
Jonathan Parke, former mind 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 news spotlight again, this time for allegations of nepotism.
The charity, which will be 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 interest. Because of its ties that are close the gambling industry, concerns have been asked as to whether its scientific studies are fully separate of video gaming passions.
The RGT maintains it is impartial. But the revelation this week by the UK’s Independent newspaper that a firm owned by the husband regarding the charity’s Director of Commissioning, Jane Rigbye, has been granted a lucrative research contract, isn’t assisting the explanation for credibility for the outfit.
Marital Contracts
According to your Independent, Sophoro Ltd. owned by Rigbye’s husband 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 he and their wife swapped jobs, then immediately swapped contracts.
Sophoro was 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.
Furthermore, Sophoro bid for the RGT agreement simply two months after Rigbye stepped down as director to take in her new part at RGT.
In reaction 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 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 terminals that are bettingFOBTs) in bookmaking shops.
Last month, Neil Goulden, the trust’s chairman, stepped down following critique by 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 RGT, and the involvement to his 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 individual impact and urging,’ he said.
RGT, which may very well be investigated by the charity regulator throughout the Sophoro event, told the Independent that Rigbye had no say in commissioning of research contracts.
DraftKings Appeals New York AG Lawsuit, Filing Says Empire State Should Ban Spelling Bees
New York AG Eric Schneiderman, who has been accused by DraftKings of earning mistakes in his lawsuit against DFS sites. (Image: pokerhomegames.com)
DraftKings has launched its appeal against the nyc State injunction that is preliminary seeks to ban daily dream sports (DFS) and place 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 skill.
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 evidence, to locate that daily fantasy sports contests are games of chance,’ the business argued in its filing.
Is An Entry Fee A wager?
In December, casinopokies777.com Justice Manuel Mendez granted the AG’s injunction, ordering DraftKings and FanDuel to stop operations in New York State, its market that is second-biggest after.
DraftKings immediately filed an expedited motion to stay the court’s decision pending the results of its appeal. It was upheld by a Court of Appeals judge that same afternoon, permitting the companies to continue company temporarily in nyc until the truth is solved.
In their December ruling, Mendez was necessary to determine whether DFS had been a game of skill or of chance, and more specifically, whether setting a line-up was a process that is skill-based an ‘entry cost,’ or an out-and-out ‘wager.’ He decided it was the latter.
‘New York State penal legislation does maybe not refer to ‘wagering’ or ‘betting,’ rather it states that someone, ‘risks one thing of value,” he said. ‘The payment of an ‘entry fee’ as 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 truth, then ‘dog shows and spelling bees, yachting tournaments and bass fishing’ should really be ‘criminalized’ under Judge Mendez’s ruling. Each of the are events entry that is requiring whose outcome is susceptible to a component of possibility, argues the DraftKings filing.
‘Daily fantasy sports are skill-based games that are, and should be, legal,’ DraftKings’ lawyer David Boies stated in a statement. ‘DraftKings contests are believe it or not legal than season-long dream sports, that the Attorney General has repeatedly conceded are legal.’
In January, Schneiderman amended their lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel to look for the return of all of the buy-ins compensated by New York residents paid to both companies 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 Kids Daily Fantasy Sports Site from Youth Advocacy Group
The NFL kids daily fantasy sports site is facing backlash from several 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)
Targeted at pre-teen kids, daily fantasy activities (DFS) site NFL Rush is being asked to stop operations by the non-profit organization Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC).
In a story that might seem appropriate for satire, the stark reality is that the National Football League is catering to young ones to participate 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.
In line with 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 activities gambling and betting, it evidently does not have any qualms when it concerns children and fantasy sports. With the National Council on Problem Gambling, the CCFC is calling on Goodell while the NFL to stop marketing fantasy soccer to kiddies.
‘ 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 children as young as six years of age to develop the habit of engaging in this adult activity.’
NFL Hypocrisy?
The NFL has always maintained that any expansion of conventional activities betting could impact the league negatively and compromise the integrity of its games. Surprisingly, it is 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 gambling because of the fact that the participant isn’t merely 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, utilizing the operators themselves, not surprisingly, fighting straight back. The data on who routinely wins DFS contests seems to support the skill over luck debate.
But as it relates to children, teaching 6 to 12-year-olds how to assemble a team of players to supply the very best odds of winning a video clip game console is definitely cause for concern.
‘By providing these valuable incentives, the NFL is indoctrinating kids into engaging in fantasy activities with a financial stake in the results,’ the CCFC noted. ‘This exposes them, and our communities, to the potential risks of gambling dilemmas.’
You have to Be Carefully Taught
It should be noted that the NFL hasn’t simply promoted a site that is online it’s provided an in-classroom curriculum for teachers since 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 at the conclusion of 2014-2015 season, but in it, kiddies were encouraged to ‘choose their ultimate fantasy group each week’ through critical reasoning.
This program did employ basic math in determining just how fantasy that is many are to be allocated based on the gamer’s performance, nonetheless it also required the student to understand the principles of soccer. Critics of the scheme argued it’s the NFL’s way to engage a brand new audience, as youth soccer involvement continues to decline.
Hey, then just teach the worth of a buck with a ‘Let It Rain’ math program because well?
No Safeguards for Guardians
If you’re thinking NFL Rush features a number of protections to avoid children from enrolling on their own, you are going to be surprised to discover that registrants are simply just required to provide their parent’s email address, therefore that the NFL can confirm their guardian and age consent.
Undoubtedly no 10-year-old would think to enter their friend’s email or develop a yahoo that is quick 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 a lot of legislators is how exactly to best protect adult consumers while gaming on the Web, as well once the very dilemma of age verification. However, within the case 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.
Interestingly, no one from the pro-RAWA contingent seems to have jumped on this web site as evidence that kiddies 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), want to throw in the face of every person who supports Internet gaming.