
The Poipet Strip: nine casinos that are small a gambling no-man’s-land between the Cambodian and Thai passport control counters. (Image: scbsme.com)
While final month’s army coup in Thailand, which toppled the democratically elected government, may be considered a cause for concern to the worldwide community, it’s reportedly been a huge boon to the little Cambodian gambling city of Poipet, just over the border. Poipet has for ages been a destination that is popular the people of Thailand, where gambling on anything other than domestic horseracing and the national lottery is illegal, despite a general enthusiasm among the population.
But, the latest army junta’s authoritarian crackdown on illegal gambling enterprises and gambling dens in Thailand is directing the former customers of these unfortunate establishments eagerly towards the table games of Poipet.
Cambodia itself has a (loosely enforced) no-gambling policy but, fortunately for all involved, Poipet’s casino strip, containing nine smallish casinos, is cunningly situated in a type of gambling no-man’s-land between your Cambodian and Thai passport control counters.
Military Shut Down of Illegal Gambling
The influx remains something of the surprise to the Poipet operators, however, because into the days following the coup they reported that the number of people to the town had dropped considerably. At the beginning of June, managing director of Crown Resorts Kim Ledaro (unaffiliated with the Australian gambling empire; we checked) told the Phnom Pen that the daily average of Thai site visitors had fallen by 40 percent through the previous month.
It would appear that Thai gamblers, initially fearing for their safety that is personal in days straight away succeeding the coup, have become more spirited and rebellious in the face of repression. One such gambler, now gladly ensconced behind a baccarat table in a Poipet casino, told Agence France-Press that Thais had flocked to Poipet because they ‘cannot play these games in Thailand now … the military has shut down unlawful gambling.’
We can not really blame the gamblers for fleeing in droves. Simply this week, the junta announced that, in the name of ‘establishing social purchase,’ it had arrested 1,677 people, including four ‘foreigners’, for the crime of betting or managing a book on the planet Cup between June 9 and 21. It also claimed to own shut down 675 gambling that is illegal.
Police in Cahoots
‘Thais are quite addicted to gambling and the World Cup is a period when gambling spikes,’ deputy police spokesman Anucha Romyanan told Reuters. ‘People are still attempting to access gambling websites so we’re locating those websites and shutting them down.’
Previously this week, authorities swooped in on a large casino that is illegal it had also exposed to your public. Police confiscated 27 baccarat tables, 1,000 packs of playing cards, and chips worth $89,000 through the ‘Number One Casino’ in Bangkok, and arrested 37 people, 23 of who were Cambodians. Many of the illegal casinos in Thailand have for ages been protected by the police, and perhaps regional police chiefs have actually been relieved of their duties.
Scores of illegal casinos have been shut down elsewhere, some by accident. The junta’s strict prohibition of public protest has resulted in regular raids searching for high-level opponents to the coup; one such raid, by 100 soldiers on a hotel basement, uncovered a casino operation rather than a den of sedition. It seems the gamblers had gotten prior warning, nevertheless, and had fled. Advantageous to them. Maybe all of them went to Poipet!
Las Vegas Sands Files Trademark Infringement on Casino Web Sites
The Las vegas, nevada Sands Corp. is hoping to guard its trademark from use by unlicensed on-line casino operators. (Image: Company Insider)
Knowing anything about CEO Sheldon Adelson’s stance on on line gambling, you wouldn’t expect that the Las Las vegas Sands Corporation (LVS)would be operating an Internet casino of its very own. And while you’d be right about this, the Sands is concerned that some groups out there are attempting to make use of its name to promote the practice that is very company is fighting against.
LVS launched trademark infringement proceedings in a Nevada federal court on Friday, in an endeavor to prevent a variety of websites from having its authorized trademarks without permission through the company. The Sands says that 35 Asian sites are using either its trademark that is registered a series of Chinese characters that spell out the trademark, in an effort to deceive potential customers.
While that covers dozens of web sites that the Sands calls ‘a community of Chinese language online websites,’ the majority of the sites appear to really connect with just two casino internet sites. The sites were registered by proxy services, meaning that the Sands was not able to identify the owners associated with the web sites at this time. A few of the web sites were numerical in nature, such as 368.com, 8227.com and 9770.com.
Use of Trademark ‘No Accident’
Web sites in question use either the Sands trademark, or two Chinese characters that translate to ‘golden sand,’ which is the way the Sands trademark is normally transcribed in China.
‘The use of plaintiff’s markings ended up being no accident https://myfreepokies.com/lightning-link-slot-review/,’ the Sands wrote in its problem. ‘The website is obviously meant to reference plaintiff’s world resort that is famous, as it shows a skyline view of Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore.’
That usage has led the company to sue for trademark infringement, false designation of beginning, dilution and competition that is unfair. The Sands is searching for relief as well as damages, fees and court costs.
Usage Runs Countertop to Anti-Online Gambling Campaign
The Sands points out that monetary compensation alone wouldn’t be enough to allow this activity to continue, as it stands in contrast to the stated positions of Adelson and the firm as a whole on Internet gambling in the filing.
‘As just one example makes clear, while Las vegas, nevada Sands Corp. is a strong supporter of the Coalition to quit Internet Gambling, and it is presently engaged in publicity and lobbying campaigns aimed at defeating measures that would legalize Web gambling into the usa and elsewhere, the Defendants’ use of the SANDS Marks in the homepages of online casinos…threatens to dilute and detract from Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s message and its efforts to stop the proliferation of online gambling,’ the business continued.
With the owners associated with web sites unknown and likely hosted international, it is unclear whether a legal victory for the Sands would result in the shutdown associated with sites or the removal of their trademarks.
Sands Loses Trademark Battles in Macau
Trademark law has been an area that is active the Sands as of late. Earlier this Macau’s Court of 2nd Instance published a ruling that steering clear of the company from registering the term ‘Cotai Strip. month’ The company was trying to protect the expression as a right part of its rewards system in Macau. Judges remarked that the Sands was definately not the company that is only Cotai providing such services.
‘ If the registration of the trademark was to be allowed, it would make it difficult for customers to determine this product or solutions being offered,’ the court said.
Study Finds Monkeys Believe in Following Winning Streaks
Rhesus monkeys in a recent study apparently believed in winning streaks, although this one looks like he is telling his buddy the inescapable beat story that is bad. (Image: odishasuntimes.com)
If you think which you must always bet on the numbers which can be hot at the roulette dining table, then you may be happy to hear you are perhaps not alone in your belief in the ‘hot hand’ fallacy. Brand New research shows that the belief that random activities are following a pattern is far more widespread than previously believed. To be fair, though, these brand new topics would probably say they will have faith in their hot paw instead.
A study that is new the University of Rochester unearthed that rhesus monkeys share what was thought to be described as a very human being belief in hot hands, or the proven fact that a bet that has been having to pay off, will stay doing so. The investigation, led by doctoral candidate Tommy Blanchard, has added evidence that finding patterns in random data might be a trait that is evolutionarily inherited instead of one we grab from the culture around us.
Monkeys Play Simple Guessing Game
In order to study just how monkeys seriously considered gambling, researchers created a fast-paced computerized game in which the topics simply guessed whether the winning side is left or appropriate. They would receive a reward if they were correct. This had been enough to help keep the monkeys playing for long periods of time.
‘Luckily, monkeys love to gamble,’ Blanchard said.
The researchers then made the overall game play in one of three ways. Sometimes, the game would actually hand down rewards at random, with no pattern whatsoever. Other times, the wins would are generally on a single side. Finally, there was a version when the winning side usually alternated from left to right.
If the game had one of many pattern sequences, the 3 monkeys in the study quickly figured them away and started winning their rewards. However in the random games, the monkeys instead continued to try and find patterns, favoring one side in the expectation that recent streaks would continue. This behavior did not change with experience, either: it kept happening for weeks and 1000s of studies.
‘They had lots and lots of opportunities to obtain over this bias, to learn and alter, and yet they continued to show the tendency that is same’ Blanchard said.
A Shared Bias Towards Pattern Recognition
While the research was not a perfect analogue for gambling, as the monkeys did not have to risk such a thing to earn their rewards, it still made it clear that their brains have a similar tendency as human beings to locate habits, even when there are none. Researchers believe that this is probable tied into how primate brains developed discover meals within the wild, a very non-random process in which pattern recognition is key.
‘ If you find a nice juicy beetle on the underside of a log, this is decent evidence that there can be a beetle in a similar location nearby,’ said Benjamin Hayden, a coauthor of the research. ‘We have this drive that is incredible see habits in the world, and we also have this incredible drive to learn…if there is a pattern there, we are on top of it. And if there may or may not be a pattern there, that’s even more interesting.’
As in other studies of this type, it is hoped that the extensive research can assist assist in the treatment of problem gambling, as this addiction is often exacerbated by gambling-related fallacies.