Phil Ivey Eyes Medical Marijuana Biz for Newest Partnership

Poker superstar Phil Ivey has received preliminary approval for a nevada medical marijuana dispensary license in Nevada.
Phil Ivey isn’t smoking something, but his future clients may be: Ivey received one of 26 license that is preliminary for a medical cannabis dispensary through the nevada City Council early in the day this week, potentially making the poker superstar one of the primary operators within the city to provide pot to consumers.
You can find still further actions necessary before Ivey gets approval that is final start such a company, but his approval does mean that the city found him qualified to move on in the licensing procedure.
This week to plead their cases for medical marijuana licenses about 50 potential operators went before the City Council. Those that got approval that is preliminary the city will now have to be approved by the state health division.
The City Council will eventually hold a suitability that is final for anyone approved by the state before awarding a small number of licenses which have been set aside for Las Vegas.
Meaning that Ivey still has a way that is long go before finding a final go-ahead to dispense medical marijuana in Sin City. But if he will make their way through the various licensing stages, Ivey might end up slinging weed just as prolifically as he makes pot-sized bets at the poker table.
Council Split on Licensing Process
There has been a lot of debate over just how Las vegas, nevada has handled the pot licensing procedure, though that has more to do with procedural concerns than any such thing Ivey or every other licensee that is potential done.
Councilman Bob Coffin introduced a motion to wait the proceedings until after Nevada regulators weigh in on the suitability of each of the candidates in a few days. He worried that making public opinions on applicants before the state made its own recommendations could potentially lead to legal actions, and that waiting could allow the city to approach the problem with an ‘unbiased eye.’
But that motion ultimately failed, as a vote in the issue completed in a tie that is 3-3. Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian and councilman Ricki Barlow also voted to delay the proceedings, while Mayor Carolyn Goodman, spouse of infamous ex-mayor Oscar and mother of an applicatant herself, abstained from the vote.
Among the many applicants that had been approved were developer James Hammer, restaurant owner Michael Morton, and political consultant David Thomas. Nuleaf, a Las Vegas-based company that is owned by a team that operates dispensaries in Ca, ended up being denied for a license.
‘I believe waiting would have made a difference,’ Nuleaf spokesman Bradley Mayer said. ‘We feel confident that the state will find we are a very qualified applicant.’
Ivey Headliner of this 12 Months
This might be just the most recent in a set of headlines made by Ivey that have nothing to do with his skills that are prodigious the poker table.
Perhaps the biggest headlines have been made in his various edge-sorting cases against Crockfords while the Borgata. Ivey currently lost the Crockfords instance in the UK’s High Court of Justice, costing him over $12 million in winnings. a similar situation against the Atlantic City casino is still pending, although in that case, it’s the casino that is pursuing recourse to have its payouts returned. Ivey contends that the tactics he found in the games usually do not represent cheating, while the gambling enterprises, maybe not interestingly, disagree.
Last Saturday, Ivey also shut straight down the Ivey Poker site, closing operations just 18 months after the Facebook poker program launched. However, the poker legend said that the closed down had been simply a change for the product.
South Africa Online Gambling Ban Stirs Debate
South Africa is considering a ban on online gambling, as well as stronger laws for land-based betting, such as electronic bingo terminals like these. (Image: OnlineCasinoArchives.co.za)
South Africa’s government is proposing a ban on a wide variety of gambling activities, including all forms of online gambling and other activities such as dog racing. That proposal is being discussed by the National Gambling Policy Council, which features people from both the national and governments that are provincial as well as the Department of Trade and Industry.
Based on department officials, the government believes it gets the capability to enforce laws on gambling, and that its unclear how jobs that are many created by the web gambling industry. It might also hardly be an unprecedented move, as many other jurisdictions around the world have outlawed online gambling within the past.
Democratic Alliance Favors Regulation Over Ban
But although some government officials had been enthusiastic about the prospect, the idea of a ban that is outright highly denounced by the opposition Democratic Alliance.
‘That is really a very, extremely decision that is bad’ stated DA trade and industry representative Geordin Hill-Lewis. ‘I fiercely disagree with that view. Its completely shortsighted to say that it is better for South Africans not to ever be permitted to gamble online when there is patently significant demand in the country to accomplish this. It is for government to facilitate that into the safest way possible.’
In other words, the DA position is the fact that online gambling is better managed through regulation, rather than an outright ban. a ban that is full Hill-Lewis said, would price far excessively in resources to enforce.
But Department of Trade and Industry Deputy Director-General Zodwa Ntuli said that the specific circumstances in South Africa meant that a ban could be good general public policy. She pointed down that the division’s proposal was made after recognizing that South Africa had a relatively high degree of issue gambling and debt compared with numerous countries.
Electronic Bingo Terminals Could Be Limited
If the department’s tips were to become law, it wouldn’t trigger a ban that is widespread of gambling activities in the nation, but would rather limit just what will be allowed associated with conventional forms of gaming being already contained in South Africa. There would additionally be further controls put on electronic bingo terminals, which are currently allowed by provincial governments, even though there is no policy that is national the machines.
That conflict caused Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies to issue a moratorium on any licenses that are further the devices. The new recommendations would view a cap on the wide range of machines allowed nationwide. It would also try to control the simplicity of access to these machines, with officials saying that gambling must not be allowed in departmental stores, for instance.
The latest regulations would have a framework for allowing the federal government to better oversee the horse rushing industry. A process by which the government could affect change in the industry while few details were available, it appeared that the most significant changes there would come in the issuing of licenses.
Gambling regulation in South Africa is comparable to that associated with usa and Canada, at least with regards to the interplay between federal and local governments. While the federal government sets national policy, it is as much as individual provinces to decide how each will issue licenses and collect revenues from gambling tasks.
Massachusetts Casino Repeal Vote Happens Tuesday
Despite long odds, anti-casino forces continue to be hoping for a success in Massachusetts. A ‘yes’ vote means ‘no casinos’. (Image: Repeal the Casino Deal)
A vote that will either lead to Massachusetts casino repeal or to your matter being put to bed forever is coming on Tuesday, though it would take a major upset for anti-casino advocates to get their way on Election Day. Those looking to defeat casinos are confusingly looking for voters to vote ‘Yes’ on Question 3, an idea that will put a final end to the 2012 law that is allowing the state to license gaming houses over the state.
In line with the survey that is latest by the Western New England University Polling Institute, 59 percent of likely voters in the state plan to vote ‘No’ in the ballot question, meaning ‘yes’ to appropriate casinos. Just 35 percent plan to vote ‘yes,’ in favor of the repeal. Those numbers represent a gain that is major pro-casino forces, since a September poll showed just an 11 percent advantage for ‘no’ voters.
Of course, that’s assuming voters don’t get completely bewildered by the unintuitive ‘yes/no’ phrasing of the ballot effort itself.
Religious Voters Support Repeal
The numbers reveal that there’s been some success in efforts by religious leaders to get parishioners to oppose the casino law, with regular churchgoers being more inclined to vote ‘yes’ than their non-attending counterparts. But even Catholics whom attend mass every are opposed to repeal by a 17 percent margin week. In reality, Protestant voters who worship regularly make up about the actual only real demographic that favor repeal, doing so by a 55-45 margin.
Meanwhile, the advertising efforts by casinos and their allies appear to have been helpful. Support for the repeal in Western Massachusetts has been reduced dramatically compared to in prior polls, maybe as a result of advertising that touted some great benefits of the planned MGM casino in Springfield.
Battle Over Pros and Consequences
But while anti-casino advocates may be dealing with long odds on Tuesday, they’re still fighting in the final moments to get their message out. Teams like Repeal the Casino Deal believe that the casinos offer very little economic benefit to the people of Massachusetts, while increasing criminal activity and gambling addiction.
‘ The money isn’t coming to the social people of Massachusetts,’ said Al Cabot, an anti-casino advocate. ‘This is in fact money that’s going from one or two casinos in Connecticut to three casinos in Massachusetts.’
Unsurprisingly, those within the casino industry see things just a little bit differently. According to MGM Springfield President Mike Mathis, his company’s casino will produce 1000s of jobs and bring tens of millions of dollars in economic stimulus to the community.
‘We’ve seen what 25 years of no casino can perform,’ Mathis stated. ‘we would like a chance.’
Mathis additionally disputes the concept that casinos would simply be taking money that is already invested in Massachusetts and shifting it to spending at his business’s resort.
‘A third of our customers are coming from Connecticut,’ Mathis said. ‘This idea that cash is dropping from the sky or we’re cannibalizing the local market is just inaccurate.’
Gambling enterprises in Massachusetts: Pre-Election Status
So far, three licenses have been granted to create gambling venues in Massachusetts. Along with the MGM casino in Springfield, Wynn Resorts was the winner of the higher Boston license, beating out a competing plan by Mohegan Sun at Suffolk Downs in Revere. A license had been additionally granted to Penn National to develop a slots parlor in Plainridge.
While casino opponents may short come up at the polls, just getting the question on the ballot was something of a victory. Although slot machine called quick hits campaigners collected more than enough signatures to put the casino question to a referendum, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley originally rejected the question, forcing a showdown in their state’s Supreme Court over whether it might ultimately appear on this year’s ballot.
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