Ohio gambling enterprises like the Hollywood Casino in Columbus will now withhold winnings from players whom owe kid support. (Image: Brooke Lavalley/Dispatch File Photo)
At Ohio casinos, gamblers who think they’ve simply won a major jackpot could be in for a surprise, at least when they have outstanding youngster support payments. That is because a new system is now in destination to ensure that debtors who owe money for the well-being of their children won’t be in a position to collect their gambling winnings without paying back just what they owe first.
This new ‘intercept program’ is now moving forward at all four gambling enterprises in Ohio. The properties have actually agreed working aided by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to identify gamblers who owe straight back child support, adding those criminal record checks to ones place that is already taking a database of debtors.
Lottery, Racetracks Also Recover Funds
These checks are also created by the Ohio Lottery, which operates the state’s seven racetrack casinos. At the gambling enterprises, database checks will be brought about by wins of $1,200 or more on slots, $5,000 or more on table games, and $600 or maybe more on some high-stakes games. At the racetracks, any prize of $600 or more is going to be checked against owed child-support payments, while wins of $5,000 or more trigger checks against back fees and student loans.
‘ We sweep for many state debts,’ said Ohio Lottery representative Danielle Frizzi-Babb. ‘if you have straight back taxes, it’ll show up if they operate this report and that cash is taken out of the prize. if you borrowed from any money,’
Intercept Program Successful for State
Those sweeps have produced lot of cash, since the Ohio Lottery has recovered $8.4 million since joining the Attorney General’s program in 2003. They had been screening for child-support re payments on their own since 2001. While casinos might take part in a wider recovery program in the future, for now they’re only checking for owed kid support.
‘It’s difficult to argue you happen to go to the casino and hit it big,’ said State Representative Ross McGregor (R-Springfield), who was one of 16 sponsors of the bill that required casinos to make such checks if you owe child support and. ‘You have actually obligations that you need to take care of.’
Through the state of Ohio, 59 clients use the intercept system which includes been set up by the Attorney General’s office. Those include cities, courts, and probation programs, all of which can now recover cash from winning gamblers. The state also benefits, as the Attorney General recovers about 10 percent of all money that is recovered this way.
Some players, however, have had experiences that are bad the intercept program. Stephen Moore told the Dayton day-to-day News that he was surprised to lose a $5,000 jackpot he had won at Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway in August. Although the form he was required to fill in only asked about youngster support, he had been later told he would not get his money because of other debts that were found.
‘It wasn’t a question if we owed a student loan or state income tax; I knew I owed that stuff,’ Moore told the newspaper. ‘If I knew they were likely to run that database I never would’ve been playing a $25 slot machine.’
But state officials state that the scheduled program worked as intended in Moore’s case. Dan Tierney, a representative for Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, said that in the long run, intercepts such since these could even assist the gamblers affected.
Revel Bankruptcy Auction Brings Straub Bid and Odd Prospects
Florida real estate tycoon Glen Straub has some innovative if slightly odd ideas for Revel’s future at auction if he wins it. (Image: Gary Coronado/The Palm Beach Post)
Revel, Atlantic City’s biggest workout in how not to ever market or run a casino, now has the questionable honor of being the subject of a bankruptcy court auction, but that event is on hold until the center of next week due to the start of the Jewish New Year today at sunset.
And while casino administration claims that several bids have previously been made on the property that is beleaguered the only one that has been made public is from Floridian real estate designer Glenn Straub, who somewhat enigmatically says he desires to turn the defunct casino property into a place where ‘geniuses’ can solve some of the earth’s issues.
Perhaps they can begin with how exactly to not lose several billion dollars for a mismanaged Atlantic City casino, just for one proven fact that randomly pops into the mind.
Straub bid $90 million for the casino that originally cost $2.4 billion to build, so evidently he is no dummy himself. The property went out of company after only two years of always-in-the-red operations finally became too much to over come.
Straub says he desires to turn Revel in to a college for the intelligentsia, devoted to re solving the planet’s problems. The idealistic property magnate told Reuters as he puts it that he wants to attract the brightest minds in the world, who would spend their days ruminating on global issues such as famine, cancer and nuclear waste storage; ‘curing the world’s hiccups.
‘we want the geniuses associated with world with an opportunity never to be geeks, perhaps not to have to grow up in a dormitory room and be geeks. I want them to live a little bit of life, because they’re actually likely to do one thing for the world,’ he said.
Stalking Horse
Straub, who owns the 22,000-acre Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in Wellington Florida, could be the alleged ‘stalking horse’: the lead bidder, whom could be outbid by competitors at the auction when it resumes week that is next. Pressed further on his eyesight for the college, Straub stated that the university that is ideal would platinum quick hits slot machine app be ‘free, white and over 21,’ an archaic and politically incorrect method of saying ‘beholden to no one.’ He qualified the declaration the next day by stating, ‘No matter who you are, white, black, whatever it may be, you could have an opportunity.’
When asked whether we was concerned that their chosen educational few may be tempted away from him by big corporations offering a lot of money, he explained that, for the reason that case, they’d be required to ‘donate two percent of these incomes for their lifetimes,’ to greatly help fund the project. Apart from that he did not offer any other indicator as to the way the college will be financed, although his lawyer has suggested that it could start ‘within weeks,’ should the deal go through.
Lofty Vision
Straub’s vision for Revel also contains the construction of the tower that is second in accordance with the initial architect’s plans, as well as helping Atlantic City develop high-speed rail and ferry links to New York City, and improving the airport. That he dislikes the idea of Atlantic City as a casino town, he has called for the construction of a tunnel connecting casinos in the city, in order to help boost casino revenues during harsh winters while he would appear to have a personal distaste for casinos, saying.
Maybe Not everybody remains convinced by Straub’s lofty ideals, however.
‘When you start off with these types of tips, to my eyes, it doesn’t supply a lot of confidence,’ stated Assemblyman Vince that is democratic Mazzeo. ‘But this men, it, he’ll have to open those doorways, which equates to employment. if he ends up buying’
It’s still a big ‘if.’ Straub will be the horse that is stalking the auction, but as his lawyer acknowledged this week, there are other bidders into the mix, although they remain anonymous. The deadline to submit a bid has now passed away, and the auction will choose up again on September 30 tuesday. The bidder that is successful be confirmed by a bankruptcy court judge at a hearing after that timing.
New York Catskills Casino Proposals Draw Public Comments
Area citizens turned away in large numbers to state their feelings con pro or for the Catskills, ny casino license. (Image: wamc.org)
New York Catskills casino plans are the topic that is latest of conversation for a public with strong opinions pro or con. No region is more desirable right now than that of the Catskills and the Hudson Valley, which can be the closest of three upstate areas to New York City. That was the main focus of the public hearing on Tuesday, where citizens voiced their concerns and their support for various casino tasks across the region.
An overflow audience packed the Grandview in Poughkeepsie, brand New York to possess their voices heard by the latest York State Gaming Commission. Those collected represented supporters and opponents of the nine casino resort proposals in Ulster, Orange and Sullivan counties. Only one or two licenses will be granted into the area.
‘The turnout is phenomenal,’ said Robert Williams, executive director of their state’s gaming commission. ‘ We had a line developing through the time we showed up here.’
Many Projects Attract Supporters
Lots of the supporters of various projects could be identified by the colors of their shirts. Those campaigning for the Sterling Forest Resort in Tuxedo wore green (opponents had been clad in yellowish), while supporters of the Grand Hudson Resort and Casino in New Windsor wore orange. There was also a group of blue-clad speakers lobbying for a project during the Nevele Resort in Ellenville.
‘It really does talk to the character of the grouped community,’ said Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ward Todd about the Nevele proposal. ‘This is a perfect fit because that’s what ended up being there before.’
Several major casino designers, including Caesars Entertainment, are interested in building in the region, and some spoke in support of bringing in a major manufacturer.
‘After looking at all of the facts, we found that Caesars is probably the most economically feasible and organization that is community-minded across the river,’ said Charles North, the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce president and CEO of the plan, which would be positioned in Woodbury. ‘They are enthusiastic about helping veterans. They are interested in helping the disabled community.’
Economic Needs Cited by Citizens
Numerous residents talked associated with critical economic requirements of their towns and counties, saying that a casino could revitalize their struggling economies.
‘You probably know the casino carrot has been dangled in the front of us for over 40 years,’ said Sullivan County resident Tom Wasserman. ‘We want them, we need them and we deserve them.’
Newburgh mayor Judy Kennedy, on the other hand, said that her Orange County city had probably the most pressing significance of the boost a casino could provide.
‘ There is no accepted spot else in this region that needs it like this city does.’
‘ We are in need of the jobs,’ stated Newburgh resident Deborah Danzy, speaking with respect to another casino proposal into the nearby town of the latest Windsor. ‘we know the maintenance can be done by us, the housekeeping, the cooking. We feel if Newburgh were to have this casino, it might generate a complete lot of jobs for town.’
The hearing came after a similar conference in Albany on Monday to discuss casino proposals in the Capital Region. On another meeting was held in Ithaca to discuss a handful of casino plans in the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes area wednesday. Each region is anticipated to access least one casino approved, with a 4th license available for just about any area. However, that extra permit is anticipated to go to a proposal in the Catskills or Hudson Valley area, as there were far more proposals in that region than within the other two areas.