For most players, online gambling is a fun hobby and a way to wager some money with the hopes of turning it into more money. For responsible gamblers, the activity is no more dangerous than any other hobby that costs money. However, the sad truth is that there are some who do not gamble responsibly. There are a small percentage of gamblers who have difficulty keeping their habit under control. From people with poor money management to full-on gambling addicts, problem gamblers have it tough.

For those struggling with problem gambling, it is recommended that they seek help with Gamblers Anonymous. The group is “a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from a gambling problem.”

Gamblers Anonymous, sometimes identified simply as GA, has local meetings and other ways for people to communicate and get help. There is a number that you can call, 1-888-GA-HELPS, to talk to a trained counselor. You can also get useful information or chat with a professional on the Gamblers Anonymous website. The website can also be used to find a meeting near you.

The first fellowship of Gamblers Anonymous was started in 1957 between two men struggling with gambling compulsions. Since then, GA has helped thousands of problem gamblers get help with their addictions and compulsions.

If you are suffering from gambling problems, it is important to know that you’re not alone. There is treatment and there are others who can help you through the process. Gamblers Anonymous is one way to get help.

On Tuesday, a lobbying group representing Atlantic City’s casinos urged voters to approve sports betting. The Casino Association of New Jersey issued a statement supporting a November referendum that would allow sports betting within the state.

The trade group, which represents each of the eleven casinos, says that sports betting in New Jersey would provide a much-needed boost to the local economy and help the casinos and the city get back on track. Bob Griffin, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said that sports betting would “attract more tourists to visit our city and enjoy our world-class entertainment, thriving restaurant industry, brand-name retail shopping and famous Boardwalk.”

There is a problem, though. Even if New Jersey voters approved of sports betting on the November ballot, it would take time for casinos to be able to offer betting, if it ever happened. Currently the state is barred by federal law from allowing sports betting. The federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 outlawed sports betting in all of the United States, with exemptions for jurisdictions where it was already legally taking place. For that reason, Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon are allowed to offer sports betting, but any new state would be in violation of the law.

Proponents of the New Jersey referendum say that it is an important step toward repealing the federal ban on sports betting. Others say that it is a key states’ rights battle and if the sports betting was confined to within New Jersey’s borders, the federal government has no right to interfere.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are seeking a casino in North Carolina, but one lawmaker predicts that no deal will happen. The current legislative session ends next week, so the clock is ticking on the negotiations between the tribe and lawmakers. According to Senator Tom Apodaca, chairman of the rules committee, that simply doesn’t leave enough time.

The Cherokee are the only federally recognized tribe in the state of North Carolina. They currently operate slot casinos, but want to expand to include live dealer games, such as blackjack. The tribe is currently negotiating a deal with Governor Beverly Perdue to amend their gaming compact, but there are several unresolved issues at this point. If the compact isn’t revised next week, it can’t be taken up again until the next legislative session begins in May.

Reaching an agreement by the end of the next week seems unlikely. According to a spokesperson for Perdue, there are “key issues remaining to be resolved.” One of the issues is said to be revenue-sharing, with the tribe and the government not able to agree on the amount that should be shared with the state. That money would be used in part to fund education. Another issue, according to tribal lawyer Anette Tarnawsky, is the federal government. The Interior Department would have to approve of the amended gaming compact. According to Tarnawsky, getting federal approval “may prove to be more complicated than originally envisioned.” The Cherokee say that their requested changes to the gaming compact, allowing table games and other non-machine gaming, would create hundreds of new jobs at the casino.

The Atlantic City casino industry is eyeing the Labor Day weekend, thinking it is the key to a post-Irene recovery. A shutdown of the city’s casinos last weekend cost a lot of money, and that is money that can’t be recouped. A big holiday weekend could go a long way toward facilitating a recovery, though.

Last weekend, Hurricane Irene battered the northeast United States. Though it was only a tropical storm when it hit the state of New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie decided to err on the side of caution and ordered the mandatory evacuation of the coastal part of the state. That includes Atlantic City and as a result, all eleven of the casinos had to shut down. It was only the third time in history that all of the casinos closed at the same time.

On Monday the casinos reopened but the damage was done. It was estimated that the loss of business over the weekend cost the casino industry up to $45 million in gambling revenue. Dennis Gomes, the CEO of Resorts Casino, said it was a “major hit financially” and they are simply hoping that the rest of the year can make up for it.

The Atlantic City casinos were already struggling. Christie’s attempts to revitalize the economy have had little effect on the casinos thus far. Losing a weekend of business was the last thing they needed. That makes Labor Day weekend that much more important. For companies that are seeing red, they need to see a lot more green this weekend.

Gambling is illegal in the state of New York, with a few exceptions. There are some tribal casinos in upstate New York. There are a few racetracks as well and a state lottery. Other than that, all gambling is banned by law. Now Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state should consider allowing non-Indian casinos.

Nearby states, such as Pennsylvania and Connecticut, already have full casinos. Massachusetts is also pushing for some casinos. With that in mind, New York doesn’t want to get left behind and watch its residents cross the border to play at casinos in other states.

The current racetrack casinos in New York want to be allowed to add table games and convert into full casinos. Governor Cuomo thinks all casino expansion should be considered. The biggest obstacle for that, though, is that the state constitution would have to be amended. In New York, amending the constitution isn’t easy. It requires the bill to pass the legislature during two consecutive sessions and then be approved by voters in a public referendum.

At various times a bill to allow non-tribal casinos has made it part of the way through those steps but was unable to get all the way through. With next year being a big election year, supporting a controversial measure like this could be even more unlikely.

Still, with the economy struggling, allowing casinos could give New York a much-needed boost. Aside from injecting more spending into the local economy, the government would also benefit from the tax revenue. There is currently a bill in the legislature to allow casino gambling, but it is not known how much support the bill has.

For years, the common belief was that there was a direct correlation between access to casinos and problem gambling. The thinking is that the more casinos there are, the more people are able to play. The more people play, more will develop gambling problems. A recent study, however, indicates that is not the case.

A Harvard University study by Professors Howard Shaffer and Ryan Martin found that although there has been a great deal of casino expansion in the last 35 years, problem gambling has declined. Though the actual number of problem gamblers has increased (as has total population) it has decreased as a percentage, from 0.7% to 0.6%.

Those people who make up the small percentage of gambling addicts have something in common. They are likely addicted to something else as well. The study says that 75% of those people who have an addiction to gambling also have a chemical addiction to another substance, either drugs, alcohol or smoking. That suggests that in almost all cases, a person who does not already suffer from addiction, suggesting a predisposition to addiction, is safe from becoming addicted to gambling.

It is not known what has caused problem gambling to decline over the last 35 years. Some people believe that it is due to increased awareness of the problem. Some feel that it is because the casinos, including online casinos, do a much better job of helping people get treatment than they did in the past. Some believe that legislation like the creation of self-exclusion list and lifetime bans deserves the credit. In any case, it is good news that the increased availability of casinos has not resulted in an increase in problem gambling.

Right now, the people of Mississippi will take any good news. They will be happy about any sign of things getting better. One positive sign is that a casino in Tunica County is set to reopen today. Two others casinos may reopen on Thursday. In a state that has seen virtually unprecedented flood damage, any business opening its doors is a good thing.

Earlier this month, 17 of the 19 casinos in Mississippi closed due to flooding. As the Mississippi River crested at 47.87 feet, just short of the record of 48.7 feet, businesses and homes were evacuated. Eventually, the Army Corps of Engineers had to blow levies and take other drastic measures to ease the flooding.

Now the Gold Strike Casino is scheduled to reopen today, as the nearby river is starting to recede. The Horseshoe Casino and Roadhouse Casino may also reopen tomorrow. The three casinos, due to their location, fared better than most of the state.

Casinos reopening might not seem to matter when the state has been hit by such tragedy, but it does matter. Not only is it a symbol of returning to a degree of normalcy, but it also has a huge economic impact. The state and local governments make $13 million per month on casino taxes. Mississippi was already struggling worse than the average state from the economic recession. The flood hurt things even more, so the sooner they can get casinos up and running, the better the state will be. Regulators will perform a variety of tests, such as making sure the gambling machines and surveillance systems are functioning, before reopening the casino.

When Ohio Governor John Kasich hired two consultants to study the gambling industry and determine the viability of his proposed tax increases, he probably expected them to agree with him. However, one of the consultants may disagree, at least if they’re going to stick to the theory they gave earlier.

Back in November, Spectrum Gaming Group released a report warning about the impact of a tax hike on the casino industry. In the report, they said that not only would it reduce profitability for the casinos (a no-brainer), it may also force the developers to build smaller casinos. In addition, increasing the tax rate could actually reduce tax revenue.

Spectrum said that before they were hired by Kasich, who wants the opposite answer. He hired them last month after proposing raising taxes and the licensing fee for casinos. Though they pay a $50 million licensing fee and 33% tax rate, Kasich thinks that is too low and wants the state to make more money off of the casinos.

In response to the uncertainty, the casino developers have halted construction. One developer, Rock Gaming, is putting off opening a new casino until 2013. They also said, echoing the Spectrum report, that they may build smaller casinos than planned in Cincinnati and Cleveland if the tax hike goes through.

In 2009, Ohio voters approved casinos at the current tax rate. Those rates were put into contracts with the casinos, which the casino companies expect the state to honor. Governor Kasich wants to renegotiate the contracts. The other consultant, Moelis and Company, may give a different answer than Spectrum. They make a commission on money they bring in, so they have incentive to propose a tax increase.

Today the CEO of a gambling hardware provider testified before a Nevada Senate committee about the prospect of allowing mobile gambling on resort property. Lee Amatis, CEO of Cantor Gaming, wants to amend a casino bill in the legislature to allow casino guests to gamble using their mobile devices.

A provision allowing mobile gambling was originally in the Assembly version of the bill, but the Assembly Committee on Judiciary removed it. Cantor is one individual who wants it to be reinserted in the Senate version of the bill. The provision would allow the casinos to use a mobile gambling device designed by Cantor Gaming. The device would be given to casino and hotel customers. They could use the device to gamble anywhere in the resort, including in their hotel room, at a restaurant, at a nightclub and elsewhere. The devices would not function off of the resort property.

Current state law only allows gambling on the casino floor, but allowing the mobile gambling on that limited bases would give players more opportunities to play. Amatis estimates that allowing the mobile gambling in resorts would bring in an additional $18 million per year in gambling taxes for Nevada.

When it was scrapped from the Assembly bill, the main concern was that it would be difficult to regulate. Opponents said that if you allow gambling from a hotel room, it’s hard to keep underage people from gambling. That may be true, but that’s where personal responsibility comes in. The adult who is given the mobile device would be given a PIN to unlock it. It is up to them to not unlock it and give it to a minor or tell the PIN to a minor.

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Amatis said that in addition to more revenue and flexibility, it could provide more access for new players. Those who would be intimidated walking right into a casino for the first time and sitting down at a table could start off playing using the mobile device, he said. He suggested that they could “use it as a learning method” until they are comfortable enough to sit at a casino table.

No vote was held on the proposed amendment or the bill as a whole. The bill must clear the committee by Friday or it will be dead.

In a signal that an era has come to an end, one of the iconic casinos of the old Las Vegas strip is closing for good today. The Sahara Hotel and Casino, which opened for business 59 years ago, will have its final day in the sun today.

At noon today, the final guest is scheduled to check out of the hotel. At that time, the hotel, casino and everything else on the property will be closed for good. It will be a bittersweet feeling for many. The Sahara Hotel and Casino was the sixth casino to be built on the Las Vegas Strip, back when the casino industry was just getting started in Sin City. With its Moroccan theme, it was an instant hit when it opened in 1952. It became the place to be for the big stars, with the Rat Pack, Elvis Presley, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, John Wayne and other A-listers frequenting the resort. Its fame was heightened by being used in the original Oceans 11 movie. That fame couldn’t last forever.

The problem with being an icon of the old age of Vegas is that it means you’re old. That was the main problem with the Sahara. It was iconic, but the Vegas Strip was full of newer casinos. Those newer casinos had more hotel rooms, more games, more amenities and simply looked nicer. While everyone may think it’s cool to walk by and see the old Sahara, they would stay at a different hotel and play at a different casino. The Sahara simply couldn’t compete with its newer competition.

In 2007, SBE Entertainment bought the Sahara and intended to remodel it. Then the recession hit. Recently, SBE announced that keeping the Sahara open was “no longer economically viable.” Last week, the famous roller coaster was shut down. Today, the casino and resort are closing. It is the end of an era and if the now-empty gift shop is an indication, at least the people of Vegas have an appreciation for the Sahara’s place in history.