Social Gambling Conference Highlights the Growing Importance of Social Online Gambling, Reports Belle Rock Entertainment

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM–(Marketwire – Jan 29, 2013) – Speakers, delegates and sponsors from the around the world gathered in London on 16 November for the world”s first conference dedicated entirely to social gaming. This, says Belle Rock Entertainment, is a sign of the times: social gaming is the way of the future. Belle Rock Entertainment itself is a big fan of the growing medium that is social gaming and ties in its web and mobile sites to Facebook and Twitter. It believes social gambling is a thing of the future, and so do iGaming Business, the organisers of the London conference.

This ground-breaking conference is designed for those businesses looking to stay on top of online gambling and also for social media producers looking to monetise their gaming offerings. The elite panel of speakers, including industry leaders from both the social media sphere and online gambling will meet to discuss the future of this industry and suggest ways companies can approach this dynamic field of gambling.

The online gambling industry is going through a period of transition and is having to adapt – and adapt quickly – to a round of changes brought through since the world has become more mobile and socially enabled. Although the vast majority of online gambling is still conducted through web-based mediums from laptops and desktop computers, more and more users, particularly younger users with money to spend, are diversifying and conducting their gambling via smartphone and using social apps and plug-ins.

Of course this isn”t the first major transition the gambling industry as a whole has weathered. Of course moving from purely land-based to both land- and web-based gambling changed the face of the gambling industry forever. But this is perhaps the first major shake up affecting the online realm of gambling.

However, leading online portals such as Belle Rock Entertainment, have been quick to adapt. Mobile gaming is already bringing in good money so it”s just a matter of time before social apps and games will be monetised and becoming another profitable arm of the online gambling world.

Sources:

http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article/social-gambling-conference-just-two-days-away-203245

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Stock futures tick lower, but Ford, Pfizer rise early

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures edged lower on Tuesday as investors looked to take profits following an extended rally and as they waited an onslaught of earnings and data.

On Monday, the S&P 500 index closed slightly lower, ending an eight-day run of gains. However, the index remained above 1,500, suggesting there was still support for the market.

Investors poured $55 billion in new cash into stock mutual funds and exchange-traded funds in January, the biggest monthly inflow on record, research provider TrimTabs Investment Research said.

The gains have come on a strong start to earnings season. Thomson Reuters data showed that of the 150 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings so far, 67.3 percent have beaten analysts' expectations, which is a higher proportion than over the past four quarters and above the average since 1994.

Yahoo Inc rose 1.9 percent to $20.70 in premarket trading a day after reporting adjusted earnings that beat expectations and forecasting a rise in annual revenue.

Ford Motor Co jumped 2.4 percent to $14.11 in premarket trading after reporting results early Tuesday, while Pfizer Inc rose 0.6 percent to $27 after results.

Amazon.com Inc is slated to report results after the market closes.

Eli Lilly and Co reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings and revenue that beat expectations.

S&P 500 futures fell 5.3 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 2 points and Nasdaq 100 futures slid 9.5 points.

The Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee begins two days of meetings on interest rates. Traders speculated more solid U.S. growth indicators might see the Fed pull back on its aggressive easing stimulus, which has played a key role in fuelling an equity market rally since the second half of last year.

Investors will also look to the latest economic data for evidence the recent rally, which took major averages to five-year highs, was justified.

January consumer confidence, due at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT) is seen dipping to 64 from 65.1 in the previous month. The S&P Case/Shiller Home Price Index for November is seen showing an increase of 0.6 percent in home prices. Case/Shiller is due at 9 a.m.

While the housing market has recently shown signs of improvement, data released on Monday showed pending home sales unexpectedly slumped in December.

U.S. stocks edged modestly lower on Monday. However, Caterpillar Inc rallied after results, limiting losses in the Dow, while a rebound in shares of Apple Inc kept the Nasdaq in positive territory.

(Editing by W Simon)

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Woods makes short work at Torrey Pines

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tiger Woods never looked so irritated winning a golf tournament so comfortably.

His record eighth victory at Torrey Pines was all but over when Woods ripped a 5-iron from 244 yards over the corner of a bunker and onto the green at the par-5 13th hole, setting up a two-putt birdie that gave him an eight shot lead in the Farmers Insurance Open.

At least he had plenty of time to savor this victory. The final five holes felt like they took forever.

Woods twirled his club on the tee and leaned on it in the fairway as the final round dragged on. He lost rhythm and appeared to lose interest, and it showed. A bogey from the bunker on the 14th. A tee shot that caromed off a eucalyptus tree on the 15th hole that led to double bogey. A tee shot he popped up on the 17th hole that left him 50 yards behind the other players and led to another bogey.

"It got a little ugly at the end," Woods said. "I started losing patience a little bit with the slow play."

No matter. It only affected the margin, not the outcome. Woods had to settle for an even-par 72 that gave him a four-shot win over defending champion Brandt Snedeker and Josh Teater, who each had a 69.

For a tour that has been criticized for slow play, this wasn't an ideal start to the network portion of its schedule. With Woods virtually a lock to win, CBS Sports wanted the final round to resume Monday later than normal so that it could be televised in late afternoon on the East Coast. Play was so slow that CBS went over its allotted time.

Woods, meanwhile, had the ideal start to his tour season.

Only a week earlier, he missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, in part because of a two-shot penalty assessed after his second round for taking an illegal drop. Woods had never missed the cut on the European Tour, and he had never started his season with the weekend off.

He might have been the only one who didn't panic.

Woods seized control with a 65 on the North Course at Torrey Pines, the spent the rest of the week pulling away from the field until no one could catch him.

"I don't know if anybody would have beaten him this week," said Nick Watney, who got within five shots of Woods when the tournament was still undecided until making three bogeys on his next five holes. "He's definitely on his game."

It's still too early to figure out the state of his game, especially in relation to Rory McIlroy, who also missed the cut in Abu Dhabi.

Torrey Pines is a public course that Woods treats like his private domain. He won the tournament for the seventh time, one short of the PGA Tour record for most wins in a single event. Sam Snead won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times. Woods won for the eighth time at Torrey Pines, including the 2008 U.S. Open, and that's a PGA Tour record that Woods previously shared with ... himself. He also has won seven times at Firestone and Bay Hill.

"I think he wanted to send a message," said Hunter Mahan, who shares a swing coach with Woods. "I think deep down he did. You play some games to try to motivate yourself. There's been so much talk about Rory. Rory is now with Nike. That would be my guess."

And it was his 75th win on the PGA Tour, seven short of the record held by Snead. Woods has won 23 of those tournaments by at least four shots.

"I'm excited the way I played all week," Woods said. "I hit the ball well — pretty much did everything well and built myself a nice little cushion. I had some mistakes at the end, but all my good play before that allowed me to afford those mistakes."

Woods mostly had reason to be excited about his short game.

In the third round Sunday, he was furious with himself for going long on the par-3 eighth green, without much green between his ball and the hole. Woods hit a chip solidly, with just enough loft, to leave himself a tap-in par. In the conclusion of the final round Monday, he pulled his tee shot into a bad spot in the bunker on the par-3 11th. The lie was good, but he had to aim well left, meaning his legs were spread wide on the slope of the sand.

He blasted it out with his 60-degree wedge to a top shelf, and then watched it feed down a slope to the right. It lost pace at the end or it might have gone in.

It looked good for television. It was a difficult shot, but not impossible.

But Woods believes those are the shots he wasn't converting a year ago. And that's one reason his outlook was so bright on the rest of the year, even after having to cope with so much fog along the Pacific bluffs.

He played the par 5s in 12 under for the lead — that alone would have been enough to win — and attributed that to his short game.

"My short game was back to how I know it can be," Woods said. "My shots that I hit, especially out of these nasty little lies, I hit some really good ones this week. And that allowed me to save some pars, make some birdies, and move my way up the board. And basically, that's what I did."

Woods figures his swing change under Sean Foley took root at some point last year, but that he had devoted so much time to the swing that he neglected his wedges. Now that he is practicing more on his short game, he expects better results — turning a 74 into a 70, and not losing leads at the majors, like he did twice last year.

Still, the season is young.

Any measure of Woods likely will have to wait until the road to the Masters gets going during the Florida Swing. Woods headed home to Florida on Monday night and is not expected to return until the Match Play Championship in Arizona a month from now. McIlroy also isn't expected to play until then, and match play being such a fickle format, the better gauge could come in the Honda Classic and at Doral.

Woods, however, likes where he is headed.

Torrey Pines is a good omen for the rest of his year. Whenever he starts a PGA Tour season with a win at Torrey, he tends to have big years — eight wins and two majors in 2006, seven wins and a major in 2007, four wins in only six starts in 2008.

Where will this lead?

"Does it feel good? Yes. Does it give me confidence? Absolutely," Woods said. "But as far as the other stuff, as I said, I'm excited about this year. I'm excited about what I'm doing with Sean and some of the things that I've built. This is a nice way to start the year."

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Why haven't we learned from fires?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Pyrotechnics, overcrowding, poor exits have contributed to tragic fires in recent years


• You would think the world would have learned from past incidents, John Barylick says


• Concertgoers have to be their own fire marshals, he says

Editor's note: John Barylick, author of "Killer Show," a book on the 2003 Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island, is an attorney who represented victims in wrongful death and personal injury cases arising from the fire.

(CNN) -- Sunday morning we awoke to breaking news of another tragic nightclub fire, this time in Brazil. At last report the death toll exceeded 230.

This tragedy is not without precedent. Next month will mark the 10th anniversary of a similar nightclub fire in Rhode Island. At this sad time, it's appropriate to reflect on what we've learned from club fires -- and what we haven't.

Rhode Island's Station nightclub fire of 2003, in which 100 concertgoers lost their lives, began when fireworks set off by Great White, an 80s heavy metal band, ignited flammable packing foam on the club's walls.

John Barylick

Panicked patrons stampeded toward the club's main exit, and a fatal pileup ensued. Contributing to the tragedy were illegal use of pyrotechnics, overcrowding and a wall covering that would have failed even the most rudimentary flammability tests.

Video images of the Station fire were broadcast worldwide: A concert begins; the crowd's mood changes from merry, to curious, to concerned, to horrified -- in less than a minute. You'd think the world would have learned from it. You would be wrong.

Deadly blazes: Nightclub tragedies in recent history

The following year, the Republica Cromanon nightclub in Argentina went up in flames, killing 194 people. The club was made to hold about 1,000 people, but it was estimated that more than 3,000 fans were packed inside the night of the fire, which began when fans began lighting flares that caught the roof on fire.

Then, in January 2009, at least 64 New Year's revelers lost their lives in a nightclub in Bangkok, Thailand, after fire ignited its ceiling. Many were crushed in a rush to get out of the club. In December of that same year, a fire in a Russian nightclub, ignited by pyrotechnics, killed 156 people. Overcrowding, poor exits, and indoor fireworks all played roles in these tragedies; yet no one bothered to learn from mistakes of the past.

While responsibility for concert disasters unquestionably lies with venue operators, performers and promoters, ultimately, we, as patrons of clubs and concerts, can enhance our own safety by taking a few simple steps. The National Fire Protection Association urges concertgoers to:

• Be observant. Is the concert venue rundown or well-maintained? Does the staff look well-trained?

• As you proceed to your seat, observe how long the process takes. Could you reverse it in a hurry? Do you pass through pinch points? Is furniture in the way?

• Once seated, take note of the nearest exit. (In an emergency, most people try to exit by the door they entered, which is usually not the closest, and is always overcrowded.) Then, share the location of that nearest exit with your entire party. Agree that at the first sign of trouble, you will all proceed to it without delay.

• Once the show begins, remain vigilant. If you think there's a problem, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. Do not stay to "get your money's worth" despite concerns about safety. Do not remain to locate that jacket or bag you placed somewhere. No concert is worth your life. Better to read about an incident the next day than be counted as one of its statistics.

Read more: How to protect yourself in a crowd

To be sure, all fire codes must be vigorously enforced, and club and concert hall operators must be held to the highest standards. A first step is banning indoor pyrotechnics in all but the largest, stadium-type venues.

But, ultimately, we are our own best "fire marshals" when it comes to avoiding, and escaping, dangerous situations. We can still enjoy shows. But it is up to us to look out for our own safety.

In coming days, Rhode Islanders will follow the unfolding news from Brazil with a sense of queasy deja vu -- the rising body counts, the victim identification process, the grieving families, and the assigning (and dodging) of blame. If only they had learned from our tragedy.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Barylick.

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Chris Brown investigated for possible assault

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown is under investigation for an alleged assault in a West Hollywood parking lot, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said early Monday.

Deputies responding to a report of six men fighting Sunday night found the scene clear, but were told by witnesses that there had been a brief fight over a parking space.

“The altercation allegedly led to Chris Brown punching the victim,” the department said in a statement released early Monday morning.

The “victim” wasn’t identified but the celebrity website TMZ — which first reported the fight outside the Westlake Recording Studio — said it also involved Frank Ocean, one of the top nominees at Grammy Awards next month.

In a Twitter posting later, Ocean said he “got jumped by (Brown) and a couple guys” and suffered a finger cut.

It wasn’t Brown’s first problem in the run-up to the Grammys. His attack on singer Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 awards event overshadowed the show.

Last June, he was injured in a brawl with members of hip-hop star Drake’s entourage at a New York nightclub.

No arrests were made. Brown was gone by the time deputies arrived but the department said the investigation is ongoing and Brown would be contacted later.

Email messages to Ocean’s publicist and Brown’s lawyer were not immediately returned. A man answering the phone at the recording studio declined to comment.

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Think you’ll win a Super Bowl bet? It’s taxable

Taxes » Income Taxes » Win A Super Bowl Bet? It’s Taxable

America is a nation of risk takers, so it’s no surprise we love games of chance. That’s even more evident each year when the NFL’s big event, the Super Bowl, rolls around.

The Super Bowl is the most gambled-on sporting event in the United States, with more than $ 100 million wagered on the game in some years. And that’s just the legal betting at sports books in Nevada, so far, where federal law allows sports gambling.

American Gaming Association data, complete through 2011, show legal sports wagering in Nevada that year totaled $ 2.88 billion. But that figure is dwarfed by illegal bets. The National Gambling Impact Study Commission estimates illegal sports wagers amount to as much as $ 380 billion annually.

If the gambling study estimate is even remotely accurate, the U.S. Treasury is missing out on an enormous amount of revenue since gambling winnings, whether obtained legally or illegally, are taxable.

But good luck, Internal Revenue Service collections agents, on getting your hands on ill-gotten gambling gains.

The federal tax agency has enough trouble collecting from legal bettors. Many people don’t realize gambling winnings are taxable income. And even if the winners know that, a good many simply choose to ignore the tax law.

What the IRS knows

This skirting of tax laws is possible because the IRS doesn’t know about every bet, and it is only aware of the big winners.

Legal betting operations — state lotteries, casinos and horse-racing tracks — are regulated and that means there are rules for reporting when players are paid.

States with gaming

Commercial casinos	Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, West Virginia
Racetrack casinos	Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia
Tribal gaming (casinos, bingo, pulltabs, etc.)	29 states
Lotteries	43 states plus the District of Columbia
Parimutuel wagering	40 states
Charitable gaming	47 states plus the District of Columbia

Source: American Gaming Association, National Indian Gaming Association

In some cases, the IRS gets its portion when winners are paid. Twenty-five percent is withheld from winnings of more than $ 5,000 from any sweepstakes, wagering pool or lottery or from betting proceeds that are 300 times or more the amount of the bet.

Gambling winnings from bingo, keno and the slots are not generally subject to withholding, but you still must give the gambling establishment your tax ID, i.e., your Social Security number. If you refuse, the casino can assess backup withholding of your jackpot at a 28 percent rate.

And with the popularity of poker, the IRS started demanding reports from poker tournament sponsors when tournament winnings exceeded $ 5,000. The reporting requirement, aimed at poker tournament sponsors, including casinos, helps the IRS ensure card game winners are including their winnings on their annual tax returns.

Regardless of whether money is withheld, when a casino or other betting operation gets your tax ID, your winnings show up on a Form W-2G.

But even if you don’t get an official form, you’re still supposed to report all your gambling winnings to the IRS. In reality, that doesn’t happen.

The IRS has no official idea how much tax money it doesn’t collect from lucky gamblers. But even if the tax agency ventured a guess, it likely would be low, since there are so many under-the-radar ways for gamblers to play.

Online gambling advances

One of the major gambling venues nowadays is online. And despite efforts to control Internet gambling, U.S. bettors are still frequenting the websites, with many not telling the IRS about their winnings.

Federal lawmakers tried to put a dent in online gambling with enactment in 2006 of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The law is designed to restrict U.S. gamblers’ access to online, foreign-based websites.

The law, however, hasn’t affected players as much as it has payment processors, says Brad Polizzano, a New York tax attorney.

Polizzano points to the U.S. Department of Justice’s seizure in April 2011 of the Internet domains of the three biggest offshore online gambling sites operating in the U.S. at the time: Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Absolute Poker/UltimateBet.

In addition, several of these sites’ principals, as well as individuals processing financial transactions to and from these sites, were indicted for bank fraud, illegal gambling and money laundering, says Polizzano.

While the poker website crackdown sent shockwaves through that gambling community, says Polizzano, there also has been an apparent easing of opposition to online gambling.

On Dec. 23, 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a memorandum opinion taking the position that the Wire Act, the federal law enacted in 1961 prohibiting operation of certain types of betting businesses in the United States, applies only to sports wagering.

“Although the opinion itself addresses only online state lotteries, states now have been shown a green light for intrastate online gaming,” says Polizzano.

Nevada gambling regulators quickly approved rules that allow companies in the Silver State to apply for licenses to operate poker websites.

Around 2,500 miles to the east, New Jersey lawmakers also are working to make online gambling legal within that state. After Gov. Chris Christie vetoed an online gambling bill in early 2012, the legislature introduced a revised version that would authorize casinos in Atlantic City to offer a full slate of Internet gambling to state residents. Christie has until Super Bowl Sunday to sign or veto this measure.

And gambling expansion has moved beyond the Internet in the Garden State. On Jan. 17, 2012, Christie signed a bill into law that would allow people older than 21 to place in-person bets on sporting events at designated sites within New Jersey.

But don’t make travel plans to New Jersey just yet. Before sports bets are allowed there, the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 must be overturned or a new federal law must be enacted to exempt the state from the federal restriction.

That could take a while, as leaders of the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and the National Collegiate Athletic Association are united in a federal court case against the New Jersey sports betting bill.

Tax and gambling misconceptions

If states and Uncle Sam do eventually approve access to online gambling, the accompanying regulations could help the IRS get more winners to comply with tax laws.

Polizzano, who writes about gambling and tax issues at his blog “TaxDood,” says there are three tax areas that many gamblers don’t understand well.

One is the difference between recreational and professional gambling. Most people fall into the recreational category; they visit a casino or racetrack a couple of times per year and buy lottery tickets.

In these cases, any winnings should be reported to the IRS as “other” income. Recreational gamblers also can reduce the amount of their taxable winnings by itemizing their expenses and counting gambling losses as a deduction in the “other miscellaneous deductions” category of Schedule A.

Professional gamblers, on the other hand, essentially gamble regularly with the intent to profit enough to earn a living. The tax court ruling that set up the standards for professional gambling, says Polizzano, “basically requires people to file one way or the other, professional or recreational.”

“A lot of gamblers think they can file any way that minimizes their tax burden,” he says. “But they really don’t have a choice. They must pick one category or the other.”

And while the tax code generally is very harsh toward gamblers, says Polizzano, professional gamblers recently got some good news from the U.S. Tax Court. In Mayo v Commissioner, the court held that a professional gambler may deduct “ordinary and necessary” business expenses beyond the extent of a taxpayer’s net gambling winnings.

Record winnings and losses

Both types of gamblers, however, share one thing. They need to keep very good records of their gambling activities. This, too, is an area of confusion for taxpayers, says Polizzano.

A recreational gambler can’t simply net wins and losses — that is, combine them and report only the total. Rather, a gambler must add all winnings and report them as income. The losses are itemized and can be claimed as a deduction, but only up to the amount of winnings reported that year.

To substantiate these amounts, the IRS says you must keep records of every single gambling session. “You spend 15 minutes at the craps table and finish up with $ 500. Take a break, then spend 45 minutes at the blackjack table. That’s another session,” says Polizzano. “In my opinion, that’s overly burdensome. Who really does that?”

Another documentation requirement, per IRS Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions, is that you keep a diary or log of gambling activities. The log is supposed to show not only the amounts you win or lose, but also the date and type of your specific wager or wagering activity, the name and address or location of the gambling establishment, and the names of other persons present with you when you gambled.

“If they get the ‘dear valued taxpayer’ letter from the IRS that wants them to substantiate their gambling activity, they won’t be able to do that because they haven’t kept track,” says Polizanno.

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Stocks futures flat, Caterpillar on tap to report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures were little changed on Monday, with investors reluctant to make big bets following a rally that took the S&P 500 above 1,500 for the first time in more than five years.

A strong start to the earnings season has boosted equities, with major averages rising for four straight weeks. The S&P has gained for eight straight days, its longest winning streak in eight years.

Over the past four weeks, the S&P has jumped 7.2 percent, suggesting markets may be vulnerable to a pullback if news disappoints.

Earnings will continue to be a primary focus, with Caterpillar Inc likely to be a market mover when it reports its latest quarterly financial results later on Monday. The heavy machinery maker could provide a clue into the state of the global industrial sector, which is closely tied to the pace of economic growth.

Yahoo Inc reports after the closing bell, and could face heightened expectations following strong results at Google Inc last week.

Thomson Reuters data through Friday showed that of the 147 S&P 500 companies that have reported earnings so far, 68 percent exceeded expectations. Since 1994, 62 percent of companies have topped expectations, while the average over the past four quarters stands at 65 percent.

S&P 500 futures rose 0.8 point and but were slightly below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 7 points and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.2 point.

The S&P 500 closed at its highest since December 10, 2007, and the Dow ended at its highest since October 31, 2007.

Investors will also be looking to durable goods orders and pending home sales, both for December. Durable goods are due at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) and are seen rising 1.8 percent. Pending home sales are seen rising 0.3 percent.

Last week, sales of new U.S. single-family homes fell in December but rose in 2012 to the highest level since 2009, a sign the U.S. housing market turned a corner last year.

Bargain hunters may look to Apple Inc for a bargain the first session after the tech giant lost its coveted title as the largest U.S. company by market capitalization to Exxon Mobil Corp . On Friday, Apple's market cap fell to $413 billion, down roughly $250 billion from its September peak. Apple's fall is about equal to the entire value of Google Inc .

U.S. stocks rose on Friday, lifted by strong results from such companies as Procter & Gamble . The rise put the S&P 500 about 4.1 percent away from its all-time closing high of 1,565.15 on October 9, 2007.

(This story was refiled to remove extraneous word "above" in 7th paragraph)

(Editing by W Simon)

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Tiger headed toward another win at Torrey

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Pacific air was so cold at the end of a 10-hour day at Torrey Pines that Tiger Woods thrust both hands in the front pockets of his rain pants as he walked off the course at the Farmers Insurance Open.

It was a fitting image. Woods made a marathon day look like he was out for a stroll.

Staked to a two-shot lead going into the third round of this fog-delayed tournament, Woods drove the ball where he was aiming and was hardly ever out of position. Even with a bogey on the final hole — the easiest on the back nine — Woods still had a 3-under 69 and expanded his lead by two shots.

In the seven holes he played in the fourth round later Sunday afternoon, Woods hit the ball all over the course and still made three birdies to add two more strokes to his lead.

Thanks to the fog that wiped out an entire day of golf on Saturday, the Farmers Insurance Open didn't stand a chance of finishing on Sunday.

Woods just made it look like it was over.

He had a six-shot lead with 11 holes to play going into the conclusion of the final round on Monday. The two guys chasing him were Brandt Snedeker, the defending champion, and Nick Watney, who won at Torrey Pines in 2008. Neither was waving a white flag. Both understood how much the odds were stacked against them.

"I've got a guy at the top of the leaderboard that doesn't like giving up leads," Snedeker said. "So I have to go catch him."

"All we can do tomorrow is go out and try to make him think about it a little bit and see what happens," Watney said.

And then there was Erik Compton, a two-time heart transplant recipient who had a birdie-eagle finish in the third round that put him in third place through 54 holes, still five shots behind Woods. Someone asked Compton about trying to chase Woods. He laughed.

"I'm trying to chase myself," he said.

Woods was at 17-under par for the tournament, and more than just a six-shot lead was in his corner.

He finished the third round at 14-under 202, making it the 16th time on the PGA Tour that he had at least a four-shot lead going into the final round. His record on the PGA Tour with the outright lead after 54 holes is 38-2, the exceptions being Ed Fiori in 1996 when Woods was a 20-year-old rookie and Y.E. Yang in the 2009 PGA Championship.

Woods attributed his big lead to the "whole package."

"I've driven the ball well, I've hit my irons well, and I've chipped and putted well," he said. "Well, I've hit good putts. They all haven't gone in."

Woods has a good history of Monday finishes, starting with Torrey Pines. It was on this course along the coast north of La Jolla that Woods won a 19-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate to capture the 2008 U.S. Open for his 14th major.

He also won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on a Monday in 2000 when he rallied from seven shots behind with seven holes to play. He won his lone title in The Players Championship on a Monday, along with a five-shot win in the Memorial in 2000, and a scheduled Monday finish in the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston.

Woods even gets to sleep in.

A Monday finish because of weather typically resumes in the morning so players can get to the next tournament. CBS Sports, however, decided it wanted to televise the conclusion, and so play won't begin until 2 p.m. EST. That decision might have been based on Woods being headed toward victory — just a hunch.

Woods already has won seven times at Torrey Pines, including the U.S. Open. That matches his PGA Tour record at Bay Hill and Firestone (Sam Snead won the Greensboro Open eight times, four each on a different course).

The tournament isn't over, and Woods doesn't see it that way.

"I've got to continue with executing my game plan. That's the idea," he said. "I've got 11 holes to play, and I've got to play them well."

He seized control with his 69 in the third round that gave him a four-shot lead, and he might have put this away in the two hours he played before darkness stopped play.

He badly missed the first fairway to the left, but had a gap through the Torrey pines to the green and had a two-putt par. He missed his next shot so far to the left that the ball wound up in the first cut of the adjacent sixth fairway. He still managed a simple up-and-down for par.

After a 10-foot birdie on the par-3 third, Woods couldn't afford to go left off the tee again because of the PGA Tour's largest water hazard — the Pacific Ocean. So he went miles right, beyond a cart path, a tree blocking his way to the green. He hit a cut shot that came up safely short of the green, and then chipped in from 40 feet for birdie.

"I was able to play those holes in 2-under par," Woods said. "And then I hit three great drives right in a row."

One of them wasn't that great — it was in the right rough, the ball so buried that from 214 yards that Woods hit a 5-wood. It scooted down the fairway and onto the green, setting up a two-putt birdie the stretched his lead to six shots. And after another good drive, the horn sounded to stop play. Because it was due to weather, Woods was able to finish the hole, and he two-putted for par.

Eleven holes on Monday were all that were keeping him from his 75th career win on the PGA Tour, and delivering a message to the rest of golf that there could be more of this to follow no matter what the golf course.

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Can sanctions deter North Korea?

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

Kim Jong Un and his military

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• N. Korea said Thursday it plans to carry out new nuclear test and more long-range rocket launches


• It said they are part of new phase of confrontation with United States


• George A. Lopez says North Korea's aim is to be recognized as a 'new nuclear nation by fait accompli'


• The Security Council sanctions aim to deteriorate and disrupt N. Korea's programs, says Lopez

Editor's note: George A. Lopez holds the Hesburgh Chair in Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. He is a former member, UN Panel of Experts on DPRK.

Indiana, U.S. (CNN) -- North Korea has responded to new Security Council sanctions condemning its December 12 rocket launch with a declaration that it plans a third nuclear test and more missile launches. Politically, it has made unambiguous that its "aim" is its enemy, the United States.

In this rapid reaction to U.N. sanctions, the young government of Kim Jong Un underscores what Security Council members have long known anticipated from the DPRK. Their end-game is to create a vibrant, integrated missile and nuclear weapons program that will result - as in the cases of Pakistan and India - in their being recognized as a new nuclear nation by fait accompli.

Read more: North Korea says new nuclear test will be part of fight against U.S.

In light of DPRK defiance - and a soon to occur nuclear test - the Security Council's first set of sanctions on North Korea since 2009 may seem absurd and irrelevant. These sanctions will certainly not prevent a new DPRK nuclear test. Rather, the new sanctions resolution mobilizes regional neighbors and global actors to enforce sanctions that can weaken future DPRK programs and actions.

Read more: U.N. Security Council slams North Korea, expands sanctions

The utility, if not the necessity, of these Security Council sanctions are to deteriorate and disrupt the networks that sustain North Korea's programs. Chances of this degradation of DPRK capabilities have increased as the new sanctions both embolden and empower the member states who regularly observe - but do nothing about - suspicious vessels in their adjacent waterways.

The resolution provides new guidance to states regarding ship interdiction, cargo inspections, and the seizure and disposal of prohibited materials. Regarding nuclear and missile development the sanctions expand the list of material banned for trade to DPRK, including high tech, dual-use goods which might aid missile industries.

Read more: South Korean officials: North Korean rocket could hit U.S. mainland

These new measures provide a better structure for more effective sanctions, by naming new entities, such as a bank and trading companies, as well as individuals involved in the illicit financing of prohibited materials, to the sanctions list. To the surprise of many in the diplomatic community - the Council authorizes states to expose and confiscate North Korea's rather mobile "bulk cash." Such currency stocks have been used in many regions to facilitate purchases of luxury goods and other banned items that sustain the DPRK elites.

Finally, the Security Council frees the Sanctions Committee to act more independently and in a timely manner to add entities to the list of sanctioned actors when evidence shows them to be sanctions violators. This is an extensive hunting license for states in the region that can multiply the costs of sanctions to the DPRK over time.

Read more: North Korea's rocket launches cost $1.3 billion

Whatever their initial limitations, the new round of U.N. sanctions serve as a springboard to more robust measures by various regional and global powers which may lead back to serious negotiations with DPRK.

Despite its bluster and short-term action plan, Pyongyang recognizes that the wide space of operation for its policies it assumed it had a week ago, is now closed considerably. To get this kind of slap-down via this Security Council resolution - when the launch was a month ago - predicts that any nuke test or missile launch from Pyongyang will bring a new round of stronger and more targeted sanctions.

Read more: North Korea silences doubters, raises fears with rocket launch

Although dangerous - a new game is on regarding DPRK. Tougher U.N. measures imposed on the North generated a predictable response and likely new, prohibited action. While DPRK may be enraged, these sanctions have the P5 nations, most notably China, newly engaged. A forthcoming test or launch will no doubt increase tensions on both sides.

But this may be precisely the shock needed to restart the Six Party Talks. Without this institutional framework there is little chance of influencing DPRK actions. And in the meantime, the chances of greater degrading of DPRK capabilities via sanctions, are a sensible next best action.

Read more: Huge crowds gather in North Korean capital to celebrate rocket launch

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of George A. Lopez.

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Hostage film “Argo” wins producers award as Oscars loom

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Iran hostage drama “Argo” continued its trophy-winning streak on Saturday, taking the top prize at the Producers Guild Awards in the latest boost to its chances at the Oscars.

Guild picks regularly go on to win at the film industry’s most prestigious event – for the last five years, the producers’ choice of best-produced film has taken the best picture Oscar.

“I’m really surprised. I’m not even in the PGA (Producers Guild of America),” Argo director, producer and star actor Ben Affleck said as he collected the award for the film that tells the true story of the rescue of U.S. diplomats from Tehran after the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

“I am still acting and available,” added a smiling Affleck, joined on stage by co-producer Grant Heslov. George Clooney, also a producer, did not attend the event in Beverly Hills.

The PGA prize is seen as a particularly good indicator of future success as many of the Guild’s 5,000 plus members are also members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who vote for the Oscars.

Argo was nominated earlier this month for a best film Oscar, but Affleck was snubbed in the director’s category. Nevertheless, he won a Golden Globe for his direction this month and Argo also won best movie drama at the Golden Globes.

Argo won the PGA prize against nine other films on Saturday, including Steven Spielberg’s presidential drama “Lincoln”, musical “Les Miserables” and Kathyrn Bigelow’s Osama bin Laden thriller “Zero Dark Thirty”.

Also contending were Quentin Tarantino’s darkly humorous slavery Western “Django Unchained”, the James Bond blockbuster “Skyfall”, Ang Lee’s shipwreck tale “Life of Pi” and the comedy “Silver Linings Playbook”.

Many of the PGA-nominated movies are also in the running for the best picture Oscar on February 24.

The PGA handed “Wreck-It Ralph,” its honor for best animated movie.

Unlike the Academy Awards, both the Producers Guild Awards and the Golden Globes also give prizes to television dramas and comedies.

The HBO film “Game Change” about Sarah Palin’s 2008 vice presidential bid won the outstanding longform TV prize and ABC’s “Modern Family” was named best-produced television comedy. “Homeland” was named the best-produced TV drama.

“Searching for Sugar Man,” a film about an obscure singer named Rodriguez who is a hit in South Africa, won the prize for best documentary.

J.J. Abrams, who grabbed headlines this week for being named director for the “Star Wars” film received an achievement award for his television work while producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein received a milestone award.

(Reporting By Susan Zeidler; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Movies News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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