Two alleged gamblers were each given 40 lashes on the back with a cane Monday in Indonesia’s Aceh province, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The pair were also accused of drinking alcohol.

The sentence was imposed in public by a masked Sharia police officer before a crowd of onlookers. The two men chose caning for the punishment over spending about six months in prison. No description of the type of gambling was provided.

“The Sharia police gave us options and we consciously decided to comply with the Islamic criminal code. No one forced me to choose it,” one of the men who was caned told AFP.

A few other people in Indonesia were caned for other charges on Monday. Monday’s canings also come less than two weeks after two Indonesian men were caned close to 80 times for banned sexual practices, the AFP reported.

Rare for Christians To Be Caned in Indonesia

When asked about Monday’s caning, Mark Cammack, a professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, said it is “rare” for Christians in the nation to be caned. Typically, the punishment is given to offending Muslims.

“It’s definitely painful,” Cammack told Casino.org. “But it’s not like it is horsewhipping.”

Gambling is one of the more frequent crimes that can result in caning in Indonesia, Cammack explained.

Other crimes subject to caning involve alcohol or sex violations.

Caning Allowed Only in Aceh Province

Also, UCLA history professor Geoffrey Robinson said public caning happens only in Aceh, not in any other province of Indonesia.

“Even in Aceh, it is not all that common. But every instance of it stirs a lot of controversy, inside Indonesia and abroad,” Robinson told Casino.org. “I suspect the practice will continue until there is a substantial demand for its cessation from civil society in Aceh itself.”

Human rights groups inside and outside Indonesia have called for an end to the punishment, adds Robinson, who was a former political affairs officer for the United Nations (UN) in East Timor.

Mark Cammack also closely follows Indonesia’s human rights and legal system. He was a monitor for the UN during trials of officials charged with crimes committed in East Timor. He also has been an expert witness on Indonesian law.

From what he has monitored, there are limits in Aceh with such punishments, Cammack said. For instance, the person is not wounded, he is clothed, the size of the cane is restricted, nor can the police officer raise the cane above his head when he is preparing to strike the defendant.

A doctor is available to treat the caned person. Also, if the person asks that the caning be stopped, the officer will stop, Cammack said.

The severity of the caning is less in Indonesia than in other nations where it is permitted, such as Malaysia, Cammack adds. Also, non-Muslims can opt for either caning or imprisonment.

In general, Muslim countries have a prohibition on any type of gambling. It is forbidden in the Koran. More than 90 percent of Indonesia’s 255 million population are believed to be Muslim, the Daily Mail said.

During October 2019, two other men were caned for gambling in Indonesia. A crowd showed up for that caning, too. Several of them snapped photos of the punishment, using their cellphones.

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A recent survey from financial website LendingTree shows more than half of its respondents will bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl. And many of those with some action on the game may be the ones who can least afford it.

The survey found that 51 percent of those polled planned to make some type of bet. Those most likely to make a wager include Generation Z (62 percent), the generation currently defined as age 18-24, and Millennials (67 percent), those ages 25-40.

Two-thirds of millennials said they would make a bet, while 62 percent of Gen Z respondents expect to wager on the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs.

Those generations are typically seen as the key demographic groups for sports betting operators, especially those offering mobile applications.

My fellow members of Generation X (ages 41-55) are mixed, as 53 percent plan to bet, and only 26 percent of Baby Boomers (ages 56-75) expect to have action on the game.

LendingTree’s data conflicts somewhat with findings released earlier this week by the American Gaming Association. That survey determined that only 23 million Americans plan to bet on the big game.

Survey: Nearly 70% of Unemployed Likely to Bet

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the LendingTree survey was the findings that people who lost their job or saw their work hours cut because of the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to bet on the Super Bowl.

Only 43 percent of people who said their income was not affected by the pandemic said they planned to make a wager. However, 69 percent of people who were laid off or furloughed said they will make a bet on the game, and 71 percent of people working less said they would

That means an awful lot of people are simply gambling with money they have no business that may be inadvisable to putting at risk,” wrote Matt Schultz, a finance industry analyst who authored the piece.

One reason people may be more willing to bet is the fact that many Americans recently received their latest stimulus check, and Democrats in Congress are ready to send most of them an additional $1,400.

Not Just Sports Betting

It’s not just sports betting that’s seeing an increase, either. Another recent survey by LendingTree’s MagnifyMoney showed that the average American has spent $950 on vices since the pandemic started nearly a year ago.

Among the top vices were lottery tickets.

Schultz said people don’t have to bet money to get their adrenaline flowing. Bragging rights or another prize can work just as well as money, he said.

The online survey conducted by Qualtrics late last month questioned 1,073 Americans.

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The future casino in Rockford received preliminary approval from the Illinois Gaming Board this week, despite the ongoing investigation into one of the project’s investors.

Not long after the approval was granted, the gaming board’s chairman, Charles Schmadeke, announced his support for the $310 million Rockford plan and said that the investigation continued regardless the approval and that the board would take a close look on the list of investors.

Schmadeke admitted having some questions about particular individuals and their relationships but according to him those were just questions and not evidence. He said: “All of the evidence that I have seen that’s been produced to the gaming board does not show that there are any problems.”

He added: “As this matter proceeds, that evidence may or may not develop that some key persons may not have the fitness for this particular project. But we are not there today.”

The chairman refused to give any further information about the allegedly questionable relationship and he just said that if the Rockford bidders continued to cooperate with the board, all questions would be resolved.

The Fischer Saga

Businessman Dan Fischer of Naperville was the one who pitched the Rockford plan to the board last week. He described himself as the effort’s “managing member.”

Fischer’s company was involved in an investigation from 2018 but according to the gaming board lawyer, this could only lead to a disciplinary action that the board has not taken yet.

The Gaming Board has not made any statement on the matter yet and Fischer’s attorney said his client did nothing wrong.

Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter said at the Thursday meeting, that the Rockford group promised to remove any investor who is not suitable for the project.

Fischer is not the only one of the investors in the future project. The others include the wife of Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen and a former mayor of Rockford.

The plan for the new casino is part of the Illinois lawmaker and Democratic Gov. J. B. Pritzker’s approval for a massive gambling expansion that started in 2019. Pritzker’s hopes are that the expansion will generate additional income to the state government.

As part of the plan, six new casinos, including Rockford, are expected to launch. They will add to Illinois’ top 10 existing casino establishments.

The Rockford plan was endorsed last year by the city’s officials and now it is competing with two more project for the board’s final approval.

The preliminary vote was indeed an important step for it opened the door to the construction of the permanent facility in Rockford. According to the plan, the future site for the casino is the old Clock Tower Resort near Instate 90.

But there is still some way to go since the licenses has not been granted yet.

Things are looking good for the project though, since Schmadeke and other gaming officials expressed their approval for Rockford team’s effort to involve minorities in the project.

The chairman said: “I would like to see the benefits distributed throughout the community at all levels,” Schmadeke said. “I’m excited for the city of Rockford.”

Source: “Illinois official give preliminary ok for a Rockford casino”, Wbez, February 4, 2021

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A Clark County commissioner and casino industry official are urging the state to increase capacity limits for live entertainment and public gatherings to 50 percent by March 1.

Commission Chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D) said she is presenting a plan to the state COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force on the proposed capacity increase. Under the plan, capacity limits would increase from 25 to 50 percent for live entertainment and public gatherings, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.

“What I will tell you is we will recommend that we start moving toward the 50 percent by March 1, if not sooner,” Kirkpatrick said. “It’s always great when we can go sooner. But I don’t like to over-promise to folks, because I don’t have the magic pen.”

Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) has mandated that casinos, bars and other businesses operate at 25 percent of capacity. Public gatherings and live entertainment also are limited to 25 percent capacity, with no more than 50 people. The governor put this “pause” into effect until Feb. 12.

Sisolak imposed these restrictions in November as COVID-19 cases began to spike.

Struggling Economy

Nevada Resort Association President Virginia Valentine told the newspaper that businesses find it challenging to operate under strict capacity limits. The association is the casino industry’s lobbying arm.

The speed of Las Vegas’ recovery and bringing back tens of thousands of jobs depend on how soon we can hold gatherings and events,” she said. “It’s very challenging to run a business at 25-percent occupancy, which is why we’re hopeful we can return to 50 percent very soon.”

Valentine said different stakeholders have been working on the plan to “bring back the meetings and events business as soon as practical, particularly due to the recent developments like favorable health data, the vaccine distribution, and advancements in testing.”

Valentine said those working on the proposal want to give event organizers “predictability.”

“They require extensive planning, and they need to understand what requirements will be in place and when, so they can budget and prepare,” she told the newspaper. “As long as this business remains on hold, our economy will struggle.”

Tourism Slump

With the onset of coronavirus cases in March, Sisolak ordered casinos to close statewide. After a 78-day shutdown, he allowed casinos to reopen June 4 with capacity restrictions and safety measures in place.  

However, without conventions and large special events, tourism has been slow to recover in the Las Vegas Valley. This is especially true during the middle of the week. Conventions are seen as important in filling up hotel rooms during the midweek days.

A sharp decline in air travel has had a negative impact on tourism in Las Vegas. Compared to 2019, McCarran International Airport has seen 29 million fewer departing and arriving passengers during the pandemic. 

As a result of low hotel room occupancy rates, some resorts on the Strip have shut down all or part of their operations during the middle of the week.  

The post Nevada Officials Want 50 Percent Capacity for Live Entertainment, Public Gatherings appeared first on Casino.org.

The Indiana Gaming Commission is ready to proceed with revoking the license of long-time casino owner Rod Ratcliff. That’s according to documentation filed Tuesday in an Indiana court.

Ratcliff, most recently the chairman and CEO of Spectacle Entertainment, held a similar position with Centaur Gaming. During that time, authorities allege, Centaur executives participated in a scheme to provide illegal campaign contributions to a Congressional candidate.

The commission temporarily suspended Ratcliff’s license during a Dec. 23 meeting.

Ratcliff has not been charged in the case. However, IGC investigators believe he is an unnamed executive who met with a campaign consultant to set up the scheme.

In addition, over the course of the year-long investigation, IGC officials said they uncovered other violations of Indiana gaming law. Those allegations include failing to update records, including not revealing secret transfers of Spectacle stock and not alerting the commission to a change of his trustee.

The commission also claims Ratcliff continued to be involved in the daily operations of the Spectacle-owned Majestic Star Casino in Gary even after he stepped down as Spectacle chairman and CEO. That was despite an order from IGC Executive Director Sara Tait directing him to refrain from exerting any authority.

In the filing, the IGC said those issues and others in the document leave it any choice in the matter.

Based on the information in this Complaint, Respondent does not have the high standards of character and reputation required of a licensee in Indiana,” the complaint stated. “Any one of these matters, individually, should lead to revocation of his licensee.”

Not only does the investigation put Ratcliff’s license at risk, but it also delays the transfer of assets from the Majestic Star riverboats to Hard Rock Northern Indiana, a $300 million land-based casino in Gary slated to open this spring.

Horse Racing Account Unreported

The revocation resolution includes at least one new allegation against Ratcliff that did not appear in the suspension order.

While leading Centaur, which owned the state’s two racinos and an off-track betting parlor in Indianapolis, the IGC claims its employees would make large deposits, totaling about $900,000, to at least one FastBet account in Ratcliff’s name. FastBet is an advanced-deposit wagering platform for racing.

Ratcliff provided the IGC with other gaming win/loss statements in a 2018 gaming license application. That included winnings from 2015 to 2018. However, the commission said he did not disclose the $900,000 FastBet deposits.

The FastBet issue, the commission said, may lead to “additional derogatory” revelations. That includes failing to adhere to state racing regulations, failing to remain in state and federal tax compliance, and failing to maintain and submit accounting documentation.

Ratcliff “had multiple opportunities to provide Commission investigators with mitigating evidence, yet he has failed to do so,” the resolution states.

Ratcliff’s Suit Against IGC Continues

The revocation request was filed in a Lake County Superior Court, where Ratcliff has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the suspension of his license. Gary is located in Lake County.

In the suit, filed Jan. 20, Ratcliff claims the commission improperly used an emergency justification to issue the suspension. It also claims the agency wants to force Ratcliff to sell his stake in Spectacle to Hard Rock International.

Last week, the commission filed a motion to move the lawsuit from Lake County, where Spectacle’s casinos are located, to Marion County. home to the state capital Indianapolis. The IGC’s office and Spectacle Entertainment’s headquarters are located there.

Ratcliff has 30 days to respond to that request.

In a statement to Casino.org, Ratcliff representative Robert Vane said his client is reviewing the commission’s revocation request.

Mr. Ratcliff… looks forward to his day in court to contest these baseless allegations,” Vane said. “The IGC’s recent motion also seems, finally, to concede that the IGC acted hastily and improperly in suspending Mr. Ratcliff’s license on a temporary basis rather than proceed with a full hearing on the merits of the IGC’s allegations.”

Ratcliff got his start in Indiana gaming back in the 1990s. He formed a partnership to land a riverboat casino license in Lawrenceburg, Ind., near Cincinnati. He also formed Centaur, which partnered with Churchill Downs to bring pari-mutuel horse racing to the state. After selling his stake in the Lawrenceburg casino, Centaur eventually owned the state’s two racinos, Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand.

He sold those to Caesars Entertainment in 2018 and formed Spectacle a short time later.

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