Casino Gambling Tips and Information
A $1.35 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot winner faces a legal battle with the mother of his daughter as he tries to keep his identity a secret. The winning ticket, purchased in Lebanon, Maine, was claimed by the winner through an LLC to maintain his anonymity. However, a complicated series of events led to a significant fallout with family and friends. [Read more…] about $1.35B Lotto Winner Embroiled in Family Drama
In a recent vote, Vancouver’s ABC party has decided to change the city’s strict moratorium on gambling expansions. The amendment was passed despite opposition from health officials and calls for more public consultation.
The recent ruling allows new applications from the B.C. Lottery Corporation (BCLC), which can increase the number of slot machines and gaming tables at existing venues such as the Parq Casino and Hastings Racecourseb, reported CTV News Vancouver. However, the amendment does not allow the construction of new casinos.
ABC councilors Mike Klassen, Lisa Dominato, Rebecca Bligh, Peter Meiszner, and Lenny Zhou voted in favor of the staff recommendation to relax the restrictions on gambling.
Peter Meiszner noted that the proposal is very modest. He underscored that it just allows the addition of machines within the currently operating casinos and not expanding or building new facilities.
Still, the decision was not passed with a unanimous vote. ABC councilor Sarah Kirby-Yung opposed the proposal citing significant reservations. She noted that according to the staff report, which was initiated by the BCLC, an increase of $5 million is expected in Vancouver’s annual gambling revenue.
Kirby-Yung further argued that these financial projections unveil that the proposal has far more significance than it appears to, which in turn means that there will be a considerable increase in gambling activities in the city.
Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, Vancouver’s medical health officer, was also among the people who strongly opposed the amendment due to concerns about increased harm. He highlighted that gambling disorders can lead to severe problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, and financial difficulties.
Dr. Lysyshyn also reminded lawmakers that gambling addiction is recognized as a mental illness. He emphasized that even a small percentage of gamblers developing addictions could have far-reaching negative effects on families and communities.
OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle and Green councilors Adriane Carr and Pete Fry also voted against the proposal. Fry expressed criticism as there was no comprehensive public consultation and questioned whether the amendment of the 2011 moratorium was legal.
On the other hand, Adriane Carr called for more extensive public engagement, noting that the original moratorium followed eight days and nights of public hearings.
BCLC representative Lara Gerrits defended the proposal saying that expansion is necessary. She pointed out that the city’s population has grown by 20% since the moratorium was put in place. She noted that the current gambling facilities often reach capacity, especially after major events. Gerrits also mentioned that 67% of gambling spending by Vancouver residents currently goes to other Lower Mainland facilities.The amended moratorium allows the council to assess each application individually, with input from Vancouver Coastal Health and the Vancouver Police Department. The police reported no specific concerns about the amendment during the council meeting.
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The recent jackpot drop that saw one lucky player bag $1.3 billion from Powerball has motivated scammers to ride high on the post-event hype that has seen many people eager to get good news about winning a jackpot themselves.
A text message circulated last weekend promised Oregon residents to have a chance to win a part of the big jackpot as the person who had won the Powerball was going to hand-pick 10 people and share the jackpot with them.
People were then encouraged to call a phone number to claim their winnings, and many followed through. However, the Oregon Lottery assured that this was a phishing scam, which involves receiving unsolicited messages from random parties, as explained by Oregon Lottery assistant director of security Justin Hedlund.
“Some common warning signs of phishing scams include receiving an unsolicited message with a sense of urgency or a request for personal information. We expect there may be other scams out there trying to leverage the Powerball winner’s story, and it’s a red flag if something seems too good to be true.”
Not much other information has been released by the Oregon Lottery, including the consequences for residents who may have fallen in for the ruse, nor how many people may have been impacted. Carriers have been notified about the scam, however.
The Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot drops are habitually associated with a heightened level of activity in scam messages. Mega Millions similarly warned consumers about ongoing scams that were trying to target unwitting citizens and swindle them out of their own money rather than awarding a jackpot.
One of the common tactics used by scammers is to make their victims believe that they have won but would need to pay a release fee before they can claim their prize. These types of scams are very common, cautions Powerball.
“Lotteries will never ask you to pay a fee to collect a Powerball prize. If you are asked to pay a fee to claim a prize, you are likely being scammed, and you should not share any personal or banking information with those entities,” an official statement on its website reads. Yet, constant vigilance is needed to avoid becoming a victim of one of these scammers by accident.
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The Virginia Lottery currently offers a wide range of scratcher games. With dozens of games, prizes vary between $20 and the staggering $500,000. Last week one South Boston man collected the latter prize, after buying a Magnificent 7s scratcher ticket. The lucky man won the game’s $500,000 top prize after purchasing a ticket from the Food Lion at 3346 Halifax Road in South Boston, Virginia.
The hefty win marked the first top prize won from Magnificent 7s. Upon buying the winning lottery ticket, the man scratched it off at the parking lot and realized that he won the game’s grand prize. When asked what he intends to do with the winnings, the lucky winner, Russell Gomes, said that he wants to pay for a vacation he planned before the win.
Considering that one top prize from Magnificent 7s was won, there are two more top prizes remaining. While the overall odds of winning a prize from the scratch-off ticket are 1 in 5.9, the chances of winning the top prize are 1 in 612,000.
Currently, profits from the Virginia Lottery benefit K-12 education in the state. Halifax County, Gomes’ place of residence, benefitted from more than $4.4 million in K-12 education funding from the Lottery for the last fiscal year.
On the other hand, according to the Lottery, some $867 million was raised for K-12 education for Fiscal Year 2023. The sum represents a whopping 10% of the state’s total K-12 education budget.
The winner of the Magnificent 7s scratcher game’s top prize works as a truck driver. He purchased the ticket just after finishing his shift. In fact, Gomes was on his way to buy some chicken for dinner. Undoubtedly, he will always remember this particular visit to the grocery store that made him half a million richer.
Gomes collected his winnings last week. “I really didn’t believe it! It feels great,” he shared with Lottery officials when collecting the $500,000 top prize from Magnificent 7s. Still, it’s important to note that the collected prize is before the applicable taxes in Virginia.
Besides two top prizes, Magnificent 7s has three second-tier prizes of $10,000 each which remain unclaimed. The scratch-off lottery game had five $2,000 prizes but only one remains unclaimed. The price per scratch-off ticket for the game is $10.
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Internet casino gambling in the United States has a bright future ahead, according to industry experts and executives, who participated in this year’s SBC Summit North America. Despite a range of obstacles that are currently thwarting its expansion and concerns regarding its impact on brick-and-mortar casinos, the overall sentiment from the industry is positive.
The progress of legalizing online casino gambling in the US has been slow but still a number of US states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia, have already introduced it. Despite this slow uptake, industry experts and leaders believe that the future of gambling lies online.
Elizabeth Suever, a vice president at Bally’s Corporation, noted that consumers, particularly millennials, have changed their habits considerably and are more and more reliant on their smartphones for anything from shopping to banking services making their lifestyles predominantly mobile-centric. She added that this is where gambling is going to as well, reported the Associated Press.
However, these positive sentiments do not reflect the state of the market. Despite online sports betting being available in 38 US states and Washington D.C., internet gambling has remained very limited. Even Nevada, the Mecca of gambling, has only introduced online poker and no online casino games.
Shawn Fluharty, president of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, highlighted that there is a significant disparity between the extensive growth of sports betting following the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision in 2018 and the next-to-non-existent expansion of online casino gaming. However, he also expressed optimism about the eventual uptake of igaming.
Brandt Iden, a vice president at Fanatics Betting & Gaming, echoed this sentiment. He commented on how important it is to embrace online gaming for the industry as a whole in order to be successful. He also stressed that the industry has to make efforts to educate legislators regarding the benefits of legalized online platforms compared to illegal offshore gambling websites.
The industry’s stance may be positive, but there are still many concerns regarding the negative implications of the spread of iGaming across the US. These include fear of increased addiction rates and the cannibalization of revenues from physical casinos.
However, online gambling supporters argue that iGaming can complement traditional casinos and stimulate economic growth. Adam Glass, an executive at Rush Street Interactive, highlighted that there is a potential for new job openings and synergy between online and offline gaming operators.
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Over 320,000 Missourian voters have signed a petition seeking to greenlight a casino at Lake of the Ozarks. After four consecutive failures to get the casino question on the ballot, the matter may finally be put to voters.
For context, the Missouri constitution only allows casinos to be constructed near the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. This means that the people of the state must vote in favor of a constitutional amendment in order to expand the list of waterways that allow gaming.
The signatures will now be verified by the state. For reference, the number of certified signatures needed to get the matter to the ballot is approximately 173,000.
If the Lake of the Ozarks casino secures the Missourian voters’ approval, the state will get a new resort featuring a hotel, casino, spa, restaurants, shops and a convention center, among other facilities. This is a significant departure from the traditional riverboat model other casinos in the model still use.
While Missouri legally defines casinos as “excursion gambling boats,” it interprets this term rather broadly and, in 2021, amended the definition to include “nonfloating facilities.” Casinos can also be on the shore, as long as they are within 1,000 feet of the Missouri or Mississippi River and have at least 2,000 gallons of water inside or underneath the facility in rigid or semi-rigid containers, tanks or structures.
The Lake of the Ozarks casino question is being promoted by the Osage River Gaming & Conventions (ORGC) investor group. The group, which turned to polling after failing to get the casino matter to appear on the ballot previously, is optimistic about its momentum.
The organization pointed out that the project will generate significant benefits for the local economy. For example, tax revenue from the project will provide local schools with a significant boost. Local revenue, on the other hand, will fuel a variety of public services, including infrastructural upgrades.
Additionally, proponents expect the Lake of the Ozarks casino to bolster tourism. The 20-acre property’s facilities will provide a variety of entertainment options to gaming and non-gaming visitors alike.
The new property will be run by Bally’s Corporation and will create between 700 and 800 permanent jobs.
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Mega Millions published the news on Sunday, confirming that a player had won $1 million in the latest draw with five correct numbers, but short of the six numbers needed to bag the $284 million prize pool instead.
The ticket matched the numbers for the Friday, May 3 drawing, but unfortunately did not guess the Mega Ball number of 11. The winning numbers for both the ticket and the big jackpot were 6, 13, 15, 53, and 56. Only one ticket came this close in the latest drawing, out of millions sold tickets.
Mega Millions also confirmed that 908,000 tickets in the United States won prizes ranging from as little as $2 to $20,000. The odds of winning the actual jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350 and a ticket to enter the event costs $2.
With the big prize missed out, this means that millionaire hopefuls will have the chance to try again to win the $306 million on Tuesday, May 7. The combined value of the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot has now officially exceeded $500 million, meaning that the United States has much to look forward to in lottery prize draws.
The Powerball will be drawn on Monday, May 6, and offer a chance to make another player the winner tonight.
In the meantime, the current Mega Millions jackpot is still a far cry from its record in March last year, when a New Jersey player won the eye-watering $1.13 billion and opted to claim the full reward for a truly life-altering prize pool.
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