CASINO PLAYERS EZINE #98

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1) I came across these news items about strikes at two Canadian Casinos.
I noted that the OLG Brantford, Ontario casino was threatening a strike (since been averted); however, I smiled, as the closing of this casino, notorious for low payouts, would only save gamblers money.
I was not at all sympathetic towards management who on the one hand wonders why revenues are down, but refuse to acknowledge that it is the miserable payouts that send gamblers either across the border or to online gaming sites.
Additionally, the Ontario Lottery & Gaming is in trouble currently for alleged lottery ticket fraud involving large winnings claimed by lottery sellers.
Casino workers set to strike tonight
Ontario: Representatives of Ontario Lottery and Gaming, the casino's operator, and the Canadian Auto Workers, which represents casino employees, began meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday, said one worker, who asked not to be identified. Talks were to continue around the clock until a deal is reached. The casino -- now known as OLG Brantford -- was certified by the CAW almost a year ago. The new contract is expected to cover up to 800 employees.

Alternatively, the Palace Casino in Edmonton, Alberta with workers on strike since last September deserves a rant against management and consideration for the workers.
I have included a link to the striking worker’s case and a possible solution from Australia’s richest man, James Packer. Workers' site

AFL asks Australia's richest man to intervene
In a letter sent today to James D. Packer, Executive Chairman of PBL Publishing & Broadcasting Limited - the Australian publishing, broadcasting and gambling giant - the Alberta Federation of Labour has asked the Australian billionaire to resolve the seven-month-old labour dispute at the Palace Casino in Edmonton. Read more...

2) For those of us who miss the ‘ca-ching’ of dropping coins, this will not be great news as ‘another one bites the dust’.
Mohegan’s big change: Slots with no change
By May 1, all 6,000 Mohegan Sun slots will be coin-free, making it the first New England casino to get rid of coins in favor of paper money.
Boston Herald - Mohegan Sun is taking the ca-ching out of the casino. Or at least they’re taking the coins out. The Connecticut casino resort is converting all of its slot machines to a coinless system, and trimming its labor costs in the process. The casino has been gradually phasing out the use of coins in its slots in recent years. It’s part of a natural evolution that will help decrease the labor costs of dealing with thousands of coins, Neborsky said.
Since starting the process in 2005, Mohegan Sun has seen a 20 percent decrease in staffing, the casino said. Read more...

3) I loathe the trend of offering casino comps by forcing cardholders to pay more for points.
I believe this article proves there is a breaking point:
Gamblers Sue Ameristar Over Rewards Program
Seven upset gamblers sued the Ameristar Casino of St. Charles today, saying the casino cheated them out of money, food and points they could have earned in the casino’s rewards program.
After Aug. 1, 2006, the casino changed its program so it would take a customer $8 to $16 of video poker machine play to earn one point, which was at least twice to four times the amount of money it took to earn one point before that date, the suit says.
The casino failed to tell its customers this, the suit says. Read more...

4) Three updates about the US Online Gaming Ban follow:
The first update has been edited, however, I recommend reading the entire article as it presents an interesting debate about the WTO ruling.
A) U.S. Backing Itself into a Corner? by Max Drayman,
On March 30th 2007, the Geneva-based WTO (World Trade Organization) handed down its latest ruling in the ongoing dispute between Antigua/Barbuda and the USA over legality of U.S. Internet gambling restrictions.
"So what?" you might ask yourself. Why won't the U.S. simply ignore this second WTO ruling, like they did the first time around?
Well they certainly will appeal this recent ruling, which they have full rights to do under WTO trade dispute guidelines, but it's unlikely that that will change anything.
The conditions for the current ruling still exist—U.S. excluding international involvement in online betting, U.S. non-compliance with WTO rulings, etc.—so it's difficult to imagine that the WTO will reverse itself when basically nothing has changed insofar as the dispute is concerned.
So, appeals aside, why should anyone care? I'm not the first to say this but the bottom line is that the U.S. may have backed itself into a corner.
Historically, the WTO has been quite pro-American in its judgments on international trade disputes between the U.S. and other WTO members.
At this point it is not at all clear how the U.S. is going to proceed with the Antigua case, but this much is clear: continuing to ignore the WTO and the international trade laws it represents isn't going to serve U.S. trade interests in the long run.
There's a lot more at stake here than a few million dollars in offshore bets. "Antigua led the way, because nobody was sure whether the GATS was applicable to gambling," Prof. Kelly said. "All these jurisdictional issues form the basis of the early decisions. Antigua resolved all these issues, and it's going to be much easier for the next country." Read more...

B) PPA aims to change unfair gaming laws
During the midnight hours as the Senate was preparing to adjourn for the elections, the Port Security Act was passed. Senator Bill Frist attached the Unlawful Internet Gambling enforcement Act (UIGEA) to Port Security Act. Most of the senators had voted and left the Senate floor, their knowledge of the attachment is questionable.
The Senate's handling of UIGEA has thousands and thousands of poker players upset. The Poker Player's Alliance, href="http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org" target="_new">pokerplayersalliance.org is joining together to change gaming legislation.

C) Antigambling law doesn't stop online traffic
A law prohibiting U.S. financial institutions from processing payments to online gambling sites hasn't stopped U.S. employees from visiting sports betting sites, according to cybersecurity vendor ScanSafe. Read more...

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