Comped88's Weblog

‘It’s a family affair’

Bill Kearney — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:02:44 +0000

You may think that the Texas Hold’em card game that has captured the interest of many adults along with an alarming amount of our children is just a fad; but I believe there is much more to it, and that the gaming industry has planned this for quite some time. My theory goes back to the mid 80s, when it was just Nevada and New Jersey with legalized commercial casino gambling. Back then New Jersey casinos didn’t have poker rooms; they came about after the New Jersey State police investigators had found that more than one hundred million dollars in cash was on deposit in the month of August in ten Boardwalk casinos in Atlantic City. After that discovery the Fed’s brought the federal banking laws into all the commercial casinos. This meant the casinos had to report cash transactions of more than ten thousand dollars a day to the U.S. Treasury Department. The Fed’s said it was to prevent narcotics traffickers and mobsters from laundering their money in casinos. Now if you were like me and in bed with the casinos during that time, you would know that the organized crime money was a drop in the bucket compared to what business people like me were dumping down in those joints week after week. In those days the table games were 50% of the take, men were 70% of the gamblers. The slot machines were secondary, kina like a robotic babysitter for the Mrs. or girlfriend. There were none of those “Total Rewards Cards,” that they track your play with today. Back then you had to negotiate for your comps; that is until you had a casino host or should I say “casino pimp.”

The Federal Banking Laws changed forever how commercial casinos would operate. For example take the #1 casino operator at that time in Atlantic City, Steve Wynn, owner of the Golden Nugget hotel and casino. Before the bank reporting Wynn’s Golden Nugget even though being the second smallest square footage of casino space in Atlantic City was always amongst the top three casinos in gaming revenues per-quarter. But with the Fed’s watching those cash transactions Wynn’s formula to breed cash table players into compulsive gamblers had come to an end. So he sold the Golden Nugget and used much of the money to build his dream resort the Mirage in Las Vegas in 1989. Later he built Treasure Island and in 1998 another ‘dream’, the Bellagio. The three resorts brought free attractions, volcano, pirate ship fights and Bellagio’s dancing water show. Wynn’s dreams stirred many others to build and renovate the Strip into “Family Las Vegas.” Since the federal banking laws came into effect, the slot machines became 70 % of gaming revenues. Today 70% of slot players are women and 40% of all slot players are seniors.Wynn’s dreams had a good run but the new century saw the MGM/Mirage merger take place and the master was out of the business and so was “Family Las Vegas.” Today the tables are turning, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why table games revenues are up 8 to 10% in the last year. It’s those Texas Hold’em tournaments. And the reason for these tournaments is because casino operators know that in the near future those 40% of senior slot players will be off the planet and that the next generation of seniors “baby boomers” are more adapt to playing table games, (games of skill not chance.) And their children along with the future generations of gamblers, who have been playing games of skill (video games) since they got out of diapers, are not about to wait for luck or chance to put cherry’s in a row. The casinos bring in thousands of these so-called skilled players who pay an admission to get into these tournaments, and within a few hours 90% of them are eliminated. And where do they end up, out on the casino floor playing table games like blackjack, craps, and roulette. The gaming operators know that once these so-called skilled players catch a run in blackjack, a roll of the dice, or a few good spin of the wheel and in no time win a few grand, then they just stuck the casino needle in their arm.

A lot of us have experienced the pain and suffering when a loved one or friend is an alcoholic or drug addict. We accept their plight as a sickness, an addiction, but we’re still on the fence when it comes to those compulsive gamblers. Maybe it’s because the compulsive gambler doesn’t drink, smoke, take pills, inhale or inject a substance into them to get high. Being an ex-casino gambling junkie and one who made it through the 60′s I can assure you they’re getting high and their plight is the most costly. Booze and drugs is a cheap high compared to what it cost a gambling addict to get off. And once their finances are diminished they will rob you and it won’t be for a six-pack or a nickel-bag. And they won’t be staggering or slurring their words, you’ll never see it coming.

Wynn and the other casino predators have their crosshairs locked on all of us, and when the breeding starts it’s going to be, ‘a family affair.’

To learn more about my credentials this subject go on line and look up Bill Kearney on casino gambling, or go on YOUTUBE’ and put my name in the search and check out my videos.

Open this link to view a sample of my videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfZWAVnr9to

Fleecing Seniors‏

Bill Kearney — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 01:43:46 +0000

Open these links and you can see how this so-called entertainment industry breeds their patrons who are mostly seniors into casino junkies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pib8AmuD_kY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhZgLgkuzr8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp9km-osuzc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJsFzs9A_Go&feature=related

To learn more about my credentials this subject go on line and look up Bill Kearney on casino gambling, or go on ‘YOUTUBE’ and put my name in the search and check out my videos.

Open this link to view a sample of my videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfZWAVnr9to

‘They say it’s harmless entertainment’

Bill Kearney — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:02:06 +0000

Congressman Seeks to Protect Military from Gambling

Full House Needed for Gambling Ban

By Tony Perkins, Washington Update, December 17, 2007

Gambling may seem like harmless entertainment to some, but to others – like Army Warrant Officer Aaron Walsh – it holds a fatal attraction. When the decorated pilot was stationed overseas, he frequented the Army slot machines on military posts. The so-called “recreation” grew into a devastating addiction that cost Walsh his savings, his career, and, ultimately, his life.

After losing $20,000, he went AWOL, only to be found gambling on a military base in Seoul, Korea. Walsh resigned his position with the Army, but efforts to reconcile with his wife and two young children were hampered by his inability to kick the habit. Overwhelmed, Walsh went to a state park in September of 2006 and shot himself. Fearing other soldiers will fall into the same trap; Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.) introduced H.R. 4497, a bill that would ban all gambling devices on military bases.

The Army currently raises about $130 million in net revenue from the $2 billion gambled annually in the 3,000 slot machines it operates abroad.While the Defense Department uses the money from the slots to pay for programs that boost troop morale, there are certainly safer options that do not encourage activities that put military families at risk. “[This] shouldn’t be about exploiting our service personnel,” Davis said.

The legislation, which has been named in honor of the late officer Walsh, could be debated as early as today. Join us in urging your members to follow Rep. Davis’s lead in supporting our troops where it matters most. Capitol Switchboard 1-202-224-3121

Note from Bill Kearney – Casino operators are offering those so-called freebies known as COMPES, and they’re tracking their patron’s money and time spent gambling with COMP-CARDS. These cards track every move the patron makes in the casino. This COMP-CARD system determines whether you’re going to get the buffet or the penthouse suite. The comps or so-called freebies make some justify their losses as they become addicted to the casino product. The COMP-CARD is their syringe; it’s how they deliver their drug.

Today in my state of Pennsylvania there are two Bills, one in our House of Representatives (HB 783) introduced by Rep. Clymer and one in our Senate (SB 423) introduced by Sen. Wonderling that will make the casino operators who are already tracking their patrons’ money and time spent gambling with COMP-CARDS to send monthly statements. This would enable gamblers and their family members to spot a loved one’s gambling problem before it gets out of hand. Hopefully it will come to fruition, because with casinos being glamorized and legalized and opening in all our backyards, many of our Mom-Moms, Pop-Pops, spouses, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, and grandchildren are headed for some serious problems.

To learn more about my credentials this subject go on line and look up Bill Kearney on casino gambling, or go on ‘YOUTUBE’ and put my name in the search and check out the rest of my videos.

Open these links to view a sample of my videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfZWAVnr9to

Casino Christmas Poem

Bill Kearney — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:12:03 +0000

Bill Kearney

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house was barely enough food to feed a mouse. Our stockings had holes, chimney no heat, I waited in hope they’d return from the casino with something to eat.

I’m a child of parents who got into bed with an industry that puts dancing fruits, bars and bells in your head. My siblings were nestled all snug in their beds, this year it’s not sugar plums but despair in their heads. As I watch them drift off for a long winter’s nap, my prayers were for my parents to never go back.

Then out in the driveway I heard such a crash, I ran to the window and threw up the sash. Those lights of disaster made my vision clear but I couldn’t comprehend what to my wondering eyes should appear, was it police cars and officers in full gear? Mom’s hysterical using words I dare not repeat. Dad’s thrown down so quick, now there’s no doubt our future is bleak.

More rapid than alcohol and drugs it came, and those in our government swear its okay. Once legal they whistled, and shouted, and called them by name! “Now Harrah’s! Now Sugarhouse! Now Mohegan Sun! On Foxwoods! On Philly Park! On Sands/Venetian! On Mount Airy!

Throughout the state we’ll fill coffers for all! Now cash away! Cash away! Cash away all! Their money blows away in those slots like clouds in the sky, and so will their homes and families go by!

So up to the house-top in debt they will be, with bankruptcy, foreclosure, and divorce bringing them to their knees.

One day in Philly I heard a man say we must stop the breeding of casino gamblers today! He was dressed all in black, from his head to toe; he looked more like a gambler than a casino foe. His eyes-how they widen! His demeanor changed as he addressed the non-ill effects of casino gambling our government proclaims. His hands moved like pistons, his anger was seen as he exploited this industry like a well oiled machine.

A bundle of safeguards he flashed out loud, things like no comps, no booze, and no credit aloud. Then he said something that made me think twice; “make casinos send monthly statements showing their sad plight.”

I thought of my family and where we might be, if they got monthly statements and casinos never opened near me. Before he left I heard him say, “Merry Christmas to all” then he exclaim, “if we sit back and do nothing we’re all going to pay and those long sleepless nights may come your way.”

Oops, there goes another ‘Casino Gambling Scam’‏‏‏‏

Bill Kearney — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:46:54 +0000

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/12844727.html

Officials: Ridley schools’ payroll boss stole to gamble

By WILLIAM BENDER
Philadelphia Daily News

benderw@phillynews.com 215-854-5255

After spending Christmas in jail, Ridley School District’s former payroll coordinator, Carol Ackley, might want to consider a two-part New Year’s resolution.

Because if she quits gambling first, she’ll find it that much easier to stop embezzling thousands of dollars to fund casino trips around the country, as police allege.

Police say Ackley, 57, has admitted to using her district position to contrive a secret banking scheme that fooled auditors for years.

Ackley, who had worked for the district since 1988, was arrested Friday after Superintendent Nicholas Ignatuk reported to Ridley police that Wachovia Bank’s fraud unit had detected “unusual activity” in the district’s pensioners’-hospitalization account.

An investigation found that Ackley had deposited nearly $200,000 into the dormant account since last year, then wrote checks to herself by forging a retired business manager’s signature. The money came from retired employees who were reimbursing the district for health premiums paid on their behalf.

Ackley told Ridley detectives that she is an “out-of-control gambler” who has stolen “$500,000 or more” from the district since 2001, blowing it all at casinos in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Chester, according to the police affidavit.

“She had a very clever scheme that was very well-hidden,” Ignatuk said, adding that Ackley made sure the balance did not change from month to month, so the account appeared to remain dormant.

“We never expected such a thing could happen,” he said. “It’s a pity, and I feel sorry for her kids, but she has admitted doing this, so she’s going to have to pay for it.”

Ackley is the second Delaware County school-district employee charged this year with embezzling district funds and gambling them away.

The Southeast Delco School District‘s former assistant director of food services, Mary Arnold, 55, pleaded guilty in April to stealing $287,000 in lunch money and was sentenced to 2 1/2 to five years in state prison. Arnold said she had spent all the money at Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City.

“I don’t understand addictions,” she said at her July sentencing. “I don’t understand why I did that.”

Ackley told police that she had gambled some of the money at Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack, which opened in January and is only a few miles from the school district’s administration building.

“Having the gambling to reduce property taxes is a good idea, but the downside is you’re going to have people that are going to become addicted to gambling and find a way to keep that habit going,” Ignatuk said. “Unfortunately, if you happen to be working in a job where you have access to funds, you could be tempted to steal. It’s an addiction just like any addiction.”

Ackley spent her Christmas at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, in Thornton, Delaware County, after failing to post bail. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for next month on a combined 392 counts of theft, forgery, receiving stolen property, identity theft and related offenses.

Note from Bill Kearney, this is a perfect example of why Pennsylvania Legislators and our Gaming Control Board members must make our billion dollar gaming operators adapt to real safeguards that will protect today’s and future generations, who will now live a short distance from a casino from becoming compulsive casino gambling thieves.

You can stop the casinos from breeding compulsive casino gamblers and criminals by supporting this legislation.

Open these links and you can see how this so-called entertainment industry breeds casino junkies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pib8AmuD_kYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhZgLgkuzr8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp9km-osuzc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJsFzs9A_Go&feature=related Open these links to view Gov. Rendell’s opinion on casinos mailing out monthly statements.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48BJzGvklSo

‘CASINO BREEDING’‏

Bill Kearney — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:10:35 +0000

My name is Bill Kearney; I am a former compulsive casino gambling degenerate who’s been trying to educate the public on the pitfalls of what the gaming industry and what an alarming number of our government officials call a form of entertainment, no different then going to the ballpark or theater.

Here’s how I’m addressing the senselessness of the proliferation of casinos in my state and throughout our country.

Since our gaming bill passed in 2004 I’ve been trying to sway those Pennsylvania legislators who brought the casino plague upon us along with the members of our Gaming Control Board to make our billion dollar gaming operators adapt to real safeguards that will protect today’s and future generations, who will now live a short distance from a casino from becoming casino gambling degenerates. Things like not cashing any checks and so patrons don’t gamble on credit in any manner take away any type of credit card usage including “ATMs.” No free booze, no 24/7 and beings our gaming hall operators will be tracking their patrons money and time spent gambling with COMP-CARDS, let’s make them send monthly statements. The COMP-CARD is their syringe; it’s how they deliver their drug. These cards track every move the patron makes in the casino. This determines whether you’re going to get the buffet or the penthouse suite. The comps or so-called freebies make some justify their losses as they become addicted.Well it been over three years and today there are six casinos up and running in my state with not one of these safeguards or provisions in place, in other words, no consumer protection.

Today there are two Bills, one in our House of Representatives (HB 783) introduced by Rep. Clymer and one in our Senate (SB 423) introduced by Sen. Wonderling that will make the casino operators who are already tracking their patrons’ money and time spent gambling with COMP-CARDS to send monthly statements. This would enable gamblers and their family members to spot a loved one’s gambling problem before it gets out of hand. Hopefully it will come to fruition, because with casinos being glamorized and legalized and opening in all our backyards, many of our Mom-Moms, Pop-Pops, spouses, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, and grandchildren are headed for some serious problems.

Open these video links to learn more on what I’m going to accomplish.

http://pahomepage.com/media_player.php?media_id=10904

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfZWAVnr9to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh5E_DFliDA

Open these links to view Gov. Rendell, Pa. State Legislators and other state officials’ opinion on casinos mailing out monthly statements.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48BJzGvklSo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUtB3g55brM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kMumf4fRkg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nhh_EHAqBg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK6bE6v_MtM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9q2JEaqF4k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSaCKb_CBnU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M1JaCGWcu4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq8baM7Q4OQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh5E_DFliDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN0Iksfg6TE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoBAkn3ezR4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSps-KbhE-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGe90PcEJo4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38OznZg6YYg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXWAk0EgAAc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ueubcXAlFM

To learn more about my credentials this subject go on line and look up Bill Kearney on casino gambling, or go on ‘YOUTUBE’ and put my name in the search and check out the rest of my videos.

Hello world!

Bill Kearney — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:57:45 +0000

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