$70B Spent On State Lotteries Last Year

Via the Atlantic:

According to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, lotteries took in $70.1 billion in sales in the 2014 fiscal year. That’s more than Americans in all 50 states spent on sports tickets, books, video games, movie tickets, and recorded music sales. The national average hides a lot of variance among the states. In North Dakota, per-capita lottery spending is a pittance at just $36 a year. In South Dakota, however, it’s an egregious $755 per head. Lotto games bring in the most money per person in the mid-Atlantic and northeast: number-one Rhode Island (nearly $800 per capita!), Massachusetts, and Delaware are among the top five states, while New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania join them in the top 13 (so does Washington, D.C.).

The national annual average is about $300 per adult.

IRELAND: 6/1 Odds For Gay Marriage

Ireland's same-sex marriage referendum is being given a 6/1 chance of passage by bookmakers Paddy Power. The controversial gambling outfit, which operates hundreds of betting parlors across Ireland and Great Britain, made international news in 2012 with the announcement that bets on Obama winning a second term would be paid out on the day before the election. Paddy Power regularly courts outrage. In 2012 they ran a contest to "Spot The Tranny" during Ladies Day at a famous horse race. In 2008 they were forced to suspend a betting contest on whether Obama would survive his first term without being assassinated.

John Oliver On The Lottery

"Last year Americans spent more on the lottery than they spent on movie tickets, music, porn, major league baseball, the NFL, and video games combined."

World Cup Jesus Sparks Outrage

As the World Cup prepares to start in Rio De Janeiro, an Australian betting site is floating a massive hot air balloon in the shape of the iconic Christ The Redeemer statue in the skies of Melbourne. Local Christian groups are outraged:

"This is extraordinary, if they knew anything about Jesus they'd know he'd be overturning tables in the gaming halls, because they're highly addictive and destroy lives," the Chair of Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce told ABC. "Is betting to absolutely dominate not just casino and gamble areas and TV rooms, but now literally the sky?" he asked. Rev Costello has since called on the Football Federation Australia (FFA) to call out the controversial campaign. "One of the great statues in Rio is Jesus, and Brazil is a Catholic nation that takes its faith seriously and its football fanatically," he said.

Australia's top news site reacts:

Christ! That was unexpected. If you woke up in Melbourne this morning and noticed a 12-story inflatable Christ the Redeemer balloon floating over your house, you weren’t hallucinating. You were, however, witnessing one of the most audacious public relations stunts we’ve seen in ages. Predictably, this stunt has incurred great indignation from religious groups and assorted members of the professionally outraged. The link between gambling and religion is being labelled offensive and disrespectful by politicians and church spokespeople. Never mind that gambling is rammed down society’s throat every day on the footy field and just about everywhere else. Associate Jesus with it, courtesy of a giant novelty balloon flying by the window, and it’s apparently much worse.

At 150 feet high, the balloon is bigger than the statue.

Liberty Counsel Wins At Fairyhouse

JMG reader Gerard tips us that a horse named Liberty Counsel won today's Irish Grand National.  At a racetrack named Fairyhouse.  The odds were 50/1, better than the US Liberty Counsel's chances of thwarting LGBT equality.

FLORIDA: Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll Resigns Amid Racketeering Investigation

Florida GOP Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll resigned today immediately after police questioned her regarding her involvement with a non-profit group that is being investigated in a federal racketeering probe. Carroll took office in 2010 as Tea Party hero Rick Scott's running mate.  The group in question, Allied Veterans, runs dozens of internet cafes that apparently permit internet gambling.

Officials from Allied Veterans of the World and Nelson Cuba, the president of the Jacksonville Florida Order of Police, were among those arrested in the racketeering investigation by the IRS and Secret Service. Allied Veterans is accused of money laundering, using money from a nonprofit for personal gain and misrepresenting the amount donated to charities. Authorities say the group donated just 2 percent of its $290 million in proceeds to charities over about five years. They also say the former president received more than $1.5 million and the national commander got $250,000 from the organization.

A firm Carroll owned, 3N & JC, did consulting work for Allied Veterans, and she starred in a commercial for the nonprofit in 2010. In addition, as a member of the House, Carroll filed legislation that would have formally legalized the industry, which currently falls into a gray area in state law. Internet cafes operate under Florida’s sweepstakes laws, but opponents deem them illegal gambling. Carroll later acknowledged the conflict of interest and withdrew the bill, which she said was filed by a staffer without her knowledge.

RELATED: Last year an aide to Carroll claimed to have walked in on her having lesbian sex in her Tallahassee office. Carroll, who has been married to a man for 30 years, denied the accusation, saying, "Black women that look like me don't engage in relationships like that." The aide was fired and later passed a polygraph test regarding her claim.

Gambling On The Next Pope

Above are the current odds on Intrade. Tim Dolan is way down the list at 2.1%.

SAN DIEGO: Former Mayor Strikes Deal To Repay $2M Embezzled From Non-Profit

Former San Diego Mayor Maureen O'Connor has struck a deal to repay $2 million to a non-profit ceated by her late husband. O'Connor allegedly took the money to feed a billion dollar gambling habit.

O’Connor, 66, appeared in federal court and pleaded not guilty to a charge of misappropriating the funds as part of a deferred prosecution. Under the arrangement, she has two years to try to repay the money taken from the R.P. Foundation, a nonprofit set up by her late husband, Robert O. Peterson, co-founder of Jack in the Box. During that time, the case will not proceed and could be dismissed if she complies with the conditions of the agreement. Prosecutors said O’Connor had $1 billion in gambling winnings between 2000 and 2009 — her preferred game was video poker — but her losses during the same period exceeded that amount. Iredale said she had a net gambling loss of $13 million. Prosecutors described her current financial condition as “destitute.” At one time, her fortune was $40 million to $50 million, Iredale said.

O'Connor, a Democrat, was mayor from 1986 until 1992. Her lawyers claim that her gambling compulsion may have been caused by the brain tumor for which she was recently treated. Federal prosecutors allege that the gambling began long before her illness.

Betting On The Next Pope

The Irish online gambling site Paddy Power is taking bets on the next pope and has set odds on the cardinals they consider to be the top contenders.  Bettors on the site, for the moment, are favoring a Canadian.

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet is 5/2 market leader to be elected as the next Pope. He is Prefect of the congregation for Bishops which is seen as a powerful position within the Vatican, it seems. According to one of the Paddy Power lads who has his finger on the Catholic pulse, Cardinal Marc has experience of working in Latin in America, is a friend of Benedict and is apparently outgoing and charismatic. At 64 he is about the right age but could be seen as too young if anything! Cardinal Peter Turkson is 7/2 and speaks six languages. The Ghanaian can understand Latin and Greek and has seen plenty of support early doors. Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria at 7/2. If either Cardinal Francis Arinze or Cardinal Peter Turkson are elected it would be the first time in history there would be a black Pope.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan is presently in a five-way tie for 13th place with odds set at 33/1.

Engaged Lesbian Wins Poker Tourney

Out pro poker player Vanessa Selbst, who is engaged to be married, just won over $1.4M at the PokerStars High Rollers Tournament, beating an all-male field of players.

The talk before the High Roller final was of the record Vanessa Selbst looked certain to break. Selbst, 28, would become the highest-earning woman in poker if she finished fifth or better, overtaking Kathy Leibert with more than $6 million to her name. In the end Selbst cleared that mark, by some way and in some style, winning the $25,000 High Roller title and a first prize of $1,424,420. To consider Selbst's career in mere numbers misses the enormity of her achievements. Since 2006 Selbst has won numerous major titles, including two World Series of Poker bracelets, two NAPT main events, and the Partouche main event. The PCA becomes the latest, and it won't be the last. Selbst says she she plays for the money and joy of the game, not statistics, but the significance of her achievement isn't lost on her. "There's plenty of room for women to get involved in this game, to get really good at it, and to beat all the guys," she said.

In the video below Selbst talks about her engagement. Note the matter-of-fact and pleasant way in which the host broaches the topic.

RELATED: Earlier this month an openly gay man won the Pro Bowling Association championship and ESPN aired his triumphant kiss his with his husband. (Poker story tipped by JMG reader Bess)

Intrade Boots Americans

The popular online gambling site Intrade has told Americans to close their accounts after U.S. regulators charged it with "facilitating bets on future economic data, the price of gold and even acts of war."

Hours after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a complaint in federal court, Intrade posted in its user forum and on its news page that it could no longer allow U.S. residents to trade "due to legal and regulatory pressures. U.S. residents must begin closing their accounts and withdrawing their funds immediately, the website said. It said customers must resolve open predictions by Dec. 23 or the site would assign them "fair market value" and close them. The CFTC's civil complaint charged that Intrade and its operator solicited customers to trade investment contracts that technically are options. Options must be traded on approved, regulated exchanges.

(Tipped by JMG reader Ray)

IRELAND: Bookmaker Pays Out Early On "Guaranteed Win" By Obama

The Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, who has a reputation for controversy, today published a half-page newspaper ad announcing that gamblers who bet on Barack Obama would get their winnings today.  The above message in the Irish Times is raising a lot of eyebrows, but is certainly less scandalous than when Paddy Power offered odds on whether Obama would be assassinated in his first term. (Tipped by JMG reader Gerard)

NYT Reacts To Nate Silver's Bet

Two days ago polling prognosticator Nate Silver offered to make a $1000 election bet with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough.  Silver's overlords at the New York Times are taking a dim view. From their Public Editor Journal:

Whatever the motivation behind it, the wager offer is a bad idea – giving ammunition to the critics who want to paint Mr. Silver as a partisan who is trying to sway the outcome. It’s also inappropriate for a Times journalist, which is how Mr. Silver is seen by the public even though he’s not a regular staff member. “I wouldn’t want to see it become newsroom practice,” said the associate managing editor for standards, Philip B. Corbett. He described Mr. Silver’s status as a blogger — something like a columnist — as a mitigating factor. Granted, Mr. Silver isn’t covering the presidential race as a political reporter would. But he is closely associated with The Times and its journalism – in fact, he’s probably (and please know that I use the p-word loosely) its most high-profile writer at this particular moment. When he came to work at The Times, Mr. Silver gained a lot more visibility and the credibility associated with a prominent institution. But he lost something, too: the right to act like a free agent with responsibilities to nobody’s standards but his own.

Web Gamblers Put Money On Obama

Embiggen the above chart to see the betting trend on the Intrade gambling site.

California's Lottery Cam Is Watching You

Your dream of changing your name and vanishing into the ether with your winnings won't happen in California, where lottery officials have published surveillance video of a big winner checking his ticket.

"We see this as an integrity and transparency issue," said Russ Lopez, California Lottery Deputy Director of Corporate Communications, in a statement. “The California Lottery truly believes that when a person buys a lottery ticket with the hope and prayer of changing their lives, we should do all we can to connect them with their winnings. We believe this effort will make a lot of Californians very happy.”

Blogger Aksarbent is not amused.

What's really happening isn't a "transparency issue," obviously, but a quasi-government agency employing tabloid journalism tactics to further publicize and promote its ultra-long-shot gambling product, which Warren Buffett once called "a tax on the stupid." So know this if you buy a winning lottery ticket in California: You may wish to remain anonymous while getting your affairs in order and consulting with attorneys (and perhaps having an attorney claim the ticket for your trust so that every grasping friend and relative and burglar and stalker and grifter won't come after you) but the California Lottery may decide to veto your sensible choice and release security camera footage of you to the entire world, as if you were a bank robber.

Web Bettors Like Obama

The president has a wide lead among internet gamblers.

Romney Campaign Bans Press From Ryan Meeting With Billionaire Sheldon Adelson

Paul Ryan's first meeting with billionaire Romney backer Sheldon Adelson will be held away from prying eyes of nosy reporters.

Days after assuring reporters that Ryan would follow the same rules as Romney when determining which fundraisers would be open to reporters, the campaign has apparently changed their tune. As of Tuesday morning, reporters would not be permitted to cover Ryan's fundraiser with billionaire mega-donor Sheldon Adelson at The Venetian in Las Vegas tonight. The campaign's agreement with the press is that events not at private residences are to be open to reporters. The campaign has also kept reporters from events where Romney does not deliver formal remarks. Ryan aides would not comment on the change on the record. Ryan held a fundraiser in Denver on Monday that was closed press because it was at a private home.

The Romney campaign says it's not really a fundraiser, it's a "financing event," but they would not say what the difference might be.

MARYLAND: Gay Rights Group Tells Voters To Oppose Putting Gambling On Ballot

The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force has sent a mailer to Maryland voters telling them to oppose placing a vote on casinos on the ballot because anti-gambling forces will turn out at the polls and those voters also oppose marriage equality. Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed:

"If the gaming bill is on the ballot, opponents are likely to spend millions identifying and turning out voters who don't like gambling ... and who also don't like Marriage Equality! So all the 'no' votes on gaming could also be 'no' votes for us," the mailer states. "Numerous polls confirm this, and several bloggers and political pundits in Maryland have said the same thing." The Marylanders for Marriage Equality campaign took issue with the mailer, with campaign manager Josh Levin telling BuzzFeed, "Turnout in heavily Democratic Maryland will be determined by the presidential race – not any other issue, including gambling should it be on the ballot. Opponents of the gambling expansion are clearly using the marriage issue for their own political gain. What's important here, however, is that we remain focused on expanding our 14-point lead and growing the momentum for marriage in Maryland."

Maryland's legislature is considered the ballot measure today.

New York Loves Slots

Confounding its many critics, New York City's lone gambling palace, the Aqueduct "racino" in Queens, is blowing away national records. The Aqueduct opened last fall after being championed by Gov. Cuomo, who has vowed to bring full-on casinos to town.

The Resorts World racino at Aqueduct is now tops in the nation in slot machine revenue, generating $57.5 million during May, according to state gambling data. Resorts World’s haul eclipsed the powerhouse Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut, which took in $55.4 million. Foxwoods casino in Connecticut ranked third with $50.4 million in revenue from the one-armed bandits. “Resorts World’s model has maximized gaming revenue for New York State in a manner that has not been replicated by any other facility in the nation,” boasted Michael Speller, president of Resorts World Casino New York City. Resorts World is controlled by Malaysian gambling giant Genting.

About half of the Aqueduct's revenue goes to the state education fund. Some attribute its popularity to the 2010 collapse of New York's off-track betting parlors, which had dozens of locations throughout town.

Intrade's Bettors Predict The Winners

"This scoreboard shows the up-to-the-minute probability of victory for each candidate fighting for the Republican Presidential nomination, and in the upcoming Republican primaries and caucuses."