ï»¿Revel A<span id="more-6080"></span>tlantic City Could Become ‘Fire Risk’ Refugee Camp

Glenn Straub wants to take in up to 3,000 Syrian refugees at Revel but the city still considers the house become a dangerous fire risk.

Glenn Straub, the eccentric Florida real-estate developer whom bought the stricken Revel Casino in Atlantic City previously this year, offers to show it into a temporary refugee center.

Straub paid $82 million for the $2.4 billion property after the winner that is initial of bankruptcy auction, Brookfield Asset Management, pulled out of the offer.

However, the casino remains shuttered as Straub is mired in appropriate wrangles with Revel’s adjacent power provider.

Straub told KYW Newsradio that whilst the property was empty he desired to fill it with up to 3,000 refugees that are syrian would be welcome to remain for 18 months.

The resort has 1,399 hotel rooms, but these would not be accessible to refugees; instead, they would be housed in Revel’s meeting rooms, which could be’ converted into living spaces.’

Straub did not mention if they would be able to use Revel’s two deserted nightclubs or swimming that is multiple.

$36 Million Energy Bill

‘They really just need someplace to place protection, which we’ve,’ Straub explained. ‘ I don’t understand how many thousands of digital cameras and security areas, magnetic hair and everything that a casino has that we wouldn’t desire to have wandering around in the neighborhoods. that we can [use to] keep people’

Straub said that he had reached out to ‘presidential candidates’ to this effect.

The US state Department told the radio place it would be ‘pleased to place his offer or any other concerned American in touch along with their local resettlement agency, which can provide opportunities to help refugees that are resettled inside their communities. that it had been unaware of Straub’s proposition but’

But, the small issue remains that Revel was recently branded a huge fire risk by the Atlantic City Fire Department.

Straub is refusing to cover the property’s astronomical energy bills, which stay at a mind-boggling and apparently non-negotiable $36 million a year.

In contrast, the Borgata’s energy bill is just about $12 million per year, despite having almost twice as numerous rooms in hotels and a bigger video gaming floor.

Dangerous Fire Hazard

Revel’s energy plant was built specifically for purpose utilizing the casino as the sole consumer. Revel AC Inc began building the plant whenever work started on the casino resort in 2008, nevertheless when it ran out of cash, the plant ended up being taken over by ACR LLC.

In return for bailing Revel away, the owners that are new a 15 % return on their equity in the first 5 years and 18 per cent from then on.

Straub is refusing to honor the contract and so Revel’s power has been cut. The fire department warned that, with no water flowing through the building’s pipes, and no electricity to permit firefighters access to the floors that are upper a fire outbreak could be potentially catastrophic.

Straub is powering the home by using portable generators, which city inspectors have said is dangerous in itself. The town is fining the property tycoon thousands of dollars for every that Revel remains shut off from the power plant day.

Straub has said that he would like to variously reopen revel, as an elite university, a casino specialized in life-extension science, now an ‘extreme sports center.’

Maryland Casino Revenues Increase 9.2 Percent in October

The Horseshoe Baltimore Casino located south of the city center has rebounded after last spring’s protests, gambling as a whole jumping for many five Maryland casino locations. (Image: Al Drago/Baltimore Sun)

The Maryland casino industry is flourishing, hawaii’s Lottery and Gaming Control Commission releasing financial data for last month that proves citizens and nearby residents are enjoying the conveniences of getting gambling venues located in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Casino revenue statewide totaled $94,760,583 for the of October, a 9.2 increase year-to-year month. The growth represents an additional $7.9 million in returns for the five venues.

Gaming Atlantic President and Chief Analyst Dr. James Karmel told the Baltimore Sun that the figures verify the ‘continuing strength’ of Maryland’s gambling industry. ‘Maryland is still well placed to attract players that are new’ Karmel reported.

Five of a form

Probably the most revelation that is promising the statistics is that it’s not 1 or 2 casinos thriving but all five.

Casino Revenue Percent Increase october

Ocean Downs$4.7 million13.0

Rocky Gap$4.2 million10.8

Horseshoe Baltimore$24.7 million9.8

Maryland Live!$55 million9.3

Hollywood Perryville$6.2 million1.6

The strong financials are highlighted by a positive return for the Horseshoe Baltimore, the Caesars-owned home based in the town’s south side rebounding from last April and might’s protests that captivated the country and discouraged outsiders from visiting the downtown metropolis.

The Horseshoe opened in of 2014 to rave reviews and the revenues quickly followed august.

In March, the casino brought in $25.7 million. The following two months it just created $22.9 million and $21.9 million as tensions caused less visitors to travel into the internal Harbor and surrounding areas.

Its resurgence is a sign that is positive only for the gambling community but the general community of Baltimore as well as tourism is reportedly returning to Charm City.

Atlantic City Impact

September had been a excellent month for gambling in Atlantic City, the addition associated with whole Labor Day holiday leading to an 11 percent increase for the eight remaining gambling enterprises.

However, year-to-date the industry remains down 8.4 percent while the gambling that is former of the eastern coast continues to struggle.

Casinos operators have long blamed gambling legalization on behalf https://freeslotsnodownload-ca.com/royal-vegas-casino-review/ of neighboring states as the leading reason behind the city’s demise. No longer do residents in Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware need to travel to Atlantic City.

And if neighboring residents do indeed travel to Atlantic City, they’re rather unlikely to go back as the once-glistening resort city is just a shell of its past self.

‘It’s therefore sad to see what’s took place,’ GOP 2016 frontrunner Donald Trump told The Daily Beast final December. ‘I left years back. I obtained extremely happy. My timing was good, through luck or talent, I’m maybe not sure.’

An excursion to Atlantic City is like traveling down memory lane, several of the Boardwalk’s crown jewels sitting unoccupied and silent today.

New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement typically releases its gaming data in the middle of the month.

Only then will Atlantic City identify if the strong reports from Maryland represent an increase in gambling countrywide, or if it merely represents Maryland natives home that is staying their gambling entertainment.

Pro-RAWA Kindt Demands US Ban on Slot Machines

Professor John Kindt, who testified for RAWA at the recent congressional hearing, thinks that gambling harms the economy. (Image: news.illinois.edu)

John Kindt, Professor of Business and Legal Policy at the University of Illinois and vocal campaigner that is anti-gambling has called on the government to ‘re-criminalize’ electronic gambling machines (EGMs).

Composing an op-ed for the Southern Illinoisan, Kindt, who recently took the stand to testify for RAWA at the recent hearing that is congressional claims that the economic advantages of casinos are far outweighed by the social costs.

‘Gambling’s lobbyists allege new tax revenues, but academic studies indicate that the expense of the crime that is gambling-caused bankruptcies, and other new social costs to the taxpayers are at least $3 for every $1 in brand new tax income,’ he writes.

‘In most states, the tax profits are slowly siphoned away from education and teachers and back once again to gambling’s insiders, such as the recent New York Lottery scandal where $1.7 billion ended up being allegedly misdirected.’

Ancient Study

Unusually, for the scholastic, Kindt makes reference that is vague ‘studies,’ without citing sources, as in the estimate above, and right here: ‘Studies confirm that student populations are especially susceptible to EGM gambling addiction and will get hooked at twice the adult addiction prices.’

While we’re happy to take the nice professor’s term for this, we should aim out that at the RAWA hearing he was fond of quoting from the study that concluded that ‘internet gambling can not be regulated.’ This is an ancient study from 1999 and the times of dial-up internet, whose authors had been perhaps not well placed to know the bigger picture.

In their op-ed Kindt claims that the US nationwide Gambling Impact Study, additionally published in 1999, labelled slots, or maybe more specifically EGMs, once the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling.

However, this is disingenuous; the study makes no such claim, merely quoting an impression of psychologist Dr Robert Hunter, who known it as such in 1992.

Dubious Statement

Kindt also states that the United States National Gambling Impact Study ‘concluded that any states with EGMs convenient to the public required to re-criminalize those machines.’

Except it made no such recommendation. It merely recommended that Congress should instigate ‘analysis of the growth of gambling difficulties related to electronic gambling devices (EGD’s) as well as the risk factors that accompany this evolution for customers most most likely drawn to this form of gambling.’

‘EGMs shrink the customer economy, denigrate quality of life, enhance taxes, and stigmatize governments,’ concludes Kindt. ‘Governments must change their image, re-criminalize EGMs, and ‘grow the economy’ to attract brand new consumer businesses, Otherwise, EGMs and associated gambling proponents will continue to deteriorate neighborhood and state economies.’

Kindt’s main assertion, that gambling does perhaps not contribute to the economy, stays a hotly debated point.