The General
Another Day, Another Dollar
Law enforcers won't seek out gamblers, unless they get complaint
Tens of thousands of Macomb County residents will break the law by gambling on the upcoming Super Bowl. But don't bet on any of them getting arrested.
Serious and casual fans will join in "squares" and other gambling games for the Super Bowl XL in Detroit on Feb. 5, but law enforcement agencies won't be looking to enforce any gambling laws, unless they receive a complaint.
"There's probably 10,000 office pools in Warren," quipped Police Chief Danny Clark, adding: "We would investigate based on a complaint. But we're not looking for office pools. We look more at people with serious gambling problems, when a spouse calls and says there's no food in the refrigerator because the money has been gambled away."
Violation of most gambling laws in Michigan is a misdemeanor, with a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said his office would prosecute any gambling case that a police agency presents to his office.
"Gambling is per se against the law," he said. "If the facts support a crime, we'll charge it."
But he admitted, "We don't get many gambling cases here."
Smith's stance differs from his predecessor, former Prosecutor Carl Marlinga, who said his office would only pursue charges against someone who runs a pool over a certain dollar amount, operates the pool out of a bar or makes a profit.
The last highly visible gambling case with Macomb connections was the January 2000 bust of a sports-betting ring based out of Livonia but with ties to Clinton Township, Mount Clemens and Warren, among other metropolitan Detroit communities. Charges followed a 4-month investigation headed by Fraser police.
The Super Bowl is considered the biggest betting day of the year, as fans who gamble occasionally join those who regularly wager on sports on the Internet or with bookies.
The most common pool for the Super Bowl is squares in which bettors pay to select one or more boxes from a grid of 100 boxes. Two digits are randomly selected and assigned to each square, and scores from the game determine the winning boxes.
State law prohibits anyone from accepting "money or any valuable thing" contingent "upon the result of any race, contest or game." Another part of the law says that anyone who maintains records for the "registering of bets or buying or selling pools" has broken the law.
Although most violations of the law are misdemeanors, there also are felonies with multiyear penalties for operating a criminal enterprise and conspiracy to violate gambling laws. Portions of the law regarding "maintaining a gaming room" or operating a slot machine-type game heighten the penalty to a high misdemeanor or felony, both with maximum penalties of two years in jail.
Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel, who agreed his officers would only investigate illegal gambling based on a complaint, said state legislators should revise the law to allow small-scale office pools and poker parties because of the wide acceptance of such things.
"We shouldn't keep laws on the books for the heck of it," he said. "With the casinos and lottery, we allow so much of other types of gambling. People should be allowed to have their own little office pools or have a Texas Hold 'Em party with a $10 entry fee. You're just creating a fun environment. The legislators need to make a distinction between those people and the people who are really gambling."
Former Republican state Sen. Dave Jaye of Macomb County introduced a law in the late 1990s to make legal pools with entry fees of $10 and less and pots of $1,000 or less legal. The measure was passed by the Senate but died in the House of Representatives.
Lawmakers have allowed many types of gambling in Michigan, including at casinos and race tracks, and gaming for charity. Small-scale recreational poker is allowed at senior citizen centers.
Internet gambling, on Web sites operated outside of the United States, has skyrocketed in recent years and will be bountiful Feb. 5. Experts estimate that more than $450 million will be bet online for the Super Bowl.
Besides typical bets based on the outcome of the game, betting sites offer many special "props" for the Super Bowl. On Sports Interaction, gamblers can bet on which team will achieve the first first-down or call the first time out. The site includes a nonfootball wager: whether the first song to be played by halftime performer Rolling Stones will be "Satisfaction."
The amount of legal sports wagering in Las Vegas was $90.8 million for last year's Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Robert Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, said the amount of legal gambling is only a fraction of the illegal gambling that will take place for the Super Bowl.
For gambling addicts who are losing, the event is a chance for them to "chase their losses."
"It's a time problem gamblers are desperately trying to chase their losses for the season," Whyte said. "They see the Super Bowl as a time to break even. The psychology of gambling is you're always one bet away."
Whyte said "the vast majority of people" gamble harmlessly, but a small percentage of adults, from 3 percent to 5 percent, are problem or compulsive gamblers, according to experts and studies.
For those with a gambling problem, the National Council on Problem Gambling's help line is (800) 522-4700.
http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/012606/loc_squares001.shtml
Tens of thousands of Macomb County residents will break the law by gambling on the upcoming Super Bowl. But don't bet on any of them getting arrested.
Serious and casual fans will join in "squares" and other gambling games for the Super Bowl XL in Detroit on Feb. 5, but law enforcement agencies won't be looking to enforce any gambling laws, unless they receive a complaint.
"There's probably 10,000 office pools in Warren," quipped Police Chief Danny Clark, adding: "We would investigate based on a complaint. But we're not looking for office pools. We look more at people with serious gambling problems, when a spouse calls and says there's no food in the refrigerator because the money has been gambled away."
Violation of most gambling laws in Michigan is a misdemeanor, with a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said his office would prosecute any gambling case that a police agency presents to his office.
"Gambling is per se against the law," he said. "If the facts support a crime, we'll charge it."
But he admitted, "We don't get many gambling cases here."
Smith's stance differs from his predecessor, former Prosecutor Carl Marlinga, who said his office would only pursue charges against someone who runs a pool over a certain dollar amount, operates the pool out of a bar or makes a profit.
The last highly visible gambling case with Macomb connections was the January 2000 bust of a sports-betting ring based out of Livonia but with ties to Clinton Township, Mount Clemens and Warren, among other metropolitan Detroit communities. Charges followed a 4-month investigation headed by Fraser police.
The Super Bowl is considered the biggest betting day of the year, as fans who gamble occasionally join those who regularly wager on sports on the Internet or with bookies.
The most common pool for the Super Bowl is squares in which bettors pay to select one or more boxes from a grid of 100 boxes. Two digits are randomly selected and assigned to each square, and scores from the game determine the winning boxes.
State law prohibits anyone from accepting "money or any valuable thing" contingent "upon the result of any race, contest or game." Another part of the law says that anyone who maintains records for the "registering of bets or buying or selling pools" has broken the law.
Although most violations of the law are misdemeanors, there also are felonies with multiyear penalties for operating a criminal enterprise and conspiracy to violate gambling laws. Portions of the law regarding "maintaining a gaming room" or operating a slot machine-type game heighten the penalty to a high misdemeanor or felony, both with maximum penalties of two years in jail.
Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel, who agreed his officers would only investigate illegal gambling based on a complaint, said state legislators should revise the law to allow small-scale office pools and poker parties because of the wide acceptance of such things.
"We shouldn't keep laws on the books for the heck of it," he said. "With the casinos and lottery, we allow so much of other types of gambling. People should be allowed to have their own little office pools or have a Texas Hold 'Em party with a $10 entry fee. You're just creating a fun environment. The legislators need to make a distinction between those people and the people who are really gambling."
Former Republican state Sen. Dave Jaye of Macomb County introduced a law in the late 1990s to make legal pools with entry fees of $10 and less and pots of $1,000 or less legal. The measure was passed by the Senate but died in the House of Representatives.
Lawmakers have allowed many types of gambling in Michigan, including at casinos and race tracks, and gaming for charity. Small-scale recreational poker is allowed at senior citizen centers.
Internet gambling, on Web sites operated outside of the United States, has skyrocketed in recent years and will be bountiful Feb. 5. Experts estimate that more than $450 million will be bet online for the Super Bowl.
Besides typical bets based on the outcome of the game, betting sites offer many special "props" for the Super Bowl. On Sports Interaction, gamblers can bet on which team will achieve the first first-down or call the first time out. The site includes a nonfootball wager: whether the first song to be played by halftime performer Rolling Stones will be "Satisfaction."
The amount of legal sports wagering in Las Vegas was $90.8 million for last year's Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Robert Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, said the amount of legal gambling is only a fraction of the illegal gambling that will take place for the Super Bowl.
For gambling addicts who are losing, the event is a chance for them to "chase their losses."
"It's a time problem gamblers are desperately trying to chase their losses for the season," Whyte said. "They see the Super Bowl as a time to break even. The psychology of gambling is you're always one bet away."
Whyte said "the vast majority of people" gamble harmlessly, but a small percentage of adults, from 3 percent to 5 percent, are problem or compulsive gamblers, according to experts and studies.
For those with a gambling problem, the National Council on Problem Gambling's help line is (800) 522-4700.
http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/012606/loc_squares001.shtml
