Gamblor’s World

An excellent Australian resource with lots of interesting articles!

Know the Odds Inc - Home Page

through education, to prevent the harmful effects of problem gambling in the community

——————————————————————————–

NEW - Multimedia CD-ROM Kit for Secondary Schools - NEW
This kit has been produced with funding from the Foundation for Young Australians and the Uniting Church together with the kind assistance of the Deakin University School of Multimedia. The VHS video version of the kit upon which the multimedia kit is based was distributed to schools servicing a population of over 956,000 Victorians. Titled “You Figure It Out - Problem Gambling Today”, the kit is specifically designed to prevent students becoming problem gamblers and to enable them to understand problem gambling in others - 11 screens.

“I think it is long overdue.” - Rev Tim Costello speaking at the launch of the kit at Melbourne Girls College on 6 June 2001. If you wish to purchase a Kit (A$10 including postage within Australia) click on Order Form to display a printable order form which can be completed and forwarded with a cheque to Know the Odds Inc - details on the form.

IMPORTANT - Unbalanced reel gaming machines - IMPORTANT
Over four out of five problem gamblers in Victoria play gaming machines. “Devilishly clever” internal design of gaming machines now explained in detail for the first time. No person should play a gaming machine without reading this. Information also valuable for treatment of gaming machine problem gamblers - 21 screens

Schools - educating about Problem Gambling
Philosophy for educating to prevent problem gambling hardships - effective education without conflict - avoiding “responsible gambling” teaching - “waterproofing” students against problem gambling - preparing students to cope in a world with problem gamblers - 14 screens

Exercises for Use in Schools - Nature of Gambling
Free cut and paste curriculum materials - exercises and teachers’ notes - what is gambling? - what is a gambling operator? - why commercial gambling operators do not cheat - how the gambling operator makes a profit - random numbers and the law of averages - how much does it cost to gamble? - 65 screens

Exercises for Use in Schools - Problem Gambling
Free cut and paste curriculum materials - exercises and teachers’ notes - two historical perspectives - wife’s emotional problems - wife’s financial problems - the husband of the problem gambling wife - female problem gamblers - 52 screens

Rev Tim Costello’s Address at the Launch of KTO
“but such is the importance of the objectivity of this educational work, its freedom, its independence of spirit, its impartiality, that you have to be a realist to believe in those miracles and to say, this is necessary, this is what our young people deserve and what they need” - 6 screens

Rev Tim Costello’s Address at the Launch of the “You Figure It Out” kit
“So, I think it is long overdue, I think it is fantastic that this initiative of a group of people who have been concerned citizens that they went actually against that overwhelming tide of what ultimately is propaganda. … The truth of gambling is that so many people have their lives destroyed, their hopes destroyed because they have believed that tidal wave of propaganda. And therefore one word of truth, which the Know the Odds video is, neutral, factual, therefore you can’t really argue with it; it is really powerful.” - 5 screens

Information about Know the Odds Inc
Organisation’s philosophy, patron and members, education and delivery

Definitions of Gambling
“Gambling” defined from different perspectives - 5 screens

Women and Problem Gambling - forum paper
A must for any female 15 - 17 y.o. student or person concerned about women’s issues - 48 screens

The Grip of Gambling - forum paper
An account, taken from a diverse range of sources, of the process by which problem gambling occurs - useful for relatives of problem gamblers - 39 screens

Index of gambling news items Sept 97 to Dec 98
Simple but comprehensive index of Melbourne gambling-related items - big file!
Index of gambling news items Jan 99 to Dec 99
Simple but comprehensive index of Melbourne gambling-related items - big file!
Index of gambling news items Jan 2000 to September 2000
Simple but comprehensive index of Melbourne gambling-related items - big file!

Extracts from “The Compleat Gamester” by Charles Cotton 1674
Unaffected and penetrating observations about gamblers and gambling in Restoration England

Has Dealing with Alcohol Anything to Teach Us in Relation to Gambling
Paper by Professor David Hawks - parallels between the alcohol and gaming industries - application of harm minimisation strategies to “imprudent” gambling considered

Gambling Among Women - (Britain 1906)
Historical essay by JM Hogge MA printed in 1906 detailing gambling by British women and problems caused thereby
Links

Over 20 links to educational materials and sites.

Jana G. Pruden, The Leader-Post, Tuesday, December 12, 2006

With police officers all around, a veteran canteen employee at Regina’s RCMP Academy made hundreds of fraudulent transactions and stole more than $187,000 to feed a VLT addiction, a Regina court heard on Monday.

Marlowe K. Lang, 42, has pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 and is expected to be sentenced later this month by Provincial Court Judge Linton Smith.

Speaking in court on Monday, Crown prosecutor Chris Sabat said Lang had worked at the RCMP canteen for 19 years when a manager discovered a $465 transaction, which seemed unusually high for canteen items.

When the manager confronted staff –including Lang — about the suspicious transaction, the thefts stopped.

But a further review of the canteen’s operation turned up more questionable transactions, many of which took place in the early morning before the canteen was even open.

A full forensic audit found 721 irregular sales over a period of 21/2 years, all of which took place while Lang was at work and none of which occurred when he was off.

The scam involved a system of false sales and returns and some of the transactions credited money to Lang’s debit or credit cards.

The total value of the phoney transactions was $187,474, which Sabat said Lang has agreed to pay back in $20 instalments every month.

“At that rate of return Mr. Lang would make full repayment in about 781 years,” Sabat told court.

Lang’s lawyer, James Rybchuk, said Lang can now increase those payments to $80 per month, which would repay the theft in just under 200 years.

Most of the stolen money went “very quickly to one VLT or another,” Rybchuk said.

Rybchuk is asking that his client receive a community-based sentence of six to 12 months, part of which could be served on house arrest. Sabat is seeking 12 to 18 months in jail.

While the courts have traditionally made some allowances for criminal acts motivated by addictions, Sabat argued Lang’s gambling addiction was not overly severe, noting Lang gambled only on weekends and stopped stealing money after the confrontation with his manager made him realize he may be caught.

Lang also continued to pay household bills while the thefts were occurring and made RRSP contributions, Sabat told court.

But while Lang may not have gambled away all his family’s assets, Rybchuk said Lang’s addiction was still serious.

“His gambling was persistent and reoccurring,” Rybchuk said, noting Lang played VLTs at every opportunity and lied to his wife about how much he was gambling.

Rybchuk said Lang is on the verge of bankruptcy and “humiliated beyond belief.”

“So he has suffered and will continue to suffer quite a bit,” Rybchuk said.

The canteen where Lang worked is a non-profit business run by civilians working on contract for the RCMP. Profits from the venture go to the RCMP and are used for training, community and charitable events.

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2006

© 2006 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.

Dec 11, 2006 7:35 pm US/Eastern

(AP) HARRISBURG, Pa. Fourteen people were arrested Monday during a nonviolent protest outside the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board after they arrived to conduct a search for information about proposed gambling halls in Philadelphia.

The activist group Casino Free Philadelphia organized the event to draw attention to its claim that the board has not released sufficient information about the slot-machine parlors that could be located near its members’ homes. The group also has sought to delay a vote to license the slots parlors until the gaming board makes public more documents from the applicants competing for licenses and takes public comment on their final plans.

“They have a negative impact on neighborhoods and families,” said protester Morgan Jones, of Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood, as he was led away in plastic zip-tie handcuffs. “We feel that these were allowed in the dead of night without any public input.”

About 50 demonstrators, including students from a Philadelphia charter school, attended the event, chanting such slogans as “Hey, hey, ho, ho, the public has a right to know.”

Demonstrators read aloud from a “citizen search warrant” as they sought entry to the gaming board’s offices, which are in a privately owned office building across the street from the Capitol.

Security officials kept the protesters out of the agency’s fifth-floor offices by closing a set of glass doors in front of the elevators. Demonstrators remained at the building’s security desk, and police arrested those who ignored their requests to leave.

Those arrested were charged with disorderly conduct and released. Harrisburg City Police Capt. Pierre Ritter had said 18 people were charged, but protest organizers said only 14 were charged, and city spokesman Randy King confirmed that number.

A Casino Free Philadelphia organizer, Anne Dicker, said the event went according to plan.

Gaming board spokesman Doug Harbach said the protesters were not allowed to go inside the agency’s offices because they intended to search the offices for documents, which Harbach said was illegal.

Harbach contends the agency has released much of what the protesters were seeking, such as transcripts of public hearings on slots licenses and the public presentations by slots applicants.

The gaming board plans to vote next week to award up to 11 licenses to operate slots parlors. There are five applicants for two licenses set aside for Philadelphia.

Asked Friday about protests against the gaming board and slots parlors, gaming board chairman Tad Decker said the board understands that the slots parlors will have an impact on communities, but he said the protests will not have an effect on the voting.

He also said the board will not put off the vote to allow for public comment on the final proposals by the slots applicants.

“At the end of the day, we’ve been picked to vote and we’re going to fulfill our statutory obligation to vote,” Decker said.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

at http://www.youthgambling.com/

GameOverVLTs.com eNews - 12 December, 2006

General Meeting - All Welcome

Wednesday, 13 December, 2006

St Matthew’s United Church (hall on the side of the church)

Barrington Street. next to Maritime Mall, foot of Spring Garden Road

Halifax, N.S.

7:00 p.m.

1.00pm Tuesday December 12, 2006

The board of Harrah’s Entertainment, the world’s largest gambling company, plans to meet this week to consider buyout offers, sources familiar with the matter said today.

Harrah’s has set a deadline of tomorrow (NZT) on all bids and could also consider a leveraged recapitalisation should the bids not prove compelling, one source familiar with the situation said.

On October 2, Harrah’s said a committee of non-management directors was reviewing a takeover offer of US$81 ($119.64) per share from private equity firms Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group. A week later, a source familiar with the situation said the group had raised the bid to US$83.50 per share, or US$15.5 billion.

Las Vegas-based Harrah’s, which operates casinos under the Harrah’s, Caesars and Horseshoe brand names, has also drawn the interest of another group led by Penn National Gaming Inc and hedge fund DE Shaw.

Penn, which is significantly smaller than Harrah’s, is considering making a cash and stock offer, a source familiar with the situation said two weeks ago.

Private equity firms have turned to the casino sector as they look for cash-rich businesses in which to invest the hundreds of billions of dollars they have raised this year.

Last week, Station Casinos Inc said it had received a US$4.7 billion buyout offer from a group of investors that included management and Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm Colony Capital.

Harrah’s shares have risen 6 per cent since word hit the market on November 29 that a second group might make a bid for the company. Harrah’s has a market value of US$14.8 billion, based on its closing share price on Friday of US$79.59. Penn’s market capitalisation is US$3.2 billion.

Harrah’s was not immediately available for comment today. A spokesman for Texas Pacific declined to comment. Penn National also declined to comment.

- REUTERS

$4m sale of Wharf Casino approved
WEDNESDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2006
By SUE FEA

The $4 million sale of Queenstown’s Wharf Casino to a Malaysian-owned casino company has been approved by the Internal Affairs Department.

The department announced its decision yesterday to approve the sale to Malaysian-owned Lasseters Incorporated, owners of Lasseters Hotel Casino in Alice Springs, Australia. Wharf Casino managing director Mike Stone said the department’s approval allowed the sales contract to become unconditional yesterday and the casino would change hands on January 31.

Lasseters had agreed to pay $1 for the casino company and pay off Wharf’s $4 million of debt - effectively a sale price of $4 million.

Mr Stone blamed the decision to allow two casino licences in a small town like Queenstown for his company losing $3 million in its first three years of operation, after the casino opened in the Steamer Wharf Building in 1999.

“We haven’t lost any money in the last four years but we haven’t made any either. We’re getting $3 million less than what we put into it,” he said. “Because there were two casinos it just wasn’t worthwhile – we were never going to have a chance to make any money. I could never understand why the other casino (Sky City Queenstown Casino) didn’t buy us out…,” Mr Stone said.

‘We haven’t lost any money in the last four years but we haven’t made any either.’ Wharf Casino managing director Mike Stone

The smaller Wharf Casino is privately owned by Mr Stone, American businessman Phil Griffith, Queenstown businessman Graham Smolenski and two minor American holdings.

The directors had hoped the boutique-style casino, which now employs 52 staff, would be profitable, with a 20 percent share of the profits being donated to the community through a charitable trust, a condition of both casino licences.

The owners had significant business interests globally, owning resorts, health spas and golf courses, as well as the Alice Springs casino, Mr Stone said.

“These guys do a tremendous job “ it’s somebody fresh and they can afford the investment (in the business),” he said.

Mr Stone said he understood all 52 jobs would be safe under the new owners.

Press Release [13.12.06]

“Gambling-related crime is crossing more boundaries and is being reported more often in Christchurch than any other New Zealand city,” says John Stansfield, CEO of the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF).

“An elderly man buying a bank account number, and then fraudulently made withdrawals to fund his gambling is a serious concern,” says Mr Stansfield.

“This is not the type of behaviour that is common to our elderly, and proves that absolutely anyone can be affected by a gambling problem,” he says.

“The cost of this kind of crime falls not only on the family of the family trust but also his family and the whole community,” says Stansfield.

“The Christchurch community is suffering, and once again, Christchurch is looking like to be the gambling-related crime capital of New Zealand.”

Cases of gambling-related crime in Christchurch include:

Man committed six knife-point robberies to fund his gambling problem (September, 2006)
Man committed public nuisance offences because he of his gambling and alcohol problems (September, 2006)
Catering manager stole $6872 from his employer for gambling (September, 2006)
WINZ case manager fraudulently accessed $102,475 by inventing a client so that he could gamble the money (Christchurch, July 2006)
Man with a history of fraud, defrauded second employer of $5761 for gambling (Christchurch, July 2006)
Lawyer defrauded client of $699,942 for lifestyle and gambling (Christchurch, April 2006)
Trusted employee from a car hire company stole $16,793 from his employer for his gambling problem (October 2005)
Machinery operator stole $231,399 from his employer for gambling (October, 2005)
Board member stole $22,382 from a trust for a gambling problem (August, 2005)
Manager of a Sumner restaurant stole more that $16,000 for a gambling problem (August, 2005)
Key accounts manager stole $265,944 for gambling (June, 2005)
Christchurch bank teller embezzled $380,800 for gambling on pokies (April, 2005)
Business woman stole $186,000 to gamble at Christchurch Casino (March, 2005)
Hong Kong used car salesman swindled $275,000 from Chinese students (March 2005)
Salesman conned customers out of $27,750 to feed a gambling problem (September, 2004)
Woman stole $3000 from her employer and faked a burglary to fund her gambling problem (March, 2004)
Woman stole $10,000 from her employer to fund her husband’s gambling problem (March, 2004)
Woman stole $9012 from her employer to fund a gambling problem (August, 2003)
Lawyer stole $1.78million by fraud and forgery to gamble at Christchurch Casino (March, 2003)
Each year thousands of New Zealanders are convicted of gambling-related crimes. On a steadily increasing basis, there are reports of fraud, money-laundering and theft for people to fund their gambling problems.

“We believe that the figures really are higher than reported, as a significant number of gamblers are not caught, so the crimes don’t get discovered. In other cases, the crime is discovered but the link to gambling wasn’t,” says Stansfield.

“These people are not career criminals. They could be our loved ones, our workmates and our neighbours. When we look at the big picture see we can see that problem gambling has harmed us all in some way or form,” says Stansfield.

“It is often not realised that problem gambling affects more than the just the individual. Research indicates that at least seven people are affected by one person’s gambling. This includes husbands, wives, partners, children, wider family members, employers and employees.”

“It should be a major worry for the gambling industry, more and more the links between gambling and crime are becoming obvious”, he says.

“However, it is not all doom and gloom. If you think know someone with a gambling problem contact us now on 0800 664 262 before it becomes a problem with the law. PGF provides free and confidential services to anyone with – or affected by problem gambling.”

For more information please contact John Stansfield on (027) 448 1520.

[13.12.06]

“Queenstown residents must be questioning the value of having casinos in their community,” says John Stansfield, CEO of the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGF).

“The Wharf Casino was allowed to be established on the basis that it returned a share of profits to the community through a community trust. The casino has never shown a profit so presumably there has been nothing to return to the community,” says Mr Stansfield.

“At the same time, the casino has been dragging money out of the community in the form of gambling expenditure, often from those who can least afford it,” he says.

“Gambling is responsible for a great deal of hardship in our communities and is responsible for a great deal of crime, poverty and other social ills,” says Stansfield.

“Supporters of the type of wide-spread legal gambling that we have in New Zealand point to the funds returned to the community as a justification for its existence. If a gambling operator is not able to return funds to the community, then it becomes an unacceptable burden on that community and there is surely no point in allowing it to operate.”

For more information please contact John Stansfield on (027) 448 1520 http://www.pgfnz.co.nz/PR_wharf_casino_worth.htm

By TONY BLAIS, COURT BUREAU, Edmonton Sun, Wed, December 13, 2006

To jail or not to jail?

That is the question a judge must answer in the case of a former treasurer of the Edmonton branch of the Navy League cadets who stole nearly $120,000 from the volunteer organization to fuel his gambling addiction.

Jari Antero Siik earlier pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 and Crown prosecutor Rhonda Tibbitt yesterday urged provincial court Judge Peter Caffaro to put the thief behind bars for between 18 and 24 months.

Court heard Siik has repaid $31,000 of the $118,341 he stole and Tibbitt also asked Caffaro to issue a restitution order for the balance owing.

Defence lawyer Bob Aloneissi asked Caffaro to let Siik serve whatever sentence he is given in the community under a combination of house arrest and curfew.

A sentencing date is slated to be set on Jan. 11.

According to agreed facts, Siik was the treasurer for the local branch of the Navy League of Canada between June 2004 and November 2005, and the thefts occurred from September 2004 to when he was let go.

Siik stole the money by writing cheques, a total of 82, to himself from the Navy League account.

He repaid $31,000 by depositing the money back in the Navy League account on Sept. 9, 2005, which was before the organization discovered the thefts. Siik also wrote an additional eight fraudulent cheques after that time.

Siik’s two daughters were members of the cadet group.

The Navy League promotes and organizes training of youth through cadet movements and other youth groups.

During the time Siik was the treasurer, the gas and the phone were cut off at the Navy League facility.

Court heard Siik was previously convicted of theft in 1992 and received a 90-day jail term.

Court also heard Siik suffers from diabetes, kidney disease, osteomyelitis and depression.

In a letter of apology, Siik called his actions “inexcusable” and blamed the thefts on his addiction to VLTs.

“What started as a fun time and an occasional gambling night turned into a monstrous lifestyle,” said Siik.

“VLTs turned my life into a nightmare.”

Copyright © 2006, Canoe Inc.