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May 9, 2012
Thanks to the amazing generosity of our supporters, we’re very pleased to announce that Calvert Memorial Hospital Foundation’s 3rd Annual Casino Night raised nearly $9,000, said hospital spokesperson Kasia Sweeney. Proceeds from the benefit will be used to purchase a pediatric training simulator to enhance patient care. The anatomically correct manikin is computer programmable with a variety of scenarios and gives staff the opportunity to practice new pediatric techniques. The equipment will be part of a new pediatric simulation and training room at the hospital. “We want to thank everyone who came out to show their support for this great cause,” said CMH Foundation President Mark Davis. “Everyone involved with the event can feel proud that they played a part in enhancing care for the children of our community.”
The casino-style benefit held at St. John Vianney Family Life Center attracted more than 150 attendees. Win, lose or draw, guests enjoyed the mouth-watering buffet selections donated by Expressions Catering, Flavorful Impressions Catering, Grizzly Mountain Grill and Salsarita’s.
“We’d also like to express our appreciation to DJ Dave for providing the entertainment, to Mamma Lucia’s Restaurant for furnishing the wine and beer, Capital Food Service for supplying the sodas and water and to DuPaul’s Catering, Soft Stuff Distributors and Eden & Tye for contributing the delicious desserts,” he said. “I would especially like to recognize our sponsors for their ongoing commitment and dedication,” said CMH President and CEO Jim Xinis. “Leading the way was our own Harvest Ball Committee along with Fantasy World Entertainment, J.W. Graner Excavating, Inc., Davis, Upton, Palumbo & Daugherty, Attorneys at Law and Pat Petricko/Remax 100.” Other event sponsors included Bank of America, Calvert Wealth Management, Calvert Medical Imaging Center, Dr. Mickey Mills, Browning Dudley Corporation, Calvert Internal Medicine Group, Dr. Bhargesh Mehta and Prince Frederick Ford and Dodge. “It’s the perfect time to thank everyone who got our 2012 fundraising off to such a great start,” said Sweeney. “We’re looking forward to our best golf classic ever on May 21 and our ball committee is already busy making plans for another memorable evening in November.” “There are many easy and rewarding ways to lend your support through the existing fundraisers listed on our events calendar,” said Sweeney. “I encourage you to check them out at calverthospital.org.”
Troubles At the Purple Lounge Online Casino and Poker Room
May 8, 2012
A deal is a deal and when you sign up to play at an online poker room then you expect the room to play fair. This hasn’t been the case with the Purple Lounge online casino and poker room which has been less than reliable when the time to pay out accounts comes along.
Media Corp Media publishing group runs the Purple Lounge offering and is based in the United Kingdom. Not to shift the blame for slow-pay and bad communications Media Corp issued a statement that did little to clarify the issues or make restitution to the customers of Purple Lounge. The business update noted that it had become clear to the company that Purple Lounge has had some difficulty keeping up causing the current situation in which, “Media Corp has not received dividends or cash payments from Purple Lounge during its ownership and has loaned over GBP 900,000 in the last few months.”
For weeks now customers have been complaining about the bad treatment with little communicated from the operator and the decision makers at Media Corp say, “…the directors are in the process of considering a number of options for Purple Lounge as a means to control the losses and, in doing so, preserve the company’s cash and value in its other divisions.”
Purple Lounge remains shuttered and Media Corp reminds consumers that they are doing something, “The options under consideration may be directly impacted by the outcome of the company’s stated intention of undertaking an acquisition or acquisitions.” Resolving to do something and not telling the players whose money is also in limbo doesn’t keep the ball rolling and thus makes it a sure thing that the will be some waiting to do. Whether Purple Lounge-Media Corp segregated player funds from the operations budget is a big question and what is its licensing jurisdiction namely Gibraltar doing about the problems?
Troubles At the Purple Lounge Online Casino and Poker Room
Stevensville teenager jailed for casino robbery in Missoula
May 7, 2012
A Bitterroot Valley man is in jail on suspicion of an armed robbery at Lucky Lil’s casino on Brooks Street, Missoula Police Department Sgt. Jake Rosling said Saturday.
Cody Aaron Thomas, 18, of Stevensville, appears Monday on felony charges before Missoula County Justice of the Peace John Odlin, according to the Missoula County jail roster.
On Friday at 7:45 p.m., police received the report of a robbery at 3109 Brooks St., and a tip led officers to Southgate Mall, Rosling said.
“There was a suspect reported to be armed with a handgun and last seen running at the Southgate Mall near the Mustard Seed,” he said.
Rosling said officers coordinated with mall security and took up positions around the building. At some point, a citizen reported seeing a suspicious male hiding behind an air-conditioning unit near the Sears entrance, he said.
The description of the man matched the one of the Lucky Lil’s suspect, and at 8:25 p.m., police arrested Thomas on suspicion of felony robbery for taking an undetermined amount of cash. Thomas is being held on $50,000 bond.
Police recovered a handgun, but Rosling said he would let detectives release details later.
Officers did not have to fire shots, he said, and the mall was open when police responded: “We obviously can’t get to the point of firing at someone until we believe that either ourselves or the public is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.”
Reporter Keila Szpaller can be reached at @KeilaSzpaller, 523-5262, or on MissoulaRedTape.com.
Stevensville teenager jailed for casino robbery in Missoula
Odeon and Travelodge sign up to be part of Great Yarmouth’s large casino complex
May 6, 2012
Pleasure Beach owner Albert Jones’ proposed Edge centre on wasteland next to the Pleasure Beach on South Denes.Casino, Bowling Alley, Cinema, Hotel, Bars and Restaurant. Picture: James BassCopy: For: EDP NewsEastern Daily Press © 2010 (01603) 772434
LUCY WRIGHT Friday, May 4, 2012 7:00 AM
WORK on ambitious plans to “put the Great back into Great Yarmouth” by creating a large casino, eight-screen multiplex cinema, hotels and popular high street restaurants will begin by the end of the year, according to the man behind the vision.
It was announced last Friday that Pleasure Beach boss Albert Jones had won the town’s large casino licence after a five-year battle.
The £35m project, The Edge, will see a large casino, hotel, restaurants, multi-screen cinema and 600-space car park built South Beach Parade between the Pleasure Beach and the Outer Harbour. Travelodge and Odeon have already signed up to be a part of the project.
Mr Jones, managing director of Pleasure and Leisure, dedicated the successful bid to his father, Jimmy, who died in March. His company went up against local rival Patrick Duffy who owns the Palace Casino in Church Plain.
Mr Jones spoke in detail this week about his grand plans but admitted: “I was surprised when I found out we had won the licence. I wasn’t confident. We received our point-scoring the week before and were concerned with some areas of it. You could get up to 1,500 points for deliverability but we only scored 475.”
Applications were also assessed on jobs created and benefits to the town. Mr Jones estimates around 300 full and part-time jobs, including a number of apprenticeships, will be created.
“I have been working on this project to get a scheme on site for 12 years. We have had planning permission and the freehold for the site for five years. Apart from a bit of fine-tuning we are very advanced. The plans have come out the way I wanted. It’s not an easy site because it’s long and narrow. We wanted to take advantage of the lovely views.”
Mr Jones anticipates building work will start by the end of the year, though a contractor has not yet been appointed. He said: “Part of the development will go on the south end of the Pleasure Beach and work will start as soon as we close in October. We need to relocate the monorail but we won’t lose any of the attractions.”
The casino, cinema, 80-room Travelodge and restaurants will be built first. The second phase will see a luxury four star 150-room hotel built on the site.
“We are dealing with The Restaurant Group which operates Nando’s and Frankie and Benny’s. The final list will be decided later. Original plans included a bowling alley but bowling has taken a downturn in the economic climate. Although we have not ruled it out completely,” Mr Jones said.
Although Pleasure and Leisure can operate the casino themselves, they have been approached by a number of gaming firms.
Mr Jones said: “We have casinos in town already but this will be a new type of gaming experience. There will be live entertainment and restaurants and a spa so it’s an evening or a day experience.”
“The first large casino has opened in Stratford and I understand it has been trading really well. The Edge will be a scaled-down version of a Las Vegas casino. It will be a relaxed, controlled environment.
“We held meetings with Community Action for Responsible Gaming (CARG), Samaritans and Gamcare to make sure that we have procedures in place.”
Mr Jones hopes the new complex will encourage more people to spend their weekends in Yarmouth. He added: “I am very grateful to people for their support and from the businesses in town – the Yarmouth Racecourse, the Sealife Centre and Yarmouth Stadium. Without their support we would not be where we are today.
“I am very excited about it. It will put the Great back into Great Yarmouth.”
Odeon and Travelodge sign up to be part of Great Yarmouth’s large casino complex
Oregon welfare money being withdrawn at strip clubs, casinos
May 5, 2012
PORTLAND, Ore. – Last July, someone walked into the Fantasyland Adult Video store on Southeast Foster in Portland and used an Oregon Trail welfare debit card to withdraw $63 from the ATM inside. Then in September, someone pulled $43 out of the same ATM. The two transactions are just a sample of what KATU Investigators found when they examined six months of ATM transaction data provided to KATU by the Oregon Department of Human Services under a public records request.The records reveal other troubling transactions at liquor stores, bars, tattoo parlors, casinos and strip clubs in Oregon. “State law says cash assistance isn’t limited, that there’s no prohibition or restriction on how it’s used,” said Gene Evans, a DHS spokesman. “Under Oregon law it’s not technically fraud, but it’s waste and abuse of what the program is intended for, so yeah I think Oregonians are rightly concerned.”The state’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program is meant for families with children to spend on critical items like rent and diapers. Though it uses the same Oregon Trail debit card as the food stamp program, the TANF cash is part of a different program. Currently 37,337 Oregon families get cash assistance, with the average family receiving $506 per month.The state pays out about $180 million each year, but state officials have no clear idea how much of the money is being spent at adult businesses. That’s because the state has targeted all of its fraud investigative efforts on the front end – making sure people who are not eligible to receive benefits do not get in the program.That is why KATU On Your Side Investigators found questionable transactions over and over again while reviewing records.$201.25 was withdrawn from an ATM at the Tigard Liquor Store. In Southeast Portland, we found 12 withdrawals from the ATM at the Mystic Strip Club for a total of $888.The questionable use of tax money is not limited to the Portland metro area. The records reveal $202 was withdrawn twice from the ATM inside the tavern in the small town of Donald. $121.95 was withdrawn at Lifetime Tattoos in Springfield, and $580 from the ATM at nearby Lucky Lil’s Casino.We also found the Oregon Trail card being used all over the country, especially in California, were it has been used hundreds of times at liquor stores. In Las Vegas, we found $102 withdrawn at the Poker Palace casino.“Oregonians have the right to expect that when someone is getting state assistance that they’re using it for what it was intended for. The temporary assistance plan is meant for people in extreme poverty," said Evans.Under a new federal law, states have until February 2014 to crack down on welfare card transactions at adult businesses. Oregon is just beginning the process and hadn’t reviewed the data on ATM transactions until KATU News requested it.Washington State is way ahead of Oregon, having already passed several laws to crack down. Adult businesses have been told to program their ATMs so they do not accept Washington’s Quest card, which is similar to the Oregon Trail card. As of January 1, 2012 any adult business caught allowing those transactions can lose their business or liquor license.The On Your Side Investigators wanted to know how Washington’s new law is working. We requested ATM transaction data from February, which reveals ATM withdrawals still being made at adult establishments. There is a transaction at a Seattle strip club and another showing the Washington state welfare card used at a strip club in Salem. There are also withdrawals at tobacco stores and at bars all over the state, including in Clark County.But it turns out the money taken out at those bars is perfectly legal. That’s because the new Washington law only cracks down on businesses with specific licenses for “nightclubs” and “taverns”. The bars on the list have a different kind of license, meant for businesses that sell food as well.One of those withdrawals happened in February at the Atrium Lounge in downtown Vancouver. It was a legal withdrawal.“To be honest it bothers me,” said owner Pete Johnson. “It might be a couple of dollars in my pocket but I’m not ok with that money coming from where it’s coming from to go to us.” A Washington state report from 2010 showed 13,337 welfare recipients withdrew $1,697,519 from ATMs at casinos.KATU’s review of Oregon transactions shows $5,505 in withdrawals at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino in Pendleton, and $15,544 at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde.Oregon’s preliminary analysis, which Evans admits was not in-depth, puts questionable withdrawals at a much lower level than Washington, about $100-thousand a year."This is a tiny minority of people, but it doesn’t make it ok,” said Evans.It’s not known how much of the money being taken out at businesses meant for adults is actually being spent on questionable expenses. For instance, casinos often have gas stations and mini-marts on the same property, which use the same address for billing. State regulators say it is possible a good portion of the money is being withdrawn at those other locations and is being spent on legitimate items like food and fuel.Now armed with the new data and the new federal law looming, Oregon is promising to crack down like Washington is already trying to do. Washington regulators caution it is a difficult process coordinating with separate agencies to enforce the law. While one agency keeps the ATM data, separate agencies enforce liquor and gambling licenses.
Oregon welfare money being withdrawn at strip clubs, casinos
Tribal casinos, private horse tracks make legislative deal on enhanced gambling
May 4, 2012
Minnesota lawmakers gave final approval Monday to late-surfacing legislation that allows more poker tables and higher betting limits at horse racing tracks and gives tribal casinos access to racing simulcasts.
The House voted 97-34 to send the bill to Gov. Mark Dayton only two days after it emerged and passed the state Senate by a lopsided margin. Dayton has not declared a position and needs time to study the bill, a spokesman said.
The proposal represents a rare agreement, benefiting horse track owners and the American Indian tribes that operate casinos around the state. But it may run into legal resistance, as previous attempts to allow off-track betting in Minnesota have been struck down.
The measure would allow live racing at Shakopee and Columbus to be simulcast for wagering purposes at casinos around the state. The two horse tracks currently have card rooms, and the bill would raise the number of limits on card tables from 50 to 80 per site and increase the maximum bet from $60 to $100. On blackjack and other games, players would wager against the house instead of a less-lucrative setup known as “unbanked” games, where players compete against one another and the house takes a cut from total wagers.
The tribes and track owners have a history of being at odds. The tracks, primarily Canterbury Park in Shakopee, have made a hard but unsuccessful push for slot machines that the tribal casinos have exclusively. The bill’s backers said proceeds from the expansion would be put back into horse racing purses, which in turn would boost the state’s equine industry.
“It’s somewhat akin to bringing the Green Bay Packers and the Vikings together to do something positive,” said Rep. Joe Atkins, a Democrat from Inver Grove Heights.
Rep. Kelby Woodard, R-Belle Plaine, downplayed the significance of the change, telling members “what you’re voting for is allow an existing business to expand its business.”
But some lawmakers cried foul, saying the measure didn’t have a single committee hearing and left many questions about who would reap what benefits.
It caught gambling opponents off-guard, too.
“We see it as an expansion of gambling by allowing more tables, by allowing higher betting, more games,” said Jack Meeks, chairman of Citizens Against Gambling Expansion. “I don’t know the legalities of it.”
In 1992, the Minnesota Supreme Court invalidated a state law permitting off-track betting on horse races, saying any bets on races must be done at the site where they are run. In 1994, Minnesota voters narrowly defeated a constitutional amendment that would have expressly allowed off-track betting.
On Monday, Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers sidestepped a question about whether the simulcasting should be classified as off-track betting.
Under the bill, the telecasts and wagering would be done at tribal casinos, which the state has less power to regulate. But it’s not clear if any tribes would take advantage of simulcast wagering.
John McCarthy, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, which represents nine of Minnesota’s 11 Indian tribes, said there is no association-wide position nor has there been much discussion. He said some tribes might pass on the offer because they don’t want to enter into new gambling compacts with the state to provide revenue sharing.
Tribal casinos, private horse tracks make legislative deal on enhanced gambling
Search the Citizen
May 3, 2012
Michelle Rosado fell in love boxing early.
Call it the love at first fight.
Years later, it’s not just a love but a passion and a profession. She’s the CEO of Face to Face Events.
“Growing up, I didn’t get to attend many live matches,’’ said Rosado, 32. “We watch them all of TV. The big fights were as big as the Super Bowl in our house. There is nothing like the adrenaline rush and the thrill I got from watching boxing. I gained so much respect for boxers at an early age. Their discipline, their will power, the strategic aspect and all the sacrifices they make are admirable to me.’’
The glory of a boxer’s victory was her lure. And “indescribable’’ attraction, she said. But isn’t that loves is all about?
The fighter’s punch, too, was a draw. Fighters like hard-hitting Tommy Hearns and Mike Tyson were intriguing – breathtaking.
“Mike Tyson was who totally got me hooked,’’ she said. “He was intimidating and controversial. He was knocking people out cold in the most dramatic ways. But I fell IN LOVE with boxing with Felix “Tito” Trinidad hit the scene. The first BIGTIME fight I went to was Trinidad vs. Winky Wright in Las Vegas.’’
Seven years later, she’s in the boxing biz and will be promoting her first fight in Tucson: Noche De Boxeo at the Desert Diamond Casino on May 4. It’ll be her fourth in Arizona.
Viva la Fiesta! Que viva boxing!
“Our mission is to bring quality professional boxing events back to Arizona,’’ she said. “We provide fans the opportunity to see local favorites, rising prospects and top amateurs in Arizona. We will always pride ourselves on maintaining quality, style and class, not only to the event itself but also to every fighter involved.’’
One benefitting will be Tucson’s Bobby Lopez, a light heavyweight who will be making his pro debut on Noche De Boxeo.
“Motivated. Hardworking. Outspoken,’’ Lopez said in describing himself.
All can also describe Rosado.
She wants Face to Face to be, well, the face of boxing in Arizona as it promotes cards throughout the Grand Canyon state.
No stranger to the media, Rosado has been featured on Univision, Telemundo, CBS Channel 5, Cronkite News, and Pro Sports Broadcasting. Phoenix New Times called her “The Raging Babe’’ and AZ Sports & Lifestyle Magazine crowned her “The New Face in Boxing in Arizona.’’
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 at 10:24 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Councilman: Casino is good
May 2, 2012
WOULD-BE casino operators in Cagayan de Oro gained an ally at the city’s administration despite strong opposition from leaders of the Roman Catholic Church.
City Councilor Juan Sia said he is positive of casino operation in the city as it boosts economic activities in the locality.
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Sia, chairperson of the city council’s committee on trade and enterprise, said “there is nothing wrong with operating casino” as it “even boosts tourism industry in the city.”
He cited Macau, a semiautonomous region in China, as an example for excelling best in tourism making its constituents free from taxes because of its booming casinos.
He said legal gambling venues would critically push boom of hotels and restaurants, which swiftly provide jobs to local residents.
Last week, City Mayor Vicente Emano announced that casino operators from China, Israel, Malaysia and Korea expressed intention of establishing gambling centers in Cagayan de Oro, which alarmed church leaders due to issues of morality.
However, Emano, though open for such proposals, but said he told foreign investors to get first the church’s approval.
Archbishop Antonio Ledesma’s immediate reaction was that casinos “will not be good for the community and for the families” of the city.
He said casinos pose risks and could have negative effects on young people, and result in decadent behavior usually linked with high-stakes gambling. Cagayan de Oro has a predominantly Roman Catholic population–an estimated 87 percent of the city’s 602,088 people are Catholics.
But Sia countered the church’s claims saying “only rich people” are allowed to gamble inside casinos.
“If casino will result in decadent behavior, then lotto, also a form of gambling, which has been legalized and with lotto outlets mushrooming in our city should also be banned,” he said.
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on May 01, 2012.
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Star Casino in the clear on sex and drugs but cloud over Grimshaw
May 1, 2012
STAR Casino is to be cleared by the Furness inquiry but there is a question mark over the Premier's former communications director Peter Grimshaw.
Counsel assisting Gail Furness SC in her inquiry into the casino, Michael Wigney SC, has advised Ms Furness that accusations the casino failed to properly investigate or report allegations of sexual harassment and drug use against its former boss Sid Vaikunta were without foundation.
Mr Wigney said in his submission, released yesterday, that the casino’s investigation into alleged sexual harassment by Mr Vaikunta – which led to his sacking – was "undertaken competently and thoroughly".
He advised Ms Furness that there was "no cover up or attempted cover up" of sexual harassment allegations at the casino and that Echo Entertainment, the owners of The Star, "took appropriate steps to ensure that the investigation was conducted properly and fairly".
But on the allegation Mr Grimshaw attempted to influence the inquiry into Mr Vaikunta, Mr Wigney has left the door open for Ms Furness to make adverse findings.
Mr Grimshaw’s partner was one of two women who made allegations of sexual harassment against Mr Vaikunta.
Mr Wigney said there was no evidence Mr Grimshaw passed on the phone numbers of Star executives, or conspired to get third parties to make threatening phone calls to executives. However, he noted a call to Echo Entertainment board member and Australian rugby boss John O’Neill "was not made by a concerned shareholder unconnected with Mr Grimshaw".
"The timing of the call and its very nature supports an inference that it was made by someone connected with Mr Grimshaw," Mr Wigney said.
Mr Wigney also said there were aspects of an alleged vendetta Mr Grimshaw ran out of the Premier’s office as a former Star employee that could not be examined as part of the inquiry.
"What else Mr Grimshaw may or may not have done to further his adverse views of the casino is not a matter for this inquiry," Mr Wigney said.
Star Casino in the clear on sex and drugs but cloud over Grimshaw
Where 3 Casino Stocks Bounced
April 30, 2012
I’m a 1972 graduate of the University of North Carolina, where I paid for half my college costs by working nights as a DJ at WCHL/Chapel Hill. Management was shocked to be hearing “Honky Tonk Women” by the Rolling Stones on their once-staid radio station. But they liked the subsequent ratings. My major was Philosophy – I read Aristotle, Hume & Kant. With a fresh, new Bachelor of Arts degree in hand, I took off for radio gigs in Charlotte, Denver and points west. In 1980, I switched gears, trained as a broker at Dean Witter in New York City and became fascinated, intrigued and stimulated by…well…money. In 1987, I was offered a spot on the morning show at KLUC-FM/Las Vegas and spent the next 5 years playing basic strategy and counting cards at Sin City’s finest blackjack tables, occasionally taking short breaks to show up at my actual “job.” I entered the on-line stock trading competition known as Marketocracy in 2001. At the end of 5 years, I had placed in the top 10 out of 70,000 participants. My market work is profiled in The Warren Buffetts Next Door by Forbes Investments Editor Matt Schifrin. My contact is
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