3 News – Speakers from around the world are gathering in Auckland from today to discuss the issue of problem gambling. The theme of the International Gambling Conference, meeting at AUT University, is ‘gambling in a mobile era’. Professor Samantha Thomas from the University of Wollongong says in Australia, betting is on its way to replacing alcohol as a fashionable sporting accessory, particularly amongst young men. “Before when you were the only guy that didn’t drink in the pub [you] were kind of the one that was left out – now if you’re the only guy that doesn’t gamble on…

Governor Christie and the state Attorney General’s office have filed the New Jersey sports betting appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to overturn a 22-year-old federal law that is preventing New Jersey racetracks and Atlantic City’s casinos from offering sports betting. The state’s thoroughbred horsemen, who also have standing in the case on the side of New Jersey, also have filed. The response from the Dept of Justice, NFL, et al is due March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day). NOTE: SCOTUS not expected to make a decision on whether to take the case (they take relatively few) until…

The parent company of Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars is hoping to enter into the world of sports betting. Full Tilt was recently expanded to include roulette, blackjack and other casino games and now the Rational Group is planning on adding a sportsbook to the site. When this is done it will make Full Tilt Poker the first Rational owned site to offer a complete range of gambling options. A spokesperson for the Rational Group said that the company is “exploring opportunities to enter global sports betting markets to enhance our online gaming offerings.” At present Rational is talking to…

A Pennsylvania law on sports pool betting that took effect in recent days has triggered a pregame tussle between a lawmaker and the state police over whether certain organizations can legally operate such betting pools on the Super Bowl. Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, wants to overturn the call by state police that the betting pools remain illegal under federal law, arguing that the legislation signed into law in November was fashioned to get around a sports betting prohibition in the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. She wrote in a letter to Gov. Tom Corbett that the state police were…

Mancunian Matters – Stockport barber Alex Wooliscroft is fighting back against his severe gambling habit by campaigning to get himself banned from every bookmakers in Britain. Father of one Alex, 26 is begging every bookie to stop him coming into their betting shops after blowing £25,000 in eight years on computerised roulette machines. Already Alex has handed photographs of himself to bookmakers near his home in Stockport urging them to refuse him admittance after he became addicted to playing the ‘fixed odds’ terminals. Today he began a round of TV and radio interviews in a further bid to make his self-imposed…

The state of Illinois has had a major issue with child support over the last few years and more specifically, people not paying their child support. It has been reported that the state has a massive $3 million in unpaid child support out there, and they are trying to figure out how to get some of that back. They may have something on their hands with a recent bill they came up with and it has been signed, sealed and delivered. Governor Pat Quinn has stepped up to the plate to fight this battle, signing a bill that would give…