
Jonathan Parke, former head of commissioning at RGT, now director of Sophoro Ltd.
The accountable Gambling Trust (RGT), the UK’s leading problem advocacy that is gambling, has found itself in the harsh glare of the media limelight again, this time for allegations of nepotism.
The charity, which is funded by the bookmaking industry to the tune of $5 million each year to research and promote the avoidance of problem gambling, has been under fire in the British press recently for apparent conflicts of great interest. Because of its close ties to the gambling industry, questions happen asked as to whether its research is fully independent of gaming passions.
The RGT maintains that it is unbiased. But the revelation this week by the united kingdom’s Independent newspaper that a firm owned by the husband associated with the charity’s Director of Commissioning, Jane Rigbye, has been granted a research that is lucrative, isn’t assisting the explanation for credibility for the outfit.
Marital Contracts
According to the Independent, Sophoro Ltd. owned by Rigbye’s spouse Jonathan Parke, was offered a research that is major as part of a £750,000 initiative into the effect of online gaming on problem gambling.
Parke was once head of commissioning at RGT himself, leading to accusations which he and his wife swapped jobs, then immediately swapped contracts.
Sophoro had been granted the contract in December, the firstly two, but until final 12 months the business 888 casino partners was registered at the few’s house, and both Rigbye and Parke were listed as company directors.
Moreover, Sophoro bid for the RGT agreement just two months after Rigbye stepped down as director to take on her role that is new at.
In response to the news, Labour shadow gambling minister Clive Efford said RGT ‘should be disbanded’ if its research ended up being found to protect the ‘interests of the industry at the cost of people with gambling problems.’
Goulden Steps Down
RGT has always been accused of being too sympathetic to the industry, and in particular for its refusal to denounce fixed-odds wagering 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 team known as the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB). The roles had been held concurrently between 2012 and mid-2014.
Goulden told the Guardian that RGT, and the participation to his participation of the industry as whole, had been integral to researching and ultimately understanding problem gambling.
‘[Bookmakers] would not have released data or have taken the actions it continues to ingest prevention of harm without my influence that is personal and,’ he said.
RGT, which will be investigated by the charity regulator over the Sophoro event, told the Independent that Rigbye had no say in commissioning of research contracts.
DraftKings Appeals Nyc AG Lawsuit, Filing Says Empire State Should Ban Spelling Bees
New York AG Eric Schneiderman, who has been accused by DraftKings of making errors in his lawsuit against DFS sites. (Image: pokerhomegames.com)
DraftKings has launched its appeal against the New York State preliminary injunction that seeks to ban daily fantasy sports (DFS) and place an end to its operations in the Empire State.
The DFS operator’s 67-page filing pulls no punches, accusing New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of appropriate misapprehensions that ‘did perhaps not come close to carrying the burden’ of proof that DFS is not a game of skill.
It further accuses the court of ‘abusing its discernment’ in siding with Schneiderman.
‘The court applied the incorrect standard that is legal and ignored the undisputed evidence, to find that daily fantasy sports contests are games of chance,’ the business argued in its filing.
Is An Entry Fee A wager?
In December, Justice Manuel Mendez granted the AG’s injunction, ordering DraftKings and FanDuel to cease operations in New York State, its market that is second-biggest after.
DraftKings immediately filed a motion that is expedited remain the court’s choice pending the outcome of its appeal. It was upheld by a Court of Appeals judge that same afternoon, permitting the companies to continue business temporarily in New York until the scenario is remedied.
In his December ruling, Mendez have been necessary to determine whether DFS had been a game of skill or of chance, and more especially, whether setting a line-up was a process that is skill-based an ‘entry fee,’ or an out-and-out ‘wager.’ He decided it was the latter.
‘New York State penal law does maybe not refer to ‘wagering’ or ‘betting,’ rather it states that a person, ‘risks one thing of value,” he said. ‘The payment of an ‘entry fee’ because high as $10,600 on one or more contests daily could be deemed risking certainly ‘something of value.’ ‘
Dog Shows and Bass Fishing
DraftKings’ appeal filing claims that if this had been the actual situation, then ‘dog shows and spelling bees, yachting tournaments and bass fishing’ is ‘criminalized’ under Judge Mendez’s ruling. Each among these are events requiring entry fees whose outcome is vunerable to a component of opportunity, argues the DraftKings filing.
‘Daily fantasy sports are skill-based games that are, and should be, legal,’ DraftKings’ lawyer David Boies said in a statement. ‘DraftKings competitions are no less legal than season-long dream sports, that your Attorney General has repeatedly conceded are legal.’
In January, Schneiderman amended their lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel to look for the return of all buy-ins compensated by New York residents paid to both organizations throughout 2015, along with a $5,000 fine head that is per.
With 600,000 DFS customers in the state, this would represent a huge selection of millions of bucks in buy-ins, plus around $3 billion in fines.
Outrage Over NFL-Owned Children Daily Fantasy Sports Site from Youth Advocacy Group
The NFL kids daily fantasy sports site is dealing with backlash from a few outraged groups, arguing the league shouldn’t be marketing their product to children as early as six years old. (Image: fantasy.nflrush.com)
Targeted at pre-teen kids, day-to-day fantasy recreations (DFS) site NFL Rush is being expected to cease operations by the non-profit company Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC).
In a story that might appear appropriate for satire, the truth is that the National Football League is catering to young ones to take part in free DFS contests, with the possibility of winning regular prizes like an XBOX One, video games, and a grand prize of a $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 betting and gambling, it apparently has no qualms when it involves children and fantasy sports. With the National Council on Problem Gambling, the CCFC is calling on Goodell and the NFL to stop advertising fantasy football to young ones.
‘ There is proof that playing fantasy sports, particularly with the motivation of valuable awards as offered regarding the NFL Rush Fantasy site and app, can lead to problem gambling and addiction,’ CCFC Executive Director Josh Golin said in their letter towards the league. ‘It is unconscionable that the NFL encourages children as young as six yrs . old to produce the habit of participating in this adult activity.’
NFL Hypocrisy?
The NFL has always maintained that any expansion of traditional sports betting could impact the league negatively 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 brand New England Patriots owners Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft hold stakes in DraftKings.
DFS differs from sports wagering due to the actual fact that the participant isn’t just picking a team or line, but assembling a roster of players in a process that is recognized as to be a skill-based endeavor.
Multiple solicitors general have ruled that DFS constitutes gambling, utilizing the operators themselves, not interestingly, fighting back. The data on who routinely wins DFS contests seems to support the skill over luck debate.
But as it pertains to children, teaching 6 to 12-year-olds how to assemble a team of players to supply top odds of winning a video game console is cause for concern certainly.
‘By providing these valuable incentives, the NFL is indoctrinating kids into engaging in dream recreations by having a financial stake in the outcome,’ the CCFC noted. ‘This exposes them, and our communities, to the risks of gambling issues.’
You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught
It ought to be noted that the NFL hasn’t just promoted a site that is online it’s offered an in-classroom curriculum for instructors because well. Launched in 2014, NFL Rush Fantasy understand, Enjoy, Score! was billed as a language and math arts course based around fantasy sports. The league says that this system wrapped by the end of 2014-2015 period, but in it, young ones were encouraged to ‘choose their ultimate fantasy group each week’ through critical thinking.
This system did employ basic math in determining exactly how fantasy that is many should be allocated based on the player’s performance, nonetheless it also required the student to realize the principles of soccer. Critics of the scheme argued it’s the NFL’s way to engage an audience that is new as youth soccer involvement continues to decline.
Hey, have you thought to simply teach the worth of a buck with a ‘Let It Rain’ mathematics program since well?
No Safeguards for Guardians
In the event that you’re thinking NFL Rush features a number of protections to prevent young ones from signing up on their own, you are going to be astonished to find out that registrants are merely required to provide their parent’s email address, so that the NFL can confirm their guardian and age consent.
Certainly no 10-year-old would think to enter their friend’s email or develop a quick Yahoo address to self-confirm their validation, right? Of course maybe not.
From on line poker to the emergence of daily dream sports, the primary concern for most legislators is how to best protect adult consumers while video gaming on the online, as well because the really dilemma of age verification. However, into the instance involving kids, the most susceptible and impressionable demographic, small is being done to keep your child that is way-under-18-year-old from in daily fantasy activities.
Surprisingly, nobody through the contingent that is pro-RAWA to have jumped with this web site as evidence that children won’t be exempt from gambling online. It’s exactly the kind of fodder that Sheldon Adelson and the bill’s other sponsors, like presidential GOP contender Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida), would love to throw in the face of everybody who supports Internet gaming.
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