When I first read this report, I had to double-check to make sure my source wasn’t The Onion, The Daily Show, MSNBC or some other source of fake news. It wasn’t. It seems as though this report I’m about to give you is actually true.

A Pennsylvania man forfeited $2,000 in casino winnings and was arrested for violating his self-imposed ban. The 55-year-old man, who has not been named, placed himself on Pennsylvania’s self-exclusion program in April 2009. Many people place themselves on a self-exclusion list if they have a gambling addiction or some other problem of irresponsibility and they want to make sure they are unable to go to a casino and lose money.

If you are on the self-exclusion list, no casino is allowed to admit you and let you play. Somehow, a Pennsylvania casino – the Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, PA – did let him enter and play. Not only that, but he won a $2,000 jackpot. Once it was learned that he was on the self-exclusion list, his winnings were forfeited and he was arrested for trespassing.

And there’s where I think this goes into the realm of insanity. Players like this man have a problem controlling their urge so to take away the temptation of gambling at a casino, they voluntarily place themselves on an exclusion list. It is the choice of the individual to place themselves on the list as a way of helping them fight the temptation to play at a casino. The casinos then oblige by helping them with that. Why are criminal charges involved?

I get the forfeiting of the money. That makes sense because if he gets to keep it he is being rewarded for giving in to temptation and playing at a casino. Since the man wants to avoid that, you don’t want to reward that behavior. I don’t think a punishment in the form of criminal charges is warranted, though. Did he know when he agreed to the self-exclusion that he could be charged with trespassing if he violated the self-imposed ban?

It seems to me that if people with gambling problems learn that putting themselves on a self-exclusion list could bring criminal charges against them, they won’t do it. Let’s face it, if they didn’t have a problem with willpower, they wouldn’t be trying to exclude themselves. If relapsing can result in a criminal conviction, though, it seems like many will say “no thanks” and will not get help with their gambling problem.

Charging this man with trespassing is wrong and the charges need to be dropped immediately. Anything else is absurd and just morally wrong.

An elderly man died yesterday after chasing his robber from a casino. The 91-year-old man – whose name has not yet been released – was playing at a Detroit casino when a man snatched his $240 prize ticket and ran. The victim then chased him outside the casino and pointed him out to a police officer. After the police offer arrested the suspect, the victim collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital. He was then pronounced dead upon arrival.

The incident happened in the middle of broad daylight, at approximately 2:00 PM, according to the Detroit Police Department. The victim’s cause of death has not yet been determined, but given the circumstances it is most likely cardiac arrest. The suspect is being held and has been charged with robbery.

I don’t know if it’s possible under Michigan law, but I would love to see this suspect charged with involuntary manslaughter. His action of robbing a 91-year-old man – a man who was likely targeted because of his age and poor health – and then running away led to the victim’s death. The only problem I see with that charge sticking is that the victim chose to chase after the robber. Still, anytime you rob someone and run, you have to assume there is a good chance they will chase you. Causing stress in a 91-year-old man and then making him chase you is certainly negligent in my mind. Criminal negligence that leads to the death of another person would be involuntary manslaughter.

I have tried to find Michigan’s statutes on manslaughter and could not and I am no legal expert, so I don’t know if it’s realistic to seek a manslaughter conviction, but one thing is for certain: legally or not, that robber is morally responsible for the victim’s death. If convicted of manslaughter, he would face up to 15 years in prison.

The Irish government is fed up with losing tax revenue to offshore online casinos. Online gambling is legal and regulated in Ireland, but there are plenty of Irish citizens who visit and play at online casinos based in other countries. Ireland wants a cut of that money.

Last week, Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen announced a plan to begin taxing online gambling companies that access the Irish market. If his bill is passed, online casinos, bookmakers and any other internet or telephone betting companies would have to obtain a license from Ireland in order to do business with Irish customers.

It sounds like a good idea. If a company is going to do business with people in your country, why shouldn’t they have to be taxed like domestic countries do? However, there is a problem with it. For one thing, there is no law preventing Irish citizens from gambling at online casinos based overseas that do not have the required license. Also, there is no way for the Irish government to prevent their citizens from playing at an offshore online casino that they find via the internet (such as by doing a Google search). They could only prevent that if they decided to act like China and take authoritarian control over the Internet, which is not something I can see the Irish doing.

Therefore, it really only comes down to advertising. Foreign online casinos can only advertise in Ireland if they obtain the license. Without one, they cannot put ads in magazines, on TV, on the radio, on benches and buses, on subways, or anything like that. They will, however, still be able to advertise freely online, since the internet is global and Ireland doesn’t censor it.

Yesterday New Hampshire lawmakers met for a deficit summit, the plan of which was to reach a decision on how to close a $295 million shortfall. One of the ideas proposed was a gambling expansion. Republican Senator John Gallus stated that gambling expansion “is a way to close the gap and not put it on the backs of property taxpayers.” He added that he doesn’t think they can “tax our way out  of this mess” and stated that the proposed expansion would not only add revenue without increasing taxes, but it would also create jobs.

Gallus wants an expansion of slot machines and casino-style gambling and a tax on the slots of up to 39%. This tax, unlike property tax, would be voluntary, since only those who play the slots or offer slots would be affected.

Some members of the House are unconvinced, though, and are concerned that they do not yet have an efficient regulatory structure in place. There is also a fear of corruption. House Deputy Speaker Linda Foster, a Democrat, said that New Hampshire needs to set up a more comprehensive enforcement system than the currently existing one before expanding gambling in the state. “This is a leap into a much more serious kind of gambling,” she said. “I don’t feel it is something that can be turned on a dime.”

The deadline for the House and Senate to come up with a compromise plan to deal with the budget deficit is tomorrow. It seems unlikely that they will reach an agreement on gambling expansion by then. Other ideas, such as property tax increases and raising rates on power companies, are also on the table.

Platinum Play Casino is one of the leading online casinos in the industry. They have made a name for themselves for providing great games designed by Microgaming. They also have the benefit of being named after a precious metal, which have become increasingly popular among investors since the stock market, the U.S. dollar and Euros continue to go to hell. Laugh if you want, by I assure you that Google searches for gold, silver and platinum have increased drastically within the last year. What does that mean? Nothing, except that it could conceivably draw more traffic to Platinum Play Casino. What should really draw more traffic to their casino is the release of new games, though, and that is exactly what’s happening.

In June, the popular online casino will release three new games from Microgaming: Soccer Safari, Voila and High Speed Poker. Soccer Safari is an online slot that combines soccer (or football if you’re not American) with an African theme. You may have heard that the World Cup is played in Africa this year. This online slot features elephants, giraffes, leopards and more playing soccer. It is a 5-reel, 30-payline online slot that I think will be a big hit as it is launched just in time for the World Cup.

Voila is a game with a French theme. It is an online slot that features symbols of the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Arc Triomphe and other things associated with France, including their food, which looks good but I’ve heard tastes terrible. The Voila slot should thrill people from other places who have always wanted to visit France, though.

The third new game coming to Platinum Play Casino is High Speed Poker. This is a poker game that, as the name implies, it meant to be played quickly. The poker game is 3-card draw using a single hand. This game should be popular among people who like the strategy of poker but don’t like how slow the game moves at times.

To play any of the new games, visit Platinum Play Casino.

Online bookmaker Paddy Power prides themselves on the variety of prop bets they offer in addition to the more traditional sports betting. In addition to sports, the Irish betting site offers betting on whether or not your flight will be cancelled due to the Icelandic volcano. It has odds on the U.S. Republicans gaining control of the House and Senate as well as the U.S. presidential election, Irish elections, English elections and more. You can bet on whether extraterrestrial life will be proven by 2013, who will win Britain’s Got Talent and who will win a court case involving a Hooters restaurant in which a waitress was ordered to lose weight.

The proposition bet that is causing the controversy, though, involves the BP oil spill. Right now, Paddy Power is taking bets on which marine species will be the first to become extinct due to the oil spill. Right now there are 4/5 odds on the Kemp’s Ridley turtle, 6/4 odds on the bluefin tuna and 8/1 odds on brown pelicans, among others.

Many people, myself included, think that Paddy Poker has now gone too far. The site says that they are trying to bring awareness to the situation. A spokesman for the company said that “hopefully our odds will bring home the imminent danger to such a varied mix of species dependent on the ocean.”

Yeah, I’m sure people would have no clue that marine life is in danger if people weren’t betting money on the extinction of the species. Paddy Power has a reputation for being witty and sometimes edgy and that adds to the charm of the website. Sometimes, however, you can go too far. A spokesman for the company said that they pride themselves on letting people put their money where their mouth is. If there is something in the news that people are discussing, Paddy Power wants to let you bet on it.

That sounds fine, but shouldn’t there be a line that shouldn’t be crossed? Shouldn’t some topics be off limits? If Paddy Power was around during the Holocaust, would they have had odds on how many Jews would be killed in the concentration camps? If they had been around during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, would they have kept odds on how many innocent Americans would be thrown in jail without a trial for “sedition?” If they had been around during the Civil Rights movement, would they have had odds on the likelihood of Martin Luther King being assassinated? If they had been around during the Irish Revolution, would they have offered odds on whether the IRA would succeed or be beaten down by the British?

I don’t know which of these species, if any, will become extinct. I certainly hope none of them will and I think that the environment and ecosystems are not as fragile as people believe. I think life finds a way to survive. Even so, I can’t support this prop bet.

Maybe I’m overreacting. Betting money on this doesn’t hurt anybody, so even if it’s in poor taste, why should we care? In fact, maybe Paddy Power wants us to overreact. They certainly are getting a lot of publicity from this. Aside from the gambling news websites, this story has been covered by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. You know what they say: There’s no such thing as bad publicity. You’re welcome, Paddy Power.

Australia’s Productivity Commission says that the federal government needs more control over the gambling industry. That shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. The Productivity Commission is an independent research and advisory board appointed by the Aussies’ federal government. So an entity appointed by the federal government and asked by the federal government to study the gambling industry finds that the federal government should run it? Hmm…

The Australian Productivity report on gambling has come out and they say that the federal government should take the regulatory authority away from the individual states and handle it themselves. They also advocate placing a 2% tax on all gambling revenue. The federal government could also offer “incentive payments” to the states to reduce their “reliance” on slots tax. Those payments are supposed to be to help wean the states off of gambling income rather than cutting it off abruptly, though some people see the idea as bribery.

All of that is troubling to people who advocate small federal government and local governments taking care of as much as possible for themselves. It gets worse, though. The report also suggests establishing a national player tracking system so the federal government can detect “abnormal or risky playing patterns.”

Gee, do you think that’s something that could be abused? The concept behind that idea is that Australian citizens are incapable of taking care of themselves and making sure they don’t spend too much money at the casinos. Therefore, the government has to monitor them and step in if they think the gambling is becoming a problem, if they are betting too much money, or just being irresponsible.

The new government system would allow the federal government to track all money spent on gambling by the citizens, how much money they spend, where they spend it, how much they win or lose, what games they are playing and more. The potential for this financial espionage to be abused is enormous. Of course, the government playing the role of Big Brother isn’t new. Look at their internet censorship history, which, though not as bad as China’s, is exceptionally bad when you consider that – unlike China – Australia is supposed to be a free country.

Here at Gambling Review, I support gambling expansion. However, I’m hoping that Australia’s federal government doesn’t listen to the suggestions of the Productivity Commission.

The World Series of Poker is the biggest tournament in the “sport” of poker. It has the World Series title for a reason. This is the big one where the best players compete for the biggest money. It’s televised internationally and I saw it in the movie Rounders before I knew anything about professional poker players or big poker tournaments. Playing in the World Series of Poker is a big deal.

Most poker players, however, never get the opportunity to sit with the big boys and play in that tournament. For some, it’s a dream that is never realized. Titan Poker is offering ordinary players a chance at glory, a chance to earn a seat at the biggest table in the business. That’s right. Titan Poker is sending players to the World Series of Poker.

Right now Titan Poker is holding the World Challenge 2010 tournament. In this tournament, players have the chance to prove that they are the best poker player in their country and then represent their nation in the World Series of Poker. At the end of the poker tournament, the five best players from around the world will each win a $13,000 package to the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, held in Las Vegas.

The World Challenge 2010 poker tournament has two rounds of qualifying tournaments. There are multiple dates for both rounds. There are 12 different countries and regions represented on the leader board. The top players in the first round advance to the second round. After the second round, the top 200 players advance to the final 8 tournaments, where players compete for the top 5 spots, where they win a trip to Vegas to play at the World Series of Poker.

Players have up until June 20 to participate in the qualifying rounds and take a shot at the grand prize. See the promotions page for details. To take part in the tournament and give yourself a chance at a seat at the table during the World Series of Poker Main Event, visit Titan Poker today.

Efforts to expanding gambling in the Granite state will go nowhere. New Hampshire Governor John Lynch has been looking for an excuse to veto any gambling bill that winds up on his desk. Now he has one.

Last week, the state Senate passed an amendment that would expand gambling in the state by allowing 4 sites to have a total of 10,000 video slots. The amendment passed the Senate by a 14-10 vote – with bipartisan support – and was then sent to the House, where today it was voted down 212-158.

The amendment was introduced by Senator Lou D’Allesandro (D), who has been pushing for gambling expansion in the state for a decade. He believed that now was his best chance to get it passed, since the state is looking for ways to cut down on the $300 million budget deficit.

However, even if the amendment had managed to pass the House, Lynch threatened to veto the gambling legislation. He cited concern that an increase in gambling would lead to an increase in gambling addiction. Lynch, as a Democrat, loves deciding for people what is best for them and protecting them from themselves.

Before he could make any decision on gambling expansion, Lynch said the he wanted to look at the information that the Gaming Study Commission had been gathering over the last nine months. Yesterday, the Commission released a report that said “expanded gaming would generate additional revenues and economic activity, but it would also generate additional societal and economic costs.”

What a shocking turn of events! It turns out that the commission that was appointed by Governor Lynch and then ordered, via Executive Order, to study the impact on expanded gambling on the economy and public safety concluded exactly what Lynch hoped to find. That’s pretty convenient that the report said exactly what Lynch wanted to hear. It’s certainly good news for Lynch, who now has a good excuse to veto the amendment: “Look at the report! It says it will turn everyone into degenerate gambling addicts!”

People like Lynch think that people are incapable of taking care of themselves and need the government to protect them from things that could be potentially dangerous. I could waste too much money on video slots. Please ban them so I can’t spend my money! While we’re at it, this fast food I’ve been eating is making me fat and I’m worried about heart disease. Please ban fatty foods, salt, foods high in sugar and anything else that makes food taste good. Also, every time I get in a car, I’m worried about getting in a wreck and being thrown through the windshield. Can you make it a crime to not wear a seat belt?…Oh, you already did that? Thanks. Now that I have your attention, it’s time to talk about guns.

Yesterday, I exposed the myth that Democrats are for online gambling and Republicans are against it. Even Barney Frank, who is leading the charge to legalize and regulate online gambling, didn’t vote against UIGEA. The truth is, the Democrats and Republicans stand together in opposition of online gambling.

This may come as a surprise, but in recent years there hasn’t been a whole lot of difference between the two parties. Both have favored big government, but for different reasons. Both have had out of control spending, but they spend money on different things. The Democrats were against online gambling because it’s something they can’t control and Republicans were against it for mostly moral reasons – seeing gambling as a potentially destructive habit.

Things are changing, though. You may have heard of the Tea Party movement sweeping the nation. It is a conservative movement that strays from the current Republican party and is focused on the principles of the Founding Fathers – the original conservative Republicans. The Tea Party embraces almost a Libertarian form of Constitutionalism and wants a small government that will stay out of people’s lives. As you might imagine, such a mindset is good for online gambling legislation because the Tea Partiers believe that the government has no right to tell you what you can and can’t do with your money.

Tea Partiers are putting pressure on the legislature, but just as importantly, they’re electing small-government candidates. Look at the recent Republican primaries and you will see the establishment Republican candidates losing (or trailing in the polls) to the Tea Party small-government guy. Rand Paul’s win and Marco Rubio’s annihilation of Charlie Crist that forced Crist to drop out of the primary and run as an Independent are the most recent examples.

If Tea Party Republicans continue to gain power, it brings the perfect storm together for the push to legalize online gambling at a federal level. That is because it allows the Republicans and Democrats to join together on the issue, this time in support of online gambling. The Republicans would be for the legislation because it takes power from the government and gives it back to the people and the Democrats would support it because it gives them another industry to regulate and tax. The Democrats rarely turn down an opportunity for tax revenue.

For that reason, fans of online gambling in America should support the likes of Paul, Rubio, JD Hayworth and even small-government Democrats like Mark Critz.