gambling games

The Supreme Court should let states set their own sports gambling laws

Published

6 years ago

December 4, 2017

American democracy’s comic opera frequently features collaborations of “bootleggers and Baptists.” These entertainments are so named because during Prohibition, Baptists thought banning Demon Rum would improve public morals (oh, well) and bootleggers favored the ban because it made scarce a commodity for which there was a demand that they could profitably supply. On Monday, the Supreme Court will listen — with, one hopes, a mixture of bemusement and amusement — to arguments concerning another prohibition.

This one concerns a law banning what many millions of Americans do anyway — illegally betting between $150 billion and $400 billion annually on sports events. Illegality prevents precise knowledge, but if the sum is just $150 billion, that sum exceeds the combined revenue of Microsoft, Goldman Sachs and McDonald’s. The Baptists in this case are those who consider gambling a vice that state governments should discourage. The bootleggers are those who supply illegal gambling services on the Internet and elsewhere.

The court’s nine fine minds need not, and should not, trouble themselves with the question of whether this particular prohibition is sensible. They should, however, defend federalism by telling the national government to stop telling state governments what laws they cannot change.

Twenty-five years ago, gambling was rapidly becoming regarded less as a vice that state governments should discourage and more as a source of revenue that those governments would encourage. But in 1992, then-Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), a former college and NBA basketball star who worried about the possible corrupting effects of gambling on sports, wrote the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). It says no government entity may “authorize” wagering on sporting events. This has not deterred the many millions of Americans who since 1992 have wagered trillions on such events. Next March, the sum wagered on the college basketball tournament — approximately $9 billion — will exceed the NBA’s estimated revenue for the 2017-2018 season ($8 billion).

In a 2011 referendum, New Jersey voters authorized their legislature to do what it did in 2014: partially legalize sports betting by repealing a law prohibiting such wagering at racetracks and casinos. The NCAA and professional sports leagues objected, saying that by “authorizing” such gambling New Jersey was violating PASPA. A federal circuit court agreed, rejecting the state’s argument that PASPA violates the 10th Amendment. (“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”) The court said New Jersey’s partial repeal affirmatively authorized sports wagering by directing it to particular venues. The court argued that PASPA did not unconstitutionally “commandeer” state resources because it did not compel New Jersey to take a particular action or devote resources to administering federal choices.

An amicus brief supporting New Jersey argues that federalism precludes the national government from forbidding a state to pass a law “that neither violates the Constitution nor addresses any matter pre-empted by federal law.” Congress has not chosen, as it could, to prohibit sports betting; instead, Congress has paralyzed states, preventing them from changing laws that such betting violates and effectively commandeering state resources to enforce a policy that the state dislikes.

The brief also says: “Depriving the body that enacted a law of the ability to repeal or amend that law defeats the purpose of representative democracy.” It is indisputable that Congress cannot “directly compel New Jersey to enact a prohibition on sports betting.” Therefore, Congress may not prevent the state from repealing such prohibition. In either case, the state is being forced to regulate behavior it would prefer to deregulate or to regulate in its own manner.

As currently construed, PASPA requires states to disregard an emerging consensus: In 1993, 56 percent of Americans disapproved of legalizing sports betting. Now, 55 percent approve. Twenty states have joined an amicus brief supporting New Jersey, and legislation has been introduced in a dozen states to legalize sports betting if New Jersey wins. The professional sports leagues are recalibrating their thinking, partly because legalizing and regulating sports betting would make it easier to detect suspicious surges of bets that might indicate rigged competition, and partly because wagering expands and intensifies fans’ engagement. For example, bettors watch more NFL games, and watch for longer, than non-bettors.

Besides, the NFL is moving the Oakland Raiders to a city built by gambling, Las Vegas, where an NHL franchise has just begun its first season. The outcome in the Supreme Court is difficult to predict. It is, however, legal to bet on it.

Source

George Miller

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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gambling games

The Best 11 Bingo Slots Online Products

Published

2 years ago

August 1, 2022

Gaspar Incze

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lv
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Armenia

Armenian parliament adopts bill on gambling in the first reading

Published

6 years ago

January 19, 2018

George Miller

The Armenia National Assembly voted overwhelmingly to adopt the draft law on making amendments in the law on combating terrorism in the first reading at today’s sitting.

The parliament fully adopted the draft law on making amendments and supplements in the law on the “RA Investigative Committee” and the attached package of draft laws in the second reading with a vote of 85 for and 7 against.

The issue of adopting the draft law on making addendum to the Criminal Code initiated by MPs Karen Avagyan and Hrayr Tovmasyan in the second reading was also put up to voting.

The bill passed overwhelmingly the parliament’s second reading. In a speech ahead of the voting, Tsarukyan faction MP Naira Zohrabyan voiced the faction’s intention to support the bill in the second reading since the proposals submitted by the bloc over the measure had been accepted.

The Armenian parliament also overwhelmingly voted to adopt the draft law on making amendments and supplements in the law on energy and the attached bill package in the first reading.

The draft law on making amendments and supplements in the law on “Games of Chance, Online Games of Chance and Casinos” and the attached package passed the parliament’s first reading, receiving a total of 93 votes in favour.

The National Assembly also fully adopted the law on the Constitutional Court and the attached draft package in the second reading with 87 votes for and 7 against.

Source: panorama.am

EEG iGaming Directory

Play’n Go launches Mystery Joker 6000

Published

6 years ago

December 22, 2017

George Miller

Omni-channel slots specialist Play’n Go has reinvigorated the much-loved fruit slot in its latest title Mystery Joker 6000.

The three-wheel, five-payline game delivers the same classical symbols known to slots fans, with the introduction of the Joker symbol which triggers free spins and big wins on finding it.

When players land a Joker on a payline that runs across reels one and two, the third will re-spin while the rest are held, and if a third Joker is found, the innovative mystery wheel feature is triggered, potentially paying out up to 6000 times the current coin value.

Mystery Joker 6000 allows players to transfer winnings from the main game into the super meter mode, where bets cost double but wins even bigger, and with the mystery wheel even easier to find.

Landing three jokers randomly across the reels in the base game will pay out randomly up to 6000 times the coin value, with three on the one payline automatically awarding the full 6000 times to the player.

Significantly, super meter mode offers an RTP of over 100%, hugely attractive to players looking for consistent wins, and unique for what appears to be a traditional fruit slot.

Johan Törnqvist, chief executive officer of Play’n Go, said: “The traditional fruit slot has been a mainstay of the casino space for decades with players loving its simplicity and regular payouts.

“We’ve decided to add the Play’n Go creative touch to the classic and reinvigorate the genre for today’s player, and we’re sure they’ll enjoy Mystery Joker 6000’s much-improved gameplay.

“The Super Meter mode will offer players constant choice between big wins or potentially even greater ones should they feel lucky, particularly as the Mystery Wheel will come into play when finding just two Jokers.”

Mystery Joker 6000 marks Play’n Go’s final release of an award-winning year, which has seen it launch 60 new titles across various genres. It’s set to build on this in 2018, with a product roadmap in place that will see even more innovative and enjoyable slot releases.