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Here is our News section where you can keep updated with all offers from gambling industry. Stay tune in this section that I will place exclusive deals.
Fresh casinos news
Archives: Aug/06 | Jul/06 | Jun/06 | Mai/06 | Abr/06 | Mar/06 | Fev/06 | Jan/06 | Dez/05
8/31/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Group Launches Nine New Jackpot Games
The Jackpot Factory Group has announced the launch of nine new games. The Microgaming-powered games are to be rolled out across all of the group’s casinos, and will offer triple points during their first month of play.
David Brickman, Spokesperson for the Jackpot Factory Group, said, “This is the biggest games release to date and we are confident that players, new and old, will be more than satisfied with the latest set of games.”
‘Dolphin Tale’ is the first of the new releases. The game is a five-reel, 40 payline and underwater-themed video slot is expected to make a big splash.
The other additions to the casino's portfolio are:
- Nutty Squirrel, a five-reel 20 payline video slot
- Witch Dr, another five-reel 20 payline video slot
- Age of Discovery, a five-reel, 25 payline video slot with an exploration theme
- Bonus Poker Deluxe, a bonus-packed video poker game
Also, the new games include four Gold Series games, which truly have an ‘authentic casino feel’:
- Classic Blackjack Gold
- Vegas Single Deck Blackjack Gold
- Bonus Blackjack Gold
- Big 5 Blackjack Gold
Online Casino Wraps Up Filming On Reality Series
Bodog’s latest reality TV programme is set to debut after filming wrapped up earlier this week.
The Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) reality series, ‘BodogFight’, has been filmed in the jungles of Central America and the debut episode of the action-packed weekly series is scheduled to air September 12 on Men's Network, a Dish Network satellite channel, and online at Bodog.TV.
Bodog.com Founder, Calvin Ayre, brought together some of America's toughest fighters to battle it out in head-to-head bouts for the right to represent their country.
The eight-episode series will see seven elite modern-day American warriors become successful in their quest to join 'Team America' and take on the might of the ‘Russian Red Devil Sports Club’.
This USA vs. Russia grudge match will be broadcast live on pay-per-view in November and will include three Superfights, all sponsored by BodogFight.
Calvin Ayre said, “As each episode of BodogFight airs, viewers are going to witness firsthand why we are emerging as a dominant force in mainstream digital entertainment. The footage capturing the lives, personalities and gruelling training regimens of each athlete.”
Elimination battles, behind-the-scenes training, interviews with fighters, and lifestyle segments will compose seven of the weekly one-hour ‘BodogFight’ episodes, with the recap finale leading into the PPV main event.
Football Handicapping Site Showcases New Look
WageronFootball.com has announced the launch of its new look website just in time for the new NFL & NCAA football seasons.
The site is a popular source for NFL betting news, college football gambling info and free fantasy football analysis. The site also boasts one of the biggest selections of sports handicappers anywhere in the web.
Quin Smyth, Senior Editor at WagerOnFootball.com, said, “The launch of our football themed site expands our product offerings farther into the online football gambling market. With the 2007 Super Bowl and 2007 BCS Championship on the horizons anything can happen en route to the championship games.”
Smyth also added, “We are excited to be able to give football fans a website they can grow to enjoy as the 2006 NFL and College Football seasons get started this week.”
Online Poker Room Announces VIP Rakeback Program
Poker Club Europe has announced details of a new ‘VIP Cashback GOLD' bonus program, which gives online poker players the chance to receive up to 60% rakeback.
The rake is the small fee taken by poker room operators from each pot. For experienced players who are play multiple tables at the one time, the 60% rakeback represents a great opportunity to maximise their online play.
To make the deal even sweeter for new players, Poker Club Europe is offering a 100% first deposit bonus up to €150 free cash.
'We hope to reach a totally new group of players and affiliates by introducing the new VIP Cashback GOLD,' said the Manager of Poker Club Europe.
Poker Club Europe is also launching a 24K Cashback GOLD freeroll tournament with a prize pool of €24 000.
To qualify for the €24 000 freeroll tournament players need to sign up to the new VIP Cashback GOLD program and earn 750 VIP's or more during the month of September.
The 24K Cashback GOLD freeroll will be held on October 8th at 17:00 CET.
New Web Site Showcases Wireless Online Casino
Diamond I, a developer of wireless gaming products, has announced the launch of a new, interactive web site that offers visitors a chance to play the same slots, roulette, blackjack and poker as will be available on the company's GS2 wireless gambling device.
The GS2 is the hand-held component of the company's WifiCasino gaming system. The games will be for entertainment purposes only but will provide a valuable preview of the company’s upcoming products and services.
David Lofin, Diamond I's CEO, said, “We are excited to introduce our GS2 games to the game players out there. As we continue to develop our web site, we will be offering visitors a preview of more of our upcoming products.”
The new website is also linked to TouchPoker.com, a recent acquisition of Diamond I, which provides the company a vehicle for displaying Touchdev's 12 'brandable' gaming platforms.
8/30/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Hold the Hollywood Aces
To celebrate the release of new poker film ACES the movie, online casino Aces.com is offering winners of competitions the opportunity to attend the gala movie premiere in Hollywood on October 7, which is being hosted by Aces.com and organized by Hollywood party producer Alex Quinn.
In total, five players will win an all-expense paid trip to the gala movie premiere, to be held at Vanguard Hollywood, one of the biggest dance clubs in Los Angeles. Two party prize packages were awarded to Wednesday Night Free Roll Tournament winners in July and another two will be awarded September 13th and 20th. Additional to his, the winner of the Three-Card Poker Tournament September 11 – 18 will also win airfare and accommodation to attend the event.
“It’s an incredible time for Aces.com – with the movie and the new re-designed site, we’re really in the mood to celebrate!” said Rene Quesada Manager of the long-established site that recently underwent a complete makeover. “We’ve had a lot of fun hosting our online tournaments and making special appearances at the WSOP last month, and It’ll be great to get everyone together again in Hollywood!”
ACES the Movie, from Rolling Stones video director Daniel Zirilli, is the story of three college girls that take a high tech cheating scheme to the underground card rooms of Las Vegas. It will be released on DVD by Warner Brothers October 3, and new players registering at Aces.com will receive a free copy.
Sportsbook.com Predicts More Stripes for Tiger
There is a momentum about Tiger Woods at present, which has seen him victorious in his last four tournaments, his last equalling Byron Nelson on the all time victory list of 52 career wins. In imperious form, Woods has been tipped to collect his 53rd career win this weekend at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, with Sportsbook.com installing him as a clear 6/5 favourite.
'With Tiger, it's not just the fact that he's winning, but its how he's doing it,' said Alex Czajkowski, Sportsbook.com. 'The second place effort by Shaun Micheel (13 under par) at the PGA Championship, would have won the last four PGAs - but Woods crushed him by five strokes.'
Woods’ closest contender this weekend is expected to be the 2003 Deutsche Bank winner Adam Scott at 10/1, closely followed by Vijay Singh at 15/1, and Robert Allenby at 25/1. Defending champion Olin Browne is currently out at 75/1 to retain his title, whilst former world number one David Duval is an outside bet at 150/1.
Woods is seeking his fifth tournament victory in a row, closing in on Sam Snead’s all time record of 82 titles, and 18 majors held by Jack Nicklaus.
Online Casino Upgrade from RealTime Gaming
Online casino software developer and turnkey provider RealTime Gaming has secured the next phase of its competitive software release schedule for 2006, with the introduction of the new version 6.1 of its popular online gaming software platform. The new version is the company’s second upgrade of 2006, with another expected before the end of the year.
The new platform will provide eleven new games, including a new dice-based table game, SicBo, based on the classic Chinese game, and nine new ‘Real Series’ slots games, each offering 5-reel, 20-line slot action.
Among the new titles are ‘Achilles’, ‘Aladdin’s Wishes’, ‘Paradise Dreams’, ‘Paris Beauty’, and ‘Penguin Power’, with a number of Flash technology titles, including the ‘Flash Jacks or Better’ video poker game.
RealTime Director of Product Management, Chuck Corcoran, explained the company focus on slots game releases by saying, “Real-Series slots continue to perform well, so we continue to focus on developing more titles in that series.” In terms of the software packages he continued, “Let’s just say that the first two releases have had quite an impact, and we expect 6.2 to make an even bigger splash,' he said. “The best is yet to come.”
RealTime Gaming hopes to introduce the final version 6.2 before the end of 2006.
Sands Online Casino Jackpot Reaches $4 million
Sands Casino has become the second online casino in the space of a week to see its Millionaires Club progressive jackpot surge past the $4 million milestone. The Sands Casino Millionaires Club progressive 9-line, 5-reel online video slot game has seen its jackpot rise to $4 million in the same week that InterCasino announced that its own millionaires club had reached the same figure.
'We’ve had more traffic to our site than we've ever seen,” exclaimed Sands Casino Pit Boss Steve Blair. “The jackpot has never gone this long in between payouts and every slots player knows that it's the best time to play because the machine is loaded, and the very next spin could be the one.'
In addition to the impending payout, Sands Casino is offering 20% cash back on the Millionaires Club and Rags to Riches slot machines during the month of September. The Rags to Riches slot machine has given away close to $1 million in jackpots, and recently paid out $404,000 to one fortunate winner, which was just shy of the previous record pay out.
Cyberslotz Breaks into UK Top Ten
Online gaming website Cyberslotz.co.uk, has been celebrating its position in the latest quarterly Top Ten Hitwise listing of UK Gambling Websites, ranked by share of visits during the second quarter of this year.
Over the previous eight weeks, Cyberslotz has seen a predicted 30% increase in its member activity, due mainly to the televised football World Cup, with statistics showing that activity during match times were predominantly from female players, and over longer periods.
The recently launched Cyberslotz bingo, and particularly its chat facility, saw an increased activity of players chatting about non-football related topics while enjoying the online Bingo platform. Another demographic represented a mean age group for the site between 18 and 30, and an average 75 minutes per player spent at the site.
'We were expecting a boost in activity over the sporting months from our female players, but not at the rate we identified,' said Brian Morgan, Cyberslotz. 'We're delighted to announce that we're now within the top ten most visited websites in the UK for gambling games and can only hope that the summer heat wave continues to bear fruit for the online gaming community.'
8/28/2006 gambling news:
Coral Announce Deal with English Rugby
One of the online gaming industry’s leading players has announced that is to be teaming up with the Guinness Premiership’s leading rugby clubs, in a sponsorship deal extended over the next two seasons.
The announcement follows Coral’s sponsorship of the Middlesex Sevens earlier this month, making them the latest major company to become a key partner of Premier Rugby and the Guinness Premiership. The initiative will involve branding on the reverse of all twelve of the Guinness Premiership clubs' playing shirts as well as a comprehensive programme of activity that will benefit the twelve Guinness Premiership clubs through a donation 'bounce back' scheme which directly rewards clubs when their supporters open an account with the company.
Matt Dawson, the former London Wasps, Northampton Saints and England scrum half will also play a key role in the sponsorship. He has signed as the Coral.co.uk ambassador and will host a number of poker nights for club supporters around the country.
Announcing his company's involvement with Premier Rugby and the Guinness Premiership, Dominic Harrison, E-Commerce Managing Director of Coral said: 'This sponsorship is truly exciting for us as it is the first time we have become involved with a sport outside our traditional racing environment for some time,” he said.
Ladbrokes Decides not to Pursue US Market
British bookmaker Ladbrokes has decided to postpone its entry in the US market, and has instead opted to tap into the Italian market by way of a €100 million (£68 million) joint venture investment with Italian betting company Pianetta Scommesse.
The decision was reached after Ladbrokes chief executive Chris Bell, had conceded that the predicament of BetOnSports had impinged on the company’s review of the US market for Internet gambling. Bell admitted that any potential to provide the US market with online casino and poker games hinged on the outcome of the forthcoming Bill, with the chief executive claiming “it remains a wait and see situation.”
The company’s venture into the Italian market is believed to be the first step in a planned investment programme of €100 million over five years, with a strong focus on both Internet and terrestrial betting models. Ladbrokes has acquired a 51% share in Pianetta Scommesse for an estimated €1.3 million, making Ladbrokes an accredited operator with the future option to buy out its partner.
The move comes after Ladbrokes gained independence through the sale of the Hilton International hotel chain in February, and comes prior to the expected deregulation of the Italian gambling market.
Sportsbook Online for Rookie of the Year
With the start of the new NFL season just around the corner, Sportsbook.com has announced that it is offering a diverse selection of props including Offensive Rookie of the Year, Games of the Year and an early line on the Super Bowl.
The New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush is the early favourite at Sportsbook.com to win the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year, with odds of 2-1, whilst other early favourites include Laurence Maroney (4-1), Joseph Addai (5-1), LenDale White (5-1) and DeAngelo Williams (8-1).
'Everybody bets on the NFL and with such a talented rookie class, fans are anxious to see whether the newcomers will live up to their billing' said Alex Czajkowski, Sportsbook.com.
The online sportsbook is also offering NFL fans the chance to bet on the temperamental antics of new Dallas wideout Terrell Owens. Odds on Owens being suspended or fined during the 2006/2007 season currently sit at 1-4. Owens left the Philadelphia Eagles for Dallas at the end of last year, following a mid-season suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
Ladbrokes Shirks from Sportsbook Acquisitions
Since detaching itself from the Hilton International hotels group in February this year, British bookmaker Ladbrokes has been active in exploring international expansion in the US and Italy in particular, but one thing the company seems unlikely to expand is its current online capability.
Recently there has been a concerted focus by online companies such as PartyGaming and 888 Holdings to acquire internet sportsbooks with non-US facing customer bases, but Ladbrokes believes that there is more value in developing its existing brand.
Ladbrokes chief executive Chris Bell recently ruled out a bid for the Victor Chandler group, which is a prime target for PartyGaming, with John O’Reilly, managing director of Ladbrokes’ e-gaming division, explaining, “Lots and lots of customers have lots of accounts,” he said. “So what we’d be buying would be a list of customers, many of whom already had accounts with us. We’re better off spending £51 a head [its current average] to recruit a new player rather than paying for customer acquisitions.”
In other news, Ladbrokes reported a 12.3 per cent rise in operating profits to £151.3 million in the six months to June, with the company making a total £17.5 million from this year’s football World Cup.
Hollywood Sportsbook Posts Odds on Reds and Giants Game
The Major League Baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and The San Francisco Giants takes place later today, with the game being almost too tight to call over at Hollywood Sportsbook.
Current odds at the online sportsbook and casino have both teams at -105 to come out on top, with both sides in a good run of form. The Cincinnati Reds will arrive fresh from a 14-0 victory over Houston on Tuesday, which moved them to within one game of NL Central leaders St. Louis Cardinals. The Giants on the other hand have won seven of their last nine games but trail the Reds by five games in the NL wild-card race.
Hollywood Sportsbook Media Relations executive, Alejandro Gomez, declared, “The San Francisco Giants still think they’ve got a crack at the postseason, but there’s still a lot of baseball to be played. Cincinnati are probably the slight favourites for tonight’s showdown as they are a very resilient team,' he said.
8/25/2006 gambling news:
PARTY GAMING BILLIONAIRE IS INTO FINANCIAL SERVICES NOW
Putting the Party Gaming harvest to work
Party Gaming co-founder Vikrant Bhargava, who resigned from the board of directors and cashed in a truckload of shares is intent on growing an already substantial personal fortune, it appears.
The thirty-something marketing whizz who founded Party Gaming with Anurag Dikshit and Ruth Parasol in 2000 has chosen another high rolling industry for his next venture - the financial services business, specifically a new hedge fund of funds firm to be launched next month.
According to The Times, Bhargava is investing in the start-up of Sirius, a new Gibraltar-based investment vehicle in which it is believed he will also be a director. The move comes two months after Bhargava and other directors sold part of their stakes in Party Gaming worth GBP 232 million only a year after its flotation on the London Stock Exchange.
The new fund of funds is aimed at investors with an appetite for higher risk and volatility. It will be managed by David Linsley, a former director of Cross Asset Management, a hedge fund bought last year by RAB Capital, the quoted investment group. Linsley had previously worked in prime brokerage at Lehman Brothers.
Bhargava has had several career changes, from a credit officer at the Bank of America and a British Gas analyst in the business-development division, since studying electrical engineering in India.
Party Gaming, which owns the top online gambling site Partypoker.com and a growing number of other gaming-style subsidiaries such as Party Casino and Party Backgammon, joined the FTSE last year with a GBP 5.5 billion flotation. Dikshit offloaded 57million shares in June, reducing his stake to 28.95 percent, while Bhargava sold 67million, leaving him with 6.96 percent. Fellow founders Ruth Parasol and her husband, Russell DeLeon, have disposed of 33 million shares, leaving each with 14.87 percent of the company.
If things don't pan out in the hedge fund business, Bhargava has plenty in reserve - between them, the four founders still own 65.7 percent of a still growing and prospering Party Gaming.
MAJOR WIN FOR KING NEPTUNE'S ONLINE CASINO PLAYER
First time lucky Joanne hits the Major Millions jackpot...but at first thought she had lost her Internet connection!
August 15 was a red letter day for online player JoanneS, an historial and ancient books archivist from Georgia; on her first and only bet on the Major Millions progressive slot at (www.kingneptunescasino.com) she hit a life-changing $362 745.20 jackpot on a total wager of only $18!
Joanne, who has been a King Neptune's player for the past two years sat stunned as the on-screen notification of her big win appeared on a quiet Tuesday evening that started out as a little online gambling entertainment and ended in big money truimph.
Describing her first impression of the win Joanne said: “A notification came up on the screen as I hit the jackpot, and my immediate reaction was "oh, I've lost my internet connection".... then, when I looked a little closer, put my glasses on and saw what it really was I just couldn't believe it!”
King Neptune's spokesman Scott Gaines said that hitting such a big win on a single bet was extraordinary but illustrated the random nature of the Major Millions, one of the most established Internet progressive games which has paid out tens of millions of dollars since its introduction.
"Joanne will be paid out in one single cash payment, and independent expert financial advice on how to handle such a large sum will be available as part of our free service should she ask for it," he said.
King Neptune's staff are no strangers to big-winning players. The top tier online casino has paid out literally millions of dollars to fortunate players since it went live 4 years ago. Gaines said that on the Major Millions progressive alone, Trident group players have won $1 711 985, all paid out quickly and without hassles.
King Neptune's is in the process of merging into Carmen Media group, which has wide international online gambling interests and operates 10 tier one online casinos, 4 online poker rooms and 1 sportsbook. All operations are powered by Microgaming and have achieved the eCOGRA “Play It Safe” seal. Online gaming licences from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission are held and operations are conducted strictly in compliance with the Commission's regulations. The online gambling venues within the group have built a strong reputation for ethical and responsible business conduct and are respected by the gaming industry and players alike.
INTERCASINO PLAYER HITS A JACKPOT, TOO
Caribbean Stud Poker delivers the goods for new player
Just minutes after signing up, Intercasino newbie Ryan P. collected a massive $148 594.39 win from award-winning Caribbean Stud Poker.
The player opened an account and during his first round of play on the popular casino-style Caribbean Stud Poker he hit a major jackpot. The win comes on the heels of a long string of 2006 InterCasino jackpots, many of which were claimed by first-time players.
“I logged-on to InterCasino thinking I would just check out what everyone was talking about,” said Ryan, “By the time I logged-off I was nearly $150 000 richer. On top of the huge thrill of winning, the whole online experience was superb—from the easy software interface to the excellent service and the personal congratulations from manager Ryan Hartley.”
InterCasino.com pays customer jackpots in one lump sum, unlike many competitor sites that spread winnings throughout the year in separate payments.
“The staff here at InterCasino gets just as excited as the winners do when a first-time player is able to take home such a massive jackpot,” said manager Hartley.
In addition to Caribbean Stud Poker, InterCasino’s award-winning lineup of online casino games, totaling over 180, include the world famous Marvel Heroes Slot Machines, Las Vegas favorites like Roulette and Blackjack, Multi-line Slots and Bonus Video Keno, all of which use award-winning software developed by CryptoLogic.
GOLD SUED FOR HALF WSOP WINNINGS
$6 million law suit filed in Las Vegas on online poker deal
The current 2006 World Series of Poker main event winner, Jamie Gold will not be enjoying his $12 million first prize just yet; a law suit claiming half of the giant bonanza has been filed in Las Vegas, and WSOP host Harrahs Entertainment has been restrained by court order from paying out until the case is heard on September 1.
Jamie Gold's accuser is a man named Bruce Crispin Leyser, who claims that he has voicemail messages and other evidence on an agreement with Gold to share half his winnings in return for recruiting celebrities to endorse Gold's sponsors, the Bodog group.
Reports in the Las Vegas Sun indicate that the suit alleges that as late as the morning of the main event final table game Gold confirmed the deal with Leyser. The complaint claims that Leyser recruited celebrities, upholding his side of the deal.
Apparently Chief District Court Judge Kathy Hardcastle has issued a restraining order preventing Harrah's from paying Gold his prize pending the first hearing of this lawsuit, which will be September 1st.
A Harrah's spokesperson has since confirmed that Gold has not yet been paid out. The payment of his $12 million dollars in winnings will now be delayed pending further direction from the judge.
As we went to press, no comment was yet available from Gold or his legal advisers.
BIG WINS START THE ONLINE CASINO WEEK
Two major hits at Pinnacle and Slotland online casinos
Almost $545 000 was scored in two big wins at online casinos as the week started. The online casinos Pinnacle and Slotland each announced major wins by their players.
Slotland.com recorded its sixth big jackpot win this year when newbie player “Iringion” won $116 828 playing the popular Wild Heart slot machine.
“I wasn’t even a real slots fan before this,” said the player, who hails from Masschusetts. “I used to prefer online poker and other card games, but after this experience you can be sure I love spinning slots now!”
“Some people think you have to play slots a lot before you win anything,” said Hannah Morante of Slotland.com, “But this beginner winning a very big jackpot after playing such a short time shows that anyone can win any time.”
On his winning session, the player said he knew he’d really hit a groove of nice paying hands when he saw a couple of straight flushes and several four of a kinds land in his lap while playing Jacks or Better. When he switched to Wild Hearts, it was slow at first and he was down $600. Then he was dealt three Wild Royal Flushes for an automatic $1,500 win – and there were still two wild cards in each deck. Agonizing for a moment about whether or not to take the guaranteed $1500 or go for the glory, with a progressive jackpot or over $116,000 luring him to give it a try, he trusted his decision to a flip of a coin.
“When the cards came up, I will never forget seeing that lovely Jack of Diamonds fall on the bottom line!” recalls the winner. “And can you believe it? I also DID get another wild card on the middle line! Kind of like extra frosting on an amazing cake!”
Asked what he plans to do with his big win, the winner said he still hasn’t calmed down enough to think that far. “I never expected it to be me to win the jackpot, so I never really thought very hard about what to do with so much money. But don't worry I am sure I will figure it out!”
But the week's biggest winner as at our press date was a New York based online gambler at Pinnacle Casino.com, who hit a Royal Flush that netted him a life-changing $427 560!
Longtime online casino player Gene C. saw his patience pay off when he recorded a record-setting winning hand playing stud poker. The New Yorker has been a loyal Pinnacle Casino player for nearly two years and after playing numerous hands of stud poker, everything came up spades when he was dealt a royal flush to take home the biggest single-hand payout in the online casino’s history.
“While the hand was being dealt, I just prayed that the dealer would qualify. When he did, I couldn’t even scream or jump for joy – I was completely shocked,” said the astonished winner. “I never thought it would happen to me but my win proves that anyone can strike it rich at any time.”
The dealer qualified for the Pinnacle Stud Poker hand by receiving a pair of 9s against Gene’s royal flush. The qualifying hand netted Gene $320 000 for the royal flush and an additional $107 360 for the progressive Pinnacle Stud Poker jackpot.
Owned and operated by PinnacleSports.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook, Pinnacle Casino offers a full range of Vegas-style casino games including, blackjack, roulette, poker, craps, pai gow, baccarat, keno and slots to players in over 130 countries.
SNOWBOARDER IS PARTY POKER'S TOP ACTION SPORTS STAR
Danny Kass takes the Big Throwdown Championship
Party Poker's blend of poker excitement and major action sports stars (see previous InfoPowa reports) in the Party Poker Big Throwdown Championship has a winner.
Danny Kass, a 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics silver medalist, defeated five other action sports stars to win the inaugural event at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, beating out surfer Pat O'Connell, BMX competitor Dennis McCoy, skateboarder Sergie Ventura, wakeboarder Josh Sanders, and FMX competitor Jeff Tilton.
The all-star action sports contestants battled their way to the final table through earlier qualifier events leading to a winner-take-all final table where a first prize of $30 000 was up for grabs.
Surfer O'Connell was first to be eliminated after 75 minutes of play, followed by McCoy and Ventura who were taken out on the same hand by Kass.
Tilton took Sanders out of the game next and then went heads-up against Kass with a slight chip lead. The two played for 30 minutes before Tilton went all-in with an inside straight draw, but Kass triumphed with king high.
Party Poker commissioned a one-hour telecast of the action which will air October 21 on the Outdoor Life Network.
NEW REALTIME GAMING LICENSEE LAUNCHES
One Club Entertainment has big ambitions for UK business
One Club Entertainment is the latest Realtime Gaming licensee to launch in the UK, going live with its first venture, One Club Casino.com this week.
The new operator has big ambitions in a competitive market - it claims that British online casino gambling is dominated by casinos running on software platforms such as Cryptologic (William Hill, Littlewoods, and Intercasino UK) Microgaming (32 Red and others) and Playtech (Stanley Casino) but that it aims to carve out a major share of the market for itself.
In opting for the US-based Realtime Gaming platform, One Club Casino plans to introduce more variety to the UK online casino market, with access to the popular Realtime Gaming progressive slots jackpots such as 'Midlife Crisis' and 'Shopping Spree'.
One Club's minimalist but professional graphics, speedy and exciting gameplay, an impressive game variety and healthy signup and loyalty incentives will extend the gaming choice and potential rewards for British players, the company claims.
Future expansion plans for One Club Entertainment include online sportsbetting, poker, and bingo products over the next 18 months, all to be targeted specifically on UK-based gamblers using pounds sterling deposits and payouts.
8/24/2006 gambling news:
Legends of Poker are Covered by PocketFives
The World Poker Tour’s Legends of Poker tournament is to get under way this Saturday August 26, and online poker room PocketFivesLive will be there to provide live coverage of the online poker players scheduled to participate.
Around 600 poker players are set to descend on the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, California, for the $10,000 buy-in tournament which will be broadcast on The Travel Channel as part of Season 5 of the World Poker Tour. PocketFivesLive.com is encouraging participating online poker players to register at its website, where it is offering free live coverage of the event, in the hope of witnessing an online poker player emerge victorious.
'I expect over 20 of our online poker players to compete in the first World Poker Tour event we will be covering,' said PocketFives Chief Editor and Co-Owner Adam Small. 'Any online poker player who has qualified for this tournament should register at PocketFivesLive.com where we will provide live coverage of you for your family and friends free of charge.”
PocketFivesLive was launched in July, 2006, and tracked over 400 online poker players in the World Series of Poker Main Event; 50 of whom cashed in for a total of almost $3 million.
PinnacleSports.com Favours Federer to Join Greats
The final Grand Slam in the tennis calendar begins on Monday, when the world’s best players descend on New York’s Flushing Meadows for the 125th US Open. It comes as no surprise that PinnacleSports.com has made Roger Federer the overwhelming favourite to retain his third consecutive title.
The world number one will join an illustrious group of legends to have won three consecutive US Opens, including Ivan Lendl and Jon McEnroe, should he win this year’s title. PinnacleSports.com has posted him at 5/9 to achieve that feat with his main rival and French Open winner Raphael Nadal second favourite at 11/2, with former champion Andy Roddick at 12/1, whilst two-time champion Andre Agassi is a 106/1 outsider to bring a fairytale end to his career.
In the women’s draw, PinnacleSports.com has 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova as the marginal favourite at 3/1, with 2003 US Open winner Justine Henin-Hardenne second favourite at 7/2 and world number one and this year’s Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo next at 9/2.
Online Casino Jackpot Reaches $4 million
Players at InterCasino's Millionaires Club are holding their collective breath as the progressive jackpot races past the $4 million mark, making it one of the largest online slots game jackpots to date.
The Millionaires Club 9 line bonus slot game is currently escalating by at rate of over $35,000 per day, and with the jackpot already at a record level, the popularity of the game looks set to increase further. “The Millionaires Club 9 line jackpot is the most popular online casino jackpot we have ever seen on the internet,” claimed InterCasino manager Ryan Hartley.
InterCasino’s Millionaires Club is no stranger to paying out large progressive jackpots as demonstrated last year, when one player walked away with over $1 million. It also looks set to be a happy anniversary for InterCasino, which is celebrating its tenth year of operation with a record progressive jackpot.
Online Casino to Sponsor Raging Boll
Already widely recognised for the sponsorship of high-profile boxers, athletes and celebrities, online casino GoldenPalace.com has once again stepped into the ring, this time to team up with much criticised filmmaker Uwe Boll.
The event which is titled GoldenPalace.com Presents Raging Boll, offers Boll the opportunity to confront his critics in the ring as he challenges all-comers to a three-round bout, which will form part of his next feature film ‘Postal’.
German filmmaker Boll is best known for several video game based films such as 'Alone in the Dark', 'House of the Dead', and 'BloodRayne', and is considered by many critics to be one of the world's worst filmmakers. However, after being publicly humiliated for his latest film BloodRayne earlier this year, Boll decided to settle the score. 'Many journalists make value judgments on my films based on the opinions of one or two thousand Internet voices,' claims Boll. 'Half of those opinions come from people who've never watched my films.'
Four bouts are currently scheduled for September 23 with another planned beforehand in Spain. Boll’s confirmed challengers are: Carlos Palencia Jimenez-Arguello Webmaster of cinecutre.com; Richard 'Lowtax' Kyanka Webmaster /CEO for Something Awful; Jeff Sneide Journalist for Ain't It Cool News; Chris Alexander Journalist / Radio Announcer for Rue Morgue; and Website Critic Nelson Chance Minter.
“This event is perfect for us,' said GoldenPalace.com CEO Richard Rowe. 'We receive so many outlandish offers for advertising exposure that it is refreshing to see something that surprises even us.”
Online Casino’s Golden Boy Faces Lawsuit
A district court judge has issued a restraining order to prevent Bodog.com sponsored WSOP champion Jamie Gold from collecting his winnings until the settlement of a lawsuit against Gold filed by Crispin Leyser, a television development executive and instructor for the World Poker Tour Boot Camp.
The lawsuit claims that Leyser should be receiving half of Gold's first-place prize money from the WSOP main event due to an arrangement the pair had made prior to the tournament. It stipulates that Leyser was approached by Gold, whose entry fee was paid by Bodog.com, seeking assistance in finding celebrities to play under the Bodog flag. If celebrities were found Bodog agreed to provide either Gold or Leyser a seat at the main event, and according to the lawsuit both players agreed that whoever received the seat would halve their winnings with the other.
Clark County (Nev.) Chief District Court Judge Kathy Hardcastle issued a restraining order on Tuesday to prevent Gold from collecting his winnings from the Rio Hotel and Casino until at least Sept. 1, when the first hearing of the lawsuit is scheduled.
8/23/2006 gambling news:
Preparations Heat Up for Fire & ICE 2007
It''s the biggest party during International Casino Exhibition (ICE) and Lyceum Events have announced initial details of Fire & ICE 2007. The popular industry party is taking place on Wednesday night, January 24th, 2007 and falls on the second day of the expo.
Fire & ICE 2007 will be held at an as-yet-to-be-disclosed location, and Lyceum is currently searching venues to accommodate over 1,000 VIP guests and executives expected to attend.
Last year''s event was a huge success for Lyceum and sponsors, as the 600-strong crowd partied through distinct zones – each with their own individual theme, look and feel.
After last year’s resoundingly successful event, Lyceum have received a number of approaches by iGaming companies with regards to sponsorship, but Lyceum are searching for the perfect partnerships to ensure that 2007 Fire & ICE keeps the January chill from all of their guest''s bones.
Jodie Thind, Partner at Lyceum Media said, ''It’s incredible to think that we’ve already had a great deal of interest in sponsorship, considering there is still half a year until the party. It’s amazing how huge this party has grown over the years.''
Slotland.com Player Wins $116,828 Jackpot
In the sixth major jackpot of the year for Slotland.com, 'Iringion' of Massachusetts scooped $116,828 playing the Wild Heart slot machine.
'I wasn’t even a real slots fan before this,' said the excited winner. 'I used to prefer online poker and other card games, but after this experience you can be sure I love spinning slots now.'
'Iringion' decided to try out Slotland's unique games when he realized that several are, in fact, card games.
'I just figured that there are more slots and players probably play the slots more often than the card games, which is why I see so many slot machine jackpots. I did recall Striking Sevens hitting recently, so I really was not expecting the jackpot by playing the card games.
'When the cards came up, I will never forget seeing that beloved jack of diamonds fall on the bottom line.'
Hannah Morante of Slotland.com, said, 'Some people think you have to play slots a lot before you win anything. But this beginner winning a very big jackpot after playing such a short time shows that anyone can win any time.'
Hip Hop Star to Appear In ACES Film
Hip-hop stars and celebrities are set to make an appearance in ACES, the poker movie sponsored by online casino Aces.com.
Platinum recording artist Domino is one of the hip-hop stars brought in by Hollywood director Daniel Zirilli. Also playing a cameo role will be Scott Kusmirek, drummer for the platinum-selling rock group, the Gin Blossoms.
Aces.com is no stranger to the music industry. Snoop Dog and other stars at the Radio Music Awards in Vegas hung out at Aces.com's backstage poker table. One of them even ended up winning $32K playing cards with the free money Aces.com had put in their account.
Rene Quesada, Aces.com’s Manager, said, 'It's cool they got these hip hop stars to play in the high stakes game in Rio at the end. Talk about poker faces…'
It is not the first time that Zirilli has worked with Domino, having directed three music videos for him, including 'Money is Everything', 'Long Beach Thing' and his first number one platinum hit 'Ghetto Jam' - the number one MTV music video in the world at the time.
Online Bookmakers Honour Test Match Result
Bookmakers Paddy Power have come to the rescue of their customers after deciding to pay out on an England win for the fourth Test against Pakistan.
A Paddy Power spokesman said, 'We think this is the fair result and one that doesn’t leave our punters stumped. In these situations Paddy Power doesn't look at our rules but we ask ourselves what we would consider to be a fair result if we were the punter.'
The firm’s generosity of spirit will cost it about £120,000 in refunds, because a Pakistan win, quoted at 8-11 when play was stopped, and a draw, offered at evens, were the two most heavily backed results. An England win was a rank outsider at 25-1.
Elsewhere, however, punters were left reeling when England were declared winners after Pakistan forfeited the match with Ladbrokes, William Hill and Totesport all confirming they will be paying out on a home victory.
Totesport spokesman Paul Petrie said, 'Our rules are clear in that we pay out on the official result, so therefore it is an England win. Obviously those that backed Pakistan and the draw can consider themselves extremely unlucky and we can only hope that this situation never arises again.'
At least one of Totesport's telephone customers received a lucky break though, after he put £200 on England at 28-1 on Saturday night.
Bowmans Announce NFL Handicapping Competition
As the 2006 NFL season approaches, online sportsbetting operator Bowmans is once again ready to roll out its NFL world challenge of handicapping competition. The competition, now in its fifth year, is a free-to-enter weekly which starting September 1 and runs for the entire 2006 NFL season, with a total cash prize fund of $110,000.
The game is based on making eight point spread selections from the scheduled NFL games each week on Bowmans.com, with the player selecting the most correct selections each week receiving $2,500. Bowmans are also offering a cash prize of $25,000 to the player with the most correct selections throughout the season, with prizes of $15,000 and $5000 for second and third place respectively.
Sara Waller, Marketing Manager of Bowmans, said, “Not only is the $100,000 prize fund this year absolutely fantastic but with the loyalty bonuses, the random draw and cash prizes paid all the way down to 70th place, we believe this NFL world challenge of handicapping competition to be the best yet.”
The loyalty bonus is a £100 cash incentive paid to players who compete throughout the entire 17 weeks of the season. Pre-registration for the competition is now open.
8/18/2006 gambling news:
New Jackpot Solitaire for Harrods Casino
Harrods Casino Online, the Kismet International-owned Internet gaming site of the Knightsbridge based department store, has announced the launch of its new Jackpot Solitaire offering, the first version of the game to feature a progressive jackpot that mathematically speaking, could tip the scales in favour of the player.
The Jackpot Vegas Solitaire game allows players to play through one 52-card deck drawing one card at a time, with a payment made to the player every time a card is placed on the foundation pile. The amount is based on the original bet, with amounts being paid once a game is completed.
Manu Gambhir, CEO of Kismet International, the operator of Harrods Casino Online commented, “This is an interesting game for players as there is no known mathematical model which predicts the payout rate for Solitaire. With the progressive jackpot, simulations suggest that expert players may have a slight advantage over the house.”
Poker Stars Shine at WSOP
Now that the dust is slowly settling on what was an extraordinary 2006 World Series of Poker, online poker rooms are embracing the opportunity to reflect on the successes and disappointments of their sponsored WSOP players, with PokerStars.com in particular having much to smile about.
The poker tournament website sponsored 1623 players at the 2006 WSOP, accounting for just under 19 per cent of the total entrants, who between them brought back $21 million from the 46 open events at poker’s most prestigious tournament. Three PokerStars.com players managed to battle their way to the final table, with Doug Kim, Erik Friberg and Dan Nassif counting themselves unlucky not to be challenging for the $12 million first prize, but still checking out of Las Vegas with a combined $5.9 million.
Prior to the WSOP PokerStars.com had bolstered its team of All-Star players with the additions of Barry Greenstein, Victor Ramdin, Katja Thater, Humberto Brenes and William Chen, plus comedians Norm MacDonald, Louie Anderson and PGA tour member and golf commentator Paul Azinger.
2005 WSOP champion and PokerStars.com team member Joe Hachem also faired well in the competition, and pointed to the ‘increasing number of online players’ as the catalyst behind poker’s continuing growth.
Poker Stars Prepare for Biggest Online Poker Tournament
PokerStars.com has announced that its fifth annual World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) is to take place on September 16, with players from more than 80 countries competing in 18 tournaments for a guaranteed prize pool of $10 million.
The WCOOP will run over the course of 16 days, starting with the $200 buy-in Razz (Seven-Card Stud Low) tournament, and ending on October 1st with the $2,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, offering cash prizes of $3 million. One of the highlights of this year’s tournament is set to be the online tournament debut of H.O.R.S.E., a rotation of five varieties of poker which is expected to draw some of the sport’s top names.
Team PokerStars spokesperson Barry Greenstein said, “Prestigious tournaments such as the PokerStars.com WCOOP are the ultimate way to improve your game and experience the excitement of big tournament play. The WCOOP is a popular event with the established stars of online poker, and the H.O.R.S.E. tournament is bound to attract the elite.”
The 2005 WCOOP tournament series attracted 19,727 players and generated $12,783,900 in prize money making it the third largest online and terrestrial poker spectacle in the world.
MANSIONPOKER.NET in Holyfield’s Corner
Four-time World Heavyweight Champion, Evander Holyfield, steps back into the ring again tonight to begin his quest to make history by becoming the first boxer to have held the world heavyweight title on five separate occasions. The fight also marks the boxing debut of online poker room MANSIONPOKER.NET, as it continues to develop its sports sponsorship brand.
Holyfield, now 43, goes toe to toe against veteran Jeremy Bates at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas this evening nearly two years after his last heavyweight bout, and the fight is expected to generate significant public interest from a global televised audience.
MANSIONPOKER.NET Chief Operating Officer, David Kinsman explained, “Our continued exploration of sports sponsorships demonstrates our respect for the sporting ideal, and we understand that poker players are by their nature equally fanatical about sports of all sorts.”
The sponsorship deal will see the MANSIONPOKER.NET logo on all four sides of the canvas and the corner pads behind each of the two fighters during their ten round non-title fight which will be screened live on Fox Sports Net.
New Player in UK Online Casino Market
One Club Entertainment has announced the release of its first online betting platform in the shape of One Club Casino, promising to be the most ‘exclusive club on the Internet’ by offering new players between £20 and £450 in bonuses as well as continuing promotions for loyal members.
The new site will be powered by the Realtime Gaming software platform, in an attempt to add what One Club describes as ‘much needed’ variety to the UK casino market, given the prominence of Cryptologic in sites such as William Hill, Littlewoods and Intercasino UK. The software will provide players with access to progressive jackpots such as ‘Midlife Crisis’ and ‘Shopping Spree’, along with quick and accessible game play and variety.
The company has plans to release Online Sportsbetting, Online Poker, and Online Bingo products over the coming 18 months, all to be directed specifically towards UK-based gamblers and accepting bets in pound sterling.
8/17/2006 gambling news:
Slotland.com Announces Best Phone for Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming has become big business in recent months. Now, Slotland has announced that the best phone to play their latest games on is the Motorola Razr.
Martin Smith, Slotland.com’s Mobile Games Manager, said, 'The large screen on the Motorola Razr makes it an obvious choice for mobile gambling. But it is also one of the most technically advanced mobile phones and supports Java better than most. And Java is what makes our real-money slot machines work on a phone or PDA.'
The mobile platform faces many technological challenges and mobile phone brands such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola develop different solutions to these problems.
That means mobile entertainment providers like Slotland.com have to design versions of every game for every different phone brand. These inconsistencies have prompted them to state that if they could choose one phone as the standard, it would be the Motorola Razr.
Despite the challenges of pioneering new technology, www.Slotland.com/mobile manages to add a new mobile slot machine every six weeks or so. Coincidently, that’s about as often as Slotland’s huge Progressive Jackpot is hit.
“We’re not playing for quarters here,” laughs Smith. “The jackpots on our mobile games are tied in to the jackpots online and part of that huge prize pool. We had a player recently that won $163K spinning slots on his mobile phone!”
Recognizing the company’s commitment to unique games and exemplary customer service, Slotland.com was recently named as one of five finalists in the inaugural ME Awards for mobile entertainment “Best Gambling Company” category.
Online Casino Boss Is Finally Released From Jail
David Carruthers, the former chief executive of BetOnSports, was released on bail of $1 million (£530,000) by an American judge yesterday, after a month in custody.
Raising the $1 million bond and meeting the conditions set by the judge proved difficult, but last night Mr Carruthers was able to sleep in a hotel room in the St Louis suburb of Clayton. He will only be allowed to leave the hotel only to attend court, meet his attorney or for medical emergencies.
The Scot, who faces charges ranging from racketeering to fraud and conspiracy, was arrested on July 16 by FBI and revenue service agents as he was passing through Dallas airport in transit from London to the group’s headquarters in Costa Rica.
Mr Carruthers had been detained in a medium-security federal prison in Fort Worth. When he attended a bail hearing five days later, he was shackled and chained to a line of prisoners.
Online Casino Sends Lucky Player to Playboy Mansion
It is known as one of Poker's hottest sites and Bombshell Poker has shown this by sending a contest winner to the Playboy Mansion for the night of his life.
Lucky player Derek and his best friend Chris of North Carolina partied along with several LA Bombshell Girls at the “at the 'All Star Night At The Mansion.'
The event, hosted by Rodney Peete, was organised to benefit the HollyRod Foundation. The Bombshell Poker competition winners were delighted to be in the company of over 200 celebrities, athletes, playmates, Bombshell Poker Girls and 500 of LA's hottest women.
Bombshell Poker offers a variety of poker rooms and competitions including, Win-a-Date with a Bombshell, Win-a-Trip to a Bombshell photo shoot, and the Bombshell Poker Cruise Package.
Betfred Teams Up With Manchester United
Manchester United has announced a sponsorship deal with Fred Done and his bookmakers Betfred.
The Manchester based firm has become United's official bookmaking and online gaming partner in a multi-million pound deal.
The deal will see all the betting kiosks in the stadium and corporate areas re-branded and a Betfred/Manchester United website, offering Betfred gaming including poker, casino and traditional betting.
Mr Done said: 'This is a dream come true. I've been a season ticket holder at United for 45 years and the opportunity to be an official partner was a deal I could not pass up.'
Under the terms of the deal, Betfred will also be creating fans' events and linking up with MUTV, with gaming specials for viewers.
Manchester United’s CEO David Gill, said, 'Betfred is a growing world-wide brand and is one of the most respected of all UK bookmakers. Fred's business acumen together with his love for the club can only be good for our fans and our business.'
Online Gaming Continues to Grow In Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a self-governing territory with close ties to Britain, but this small territory is building a reputation as the capital of online gambling.
The territory's offshore gambling business began in 1989 and there are now over 15 online casino gambling firms based in Gibraltar. Many are listed on the London Stock Market, and employing approximately 1800 people, more then 12 percent of the workforce.
Representative, Freddie Ballester of the territory’s Betting and Gaming Association says, 'Gibraltar is a minute speck on the globe. But when it comes to online gambling it is probably the most important jurisdiction in the world.”
An estimated 75 percent of online casino gambling firm workers have moved to Gibraltar from other countries specifically for jobs in the online gaming industry.
CEO of 888.com, John Anderson comments, 'The Gibraltar government wants us here and it makes it very attractive, so I can't see the online casino gambling industry moving.
'They have a government that understands the needs of business and the tax situation means we can return more to our shareholders.'
8/16/2006 gambling news:
PinnacleSports.com Puts on its Dancing Shoes
With the third season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ just under a month away, ABC has announced the celebrity contestants that will be participating, which has prompted PinnacleSports.com to offer early odds on potential winners of the show.
ABC has confirmed that stars such as former ‘Saved by the Bell’ actor Mario Lopez, Hollywood actress Vivica A. Fox, and NFL legend Emmitt Smith are to be among the celebrity guests preparing to go toe-to-toe against one another, with the help of professional dancers, to be crowned ‘Dancing with the Stars’ champion.
PinnacleSports.com currently has Mario Lopez as a 3/1 favourite to win the latest series, with Hollywood actress Vivica A. Fox second favourite at 4/1, closely followed by Monique Coleman of High School Musical fame at 9/2, and Joey Lawrence at 6/1.
Simon Noble, spokesperson for the online sportsbook said, “We've seen a huge surge in betting on reality shows like 'Dancing with the Stars' and 'American Idol' as more people put their money behind the contestants they're voting for,” he explained.
Outside bets see self-proclaimed ‘bad girl of pop’ Willa Ford and country award-winner Sara Evans at 9/1, Emmitt Smith at14/1, former Miss USA, actress and 'Meet The Barkers' star Shanna Moakler at 20/1, while talk show host Jerry Springer is a 49/1 long shot to win the celebrity dance contest.
Betcorp Unveil New Online Casino
The new offering from Betcorp, Ready2Bet.com, has opened its virtual doors to the public this week, offering online casino, poker, sportsbook, and horseracing facilities with the platforms in place for the launch of a mobile gambling suite, the details of which are yet to be confirmed.
Ready2bet, which employs the one account policy through Cyber Processing Corporation, offers its services via a range of different gambling software technologies, with its sportsbook powered by IQ Ludorum, the casino by Playtech, and its poker facilities through Microgaming.
Betcorp has insisted that the new site, and its sportsbook in particular, will cater for the needs of all players, from the recreational fans to the most demanding professionals. Players at the new site will have the opportunity to bet on a wide variety of sports including Football, Baseball, Hockey, Basketball, Props, Horse Racing and many more.
To celebrate the launch of the site, Ready2bet.com has announce that it is offering up to $200 welcome bonus to all new players plus a $20 Free Bet on the NFL.
Excapsa Still Exploring New Acquisitions
The Chief Executive of online gaming company Excapsa Software Inc. is remaining confident that the company can continue to pursue its intentions to acquire a casino software developer after positive interim results.
CEO Jim Ryan declared in an interview with the Reuters News Agency that Excapsa were “actively pursuing the acquisition of a casino software developer” to help extend its present offering. This follows the company’s floatation on the Alternative Investment Market in February of this year, and the announcement of pretax profits of $16.8 million (£9 million) for the six months to the end of June after a loss of $431,000 a year ago.
The turnaround came after Excapsa renegotiated a licensing deal for poker software with eWorld, operator of UltimateBet.com, and based on proforma figures, which calculate 2005's figures had the deal been in place for the full year, the company would have posted a 27 per cent rise in net income.
Ryan continued to mention Excapsa intention to launch an online blackjack tournament in the third quarter following the recent launch of mobile phone capable poker games.
Shares in Excapsa were up 1.6 percent to 62-1/2 pence in midday trading, valuing the company at around £124 million.
Pools Company Sides with Everton FC
On the eve of the new Premiership season in England, it has been announced that Sportech PLC, owners of Liverpool-based company Littlewoods Pools, has signed a marketing sponsorship deal with Everton Football Club for the Premiership campaign.
The agreement sees Sportech become Everton’s official football gaming partner for the upcoming season, which starts on Saturday (19 August), and will comprise of a new roster of online and offline sponsorship and marketing initiatives to promote the company's gaming portfolio, which includes the Football Pools, Spot The Ball and online casino, poker and bingo products.
Everton’s chief executive Keith Wyness, said, “It is a multi-faceted deal that will further strengthen Littlewoods Pools' relationship with football, as well as ensuring their ever increasing collection of gaming brands are seen by tens of thousands of Everton fans both home and abroad each week.”
Ian Penrose, chief executive of Sportech, explained, “As the club’s official gaming partner, we're also enhancing the range of online games available at evertonfc.com and improving the overall experience for Everton fans who regularly visit the site.”
Damage to Industry is Sustainable Suggests Survey
The consulting firm MECN has presented the results of its latest survey entitled ‘Future of Online Gambling after the Shockwaves’, through which approximately 100 industry experts have offered their personal insights and assessments regarding the critical issues that the online gambling industry currently faces.
In the light of US Authority action against various members of the online gaming industry, which resulted in the imprisonment and subsequent sacking of BetOnSports CEO David Carruthers, there has become an increased demand for inside opinion on the industry’s predicament, and the alternatives on offer.
The MECN survey targeted experts who are currently employed by online gambling companies and included many industry leaders. Results show that 98% of online gambling experts believe that the recent shockwaves will have a medium-term impact on the industry, and that 88% believe that the arrest of David Carruthers is not solely a problem for BetOnSports, but rather a serious problem for the whole industry.
Other results point to a less unanimous verdict on the role of the stock market, with 35% believing that the stock market overreacted in the wake of the crisis, whilst the majority of insiders adopting the view that planned online gambling IPOs are likely to be either postponed or cancelled.
8/15/2006 gambling news:
eCOGRA Reaches Target Ahead of Schedule
The target of accrediting 100 online casino and poker rooms by December 2006 has been reached early by the eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (www.eCOGRA.org).
eCOGRA launched its 100 Seals campaign in May this year with 76 accredited sites. In just over three months, the organization has exceeded its goal, with 107 'Play It Safe' seals awarded to tier-one online casinos and poker rooms.
eCOGRA CEO, Andrew Beveridge, said, 'Not only is this a major milestone for eCOGRA, these 107 seals signify a major change in the industry in which players are consistently seeking out the 'Play It Safe' seal, and there is a real desire and ability for the industry to self-regulate.
'To all online operators, if you're ready to meet the 21st century challenges facing the industry, we invite you to commit to our standards and join the ranks of some of the most successful online gambling sites in the world.'
Online Sportsbook Favours Tiger For PGA Championship
Tiger Woods is on top of his golf game after back-to-back tournament victories gave him his 11th major championship at the British Open and 50th career title at the Buick Open.
Now Woods enters the final major of the season at Medinah Country Club as PinnacleSports.com 9/4 favourite for the PGA Championship.
Woods is no stranger to being favourite, in fact, PinnacleSports.com made Woods the favourite in this year's previous three majors, but this time his odds for the PGA have been cut in half from both the U.S. and British Open where Tiger was a 5/1 shot.
Tiger is such a clear favourite this time due to his current form and the fact that he was victorious at Medinah the last time the PGA Championship was held there in 1999.
Mickelson follows Tiger in the betting at 10/1 although he has struggled to find form since his dramatic collapse in the US Open.
Ernie Els (14/1) and Jim Furyk (16/1) are solid contenders in the 156-player field to win their first PGA Championship, while Vijay Singh (16/1) hopes to win the event for the third time.
Further back in the betting several other players will feel they have a big chance to win their first PGA Championship including: Retief Goosen (25/1), Sergio Garcia (28/1), Adam Scott (30/1), Luke Donald (35/1), Padraig Harrington (45/1) and Chris DiMarco (50/1).
PinnacleSports.com also lists reigning U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy at 50/1 while 2001 champion David Toms is a 60/1 long shot and could well attract some interest from bettors.
Online Casino Pays Out $25,000 Poker Jackpot
As the popularity for online casinos continues to grow, more and more people are trying their luck for the first time. For Christian Todte, a German student, it was definitely a case of beginner's luck.
Christian, who had only been playing poker for three months, was stunned when he won five straight $5 + $1 Maui 'Jackpot Sit 'N Go' tournaments to claim a $25,000 Jackpot Prize at Titan Poker.
Speaking after the tournament, Christian said, 'I started to play at noon and only stopped in the evening after winning five consecutive tournaments. After succeeding on the 4th tournament, I felt special and I knew that I was very close to getting the jackpot.
'I was so excited at this point that I had to take a break of 15 minutes before I was able to start the last one. I was stunned after I won the 5th tournament and I just couldn't believe that I had done it!'
Winners at Titan Poker's jackpot sit 'n' go tournaments are also in the running for big jackpot prizes if they win enough consecutive tournaments in a similar manner to Christian Todte.
The Rio and Maui Sit 'N' Go Tournaments offer starting jackpots of $25,000 and $15,000 respectively and grow progressively each week if no player manages to win enough consecutive tournaments to claim the jackpot prize.
Online Casino Ladies' Night Features Charity Event
The World Poker Tour Ladies' Night, held at the Bicycle Casino is one of the most popular events on tour, with this year's competition hoping to show an even higher level of play.
Actress Jennifer Tilly and several of poker's up-and-coming ladies will compete at the event in support of breast cancer research.
The World Poker Tour has kicked off the charity drive with its first annual online auction on its website, WorldPokerTour.com featuring several VIP packages including four day-spa gift certificates, a seat at this year's WPT Celebrity Invitational in Los Angeles, and 12 box seat tickets to an LA Clippers basketball home game.
Net proceeds from the auction, which runs through September 5th, will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
To complement the online auction, the Bicycle Casino will host a gala and cocktail hour on August 19. Ladies will walk the PINK carpet and bid on the items to show their support for breast cancer.
8/14/2006 gambling news:
Betcorp Hangs up its US Business
Betcorp, the AIM-listed online gaming company, has announced that it is no longer taking telephone bets from American residents, and is reviewing its US-facing businesses which currently account for up to 85% of revenue, in the wake of the BetOnSports affair.
Chief executive Colin Walker explained that Betcorp would continue to monitor its US-facing businesses in the light of continued uncertainty about the legality of online gaming. 'We're registered in Antigua, where we take bets, and the view we had understood from our legal advisers was that we had been acting legally and appropriately. Recent events have cast that into doubt.'
Betcorp shares plummeted more than 40 per cent in value following the arrest of BetOnSports chief executive David Carruthers, forcing the company into a geographical expansion outside of the US, with Europe being its primary focus.
This latest news comes as Betcorp reported a 146 per cent jump in pre-tax profits to $4.6 million during the six months to the beginning of July, whilst total gross revenues from players rose 75 per cent to $22 million and active customers increased by a third during the period to 27,281.
David Carruthers Released After Raising Bail
It has been reported that former BetOnSports chief executive David Carruthers will finally be released from prison later today, following his party’s success in raising the required $1 million dollars to make bail.
As part of the bail requirements, Mr Carruthers has been ordered to stay in St Louis, Missouri, and will be fitted with an electronic tag to monitor his movements during the course of the trial.
Reports suggest that Carruthers is likely to finance his own legal defence, although BetOnSports has claimed that it will provide the funding for his attorneys. This is despite the company’s decision to withhold the payment of deposits to its customers, with many claiming to be owed five figure sums. US Attorney Catherine Hanaway has ordered all customer deposits be paid immediately, implying that further actions may be taken against the company.
Last Friday the firm announced it was closing down its US business, which resulted in the loss of around 800 jobs as well as raising doubts over the long-term viability of the company.
Bodog’s Man is Worth His Weight in Gold
The Bodog.com sponsored poker player, Jamie Gold, has converted his impressive final round lead by winning the Main Event of the 2006 World Series of Poker. Gold, who had been leading the tournament for over a week, came to the final table with over $26 million in chips, nearly $9 million more than his nearest competitor, and walked away with the $12 million first prize as well as the gold bracelet.
The former Hollywood agent turned television producer emerged from a field of over eight thousand to beat experienced poker journeymen of the calibre of Dan Nassif and Allen Cunningham, to the tournament title.
Gold said of his victory, 'I can't believe it, I am very happy. It started off tough, but once I felt in control, I realized that if I continued to play my game, I would be very hard to beat.' He added, 'This wouldn't have been possible without the support of my friends and family along with the members of Team Bodog.'
Gold signed a two-year endorsement deal with Bodog.com which includes the standard tournament buy-ins and promotional appearances, together with a $1-million television production deal, and a Jamie Gold table on Bodog.com.
Online Casino Sponsor Spanish Football Giants
The online gaming entertainment company 888, has announced an agreement that will see them become the official club sponsor of Spanish La Liga side Sevilla, for the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 football seasons.
The agreement serves to underline 888’s heightened activity in the sports sponsorship market having already forged successful partnerships with Middlesbrough Football Club, the World Snooker Championships and its recent deal to sponsor Toulouse Football Club. It also represents the company’s non-US customer focus, through diversified, multi-channel marketing, in light of the uncertain stance of the industry concerning the American market.
John Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of 888 said, “I am delighted to announce another European sports sponsorship so soon after our recent Toulouse agreement. Sevilla is a fantastic club in one of Europe's most exciting football Leagues and we are thrilled to be associated with them.”
The anticipated benefits in Europe would seem to complement and reinforce 888's operational strategy of multi-lingual websites and customer support which it currently maintains across 177 countries in up to 11 languages.
BetOnSports Impacts on House of Lords
A senior aide to Conservative leader David Cameron is facing an uncertain financial future of his own after previously boasting that US authorities had 'totally failed' to prevent his online betting firm making millions in America.
Tory peer Lord Glentoran is a non-executive director of BetOnSports, which decided to abandon its lucrative American operations on Friday, following the arrest and subsequent impounding of former CEO David Carruthers. Lord Glentoran and his wife, Lady Glentoran, now stand to lose the majority of their shares in the company, which were at an estimated £50,000, with some City insiders forecasting the likely collapse of the firm.
Lord Glentoran, Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland, told a Lords debate in February that 'Over 75 per cent of betting today takes place on the internet and our company (BetOnSports) gets over 70 per cent of its betting revenue from the US, although it is illegal to use telephone wires to bet. The Americans have been trying for a long time to enforce their regulations and they have totally and absolutely failed.'
Lord Glentoran, an Olympic bobsleigh winner in 1964, was one of three directors who fired Scots-born Carruthers days after his arrest, which sent the value of online gaming firms crashing by £600million. Lord Glentoran was unavailable for comment.
8/11/2006 gambling news:
BetonSports to Close US business
Internet gaming group BETonSPORTS , which removed its Chief Executive, David Carruthers, from his post following his detention in Texas last month, is to close its U.S. business.
The company said it would cease operations in Costa Rica and Antigua, where its U.S. operations are based, because they were no longer viable amid a restraining order on the business and the charges faced by former Chief Executive David Carruthers.
BETonSPORTS said it would also pay any liabilities to staff and creditors and repay balances due to U.S. customers.
Carruthers and seven others have already pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges. A U.S. court had extended to August 14 an order barring the online bookmaker from taking U.S. bets.
The charges allege the company failed to pay U.S. excise taxes on more than $3.3 billion in wagers taken from U.S. bettors. The government is seeking forfeiture of $4.5 billion, removal of access to BETonSPORTS's websites in the United States, and the return of money held for U.S. account holders. The United States is the bookmaker's biggest market.
Poker Sensation Joins Online Casino
InterPoker.com has announced the signing of poker professional Jordan Morgan.
Morgan has gained a reputation as one of the most fearless, dangerous young players in professional poker and is currently ranked in the top ten in the world for online play.
InterPoker.com spokesperson, Peter Marcus, said, 'Jordan is one of the best players of his generation -- he bets wisely, and plays very aggressively when the odds are in his favour.
'Jordan is the perfect addition to the InterPoker.com Extreme Team, as he is young, energetic and has a wonderful rapport with the online poker community.'
Although Jordan began his poker career exclusively online he has progressed to live tournaments and recently left the World Series of Poker with over $100,000 in prize winnings.
Morgan commented, 'I am delighted to be part of one of the most respected online poker rooms in the world, especially since most of my success has come within the online world.'
Online Casino Offers Ryder Cup Promotion
The Ryder Cup is golf's greatest match play contest and the chance to see the action live at the K Club in Ireland is available at the Purple Lounge.
Two lucky winners and their partners will see golf played by the world's greatest players at the stunning Irish course.
The promotion is available to new poker players at the casino. The first two players to reach 20,000 raked hands between July 11th and August 31st will be rewarded with 2 tickets each to the 36th Ryder Cup. This will include flights and a 1 day pass to the event.
Whilst the result of the tournament is always unpredictable, whatever the outcome, two Purple Lounge players will get to enjoy the experience of a lifetime at one of the most highly contested golfing events in the world.
Stars Come Out for Online Casino Party
Stars, poker pros and international gambling professionals all got together to have a great night and make the fourth annual Bodog Party in Las Vegas a success.
There was a packed press line for the guests to negotiate on their way to the Tao's Buddha Bar, where the festivities awaited them.
Once in the party, guests were treated to a variety of visual delights -- girls body painting, a birdcage girl and more. In the main room, an I-Ching master told fortunes, top billiards pro Jeanette 'The Black Widow' Lee took on all challengers who dared test their skills, and a games room featured Chinese Checkers, Mahjong and more.
Guests included Shannon Elizabeth Kelly Hu ('X2'), Erik Palladino, Billy Burke Roger Cross, Jon Kelley, Bodog Music artist Bishop Brigante plus poker stars Josh Arieh, Matt Savage, Gavin Smith, Umberto Brenes, Clonie Gowan, Andy Bloch, David Plastik, Kenna James and Brad Kondracki, who all partied long and hard to the sounds of noted DJ Steve 'Kid Millionaire' Aoki.
Though Bodog.com Founder and CEO Calvin Ayre was unable to attend due to filming a documentary in Asia, he said, 'I am already hearing raves about the party. This was a typically great Bodog Party, not a stop was left to pull out and girls -- so many girls!'
Online Casino's Bingo Prizes Keep on Coming
Linda from Florida, aka 'Birdie50', has become Kiwi Bingos first winner of the Days of Summer – Bistro Set Giveaway.
Birdie50 has won a place in the Kiwi Bingo hall of fame and she is delighted by her stroke of luck.
Linda said, 'Monday afternoon I was sitting at the computer in 90 Ball Hall as usual when the phone rang. Thought it was my daughter but to my surprise it was Elizabeth from Kiwi Bingo telling me that I had won the Bistro Set. I just could not believe it…I am still pinching myself.'
The Days of Summer is an exclusive promotion for Kiwi Bingo players. Birdie50 has won the first out of the three state of the art bistro sets available with the remaining two winners to be picked over the next month.
All Kiwi Bingo players need to do to take part is to make a deposit and they’re entered into the prize draw. Winners will be picked every two weeks until September 3. After each winner is chosen, the remaining players' names will be taken out of the hat for a fresh start. So the more you play, the better your chances of winning.
8/10/2006 gambling news:
Slotland.com in Hunt For Mobile Entertainment Award
Slotland.com has been honoured this week by being short-listed for an award in the ‘Best Mobile Gaming’ category at the Mobile Entertainment (ME) Awards, to honour excellence among content providers for mobile devices. A group of industry experts have nominated Slotland.com as one of the top five providers in mobile gaming, with the winner being announced at a gala reception in London on September 19.
Slotland.com Mobile Games Manager Martin Smith commented, “We are excited to be one of the pioneers of mobile gambling and strive to emerge as one of the leaders in mobile games in terms of quality and uniqueness of our games, customer service, security and banking, as opposed to sheer quantity of games and services.'
Victory
The award for ‘Best Mobile Gaming’ will recognise the provider that has created a downloadable gambling game or set up a server platform for handling billing or player registrations. Other categories at the award ceremony, produced by the Mobile Entertainment Magazine include ‘Best Music Label’ and ‘Best Video & TV Service’.
Juniper Research estimates the current mobile gambling market to be worth approximately $315 million worldwide and forecasts that the mobile gambling sector will be worth up to $16.6 billion by 2008.
Playtech Snaps up UKbetting casino contract
Online casino software group Playtech has announced that it has signed a contract with ukbetting to migrate its casino brands to the Playtech software platform. The AIM listed group has confirmed that ukbetting.com and totalbet.com, both of which are focused on the UK and European markets, will be tightly integrated with the Playtech platform through its proprietary integration package.
Playtech's casino product incorporates a customised software package designed specifically to cater for sportsbook operators and sports fans, and this latest migration brings the total number of Playtech licensees to 44, operating a total of 139 game sites.
Playtech’s Avigur Zmora asserted, “Playtech continues to attract quality operators seeking to enhance their offering and increase their bottom line and I am delighted that one of the UK's leading sports content and gaming operators has become a Playtech licensee as a result.”
Belle Rock Release New Online Casino Games
Belle Rock Entertainment has announced the launch of four new online casino games, including Spanish 21 Multi-hand Blackjack, Supe It Up Video Slot, Gold Series Volume 1 Table Games and Bars n Stripes Video Slot.
The new games will be rolled out across Belle Rock’s online casinos; River Belle, Lucky Nugget, Gaming Club and Jackpot City, and according to Tim Johnson, Chairman of Belle Rock owner, Carmen Media Group, the new games are designed to give ‘even the most demanding players an incredibly challenging and rewarding online gaming experience.’
The new Spanish 21 Multi-hand Blackjack is an evolved version of the popular single hand Spanish blackjack game, where players can bet on up to five hands at the table, with the Gold Series Volume 1 offering improved player controls, tools and speed of play. Additional to this Bell Rock is launching its Supe it Up and Bars and Stripes video slots, which both have 25-Payline reels and offer an array of spin features and scatter rewards.
Belle Rock has also announced the addition of a 200% up to $100 bonus for playing the new games at its Jackpot City online casino.
American Army Fighting for Online Poker
Poker fanatics across the US are joining in unison to defend their game in reaction to the recent clampdown on Internet gambling, which has seen many online casinos and poker rooms avoiding the US market due to the uncertain legal issues surrounding the ‘Wire Act’.
Entertainment executive Philip Ittleson has recently launched LetThePeoplePlayer.org, a new website dedicated to educating an estimated 70 million US poker fanatics and rally them to defend their rights, in an attempt to raise a volunteer ‘army’, to heighten Washington’s awareness of the unpopularity of its actions amongst the American public.
Ittleson, executive producer of a new poker documentary ‘No Limit’, due for release in October, recently stated, 'The whole internet gaming ban is a joke, poker players are not terrorists, lets get our priorities straight. The biggest crime is that we are not regulating and taxing it.'
The website has already attracted celebrity backing through LA singer Lucie Jourdan, who pointed to the more pressing matters that the government should be addressing, such as global warming, and the conflict in the Middle East, rather than concentrating a sustained assault on the online poker industry. “When you put it perspective it sickens me that Washington is wasting valuable time and our hard earned tax dollars on this frivolous bill.”
8/09/2006 gambling news:
Sportsbook.com Offers Super Bowl odds
It may only be pre-season but Indianapolis and New England are already the favourites for this year's Super Bowl according to Sportsbook.com.
The online casino and sportsbook has revised its odds for the championship after the recent transfer activity posed a few questions. What effect will T.O. have in Dallas, will Big Ben be back in Super Bowl form, will Daunte Culpepper lead a resurgence in Miami and can the Colts finally win it all?
The Indianapolis Colts (6-1) and the New England Patriots (8-1) are the early runners but they are followed closely by last year’s finalists Pittsburgh and Seattle and T.O.’s new team, the Dallas Cowboys, all at 10-1.
Oregon Roofer Hits the Roof with Online Casino Jackpot Win
The Party Mega Jackpot, at PartyCasino.com, had reached $902,505 when Matt Eilenberger, a 35–year-old roofer from Oregon scooped the prize. Now, the delighted father of three is planning to purchase a new roof over his head.
Eilenberger said, 'I'm looking to sell my house and get a bigger one!' Space has been a problem for his family but now Matt, wife Alicia and there three children can now have more room to roam as well as explore their new surroundings in style in their two new cars, a Dodge Viper and a Mini-Cooper, Eilenberger’s first purchases with his new winnings.
Matt hit the jackpot with a $9 stake on the PartyCasino.com’s Super Fortune Wheel, 'When I told my wife that I had won, it took quite some time for the news to sink in – we both slept for only two hours over the next two days. I can quite honestly say that until a few weeks ago I had won nothing in my life.'
Matt also plans to use the winnings to take his wife on a luxury trip to Las Vegas to celebrate their wedding anniversary as well as change his lifestyle, 'I own a roofing company and would love to be in a position where I only have to work one or two days a week, but we’ll just have to wait and see.'
Online Casino Group Regains eCOGRA Seal
After investigating the circumstances surrounding an unacceptable search engine optimization campaign, eCOGRA’s Compliance Committee has announced that the suspension of Jackpot Factory's 'Play It Safe' seals is to be lifted, with immediate effect.
The group will be the subject of increased monitoring by eCOGRA and their independent auditors to ensure that compliance with new content guidelines is maintained.
The Jackpot Factory Group issued a statement outlining their regret at the situation. 'With the aid of eCOGRA advisers we have now introduced system improvements that will prevent a recurrence of this much regretted incident.
'We would like to emphasize that at no time was there ever any intention of targeting vulnerable audiences with this material on the part of Jackpot Factory management. We are pleased that the findings of the Compliance Committee confirm this is their view as well.'
The company has made a donation of $25,000 to GamCare as a gesture of good faith.
World Series of Poker Reaches Final Table
The final table at the WSOP has been decided, with Jamie Gold continuing to lead the field.
At the penultimate table, John Magill was knocked out in 12th when his pocket 5s didn't match up to Fred Goldburg's pocket 9s. Leif Force was eliminated in 11th, although both players can be satisfied in the knowledge that they will still take home a prize of $1,154,527.
William Thorsson was knocked out in 13th place and became the highest placed player not to become a millionaire.
Fred Goldberg was the unlucky player not to make the grade after being eliminated from the final ten.
The players at the final table are:
* Seat 1 - Richard Lee - 11,820,000 chips
* Seat 2 - Erik Friberg - 9,605,000 chips
* Seat 3 - Paul Wasicka - 7,970,000 chips
* Seat 4 - Dan Nassif - 2,600,000 chips
* Seat 5 - Allen Cunningham - 17,770,000 chips
* Seat 6 - Michael Binger - 3,140,000 chips
* Seat 7 - Doug Kim - 6,770,000 chips
* Seat 8 - Jamie Gold - 26,650,000 chips
* Seat 9 - Rhett Butler - 4,815,000 chips
Whichpoker.com Offers UK Open Package at Online Casino
Whichpoker.com has launched its annual UK Open qualifier, guaranteeing one winner entry to the UK Open to be held in Maidstone, England between September 25 and October 8 2006.
To qualify, a player must sign up at Pacific Poker via links from WhichPoker.com deposit a minimum of $100 before September 5, 2006, and then wager at least $2,500 during the same period of time. The winner of the Freeroll will get the $5,000 buy-in plus $2,500 in cash for travel and accommodation.
Graham Edmond, Whichpoker.com, said, 'For the second year running we will be sending a player to the 888.com UK Open. Whichpoker.com provides all the poker tournament information you require whether its qualifiers, guaranteed pots or free rolls and will be at the UK Open to provide daily commentary and exclusive insights.'
In addition to covering real money online poker games and tournaments, Whichpoker.com also has a detailed poker rules and beginners section to help users hone their poker skills online.
8/08/2006 gambling news:
The Casino Gambling Web to Continue Extensive Poker Coverage
As the World Series of Poker (WSOP) draws to close, The Casino Gambling Web, an online casino news and gambling information site, is turning its attention to providing comprehensive coverage of the forthcoming Strip Poker Championship.
The event, which will be held in London on August 19, will be a Guinness Book record breaking event, allegedly the largest strip poker game ever.
'No other website is covering the Strip Poker Championship as extensively as the CasinoGamblingWeb.com,' said Mitch Redmond, CEO and founder of the website. 'This is a little niche event that is gathering major attention around the world and we will report all the news about it.'
The site tries to cover the news in an original and engaging way, as demonstrated by its coverage of the WSOP which included insight into the likes of everything from Chris Ferguson's triumphant first day and Daniel Negreanu’s aggressive play, to Lennox Lewis, Jennifer Tilly, Norm MacDonald and other celebrities testing their abilities on the tables.
'We didn't want to just recap every day's events.' explained Redmond. 'We wanted to reveal all the little tidbits that we thought our visitors would find interesting.”
Gala Bingo Provide the X Factor for ITV Talk Show
Online Bingo giant Gala Bingo has announced that it is to sponsor ITV’s new talk show ‘Mrs Osbourne Presents’ hosted by TV personality and current X-Factor panellist Sharon Osbourne.
The sponsorship deal, believed to be worth around £2m, will see the Gala Bingo brand feature on 40 episodes of ITV’s new flagship chat show through branded trailers, interactive features, online tie-ins and mobile interactive sponsorship bumpers.
Kate Howe, Gala Coral Group marketing director explained that the sponsorship deal presented a fantastic opportunity for Gala Bingo. “’Mrs Osbourne Presents’ is aimed at our bingo playing demographic and will reach existing Gala members as well as targeting potential new ones. We’re extremely excited to be bringing the Gala Bingo brand to ITV.”
The talk show will herald the beginning of new era in television activity for both Mrs Osbourne and Gala Coral, as the E-Commerce division of the group prepares for the coming launch of its own TV package in Gala TV. The company responsible for operating the new chat show, MediaVest Manchester, has also welcomed the collaboration, with Associate Broadcast Director Rebecca O’Malley stating: “It’s great to match a programme with such a big personality to an exciting brand like Gala. Mrs Osbourne presents, with its mix of great entertainment and the chance to win big money, matches the Gala proposition perfectly.”
The new talk show will air on ITV from August 29 to October 20.
Solitary Wait for Former BetOnSports Chief
Life isn’t getting any easier for former BetOnSports chief executive, David Carruthers, as he learned that he will be forced to stay in his county jail cell until at least the end of this week, as his lawyers and family struggle to raise $1 million bail and find a suitable place for him to live upon his release.
According to his lawyer, Tim Evans, Mr Carruthers will be freed from jail upon receipt of $1 million (£525,000) and the creation of a permanent address in the St Louis, Missouri, area, under bail conditions set at a court appearance on July 31.
However in a statement released yesterday, Mr Evans said that progress on both fronts was proving difficult. “We have to get the bail money together before they will let him out,” Mr Evans said from his office in Fort Worth, Texas. “We also have to find a suitable place for him to live. Neither of those things has been done yet.”
Mr Evans said he hoped that the bail requirements would be met by the end of the week, although sources noted that renting a property could take longer than expected, meaning that his client could remain impounded for many more days to come.
Paddy Power Betting on World Series of Poker Final Table
This Thursday 10 August will see the final game of the largest and most bountiful poker games to date, when nine players from a pool of over 8,000, will battle it out at the felt for a grand prize of $12 million, at the World Series of Poker main event.
This year’s event has also been an historic one for Irish bookmakers Paddy Power, receiving unprecedented interest in its 21 markets, so much so, that it plans at least three betting in running markets on the final table, incorporating ‘outright winner’, ‘next player gone’ and ‘winning hand’ markets.
A Spokesman for Paddy Power said, 'This has been our biggest poker betting market ever and we want to give fans who couldn’t be there and players who got knocked out a chance to sweat every hand of the final table and make a few quid towards their buy-in next year.'
The final table begins at around 8pm (BST) on Thursday evening and will be televised and broadcast on the Internet through ESPN pay-per-view. Players will battle it out for the $12 million first prize, and everyone at the table is guaranteed at least $1 million.
A New Studious Approach to Online Poker
Online poker enthusiast and founder of the internet poker strategy portal Poker Professor, Adrian Milewski has announced that PokerProfessor.co.uk is now ready to begin its quest to provide its community with a one-stop online poker resource.
The internet strategy site is targeted at providing new players with the necessary information and help to gain a foothold in online poker, resulting from numerous ‘SOS’ requests from newer and more inexperienced players, struggling to make a profit.
Founder Adrian Milewski said, “We consulted with the players, found out what they wanted and took that away to come up with the concept of the Poker Professor,” he said. “Our aim is to build the largest Internet Poker Strategy community on the Web, and ensure we provide this community with the service that they require.”
The main highlight of the new website is the Poker Professor’s Winning Poker Strategy Guide which is a comprehensive step by step course in how to become a profitable internet poker player. The course is split into 5 easy to follow modules teaching the basic and advanced strategies used by professionals, from starting hands to betting strategies and pot odds to more advanced ‘poker moves’.
8/07/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Scores French Soccer Sponsorship Deal
Online sports betting and casino, Gamebookers, has become the official gold sponsor of Premier French League side FC Nantes for the next three football seasons.
The deal will see the Gamebookers.com logo feature on the team shirt of all home games (back) and away games (front). Financial details about the sponsorship deal are not being disclosed.
The deal will also give the casino, which is owned by PartyGaming, the chance to display its brand all around the FC Nantes stadium.
John O'Malia, Gamebookers spokesman, said, 'I am convinced that we can contribute to the renewed success of this great Nantes club, which we expect to see soon on top of the league standings.'
Jean-Luc Gripond, Vice-President of FC Nantes, said, 'The club has decided to innovate with a new sponsor which has two notably strong characteristics: firstly, it is international and our football needs partners in this dimension. And secondly, it is part of a universe of new technologies and therefore part of our future.'
Online Casino Poised to Pay Out Record-Breaking Jackpot
It's the largest jackpot ever, at a staggering $3.8 Million, and it's still rising. The Sands of the Caribbean online casino exclusive Millionaires Club is a progressive 9-line, 5-reel online video slot game and players are racing to have a go and try and scoop the massive prize.
Nick Melrose, long time Pit Boss for the casino said, 'This is more traffic to our site than we've ever seen. The jackpot has never gone this long in between payouts and every slots player knows that it's the best time to play because the machine is loaded, and the very next spin could be the one.'
As well as the record-breaking payout in the main game, the slot also offers a bonus game, where 3 prize wheels appear waiting for the player to spin for a chance to win the jackpot.
Charity The Winner At Strip Event
Charity looks likely to be the winner when plucky competitors get together to compete in the World Strip Poker Championship.
Bookmaker Paddy Power has pledged to double the £10,000 first prize for the event, should the winner donate their winnings to charity. This would mean a whopping £20,000 payday for a charitable organisation.
The event, being held at the Cafe Royal, Regent Street, London, on Saturday 19 August, is an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the largest ever strip poker tournament.
A Spokesman Paddy Power said, 'We don't want to disappoint anyone who wants to play and we've had a lot of interest from people willing to donate their winnings to charity so we thought we'd super-size the event and encourage people to cast off their clothes for charity.'
As well as the charity prize the winner will also win a package worth approximately £3,000 to play in the Paddy Power Irish Poker Open, Dublin over Easter weekend 2007 where they will get a shot at the £1 million prize pool.
$600 Bonus Up For Grabs at Online Casino
The Full Tilt poker team boasts some impressive names in the shape of World Series of Poker champion Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey and Howard Lederer; and when these stars aren't battling it out at the big tournaments they are playing exclusively at online casino, Full Tilt Poker.
The site has grown significantly in recent months, partly due to their bonus offerings. New players at Full Tilt receive a 100% bonus up to the value of $600. To claim this bonus, players need to enter the FIRST600 code when they register for an account.
Full Tilt Poker is also currently providing extensive coverage of the 8,000 player strong World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas, where a number of their aforementioned poker pros are competing for the grand prize.
Celebrities Gather at World Series of Poker
She's a sexy American icon and he's a poker legend but Pamela Anderson and Doyle Brunson have teamed up at the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
Anderson showed up at the Rio in Vegas looking as stunning as ever in white and next to her under the hot lights and blazing flashbulbs was Brunson, who hasn't worn a grin so big since he won his last World Series of Poker main event bracelet.
The pair were there to announce the launch of Pamela Anderson's new poker site, the newest member of the Doyle Brunson Poker Network, which includes Brunson’s signature site, DoylesRoom.com.
Pamela Anderson commented, 'My dad's a huge fan of Doyle’s, and if I was going to do this with anyone, it had to be with him. If you’re going to do it, do it right and go straight to the top.'
Anderson will be available to play against at the new poker room throughout the year as the site launches some exclusive poker tournaments.
8/04/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Will Still Sponsor Mikey The Chimp
Mikey the chimp had been practising for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for months, but he will now not be appearing at the event.
But sponsors Pokershare.com have not given up on their mission to earn Mikey his retirement money from poker tournament winnings.
Jeffrey Pollock, Vice President of Harrah’s Entertainment, rejected Mikey's participation at WSOP, but PokerShare have vowed to search hard to find another poker tournament that will let Mikey play.
Max Wright, PokerShare.com Poker Room Manager, said, 'Mikey will overcome this rejection into the WSOP 2006 and keep practicing until another poker tournament picks him up. We will sponsor him in whatever tournament will accept him because we know a chimp can beat a chump.'
Judie Harrison, his trainer and ‘mother’, broke into tears when she heard the news of his tournament exclusion, 'Mikey has been training for months and really had a shot at winning money to live with me for the rest of his life. I can’t believe they won’t let him in.'
Professionally trained to recognise colours, shapes, perform on television, and wear a green poker visor and sunglasses, Mikey was prepared to play with the best poker players in the world.
Max Wright explained the reason for PokerShare's commitment to the chimp, 'He embodies the brand of PokerShare.com because he is playful, fun, and different.'
Despite this setback, watch out for Mikey taking on the professionals at a poker tournament soon.
Online Casino Launches Revamped Website
Bowmans.com has responded to customer feedback and has launched a completely new website and gaming experience.
The online casino hopes that the fresh look will offer a new approach to betting at the casino and poker rooms. Players will find it much faster and easier to move around and find what they are looking for.
The banking system has also been made much more straightforward, thanks to a suite of online deposit and withdrawal facilities provided by Neteller, Citadel and CLICK2PAY.
Bowmans has also totally rebranded its image with a smart new logo, striking photography, and modern, attractive colours. The company has also altered its ‘tone of voice’ communicating with customers in a jargon-free, upbeat and witty way.
Chris Milward, CEO of Bowmans.com, said, 'Having already had strong brand awareness in the industry, we found that we could build on our previous strengths to develop new ones, so we can achieve customer retention without losing sight on developing a wider audience.'
Poker Movie Stars Party at WSOP
The stars of Aces.com backed movie, Aces, have been creating a storm on the WSOP party circuit.
The stars of the movie were spotted partying with poker legends Howard Lederer, Phil Gordon, Lisa Mueller and others at Lederer’s private WSOP bash.
The highlight of the evening was, without a doubt, the karaoke contest that Gordon was particularly determined to win. When Gordon began to peel off his clothing in his effort to win over the judges, Christina Morris, who plays the mischievous “Elle” in ACES the Movie, couldn’t resist.
'I’ve never seen anyone want to win a karaoke contest that bad,” laughed Morris. “When he started wiggling his butt at the crowd I just had to run up and stuff a dollar bill in his underwear waistband!'
Morris was joined at the event by co-star Sheena Chou and Rene Quesada, the Aces.com Manager.
The rest of the weekend was a series of special appearances, interviews and photo sessions. During their stay in Las Vegas, Sheena and Christina recounted their WSOP adventures on their blog,www.acesmovie.blogspot.com, where they’ve also posted party photos and numerous snapshots from the WSOP itself.
World's Largest Ever Online Poker Tournament Rescheduled
The Ongame Network Poker Classic (ONPC) is set to become the biggest ever online poker tournament. In order to give more players a chance to participate, the event has now been rescheduled for November.
The tournament will boast a record-breaking guaranteed prize pool of $5 million, with at least $1 million going to the final winner.
The event was postponed to give new poker operators about to join the network - including bwin Poker –the chance to offer their players a shot at becoming millionaires.
The ONPC will be a 'flight' tournament starting online on 4 November and pausing when 45 players remain. They will then be flown to Barcelona, Spain, for a live final where they will battle each other face to face on the felt for at least $ 1 million – continuing with the same chip stacks they had when the online tournament paused. The final will take place at the prestigious Casino de Barcelona during the weekend of 2–3 December 2006.
In addition to the prizes already on offer there is now an additional $ 50,000 freeroll, especially for those players who have qualified early for the tournament. This extra value is being offered as goodwill to players who may be inconvenienced by the event's new dates and is available to all those who had qualified by midnight EST on 2 September. The freeroll is scheduled to take place at 3.00 p.m. EST on 3 September.
WSOP Inspires Online Casino Promotion
Virgin Games is to team up with sister company Virgin Atlantic in a poker promotional partnership.
The agreement will see all flights to Las Vegas during the 2006 World Series of Poker taking part in the promotion, which will offer themed Virgin Poker branded goodies and Virgin Poker accounts.
All passengers on Virgin Atlantic flights to Las Vegas from London’s Gatwick airport are eligible to pick-up an exclusive Las Vegas survival guide and Virgin Poker merchandise. Virgin Poker sick-bags - carrying the slogan ‘We don’t want you to chuck in your hands’ - will also be present on all flights.
Each Virgin Poker ‘Vegas Survival Guide’ will offer passengers all the goodies possibly needed to survive in Vegas during the World Series, including poker tips, hand rankings and a detailed map of Las Vegas’ finest casinos.
Ross Sleight, Marketing Director, Virgin Games, said, 'Virgin Games is all about fun and entertainment as well as gambling, and in producing themed sick-bags and offering Virgin Poker merchandise to all Virgin Atlantic passengers, we’re emphasising those two core beliefs – fun and entertainment – to a wider, although concentrated, audience'.
8/03/2006 gambling news:
GameAccount Teams Up With At the Races
GameAccount is to supply attheraces.com with cutting-edge Skill Gaming for its growing community of users. Players at the site will have access to massive jackpots and rolling prize pools totalling more than £250,000.
Skill-based person-to-person games are increasingly popular and this deal will allow Attheraces.com to roll out over 14 classic multiplayer games and tournaments on its site. It will give the players access to the ‘poker style’ GameAccount network of non-download games.
These skill-based games include such classics as Tournament Blackjack, Three Card Poker as well as other popular card games and favourites backgammon & 8-Ball Pool.
Tony Sweeney, Head of Commercial Development at At The Races said, 'We've seen massive growth in attheraces.com users each time we’ve introduced new developments and technologies to the site. A tailored games portfolio is another well targeted and relevant service for our users which will only help further increase the frequency and duration of visits.'
GameAccount has specially developed their products to appeal to the serious player looking to take part in heads-up games & tournaments for high stakes.
Kevin Dale, CEO at GameAccount, said, 'We are delighted that At The Races has recognised the cross-platform opportunities available t
8/31/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Group Launches Nine New Jackpot Games
The Jackpot Factory Group has announced the launch of nine new games. The Microgaming-powered games are to be rolled out across all of the group’s casinos, and will offer triple points during their first month of play.
David Brickman, Spokesperson for the Jackpot Factory Group, said, “This is the biggest games release to date and we are confident that players, new and old, will be more than satisfied with the latest set of games.”
‘Dolphin Tale’ is the first of the new releases. The game is a five-reel, 40 payline and underwater-themed video slot is expected to make a big splash.
The other additions to the casino's portfolio are:
- Nutty Squirrel, a five-reel 20 payline video slot
- Witch Dr, another five-reel 20 payline video slot
- Age of Discovery, a five-reel, 25 payline video slot with an exploration theme
- Bonus Poker Deluxe, a bonus-packed video poker game
Also, the new games include four Gold Series games, which truly have an ‘authentic casino feel’:
- Classic Blackjack Gold
- Vegas Single Deck Blackjack Gold
- Bonus Blackjack Gold
- Big 5 Blackjack Gold
Online Casino Wraps Up Filming On Reality Series
Bodog’s latest reality TV programme is set to debut after filming wrapped up earlier this week.
The Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) reality series, ‘BodogFight’, has been filmed in the jungles of Central America and the debut episode of the action-packed weekly series is scheduled to air September 12 on Men's Network, a Dish Network satellite channel, and online at Bodog.TV.
Bodog.com Founder, Calvin Ayre, brought together some of America's toughest fighters to battle it out in head-to-head bouts for the right to represent their country.
The eight-episode series will see seven elite modern-day American warriors become successful in their quest to join 'Team America' and take on the might of the ‘Russian Red Devil Sports Club’.
This USA vs. Russia grudge match will be broadcast live on pay-per-view in November and will include three Superfights, all sponsored by BodogFight.
Calvin Ayre said, “As each episode of BodogFight airs, viewers are going to witness firsthand why we are emerging as a dominant force in mainstream digital entertainment. The footage capturing the lives, personalities and gruelling training regimens of each athlete.”
Elimination battles, behind-the-scenes training, interviews with fighters, and lifestyle segments will compose seven of the weekly one-hour ‘BodogFight’ episodes, with the recap finale leading into the PPV main event.
Football Handicapping Site Showcases New Look
WageronFootball.com has announced the launch of its new look website just in time for the new NFL & NCAA football seasons.
The site is a popular source for NFL betting news, college football gambling info and free fantasy football analysis. The site also boasts one of the biggest selections of sports handicappers anywhere in the web.
Quin Smyth, Senior Editor at WagerOnFootball.com, said, “The launch of our football themed site expands our product offerings farther into the online football gambling market. With the 2007 Super Bowl and 2007 BCS Championship on the horizons anything can happen en route to the championship games.”
Smyth also added, “We are excited to be able to give football fans a website they can grow to enjoy as the 2006 NFL and College Football seasons get started this week.”
Online Poker Room Announces VIP Rakeback Program
Poker Club Europe has announced details of a new ‘VIP Cashback GOLD' bonus program, which gives online poker players the chance to receive up to 60% rakeback.
The rake is the small fee taken by poker room operators from each pot. For experienced players who are play multiple tables at the one time, the 60% rakeback represents a great opportunity to maximise their online play.
To make the deal even sweeter for new players, Poker Club Europe is offering a 100% first deposit bonus up to €150 free cash.
'We hope to reach a totally new group of players and affiliates by introducing the new VIP Cashback GOLD,' said the Manager of Poker Club Europe.
Poker Club Europe is also launching a 24K Cashback GOLD freeroll tournament with a prize pool of €24 000.
To qualify for the €24 000 freeroll tournament players need to sign up to the new VIP Cashback GOLD program and earn 750 VIP's or more during the month of September.
The 24K Cashback GOLD freeroll will be held on October 8th at 17:00 CET.
New Web Site Showcases Wireless Online Casino
Diamond I, a developer of wireless gaming products, has announced the launch of a new, interactive web site that offers visitors a chance to play the same slots, roulette, blackjack and poker as will be available on the company's GS2 wireless gambling device.
The GS2 is the hand-held component of the company's WifiCasino gaming system. The games will be for entertainment purposes only but will provide a valuable preview of the company’s upcoming products and services.
David Lofin, Diamond I's CEO, said, “We are excited to introduce our GS2 games to the game players out there. As we continue to develop our web site, we will be offering visitors a preview of more of our upcoming products.”
The new website is also linked to TouchPoker.com, a recent acquisition of Diamond I, which provides the company a vehicle for displaying Touchdev's 12 'brandable' gaming platforms.
8/30/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Hold the Hollywood Aces
To celebrate the release of new poker film ACES the movie, online casino Aces.com is offering winners of competitions the opportunity to attend the gala movie premiere in Hollywood on October 7, which is being hosted by Aces.com and organized by Hollywood party producer Alex Quinn.
In total, five players will win an all-expense paid trip to the gala movie premiere, to be held at Vanguard Hollywood, one of the biggest dance clubs in Los Angeles. Two party prize packages were awarded to Wednesday Night Free Roll Tournament winners in July and another two will be awarded September 13th and 20th. Additional to his, the winner of the Three-Card Poker Tournament September 11 – 18 will also win airfare and accommodation to attend the event.
“It’s an incredible time for Aces.com – with the movie and the new re-designed site, we’re really in the mood to celebrate!” said Rene Quesada Manager of the long-established site that recently underwent a complete makeover. “We’ve had a lot of fun hosting our online tournaments and making special appearances at the WSOP last month, and It’ll be great to get everyone together again in Hollywood!”
ACES the Movie, from Rolling Stones video director Daniel Zirilli, is the story of three college girls that take a high tech cheating scheme to the underground card rooms of Las Vegas. It will be released on DVD by Warner Brothers October 3, and new players registering at Aces.com will receive a free copy.
Sportsbook.com Predicts More Stripes for Tiger
There is a momentum about Tiger Woods at present, which has seen him victorious in his last four tournaments, his last equalling Byron Nelson on the all time victory list of 52 career wins. In imperious form, Woods has been tipped to collect his 53rd career win this weekend at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, with Sportsbook.com installing him as a clear 6/5 favourite.
'With Tiger, it's not just the fact that he's winning, but its how he's doing it,' said Alex Czajkowski, Sportsbook.com. 'The second place effort by Shaun Micheel (13 under par) at the PGA Championship, would have won the last four PGAs - but Woods crushed him by five strokes.'
Woods’ closest contender this weekend is expected to be the 2003 Deutsche Bank winner Adam Scott at 10/1, closely followed by Vijay Singh at 15/1, and Robert Allenby at 25/1. Defending champion Olin Browne is currently out at 75/1 to retain his title, whilst former world number one David Duval is an outside bet at 150/1.
Woods is seeking his fifth tournament victory in a row, closing in on Sam Snead’s all time record of 82 titles, and 18 majors held by Jack Nicklaus.
Online Casino Upgrade from RealTime Gaming
Online casino software developer and turnkey provider RealTime Gaming has secured the next phase of its competitive software release schedule for 2006, with the introduction of the new version 6.1 of its popular online gaming software platform. The new version is the company’s second upgrade of 2006, with another expected before the end of the year.
The new platform will provide eleven new games, including a new dice-based table game, SicBo, based on the classic Chinese game, and nine new ‘Real Series’ slots games, each offering 5-reel, 20-line slot action.
Among the new titles are ‘Achilles’, ‘Aladdin’s Wishes’, ‘Paradise Dreams’, ‘Paris Beauty’, and ‘Penguin Power’, with a number of Flash technology titles, including the ‘Flash Jacks or Better’ video poker game.
RealTime Director of Product Management, Chuck Corcoran, explained the company focus on slots game releases by saying, “Real-Series slots continue to perform well, so we continue to focus on developing more titles in that series.” In terms of the software packages he continued, “Let’s just say that the first two releases have had quite an impact, and we expect 6.2 to make an even bigger splash,' he said. “The best is yet to come.”
RealTime Gaming hopes to introduce the final version 6.2 before the end of 2006.
Sands Online Casino Jackpot Reaches $4 million
Sands Casino has become the second online casino in the space of a week to see its Millionaires Club progressive jackpot surge past the $4 million milestone. The Sands Casino Millionaires Club progressive 9-line, 5-reel online video slot game has seen its jackpot rise to $4 million in the same week that InterCasino announced that its own millionaires club had reached the same figure.
'We’ve had more traffic to our site than we've ever seen,” exclaimed Sands Casino Pit Boss Steve Blair. “The jackpot has never gone this long in between payouts and every slots player knows that it's the best time to play because the machine is loaded, and the very next spin could be the one.'
In addition to the impending payout, Sands Casino is offering 20% cash back on the Millionaires Club and Rags to Riches slot machines during the month of September. The Rags to Riches slot machine has given away close to $1 million in jackpots, and recently paid out $404,000 to one fortunate winner, which was just shy of the previous record pay out.
Cyberslotz Breaks into UK Top Ten
Online gaming website Cyberslotz.co.uk, has been celebrating its position in the latest quarterly Top Ten Hitwise listing of UK Gambling Websites, ranked by share of visits during the second quarter of this year.
Over the previous eight weeks, Cyberslotz has seen a predicted 30% increase in its member activity, due mainly to the televised football World Cup, with statistics showing that activity during match times were predominantly from female players, and over longer periods.
The recently launched Cyberslotz bingo, and particularly its chat facility, saw an increased activity of players chatting about non-football related topics while enjoying the online Bingo platform. Another demographic represented a mean age group for the site between 18 and 30, and an average 75 minutes per player spent at the site.
'We were expecting a boost in activity over the sporting months from our female players, but not at the rate we identified,' said Brian Morgan, Cyberslotz. 'We're delighted to announce that we're now within the top ten most visited websites in the UK for gambling games and can only hope that the summer heat wave continues to bear fruit for the online gaming community.'
8/28/2006 gambling news:
Coral Announce Deal with English Rugby
One of the online gaming industry’s leading players has announced that is to be teaming up with the Guinness Premiership’s leading rugby clubs, in a sponsorship deal extended over the next two seasons.
The announcement follows Coral’s sponsorship of the Middlesex Sevens earlier this month, making them the latest major company to become a key partner of Premier Rugby and the Guinness Premiership. The initiative will involve branding on the reverse of all twelve of the Guinness Premiership clubs' playing shirts as well as a comprehensive programme of activity that will benefit the twelve Guinness Premiership clubs through a donation 'bounce back' scheme which directly rewards clubs when their supporters open an account with the company.
Matt Dawson, the former London Wasps, Northampton Saints and England scrum half will also play a key role in the sponsorship. He has signed as the Coral.co.uk ambassador and will host a number of poker nights for club supporters around the country.
Announcing his company's involvement with Premier Rugby and the Guinness Premiership, Dominic Harrison, E-Commerce Managing Director of Coral said: 'This sponsorship is truly exciting for us as it is the first time we have become involved with a sport outside our traditional racing environment for some time,” he said.
Ladbrokes Decides not to Pursue US Market
British bookmaker Ladbrokes has decided to postpone its entry in the US market, and has instead opted to tap into the Italian market by way of a €100 million (£68 million) joint venture investment with Italian betting company Pianetta Scommesse.
The decision was reached after Ladbrokes chief executive Chris Bell, had conceded that the predicament of BetOnSports had impinged on the company’s review of the US market for Internet gambling. Bell admitted that any potential to provide the US market with online casino and poker games hinged on the outcome of the forthcoming Bill, with the chief executive claiming “it remains a wait and see situation.”
The company’s venture into the Italian market is believed to be the first step in a planned investment programme of €100 million over five years, with a strong focus on both Internet and terrestrial betting models. Ladbrokes has acquired a 51% share in Pianetta Scommesse for an estimated €1.3 million, making Ladbrokes an accredited operator with the future option to buy out its partner.
The move comes after Ladbrokes gained independence through the sale of the Hilton International hotel chain in February, and comes prior to the expected deregulation of the Italian gambling market.
Sportsbook Online for Rookie of the Year
With the start of the new NFL season just around the corner, Sportsbook.com has announced that it is offering a diverse selection of props including Offensive Rookie of the Year, Games of the Year and an early line on the Super Bowl.
The New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush is the early favourite at Sportsbook.com to win the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year, with odds of 2-1, whilst other early favourites include Laurence Maroney (4-1), Joseph Addai (5-1), LenDale White (5-1) and DeAngelo Williams (8-1).
'Everybody bets on the NFL and with such a talented rookie class, fans are anxious to see whether the newcomers will live up to their billing' said Alex Czajkowski, Sportsbook.com.
The online sportsbook is also offering NFL fans the chance to bet on the temperamental antics of new Dallas wideout Terrell Owens. Odds on Owens being suspended or fined during the 2006/2007 season currently sit at 1-4. Owens left the Philadelphia Eagles for Dallas at the end of last year, following a mid-season suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
Ladbrokes Shirks from Sportsbook Acquisitions
Since detaching itself from the Hilton International hotels group in February this year, British bookmaker Ladbrokes has been active in exploring international expansion in the US and Italy in particular, but one thing the company seems unlikely to expand is its current online capability.
Recently there has been a concerted focus by online companies such as PartyGaming and 888 Holdings to acquire internet sportsbooks with non-US facing customer bases, but Ladbrokes believes that there is more value in developing its existing brand.
Ladbrokes chief executive Chris Bell recently ruled out a bid for the Victor Chandler group, which is a prime target for PartyGaming, with John O’Reilly, managing director of Ladbrokes’ e-gaming division, explaining, “Lots and lots of customers have lots of accounts,” he said. “So what we’d be buying would be a list of customers, many of whom already had accounts with us. We’re better off spending £51 a head [its current average] to recruit a new player rather than paying for customer acquisitions.”
In other news, Ladbrokes reported a 12.3 per cent rise in operating profits to £151.3 million in the six months to June, with the company making a total £17.5 million from this year’s football World Cup.
Hollywood Sportsbook Posts Odds on Reds and Giants Game
The Major League Baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and The San Francisco Giants takes place later today, with the game being almost too tight to call over at Hollywood Sportsbook.
Current odds at the online sportsbook and casino have both teams at -105 to come out on top, with both sides in a good run of form. The Cincinnati Reds will arrive fresh from a 14-0 victory over Houston on Tuesday, which moved them to within one game of NL Central leaders St. Louis Cardinals. The Giants on the other hand have won seven of their last nine games but trail the Reds by five games in the NL wild-card race.
Hollywood Sportsbook Media Relations executive, Alejandro Gomez, declared, “The San Francisco Giants still think they’ve got a crack at the postseason, but there’s still a lot of baseball to be played. Cincinnati are probably the slight favourites for tonight’s showdown as they are a very resilient team,' he said.
8/25/2006 gambling news:
PARTY GAMING BILLIONAIRE IS INTO FINANCIAL SERVICES NOW
Putting the Party Gaming harvest to work
Party Gaming co-founder Vikrant Bhargava, who resigned from the board of directors and cashed in a truckload of shares is intent on growing an already substantial personal fortune, it appears.
The thirty-something marketing whizz who founded Party Gaming with Anurag Dikshit and Ruth Parasol in 2000 has chosen another high rolling industry for his next venture - the financial services business, specifically a new hedge fund of funds firm to be launched next month.
According to The Times, Bhargava is investing in the start-up of Sirius, a new Gibraltar-based investment vehicle in which it is believed he will also be a director. The move comes two months after Bhargava and other directors sold part of their stakes in Party Gaming worth GBP 232 million only a year after its flotation on the London Stock Exchange.
The new fund of funds is aimed at investors with an appetite for higher risk and volatility. It will be managed by David Linsley, a former director of Cross Asset Management, a hedge fund bought last year by RAB Capital, the quoted investment group. Linsley had previously worked in prime brokerage at Lehman Brothers.
Bhargava has had several career changes, from a credit officer at the Bank of America and a British Gas analyst in the business-development division, since studying electrical engineering in India.
Party Gaming, which owns the top online gambling site Partypoker.com and a growing number of other gaming-style subsidiaries such as Party Casino and Party Backgammon, joined the FTSE last year with a GBP 5.5 billion flotation. Dikshit offloaded 57million shares in June, reducing his stake to 28.95 percent, while Bhargava sold 67million, leaving him with 6.96 percent. Fellow founders Ruth Parasol and her husband, Russell DeLeon, have disposed of 33 million shares, leaving each with 14.87 percent of the company.
If things don't pan out in the hedge fund business, Bhargava has plenty in reserve - between them, the four founders still own 65.7 percent of a still growing and prospering Party Gaming.
MAJOR WIN FOR KING NEPTUNE'S ONLINE CASINO PLAYER
First time lucky Joanne hits the Major Millions jackpot...but at first thought she had lost her Internet connection!
August 15 was a red letter day for online player JoanneS, an historial and ancient books archivist from Georgia; on her first and only bet on the Major Millions progressive slot at (www.kingneptunescasino.com) she hit a life-changing $362 745.20 jackpot on a total wager of only $18!
Joanne, who has been a King Neptune's player for the past two years sat stunned as the on-screen notification of her big win appeared on a quiet Tuesday evening that started out as a little online gambling entertainment and ended in big money truimph.
Describing her first impression of the win Joanne said: “A notification came up on the screen as I hit the jackpot, and my immediate reaction was "oh, I've lost my internet connection".... then, when I looked a little closer, put my glasses on and saw what it really was I just couldn't believe it!”
King Neptune's spokesman Scott Gaines said that hitting such a big win on a single bet was extraordinary but illustrated the random nature of the Major Millions, one of the most established Internet progressive games which has paid out tens of millions of dollars since its introduction.
"Joanne will be paid out in one single cash payment, and independent expert financial advice on how to handle such a large sum will be available as part of our free service should she ask for it," he said.
King Neptune's staff are no strangers to big-winning players. The top tier online casino has paid out literally millions of dollars to fortunate players since it went live 4 years ago. Gaines said that on the Major Millions progressive alone, Trident group players have won $1 711 985, all paid out quickly and without hassles.
King Neptune's is in the process of merging into Carmen Media group, which has wide international online gambling interests and operates 10 tier one online casinos, 4 online poker rooms and 1 sportsbook. All operations are powered by Microgaming and have achieved the eCOGRA “Play It Safe” seal. Online gaming licences from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission are held and operations are conducted strictly in compliance with the Commission's regulations. The online gambling venues within the group have built a strong reputation for ethical and responsible business conduct and are respected by the gaming industry and players alike.
INTERCASINO PLAYER HITS A JACKPOT, TOO
Caribbean Stud Poker delivers the goods for new player
Just minutes after signing up, Intercasino newbie Ryan P. collected a massive $148 594.39 win from award-winning Caribbean Stud Poker.
The player opened an account and during his first round of play on the popular casino-style Caribbean Stud Poker he hit a major jackpot. The win comes on the heels of a long string of 2006 InterCasino jackpots, many of which were claimed by first-time players.
“I logged-on to InterCasino thinking I would just check out what everyone was talking about,” said Ryan, “By the time I logged-off I was nearly $150 000 richer. On top of the huge thrill of winning, the whole online experience was superb—from the easy software interface to the excellent service and the personal congratulations from manager Ryan Hartley.”
InterCasino.com pays customer jackpots in one lump sum, unlike many competitor sites that spread winnings throughout the year in separate payments.
“The staff here at InterCasino gets just as excited as the winners do when a first-time player is able to take home such a massive jackpot,” said manager Hartley.
In addition to Caribbean Stud Poker, InterCasino’s award-winning lineup of online casino games, totaling over 180, include the world famous Marvel Heroes Slot Machines, Las Vegas favorites like Roulette and Blackjack, Multi-line Slots and Bonus Video Keno, all of which use award-winning software developed by CryptoLogic.
GOLD SUED FOR HALF WSOP WINNINGS
$6 million law suit filed in Las Vegas on online poker deal
The current 2006 World Series of Poker main event winner, Jamie Gold will not be enjoying his $12 million first prize just yet; a law suit claiming half of the giant bonanza has been filed in Las Vegas, and WSOP host Harrahs Entertainment has been restrained by court order from paying out until the case is heard on September 1.
Jamie Gold's accuser is a man named Bruce Crispin Leyser, who claims that he has voicemail messages and other evidence on an agreement with Gold to share half his winnings in return for recruiting celebrities to endorse Gold's sponsors, the Bodog group.
Reports in the Las Vegas Sun indicate that the suit alleges that as late as the morning of the main event final table game Gold confirmed the deal with Leyser. The complaint claims that Leyser recruited celebrities, upholding his side of the deal.
Apparently Chief District Court Judge Kathy Hardcastle has issued a restraining order preventing Harrah's from paying Gold his prize pending the first hearing of this lawsuit, which will be September 1st.
A Harrah's spokesperson has since confirmed that Gold has not yet been paid out. The payment of his $12 million dollars in winnings will now be delayed pending further direction from the judge.
As we went to press, no comment was yet available from Gold or his legal advisers.
BIG WINS START THE ONLINE CASINO WEEK
Two major hits at Pinnacle and Slotland online casinos
Almost $545 000 was scored in two big wins at online casinos as the week started. The online casinos Pinnacle and Slotland each announced major wins by their players.
Slotland.com recorded its sixth big jackpot win this year when newbie player “Iringion” won $116 828 playing the popular Wild Heart slot machine.
“I wasn’t even a real slots fan before this,” said the player, who hails from Masschusetts. “I used to prefer online poker and other card games, but after this experience you can be sure I love spinning slots now!”
“Some people think you have to play slots a lot before you win anything,” said Hannah Morante of Slotland.com, “But this beginner winning a very big jackpot after playing such a short time shows that anyone can win any time.”
On his winning session, the player said he knew he’d really hit a groove of nice paying hands when he saw a couple of straight flushes and several four of a kinds land in his lap while playing Jacks or Better. When he switched to Wild Hearts, it was slow at first and he was down $600. Then he was dealt three Wild Royal Flushes for an automatic $1,500 win – and there were still two wild cards in each deck. Agonizing for a moment about whether or not to take the guaranteed $1500 or go for the glory, with a progressive jackpot or over $116,000 luring him to give it a try, he trusted his decision to a flip of a coin.
“When the cards came up, I will never forget seeing that lovely Jack of Diamonds fall on the bottom line!” recalls the winner. “And can you believe it? I also DID get another wild card on the middle line! Kind of like extra frosting on an amazing cake!”
Asked what he plans to do with his big win, the winner said he still hasn’t calmed down enough to think that far. “I never expected it to be me to win the jackpot, so I never really thought very hard about what to do with so much money. But don't worry I am sure I will figure it out!”
But the week's biggest winner as at our press date was a New York based online gambler at Pinnacle Casino.com, who hit a Royal Flush that netted him a life-changing $427 560!
Longtime online casino player Gene C. saw his patience pay off when he recorded a record-setting winning hand playing stud poker. The New Yorker has been a loyal Pinnacle Casino player for nearly two years and after playing numerous hands of stud poker, everything came up spades when he was dealt a royal flush to take home the biggest single-hand payout in the online casino’s history.
“While the hand was being dealt, I just prayed that the dealer would qualify. When he did, I couldn’t even scream or jump for joy – I was completely shocked,” said the astonished winner. “I never thought it would happen to me but my win proves that anyone can strike it rich at any time.”
The dealer qualified for the Pinnacle Stud Poker hand by receiving a pair of 9s against Gene’s royal flush. The qualifying hand netted Gene $320 000 for the royal flush and an additional $107 360 for the progressive Pinnacle Stud Poker jackpot.
Owned and operated by PinnacleSports.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook, Pinnacle Casino offers a full range of Vegas-style casino games including, blackjack, roulette, poker, craps, pai gow, baccarat, keno and slots to players in over 130 countries.
SNOWBOARDER IS PARTY POKER'S TOP ACTION SPORTS STAR
Danny Kass takes the Big Throwdown Championship
Party Poker's blend of poker excitement and major action sports stars (see previous InfoPowa reports) in the Party Poker Big Throwdown Championship has a winner.
Danny Kass, a 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics silver medalist, defeated five other action sports stars to win the inaugural event at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, beating out surfer Pat O'Connell, BMX competitor Dennis McCoy, skateboarder Sergie Ventura, wakeboarder Josh Sanders, and FMX competitor Jeff Tilton.
The all-star action sports contestants battled their way to the final table through earlier qualifier events leading to a winner-take-all final table where a first prize of $30 000 was up for grabs.
Surfer O'Connell was first to be eliminated after 75 minutes of play, followed by McCoy and Ventura who were taken out on the same hand by Kass.
Tilton took Sanders out of the game next and then went heads-up against Kass with a slight chip lead. The two played for 30 minutes before Tilton went all-in with an inside straight draw, but Kass triumphed with king high.
Party Poker commissioned a one-hour telecast of the action which will air October 21 on the Outdoor Life Network.
NEW REALTIME GAMING LICENSEE LAUNCHES
One Club Entertainment has big ambitions for UK business
One Club Entertainment is the latest Realtime Gaming licensee to launch in the UK, going live with its first venture, One Club Casino.com this week.
The new operator has big ambitions in a competitive market - it claims that British online casino gambling is dominated by casinos running on software platforms such as Cryptologic (William Hill, Littlewoods, and Intercasino UK) Microgaming (32 Red and others) and Playtech (Stanley Casino) but that it aims to carve out a major share of the market for itself.
In opting for the US-based Realtime Gaming platform, One Club Casino plans to introduce more variety to the UK online casino market, with access to the popular Realtime Gaming progressive slots jackpots such as 'Midlife Crisis' and 'Shopping Spree'.
One Club's minimalist but professional graphics, speedy and exciting gameplay, an impressive game variety and healthy signup and loyalty incentives will extend the gaming choice and potential rewards for British players, the company claims.
Future expansion plans for One Club Entertainment include online sportsbetting, poker, and bingo products over the next 18 months, all to be targeted specifically on UK-based gamblers using pounds sterling deposits and payouts.
8/24/2006 gambling news:
Legends of Poker are Covered by PocketFives
The World Poker Tour’s Legends of Poker tournament is to get under way this Saturday August 26, and online poker room PocketFivesLive will be there to provide live coverage of the online poker players scheduled to participate.
Around 600 poker players are set to descend on the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, California, for the $10,000 buy-in tournament which will be broadcast on The Travel Channel as part of Season 5 of the World Poker Tour. PocketFivesLive.com is encouraging participating online poker players to register at its website, where it is offering free live coverage of the event, in the hope of witnessing an online poker player emerge victorious.
'I expect over 20 of our online poker players to compete in the first World Poker Tour event we will be covering,' said PocketFives Chief Editor and Co-Owner Adam Small. 'Any online poker player who has qualified for this tournament should register at PocketFivesLive.com where we will provide live coverage of you for your family and friends free of charge.”
PocketFivesLive was launched in July, 2006, and tracked over 400 online poker players in the World Series of Poker Main Event; 50 of whom cashed in for a total of almost $3 million.
PinnacleSports.com Favours Federer to Join Greats
The final Grand Slam in the tennis calendar begins on Monday, when the world’s best players descend on New York’s Flushing Meadows for the 125th US Open. It comes as no surprise that PinnacleSports.com has made Roger Federer the overwhelming favourite to retain his third consecutive title.
The world number one will join an illustrious group of legends to have won three consecutive US Opens, including Ivan Lendl and Jon McEnroe, should he win this year’s title. PinnacleSports.com has posted him at 5/9 to achieve that feat with his main rival and French Open winner Raphael Nadal second favourite at 11/2, with former champion Andy Roddick at 12/1, whilst two-time champion Andre Agassi is a 106/1 outsider to bring a fairytale end to his career.
In the women’s draw, PinnacleSports.com has 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova as the marginal favourite at 3/1, with 2003 US Open winner Justine Henin-Hardenne second favourite at 7/2 and world number one and this year’s Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo next at 9/2.
Online Casino Jackpot Reaches $4 million
Players at InterCasino's Millionaires Club are holding their collective breath as the progressive jackpot races past the $4 million mark, making it one of the largest online slots game jackpots to date.
The Millionaires Club 9 line bonus slot game is currently escalating by at rate of over $35,000 per day, and with the jackpot already at a record level, the popularity of the game looks set to increase further. “The Millionaires Club 9 line jackpot is the most popular online casino jackpot we have ever seen on the internet,” claimed InterCasino manager Ryan Hartley.
InterCasino’s Millionaires Club is no stranger to paying out large progressive jackpots as demonstrated last year, when one player walked away with over $1 million. It also looks set to be a happy anniversary for InterCasino, which is celebrating its tenth year of operation with a record progressive jackpot.
Online Casino to Sponsor Raging Boll
Already widely recognised for the sponsorship of high-profile boxers, athletes and celebrities, online casino GoldenPalace.com has once again stepped into the ring, this time to team up with much criticised filmmaker Uwe Boll.
The event which is titled GoldenPalace.com Presents Raging Boll, offers Boll the opportunity to confront his critics in the ring as he challenges all-comers to a three-round bout, which will form part of his next feature film ‘Postal’.
German filmmaker Boll is best known for several video game based films such as 'Alone in the Dark', 'House of the Dead', and 'BloodRayne', and is considered by many critics to be one of the world's worst filmmakers. However, after being publicly humiliated for his latest film BloodRayne earlier this year, Boll decided to settle the score. 'Many journalists make value judgments on my films based on the opinions of one or two thousand Internet voices,' claims Boll. 'Half of those opinions come from people who've never watched my films.'
Four bouts are currently scheduled for September 23 with another planned beforehand in Spain. Boll’s confirmed challengers are: Carlos Palencia Jimenez-Arguello Webmaster of cinecutre.com; Richard 'Lowtax' Kyanka Webmaster /CEO for Something Awful; Jeff Sneide Journalist for Ain't It Cool News; Chris Alexander Journalist / Radio Announcer for Rue Morgue; and Website Critic Nelson Chance Minter.
“This event is perfect for us,' said GoldenPalace.com CEO Richard Rowe. 'We receive so many outlandish offers for advertising exposure that it is refreshing to see something that surprises even us.”
Online Casino’s Golden Boy Faces Lawsuit
A district court judge has issued a restraining order to prevent Bodog.com sponsored WSOP champion Jamie Gold from collecting his winnings until the settlement of a lawsuit against Gold filed by Crispin Leyser, a television development executive and instructor for the World Poker Tour Boot Camp.
The lawsuit claims that Leyser should be receiving half of Gold's first-place prize money from the WSOP main event due to an arrangement the pair had made prior to the tournament. It stipulates that Leyser was approached by Gold, whose entry fee was paid by Bodog.com, seeking assistance in finding celebrities to play under the Bodog flag. If celebrities were found Bodog agreed to provide either Gold or Leyser a seat at the main event, and according to the lawsuit both players agreed that whoever received the seat would halve their winnings with the other.
Clark County (Nev.) Chief District Court Judge Kathy Hardcastle issued a restraining order on Tuesday to prevent Gold from collecting his winnings from the Rio Hotel and Casino until at least Sept. 1, when the first hearing of the lawsuit is scheduled.
8/23/2006 gambling news:
Preparations Heat Up for Fire & ICE 2007
It''s the biggest party during International Casino Exhibition (ICE) and Lyceum Events have announced initial details of Fire & ICE 2007. The popular industry party is taking place on Wednesday night, January 24th, 2007 and falls on the second day of the expo.
Fire & ICE 2007 will be held at an as-yet-to-be-disclosed location, and Lyceum is currently searching venues to accommodate over 1,000 VIP guests and executives expected to attend.
Last year''s event was a huge success for Lyceum and sponsors, as the 600-strong crowd partied through distinct zones – each with their own individual theme, look and feel.
After last year’s resoundingly successful event, Lyceum have received a number of approaches by iGaming companies with regards to sponsorship, but Lyceum are searching for the perfect partnerships to ensure that 2007 Fire & ICE keeps the January chill from all of their guest''s bones.
Jodie Thind, Partner at Lyceum Media said, ''It’s incredible to think that we’ve already had a great deal of interest in sponsorship, considering there is still half a year until the party. It’s amazing how huge this party has grown over the years.''
Slotland.com Player Wins $116,828 Jackpot
In the sixth major jackpot of the year for Slotland.com, 'Iringion' of Massachusetts scooped $116,828 playing the Wild Heart slot machine.
'I wasn’t even a real slots fan before this,' said the excited winner. 'I used to prefer online poker and other card games, but after this experience you can be sure I love spinning slots now.'
'Iringion' decided to try out Slotland's unique games when he realized that several are, in fact, card games.
'I just figured that there are more slots and players probably play the slots more often than the card games, which is why I see so many slot machine jackpots. I did recall Striking Sevens hitting recently, so I really was not expecting the jackpot by playing the card games.
'When the cards came up, I will never forget seeing that beloved jack of diamonds fall on the bottom line.'
Hannah Morante of Slotland.com, said, 'Some people think you have to play slots a lot before you win anything. But this beginner winning a very big jackpot after playing such a short time shows that anyone can win any time.'
Hip Hop Star to Appear In ACES Film
Hip-hop stars and celebrities are set to make an appearance in ACES, the poker movie sponsored by online casino Aces.com.
Platinum recording artist Domino is one of the hip-hop stars brought in by Hollywood director Daniel Zirilli. Also playing a cameo role will be Scott Kusmirek, drummer for the platinum-selling rock group, the Gin Blossoms.
Aces.com is no stranger to the music industry. Snoop Dog and other stars at the Radio Music Awards in Vegas hung out at Aces.com's backstage poker table. One of them even ended up winning $32K playing cards with the free money Aces.com had put in their account.
Rene Quesada, Aces.com’s Manager, said, 'It's cool they got these hip hop stars to play in the high stakes game in Rio at the end. Talk about poker faces…'
It is not the first time that Zirilli has worked with Domino, having directed three music videos for him, including 'Money is Everything', 'Long Beach Thing' and his first number one platinum hit 'Ghetto Jam' - the number one MTV music video in the world at the time.
Online Bookmakers Honour Test Match Result
Bookmakers Paddy Power have come to the rescue of their customers after deciding to pay out on an England win for the fourth Test against Pakistan.
A Paddy Power spokesman said, 'We think this is the fair result and one that doesn’t leave our punters stumped. In these situations Paddy Power doesn't look at our rules but we ask ourselves what we would consider to be a fair result if we were the punter.'
The firm’s generosity of spirit will cost it about £120,000 in refunds, because a Pakistan win, quoted at 8-11 when play was stopped, and a draw, offered at evens, were the two most heavily backed results. An England win was a rank outsider at 25-1.
Elsewhere, however, punters were left reeling when England were declared winners after Pakistan forfeited the match with Ladbrokes, William Hill and Totesport all confirming they will be paying out on a home victory.
Totesport spokesman Paul Petrie said, 'Our rules are clear in that we pay out on the official result, so therefore it is an England win. Obviously those that backed Pakistan and the draw can consider themselves extremely unlucky and we can only hope that this situation never arises again.'
At least one of Totesport's telephone customers received a lucky break though, after he put £200 on England at 28-1 on Saturday night.
Bowmans Announce NFL Handicapping Competition
As the 2006 NFL season approaches, online sportsbetting operator Bowmans is once again ready to roll out its NFL world challenge of handicapping competition. The competition, now in its fifth year, is a free-to-enter weekly which starting September 1 and runs for the entire 2006 NFL season, with a total cash prize fund of $110,000.
The game is based on making eight point spread selections from the scheduled NFL games each week on Bowmans.com, with the player selecting the most correct selections each week receiving $2,500. Bowmans are also offering a cash prize of $25,000 to the player with the most correct selections throughout the season, with prizes of $15,000 and $5000 for second and third place respectively.
Sara Waller, Marketing Manager of Bowmans, said, “Not only is the $100,000 prize fund this year absolutely fantastic but with the loyalty bonuses, the random draw and cash prizes paid all the way down to 70th place, we believe this NFL world challenge of handicapping competition to be the best yet.”
The loyalty bonus is a £100 cash incentive paid to players who compete throughout the entire 17 weeks of the season. Pre-registration for the competition is now open.
8/18/2006 gambling news:
New Jackpot Solitaire for Harrods Casino
Harrods Casino Online, the Kismet International-owned Internet gaming site of the Knightsbridge based department store, has announced the launch of its new Jackpot Solitaire offering, the first version of the game to feature a progressive jackpot that mathematically speaking, could tip the scales in favour of the player.
The Jackpot Vegas Solitaire game allows players to play through one 52-card deck drawing one card at a time, with a payment made to the player every time a card is placed on the foundation pile. The amount is based on the original bet, with amounts being paid once a game is completed.
Manu Gambhir, CEO of Kismet International, the operator of Harrods Casino Online commented, “This is an interesting game for players as there is no known mathematical model which predicts the payout rate for Solitaire. With the progressive jackpot, simulations suggest that expert players may have a slight advantage over the house.”
Poker Stars Shine at WSOP
Now that the dust is slowly settling on what was an extraordinary 2006 World Series of Poker, online poker rooms are embracing the opportunity to reflect on the successes and disappointments of their sponsored WSOP players, with PokerStars.com in particular having much to smile about.
The poker tournament website sponsored 1623 players at the 2006 WSOP, accounting for just under 19 per cent of the total entrants, who between them brought back $21 million from the 46 open events at poker’s most prestigious tournament. Three PokerStars.com players managed to battle their way to the final table, with Doug Kim, Erik Friberg and Dan Nassif counting themselves unlucky not to be challenging for the $12 million first prize, but still checking out of Las Vegas with a combined $5.9 million.
Prior to the WSOP PokerStars.com had bolstered its team of All-Star players with the additions of Barry Greenstein, Victor Ramdin, Katja Thater, Humberto Brenes and William Chen, plus comedians Norm MacDonald, Louie Anderson and PGA tour member and golf commentator Paul Azinger.
2005 WSOP champion and PokerStars.com team member Joe Hachem also faired well in the competition, and pointed to the ‘increasing number of online players’ as the catalyst behind poker’s continuing growth.
Poker Stars Prepare for Biggest Online Poker Tournament
PokerStars.com has announced that its fifth annual World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) is to take place on September 16, with players from more than 80 countries competing in 18 tournaments for a guaranteed prize pool of $10 million.
The WCOOP will run over the course of 16 days, starting with the $200 buy-in Razz (Seven-Card Stud Low) tournament, and ending on October 1st with the $2,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, offering cash prizes of $3 million. One of the highlights of this year’s tournament is set to be the online tournament debut of H.O.R.S.E., a rotation of five varieties of poker which is expected to draw some of the sport’s top names.
Team PokerStars spokesperson Barry Greenstein said, “Prestigious tournaments such as the PokerStars.com WCOOP are the ultimate way to improve your game and experience the excitement of big tournament play. The WCOOP is a popular event with the established stars of online poker, and the H.O.R.S.E. tournament is bound to attract the elite.”
The 2005 WCOOP tournament series attracted 19,727 players and generated $12,783,900 in prize money making it the third largest online and terrestrial poker spectacle in the world.
MANSIONPOKER.NET in Holyfield’s Corner
Four-time World Heavyweight Champion, Evander Holyfield, steps back into the ring again tonight to begin his quest to make history by becoming the first boxer to have held the world heavyweight title on five separate occasions. The fight also marks the boxing debut of online poker room MANSIONPOKER.NET, as it continues to develop its sports sponsorship brand.
Holyfield, now 43, goes toe to toe against veteran Jeremy Bates at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas this evening nearly two years after his last heavyweight bout, and the fight is expected to generate significant public interest from a global televised audience.
MANSIONPOKER.NET Chief Operating Officer, David Kinsman explained, “Our continued exploration of sports sponsorships demonstrates our respect for the sporting ideal, and we understand that poker players are by their nature equally fanatical about sports of all sorts.”
The sponsorship deal will see the MANSIONPOKER.NET logo on all four sides of the canvas and the corner pads behind each of the two fighters during their ten round non-title fight which will be screened live on Fox Sports Net.
New Player in UK Online Casino Market
One Club Entertainment has announced the release of its first online betting platform in the shape of One Club Casino, promising to be the most ‘exclusive club on the Internet’ by offering new players between £20 and £450 in bonuses as well as continuing promotions for loyal members.
The new site will be powered by the Realtime Gaming software platform, in an attempt to add what One Club describes as ‘much needed’ variety to the UK casino market, given the prominence of Cryptologic in sites such as William Hill, Littlewoods and Intercasino UK. The software will provide players with access to progressive jackpots such as ‘Midlife Crisis’ and ‘Shopping Spree’, along with quick and accessible game play and variety.
The company has plans to release Online Sportsbetting, Online Poker, and Online Bingo products over the coming 18 months, all to be directed specifically towards UK-based gamblers and accepting bets in pound sterling.
8/17/2006 gambling news:
Slotland.com Announces Best Phone for Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming has become big business in recent months. Now, Slotland has announced that the best phone to play their latest games on is the Motorola Razr.
Martin Smith, Slotland.com’s Mobile Games Manager, said, 'The large screen on the Motorola Razr makes it an obvious choice for mobile gambling. But it is also one of the most technically advanced mobile phones and supports Java better than most. And Java is what makes our real-money slot machines work on a phone or PDA.'
The mobile platform faces many technological challenges and mobile phone brands such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola develop different solutions to these problems.
That means mobile entertainment providers like Slotland.com have to design versions of every game for every different phone brand. These inconsistencies have prompted them to state that if they could choose one phone as the standard, it would be the Motorola Razr.
Despite the challenges of pioneering new technology, www.Slotland.com/mobile manages to add a new mobile slot machine every six weeks or so. Coincidently, that’s about as often as Slotland’s huge Progressive Jackpot is hit.
“We’re not playing for quarters here,” laughs Smith. “The jackpots on our mobile games are tied in to the jackpots online and part of that huge prize pool. We had a player recently that won $163K spinning slots on his mobile phone!”
Recognizing the company’s commitment to unique games and exemplary customer service, Slotland.com was recently named as one of five finalists in the inaugural ME Awards for mobile entertainment “Best Gambling Company” category.
Online Casino Boss Is Finally Released From Jail
David Carruthers, the former chief executive of BetOnSports, was released on bail of $1 million (£530,000) by an American judge yesterday, after a month in custody.
Raising the $1 million bond and meeting the conditions set by the judge proved difficult, but last night Mr Carruthers was able to sleep in a hotel room in the St Louis suburb of Clayton. He will only be allowed to leave the hotel only to attend court, meet his attorney or for medical emergencies.
The Scot, who faces charges ranging from racketeering to fraud and conspiracy, was arrested on July 16 by FBI and revenue service agents as he was passing through Dallas airport in transit from London to the group’s headquarters in Costa Rica.
Mr Carruthers had been detained in a medium-security federal prison in Fort Worth. When he attended a bail hearing five days later, he was shackled and chained to a line of prisoners.
Online Casino Sends Lucky Player to Playboy Mansion
It is known as one of Poker's hottest sites and Bombshell Poker has shown this by sending a contest winner to the Playboy Mansion for the night of his life.
Lucky player Derek and his best friend Chris of North Carolina partied along with several LA Bombshell Girls at the “at the 'All Star Night At The Mansion.'
The event, hosted by Rodney Peete, was organised to benefit the HollyRod Foundation. The Bombshell Poker competition winners were delighted to be in the company of over 200 celebrities, athletes, playmates, Bombshell Poker Girls and 500 of LA's hottest women.
Bombshell Poker offers a variety of poker rooms and competitions including, Win-a-Date with a Bombshell, Win-a-Trip to a Bombshell photo shoot, and the Bombshell Poker Cruise Package.
Betfred Teams Up With Manchester United
Manchester United has announced a sponsorship deal with Fred Done and his bookmakers Betfred.
The Manchester based firm has become United's official bookmaking and online gaming partner in a multi-million pound deal.
The deal will see all the betting kiosks in the stadium and corporate areas re-branded and a Betfred/Manchester United website, offering Betfred gaming including poker, casino and traditional betting.
Mr Done said: 'This is a dream come true. I've been a season ticket holder at United for 45 years and the opportunity to be an official partner was a deal I could not pass up.'
Under the terms of the deal, Betfred will also be creating fans' events and linking up with MUTV, with gaming specials for viewers.
Manchester United’s CEO David Gill, said, 'Betfred is a growing world-wide brand and is one of the most respected of all UK bookmakers. Fred's business acumen together with his love for the club can only be good for our fans and our business.'
Online Gaming Continues to Grow In Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a self-governing territory with close ties to Britain, but this small territory is building a reputation as the capital of online gambling.
The territory's offshore gambling business began in 1989 and there are now over 15 online casino gambling firms based in Gibraltar. Many are listed on the London Stock Market, and employing approximately 1800 people, more then 12 percent of the workforce.
Representative, Freddie Ballester of the territory’s Betting and Gaming Association says, 'Gibraltar is a minute speck on the globe. But when it comes to online gambling it is probably the most important jurisdiction in the world.”
An estimated 75 percent of online casino gambling firm workers have moved to Gibraltar from other countries specifically for jobs in the online gaming industry.
CEO of 888.com, John Anderson comments, 'The Gibraltar government wants us here and it makes it very attractive, so I can't see the online casino gambling industry moving.
'They have a government that understands the needs of business and the tax situation means we can return more to our shareholders.'
8/16/2006 gambling news:
PinnacleSports.com Puts on its Dancing Shoes
With the third season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ just under a month away, ABC has announced the celebrity contestants that will be participating, which has prompted PinnacleSports.com to offer early odds on potential winners of the show.
ABC has confirmed that stars such as former ‘Saved by the Bell’ actor Mario Lopez, Hollywood actress Vivica A. Fox, and NFL legend Emmitt Smith are to be among the celebrity guests preparing to go toe-to-toe against one another, with the help of professional dancers, to be crowned ‘Dancing with the Stars’ champion.
PinnacleSports.com currently has Mario Lopez as a 3/1 favourite to win the latest series, with Hollywood actress Vivica A. Fox second favourite at 4/1, closely followed by Monique Coleman of High School Musical fame at 9/2, and Joey Lawrence at 6/1.
Simon Noble, spokesperson for the online sportsbook said, “We've seen a huge surge in betting on reality shows like 'Dancing with the Stars' and 'American Idol' as more people put their money behind the contestants they're voting for,” he explained.
Outside bets see self-proclaimed ‘bad girl of pop’ Willa Ford and country award-winner Sara Evans at 9/1, Emmitt Smith at14/1, former Miss USA, actress and 'Meet The Barkers' star Shanna Moakler at 20/1, while talk show host Jerry Springer is a 49/1 long shot to win the celebrity dance contest.
Betcorp Unveil New Online Casino
The new offering from Betcorp, Ready2Bet.com, has opened its virtual doors to the public this week, offering online casino, poker, sportsbook, and horseracing facilities with the platforms in place for the launch of a mobile gambling suite, the details of which are yet to be confirmed.
Ready2bet, which employs the one account policy through Cyber Processing Corporation, offers its services via a range of different gambling software technologies, with its sportsbook powered by IQ Ludorum, the casino by Playtech, and its poker facilities through Microgaming.
Betcorp has insisted that the new site, and its sportsbook in particular, will cater for the needs of all players, from the recreational fans to the most demanding professionals. Players at the new site will have the opportunity to bet on a wide variety of sports including Football, Baseball, Hockey, Basketball, Props, Horse Racing and many more.
To celebrate the launch of the site, Ready2bet.com has announce that it is offering up to $200 welcome bonus to all new players plus a $20 Free Bet on the NFL.
Excapsa Still Exploring New Acquisitions
The Chief Executive of online gaming company Excapsa Software Inc. is remaining confident that the company can continue to pursue its intentions to acquire a casino software developer after positive interim results.
CEO Jim Ryan declared in an interview with the Reuters News Agency that Excapsa were “actively pursuing the acquisition of a casino software developer” to help extend its present offering. This follows the company’s floatation on the Alternative Investment Market in February of this year, and the announcement of pretax profits of $16.8 million (£9 million) for the six months to the end of June after a loss of $431,000 a year ago.
The turnaround came after Excapsa renegotiated a licensing deal for poker software with eWorld, operator of UltimateBet.com, and based on proforma figures, which calculate 2005's figures had the deal been in place for the full year, the company would have posted a 27 per cent rise in net income.
Ryan continued to mention Excapsa intention to launch an online blackjack tournament in the third quarter following the recent launch of mobile phone capable poker games.
Shares in Excapsa were up 1.6 percent to 62-1/2 pence in midday trading, valuing the company at around £124 million.
Pools Company Sides with Everton FC
On the eve of the new Premiership season in England, it has been announced that Sportech PLC, owners of Liverpool-based company Littlewoods Pools, has signed a marketing sponsorship deal with Everton Football Club for the Premiership campaign.
The agreement sees Sportech become Everton’s official football gaming partner for the upcoming season, which starts on Saturday (19 August), and will comprise of a new roster of online and offline sponsorship and marketing initiatives to promote the company's gaming portfolio, which includes the Football Pools, Spot The Ball and online casino, poker and bingo products.
Everton’s chief executive Keith Wyness, said, “It is a multi-faceted deal that will further strengthen Littlewoods Pools' relationship with football, as well as ensuring their ever increasing collection of gaming brands are seen by tens of thousands of Everton fans both home and abroad each week.”
Ian Penrose, chief executive of Sportech, explained, “As the club’s official gaming partner, we're also enhancing the range of online games available at evertonfc.com and improving the overall experience for Everton fans who regularly visit the site.”
Damage to Industry is Sustainable Suggests Survey
The consulting firm MECN has presented the results of its latest survey entitled ‘Future of Online Gambling after the Shockwaves’, through which approximately 100 industry experts have offered their personal insights and assessments regarding the critical issues that the online gambling industry currently faces.
In the light of US Authority action against various members of the online gaming industry, which resulted in the imprisonment and subsequent sacking of BetOnSports CEO David Carruthers, there has become an increased demand for inside opinion on the industry’s predicament, and the alternatives on offer.
The MECN survey targeted experts who are currently employed by online gambling companies and included many industry leaders. Results show that 98% of online gambling experts believe that the recent shockwaves will have a medium-term impact on the industry, and that 88% believe that the arrest of David Carruthers is not solely a problem for BetOnSports, but rather a serious problem for the whole industry.
Other results point to a less unanimous verdict on the role of the stock market, with 35% believing that the stock market overreacted in the wake of the crisis, whilst the majority of insiders adopting the view that planned online gambling IPOs are likely to be either postponed or cancelled.
8/15/2006 gambling news:
eCOGRA Reaches Target Ahead of Schedule
The target of accrediting 100 online casino and poker rooms by December 2006 has been reached early by the eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (www.eCOGRA.org).
eCOGRA launched its 100 Seals campaign in May this year with 76 accredited sites. In just over three months, the organization has exceeded its goal, with 107 'Play It Safe' seals awarded to tier-one online casinos and poker rooms.
eCOGRA CEO, Andrew Beveridge, said, 'Not only is this a major milestone for eCOGRA, these 107 seals signify a major change in the industry in which players are consistently seeking out the 'Play It Safe' seal, and there is a real desire and ability for the industry to self-regulate.
'To all online operators, if you're ready to meet the 21st century challenges facing the industry, we invite you to commit to our standards and join the ranks of some of the most successful online gambling sites in the world.'
Online Sportsbook Favours Tiger For PGA Championship
Tiger Woods is on top of his golf game after back-to-back tournament victories gave him his 11th major championship at the British Open and 50th career title at the Buick Open.
Now Woods enters the final major of the season at Medinah Country Club as PinnacleSports.com 9/4 favourite for the PGA Championship.
Woods is no stranger to being favourite, in fact, PinnacleSports.com made Woods the favourite in this year's previous three majors, but this time his odds for the PGA have been cut in half from both the U.S. and British Open where Tiger was a 5/1 shot.
Tiger is such a clear favourite this time due to his current form and the fact that he was victorious at Medinah the last time the PGA Championship was held there in 1999.
Mickelson follows Tiger in the betting at 10/1 although he has struggled to find form since his dramatic collapse in the US Open.
Ernie Els (14/1) and Jim Furyk (16/1) are solid contenders in the 156-player field to win their first PGA Championship, while Vijay Singh (16/1) hopes to win the event for the third time.
Further back in the betting several other players will feel they have a big chance to win their first PGA Championship including: Retief Goosen (25/1), Sergio Garcia (28/1), Adam Scott (30/1), Luke Donald (35/1), Padraig Harrington (45/1) and Chris DiMarco (50/1).
PinnacleSports.com also lists reigning U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy at 50/1 while 2001 champion David Toms is a 60/1 long shot and could well attract some interest from bettors.
Online Casino Pays Out $25,000 Poker Jackpot
As the popularity for online casinos continues to grow, more and more people are trying their luck for the first time. For Christian Todte, a German student, it was definitely a case of beginner's luck.
Christian, who had only been playing poker for three months, was stunned when he won five straight $5 + $1 Maui 'Jackpot Sit 'N Go' tournaments to claim a $25,000 Jackpot Prize at Titan Poker.
Speaking after the tournament, Christian said, 'I started to play at noon and only stopped in the evening after winning five consecutive tournaments. After succeeding on the 4th tournament, I felt special and I knew that I was very close to getting the jackpot.
'I was so excited at this point that I had to take a break of 15 minutes before I was able to start the last one. I was stunned after I won the 5th tournament and I just couldn't believe that I had done it!'
Winners at Titan Poker's jackpot sit 'n' go tournaments are also in the running for big jackpot prizes if they win enough consecutive tournaments in a similar manner to Christian Todte.
The Rio and Maui Sit 'N' Go Tournaments offer starting jackpots of $25,000 and $15,000 respectively and grow progressively each week if no player manages to win enough consecutive tournaments to claim the jackpot prize.
Online Casino Ladies' Night Features Charity Event
The World Poker Tour Ladies' Night, held at the Bicycle Casino is one of the most popular events on tour, with this year's competition hoping to show an even higher level of play.
Actress Jennifer Tilly and several of poker's up-and-coming ladies will compete at the event in support of breast cancer research.
The World Poker Tour has kicked off the charity drive with its first annual online auction on its website, WorldPokerTour.com featuring several VIP packages including four day-spa gift certificates, a seat at this year's WPT Celebrity Invitational in Los Angeles, and 12 box seat tickets to an LA Clippers basketball home game.
Net proceeds from the auction, which runs through September 5th, will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
To complement the online auction, the Bicycle Casino will host a gala and cocktail hour on August 19. Ladies will walk the PINK carpet and bid on the items to show their support for breast cancer.
8/14/2006 gambling news:
Betcorp Hangs up its US Business
Betcorp, the AIM-listed online gaming company, has announced that it is no longer taking telephone bets from American residents, and is reviewing its US-facing businesses which currently account for up to 85% of revenue, in the wake of the BetOnSports affair.
Chief executive Colin Walker explained that Betcorp would continue to monitor its US-facing businesses in the light of continued uncertainty about the legality of online gaming. 'We're registered in Antigua, where we take bets, and the view we had understood from our legal advisers was that we had been acting legally and appropriately. Recent events have cast that into doubt.'
Betcorp shares plummeted more than 40 per cent in value following the arrest of BetOnSports chief executive David Carruthers, forcing the company into a geographical expansion outside of the US, with Europe being its primary focus.
This latest news comes as Betcorp reported a 146 per cent jump in pre-tax profits to $4.6 million during the six months to the beginning of July, whilst total gross revenues from players rose 75 per cent to $22 million and active customers increased by a third during the period to 27,281.
David Carruthers Released After Raising Bail
It has been reported that former BetOnSports chief executive David Carruthers will finally be released from prison later today, following his party’s success in raising the required $1 million dollars to make bail.
As part of the bail requirements, Mr Carruthers has been ordered to stay in St Louis, Missouri, and will be fitted with an electronic tag to monitor his movements during the course of the trial.
Reports suggest that Carruthers is likely to finance his own legal defence, although BetOnSports has claimed that it will provide the funding for his attorneys. This is despite the company’s decision to withhold the payment of deposits to its customers, with many claiming to be owed five figure sums. US Attorney Catherine Hanaway has ordered all customer deposits be paid immediately, implying that further actions may be taken against the company.
Last Friday the firm announced it was closing down its US business, which resulted in the loss of around 800 jobs as well as raising doubts over the long-term viability of the company.
Bodog’s Man is Worth His Weight in Gold
The Bodog.com sponsored poker player, Jamie Gold, has converted his impressive final round lead by winning the Main Event of the 2006 World Series of Poker. Gold, who had been leading the tournament for over a week, came to the final table with over $26 million in chips, nearly $9 million more than his nearest competitor, and walked away with the $12 million first prize as well as the gold bracelet.
The former Hollywood agent turned television producer emerged from a field of over eight thousand to beat experienced poker journeymen of the calibre of Dan Nassif and Allen Cunningham, to the tournament title.
Gold said of his victory, 'I can't believe it, I am very happy. It started off tough, but once I felt in control, I realized that if I continued to play my game, I would be very hard to beat.' He added, 'This wouldn't have been possible without the support of my friends and family along with the members of Team Bodog.'
Gold signed a two-year endorsement deal with Bodog.com which includes the standard tournament buy-ins and promotional appearances, together with a $1-million television production deal, and a Jamie Gold table on Bodog.com.
Online Casino Sponsor Spanish Football Giants
The online gaming entertainment company 888, has announced an agreement that will see them become the official club sponsor of Spanish La Liga side Sevilla, for the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 football seasons.
The agreement serves to underline 888’s heightened activity in the sports sponsorship market having already forged successful partnerships with Middlesbrough Football Club, the World Snooker Championships and its recent deal to sponsor Toulouse Football Club. It also represents the company’s non-US customer focus, through diversified, multi-channel marketing, in light of the uncertain stance of the industry concerning the American market.
John Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of 888 said, “I am delighted to announce another European sports sponsorship so soon after our recent Toulouse agreement. Sevilla is a fantastic club in one of Europe's most exciting football Leagues and we are thrilled to be associated with them.”
The anticipated benefits in Europe would seem to complement and reinforce 888's operational strategy of multi-lingual websites and customer support which it currently maintains across 177 countries in up to 11 languages.
BetOnSports Impacts on House of Lords
A senior aide to Conservative leader David Cameron is facing an uncertain financial future of his own after previously boasting that US authorities had 'totally failed' to prevent his online betting firm making millions in America.
Tory peer Lord Glentoran is a non-executive director of BetOnSports, which decided to abandon its lucrative American operations on Friday, following the arrest and subsequent impounding of former CEO David Carruthers. Lord Glentoran and his wife, Lady Glentoran, now stand to lose the majority of their shares in the company, which were at an estimated £50,000, with some City insiders forecasting the likely collapse of the firm.
Lord Glentoran, Shadow Minister for Northern Ireland, told a Lords debate in February that 'Over 75 per cent of betting today takes place on the internet and our company (BetOnSports) gets over 70 per cent of its betting revenue from the US, although it is illegal to use telephone wires to bet. The Americans have been trying for a long time to enforce their regulations and they have totally and absolutely failed.'
Lord Glentoran, an Olympic bobsleigh winner in 1964, was one of three directors who fired Scots-born Carruthers days after his arrest, which sent the value of online gaming firms crashing by £600million. Lord Glentoran was unavailable for comment.
8/11/2006 gambling news:
BetonSports to Close US business
Internet gaming group BETonSPORTS , which removed its Chief Executive, David Carruthers, from his post following his detention in Texas last month, is to close its U.S. business.
The company said it would cease operations in Costa Rica and Antigua, where its U.S. operations are based, because they were no longer viable amid a restraining order on the business and the charges faced by former Chief Executive David Carruthers.
BETonSPORTS said it would also pay any liabilities to staff and creditors and repay balances due to U.S. customers.
Carruthers and seven others have already pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges. A U.S. court had extended to August 14 an order barring the online bookmaker from taking U.S. bets.
The charges allege the company failed to pay U.S. excise taxes on more than $3.3 billion in wagers taken from U.S. bettors. The government is seeking forfeiture of $4.5 billion, removal of access to BETonSPORTS's websites in the United States, and the return of money held for U.S. account holders. The United States is the bookmaker's biggest market.
Poker Sensation Joins Online Casino
InterPoker.com has announced the signing of poker professional Jordan Morgan.
Morgan has gained a reputation as one of the most fearless, dangerous young players in professional poker and is currently ranked in the top ten in the world for online play.
InterPoker.com spokesperson, Peter Marcus, said, 'Jordan is one of the best players of his generation -- he bets wisely, and plays very aggressively when the odds are in his favour.
'Jordan is the perfect addition to the InterPoker.com Extreme Team, as he is young, energetic and has a wonderful rapport with the online poker community.'
Although Jordan began his poker career exclusively online he has progressed to live tournaments and recently left the World Series of Poker with over $100,000 in prize winnings.
Morgan commented, 'I am delighted to be part of one of the most respected online poker rooms in the world, especially since most of my success has come within the online world.'
Online Casino Offers Ryder Cup Promotion
The Ryder Cup is golf's greatest match play contest and the chance to see the action live at the K Club in Ireland is available at the Purple Lounge.
Two lucky winners and their partners will see golf played by the world's greatest players at the stunning Irish course.
The promotion is available to new poker players at the casino. The first two players to reach 20,000 raked hands between July 11th and August 31st will be rewarded with 2 tickets each to the 36th Ryder Cup. This will include flights and a 1 day pass to the event.
Whilst the result of the tournament is always unpredictable, whatever the outcome, two Purple Lounge players will get to enjoy the experience of a lifetime at one of the most highly contested golfing events in the world.
Stars Come Out for Online Casino Party
Stars, poker pros and international gambling professionals all got together to have a great night and make the fourth annual Bodog Party in Las Vegas a success.
There was a packed press line for the guests to negotiate on their way to the Tao's Buddha Bar, where the festivities awaited them.
Once in the party, guests were treated to a variety of visual delights -- girls body painting, a birdcage girl and more. In the main room, an I-Ching master told fortunes, top billiards pro Jeanette 'The Black Widow' Lee took on all challengers who dared test their skills, and a games room featured Chinese Checkers, Mahjong and more.
Guests included Shannon Elizabeth Kelly Hu ('X2'), Erik Palladino, Billy Burke Roger Cross, Jon Kelley, Bodog Music artist Bishop Brigante plus poker stars Josh Arieh, Matt Savage, Gavin Smith, Umberto Brenes, Clonie Gowan, Andy Bloch, David Plastik, Kenna James and Brad Kondracki, who all partied long and hard to the sounds of noted DJ Steve 'Kid Millionaire' Aoki.
Though Bodog.com Founder and CEO Calvin Ayre was unable to attend due to filming a documentary in Asia, he said, 'I am already hearing raves about the party. This was a typically great Bodog Party, not a stop was left to pull out and girls -- so many girls!'
Online Casino's Bingo Prizes Keep on Coming
Linda from Florida, aka 'Birdie50', has become Kiwi Bingos first winner of the Days of Summer – Bistro Set Giveaway.
Birdie50 has won a place in the Kiwi Bingo hall of fame and she is delighted by her stroke of luck.
Linda said, 'Monday afternoon I was sitting at the computer in 90 Ball Hall as usual when the phone rang. Thought it was my daughter but to my surprise it was Elizabeth from Kiwi Bingo telling me that I had won the Bistro Set. I just could not believe it…I am still pinching myself.'
The Days of Summer is an exclusive promotion for Kiwi Bingo players. Birdie50 has won the first out of the three state of the art bistro sets available with the remaining two winners to be picked over the next month.
All Kiwi Bingo players need to do to take part is to make a deposit and they’re entered into the prize draw. Winners will be picked every two weeks until September 3. After each winner is chosen, the remaining players' names will be taken out of the hat for a fresh start. So the more you play, the better your chances of winning.
8/10/2006 gambling news:
Slotland.com in Hunt For Mobile Entertainment Award
Slotland.com has been honoured this week by being short-listed for an award in the ‘Best Mobile Gaming’ category at the Mobile Entertainment (ME) Awards, to honour excellence among content providers for mobile devices. A group of industry experts have nominated Slotland.com as one of the top five providers in mobile gaming, with the winner being announced at a gala reception in London on September 19.
Slotland.com Mobile Games Manager Martin Smith commented, “We are excited to be one of the pioneers of mobile gambling and strive to emerge as one of the leaders in mobile games in terms of quality and uniqueness of our games, customer service, security and banking, as opposed to sheer quantity of games and services.'
Victory
The award for ‘Best Mobile Gaming’ will recognise the provider that has created a downloadable gambling game or set up a server platform for handling billing or player registrations. Other categories at the award ceremony, produced by the Mobile Entertainment Magazine include ‘Best Music Label’ and ‘Best Video & TV Service’.
Juniper Research estimates the current mobile gambling market to be worth approximately $315 million worldwide and forecasts that the mobile gambling sector will be worth up to $16.6 billion by 2008.
Playtech Snaps up UKbetting casino contract
Online casino software group Playtech has announced that it has signed a contract with ukbetting to migrate its casino brands to the Playtech software platform. The AIM listed group has confirmed that ukbetting.com and totalbet.com, both of which are focused on the UK and European markets, will be tightly integrated with the Playtech platform through its proprietary integration package.
Playtech's casino product incorporates a customised software package designed specifically to cater for sportsbook operators and sports fans, and this latest migration brings the total number of Playtech licensees to 44, operating a total of 139 game sites.
Playtech’s Avigur Zmora asserted, “Playtech continues to attract quality operators seeking to enhance their offering and increase their bottom line and I am delighted that one of the UK's leading sports content and gaming operators has become a Playtech licensee as a result.”
Belle Rock Release New Online Casino Games
Belle Rock Entertainment has announced the launch of four new online casino games, including Spanish 21 Multi-hand Blackjack, Supe It Up Video Slot, Gold Series Volume 1 Table Games and Bars n Stripes Video Slot.
The new games will be rolled out across Belle Rock’s online casinos; River Belle, Lucky Nugget, Gaming Club and Jackpot City, and according to Tim Johnson, Chairman of Belle Rock owner, Carmen Media Group, the new games are designed to give ‘even the most demanding players an incredibly challenging and rewarding online gaming experience.’
The new Spanish 21 Multi-hand Blackjack is an evolved version of the popular single hand Spanish blackjack game, where players can bet on up to five hands at the table, with the Gold Series Volume 1 offering improved player controls, tools and speed of play. Additional to this Bell Rock is launching its Supe it Up and Bars and Stripes video slots, which both have 25-Payline reels and offer an array of spin features and scatter rewards.
Belle Rock has also announced the addition of a 200% up to $100 bonus for playing the new games at its Jackpot City online casino.
American Army Fighting for Online Poker
Poker fanatics across the US are joining in unison to defend their game in reaction to the recent clampdown on Internet gambling, which has seen many online casinos and poker rooms avoiding the US market due to the uncertain legal issues surrounding the ‘Wire Act’.
Entertainment executive Philip Ittleson has recently launched LetThePeoplePlayer.org, a new website dedicated to educating an estimated 70 million US poker fanatics and rally them to defend their rights, in an attempt to raise a volunteer ‘army’, to heighten Washington’s awareness of the unpopularity of its actions amongst the American public.
Ittleson, executive producer of a new poker documentary ‘No Limit’, due for release in October, recently stated, 'The whole internet gaming ban is a joke, poker players are not terrorists, lets get our priorities straight. The biggest crime is that we are not regulating and taxing it.'
The website has already attracted celebrity backing through LA singer Lucie Jourdan, who pointed to the more pressing matters that the government should be addressing, such as global warming, and the conflict in the Middle East, rather than concentrating a sustained assault on the online poker industry. “When you put it perspective it sickens me that Washington is wasting valuable time and our hard earned tax dollars on this frivolous bill.”
8/09/2006 gambling news:
Sportsbook.com Offers Super Bowl odds
It may only be pre-season but Indianapolis and New England are already the favourites for this year's Super Bowl according to Sportsbook.com.
The online casino and sportsbook has revised its odds for the championship after the recent transfer activity posed a few questions. What effect will T.O. have in Dallas, will Big Ben be back in Super Bowl form, will Daunte Culpepper lead a resurgence in Miami and can the Colts finally win it all?
The Indianapolis Colts (6-1) and the New England Patriots (8-1) are the early runners but they are followed closely by last year’s finalists Pittsburgh and Seattle and T.O.’s new team, the Dallas Cowboys, all at 10-1.
Oregon Roofer Hits the Roof with Online Casino Jackpot Win
The Party Mega Jackpot, at PartyCasino.com, had reached $902,505 when Matt Eilenberger, a 35–year-old roofer from Oregon scooped the prize. Now, the delighted father of three is planning to purchase a new roof over his head.
Eilenberger said, 'I'm looking to sell my house and get a bigger one!' Space has been a problem for his family but now Matt, wife Alicia and there three children can now have more room to roam as well as explore their new surroundings in style in their two new cars, a Dodge Viper and a Mini-Cooper, Eilenberger’s first purchases with his new winnings.
Matt hit the jackpot with a $9 stake on the PartyCasino.com’s Super Fortune Wheel, 'When I told my wife that I had won, it took quite some time for the news to sink in – we both slept for only two hours over the next two days. I can quite honestly say that until a few weeks ago I had won nothing in my life.'
Matt also plans to use the winnings to take his wife on a luxury trip to Las Vegas to celebrate their wedding anniversary as well as change his lifestyle, 'I own a roofing company and would love to be in a position where I only have to work one or two days a week, but we’ll just have to wait and see.'
Online Casino Group Regains eCOGRA Seal
After investigating the circumstances surrounding an unacceptable search engine optimization campaign, eCOGRA’s Compliance Committee has announced that the suspension of Jackpot Factory's 'Play It Safe' seals is to be lifted, with immediate effect.
The group will be the subject of increased monitoring by eCOGRA and their independent auditors to ensure that compliance with new content guidelines is maintained.
The Jackpot Factory Group issued a statement outlining their regret at the situation. 'With the aid of eCOGRA advisers we have now introduced system improvements that will prevent a recurrence of this much regretted incident.
'We would like to emphasize that at no time was there ever any intention of targeting vulnerable audiences with this material on the part of Jackpot Factory management. We are pleased that the findings of the Compliance Committee confirm this is their view as well.'
The company has made a donation of $25,000 to GamCare as a gesture of good faith.
World Series of Poker Reaches Final Table
The final table at the WSOP has been decided, with Jamie Gold continuing to lead the field.
At the penultimate table, John Magill was knocked out in 12th when his pocket 5s didn't match up to Fred Goldburg's pocket 9s. Leif Force was eliminated in 11th, although both players can be satisfied in the knowledge that they will still take home a prize of $1,154,527.
William Thorsson was knocked out in 13th place and became the highest placed player not to become a millionaire.
Fred Goldberg was the unlucky player not to make the grade after being eliminated from the final ten.
The players at the final table are:
* Seat 1 - Richard Lee - 11,820,000 chips
* Seat 2 - Erik Friberg - 9,605,000 chips
* Seat 3 - Paul Wasicka - 7,970,000 chips
* Seat 4 - Dan Nassif - 2,600,000 chips
* Seat 5 - Allen Cunningham - 17,770,000 chips
* Seat 6 - Michael Binger - 3,140,000 chips
* Seat 7 - Doug Kim - 6,770,000 chips
* Seat 8 - Jamie Gold - 26,650,000 chips
* Seat 9 - Rhett Butler - 4,815,000 chips
Whichpoker.com Offers UK Open Package at Online Casino
Whichpoker.com has launched its annual UK Open qualifier, guaranteeing one winner entry to the UK Open to be held in Maidstone, England between September 25 and October 8 2006.
To qualify, a player must sign up at Pacific Poker via links from WhichPoker.com deposit a minimum of $100 before September 5, 2006, and then wager at least $2,500 during the same period of time. The winner of the Freeroll will get the $5,000 buy-in plus $2,500 in cash for travel and accommodation.
Graham Edmond, Whichpoker.com, said, 'For the second year running we will be sending a player to the 888.com UK Open. Whichpoker.com provides all the poker tournament information you require whether its qualifiers, guaranteed pots or free rolls and will be at the UK Open to provide daily commentary and exclusive insights.'
In addition to covering real money online poker games and tournaments, Whichpoker.com also has a detailed poker rules and beginners section to help users hone their poker skills online.
8/08/2006 gambling news:
The Casino Gambling Web to Continue Extensive Poker Coverage
As the World Series of Poker (WSOP) draws to close, The Casino Gambling Web, an online casino news and gambling information site, is turning its attention to providing comprehensive coverage of the forthcoming Strip Poker Championship.
The event, which will be held in London on August 19, will be a Guinness Book record breaking event, allegedly the largest strip poker game ever.
'No other website is covering the Strip Poker Championship as extensively as the CasinoGamblingWeb.com,' said Mitch Redmond, CEO and founder of the website. 'This is a little niche event that is gathering major attention around the world and we will report all the news about it.'
The site tries to cover the news in an original and engaging way, as demonstrated by its coverage of the WSOP which included insight into the likes of everything from Chris Ferguson's triumphant first day and Daniel Negreanu’s aggressive play, to Lennox Lewis, Jennifer Tilly, Norm MacDonald and other celebrities testing their abilities on the tables.
'We didn't want to just recap every day's events.' explained Redmond. 'We wanted to reveal all the little tidbits that we thought our visitors would find interesting.”
Gala Bingo Provide the X Factor for ITV Talk Show
Online Bingo giant Gala Bingo has announced that it is to sponsor ITV’s new talk show ‘Mrs Osbourne Presents’ hosted by TV personality and current X-Factor panellist Sharon Osbourne.
The sponsorship deal, believed to be worth around £2m, will see the Gala Bingo brand feature on 40 episodes of ITV’s new flagship chat show through branded trailers, interactive features, online tie-ins and mobile interactive sponsorship bumpers.
Kate Howe, Gala Coral Group marketing director explained that the sponsorship deal presented a fantastic opportunity for Gala Bingo. “’Mrs Osbourne Presents’ is aimed at our bingo playing demographic and will reach existing Gala members as well as targeting potential new ones. We’re extremely excited to be bringing the Gala Bingo brand to ITV.”
The talk show will herald the beginning of new era in television activity for both Mrs Osbourne and Gala Coral, as the E-Commerce division of the group prepares for the coming launch of its own TV package in Gala TV. The company responsible for operating the new chat show, MediaVest Manchester, has also welcomed the collaboration, with Associate Broadcast Director Rebecca O’Malley stating: “It’s great to match a programme with such a big personality to an exciting brand like Gala. Mrs Osbourne presents, with its mix of great entertainment and the chance to win big money, matches the Gala proposition perfectly.”
The new talk show will air on ITV from August 29 to October 20.
Solitary Wait for Former BetOnSports Chief
Life isn’t getting any easier for former BetOnSports chief executive, David Carruthers, as he learned that he will be forced to stay in his county jail cell until at least the end of this week, as his lawyers and family struggle to raise $1 million bail and find a suitable place for him to live upon his release.
According to his lawyer, Tim Evans, Mr Carruthers will be freed from jail upon receipt of $1 million (£525,000) and the creation of a permanent address in the St Louis, Missouri, area, under bail conditions set at a court appearance on July 31.
However in a statement released yesterday, Mr Evans said that progress on both fronts was proving difficult. “We have to get the bail money together before they will let him out,” Mr Evans said from his office in Fort Worth, Texas. “We also have to find a suitable place for him to live. Neither of those things has been done yet.”
Mr Evans said he hoped that the bail requirements would be met by the end of the week, although sources noted that renting a property could take longer than expected, meaning that his client could remain impounded for many more days to come.
Paddy Power Betting on World Series of Poker Final Table
This Thursday 10 August will see the final game of the largest and most bountiful poker games to date, when nine players from a pool of over 8,000, will battle it out at the felt for a grand prize of $12 million, at the World Series of Poker main event.
This year’s event has also been an historic one for Irish bookmakers Paddy Power, receiving unprecedented interest in its 21 markets, so much so, that it plans at least three betting in running markets on the final table, incorporating ‘outright winner’, ‘next player gone’ and ‘winning hand’ markets.
A Spokesman for Paddy Power said, 'This has been our biggest poker betting market ever and we want to give fans who couldn’t be there and players who got knocked out a chance to sweat every hand of the final table and make a few quid towards their buy-in next year.'
The final table begins at around 8pm (BST) on Thursday evening and will be televised and broadcast on the Internet through ESPN pay-per-view. Players will battle it out for the $12 million first prize, and everyone at the table is guaranteed at least $1 million.
A New Studious Approach to Online Poker
Online poker enthusiast and founder of the internet poker strategy portal Poker Professor, Adrian Milewski has announced that PokerProfessor.co.uk is now ready to begin its quest to provide its community with a one-stop online poker resource.
The internet strategy site is targeted at providing new players with the necessary information and help to gain a foothold in online poker, resulting from numerous ‘SOS’ requests from newer and more inexperienced players, struggling to make a profit.
Founder Adrian Milewski said, “We consulted with the players, found out what they wanted and took that away to come up with the concept of the Poker Professor,” he said. “Our aim is to build the largest Internet Poker Strategy community on the Web, and ensure we provide this community with the service that they require.”
The main highlight of the new website is the Poker Professor’s Winning Poker Strategy Guide which is a comprehensive step by step course in how to become a profitable internet poker player. The course is split into 5 easy to follow modules teaching the basic and advanced strategies used by professionals, from starting hands to betting strategies and pot odds to more advanced ‘poker moves’.
8/07/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Scores French Soccer Sponsorship Deal
Online sports betting and casino, Gamebookers, has become the official gold sponsor of Premier French League side FC Nantes for the next three football seasons.
The deal will see the Gamebookers.com logo feature on the team shirt of all home games (back) and away games (front). Financial details about the sponsorship deal are not being disclosed.
The deal will also give the casino, which is owned by PartyGaming, the chance to display its brand all around the FC Nantes stadium.
John O'Malia, Gamebookers spokesman, said, 'I am convinced that we can contribute to the renewed success of this great Nantes club, which we expect to see soon on top of the league standings.'
Jean-Luc Gripond, Vice-President of FC Nantes, said, 'The club has decided to innovate with a new sponsor which has two notably strong characteristics: firstly, it is international and our football needs partners in this dimension. And secondly, it is part of a universe of new technologies and therefore part of our future.'
Online Casino Poised to Pay Out Record-Breaking Jackpot
It's the largest jackpot ever, at a staggering $3.8 Million, and it's still rising. The Sands of the Caribbean online casino exclusive Millionaires Club is a progressive 9-line, 5-reel online video slot game and players are racing to have a go and try and scoop the massive prize.
Nick Melrose, long time Pit Boss for the casino said, 'This is more traffic to our site than we've ever seen. The jackpot has never gone this long in between payouts and every slots player knows that it's the best time to play because the machine is loaded, and the very next spin could be the one.'
As well as the record-breaking payout in the main game, the slot also offers a bonus game, where 3 prize wheels appear waiting for the player to spin for a chance to win the jackpot.
Charity The Winner At Strip Event
Charity looks likely to be the winner when plucky competitors get together to compete in the World Strip Poker Championship.
Bookmaker Paddy Power has pledged to double the £10,000 first prize for the event, should the winner donate their winnings to charity. This would mean a whopping £20,000 payday for a charitable organisation.
The event, being held at the Cafe Royal, Regent Street, London, on Saturday 19 August, is an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for the largest ever strip poker tournament.
A Spokesman Paddy Power said, 'We don't want to disappoint anyone who wants to play and we've had a lot of interest from people willing to donate their winnings to charity so we thought we'd super-size the event and encourage people to cast off their clothes for charity.'
As well as the charity prize the winner will also win a package worth approximately £3,000 to play in the Paddy Power Irish Poker Open, Dublin over Easter weekend 2007 where they will get a shot at the £1 million prize pool.
$600 Bonus Up For Grabs at Online Casino
The Full Tilt poker team boasts some impressive names in the shape of World Series of Poker champion Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey and Howard Lederer; and when these stars aren't battling it out at the big tournaments they are playing exclusively at online casino, Full Tilt Poker.
The site has grown significantly in recent months, partly due to their bonus offerings. New players at Full Tilt receive a 100% bonus up to the value of $600. To claim this bonus, players need to enter the FIRST600 code when they register for an account.
Full Tilt Poker is also currently providing extensive coverage of the 8,000 player strong World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas, where a number of their aforementioned poker pros are competing for the grand prize.
Celebrities Gather at World Series of Poker
She's a sexy American icon and he's a poker legend but Pamela Anderson and Doyle Brunson have teamed up at the World Series of Poker (WSOP)
Anderson showed up at the Rio in Vegas looking as stunning as ever in white and next to her under the hot lights and blazing flashbulbs was Brunson, who hasn't worn a grin so big since he won his last World Series of Poker main event bracelet.
The pair were there to announce the launch of Pamela Anderson's new poker site, the newest member of the Doyle Brunson Poker Network, which includes Brunson’s signature site, DoylesRoom.com.
Pamela Anderson commented, 'My dad's a huge fan of Doyle’s, and if I was going to do this with anyone, it had to be with him. If you’re going to do it, do it right and go straight to the top.'
Anderson will be available to play against at the new poker room throughout the year as the site launches some exclusive poker tournaments.
8/04/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Will Still Sponsor Mikey The Chimp
Mikey the chimp had been practising for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for months, but he will now not be appearing at the event.
But sponsors Pokershare.com have not given up on their mission to earn Mikey his retirement money from poker tournament winnings.
Jeffrey Pollock, Vice President of Harrah’s Entertainment, rejected Mikey's participation at WSOP, but PokerShare have vowed to search hard to find another poker tournament that will let Mikey play.
Max Wright, PokerShare.com Poker Room Manager, said, 'Mikey will overcome this rejection into the WSOP 2006 and keep practicing until another poker tournament picks him up. We will sponsor him in whatever tournament will accept him because we know a chimp can beat a chump.'
Judie Harrison, his trainer and ‘mother’, broke into tears when she heard the news of his tournament exclusion, 'Mikey has been training for months and really had a shot at winning money to live with me for the rest of his life. I can’t believe they won’t let him in.'
Professionally trained to recognise colours, shapes, perform on television, and wear a green poker visor and sunglasses, Mikey was prepared to play with the best poker players in the world.
Max Wright explained the reason for PokerShare's commitment to the chimp, 'He embodies the brand of PokerShare.com because he is playful, fun, and different.'
Despite this setback, watch out for Mikey taking on the professionals at a poker tournament soon.
Online Casino Launches Revamped Website
Bowmans.com has responded to customer feedback and has launched a completely new website and gaming experience.
The online casino hopes that the fresh look will offer a new approach to betting at the casino and poker rooms. Players will find it much faster and easier to move around and find what they are looking for.
The banking system has also been made much more straightforward, thanks to a suite of online deposit and withdrawal facilities provided by Neteller, Citadel and CLICK2PAY.
Bowmans has also totally rebranded its image with a smart new logo, striking photography, and modern, attractive colours. The company has also altered its ‘tone of voice’ communicating with customers in a jargon-free, upbeat and witty way.
Chris Milward, CEO of Bowmans.com, said, 'Having already had strong brand awareness in the industry, we found that we could build on our previous strengths to develop new ones, so we can achieve customer retention without losing sight on developing a wider audience.'
Poker Movie Stars Party at WSOP
The stars of Aces.com backed movie, Aces, have been creating a storm on the WSOP party circuit.
The stars of the movie were spotted partying with poker legends Howard Lederer, Phil Gordon, Lisa Mueller and others at Lederer’s private WSOP bash.
The highlight of the evening was, without a doubt, the karaoke contest that Gordon was particularly determined to win. When Gordon began to peel off his clothing in his effort to win over the judges, Christina Morris, who plays the mischievous “Elle” in ACES the Movie, couldn’t resist.
'I’ve never seen anyone want to win a karaoke contest that bad,” laughed Morris. “When he started wiggling his butt at the crowd I just had to run up and stuff a dollar bill in his underwear waistband!'
Morris was joined at the event by co-star Sheena Chou and Rene Quesada, the Aces.com Manager.
The rest of the weekend was a series of special appearances, interviews and photo sessions. During their stay in Las Vegas, Sheena and Christina recounted their WSOP adventures on their blog,www.acesmovie.blogspot.com, where they’ve also posted party photos and numerous snapshots from the WSOP itself.
World's Largest Ever Online Poker Tournament Rescheduled
The Ongame Network Poker Classic (ONPC) is set to become the biggest ever online poker tournament. In order to give more players a chance to participate, the event has now been rescheduled for November.
The tournament will boast a record-breaking guaranteed prize pool of $5 million, with at least $1 million going to the final winner.
The event was postponed to give new poker operators about to join the network - including bwin Poker –the chance to offer their players a shot at becoming millionaires.
The ONPC will be a 'flight' tournament starting online on 4 November and pausing when 45 players remain. They will then be flown to Barcelona, Spain, for a live final where they will battle each other face to face on the felt for at least $ 1 million – continuing with the same chip stacks they had when the online tournament paused. The final will take place at the prestigious Casino de Barcelona during the weekend of 2–3 December 2006.
In addition to the prizes already on offer there is now an additional $ 50,000 freeroll, especially for those players who have qualified early for the tournament. This extra value is being offered as goodwill to players who may be inconvenienced by the event's new dates and is available to all those who had qualified by midnight EST on 2 September. The freeroll is scheduled to take place at 3.00 p.m. EST on 3 September.
WSOP Inspires Online Casino Promotion
Virgin Games is to team up with sister company Virgin Atlantic in a poker promotional partnership.
The agreement will see all flights to Las Vegas during the 2006 World Series of Poker taking part in the promotion, which will offer themed Virgin Poker branded goodies and Virgin Poker accounts.
All passengers on Virgin Atlantic flights to Las Vegas from London’s Gatwick airport are eligible to pick-up an exclusive Las Vegas survival guide and Virgin Poker merchandise. Virgin Poker sick-bags - carrying the slogan ‘We don’t want you to chuck in your hands’ - will also be present on all flights.
Each Virgin Poker ‘Vegas Survival Guide’ will offer passengers all the goodies possibly needed to survive in Vegas during the World Series, including poker tips, hand rankings and a detailed map of Las Vegas’ finest casinos.
Ross Sleight, Marketing Director, Virgin Games, said, 'Virgin Games is all about fun and entertainment as well as gambling, and in producing themed sick-bags and offering Virgin Poker merchandise to all Virgin Atlantic passengers, we’re emphasising those two core beliefs – fun and entertainment – to a wider, although concentrated, audience'.
8/03/2006 gambling news:
GameAccount Teams Up With At the Races
GameAccount is to supply attheraces.com with cutting-edge Skill Gaming for its growing community of users. Players at the site will have access to massive jackpots and rolling prize pools totalling more than £250,000.
Skill-based person-to-person games are increasingly popular and this deal will allow Attheraces.com to roll out over 14 classic multiplayer games and tournaments on its site. It will give the players access to the ‘poker style’ GameAccount network of non-download games.
These skill-based games include such classics as Tournament Blackjack, Three Card Poker as well as other popular card games and favourites backgammon & 8-Ball Pool.
Tony Sweeney, Head of Commercial Development at At The Races said, 'We've seen massive growth in attheraces.com users each time we’ve introduced new developments and technologies to the site. A tailored games portfolio is another well targeted and relevant service for our users which will only help further increase the frequency and duration of visits.'
GameAccount has specially developed their products to appeal to the serious player looking to take part in heads-up games & tournaments for high stakes.
Kevin Dale, CEO at GameAccount, said, 'We are delighted that At The Races has recognised the cross-platform opportunities available t