What happened to an unlucky iguana? ??

A new spin on staying sharp

A Bloomberg article this week looked at pachinko, long linked to semi-legal gambling in Japan.

Pachinko’s history in Japan goes back almost a century when pinball machines were imported from Chicago.

However, the Japanese vertical pinball gambling game is now gaining popularity among seniors as a way to prevent dementia.

Scientific studies suggest that playing pachinko stimulates the brain and enhances cognitive function in older adults.

Kikunori Shinohara, a brain scientist and professor at Suwa Tokyo University of Science, claims: “I’m getting old myself, but doing activities I like that have benefits are much better than doing tedious therapy.”

From machines equipped with big screens to others that integrate bike pedals, companies have already started designing products tailored for seniors.

Day Service Las Vegas, a casino-themed day care centre, also offers pachinko alongside games like mahjong and poker.

“This is a day care, intended to imitate a casino, so the elders can have fun,” said Day Service Las Vegas CEO Kaoru Mori.

Mori founded the facility to add more excitement to care centres, which were previously perceived as “boring.”

About 20% of Mori’s guests play pachinko using fake money to buy tokens, and they are required to take hourly breaks for exercise.

Pachinko might just be hitting the jackpot in memory care.

According to Bloomberg, seniors have reported improved cognitive abilities, better sleep, and even becoming more social after playing pachinko.

High-roller hits jackpot in debt

Singaporean high-roller Wong Yew Choy has been dealt a losing hand in his bid to avoid a multimillion-dollar baccarat debt with The Star Gold Coast Casino.

According to The Straits Times, Wong, who racked up a staggering A$43m in losses between 26 July and 2 August 2018, left Australia without settling his debts, leaving the casino high and dry.

The Star Gold Coast Casino, hoping to recover the debt, attempted to cash a blank cheque he had previously provided as part of a cheque-cashing facility agreement.

However, the cheque bounced, as the player had already instructed his bank not to honour any cheques drawn in favour of the casino.

Despite Wong’s complaints about alleged mistakes made by the baccarat dealers and claims of being assured by the casino’s COO that he wouldn’t have to pay the losses, the casino maintained that there was no official agreement to wipe his debt.

After unsuccessful attempts to recover the debt in Singapore, where gaming debt recovery is largely prohibited, the casino took the case to Queensland, where the Court of Appeal sided with the casino.

Justice Melanie Hindman ruled that the debt from the cheque-cashing facility was essentially a loan, and Wong was ordered to repay A$38.7m, plus interest and indemnity costs.

Iguana crackdown

This week, The Washington Post turned its eye towards the knotty subject of offshore gambling.

Despite the rise of the regulated sportsbooks in recent years, the paper noted the continued existence of a large black market throughout the US.

One of the largest operators Bovada was dealt a blow earlier in the year after six states sent cease-and-desist letters to the Cura?ao-based sportsbook.

When quizzed why this step didn’t take this step earlier, one regulator was unable to explain why.

“I don’t have a good answer for you,” Kurt Steinkamp, chief of staff of the Michigan Gaming Control Board, told The Post.

He however highlighted the need to conduct investigations ahead of sending the letters and said he expected the MGCB to go after similar offshore operators.

In terms of federal action, 28 Congressman wrote to attorney general Merrick Garland two years ago urging action against the “predatory operations” of the offshore books.

Nevada representative Dina Titus said Garland never replied to their letter.

Casino executive and gambling regulator Richard Schuetz told the newspaper appeals to the Justice Department were “just drama” because “Merrick Garland is not going to go to Costa Rica and start arresting people.”

Schetz instead argued any crackdown would necessarily require collaboration among US diplomats and local governments.

“These are important outposts diplomatically,” he added, “and no one gives a s— that they’re making some money because of US bettors.”

Meanwhile, former Pinnacle CEO Paris Smith told The Post during a phone call while she was driving that the anti-customer policies of the major regulated operators meant players were likely to bet on offshore offerings for the foreseeable.

After briefly pausing the interview because she said she accidentally ran over an iguana, Smith added: “They’re always saying, we’re looking out for players. Clearly [that’s] not the case.”

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