
Poker superstar Phil Ivey has received preliminary approval for A las vegas, nevada medical marijuana dispensary license in Nevada.
Phil Ivey isn’t smoking one thing, but their future clients may be: Ivey received one of 26 license that is preliminary for a medical cannabis dispensary through the Las Vegas City Council earlier this week, possibly making the poker superstar among the first operators within the town to offer pot to consumers.
You can find still further steps necessary before Ivey gets last approval to start such a business, but his approval does suggest that the town found him qualified to go on in the licensing procedure.
This week to plead their cases for medical marijuana licenses about 50 potential operators went before the City Council. Those that got preliminary approval from the city will now have to also be approved by the state health department.
The City Council will fundamentally hold a suitability that is final for all approved by the state before awarding a restricted number of licenses which have been set aside for Las Vegas.
Which means that Ivey still has a way that is long go before finding a final go-ahead to dispense medical cannabis in Sin City. But if he can make his way through the various licensing stages, Ivey might end up slinging weed just as prolifically as he makes pot-sized bets at the poker table.
Council Split on Licensing Process
There is a whole lot of debate over the way Las vegas, nevada has managed the pot licensing procedure, though who has more to do with procedural concerns than anything Ivey or some other potential licensee has done.
Councilman Bob Coffin introduced a motion to postpone the proceedings until after Nevada regulators weigh in regarding the suitability of each of the candidates in a few days. He worried that making opinions that are public applicants before the state made its own suggestions could potentially lead to legal actions, and that waiting could allow the city to approach the issue with an ‘unbiased eye.’
But that motion ultimately failed, as a vote on the issue finished in a 3-3 tie. Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian and councilman Ricki Barlow also voted to wait the proceedings, while Mayor Carolyn Goodman, spouse of infamous ex-mayor Oscar and mother of an applicatant by herself, abstained from the vote.
Among the many applicants that had been approved were developer James Hammer, restaurant owner Michael Morton, and consultant that is political Thomas. Nuleaf, a Las Vegas-based company that is owned by a team that operates dispensaries in Ca, was denied for a license.
‘we believe waiting could have made a difference,’ Nuleaf spokesman Bradley Mayer said. ‘We feel confident that their state will find we are a very qualified applicant.’
Ivey Headliner of this Year
This might be simply the most recent in a string of headlines made by Ivey which have nothing at all to do with his skills that are prodigious the poker table.
Probably the biggest headlines have now been made in his various edge-sorting cases against Crockfords as well as the Borgata. Ivey currently lost the Crockfords instance in britain’s tall Court of Justice, costing him over $12 million in winnings. a case that is similar the Atlantic City casino is still pending, although in that case, it is the casino that is pursuing recourse to have its payouts came back. Ivey contends that the tactics he utilized in the games do not constitute cheating, while the gambling enterprises, not surprisingly, disagree.
Last Saturday, Ivey also shut down the Ivey Poker site, closing operations just 18 months after the Facebook poker program launched. However, the poker legend said that the shut down had been just a change for the product.
South Africa Online Gambling Ban Stirs Debate
South Africa is considering a ban on online gambling, along with stronger laws for land-based wagering, such as electronic bingo terminals like these. (Image: OnlineCasinoArchives.co.za)
South Africa’s government is proposing a ban on a range that is wide of activities, including all forms of online gambling and other activities such as dog racing. That proposal is being discussed by the nationwide Gambling Policy Council, which features users from both the national and provincial governments, as well as the Department of Trade and Industry.
According to department officials, the government believes it gets the capability to enforce laws on gambling, and that it’s unclear how many jobs are created by the web gambling industry. It might additionally scarcely be an unprecedented move, as numerous other jurisdictions across the world have outlawed online gambling in the past.
Democratic Alliance Favors Regulation Over Ban
But though some government officials were enthusiastic about the prospect, the notion of a ban that is outright highly denounced by the opposition Democratic Alliance.
‘That is really a very, really bad decision,’ said DA trade and industry spokesperson Geordin Hill-Lewis. ‘we fiercely disagree with that view. It really is completely shortsighted to say that it is better for South Africans not to be permitted to gamble online if you have demand that is patently significant the country to accomplish this. It is for government to facilitate that in the way that is safest possible.’
The DA position is that online gambling is better controlled through regulation, rather than an outright ban in other words. a complete ban, Hill-Lewis said, would price far an excessive amount of in resources to enforce.
But Department of Trade and Industry Deputy Director-General Zodwa Ntuli stated that the particular circumstances in Southern Africa meant that a ban would be good general public policy. She pointed away that the division’s proposal was made after recognizing that South Africa had a relatively high level of problem gambling and debt contrasted with many countries.
Electronic Bingo Terminals Would Be Limited
In the event that department’s recommendations were to be law, it wouldn’t trigger a widespread ban of all gambling tasks in the nation, but would rather limit just what would be allowed for the conventional forms of gaming being already present in South Africa. There would additionally be further controls put on electronic bingo terminals, which are currently allowed by provincial governments, despite the fact that there clearly was no policy that is national the devices.
That conflict caused Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies to issue a moratorium on any further licenses for the machines. The recommendations that are new see a cap on the wide range of machines allowed nationwide. It would additionally make an effort to get a handle on the simplicity of access to these machines, with officials saying that gambling must not be allowed in shopping centers, for instance.
The latest regulations would have a framework for allowing the federal government to better oversee the horse industry that is racing. While few details were available, it appeared that the absolute most significant changes there would come in the issuing of licenses, a procedure through which the us government could impact change on the market.
Gambling regulation in South Africa is similar to that of this united states of america and Canada, at least in terms of the interplay between federal and local governments. While the government that is federal national policy, it is up to individual provinces to determine how each will issue licenses and collect revenues from gambling activities.
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Tuesday Massachusetts Casino Repeal Vote Takes Place
Despite long odds, anti-casino forces are still hoping for a success in Massachusetts. A ‘yes’ vote means ‘no casinos’. (Image: Repeal the Casino Deal)
A vote that will either lead to Massachusetts casino repeal or to the matter being put to sleep once and for all is coming on Tuesday, though it would take a major upset for anti-casino advocates to get their way on Election Day. Those looking to defeat casinos are confusingly looking for voters to vote ‘Yes’ on Question 3, a proposition that would put end to the 2012 law that is allowing the state to license gaming houses over the state.
In line with the latest survey by the Western New England University Polling Institute, 59 percent of likely voters into the state plan to vote ‘No’ in the ballot question, meaning ‘yes’ to appropriate casinos. Only 35 percent plan to vote ‘yes,’ in favor of the repeal. Those numbers represent a major gain for pro-casino forces, since a September poll showed just an 11 percent advantage for ‘no’ voters.
Of course, that’s assuming voters don’t get completely bewildered by the unintuitive ‘yes/no’ phrasing of the ballot effort itself.
Religious Voters Support Repeal
The numbers show that there’s been some success in efforts by religious leaders to get parishioners to oppose the casino law, with regular churchgoers being more inclined to vote ‘yes’ than their counterparts that are non-attending. But also Catholics who attend mass every week are in opposition to repeal by a 17 percent margin. In fact, Protestant voters who worship regularly make up about the only real demographic that favor repeal, doing this by a 55-45 margin.
Meanwhile, the advertising efforts by casinos and their allies may actually have been very effective. Support for the repeal in Western Massachusetts is reduced somewhat compared to in prior polls, maybe because of advertising that touted some great benefits of the planned MGM casino in Springfield.
Battle Over Benefits and Consequences
But while anti-casino advocates may be facing long odds on Tuesday, they’re nevertheless fighting into the final moments to get their message out. Groups like Repeal the Casino Deal believe that the casinos will offer you very little economic benefit to the individuals of Massachusetts, while increasing criminal activity and gambling addiction.
‘ The cash isn’t visiting the people of Massachusetts,’ said Al Cabot, an anti-casino advocate. ‘This is definitely money that’s going from one or two casinos in Connecticut to three casinos in Massachusetts.’
Needless to say, those into the casino industry see things just a little bit differently. According to MGM Springfield President Mike Mathis, his business’s casino will produce thousands of jobs and bring tens of millions of dollars in economic stimulus to the community.
‘we have seen what 25 years of no casino can perform,’ Mathis stated. ‘we want the possibility.’
Mathis additionally disputes the concept that casinos would simply be taking money that is already spent in Massachusetts and shifting it to spending at his business’s resort.
‘A third of our customers are coming from Connecticut,’ Mathis said. ‘This idea that cash is dropping through the sky or we’re cannibalizing the regional market is just inaccurate.’
Gambling enterprises in Massachusetts: Pre-Election Status
Therefore far, three licenses happen granted to construct gambling venues in Massachusetts. Along with the MGM casino in Springfield, Wynn Resorts was the winner of the higher Boston license, beating out a competing plan by Mohegan Sun at Suffolk Downs in Revere. A license ended up being additionally awarded to Penn National to develop a slots parlor in Plainridge.
While casino opponents may come up short at the polls, just getting the question on the ballot was one thing of a victory. Although campaigners collected plenty of signatures to place the casino concern up to a referendum, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley originally rejected the relevant question, forcing a showdown in the state’s Supreme Court over whether it might ultimately show up on this year’s ballot.