{"id":31567,"date":"2015-10-01T16:26:12","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T23:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=31567"},"modified":"2023-01-12T11:16:29","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T17:16:29","slug":"aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/","title":{"rendered":"AGA Chief Geoff Freeman Attacks Illegal Gambling at G2E, Says It Is Not a Victimless Crime"},"content":{"rendered":"

Geoff Freeman, president of the American Gaming Association, kicked off the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas this week with a keynote speech that railed against illegal, unlicensed gambling and the threat it poses, not just to the casino industry, but to society at large.<\/p>\n

\"Geoff
AGA President Geoff Freeman (seen here at a previous keynote) addressed the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas this week, noting his concerns about the darker side of the gaming industry. (Image: David Becker\/reviewjournal.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIllegal gambling affects the credibility of our industry, and that credibility is directly tied to the public policy that we confront,\u201d said Freeman of that \u201cother industry that operates in the shadows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to do a better of job of explaining how regulated gaming can be a positive influence on a community,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Roadblocks to Acceptance<\/h2>\n

Illegal gambling, Freeman suggests, fuels the negative views of the casinos that are held by many lawmakers and members of the public, despite the economic benefits the casino industry brings to areas in which it operates.<\/p>\n

The AGA president cited the current situation in Massachusetts<\/a>, where public officials have erected \u201cevery roadblock they can possibly find to slow down casino development.\u201d<\/p>\n

The City of Boston is suing the state’s Gaming Commission over its decision to award the East Massachusetts casino license to Wynn Resorts, rather than Mohegan Sun. Had the latter won the license, Boston would have benefited to the tune of $18 million, as part of a \u201chost community\u201d compensation agreement with the operator. Last year, the Gaming Commission denied Boston said host community status in respect to the Wynn deal, incurring the wrath of Mayor Marty Walsh.<\/p>\n

Links to Organized Crime<\/h2>\n

Freeman went on to tell audience members that they must carry the positive message of legal casinos and become \u201cproselytizers about gaming.\u201d<\/p>\n

The AGA has published a study, compiled by Jay S. Albanese of Virginia Commonwealth University, which demonstrates that illegal gambling is not a victimless crime. The research looked at federal gambling convictions throughout 2014, and included online and land-based sports betting, unregulated casino parlors, and animal fighting rings.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ten of these 40 cases had links to organized crime, including the New York and Philadelphia Mafia and Texas drug traffickers. In each case, an average of $3 million in illegal funds was seized, money that would have been used to fund further criminal actions by these groups, the study noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuffice it to say, the money was not going to college tuition,\u201d said Albanese.<\/p>\n

Call for Sports Betting Reforms<\/h2>\n

Freeman further cited the National Gambling Impact Study\u2019s most conservative estimate that some $80 billion will be bet illegally on sports this year. This demonstrates the need for urgent regulatory reforms, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt speaks to the utter failure of the law we have in place,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cThis is one that\u2019s completely ignored.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The AGA recently launched an initiative in partnership with law enforcement to combat illegal gambling. \u201cStop Illegal Gambling: Play it Safe,\u201d will aid the development of research designed to \u201cdig into the roots of this problem,\u201d according to the AGA, by studying criminal patterns, and to develop \u201cactionable intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Geoff Freeman, president of the American Gaming Association, kicked off the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas this week with a keynote speech that railed against illegal, unlicensed gambling and the threat it poses, not just to the casino industry, but to society at large. \u201cIllegal gambling affects the credibility of our industry, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":31575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,19,13],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAGA Chief Geoff Freeman Attacks Illegal Gambling at G2E, Says It Is Not a Victimless Crime<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The AGA Geoff Freeman opening speech at G2E focuses on reality that illegall gambling is not a victimless crime.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AGA Chief Geoff Freeman Attacks Illegal Gambling at G2E, Says It Is Not a Victimless Crime\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The AGA Geoff Freeman opening speech at G2E focuses on reality that illegall gambling is not a victimless crime.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-10-01T23:26:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-12T17:16:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Geoff-Freeman-AGA-G2E-illegal-gambling-keynote.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"430\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/\",\"name\":\"AGA Chief Geoff Freeman Attacks Illegal Gambling at G2E, Says It Is Not a Victimless Crime\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Geoff-Freeman-AGA-G2E-illegal-gambling-keynote.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-10-01T23:26:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-12T17:16:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"The AGA Geoff Freeman opening speech at G2E focuses on reality that illegall gambling is not a victimless crime.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Geoff-Freeman-AGA-G2E-illegal-gambling-keynote.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Geoff-Freeman-AGA-G2E-illegal-gambling-keynote.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":430,\"caption\":\"AGA President Geoff Freeman (seen here at a previous keynote) addressed the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas this week, noting his concerns about the darker side of the gaming industry. (Image: David Becker\/reviewjournal.com)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Crime & Scandals\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/scandals\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"AGA Chief Geoff Freeman Attacks Illegal Gambling at G2E, Says It Is Not a Victimless Crime\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\",\"name\":\"Casino.org Staff Writer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Casino.org Staff Writer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/corg-staff-writer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"AGA Chief Geoff Freeman Attacks Illegal Gambling at G2E, Says It Is Not a Victimless Crime","description":"The AGA Geoff Freeman opening speech at G2E focuses on reality that illegall gambling is not a victimless crime.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"AGA Chief Geoff Freeman Attacks Illegal Gambling at G2E, Says It Is Not a Victimless Crime","og_description":"The AGA Geoff Freeman opening speech at G2E focuses on reality that illegall gambling is not a victimless crime.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2015-10-01T23:26:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-12T17:16:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":430,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Geoff-Freeman-AGA-G2E-illegal-gambling-keynote.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Casino.org Staff Writer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Casino.org Staff Writer","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/","name":"AGA Chief Geoff Freeman Attacks Illegal Gambling at G2E, Says It Is Not a Victimless Crime","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Geoff-Freeman-AGA-G2E-illegal-gambling-keynote.jpg","datePublished":"2015-10-01T23:26:12+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-12T17:16:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77"},"description":"The AGA Geoff Freeman opening speech at G2E focuses on reality that illegall gambling is not a victimless crime.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Geoff-Freeman-AGA-G2E-illegal-gambling-keynote.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Geoff-Freeman-AGA-G2E-illegal-gambling-keynote.jpg","width":640,"height":430,"caption":"AGA President Geoff Freeman (seen here at a previous keynote) addressed the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas this week, noting his concerns about the darker side of the gaming industry. (Image: David Becker\/reviewjournal.com)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aga-geoff-freeman-delivers-strong-words-at-g2e\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Crime & Scandals","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/scandals\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"AGA Chief Geoff Freeman Attacks Illegal Gambling at G2E, Says It Is Not a Victimless Crime"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77","name":"Casino.org Staff Writer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Casino.org Staff Writer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/corg-staff-writer\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31567"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}