Reaction from Democratic Debate

The CNN Democratic Debate held in Las Vegas on October 13th brought out a few key wins and losses for the candidates, which included Senators Jim Webb and Bernie Sanders, former Secretary of State and political veteran Hillary Clinton, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

Clinton proved to be a feisty opponent for the other four, demonstration her own political savvy while providing quick jabs towards Sanders, in particular. When questioned on her true party alliance, Clinton said “I’m a progressive. But I’m a progressive who likes to get things done.” She also addressed her changing policy stances, such as on the issue of gay rights, attempting to shoot down anyone who doubts her loyalty to her previous stances. One area in which Clinton has struggled recently is in her changing policy views that have given her negative attention in the media; however she still emerged as the clear winner of the debate, according to most pundits.

Sanders brought much of the same energy as in his previous campaign appearances. He spoke with the same loudness, but many felt that there was a different feeling from his rowdy rallies. The back and forth debate didn’t provide the same opportunity for the “lecture” style that he prefers and does best with. Sanders struggled against challenges from Webb and Clinton on the issue of gun control, where he has been criticized for his disagreement with many of the liberals who back his campaign. Though he didn’t bring anything new, Sanders stood strong and stuck with his push for Democratic Socialism.

Webb, O’Malley and Chafee continued to be unknowns in the background, struggling to get any real point across. O’Malley did have a strong closing argument that should give him a small bump in the polls, but other than that there were no one line zingers or memorable stances on policy. Webb however did make a somewhat memorable comment, complaining to moderator Anderson Cooper about the lack of time he was given to speak, taking up most of his available time.

Seen by many as a less exciting debate than the Republican counterpart, the Democratic debate was still a good arena for the candidates to showcase their political views, with Clinton coming out as the clear winner, Sanders trailing from behind, and Webb, O’Malley and Chafee maintaining their outsider status.

Nevada Declares Fantasy Sports Sites as Gambling

Daily fantasy sports sites have been forced to halt operation in after Nevada regulators have decided that they should be treated as gambling sites instead of merely places for testing sports savvy and skill. This new ruling requires that all such sites have a state gambling license, and they are unable to resume activities until they receive the proper licensing.

The decision comes after a scandal involving insider betting and employees of sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel, who are winning big money at rival sites, often using insider information. Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana and Washington have already banned fantasy sports sites.

Sites will of course lose revenue opportunities in this time until obtaining licensing, but there is a deeper issue. Nevada is the nation’s foremost gambling state and also operates under strict and unwavering regulations, which fantasy sports sites will now have to adhere to.

The new regulations that sites will be forced to work under will no doubt reduce profits for the sites, as well as make it more difficult for people to make tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars by betting on hundreds of games. Fantasy game sites provide entire incomes for users in some cases, and for others it is at least an opportunity to win some extra money.

The sites are fighting this decision, saying that under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act they are operating a game of skill, instead of a game of chance that does need to be regulated as gambling. “We strongly disagree with this decision and will work diligently to ensure Nevadans have the right to participate in what we strongly believe is legal entertainment,” DraftKings said in a statement.

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