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LGA urges UK government to reduce FOBTs wagering to £2

LGA urges UK government to reduce FOBTs wagering to £2

The government is being pressed by the UK cross- party council organization and the Local Government Association (LGA) to decrease the maximum betting amount on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) from £100 to £2. The MP’S are being requested by the LGA to support an instant government assessment on UK FOBTs policy. The LGA aims to decrease possible risks to susceptible gambling customers. There will be increase in the influence tests as stated by the council organization. This will enable councils to discard bookmaker applications in the UK areas deemed to have increased betting shop densities.

Additional requirements that have been aired by the LGA include pursuing the councils to contemplate on anti- social, community health and crime factors in the revision of recent bookmaker licensing. The UK casinos are also another target of the LGA, where the machine wagering amount is set to be reduced to £5 stakes.  Customers’ placing bets over £50 on B2 machines were put under supervision; this was done according to the government rules to UK bookmaker operations in April, 2015. Research conducted by the LGA shows that there are over 34, 500 FOBTs in the UK where players can place bets of £100 in each single spin of roulette wheel which lasts for 20 seconds.

According to Simon Blackburn, the Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities board, the councils in whole country are concerned about the numbers of the increased bets FOBTs and the gambling shops on the high streets and have been upset by the shortage of powers they have to do away with.  He also added that the increased incentives on FOBTs are generally out of place when compared with other high class street betting machines. The machines were exposing customers to harm and there was also anti-social behavior causing countrywide concern.

The Association of British Bookmakers did not take all the LGA’s claims too well and defended themselves stating that the UK bookmakers were one of the safest places for gamblers. The government came up with a final verdict last July and decided to leave stakes and prizes fixed on gaming machines. The local authorities have enough powers through the licensing process to make use of the available gambling shops on the streets, added the British Bookmakers.

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If they build a golf course, will they come to Olympics?

If they build a golf course, will they come to Olympics?

While setting up a new golf course in Rio de Janeiro in time for Olympics was one of the greatest problems, golf is once again facing another obstacle; they are not sure whether players will participate. This does not make any sense because the best three golf players in the world will be participating in August. They are also considered the best players in Rio that is Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, and Rory Mcllory. However, golf has already tainted its image after four major champions announced that they would not be competing for gold, silver or pride.

The first champion to drop out of the golf course game was Adam Scott, although he was the first Australian to win a green jacket and the number seven player in the world, this did not come as a surprise to most people. This is because Adam had all along not being receptive to the Olympics and he had even announced that he did not hold the Olympics too dearly. Louis Oosthuizen who is considered as the sweet- swinging South African and British Open champion at St. Andrews announced that he wasn’t participating in the Olympics too. He said he had some family issues and scheduling problems. He was replaced by Charles Schwartzel who played for South Africa for only one day.

Schwartzel is known as the 2011 Masters champion and also backed out the last minute. All the three players are rated among the top twenty internationally. Vijay Singh also dropped out of the Olympics claiming that the Olympics were scheduled in a bad part of the golf schedule. This means that Fiji will not have a golfer in Rio since it does not have any other players who have topped in the last two years. Golf stayed for over 112 years before joining the Olympic program and so the players who dropped out of the Olympics should be understood. The last gold medalist in golf had been George Lyon.

Golf sport thrusts every the box in the Olympic Values and features, this is mostly because it has a worldwide appeal. It does not put much emphasis on the winning of a medal. It is not even included in the top five sports of this year. However, it was a very big thing when Golf was included in the Olympics again. The golf officials are advertising how much the game will grow since it already has a great audience and the governments of the countries where the sport is not played will fund it. Problems arose and this was blamed on either the format or full participation. Most times when a player cites a tight schedule for failing to participate in competitions the PGA Tour is blamed.

A schedule that suits every player has been published. The question remains whether the golf sport is as important as stated. The U.S Open and the British Open including the World Golf Championship are all played in a five- week stretch. After the Olympics are over the PGA Tour Players are given one week before commencing on the FedEx Cup playoffs. While other sports use most of the Olympic year preparing for the big Olympic event, golf Olympics are placed in the center of big moments. July 11 has been set as the deadline in which players will be required to succeed in the world ranking. This means that Phil Mickelson might probably win the British Open and PGA championship and automatically be disqualified from Rio.

Other players that might participate include Brendon De Jonge from Zimbabwe who will risk losing his PGA Tour cards by participating in the Olympics. The three best golf players in the world will not hinder golf Olympics. However, it will be a different case scenario if Tiger Woods decides to participate in the John Deere Classic in the week of the Olympics.

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Warriors’ Kerr named 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year

Warriors’ Kerr named 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year

Steve Kerr, who is the Golden State Warrior and whose team won the NBA- record of 73 games, has been awarded the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2015-16 NBA coach of the Year. This was announced not so long ago. He is the second recipient of the award after Don Nelson won it in the 1991-92 seasons. Kerr who is in his second season as the Golden State head coach got 64 first- place votes and 381 total points from 130 sportswriters and broadcasters who were part of the panel and had come from the United States and Canada. Terry Stotts of Portland Trail Blazers’ who took his team to the playoffs with other four new beginners came second with 37 first- place votes and 335 total points.

Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs came third with 10 first- place votes and 166 total points. There were five points for every first position vote, three points for every second position vote and one point for third place votes that were awarded for every coach. Kerr and assistant coach Luke Walton who was the temporary head coach up until Kerr returned from his sick leave following back- surgery complications in January, contributed to the Warriors 73-9 win. This was considered the best regular- season record in league history. It was an even greater win than that of the Chicago Bulls 72- 10 in between 1995-96. The NBA who was in the defending team kicked off with a 24-0 wins in the season.

The NBA records were set by the Warriors for the first- season wins of 34, and successive home regular- season wins of 54 which were inclusive of 18 wins that were due to be completed in the previous season. They also won 39- 2 at the Oracle Arena for the second consecutive time. The Golden State team was among the first teams to go through a season without losing two consecutive games or even being defeated by the same team twice. The Warriors team came thorough strong at every end of the court with various high ratings and also won an NBA record. This was one of the greatest wins since the 1991- 92 seasons.

The legendary Red Auerbach who the Coach of the Year Award is named after guided the Celtics to nine NBA championships. He was recognized among the Top 10 Coaches in the NBA history in 1996, this was when the NBA celebrated its 50th Anniversary.

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Horse Racing: The Next American Pharaoh?

Horse Racing: The Next American Pharaoh?

The American pharaoh broke the record of thirty- seven years when he crossed the wire in the Belmont’s stakes last year.  He won the America’s premier awards races set aside for the three- year olds thoroughbreds which include; the Belmont, Preakness Stakes, and Kentucky Derby. The most challenging test in horse racing is the five week test. There have been only twelve known horses that have finished the triple since 1919, where Sir Barton was the first to win the series. As the Kentucky Derby nears, one of the competitors in the year’s crop of the 3- year olds has been marked with having the capability of matching the American pharaoh‘s achievement of 2015.

Nyquist is expected to premier in the Kentucky Derby on May 7th with an unbeaten record and one of the great chances of earning himself an unforgettable position as the thirteenth Triple Crown champion. In his 2- year old season, Nyquist scored his first win at Santa Anita Park in California including four straight classified prizes which were surpassed by his most remarkable win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in the month of October. Nyquist was competing with the country’s greatest two- year olds when he was jolted by another horse in the beginning of the race, this resulted in him being stuck too wide in every turn and thus bringing about considerable ground loss. However, he still held on strong and managed to win by half a length.

Brody’s Cause who finished third place in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile lately won the Bluegrass Stakes. The Santa Anita Derby was won by Exaggerator who managed to scoop the fourth place in the Breeder’s Cup. Exaggerator and Brody’s Cause are expected to participate in the Kentucky Derby as the main competitors. Nyquist marked his third birthday by premiering in the seven furlong San Vicente stakes at Santa Anita in February. He started with a quick pace and gave Exaggerator a challenge thus managing to win the race by one and a half lengths. Nyquist resumed the races in Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in March where he competed against the unconquered Mohaymen who is the known winner of four straight classified prizes in the races that took place in New York and Florida.

Travelling across the country all the way from California seemed too great a task since there was only one pending race which also included racing in the 1 1/8th mile in the Florida Derby. Nyquist proved himself a conqueror and the best 3- year old horse in the country with an influential and a very easy win. He is currently in Kentucky waiting for the Derby. Nyquist has proved to be the best horse in all his races by the way he faces his challenges with determination and perseverance. He is always the winner in every of his seven racing careers. He is the kind of horse that adapts too well in different races. Nyquist has two human trainers, Dough O’ Neil and jockey Mario Gutierrez who push him to greatness.

The pedigree of Nyquist has been doubted too many times. This also includes his ability to finish first in long races. Uncle Mo is Nyquist’s sire and had the title of the 2 –year old champions but he was forced out of the Kentucky Derby after he sustained an injury. Nyquist is a registered sprinter; however the Triple Crown distance has proved difficult for him. In the 2016 Triple Crown race, Nyquist is believed to be the next undefeated winner after the American Pharaoh.

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JaMarcus Russell clinging to NFL comeback dream

JaMarcus Russell clinging to NFL comeback dream

JaMarcus Russell firmly believes that his NFL career is not yet finished. Russell who was chosen by the Oakland Raiders back in 2007 announced that he was willing to play for the NFL team for free in order to get back in the team. He had been out of the team since 2009. He recently featured in the Sports Illustrated video where he said that he just might come back into the team. He even said he was willing to work as a water boy and then find his way back into the scout team. He had been sending letters to each of the 32 NFL teams last year as he earnestly requested to be brought back in the team. An image of one of those letters addressed to Dallas Cowboys, owned by Jerry Jones, was included in the Sports Illustrated video.

Russell was requesting to be given a chance even if it meant leading the scout team for free for one year. He also took the blame for the horrible image his players had imparted on him, but he was hopeful he was going to do great for the NFL team. Russell admitted to having learnt great lessons in the previous years during his stay in Oakland. His misfortunes had served to make him grow into a better man and he was ready to make his dreams come true if given the opportunity, he pleaded in his letter. He had been struggling back in 2013 to make a comeback in the NFL team. He even joined a personal- training team where he lost more than 30 pounds with the objective of getting the attention of the NFL. He managed to get himself training with the Chicago Bears though he was not asked to join the camp.

With him being 30 years of age, Russell has slimmer chances of being granted a comeback. The only hope he has left is being remembered as an advisory for front offices and novices in the game. He has every reason to want a comeback in the NFL teams.

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Will Greg Norman coach the Chinese golf team ahead of Rio Olympicss?

Will Greg Norman coach the Chinese golf team ahead of Rio Olympicss?

The Chinese Olympics golf team will have to be coached by the Australian golf star, Greg Norman. This is because the Rio Olympics are around the corner and the two- time major champion has announced that he will no longer be associating with the team. Norman was selected in 2013 as a team consultant of the China Golf Association; this selection was done in time for the restoration of the golf sport to the Olympics Games in 1904. However, he admits not having any contact with the association for more than one year. He said in a statement to ABC News that he had assumptions that the only reason he was coaching the team was because he was sentimental about golf in the country.

Norman believes that the efforts they have put in the previous three years will have a positive outcome to both the Olympics team and the growth of the golf game in China. The China Golf Association representative stated that Mr. Norman was still a known advisor to the Olympics golf team, and he would always be contacted when his advice was required. In 2013 when Norman was appointed as the golf advisor in one of the massive golf resort Mission Hills, he said that he had belief that the Chinese players would go home with medals from Brazil. This has proved difficult since the unjustified relationship between the ruling Communist Party has proved difficult.

An announcement prohibiting the 88 million Communist Party members from joining the golf clubs was made in October last year. This is because the society tends to believe that golf is mostly associated with wealthy people. This announcement came ahead of an exceptional three- year anti- corruption drive in the Communist Party. The anti- corruption overseer however declared that the party members could enjoy any sport so long as they financially supported themselves. A decade ago a suspension was issued to a new golf course which delayed the development of the game even though new courses were been introduced. The new courses also included a more recent one by Norman’s company which is located in the southern city of Zhuhai.

China has qualified to allow four of its players to participate. FengShanshan who is the women’s major champion and the current holder of the number nine position in the world, will be taking part in the Olympics.

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