BizAims

The AGA estimates that the Nevada sports books account for only 1–3% of all sports gambling conducted in the country. The vast majority of sports bets, then, 97–99%, are illegal. This makes it difficult to assess exactly how much money is involved.

The 1999 final report of the NGISC estimated that $80 billion to $380 billion per year is wagered illegally on sports in the United States. In 1998 the FBI estimated that illegal sports gambling was a $100 billion industry.

Illegal sports gambling encompasses a wide variety of activities. Most illegal bets on sporting events are placed with bookies. Internet gambling and office pools are also popular methods. In addition, there are some "sporting" events, illegal in themselves, that are popularly associated with gambling—for example, cockfighting and dog fighting.

FPI today responds to new figures released by the European Commission showing customs seizures of illegal and counterfeit goods at the EU's external borders in 2008.

The figures highlight that CD piracy is still a problem even in developed markets. While online piracy often claims a higher profile, the report shows that vast numbers of counterfeit CDs are still being imported into Europe from China. The clandestine manufacture, international distribution and sale of counterfeit CDs remains a huge problem for copyright holders.

FPI today responds to new figures released by the European Commission showing customs seizures of illegal and counterfeit goods at the EU's external borders in 2008.

The figures highlight that CD piracy is still a problem even in developed markets. While online piracy often claims a higher profile, the report shows that vast numbers of counterfeit CDs are still being imported into Europe from China. The clandestine manufacture, international distribution and sale of counterfeit CDs remains a huge problem for copyright holders.

Record companies invest around 20 per cent of their revenues in discovering and nurturing new acts, so such international piracy means there is less money available to give new artists the break they so desperately need. That is why we applaud the work being done by law enforcement agencies to try and stem the flood of illegal imports into Europe.

Italian police seized a group of swindlers five thousand fake paintings to be sold to private collections, reports agency Associated Press.

According to ANSA, in a criminal gang involved 70-year-old art of Piacenza, a collector and artist. In 2006 they organized an exhibition in Piacenza Italian futurist Botha Osvaldo (Osvaldo Bot). Organizers of the exhibition claimed that many of the artworks presented were not previously shown publicly.

Some time ago the police turned art critic Maurizio Skudero (Maurizio Scudiero), who stated that the sale appeared suspiciously large number of works Botha. Many paintings were sold in the United States.

Retailers in the Royal Borough are being warned to be on their guard when stocking their shelves with tobacco and alcohol after recent shop inspections uncovered an increase in counterfeit and illegal alcohol and tobacco on sale in a number of premises.

Trading Standards and Licensing officers removed bottles from 11 of the 15 premises inspected including 30 bottles of fake champagne such as counterfeit Bollinger being sold for up to £49.99 and other bottles of cheap alcohol falsely labelled as champagne and being sold for £35.99. In addition 70 bottles of fake Jacobs Creek wine were also found.

Two men are looking at a spiffy car in a shopping mall parking lot. One of them bends over to carefully check it. He lifts the hood, scans the engine, surveys the body, then eases into the driver’s seat and holds the steering wheel. The other man steps to the side and reassures him the car is a gem.

But it’s far from a typical scene where two auto buffs are simply admiring a car.

The man inspecting the vehicle will soon buy it from the other smiling individual in the kind of deal that will cost taxpayers several hundred dollars and jeopardize the safety of motorists, passengers and even pedestrians.

It’s not the mysterious seller’s first sale in the last month. He has unloaded three other models that came from an auction of wrecked vehicles.

FPI today responds to new figures released by the European Commission showing customs seizures of illegal and counterfeit goods at the EU's external borders in 2008.

The figures highlight that CD piracy is still a problem even in developed markets. While online piracy often claims a higher profile, the report shows that vast numbers of counterfeit CDs are still being imported into Europe from China. The clandestine manufacture, international distribution and sale of counterfeit CDs remains a huge problem for copyright holders.

Record companies invest around 20 per cent of their revenues in discovering and nurturing new acts, so such international piracy means there is less money available to give new artists the break they so desperately need. That is why we applaud the work being done by law enforcement agencies to try and stem the flood of illegal imports into Europe.

These days, it sometimes feels as though everywhere we look, there is another example of unethical behavior such as falsifying documents.  Unfortunately, unethical and even, on occasion, illegal activity is becoming increasingly common in today’s workplace.  Perhaps even worse is the fact that we are all victims when even one person is falsifying documents or performing some other unethical activity, because in the end, it does indeed hit us all in the wallet.

Falsifying documents, for example, means that the records of a business are being altered.  Whether those records be the timecard recording a person’s hours at work, financial documents, or records of sale, anything that defrauds the business or its customers is ultimately harmful to everyone involved.

Money is a sign of success and buys respect and opens doors. It is purchasing power for all that ‘we believe' we need to make us happy. Money, Money, Money - it is a universally spoken language and we spend most of our lives chasing it. As Voltaire said, “When it's a question of money, everybody is of the same religion”.

However, money comes at a cost. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Money often costs too much”. It could be at the cost of our health, family life and even our scruples. We have all met people who seem to be ready to sell their souls for money.

The process of making money may either be legal or illegal. Legal money is honestly earned, by the sweat of one's brow. It will allow you to sleep well at night and be at peace with yourself. Illegal money will cause you sleepless nights and stress.

Horizontal agreements among competitors:

Agreements among parties in a competing relationship can raise antitrust suspicions. Competitors may be agreeing to restrict competition among themselves. Antitrust authorities must investigate the effect and purpose of an agreement to determine its legality.

 Agreements on price. Agreements about price or price-related matters such as credit terms potentially are the most serious.

The recent shooting of ship captain Ilangovan and his wife Ramani has brought into focus the fact that a number of Chennai-based realtors are procuring guns from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and using them only to threaten others during land deals. The gun that was used on the couple was a country-made pistol and that is probably what saved Vasanthi, their daughter-in-law, when the gunman Rajan turned the pistol on her. Police said country-made guns are not effective and often do not have sufficient range. “Regular guns have a firing range of 50 to 60 yards, but country-made guns have a range of less than 15 to 20 yards. Even, if a person targets the chest, the bullet pierces only the thighs or legs,” sources said. Chennai, or even Tamil Nadu, does not have a hub for manufacturing lethal country-made weapons, but the guns are being brought in from the north.

There are many potential business tax deductions that you could take for your business. However, there are certain business tax deductions that are illegal and will most likely trigger an audit for you. Here are a few business tax deductions that you will want to avoid claiming for your business.

1. Large Gift Amounts

Many businesses regularly give gifts to clients. This can be a great way to harbor a good relationship between you and your customers. The only problem with this strategy is that many businesses get in trouble when they try to deduct the entire amount of these gifts. According to the IRS, you can only deduct $25 for each client that you give a gift to. This is true even if the gift is $10,000 each. Therefore, if you deduct an amount that seems large to the IRS, this will make it more likely that they will want to conduct an audit.

For example, if you deducted $3000 on your tax return for gifts, this would mean that you gave some type of gift to 120 different clients. While this is not impossible, this represents a fairly large number. Unless you are a very big company, the IRS is likely to be suspicious of this type of deduction.

Sometimes, knowingly or unknowingly, entrepreneurs may tend to cross the thin line between businesses that are legal and those that are illegal. Here is the list of some businesses that are criminal offenses and can attract penalty in the form of imprisonment  and/or fine.

1. Wildlife Trading

The issue of illegal wildlife trading is now gaining traction, thanks to increasing awareness and innovative efforts by organizations such as the PETA. In India, products that are mostly traded illegally include body parts of tigers and leopards, ivory form rhino and elephant horns, snake skins, feathers, turtles – the list is long.

Concern among European fine chemicals companies over the large volume of illicit active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) imported into the European Union (EU) should be dampened by stricter EU regulations on the licensing of medicines introduced earlier this year. However, API producers in Europe fear that the legislation, due to come into effect late next year, does not go far enough. The European Parliament has adopted measures to control the trade in two compounds used for both legitimate pharmaceutical applications and the manufacture of illicit drugs. The measures are designed to prevent the diversion of acetic anhydride and potassium permanganate, used in the production of heroin and cocaine, respectively. The aim is to reduce the regulatory burden on companies by rationalizing current legislation in this area, which includes no less than 6 separate directives and regulations.

Our world is unimaginable without electronics. From laptops, tablets and smart phones to TVs, and game consoles - from public infrastructures such as air traffic control, financial and communication networks to government and military systems – we live in an interconnected, “always on” world. Due to their much higher failure rate versus genuine equipment, counterfeits pose a threat not just to consumer safety but also to national security - because when they fail the entire systems in which they are embedded may also fail.

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry & Security, the number of counterfeit incidents reported by survey participants (including original component manufacturers, distributors, brokers, circuit board assemblers, contractors and subcontractors, and Department of Defense agencies) climbed from 3,868 in 2005 to 9,356 in 2008 - an increase of more than 140 percent.