Free Republic

....Asked about the legalization of online gambling, Santorum responds: "I’m someone who takes the opinion that gaming is not something that is beneficial, particularly having that access on the Internet. Just as we’ve seen from a lot of other things that are vices on the Internet, they end to grow exponentially as a result of that. It’s one thing to come to Las Vegas and do gaming and participate in the shows and that kind of thing as entertainment, it’s another thing to sit in your home and have access to that it. I think it would be dangerous to...

A Republican bill that would bar welfare benefits from being spent at strip clubs, casinos, and liquor stores was assailed by Melissa Boteach, of the liberal Center for American Progress. “This is wrong on so many levels,” Boteach claimed. “Right off, it’s an invasion of privacy. The government has no business telling people how to spend their money. These aren’t children we’re dealing with. They’re adults with adult urges and needs. They have a right to meet these needs as they see fit.” “Besides, being poor is depressing,” Boteach added. “These people may have more than an average need for...

For years, Monsignor Kevin McAuliffe lived something of a double life. He was widely admired by his flock at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, which he helped build into one of the largest Roman Catholic parishes in the Las Vegas area. But at the same time, he was stealing money from the church. He stole from the gift shop. He stole from the votive candle collection. He stole from a fund for novenas, or Masses in honor of the dead. Over nearly a decade, he pocketed about $650,000. His motive was all too familiar in slot-machine-heavy Nevada. McAuliffe was a gambling...

Many States are scrambling to build new casinos. They mistakenly believe that this is a surefire prescription for more tax revenue and jobs. They’ve bought into the false Las Vegas Myth–that if you build it and it has a blackjack table, a roulette wheel and a craps table–they will come. However, Vegas is looking more and more like Detroit, yet another failed US city. Do politicians believe that encouraging and subsidizing these parasitic industries is going to build wealth? As libertarians we are not against citizens starting and running gambling enterprises. They’ve been doing it since the before the Babylonians...

Reuters reports that the Obama administration has reversed a long-standing ban on Internet gambling, clearing the way for states to legalize and regulate it: The Obama administration cleared the way for states to legalize Internet poker and certain other online betting in a switch that may help them reap billions in tax revenue and spur web-based gambling. A Justice Department opinion dated September and made public on Friday reversed decades of previous policy that included civil and criminal charges against operators of some of the most popular online poker sites. Until now, the department held that online gambling in all

(Reuters) - The Obama administration cleared the way for states to legalize Internet poker and certain other online betting in a switch that may help them reap billions in tax revenue and spur web-based gambling. A Justice Department opinion dated September and made public on Friday reversed decades of previous policy that included civil and criminal charges against operators of some of the most popular online poker sites. Until now, the department held that online gambling in all forms was illegal under the Wire Act of 1961, which bars wagers via telecommunications that cross state lines or international borders.

DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - Safety inspectors are on site of the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cleveland. This after rescue crews were called Friday to Ontario and Prospect for a collapse near the Horseshoe Casino construction site. According to officials with Rock Gaming LLC the collapse happened across from Higbee building, on the site of the parking structure that is currently being erected. The collapse happened around 3:00 PM. There were 22 workers below when the floor with tons of steel, iron, and concrete, came crashing down above them. "They were pouring the concrete in the second floor and there...

It wouldn’t matter whether it was at the gambling mecca of Vegas, or, as in the case of Behar Merlaku, at a little-known casino in the tiny Austrian town of Bregenz – if the bells and lights on the slot machine I’m on start ringing and flashing, telling me I’ve won $57 million, then of course I’ll be planning my retirement. But when Swiss national Merlaku went to claim his jackpot, owners of the casino simply said there’d been a “software error” and that the 26-year-old was therefore not entitled to the big money prize. Instead they offered him $100...

A tense, argumentative Patrice Tierney testified under oath today that she still believes her fugitive brother Robert Eremian is a legitimate, albeit highly paid, software consultant in Antigua — and not the kingpin behind a multimillion dollar gambling empire that prosecutors claim. He’s very good with software,” the 60-yer-old wife of U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney told the jury in the federal racketeering and money laundering trial of her other brother, former Florida restauranteur Daniel Eremian, 61. Congressman Tierney, a Salem Democrat, did not accompany his wife of 14 years to U.S. District Court in Boston. Patrice Tierney, a wedding...

The wild-child stepson of U.S. Rep. John Tierney was so strung out on drugs, booze and betting that he was fired twice as a bookie and debt collector for his family’s Internet gambling empire, John Chew testified yesterday at his uncle’s racketeering trial under a grant of immunity from prosecution. “After I was thrown off the island the second time, I wasn’t allowed to have anything to do with SOS,” said Chew, 37, referring to the Antigua headquarters of Sports Off Shore, which prosecutors allege was run by Tierney’s brothers-in-law Robert and Daniel Eremian, employed their late father, “Big Bob”...

Kyrgyzstan's parliament has voted to ban gambling, meaning casinos will close throughout the country. The bill was passed with almost no opposition, following repeated warnings from politicians that gambling has become a major social problem.

Thousands of campaign donations received by U.S. Rep. Barney Frank from three Full Tilt Poker stars allegedly involved in a Ponzi scheme to defraud online players will be set aside to compensate victims, according to Harry Gural, Frank’s spokesman. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara yesterday alleged that Full Tilt took money from players and paid out more than $440 million to board members and owners, including at least three men, Howard Lederer, Rafael Furst and Craig Ferguson, who have donated to Frank’s election campaign. Frank (D-Newton) has been one of the most vocal congressional supporters of legalizing online gaming and...

USC's 23-14 victory over Utah sent Las Vegas sports books into a tizzy Saturday night. The game originally ended with USC winning, 17-14. But two hours after the game, the Pacific 12 Conference overruled game officials who had not allowed a last-second touchdown by USC's Torin Harris after a blocked field-goal attempt. Contacted about the finish by The Times, a supervisor at the MGM Mirage Sports Book said, "That cost us huge. We needed USC to cover the 8½ and when they didn't allow that touchdown, that killed us."

Governor Deval Patrick, who has said repeatedly and as recently as last week that he does not take donations from or meet with gambling industry representatives, has done both as he and legislative leaders begin their third attempt to legalize resort-style casinos in Massachusetts. Yet the governor insisted again last week on his monthly radio show on WTKK-FM: “I don’t take contributions from gaming interests. I haven’t engaged with any of the gaming lobbyists.’’ Asked yesterday how the $6,200 from gambling lobbyists ended up in his campaign account, Patrick said to ask the director of his political committee. “With all...

Radar Online is reporting that a bunch of Hollywood’s elite are being sued in connection with their participation in high-stakes poker games. The civil complaint alleges that the money won by said Hollywood elite was actually money stolen by a hedge-fund manager from his clients to pay off his enormous gambling debts. According to the report, Toby “Spider-Man” Maguire was the big winner making $1,000,000 a month in winnings. Interesting. Maybe the next time Maguire is in D.C. for a photo-op with President Obama, he can explain to the president why he’s exempt from paying his fair share of taxes...

Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire is among more than a dozen high-profile Hollywood celebrities being sued in connection with a mega-millions illegal gambling ring that ran high-stakes underground poker games, Star magazine is reporting exclusively. Maguire, 35, won more than $300,000 from a Beverly Hills hedge fund manager who embezzled investor funds and orchestrated a Ponzi scheme in a desperate bid to pay off his monster debt to the star and others, it's alleged. An FBI investigation into Brad Ruderman, the CEO of Ruderman Capital Partners, uncovered how he lost $25 million of investor money in clandestine poker games held on...

Illinois is on the verge of a major gambling expansion, and citizens are being pelted with competing claims. The advocates envision a gusher of jobs and tax revenues. The opponents brace for an epidemic of bankruptcies, crime, divorce and suicide. Which side to believe? Neither. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is now considering whether to sign or amend a measure authorizing five new casinos, including one in Chicago, and slot machines at racetracks as well as Chicago airports. The capacity of gambling establishments in Illinois would more than triple. The motive for this sudden interest is economic. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel...

Williams, who had gambled away his life's savings, sued the casino, claiming, among other things, that the "cease admissions" letter was a fraud and that Aztar broke its obligation to keep him out. But a federal appeals court dismissed the case, noting that Aztar's letter didn't say Williams would be barred from entering and gambling, just that the casino could stop doing business with him if it chose. The Williams case and others like it show that, in the eyes of American courts, casinos have no legal requirement to stop compulsive gamblers from gambling. The rulings are vindication for the...

A San Diego mother is suing Chuck E. Cheese, the favorite pizza chain of kids across the nation, accusing the restaurant of illegal gambling. Denise Keller, mother of two daughters, says Chuck E. Cheese has replaced its traditional games of skee-ball and whack-a-mole with machines that resemble slot machines, Capitol Weekly reported. The lawsuit says that “many games found at Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurants are illegal gambling devices that require little or no skill and are predominantly games of chance, much like a roulette wheel,” according to the paper. Keller’s attorney, Eric Benink, said the games have flashing lights and...

ACTION STEP: Please contact your Texas Legislators and tell them that we do not want any expansion of gambling in our state. Ask them to vote against both Rep. Hamilton’s HJR 147 and Rep. Hilderbran’s HB 254. Hilderbran’s bill is making rapid progress and is on the General State Calendar for this Tuesday, on 5.10.11. Hilderbran’s bill makes Texas horse racing derbies possible; and, of course, the next small step would be a piece of legislation to open the way for racetrack casinos (“racinos”) at those horse racing derbies. We do not want any expansion whatsoever of gambling in Texas...

House Bill 520 passed the House with unanimous support this week. The legislation would allow the Commonwealth to intercept PA Lottery winnings from individuals who are delinquent in state taxes. [Snip] The legislation also takes money out of winnings for delinquent child support payments.

Details are slowly trickling out about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s secret, week-long trip to China with nine other senators. The lawmakers have given out minimal information about their itinerary because of supposed “security concerns.”...The Senate group included six other Democrats and three Republicans: Richard Shelby R-Ala.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) , Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).

This is the terrifying moment two armed robbers stormed a Florida internet cafe, in a dramatic shoot-out which left one man dead. Chilling footage shows the men, dressed in dark clothing and bandannas, charge into the store before being confronted by a security guard. Customers can be seen hiding under their chairs and computer screens as bullets rip through the store. The security guard then shoots down one of the robbers, 21-year-old Gary Bryant, who crawls away from the store to a getaway car before being dumped by his accomplices in a nearby parking lot. Bryant later died in hospital...

Coincidence? Or Chicago-style strong arming by the Federal Government? Or both?Just days after Washington D.C. approves online poker gambling, the Justice Department, FBI hands out indictments to three major online poker sites charging them with bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling offenses. (via The Hill) “Executives at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker have been charged with bank fraud and money laundering. The FBI shut down three of the largest poker websites Friday in what appears to be the largest crackdown on illegal online gambling to date. Eleven executives at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker have...

The founders of the three largest online poker sites were indicted by the FBI on Friday in what could serve as a death blow to the thriving industry. Eleven executives at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker were charged with bank fraud and money laundering in an indictment unsealed in a Manhattan court. Two of the executives were arrested on Friday morning in Utah and Nevada. Federal agents are searching for the others. Prosecutors are seeking to immediately shut down the sites and to eventually send the executives to jail and to recover $3 billion from the companies. By...

An advertisement on the radio yesterday and today caught my attention. The ad scarcastically says "Thank You" to Texas for sending many of its gaming dollars to Louisiana for horse racing, casinos, etc. and for causing "thousands" of good-paying jobs to go to Louisiana along with support for "schools". I wonder when the media is going to investigate lies like this instead of fawning over Obama. Research shows gambling to clearly be detrimental to society and especially to the poor of society. Go look at the areas where casinos are rife in Louisiana and research the societal ills that come...

If something is allowable does that make it virtuous? When gambling was illegal, it was pretty clear that gambling was a vice, not a virtue. But, when gambling was made legal first in Las Vegas, then Atlantic City, and ultimately in the vast majority of states, the stigma was removed but is gambling a public virtue because the revenue supports a higher good? Is crime reduced, are families strengthened, communities improved??? Does the legalization of abortion make abortion virtuous? What if we harvest the tissue to advance medical science, is it then virtuous? Do “no fault” divorce laws make divorce...

Remember back when the conservative voters of this state won a massive victory on 11.2.10, and we felt Texas deserved a conservative Speaker who would appoint committee chairs and members who would further the conservative agenda? For over three months the conservatives in Texas waged a battle against the choice of Rep. Joe Straus as Speaker of the Texas House because we knew that Joe Straus was no conservative. Unfortunately, on Jan. 11, 2011, Joe Straus was chosen once again to be the Speaker of the House, but not before he was forced to spend millions of dollars to hire...

Religion: Theological Considerations Congress established the Social Security (SS-Ponzi) and Medicare (MC-Ponzi) schemes in 1935 and 1965 respectively, both as parts of the continuing New Deal extravaganza. SS-Ponzi and MC-Ponzi participants are effectively involuntary conscripts of the government; without free choice to decline either federal Social Security or Medicare. American citizens must either play these games, by congressional house rules, or go to prison. It should be realized that most religions abhor gambling and consider it to be sin against their Lord and Maker. However, American employees and self employed small business owners are required to pay both SS-Tax and...

Internet gambling is illegal unless you are running for PresidentPatte Avoids Prison Time reports, Patte, 72, owner of Patte’s Sports Bar and Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo to three years probation, with the first six months on home confinement with electronic monitoring, and a $21,000 fine. ...Patte and two other men, Christopher Marion, 33, and Mark Fino, 53, were charged in February 2010 with operating an Internet-based betting ring, willtobet.com. Prosecutors said bettors made wagers through the website, then paid their losses or collected their winnings at the popular bar on...

The son of a Las Vegas judge has been arrested in connection with the $1.5 million robbery in December at the Bellagio casino, police announced Thursday Anthony Carleo, 29, is charged with robbery with use of a deadly weapon, burglary with use of a deadly weapon, and trafficking in a controlled substance, authorities said in a statement released to FoxNews.com Carleo is the son of Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge George Assad"I think it goes without saying that as a father, I am devastated and heartbroken to see my son arrested under these circumstances, as is the rest of his...

Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, (D - Nevada), wants to expand the reach of gambling by legalizing online Poker in the U.S., using another piece of lame-duck legislation slipped in before a Republican-controlled House might successfully oppose it. Three GOP members in the House (Spencer Bachus of Alabama, Dave Camp of Michigan and Lamar Smith of Texas) oppose the Democrat's bill, as well as Senator Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky. Gambling has been in the news all over America, yet the people still love gaming. Iowa just re-elected Republican Terry Branstad, a governor who during his first term in...

Indian tribes and gambling PACs gave almost $1 million to Texas House candidates this round, directing 80 percent of it to beleaguered Democrats. Almost two-thirds of that money went to losers. The new Lobby Watch documents how professional gamblers ignored the odds to make risky bets against those who will now run the House. Read the new Lobby Watch here.

A year ago J Street — the putatively progressive fledgling counter to the Israel lobbying group AIPAC — was riding high. They had just received a write up in the New York Times Magazine that was somewhere between a press release and a love poem and, with a complaisant Obama in the White House, the tiny organization seemed poised to be a significant player in the Middle East discussion. My, as grandma said, have times changed. For starters, J Street’s director, Jeremy Ben-Ami, has shown himself to be a Junior Beltway Pinocchio, serially denying his organization had the financial backing...

The Chinese government wants to make it easier for their citizens to spend money in Atlantic City. The Chinese state-run credit card company, China UnionPay, is pushing for its credit and debit cards to be accepted at more locations in Atlantic City as part of an effort to expand its presence across North America. Local tourism officials welcomed the effort to attract more visitors from China, which they hope can build Atlantic City as a side-trip destination along the foreign tourism beltway between New York and Washington, D.C.

Charges have been filed against four men connected to a proposed casino in Fort Dodge who made $25,000 of campaign contributions to Governor Culver last year. The donations were made shortly before state regulators considered the Fort Dodge casino application. Two executives from Peninsula Gaming are among those charged with misdemeanors that carry a fine of over $1200 and the two could be sentenced to up to a year in jail if convicted. “Peninsula Gaming adheres to the highest standards of regulatory compliance, business practice and ethical conduct,” says Guy Cook, an attorney for Peninsula Gaming. ”They do things by...

It’s time honored tradition to attempt to gauge the political landscape and prognosticate who our next elected leaders will. But now, you can gamble money on it. According to data provided to TFoP by bodog.com released its 2012 odds for the Republican presidential nominees. Coming out on top, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is an early favorite at 3/1 (+300), along with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at 4/1 (+400). However, one of the bigger eye-catching surprises seems to be how high Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., is on the list, giving him the third best odds at 6/1 (+600). Rounding...

Patrice Tierney, the wife of Congressman John Tierney from the sixth district of Massachusetts, pleaded guilty yesterday "to four counts of aiding and abetting the filing of false tax returns for her brother, a federal fugitive who has been indicted on charges of illegal gambling and money laundering" in connection with an online sports betting operation he allegedly ran. * * * Rep. Tierney's Massachusetts colleague Barney Frank would legalize online gambling over the objections of law enforcement. * * * Frank, originally from Bayonne, NJ, was profiled last year in a piece by Jeffrey Tobin in The New Yorker,...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The owner of Alabama's largest casino, four state senators and several top lobbyists have been indicted on federal charges accusing them of vote buying on a bill to legalize electronic bingo. The indictment was released Monday as FBI agents made arrests at several locations across the state.

Read the latest: Feds charge 11, including McGregor and state lawmakers in gambling probe FBI agents swept across Alabama this morning arresting state lawmakers and lobbyists as part of a federal probe into efforts to pass gambling legislation last spring. The biggest name arrested so far has been VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor, who was arrested at his Montgomery home this morning. Also arrested today have been state senators Jim Preuitt, R-Talladega, Quinton Ross, D-Montgomery, Larry Means, D-Attalla, Harri Anne Smith, I -- Slocomb and Montgomery lobbyist Jerrod Massey. McGregor lawyer Joe Espy of Montgomery said he knows of no evidence...

Carl Paladino talks about his confrontation with New York Post reporter, Fred Dicker.

Reds set to celebrate Rose's record knock Club will recognize 25th anniversary of hit No. 4,192 on Saturday By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | 09/10/10 10:00 AM ET CINCINNATI -- Much of the Reds' plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pete Rose becoming baseball's hit king remain under wraps, but fans should arrive at Great American Ball Park early on Saturday. Pregame ceremonies to commemorate Rose's 4,192nd career hit, which surpassed Ty Cobb on the all-time list on Sept. 11, 1985, begin at 6:30 p.m. ET -- 40 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Gates open at 5:20 p.m....

Editor: Re: “Gambling does have a downside,” (The Times, July 28). Before the opening of the Langley Cascades Casino, I had never been in a casino. I was curious and ventured in there one day. I was a little nervous only because I didn’t know how to work a slot machine. I walked around for a while, then I found an empty one right in the corner and sat down and proceeded to put my money in. In a heartbeat, $20 vanished. I was so upset that I had lost 20 bucks (I am the cheapest person when it comes...

College students are known for hauling home carloads of laundry for Mom, calling Dad to ask for deposits in their bank accounts, and partying. Now they can gamble. From Newser: New Site Lets Students Bet on Their GradesNothing like a little betting to keep Junior's grades up. A new website is taking wagers from American college students who want to bet on their own grades. Just as Las Vegas sports books set odds on sporting events, Ultrinsic will pay top dollar for A's, a little less for the more likely outcome of a B average or better, and so on....

Maybe there are some teeth in the push for legalization and sensible federal regulation of the Internet gambling industry after all. Sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) — chairman of the House Financial Services Committee — HR 2267 is a bill designed to establish federal oversight of an online gambling industry that currently resides in murky legal waters for U.S. players. It passed overwhelmingly 41-22 via committee vote last week, advancing the legislation to the House floor, where it hopefully will be voted on before the end of the 2010 session. If it gets that far, it will be the...

Senator Harry Reid can't play the race card in his race against Sharron Angle. He wouldn't dare play the gender card. So he's playing the only face card he holds -- the religion card -- as he aims to frame Angle as a Christian zealot holding extreme notions about the federal government that put her outside the mainstream of Nevadans. A Las Vegas Review-Journal article written by Laura Myers, entitled "Angle's religious zeal criticized: Reid campaign says opponent's comments show 'holy crusade' against government," recently slapped down the religion card for the Reid Campaign. "U.S. Sen. Harry Reid's campaign criticized...

Lottery ticket sales slipping Officials: Lagging sales won't affect school fund Updated: Saturday, 07 Aug 2010, 9:12 PM CDT Published : Saturday, 07 Aug 2010, 9:11 PM CDT AUSTIN, TX (KXAN) - Lotto Texas ticket sales are slipping. Sales have fallen short of covering the last two dozen jackpots. Lottery officials say the latest jackpot of $21 million at the end of July was $1.2-million more than ticket sales to cover it. That forced Texas Lottery Commission officials to dip into a state lottery account to make up the difference. But they insist that won't impact the school fund that...

In an unusual deal, prosecutors and defense lawyers on Wednesday agreed that a former Albuquerque securities agent who admitted defrauding investors out of $444,000 can avoid jail for a while to see if he can win back money to repay his more than 20 victims. And if Samuel McMaster Jr., 59, does well enough at the tables, he might avoid jail time altogether. McMaster admitted to 26 felony charges of securities fraud, sale of an unregistered security, sale of a security by an unlicensed broker-dealer, fraud over $20,000 and fraud over $2,500 as part of a plea agreement before District...

Under the liberty and freedom section of the new GOP website America Speaking Out, more Americans voted to legalize Internet poker than weighed in on any other issue. That should come as no surprise. When President-elect Barack Obama solicited ideas on his new website, www.change.gov, legalizing Internet poker was one of the two top issues. It would be easy to dismiss this as a coincidence or as a manufactured grass-roots campaign, but there is more to this story. There are plenty of issues that face the American people and plenty of big trade groups to push those issues. But it...

Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday will make public a plan that could bring Atlantic City’s casino district under state control. Assemblyman Vincent Polistina, R-Atlantic, who spoke with the Governor’s Office about the report’s contents Tuesday night, said he was told a key recommendation would turn over the tourism district of Atlantic City to state oversight. “That is an option, according to the report, to give the state an active role over the tourism district,” Polistina said.