The Illinois legislature is running another shameful budget, and so many of our citizens are unemployed. The government’s best chance to raise new revenue right now is to legalize Internet poker.
Whether you care about Internet poker or not, it is happening and will continue to happen. But unfortunately, Illinois gets none of the tax benefits because the market is occupied 100 percent by foreign operators.
We desperately need that money to stay in Illinois. We need a better law immediately. We cannot wait for the next legislature to do it. This is truly the most important measure our legislature could pass right now. It is a matter of fiscal responsibility.
Thankfully, we finally do have a bill now that would keep all of that money in Illinois. Unfortunately, gambling industry lobbyists are attacking the bill. The gambling industry dislikes our bill because the Illinois Lottery is the only entity that would be allowed to operate Internet poker under our bill. The gambling industry wants to defeat our bill because they think it is unfair to them.
Our lawmakers need to remember that they do not work for the gambling industry. They work for us — the people of Illinois. Our bill is sound. The Illinois Lottery is the ideal choice for an operator. The lottery already has a long history of giving to our communities, and the lottery did a spectacular job of launching lottery sales on the Internet earlier this year. We certainly trust the lottery more than foreign operators.
I would like to urge every voter in Illinois to watch how their elected officials handle this issue. We must vote out of office those who do not comply with the will of the people. The American system of representative government only works if we all do our part.
— Bradley Vallerius, Gillespie
http://www.sj-r.com/opinions/x1805319509/Letter-State-should-OK-Internet-poker
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LOTTERY EXPO 2013
Co-Hosted by PGRI and the
Florida Lottery
November 4 to 7, Miami, Florida,
Trump Miami Beach Hotel
18001 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach, Florida
Phone: Domestic: 855.244.2964 International: 786.522.3523
**Use Group Code 10W820 to get our
special rate
Monday, November 4: 5:00: Opening Night Reception
Tuesday, Nov. 5: U.S. focused conference sessions; Reception 5:00 to 6:30 pm.
Wednesday,Nov. 6: Joint U.S. and Latin America Sessions; Reception 5:00 to 6:30 pm.
Thursday, Nov. 7: Focus on Latin America
Three Receptions and luncheons provide lots of time to visit with colleagues For complete Lottery Expo info, including registration materials and conference updates: PublicGaming.org Conference Venue: Trump Miami Hotel - Limited special rate of $175 Reserve your room click here online booking
call us at 425-449-3000 if you get a "sold out" or encounter any difficulties at all
===================================================
SMART-TECH 2013
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Thank you to all
of you who presented, served on a
panel discussion, and participated
at Smart-Tech. This was PGRI’s
fourth annual event in NYC and has
become a great venue for lotteries
to delve into the most relevant
issues of the hour, and we so
appreciate the privilege of hosting
it and visiting with you. The next
issue of PGRI Magazine will include
an in-depth analysis of the issues
we explored. Too, the conference
was video-recorded and will be made
freely available to everyone on
www.PGRItalks.com. We’ve
received much positive feedback and
hope that everyone accomplished
their objectives. Our next event
will be held at the Trump Miami
Beach Hotel on November 4, 5, 6, and
7th. Lottery Expo Miami
is especially exciting for the
participation from our colleagues in
Latin America. The North America
track is on Tuesday, the LatAm track
on Thursday, and we all come
together on Wednesday. Thanks to the
support of our commercial partners
and sponsors, the hosted receptions
held every night of the conference
have become a wonderful venue to
talk with industry leaders from all
around the world. Please check in at
www.PublicGaming.org for PGRI
conference updates. Thank you again
- We look forward to seeing you
again. Please e-mail me (pjason@publicgaming.com)
with any questions, feedback,
guidance, or comments of any kind.
Smart-Tech 2013 was held
April 8,
9, 10, 2013
at the Helmsley Park Lane,
New York.
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Paul's Wall
2012 Public Gaming Magazines
PUBLIC GAMING OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
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PUBLIC GAMING SEPTEMBER 2012
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Click here to read the regular .pdf version
PUBLIC GAMING MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 2012