Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | November 2011 46 International Briefs Briefs New Jersey referendum over gambling on professional sports As IAG went to press, New Jersey voters were due a referendum over allowing gambling on professional sports. New Jersey is one of 46 US states prohibited from the pursuit under the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act 1992, otherwise known as PASPA—a piece of federal legislationthatisnowbeingchallenged as unconstitutional. Nine states had sports betting prior to the Act, and their state legislation was grandfathered in rather than repealed. Under PASPA, any state that had run a casino industry for ten years or more was given the right to opt for sports betting post- prohibition. Initially, New Jersey spurned the opportunity. But now with a national economic crisis and increased competition from new casinos in neighbouring states, New Jersey is revisiting sports betting as a way of giving it a competitive edge with tourists and locals alike and raising revenue without increasing direct taxes. The referendummotion calls for legalisation of betting at casinos, racetracks and former racetrack sites. But wagering on college sporting events that take place in New Jersey or on New Jersey college teams wherever they play will still be prohibited. State Governor Chris Christie—a Republican who had been expected to run for president in 2012 but has now indicated he won’t make a bid for the highest office until 2016—says he will vote ‘yes’ in the non-binding plebiscite. Last year, Gov. Christie refused to join a lawsuit filed by legislators and gambling advocates challenging the ban. The National Football League, which has long opposed the expansion of sports betting, is opposed to the referendum. International cricket stars jailed for spot-fixing Three Pakistani cricketers have been given jail sentences in the United Kingdom after being found guilty of spot-fixing during an international match against England. Salman Butt, the former Pakistan national team captain, was given a 30-month sentence, while bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir received a year sentence and a six-month sentence respectively. All three face five-year cricket bans from the International Cricket Council, the sport’s governing body. Spot-fixing refers to an illegal activity in sport where a specific part of a game is predetermined or ‘fixed’. Examples include timing when a no ball or wide delivery in cricket will occur, or timing the first throw-in or corner in a soccer match. Spot-fixers attempt to defraud bookmakers by paying a player involved in the match to perform to order. The judge in the case said 19-year-old Amir had come under pressure from criminals to take part. “The reality of those threats and the strength of the underworld influences who control unlawful betting abroad is shown by the supporting evidence in the bundle of documents, including materials from the Anti- Corruption and Security Unit of the International Cricket Council,” said Mr Justice Cooke. Interpol estimates that the market for illegal [i.e. unlicensed] Internet gambling is worth US$500 billion in Asia alone. “Organised criminals can now engage in systematic fraud, illegal betting and match fixing from anywhere in the world at any given time. We are in dire need of effective collaborative responses by all relevant entities,” said Interpol secretary general Ron Noble in comments earlier this year. Sahara Hotel saved from demolition The Sahara—an important part of Las Vegas history for nearly 60 years and at various times host to Elvis, The Beatles, Sammy Davis Junior and a host of other stars—is to be renovated. The plan—approved early in November by the Clark County Commission— will see the hotel’s roller coaster dismantled and replaced with a nearly 3,000 square foot beer garden. The existing room towers of the resort at the north end of the Strip—the Tunis, Tangiers and Alexandria—will be preserved and revamped, reports GamingWire . The casino floor will also be refurbished and a 21,000-square-foot nightclub will be built, along with 41,000 square feet of meeting and convention space and a new pool deck area. No details were given for the construction schedule or project costs and the owners, SBE Entertainment of Los Angeles and private equity firm Stockbridge Real Estate of San Francisco, have not so far commented. According to Clark County officials, remodelling the nearly 18- acre property bordered by Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas Boulevard South and Paradise Road could enhance the area where construction projects such as Fontainebleau Las Vegas and the Echelon resort have stalled. Redevelopment of the Sahara property began in 2007 but was put on hold two years later because of the economic downturn. It’s one of the oldest existing properties within the resort corridor and was most recently renovated in 1999. But megaresorts further south along the Strip constructed during the area’s two-decade building boom have dwarfed it. The property owners acquired the hotel-casino in 2007 from the family of late casino pioneer William Bennett. MGM Resorts says Las Vegas properties are recovering MGM Resorts International says its ten Strip casinos are showing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Caught out—Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt Golden oldie—the Sahara is to be saved from demolition