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A rendering of one portion of the proposed Resorts World Miami Genting casino resort project; the $3 billion project still has not received a high sign from Florida lawmakers.

They state cash talks, but in Genting Resorts World’s case, it’s maybe not been speaking as loudly as the company might like.

The asian gambling conglomerate has largely met with nothing but resistance despite pouring $236 million into a 14-acre waterfront Miami spread back in 2011 and then sprinkling millions more into pressuring state politicians to ‘adapt’ a construction law to accommodate a new $3 billion resorts World Miami casino project. So they’ve now decided for a new, less cumbersome direction for the Sunshine State: a slots-only project that would set them up with Gulfstream Park racetrack in Miami’s Key Biscayne area.

Antagonists Await

Of course, anytime a potential casino that is new appears in a state, the very first thing that happens is some form of anti-gaming coalition forms; and Florida has been no exception to that rule. Anti-casino group NoCasino.org is even releasing a movie mid-January called Pushing Luck that claims to show a ‘sobering glimpse’ of ‘broken promises’ from casino operators.

According to Genting’s new partner Gulfstream, the racetrack holds an as-yet-unused video gaming license that gets the potential for use in either Miami-Dade or Broward counties, as the track rests just between the two areas. Gulfstream also brought home this point summer that is last a three-horse occasion that took place on their property, which takes place to just discuss the Broward county line into Miami-Dade.

But the big event may have backfired, as Florida video gaming commissioners later filed a complaint up against the race track for said event, so the licensing issue remains not clear, and unsupported by the capabilities that will need to approve it. The proposed Genting project would also break precedent, as until now, only Native American tribes have already been able to offer slots without a actual racetrack on the property.

With horse racing still an important aspect of Florida’s economy, the brand new pairing came up with an innovative offering to tempt both lawmakers and regulators to bless their new union; Genting and Gulfstream state they would share a few of their profits with Florida’s breeders, trainers and owners, an offer that sits mighty well with the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. FTHA CEO Lonny Powell has even gone so far as to say it makes it a ‘game-changing’ deal, saying ‘this is the first partnership where the income stream and investment would really get back in to the horses.’

Two-Hour Tours

Up until now, Genting is providing only ‘cruises to nowhere’ in most cases, thrice-daily sailings between Miami and the company’s Resorts World Bimini casino in the nearby Bahamas, which conveniently rests only 50 miles from the Sunshine State’s coast. During the two-hour trips, fast-acting gamblers could play any games they wanted to on board, and that included recreations betting; in exchange for that business opportunity, Genting is to cough up $11 million to go towards fixing up Miami’s ports, plus a yearly $7 million rental fee that will extend for at least the next ten years.

A wrench was thrown into the time and evening cruise excursions year that is late last but, whenever the U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Genting they were only to use U.S.-based workers on the trips. a legal battle ensued; but Genting ultimately had to concede, as maritime guidelines that could connect with other Miami-based cruise lines apparently never apply once the ship does perhaps not actually dock in a foreign slot and doesn’t require passenger passports, either.

With that decision, Genting cut back on its cruise operations out of Miami, saying they can’t afford to make a crew that is all-american.

And that is not all of the issues that have actually plagued the day-trippers either; pier issues in Bimini have actually meant Genting has to anchor off-shore and then ferry groups that are small and forth, a reality that do not only eats up time and manpower, but has proved to be unpleasant for passengers in inclement weather.

Despite all these hurdles and projected losses of $11 million for 2014 Genting is evidently not planning on getting out of the day cruise business. And clearly, no matter how stormy the seas, they plan to remain the course in Florida, some way.

Maine Gambling Enterprises Oppose Expanded Gambling in State

Most people think of Maine like this, but a small casino contingent is wanting to hold their own there because well. (Image: Katarina Neef/atpm.com)

We possibly may not agree using them, but we all know there are numerous reasons that individuals may oppose more gambling in their state, from moral objections to worries about problem gambling. However in Maine, gambling is finding an opponent that is unusual the gambling enterprises on their own.

Read Our Lips: No New Casinos

Officials from the 2 Maine casinos presently in procedure spoke to lawmakers this week and said which they shouldn’t approve any expansion of the casino industry in the state. In this situation, it appears that the casinos believe that industry in the state is wholly saturated already while others believe they’re just afraid of a competition that is little.

The two properties under consideration the Hollywood and Oxford Casinos encountered off at the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs against members of two native tribes that are american the state, plus the owner of the Scarborough Downs race track, over a number of bills that would serve to expand Maine’s gambling options.

Probably the most controversial of these is known as LD 1111. It could allow Scarborough Downs to become a ‘racino,’ operating slot machines with their current horse racing operations. That problem has already been brought to referendum in 2011, when it received only 45 per cent of the vote statewide.

Factional Battles

According to track owner Sharon Terry, Scarborough Downs is struggling as a result of competition it faces from the casinos into the state particularly Oxford Casino, which is simply 45 minutes away and opened in June 2012. And even though Hollywood Casino may away be further, it features a companion racino, letting it offer everything Scarborough Downs can and more.

Terry says that revenues fell 21.8 per cent at her track since slots were allowed during the Bangor competition track, and that the situation is getting worse considering that the opening of the Oxford Casino. Since Scarborough Downs is responsible for 101 times of racing each year, the cut in revenue perhaps not only threatens the track, but also Maine’s entire horse racing industry.

‘The Downs cannot endure under the current laws,’ Terry said.

Nonetheless, the general managers of both casinos in addition to several business people within the Oxford area disagreed, opposing allowing slots at the Scarborough Downs facility. In basic, the casinos feel that any gambling that is new hawaii threatens to ‘cannibalize the industry,’ as Maine is a relatively small state without enough gamblers to help more venues.

That helps explain why in addition they opposed three other bills being considered by the state. Those include a bill that would allow charities to operate up to five slots at their headquarters to be able to raise funds, along with two bills that would allow Indian tribes to expand their gambling operations: one which would let the Houlton Band of Maliseets to operate slots and table games, and another that will let the Passamaquoddy Tribe apply to run table games and slots at a existing bingo facility.

‘Should further facilities available or expand, we would see further erosion of our client base,’ said John Osborne, general manager of the Hollywood Casino.

Big Banks Refuse to Process Legal Online Gambling Transactions

Major credit card issuers like Chase, Wells Fargo and United states Express will not process even legal on the web gambling transactions, they state. (Image: Jason Hindley/money.cnn.com)

Every thing seemed so hunky dory: Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey all got legal online gambling or at least poker, in Nevada’s case up and running in 2013, and except for a few dilemmas with geo-location snafus, overall, the internet sites in all three states have been running pretty smoothly. Except for just one bug that is fairly major has nothing at all to do with the sites themselves: major financial institutions like United states Express, Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan Chase are refusing to process any money interactions on these web sites, legal or otherwise not.

Your Transaction Is Denied

Whether credit or debit, several card that is heavy-hitter say they are not gambling when it comes to honoring their cards on online gaming sites. And obviously, that’s not sitting well with many players who say, just what offers? But the banks involved say they’ll not budge, not for online casinos, poker or even appropriate recreations betting in Nevada.

‘We do not let credit card deals for this activity,’ stated Steve O’Halloran, director of pr and public affairs for Chase Card and Merchant Services. And American Express spokeswoman Sanette Chao concurs, saying her business simply ‘prohibits the use of the card for gambling services.’

While some may conclude that this might be some kind of moral imperative, it ends indian dreaming slot app up that it is more of a bottom-line that is simple choice than anything else.

‘Gambling services, historically, account for a number that is high of user credit losses and customer service disputes,’ noted Chao.

UIGEA Still Directs Banks’ Positions

And some banks do still hold onto the old UIGEA model (illegal online Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006), because, all things considered, from the federal standpoint, it’s still murky just how it is to be interpreted following a 2012 reinterpretation of the original 1961 Wire Act had been handed down through the Supreme Court that opened the entranceway to at minimum state-by-state lawful Internet gambling.

Wells Fargo spokeswoman Natalie Brown says this will be the reasoning behind her company’s decision to decline gambling deposits.

‘In compliance with regulation GG (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006), we prohibit the utilization of consumer credit cards for Internet gambling,’ said Brown, whom is vice president of customer lending communications with Wells Fargo. ‘The systems (Visa, MasterCard and American Express) monitor the merchant category codes and block fees that do not conform to federal laws.’

While this may make some feeling from their views, it could prove a reality that is frustrating online players in legal gambling states.

‘What the industry has done is take a conservative approach or response to the legalization of online gambling,’ said Tobin Prior, CEO of Ultimate Gaming, which is a subsidiary of Station Casinos, a land-gaming proprietor in Nevada and the first ever to go online with legal poker in the Silver State. ‘That can be frustrating, but we work with customers discover options.’

One of the benefits of this brick-and-mortar/Internet symbiosis is that clients can both fund and cash down at any of the land gaming properties, in either Southern Nevada or at Station’s land video gaming partner the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Players can also use e-checks or wire transfers to prior make deposits noted.

While legal websites on the internet might wish that banks had been more within their court right now, Caesars WSOP site’s spokesperson Seth Palansky says its what it is.

Genting Gambles in Florida with Uncertain Results