
Poker superstar Phil Ivey has received preliminary approval for A las vegas, nevada medical marijuana dispensary license in Nevada.
Phil Ivey is not smoking one thing, but his future clients may be: Ivey received one of 26 license that is preliminary for the medical marijuana dispensary through the Las Vegas City Council previously this week, potentially making the poker superstar one of the first operators into the town to provide pot to consumers.
You can find even more steps necessary before Ivey gets last approval to start such a business, but his approval does suggest that the city found him qualified to move on in the licensing process.
This week to plead their cases for medical marijuana licenses about 50 potential operators went before the City Council. Those that got approval that is preliminary the town will now have to be approved by the state health department.
The City Council will sooner or later hold a last suitability conference for the people approved by the state before awarding a restricted number of licenses that have been set aside for Las Vegas.
Which means that Ivey still has a way that is long go before finding a last go-ahead to dispense medical cannabis in Sin City. But as he makes pot-sized bets at the poker table if he can make his way through the various licensing stages, Ivey might end up slinging weed just as prolifically.
Council Separate on Licensing Process
There is a great deal of controversy over just how Las Vegas has handled the pot licensing process, though which has more to do with procedural questions than such a thing Ivey or some other licensee that is potential done.
Councilman Bob Coffin introduced a motion to delay the proceedings until after Nevada regulators weigh in regarding the suitability of each of the candidates next week. He worried that making public opinions on applicants before the state made its own tips could possibly lead to lawsuits, and that waiting could permit the city to approach the problem with an ‘unbiased eye.’
But that motion ultimately failed, as a vote regarding the issue completed in a tie that is 3-3. 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 a applicatant by herself, abstained from the vote.
Among the many applicants that were 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 group that operates dispensaries in California, ended up being denied for a license.
‘I believe waiting might have made a difference,’ Nuleaf spokesman Bradley Mayer said. ‘We feel confident that their state will find we’re a very qualified applicant.’
Ivey Headliner of the Year
This is simply the newest in a series of headlines made by Ivey which have nothing at all to do with his prodigious skills at the poker table.
Probably the biggest headlines were made in his various cases that are edge-sorting Crockfords and the Borgata. Ivey already destroyed the Crockfords case in the UK’s tall Court of Justice, costing him over $12 million in winnings. a comparable instance against the Atlantic City casino is nevertheless pending, although in that case, it is the casino that is pursuing recourse to have its payouts came back. Ivey contends that the techniques he utilized in the games usually do not constitute cheating, while the gambling enterprises, maybe not interestingly, disagree.
Last Saturday, Ivey also shut straight down the Ivey Poker internet site, closing operations just 18 months after the Facebook poker program launched. However, the poker legend said that the shut down ended up being just a transition for the product.
Southern 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 National Gambling Policy Council, which features members from both the national and provincial governments, as well as the Department of Trade and Industry.
According to department officials, the federal government believes it gets the capability to enforce laws on gambling, and that it really is unclear how many jobs are created by the internet gambling industry. It might also scarcely be a move that is unprecedented as many other jurisdictions around the globe have outlawed online gambling within the past.
Democratic Alliance Favors Regulation Over Ban
But while many government officials were enthusiastic about the possibility, the notion of a ban that is outright highly denounced by the opposition Democratic Alliance.
‘That is a very, really decision that is bad’ said DA trade and industry spokesperson Geordin Hill-Lewis. ‘we fiercely disagree with that view. It is completely shortsighted to say that it is better for South Africans not to be allowed to gamble online if you find patently significant need in the country to achieve that. It is for government to facilitate that into the safest way possible.’
In other words, the DA position is that online gambling is better controlled through regulation, instead than an outright ban. a complete ban, Hill-Lewis said, would cost far an excessive amount of in resources to enforce.
But Department of Trade and Industry Deputy Director-General Zodwa Ntuli said that the particular circumstances in Southern platinum quick hits slot machine Africa meant that a ban could be good public policy. She pointed away that the department’s proposal was made after recognizing that South Africa had a level that is relatively high of gambling and debt contrasted with numerous nations.
Electronic Bingo Terminals Would Be Limited
In the event that department’s tips had been to be law, it wouldn’t trigger a ban that is widespread of gambling tasks in the nation, but would rather limit what is allowed of this traditional types of gaming which can be already contained in South Africa. There would additionally be further controls put on electronic bingo terminals, which are currently allowed by provincial governments, even though there is certainly no national policy on the machines.
That conflict caused Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies to issue a moratorium on any further licenses for the devices. The recommendations that are new see a cap on the quantity of machines allowed nationwide. It would also try to control the ease of access to these machines, with officials saying that gambling must not be allowed in shopping malls, for instance.
The new regulations would have a framework for allowing the federal government to higher oversee the horse industry that is racing. A process by which the government could affect change in the industry while few details were available, it appeared that the most significant changes there would come in the issuing of licenses.
Gambling regulation in South Africa is similar to that associated with United States and Canada, at minimum when it comes to the interplay between federal and local governments. While the government that is federal national policy, it is as much as individual provinces to determine how each will issue licenses and gather revenues from gambling tasks.
Massachusetts Casino Repeal Vote Happens Tuesday
Despite long odds, anti-casino forces are still hoping for a victory 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 your 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 searching for voters to vote ‘Yes’ on Question 3, an idea that could put end to the 2012 law that is allowing the state to license gaming houses across the state.
According to the survey that is latest by the Western New England University Polling Institute, 59 % of likely voters within the state plan to vote ‘No’ regarding the ballot question, meaning ‘yes’ to appropriate casinos. Only 35 % 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 initiative itself.
Religious Voters Support Repeal
The numbers reveal that there’s been some success in efforts by spiritual 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 even Catholics who attend mass every week are in opposition to repeal by a 17 per cent margin. In fact, Protestant voters who worship regularly make up about the sole demographic that favor repeal, doing this by a 55-45 margin.
Meanwhile, the advertising efforts by casinos and their allies seem to have been helpful. Support for the repeal in Western Massachusetts happens to be reduced considerably compared to in prior polls, perhaps as a result 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 odds that are long Tuesday, they’re nevertheless fighting in the final moments to get their message out. Teams like Repeal the Casino Deal believe that the casinos will offer you hardly any benefit that is economic the individuals of Massachusetts, while increasing criminal activity and gambling addiction.
‘ The cash isn’t arriving at the people of Massachusetts,’ said Al Cabot, an anti-casino advocate. ‘This is simply cash that’s going from one or two casinos in Connecticut to three casinos in Massachusetts.’
Unsurprisingly, those in the casino industry see things just a bit that is little. According to MGM Springfield President Mike Mathis, his company’s casino shall produce 1000s of jobs and bring tens of millions of dollars in economic stimulus to the city.
‘We’ve seen exactly what 25 years of no casino can perform,’ Mathis said. ‘we want the possibility.’
Mathis also disputes the idea that casinos would simply be taking money that is already spent in Massachusetts and moving it to spending at his company’s resort.
‘A third of our customers are coming from Connecticut,’ Mathis said. ‘This idea that cash is falling through the sky or we’re cannibalizing the market that is local just inaccurate.’
Gambling enterprises in Massachusetts: Pre-Election Status
So far, three licenses have been granted to build gambling venues in Massachusetts. Along with the MGM casino in Springfield, Wynn Resorts ended up being the champion of the higher Boston license, beating out a competing plan by Mohegan Sun at Suffolk Downs in Revere. A license was additionally awarded to Penn National to create a slots parlor in Plainridge.
While casino opponents may short come up at the polls, simply getting the question on the ballot was one thing of a victory. Although campaigners collected plenty of signatures to place the casino question to a referendum, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley originally rejected the relevant question, forcing a showdown in hawaii’s Supreme Court over whether it would ultimately appear on this present year’s ballot.