Online Casino Gambling

Believe it or not, Iowa has gaming regulations consistent with Nevada and New Jersey although most of their laws are geared toward riverboat gambling. In Iowa in 1989, casino gaming was legalized aboard historical river excursion vessels on the Mississippi River, Missouri River and other waterways within the state. At the same time, the state legislature developed the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission

The primary function of the Commission is to oversee pari-mutuel wagering as well as riverboat gaming. The Commission is fairly standard with five members appointed by the Governor of Iowa and reviewed by the Senate. Each member serves an office term of three years. The requirements for the position are by political party, gender and region in the state. The state requires approval from the counties where the riverboat will be based.

Similarity to Large Gaming States

Iowa has modeled their gambling structure after major gaming states like Nevada and New Jersey. The Nevada gaming model has always been regarded as lenient. On the other hand, New Jersey is much stricter. The New Jersey model requires an assessment of the cost of regulation as well as taxes. This was not possible in Iowa due to the high cost for the types of casinos permitted in the state.

Instead, Iowa focused on harsh regulations with regards to security, surveillance and cash control. Also, a networked slot machine data system was a requirement for the tracking of slot games. The state felt they found a balance between regulation and cost-effectiveness. However, casino operators still believed the cost was too high due to the high-priced state police agents aboard each vessel.

Casino Taxes

The tax structure is similar to other states offering riverboat gaming. Operators must pay an annual fee of $5 per person per voyage including the crew. Also, the state levies a $0.50 per head tax with a maximum of $250,000 per boat. Individual counties can implement a $0.50 local tax per passenger. The revenue is on a gradual scale with 5 percent for the first million dollars, 10 percent on the next two million and 20 percent on all revenue above three million.

Iowa initially used the best laws from New Jersey and Nevada to find the proper balance of regulation and cost-efficiency. In such a short time they have implemented a model gaming system for the rest of the country to follow.

Hierarchies are found in all organizations within all business sectors. They consist of your supervisor and direct reports. A well-defined hierarchy is better for morale, the creation of company culture, efficiency and productivity. Within a standard hierarchy, orders come from the top down when correctly routed.

Within the surveillance room at a casino, hierarchies are extremely important. One common example of a chain of command in a casino is:

1)      Surveillance Investigator reports to:

2)      Surveillance Supervisor who reports to:

3)      Surveillance Director who reports to:

4)      General Manager

Also reporting into the General Manager is:

1)      Casino Manager

2)      Slots Director

3)      Security Director

Reporting into the previous three are:

1)      Casino Shift Manager

2)      Slots Shift Manager

3)      Table Games Manager

Within the surveillance room there are two primary types of hierarchies:

• Those within the surveillance room
• All other departments

There is one simple rule within the surveillance room: no one outside of the surveillance department hierarchy demands orders to the surveillance room staff. Instead, the requests must pass through the proper chain of command. There are certain actions that must be approved by the Surveillance Director. This includes the release of original recordings, composite recordings, special observations and information.

Internal matters relating to personnel issues must also be distributed through the surveillance hierarchy starting with the Director. These instances include ideas, complaints, suggestions and personnel change. For example, the ideal process for an investigator to give an idea to the Director is for them to write it down, give it to the Supervisor who will then give it to the Director. Verbal suggestions are not the route to take as they often are forgotten or overlooked.

Unfortunately, within this type of hierarchy, the Supervisor can easily present the suggestion as his own. Although unfair and deceitful, this type of behavior does occur and when discovered by others, greatly diminishes the Supervisor’s credibility and respect.

It is always important to know the chain of command within other departments. This will help you be more productive, get the answers needed in a reasonable amount of time and generate favors.

Like any type of business, it is important to follow the chains of command within the surveillance room. Those that cannot conform do not last long in their role. A clearly defined hierarchy improves communication, efficiency, productivity and builds excellent report among many different departments.

Horse race wagering is the same at all tracks and off-track betting locations. However, understanding which bets to make and how to make them is the key to feeling more comfortable and thus making smart wagers when at the track or online.

There are two primary types of bets that can be made on horse races. These include:

• Straight bets
• Exotic bets

Straight bets are the most popular type of wager and account for most of the money bet. In most cases, this type of wager is made in increments of $2.00. The four straight bets that can be made include:

• Win
• Place
• Show
• Across-the-board

With the win bet, you collect if your selected horse places first. To collect on the place bet, your horse must acquire first or second place. To collect on the show bet, your horse must place first, second or third.

Finally, the across-the-board wager is when you bet the win, place and show. You combine the three onto one ticket so a bet of $2.00 will cost you $6.00. If you win, you collect the winnings for all three bets. If your horse places in second you collect the winnings for place and show. If in third place, you collect for show only.

The four types of exotic bets include:

• Exacta
• Quinella
• Trifecta
• The Box

With the exacta wager you choose two horses to come in first and second place in the same race. The box covers all possible ways to win so those who bet the exacta also bet the box. The quinella is like the exacta where you select two horses to place first and second with the difference being the order does not matter. The trifecta is a wager that requires selecting three horses to finish in the exact order.

Finally, the box gives you a much better chance of winning. Although it requires placing multiple bets and thus more money, your winning percentage significantly improves. For instance, if you bet $2.00 on the exacta and box them, your horses can place in any order and you still win.

Betting on horse races can be an exciting way to spend money as long as it is done responsibly. Learning the different bets and which ones are the best is the key to an improved comfort level and thus a more fun experience.