Headline April 04, 2016/ ''' *INTERNET* : THE TROJAN GHOST '''

''' *INTERNET* :

 THE TROJAN GHOST '''

PROFESSOR DEREVENSKY,   the psychiatry professor at McGill University, who runs s center for problem gamblers, is not anti-gambling.

''Personally, I don't object to gambling, said the professor. ''I object to young people gambling, because they don't have the ability to set limits both in terms of time and money.''

*Which is why youth gambling in the Internet era so concerns him*.

Young-people, particularly young men, are greater risk-takers, while access to gambling has never been easier, he said.

From  2 to 4 percent of young people have gambling problems, Professor Derevensky said, citing what he said was the best  available research on the topic.

Chasing Ghosts, then. Offshore gambling sites, hoping to do business in countries where gambling is legal, are often licensed in small island jurisdictions like Malta, Alderney in the Channel Islands, and Curacao, just off the Venzuela coast, as well as in Costa Rica.

Mr. Galea, the consultant on gambling regulation, said the islands took on this responsibility as a way to solicit e-commerce. ''Today 12 percent  of the G.D.P. in Malta depends on online gambling,'' said Mr.Galea, who set up the gambling commission there.

While Malta strictly oversees these sites, he said, other countries, like Curacao, have been less vigilant. Experts say strict regulation offers some protection against illegally accepting United States customers.

''Curacao, believes very much in self-regulation,'' Mr Galea said, adding that attempting to find a gambling regulator there would would be like ''trying to call a ghost.''

The Times gave it a try during a recent visit to Curacao, home to gambling sites that have processes bets from   ''multibillion-dollar''  criminal betting rings in the United States.

But no one in the authority there would agree to talk in specific terms about the island's online gambling industry.

Steven Elman, who is elf-employed and lives in a Boston suburb, said he began betting on  BetCRIS , based in Costa Rica, about two and half years ago, after a friend vouched for him and secured a password from an agent Mr. Elman knew knew only as a  ''Tripper''.

Mr Elman said he collected his winnings a few times, but then that stopped even though he kept winning. Recently, he said he was owed $3,600 but all methods he previously used to contact  Tripper  no longer work.

TARGET MILLENNIALS  

In 2009, a new company FanDuel, entered the picture. ''Despite fantasy being a large market, it was an aging market,'' said Matt King,  FanDuel's chief financial officer. To shake up this ''stagnant'' business model  the company decided to focus on the  *Millennial Generation*,  he said.  

By far the biggest change has been the introduction of daily fantasy sports.

''We have several million paid players, and that's growing every day,'' Mr King said. ''Right now we are signing up   20 to 30,000 players every day''.

Million-dollar prizes are now common, not just for FanDuel but also for its chief rival, DraftKings. Yet unlike casinos and racetracks, fantasy sports continues to operate free of state or government regulation.

In an interview before the fantasy sports scandal broke, Mr. King said he saw no need for regulation. ''Our product is all about entertainment value,'' he said.

This month, after questions were raised about bettors using inside information, the company said it was taking steps ''to ensure the integrity of our site and our games.''

DraftKings is even more aggressive in venturing away from the original fantasy concept. Run largely by poker players and gamblers, DraftKings has started expanding into nonteam sports. It has also begun offering fantasy sports contests in the Hooters restaurant chain.

What may be DraftKings most daring venture, given the industry's aversion to the word  ''gambling,'' is a partnership to the World Series of Poker, a multi-million dollar gambling spectacle televised by ESPN.

To qualify for the World Series' main event, players must win smaller tournaments and play in one of a handful of states where poker is legal.

As exception is made for fantasy sports players. Win enough at fantasy sports online, and DraftKings offers a  $10,000 seat at the final poker tournament in Las Vegas. 

One fantasy player who won a seat this year in Max Steinberg , one of the many former professional players who switched to fantasy sports after three major illegal websites were shutdown April 15, 2011.

Mr. Steinberg said there were similarities between poker and daily fantasy sports. As to why fantasy players get special treatment over regular poker players , he said, ''It doesn't make any sense.''

DraftKings, states the author, declined to be reviewed for this article.

With respectful dedication to the Leaders, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all on !WOW!   -the World Students Society and the Ecosystem 2011:

''' Real Reality '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless