
Jonathan Parke, former mind of commissioning at RGT, now director of Sophoro Ltd.
The accountable Gambling Trust (RGT), the UK’s leading problem gambling advocacy group, has found itself in the harsh glare of the media spotlight again, this time around for allegations of nepotism.
The charity, that is funded by the bookmaking industry to the tune of $5 million per year to research and promote the avoidance of problem gambling, has been under fire in the press that is british for apparent conflicts of great interest. Because of its ties that are close the gambling industry, questions were asked as to whether its scientific studies are completely separate of video gaming interests.
The RGT maintains that it’s unbiased. But the revelation this week by the UK’s Independent newspaper that a firm owned by the husband associated with charity’s Director of Commissioning, Jane Rigbye, has been granted a lucrative research contract, isn’t helping the reason for credibility for the outfit.
Marital Agreements
According to the Independent, Sophoro Ltd. owned by Rigbye’s husband Jonathan Parke, is offered a major research contract as part of a £750,000 initiative into the effect of online video gaming on issue gambling.
Parke was previously head of commissioning at RGT himself, leading to accusations he and his wife swapped jobs, then promptly swapped contracts.
Sophoro had been granted the contract in the first of two, but until last year the company was registered at the couple’s family home, and both Rigbye and Parke were listed as company directors december.
Also, Sophoro bid for the RGT agreement simply two months after Rigbye stepped down as director to take in her role that is new at.
In reaction to the news headlines, 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 people who have 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 terminals that are bettingFOBTs) in bookmaking shops.
Last month, Neil Goulden, the trust’s president, stepped criticism that is down following The Guardian newspaper that while chair of RGT, he was additionally a chair for the industry lobby group known as the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB). The positions were 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 issue gambling.
‚[Bookmakers] would not have released data or have taken the actions it continues to consume prevention of harm without my personal impact and urging,‘ he stated.
RGT, which may very well be examined by the charity regulator on the Sophoro affair, told the Independent that Rigbye had no say in commissioning of research contracts.
DraftKings Appeals Nyc AG Lawsuit, Filing Says Empire State Must 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 nyc State preliminary injunction that seeks to ban day-to-day dream sports (DFS) and place an end to its operations in the Empire State.
The DFS operator’s 67-page filing brings 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 skill.
It further accuses the court of ‚abusing its discretion‘ in siding with Schneiderman.
‚The court applied the wrong 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.
Can be 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 a motion that is expedited remain the court’s choice pending the outcome of its appeal. This is upheld by a Court of Appeals judge that same afternoon, permitting the companies to continue business temporarily in ny until the truth is fixed.
In his December ruling, Mendez was necessary to see whether DFS had been a game of skill or of chance, and more particularly, whether setting a line-up was a process that is skill-based an ‚entry charge,‘ or an out-and-out ‚wager.‘ He decided it was the latter.
‚New York State law that is penal maybe not refer to ‚wagering‘ or ‚betting,‘ rather it states that someone, ‚risks one thing of value,“ he said. ‚The re payment of an ‚entry fee‘ since 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 if this had been the situation, then ‚dog shows and spelling bees, yachting tournaments and bass fishing‘ should really be ‚criminalized‘ under Judge Mendez’s ruling. Each of these are events entry that is requiring whose outcome is prone to a feature of opportunity, argues the DraftKings filing.
‚Daily fantasy sports are skill-based games which are, and should be, legal,‘ DraftKings‘ attorney David Boies stated in a declaration. ‚DraftKings competitions are no less legal than season-long dream sports, that the Attorney General has repeatedly conceded are legal.‘
In January, Schneiderman amended his lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel to seek the return of all the buy-ins paid by New York residents paid to both businesses throughout 2015, plus 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 dealing with backlash from several outraged groups, arguing the league shouldn’t be marketing their product to children who are only six years of age. (Image: fantasy.nflrush.com)
Directed at pre-teen kids, day-to-day fantasy sports (DFS) site NFL Rush is being expected to stop operations by the non-profit company Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC).
In a story that might seem more appropriate for satire, the truth is that the National Football League is catering to children 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 the $5,000 scholarship.
Based on the NFL Rush Fantasy website, ‚US residents between 6 and 12 who have actually parental consent are eligible.‘
Though the league and its commissioner, Roger Goodell, have long publicly opposed activities gambling and betting, it evidently has no 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 issue gambling and addiction,‘ CCFC Executive Director Josh Golin said in his letter to the league. ‚It is unconscionable that the NFL encourages kiddies as young as six years old to build up the habit of engaging in this adult task.‘
NFL Hypocrisy?
The NFL has always maintained that any expansion of old-fashioned recreations betting could negatively impact the league and compromise the integrity of its games. Surprisingly, it’s taken a rather different stance on daily fantasy contests.
FanDuel has contracts with 15 NFL groups, while Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots owners Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft hold stakes in DraftKings.
DFS varies from sports gambling as a result of the very fact that the participant isn’t simply picking a team or line, but assembling a roster of players in an activity that is considered to be an endeavor that is skill-based.
Multiple solicitors general have ruled that DFS constitutes gambling, aided by the operators themselves, not interestingly, fighting right back. The data on who routinely wins DFS contests seems to help the ability over luck debate.
But as it relates to children, teaching 6 to 12-year-olds how exactly to assemble a group of players to deliver top likelihood of winning a video clip game console is cause for concern certainly.
‚By providing these valuable incentives, the NFL is indoctrinating children into engaging in fantasy activities having a financial stake in the outcome,‘ the CCFC noted. ‚This exposes them, and our communities, to the potential risks of gambling problems.‘
You have got to Be Carefully Taught
It must be noted that the NFL hasn’t just promoted a site that is online it’s offered an in-classroom curriculum for teachers as well. Launched in 2014, NFL Rush Fantasy Learn, Enjoy, Score! was billed as a math and language arts course based around fantasy sports. The league says that the program wrapped at the conclusion of 2014-2015 period, however in it, kids were encouraged to ‚choose their fantasy that is ultimate team week‘ through critical reasoning.
The program did employ basic math in determining how many dream points can be allocated based on the gamer’s performance, nonetheless it also required the student to understand the rules of football. Critics of the scheme argued it’s the NFL’s way to engage a new audience, as youth soccer participation continues to decline.
Hey, why not just teach the value of a dollar with a ‚Let It Rain‘ math program as well?
No Safeguards for Guardians
If you’re thinking NFL Rush features a few protections to avoid children from signing up by themselves, you are going to be astonished to find out that registrants are simply just required to supply their parent’s email address, therefore that the NFL can confirm their age and guardian consent.
Undoubtedly no 10-year-old would think to enter their friend’s https://casinopokies777.com/casino-888/ email or produce a yahoo that is quick to self-confirm their validation, right? Of course maybe not.
From on the web poker to the emergence of daily fantasy sports, the main concern for all legislators is how to best protect adult consumers while gaming on the Internet, as well since the very issue of age verification. However, in the instance involving kids, the most susceptible and impressionable demographic, small will be done to keep your child that is way-under-18-year-old from in daily fantasy sports.
Surprisingly, no body through the contingent that is pro-RAWA to have jumped on this site as evidence that kids will never be exempt from gambling online. It’s exactly the 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 everyone else who supports Internet gaming.