Let your mouth speak archive

A D.C. Council committee finally showed its cards in the tortured first-in-the-nation bid for online gambling through the city’s lottery system - and it’s game over.

The Committee on Finance and Revenue voted 3-2 in favor of a bill to repeal the program, known as iGaming, which created controversy from the moment it was passed as part of a budget bill in December 2010.

“I feel like this Ferrari hit a brick wall at 200 miles per hour,” D.C. resident Marie Drissel, the program’s most vocal critic, said after the vote.

For months, the lottery system had planned to offer four wagered games to pre-approved players on home computers or select public areas after a round of demonstration play.

Council member Tommy Wells, Ward 6 Democrat, spearheaded a repeal bill in response to complaints about the contracting process and the lack of public hearings on the program before it became law. He and several colleagues said they could not have known they were authorizing first-in-the-nation online gambling when they signed off on the city’s lottery contract with Greek vendor Intralot in December 2009.

After the award, The Washington Times, in a series of reports in 2010, outlined numerous irregularities in the process that handed out the $38 million lottery contract. Citing the news reports, former D.C. Attorney General Peter J. Nickles and former Chief Procurement Officer David P. Gragan asked the D.C. office of the inspector general to examine the approval process.

The inspector general, Charles Willoughby, said in a report that the office of the chief financial officer “materially changed” the contract after council approval to include an online gambling program. He said all bidders for the lottery contract should have competed for the contract with explicit proposals on wagered games over the Web.

The report in advance of Wednesday’s vote generated an outcry among council members - some of whom said they did not necessarily object to online gambling in principle but did object to the process by which it became law.

Committee Chairman Jack Evans, Ward 2 Democrat, and members David A. Catania, at-large independent, and Muriel Bowser, Ward 4 Democrat, voted to scrap iGaming, citing a lack of transparency in the process.

Mr. Catania said it would be a mistake to roll out online gambling in the “poisoned climate” that hovers above D.C. officials, citing the resignation of Harry Thomas Jr. from his Ward 5 council seat ahead of a guilty plea for stealing public funds.

“There is quite a lot of concern about this body and this government,” Mr. Catania said. “I’m eager to vote for the repeal of this.”

Support for the program came from its sponsor, council member Michael A. Brown, at-large independent, and Marion Barry, Ward 8 Democrat, who voted against the repeal on Wednesday.
The repeal bill is likely to pass when it goes before the full council, although Mr. Brown signaled he will try to gather the six votes needed to preserve the program.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray, who formerly indicated the program had received a proper vetting, said this week he supports the repeal. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown has said he does not like gambling in any form.

If the repeal succeeds, Michael A. Brown said, he will offer a stand-alone bill to revive the program. He cited fears that casino interests will promote federal regulation of iGaming - leaving the District without local revenue - but offered no evidence to support his claim.

The iGaming program was subject to several community meetings last fall, in which D.C. Lottery officials tried to assure the public that gambling would not occur in libraries or schools and that no bricks-and-mortar betting parlors would be built in their neighborhoods. “There is no excuse for any of the 12 of us not to be completely up to speed on iGaming,” Mr. Evans said at the outset of the committee markup.

A bill to revive online gambling will face the added challenge of a rebidding process on the iGaming portion of the lottery contract, not to mention political aversion to stand-alone gambling legislation, Mr. Evans said.

“Seventy-five percent of people are against gambling on the way to the casino,” he quipped. “See what I’m saying?”

D.C. Lottery Director Buddy Roogow said the lottery is a government agency that will do the council’s bidding, and Intralot must absorb the costs of iGaming’s false start. The ramifications of the inspector general’s findings, including whether or not iGaming operations can be rebid apart from the overall lottery contract, remain to be seen.

“I don’t think that we’ve conducted that postmortem,” he said.

The fate of the underlying lottery contract also appears to be unresolved. Mr. Evans suggested Wednesday that his work is not complete and that further oversight of the contract will be forthcoming.

In comments from the dais, Mr. Brown objected to accusations he “snuck” the iGaming law into a budget bill, and Mr. Barry told his colleagues they should have read the bill more carefully.

Despite his opposition to the repeal, Mr. Barry objected to the “illegal” way CFO Natwar M. Gandhi inserted the gambling provision into the lottery contract, as detailed in the inspector general’s report.

Mr. Gandhi has strongly objected to the findings. He said all bidders for the lottery contract had the chance to suggest additional games, even if the request for proposal did not specifically mention online gambling.

The U.S. Department of Justice opened the door to online gaming via state lottery systems, a reversal of its position, in a recent opinion that addressed whether Illinois and New York can use out-of-state transaction processors to sell lottery tickets to adults within their borders.

“Other states are now doing this,” Mr. Brown said. “And frankly they are laughing at our procedure now, moving backwards when we were out front on this.”

FRANKFORT — Gov. Steve Beshear said his gambling bill is ready but won't be introduced until redistricting is settled, which could be as early as next week but might not happen for months.

"The gambling bill is ready to be introduced, and it is just a matter of when folks feel comfortable with going ahead and introducing it and starting to move it," Beshear said Thursday.

The governor originally said a potential constitutional amendment to allow casino gambling would be introduced in the first days of the legislative session in January, but it has been delayed continually, first by a bitter battle over redrawing legislative districts and now by a lawsuit over the new districts.

Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd is scheduled to hear evidence Monday from House Republicans who contend the new boundaries are unconstitutional. State Sen. Kathy Stein, a Democrat who had been Lexington's senator until the new plan moved her seat to northeastern Kentucky, has joined the suit. Shepherd postponed the filing deadline for potential candidates until Tuesday.

In the meantime, Beshear said, his gambling bill is on hold.

"This whole place is mired down in redistricting right now," Beshear said. "We're going to have to wait and see what happens Monday or Tuesday with the court situation to be able to plan a future strategy. A lot of senators are worried about filing deadlines. ... We're going to be flexible."

But he denied that momentum has been lost, as gambling opponents have said repeatedly.

"The interest is very much there to pass this legislation and put it on the ballot. We've got a lot of time left in the session," he said. "The drop-dead date is to pass it before the last day of the session," which ends in April.

Senate Minority Leader R.J. Palmer, D-Winchester, said Wednesday that a gambling amendment could be introduced even if Shepherd throws out the redistricting plan and lawmakers have to start over.

Beshear said earlier this week that he sees the necessary 23 votes to get an amendment out of the Senate. The likely chief sponsor of the legislation, Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, also said Wednesday that the vote looks close.

Thayer confirmed that the bill was ready but would not discuss specifics.

"It's the governor's place to announce what the details are," Thayer said.

Beshear said Thursday that the bill would be introduced "at a time when our supporters and I can agree that it's time to hit the ground running."

He would not discuss any details of the bill. He has said that any move to allow casino gambling should include Kentucky's racetracks, but some lawmakers argue that it would create a lucrative monopoly for one industry.

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Super Bowl XLVI is upon us, and fans of football and gambling alike will be hitting the sportsbooks this weekend to try their luck on the Giants vs. Patriots match. Sports betting can be a fun way to enhance the experience of watching the big game, but for those of us who don’t know our betting odds from ends, trying to get in on the action can be intimidating.

Fear not, betting beginners: We talked to some of the best sports book operators in the business to get the lowdown on sports betting and some key tips and strategies to help you score big.

Come prepared

Don’t be overwhelmed by all those numbers on the betting board. Every sports book provides free betting sheets or booklets that explain the odds and numeric breakdowns, basic betting terms and strategies.

With all the mayhem of Super Bowl Sunday — some gamblers line up as early as 7:30 a.m. to place their bets — it's best for first-time bettors to grab a sheet from their casino of choice the day before to familiarize themselves.

MGM Resorts International Race and Sports Book Vice President Jay Rood reminds first-timers to call out their bets at the ticket window with the proper numbers and terminology assigned to their event of choice. That helps avoid any confusion or placing the wrong bet. Once the ticket comes out of the machine, be sure to verify that it’s exactly what you bet.

“Our operators are human, and sometimes there are miscommunications,” Rood says, adding that tickets can still be changed at the window, but you’re stuck with what you got once the game starts.

If you’re local, Wynn Director of Race and Sports Johnny Avello recommends making your bet in advance to avoid the mad rush and long lines on game day. “Don’t wait till game day. Also wait two or three hours after the game to cash in your ticket; that’s after everyone else goes. You can also mail your ticket in and have a check mailed back to you a week or two later.”

Bet in baby steps

When it comes to your first time, Avello stresses two rules above all else: Gamble only what you can afford to lose, and make sure that it stays recreational. If you lose on the first bet, he says, don’t double up on your second just to stay even -- staying consistent with the amount of money you put down is key. Jimmy Vaccaro, director of Sports Operations and Public Relations for Lucky’s Race and Sports Book, agrees:

“The worst thing that can happen for the first-time bettor isn’t to put down a lot of money and lose, but to put down a lot of money and win. Because then you think it’s easy and that it’ll happen every time. And that gets you into trouble,” he says.

For first-timers, Vaccaro recommends putting down no more than $100 total for the various bets you might play that day.

“You can do a lot with that without getting in over your head,” he says. “For $100, it’s a great night out.”

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

As Rood explains, “No matter what your question is, this won’t be the first and it won’t be the last time the clerks get asked it.”

While it’s good to come prepared, the staff at every booking table is there to be a resource for experts and novices alike. Rood, Vaccaro and Avello all recommend preparing your queries ahead of time on Super Bowl Sunday, as booking clerks will be busy handling out-the-door lines.

Vaccaro also says novice bettors shouldn’t be afraid to chat up the more experienced patrons at the table for tips and assistance.

“Sports betting is a very social activity, it’s like a big party,” he says. “People actually make new friends on Super Bowl Sunday because of it.”

Keep it simple

There’s no need to show off with complicated parlays and point spreads; all three bookies recommend letting your own interests and allegiances in the game guide your bets.

“Don’t get into anything where the wording is difficult to decipher,” Avello says.

For first-timers, Avello recommends betting on the winner of the game itself (the “money line”), on the point spread between the favored team and the underdog or simply on points earned by popular players.

Rood says placing a wager on the player to score the first touchdown is a great opportunity for novices, as it makes the game more exciting to watch. He also recommends betting on the final score of the team.

“If it lands right on the number, you win big,” he says. “It doesn’t take much money to get excited over a wager like that.”

At a Finance Committee meeting, as a demonstration of how easy it is to participate on online gambling sites no matter where you are, Rep. Roland Lemar, D- New Haven, pulled up one of the leading online gambling websites with his iPad. This recent demo in front of other committee members occurred in the hearing room of the Legislative Office Building.

After Lemar pulled up the leading online gambling websites, he said, “I was able to go through the entire application process, provide my credit card number: do everything except click start.” Other Finance Committee members looked on surprised.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy was prompted to say, “The playing field with respect to gaming is about to change.” and he added, “We have to consider those changes and be aware of them.”

The Finance Committee heard expert testimony on the pitfalls of online gambling. Marvin Steinberg, executive director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, said that when a state passes a law legalizing it, it promotes a form of gambling. “It increases the number of people who gamble and a certain percentage of them will have a problem,” he said.

Mary Drexler, Steinberg’s assistant director said that online gambling can be especially dangerous for minors who have grown up playing video games where they are comfortable taking risks. If a younger a person develops a gambling habit then they may be more likely to have issues later on in life.

Concerned about problem gambling in young people, Senator, Gary LeBeau, D- East Hartford, asked how parents in Connecticut can prevent their kids from going online to gamble. He said, “You’ve already acknowledged that children are already online gambling, I know my kids have. I’ve got three kids in their twenties, I know one of them has. I know that they play poker online, they can go offshore, they know how to do that.”

He went on to ask, “If that’s already happening, wouldn’t it be better for Connecticut to offer its own version of gaming with controls and protections to prevent children from playing?”