程阳:经济困境下美国互联网彩票的思考 www.myillinoislottery.comLotteries in the United
States
Online Gaming In Play Around U.S. – But In
Connecticut?
November 13, 2012
Under the whip of political and economic pressures, the
federal government and
some states are racing toward legalizing online gambling and, on
Tuesday, a key Connecticut legislator said the state should
re-examine the matter when the General Assembly convenes in
January.
'Absolutely, it's something we need to look at,' said Rep.
Stephen Dargan, co-chairman of the legislative public safety
committee, which oversees legalized gambling.
Connecticut lawmakers considered Internet gambling early last
year, but didn't act, despite the U.S. Justice Department's
December 2011 finding that the 1961 Wire Act prohibits online
sports betting, but not other forms of Internet gambling. Since
that ruling, other states, including New Jersey, have moved closer
to instituting online wagering programs. Nevada is on the verge of
starting online poker.
Dargan, D-West Haven, said in an interview Tuesday that he
expects his committee to at least consider the matter because
Connecticut faces continued state budget deficits at the same time
that revenue from the two tribal casinos in the state continues to
diminish.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wasn't enthusiastic about online
gambling last year and there's been no change in his attitude, one
of his top political lieutenants said Tuesday. 'Certainly, it's the
legislature's prerogative' to consider online gambling, said senior
adviser Roy Occhiogrosso, 'but it's not something that the governor
has any intention of pushing.'
'It's not something he supports,' Occhiogrosso said, and
'it's not something he thinks the legislature will follow through
and send him a bill on.' Would Malloy veto a bill if the
legislature passed it? That decision can't be made 'until you
actually see a piece of legislation on your desk,' Occhiogrosso
answered.
One major obstacle to online gambling legislation in
Connecticut is the state's legal arrangement with the two tribal
casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. Under a state 'compact' with the
tribes, each operation turns over 25 percent of its slot machine
revenue to the state annually — a projected $305 million by the end
of this fiscal year on June 30, 2013.
Last year, tribal spokesmen said the state's legalization of
online gambling might interfere with that legal arrangement, and
there was preliminary mention of how to get around that — including
the idea that the casinos might run the online
gambling.
State House Majority Leader Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, who
will become House speaker when the session opens Jan. 9, said
Tuesday that he would not support online gambling legislation that
would disrupt the compact between the state and the
tribes.
Sharkey said that 'the casinos are an economic driver for
southeastern Connecticut' and are already threatened by new casinos
planned in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and additional slot
machine installations at New York racetracks. 'We have to do
everything we can to protect [the Connecticut casinos], to keep
them thriving — for their sake, and for the sake of the state,'
Sharkey said.
If a bill were to be passed to start online gambling here,
Sharkey said, his 'litmus test' would be that it be written in a
form that's 'OK with the tribes.' With that criterion in mind, he
said, 'I think we should keep our eyes and options open to whatever
legitimate revenue streams we can develop.'
Even though the state gets more than $300 million a year in
revenue from the casinos, that figure has been sinking steadily for
five years from a peak of $430 million in 2007, with the blame
being placed on the economy and more competition for gambling
dollars.
Meanwhile On Tuesday, in Washington, D.C., Congress opened a
'lame duck session' that's scheduled to run through mid-December.
One of the bills being discussed by U.S. Senate and House leaders
would legalize online poker nationwide, but ban all other online
gambling.
Under the bill, states could 'opt in' or out of that
nationally regulated program with programs of their own, which the
legalized gambling industry favors since it would avoid a patchwork
of different programs from state to state.
That federal legislation, if passed, could put a major crimp
in states' plans to start online gambling that goes beyond poker.
For example, Illinois' state lottery
became the first in the country to allow the purchase of tickets
online, and other states' lotteries considered the
same.
'While we don't know whether the bill currently circulating
represents the final version of legislation to be proposed by Sens.
[Harry] Reid and [Jon] Kyl,' the American Gaming Association
'supports the general provisions outlined therein,' said Holly
Wetzel, the association's vice president for
communications.
Up to now, only online betting on horse racing, at websites
such as Twinspires.com, has been permitted in the U.S., while
online wagering on sports such as football, basketball and baseball
has been prohibited. It's been possible, but not legal, to gamble
online at offshore websites on various card and casino games, as
well as sports. These come and go as law enforcers try to shut them
down.
'We know that millions of Americans are currently gambling
online,' Wetzel said. 'This draft would restrict all online
gambling with the exception of poker and puts in place necessary
controls to strengthen law enforcement oversight and protect
consumers.'
=========================================
Illinois to become first state to allow online lottery
sales
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY
Updated 3/22/2012 7:31 PM
CHICAGO – Illinois on Sunday will become the first state to
sell individual lottery tickets online. It won't be the
last.
A Justice Department opinion issued last year cleared the
way. It said the Wire Act of 1961, which bars wagering over
telecommunication systems across state or national boundaries,
applies only to sports betting.
At least 21 states and the District of Columbia are
considering online lottery sales or other wagering such as poker,
says Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming
Association, which represents commercial casinos.
STORY: Illinois Lottery bounces 85 checks to
winners
STORY: Lottery jackpots may get bigger
New York and several other states sell lottery subscriptions
to residents online but not individual tickets.
The flurry of interest spells trouble for gambling addicts
and young people, says Anita Bedell of Illinois Church Action on
Alcohol and Addiction Problems. 'It's going to open a whole
Pandora's box nationwide,' she says.
Fahrenkopf hopes Congress will set standards to protect
online customers from fraud and ensure they are
adults.
Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores
says it has 'significant concerns' about the economic effect on
stores that sell lottery tickets.
Illinois Lottery Superintendent Michael Jones says online
sales could attract 1 million new players when MegaMillion payouts
exceed $100 million, increasing proceeds that go to public
education. Only 9%-12% of Illinois adults play now, he
says.
Starting at 7 a.m. CT Sunday, visitors to illinoislottery.com
will be asked to register and enter credit card and Social Security
numbers, date of birth, name and address. Sophisticated software
should ensure that only Illinois residents 18 and older play, Jones
says. Purchases will be limited to $100 a day. At first, only
MegaMillion and Lotto games will be offered.
The federal ruling 'was a gift of potentially hundreds of
millions of dollars and thousands of jobs to any state that wants
to do this,' says I. Nelson Rose, a Whittier Law School professor
who blogs at gamblingandthelaw.com. 'In less than 10 years, we're
going to see most of the states moving to Internet
gambling.'
In Maine this week, a Senate committee approved a bill that
would make online lottery sales illegal but could reconsider.
'We're moving cautiously,' Republican Sen. Debra Plowman says, 'and
we'll be watching Illinois.'
..Illinois to Launch Online Lottery Sales on
Sunday
..By Rachel Bogart .PostsWebsite .By Rachel Bogart | Yahoo! Contributor
Network – Sat, Mar 24, 2012.........According to the Chicago
Sun-Times, starting Sunday morning, Illinois will become the first
state to let its residents buy Lotto and Mega Millions tickets
online. This will be the first step in the pilot program and the
state is hoping it will mean serious revenue, an expected $118
million.
The decision to go online has brought criticism from
anti-gambling groups that argue it will only be problematic for
those with gambling addictions. Here are some facts about the
Illinois Lottery and ways in which it has expanded in the
past.
* The Illinois Lottery plays a fairly high variety of lottery
games compared to other states, including Pick 3 and Pick 4 with
midday and evening draws, as well as Little Lotto, Lotto,
Powerball, and Mega Millions, noted U.S. Lotteries.
* The Illinois Lottery reported 1,393 people have won a prize
of $1 million or more since the lottery began and in 2011, $1.33
billion was paid out to lotto and scratch-off winners.
* About 30 percent of the proceeds go to capital projects,
the Common School Fund, and specialty tickets and nearly $17
billion has gone toward funding K-12 public school education since
the Lottery began.
* The Illinois Statehouse News added that in January 2011,
Northstar Lottery Group was selected to manage the state's lottery
games under a 10-year contract
* A survey found about 73 percent of Illinois Lottery players
are older than 45 and Northstar has made plans to expand its
customer base to include younger players while also developing new
online games and expanding retail outlets across the
state.
* The Chicago Tribune reported in December that Gov. Pat
Quinn announced Illinois was aiming to begin online lottery ticket
sales in the spring after the Department of Justice ruled that
Internet lottery sales are legal since they don't involve betting
on sports.
* The push for online sales began in 2009 when Illinois
passed a road construction bill and hoped to use online lottery
sales to fund the projects and also help pay back construction
loans.
* Even though the Land of Lincoln is slated to become the
first state to begin online lottery sales, several other
international countries allow for residents to purchase tickets for
government-run lotteries.
Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current
environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college
student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she
applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further
public awareness. 程阳:经济困境下美国互联网彩票的思考 程阳:美国马萨诸塞州全力推进互联网彩票 程阳:美国迎来互联网彩票新时代 程阳:美国司法部全面松绑互联网彩票游戏 程阳:美国佛罗里达州跟进开通互联网彩票