How Illegal Gambling Can Become Legal By Exploiting State
How Illegal Gambling Can Become Legal By Exploiting State
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georgia gambling laws 2020
georgia gambling laws 2020 - win
WHY CANNABIS MARKET FOR 2021
The cannabis market right now is so similar to the start of the green energy market.. its nowhere near done being bullish. Save for some small dips, there will very likely be a huge bullish trend for 2021. EVEN NASDAQ AGREES. I’ve posted my positions a few times, and I’ll continue to do so. But this is my reasoning for investing in cannabis stocks in general for 2021.
I've been a bull on cannabis since the democrats had a strong pro-cannabis platform. But what made me go balls deep into the market was that the UN changed its classification of cannabis. Countries follow the UN closely for guidance on their own classification of controlled substances. Congress has repeatedly cited the UN’s classification as one of the reasons for not changing it. Several countries immediately changed their stance on cannabis in response to this, including Israel, which In November 2020, announced that it was moving forward with a plan to legalize recreational cannabis nationally. “The country is aiming to implement recreational legalization within nine months, and even if there are delays, that means mid-to-late 2021.” (This is my reason for investing in Canadian cannabis companies, because they are already poised to expand internationally since its legal there nationwide)
THE SENATE IS NOW BLUE! The Georgia runoffs were won by Democrats, and they can now swing the vote left with VP Harris. She promised it as part of her platform, so we know it will be prioritized. CHUCK SHUMER SPONSORED THE MORE ACT. HE WILL BE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER. IT WILL 100% BE PRIORITIZED BETWEEN HIM AND VP HARRIS.
EVERYONE predicted beforehand that the republicans would win Georgia... everyone talked down decriminalization passing the house because of they believed it would NEVER pass the republican majority senate. But the left spent more than any senate race in history to encourage voters to go out and vote. Only once the race started did it become clear that the left had a chance. Then some gains from the surprise that they won. However the gains from 1/5 onwards definitely hasn’t been priced in for all the future legislation, because some of it will be completely new legislation that wasn’t possible to consider before without a blue senate. THIS HASN'T BEEN PRICED INTO THE MARKET YET.
The government is broke post-COVID. There is a terrible image of the police. They don’t want to waste more resources on cannabis related crimes that would be fixed under decriminalization. And the tax revenue from decriminalization would be significant. Decriminalization (THE MORE ACT) opens up the borders to interstate-commerce and international import/export. This would all trickle down into Uncle Sam’s empty pockets.
New York Governor Cuomo announced on Jan 6 his plan to legalize marijuana for adult use (right after New Jersey vote, as I anticipated in my last post) as part of his State of the State agenda. The next step is a ripple out on the North East. NY didn’t want to miss out on tax revenue, neither will any of the other states in the northeast within driving distance of NJ and NY. This is Cuomo’s third attempt in three years to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state; last year, Cuomo included a legalization proposal in his state budget, but the plan was ultimately cut in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other ongoing state legislature:
Rhode Island: Regulators have received 45 applications for six new medical cannabis dispensary licenses in the state. If all applicants meet the requirements for a license, six will randomly be selected in a lottery to operate retail locations in different regions across the state. Read more
Missouri: Rep. Shamed Dogan has filed legislation that would place an adult-use cannabis legalization measure on the state’s 2022 ballot. Meanwhile, Missourians for a New Approach has announced plans for a separate 2022 ballot initiative after an unsuccessful signature campaign to get the issue before voters in 2020. Read more
Alabama: Sen. Tim Melson plans to reintroduce a medical cannabis legalization bill this year. Medical cannabis legislation passed the Alabama Senate during the 2020 session, but failed to clear the House. Read more
Illinois: Illinois lawmakers have proposed the creation of 75 new cannabis retail licenses to give disadvantaged and minority applicants a second chance at licensing following the controversial licensing lottery to issue an initial 75 dispensary licenses. A work group made up of lawmakers and members of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration met this week to finalize details of the bill, which will be introduced in a lame-duck session that starts Jan. 8, before new lawmakers are sworn in Jan. 13. Read more
Minnesota: House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler is again renewing his push to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, announcing plans to reintroduce a legalization bill this year. Winkler told WCCO that he sees “Senate leadership as being the number one obstacle,” but said that if lawmakers agreed to place an adult-use legalization initiative on Minnesota’s 2022 ballot, “it would pass overwhelmingly.” Read more
Virginia: Del. Steve Heretick has reintroduced a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis. Heretick has proposed legislation related to decriminalization and legalization in the past, and this year’s bill would legalize the cultivation, sale and consumption of cannabis in the state. Read more
Connecticut: Gov. Ned Lamont renewed his push for adult-use legalization during his State of the State address Jan. 6, announcing that it is a priority for the new legislative session. Connecticut’s 2021 legislative session opened Jan. 6, and Lamont, a Democrat, kicks off the session with increased majorities in the House and Senate, which could increase his chances of passing an adult-use legalization bill. Read more
Now that you understand why I’m going green, here’s my reasoning for my positions. TLRY (Tilray)
largest cannabis company in the world by revenue post merger. Will run out of Seattle and New York City. New York Legalization on top of senate turning blue is a big catalyst for TLRY.
Merger hasn’t completed yet, and the merger happened before the senate went blue.. that was the gamble APHA was making, and they won. The sky is the limit now. When they merge, they will reduce expenses and be much more likely to post profitable quarters. (This is why mergers have so much hype; the sum is > than their parts because they can reduce operating expenses while maintaining revenue from the two companies)
Tilray CEO Brendan Kennedy: “I think medical cannabis will be legal at the federal level, which means medical cannabis can cross state lines and be imported into the U.S., like we export cannabis from Canada and Portugal to about 15 countries now,” Kennedy said. “Anyone who thinks there’s a state-specific medical market is wrong.” As for the recreational market, Kennedy says the state-specific markets, with interstate trade banned, “are not going to last long.” Kennedy believes that cannabis will be distributed like alcohol and tobacco within two years’ time. That would require significant overhaul of US federal drug laws—and would significantly disrupt all US cannabis companies’ existing business models. Brendan Kennedy, the cannabis billionaire will step down as Tilray's chairman and CEO. Irwin D. Simon, Aphria's current chairman and CEO will take Kennedy's place.
[On December 18, 2020, just three days after the U.S. Senate adopted the Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act (CMREA or the Act) (more on this below), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA or the Administration) published in the Federal Register a final rule, “Controls To Enhance the Cultivation of Marihuana for Research in the United States” (Rule), which finally paves the way for DEA to issue additional licenses to grow “marihuana” (i.e., cannabis) for research purposes.](https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/on-heels-of-senate-s-adoption-of-36129/)
GNLN (Greenlane Holdings)
One of the largest global sellers of premium cannabis accessories. Pax/JUUL/Volcano products. I’ve had Pax products, and although I prefer Arizer because of the affordability, I can’t deny Pax has quality products and is like the “iPhone” of vaporizers. I like their products, I like their branding. There’s lots of hype and loyalty, especially with their Volcano desktop vaporizer.
Strong US brands.
The main reason they did poorly was bad timing. They IPO’d during the year that JUULs started being banned. They’re actually at all those levels again. Theres a ton of upside potential.
Market cap is ridiculously low for some really renown brands all because of the JUUL flavor pod ban. Everyone knows Pax, Volcano, and JUUL. But no one knows Greenlane because of the bad timing of their IPO and the subsequent JUUL flavor ban. It’s crazy. They’ve already broke all time high for the year. But I’m holding until they break 1B market cap.
Overall i think too many people count it out just because of their IPO and subsequent decline in JUUL sales from the JUUL flavored pods ban. They definitely have the potential because of their strong branding and quality products. I’m betting on them having more high quality products in the future with equally loyal customers.
SNDL (Sundial Growers)
SNDL must close above $1 per share for 10 consecutive sessions by June 26, 2021 or it will bedelisted from NASDAQ. People see this as a fear factor, I see this as “they will do anything necessary to reach $1 for a week so they won’t be delisted”.. IMHO reverse splitter probably isn’t on the table since they could have done that in 2020, but instead applied for a 6 month extension after announcing “alternative strategic investments”. We can already see this by their predatory loan SPAC spinoff.
Rumors of a merger with CGC; SNDL also purchased a SPAC recently and entered an agreement with Zenabis, immediately claiming they defaulted. Turning that SPAC into predatory loan/debt repurchasing company. Imo if they want to complete a merger, it would be easy to sell ownership through that SPAC to the buyer.
THEY RECENTLY WENTDEBT FREE by selling off unprofitable assets in the business. This means we are much more likely to see earnings in future quarters, and they are much more attractive for mergers.
Because they are indoor growers, they are more likely to be bought up by a company in the consolidating Canadian cannabis market than fail all together. The amount of space licensed to grow cannabis in Canada is now heavily skewed toward outdoor cultivation instead of indoor for the first time, according to new data from Health Canada. A growing population of licenses for outdoor growers means that there aren’t as many indoor licenses being given out... If a company ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD wants to quickly expand into indoor growing OR into the west, they would have to purchase an existing company that has the license to quickly do so. This is WAY faster, and a guaranteed way to obtain a license rather than applying for one and waiting x amount of months and be rejected for some requirement that wasn’t met.
From my own experience, outdoor cannabis is subpar quality to indoor grown cannabis. So a growing market for outdoor cannabis doesn’t necessarily mean its better... it is likely just cheaper. I would imagine a high quality “craft cannabis” company would want to purchase SNDL, or an existing outdoor growing company that wants to quickly expand to indoor grown cannabis. With this being a Canadian company, there’s a chance a company in another country like Israel would be interested in purchasing it in the near future.
PLNHF (Planet 13 Holdings)
Biggest tourist trap in Las Vegas if you’re a stoner, casual smoker, or just wanting to try it. From my own experience, I think they will continue to be successful. If I went around the US trying other brands I’d probably be more confident in putting 5-10% of my portfolio into those picks or choosing to not include them lol. Like for example, I used to have Curaleaf. But there's tons of bad feedback on Curaleaf, a friend has tried it said the nug is really subpar quality and if I tried their nug I’d probably confirm that I wouldn’t want to invest in them. With PLNHF, i’ve seen the ambience and tried the product myself. It’s definitely a lot of hype price wise, but still quality. This is my own bias showing, but I still think they’ve got solid fundamentals and excellent location/strong US branding.
I’m well aware of other good stocks like GTBIF, CRLBF, SSPK, TCNNF, GRWG.. but these stocks haven’t been swinging as hard in response to pro-cannabis news. E.g. TLRY, SNDL, GNLN swung more than 20% some days from pro-cannabis news...I will likely reduce my current positions shortly after inauguration, after some news about the timeline for cannabis legislation, and diversify my positions more between these other good picks. 2021 is the year of cannabis boys
Lost in the Sauce: Rules finalized to take away LQBTQ rights, cement border wall, sell oil rights
Welcome to Lost in the Sauce, keeping you caught up on political and legal news that often gets buried in distractions and theater… or a global health crisis. I am doing a separate post for the insurrection and related events. I think it is important to make sure the news in this post doesn't get overlooked. Housekeeping:
HOW TO SUPPORT: I know we are all facing unprecedented financial hardships right now. If you are in the position to support my work, I have a patreon, venmo, and a paypal set up. No pressure though, I will keep posting these pieces publicly no matter what - paywalls suck.
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Russia
A new report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) found that Trump political appointees politicized intelligence around foreign election interference in 2020, resulting in significant errors. ODNI analytic ombudsman Barry Zulauf delivered the report to Congress on Thursday: “Analysis on foreign election interference was delayed, distorted or obstructed out of concern over policymaker reactions or for political reasons.” The biggest misrepresentation of intel involved diminishing the threat posed by Russia and overstating the risk of interference from China.
“Russia analysts assessed that there was clear and credible evidence of Russian election influence activities. They said IC management slowing down or not wanting to take their analysis to customers, claiming that it was not well received, frustrated them. Analysts saw this as suppression of intelligence, bordering on politicization of intelligence from above.”
WaPo: Zulauf, a career official, also found an “egregious” example of attempted politicization of the Russian interference issue in March talking points on foreign election threats, prepared “presumably by ODNI staff” and “shaped by” then-Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell.
The Justice Department and the federal judiciary revealed that the Russian Solar Winds hack also compromised their computer systems. 3% of the DOJ’s Microsoft Office 365 were potentially affected; it does not appear that classified material was accessed. The impact on the judiciary seems much more significant, jeopardizing “highly sensitive confidential documents filed with the courts.”
The sealed court files, if indeed breached, could hold information about national security, trade secrets and wiretap transcripts, along with financial data from bankruptcy cases and the names of confidential informants in criminal cases...
Appointees
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine has accused U.S. Agency for Global Media Director Michael Pack of funneling $4 million in nonprofit funds to his own for-profit company. In a civil lawsuit filed last week, Racine states that for over 12 years, Pack used a nonprofit company he owned to direct money to his private documentary company, enabling “Pack to line his company’s coffers with a stream of tax-exempt dollars without...a competitive bidding process, public scrutiny, or accounting requirements regarding its spending.” Employees at Voice of America have filed a whistleblower complaint accusing Pack of using the agency “to disseminate political propaganda in the waning days of the Trump administration. The staffers take issue with a planned speech by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to be broadcast from VOA headquarters. The event, to be attended by a live audience, “is a specific danger to public health and safety” in the middle of a pandemic. Finally, the whistleblowers say the event is “ a gross misuse of government resources,” costing at least $4,000 in taxpayer funds to date and using 18 employees who would otherwise be producing VOA content. Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller has announced his appointees to the panel set to rename confederate military bases and plan the removal of confederate symbols/monuments. Most controversially, Miller named White House liaison Joshua Whitehouse, who oversaw the purge of the Defense Policy Board and the Defense Business Board last month. The other three Miller-appointees are former acting Army general counsel Earl Matthews, acting assistant secretary of Defense Ann Johnston, and White House official Sean McLean. The remaining four members will be appointed by the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.
The 10 Army posts named in honor of Confederate generals are Camp Beauregard and Fort Polk in Louisiana, Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Lee and Fort Pickett in Virginia, Fort Rucker in Alabama, and Fort Hood in Texas.
Trump
The Trump Inaugural Committee, a nonprofit, improperly paid a $49,000 hotel bill that should have been picked up by Trump’s for-profit business. D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine revealed the allegation in an existing lawsuit against the committee, which already accuses Trump’s hotel of illegally pocketing about $1 million of donors’ money. “The Trump Organization was liable for the invoiced charges...The [Committee’s] payment of the invoice was unfair, unreasonable and unjustified and ultimately conferred improper private benefit to the Trump Organization.” The Professional Golfer’s Association voted last night to move the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump’s Bedminster course. Jim Richerson, PGA of America president, said in a statement that “it has become clear that conducting” the championship at Trump’s property would “be detrimental to the PGA of America brand” and put the organization's ability to function "at risk." Amid speculation that Trump may spend inauguration day at his Scottish golf course, Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned him that even presidents can’t break the country’s pandemic restrictions. “We are not allowing people to come into Scotland now without an essential purpose, which would apply to him, just as it applies to everybody else. Coming to play golf is not what I would consider an essential purpose,” she said. Trump is on a Presidential Medal of Freedom spree, giving out the award to sports figures and Republican allies. Last Monday, Trump awarded the medal to Rep. Devin Nunes for his work undermining the FBI’s investigation of Russia’s election interference. “Devin Nunes’ courageous actions helped thwart a plot to take down a sitting United States president,” the White House press release states. Likewise, Trump gave the medal to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for his “effort to confront the impeachment witch hunt” and “exposing the fraudulent origins of the Russia collusion lie.”
The day after Trump supporters rampaged through the Capitol, Trump awarded the medal to retired professional golfers Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player. The president planned on giving New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick the medal on Thursday, but he declined the offer, saying that “the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award.”
Courts
Dominion Voting Systems filed suit against pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell for defamation. Powell falsely claimed that Dominion had rigged the election, that Dominion was created in Venezuela to rig elections for Hugo Chávez, and that Dominion bribed Georgia officials for a no-bid contract,” the lawsuit states. Citing millions spent on security for employees, damage control to its reputation, and future losses, Dominion requests damages of more than $1.3 billion.
Dominion's lawyer told reporters last week the lawsuit against Powell “is just the first in a series of legal steps.” Ari Cohn, a free speech and defamation lawyer, told WaPo: “If I had to guess I would say that [Poulos] wants a very public vindication with a ruling establishing that Sidney Powell defamed them and that her statements were baseless...That's not something you generally get in a settlement agreement.”
Just last week, Trump again said at a rally that Dominion machines allowed “fraudulent ballots” to be counted during the 2020 election (clip).
The Supreme Court declined to fast track eight Trump-related cases related to the 2020 election, ensuring they won’t be taken up before Biden’s inauguration. The cases include one brought by attorney Lin Wood against Georgia’s Secretary of State, the so-called “Kraken” cases, and three brought by Trump’s campaign. It is possible the lawsuits will be declared moot after Biden is sworn in. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases alleging that the Treasury Dept. incorrectly distributed Coronavirus aid meant for tribal governments. The Lower 48 Tribes argue that Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) are not eligible for CARES Act funding, while the Trump administration wants to divvy up the money between tribes and ANCs.
Immigration
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s final attempt to restrict U.S. asylum laws. District Judge James Donato (Obama appointee) ruled in favor of advocacy groups who argued that acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf lacked authority to impose the new rules, which would have resulted in the denial of most asylum applications.
“The government has recycled exactly the same legal and factual claims made in the prior cases, as if they had not been soundly rejected in well-reasoned opinions by several courts,” Donato wrote. “This is a troubling litigation strategy. In effect, the government keeps crashing the same car into a gate, hoping that someday it might break through.”
On Monday, acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf submitted his resignation, citing the recent court ruling that he is not a valid appointee to the position. His resignation letter does not cite the Capitol riots or Trump’s language inciting the insurrection. FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor will be the new acting secretary.
"Unfortunately, this action is warranted by recent events, including the ongoing and meritless court rulings regarding the validity of my authority as Acting Secretary. These events and concerns increasingly serve to divert attention and resources away from the important work of the Department in this critical time of a transition of power," Wolf added.
A new Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy will make it harder for immigrant minors to obtain asylum in the U.S. The change was made at the end of last month by then-acting agency leader Tony Pham, who served in the position for less than five months.
Beginning Dec. 29, ICE officers were told that they must review whether an immigrant child is still “unaccompanied” each time they encounter the minor… The memo indicates that the evaluation by ICE officers can come at any time, including when an officer is reviewing immigration court records of a child, and if it’s determined that an immigrant is no longer unaccompanied, they will move to change their status. Such a change could lead to making some children ineligible to have their asylum claims initially heard and processed… “If implemented aggressively, this policy could significantly decrease the number of children who ultimately receive asylum in the United States,” said Sarah Pierce, an analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. “They are really putting the onus on ICE officers to do everything they can as frequently as they can to remove these designations.”
The Trump administration is still awarding border wall contracts, even in areas where private land has not yet been acquired. The move will make it more difficult for Biden to stop construction of the border wall.
Attempts to halt construction completely, as Biden promised, will prove difficult, particularly if contracts continue to be struck -- a challenge [acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark] Morgan acknowledged Tuesday. "They could terminate those contracts if they want to, but that's going to be a very lengthy, messy process," Morgan said. "We're going to have to go into settlement agreements with each individual contractor," Morgan added, noting, that payments will have to be made for what they've already done, as well as for materials produced. He estimated the process could cost billions.
Trump is set to visit Alamo, Texas, today to celebrate the completion of more than 400 miles of the border wall. You can watch the event on YouTube at 3:00 pm eastern.
Miscellaneous
Stories that didn’t fit in the above categories... The Trump administration auctioned off leases to drill oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge last week. Only two private companies bid, each winning large tracts of land. Knik Arm Services, from Alaska, paid $1.6 million for a 50,000-acre tract along the Arctic Ocean. A subsidiary of Australian company 88 Energy paid $800,000 to win the smallest tract. One of the Health and Human Services Department’s final acts under Trump was finalizing the removal of Obama-era regulations barring discrimination among HHS grantees. The change will allow recipients of federal grant money - like adoption and foster agencies - to discriminate against LGBTQ people and those of a different religion.
Human Rights Campaign: “Statistics suggest that an estimated two million LGBTQ adults in the U.S. are interested in adoption… Further, research consistently shows that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, as many have been rejected by their families of origin because of their LGBTQ status, and are especially vulnerable to discrimination and mistreatment while in foster care. This regulation would only exacerbate these challenges faced by LGBTQ young people.
MEGATHREAD & NEWS WRAP-UP --- Nov/18/2020: \\ War in Artsakh (Karabakh) \\ Artsakh's international recognition \\ roadmap for future \\ opposition & pro-govt demonstrations \\ suspects charged over hooliganism \\ Kievyan bridge incident \\ videos \\ humanitarian aid \\ COVID & healthcare \\ more...
Your 12-minute Wednesday report in 2971 words.
November 18 timeline
Nevada's Clarke County (Las Vegas) has officially recognized the Artsakh Republic. https://twitter.com/ANCA_Wstatus/1328753472565493761 9:37: 1700 Artsakh refugees have returned home so far. The population was around 145,000 before the war. Some 10-20% never left. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035190.html 10:09 PM Pashinyan presented the roadmap: It is time to talk about methods to overcome the current situation. I have already stated that I consider myself the number-one responsible for the situation. I am also responsible for overcoming the situation and establishing stability and security in the country. 1) Negotiations must resume in OSCE format, with the emphasis on Artsakh status and the return of Artsakh residents to their homeland. 2) Secure Artsakh residents' rights to return home. Fully restore daily life. Repair infrastructure. 3) Social aid for families of fallen soldiers. 4) Repairing infrastructure damaged in the Republic of Armenia. 5) Aid for wounded soldiers, obtaining prosthetics, educational training courses for changing professions if necessary. 6) Returning POWs and aid for their families. Clarification of the status of those who are missing, and aid for their families. 7) Rehabilitation system for those who participated in the war, and for the general public, too. 8) The beginning of reforms in the army. 9) Defeating COVID and overcoming its consequences. 10) Restoration of the environment for economic activity. 11) Activation of demographic programs. 12) Reforming electoral laws [opposition and the govt had agreed to lower the passing threshold to allow more opposition parties to enter Parliament, etc.] 13) Introduction of the Institute of Specialized Judges as the first step in establishing an anti-corruption courts. Launching the process to confiscate illegally embezzled property. 14) Conducting regular consultations with representatives of the Armenian political and civil community. 15) Consultations with diasporan institutes and individuals. The goal is to ensure the democratic stability of Armenia and to create guarantees that nothing threatens the formation of power in Armenia through the free will of the people. For this, I'll make changes to the government team. We will need 6 months to launch the aforementioned tasks. In June 2021, I will report to you the progress, and based on the public response, we will decide on what to do next. Full: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035193.html 11:11: US Senator Bob Menendez called on the US government to impose sanctions on Turkey and Azerbaijan for the military aggression, and to end weapon supplies to them. He called for a $100 million aid to Artsakh refugees. https://youtu.be/JCh49hna7hA https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035203.html 11:42 COVID stats: +4,109 tested. +1,589 infected (down). +1,726 healed. +28 deaths. 38,082 active (down). HealthMin Torosyan: the percentage of positive tests and the absolute numbers are declining, but the healthcare system is still under stress. We still have 375 patients waiting for beds, 25 of whom are in serious condition. We will likely hospitalize them sometime today. A few days ago the waiting list was 800. The trend can change again with the resumption of schools. Our main issue right now is oxygen supplies. Without it, the medication is ineffective. We'll soon receive more oxygen stations, followed by four large stations in December. We had purchased many oxygen stations during the first wave but today's large numbers, partly a result of the war, were outside of our predications. We're negotiating over vaccines. There are agreements. They will likely arrive in mid-Spring. We have no shortage of COVID test kits. New test labs are opening; two in the past week alone. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035206.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035232.html 11:43: earlier this year, a part of a residential apartment complex collapsed in Yerevan. The govt has issued free housing certificates to the affected residents. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035207.html 12:05: several soldiers returned from Artsakh and decided to organize a demonstration in support of PM Pashinyan. PM's office and QP party urged them to stay home and not to gather, citing the Martial Law that currently prohibits large gatherings and demonstrations. A dozen prominent opposition figures were charged with ignoring the Martial Law and organizing demonstrations earlier. If found guilty, they are facing anywhere between a $415 fine to 2 months of jail. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035208.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035240.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035245.html , https://www.arlis.am/documentView.aspx?docid=69646 , https://news.am/arm/news/614215.html 12:27: Aznavour Foundation and the Armenian Foundation of France have launched a committee to coordinate the aid process from France. Earlier they met President Macron about humanitarian aid and Artsakh's recognition. Links in the article: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035213.html 12:38: Parliament Speaker QP MP Ararat Mirzoyan was severely beaten by rioters on November 10th. Healthcare Minister says he will soon recover after one more surgery [which was done today]. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035215.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035236.html 12:45: German-Armenian pianist Margarit Hovhannisyan gave a solo performance to collect aid for Armenia Fund (www.HimnaDram.org). She donated $5,000 in proceeds. The German colleagues expressed support for Artsakh and Armenians. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035216.html 12:49: diasporan-Armenian singer Iveta Mukuchyan went to Artsakh's Dadivank church and performed "Sirt im sasani" (Սիրտ իմ սասանի) religious music. Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=845836856202879 Mukushyan released a German-language video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=782524012332940 13:50: The US will donate $5 million to Red Cross and other orgs to help those who suffered from the war. https://factor.am/311291.html 14:02: the identification of soldiers who died in battles continues. 81 more names were published, bringing the total identified to 1586. Around 800 remain unidentified. Several hundred bodies were exchanged recently. The process continues. MoD Tonoyan: The list of missing soldiers is shrinking; many soldiers end up being discovered alive and well. We drafted a bill to aid the families of soldiers who're missing. Update: HealthMin Torosyan: we've examined 2425 bodies. 250 of them remain unidentified. https://youtu.be/zrXQBUJLdK0 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035225.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035249.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035288.html 14:05 Armenia Fund (Himnadram) report: hundreds of thousands have donated. The aid was provided to Artsakh and Armenia from the first day of the war. Diesel generators, emergency vehicles, medical products, basic consumer products, heating devices, portable gas stoves, mobile fuel stations, beds, etc. were purchased during the war. Simultaneously, 100 tons of aid was coordinated. Himnadram will help Armenia's budget to pay for social welfare, healthcare, infrastructure repair, etc. The documents are ready. Tens of thousands of Artsakh refugees were aided. International independent auditors will examine the finances.
During a Parliamentary session, the Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan confirmed that Himnadram has transferred some of the funds for humanitarian work. In response, former regime's HHK MP Armen Ashotyan, without evidence, claimed the money is being stolen. [Context: The former regime is mad because they were caught stealing Himnadram's donations in 2018. After the 2018 revolution, the Pashinyan administration busted HHK's Himnadram director with stealing the funds and using them on gambling. The director confessed and returned part of the stolen money. Himnadram then underwent a complete change in administration which raised the trust towards the fund. Now the former regime is sabotaging the diaspora's donation efforts for political gain.] More: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035224.html , https://news.am/arm/news/614194.html 14:14: there are over 40 suspects charged with mass riots, attempts to forcefully seize power, and overthrowing the constitutional order, after the November 10 attack on the government buildings. 5 are arrested, 5 are told not to leave the country. 70 suspects, some of whom severely beat Parliament Speaker Mirzoyan and vandalized PM's residence, were also identified. They are on the wanted list. Rioters who physically abused Pashinyan's spokeswoman Mane Gevorgyan, and broke into Azatutyun media outlet's office, are also wanted by police. Some were arrested. https://youtu.be/1qA8iJ1JXmM?t=197 https://youtu.be/kSQ389vQA8U?t=3 https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035226.html 14:18: Opposition LHK has its roadmap: no elections necessary, PM resigns, the ruling QP party appoints new PM, the new PM appoints ministers from various political parties. [similar to what Pashinyan did in 2018 when he appointed opposition Ministers for a brief period]. https://factor.am/311328.html 14:19: Azerbaijan earlier shot a Russian helicopter in Armenia. Two Russian pilots died and one was wounded. Armenia issued them military service medals. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035227.html 14:49: video showing more Russian peacekeepers moving to Artsakh: https://youtu.be/o7nwWmN59d8 15:18: Italian community of Viareggio has officially recognized the Artsakh Republic. https://factor.am/311370.html 15:55: Aurora humanitarian organization will help Artsakh residents. IDeA's first aid program will begin today. They're open to humanitarian program suggestions. Link in the article: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035237.html 16:27: Aghdam is one of the adjacent regions that's being given/returned to Azerbaijan. Seven villages with a combined 2,000 population will be resettled elsewhere. https://news.am/arm/news/614171.html 16:42: food prices in October YoY rose +0.6%. Consumer price index +1.3%. https://factor.am/311385.html 16:44: the head of Military Control Service Movses Hakobyan had resigned on November 10th. It was announced today. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035242.html , https://news.am/arm/news/614169.html 17:04: will Germany follow France and ban the Turkish extremist-terrorist "Grey Wolves" organization? German Parliament will hold a discussion tomorrow. Two bills were proposed. One of them appears to be bipartisan. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035248.html 17:05 Healthcare Minister Torosyan: we need to build a new 250-bed center for wounded soldiers and their rehabilitation. We need to maximally use the existing resources; some of them require upgrades. This will cost approximately $5.2 million. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035247.html 17:09: Legatium Prosperity Index 2020 has ranked Armenia 55th in the world. That's a 23-step improvement over 2010. The strongest point was the business & investment atmosphere, with the environment being the weakest point. Georgia 53, Armenia 55, Azerbaijan 78, Iran 120. https://news.am/arm/news/614184.html 17:58: My Step charity foundation will double the number of wounded soldiers they help. The center will provide therapy, dental, and other services for 600 former soldiers. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035262.html 14:57: it's SNOWING in Gavar and Jermuk cities, and roads near Sevan and Aparan! Georgian roads are also snowy; the Lars transport hub with Russia is open only for large cargo trucks. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035233.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035253.html 17:38: Pashinyan was in Parliament to discuss various topics and answer questions. The opposition BHK and LHK parties boycotted and left. Ind. MP: do you support forming a government of national accord, which could be one of the ways to find a solution out of the current situation? Pashinyan: our task is to create an atmosphere of agreement in the country. No government can stay in power without the permission of the people. At atmosphere of agreement is not always achieved by forming [aforementioned type of govt consisted of various parties]. There is a need for agreement around two points: security and stability, and to guarantee democracy. Ind. MP: will there be changes in the government? Pashinyan: we are discussing it. Structural changes aren't being discussed right now. Full: https://youtu.be/64iJuNWbk_Q https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035259.html , https://news.am/arm/news/614076.html 17:58: another video from November 4th showing battles on the outskirts of Shushi. [still believe it was "given away" without a fight? 🤔] Hovhannes Avagyan, one of the deputy Artsakh army commanders, was killed during Shushi battles on November 7th. He received the Combat Cross medal posthumously. https://youtu.be/yrzBbKvXFO4 https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/news/287858/ 18:18: the 16 opposition parties resumed their demonstrations. They demand the government's and Pashinyan's resignation. The police urged them to respect the Martial Law and not to gather. They will also hold a demonstration on Saturday and present a document, presumably their own roadmap. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035264.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035280.html 18:21 Police: body of the 27-year-old Garnik Petrosyan was found under Kievyan Bridge on November 13th. A medical examination was carried out and an investigation was launched. The examination revealed that Petrosyan was among the rioters who broke into the govt building and caused destruction on November 10th. A felony case was launched against him and he was arrested shortly afterward. On November 13th he was charged with multiple felony counts. The same day, at 8 pm, his 3-day detention period had expired so he was released from the police station. The same day, prosecutors asked the court to arrest him for 2 months before his trial. Petrosyan was questioned until 9 pm. The tragic incident happened at 10:04 pm. Social media spread rumors that he was allegedly murdered and it wasn't a suicide by jumping from the bridge. Investigation revealed a witness who was walking nearby and saw how a man grabbed a flag pole and climbed at the center of the bridge at around 10 pm. By the time the witness picked up the phone to call 911 it was too late. Immediately afterward, two other people and the witness looked down the bridge and saw the body laying on the road below the bridge. The police arrived. The witnesses were questioned. The victim was there alone. CCTV footages were examined. It showed how the victim went there by himself, climbed on the edge, and jumped. It was revealed that the victim had attempted suicide in 2010 by overdosing on medications. He was registered at a special center up until 2019, where he was taking special medication. He stopped taking them in January 2019 at his own will. [Media outlets run by the former regime, and a Telegram channel called Mediaport, had earlier circulated rumors, without evidence, that the rioter was murdered by a ruling party member Hayk Sargsyan. The latter often finds himself the target of rumors]: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035265.html 18:22: Ara Ayvazyan is the new Foreign Minister. He is a graduate of YSU eastern studies Arabic faculty. Served in the Soviet army. Graduated from Beirut's Haykazyan college. Worked in MFA since 1995. Served as ambassador to several states in 1996-2018. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035266.html 18:56: despite being told to stay home, Pashinyan supporters gathered in front of the govt building, urging him not to resign. "I came from Martakert outposts. I have participated in war since 1992, and so did my family members. They [former regime] should have purchased weapons instead of private islands and mansions," said one demonstrator. "By hitting the Parliament Speaker Mirzoyan you're hitting me." PM's aide met the demonstrators and said his resignation isn't being discussed. Pashinyan went outside to meet them and asked them to go home, "I know that there are tens of thousands of you who are ready to gather in Public Square if necessary. Thank you. I bow to all the volunteers, fallen soldiers, and their families. Go home now. If necessary, I will invite you." The police began telling the gathered crowd to leave, citing the Martial Law. Pashinyan goes outside: https://youtu.be/ueXhEKJhcwA Soldiers: https://youtu.be/vgoGD89vNeA Soldiers: https://youtu.be/KhXFjOiERY4 Soldiers: https://youtu.be/G00E049LsdY https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035268.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035271.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035279.html 18:56: Russian humanitarian envoy will help Artsakh authorities to travel around and document the damage to civilian infrastructure. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035269.html 19:01: the army published names of soldiers who committed acts of bravery during the war. Lt. Colonel Ryurik Semyonov blew up 2 Kamaz trucks full of ammo, 2 anti-tank equipment, 3 tanks, 8 cars, 1 TR artillery unit. Lt. Colonel Arthur Qaramyan destroyed 3 and captured another 3 tanks. He helped to save 600 soldiers from encirclement. Private Suren Gabrielyan shot 6 armored vehicles and 2 tanks. Lieutenant Tigran Petrosyan shot 6 tanks. More: https://factor.am/311564.html 19:04: a soldier uploaded a video from trenches saying the army wasn't properly prepared and that the trenches have been in poor shape for 30 years. "Not deep enough to defend against explosions." He says this Martakert position was defended during the war despite the poor condtions. https://youtu.be/aWPzBZwk2j4 20:54: the opposition ended today's demonstration and promised to return at 2 pm on Saturday. They called for PM's resignation again. HHK Shawarmazanov said, "we won't engage in active politics if he resigns". Opposition Arthur Vanetsyan announced plans to participate in elections if they take place now. https://youtu.be/ZAuGcDRJ3uk https://news.am/arm/news/614243.html , https://news.am/arm/news/614239.html , https://factor.am/311610.html 21:05: the City Council of Paris has a resolution that urges the Paris mayor to ask the French MFA to officially recognize the independence of the Artsakh Republic. It takes into account a recent push by 15 French mayors to recognize Artsakh, Azeri-Turkish aggression and the use of hired jihadists, war crimes against Armenian civilians, destruction of 80% of infrastructure objects in Stepanakert (including schools and clinics). Full: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035284.html 21:11: Azerbaijan's opposition National Front criticized the govt for placing Russian peacekeepers on the borders with Artsakh. They held a demonstration and chanted "Putin, leave. Turkey, come." https://factor.am/311609.html 21:57 photos: these boys defended the borders: https://hetq.am/hy/article/124436 Here are the tankists: https://hetq.am/hy/article/124452 22:02: the government of Armenia and Artsakh formed a joint committee to coordinate humanitarian work. 1) Social issues 2) Education 3) Healthcare 4) Business environment 5) Infrastructure repair. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035291.html 22:50: Nations League Soccer Spoiler Alert! The Armenian team defeated Northern Macedonia 1-0, after winning the match against Georgia a few days ago. For the first time ever, the team, led by Spanish expert Joaquin Caparros, is the leader in its group. What does this victory mean? This tournament has four tiered Leagues: A, B, C, D. League A contains the "best" countries who compete for the champion's cup. The teams in lower leagues compete to climb up to higher leagues, with the ultimate goal of making into League A and winning the cup. Armenia has just advanced from League C to League B. https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1035292.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020%E2%80%9321_UEFA_Nations_League 23:40: A1+ outlet wants to restore its TV broadcasting rights. They were suspended by the Kocharyan regime. They insisted it was politically motivated for their opposition views. The media outlet was targeted for covering the March 1st, 2008 events. Several outlets are currently competing for public airway licenses. The winners will be known in January. The TV regulator said those with the best programming will receive the license. https://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/201204 23:47: The French Senate will discuss the need to recognize the Artsakh Republic. Presidents of the five largest parties supported the idea to hold a discussion. http://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/11/18/Ֆրանսիայի-Սենատը-որոշում-է-կայացրել-քվերակության-ներկայացնել-«ԼՂՀ-ճանաչման-անհրաժեշտության-մասին»-բանաձևի-նախագիծը/408863
TEKK - Tekkorp Digital Acquisition Corp: Who's Who of Gaming Mgmt Teams!
Team has been involved in a substantial number of the digital media, sports, entertainment, leisure and gaming industries’ most significant merger and acquisition transactions, holding key positions at, and transacting with Scientific Games Corp, Inspired Gaming Group, FOX Bets, Ocean Casino Resort, Resorts International Holdings, PokerStars, DraftKings, Mohegan Sun, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Harrah’s Entertainment,Tropicana Entertainment, Inc., TSG/Sky Betting & Gaming, Facebook, Inc, Wynn Resorts, Dubai World/MGM Resorts Here's all the Bios. These guys are stellar! TEKK closed at $10.30 today. Still cheap! If you don't like to read... you don't like to make money!!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew Davey — Chief Executive Officer and Director Mr. Davey has over 25 years of experience within the digital media, sports, entertainment, leisure and gaming ecosystems, as well as experience in the public sector. He is an experienced public company executive officer and board member. He has served in executive management positions across the gaming technology arena. Over the course of Mr. Davey’s career, he oversaw more than ten mergers and acquisitions and over $1.2 billion in debt and equity capital raised to support the companies he has led. Most recently, Mr. Davey was Chief Executive Officer of SG Digital, the Digital Division of Scientific Games Corp. (“Scientific Games”) (Nasdaq: SGMS). SG Digital was established following the purchase by Scientific Games of NYX Gaming Group Limited (“NYX”) (formerly TSXV: NYX), where Mr. Davey served as Chief Executive Officer and Director. The NYX acquisition provided Scientific Games with a vehicle to significantly accelerate the scale and breadth of its existing digital gaming business, including the strategic expansion into sports betting. In his capacity as Chief Executive Officer of NYX, Mr. Davey developed and implemented a corporate strategy that generated strong revenue growth. Mr. Davey shaped company strategy to focus on digital gaming supplier platforms and content that provided various gaming operators with the underlying gaming and sports betting systems for their online gaming business. In 2014, Mr. Davey oversaw the initial public offering of NYX, and his experience in the digital media, sports, entertainment, leisure and gaming industries helped NYX recognize momentum as a public company. After the public offering, from 2014 to 2018, Mr. Davey oversaw seven acquisitions which helped establish NYX as one of the fastest growing global B2B real-money digital gaming and sports betting platforms. These acquisitions included: • OpenBet: In 2016, NYX completed the $385 million acquisition of OpenBet. This was one of the more complex and transformative acquisitions that Mr. Davey oversaw at NYX. Through securing co-investments from William Hill (LSE: WMH), Sky Betting & Gaming and The Stars Group (formerly Nasdaq: TSG, TSX: TSGI), Mr. Davey was able to get the acquisition from Vitruvian Partners completed successfully, winning the deal against much larger and well capitalized competitors. By combining two established and proven B2B betting and gaming suppliers, NYX was well positioned to provide customers with exciting player-driven solutions across all major product verticals and distribution channels. This allowed NYX to become the leading B2B omni-channel sportsbook platform in the market and the supplier to over 300 gaming operators globally with an extensive library of desktop and mobile game titles, including more than 700 on NYX platforms and more than 2,000 on the OpenBet platform. • Cryptologic/Chartwell: In 2015, NYX completed the $119 million acquisition of Cryptologic and Chartwell. The acquisition provided NYX with more than 400 titles of additional leading gaming content, a broader customer base, and direct exposure to PokerStars and Intercasino, part of the Gamesys Group (LSE: GYS) — two of the world’s largest online casino offerings. • OnGame: In 2014, NYX completed the distressed acquisition of OnGame, a premier poker content, platform and service provider. This acquisition provided NYX with one of the best poker products in the industry, access to several regulated jurisdictions, and a valuable talent pool that was instrumental in the growth of NYX. The addition of OnGame further established a path for NYX to continue its growth in both European and U.S. markets. These acquisitions, together with meaningful organic growth, increased NYX’s revenue from $24 million in 2014 to $184 million annualized in 2017. During that time, Mr. Davey helped build NYX to have over 200 customers in the global gaming industry and a team of 1,000 employees. Mr. Davey’s success at NYX ultimately led to its sale to Scientific Games for $631 million in 2018. Mr. Davey joined Next Gen Gaming, the predecessor to NYX, in 2000 as the Vice President of Technology, was appointed as Executive Director in 2003 and named Chief Executive Officer in 2005. Prior to that, he was the Senior Consultant for Access Systems, a company that specializes in the provision of back-end software for licensed online casinos. Prior to joining Access, Mr. Davey worked for the Northern Territory Government specializing in matters pertaining to the internet and e-commerce along with roles in the Department of Racing and Gaming. Mr. Davey received a Bachelor of Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Northern Territory University, Australia (also known as Charles Darwin University). Robin Chhabra — President Mr. Chhabra has been at the forefront of corporate acquisition activity within the digital gaming landscape for over a decade. His prior experience includes leading corporate strategy, M&A, and business development at two of the global leaders in the digital gaming industry, The Stars Group (“TSG”) and William Hill, and a leading supplier, Inspired Gaming Group (Nasdaq: INSE). Mr. Chhabra served on the Group Executive Committees of each of these companies. From 2017 to May 2020, Mr. Chhabra served as Chief Corporate Development Officer at TSG and, from 2019 to August 2020, he also served as the Chief Executive Officer of Fox Bet, a leading U.S. online gaming business which is the product of a landmark partnership between TSG and FOX Sports, a transaction which he led. During that period, Mr. Chhabra led several transactions which transformed TSG into the largest publicly listed online gambling operator in the world by both revenue and market capitalization and one of the most diversified from a product and geographic perspective with revenues of over $2.5 billion. Mr. Chhabra’s M&A experience is extensive and covers multiple global geographies across the digital gaming value chain and includes the following: • TSG/Flutter Entertainment Merger: In 2019, Mr. Chhabra led the TSG M&A team that was responsible for TSG’s $12.2 billion merger with Flutter Entertainment (LSE: FLTR). The merger between TSG and Flutter Entertainment is the largest transaction in the digital gaming industry to date. The combination created the largest publicly listed online gaming company with approximately 13 million active customers and leading product offerings, which include sports betting, online casino, fantasy sports and poker. The combined entity includes some of the world’s most iconic digital gaming brands such as Fanduel, Fox Bet, Sky Bet, PaddyPower, Betfair, PokerStars and SportsBet. TSG/Flutter Entertainment is one of the most geographically diverse digital gaming and media companies with leading positions in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Germany and Georgia. • TSG/Sky Betting and Gaming (“SBG”): In 2018, Mr. Chhabra led the acquisition of SBG from CVC Capital Partners and Sky plc, Europe’s largest media company, in a transaction valued at $4.7 billion. At the time of the acquisition SBG was the largest mobile gambling operator in the United Kingdom and one of the fastest growing of the major operators having doubled its online market share in three years. The acquisition of SBG provided TSG with (a) greater revenue diversification, significantly enhanced expertise and exposure to sports betting just ahead of the judicial overturn of The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) by the U.S. Supreme Court, (b) a leading position within the United Kingdom, the world’s largest regulated online gaming market, (c) improved products and technology as a result of the addition of SBG’s innovative casino and sports book offerings and a portfolio of popular mobile apps, and (d) expertise in deeply integrating sports betting with leading sports media companies, positioning TSG to create more engaging content, deliver faster growth and decrease customer acquisition costs. • William Hill (LSE: WMH): At William Hill, from 2010 to 2017, Mr. Chhabra served as Group Director of Strategy and Corporate Development where he led several transactions which contributed to William Hill’s transformation from a land-based gambling operator in the United Kingdom to a leading online-led international business. Mr. Chhabra led William Hill’s entry into the U.S. sports betting and online lottery markets with the acquisition of four businesses, including the simultaneous acquisitions of three U.S. sportsbooks, Cal Neva, American Wagering and Brandywine Bookmaking, in 2011 for an aggregate purchase price of $55 million. These businesses ultimately led William Hill to achieve a leading position in the U.S. sports betting market with a market share of 24% in 2019. Additionally, Mr. Chhabra played a key role in structuring William Hill’s successful joint venture with PlayTech Plc (LSE: PTEC) in 2008. The combined entity created one of the largest online gambling businesses in Europe at the time of its formation and led to William Hill’s buyout of Playtech’s interest for $637 million in 2013. Prior to the transaction, William Hill had struggled in its attempt to establish a strong online gaming platform and a meaningful presence outside the United Kingdom. Mr. Chhabra has also successfully completed four transactions worth over $1.2 billion in Australia, the world’s second largest regulated online gambling market, and various partnerships in Asia. Additionally, he completed several technology and media related transactions, including William Hill’s investment in NYX, where he worked with Mr. Davey on NYX’s transformational acquisition of OpenBet. Prior to working in the gaming sector, Mr. Chhabra was an equities analyst and a management consultant. Mr. Chhabra received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Eric Matejevich — Chief Financial Officer Mr. Matejevich is a seasoned gaming executive with extensive experience in both the online gaming and traditional casino industries. From February to August 2019, he served as Trustee and Interim-Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Casino Resort (“Ocean”) (formerly Revel Casino, which had a construction cost of $2.4 billion) in Atlantic City, where he successfully led the management team through an ownership change and operational turnaround effort. Over the course of seven months, Mr. Matejevich managed to reduce the property’s weekly cash burn of $1.5 million to an annualized cash flow run rate in excess of $20 million. Prior to Ocean, from 2016 to 2018, Mr. Matejevich served as the Chief Financial Officer of NYX. At NYX, he focused his efforts on integrating the company’s many acquisitions and multiple debt refinancings to simplify its capital structure and provided liquidity for growth initiatives. Additionally, Mr. Matejevich was instrumental to the executive team that sold NYX to Scientific Games for $631 million. Prior to NYX, from 2004 to 2014, Mr. Matejevich was the Chief Financial Officer of Resorts International Holdings and later, from 2011, also the Chief Operating Officer of the Atlantic Club Casino, a property under the Resorts International Holdings umbrella — a Colony Capital (NYSE: CLNY) entity. As Chief Financial Officer, he provided managerial oversight for all finance functions for a six-property casino company with annual gaming revenue exceeding $1.3 billion, 10,000 gaming positions, 7,000 hotel rooms and over 11,000 staff members during his tenure. Mr. Matejevich led the transition effort to integrate a four-casino, $1.3 billion acquisition from Harrah’s Entertainment and Caesars Entertainment (Nasdaq: CZR). As Chief Operating Officer of Atlantic Club, he lobbied for and was successful in obtaining the first internet gaming legislation passed in the United States. The Atlantic Club was the sole New Jersey casino proponent of the legislation. Prior to serving in various gaming positions, Mr. Matejevich was a Vice President of High Yield Research for Merrill Lynch, where he managed the corporate bond research effort for the gaming and leisure sectors and marketed high yield and other debt transactions totaling $4.8 billion. Mr. Matejevich received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. Our Board of Directors Morris Bailey — Chairman Over the past 10 years, Mr. Bailey has been a leader in turning around Atlantic City, as well as being among the first gaming executives to embrace online gaming and sports betting in the United States. In his efforts, Mr. Bailey partnered with two of the largest digital gaming companies in the world, PokerStars, part of the Stars Group, and DraftKings (Nasdaq: DKNG). In 2010, Mr. Bailey bought Resorts Atlantic City (“Resorts”) and initiated a comprehensive renovation which allowed for the property to be rebranded and repositioned. In 2012, Mr. Bailey signed an agreement with Mohegan Sun to manage the day-to-day operations of the casino. In addition to Mohegan Sun’s operational expertise and ability to reduce costs via economies of scale, Resorts gained access to their robust customer database. Soon thereafter, Mr. Bailey and his team focused on bringing online gaming to the property. In 2015, Resorts established a platform to engage in online gaming by partnering with PokerStars, now part of the $24 billion Flutter Entertainment, PLC (LSE: FLTR), to operate an online poker room in Atlantic City. In 2018, Resorts announced deals with DraftKings and SBTech to open a sportsbook on-property and online. For 2020 year-to-date, Resorts has performed in the top quartile in internet gross gaming revenue in New Jersey. Mr. Bailey’s efforts in New Jersey helped set the framework for expansion of online sports and gaming throughout the United States. In addition to his gaming interests, Mr. Bailey has over 50 years of experience in all facets of real estate development, asset M&A, capital markets and operations and is the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Principal of JEMB Realty, a leading real estate development, investment and management organization. Mr. Bailey has notable investment experience within the energy, finance and telecommunications sectors through investments in the Astoria Energy Plant, Basis Investment Group and Xentris Wireless. Tony Rodio — Director Nominee Mr. Rodio has nearly four decades of experience in the gaming industry. Most recently, Mr. Rodio served as the Chief Executive Officer and director of Caesars Entertainment Corporation (“Caesars”) (Nasdaq: CZR), one of the world’s most diversified casino-entertainment providers and the most geographically diverse U.S. casino-entertainment company, from April 2019 until its acquisition by Eldorado Resorts, Inc. in July 2020. Mr. Rodio led Caesars through its $17.3 billion merger with Eldorado Resorts, one of the largest transactions in the gaming industry to date. Additionally, Mr. Rodio was instrumental to Caesars’ expansion into the digital gaming industry and oversaw the implementation of new digital segments such as its Scientific Games powered retail sportsbook solution that now operates in various states throughout the U.S. From October 2018 to May 2019, Mr. Rodio served as Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Gaming. Prior to Affinity Gaming, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Tropicana Entertainment, Inc. (“Tropicana”) for over seven years, where he was responsible for the operation of eight casino properties in seven different jurisdictions. During his time at Tropicana, Mr. Rodio oversaw a period of unprecedented growth at the company, improving overall financial results with net revenue that increased more than 50% driven by both operational improvements and expansion across regional markets. Mr. Rodio led major capital projects, including the complete renovation of Tropicana Atlantic City and Tropicana’s move to land-based operations in Evansville, Indiana. Each of these initiatives, among others, generated substantial value for Tropicana. Ultimately, Mr. Rodio’s efforts at Tropicana led to its sale to Eldorado Resorts in 2018 for $1.85 billion. Prior to Tropicana, Mr. Rodio held a succession of executive positions in Atlantic City for casino brands, including Trump Marina Hotel Casino, Harrah’s Entertainment (predecessor to Caesars), the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort and Penn National Gaming. He has also served as a director of several professional and charitable organizations, including Atlantic City Alliance, United Way of Atlantic County, the Casino Associations of New Jersey and Indiana, AtlantiCare Charitable Foundation and the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming Hospitality & Tourism. Mr. Rodio brings extensive knowledge of and experience in the gaming industry, operational expertise, and a demonstrated ability to effectively design and implement company strategy. Mr. Rodio received a Bachelor of Science from Rider University and a Master of Business Administration from Monmouth University. Marlon Goldstein — Director Nominee Mr. Goldstein is a licensed attorney with nearly 20 years of experience in the gaming space. He joined The Stars Group (Nasdaq: TSG)(TSX: TSGI) in January 2014 as its Executive Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary until his retirement from the company in July 2020 following the merger of TSG with Flutter Entertainment, PLC (LSE: FLTR). Mr. Goldstein also previously served as the Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development and General Counsel of TSG. Mr. Goldstein was also the senior TSG executive based in the United States and was one of the primary architects of TSG’s strategic vision for its U.S.-facing business. During his tenure, TSG grew from an approximately $500 million market-cap company to an approximately $7 billion market-cap company through a combination of organic growth and strategic mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Goldstein participated in numerous M&A transactions and capital markets offerings at TSG, including several transformational transactions in the digital gaming industry. Notable transactions in which Mr. Goldstein was involved include: • TSG/Flutter Merger: In 2019, TSG merged with Flutter for a $12.2 billion transaction value, the largest transaction in the digital gaming industry to date. • TSG/Fox Bet Partnership: In 2019, TSG entered into a partnership with FOX Sports to create FOX Bet in the U.S., a leading U.S. online gaming business. Wall Street Research estimates an approximate $1.1 billion valuation for Fox Bet post-partnership with The Stars Group. • TSG/Sky Betting & Gaming: In 2018, TSG acquired Sky Betting & Gaming, the largest mobile gambling operator in the United Kingdom at the time, for $4.7 billion. • TSG/CrownBet and William Hill: In 2018, TSG simultaneously acquired CrownBet and William Hill, two Australian operators, for a total of $621 million in a multi-part transaction. • TSG/PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker: In 2014, TSG acquired The Rational Group, which operated PokerStars and Full Tilt and was the world’s largest poker business, for $4.9 billion. Through his ability to legally structure large and complex transactions, Mr. Goldstein was integral to TSG’s vision of becoming a full-service online gaming company. Additionally, he assisted in structuring TSG’s capital markets activity, which generated liquidity for acquisitions and strengthened its balance sheet. Prior to joining TSG, Mr. Goldstein was a principal shareholder in the corporate and securities practice at the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig P.A., where he practiced for almost 13 years. Mr. Goldstein’s practice focused on corporate and securities matters, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, and financing transactions. Additionally, Mr. Goldstein was the founder and co-chair of the firm’s Gaming Practice, a multi-disciplinary team of attorneys representing owners, operators and developers of gaming facilities, manufacturers and suppliers of gaming devices, investment banks and lenders in financing transactions, and Indian tribes in the development and financing of gaming facilities. Mr. Goldstein brings experience and insight that we believe will be valuable to a potential initial business combination target business. Mr. Goldstein received a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from Emory University and a Juris Doctorate with highest honors from the University of Florida, College of Law. Sean Ryan — Director Nominee Mr. Ryan is a digital media and technology operator with extensive global experience in online payments, e-commerce, marketplaces, mobile ad networks, digital games, enterprise collaboration platforms, blockchain, real money gaming and online music. Since 2014, Mr. Ryan has been serving as Vice President of Business Platform Partnerships at Facebook, Inc. (“Facebook”) (Nasdaq: FB), where he leads a more than 500 person global organization that manages the Payments, Commerce, Novi/Blockhain, Workplace and Audience Network businesses. Prior to his current role, Mr. Ryan was hired in 2011 as the Director of Games Partnerships to lead and grow the global Games business at Facebook. While the Director of Games Partnerships, Mr. Ryan focused on re-shaping Facebook’s games and monetization strategies to derive more value for Facebook, its users and its partners, including the addition of a Real Money Gaming offering in regulated markets. Mr. Ryan’s team helped accelerate a major trend in engagement through cross-platform games and therefore the opportunity to increase users through establishing games on multiple platforms. Prior to joining Facebook, Mr. Ryan created the new social and mobile games division at News Corp, an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by Rupert Murdoch. While at News Corp, Mr. Ryan led the acquisition of Making Fun, a San Francisco social-game start-up, that created News Corp’s games publishing division. Before joining News Corp., Mr. Ryan founded multiple digital businesses such as Twofish, Meez, Open Wager and SingShot Media. Mr. Ryan co-founded Twofish in 2009, a virtual goods and services platform that provided developers with data analytics and insights for individual application’s digital economies. Twofish was later sold to online payments provider Live Gamer, where Mr. Ryan served on the board of directors. From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Ryan founded and led Meez.com, a social entertainment service combining avatars, web games and virtual worlds. The white label social casino gaming company Open Wager was spun out of Meez and was later sold to VGW Holdings, Mr. Ryan also co-founded SingShot Media, an online karaoke community, which was sold to Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: EA) and merged into its Sims division. We believe Mr. Ryan’s experience will be valuable to a potential initial business combination target and would provide an expanded perspective on the digital gaming landscape. Mr. Ryan received a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. Tom Roche — Director Nominee Mr. Roche has more than 40 years of experience in the gaming industry as a regulator, advisor and independent auditor. Mr. Roche joined Ernst & Young (“EY”) as a partner in 2003 and opened its Las Vegas office. He was subsequently appointed as the Office Managing Partner and Global Gaming Industry Market Leader. In 2016, Mr. Roche relocated to the EY Hong Kong office to supervise the expansion of the EY Global Gaming Industry practice in the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Roche has been integral to numerous transactions that have shaped the current gaming landscape, including: • Wynn Resorts (Nasdaq: WYNN) initial public offering: Mr. Roche was the lead partner on Wynn Resort’s initial public offering, which raised $450 million in 2002. • Harrah’s Entertainment/Apollo Management Group & Texas Pacific Group: Mr. Roche headed the regulatory advisory services on the buyout of Harrah’s Entertainment, the world’s largest casino company at the time, for $17.1 billion. • Dubai World/MGM Resorts: Mr. Roche headed the regulatory and due diligence advisory services to Dubai World in its approximately $5.1 billion investment in MGM. Dubai World bought 28.4 million MGM shares, or 9.5 percent of the casino operator, for $2.4 billion. It then invested $2.7 billion to acquire a 50% stake in MGM’s CityCenter Project, a $7.4 billion 76-acre Las Vegas development of hotels, condos and retail outlets. • MGM Growth Properties (NYSE: MGP) initial public offering: Mr. Roche provided tax and structural transaction services to MGM Resorts in the creation of MGM Growth Properties, a publicly traded REIT engaged in the acquisition, ownership and leasing of large-scale destination entertainment and leisure resorts. MGM Growth Properties raised $1.05 billion in its 2016 initial public offering. Mr. Roche also directed EY advisory services to boards and management teams for profit improvement and technology related initiatives. In addition, Mr. Roche provided advisory support to the American Gaming Association on several research projects, including those specifically related to sports betting, the revocation of The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) and anti-money laundering best practices in the gaming industry. Equally, he has assisted government agencies in numerous international locations with enhancing their regulatory approach to governing the industry especially in the online gambling sector. Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Mr. Roche served as Deloitte’s National Gaming Industry Leader and as the co-head of Andersen’s Gaming Industry Practice in Las Vegas. In 1989, Mr. Roche was appointed by then Governor of the State of Nevada, Robert Miller, to serve as one of three members of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board for a four-year term, where he was directly responsible for the Audit and New Games Lab Divisions. As a board member, he spent a substantial amount of time assisting global jurisdiction regulators enact gaming legislation in the design of their regulatory structure. During his career, Roche has been involved in numerous public and private offerings of equity and debt securities. His background includes providing casino regulatory consulting services to casino licensees and to federal and state agencies including the National Indian Gaming Commission and the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, and industry associations such as the Nevada Resort Association and the American Gaming Association. We believe Mr. Roche’s highly regarded reputation as a gaming auditor and advisor in the gaming industry will be valuable for us and a potential business combination target. Mr. Roche is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is licensed by the Nevada State Board of Accountancy and Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California.
Notes and Highlights of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s Live Update August 12, 2020
Notes and Highlights of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s Live Update August 12, 2020 Notes bymr_tyler_durdenand Daily Update Team Note: We may need to paraphrase, but the notes are accurate Watch here:
New deaths by county: 87 F Jefferson, 80 M Oldham, 71 M Barren, 73 F Christian, 85 F Jefferson, 71 M Meade, 75 F Fayette
Second, we want to give an update on our travel advisory. This is when we ask Kentuckians not to travel to certain states because they have a really, really high percentage of positives throughout their state, more than 15% (percent). Here are the new states that currently fall within it. Again, cancel your vacation. With everything we’re trying to do and everything we’re trying to get back to, with us making a push to decrease and get a hold of our cases, every time you travel to Florida, risk exposing yourself, but also your community when you return.
Do you know how much of today’s count is a result of the undercount and with those numbers, how can you say masking is working? -- We believe of today’s- you know it’s really hard to, today either we would have the 1,163 today or doing our best we would have it roughly 1,092 two days ago- and so the difference in the 7 day average is gonna be relatively unchanged.
Going back to schools, What are your thoughts on public schools that think they might move on ahead? Or even give students an option to opt-out of those classes? -- I hope they will reconsider and follow what I think is a well-thought out plan that provides the best safety not just for their kids but also for their teachers. These opt-out plans, where a family can choose not to or a family takes the risk on, doesn't opt out the employees of that school, doesn’t opt out the grandparents who might have that reaction, doesn’t opt out everybody else that’s going to be touched and impacted by it. It doesn’t opt out businesses that could lose a quarter of their workforce if a large group of their students and their families have to quarantine.
Today we are showing our spirit by sharing the Ludlow Panther mask. This is from the Ludlow Panther school district, sent to us, we want to show our support for our public schools, the fact that we are going to work with them to safely get our kids back to in-person classes. We will talk a little bit about that as we proceed.
Let me start by thanking everyone who was sending me thoughts yesterday during what was a nerve racking time for both myself and mainly my family, especially waiting to see about my kids. I’m happy to report that both the first lady and I, our kids, and everyone that is working around us tested negative for COVID yesterday but we tried to take every precaution that we would want anyone else to do. That is, immediately upon starting to feel a little different, a little bad, and my wife did the same, of immediately making sure that we weren't in a position to spread the virus. I’m back at about 80%, but 80% some days is what I'm going to have to make sure we can continue our fight against COVID.
I want to start out today with positive news- we all like and want to hear positive news. And today it’s about AD Districts, our Area Development Districts, that carry out such an important purpose in KY. The Dept of local government was just awarded $6M from the Economic Development to reimburse our 15 area development districts for expenses related to COVID-19. Funding will be apportioned evenly totally roughly $390M per AD. The AD’s are invaluable partners, they foster important relationships, create strategies, and economic development opportunities across the Commonwealth. The EDA recognizes the urgency to address the economic hardship caused by COVID-19 and this is going to help some of our most important entities out there.
So they made this funding non competitive, and available to former recipients with the ability to respond quickly to the pandemic. Our AD Districts are the perfect candidates to do just that. They’ve worked hard to develop and help our families through the pandemic by delivering meals to senior citizens- over a million meals, much more now, have now been delivered. Providing support for local businesses and so much more. With this funding I’m confident that this group will continue to help our communities, both to get through COVID-19 and to plan for a very bright future afterwards. So the AD Districts are going to use this money to fund regional disaster economic, recovery coordinators for a 2 year period, develop a disaster resiliency economic plan focused on pandemic recovery, improves short term and long term economic development plans, provide technical assistance and capacity for building up local governments and businesses impacted, and offer organizational support for COVID-19 responses. Again, I want to thank everyone who helped make this happen all across KY. We see various entities, stepping up, filling the gaps, helping out Kentuckians, and we see the federal government recognizing them whether it’s in CHFS and some announcements we had the other day, or whether it’s the great work of our AD Districts. I like to say, this isn’t money given, this is money earned. And our AD Districts have earned it.
Second, we want to give an update on our travel advisory. This is when we ask Kentuckians not to travel to certain states because they have a really, really high percentage of positives throughout their state, more than 15% (percent). Here are the new states that currently fall within it. Again, cancel your vacation. With everything we’re trying to do and everything we’re trying to get back to, with us making a push to decrease and get a hold of our cases, every time you travel to Florida, risk exposing yourself, but also your community when you return.
So today’s update is both good news and bad news and the bad news is pretty tough. I believe today will be our single highest number of cases that we have had.
Positive cases today: 1,163 - This includes numbers we would have expected today as well as those that we had not gotten through because of the glitch that we talked about a couple of days before. Our original plan was to try to allocate those over the last couple of days where we thought they would have come in and what we learned was it wouldn’t make a difference. Either we would have this number today or, I think, yesterday was going to be over 1,000 as well. The most accurate thing we can do in the way that we’ve reported as to when they are processed by us, they go on to our site. Today we set a record we never wanted to set and we never wanted to get over 1,000 cases.
Probable cases: 2,530
Total confirmed cases: 36,945
Children Under 5: 39 Kids. The youngest is about 3 months- but we are continuing seeing a surge in our young people testing positive.
Total tests conducted: 717,370 (PCR: 672,245, Serology: 44,569)
Positivity Rate: 5.62% This is positive news, we need to get it lower though. It is still much higher than we would like and it makes it unsafe, in the current environment, to engage in some activities.
Total hospitalized: 4,091
Currently hospitalized: 683
Total in ICU: 1,279
Currently in ICU: 143
Currently on a Ventilator: 95 - That’s a tough number. We want to think about all of those individuals.
Total recovered: 8,893
New deaths today: 7
Total Deaths: 790
New deaths by county: 87 F Jefferson, 80 M Oldham, 71 M Barren, 73 F Christian, 85 F Jefferson, 71 M Meade, 75 F Fayette
All losses are a loss for Kentucky. Let’s light those houses up green and let’s ring those bells at 10am. This is a reminder that we are thinking of the Kentuckians we’ve lost, their families, and their communities. It’s the color of compassion and renewal as their souls move from their bodies to a better place.
Racial breakdown of all cases: 78.79% Caucasian, 12.38% Black or African-American, 2.24% Asian, 6.00% Multiracial
Ethnicity breakdown of all cases: 86.63% non-Hispanic and 13.37% Hispanic
Racial breakdown of all deaths: 81.46% Caucasian, 14.42% Black or African-American, 1.51% Asian, 2.61% Multiracial
Ethnicity breakdown of all deaths: 96.12% non-Hispanic and 3.88% Hispanic
Long Term Care Facilities: 21 new residents and 7 new staff positive from yesterday, 1 more death, and 3 fewer facilities.
Total facilities: 281
Total deaths: 495
Total recovered: 3,322
Active cases: 389 residents, 246 staff
Total cases: 2,823 residents, 1,629 staff
Now when we talk about 1,100 new cases and 7 new deaths again we get caught up in the numbers. Are the numbers going down? What’s the positivity rate? I really want us to remember these are people. And by now, they’re people that you know, that I know. I have a friend that is on a ventilator right now that I’ve known for about 10 years and she’s fighting for her life, and I'm praying for her everyday. Across the Commonwealth, these are people that we know, and that we care about. And their battle is real, and I'll tell you based on yesterday with just a scare, what people go through mentally and physically when they contract this virus is something that we have got to make sure that we consider when we make all of these decisions. When I think about 900 kids, teachers, and families quarantining in one Georgia school district, there's a lot of trauma that’s going along with each of these families. There are a lot of businesses in that district that are not going to have workers show up because that whole family is at home. And we need to make sure as we make these complicated decisions, we also think about all the emotional and mental trauma widespread quarantining does, and to make sure that we are doing things at a time where we can minimize the risk of spread and for people having to go through that.
But today we are honoring William “Curtiss” Ice who died at 72 in Bardstown. After fighting a hard-fought battle with COVID-19, William Ice, or Curtis or PawPaw, passed away at 72. Born in Nelson County, Curtiss served as a guardsmen in the KY Battalion 138 field artillery before a career as a manufacturing engineer for GE. After retiring Curtiss returned to his passion of farming where he remained active in agriculture and beef cattle until he passed. Above all else, Curtiss was proud of his family and loved helping people in need. People who knew him would describe him as intelligent and down right jolly. You would often see him supporting his grandchildren through sports or academics or using his leadership qualities in organizations throughout the area. Curtiss is survived by his loving wife of 49 years- Wanda, his 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 10 siblings.
I know family friends of Curtiss and of that family. They talk about him glowingly. And originally, I think this is a family, that because of the stigma that may come with COVID was wondering about sharing this, but I know in the end they chose to honor their grandad, their PawPaw, their dad, their husband, and I hope that serves as an example the fact that we cannot, allow those that are suffering from this, or have lost from this to suffer any for of stigma. I mean this family has lost enough. So make sure we take all of our energy and put it into lighting those green lights, that we ring those bells at 10am, that we send nothing but positive thoughts to this family to all of his relatives, let’s make sure we remember him, and everyone else for the people they were and how they lived. And not simply that COVID contributed to their passing. Today we remember Curtiss.
Now given that we’ve had 1,163 new cases today, I wanna make sure that I still emphasize that I believe masks are working. Where we were headed, and at the end of this week, I think we will still be able to show you that we are not on that exponential trajectory that we were on but that doesn’t mean that just because we found something that works and works well that it’s gonna work overnight, or even work within one week. One of the reasons I made the recommendation I made on Monday, and I’ll talk about it in a little but, is we simply need more time. To make sure we can get this virus under control, so that we can safely welcome children back in their classroom. It’s something we're seeing in the data. And while I believe that facial coverings and other steps are working, it doesn’t mean it makes things safe overnight. It doesn’t. Right now we have so much of this virus out there and spreading. We need that couple of weeks, we need that time to make sure there’s less of it in our community. Because even if we wear masks, if there’s a ton around us, there is still a higher probability that we will get it than if we allow this work for a little bit longer and we tamp it down it will significantly help stop the spread.
I’m going to talk a little about schools, and I know there will be a lot of questions about that. Then I will go deep in the weeds to talk about what the Department of Fish and Wildlife is doing. I know for most of you, all that is going to be further in the weeds of government than many of you want to go so this is the only time I’ll say this: After we get done with the school part if you turn it off I won’t be upset at all.
On schools, listen, Monday was tough. I know Tuesday was tough for a lot of reasons. And I know today was tough too. It’s tough because as a parent, I desperately want to get my kids back in class. Distance learning is not the same. My kids are of the age where they are losing out on important developmental opportunities, where not going to school impacts their emotional health. I’m sure they’ve fallen behind in a lot of their classes. I’m not just somebody sitting over in the governor’s office or in an ivory tower making decisions without knowing the personal toll that it takes, and going through the worry I go through every day of them not being there. Growing up, school was one of the most important things taught to me about its importance, by my parents, we are an education-first family and we always will be. I believe our school system is the most important system in place in KY. But I had to make my recommendation on Monday because I have a responsibility. I have the responsibility as the Governor of KY to make the toughest calls and to take whatever comes with it. Being a parent that desperately wants them to get back in school but I also know that right now COVID is as hot as a firecracker in KY. That we are, what I hope is the peak, heck we just had the largest number of cases today, and if we allocated them over the last 3 days then we would have had the largest number of cases 2 days ago. Regardless, this is where we are. And the idea that we would take this step while we are at our peak? Simply not a smart move to make. Here’s the other thing, when we moved to reopen the economy, we decided we weren’t going to be the fastest. We were going to be the smartest. And we were going to learn from other state’s mistakes, so that we could do it better. School districts that will be opening Monday the 17th or next week are gonna be some of the earliest in the country. Which means we are not going to see the mistakes that other groups will make and learn from it. That means these districts will make mistakes with the health, and hopefully not, the lives of the students and teachers and how about the highest number of grandparents per capita raising their grandkids that we have in KY verses anywhere else. All the recommendation is, is a chance to make sure it’s moving it a month for most schools. One month. And that’s just with in-person learning, start with distance learning, but move it one month so we can see mistakes that other schools make, so we can avoid mass quarantines where, 800-900 in one school district are home, we don’t know how many have the virus but they aren’t leaving their house for 10 days. I don’t believe we gamble or experiment with our kids. And while we are all desperate to get it back, I also want it to work. I’ve heard from a lot of school districts, and they are right, they have put a lot of time into their plans and we appreciate it. They are going to need it because even September 28th we are still going to be dealing with COVID. But even the very best plans aren’t going to work if the virus is at such a level that it’s gonna overwhelm even the best of plans. I want our schools, when they return to in-person classes, to be successful. I want them to be able to create the type of environment that they do, I want our teachers to be able to do the amazing work that they do, for our principles to run, what I think are some of the best schools in the country. I love our educators and what they do. But I want to make sure they’re safe, and that we have a real chance of success. So I'd like to think that while it stirs a lot of passions, that we all agree, we don’t want to be the canary in the coal mine with our kids. That the states that we would be starting at the same time with are states like GA, FL, TX, and we saw what them trying to be first in other areas did. And that we just be smart about this. That’s all we’re asking right now- is one month. One month to not make mistakes with the health of our children, their parents, or our teachers. And this is not just some parent choice issue, to accept the risk for your kids, and by the way, this isn’t like letting your kids play in the rain, where there is a risk they can get a cold but you choose to take it, but this is sending your children out at the height of a lightning storm. That’s where we are with COVID. But that decision isn’t just that family’s decision, it’s a decision that impacts teachers, that impacts janitors, that impacts bus drivers, and it can impact the entire community around them. And, can have a massive impact if we see the levels of quarantine we are seeing in other places. And for those counties, that think there’s not an issue there? There’s at least one county that’s talking about going forward that is in the “red”, (corrects himself: 2) over 10% positivity rate according to the WH, and there’s a number of others in the “yellow”, which is between 5-10%, what’s the testing plan? I mean if you’re going to go ahead when it’s hot, I would hope you have testing plans for your teachers. So, listen, I want to get my kids back as much as you do. And this isn’t about- I mean suddenly this is a political thing too. I’m trying to make the best recommendation, that’s what it is, I’m not shutting a school down that doesn’t agree with it. Unless, of course, they have a massive outbreak and they’re not doing the right things and the health department doesn’t do it. If somebody opens and has a huge outbreak, and it’s threatening the lives of people, we’ll take the steps we have to to protect our kids and teachers. I mean my goodness. Let’s step back, let’s step back and let’s do the right thing to make sure we are truly putting our children first and we will get them back to in-person classes. I want to get them back to in-person classes but let’s be wise about how we do it.
(Governor Beshear speaks in depth on the Department of Fish and Wildlife. We decided to skip this segment and rest our fingers for the questions section since it’s not COVID-19 specific. You can watch this here)
QUESTIONS
Apparently Senator McConnell called another round of aid to states “A slush fund” on the floor today? -- I think those are very unfortunate comments. Certainly that hasn’t been a part of any of our discussion or our staff. State stabilization is needed so we can fully fund education. So we can ensure people have healthcare during this crisis. So that we can afford our economic development tax incentives, So that we can move our state forward. It’s similar to what happened in 2009, and you didn’t see any “slush fund”. You found us making sure that the economy didn’t collapse further. This is absolutely necessary aid and it’s not just blue states or red states, it’s in every state. And to claim that they aren’t going to give it because of “years of fiscal mismanagement” in different places, fine, say that we have to use it all in certain areas that makeup the vast majority of our budget. Say that we need to use it in education, in Medicaid, in law enforcement, in others, but no, if we don’t get this, Kentuckians will suffer. I don’t know if it will be like bankrupting the Commonwealth but it won’t be helpful. I hope this is a negotiating tactic and that’s it.
On schools: The Diocese of Lexington announced that their catholic schools would begin in person classes. What’s your take on that? And also, are there any more recommendations that they need to consider? -- Let me say I disagree with their decision, I don't believe it’s safe. We just had 1,100 cases. I hope this is the hottest time we have on the spread of COVID but opening when number 1, we haven’t seen the mistakes made by other school districts and number 2 the peak (not having seen it), I don’t believe it’s a responsible decision. I don’t believe they think they are intentionally making a decision that- and I sure they don’t believe it is unsafe. I think there are good plans out there but if the rate of how things are spreading and just the amount of COVID, especially right now in Fayette County with as large as it is, it can overwhelm the best plan and I want their plan to work when they open. So I certainly hope that if they decide to open at this time that they regularly test teachers and students. I know some private schools and I think some catholic schools have had trouble with COVID in sports teams. I think that says something, but not doing this right right now, can have a major impact on their community. I hope that given today that they will reconsider. Again, we’re asking for one month that will help us better protect the lives of our kids and of their teachers. And finally I’d say to them, I want my children back in school as much as any other parent. But I am making what I truly believe, based on all the advice I have been given, is the right recommendation even though it’s gonna be an unpopular one, my job during this crisis is to do the best I can and not worry about the popularity piece.
Have you talked to any of the schools that have decided to go back early? One is going to use the “pod” system, and another is cutting off the number of students in the classrooms, does that make anybody feel better, that they kinda went with a daycare type plan?-- So any school that decides to go back, I want to use the best practices. I don’t want them to fail. I worry that at this point, I’m convinced that it’s going to be very hard in this week and in the next week to do it successfully, but any extra step they’re going to take- I want them to take, because I want the students there to be safe and their teachers. The more “pod” you can do, the smaller the number of kids, the better. I’m not going to argue with the steps being made, because again, I’m not worrying about being right, I’m worried about our kids being safe. If folks are going to make a decision that I think is the wrong decision, I at least hope they do everything they can to protect the kids.
I’m hearing from people, people who signed up for the test and ended up not going and received letters saying they were positive. It has happened at least 3 times that I’ve heard of Jefferson, Christian, Hopkins -- If you can, Tom, get that letter. These things have popped up before, when we have learned about these specific examples, and we request to see those- and when you read through the entire letter there is a lot more language in there that talks about why the statement was made at the top and the fact that they missed an appointment and what else it can mean. So if you can, get those, because if that issue is out there we wanna stop it and we want to address it. But the ones where we have seen an actual letter in, thus far, have a lot more information when you go further down it.
How did today’s meeting with the Sec of State go? How close are we to reaching an agreement on the general election? -- This is about the Sec. of State and I meeting, or you could say negotiating, I like to think we are working together, on creating a safe environment for our elections, and hopefully continuing what we’ve seen which is a lot of success, in having more people than just about ever, vote. We had a very productive meeting. I believe we are very close to coming to an agreement, I think he said 48 hours to someone earlier, and I think that’s fair and reasonable. And it was more of a discussion than a negotiation. I think we have a lot of the same ultimate goals, and right now I am confident we can reach a good agreement. I don’t want to get into the particulars we are talking on now, I want to hash those out. I believe that we can come to a good resolution. He is acting in good faith in all of our negotiations and I think I am too.
Why is it safe to allow 23,000 fans at Derby and not have schools have in-person classes on the same day? -- This is one of those false equivalencies that we talk about where people say, if I can go to Walmart, my kid can be in school for 6 hours amongst the same group and have that extra exposure. So, right now, it looks like Churchill Downs will be down to less than 15 percent occupancy in their facilities. I don’t know of a school plan that is going down to 15% capacity. Most of those people are being moved outside and are being spread out significantly in my understanding of the plan. Again I think it’s a really false equivalency over 200+ acres at 15% capacity to say that is somehow the equivalent of kids being in schools and listen, those that are upset about starting hopefully with in-person learning, and then pushing it back one month, they can point to Derby or Walmart, what I’d ask them, “is one month worth it? To learn the mistakes that others are making and make sure they’re not making those mistakes on your kids or mine?” it certainly is to me. And I think it's the right decision from a public health standpoint and we can change our calendar as needed to make sure we get as many instruction days back in. We are also going to learn some from other schools that open. I hope those schools that open are really honest when they have the positives that they're going to take this step and when that happens that they put people’s health first.
Do you know how much of today’s count is a result of the undercount and with those numbers, how can you say masking is working? -- We believe of today’s- you know it’s really hard to, today either we would have the 1,163 today or doing our best we would have it roughly 1,092 two days ago- and so the difference in the 7 day average is gonna be relatively unchanged. And remember we look at these through the week. We have lower numbers on Sunday and Monday, we have a lot more that come in in the middle of the week. I think we need to look at where we are at the end of the week. Can you put the stair-stepper graph up? The one with purple steps?. . So the reason we think that masks are working, isn’t because we immediately have fewer cases. It’s that we are stopping the escalation. So we were going increase over increase, over increase. 40%, 50%, truly headed towards the type of spike we saw in other states. This isn’t the one, this is missing this week. I’d say come on Kenneth, but it’s James... The reason is we have stopped the type of exponential growth that we were seeing. And the reason is definitely wearing a mask. Now where are we gonna plateau? Are we going to plateau or are we going to continue to go up by 4%, 5%? Listen, that’s a heck of a lot better than 52% and so that’s how we can show that masks are working but you don’t immediately start heading back down.
Do you believe the Supreme Court’s Eviction Diversion Pilot Project in Jefferson County is a sufficient substitute for the Indefinite Evictions Moratorium? -- I believe that this is a very good program. It’s got some dollars that have been put up by Jefferson County and their CARES Act. I think it will resolve a lot of the claims, to where, instead of just a moratorium, people will come out of this epidemic not way behind and not immediately needing to catch up. We have in fact, are in talks in the supreme court, about being able to do more of this statewide, what it would do, is create a third party that could truly get people to the right place. We hope to have more news in the near future about coming to a resolution on where evictions are, that will protect people, that will make sure people aren’t gaming the system, and also help make up for the lost revenue for those that have been patient and reasonable- but their businesses have been hurting too.
Hi Boo_Dough, you're not shadowbanned, but 151 of your most recent 200 comments/submissions were removed (either automatically or by human moderators).
Can you explain? I thought the house was majority democrat.
gbfgrtd in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (1pts):
Thats what 2A is for
gbfbhek in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (15pts):
Realistically whats Trump chances of winning this legal battle? They are oddly silent and just boasting so far. I imagine they have something planned right??
gbfb5bh in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (7pts):
I wasn't even alive lmao
gbfb3jr in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (11pts):
He said something like the story was clear he was on a path to victory and they already started making plans for when he's president.
gbfa4cp in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (2pts):
Meanwhile im in the third world state of Nevada
gbf62sh in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (1pts):
He declared victory
gbf4jwg in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (4pts):
If I buy a MAGA hat does it go to his defense fund? I want to contribute to that too but I don't want to spill all my money and I really want the hat. Im not sure if laws prevent something like that.
gbf4bvs in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (21pts):
All we wanted was jobs not mobs. We are the working class. MAGA
gbf3wq0 in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (1pts):
His rallies probrably weren't connecting for gen z. I barely find his rallies entertaining but I am a geniune Trump supporter. But I do not dispute what you are saying, but I wouldn't blame anyone...
gbf36t4 in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (2pts):
Im highly doubtful of that. Even then I would still like to own a piece of history. This hat will be the most remembered clothing item of American history. They will probrably sell out soon.
gbf2y81 in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (3pts):
I rather it just be an organization. If it becomes a political party the roots of the message will be tainted.
gbf2kqm in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (51pts):
I might buy a MAGA hat. I truly hope this becomes more than a political slogan for Trump. I hope it becomes the motto for the working class.
gbf2dzr in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (48pts):
The only way we keep stay strong it to turn MAGA into a movement. Turn it into an organization. We need this movement to continue for decades.
gbex7w4 in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (18pts):
Is there real proof of lobbying connections with Nancy Pelosi and Dominion?
gbex1bx in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (7pts):
Im too lazy to look it up but I was told for Nevada if that happens they pick a card for each side and the one with the higher number card wins the state. Not sure if its true to be honest.
gberaxk in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (24pts):
Not going to lie the longer this is prolonged and witnessing these articles about patents and election fraud organizations the more im feeling like Trump has some cards under his sleeve.
gbeqyze in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (21pts):
The Russians were better at secretly rigging elections than Democrats. You would think after 4 years of complaining about it they would learned a thing or two.
gbenjy8 in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (16pts):
Check out Tim Pools tweets we might be heading into a national recount
gbejn1s in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (17pts):
Biden is just Carter 2.0. He won't drive the country downwards. But Harris will.
gbeja26 in Conservative on 07 Nov 20 (6pts):
I ask conservatives to do one thing if Biden wins. Don't do the "not my president" bull crap.
Do you guys think the MAGA movement will break off from the GOP?
gbdqd10 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (8pts):
Whats he saying
gbdpkvq in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (1pts):
Matthew 5:44
gbdo3e4 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (17pts):
So who did gen z vote for?
gbdncma in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (46pts):
I still love my country if Biden is president
gbd8bc8 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (-1pts):
Its not i saw other videos like this. Supposedly its legal.
gbd6qnd in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (12pts):
Is Crowder streaming today?
gbd4n1y in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (22pts):
How long will this court case be? When does it start?
gbd4ccj in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (5pts):
Honestly I prefer her over Biden
gbbtx6b in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (2pts):
true true thats what I should of worded it as lol
gbbtoxq in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (16pts):
lf this shit really is what it is. Trump will have pulled off the heist of the century against the Democrats
gbbt9ao in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (9pts):
Not so sure about Trump. His speech was a dumpster fire and he looked worn out.
gbbsbav in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (10pts):
Abraham Lincolns part in the reconstruction process of the South is pretty remarkable now that we see ourselves more divided than ever.
gbbrov7 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (20pts):
The whole patent thing on the ballots is such a stretch. Im doubtful thats whats occuring. If that was Trumps plan then he was really taking a gamble. edit: at the very least it was his backup...
gbbr6nf in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (12pts):
I fucking hope, Trump will have such a amazing legacy if that comes to fruition. But if this is true, Trump took a huge gamble because this only would come to fruition if he did have a higher margin...
gbbr120 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (1pts):
Interesting, where can I find something like this for WI and MI
gbbqx49 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (2pts):
I did too but the result was astonishing. Plus the early red mirage of wisconsin and michigan really felt like a landslide
gbbql30 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (11pts):
What website is most update with election results?
gbbqipm in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (10pts):
Unlikely, Nevada is blue all around
gbbqffx in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (34pts):
Damn I miss that feeling of that Florida win
gbbprjr in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (4pts):
How many ballots left in GA?
gbblz36 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (4pts):
Military ballots?
gbbhxcj in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (10pts):
I might be wrong but I think Biden just extended his AZ lead by 3000 votes. The CNN number looks a bit updated to what I remember when it was called earlier.
What are the chances of a Biden impeachment attempt if Biden is inaugurated?? For the Ukraine deals, the election fraud, etc.
gbbbjrt in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (17pts):
How far divided can we go? What will the results be?
gbbb9mf in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (4pts):
Will Republicans surpass Donald Trumps popular vote in 2024?
gbbau8r in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (14pts):
Im pretty down about all this but I hope this Greg Gutfeld clip can give everyone the optimism that Trump will overcome this. https://youtu.be/CTfPsjstxrg
gbb8zue in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (1pts):
Not true, look closely shes making huge ass marks. They were not their before
gbb8uny in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (45pts):
We have picture and video evidence of voter fraud. Trump better fucking pull through.
gbb7ydm in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (11pts):
Doesn't matter now because of GA and PA
gbb7u2q in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (34pts):
Democrats were framing the Russians the entire time. The Democrats are the Russians.
gbb76iy in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (-5pts):
If Biden hits 270 what does this mean for Trump the moment its 270 to inauguration day?
gbb5iqf in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (14pts):
Is it in Trumps favor the longer these states take to call a result?
gbb57z1 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (40pts):
America is a 3rd world country. African countries and Venezuela is sympathizing with us.
gbb4ltg in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (24pts):
So is it projected for Trump to lose PA? The gap is above 20k right now and Trumps campaign estimated a 40k gap win.
gbb2vh8 in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (1pts):
How did I see the list of names then??
gbb2ppv in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (44pts):
MODS WHY DID YOU DELETE A COMMENT LINKING TO A TWEET WITH PROOF 14K VOTES CAME FROM DEAD PEOPLE im not yelling, just typing in caps for awareness edit: supposedly guy wasn't flaired here's the...
gbb2gkr in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (1pts):
WAIT WHY DID THE MODERATOR REMOVE IT
gbb1wrs in Conservative on 06 Nov 20 (21pts):
Why am I getting a message from reddit asking if im mentally okay?
When it comes to gambling, be it at a land-based casino or online, it helps to know the gambling laws of the US state you are in because they all have different stances when it comes to the issue. What may be considered legal in one state may not necessarily be legal in another, so it pays to know more about these things lest you want to wake up one day being charged with illegal gambling with Georgia gambling laws are relatively strict, as they prohibit wagering on horse or dog races, or casinos of any kind. In fact, the only kind of gambling explicitly allowed in Georgia are raffles for charitable organizations. The state's gambling statute also specifically bans dogfighting, chain letters, and pyramid clubs. The following table summarizes key points of the law while the article More:Legalized gambling falls short again in Georgia General Assembly Stephens has long championed legalized gambling, particularly as it related to casinos. He’s sponsored legislation in each Georgia is known for its firm anti-gambling stance, joining South Carolina, Hawaii, Utah, and Vermont as one of only five states that do not allow tribal or commercial casinos and pari-mutuel and wagering on sports. However, all that could change, as, in 2020, there were efforts to legalize sports betting in hopes that it would cause a chain reaction leading to further legislation, including Stephens likened the need for expanded gambling in Georgia in 2020 to the Legislature’s expansion of the film tax credit in 2008, the last time the state was facing such a dire economic picture. It’s no secret that gambling revenue has nosedived across the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, it’s been one of the hardest-hit sectors, rivaling the automotive and travel industries, according to analysts at H2 Gambling Capital.. However, according to new data from H2, while the retail sector has been hard hit, online gambling revenues have been relatively unscathed. Ignoring a state’s gambling laws isn’t a loophole like the other two states. However, it’s a clear abuse of Georgia’s gambling laws. Seedy business owners redeeming credits for cash are running unlicensed gambling operations. They probably aren’t worried about problem gamblers, and all the off-the-books money is money that Georgia can’t tax. It’s a clear no-win situation for ATLANTA – While the belief that Georgia could add casinos and gambling to their state laws have been discussed in the past, it has taken a serious turn heading into 2020. The state’s session does not begin until January 13 but many lawmakers are already prepping the legislative bodies when it comes to the idea of gambling legalization. Casino proposals are nothing new to Georgia. For years, gambling supporters have touted the pros of expanding the state’s laws to allow everything from slot machines at Underground Atlanta to Updated: Oct 23, 2020 An Overview of Gambling Laws in the State Of Georgia. Georgia is not a gambling-friendly State – in fact on a scale of restrictions and punishments for those organizing the games, this State sits just behind Utah and Hawaii in the ‘Least Gambling-Friendly State’ league. Residents do have a lottery, and can gamble on charity bingo games or even enter poker leagues
Matt Marshall of 'The Three Percenters' to Sacha Baron Cohen: "You almost got us!"
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