
Poker superstar Phil Ivey has received approval that is preliminary A las vegas medical marijuana dispensary license in Nevada.
Phil Ivey is not smoking one thing, but his future customers may be: Ivey received one of 26 license that is preliminary for a medical cannabis dispensary through the Las vegas, nevada City Council earlier this week, possibly making the poker superstar one of the primary operators into the city to provide pot to consumers.
You will find even more steps necessary before Ivey gets last approval to start such a business, but his approval does suggest that the town found him qualified to move on in the licensing procedure.
About 50 potential operators went before the City Council this week to plead their situations for medical marijuana licenses. Those that got approval that is preliminary the city will now have to also be approved by the state health department.
The City Council will sooner or later hold a last suitability conference for all approved by the state before awarding a small number of licenses which have been set aside for Las Vegas.
This means that Ivey still has a way that is long go before getting a final 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 has been a great deal of controversy over just how vegas has handled the pot licensing process, though which has more related to procedural questions than any such thing Ivey or other potential licensee has done.
Councilman Bob Coffin introduced a motion to postpone the proceedings until after Nevada regulators weigh in regarding the suitability of each of the applicants in a few days. He worried that making public opinions on applicants before the state made its own suggestions could possibly lead to lawsuits, and that waiting could enable the city to approach the issue with an ‘unbiased eye.’
But that motion ultimately failed, as a vote in the issue completed in a 3-3 tie. 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 an applicatant herself, abstained from the vote.
Among the many candidates that were approved were developer James Hammer, restaurant owner Michael Morton, and political consultant David Thomas. Nuleaf, a Las Vegas-based company that is owned by a group that operates dispensaries in California, was denied for a permit.
‘I believe waiting might have made a difference,’ Nuleaf spokesman Bradley Mayer said. ‘We feel confident that the state will find we’re a very qualified applicant.’
Ivey Headliner of this Year
This really is just the most recent in a series of headlines made by Ivey which have nothing at all to do with his prodigious skills at the poker table.
Perhaps the biggest headlines happen made in his various cases that are edge-sorting Crockfords as well as the Borgata. Ivey currently lost the Crockfords situation in the united kingdom’s tall Court of Justice, costing him over $12 million in winnings. a case that is similar the Atlantic City casino is nevertheless pending, although in that case, it’s the casino that is pursuing recourse to have its payouts came back. Ivey contends that the tactics he used in the games do not constitute cheating, while the casinos, not interestingly, disagree.
Last Saturday, Ivey also shut straight down the Ivey Poker web site, ending operations just 18 months after the Facebook poker program launched. However, the poker legend said that the closed down was simply a transition for the product.
South Africa Online Gambling Ban Stirs Debate
South Africa is considering a ban on online gambling, also 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 users from both the national and provincial governments, as well as the Department of Trade and Industry.
Based on department officials, the government believes it has got the capability to enforce laws on gambling, and that its unclear how many jobs are created by the web gambling industry. It might additionally hardly be a move that is unprecedented as numerous other jurisdictions throughout the world have outlawed online gambling into the past.
Democratic Alliance Favors Regulation Over Ban
But though some government officials were enthusiastic about the possibility, the thought of an outright ban was highly denounced by the opposition Democratic Alliance.
‘That is really a very, really bad decision,’ stated DA trade and industry representative Geordin Hill-Lewis. ‘we fiercely disagree with that view. It’s completely shortsighted to say that it is better for Southern Africans never to be allowed to gamble online if you find demand that is patently significant the country to do that. It is for government to facilitate that in the way that is safest possible.’
The DA position is that online gambling is better controlled through regulation, rather than an outright ban in other words. a complete ban, Hill-Lewis said, would price far excessively in resources to enforce.
But Department of Trade and Industry Deputy Director-General Zodwa Ntuli stated that the particular circumstances in South Africa meant that a ban will be good public policy. She pointed down 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 many countries.
Electronic Bingo Terminals Would Be Limited
In the event that department’s guidelines were to be law, it wouldn’t trigger a ban that is widespread of gambling tasks in the nation, but would rather restrict just what would be allowed regarding the conventional forms of gaming being already contained in South Africa. There would additionally be further controls put on electronic bingo terminals, which are currently allowed by provincial governments, despite the fact that there is no policy that is national the devices.
That conflict caused Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies to issue a moratorium on any further licenses for the devices. The new suggestions would view a cap on the range machines allowed nationwide. It would also try to get a grip on the ease of access to these machines, with officials saying that gambling shouldn’t be allowed in shopping malls, for instance.
The latest regulations would likewise incorporate a framework for allowing the federal government to raised oversee the horse industry that is racing. While few details were available, it appeared that the absolute most significant changes here would come in the issuing of licenses, a procedure by which the government could impact change in the market.
Gambling legislation in South Africa resembles that for the United States and Canada, at minimum when it comes to the interplay between federal and governments that are local. While the federal government sets national policy, it is up to individual provinces to determine how each will issue licenses and collect revenues from gambling tasks.
Tuesday Massachusetts Casino Repeal Vote Takes Place
Despite long odds, anti-casino forces are still hoping for a triumph in Massachusetts. A ‘yes’ vote means ‘no casinos’. (Image: Repeal the Casino Deal)
A vote that will either lead to Massachusetts casino repeal or towards the matter being put to bed 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 looking for voters to vote ‘Yes’ on Question 3, a proposition that could put end to the 2012 legislation that is allowing the state to license video gaming houses throughout the state.
According to the latest study by the Western New England University Polling Institute, 59 % of likely voters in the state plan to vote ‘No’ on the ballot question, meaning ‘yes’ to appropriate casinos. Just 35 % plan to vote ‘yes,’ in benefit 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 has 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 non-attending counterparts. But also Catholics whom attend mass every week are in opposition to repeal with a 17 per cent margin. In fact, Protestant voters who worship regularly make up about the actual only real demographic that favor repeal, doing this by way of a 55-45 margin.
Meanwhile, the advertising efforts by casinos and their allies may actually have been very effective. Support for the repeal in Western Massachusetts was reduced considerably compared to in prior polls, maybe due to advertising that touted some great benefits of the planned MGM casino in Springfield.
Battle Over Pros and Consequences
But while anti-casino advocates may be dealing with long chances on 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 economic benefit to the people of Massachusetts, while increasing criminal activity and gambling addiction.
‘ The money isn’t coming to the people of Massachusetts,’ said Al Cabot, an anti-casino advocate. ‘This is in fact money that’s going from one or two casinos in Connecticut to three casinos in Massachusetts.’
Needless to say, those within the casino industry see things just a bit that is little. According to MGM Springfield President Mike Mathis, his company’s casino will produce a huge number of jobs and bring tens of millions of dollars in economic stimulus to town.
‘we have seen just what 25 years of no casino can do,’ Mathis stated. ‘we would like a chance.’
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 business’s resort.
‘A third of our customers are coming from Connecticut,’ Mathis said. ‘This concept that cash is falling through the quick hits slot machine download sky or we’re cannibalizing the market that is local just inaccurate.’
Casinos in Massachusetts: Pre-Election Status
So far, three licenses have already been granted to construct gambling venues in Massachusetts. Combined with the MGM casino in Springfield, Wynn Resorts had been the champion of the Greater Boston license, beating out a plan that is competing Mohegan Sun at Suffolk Downs in Revere. A license was additionally awarded to Penn National to build a slots parlor in Plainridge.
While casino opponents may come up short at the polls, just getting the question on the ballot was something of a victory. Although campaigners collected plenty of signatures to place the casino concern up 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 show up on this season’s ballot.