Though the laws are strict, gambling activist are wondering why they were changed for slots parlors. There are hundreds of thousands of slots lovers who want to smoke and drink while they are wagering. They want to make sure they have the opportunity to do so and getting smoking cut was a big blos. Some attendance numbers are down, but only slightly. Legislators got their own way. They banned smoking, but now are changing their minds when it comes to gambling centers. This change is causing a lot of furror in the world. Anti-smoking activists are debating the reasons why it happened and wondering how the government believes this to be fair for other busineses who also could benefit from smoking. Bars, pubs, restaurants and taverns weren’t given a free pass to allow smoking in, so why do slots parlors get a different set of rules to abide by? This is a question that is on the table right now and creating more than a few arguments.

Anti-gambling activists are stating it is because slots make states big dollars. The states benefit directly from as many people as possible wagering at the casinos. What better way to draw in smokers other than to give them a place where they are free to smoke? Most likely if they are drawn to a location where smoking is still legal, they are going to wager. It is only a natural assumption. If people are going to visit a casino they most likely are going to at minimum wager a few times on the slots. Critics are citing that the slots parlors make states money and that is what is setting the rules for them apart. There are no smoking bans and that could continue to rile up the masses when they address the issue. In places that have banned smoking already slots numbers have gone down due to lack of interest. Smoking and slots gaming, or visiting a casino, go hand in hand and that is not something that players are likely going to let go of anytime soon. If the laws change, they could dampen attendance and bring slots revenue numbers down—something that Illinois legislators definitely do not want.

Smoking has always been a hot topic with the US state legislature. Now it is making headlines again but this time as it is related to slots gaming parlors. Smoking a few years ago was banned from public locations and people are limited to smoke a certain number of feet away from public locations. Legislators in St Louis County Missouri however are making their own changes to that rule. They are now under fire because of those changes. Legislators decided that it would not be necessary for Harrah’s Casino patrons to leave the casino for their gaming needs. They are exempt from the law and can allow people to smoke at free will there. People are fighting the decision though, stating that if smoking was bad for residents due to the health reasons outside of casino gaming facilities, why is it different for them? Why aren’t people in casinos under the same health risks as others? Why is this market different?

That is the debate that is raging with gambling groups. They are pitted against each other with arguments and all wondering what the true reason for the disparity is. Of course the reason to ban smoking in businesses is due to second-hand smoking problems. Second-hand smoke is an alleged contributor to lung cancer, emphysema and various other breathing related ills. It is a huge issue and has been for a few years now. Clean-air activists wanted the government to step in and make rules that would make smoking illegal in businesses and directly around them. Now, to smoke you have to be a minimum of fifteen feet from a business to do so. Businesses have to post signs warning of the restriction on smoking too so you often times will see them scattered throughout the businesses districts. It isn’t allowed to smoke on a loading dock because it is considered to be an entrance to the building. All businesses are under this restriction including bars, pubs, taverns, nightclubs, coffee houses, restaurants and schools. None are allowed to let people smoke within their walls or directly surrounding them. This is a law that was passed as part of Smoke-Free initiatives.

Part two coming next.

Illegal slots games are becoming a bigger and bigger nuisance in the world. Part of the problem is that the games are so popular. It makes for a difficult time for law enforcement to stand in and take care of the problems. First of all they have to get wind of them. Many illegal machines are now operating without anyone ever reporting them. Let’s face it, most people who see a slots game in a gas station of a small two-lane highway aren’t going to rush to their cell phones. Some people might even take a shot at playing the games if they need something to do for a few hours. Even without a win, slots have proven that they can be huge time-fillers. In problem with slots is coming up all over the world and now Namibia is the latest location to have problems with regulation. There was a recent meeting at Ongwediva, a town in northern Namibia, in which legislators are planning on debating the police force that wants to seize illegal slots games in the country. The police force made the decision to take away illegal machines and that has caused an uproar in gaming.

The decision was made back in December of 2010 when the police decided to no longer leave the machines in operation. Many business people were the main ones who believed that they needed to fight against the decision. They believe that many of the legislators currently in office were backed because of their support of gaming. Now that they are in office they are changing their mind and business leaders are infuriated. They believe that they were duped by the politicians’ stand pre-election. The meetings in the future may prove to be emotionally charged ones as both sides voice their opinions on the issues. Whether or not the games are still going to be seized though is the hot topic. Business owners are hoping to convince the police force to put off the seizing of machines for a bit longer so they can continue with their political arguments to the communities involved, however, only time will tell what happens and if the police move in on the games immediately without further argument.

There is a myth in the world of gaming that says that casinos ban players who tend to win more slots payouts. We have all heard the stories of players who sit at a machine and manage to win the jackpot. Then the next day they come back and win at another game. Or, they win at one game and a few hours later win at it again! Either way it is headline news and the rumor is that casinos watch out for that kind of thing. They then ban the players because they don’t want to lose money to one particularly lucky player. The truth is that this doesn’t happen. First of all, a casino knows how the slots work. They are completely random machines. If one player hits the jackpot once and then hits soon after, the reality is that he or she is just experiencing a good run of luck, nothing more. Most likely the player is going to have their day in the sun, but then lose their lucky streak and fall back into the normal winning pattern they are used to. There is nothing he or she can do to extend their luck, so they won’t even try.

Second of all, a good casino knows that the publicity they get for a player who wins two or more jackpots in succession is priceless. All they have to do is announce two great wins over a short span of time and the players most likely are going to enough promotions for them. The casino won’t have to pay for that kind of publicity—rather they can just take advantage of fate and enjoy. The world of casino gambling is highly competitive and that means that casinos love free publicity. More than a few casinos have benefitted from players winning huge amounts and creating a buzz about the facility. That works for online slots parlors too. They love to post that they paid out huge amounts to their players. It is one of the best things about gaming. If you are playing and win, don’t worry. The casino most likely is going to welcome you with open arms the next time you come in. they want your business and one or two good wins aren’t going to seriously cut back on their overwhelming revenue stream.

Part of the problem with illegal operations that have been uncovered as of yet, is the precarious position it puts gamers in. According to a study, most gamers believe that if slots games are “out in the open” in a business, then they are legal to play. People believe that a business being upfront about games is a clear sign that they have followed the proper protocols and gone through the proper channels for legally having the games. This is not true. The reality is that illegal games are not hidden in some backroom as so many people believe. Illegal games can be out in the open and still be illegal. The issue though is that if gamers are caught wagering on the illegal games, they can be brought up on charges due to their wagering. There is no such thing as saying, “It was the business’ fault” in the world of illegal gaming and facing a court room. Gamers have to protect themselves when it comes to wagering and that includes checking to see if games are legal to play, before playing them.

For example, recently a Phillips 66 gas station in Branson, Missouri was targeted for illegal slots gaming. The police came down on the location for the machines that were in open view of people entering the station. This was deceptive in practice, but it took many people for a ride. The gas station made thousands in profits prior to being caught by the police. It was a tip off from patrons that brought on the investigation. People were calling the police station innocently to find out if the games were legal. They were told that they weren’t. This is when the police force came up with a task force to move in on the location and stop the games for good. Activities like this are going to continue to happen as long as people are unaware. Though there were some people who called in to check, there were hundreds others who just played the games without a second though to whether or not they were legal. This is a caution in the world of gambling for everyone—always check to make sure the business you are wagering at has gone through the proper channels for legal gaming. It is especially important to check in locations that aren’t the “norm” for having games for patrons.

There are thousands of mayors in the world who love the thought of gambling. They see slots as a sure-fire way of bringing in revenue and want to keep using the activity as a means of bringing up much-needed funding. The money is being earmarked for various public works programs and development, along with education and expansion. It is a great way to find money for these activities and since the recession, there have been few options. Gambilng is one of the only things that could potentially bring in the millions of dollars needed to avoid serious budget cuts in the future. Still- there are some areas that are not welcoming of slots gaming. For one- Rock Island Mayor Dennis Pauley.

Pauley recently made waves by stating his anti-slots gaming stance. He believes that there is an ethical aspect of gaming that is too high a cost for the state to accept. He is like most anti-gambling activists in his theories. They don’t debate that slots would bring in millions of dollars. They have seen other markets benefit financially from the games and know that it is possible to manage them and bring in millions of dollars a month. The issue most anti-gambling activists have is that the money would not outweigh the additional costs. They believe that gambling would inevitably bring in other problems like crime, corruption and addictions. They state that if they allow gambling in, it will cost the communities more in expenses than it is worth. For example, legalizing slots gaming may bring in $3-million in one month. However, if over time it produces 2,000 gambling addicts, a good portion of that money could have to go to building new treatment centers to help those gamblers. It also could increase theft, which would call for an increased police force and possibly better facilities. This would also create a bigger cost that would cut down on the overall revenue being brought in by gaming. Pauley is one of those legislators who believes that it is too big a cost to allow slots gaming into his city. For this reason he is putting a vote of “no” into the area and holding off on any gambling change in the near future, despite the huge tax revenue dollars involved.

There was another instance of illegal gaming recently. This is arming a lot of anti-gambling activists with more fodder for their opinions to grow. They are citing the various instances in the world and bringing them to light for people to see. Most have already worked hard to fund campaigns that showcase the issues coming into the market and requesting that gaming companies are stifled. Another instance happened in West Branson, Missouri recently. It was a Phillips 66 gas station that was investigated and found to be holding gambling activities that were without license, and therefore illegal. The gas station was operating five illegal slot machines at the location. The particular offence was that the owners were operating the gaming activities out in the open. There was no hesitation by the station to hide the activities or keep them under wraps in any way. This was a new thing for police in the area to encounter. They were surprised at the overt operations.

This could be a sign of how things in the market are changing. No longer are businesses trying to hide the games. They seem to consider slots innocuous games of fun. The reality though is that any games that pay out real cash, are considered gambling games. And all gambling games have to be regulated and are under the laws various jurisdictions hold. The machines in West Branson were all seized, but there were no arrests in the incident. This seizure of the games was carried out by a special task force intent on uncovering the various illegal activities in gaming. Expect more task forces to be brought together for this express purpose. This is another part of the problems that anti-gaming activists are posting. They believe that it is going to cost a lot of funds to create these task forces that need to focus on the illegal activities. This could potentially bring millions of expenses to the world of gaming. Many cities, states and counties don’t have the extra funds to create their own task forces solely devoted to the world of illegal gambling. Only time will tell what happens in the world of gambling in the US. It could be that the task forces are the turning factor that will change the minds of legislators who want to jump right into legalizing gambling.

In the world of slots there are a lot of developments. Anti gambling activists are calling for banning of slots. They believe that the games are only going to increase the amount of crime, corruption and addictions that communities have to deal with. A recent survey showed that of gambling games, slots are some of the most addictive in nature and could offer the biggest problems for gamblers prone to addictions. The reason is because gambling on the slots is thought of as a small-wager activity. Though you can find slots that cost more, in general there are games that offer great fun for just a few pennies, nickels or quarters. This normally fits into anyone’s bankroll and they don’t consider how much over the course of a few hours they can lose. This is part of the reason why the games are thought of as dangerous. People may not be willing to wager at a $50 per spin roulette table, knowing that they can lose too much, but are they as aware if they are on a quarter-wager slot machine? Consider that the average slots player can spin the reels over one-hundred times in an hour. That can add up—especially if you are gaming on a multi-payline game.

Because of the problems gaming experts are hoping that legislators ban the rules of slots gaming. They are hoping that people are protected. The problem though is that legislators are drawn in the tax revenue millions of dollars that slots afford. They know just how lucrative the games and don’t want to pass up the chance at the money. In today’s tough market, they are more than ready and willing to write laws that allow slots gaming into the markets. One of the hold ups though is finding the right regulations to work with when gaming. People have to be protected and this is one of the biggest problems. Without the proper legislation, there could be a lot of additional problems for communities to work with. Anti gambling activists are still voicing their opinions and hoping that more and more legislators listen to their opinions and the reasons behind them.

The world of gambling is intimidating. You may wonder whether or not gambling is legal and that is a big question right now. The rules aren’t universal anymore because various areas are working with legislation. Some law makers see the profit margin available via gambling and want in. others want to be cautious about making changes and allowing gambling into their markets. It is a problem for legislators and they are fighting it out among themselves. As of right now though, the UIGEA, Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, still stands. Most people are intimidated though about what their personal jurisdiction says regarding gambling. In the US there are two factors that dictate what you can and can’t do—the federal and state level of government. If you want to know whether or not you can wager then you need to check with both. You want to make sure that you aren’t breaking any laws on either level. It is easy to make a mistake today with the vast number of gambling options. The good news though is that most online casinos are very upfront with who they can and who they can’t take on as customers at their location on the internet.

The question of whether or not games are legal lies in the fact that regulations are not in place to transfer money to and fro when it comes to wagering. Remember that in the US the UIGEA is still in effect. Legislators are doing some work on changing the laws but until they do, it is illegal for financial institutions to work with gambling transactions or allow them to go through. Part of the problem with the UIGEA though was that it never defined exactly what gambling is. It never said what activities are specifically under the heading of “gambling” titles. This has created much confusion in the market and a lot of problems for gamers. You have to make sure that you keep up on the market in your local area and know the rules. You won’t want to wager for money, win and then have to forfeit money due to the rules and not understanding them.

There is a new proposal in Indiana and it’s set to introduce more slot machine gaming to the state. Since 2007 the state has debated over gambling and using it to bring in money. Now, legislators are pushing for more slot machines to be placed in bars, restaurants and fraternal organization lodges.  An old study by the Indiana Licensed Beverage Association showed that if slots and video poker are allowed, by putting 3,500 machines in the state there would be an increase of $300 million in tax-revenue dollars. That is a huge amount and would do a lot to quell the overwhelming budget problems the state is currently under.

Add to the mix the fact that there is a wide range of illegal operations when it comes to gambling going on. The US learned a difficult lesson with gambling and that is that Americans are going to do it—whether it is legal or not. Back in 2006 the UIGEA was introduced and the hope was to thwart online gambling. All the move did though was to push US residents to gamble at offshore casinos. In the end, it channeled billions of dollars out of the country.  US legislators should remember that well. If states are going to ban slot machines, most likely people will just start using underground and illegal machines to wager with. It isn’t as simple as taking the offending problem away anymore. People have many outlets to get what they want and do what they want to do.

Indiana should remember well what happened back in 2009. The state created an Indiana Excise Police, which was a group tasked with eliminating the gambling industry. Their job was to keep things under wraps but the state’s new organization failed to make good their task. In the end, illegal gambling continued to grow in the market and created an even bigger problem for policing organizations. There are intricate underground groups that manage gambling and bring it to the public. It is more difficult to uncover these groups due to their covert dealings. It will take time for Indiana to figure out a decent law, but one thing the state cannot do is ban gambling. It didn’t work in 2006 and it didn’t work in 2009. That means that future efforts most likely won’t work either.