Public Gaming Magazine November-December 2015

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November/December 2015 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // 45
of promoting sport and physical activity
across Europe.
Addressing the debate, The European Lot-
teries President, Mr Hansjörg Höltkemeier,
highlighted that the European Lotter-
ies members’ are amongst the foremost
champions of sports, having been primary
contributors to sports for decades, provid-
ing sustainable funding of more than €2
billion to European sport each year. Ms Ste-
phane Pallez, CEO and President of French
lottery La Française des Jeux, pointed out
“it is necessary set a common agenda on which
all can agree in order to have a multiplication
impact on Lottery funding” and ensure that
sport continues to be accessible to all.
Concluding the debate, Mr Höltkemeier
reinforced that “elite sports are just the tip of
the iceberg” and attention must be paid to
the grassroots and the important role they
play in economic, health and societal terms.
“Sustainable funding needs a sustainable
business model. The discussion showed that a
balanced approach is necessary in the regula-
tion of those business activities that support
grassroots sport.”
The European Lotteries (EL) is the umbrel-
la organisation of national lotteries operat-
ing games of chance for the public benefit.
The EL brings together state-owned and
private operators, both profit and non-prof-
it, who operate on behalf of the state. Our
members only offer gambling and betting
services in the jurisdictions in which they
are licensed by the respective national gov-
ernment. Our Association was created in
1983 under Swiss law and is headquartered
in Lausanne, Switzerland. We promote the
sound and sustainable gaming model for
the benefit of society that we stand for and
that is based on the values of subsidiar-
ity, precaution, solidarity and integrity.
We advance the collective interests of our
members, the national lotteries operating
games of chance for the public benefit, and
defend our model in the discussion on the
societal, political, economic and regulatory
framework for gambling.
Our organisation is a proactive and stra-
tegic forum for reflection and discussion
between our members and a true laboratory
for the design and implementation of the
further development and architecture of
our model. We promote the cooperation
between our members by providing them
with the platforms for exchange, educa-
tional offerings, precise information and
sound support.
AGA Report Highlights Ties Between
Illegal Gambling and Organized
Crime in US
The perception of gaming often drives pol-
icy decisions. Since debuting the American
Gaming Associations’ (AGA) “Stop Illegal
Gambling—Play it Safe” initiative, illegal
gambling has emerged as an important
issue for both the AGA and law enforce-
ment. The AGA released groundbreaking
new research by Virginia Commonwealth
University’s Dr. Jay S. Albanese exposing
how illegal gambling funds large criminal
enterprises involved in racketeering, money
laundering, extortion and fraud. “The ties
between illegal gambling and organized crime
are undeniable. This is not a victimless crime.
Illegal gambling siphons critical tax revenue
from communities and is void of any of the
consumer protections provided by regulated
gaming,” said Geoff Freeman, president and
CEO of the AGA. “We are proud to be tak-
ing a proactive lead on an issue that preys on
consumers, funds illegal activities and hurts
the highly regulated legal gaming industry.”
Distinguishing these criminal networks
that rely on illegal gambling from our
highly regulated, $240 billion legal gaming
industry is necessary to change outdated
and inaccurate perceptions of gaming. The
prevalence of illegal gambling has been so
significant that, in 2014 alone, 80 opera-
tors in 23 states were convicted of running
illegal gambling businesses. The report
also underscores the critical importance of
joint investigations between local, state and
federal agencies.
The research also notes that many illegal
gambling enterprises are large-scale, involv-
ing an average of 8 to 33 participants.
AGA, through its “Stop Illegal Gambling –
Play it Safe” initiative, is working with law
enforcement and the private sector to dis-
tinguish the highly regulated, $240 billion
legal gaming industry from illegal gambling
and criminal enterprises that fund horrific
crimes. Earlier this year, the AGA assem-
bled an Illegal Gambling Advisory Board
to provide advice regarding industry efforts
to develop actionable tools for law enforce-
ment and to reduce the demand through
public awareness; guide partnerships with
law enforcement at the local, state, federal
and international level; and provide strate-
gies and perspective on necessary steps to
plug existing holes in enforcement efforts.
About AGA: The American Gaming Asso-
ciation is the premier national trade group
representing the $240 billion U.S. casino
industry, which supports 1.7 million jobs in
40 states. AGA members include commer-
cial and tribal casino operators, suppliers
and other entities affiliated with the gaming
industry. It is the mission of the AGA to
be the single most effective champion of
the industry, relentlessly protecting against
harmful and often misinformed public poli-
cies, and paving a path for growth, innova-
tion and reinvestment.
Online i-Poker Operators PokerStars
and Full Tilt Approved in New Jersey
The New Jersey Division of Gaming has
approved the applications of PokerStars
and Full-Tilt to be licensed to operate i-
poker in NJ. PokerStars and Full Tilt were
were forced to shot down U.S. operations
some four years ago. The U.S. Department
of Justice indicted companies that were
operating online poker in violation of U.S.
laws. The UIGEA states that all gambling is
illegal throughout the U.S. until and unless
such activity is approved by the individual
states themselves. Since individual states
had not approved and licensed these com-
panies to operate i-poker, they were deemed
to be operating illegally and forced to stop
operating in the U.S. PokerStars and Full-
Tilt were and are the largest operators of
online i-poker. Now that states are taking
up the business of regulating and taxing i-
poker, PokerStars and Full-Tilt are applying
for licenses to operate legally in those states
that are deciding to regulate the online
gaming industry.