Latest news with #GamingCommission
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gaming Commission grants Western Mass $3.2 million in casino mitigation funds
SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Tuesday more than $3.2 million in community mitigation funds for Western Massachusetts. Grants include $200,000 for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to do a traffic study on the impact of cars headed through Springfield and neighboring towns headed to MGM Springfield. Also on the list is $807,000 for Holyoke Community College, Springfield Technical Community College and Springfield Public Schools to continue their WorkReady program in the next year. WorkReady includes English for speakers of other languages, digital literacy and occupational training. Programs include preparing students for work as a line cook and focusing on jobs in the casino industry, according to the school's application. Gaming commissioners deferred votes on some grant requests, including traffic improvements in Longmeadow and public safety grant applications, because Commissioner Eileen O'Brien was absent and wishes to review them in detail at the June 17 meeting. The public safety applications included a $400,000 request from the Hampden County Sheriff's Office for the Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center. The drug treatment facility had to move to 155 Mill St. when the casino was built and the state Gaming Commission has supported it with casino revenue for the past 10 years. But there are questions now as to how connected the congoing expenses are to casino. Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi led commissioners on a tour of the Mill Street facility a year ago. Also delayed until the June 17 meeting was the Hampden County District Attorney's Office's request for $100,000 to cover personnel costs related to cases that emerge from MGM Springfield. The commission, when it votes, is recommending a smaller $75,000 amount. State law set up the community mitigation fund when casinos were legalized. Gaming regulators warn, however, that while the money is available now, current state budget proposals from the governor, House and Senate don't guarantee any of it will be there next year. Also approved at Tuesday's Gaming Commission meeting were: Agawam: $321,000 to close funding gaps in the Suffield Street, Rowley Street and Cooper Street intersection project. The project is expected to cost $1.7 million. Chicopee: $341,000 for surveillance cameras and license plate readers along with supporting infrastructure. Funding will also go to streetscape improvements in Chicopee Center and the city's portion of the ValleyBike Share funding. East Longmeadow: $347,000 for conceptual planning of the Center Town District, for ambulance and police equipment including defibrillators, radar units and traffic cameras. Of that $347,000, $60,000 will go towards the possible redesign of the infamous East Longmeadow rotary. Hampden: $75,000 for a tourism marketing plan emphasizing the town's outdoor recreation. Northampton: $75,000 for a digital marketing campaign. West Springfield: $518,000 for improved signs in the downtown, EMS response bicycles, police training, emergency dispatch support, a prisoner transport vehicle and increased traffic enforcement. Wilbraham: $517,000 toward the expected $1.14 million cost of reconstructing the Springfield Street/Stony Hill Road intersection. Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Money laundering probe at Fontainebleau mistakenly disclosed by Gaming Commission
(Photo byfor Fontainebleau Las Vegas) An inadvertent leak at Thursday's Nevada Gaming Commission meeting revealed Fontainebleau, the newest resort on the Las Vegas Strip, is under investigation by gaming regulators. Nevada Gaming Commissioner Rosa Solis Rainey asked Fontainebleau president Maurice Wooden about the investigation Thursday, catching the executive off guard as he sought licensing as a key employee. 'With respect to AML (anti-money laundering), tell me about the issues that are currently going on at the Fontainebleau with respect to credit issuance,' Solis-Rainey said to Wooden. 'Are you aware of those?' 'I'm not sure of any investigation as it relates to anything with AML. Is there something specific? I'm not sure,' Wooden responded. 'I think that is something that staff is currently further investigating, prior to any further action,' Gaming Control Board member Chandeni Sendall chimed in. 'It's not listed in our materials as confidential, by the way,' noted a visibly irked Gaming Commission Chairwoman Jennifer Togliatti. 'Is it confidential or not confidential?' Solis-Rainey inquired. 'We have in our materials that there's an investigation ongoing with respect to the credit practices not being followed.' The issue, she said, involved ownership approving credit without proper approval from compliance executives. Fontainebleau is owned by Jeffrey Soffer. The $3.7 billion property opened in December 2023. 'If those processes happened, they were certainly before my time. I was, you know, not on property for what I believe some of the questions you're asking,' Wooden responded, adding he believes 'at least one or two of those issues did happen, almost like the opening week.' Wooden is likely referring to a $2 million marker issued to gambler and illegal bookmaker Damien LeForbes, shortly after the resort's opening in December 2023, according to Robert Cipriani, a professional gambler who provided information to the federal government about money laundering at MGM Grand and Resorts World. LeForbes and illegal sports bookie Mathew Bowyer have pleaded guilty to operating unlawful gambling businesses and to money laundering. MGM Resorts entered into a non-prosection agreement with the government in early 2024 and paid a $7.45 million fine. Its former president, Scott Sibella, agreed to a plea deal for failing to comply with AML regulations. The feds have yet to take any action against Resorts World, where Sibella also served as president until his termination in September of 2023, and where Bowyer and LeForbes were permitted to gamble without known sources of funds. The Gaming Commission fined Resorts World $10.5 million in March and imposed an $8.5 million fine against MGM in April. Cipriani contends the investigation has expanded to a handful of other resorts, including Fontainebleau. In early January 2024, weeks after Fontainebleau's opening, Cipriani tweeted the casino granted a $2 million marker to LeForbes, who eventually 'blew thru it all,' according to Cipriani. 'All the casinos that took DJ Leforbes' and Matt Bowyer's action are being investigated by GCB,' Cipriani said Friday. No efforts have been made by Fontainebleau or Venetian, where the two also gambled, to recover the funds via the District Attorney's Office, according to court records. Gaming Control Board Chairman Kirk Hendrick told Togliatti the information about the investigation, which was included in the Commission's back up documents, should have been marked confidential. 'I don't want to go any deeper into this matter until the board has an opportunity to review it and, of course, speak with the licensee,' he said. Stacy Michaels, a Fontainebleau executive, said the GCB audited five player accounts and had concerns with three. Michaels added that agents were eventually satisfied the company had followed proper protocol. The Gaming Commission issued a two-year license to Wooden.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Indiana Medicaid Changes Could Leave Gary Residents Without Coverage
New state legislation in Indiana could significantly change how Medicaid and the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) are managed. Signed by Gov. Mike Braun last week and set to go into effect on July 1, these changes are expected to affect low-income residents, including those in Gary, by tightening eligibility verification, imposing new financial requirements, and limiting outreach. In Gary, where just over 40% of residents are insured by Medicaid, these policy changes are likely to have far-reaching effects. Residents may face more frequent eligibility checks, reduced flexibility in meeting program requirements, and fewer opportunities to learn about or apply for health coverage. Community advocates have raised concerns that the combined effect of these provisions could increase the number of uninsured individuals in vulnerable populations. Below is a breakdown of the key provisions and their potential impacts. The Indiana Office of the Secretary of Family and Social Services Administration is now required to implement a wide-ranging system of eligibility verification for Medicaid recipients. The goal is to ensure that only individuals who meet income and residency requirements remain enrolled. Key provisions include: Elimination of self-attestation: Applicants will no longer be able to self-report income, residency, household size, or other qualifying details without third-party verification prior to enrollment. Monthly data matching with the Indiana Lottery Commission and Gaming Commission to flag recipients with winnings of $3,000 or more. Those found ineligible will have coverage terminated. Quarterly and annual reviews of employment, wages, and tax data from the Department of Workforce Development and Department of State Revenue. Monthly checks against records from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Department of Correction, and vital statistics to verify residency, incarceration status, and deaths. Ongoing checks using federal databases covering earnings, benefits, incarceration, and other changes in household circumstances. Any information indicating a change in eligibility status triggers a required redetermination. The state may also contract with third-party vendors for additional database searches. How it affects Gary residents: Though the intended purpose claimed for these measures is to improve program integrity, they could lead to coverage disruptions, especially among individuals whose economic or living conditions change frequently. Several amendments to HIP will create stricter requirements around work participation and cost-sharing: Work requirements are now more narrowly defined. Eligible adults must meet specified conditions such as employment, participation in job training or volunteer programs, enrollment in substance use treatment, or caring for a dependent. Full-time students and recently incarcerated individuals may also qualify for exemptions. Cost-sharing rules have been reinforced. Coverage does not begin until an initial contribution is made to a Personal Wellness and Responsibility (POWER) account. Participants must continue making annual payments — either 2% of household income or a minimum set by the state. Penalties for nonpayment: Individuals at or below 100% of the federal poverty level face reduced benefits, such as the loss of vision and dental coverage, and new co-pay requirements. Those above the poverty line are subject to disenrollment and a six-month lockout if they miss payments by 60 days or more. The law explicitly bars the state from reducing these penalties or waiving the cost-sharing requirements. How it affects Gary residents: These provisions could pose significant financial challenges for low-income households, potentially resulting in reduced access to care or loss of coverage due to missed payments. State agencies and their contractors are now barred from advertising or broadly marketing Medicaid programs. While providers may still advertise their own services, general promotion of the Medicaid program is prohibited under the new rules. How it affects Gary residents: Reduced outreach and public awareness campaigns could make it harder for eligible residents to learn about available programs or navigate the application process, particularly in communities with limited access to digital information or legal aid. The post Indiana Medicaid Changes Could Leave Gary Residents Without Coverage appeared first on Capital B Gary.
