New York Casino Voter Referendum Wording Challenged by Attorney
п»ї
A November nyc State casino referendum for voters has one attorney questioning the ballot’s wording
In November, ny voters are scheduled to vote on a referendum that could enable several casino that is new to be built throughout the state. But if one Brooklyn lawyer is effective, that referendum will be halted due to language in the ballot question which he claims violates state law.
Referendum Language Questioned
The language in the referendum features a range ‘legislative purposes’ that paint the proposal in a light that is unmistakably positive. For example, the concern mentions ‘promoting work growth, increasing aid to schools and allowing regional governments to lower property taxes.’ That language was authorized by the State Board of Elections in July.
But now, lawyer Eric J. Snyder is contending that the language in the bill violates New York law. According to case filed in the nyc State Supreme Court, Snyder alleges that the language violates the continuing State Constitution’s prohibition on the employment of general public profit the aid of ‘private undertakings.’
‘The Constitution is pretty clear that you can’t use money that is public sway or influence a vote,’ Snyder said.
Snyder isn’t the one that is only has taken up problems with the language into the referendum. Many government watchdog groups also view it as one-sided, and spiritual teams have also noted the language used whenever telling parishioners to consider social ills that could attend the advertised advantages of casino expansion.
Interestingly, the first language in the referendum did not mention some of the benefits that are set to appear in the ballot question that is final. When the draft that is first from their state attorney general’s office, the language was more direct and didn’t are the legislative purposes. Those showed up only after the Board of Elections changed the wording, after what co-chairman Douglas Kellner said were ‘extensive conversations.’
Wording Can Affect Outcome, Historically Speaking
The language of a ballot concern may seem like a thing that is trivial battle over, but history shows some time again that even minor modifications to the name or wording of legislation might have an important impact on public opinion, and which has proven real once again in this case.
According up to a poll by Siena College, 55% of the latest York voters were in favor of this referendum when they certainly were read the question because it is scheduled to show up on the November 5 ballot, with 42% opposed. But when voters were instead expected a question that is similar more neutral language, these people were evenly divided on the issue.
That ‘advocating language’ is what Snyder who also opposes casino expansion actually claims should cause the court to enjoin voting on the bill until more language that is neutral invest its place.
‘It is partisan, and it is having an effect,’ Snyder stated. ‘And that’s not the federal government’s part.’
The success of the referendum is in some doubt regardless of the language used despite the promising poll numbers. With no elections that are statewide for November, turnout is probable to be low in many towns. But in nyc, a contested mayor’s race will probably lead to higher turnout there and voters within the city tend to be more skeptical about the casino expansion than voters in the rest of the state.
For Tribal Gaming Lobby, It’s a Tough line to Hoe in Congress
Scenes similar to this one, of tribal gaming lobbyists working their issues in Congress, aren’t producing many results these times
An awful lot of individuals are unhappy with the direction or absence thereof of the United States Congress this season. Now you can add Native American tribes that operate casinos across the country compared to that long list.
No Respect in Congress for Tribal Issues
Talking about the lack of any legislation that is federal clarify and regulate the new relative Wild West that is state-by-state online gambling in the U.S. these days, John Gusik a founding partner for the Washington D.C.-based law and government relations services outfit called the Franklin Partnership, had this to express during the recent worldwide Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas: ‘There have been 4,500 bills in Congress this year; only 31 have been enacted. It’s a do-nothing Congress. Seventy-two bills dealing with tribal issues and none are enacted. Online gaming continues to languish in Congress.’
While the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 established the framework for Native American gambling enterprises to benefit this until-then underclass economically, it hasn’t all been champagne and flowers for a few associated with tribes, who nevertheless grapple with basic issues such as better education and health care with regards to their members. And now as legal online poker in Nevada and imminently, legal Web casino gambling in New Jersey and Maryland just take hold the Indian ‘special nation’ status vis a vis gambling enterprises may be threatened, particularly as gambling industry executives warn of impending market saturation throughout a lot of the U.S. that will affect the entire marketplace.
Demonstrably, all the drama surrounding wellness care plus the government shutdown hasn’t exactly helped put consider Indian casino industry issues either.
Casino Money Isn’t Enough, Lobbyists Insist
The National Indian Gaming Commission showed $27.9 billion in gaming revenues in 2012, which is up 2.6 percent from $27.2 billion in 2011, therefore the tribes may have trouble garnering much sympathy from anybody in a nevertheless unsteady economy, but lobbyists says there is more at stake for the tribes than just revenue.
‘they think you must work on Indian gaming all the time,’ said Pete Kirkham, who runs Red Maple Consulting, a government affairs and political strategy firm, and works with many of the tribes on various legislative issues if you represent tribes. ‘ Gaming takes up some time but additionally it is about health care, training and housing.’
Kirkham says they are nevertheless waiting on 13 appropriation bills that the tribes importance of funding. He says that while the majority of tribal income is gaming-derived, that much of it goes directly back to the city.
‘Everything is now seen through the prism of video gaming,’ said Jana McKeag, president of Lowry techniques, an Alexandria, Va., government and public affairs consulting company. ‘Congress believes that tribes have all this gaming cash … why do they need (federal dollars)?’
Other issues that tribal lobbyists want addressed involve the profusion of off-reservation casinos in areas where those casinos might take business away from the ones that are indian. Also, the proliferation of online cafes in states like California, Florida, and vermont are seen as a problem the whole gaming industry must address.
‘In California, as an example, these are typically illegal but the state doesn’t have money to shut them down,’ McKeag noted on the panel that is g2E. ‘These are typically not regulated and can be an window of opportunity for money laundering. The issue is them down, they simply pop up someplace else. if they shut’
Meanwhile, with everything occurring in Congress at this time, it willn’t look like tribal gaming problems are going to relocate to the leading of the line any time soon.
Gambling enterprises Ready to Add Nostalgia-Based Skill Games to Their Rosters
Slot manufacturer IGT has reintroduced the old Centipede game for slots to touch to the nostalgia craze
In regards to to the games they feature, gambling enterprises are usually careful to restrict the amount of players can impact the games through their own skill. Sure, blackjack and video poker offer players the opportunity to make skillful decisions, but also perfect play nevertheless renders the casino with a little advantage (and they can always just stop letting you play) if you overcome that through card counting,. Most other games, like slots, are completely based on random luck.
Everything Old is New Again
But with casinos looking for new avenues with which to attract customers, it looks like skill-based video gaming may be coming to a venue towards you. That’s the word from the Global Gaming Expo (G2E), where manufacturers had been showing off games that allow players to use their skills in an effort to provide them a better opportunity to win cash.
The biggest hit that ended up being seen at G2E in this genre is a machine developed by Overseas Game Technology. IGT has made a machine on the basis of the 1981 hit arcade game Centipede, in which players shoot virtual insects in order to score points.
Centipede ended up being originally developed by Atari, an ongoing company that has very long since passed its heyday. But IGT and other manufacturers are hoping to cash in for a wave of nostalgia that could attract middle-aged gamblers who have fond memories of playing very early arcade games.
In the casino form of Centipede, the points that players score could be directly translated into money. Of course, the casino nevertheless wants to have the bonus, so that you’ll need to get lucky to get into bonus rounds and even probably the most skilled player will be an underdog over time against the casino.
Playing Against Other Players on Machines
But that isn’t where games like Centipede plan on stopping. The equipment also allows two players to get head-to-head on the machines, with all the better player walking away using the winnings. That’s a real battle of ability, similar to how players can fulfill each other at the poker table, with the casino taking only a cut that is small ensure they profit.
Middle-agers aren’t the only ones that IGT and other manufacturers (WMS and Aristocrat both say they have skill-based games in the works) are hoping that these games can pull in; these businesses would also like to lure younger players to slots, which traditionally have now been the bailiwick of an older demographic. A few new games by Bally Technologies even incorporate leader panels in order in an attempt to get players back in the habit of wanting high scores.
‘it would be loved by the casino if players are like, ‘Oh, I got beat! I have to return back and play some more to get within the lead,” said Bally spokesman Mike Trask. ‘if they were 15 years old in 1985 playing against their friends, trying to get the score that is highest, that person is almost 50 years old now, and so they’re right in the demographic.’
Others believe that the important thing will be matching players for head-to-head skill contests with money on the line. This has become a reality in online game titles, and some see casinos could do the exact same thing.
‘Let me play Madden football, let me play EA Hockey,’ stated Geoff Freeman, head of the United states Gaming Association. ‘ We’ll place $20 down, the winner gets $15 and the house gets $5.’
However, casino experts explain that these sorts of experiences will probably only add up to a niche market in the industry. Most likely, they say, casinos nevertheless make even more money when gamblers perform they take on each other against them than when.