
A poker dealer lays out charity fundraiser competition chips at a Salem, N.H. makeshift casino; the New Hampshire legislature now really wants to approve one land that is legitimate for hawaii (Image: VNews.com)
New Hampshire may have a reputation as a quiet, relaxed state where sleep and breakfasts and a little skiing are about the most exciting happenings around, but that image could be about to alter. With everybody else in the region building up their gambling industries, it appears as though the Granite State may be prepared to participate in the brick-and-mortar race and welcome a land casino of their own.
Representing the Future
According to reports, over 100 representatives in the state House of Representatives have actually signed on up to a bill that would welcome only one casino to hawaii of New Hampshire. That’s more than half the quantity of representatives that would eventually need to vote for such a bill to pass through the house.
The general public declaration had been meant as a sign of early strength for the bill. A total of 108 representatives publicly supported the bill, making up a group that is bipartisan of Democrats and 25 Republicans. A lot of representatives also participated in a press conference to show so how strongly they felt about bringing casino gambling to New Hampshire.
‘We have momentum because we listened,’ said Representative Katherine Rogers. ‘We heard the issues of House members final springtime who said we did not have the proper regulatory framework.’
All Systems Go
The bill that is new issues, giving their state lots of oversight over the casino bidding procedure and providing money for problem gambling services. The bill will allow for starters casino, with all the license for that casino going right on through a competitive bidding procedure. It would also create a New Hampshire video gaming commission that would oversee not just the casino, but also the current lottery, racing, and charitable gaming operations in the state.
‘There are major improvements that can certainly make sure expanded gambling will be a good deal for the citizens of New Hampshire,’ said Representative Jeremy Dobson.
Late this the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on the bill, known as HB 1633 week. Supporters described the financial benefits of a casino, saying it could make revenues that are significant needing a broader income tax enhance. It would also be a brand new supply of jobs in a state that tends to lose young employees to other parts of the nation.
‘We are running away from time and energy to attract individuals stay in New Hampshire and to here give people jobs,’ said Diana Lacey, president of the State Employees’ Association.
One concern raised at the hearing had been the basic concept that casino gambling may maybe not fit in using the current ‘brand’ New Hampshire has into the minds of tourists and visitors.
‘We don’t have such a need that is chronic this revenue that we have been willing to tolerate the burdens as well as the cost and the damage to our brand,’ said Concord developer Steve Duprey. While some supporters described that New Hampshire’s motto is ‘Live Free or Die’ which would suggest that residents is permitted to choose whether they need to try out at a casino or perhaps not Duprey countered that the state nevertheless had in order to make decisions by what’s right and acceptable for New Hampshire.
But other people disputed the branding claim. Pat Griffin, A new Hampshire resident whom had worked in marketing and advertising for the state’s tourism industry, stated that 41 other states involve some as a type of casino gambling, and that hasn’t affected most of their brands. For instance, Colorado has 41 gambling enterprises, but is nevertheless known for its mountains and skiing. One casino, he said, will not be the tipping point that changes exactly what New Hampshire means to visitors.
Toronto Man Wanted After Failure to pay for $12.9M to Las Vegas Casinos
A new nomination for ‘World’s Dumbest Criminals’ is actually a Canadian man who reportedly owes the Venetian casino in Las Vegas and an added $12m in IOUs and is now AWOL and wanted
There are always a few things that can get you nominated for ‘World’s Dumbest Criminal’: robbing a bank with surveillance cameras everywhere, wanting to steal a police vehicle, and most certainly at the top of that list would be skipping out on major casino gambling debts. Not smart, not smart at all.
That’s what one Toronto high-roller is finding out after failing woefully to repay some $12.9 million in losses to two vegas casinos, dating all the means back again to 2008. Authorities are now seeking him out to file costs in the situation.
Not-Yet-Arrested Development
43-year-old Semion Kronenfeld is now named on a Clark County District Court arrest warrant, after having a grand jury indicted him on 12 counts of felony theft, writing bad checks, and obtaining cash under false pretenses. This puts Kronenfeld in a unique kind of stupid category, since it’s one of the biggest unpaid casino debt cases ever in Nevada, and if convicted, the only real place this Canadian will likely be rolling dice are going to be inside a state penitentiary, possibly for decades.
The Clark County indictment that has been handed straight down this week claims that the high-roller failed to repay $7.9 million back in October of 2008 on IOUs made away to the casino that is venetian the Las Vegas Strip. Then, simply two weeks later, Kronenfeld allegedly pulled a number that is similar the Stations Casino-owned Green Valley Ranch casino, located in Henderson, just outside of Las Vegas proper; he reportedly stiffed that property for $5 million.
According to Nevada legislation, unrepaid casino IOUs are considered fraudulent checks. With a prosecutorial bounty of 10 per cent for ‘processing and prosecution’ put on any pre-trial settlements of these cases, numerous such incidents are put to sleep without any charges being filed; obviously, which has not been the scenario here, though.
Around this writing, Kronenfeld stays AWOL, according to prosecutor Jake Merback, who heads up Clark County’s bad check unit, and calls to Kronenfeld’s attorney in Las Vegas, Craig Mueller, had been not returned.
Kronenfeld’s case went public back in 2009, at which point the Canadian ended up being placed in casino credit reports as having his or her own investment business, based in Ontario. Apparently he also holds A israeli passport and is known to have numerous spellings of his final title, sometimes spelling it ‘Cronenfeld.’
In Good Business with Other Big Losers
While enormous, Kronenfeld’s case is scarcely truly the only large bad-debt situation to hit Nevada’s casinos in recent years. One particular high-profile case involved the former owner of chatchke-manufacturer Oriental Trading Co., Terrance ‘Terry’ Watanabe, who had been indicted in 2009 after it was alleged he failed to pay right back (then) Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc (now Caesars Entertainment) in the quantity of $14.75 million in IOUs. However, Watanabe counter-sued Harrah’s and a settlement for an amount that is undisclosed reached in July 2010.
And Watanabe isn’t the only other gambler that is high-profile get caught without repaying his debts; notorious porn-purveyor Joe Francis of Girls Gone crazy fame was also the topic of an IOU dispute with Wynn Resorts Int’l to the tune of $2.5 million. And former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker who pleaded accountable before his case came to trial received a 5 years’ probation phrase and had to fork over $770,000 in restitution.
Florida Faces Battle associated with the Bulging Wallets by Warring Casino Factions
It’s a fight to the finish, with he who spends most having a good shot at winning, as casino and anti-casino factions face down in Florida (Image: istock)
Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson sometimes lobbies for casinos and sometimes lobbies against them (as in their massive anti-online campaign for the last year); but whatever he does, he does it with gusto and a whole load of cash. Therefore it should come as no shock that his company is one of several major casino operators backing 100 lobbyists (well-armed with every politician’s favorite form of homage: moolah) whose goal will be to place some pressure on Florida’s legislators regarding the Sunshine State’s stalled land gaming status.
Fighting for County Rights
Demonstrably, gambling clothes with something to gain are most enthusiastically behind this posse that is legislative funding; which puts Genting at the front for the line; they have been looking to get into the Miami beachfront market having a Resorts World Miami project for a long time now without success. This could be the standoff of most standoffs: because very recently, top state lawmakers caused it to be clear that the whole problem of gambling in Florida is low on the importance totem pole this year.
Nonetheless, money talks and you know what walks, so a week ago Florida’s Senate Gaming Committee chair Garrett Richter promised to introduce a brand new bill enabling two resort casinos that could go up in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. By way of amazing coincidence, those two spots just happen to be precisely where both Adelson’s Sands and Genting have been hoping to secure casino websites. And more good luck: Florida’s 60-day legislative session kicks off on March 4, therefore it is all just in the nick of the time. Yessirree, Bob, those homage gifts can part the Red Sea when delivered over lunch at a fancy tallahassee eatery, it would appear.
Richter who just per week before was decrying how impossible it absolutely was to coordinate all of Florida’s different and sundry gaming factions is now saying that while the problems at hand remain complex, he intends getting this casino plane ‘off the ground.’
He’ll have their work cut out him early Xmas presents for him, no matter how many lobbyists give. Florida’s compact with the Native American Seminole tribe offers that group exclusive legal rights to popular and high-end (i.e., really profitable) table games like baccarat and blackjack. The 2010 compact did not encompass craps or roulette, and requires the Seminoles to fork out $250 million a to florida through 2015 year. From then on, tribal leaders are not planning on backing down easily; Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen reportedly told scouts from Sands and Genting when they first began their push two years ago that ‘[it shows] a Seminole lady on there, that’s not somebody from Las Vegas,’ referring to images in the Florida state flag.
And there is yet more technical political waltzes happening in the Sunshine State, because former Governor Charlie Crist has decided he wants his old task right back, meaning he’d have to unseat current governor Rick Scott come November. Adelson, needless to say, has been known to throw his weight via his bankroll around in an election or two, and with Scott while the incumbent that is republicanCrist was also Republican back when he had been governor, but has since switched to first being an Independent, and today a Democrat), Scott no doubt could use aussie-pokies.club the Sands CEO’s support.
To the end, Scott had a meeting with Adelson in Las Vegas shortly after taking office in 2011, of which time he advertised to be in benefit of resort casinos in their state. Throwing even more fire onto this currently incendiary situation is the reality that the Seminole tribe donated a very good half-million to Scott’s rebid campaign last 12 months: the largest single political donation created for the season. Talk about being drawn in two directions.
Lines in the s that are sand(
While the battle lines were drawn elsewhere, too: not surprisingly, entrenched Florida icon Walt Disney Co. has made their views noisy and clear on the opposition to casino expansion in the state, and backed it up with $1.7 million spread among legislators over the last couple of years. Experts predict campaign contributions can get even more excessive, in order to match Adelson’s very nearly unlimited governmental spending plan to bring lawmakers around. In fact, the COO associated with the operating arm behind the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach says he expects it all to show into ‘ a major food fight’ before the election 12 months is over.
Of course, there’s always a naysayer, and Senator Gwen Margolis (D-Miami) has recently produced a bill to put an end to your lobbying some would state madness that is vote-buying. She really wants to end the ‘sea of money [that] was sloshing into the campaign coffers’ and states only a statutory law against it will have the desired effect. Deemed the Public Confidence in Gaming Act, we desire her the utmost effective of luck in getting this through. It probably appears of the same quality a chance of rendering it as absolutely nothing.