Two turkeys get presidential reprieve
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama spared two turkeys named for one of the nation’s most admired presidents, continuing a White House tradition that provides a refreshing sense of amusement and bipartisan cheer no matter how troubled the times.
Obama pardoned “Abe,” the 2015 national Thanksgiving turkey, during a ceremony Wednesday in the Rose Garden. Abe gobbled right on cue as Obama finished his absolution.
Don’t fret for “Honest,” though, the second bird who was nearby if off camera. Both turkeys will spend their remaining days living it up on a Virginia farm.
Internet gaming not taking off in U.S.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Internet gambling is slowly growing but not expanding after 2½ years of online betting in the United States.
Online gambling revenue is increasing in at least two of the three states that currently offer it New Jersey and Delaware. The third, Nevada, doesn’t report Internet revenue separately.
But a hoped-for wave of expansion has not happened as many states sit on the sidelines and assess the costs and benefits of the nascent industry.
“Internet gambling revenue in Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey badly missed initial forecasts, which themselves were overly aggressive,” said Chris Krafcik, research director for Gambling Compliance, which tracks gambling legislation nationwide.
New Jersey had initially estimated Internet gambling would bring in $1 billion in its first year. It did about 12 percent of that.
Associated Press
