Star Entertainment Group issued an announcement on the Australian Stock Exchange Monday, seeking to urgently engage with the New South Wales Government after NSW Treasurer Matt Kean announced a potential reform to the NSW casino tax regime.

The treasurer’s announcement stated that two Sydney casinos would be paying over $300m more in annual taxes on poker machines (slots) and gaming tables.

Star stocks (ASX code: SGR) were down about 15% on the news.

The treasurer intends to increase taxes on Star’s casino in Pyrmont and the Crown Sydney, which has no poker machines, enough to raise $364m in order to take care of pandemic-affected communities and those hit hardest by floods and wildfires.

Clubs NSW maintains that the big casinos don’t pay the same amount of taxes on their machines as the local clubs and hotels do.

The clubs have been at the forefront of opposition to Premier Dominic Perrottet in his quest to make all gambling machines in the state “cashless” in order to stem the tide of money laundering that is believed to occur through the devices.

Remediation to Regain Community Trust

The closing statement in The Stars’ ASX announcement included, “The Star seeks to fast track cashless gaming and carded play to deliver safer gambling, whilst also continuing on a remediation path to return to suitability and earn back the trust of the community.”

Kean said about gaming machine taxes: “It’s important that casinos pay their fair share of tax. These reformed tax rates will replace the existing regime under which casinos pay less tax on poker machines than hotels and clubs.”

Kean’s announcement would seem to have blindsided Star executives who earlier this month were given 12 months to “get their house in order” to avoid a levied license suspension and were ordered to pay a $100m fine for anti-money laundering failures in the past and a lack of urgency in remedying its practices and controls.

The Star’s CEO and Managing Director Robbie Cooke noted that when all tax regimes are taken into account, as much as 80% of Star profits are handed over in the form of taxes.

Cooke said: “We are not sure how the Government modeled its financials nor the basis for suggesting The Star does not pay its fair share of taxes.

“Specifically, in addition to state gaming taxes, The Star also pays millions in corporate taxes, with total taxes paid as a percentage of The Star’s profits being around 70%, and as high as 80% in the last 5 years when all the tax regimes are considered.”

New Tax Rate for July 2023

According to The SMH, the government proposes a top tax rate on poker machines of 60.67% with the new regime going into effect in July 2023. That rate would bring the state’s pokie tax rate in line with a new rate announced in Victoria’s state budget that exceeds the percentage paid by clubs and hotels.

Monday’s drop in share prices brought the already battered stock down nearly 40% over the last year, adding to an earlier sustained skid of about 25% in the face of and aftermath of the Bell inquiry that found systemic problems with the compliance culture of the casino giant.

A previous tax agreement struck in 2020 but abandoned by the government after Star had its license suspended with a 12-month delay in effect would have saved the operator over $1b in taxes through 2041.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Rival operator Crown Resorts’ spokesperson said: “The impact of these changes will depend on the final details of the tax and other pre-existing arrangements we have in place at Crown Sydney.”

Crown Sydney has guaranteed the government at least $1b in taxes over its first 15 years of operations.

Source: Star share price plummets following NSW casino tax increase proposal, The Sydney Morning Herald, December 19, 2022

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Ivan Toney guilty of more betting crimes

The English Football Association (FA) has levied another 30 charges against Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney for breaching betting regulations.

offenses allegedly occurred between March 2017-February 2019

Toney was charged in early November with 232 infractions of FA Rule E8 from February 2017-January 2021. The recently-revealed offenses allegedly occurred between March 2017-February 2019, while Toney was playing in the EFL Championship, League One, and National League.

Toney is yet to respond to the charges. He previously said that he was cooperating in full with the FA’s investigation and now has until January 4 to submit a formal response.

Insult to injury

FA Rule E8, which Toney was accused of violating, stipulates the following.

“A Participant shall not bet, either directly or indirectly, or instruct, permit, cause or enable any person to bet on… the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in or in connection with, a football match or competition OR;

any other matter concerning or related to football anywhere in the world, including, for example and without limitation, the transfer of players, employment of managers, team selection or disciplinary matters.”

Brentford FC, Toney’s current club, released a statement acknowledging the charges against their star striker at lunchtime Tuesday, UK time.

pursuing retroactive punishment

The cease in betting infractions coincides with Toney’s and Brentford’s elevations to the English Premier League (EPL), the top flight in English soccer and widely recognized best league in the world. However, the FA governs the EPL and all EFL leagues and is pursuing retroactive punishment.

Toney was reportedly “devastated” by the investigations and first round of charges. The recent add-ons are another blow to the 26-year-old, who was finally gaining recognition as one of the best at his position. His ten goals in 14 matches ranks third in the EPL behind only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Tottenham’s Harry Kane and are the most amongst non-big-six clubs.

What’s in store?

Toney faces a perilous future as the FA deliberates a fitting punishment for his crimes. He already missed out on representing England in the World Cup, though manager Gareth Southgate maintains that the decision to exclude him from the squad was not tied to the FA’s investigation.

It is unknown what punishment would await Toney if he is convicted. There are several instances of similar infractions, which have resulted in a variety of penalties.

Newcastle fullback Kieran Trippier, for example, was found guilty of providing information on an imminent transfer to Atletico Madrid to friends of his, who then placed bets on the transfer going through. Trippier was ultimately fined £70,000 ($84,778) and banned from all soccer-related activities for ten weeks.

Ex-Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge was also charged for providing similar information on an upcoming transfer and earned himself a £150,000 ($181,621) fine.

Brentford said in its statement that it is discussing a path forward with Toney and his legal team and will not provide further comments on the situation.

remains to be seen to what extent Toney will be involved with the team

Brentford has not played in an FA-sanctioned match since the initial charges were handed out in the week leading up to the World Cup. It remains to be seen to what extent Toney will be involved with the team once league matches resume.

The post Ivan Toney Hit by the FA With Another Round of Illegal Betting Charges appeared first on VegasSlotsOnline News.

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If you asked 100 people to name an LA sports team, not many of them would say the LA Clippers.

This is because, throughout their history, they have been overshadowed by their city rivals, the Lakers, who have had unparalleled success in the NBA and are a well-known global brand.

Even in other sports, LA’s Dodgers, Kings, Galaxy, Sparks, and Rams have all won championships.

But, for the Clippers, success and trophies have remained elusive, and they have never won an NBA conference title or championship in their 50+ year history.

But why is this? Well, many fans believe the Clippers franchise is cursed, and they will never win the NBA championship.

The NBA 2022-2023 season is well underway and many Clippers fans will be wondering if this year could finally be their year.

Will success ever come to LA’s ‘other’ NBA team? Or is there something more sinister at play? Keep reading to find out.

What Is The Clippers Curse?

The Clippers curse is the name used by fans to explain some of the bad luck, poor management, and lack of success that has followed the NBA team throughout its history.

Founded as the Buffalo Braves in 1970, the franchise moved to San Diego eight years later and was renamed the Clippers.

Even in their early years, the Clippers struggled, winning just one playoff game in over 20 seasons. A combination of on and off-the-court issues has always seemed to plague the team.

Many fans thought the 2021 playoffs were the time for a talented Clippers team to shine and finally banish the curse, especially when they recovered from 2-0 deficits in the first two rounds.

But, despite reaching the Western Conference finals, the team came up short once again.

3 Reasons Why The Clippers Curse Is Real

1. They Had The ‘Worst Owner In Sports’

Donald Sterling, the man dubbed the worst owner in sports by Forbes magazine and the New York Times, owned the Clippers from 1981 to 2014.

As the title suggests, his ownership really wasn’t great for the Clippers.

Despite initially promising fans he would “spend unlimited sums” to “make you proud of the Clippers,” he flattered to deceive, and it took 10 seasons for the team to even reach the playoffs, where they lost in the first round.

Although the Clippers did reach the playoffs for three seasons in a row under Sterling’s ownership between 2012 and 2014, it has to be said that overall, his tenure was a disaster.

Not only did the Clippers have the worst winning percentage in the NBA between 1981 and 2014 but they also had the worst winning percentage in all American sports.

If the first 32 years of Donald Sterling owning the Clippers were bad, his final year hit new lows.

In April 2014, during the NBA playoffs, TMZ Sports reported that they discovered an audio recording of Sterling telling his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, not to bring black people to games.

The response from the sports world was loud and clear.

Several owners, players, coaches, and staff around the NBA called for Sterling to be removed from his position as owner of the Clippers, and the league duly obliged.

Four days after the story leaked, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the league for life and issued a fine of $2.5 million, the maximum fine allowed by the league.

In true Donald Sterling fashion, he tried to fight the NBA and remain an owner of the Clippers, saying he was “baited” to make the remarks by his girlfriend.

But, ultimately, just a few weeks after the recordings were leaked, the Clippers were sold to Steve Ballmer, a former Microsoft CEO, for $2 billion.

Due to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, Sterling was deemed mentally unfit to make decisions related to the Sterling Family Trust.

This meant his wife, Shelly, was able to sell the Los Angeles Clippers against his wishes.

An unsavory end to one of the worst ownership histories in US sports. If Donald Sterling wasn’t the manifestation of a curse, we don’t know what is.

2. Sterling’s Gone, But The Curse Remains

In the 10 seasons between 2011 and 2021, the LA Clippers made the NBA playoffs nine times.

This is a pretty outstanding record, and by far the best in history for a franchise once called the worst in all professional sports by ESPN The Magazine.

Under new ownership particularly, the Clippers have aimed high.

The duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin that led the team throughout the 2010s were two of the most talented players in the league, but in true Clipper fashion, they couldn’t quite get along.

A rift developed between the two all-stars, and this lack of cohesion eventually told on the court, with the team never making it further than the first round of the playoffs. According to coach Doc Rivers, the team lacked a leader.

Fast forward to 2020, Paul and Griffin have both been moved on and replaced with superstars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

The team finished second in the Western Conference after a stellar season, and the Clippers were rightfully considered strong contenders for the NBA title.

The team was on course to meet their rivals, the LA Lakers, in the Western Conference Finals, and everything about the franchise looked determined to get one over on their neighbors and reach the NBA Finals for the first time in history.

NBA legend Reggie Miller even said: “Their whole marketing scheme was to deface the Los Angeles Lakers and their history. That’s all they wanted.”

But the Denver Nuggets didn’t get the memo.

They ultimately won the semi-final series, 4-3, with the Clippers throwing away a 3-1 series lead to crash out in devastating fashion.

Their chances of beating the Lakers and winning a championship slipped away in front of their eyes. But there’s always next year, right?

Yes, but the Clipper curse remained…

The 2020-21 regular season wasn’t quite as good as the year before. But the team still comfortably made the playoffs and gave the fans hope it could finally be their year.

This hope dramatically increased after the Clippers dispatched the Mavericks and Jazz in the first two rounds of the playoffs to reach the first Conference Final in franchise history.

In game two of the Conference finals series against the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers were already one down and were up against it in the fourth quarter as the Suns stretched out to a 100-95 lead.

The Clippers bounced back in gritty fashion and held a one-point lead with the ball out of bounds and 0.9 seconds left on the game clock.

They were just one good defensive play away from tying the series 1-1 and playing the next two at home. What could go wrong?

Well, for the Clippers, everything went wrong.

The Suns’ Jae Crowder had the ball for the out-of-bounds play on the baseline and threw a pass up toward the basket as the milliseconds began to tick away.

Deandre Ayton was on the same page as his teammate and unbelievably soared above the Clippers’ defenders to slam dunk what would be the winning basket.

The Clippers couldn’t even get a shot off in reply and went 2-0 down in the series. They never truly recovered and ended up losing the series 4-2.

3. The Team Was Founded In Buffalo

Clippers fans aren’t the only ones who think their team is cursed.

Across the country in Buffalo, Bills fans have long felt their team would never win the Super Bowl.

Between 1991 and 1994, the Bills reached the big game four times in a row but never came away with a victory.

Super Bowl XXV in 1991 was undoubtedly the most heartbreaking loss of the four, with the Bills’ kicker Scott Norwood narrowly missing a field goal attempt at the end of the game that would have secured victory.

The Bills are known as one of the most cursed franchises in the NFL, and the Clippers have a history with Buffalo.

As previously explained, the franchise was founded in the second biggest city in New York, and maybe the two are eternally linked and doomed to fail?

Clippers fans must wish they were founded in New England…

Is There Hope For The Future?

Unfortunately, this article doesn’t make great reading if you are a Clippers fan but don’t shoot the messenger.

Whether it’s feuding superstars, the worst owner in history, or just downright bad luck, things just don’t go the Clippers’ way.

But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Several sports teams with their own “curses” have broken them, even in recent years.

The Philadelphia Eagles were allegedly cursed in 1960 when they prevented Vince Lombard from winning the NFL Championship, handing him the only playoff loss of his career. The Eagles’ curse was as real as the Clippers until Super Bowl LII – when the Birds finally won.

Over in England, soccer team Birmingham City allegedly had a 100-year hex placed on them by Romani people who were displaced when the club moved to St Andrew’s stadium in 1906.

Just four years after the curse was lifted, the team defeated Arsenal in the final of the League Cup to win just the second major trophy in their 140-year history.

So, there is still hope for the LA Clippers. The curse may be real, but other sports teams from around the world have shown they can be broken.

But don’t get too excited, Clippers fans… it’s the hope that kills you.

Lead image: David Jones/Flickr

In this blog, we will go over the key moments in the history of charity lotteries in the Netherlands, which date back to the 1700s. Read carefully because, in recent times, there have been some updates to the online gambling laws made by the Dutch Gaming Authority and not just those for charity gaming.

In addition, the crucial question of ‘What are the biggest Dutch charity lotteries?’ has been answered and some interesting facts about which good causes have received their support can be discovered. If you want to know how much money these organisations have raised, that will also come later, but to give you a small teaser – the top charity lottery alone has donated more than 7 billion euros.

Gaming for Charity in the Netherlands

Here’s a list of the key events that left a mark on the charitable gaming industry in the Netherlands. We investigate them more in-depth below to understand how significant gaming for a good charity is, not just for people in the Netherlands, but for everyone they have helped around the world.

Staatsloterij Becomes the State Lottery

The year 1726 marks the official beginning of charity gaming in the Netherlands. At that time, the laws of the Netherlands concerning ‘games of chance’ stated that there can be only one state lottery. Hence, the Staatsloterij, or the Dutch State Lottery, gained access to the only licence for a state lottery, which it still owns to this day.

In addition, the Dutch State Lottery also includes the Lotto, which is the only organisation in the Netherlands that can distribute scratchcards and facilitate sports betting. These two entities used to have a full monopoly of the market, and even though they are still the only ones that can have a permanent licence, things soon change when more competitors are allowed to start operations.

The National Charity Lotteries

After the Second World War, more and more charities started to pop up to raise funds for the reconstruction of the Netherlands. However, the true change for lottery charities came when the National Charity Lotteries foundation was established in 1989 by the National Postcode Lottery.

This allowed charity lotteries to unite and make significant donations by gaming for good NL charity or other worldwide causes. It took some time before the next big lottery, The Friends Lottery, joined. However, this is where the foundations of the world’s second-largest charity organisation were laid by Simon Jelsma.

The Friends & BankJiro Lotteries

Once The Friends Lottery and the BankJiro Lottery joined the foundation in 1998 and 2002, respectively, the National Charity Lotteries became a true force to be reckoned with. Each organisation supports a different type of charity, and the National Postcode Lottery alone has raised more than 7 billion euros.

The good causes supported by them range from fields like environment and human rights to health, sports and wellbeing. Their donations have been estimated to support more than 200 charities, and the number keeps growing as the foundation thrives.

Dutch Lottery Market Opens Up

In 2016, something significant happened in the Dutch charity gaming market. The legislation was passed in parliament to make the granting of licences for charity gaming more favourable to private companies.

As a result, 5 more gaming charities obtained licences to hold up to 4 lottery draws a year. If you want to find out which these new contributors are, keep reading because they are in our list of the most popular NL charitable lotteries.

Online Gambling in the Netherlands Becomes Legal

Last but not least, a long-expected legislation that passed in 2021 made online gambling in the Netherlands legal for companies that have obtained a permit from the Dutch Gaming Authority (The Kansspelautoriteit or NGA). In addition, licences to 10 providers were issued, so only the best Netherlands casino sites made the cut.

The Most Popular NL Charitable Lotteries

Now that you have familiarised yourself with the past of charity gaming in the Netherlands, it’s time to look to the present. Nowadays, these benevolent organisations are more popular than ever. Many Dutchies would probably know these names just from the top of their heads, but if you don’t, here are the top NL charitable lotteries:

Some additional information that might be interesting to know is that in 2021 the Friends Lottery and the BankJiro Lottery merged under the name Friends Lottery. They also merged their list of supported causes, so now they cover a large portion of good causes.

To provide some examples of these good causes, the National Postcode Lottery supports Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, Commonland and many more. National Postcode Lottery is arguably the most popular charitable gaming organisation in the Netherlands and internationally.

Originally founded as a fundraiser, from which the proceeds went to the Council for Refugees, this specific format for a lottery is quite interesting. As the name suggests the postcode lottery requires your ZIP code to participate. It offered the unique chance to win prizes together with your neighbours from the same street, which also brought a sense of community to Dutch society that cannot be overlooked.

Other Dutch Charitable Lotteries

Since the charity gambling laws changed a lot in 2016 to be more accommodating to private charities, many new organisations have popped up. They are not all as big or popular as the ones we already talked about. Nevertheless, they support good causes and contribute to Dutch and international society, so they deserve an honourable mention.

Some of these smaller charity gaming organisations are Lot of Happiness, Snapchance, BeterLot, Care-a-Lot and more. With Care-a-Lot, for example, you get the chance to choose a good cause to support every time you play.

A curious fact about the Dutch lottery system or, at least, the practices of many of these lotteries is that they often work with a subscription. People pay a monthly fee to participate in the draw every time there is one. This way, they become more committed to helping charities in the long term rather than only buying a ticket once in a while.

Dutch Charity Gambling Laws & Regulation

When it comes to rules and regulation, the gambling laws in the Netherlands are very strict. For Dutch people preventing gambling addiction is a key concern, so the government has always been strict on what’s allowed. Taking into account recent developments, the rules have changed a lot, and, of course, they are complex. For charity gaming, there are 3 main rules, which we’ve explained below.

Permits & Netherlands Gaming Authority

The first rule Dutch charity gaming companies need to adhere to is related to having a valid permit. These permits are usually granted by the local municipality but are overseen by the NGA. Whether they get involved depends on the prize pool. For anything over 4500€, they have to get involved.

Naturally, there are exceptions to this rule. If your company wants to organise a promotional game, where it promotes its services or products, things are a bit different. For example, a lot of nursing homes in the Netherlands hold bingo competitions with a prize for the winners.

In that case, they don’t need a permit, as long as the prize pot is not higher than 1550€, and each winner gets no more than 400€. Finally, the local municipality has to know of the event, and the company must be at least 3 years old.

Required Donation to Charity Organisation

Differentiating charity gaming from general gambling is another key point. To even be considered for a permit, the main requirement companies must meet is the donation of at least 40% of their revenue. Furthermore, whatever remains must account for the costs that occurred while organising the gaming event.

Charity Gaming Taxes

Benjamin Franklin once said: ‘In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes’. That’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that as with any other income, money won from participating in charity games is taxed. Whether the gambling tax in the Netherlands is covered by the companies themselves, deducted as a fee from the prize or the sole responsibility of the winner, any prize money above 449€ is taxed.

Let’s say you won a sum between 4500€ and 45,000€ from the National Postcode Lottery. You will have to pay a 29% gambling tax to the Dutch government. However, keep in mind that the rules for online gambling are quite different. In case you have won a prize from an online casino that holds a licence from the NGA, you don’t pay any games of chance tax.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve reached the end of this blog and we hope you found it not just informative but intriguing. However, if something about Dutch charitable gaming is unclear, we have prepared some frequently asked questions. Take a look, and you might find more noteworthy facts.