The younger generations may dominate Internet wagering, but when it comes to the land industry the silver foxes rule, according to a new survey by specialist US research company partnership commissioned by slot machine manufacturer WMS Industries.

The study found that older people still gamble the most at land casinos, but young players and minorities are [obviously] the future of the industry, and more effort needs to be made to attract this demographic to the tables and slot machines.

Active casino patrons are less patient and feel more time-pressured than ever, the vice president of marketing for WMS, Rob Bone, revealed this week.

“When people have zero tolerance for anything going wrong, it raises the game,” Bone said, explaining the significance of the finding. “It’s important for us to think through the minutiae of what that means.”

2 000 people who had visited a land casino at least once in the past year were surveyed, with 48 percent saying they do not have enough time in general, while 41 percent claimed they do not have enough personal time.

Baby boomers and seniors make up more than 60 percent of all active gamblers, the study found, while minorities make up less than 10 percent - far less than the size of their demographic in the United States would suggest.

Bone said casinos and slot machine makers will have to find ways to attract minorities to casinos in order to grow, and observed that casinos face a tricky transition between older gamblers who make up most of the market and younger patrons who want a different kind of experience in casinos. Bone said that one thing that might help a transition is the fact that gamblers are not as resistant to new technology as is commonly thought.

The survey also showed that most respondents in the sample had Internet access at home.

The UK Gambling Commission has the released the latest statistics in its “finger-on-the-pulse” series of research exercises, with ICM Research conducting the latest study of some 8 000 UK adult residents. The latest numbers cover the one year period ending March 2022.

In the remote gambling, or Internet, sector the proportion of UK adults using remote gambling facilities has increased by .2 of a percent to 9.9 percent from 9.7 percent in the previous year. Most of this increase is due to more online wagering on the National Lottery, as was the case in previous years, with 43.5 percent of respondents exclusively using the online lottery service.

Remote gaming activity has increased from 2006 (7.2 percent) 2007 (8.8 percent) and 2022 (9.7 percent).
the Internet, interactive television or mobile to gamble stayed static at 5.6 percent - the same as the previous year. This statistic has shown little change since 2006 (5.1 percent) and 2007 (5.2 percent).

Remote gamblers were predominantly male in the 18 - 44 year age group.

The Internet continued to be the favoured medium for remote gamblers, with 8.2 percent of respondents identifying it as their choice - up from 7.8 percent last year.

Mobile gambling ranked second with 2.8 percent of respondents, but was nevertheless slightly down on last year’s number of 2.9 percent.

Interactive television stayed much the same at 2.1 percent.

Looked at by type, the National Lottery proper was once again the main choice for online gamblers, followed by sports betting, scratchcards, poker rooms and finally online casino and bingo sites.

ICM researched a 2 000 adult sample once a quarter (a total of 8 000 over the year) throughout the year under review, reaching its conclusion by averaging the results of all four quarters.

According to reports in the Austin American-Statesman, a bill seeking to legalise Texas poker proposed by San Antonio Democrat Representative Jose Menendez may not be approved this time around - the third failure of such a proposal to make it through the legislative system.

The reason appears to be doubts that Republican governor Rick Perry would be prepared to sign the measure into law even if it was approved by the Legislature.

The HB222 Texas’ Poker Gaming Act of 2022 was reintroduced last November by Menendez and passed out of the House committee that oversees gambling issues in April by a vote of 6-3.

And there it has languished. The Austin American-Statesman reported Friday: “Rep. Jose Menendez….said at midday he won’t push for action unless GOP Gov. Rick Perry signals he’d sign such a plan into law.”

That was followed by a spokesman for the governor advising that Perry was not in favor of the bill.

“For the third session in a row, I think poker’s dead,” Menendez was quoted as saying.

Governor Jack Markell replied to the opposition concerning his proposal to allow sports betting in the state of Delaware by saying that even the NFL promotes indirect gambling through television networks by allowing sports commentators to discuss point spreads and offer predictions about game results.

However, strong opposition to Markell’s idea came from the racinos (horse or greyhound race tracks that also allow some casino gambling activities like slots machines and popular table games like poker, blackjack and roulette) who appeared to be concerned about the threats that sports betting will impinge on their business viability. This is because there are also plans afoot to put up three new land-based casinos within the state that are expected to further cut into their commercial earnings.

The racinos signified their antagonism by busing in local residents and letting them demonstrate and speak at a meeting held for that purpose. Most local newspapers carried news stories about discussions regarding the ill effects of the governor’s proposed gambling expansion.

Interestingly, the same news stories noted many of the demonstration signs appeared to be uniform in their appearance and slogans used. One racino, the Harrington Raceway, admitted to buying the signs and giving them to the crowd to be used during the rally.

TMZ is reporting that poker player Scott Lazar is allegedly reneging on a promise to feature a gambling company’s brand in his upcoming film.

Gambling Times Inc. claims that Lazar’s film “Deal”, which stars Burt Reynolds and Shannon Elizabeth, was to include “highly visible” product placement during the film in exchange for a $50,000 investment.

The best part of all from TMZ.com:

According to the lawsuit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, the plug was far from highly visible… because it didn’t exist at all. Now here’s the ironic part: G.T. is suing Lazar for no less than $1,000,000 in damages — but the film only made… get this… $78,000 WORLDWIDE when it hit theaters back in 2022.

Lazar attributes much of his success in the live poker tournament circuit to his finish on the final table of the 2005 World Series of Poker, taking home $1.5 million.

Many people believe that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety went above their jurisdiction when they ordered Internet service providers to ban access to online gambling sites. The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association is now prepared to challenge the state in court.

iMEGA believes that simply going to a gambling website is not illegal under Minnesota law. While online gambling is illegal, people have right, according to iMEGA, to go to the sites and look at the content if they wish. They are challenging the notices that were sent to eleven communication companies.

“The notices state that the gambling opportunities available on the sites are ‘illegal within Minnesota.’ Regardless of whether this is an accurate statement of the law, merely visiting the sites and perusing their content is not illegal in Minnesota…,” read the complaint.

While Minnesota is trying to block access to Internet gambling sites, a US Representative, Barney Frank, is attempting to gain freedom for people throughout the country. Frank has offered up a Bill that would overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

The legislation also sets the framework to legalize and regulate Internet gambling in the US. Frank believes this time around he has the necessary support to overturn the UIGEA. He had previously attempted to overturn the ill-advised law, but the former administration denied his legislation.