The committee enlisted in Waterhouse, because they felt that he would be able to provide some insight into the situation. As the operator of one of the biggest bookmakers in the country, he could have provided some solid evidence that betting ads are not harmful. However, he failed to show at the hearing, because he was attending a racing festival. This is the second time he has snubbed the invitation.

Now, local politicians are getting impatient. MP Andrew Wilkie, a well-known responsible gambling advocate, believes that Waterhouse should be summoned.

“I don’t think it’s good enough that someone with such profile, someone who could help the committee so much, thinks that he’s above the parliament and he can say no,” Wilkie says. “How dare he show such contempt for the parliament to not accept a formal request to attend,” he said”.

Waterhouse’s apathetic attitude towards the situation will certainly not help his case. His NRL segments are in danger of being cancelled, which would eliminate a valuable source of advertising for his company. His reluctance to help local politicians with their inquiry will reflect badly on him, and could have negative impacts on his NRL deal.

The only action we have seen from Waterhouse is his issuing of a letter to the committee. In it, he states that he never meant to target children with his betting segments – but he fails to provide any other information about gambling advertisements during televised sports matches.

If you’re not familiar with the scandal, it involved six users that cheated their way into millions of dollars’ worth of online poker profits. They used an unauthorized software code that allowed them to see the hole cards of other players. With this type of information, the players would never lose any hands, and they were able to steal millions from players on the website.

This week, Travis Marak, former assistant to UltimateBet owner Russ Hamilton, released an incriminating audio tape. On the recording, Hamilton can be heard admitting that he stole money from players using cheating software. According to PokerNews.com, the recording was made to ensure that Hamilton would not be the only person tied to the scandal.

Also on the tape were Greg Pierson, UltimateBet’s founder, as well as attorneys Daniel Friedberg and Sanford Millar. The three individuals discussed the ‘God Mode’ software with Hamilton, speaking about the program’s specific functions. Hamilton admitted to stealing more than $16 million from players on the site.

The tape also mentioned Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth, two poker pros with close relations to UltimateBet poker. Both pros have released statements regarding the audio recording, Hellmuth stating that he “made a big mistake in trusting them for way too long.” Duke denied ever using the software, and denounced the website’s operators. She wrote:

“Knowing what I know today, I would have never encouraged anyone to play on the UltimateBet.com site under that management. I’m horrified at the lengths to which these people went to try to cover up their actions, and I am very sorry that I ever agreed to work with them.”

Social gaming sites like Facebook allow users of all ages to access casino games so long as real money is no being wagered. For example, Double Down Casino and Zynga Poker do not require players to wager real cash. Instead, they use digital currency, which seems to make it acceptable for underage individuals to wager on slots and poker games.

However, there are inherent dangers involved in allowing young people to wager on play-money online casino games. Underage individuals have not been taught to handle money responsibly. So, before they learn to budget funds, they are given the chance to learn to gamble with simulated casino games.

“The concern is particularly for children, that again it’s normalising gambling,” Dr. Gainsbury says. “They’re enjoying it, and because it’s not regulated as a gambling game, the pay-out rates aren’t randomly determined”.

Simulated games also provide an unrealistic view of gambling. Play-money titles often reload players’ accounts every day. So, if a player loses all of their money, they will receive a new balance in the morning. Unfortunately, this is not how it works in the real-money gambling world – but underage gamblers are not taught to understand that money can be lost forever.

These findings back Senator Nick Xenophon’s argument’s that social gaming should be regulated by the Australian government. He believes that politicians should set out rules that dictate the terms of social games, whether they require real-money wagers or not. He feels that this would benefit children across the country by protecting them from the dangers of underage gambling.

The winning design was created by British architecture firm Wilkinson Eyre. Crown Casino officials feel that the design was ground-breaking, iconic and innovative, but the Australian Institute of Architects is not nearly as impressed. According to the institute’s president, Joe Agius, the concept is off-the-mark and does not fit into the Sydney skyline.

“What will be the impact of such a monumental building on the low-scale and people-friendly community facilities proposed for the harbour side of Barangaroo Central?” Agius asks.

He states that the building might as well be in Dubai, and other critics feel that the design is more suited to a casino in Packer’s other burgeoning market, Macau.

However, Packer will not be discouraged. He claims that the design is not at all derivative and that the building would not be suitable for a location like Macau. On the other hand, he does note that its design does compete with the scale of buildings that are located in luxury locations.

“Dubai and Macau have been successful in attracting tourists, phenomenally successful,” Packer says. “So you look down our nose at Dubai if you want to, but you have to be careful that Dubai’s not looking down their nose on us”.

Even though Packer has already chosen a winning design, his proposed high roller casino is not a sure thing. NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell is still weighing the options, deciding whether Crown should build a high-roller casino in Sydney or if Echo Entertainment should expand The Star casino into a resort. Packer certainly is jumping the gun, but the attention his proposed venue is receiving could sway O’Farrell’s opinion.

The casino operator claims that wearing Google Glass in the casino would violate local gaming laws. A statement from Caesar’s reads:

“Nevada gaming regulations (and those in other states, as well) prohibit the use of computers or recording devices when gambling. As a result, we cannot allow guests who are gambling to wear Google Glass”.

Recording devices post a threat to land-based casinos, because they can help patrons cheat at games. For example, some patrons have attempted to record a blackjack session in order to work out patterns. When these individuals are discovered, they are immediately thrown out of the casino, but Google Glass will not be easy to detect because it does not provide any indication that the user is recording. As such, casinos are worried that cheating will go undetected if patrons are permitted to enter the casino wearing Google Glass.

Casinos are not the only venues that feel threatened by Google Glass. Cinemas are planning to ban the technology, because patrons could discreetly record moving for pirating purposes. Some insurance companies are also worried about the new Augmented Reality technology. With Google Glass, information is constantly displayed in front of the user’s eyes. This could prove distracting for many drivers, causing accidents and collisions.

In the online casino world, however, operators are embracing the technology. Some developers are interested in creating gambling applications that are compatible with Google Glass, providing users with an immersive gambling experience. The technology is certainly being met with mixed reviews, and it will be interesting to see where Google Glass is embraced and where it is banned.

Echo Entertainment is now making plans to build a casino complex over the course of four city blocks, outfitting Westfield and an building of old government offices with gambling facilities, retail shops and other forms of entertainment that will draw in tourism. The project is expected to cost at least $1.3 billion.

Normally, industries that are not directly associated with gambling fail to support these types of ideas. However, this case is different. Brisbane retailers support the plan to extend the Treasury Casino, seeing great opportunities to benefit the retail industry.

“The Queen Street Mall is incredibly bustling and busy to walk through at certain times of the day, so extending it a bit further (to the Treasury site) would improve the flow and give shoppers a better experience,” says Trevor Evans from the National Retail Association.

The city of Brisbane is in need of tourism. Although it is one of the biggest, busiest cities in Australia, it pales in comparison to Sydney and Melbourne. Local politicians feel that Brisbane needs more venues that make it recognizable on an international scale – and they think the new and improved Treasury Casino could lead this revolution.

The new casino will also host new hotels, helping Brisbane compensate for its shortage of tourism accommodation. Currently, the city is losing out 87,000 visitors and $130 million due to a shortage of hotel rooms. With the casino expansion, the Treasury casino will be able to host thousands more visitors, helping to greatly boost tourism in Brisbane.

The event in question took place in 2011, when Olivia Ferguson and Matthew Anderson were ejected from Crown Melbourne. They discovered that their friend Anthony Dunning was being escorted out of the casino, they followed after him. Ferguson slapped Tran after he made an inappropriate comment, and he responded by restraining her in a painful hold.

Prosecutors argued that he used unnecessary force in response to Ferguson’s ‘powder puff blow’. The judged sided with the Crown and Tran was found guilty of assaulting Ferguson, intentionally causing her injury and unlawfully detaining her.

During the commotion, Anderson was thrown to the ground by Fucile, who was found guilty of assault. Both Fucile and Levchenko were found guilty of unlawfully detaining Anderson.

“Our clients were just ordinary people enjoying a night out after the footy. It’s unimaginable it would end in such tragedy,” said prosecutor Michel Margalit. “The treatment of our clients by Crown casino security staff was nothing short of disgraceful.”

The bouncers’ lawyers claimed that all three men were acting in defence, but the Supreme Court was not convinced. CCTV footage provided proof of exactly how violent their actions were. It was undeniable that they were in the wrong.

They will face disciplinary action for their crimes, but they have yet to be sentenced. There is no telling how long they could spend in jail, but it is likely that they will lose their jobs and be blacklisted from security jobs. Additionally, the couple are now seeking damages from Crown Casino.

This week, the NSW’s Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority approved the move, allowing Crown Casino to increase its stake in its competitor. Since Crown launched a bid with Echo last year, there has been some speculation that there may be a takeover in the future. However, it is still too soon to tell.

In the meantime, the two companies continue to compete over the expansion of Sydney’s casino market. Echo Entertainment wants to expand its Star Casino into a resort while Crown wants to build a high-roller gambling venue. Since Echo Entertainment’s exclusivity agreement ends in 2019, only one plan can be carried out. NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell is currently weighing the options.

Crown’s increased stake in Echo Entertainment does raise some interesting points, though. If there is indeed a takeover in the pipeline, Packer’s smug attitude about his casino proposal would certainly be justified.

This week, he released a number of designs for his new casino – despite not having his proposal approved yet. Packer seems convinced that Crown Casinos will be able to build the high-roller venue that it has been touting for the past year. Even if his company absorbs Echo Entertainment in the future, it seems as though he is more interested in introducing high roller gambling in Sydney rather than creating a casino-resort venue.

At the moment, everything is still up in the air. NSW politicians are still weighing in on the decision of who will get to expand Sydney’s gambling market, and the two companies are eagerly awaiting the result.

Three architectural firms from around the world have submitted proposals, hoping to be chosen to design the new world-class venue. Packer has described the sketches as inspirational, and he believes that the new venue’s design will rival the beauty and grandeur of the Sydney Opera House. The designs were submitted by Wilkinson Eyre, Adrian Smith and Kohn Pedersen Fox. All three sketches feature skyscraper builders with very modern designs.

“With these sorts of designs, Crown Sydney will be the most iconic building constructed in this city since the Opera House,” says Packer. “Whoever ends up winning – it’s guaranteed to be a masterpiece”.

Of the submissions, many residents feel that Fox’s sketch is the most appropriate design for the new casino because it fits into Sydney’s existing skyline. Other residents believe that local architects should submit sketches, because they would have a better idea of what the Sydney skyline requires.

Local architects are also sceptical of these claims. John Agius of the Australian Institute of Architects believes that all three designs fail to complement the Skyline. He states that they “look uncomfortable in a Sydney context”.

There is also the issue that Packer has yet to receive the go-ahead from the NSW government. By releasing designs for the casino, he seems convinced that he will be granted a gambling license for Sydney – but will his smug attitude hurt or help his case?

The new code would prohibit sports commentators from talking about betting odds during games. This provision was likely inspired by bookmaker Tom Waterhouse’s appearances at the commentators table during NRL matches. Although he has been given his own segments, viewers are still concerned that commentators normalize betting, which can be harmful for young spectators.

Another amendment would prohibit gambling ads during sports matches. The bill would also limit live odds updates which are broadcasted throughout games. All of these marketing tools encourage viewers to gamble. Since many viewers are underage individuals, bookmakers are appealing to the wrong audience, and encouraging young people to gamble.

”Most people I have spoken to do not want to see the sport of football become a vehicle for gambling in the same way as horse racing is,” reads a statement from Mr Jones. ”They are particularly concerned about the promotion of gambling in the presence of children who are keen followers of the game.”

With all of the negative attention that has betting marketing has received this year, it is likely that Jones’ bill will receive a great deal of support from local politicians. If so, it will not be long before rugby and football matches are free from betting advertisements.

However, it beg the question: what will happen to Tom Waterhouse? The bookmaker paid millions to appear on television during NRL matches. Will his contract be disbanded? Will he get his money back?