Positions: $RSI 30 03/19 30C
Proof: https://imgur.com/a/swCCMjz

*This post is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as investment, financial, or other advice.*

TLDR: Rush Street Interactive ($RSI) is the #1 nationwide online casino company and the #3 or #4 sports book depending on the state. Short selling, unwarranted institutional wariness of share dilution and the general market focus on sports book instead of online casino has left $RSI grossly undervalued. A massive blow out at Q4 earnings will result in analyst upgrades and a rapid repricing by market makers and institutions seeking exposure to the emerging sector.

**Overview**
"Sports book is really just kind of a warm up in a lot of ways for an online casino where the real money is made" - Niccolo De Masi, CEO dMY technologies

Rush Street Interactive ($RSI) operates the BetRivers.com online casino and sports book. They are now fully licensed and operating in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Colorado, Iowa, and Virginia. They own and operate a casino in New York and already have a New York license making them well positioned for liberalization there. They merged with a dMY Technology Group SPAC on Dec. 31st 2020 with 240 million on the balance sheet to spend on growth.
The online casino business is fundamentally more profitable than sports betting because the average value of a casino player is estimated at $600 while a sports book player could be as little as $20. Estimates put the online casino market at DOUBLE the size of the online sports book market and the online casino industry is really just getting started as more states liberalize.
$RSI is expert at new market entry; they have been first to market in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, and Colorado and even when they aren't first they are capable of capturing market share in competitive markets such as New Jersey. They also have products which women play which accounts for at least half of the market in online casino. The female market is one that the pure sports book plays miss out on.
Also for some fucking reason they operate a casino and sports book in Colombia (rushbet.co) and may make large expansions into other parts of south America as legalization continues. This means they have the expertise necessary for global expansion in the future although the states remains their primary focus and growth driver.

**The Financials and Strategy**
Unlike other companies in the space Rush Street is already profitable in 2020 and has a strong focus on Return On Invested Capital (ROIC). Q3 gross revenue was $71.9 Million. Q4 revenue is going to be a blow out. Combing through state gambling revenue data and breaking that down by market share my estimate is that Q4 revenue could be as high as $120 Million.
Paired with this blow out will be a **guidance raise to $500 Million for 2021**, which is 2/3 of DraftKings 2021 guidance of $750M.
https://imgur.com/a/xkfcayC

What is striking when compared to $DKNG is that their advertising spend was only a quarter of revenue in Q3 while $DKNG spent 155% of their revenue. This will change as they begin to focus on growth, but it shows they are very good at getting return on ad spend. This company should actually be valued close to $DKNG based on growth potential once guidance is raised.
https://imgur.com/a/RQQXtGg

Their focus on attracting **female gamers** is also important to their long term growth potential. The sports book plays with cross sells to casino such as $DKNG will not be able to grow through the female demographic in the same way. **This cannot be understated** as one of the major strategic advantages of $RSI.
https://imgur.com/a/xzJj26n

As I said before I expect their trend of rapid growth to continue for Q4 earnings, certainly going to be a blow out based on looking at state gambling revenue numbers. My estimate is that their revenue will be around 110M for Q4. I also expect guidance to be raised to 500M for 2021 due to strong performance in existing markets and the recently opened Michigan market as well as their sports book launch in Virginia.
https://imgur.com/a/ckTqHhh

**Short sellers have entered the chat**
The short interest on $RSI sits at 5.08 M shares as of 01/14/21 representing a 30% increase. Now why would a company already valued at 2.8 Billion and with a comparative valuation of 8-10 Billion compared with $DKNG and $PENN be so heavily shorted at such a low market cap? My conclusion is that an institution with 10s of millions to throw at shorting this stock wants to take advantage of fear of share dilution from warrant calling or to establish a better entry prior to earnings.

**Commander in GILF Cathie Wood is Bullish on the sector**
On Feb. 2nd ARK disclosed that they had purchased 620,300 shares of $DKNG. This is extremely bullish for the sector. I am highly confident that after Q4 earnings ARK will be purchasing shares in $RSI as well due its strategic advantages relative to $DKNG and exposure to the female demographic. For such a small market cap company this will be a major catalyst.

**Institutions are bullish**
Fidelity has increased their holdings to 14% as of today: https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001793659/8f10b0d8-a3d2-447c-bc75-87587d0a4670.pdf
Alliance Bernstein holds a 6% position reported today: http://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001793659/e883778d-e759-4a85-91c1-3242ed110720.pdf

**Final notes**
Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, Steelers legend and hall of fame running back, is their brand ambassador... This company knows their target audience and how to appeal to them, likely more 'classic' ambassadors to come to attract even more boomer and Gen X degenerates. Keep in mind these are the gamblers with big money to spend, the average age of an online casino gambler is 42.
This stock has been grossly underpriced due to short selling. The terms of the SPAC deal were not unfavorable and all the insiders held their shares through the merger banking on growth in the market - **management owns 77% of the company**. This is a true value play on a well managed company in an emerging industry with a market size in the hundreds of billions. I plan to hold shares long term.

I will post a part 2 breaking down their latest S-1 filing and Q4 revenue by state when they release their Q4 earnings date.

Do your own research.
References:
https://www.legalsportsreport.com/sports-betting/revenue/
https://fintel.io/doc/sec-rush-street-interactive-inc-ex991-2021-january-05-18632-947
https://s26.q4cdn.com/794539746/files/doc_presentations/2020/RSI-Investor-Presentation-15-Oct-2020.pdf
https://ir.rushstreetinteractive.com/news/news-details/2020/RUSH-STREET-INTERACTIVE-ANNOUNCES-THIRD-QUARTER-2020-RESULTS-AND-RAISES-FULL-YEAR-GUIDANCE/default.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQWEhWuPmzU
https://www.thestreet.com/investing/draftkings-surges-as-stake-bought-by-ark-next-generation

Positions: $RSI 30 03/19 30C
I will be adding 04/16 25cs each week until earnings.
Exit strategy: "What's an exit strategy?" - u/deepfuckingvalue
Update 021321: IMPORTANT after a commenter pointed out that technically they could report as late as April 2nd I AM RECOMMENDING THAT EVERYONE ROLL OUT TO APRIL 16TH 35Cs

The #1 online casino company $RSI is primed for ingress.

Positions: $RSI 03/19 30C
Proof: https://imgur.com/a/swCCMjz
This post is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as investment, financial, or other advice.
TLDR: Rush Street Interactive ($RSI) is the #1 nationwide online casino company and the #3 or #4 sports book depending on the state. Short selling, unwarranted institutional wariness of share dilution and the general market focus on sports book instead of online casino has left $RSI grossly undervalued. A massive blow out at Q4 earnings will result in analyst upgrades and a rapid repricing by market makers and institutions seeking exposure to the emerging sector.
Overview
"Sports book is really just kind of a warm up in a lot of ways for an online casino where the real money is made" - Niccolo De Masi, CEO dMY technologies
Rush Street Interactive ($RSI) operates the BetRivers.com online casino and sports book. They are now fully licensed and operating in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Colorado, Iowa, and Virginia. They own and operate a casino in New York and already have a New York license making them well positioned for liberalization there. They merged with a dMY Technology Group SPAC on Dec. 31st 2020 with 240 million on the balance sheet to spend on growth.
The online casino business is fundamentally more profitable than sports betting because the average value of a casino player is estimated at $600 while a sports book player could be as little as $20. Estimates put the online casino market at DOUBLE the size of the online sports book market and the online casino industry is really just getting started as more states liberalize.
$RSI is expert at new market entry; they have been first to market in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, and Colorado and even when they aren't first they are capable of capturing market share in competitive markets such as New Jersey. They also have products which women play which accounts for at least half of the market in online casino. The female market is one that the pure sports book plays miss out on.
Also for some fucking reason they operate a casino and sports book in Colombia (rushbet.co) and may make large expansions into other parts of south America as legalization continues. This means they have the expertise necessary for global expansion in the future although the states remains their primary focus and growth driver.
The Financials and Strategy
Unlike other companies in the space Rush Street is already profitable in 2020 and has a strong focus on Return On Invested Capital (ROIC). Q3 gross revenue was $71.9 Million. Q4 revenue is going to be a blow out. Combing through state gambling revenue data and breaking that down by market share my estimate is that Q4 revenue could be as high as $120 Million.
Paired with this blow out will be a **guidance raise to $500 Million for 2021**, which is 2/3 of DraftKings 2021 guidance of $750M.
https://imgur.com/a/xkfcayC
What is striking when compared to $DKNG is that their advertising spend was only a quarter of revenue in Q3 while $DKNG spent 155% of their revenue. This will change as they begin to focus on growth, but it shows they are very good at getting return on ad spend. This company should actually be valued close to $DKNG based on growth potential once guidance is raised.
https://imgur.com/a/RQQXtGg
Their focus on attracting **female gamers** is also important to their long term growth potential. The sports book plays with cross sells to casino such as $DKNG will not be able to grow through the female demographic in the same way. **This cannot be understated** as one of the major strategic advantages of $RSI.
https://imgur.com/a/xzJj26n
As I said before I expect their trend of rapid growth to continue for Q4 earnings, certainly going to be a blow out based on looking at state gambling revenue numbers. My estimate is that their revenue will be around 110M for Q4. I also expect guidance to be raised to 500M for 2021 due to strong performance in existing markets and the recently opened Michigan market as well as their sports book launch in Virginia.
https://imgur.com/a/ckTqHhh
Short sellers have entered the chat
The short interest on $RSI sits at 5.08 M shares as of 01/14/21 representing a 30% increase. Now why would a company already valued at 2.8 Billion and with a comparative valuation of 8-10 Billion compared with $DKNG and $PENN be so heavily shorted at such a low market cap? My conclusion is that an institution with 10s of millions to throw at shorting this stock wants to take advantage of fear of share dilution from warrant calling or to establish a better entry prior to earnings.
Cathie Wood is Bullish on the sector
On Feb. 2nd ARK disclosed that they had purchased 620,300 shares of $DKNG. This is extremely bullish for the sector. I am highly confident that after Q4 earnings ARK will be purchasing shares in $RSI as well due its strategic advantages relative to $DKNG and exposure to the female demographic. For such a small market cap company this will be a major catalyst.
Final notes
Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, Steelers legend and hall of fame running back, is their brand ambassador... This company knows their target audience and how to appeal to them, likely more 'classic' ambassadors to come to attract even more boomer and Gen X degenerates. Keep in mind these are the gamblers with big money to spend, the average age of an online casino gambler is 42.
This stock has been grossly underpriced due to short selling. The terms of the SPAC deal were not unfavorable and all the insiders held their shares through the merger banking on growth in the market - **management owns 77% of the company**. This is a true value play on a well managed company in an emerging industry with a market size in the hundreds of billions. I plan to hold shares long term.
I will post a part 2 breaking down their latest S-1 filing and Q4 revenue by state when they release their Q4 earnings date.
Do your own research.
References:
https://www.legalsportsreport.com/sports-betting/revenue/
https://fintel.io/doc/sec-rush-street-interactive-inc-ex991-2021-january-05-18632-947
https://s26.q4cdn.com/794539746/files/doc_presentations/2020/RSI-Investor-Presentation-15-Oct-2020.pdf
https://ir.rushstreetinteractive.com/news/news-details/2020/RUSH-STREET-INTERACTIVE-ANNOUNCES-THIRD-QUARTER-2020-RESULTS-AND-RAISES-FULL-YEAR-GUIDANCE/default.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQWEhWuPmzU
https://www.thestreet.com/investing/draftkings-surges-as-stake-bought-by-ark-next-generation
Positions: $RSI 03/19 30C
I will be adding 04/16 25Cs each week until earnings
Exit strategy: "What's an exit strategy?" - u/deepfuckingvalue
Forgot to add: http://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001793659/8f10b0d8-a3d2-447c-bc75-87587d0a4670.pdf Fidelity just doubled their position to almost 15%
Update 021221: Everyone that went in on my initial entry is down 40% right now. As I said I plan to continue to buy 03/19 25Cs each week until earnings. If you’re worried about further losses wait until the day before earnings to load up, you may miss a run up though.
Update 021321: IMPORTANT after a commenter pointed out that technically they could report as late as April 2nd I AM RECOMMENDING THAT EVERYONE ROLL OUT TO APRIL 16TH 35Cs

It Has Been Over A Decade Since Ohio Voters Legalized 4 Casinos In The State: Has The Bet Paid Off For Residents?

The Mystery of the Bakersfield 3: Two friends disappeared, a third died in a drive-by shooting. Their families suspected the crimes were linked. How did Baylee Despot, Micah Holsonbake, and James Kulstad end up in the middle of an arms trafficking and murder plot in their California city?

Over the course of 34 days in the spring of 2018, three unsettling crimes played out in the city of Bakersfield, California. The families of the three victims realized their children all knew each other and ran in the same circles, and they began to suspect that all three crimes were connected. But what began as a crusade for justice among grieving parents took a shocking turn when investigators discovered that the so-called Bakersfield 3 were embroiled in a criminal underworld of black-market weapons smuggling, the Hells Angels, unspecified ties to drug cartels, torture and kidnapping, and a convicted felon nicknamed “The Boogeyman of Bakersfield.”
This is a genuinely bizarre case, and while I’ve never written up a case for this sub before, I’ve been following this story closely for the past couple years. The last time it was mentioned on here over a year ago, but there have been some huge recent developments in the last year that I thought deserved as comprehensive a telling as possible. And despite all that, it's nowhere near resolved. So without further ado...
Part 1: Missing
On March 23,2018, Micah Holsonbake, 34, went missing in East Bakersfield near the intersection of Flower Street and Mount Vernon Avenue. Micah was a clean-cut dad who worked in finance, a former high school debater who loved karaoke despite not being any good at it. He was presumed endangered missing until August 22, 2018, when teenagers swimming near a local park found an arm in the Kern River that was identified as his. The rest of his body has never been found.
On April 18, 2018, James Kulstad, 38, was murdered on a quiet block in Southwest Bakersfield. A father of two daughters, James was a serial entrepreneur described as the type of man who “could sell a dollar bill on the side of the road for a million dollars if he could just get 5 minutes with you.” His brother Ryan heard the gunshots from the next street over, but didn’t see the shooter, and he claims he held James as he died in his arms.
On April 25, 2018, Baylee Parrent-Despot, 20, disappeared from Rosedale, the upper-middle-class neighborhood in Northwest Bakersfield where she’d grown up. Baylee described herself as a “flower child” who had been born in the wrong generation. After facing a number of serious challenges, she was struggling to get her life back on track, and was said to be pregnant and trying to leave her boyfriend when she went missing. She has never been heard from again.
Local media christened Micah, James, and Baylee the “Bakersfield 3” after the victims’ families discovered that all three victims knew one another. In the wake of the links between all three disappearances coming to light, Micah’s father told a local news reporter, “Just to be blunt, something happened to Micah… and a month later something happened to Baylee, and I think it’s because she knew what happened to Micah.” And in between them, there was James Kulstad, who ran in the same drug-fueled circles as Baylee and had helped Micah move just weeks before they both were killed. Bakersfield is a city of half a million people, but on a social level, it can feel as insular as any small town — you’re rarely more than one or two degrees removed from anyone you meet — and even in a city where everyone seems to know everyone, it’s hard to buy three friends all going missing within the space of a month by sheer coincidence. But as time went on with few official developments in the investigation, it seemed like people largely lost interest in the case by late 2019.
Then, in 2020, the Kern County District Attorney’s office charged three people with a total of 34 different charges, ranging from first degree murder, torture, kidnapping, assault with a firearm, and illegal manufacturing of assault weapons. Two of the defendants were already in custody — and the third may not even be alive.
Part 2: Some Local Context
By every metric, Bakersfield is just a flat-out terrible place to live. It’s my hometown, I left for a reason, and the reason is that it sucks. Kern County suffers from a slew of serious socioeconomic and public health problems, the largest of which is probably related to economic and income inequality. A fifth of the population is under the poverty line, and crime rates are sky-high, especially drug-related ones. Opioid abuse is rampant, though it still falls second to methamphetamine, the most widespread drug in the area. There’s a significant issue with white supremacist gang violence. When I was 16, my 70-year-old next-door neighbor got stabbed in a biker gang fight at a tattoo parlor by a Hells Angel called “Delano Mike.” A high school chemistry teacher was literally arrested for trying to make meth in his classroom three months before Breaking Bad even premiered. This is a region with a lot of serious problems that go deeper than any one symptom, but suffice it to say, there’s a reason I moved away as soon as I tuned 18.
The other thing you need to know is that despite being one of the most conservative cities in California, there’s a widespread distrust of law enforcement outside of the police and courts themselves — and, frankly, for good reason. Corruption in the justice system is widespread, and basically a local tradition dating back to the tenure of longtime district attorney Ed Jagels, perhaps best known for ramming through 36 false convictions of ritual child abuse at the height of the satanic panic. (34 were eventually overtured, and the other two people convicted died in prison and never saw justice.) Jagels’ history of prosecutorial misconduct is also the subject of Mean Justice, a 600-page doorstopper by Pulitzer-winning author Edward Humes about the wrongful conviction of Pat Dunn, who is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife despite a wealth of evidence that would suggest his innocence. In 2002, Jagels’ protege, an assistant district attorney named Steve Tauzer, was murdered by a former Bakersfield police deputy, Chris Hillis, after Hillis allegedly learned that Tauzer had a sexual relationship with Hillis’ 22-year-old son, an addict in recovery; facing first-degree murder charges, he pled out to manslaughter and received a 12-year prison sentence.
In 2015, The Guardian published an in-depth exposé about how widespread corruption within the local law enforcement community led to Kern County having the highest rate of police killings in the country: the deadliest cops per capita. And over the past several years, the Kern County law enforcement community has been mired in a police corruption scandal in which members of the BPD abused asset forfeiture laws to illegally seize guns, drugs, and money from suspects, which they in turn trafficked for personal gain. All this is to say that Bakersfield cops and prosecutors have not engendered much public trust outside of their own communities. In a city with high rates of violent crime, law enforcement has consistently put its own interests above public safety, justice, or victims’ rights. That's just something to keep in mind while reading.
Part 3: Down the Rabbit Hole
Micah
In the weeks and months prior to Micah Holsonbake’s disappearance, his family could tell that something was troubling him. Lance and Cheryl Holsonbake both recalled their son behaving erratically in the days before he vanished. But none of it seemed to make any sense coming from someone like Micah, whose family described him as intelligent and hard-working. He had a comfortable upbringing in Rosedale and worked his way into a lucrative career as a financial advisor despite only one year of college. In the photo his family circulated following his disappearance, he wore the suit and tie and placid smile of someone posing for a corporate headshot. But Micah was going through a dark time following a rocky separation from his wife and family, and had been struggling with a painkiller addiction for the past two years. The year before, he’d been laid off from his job after going on disability leave due to depression.
According to court documents, Micah owed drug-related debts to members of the Hells Angels as well as “the cartel.” One friend of Micah’s told police his life seemed to be headed in a downward spiral after he lost the ability to see his son, and often got in fights with others at bars. In one witness statement, an unidentified woman told police of a prior incident when she and Holsonbake were kidnapped at gunpoint and driven to an orchard in west Bakersfield. Holsonbake bolted from the vehicle as it was moving, she told police. That account was corroborated by a friend of Holsonbake's who told police that he said he had been kidnapped at gunpoint. He told his parents that he feared for his life, frequently thought he was being followed in his car, and rambled about various people he believed were out to get him, but they mostly wrote it off.
James
Micah had been hanging around with James Kulstad for some time before he disappeared. It’s not clear when they first met, but it appears they become friendly through the drug scene. Like Micah, James first became addicted to prescription painkillers after being hit by a car, before progressing to fentanyl patches and eventually heroin. He’d been a single father to his daughters Camryn and August. His obituary characterized him as a free-wheeling surfer who held a patent for an action sports product and earned the nickname “Joe Vegas” for his love of gambling and table games. Camryn, now 19, says she and James had an especially close relationship after her mother died when Camryn was an infant, and James often warned her against getting involved with drugs and partying in a clear-headed way, which made it even harder to watch him spiral downward in the years before his death. “I felt like I lost him before I even lost him, but I worked so hard,” she told a reporter. “I was working so hard on everything I could do to make him get better… I was hanging onto hope and whoever killed him took that away from me. I don’t have that anymore, I don’t have hope.”
In the wake of her father’s death, Camryn says that a number of stories and rumors about his life surfaced, further complicating her grief. “Some of the stories I’ve heard is that he was a really bad person these last 3 years,” she said in 2019. On the night of his murder, James reportedly drove to an acquaintance’s home in Southwest Bakersfield where his brother Ryan Kulstad was hanging out. Ryan claims that the homeowner allegedly owed money to James and told Ryan that if James came over to his house, he’d “call his boys and they’d come over there strapped,” which Ryan says he didn’t interpret as a serious threat. Ryan and James reportedly argued about this on the phone, and James showed up at the house a couple hours later. Ryan says he had just returned from driving someone else home and noticed a driver in a silver sedan behaving suspiciously as he returned to the house. Moments later, Ryan and his unidentified male passenger heard gunshots on the next block: an unknown gunman opened fire on James from another car, causing him to crash into a parked trailer. The same silver sedan was seen speeding away from the scene.
The owner of the home where this all took place was Dr. Sukhjeet Bajwa, who at the time was a chiropractor with a local practice. Bajwa lived in a quiet subdivision in Southwest Bakersfield. It was an unlikely setting for a drive-by, and according to initial news reports, police were at a loss for the motive behind the killing, or what James was even doing in the neighborhood at all. Then things began to unravel: Bajwa, it turned out, had been arrested twice in 2016 and 2017 after driving while impaired, and in addition to liquid heroin, Xanax, and hydrocodone, police also found two unregistered, loaded guns in his car, an AR-15 and a .22LR semi-automatic rifle with a fake silencer attached. All of this was detailed in a disciplinary complaint filed by the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners, and after Bajwa’s name began repeatedly surfacing in connection with the shooting, a rumor began to circulate about a black-market gun and drug trafficking ring in which Bajwa was supposedly a central figure.
It was the type of conspiracy theory most people instinctively write off as too bizarre to be credible. But it must have rung a bell to Lance Holsonbake. Before Micah’s disappearance, he told his father that he was “putting together guns for people,” according to a 2019 interview. Lance said he reacted in disbelief to this confession, because the idea that Micah would risk his career by getting involved in illegal gun manufacturing just didn’t make sense. “If you’re this afraid, just stop,” Lance recalls telling him. “And he’d say, ‘I can’t do that I can’t do that.’ He was afraid he did that they would hurt his family.” He wrote it off as paranoia exaggerated by his son’s drug use, and didn’t know how much of it was real and how much was in Micah’s mind. According to Lance, Bakersfield police initially suggested that Micah had left town of his own volition after getting mixed up in criminal activity and, from what I can tell, didn’t make much of an effort to investigate. Though the family says he was last seen on March 23, 2018, Bakersfield police claimed he wasn’t reported missing until April 4, and it appears they waited until April 13, when he’d been missing for almost a month, before BPD made its first public statement regarding his disappearance. After James was murdered a few days later, the Holsonbake and Kulstad families grew increasingly frustrated with the apparent lack of interest in investigating either case, and told the media later that as they began digging into the circumstances surrounding both cases, one name kept coming up with everyone they talked to: Baylee Despot. And within a week, Baylee Despot had also gone missing in Bakersfield.
Baylee
Baylee Parrent-Despot was 20 years old when she was reported missing in April 2018, and the families say that it was her disappearance that finally motivated the police and local news to start investigating the links between all three cases, for reasons that seem obvious to anyone who has ever seen the media react to a pretty white 20-year-old going missing. Her sister, Katelyn Parrent, describes her as “a girl that’s grown up in a good neighborhood, raised by good parents, had a good childhood, could’ve had everything she ever wanted,” much like James and Micah. And beneath the surface, she was as troubled as either of the men: after graduating high school, she’d run off to Vegas to marry her boyfriend, but their rocky relationship turned into an abusive marriage that ended just a year later in 2017. In the aftermath, she wrecked her car, lost her job, and in her mother’s words, “Her life just spiraled out of control.”
In July 2017, Baylee was arrested for disorderly conduct in front of her friend Micah Holsonbake’s house. This came as a surprise to her sister, who had at one point been friendly with Micah herself — she didn’t realize he and Baylee even knew each other. But even though he was 14 years Baylee’s senior, Katelyn remembered him as a clean-cut guy who worked at a bank, and their mother, Jane Parrent, says Micah helped her get a restraining order against an abusive ex-boyfriend. They didn’t see any cause for concern. Still, Baylee’s life continued to spiral out of control. The following month, she was drugged and gang-raped at an acquaintance’s apartment complex. She disappeared for days at a time and resurfaced with “horrible stories” or pleading phone calls begging to be picked up. On one occasion, Katelyn remembers, “She had none of her belongings, no shoes… A couple nights after that there were two vehicles that came to pick her up and we could tell by the look on her face that she didn’t want to go, but if she didn’t go, we didn’t know what would happen.”
Matthew
Not long after that incident, Baylee had a new boyfriend. Matthew Queen was 43 years old, a convicted felon, and an all-around bad dude. Not much is known about his background, with one major exception: in the early 2000s, he plead guilty to one count of making a false statement to a federal firearms dealer after he used a false address, but his real name, to purchase $11,000 in guns from dealers in Indiana. Many of those guns were later recovered at crime scenes in Detroit and Chicago. If you want an idea of what type of criminal mastermind we’re dealing with here, I recommend reading just the final ruling on that case from the 7th Circuit court of appeals:

“We reject Queen's argument that gun buyers may lie about a street address so long as they live within the state where the gun is sold . . . Queen in fact had once lived in an apartment at 2072 Egret Court, but he did not live at this address when he completed the forms and bought the guns because he was evicted on December 18, 2000, for nonpayment of rent."

Great. Sounds like a great guy.
Lest you assume Matthew Queen might have hypothetically seen the error of his ways and cleaned up his act after this early foray into gunrunning, he absolutely did not. In December 2017, just a couple weeks into Matthew and Baylee’s relationship, they were arrested after police found four unmarked, unregistered, loaded assault rifles in Matthew’s car during a traffic stop. Neither he or Baylee said a word to the police, but while Matthew (who, as a convicted felon, was prohibited from carrying any guns or ammunition at all) was charged with several felonies, while Baylee pled no contest to a lesser misdemeanor and received three years probation. Later that month, she moved in with Matthew, his mother, and his estranged wife. Baylee’s family saw and heard even less from her. And in April, a month after Micah’s disappearance and just one day after she and Matthew attended a court date for the weapons charges, Baylee went missing. Her mother believed she was pregnant with Matthew’s child and was trying to leave him at the time. Matthew told police that she had connections through her father's side of the family with a Mexican drug cartel and believed they had something to do with her disappearance.
Local interest in the case reached an even greater frenzy after Micah’s severed arm was found in the Kern River in Hart Park on the east side of town, not far from from where he was last seen. It was positively identified in late December 2018. By this point, the family of the Bakersfield 3's investigation had amassed around 10,000 followers on Facebook and another 5,000 in a private group, and the story was a fixture on local news. Another curveball came around this time too, when a former friend of Baylee’s named Sara Wedemeyer, 21, filed a restraining order against Baylee’s mother, Jane Parrent. As it was reported, Sara had moved in with Matthew mere weeks after Baylee disappeared, and she was four months pregnant with his child when she attempted to take out legal action against Mrs. Parrent, whom she claimed was harassing her and her “fiancé” by hanging up missing person fliers in their neighborhood. The restraining order wasn't granted, but Queen allegedly began making disturbing social media posts about Baylee, Micah, and the Parrent family, with Mrs. Parrent as the primary target. And in mid-2019, the investigation seemed to grind to a halt.
Part 4: New Developments
On May 27, 2020, roughly two years after the first developments in the Bakersfield 3 case, the Kern County District Attorney held at a press conference to announce they believe Baylee Despot and Matthew Queen “deliberately and with premeditation" murdered Micah Holsonbake. Despot and Queen, along with a third man, Matthew Vandecasteele, were charged with the alleged kidnapping, torture, and first degree murder, as well as unlawful manufacturing of assault weapons, conspiracy relating to the murder and torture plot, and a slew of other assault and gun charges (34 in total). Queen and Vandacasteele were both in custody at the time the charges against them were filed, but even though Baylee still has not been seen or heard from since 2018, the DA’s office issued a warrant for her arrest, leading some to speculate she may still be alive.
According to court records, Matthew Queen allegedly believed that Micah Holsonbake had stolen a .44-caliber revolver from him. He and Baylee Despot kidnapped Micah, zip-tied him to a chair in Matthew Vandecasteele’s garage, and attempted to torture him in order to extract information from him. A blood stain in the garage matched Holsonbake’s DNA. Vandecasteele told police that he didn’t see or hear Micah on the night he was killed, but knew that the other two had brought him there to question him. After several hours, Baylee allegedly returned to the apartment seeming “flustered” and changed her clothes in a back bedroom. Before they left, “Queen told Vandecasteele that he had cleaned everything up and it was OK to go inside the garage.” The next day, Queen returned to Vandecasteele’s apartment and said he “needed help disposing of something” in a large black storage container in the trunk of his car. Vandecasteele claims he refused to help with disposing of the body, but according police reports, his Google history during that period of time included searches for “lye chemical formula,” “lye for sale” and “how long does it take to dissolve a human body,” as well as browsing for lye on the Home Depot and Lowe’s websites.
Queen, Despot, and Vandacasteele allegedly manufactured and sold AR-15s from gun build kits. Other witness testimony released by the courts described various kidnappings that witnesses allege Queen, known as “the boogeyman of Bakersfield,” committed. In one incident, Queen allegedly handcuffed one victim to a chair and put an electric dog collar around his neck because he believed the man had stolen a gun part from him. Another witness said that Queen and Vandacasteele showed up armed at his hotel room after the witness told Baylee where he was staying, and that he believed they intended to kill him because he’d been arrested “with a large quantity of narcotics that he was fronted or given without paying for them and the people who had gave him the narcotics could have been upset.” (According to the police report, surveillance footage from the hotel corroborates this account.)
It’s also believed that he made anonymous calls to the police tip line to misdirect the investigation away from himself: one such caller referred to Baylee as a “sugar momma,” a phrase which Queen reportedly used to describe her when he spoke to investigators in August 2019, and he also used the same pseudonym on the tip line that he did on social media. When police questioned him around this time, he denied being part of a criminal enterprise and claimed he could barely pay his bills. Then, while out on bail for unrelated gun charges in January 2019, Queen allegedly kidnapped another man at gunpoint and forced him to walk into the Kern River while Queen accused him of snitching to the cops. He’s been in custody since July of 2019 due to this kidnapping.
Part 5: No Body, No Crime
So where is Baylee Despot?
According to official statements from law enforcement, no one knows. After the warrant was issued for her arrest, a wave of speculation followed that she had faked her own death or fled to Mexico with the help of unspecified “cartel connections.” That story seems less and less likely as more details have emerged from court documents. Vandecasteele told the police that Despot was “falling apart mentally” after murdering Micah. He and Queen both suspected that she was cooperating with police on an investigation relating to the illegal weapons charges, called her a “snitch” in one interview, and told investigators he believed Queen “made her disappear.” In one interview, a female witness said Queen kidnapped her at gunpoint, took her to an orchard, and held an AR-15 to her head while he questioned her about whether Baylee was faithful to him.
When police questioned him about Baylee’s disappearance in July 2019, he said was depressed and off her medications, and she had said she wanted to die. When the investigator told Queen there had been allegations of domestic violence involving him and Baylee, some of which resulted in bruises, Queen said he never laid a hand on anyone. He told the detective she was clumsy. Despite all of this, Jane Parrent says that police have told her that they don’t consider Matthew Queen a person of interest in Baylee’s disappearance, and that there is "no known physical evidence that definitively confirms her possible death." She is now offering her own personally-funded $1000 reward for information about her daughter’s location.
The rest of Micah Holsonbake’s body has not been recovered, though according to court documents, investigators believe Queen may have buried him in the hills near Taft, a rural area about 45 minutes west of Bakersfield.
There have been no developments in the investigation of James Kulstad’s murder since 2018. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Bakersfield Police Department at (661) 327-7111, or the Kern Secret Witness program at (661) 322-4040. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in this case.
Ultimately, what really frustrates me about this case is that even after this avalanche of charges, so many questions remain unresolved, and not just what happened and who did it, but why. If the investigation concluded that James Kulstad’s death was unrelated to the disappearances of Baylee and Micah, who ordered his murder, and what was the reason? To what extent was the chiropractor involved with Queen and Vandecasteele’s trafficking racket? Was Sara Wedemeyer involved with Baylee’s disappearance, and if not, how’d she end up living with Matthew and expecting his child just two months after her “friend” went missing? Why did Sara and Matthew harass Baylee’s mother for months after the disappearance?
More than anything, I’m still lost as to Baylee Despot’s motivation for any of this. Did she just find herself in too deep with no way out? Did she actively make the choice to become a gunrunner? Did Matthew, looking to settle a grudge against Micah, seek out a relationship with Baylee with the intention of using her to get to him? Did he kill her because she was cooperating with the cops, because she attempted to leave him, or because he was just a sociopath who felt she was no longer useful?
Or is there a chance that law enforcement knows more than they’ve let on? When investigators told Mrs. Parrent that Matthew isn’t a suspect in her disappearance, was that an indication that she may, in fact, be alive?
Probably not. But at this point, anything is possible.
Sources:

Baylee’s page on The Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/baylee-cheyanne-despot
First news story about Micah Holsonbake’s disappearance, 4/13/20: https://www.bakersfield.com/news/breaking/man-reported-missing-april-has-medical-condition-family-says/article_8af62936-3f73-11e8-a82e-4b2ef30f031f.html
“Baylee Parrent-Despot reported missing for more than a month,” 6/8/18: https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/baylee-parrent-despot-reported-missing-for-more-than-a-month
“The Bakersfield 3: Reward offered in Baylee Despot case,” 9/18/18: https://www.kget.com/news/the-bakersfield-3-reward-offered-in-baylee-despot-case/
“Bakersfield 3 mothers recall their last contact with children,” news article dated 10/24/18 https://www.bakersfield.com/news/momma-loves-you-bakersfield-mothers-recall-their-last-contact-with/article_418f70a8-d7e0-11e8-ac3c-67a7fc8df3d1.html
“BPD: Missing man in Bakersfield 3 believed to have been killed, and his death shares similarities with disappearance of missing woman,” 10/20/18: https://www.bakersfield.com/news/breaking/bpd-missing-man-in-bakersfield-believed-to-have-been-killed/article_fbeb8eb4-04b8-11e9-bb07-17e07813288b.html
“Mother of missing woman fights harassment claims stemming from her daughter’s disappearance,” 12/18/18: https://www.kget.com/news/mother-of-missing-woman-fights-harassment-claims-stemming-from-her-daughters-disappearance/
“Micah Holsonbake dead; DNA test confirms arm found in river his,” 12/20/18: https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/bpd-believes-a-man-missing-since-march-was-murdered
“Stories behind the Bakersfield 3,” 12/20/18: https://www.kget.com/news/homicide-news/stories-behind-the-bakersfield-3/1669785945/
Ryan Kulstad appearance on Dr. Phil, 1/14/19: https://www.drphil.com/videos/a-young-man-describes-what-led-up-to-him-holding-his-older-brother-in-his-arms-as-he-died/
“A closer look at the Bakersfield 3: Where is Baylee Despot?,” 3/5/19: https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/domestic-violence/a-closer-look-at-the-bakersfield-3-where-is-baylee-despot/
“A closer look at the Bakersfield 3: Who killed James Kulstad?” 3/6/19: https://www.kget.com/news/a-closer-look-at-the-bakersfield-3-who-killed-james-kulstad/
“A closer look at the Bakersfield 3: What happened to Micah Holsonbake?” 3/7/19: https://www.kget.com/news/a-closer-look-at-the-bakersfield-3-what-happened-to-micah-holsonbake/
“One year later, mothers of Bakersfield 3 continue their search for answers,” 3/23/19: https://www.bakersfield.com/news/one-year-later-mothers-of-bakersfield-3-continue-their-search-for-answers/article_528a7650-4cfc-11e9-886c-23d55ec3c32d.html
“One year since death of James Kulstad, one of the 'Bakersfield 3’,” 4/8/19: https://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/one-year-since-death-of-james-kulstad-one-of-the-bakersfield-3
“Mother of missing Baylee Despot speaks out on arrest of kidnapping suspect Matthew Queen,” 7/15/19: https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/mother-of-missing-baylee-despot-speaks-out-on-arrest-of-kidnapping-suspect-matthew-queen/
“Investigating the mysteries of what happened to the Bakersfield 3,” 11/3/19: https://www.turnto23.com/news/crime/investigating-the-mysteries-of-what-happened-to-the-bakersfield-3
“Defendant in alleged kidnapping waives right to preliminary hearing,” 11/9/19: https://www.bakersfield.com/news/defendant-in-alleged-kidnapping-waives-right-to-preliminary-hearing/article_b5a3274c-00c4-11ea-a1e9-635cd4a35c9e.html
“More charges filed against accused kidnapper Matthew Queen,” 1/1/20: https://www.kget.com/news/crime-watch/more-charges-filed-against-kidnapping-suspect-matthew-queen/
Press release announcing charges filed against Queen, Despot, and Vandacasteele: https://www.kerncounty.com/home/showpublisheddocument?id=4595
“Matthew Queen makes a court appearance in connection to 'Bakersfield 3' case,” 6/12/20: https://www.turnto23.com/news/crime/matthew-queen-make-a-court-appearance-in-connection-to-bakersfield-3-case
“‘Bakersfield 3’ member Micah Holsonbake believed killed by Matthew Queen over alleged stolen gun, defendant says in court documents,” 6/18/20: https://www.kget.com/news/crime-watch/bakersfield-3-member-micah-holsonbake-was-killed-by-matthew-queen-over-alleged-stolen-gun-defendant-says-in-court-documents/
“Documents suggest Micah Holsonbake was afraid of suspect Matthew Queen; suggest Queen attempted to mislead investigation,” 6/17/20: https://www.turnto23.com/news/crime/documents-suggest-micah-holsonbake-was-afraid-of-suspect-matthew-queen-suggest-queen-attempted-to-mislead-investigation
“Documents detail depth of investigation into suspected murder of Bakersfield 3 member,” 6/19/20: https://www.bakersfield.com/news/documents-detail-depth-of-investigation-into-suspected-murder-of-bakersfield-3-membearticle_ac1fb9a4-b278-11ea-962b-6b8ee0b03647.html
“Bakersfield 3 update: Matthew Queen appears in court, pleas not guilty to all charges,” 6/11/20: https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/bakersfield-3-update-matthew-queen-appears-in-court-pleas-not-guilty-to-all-charges
“‘Bakersfield 3’ member Micah Holsonbake was afraid of murder suspect Matthew Queen, became increasingly paranoid before he disappeared, documents say,” 6/17/20
Appellate court decision against Matthew Queen: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/408/337/509670/
Obituary of James Kulstad: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bakersfield/obituary.aspx?n=james-john-kulstad&pid=188771330&fhid=6140

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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!!!!
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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.

Breaking down the lives of the former slaves in my family

So i posted about a court case called Gamble vs Rucker yesterday which was about a widow named Clara Rucker who was being sued by her step-daughter Lucinda Gamble because Clara and her children with Lucinda’s father Sam Rucker who was the husband of Clara had inherited Sam’s land but Lucinda and her siblings who were not Clara’s children were not given any land because Clara was considered Sam’s only legal wife since Sam’s previous wife Martha and him were married in slavery it wasn’t considered a legal marriage meaning all of their children were considered out of wedlock. Sam was also the towns “ladies man” and he fathered a bunch of children. I’m the end the land was shared by Clara, Clara and Sam’s children, and Sam and Martha’s children. In this post I will be telling the story of slaves from different plantations who all somehow became connected.
Also like my last post with the court case, your probably going to get confused, mainly because the name John Soward was a very common name in Lauderdale and Dyersburg, Tennessee at this time, but I will try and make it easier.
So there was a man named John Soward who was a plantation owner. He was born in North Carolina in 1774. John moved to South Carolina where he married a woman named Elizabeth Simerall in the 1790’s. So far two known children came from this marriage, William (born. 1799), and Violet (born. 1803). Elizabeth died while giving birth to Violet in 1803. After the death of his wife Elizabeth, John Soward married a widow named Jane Mellon (I dont know her madien name, Mellon was the last name from her previous marriage). John and Jane Soward had two children, Martha (born. 1808), and James (born. 1809).
John was known to own slaves, the ones that can be named are Lucy (Lucy was born in North Carolina in 1800 and most likely came with John to South Carolina), Matthew, and Cynthia. Matthew and Lucy were married in the plantation, most likely forced by John Soward which was common practice in slave marriage which is usually referred to as “jumping the broom”. Matthew and Lucy had two children, Allen (born. 1827), and Stephen (born. 1833). Around the time Stephen was born, John and his family and slaves moved to Lauderdale, Tennessee. John’s slaves Cynthia gave birth to a daughter in Tennessee in 1833, who was named Mary. Mary’s father’s name was unknown, but according to later records, he was a slave from Arkansas (it was common for a slave owner to have their female slave have sex with a male slave from a neighboring plantation to get pregnant. In cases like that the owner of the female slave had full rights to the baby that was born to the female slave).
When in Tennessee, John’s daughter Violet Soward married a plantation owner named Labon Jones. John Soward ended up raping Cynthia. Cynthia ended up getting pregnant from the rape, and in 1838 gave birth to a baby girl named who was named Betsy. Betsy and her older half-sister Mary were later given to John Soward’s daughter and son-in-law Labon and Violet Jones. When Betsy became older, Labon Jones raped her, which resulted in the birth’s of two children, Indiana (born. 1856), and Dallas (born. 1863).
John Soward purchased two slaves form a man named John Hames Eison. These two claves were named Elvira (born. 1827,in South Carolina) and Priscilla (born.1833 in South Carolina). Elvira had a son named William who was left behind on John Eison’s plantation. William was born in South Carolina in 1845, his father was an unnamed man from South Carolina. John later died in 1850 and his slaves were given to his son James Soward. James Soward had a son named William P Soward who married a woman named Susannah R. Eison. Susannah was the daughter of John Hames Eison.
James Soward had his slave Allen, marry his other slave, Elvira, and he also had Allen’s brother Stephen marry Priscella. Allen and Elvira had two sons, John (born. 1860), and Fayett (born. 1861). Stephen and Priscella had two children during slavery, John (born. 1858), and Mary (born. 1861), Stephen also had a son named George who was born in 1856, George’s mother was a slave named Charlotte. James Soward also owned another slave named Sam, who was born on his plantation in 1839. James Soward later sold Sam to a man named J.H Rucker. J.H Rucker who was nicknamed “Spot” had Sam marry his other slave Martha who had a son named Caleb. Caleb’s father was a slave named Henry Palmer. Henry was sold to another owner and his whereabouts were unknown after that.
In 1857, Mary, the slave of Labon and Violet Jones, and also the half-sister of Betsy and daughter of Cynthia, gave birth to a daughter named Melissa. All that’s known about Melissa’s father was that he was born in Virginia. Also, William, the slave of John Hames Eison and also the son of Elvira, had a daughter named Clara born in 1861, when William was 15. Clara’s mother is unknown. When slavery ended after the civil war in 1865, things with these slaves because confusing. So Stephen, his wife Priscella, their children, and Stephen’s son George adopted the last name Soward. Allen (who was the brother of Stephen), also adopted the last name Soward.
Slaves found out that even though they were married in slavery, after the civil war their marriage wasn’t considered legal. Stephen and Priscella never legalized their marriage but did consider themselves as a married couple, and they would later move to Arkansas where they had a daughter named Lucy (born. 1866), and a son named Henry (born. 1872). Charlotte, the mother of Stephen’s son George Soward, came with them. Charlotte had another son during slavery named Charles (born. 1861), who came with them. Charles father, another former slave named William, also came with them. William had come from the Ferguson plantation, and after slavery he adopted the name William Henry Ferguson. His son Charles, and Charles mother Charlotte also adopted the last name Ferguson, even though Charlotte and William were not legally married. Stephen and Charlotte had a daughter in 1866 who was named Martha, however Charlotte decided she wanted to legalize her married to William, so onAugust 2, 1869, Charlotte and William got married in Phillips County, Arkansas. Sadly, William died shortly after, because in 1870, Charlotte was widowed.
Allen Soward never legalized his marriage to Elvira, so Elvira decided to adopt the last name Eison, and so did her son John and Fayett. Allen followed his brother to Arkansas with a woman named Caroline Pitts. It turned out that Allen had three daughters with Caroline during slavery, these daughters were Adaline, Josephine, and Dixie. Allen and Caroline had a fourth daughter right after slavery ended who was named Sylvana. While in Arkansas, Stephen had children with a former slave named Josephine Lockey. They had two sons in Arkansas named Miller, and Sam. Stephen, his wife Priscella, his two baby mama’s Charlotte and Josephine, along with all the children Stephen had and Charlotte’s son Charles, all came back to Tennessee. Allen had died in the late 1870’s. Stephen and Josephine had a daughter named Roberta, after coming back to Tennessee.
Elvira Eison and her two sons John and Fayett moved in with Sam Rucker, who had been sold by James Soward to J.H “Spot” Rucker. Sam also had children with other women, I don’t know all of them at this time. Sam’s wife Martha was living nearby with her son Caleb and was living with two other women who Sam had children with. Sam and Martha’s kids were with Sam and Elvira. Elvira’s granddaughter, Clara Eison, daughter of Elvira’s son William Eison, had moved in shortly after the 1880 census. Clara ended up sleeping with Sam and having his children. Elvira and her son John moved out (Fayett had died during this time, exact date is unknown). Clara and Sam later married in 1890 which would later lead up to the Gamble vs Rucker court case. Sam Rucker’s full entire story will be in a different post I make. Elvira son William who was the father of Clara Eison Rucker, went on to marry Melissa Jones in 1874. Melissa Jones I had mentioned earlier was the daughter of Mary Jones (after slavery, Betsy and Mary who were half-sisters adopted the last name Jones, and so did Melissa and Betsy’s children. I will also talk about the Jones family in another post).
Now I will be clearing up the confusing with the John Soward’s in Lauderdale and Dyersburg, Tennessee. So Elvira Eison’s son John Eison, ended up adopting the last name Soward, which was the last name that John’s father Allen adopted. The plantation owner, John Soward, had another slave named John, who after slavery took the last name Soward, that slave would later go on to marry Mille Davenport, and have 12 children with her. I will now be referring to Elvira Eison’s son John as “John Eison Soward” so I can clear this up. So John Eison Soward took the last name Soward so he could use that as his name in marriage. The woman he married was Ella Lucas in 1883.
Ok hopefully your following along with this John Soward stuff cause it’s about to get more confusing. So I mentioned earlier that Stephen had a son named John with his wife Priscella in 1858 when they were slaves. Well after slavery, Stephen and Priscella’s son John also took the name Soward, so he had the exact same name as his first cousin.
So Stephen and Priscella son John Soward married a woman named Anna Branch in 1880. When I was getting help with family research with another Redditor, we mistook the John Soward who married Anna Branch to be my 3x great-grandfather, but actually, John Eison Soward was my 3x great-grandfather. After John Eison Soward married Ella Lucas, they had 6 children, Tennie, Hettie, Jennie, Marshal, Vergin, and Ellis. Ella died, and John Eison Soward went on to marry Mary Benton in 1900 (Mary Benton was my 3xgreat-grandmother).
John Eison Soward’s first cousin John Soward, who married Anna Branch, had 3 children with Anna, John Jr, Henry, and Mary. An interesting fact is that even though John Eison Soward and John Soward were 1st cousins, the ancestry DNA match who is the one who did all this research was able to connect their wives, Ella Lucas and Anna Branch. So it turned out that Ella Lucas sister, Sarah Lucas, was married to a man named William McKinney, and they had three children, Cora, Curley, and Winston, making Ella the aunt of Cora, Curley, and Winston. Well it turns out that Anna Branch parents were David and Laurie Branch, Laurie’s maiden name was McKinney, Laurie’s parents were Richard and Mary McKinney. Richard and Mary McKinney were also the parents of William McKinney, Sarah Lucas husband. So this means that while Ella Lucas was Cora, Curley, and Winston maternal aunt, Anna Branch was their paternal cousin. Cora McKinney was married to Dallas Jones, who was the son of Betsy Jones, and Betsy’s owner Labon Jones who had raped her. Curley McKinney married Elnora Eison. Elnora was the daughter of Bird and Lucy Eison, Lucy Eison was the same person as Lucy Soward, the daughter of Stephen and Priscella Soward. Bird Eison, Lucy’s husband, had adopted the last name Eison since he was also owned by John Hames Eison, like Elvira Eison. Curley later murdered his wife Elnora in 1926, and he also murdered one of their daughters, Curley would spend the rest of his life in prison. Curley had also employed a man named Clem Benton, Clem Benton was the half-brother of Mary Benton, as I mentioned, Mary Benton was the second wife of John Eison Soward.
This has all been really confusing and I still have many stories to tell that I decided not to put into Jan post since it would be way to long. Feel free to ask questions.

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[OC] The Story of John Y. Brown Jr, one of the worst owners of all-time and his insane lasting impact on the NBA

Originally, I set out to make this 100% about the Kentucky Colonels and how an owner (John Y. Brown Jr.) with more money than he could ever spend decided to be cheap and refused to pay 3 million dollars for the Kentucky Colonels to enter the NBA.
Instead, I got lost on the internet and found out that John Y. Brown Jr. honestly might be the most unknown major influence on the NBA, and one of the absolute worst owners of all time for two NBA franchises, and an ABA franchise.

So who is John Y. Brown Jr.?

He was raised in Kentucky, and born to be a businessman.
One year in high school over summer break, he decided to sell vacuums. His father disapproved, so he set out to prove him wrong and made over $1,000 a month off selling vacuums, or roughly $9,500 per month when adjusted for inflation to 2020.
In college at the University of Kentucky where he was studying to become a lawyer, he upgraded from vacuums to Encyclopædia Britannica box sets. Using his classmates as a "sales crew" (I'm like 90% sure this was a pyramid scheme), he made over $25,000 a year in college selling these Encyclopædia Britannica box sets.
$25,000 adjusted for inflation to 2020 is roughly... $228,000, and he was doing this all 4 years of college until he graduated as a lawyer in 1960.
For the next 3 years he worked with his father's law practice, and was legal counsel for NFL Hall of Fame RB Paul Hornung in 1963 when he was suspended from the NFL for gambling on games.
In 1963 he met a man named Colonel Harland Sanders, and by 1964 had convinced Jack C. Massey to purchase KFC from Colonel Sanders for $2,000,000 (roughly $16,500,000 today). Everything you know about KFC today, from the red and white stripes to them being a fast-food company and not a sit down diner, is all because of John Y. Brown Jr convincing Jack C. Massey to buy KFC.
In 1970, he was part of a group led by Wendell Cherry (co-founder of health insurance provider Humana) that bought ownership of the ABA Kentucky Colonels.
A year later in 1971, John Y. Brown Jr. sold all his stock in KFC for $284,000,000, or a massive $1,792,910,435 when adjusted for today.

John Y. Brown Jr's First Official Impact on the ABA/NBA

Finally, we get to the 1972-73 ABA offseason, where we finally get into his connection to the ABA/NBA and the impacts he had.
Following the 1972-73 season, Wendell Cherry, the majority owner, sold his shares to a group in Cincinnati that had the intention to move the team.
Upon hearing this news, John Y. Brown Jr immediately bought Cherry's sold shares from the group in Cincinnati, making sure that the Kentucky Colonels stayed in Kentucky. He was now the majority owner, and could make decisions on his own.
He appointed his wife and 10 other women as the board of directors of the team. Kentucky Colonels GM Mike Storen believed this was a sign that John Y. Brown Jr intended to run the team "his own way", so he resigned. Ironically enough, 2 months later Mike Storen became the ABA league commissioner, and a few years later in 1977 became the GM and president of the Atlanta Hawks.
Kentucky Colonels head coach Joe Mullaney had similar feelings and resigned as well, saying "Brown was going to be too meddlesome in personnel decisions."
The coach that replaced him, Babe McCarthy, only lasted a season under John Y. Brown Jr before resigning and dying only a few months later.

This is Where the Shit gets Weird

At the beginning of the 1974-75 season, John Y. Brown Jr hired future Hall of Famer Hubie Brown, giving him his first ever professional head coaching job.
Hubie Brown helped lead the Kentucky Colonels to winning the ABA Championship in his 1st season, with a league best defense.
The Kentucky Colonels, led by the dynamic trio of Dan Issel, Artis Gilmore, and Louie Dampier, went 58-26, and 13-3 in the playoffs on their way to a 4-1 championship win over the Indiana Pacers.
Even though the Colonels had won the ABA Championship and apparently had the 6th highest attendance that season in the ABA and NBA, John Y. Brown Jr claimed he lost hundreds of thousands of dollars that season.
Over the offseason leading into the 1975-76 season he sold hometown legend Dan Issel for $500,000, where he would spend the final 10 years of his career with the Denver Nuggets, averaging 20/8 for his NBA career.
Also over the offseason, John Y. Brown Jr convinces the ABA commissioner to challenge the NBA to a $1,000,000 winner-take-all championship series between the ABA Champ Kentucky Colonels, and the NBA Champ Rick Berry led Warriors. The NBA declines the challenge.
The 1975-76 Colonels go 46-38, beating the Indiana Pacers in the 1st round before eventually losing to the David Thompson and Dan Issel led Denver Nuggets.
Hubie Brown resigns following the season and becomes the Atlanta Hawks head coach in 1976.
John Y. Brown Jr and the Kentucky Colonels are given an offer to join the NBA for $3,000,000. Instead of accepting the offer though, he decides to fold the team for $3,000,000. With the Kentucky Colonels now considered folded, this then leads to the Indiana Pacers being accepted into the NBA.
Following the Kentucky Colonels folding, their players are placed in a supplemental draft. The most notable player selected is Artis Gilmore, who's bought by the Chicago Bulls for $1,100,000.

This would seem like a seemingly obvious ending right? A man defeated by his own greed, folding a team that could've joined the NBA.
Fuck no, not for John Y. Brown Jr.
Not even months later in 1976, John Y. Brown Jr purchases half-ownership in the Buffalo Braves, AKA the Clippers.

Buffalo Braves/San Diego/LA Clippers

Honestly, this is where shit really gets weird. John Y. Brown Jr truly shows how horrible he is at basketball while the owner of the Braves and how he was just in it for the money.
John Y. Brown Jr trades rookie of the year Adrian Dantley to the Indiana Pacers for Billy Knight.
Four hours later, he trades George Johnson and a 1979 1st round pick to the New York Nets for Nate "Tiny" Archibald.
Later during the 1976-77 season, he purchases the remaining 50% ownership of the Braves, and then resold that 50% to a man by the name of Harry T. Mangurian Jr.
Before the team had been sold to John Y. Brown Jr, the previous owner of the Buffalo Braves had a handshake deal in place to sell the team for $6,100,000 to hotel owner Irving Cowan, who would then move the team to Miami. The city of Buffalo filed a $10,000,000 damage lawsuit against the team to block the move, which led to the sale eventually falling through. Because of this, the Braves would then sign a 15-year lease for the arena they played in, with a provision that the lease would be voided if the team did not sell more than 5,000 season tickets in any given season.
John Y. Brown Jr knew of this provision, and knew he could sell the team for a profit if the lease was voided. He intended to tank the Buffalo Braves to the point they were beyond awful, so that less than 5,000 season tickets would be sold and they'd be out of their lease on the arena.
NBA legend and Hall of Famer Jack Ramsay, the head coach of the Buffalo Braves, caught wind of what John Y. Brown Jr intended to do and resigned, becoming the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, where they would go on to win the 1976-77 NBA Championship the following season.
He trades Bob McAdoo to the New York Knicks for cash and John Gianelli, who was nothing more than a bench center that averaged 7/6 for his career.
He then traded a 1st round pick in the 1978 NBA draft and $232,000 in cash to the Blazers for Moses Malone (who had just selected him 5 months prior in the ABA supplemental draft, bad luck again for the Blazers).
6 days later, John Y. Brown Jr trades Moses Malone to the Houston Rockets for 1977 and 1978 1st round picks.
In 1978 along with co-owner Harry T. Mangurian Jr, they trade franchises with Celtics owner Irv Levin. Irv Levin would then eventually move the Buffalo Braves to San Diego, where they would be rebranded as the San Diego Clippers.
This gave John Y. Brown Jr and Harry T. Mangurian Jr total ownership of the Boston Celtics.

John Y. Brown Jr's Ridiculously Short Celtics Career

Two weeks before the franchise swap was made official, John Y. Brown Jr made one final trade as the owner and GM of the Buffalo Braves.
He traded Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Billy Knight, and Marvin Barnes to the Celtics for Freeman Williams, Kevin Kunnert, and Kermit Washington without consulting or even talking to team president and legendary coach Red Auerbach.
Not wanting to strain the relationship any further with Celtics legend Red Auerbach, John Y. Brown Jr then trades three future 1st round picks (all in 1979) for Bob McAdoo, once again without consulting or even talking to Red Auerbach. Bob McAdoo would play only 20 games with the Celtics.
The relationship between John Y. Brown Jr and Red Auerbach was so bad that Red Auerbach nearly took a job with the Knicks.
Shortly afterwards, Harry T. Mangurian Jr bought out John Y. Brown Jr's ownership shares, and in 1979, Harry T. Mangurian Jr officially became the sole owner of the Boston Celtics. Under his ownership, the Celtics would win the 1980-811 NBA Championship, before eventually being forced to sell the team in 1983.

And with that, John Y. Brown Jr. was done with his involvement in the NBA. A few months later in 1979 he ran and became Governor of Kentucky, promising to run the state like a business.

In Summary...

Kentucky Colonels

Sold the hometown star (Dan Issel) for $500,000 to the Denver Nuggets, causing fans to refund and refuse to buy season tickets
Complained that he was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars (I wonder why...)
Sold the team instead of paying $3,000,000 to join the NBA

Buffalo Braves

Bought the Buffalo Braves months after folding the Colonels and complaining about losing money.
Actively tried to force fans to not buy season tickets so that he could sell the team easier.
Traded Adrian Dantley and Bob McAdoo, traded for Moses Malone and then traded him 6 days later, and ran off legendary coach Jack Ramsay.
Traded franchises with the Celtics owner, which eventually led to the Braves moving to San Diego and then LA as the Clippers, and not moving to Miami.
Two weeks before officially owning the Celtics, as his last act as the OwneGM of the Braves, he traded Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Billy Knight, and Marvin Barnes to the Celtics for Freeman Williams, Kevin Kunnert, and Kermit Washington.

Boston Celtics

Refused to talk or even consult with legendary Celtics coach and current team president Red Auerbach on two major team-altering trades, nearly sending Red Auerbach to take a job with the Knicks out of frustration.
Traded three 1st round picks in 1979 for Bob McAdoo, who would only play 20 games for the Celtics.
Had such an awful relationship with Red Auerbach that he nearly took a job with the Knicks.
Was such a disaster that not even a year into owning the Celtics, his partner bought out his ownership shares.

Portland Trail Blazers

Drove NBA legend head coach Jack Ramsey out of Buffalo and to Portland, where he would win the NBA championship the following year.

Indiana Pacers

Led to the Pacers joining the NBA after the Colonels folded.

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Notes and Highlights of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s Live Update September 24, 2020

Notes and Highlights of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s Live Update September 24, 2020
Notes by mr_tyler_durden and Daily Update Team
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Headlines

64,158 Cases (+745), 1,137 Deaths (+13)
New cases by county: 124x Jefferson, 86x Fayette, 58x Christian, 39x Warren, 28x Barren, 23x Franklin, 23x Laurel, 18x Hardin, 16x Madison, 11x Bullitt, 11x Kenton, 10x Daviess, 10x Pulaski, 10x Woodford, 9x Estill, 9x Whitley, 8x Calloway, 8x Jackson, 8x Montgomery, 8x Muhlenberg, 7x Boyd, 7x Boyle, 7x Breckinridge, 7x Carter, 7x Letcher, 7x Marshall, 7x Meade, 7x Oldham, 6x Allen, 6x Harlan, 6x Knott, 6x Spencer, 5x Greenup, 5x Henderson, 5x Hopkins, 5x McCracken, 5x Pike, 5x Rowan, 5x Shelby, 5x Wayne, 4x Boone, 4x Caldwell, 4x Campbell, 4x Floyd, 4x Graves, 4x Logan, 4x McCreary, 4x Russell, 4x Union, 3x Clay, 3x Grayson, 3x Jessamine, 3x Lincoln, 3x Livingston, 3x Mercer, 3x Nelson, 3x Pendleton, 3x Simpson, 2x Anderson, 2x Bourbon, 2x Clark, 2x Elliott, 2x Hart, 2x Knox, 2x Lyon, 2x Metcalfe, 2x Morgan, 2x Scott, 2x Taylor, 2x Trimble, 1x Adair, 1x Ballard, 1x Cumberland, 1x Edmonson, 1x Fleming, 1x Fulton, 1x Garrard, 1x Grant, 1x Green, 1x Harrison, 1x Hickman, 1x Larue, 1x Lawrence, 1x Magoffin, 1x Marion, 1x Martin, 1x Owen, 1x Perry, 1x Powell, 1x Webster, 1x Wolfe
New deaths by county: 97 F Jefferson, 69 M Warren, 96 F Fayette, 82 M Perry, 97 M Warren, 88 M Warren, 84 F Warren, 62 F Warren, 97 F Bell, 94 F Warren, 89 F Warren, 86 F Christian, 90 F Jefferson
Alright, what do you think about including or not including University cases in considering community spread? -- You know I believe a university is a part of a community. Those kids go to restaurants, they go to bars, they go to different places in the community. Now, there is a challenge here, and it's one that we've got to discuss and it especially impacts where I went to school, Fayette County Public Schools. Right now, UK has so many cases that it may push Fayette County red, and if UK stays open and continues to have those amount of cases, they could potentially keep it red and then you've got Fayette County Public Schools saying “Wait. No, we need a, we need a community spread that our kids can go to school” that is a real issue. I talked to the superintendent about it the other day and we're continuing to have discussions. I talked to Mayor Gordon about it as well. And the answer, can't be “the university cases just don't count” because they are in the community. The question is how we can make sure we're taking the right steps so K-12 students don't miss out on opportunities because of other decisions. But this also makes us rise up, elevate our thinking, that it's more than just the institution or institutions we serve, it's the communities around us that can be impacted.
You have recently loosen some restrictions on visitations for long term care homes, is there any discussion about loosening in-person visitations for state inmates?-- The question is, given that we have loosened restrictions on visitation for long term care facilities, is their discussion on loosening it for inmates? There is discussion, it hasn't moved beyond any of those stages yet, so we don't have any step to announce, nor should it suggest that we're going to have a step to announce but it is being discussed, understanding that people very much especially in that situation rely on those personal interactions.
Governor, are you still looking at the release of your guidance on Trick or Treating by the end of the week? -- We are still working on releasing our guidance for Halloween. And, part of that's everything going on at the moment. But the other part is trying to find a safe way to do it, given the CDC said “don't do trick or treating at all.” And so we still want to give our kids an opportunity, and we're trying to figure out what that opportunity can be. You know, Halloween, I used to say my kids look forward to that 364 days a year, they're a little bit older now, I will again reiterate though- No adult parties, no block parties, that's something that we can't do and if you do that we can't try to create a trick or treating experience because then we brought even more people together in a close area.
The churches and civic groups that do those trunk or treating in parking lots. That would be ok? -- So one one option that we're looking at is to have civic groups do things outside in a way to where kids can get individually wrapped, you know bags would be better, if you think about it like some people give out birthday parties, at the end. And having our civic groups step up to do that in a safe way that they have really thought through, is one of the best ways we believe that that there could be that experience, but again we don't want to bring a whole bunch of people inside for it, either. COVID makes everything, not difficult but can make everything dangerous and it seems to attack the things that we like and love the most.
Slides from Update

Full Notes

Alright, It is 4pm, that time we provide our update on our battle against COVID-19, each and every day. Today, I'm representing the Caywood Comets, this is a school in the Kenton County School District. I know they are working to get back safely to the classroom. Now we're going to jump right into the report today, go pretty quickly open it up for questions.
Positive cases today: 745
Probable cases: 7,550
Total confirmed cases: 64,158
Children Under 18: 107 - Again, it seems like we are seeing a larger and larger and larger portion of positive cases being our young people.
New cases by county: 124x Jefferson, 86x Fayette, 58x Christian, 39x Warren, 28x Barren, 23x Franklin, 23x Laurel, 18x Hardin, 16x Madison, 11x Bullitt, 11x Kenton, 10x Daviess, 10x Pulaski, 10x Woodford, 9x Estill, 9x Whitley, 8x Calloway, 8x Jackson, 8x Montgomery, 8x Muhlenberg, 7x Boyd, 7x Boyle, 7x Breckinridge, 7x Carter, 7x Letcher, 7x Marshall, 7x Meade, 7x Oldham, 6x Allen, 6x Harlan, 6x Knott, 6x Spencer, 5x Greenup, 5x Henderson, 5x Hopkins, 5x McCracken, 5x Pike, 5x Rowan, 5x Shelby, 5x Wayne, 4x Boone, 4x Caldwell, 4x Campbell, 4x Floyd, 4x Graves, 4x Logan, 4x McCreary, 4x Russell, 4x Union, 3x Clay, 3x Grayson, 3x Jessamine, 3x Lincoln, 3x Livingston, 3x Mercer, 3x Nelson, 3x Pendleton, 3x Simpson, 2x Anderson, 2x Bourbon, 2x Clark, 2x Elliott, 2x Hart, 2x Knox, 2x Lyon, 2x Metcalfe, 2x Morgan, 2x Scott, 2x Taylor, 2x Trimble, 1x Adair, 1x Ballard, 1x Cumberland, 1x Edmonson, 1x Fleming, 1x Fulton, 1x Garrard, 1x Grant, 1x Green, 1x Harrison, 1x Hickman, 1x Larue, 1x Lawrence, 1x Magoffin, 1x Marion, 1x Martin, 1x Owen, 1x Perry, 1x Powell, 1x Webster, 1x Wolfe
Total tests conducted: 1,301,407 (PCR: 1,226,385, Serology: 52,994)
Positivity Rate: 4.57%
Total hospitalized: 5,119
Currently hospitalized: 543
Total in ICU: 1,499
Currently in ICU: 122
On a ventilator: 71
Total recovered: 11,570
New deaths today: 13
Total Deaths: 1,137
New deaths by county: 97 F Jefferson, 69 M Warren, 96 F Fayette, 82 M Perry, 97 M Warren, 88 M Warren, 84 F Warren, 62 F Warren, 97 F Bell, 94 F Warren, 89 F Warren, 86 F Christian, 90 F Jefferson
Toughest part of today's report: 13 new deaths. These are 13 individuals whose families will be mourning them. It's a hard number for any given day, 13 individuals, and note on here's a friend of mine from Northern Kentucky that I just learned about an hour and a half ago had passed away after a multi-month battle with COVID-19. Remember this virus is very real and it's still out there. So let's make sure that we light our homes up green. We ring those bells at 10am, and that we try to reach out to these families that may be needing help or other families that while they might not have had somebody passed away, may be suffering from food insecurity, you may be worried about a child in that household, there may be a domestic violence situation, let's make sure that we are thinking about what we can do for others who need our help at all times during this virus. This is a time that takes more compassion than any in my lifetime and that's with every challenge we face right now. So, let's remember that. We've got to listen to each other. We've got to help each other. And every day that we have a lot of cases, 745 today. We know that they're going to result in a lot of deaths. Thankfully, our mortality rate continues to creep down, but still higher the volume of the cases, the more Kentuckians we lose. So let's make sure we wear that mask, we socially distance, we cut our contacts down, we do what it takes.
Racial breakdown of all cases: 80.10% Caucasian, 11.88% Black or African-American, 1.62% Asian, 5.90% Multiracial
Ethnicity breakdown of all cases: 89.08% non-Hispanic and 10.92% Hispanic
Racial breakdown of all deaths: 83.27% Caucasian, 12.98% Black or African-American, 1.15% Asian, 2.60% Multiracial
Ethnicity breakdown of all deaths: 96.41% non-Hispanic and 3.59% Hispanic
Long Term Care Facilities (PDF): 40 new residents and 37 new staff positive from yesterday, and 14 more deaths, 3 new facilities.
- Total facilities: 332
- Total deaths: 647
- Active cases: 573 residents, 421 staff
- Total cases: 4171 residents, 2754 staff
K-12 Update (PDF): 166 new students and 59 new faculty/staff positive from yesterday, 177 new schools.
- Total facilities: 527
- Active cases: 577 students, 288 faculty/staff
- Total cases: 956 students, 342 faculty/staff
K-12 schools, a big jump here as you all know, I think we have close to seven high school football teams that are under quarantine multiple other sports, we are seeing a significant number of cases, some that we wouldn't have known about but for a different injury. You can get our full report online, remember it is behind the news that you would get. And coming up on Monday is when every school has to report to that dashboard that will go live on that Monday with a school having to update that every day so people should be able to get, not in real time, but every day, an update of what the situation is in their school, and in surrounding schools
University Update (PDF): 33 new students and 0 new faculty/staff positive from yesterday, 8 new facilities
- Total facilities: 58
- Active cases: 1395 students, 45 faculty/staff
- Total cases: 2919 students, 84 faculty/staff
Before we open it up for questions. one I mentioned, the two LMPD officers last night that were shot. They are LMPD major Aubrey Gregory, he has been released from the hospital, I got a chance to talk to him personally last night. He was surrounded by family and friends, he's going to have a full recovery at least to my knowledge. The other is officer Robin, and I think it's this Desroches? and I apologize to him if I mispronounced his last name- he is stable and recovering, I talked to his mom last night- during a period where they were still working to ensure his stability. I want to condemn this act of violence in the most stark terms, it is absolutely wrong. And the answer to violence can never be violence. And we want to make sure that these individuals that were out there last night and will be out there again tonight are safe. And we need to ensure that any type of activity or demonstrations remain non-violent and remain peaceful. We have to understand just one person can mar something that otherwise is done the right way. And that means we need to make sure those around us are also doing things the right way.
Alright. With that, we'll open it up to, to questions started over here yesterday I think Shelby we'll start with you.

QUESTIONS

President Trump tweeted and said he spoke to you, can you give us some insight into the conversation with him? -- Right. So, last night after I learned of the injuries to our two law enforcement officers I returned to the Capital where I was here for several hours ensuring that they were okay, that we had the situation under control. Talked to the Mayor, talked to the Chief of Police, talked to one of the individuals that had been shot and then the family members of the other, also talked to the President of the United States, who initiated the call. His comments were that it appeared that we had things under control. He did make an offer, if at a later point we needed additional assistance, he would provide it. But, he stated and I agree that at this time we have appropriate levels of law enforcement or peacekeepers there, and that if necessary, we have the ability on the state level, to increase that level of support. It was a good call. I appreciate him, making it.
For tonight, what is the level of National Guard troops that are available in Louisville? -- The question is, how are we preparing for tonight? What's the number of National Guard troops in Louisville? We're not going to disclose the number, that's part of the operational security of those individuals, we will again be conducting limited missions, that are there for public safety and to protect critical infrastructure, like our hospitals. We will adjust accordingly to ensure our people are safe and we can keep other people safe. I want to say again that presence is in no way intended to stifle people's first amendment rights to give voice to any anger, frustration; but it is there to both keep people safe and ensure things, like our hospitals, can continue to operate when last night they were absolutely needed for these two officers and for those that might be suffering from COVID, or other injuries. It's important that those that do want to give voice, and do want to do that outside and in Louisville, do so before the curfew. And I would ask everyone to respect that curfew, the curfew is being applied to anyone that is out, I know that it was applied last night to one of the militia groups that showed up as well. And remember that those and other groups are also in the city, and I'm not sure it's them but there are always individuals that might want to turn something that is peaceful into something that's not, that may just like everybody, including law enforcement and demonstrators, and we got to make sure that that that that we don't allow that to happen. And that does take a sufficient presence, which will be out tonight.
You have recently loosen some restrictions on visitations for long term care homes, is there any discussion about loosening in-person visitations for state inmates?-- The question is, given that we have loosened restrictions on visitation for long term care facilities, is their discussion on loosening it for inmates? There is discussion, it hasn't moved beyond any of those stages yet, so we don't have any step to announce, nor should it suggest that we're going to have a step to announce but it is being discussed, understanding that people very much especially in that situation rely on those personal interactions.
Governor, given the indictment yesterday, does this give you any more impetus to equip the KSP with the body cameras?-- Now the question is, given the indictments yesterday. Is it any more impetus for KSP and body cameras? I mean that's a question we absolutely have to address, as we see more and more law enforcement out there wearing them. We've got to talk with the Kentucky State Police about it, I believe that body cameras can protect an officer, or in this case it would be a trooper, as much as anything else. I can tell you, aside from some of these tragic situations where body camera footage is needed just to know what happened, in many instances there can be complaints against an officer or trooper that if you have the body camera footage, you can dismiss them pretty quickly. Remember these sometimes are heated exchanges and sometimes having the video with that officer being professional, which is almost always the case, can be very helpful. The other thing that it can be is a tool, whereby supervisors can ensure that people are following the training they've had. I remember being in Washington DC for a national Attorney General's Association meeting and the then chief of the DC police, she talked about how she would take that footage home and watch it and see that there were instances- She talked about one domestic violence situation where one of the officers turned their back. Now, that wasn't anything between the individuals, but could have compromised their safety. And so it was a check on different ways that she thought that she could use to improve the department. I am for body cameras where appropriate, there are some instances where I don't think that they would be, based on the particular mission of that individual unit.
I want to ask about some comments you made on MSNBC earlier today in regards to your request for the Attorney General to publish more information about the Breonna Taylor investigation online. You said the release of those details wouldn't impact the federal civil rights investigation. How is that possible to not impact that investigation by making some of those details public? -- So today, the question is on one of the cable news shows, I talked about how I believe that the Attorney General can release the information from his criminal investigation, without impacting the federal civil rights investigation. I believe that there are very different investigations that set out to determine very different things, I don't think a ballistics report, for instance, is going to have an impact on a civil rights investigation. And if they believe that it does, I think that that the federal prosecutors can come forward and explain the specifics of that; but at this point with the Attorney General saying he is not pursuing certain things, then I believe it makes it appropriate to provide the facts, the information, the evidence, and It's about trusting the people of Kentucky. I trust them, that if they have all the facts, the evidence, and maybe some explanation, if needed, that they can process it. And I know the Attorney General talks about the truth, and I talk about the truth, I think we ought to let the people of Kentucky see all of that, evaluate, and come to the truth. I believe that it is fully appropriate to do at this point in time, I've been a prosecutor, I withheld judgment on that until we've reached the stage but at this point, put it all online. Put everything that would not impact, now there has been one indictment with three charges in it, put everything online that wouldn't impact that and that's really about apparently shooting into a different apartment building, and let people see it, and it's been done in other places. It was done several months later in Ferguson; it's been done by other prosecutors; it's an attempt to be transparent. And I've seen firsthand, that when you are willing to be transparent with the people of Kentucky, they will look at the information, they will try to understand the decisions you've made, they may disagree, but at least it's not a vacuum, where different emotions, or theories, or others can come into play. I'm sorry we made you wait, is it John? Okay, welcome.
I had a question for you about coronavirus: cases are higher now than earlier in pandemic when we've had more severe restrictions. But over the past two months those restrictions have been rolled back a little bit. So, I'm just curious to know, you know what would it take for you to include new restrictions for the things like public gatherings and things that you had earlier? -- So the question is with us now being at a higher level of total cases than we were earlier, but obviously we've gotten better at treating when we look at it, we also follow our hospital data, and right now I would say we are at a place where we can handle more cases than previously. We're also testing more to find more people who have it and that's a good thing, but you are right and that with loosening restrictions, that means people have more contacts, and we will see the virus spread more. What it would take for me to implement new restrictions would be what we saw when we had to cut restaurants for a period of time, and bars, and that is a proof of, or indications of, a real escalation. And not something that might be, you know, kind of up and down- and remember, our plateaus aren't entirely flat, and not something just very gradual where it'll take a couple weeks to see, but if we started seeing what looked like an escalation especially one, that looks like it could turn into a severe escalation like we saw in Florida and Arizona, once you start seeing that curve, that's when we would take additional action, that's when the White House would ask us to take additional action. And they're keeping track like we are, we use somewhat different data but we're in about the same place right now in that, mainly what we need people to do is be a little bit better, more people wearing the mask [holds up mask] and the white house again says we not only should have a mask mandate but I should be encouraging it every day, engaging in that social distancing, and remember, moderation, and not moderation like we had before March, but moderation in, on the same day if you're going to work, and going to the gym, and going to dinner that's just too many contacts. We got to spread them out. And make sure that those gatherings, which we still have that 10 person limit, we keep at that level. We do see a lot of spread and those. It's not necessarily backyard barbecue but it's house parties and as it gets colder and people drive inside that's going to be more important than ever.
So many parents are at home helping their children with virtual school but history is unfolding outside. How can they explain what is happening to their children? -- The question is with so many kids at home but history going on outside, how do they explain what's happening to their children? First, I was worried I was going to be a little late, because I was dealing with sixth grade geometry, with my son Will. Being governor doesn't stop your obligations, nor your duty as a parent. And boy, we certainly appreciate our teachers, when we're asked to step up and take a bigger role. I think that parents need to be able to have age-appropriate conversations with their children, and that they ought to be based in values, about the type of world that we think we should have, about true dignity for all people, about the fact that I believe that God calls on us to build a world that is free of inequities and oppression and racism. And then need to be able to talk to their kids about our country's history and the fact that we have had to make changes and take strides and many points in our history, and right now that we're being called on to do more. You know it's a conversation with what's going on there and also with what's going on in COVID-19 that's going to shape so much. But I'd like to think that every challenge gives us an opportunity to build a better day, and maybe to raise better people. Part of that calls on us to recognize what we're living through, both the pandemic and calls for a more equitable society, and then to make sure we're instilling the right values in our kids. And I just remind people, because I have to remind myself, that our kids are always listening, and my kids are always hiding behind the door listening to everything. And so, we got to really make sure in our heart and in our mind, we're not just saying the right things, but we believe them. And if we start feeling ways that we think “Wait a minute, I shouldn't” I mean that's the time that we're called on to be a little better. And so much of what we see, because we are inside, is on Facebook and Twitter which, I mean, it's turned into poison in so many ways, let's remember that if we're writing something down that contains hate or anger or making enemies out of one another, our kids are gonna read that one day too. And maybe if we write it, we ought to look at it, we outta realize that we need to change too, and be a little better, and maybe we just need to turn it off entirely.
Alright, what do I think about including or not including University cases in considering community spread? -- You know I believe a university is a part of a community. Those kids go to restaurants, they go to bars, they go to different places in the community. Now, there is a challenge here, and it's one that we've got to discuss and it especially impacts where I went to school, Fayette County Public Schools. Right now, UK has so many cases that it may push Fayette County red, and if UK stays open and continues to have those amount of cases, they could potentially keep it red and then you've got Fayette County Public Schools saying “Wait. No, we need a, we need a community spread that our kids can go to school” that is a real issue. I talked to the superintendent about it the other day and we're continuing to have discussions. I talked to Mayor Gordon about it as well. And the answer, can't be “the university cases just don't count” because they are in the community. The question is how we can make sure we're taking the right steps so K-12 students don't miss out on opportunities because of other decisions. But this also makes us rise up, elevate our thinking, that it's more than just the institution or institutions we serve, it's the communities around us that can be impacted.
What’s your reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling that historical corporations are gambling devices are essentially no different than slot machines and illegal. -- The Supreme Court today ruled that certain types of instant racing games are not parimutuel, and therefore, I believe that they believe that they were unlawful. I will tell you that I believe that decision, while not criticizing the legal aspects of it, not having analyzed it, is devastating for so many Kentucky jobs, for the horse industry, and for the budget, the state budget, which it adds about $21M to every year and that's growing. So, I've already begun discussions with various partners about finding a path forward. We've now had this in the Commonwealth for several years, we have not seen the ills that people claim would come from it, coming from it. There is widespread gaming, much more than this over just about every single one of our borders right now. If it's going to take a legislative change we need to make the legislative change to keep our horse industry competitive but to keep our Commonwealth competitive. Listen, we need a lot more types of gaming to compete with those around us. I mean, Indiana, using our money to build the roads, and other states around us, Missouri, they can pay for their health care costs. And in this period of COVID-19, revenue from those sources, for the most part, hasn't gone down or not nearly as much once things reopened. And so we're gonna find ourselves at not being competitive in what is otherwise a free market that's out there. And so I hope that we will get the necessary changes to move forward, and when we make them, I hope that maybe we can make a lot more.
Jesse Jackson just called for athletes to boycott the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, and other economic boycotts in Louisville over the grand jury not deciding How do you respond to that? -- I'm told that Jesse Jackson has asked athletes to boycott UK/UofL because of the grand jury decision. I respect Reverend Jackson, but they didn't have any control, UK or UofL, over what the grand jury did. I believe that they are trying, through programs and efforts, to build a better world. And so while I very much respect Reverend Jackson, I don't agree with a boycott of those that have had no control over this. Now, what I do think we ought to do is see all the information. I think the Attorney General can post it online, if he if there is some that needs to be held back because of the one indictment then that's a discussion and an explanation he can provide, but it's time to give the information. And I think that if he did this call for a boycott wouldn't have happened yet because I think everybody would be sitting down, and would be trying to process the true facts and evidence that's out there, and I think everybody benefits from the truth.
Governor Holcomb in Indiana has issued an order that beginning Saturday, all restaurants and bars can fully open in Indiana. Do you have anything that's, you know, in the works for our bars and restaurants here in Kentucky? -- So I haven't seen, it's apparently an order from Holcomb further opening bars and restaurants, that's something I'll have to talk to him about. With us just about to start opening schools, we've got to get that done first concern, or any other capacities.
Let's see this is wanting a response to this quote about AG releasing more info: “We appreciate governor Beshear’s team providing assistance to our office in the Commonwealth over the last few days in preparation for yesterday's announcement. However, releasing that information would compromise the federal investigation and violate a prosecutor, prosecutors ethical duties.” -- We did work well with the attorney general's office in communication leading up to it. I don't have an argument there. I've tried not to criticize the other parts, having not seen the file myself, but I've been a prosecutor, and I've been in that role and if you are no longer pursuing those charges there is not a duty, there is not a jury, that you could compromise. There is no criminal investigation there that you can compromise and so I do not think there can be a violation of those duties. I'm not the only one in my office, I have the former Deputy Attorney General and a former district judge, and he agrees too. I just, I don't agree with, with that view other prosecutors have done it. Let's just put it out there and let people see it.
Do you feel like the nine o'clock curfew is actually effective at minimizing the tension in Louisville in regards to the protests that are happening out there. -- The question is on the 9pm curfew in Louisville, and I think it’s necessary. I know a lot of people may not like it but as we see that the nights go further along there is just more of an opportunity for, for those that would want to incite violence, or take advantage of an opportunity, and I believe that it's necessary. But remember, it applies to everybody. And so for instance, these groups that claim that they are keeping the peace that are heavily armored, walking around Louisville with, what I understand is, no tactical training at all, and no specific mission, it makes them go home too. And from somebody that has dealt with them firsthand I think then going home is a really good idea. I just don't think that they ought to show up in Louisville, in the first place.
We mentioned schools just now and I wanted to ask, are we still on track to have the successful real thing that you're envisioning and are there any trends that could put that at risk that you guys have spotted? -- (Can we, if we do have the incident map for today, James if we don't, that's okay.) Every day we update our incident rate map on http://kyCOVID19.ky.gov/. What that shows is we have many counties that are in the yellow, or the green, that are we think in a good position to start some in-person class activities. We have others in the orange that need to be careful. And small groups would be best, a hybrid model after that. And then we have those in the red- that I do not think should be starting in person class and if they are in in-person class, they ought to move to virtual until they can move out of the red. I believe that in many places there can be a successful reopening but what a successful reopening is in COVID doesn't look like what it did before. It's our kids in masks all day long, because that's going to be required to lessen the spread, it's going to be fewer kids in a classroom, it may be them not being there as many hours of the day. But it is more direct interaction with their teachers, which we know is important. But the other thing is we got to be fluid, and we got to be flexible. We have seen, as we've been here, that there are counties that will have very few cases and then boom, you know 60, 90, 100 in just a couple days or over a week. And so we got to understand that you could even be in the green or in the yellow and by this time next week you could be in the red and you got to be prepared to move from that in-person back to NTI and then come back again. The two things we got to continue to defeat this virus is to be strong, to have the endurance to do this, as long as it takes. But number two, to be flexible, and knowing the conditions on the ground in your county, and your area can change really quickly so we've got to be able to change our approach.
I'll do one more set if you all have them, let's see, Did I respond to the President's offer for federal assistance to respond to the protests? -- The president and I agreed that right now we had sufficient assets, didn't need that help, and again, it was a positive conversation about what was already in place.
Last week, nursing homes were given federal guidelines saying they could resume indoor visits, and now if they're in a red zone, that county’s in a red cell, how does that affect them? Who do they follow the state or federal?-- On nursing home visits, The or long term care facilities, they have to follow the state guidelines that have been put out there. We think that they are very reasonable following the incident rate map as well. And I think it also allows our communities to know how safe or unsafe, it could be. You know, just because someone tells you you can do something, sometimes you shouldn't do something and this also gives more information to two family members. I know so many Kentuckians that will choose not to go see somebody in-person at different times because they love them. And that's a hard thing to grasp that you wouldn't see somebody in person because you love them, but you don't want to have even that potential of exposing them, depending on what you do. And you might want to think about it, depending on on your regular day and how many people you come into contact with. If you've got a job that has significant contact with other people, again you might want to be more careful.

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While Indiana gambling laws allow betting on horse racing and riverboat casinos, most other types of gambling are prohibited in the state. Bona fide contests of skill are acceptable, as are bingo, raffles, and other charitable games. Learn more about Indiana gambling laws in the table below. Indiana is quite strict with their gambling laws, which makes it hard to say if online gambling is legal in Indiana. IC 35-45-5-3 states that it is illegal for an individual to participate in bookmaking and use the internet for the purpose of collecting bets for profit. Indiana, as a state, is fairly liberal when it comes to gambling, whether it be online or off. Ever since online casinos have been in existence there has not been one person prosecuted for online casino play in the state. For this reason, playing online casino games is completely safe and legal in Indiana. Real money online casinos are protected by highly advanced security features to ensure that the financial and Gambling Legal In Indiana personal data of their players is kept safely protected. The legitimate sites that we list as the best also have a solid reputation for ensuring their customer data is Gambling Legal In Indiana truly safe, keeping up with data protection and privacy legislation. Legal online gambling is now one step closer in Indiana after Representative Alan Morrison published a bill proposing the legalization and regulation of the activity. The newly introduced House Bill 1406 proposes a tax rate of 18% on adjusted gross revenues and an initial $500,000 fee for interactive gaming operators. Is gambling legal in Indiana? Yes. Indiana is home to more than a dozen land-based casinos, off-track betting locations, retail and online sports betting, and a state lottery. So many restrictions surrounding gambling make it difficult to participate in any form of gambling, but one way around all the misunderstanding is to use Legal Online Gambling in Indiana. Players have that there is really no need to have the land casinos, when everything you need in a gambling experience can be found via the Internet. Is Online Gambling Legal in Indiana? Strictly speaking, online gambling is illegal in the state of Indiana with the exception being online sports betting. There are multiple online sportsbooks available for wagering in the state. At this time, the active online sportsbooks in Indiana are: DraftKings Sportsbook; FanDuel Sportsbook; BetRivers Sportsbook Is Online Gambling Legal In Indiana? Yes, but only sports betting is allowed online domestically. Indiana has not yet passed any gambling laws legalizing online casino play (aka iGaming) or online poker. Online Gambling in Indiana: Products and Top Sites. In today’s modern age and time, there are lots of online gambling sites that can be tried out even from players who are unfamiliar with a certain type of gambling. If you like to experiment and try something new, don’t miss out on the following paragraphs where we’ll discuss lots of valuable details.

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Is Sports Betting Legal in Indiana? - YouTube

A project completed by Jeffersonville High School students in 1987. Funded by Indiana Partners in Education and the Clark County Chamber of Commerce. Led by... Any form of gambling game which is played using a computer or mobile device and an internet connection is known as Online Gambling. The Public Gambling Act, ... Why isn't Gambling Legal in all 50 U.S States? For the Full State by State U.S Casino Guide, & info on Gambling Laws check out: https://www.townandtourist.co... Colby Thelen reports. Hello Everybody, In this video, we will know about the rule and regulations regarding gambling in India. Legal or illegal.GOOGLE FORM FOR ONLINE PERSONAL CLA... Betting on sports is now legal in Indiana. We are the 12th state in the nation to join a growing market. Casino Association of Indiana CEO Matt Bell explains... Everything you should know about Indiana sports betting, from BettingBuck.com. Our Indiana guide covers what is legal, online sports betting, and where you c... Online gambling and online casino in India are still under a gray zone. Learn in this video if you can gamble online without breaking the Constitutional laws... Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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