
Jonathan Parke, former mind of commissioning at RGT, now director of Sophoro Ltd.
The Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT), the UK’s leading problem gambling advocacy group, has found itself in the harsh glare of the media limelight again, this time around for allegations of nepotism.
The charity, that will be funded by the bookmaking industry to the tune of $5 million each year to research and promote the prevention of problem gambling, has been under fire in the British press recently for apparent conflicts of great interest. Because of its ties that are close the gambling industry, concerns are asked as to whether its scientific studies are fully separate of gaming interests.
The RGT maintains that it’s impartial. But the revelation this week by the united kingdom’s Independent newspaper that a firm owned by the husband regarding the charity’s Director of Commissioning, Jane Rigbye, has been awarded a research that is lucrative, isn’t helping the cause of credibility for the outfit.
Marital Agreements
According towards the Independent, Sophoro Ltd. owned by Rigbye’s husband Jonathan Parke, happens to be offered a research that is major as part of a £750,000 initiative into the aftereffect of online gaming on issue gambling.
Parke once was head of commissioning at RGT himself, leading to accusations he and his wife swapped jobs, then quickly swapped contracts.
Sophoro had been granted the contract in December, the to begin two, but until last year the business was registered during the few’s family home, and both Rigbye and Parke were listed as company directors.
Additionally, Sophoro bid for the RGT contract just two months after Rigbye stepped down as director to take in her role that is new at.
In reaction to the news, Labour shadow gambling minister Clive Efford stated RGT ‘should be disbanded’ if its research was found to protect the ‘interests of the industry at the expense of individuals with gambling problems.’
Goulden Steps Down
RGT has long been accused of being too sympathetic to the industry, and in particular for its refusal to denounce fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in bookmaking shops.
Last thirty days, Neil Goulden, the trust’s president, stepped criticism that is down following The Guardian newspaper that while chair of RGT, he was also a chair associated with industry lobby group known as the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB). The jobs had been held concurrently between 2012 and mid-2014.
Goulden told the Guardian that his participation with RGT, and the participation of the industry as whole, was integral to researching and ultimately understanding problem gambling.
‘[Bookmakers] will never have released data or have taken the actions it continues to take in prevention of damage without my influence that is personal and,’ he said.
RGT, which will probably be examined by the charity regulator within the Sophoro affair, told the Independent that Rigbye had no say in commissioning of research contracts.
DraftKings Appeals Ny AG Lawsuit, Filing Says Empire State Must Ban Spelling Bees
New York AG Eric Schneiderman, that has been accused by DraftKings of making mistakes in his lawsuit against DFS sites. (Image: pokerhomegames.com)
DraftKings has launched its appeal against the ny State injunction that is preliminary seeks to ban daily fantasy sports (DFS) and put an end to its operations in the Empire State.
The DFS operator’s 67-page filing pulls no punches, accusing ny Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of appropriate misapprehensions that ‘did perhaps not come close to carrying the responsibility’ of proof that DFS isn’t game of ability.
It further accuses the court of ‘abusing its discretion’ in siding with Schneiderman.
‘The court applied the incorrect standard that is legal and ignored the undisputed proof, in finding that daily fantasy sports contests are games of chance,’ the company argued in its filing.
Is An Entry Fee A bet?
In December, Justice Manuel Mendez granted the AG’s injunction, ordering DraftKings and FanDuel to cease operations in New York State, its second-biggest market after California.
DraftKings immediately filed an expedited motion to remain the court’s decision pending the upshot of its appeal. It was upheld by a Court of Appeals judge that same afternoon, permitting the companies to continue company temporarily in New York until the actual situation is settled.
In his December ruling, Mendez was required to see whether DFS had been a game of skill or of chance, and more particularly, whether setting a line-up was a skill-based process with an ‘entry cost,’ or an out-and-out ‘wager.’ He decided it was the latter.
‘New York State penal law does not refer to ‘wagering’ or ‘betting,’ rather it states that someone, ‘risks one thing of value,” he stated. ‘The re payment of an ‘entry fee’ because high as $10,600 using one or more contests daily could be deemed risking certainly ‘something of value.’ ‘
Dog Shows and Bass Fishing
DraftKings’ appeal filing claims that when this were the truth, then ‘dog shows and bees that are spelling yachting tournaments and bass fishing’ is ‘criminalized’ under Judge Mendez’s ruling. Each among these are events entry that is requiring whose result is vunerable to an element of chance, argues the DraftKings filing.
‘Daily fantasy sports are skill-based games which are, and may be, legal,’ DraftKings’ attorney David Boies stated in a statement. ‘DraftKings competitions are believe it or not legal than season-long fantasy sports, that your Attorney General has repeatedly conceded are legal.’
In January, Schneiderman amended his lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel to look for the return of all buy-ins compensated by ny residents paid to both organizations throughout 2015, and also a $5,000 fine per head.
This would constitute hundreds of millions of dollars in buy-ins, plus around $3 billion in fines with 600,000 DFS customers in the state.
Outrage Over NFL-Owned Youngsters Daily Fantasy Sports Site from Youth Advocacy Group
The NFL kids daily fantasy sports site is facing backlash from a few outraged groups, arguing the league really should not be marketing their product to children who are only six years of age. (Image: fantasy.nflrush.com)
Aimed at pre-teen kids, day-to-day fantasy recreations (DFS) site NFL Rush is being expected to stop operations by the non-profit organization Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC).
In a story that might seem right for satire, the reality is that the National Football League is catering to young ones to participate in free DFS contests, with the possibility of winning weekly prizes like an XBOX One, video games, and a grand prize of the $5,000 scholarship.
Based on the NFL Rush Fantasy website, ‘US residents between 6 and 12 whom have parental consent are eligible.’
Though the league and its commissioner, Roger Goodell, have long publicly opposed recreations gambling and betting, it evidently does not have any qualms when it concerns children and fantasy sports. The CCFC is calling on Goodell and the NFL to stop marketing fantasy football to children in conjunction with the National Council on Problem Gambling.
‘ There is evidence that playing fantasy sports, particularly with the incentive of valuable prizes as offered on the NFL Rush Fantasy app and website, can lead to problem gambling and addiction,’ CCFC Executive Director Josh Golin said in their letter to the league. ‘It is unconscionable that the NFL encourages kiddies as young as six years old to build up the habit of doing this adult activity.’
NFL Hypocrisy?
The NFL has always maintained that any expansion of traditional recreations betting could adversely impact the league and compromise the integrity of its games. Surprisingly, it’s taken a stance that is rather different daily fantasy contests.
FanDuel has contracts with 15 NFL teams, while Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots owners Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft hold stakes in DraftKings.
DFS varies from sports wagering as a result of the actual fact that the participant isn’t merely picking a team or line, but assembling a roster of players in an activity that is recognized as to be an endeavor that is skill-based.
Multiple attorneys general have ruled that DFS constitutes gambling, using the operators themselves, not surprisingly, fighting casinopokies777.com back. The statistics on whom routinely wins DFS contests seems to support the ability over luck debate.
But as it pertains to children, teaching 6 to 12-year-olds how to assemble a team of players to give top probability of winning a video game console is definitely cause for concern.
‘By providing these valuable incentives, the NFL is indoctrinating kiddies into engaging in dream sports by having a financial stake in the results,’ the CCFC noted. ‘This exposes them, and our communities, to the potential risks of gambling dilemmas.’
You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught
It must be noted that the NFL hasn’t just promoted a site that is online it’s provided an in-classroom curriculum for teachers since well. Launched in 2014, NFL Rush Fantasy Learn, Enjoy, Score! was billed as a math and language arts program based around fantasy sports. The league says that this program wrapped at the end of 2014-2015 period, but in it, children were encouraged to ‘choose their ultimate fantasy team each week’ through critical thinking.
The program did employ basic math in determining exactly how fantasy that is many should be allocated based on the ball player’s performance, but it also required the student to realize the rules of football. Critics of the scheme argued it’s the NFL’s way to engage a new audience, as youth soccer involvement continues to decline.
Hey, you will want to just teach the worth of a dollar with a ‘Let It Rain’ math program since well?
No Safeguards for Guardians
In the event that you’re thinking NFL Rush features a series of defenses to avoid young ones from enrolling by themselves, you will be amazed to learn that registrants are merely required to deliver their parent’s email address, so that the NFL can validate their guardian and age consent.
Undoubtedly no 10-year-old would think to enter their friend’s email or produce a quick Yahoo address to self-confirm their validation, right? Of course not.
From on the web poker to the emergence of daily fantasy sports, the main concern for most legislators is how exactly to protect adult consumers that are best while gaming on the Web, as well once the very issue of age verification. However, in the case involving young ones, the most susceptible and impressionable demographic, small will be done to keep your way-under-18-year-old child from participating in daily fantasy activities.
Surprisingly, nobody from the contingent that is pro-RAWA to have jumped on this site as evidence that kiddies will not be exempt from gambling online. It’s exactly the type or type of fodder that Sheldon Adelson and the bill’s other sponsors, like presidential GOP contender Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida), would want to throw in the face of everybody else who supports Internet gaming.