Internet Lottery

WASHINGTON – Last week U.S. Rep. John Campbell (R-CA) introduced legislation that seeks to regulate and tax Internet gambling. H.R. 1174 is identical to previous proposals sought by U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA).

NACS opposes any attempt to allow purchases of lottery tickets online and is urging retailers to ask their representatives to vote against H.R. 1174. NACS is part of a coalition to prevent this legislation from being passed into law. In addition to Campbell and Frank, Reps. Peter King (D-NY) and Perlmutter (D-CO) support the bill.

The supporters of H.R. 1174 say that current law, as outlined under the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), has done little to deter Americans who want to gamble from seeking out online gaming sites based outside the United States. Therefore, they support the legalization of online gaming in the U.S. as a means to increase tax revenues.

"Clearly, Americans want to gamble on the Internet, and policymakers need to provide both the freedom to do so, as well as ensure that appropriate consumer protections are in place," Campbell said in a statement. "Regulating online gaming and making certain that these sites are operating legally in America will also create economic growth through generated tax revenue and the possibility of attracting foreign players to U.S. sites."

The bill falls under the jurisdiction of the House Financial Services Committee, where it will likely face stiff resistance from Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-AL), who strongly opposed Frank's bill last year.

Why You Should Care
Retailers operate on very thin margins and depend on lottery ticket sales for a significant portion of their revenues and to generate substantial traffic. The frequent lottery customer purchases additional items when they purchase their lottery tickets. In fact, on 95 percent of their store visits, lottery customers purchased at least one other merchandise product in addition to lottery. Retail operators across the country — and their employees — would be adversely affected if this bill were to become law.

My C Store World

Digital Coupons Show Significant Gains

Coupons.com Inc. issued its Digital Coupons Trends Report for 2010 which indicates that more than $1.2 billion in digital coupons savings was issued in 2010, representing a 41 percent growth over the previous year. Compared to coupons distributed in newspapers, digital coupons dramatically outpaced the growth of their newspaper counterparts, approximately 6 to 1.
Representing more than 16 percent of the U.S. population, more than 49 million American consumers are now using online coupons, up from 45 million in 2009. Of the 49 million online coupon users, almost one-third (14.8 million) has not read or looked into the Sunday newspaper for coupons within the prior six months, a 13 percent increase over 13.1 million in 2008. Research also indicates 73 percent of all U.S. shoppers have used online printable web coupons to date.
Cereal was by far the most popular coupon category in 2010, followed by yogurt, refrigerated dough, portable snacks, vegetables, baby products, soup, air, rug and fabric care, cheese and lastly, lunch meats.

New Beverage Calorie Labels Arrive In Stores

The American Beverage Association announced last week the rollout of calorie labels on the front of non-alcoholic beverages, as part of its "Clear on Calories" initiative. The association's voluntary commitment to make calorie counts more prominent supports First Lady Michelle Obama's efforts to help families make informed food and drink choices.
"The new labels put calorie information at the fingertips of consumers at every point of purchase so they can choose the beverage that is right for them and their families," said Susan Neely, president and chief executive officer of the American Beverage Association. "By putting the calories on the front of beverages, we're making it easier for consumers to make informed choices. It's one more way that America's beverage companies are doing their part to help people achieve a healthy weight by balancing their diet and physical activity."
Beverage companies will be including the calorie labels on the front of every can, bottle, and pack they produce for beverages 20 fluid ounces or smaller. The labels have begun rolling out in stores across the nation, and they are expected to be on the front of all major brands by June, and on all brands by early 2012

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