raising awareness about the pernicious effects of second-hand smoking. Bipartisan support has been available with politicians of all stripes vowing to back the matter.

Even federal government representatives have spoken favorably of the matter, and yet, there seem to be one or two votes short. Fain now wants to see who the holdouts are and go after them it seems. Fain penned a letter in which he insisted that the voices of those suffering the most, casino workers and patrons, must be heard.

The UAW represents three casinos in New Jersey, Tropicana, Bally’s and Caesars, and workers in all three venues want to see tobacco and cigarette products banned as those have been repeatedly and empirically linked to worsening health conditions for workers. Fain’s letters state as much:

“Patrons blow cigarette/tobacco smoke directly into their faces for eight hours, and due to the nature of their work, table dealers are unable to take their eyes away from the table, so they bear through the thick smoke that surrounds their workplace.”

However, the UAW is also not willing to “negotiate” in the sense that there are certain red lines that can be crossed.

For example, an idea to have smoking rooms has been blasted by the UAW, widely echoing fears by employees that this measure would not significantly improve their conditions which are that they need to work while breathing secondhand smoke. Presently 25% of gaming floors allow smoking as an exemption to the state’s Smoke-Free Air Act.

A Complete Ban on What Is Long-Overdue Measure

Meanwhile, there have been such movements all over the country, which are gaining traction and will eventually succeed. New Jersey is not fully opposed to the idea but there is a lingering fear that if the measure is passed right away, then there may be unintended economic damage to the casino sector.

This has been dismissed by supporters of the bill, but even lawmakers who endorse the legislation agree that they may be a few votes short.

Fain’s appeal is strong, but it needs to reach the lawmakers who can cast the decisive vote and not be aimed at those who are already supporting the issue and feel remorseful that they can’t muster that last few votes to seal the deal. Thursday will be a new day to decide the matter during the upcoming Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee hearing.

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Earlier this year, the internet regulator in China, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), announced an unexpected probe into one of the local operations of DouYu, the Tencent Holdings-backed leading live streaming platform. At the time, local media reports confirmed that the watchdog sought to address issues with the platform related to pornography, among other content that is prohibited in the country.

Now, a Monday report released by China state-owned media outlet, Cover News, reveals that contact with Chen Shaojie, DouYu’s chairman, has been lost recently. While the report did not confirm that the chairman has been arrested, some local media outlets suggested that this may be the case. Allegedly, Shaojie’s disappearance may relate to content on the streaming platform involving gambling and pornography.

Details on the topic remain scarce but according to the recently released report, Shaojie was “taken away” by authorities in China. He is allegedly assisting with an ongoing investigation. The last time DouYu’s boss was seen was approximately three weeks ago. It remains unclear what the target of the investigation is and whether or not it is related to the probe of the CAC dating to earlier this year.

Not the First Time High-Ranking Executive Goes Missing

Although the latest announcement comes as a surprise, it is not the first time a high-ranking official in China has gone missing. Recently, Bao Fan, the founder and CEO of China Renaissance, and Jack Ma, the CEO of the globally recognized eCommerce business, Alibaba, also temporarily went out of public view.

This week, the South China Morning Post obtained a statement from DouYu in light of the news about Shaojie’s “disappearance.” The leading live-streaming company explained that its operations continue as normal. However, DouYu did not disclose information about its chairman’s whereabouts and neither confirmed nor rejected reports about his involvement in an ongoing investigation in China.

The last time Shaojie appeared publicly was this summer. Back in August, DouYu’s chairman participated in a conference call, to discuss the company’s second quarter results.

The post DouYu Boss under Investigation in China over Gambling, Pornography appeared first on Keno Wizard.

In January last year, New York launched its mobile sports betting market. Immediately the state set new records for betting handle, surpassing markets that had been operating for years. Then, the state sought to expand further the gambling options for residents and visitors, introducing a plan for three downstate casinos.

Announced a few months ago, the ambitious plan for new casinos in downstate New York is expected to attract significant investment and once operational, bring economic stimulus on a local and state level. But while establishing new casino locations may bring benefits for New York, this may not be the case for nearby New Jersey.

Casinos in New York May Impact Atlantic City

Earlier this week, Jim Allen, the chairman of the global casino, entertainment and hospitality company Hard Rock, participated in the East Coast Gaming Congress. During the congress, he painted a grim picture of the future of the gambling vertical in New Jersey, in light of the proposed construction of three new casinos in New York.

“I can tell you this: If we lose 20 to 30% of our business, it is not going to be a great day for Atlantic City.“

Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock

Allen was interviewed by the Associated Press and explained that recent revenue numbers create a deceiving view of the gambling sector in Atlantic City. He said that this is because internet gaming, as well as sports betting revenue is included.

According to Allen, land-based gambling “has been going backwards or flat, depending on the property, since last May” and this is not something that iGaming or betting can offset. Hard Rock’s chairman spoke about the impact of New York casinos explaining that losing 20% or 30% of the business would create difficulties for the gambling operators in Atlantic City.

“Atlantic City receives 20, 30-plus percent of its revenue from upstate New Jersey and downstate New York, and there’s no doubt it is going to have an impact on this particular market,“

added Allen

Focusing on revenue, Allen said that approximately 20% to 30% of the revenue in Atlantic City is generated from downstate New York and upstate New Jersey. He predicted that this specific market is likely to be impacted by the plans for three new casinos in New York.

Currently, Allen’s company owns a casino in Atlantic City which is among the top-performing gambling venues on the market. Additionally, Hard Rock is one of the gaming companies that is a part of the bidding process for the proposed New York casinos.

The post Hard Rock Boss Paints Grim Picture About Future of Atlantic City appeared first on Keno Wizard.

A new Amazon Prime documentary tells the story of the clashes between Jewish gangsters and Nazis in America. The documentary is called The Last Man Standing: The Chronicles of Myron Sugerman and follows the life of Sugarman, a criminal gambling mogul who often clashed with anti-Semitic groups in the United States.

Sugarman operated a variety of illegal gambling businesses and machines in New Jersey and Manhattan. In the movie, the now-85-year-old remembers his time at the Kosher-Nostra, the notorious Jewish mafia in America. Sugarman’s foray into the world of organized crime was facilitated by his father, Barney “Sugie” Sugerman, who was friends with many famous mobsters.

Sugie participated in a variety of illegal activities, from operating a variety of gambling machines to organizing illegal fights and robberies. However, Sugerman Junior was the true “godfather of illegal slot machines,” at least in his own words. He also describes himself as the “biggest contrabandist and bootlegger of Bally Bingo machines” in the US.

Although Sugarman has quite an impressive track record of participation in organized crime, he claims that a part of the mafia’s drive was to show others that Jews are tough and can fight. Regardless of whether this moral justification is true or not, Sugarman’s illegal gambling operations eventually earned him a prison sentence.

Despite that, Sugarman says that he does not feel sorry for his distribution and operation of gambling machines. He believes that the only reason the government outlawed these activities is that it wanted the profits for itself. The ex-mobster summarized this as “the big fish eating the small fish.”

Organized Crime Clashed with Nazism

Evidently, the Nazi rhetoric attracted the animosity of the Kosher-Nostra. Even before Sugerman had been born, the mob had founded the Newark Minutemen, a gang that was dedicated to fighting promoters of Nazi ideology.

Since 1930, the Newark Minutemen regularly clashed with American Nazis, including “the Hitler of the US,” Fritz Kuhn, and his followers. According to Sugarman, in later years, the mobsters would chase the Nazis out of buildings with stink bombs and beat them outside.

Several decades later, Sugarman joined forces with Simon Wiesenthal, a famous “Nazi hunter,” as the two sought to find Josef Mengele, Hitler’s “Angel of Death.” Sugarman funded Wiesenthal’s search and the two of them became good friends.

You can see Myron Sugarman’s story for yourself by watching The Last Man Standing: The Chronicles of Myron Sugerman on Amazon Prime. The hour-long movie is available for $9.99.

The post Amazon Film Looks at Illegal Gambling Boss Who Fought Nazis in the US appeared first on Keno Wizard.

This comes at a time when fans, players, and even clubs, not to mention politicians and health experts, have been calling for the reduced dependency of the AFL on gambling companies, and criticized the omnipresence of advertisement in broadcasts and on team shirts and properties.

The AFL Gets More Money from Gambling Companies

The contributions Gillon McLachlan, the head of AFL was referring to, are called “product fees.” The man was laconic about how much money was brought in for the organization this way but noted that it was a part of the turnover.

“We have product fee arrangements with all the wagering operators where we get a percentage of their operations on the AFL,” the boss confirmed during a parliamentary hearing, which is currently looking to better regulate online gambling.

McLachlan though used his appearance before lawmakers to make certain adjustments to his previous comments, and notably an interview he gave for 3AW. In that interview, he claimed that there was potentially too much advertising going around that involves sports gambling, but appearing on Tuesday, he told lawmakers that this was not truly the case.

In the meantime, fans have been very much on the side of consumers. The AFL Fans Association recently ran a massive survey encompassing 3,000 fans and posted the results which proved that around 75% of the people petitioned would have sports gambling advertisements banned from radio and television, to begin with.

McLachlan said that he was aware of these attitudes but cautioned that over-regulation was still not the right way forward. Meanwhile, gambling companies have changed their tune. Entain, one of the biggest companies in the Australian regulated gambling market, said that it acknowledged the demand for less obtrusive and pervasive regulation, adding that it now wanted to be a part of the solution and not act against fans’ desires.

The post AFL Boss Says Organization Gets Product Fees from Gambling appeared first on Keno Wizard.

This concern has finally made it to the very top of the organizaiton, with the AFL chief executive, Gillon McLachlan, acknowledging that there seem to be too many gambling ads currently permeating the sport.

AFL Boss Suggests Organization Doubling Down on Gambling Restrictions

His remarks come at a time when there has been growing opposition to gambling advertisements in the AFL and other sports, with academics, politicians, researchers, and consumers all calling for sports bodies to do the right thing and suspend gambling advertisements altogether.

Yet, this presents its own challenges, as many sports clubs and competitions have grown too reliant on funding from the betting and gambling industry. McLachlan did acknowledge that there are way too many ads as of right now, although he sounded reluctant to push for banning ads altogether.

“I don’t have a problem that other people do around wagering, I just think the volume is too much. It’s in your face,” he told Melbourne radio station 3AW. McLachlan confirmed that his organizaiton is currently looking into a proposal to restrict the number of ads seen during sports competitions and events.

But there are fears, too, including among AFL loyalists. Many people worry that should the number of ads be reduced, this would have an impact on grassroots investment and will leave many sports bodies without the means to nurture a healthy community at the lower tiers. The AFL even objected officially to a reduction in the rate of gambling ads.

McLachlan’s words now seem to not follow up on this previous position, although his words may also reflect a broader change in attitude in the organization. McLachlan was pretty clear on prohibition, though, arguing that the AFL would not back a full ban on gambling. While this may be true, regulators are worried that advertisement does not happen the right way.

Support for Banning Gambling Ads in Australia Ever Stronger

According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, children are still able to see gambling adverts, and this should be avoided. There also seems to be a record support for suspending gambling advertisements on TV and the radio, with 76% out of 3,000 surveyed people by the AFL’s Fan Association confirming that they were all for a ban.

The AFL continues to reassess its gambling practices and policies. A spokesperson confirmed that the AFL is broadcasting gambling ads at particular times of day when children are not able to see them.

The post AFL Boss Heeds Concerns about Oversaturation of Gambling Content appeared first on Keno Wizard.

The Mafiosi now on the lam is identified as one Marco Raduano, aged 39, and leader of the Sacra Corona Unita group. He was brought on charges of drug trafficking on top of a litany of other previous accusations, including gambling, extortion, and prostitution, and sentenced to 19 years in prison back in 2018.

Still, Raduano decided to cut his release date from 2046 to 2023. Raduano had managed to tie together enough bedsheets to slide down the wall of his prison cell in what prison cameras captured was a Hollywood-like escape act.

Sheets Make Good Bedfellows

The man, who is still missing, is known for his brutality and association with a criminal group that has been a major headache for authorities. What Sacra Corona Unita lacks in awareness among the broader population, though, it more for makes up in brutality that matches the operations of more notorious groups, such as ‘Ndrangheta and Cosa Nostra, which are also linked to various gambling, drugs, and human trafficking operations.

Sacra Corona Unita has earned a name for itself precisely for its merciless methods. Anyone on its cross-hair would end up dead with crushed skulls so that their families couldn’t give them an open-casket burial. All three groups mentioned here were known to collaborate on at least one illegal gambling project which was clamped down by authorities back in 2018.

The trio were running an illegal gambling ring that was estimated to be worth €4.5 billion at the time – around $4.80 billion today’s money. However, this is unlikely to have put the groups out of money. The Sacra Corona Unita in particular is running gambling dens in Albania, investigators believe.

Despite his penchant for violence, Raduano was not himself a violent prisoner while serving his time. He in fact ended up behaving as a model prisoner and was rewarded with a job at the library. It’s believed that his rather freer schedule let him plan his escape and act on his plan. The prison where he was held, Badu ‘e Carros, was also experiencing major staff shortages, meaning that Raduano’s escape was not noticed until after two hours.

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