Nyc Casino Voter Referendum Wording Challenged by Attorney

A November ny State casino referendum for voters has one attorney questioning the ballot’s wording
In November, New York voters are scheduled to vote on a referendum that will enable several new casino resorts to be built through the entire state. But if one Brooklyn attorney is successful, that referendum will be halted due to language into the ballot question which he claims violates state law.
Referendum Language Questioned
The language in the referendum includes a wide range of ‘legislative purposes’ that paint the proposal in a light that is unmistakably positive. For example, the concern mentions ‘promoting job growth, increasing aid to schools and allowing neighborhood 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. In accordance with case filed in the ny State Supreme Court, Snyder alleges that the language violates the State Constitution’s prohibition on the usage of general public money in the aid of ‘private undertakings.’
‘The Constitution is pretty clear that you cannot use public cash to sway or influence a vote,’ Snyder said.
Snyder isn’t the one that is only has taken up issues with the language into the referendum. Many government watchdog groups also see it as one-sided, and religious 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 original language in the referendum didn’t mention any of the benefits that are set to appear in the ballot question that is final. When the first draft arrived from hawaii attorney general’s office, the language was more direct and didn’t range from the legislative purposes. Those showed up only following the Board of Elections changed the wording, after exactly what co-chairman Douglas Kellner said had been ‘extensive discussions.’
Wording Can Affect Outcome, Historically Speaking
The language of the ballot concern may seem just like a trivial thing to battle over, but history shows time and again that even small changes to your name or wording of legislation can have a significant effect on public opinion, and who has proven true once again in this case.
According to a poll by Siena university, 55% of New York voters were in favor associated with referendum when they were read the question as it is scheduled to appear on the 5 ballot, with 42% opposed november. But when voters were instead expected a similar question with more neutral language, they were evenly split on the issue.
That ‘advocating language’ is exactly what Snyder who additionally opposes casino expansion really claims should cause the court to enjoin voting on the bill until more language that is neutral put in its destination.
‘It is partisan, and an effect is being had by it,’ Snyder said. ‘And that is not the federal government’s part.’
Despite the promising poll figures, the success associated with referendum is in a few doubt regardless of the language used. Without any statewide elections set for November, turnout is likely to be low in many towns. But in New York City, 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 remainder state.
For Tribal Gaming Lobby, it’s really a row that is tough Hoe in Congress
Scenes like this one, of tribal gaming lobbyists working their issues in Congress, don’t seem to be producing results that are many times
An lot that is awful of are unhappy with the direction or lack thereof of the United States Congress this present year. You can now add indigenous American tribes that operate casinos across the united states to that list that is long.
No Respect in Congress for Tribal Issues
Speaking 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 regarding the Washington D.C.-based legislation and government relations services outfit called the Franklin Partnership, had this to express during the recent international Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas: ‘There have now been 4,500 bills in Congress this year; only 31 have been enacted. It’s really a do-nothing Congress. Seventy-two bills dealing with tribal issues and none happen enacted. Online gaming continues to languish in Congress.’
Although the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 established the framework for Native American casinos to benefit this until-then underclass restaurant the lucky nugget saloon economically, it has not all been champagne and roses for a few of this tribes, who nevertheless grapple with basic issues such as better education and health care for their members. And now as legal online poker in Nevada and imminently, legal online casino gambling in New Jersey and Maryland take hold the Indian ‘special nation’ status vis a vis gambling enterprises might be threatened, particularly as gambling industry executives warn of impending market saturation throughout all of the U.S. that will affect the whole market.
Obviously, all the drama health that is surrounding as well as the government shutdown hasn’t exactly helped put focus on Indian casino industry issues either.
Casino Money Isn’t Enough, Lobbyists Insist
The nationwide Indian Gaming Commission showed $27.9 billion in video gaming profits in 2012, which is up 2.6 percent from $27.2 billion in 2011, and so the tribes may have trouble garnering much sympathy from anybody in a still unsteady economy, but lobbyists says there is much more on the line for the tribes than just income.
‘If you represent tribes, they think you need to work on Indian gaming on a regular basis,’ said Pete Kirkham, who runs Red Maple Consulting, a federal government affairs and political strategy firm, and works together with many of the tribes on various legislative issues. ‘ Gaming takes up some time but it is also about wellness care, education and housing.’
Kirkham says they are nevertheless waiting on 13 appropriation bills that the tribes need for funding. He says that while almost all of tribal income is gaming-derived, that much of it goes directly back in the city.
‘Everything is now seen through the prism of gaming,’ stated Jana McKeag, president of Lowry Strategies, an Alexandria, Va., government and public affairs firm that is consulting. ‘Congress believes that tribes have all this video 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 company far from the ones that are indian. Furthermore, the proliferation of Web cafes in states like California, Florida, and vermont are seen as an issue the gaming that is entire must deal with.
‘In California, for example, these are typically illegal but the state has no cash to shut them down,’ McKeag noted in the panel that is g2E. ‘These are typically not regulated and can be an chance for money laundering. The issue is them down, they just pop up someplace else. if they shut’
Meanwhile, with everything happening in Congress today, it doesn’t look like tribal gaming issues will probably relocate to the leading of the line anytime 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 tap into the nostalgia craze
When it comes to the games they provide, gambling enterprises are frequently careful to restrict simply how much players can affect the games through their ability. Sure, blackjack and video poker offer players the chance to make skillful decisions, but also perfect play still departs the casino with a tiny advantage (and they can always just stop letting you play) if you overcome that through card counting,. Many 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 appears as though skill-based gaming might be coming to a venue near you. That’s the phrase from the gaming that is global (G2E), where manufacturers had been showing off games that allow players to make use of their skills in an attempt to give them a better opportunity to win cash.
The biggest hit that was seen at G2E in this genre is a machine developed by Global Game Technology. IGT has made a machine on the basis of the 1981 hit game that is arcade, in which players shoot digital insects in order to score points.
Centipede was originally developed by Atari, an ongoing company that has long since passed its heyday. But IGT and other manufacturers are hoping to cash in on a revolution of nostalgia that could attract middle-aged gamblers whom have fond memories of playing early arcade games.
The points that players score could be directly translated into money in the casino version of Centipede. Needless to say, the casino nevertheless wants to have the advantage, so that you’ll need to get happy to get into bonus rounds and even probably the most player that is skilled be an underdog in the long run against the casino.
Playing Against Other Players on Machines
But that’s not where games like Centipede plan on stopping. The device additionally allows two players to go head-to-head on the machines, with all the better player walking away with the winnings. That’s a real battle of skill, much like how players can meet each other at the poker table, with the casino taking only a cut that is small ensure they profit.
Baby boomers aren’t the ones that are only IGT and other manufacturers (WMS and Aristocrat both say they have skill-based games within the works) are hoping that these games can pull in; these companies would also like to lure younger players to slots, which traditionally are the bailiwick of a older demographic. A few new games by Bally Technologies even incorporate leader boards in order in an attempt to get players back into the practice of wanting high scores.
‘The casino would love it if players are like, ‘Oh, I got beat! I must return and play some more to get in the lead,” stated 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 think that the main element will be players that are matching head-to-head skill competitions with money at risk. It has become a reality in online game titles, plus some see casinos could do the thing that is same.
‘Let me play Madden football, let me play EA Hockey,’ said Geoff Freeman, head of this American Gaming Association. ‘ We’ll place $20 down, the winner gets $15 and the house gets $5.’
However, casino experts mention that these sorts of experiences will probably only amount to a niche market in the industry. After all, they say, gambling enterprises nevertheless make far more money when gamblers perform they take on each other against them than when.