“The Colorado Judicial Department places a premium on making victims whole and assisting victims in collecting restitution”
The new law is an update of a 2008 statute that requires the Department of Revenue to intercept outstanding child support from casino and racetrack cash winnings in excess of $1,200.

“This Gambling Intercept Payment system has been extremely successful in recovering delinquent child support payments, “said Roxy Huber, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Revenue. “To date, Department of Revenue has recovered more than $1.1 million for Colorado’s children.”

Colorado was the first State to require casinos to intercept cash winnings for Colorado court-ordered child support payments. Since then, several States have followed suit including Louisiana and Indiana.

“This addition to the system will introduce new avenues for collecting restitution owed to Colorado crime victims,” continued Huber.

Restitution is ordered by a court in a criminal case where the defendant’s conduct caused a loss to a person or company.

“The Colorado Judicial Department places a premium on making victims whole and assisting victims in collecting restitution,” said State Court Administrator Gerald Marroney. “We are pleased to embrace this new online avenue for ensuring that outstanding restitution is diverted and paid.”

The update to the Gambling Intercept Payment system has been made possible through a partnership between Department of Revenue and Colorado.gov, which helps State and local government put their services online.

About Colorado Department of Revenue

The Colorado Department of Revenue interacts with every citizen in the state. The Department administers Colorado’s tax system, including state sales, fuel, motor vehicle, gaming, liquor, income, racing, cigarette, severance and estate taxes. Each year, the Department processes 4.3 million pieces of incoming and 6.1 million pieces of outgoing mail and handles $10.2 billion in tax revenues. Through its Division of Motor Vehicles, the Department oversees more than 5 million vehicle registrations and 3.6 million driver’s licenses. The Department also enforces liquor and tobacco laws, administers auto industry licensing, oversees limited gaming and racing, regulates medical marijuana centers and operates the state lottery.

The project will be completed in two phases and it’s estimated to cost $44 million, the report said.

The first part of the project will be finished in early 2012 and the casino hopes a constitutional amendment may eventually permit table games to be introduced, the Morning Times report noted.

The move to explore a sale comes after the company received several unsolicited approaches from trade buyers, the newspaper reveals.

Founded by entrepreneurs Crispin Nieboer a former NM Rothschild banker and BSkyB executive and Shaun Barron in 2005 with the backing of private venture capitalists, the Poker Channel should generate earnings of GBP 349 000 on revenues of GBP 1.5 million this year.

The television based channel provides specialist poker programming that includes branded tutorial shows, player interviews, cash games, online event coverage, daily news updates and live coverage of international events.

Meanwhile sister company Poker Heaven has developed into a successful Europe-facing online poker operation that predicts revenues of GBP 11.3 million and earnings of GBP 1.5 million this financial year.

The Telegraph speculates that there could be plenty of interested buyers, including major operators known to be interesting in acquisitions such as Party Gaming and 888, along with gambling groups like Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and Full Tilt Poker.

Paul Herman, the partner at Cavendish managing the sale, refused to be drawn on the identity of the bidders, but did confirm that considerable interest has been seen from Asia and overseas.

The governor opposes a significant expansion in land gambling that has been proposed to the House Local and Regulated Revenues Committee and suggests up to 17 000 slot machines at six locations, including three race tracks. The committee has until next week to vote on the bill, as-is or in an amended form.
Lynch was widely quoted in the media earlier as saying that he had other plans to meet state $140 million budgetary shortfalls and that he was considering online gambling among these. However, on Monday his press secretary Colin Manning said: “The bulk of that plan will take the form of cuts in state spending. A broad expansion of online gaming is not something the governor is considering.”

Manning said the governor is working with the Lottery Commission on ways to “modernize its offerings” and boost revenue. The commission has been discussing a fantasy sports league idea, he said, adding: “If expanded lottery products are part of the governor’s budget proposal, it would not represent a significant portion of his overall proposal.”

Berlin police spokeswoman Claudia Schwaiger said Sunday that the last 19-year-old suspect was arrested at Tegel airport on Saturday night after his lawyer told police he was there.

The robbery at the Berlin Grand Hyatt Hotel involved Euro 242 000, much of which is understood to have been recovered.

Two suspects were detained last week after one of the robbers gave himself up. The third suspect was arrested Saturday morning, also at Tegel airport.

The lucky competitor is now richer to the tune of $31,787 courtesy of the Kahnawake-licensed online casino and its Microgaming title.

”This jackpot is hit all the time so I figure that it gives me the best opportunity to win big money,” said ‘Mandy D’, a player at AztecRichesCasino.com.

“I have won some smaller amounts of money on the game but never the big jackpot. At least not yet.”

LotsALoot is a five-reel 25-payline progressive slot available to play at all casinos utilising Microgaming software and has already reset with a prize pool in excess of $33,000.

Microgaming’s Mega Moolah slot title currently features its highest progressive jackpot prize at over one million dollars followed by Major Millions, which currently stands at in excess of $250,000.

The ballot board will put finishing touches on the pro and con arguments voters will see on the ballot issues. Grabbing the most attention so far is Issue 3, a plan to bring casinos to Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo proposed by Penn National Gaming and Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert.

Earlier this week, ballot board officials, in finalizing the ballot language, added a clause that casino backers wanted. The addition explains that a $50 million license fee for each casino would be used for job training and that $250 million would be invested in each gambling facility.

Don McTigue, an attorney for the pro-casino group, said the provision was key in highlighting the economic development arguments for the issue.

“It was very important that voters know that casino owners would be required to make $1 billion in private investment in this project,” McTigue said.

But those fighting the casino issue scored points as well.

Sandy Theis, spokeswoman for the anti-casino TruthPAC, said her group was happy that the ballot issue will mention that Ohio casinos will have to adopt any games added by bordering states with casino gambling.

“You don’t know what one of the goofy border states is going to do,” she said. “And why should we cede control of what goes in Ohio to other states?”

Opponents of the casinos also were pleased that the ballot language makes it clear the backers will have a casino monopoly in Ohio.

Issue 3 is completely separate from plans by Gov. Ted Strickland to place up to 17,500 slot machines at Ohio’s seven horse-race tracks to raise $933 million over the next two years to balance the state’s budget.

Operating rules for the racetrack slot operations were signed by Strickland this week, including a provision that allows 18-year-olds to play the racetrack slots.

Largely flying under voter radar are two other less-controversial issues that will appear on the November ballot. Issue 1 asks voters to approve up to $200 million in bonds to pay for small bonuses to veterans of the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.

Issue 2 puts before voters the question of whether the state should have a livestock care standards board. That panel would prescribe standards for animal care and well-being while protecting food safety and Ohio agri-business interests.

Opponents of Issue 2 argue that the board would put interests of factory farms ahead of farm animals and was adopted by lawmakers to block national animal-rights groups from advancing reform efforts.

“… Lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,” Grace’s pastor, the Rev. Ken Spilger, read to 50 people seated before him. “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

Spilger was speaking about the personal sins of his flock, but he could have been referring to the sin that he believes would follow the construction of a $350 million casino complex being proposed half a mile from Grace’s front door, and the need for people of faith to stand in its way.

Last week, lawyers for North County Development LLC brought their request to the St. Louis County Planning Commission for a public hearing: to rezone 377 acres of farmland along Riverview Drive about a mile north of Interstate 270 and about 500 feet south of the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.

Opponents turned out at the hearing in large numbers to voice concerns about North County Development’s plans for a casino, convention center, hotel, 18-hole golf course, theater, wind farm and more than 8,000 parking spaces. A smaller group voiced support for the project, called Riverview Casino. Dora Gianoulakis, president of the Spanish Lake Community Association and an opposition leader, called the umbrella of individuals and groups allied against the developers “an interesting mixture of people.” That mixture has brought together disparate worldviews. Conservative Christians have found themselves standing alongside environmentalists, for instance. And anti-gambling Christians may link up with the last group they’d ever expected to agree with — owners of the six other casinos in the St. Louis area. Some trace the roots of Christian opposition to gambling all the way back to a scene in the Gospel of Matthew, in which the Roman soldiers who have crucified Christ are “casting lots” for his garments. “Christians have such a strong aversion to gambling and games of chance because the Gospels teach us an important lesson in that verse,” said the Rev. Nathan Wolff, pastor of Bellefontaine United Methodist Church, who was at the rezoning hearing. “We’re talking about something as fundamental as the Crucifixion and the behavior of the people who crucified Jesus.” Edward Griesedieck, attorney for North County Development, said he “disputes the entire premise” that a casino brings moral damage to a community. “Gaming is an entertainment activity, and for the vast majority of people in Missouri, a casino is a perfectly acceptable entertainment venue,” he said.

The concern among some Christians in Spanish Lake extends beyond what they see as the moral hazards of gambling. The New Testament book of Colossians says that “in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible,” and those words lead many Christians to environmentalism. The Columbia Bottom Conservation Area — 4,318 acres along 6 1/2 miles of river — is a haven for wildlife, especially migrating birds that use the river as a north-south flyway, and frequently stop in its wetlands to feed and rest. A waterfowl refuge that makes up a large section of the southern part of the conservation area, and that is closed to the public for four months out of the year, parallels the northern border of the proposed casino complex site, and is separated from it by only 500 feet. Some opponents of the complex worry that noise, light and a proposed wind farm will disrupt the natural habitat of the conservation area’s wildlife. And those worries have been given a religious imprimatur. “This is also about the stewardship of our environment,” said the Rev. Daniel Hite, chairman of Missouri Clergy Against Gambling Expansion. “The environmental impact is part of the consideration.” In November, Missourians voted to cap the number of casino licenses in the state at 13, which includes those already in existence and one under construction. Six of those are in the St. Louis area, and, opponents of the Riverview complex point out, within a 30-minute drive of Spanish Lake. “Unless a license is forwarded or surrendered, there are no licenses available,” said Gene McNary, executive director of the Missouri Gaming Commission. “The only way someone could apply for a license would be to go to the Legislature and ask it to change the law to raise the cap.” Casino representatives in the area would not speculate about which interests they would join forces with to oppose the Riverview project if it becomes a reality. But religious leaders say that despite their opposition to gambling, they would partner with existing casinos to make sure Riverview is never built. “If the need is warranted,” said Hite, “I’d stand with anyone against it.” Community leaders and anti-gambling activists say the moral stature people of faith bring to the fight helps their side. “Church support can help to broaden the base,” Gianoulakis said. “Having the faith community with us in a strong way is an enormous help,” said Les Bernal, executive director of Washington-based Stop Predatory Gambling. “The backbone of most of America’s notable social movements — ending slavery, fighting for civil rights — was the faith community. They’re a huge asset.” Missouri is not the only state debating gambling issues. Bernal said similar battles are being waged “in every corner of the country.” The organization defines “predatory gambling” as “using gambling to prey on human weakness, for profit,” and Bernal said the precarious economy is making the prey more vulnerable. “The predatory gambling trade is trying to take advantage of the states’ weak financial position — the budget crises many states face, and the need to create jobs for their citizens,” he said. “They’re trying to create this myth that casino capitalism is the answer to all that.” Griesedieck listed various community entities that would benefit financially from the annual taxes Riverview would owe the county — $1.1 million for the Spanish Lake Fire District, $7.1 million for the Hazelwood School District. He said the casino would provide 1,500 to 2,500 jobs during construction and permanent employment for between 1,750 to 2,250 people. “I would suggest there is no other industry that provides so much assistance to the community it’s in,” Griesedieck said. Casinos are good for their communities “because they contribute funds to things that have little to do with gaming. This casino would be a tremendous boon to North County and a positive influence.” But members of Spanish Lake’s faith community say a casino would hinder their efforts to work with the poor. People with fewer means tend to be attracted to the lure of easy money won at a casino, they say, and when they lose the little money they have, the cycle continues. Last year Spanish Lake clergy received a letter from the St. Louis County Office of Family and Community Services asking for their help. Grace Baptist Church took action, sending its members to the nearby Countryside Apartments complex to work with kids. “We are trying to meet them at a need that’s very, very real, and a casino is not going to help,” said Spilger. “It’s very frustrating to me.” A major moral issue for religious opponents to gambling is the way in which winners win. “To win, everybody you’re playing against has to lose,” said Marty Seward, a member of Grace Baptist. “And the people they’d be preying on are part of this community.” “If you’re a casino and you lose more than you win, you’re not a casino for long,” said Wolff. “The losers are left in the community waiting for a cab ride home, if you will. And I’m the cabdriver.”

That’s according to opponents including church groups, Rep. Louis Blessing Jr., and attorneys for TruthPAC, a casino opposition group financed in part by horse tracks.

Casino opponents say because the proposed constitutional amendment expressly allows bingo, lottery games and horse-race betting, any other form of gambling in Ohio would automatically be banned if Ohio voters approve Issue 3.

“The language is set in stone,” Blessing told the Enquirer.

Former Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken, as chairman of the Ohio Jobs and Growth Plan — which proposes four casinos in four Ohio cities, including Cincinnati’s Broadway Commons — disputes that interpretation.

Luken said the wording will not restrict charitable gambling, including church festivals.

“I just wanted to make sure that you understand that our initiative in no way affects current charitable gaming.” Luken said. “It was drafted not to affect charitable gaming that currently goes on at churches.”

However, neither Luken, nor Penn National Gaming, the lead casino developer, could provide a legal explanation why church festivals or Las Vegas nights are not listed in the proposed Issue 3 amendment.

“Once the voters realize this shuts down church festivals, Penn can kiss their amendment goodbye,” said Blessing, a Colerain Township Republican.

Jim Tobin, associate director of the Catholic Conference of Ohio, agrees with Blessing’s interpretation: the Nov. 3 constitutional amendment would ban gambling at church festivals and at so-called Las Vegas nights. “It’s another reason why this is not a good proposal,” Tobin said Tuesday.

“How stupid are these guys, in their greed, to take a shot at the same people that might want to come to casinos?” Tobin said, referring to people who might enjoy charitable gambling at church festivals.

The wording that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot is a concise, simple summary of the full constitutional amendment; the full amendment, to be added to the state constitution, is nearly six pages long.

Casino opponents have until Aug. 28 to file legal challenges against the proposed constitutional amendment in the Ohio Supreme Court.

Tom Smith, public policy director with the Ohio Council of Churches, said he also thinks that the proposed casino issue, as written, would ban all forms of gambling by churches and charitable foundations — except for bingo.

The last paragraph of the proposed six-page constitutional amendment states that lotteries and bingo would not be limited by passage of the casino issue. Opponents say that phrase, as well as other language in the amendment, automatically excludes other types of charitable gambling. Most observers believe that casino developers did not intend to ban gambling by churches and nonprofit groups.

Luken said his group might file a complaint against any opponent making a false statement about the ballot language.