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10/30/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Bonus Code Targets US Players
CompatiblePoker has released a special $600 FullTilt bonus code in an effort to give new United States FullTilt poker players a place to go after the closing down of many other online poker rooms.

The bonus code is '600SPOT' and should be used when the USA players signs up.

The new American legislation has sent the US online gaming industry into chaos but CompatiblePoker is tracking which ways poker players can still use to fund their poker accounts.

Big names which have already pulled out include Firepay and Moneybookers, with much talk surrounding the future of Neteller in America.

Online Backgammon Server Launched
TrueMoneygames has announced the launch of its brand new online backgammon site TMG.com, which will provide more tournaments, bigger prizes and an enhanced software package to backgammon enthusiasts from around the world.

The new website will offer players a safe and secure playing environment with ‘around the clock’ customer support available via live chat, email and telephone, and match evaluation through Snowie software.

Players will have a variety of game formats to choose from such as single games; one match against an opponent for an agreed stake, Matches; a series of games up to an agreed number, Sit & Go; quick-fire knock-out tournaments, and backgammon Chouette, where players are paired randomly with each other.

Backgammon is one of the world’s oldest skill games, and has been enjoying a recent renaissance due to the popularity of its online incarnation. The new TMG.com website will include new features such as a 20 percent bonus to $100, customised playing boards, multi-gaming options to suit all player levels, and frequent tournaments.

TrueMoneygames has also indicated that it will be developing the site over the next 12 months to include new languages and features, plus new tournaments and promotions.

Online Blackjack Gets Golden Handshake
Get21 Ltd has announced its arrival into the online gaming industry with the introduction of its new online multiplayer Blackjack tournaments, which will operate on the RNG Gaming Ltd software platform in which online casino operator Golden Palace is an investor and partner.

The new website will look to capitalise on the worldwide appeal and growing enthusiasm for land-based Blackjack, which has already seen the American television network CBS launching a weekly-televised Blackjack tournament, which premiered on September 16 this year.

Idan Miller, Get21 CEO, and previously senior VP of Marketing and sales at Zone4Play, explained, “The recent advent of Blackjack tournaments marks the beginning of a new era in online gaming. The ability to go head-to-head with other players has been long anticipated by Blackjack fans, and we aim at becoming the leading brand of the Blackjack tournaments world,” he said.

“The potential of Blackjack tournaments injects much positivism into the current industry climate and together with Golden Palace we look forward to its success.”

Get21.com, owned by Gaming Ventures Plc, will allow up to 5 people to play against each other, from single and multi-table ‘Sit & Go’ tournaments to scheduled tournaments with big jackpot prizes.

The website is launching its Blackjack tournament service only to non-US players.

Fifth Player Qualifies for Tournament Titan Tourney
Jordi Bonell, a father-of-two from Spain, has become the fifth player to qualify for the richest sit and go tournament ever to be played online – The Tournament Titan.

With its enormous $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool, The Tournament Titan competition is drawing some of the best tournament players online.

Titan Poker launched the competition to try to track down the world's best and most consistent poker tournament player. With qualification for the competition requiring Titan Poker players to demonstrate their unfailing talent by making a final table three times in a row, Titan Poker has certainly upped the ante.

The first twenty players to achieve this feat at any of the poker room’s scheduled tournaments will earn a seat in The Tournament Titan, guaranteeing themselves a share of the $1,000,000 in prizes.

Latest triumph Bonell qualified after finishing at the final table in Titan Poker's $2,000 GP Freezeout consecutively three times. With buy-in totalling $33 for the tournaments, Bonell’s investment has already returned at least $25,000 and he stands to win up to $200,000.

Bonell was astounded by his success. “I nearly didn't even ask the Titan support team if I had qualified as I just couldn't believe that it was possible,” he said. “I cannot believe that this is real, it has brought me enormous joy.'

Parlay and Chartwell Scrap Merger
Chartwell Technology Inc, the leading provider of gaming software systems to the online and remote gaming industry and Parlay Entertainment Inc, the world's leading provider of Internet bingo solutions, have announced that the already postponed business merger as set out in a Letter of Intent in August, is now to be terminated.

The proposed merger, which had been postponed earlier this month, appears to have been compromised by the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which has shrouded the entire online gaming industry in uncertainty.

The statement read, “The continuing market uncertainty for the online and remote gaming industry generated by recent legislative actions in the United States has forced Chartwell to conclude that it will be unable to obtain a fairness opinion which supports the business arrangement or the share exchange ratio.”

“Chartwell and Parlay have therefore concluded that their proposed business combination cannot be completed on the terms originally negotiated by the parties. As a result, Chartwell and Parlay have agreed to terminate all merger discussions. As part of this agreement, Chartwell has agreed to reimburse Parlay for a portion of its expenses in connection with the proposed business combination.”

Following the news yesterday, shares in Parlay Entertainment Inc nosedived nearly 19 percent.

Online Casino Software Developer Sells Up
Las Vegas From Home.com Entertainment Inc (LVFH), the Canadian eGaming software developer, has confirmed that it has sold its Action Poker Network (APN) to a company in Norway.

Playsafe Holdings Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the publicly listed Norwegian company Playsafe Holding AS, has bought the network for $2.35 million with the transaction expected to be completed on or before November 17, 2006.

LVFH said in a press release that it had accelerated the sale of its APN due to the enactment of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in America, although it had previously planned to sell its APN so it could focus on the development of its Asian Multiplayer Software Platform (AMSP).

Company President and CEO, Jake Kalpakian explained, 'We are all disheartened with the recent legislative developments in the US, but the reality is that we were already looking at other business opportunities in different marketplaces. In this regard, we have been building our unique AMSP for the past 12 months and as a result, are well positioned to license our software in the Asian region.”

The sale, which removes LVFH from the US market, will include all of the Action Poker brands, the operating infrastructure in Action Poker Gaming Inc, and an undivided interest in the software used by the LVFH to run the APN.

Online Casino Offers NBA odds
With only seven days to go until the big tip off in the NBA, Sportsbook.com is offering odds on the new season.

The early lines list the Dallas Mavericks as favourites at 7-2 to be crowned champion and pry away the title they coughed up to the Miami Heat last season.

The Heat are just behind the Mavericks in the betting at 4-1 to retain the championship.

San Antonio will be looking for redemption after a tough loss to Dallas in the Western Conference finals last year. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have had a quiet off season and should be ready to bump against Dirk Nowitzki's Mavericks and Steve Nash's Phoneix Suns. The Spurs' odds are 9-2 followed by the Suns at 5-1 and the Chicago Bulls at 7-1.

Sportsbook.com has also posted odds on total wins for each team in the league. The Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs both post the largest over/under total for wins at 56.5. Odds makers have Miami listed at over/under 51 wins this season, tops in the Eastern Conference.

10/26/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino's Latest Acquisition Joins Microgaming
32 Red's latest online casino acquisition, BetDirect, has become the latest big name to choose Microgaming software for its poker and casino products.

The latest addition to the Microgaming network brings the total new poker and casino operations that have joined the Microgaming portfolio in 2006 to nearly twenty.

Roger Raatgever, CEO Microgaming, said 'We are delighted to be attracting a front rank operation such as BetDirect and fully believe this is a reflection of the success we have achieved with 32Red to date.'

Ed Ware, CEO 32Red, said, 'Microgaming’s consistent track record in providing quality software for both casino and poker enables us to deliver a first class service to our customers, thus it was a natural choice for us.'

Crazy Vegas Bingo Leaps into the Online Casino Market
The Vegas Partner Lounge has announced the launch of the widely anticipated Crazy Vegas Bingo. The site follows the classic Bingo style setting with the added luxuries of online play.

Trevor Penn, casino manager of the top ranked Crazy Vegas Casinos, said, 'The step towards Bingo has been a long but fulfilling one, but at the end of it all we came out on the top, straightening out all the rough ages to give our players a crazy Bingo experience like none before.'

As well as being backed the Vegas Partner Lounge, Crazy Vegas Bingo is powered by Bingotek and Microgaming which ensures a swift smooth site.

'With the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act being instated on online casinos, it leaves a blessed opportunity for smaller community games, such as Bingo, to be enjoyed by players over the online community.' added Penn.

The new site is also managing to roll out some enticing promotions. New players opening an account will receive $10 for free and a 100% match bonus up to $50.

PokerAffiliate.com to Decline New US Players
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) has claimed its latest victim as PokerAffiliate.com has announced its decision to withdraw its US operation.

The company decided it would no longer accept US players after the passing of the UIGEA, signed into law by President George W Bush on October 13th.

The company statement said, 'As a result of this new law, we no longer accept real money deposits from any new U.S.players.

'We regret that the U.S. has taken the step to make it virtually impossible to offer real money entertainment to U.S. customers. It is doubtful that the U.S. authorities will achieve their stated goals by introducing such legislation. We believe that a properly monitored forward-looking regulation would be much more effective than this general ban.'

The company also explained their technical solution which will restrict US customers, ' We will have implemented the technical solution to restrict all customers within the U.S. from accessing our real money games starting Monday, November 6th. After that time players will still be able to login to the site, participate in play money games and withdraw funds from their account.'

William Hill Teams up with GameAccount
GameAccount, one of the most prominent integrated networks of skill-based games, has been chosen by leading UK bookmaker and gaming group William Hill to supply them with sophisticated Skill Game products.

The deal will herald the introduction of the William Hill Skill Game service, which will be powered by a fully integrated, browser-based skill games solution to be available in seven languages and eleven currencies. The initial offering will include Multiplayer Blackjack, Gin Rummy and Backgammon, and will be supported by ‘poker-style’ tournament technology.

Peter Nolan, Group Director Interactive Business for William Hill reflected on the choice if supplier, “After exhaustive research into this untapped market, we are delighted to appoint GameAccount as our Skill Games supplier. They have proven to be strongly aligned with our vision and are a great fit for our product expansion strategy.”

The multi-year agreement allows William Hill customers to tap into the liquid GameAccount network, joining players wagering money from over 130 countries worldwide.

Kevin Dale, CEO of GameAccount, added, “We are delighted with this opportunity. William Hill is a British gaming institution and key global brand. Our single-wallet service and products are proven to generate per-player value and clearly these economics and product stability were major factors in our partner’s choice.”

William Hill joins a growing clientele at GameAccount which includes BetCORP Plc, the Sportingbet group, PaddyPower.com, Victor Chandler International and Skybet.

Celtic FC to Network through Tribeca
It has been announced that Celtic Football Club’s new online poker brand, developed in conjunction with SoftWire Sports Marketing, branded as fcpokerroom, is to launch on the Tribeca Tables poker network.

The new site was made public earlier this week and will become the first online poker room tailored for the UK football market. The partnership with Tribeca Tables sees Celtic’s online brand joining one of the industry’s fastest growing poker networks and leading poker solutions providers.

Tribeca Tables Brand manager Bob Williams reflected, “We are very excited about the partnership. There are thousands of Celtic fans in virtually every corner of the globe and online poker is an excellent way to bring them together. The new Celtic poker room will provide an excellent arena for fans of all playing abilities to join together, enjoy a game and share their latest Celtic stories.”

The development of the football poker concept will eventually allow both national and international inter club tournaments as SoftWire Sports Marketing director Andy MacDonald explained.

“The Celtic FC site is the first of many planned for the UK soccer vertical. The next will be a generic www.fcpokerroom.com which will build a network of club specific playing teams from the lower leagues. The long term vision of SoftWire and its brand, fcpokerroom is to penetrate other sports verticals where there are significant, easily identifiable fan bases.”

WSOP to Suffer from UIGEA
Industry commentators have warned that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) could seriously reduce the number of entrants for future World Series of Poker events, due to the event’s high volume of online qualifiers.

The event, run by Harrah’s Entertainment, has seen a significant rise in participants since 2003 when 839 players took part to compete for a $2.5 million first prize. This year’s event saw a staggering 8,773 people playing for a share of an $82 million prize pool, with more than half estimated to have qualified via online satellites.

However with the enforcement of the UIGEA, the number of online qualifiers is expected to fall making any advance on 2006’s WSOP attendance figures extremely difficult.

Michael Bolcerek, President of the Poker Players Alliance said, 'It's going to affect the average player most dramatically, and those players are the ones that have kind of filled the ranks.'

Mike Sexton, who hosts the popular World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, added, 'I wouldn't say it (UIGEA) would put poker in a death spiral but in the long run it will hurt the growth of poker,' Sexton said. 'The World Series of Poker is going to be devastated over this.'

The number of WSOP poker tables in Las Vegas surged from 142 in 2003 to 405 in 2006.

10/25/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Looks to EU
Dublin-based gambling company Paddy Power has revealed that it is considering the launch of a new casino in Ireland, as well as the introduction of gaming websites in Italy, Spain and Poland.

The move into continental Europe comes as European governments come under intensifying pressure to open their gambling industries to foreign companies, following investigations from the European Commission. Earlier this month the European Union advised France, Italy and Austria to open up gambling to foreign companies in a bid to boost competition.

Paddy Power, which operates mainly in Ireland and the UK, is seeking potential new markets after starting a German-language website in April. The Company’s chief executive officer Patrick Kennedy said.

'We are looking at the possibility of introducing other European-language websites. The ones we've looked at in the last three or six months have been Spain and Poland.'

Mr Kennedy also confirmed that the company is considering moving into the Italian market and could have a presence there within three years. Italy is already in the midst of opening up its gaming industry to private organisations by licensing more sports betting and horse racing shops, and remote gaming via Internet and telephone.

CelebPoker Offers Seat at Asian Poker Classic
Online poker room CelebPoker.com has announced that it is hosting qualifiers that will give players the chance to play at the $1 million Asian Poker Classic, which is the first ever major professional poker tournament to be held in India.

Winners will receive a $7,500 prize package to the event, which is to be held at the Intercontinental Grand Resort in Goa, India, between 1-5 March 2007. The package includes $5,000 plus the $300 entry fee to the No Limit freeze out tournament, together with four nights accommodation and $1,360 travel expenses.

Qualification for the Asian Poker Classic can be won via the $4 entry daily satellite tournaments at CelebPoker.com, which gives winners entry to the $35 weekly final every Sunday, to compete for a place in the $320 monthly finals.

The Asian Poker Classic will be the first ever major professional poker tournament in India, and has a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million.

Online Casino Still Open For Business
Popular online casino Intertops.com will continue to accept all bets from American citizens.

Publicly traded gaming sites such as 888.com and PartyPoker were force to cease all services to US customers after President Bush signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Intertops.com, however, will continue offering sports betting, casino, poker and games.

Intertops commented, 'We consider online gaming to be legal in most U.S. states and sanctioned by the World Trade Organization.

'We are licensed and regulated in both Canada and Antigua and comply with every law within the jurisdictions in which we operate. As a privately owned and independent company we have arranged to fully accept and disperse payments for US-based gamblers.'

Intertops has also made arrangements to accommodate the new customers that are looking for a new place to play after losing their betting accounts at online casinos that have ceased trading.

Husband and Wife Go Head-To-Head at Slotland.com
The saying goes that the family that plays together stays together and that is certainly the case for bingo-loving couple TOOTY and REENY24.

As one logs on to the household computer and the other accesses Slotland.com using WebTV, the husband and wife team battle against each other in their own household slots tournament.

The winner gets the special jackpot prize of picking a chore for the loser to do.

The pair starts out with $100 each and they can choose whatever games they like. Every three hours, whoever has the most money picks one chore from a list of chores for the other to complete during their break.

In a recent after-dinner tournament, they each won $250 within twenty-five minutes hitting four of a kind at Jacks or Better – TOOTY twice on $5 bets and REENY34 just once but with a $10 bet. TOOTY later changed strategy when REENY34 took the lead and switched to placing max bets playing the Treasure Box slot machine.

Tooty said, 'After three hours of competition, my wife had $900 in total wins and I had $700. I did the chore that night!'

Hannah Morante of Slotland.com, said, 'Many other online casinos don't allow two members of the same household to open separate accounts. Which means Slotland.com is about the only place where you can enjoy head-to-head competitions.'

Online Casino to Continue Accepting U.S. Residents
InterXgaming has become the latest online casino to declare that, for the time-being, they will continue to accept U.S players.

Todd Wolf, Affiliate Manager, said, 'The legislation signed recently by President Bush, stating that credit card transactions to online gaming sites not be allowed, had no mention of actually gaming online, and therefore until that is legislated upon, we will continue to accept U.S players.'

InterXgaming also stated that they will always operate within the law and once any rulings are made outlawing online gaming in any region they will abide by those rules.

The site is also continuing to look for non-U.S partners to continue their expansion outside of the U.S. Like many casinos the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has caused a change in marketing strategy and a focus towards Europe and Asia.

Swedish Student Wins $1,000,000 Sit & Go Seat
The third player to qualify for The Tournament Titan has been revealed as Simon Leetsaar, 28, from Sweden.

The Tournament Titan is a Sit & Go tournament with a massive $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool and is the richest Sit & Go tournament ever played online. Only 20 players will qualify for this exciting tournament, making each seat worth $50,000.

The tournament is drawing interest from the best players online as would be expected with a million dollars up for grabs, along with the prestige of being classed as the most consistent poker tournament player.

To qualify for The Tournament Titan, Titan Poker players will have to make the final table three times in a row at any of the popular poker room's regularly scheduled participating tournaments. The first twenty players to achieve this feat will earn a seat in The Tournament Titan, guaranteeing themselves a share of the $1,000,000 in prizes.

Simon Leetsaar secured his seat at The Tournament Titan by finishing at the final table consecutively at Titan Poker's $2,000 Guaranteed Prize Freezeout and at two of the $5,000 Guaranteed tournaments over a period of three days.

'Reaching the Tournament Titan is absolutely the biggest thing that has ever happened to me. I am so very delighted and I cannot thank you enough for giving me the opportunity to play in this great tournament.'

Online Casino Expands into Europe and Asia
Bodog.com has released its marketing strategy, saying it plans to continue its current growth by expanding their entertainment product channels into Europe, Asia and other markets around the world.

Bodogs music division, Bodog Music, and television division, which produce reality TV shows such as BodogFight.com and Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker, are in full operation, with offices in Europe and Asia.

Calvin Ayre, the founder of Bodog.com, said, 'We couldn't be better positioned to roll out all of our existing entertainment channels into Europe, Asia and other international markets.

'Our music and television channels are leading the charge in our efforts to penetrate a number of international entertainment markets. We're onto something big and our international brand presence will only be magnified in the years to come.'

Bodog Music is quickly becoming an international music distribution powerhouse and Bodog Television shows can be seen in millions of homes across the world.

BodogTV’s latest reality television show, BodogFight, is carried internationally on Bodog.com’s broadband channel, BodogFight.com, with all the live events being shown on international Pay Per View. The popular Bodog Battle of the Bands will also be carried across international networks early next year.

10/23/2006 gambling news:
Ladbrokes Plans WSOP Rival
Ladbrokes, the UK based bookmaker and online gaming operator, has announced plans to invest a further £3 million into its 2007 Poker Million tournament with a view to creating a European competitor to Las Vegas’s World Series of Poker (WSOP).

This year’s WSOP, which is owned by Harrah’s Entertainment, was the biggest live poker tournament to date, comprising of around 8,700 players competing for more than $82 million (£44 million) in prize money.

However John O’Reilly, managing director of Ladbrokes’s e-gaming division, said that more than half the players had qualified online meaning that future events would be compromised by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which was introduced last week.

“The Act opens up a huge opportunity for an offline poker tournament in Europe to rival the World Series,” he said.

“Poker Million is already the biggest poker event in Europe and we believe that by investing in the tournament and changing the format, London may rival the World Series.”

The Poker Million tournament brings together online qualifiers from ladbrokespoker.com for the week-long final at its new casino in Paddington, London and will be televised on Sky Sports.

Currently, the tournament winner will earn $1.2 million out of a total prize pool of $4.1 million, which through extra investment will double next year.

Betcorp Confirms $11 million Sale
Australian Internet gaming company Betcorp Ltd has confirmed that it plans to sell its operations in Toronto, Canada, and the Caribbean country of Antigua to Bodog Entertainment Group for US$11 million.

The move will see Betcorp withdraw from the online gaming market in the US, after the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act effectively eliminated the company’s business capability in a market that had accounted for 85 percent of its revenue.

Betcorp chief executive Colin Walker remarked, “I am pleased that we have secured the sale of our operating subsidiaries to the Bodog Entertainment Group. In very difficult circumstances we have achieved a satisfactory outcome for shareholders and have been able to safeguard the interests of our customers and employees.'

Betcorp are set to receive a cash consideration of $9 million payable over five instalments, with Bodog assuming liabilities of a further $2 million.

Shares in Betcorp jumped 14 percent to16p this morning as the market applauded its decision to sell its gaming operations. The proceeds are to be returned to investors of the Aim-listed company, whose shares reached a peak of 265p last April.

Celtic FC Open Online Poker Room
Scottish football giants Celtic FC have announced a partnership with www.fcpokerroom.com that will see them become the latest football club to open their own online poker room.

The new site, which will enable players to form poker teams to play against each other as well as some famous Celtic players, forms part of an income generating scheme to help finance a new training facility and the club’s youth development programmes.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Celtic confirmed, 'We are delighted to agree this new partnership with fcpokerroom.com. We're sure this new association will provide our fans with a fun, exciting, next generation entertainment facility which will also allow fans to play their part in the development of Celtic Football Club.'

Celtic become the latest British football club to endorse online casino and poker brands, with English Premiership sides Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough all having industry leaders as main sponsors. However Celtic will become the first club to develop their own online poker brand, and according to fcpokerroom.com director Andy MacDonald, they won’t be the last.

'Our aim is to develop an online poker community, both within Celtic and through inter-club tournaments. Players will soon be able to play against teams from other Scottish Premier League (SPL) football clubs in a new online poker tournament which could culminate in a Scotland poker team playing against an England poker team.'

Online Casino Sees Revenue Drop
Online casino and gaming operator 32Red has released figures from its third quarter results, which highlights a 10 percent drop in casino revenue but also an increase in total sales since the summer.

The company said that despite its casino revenue falling around 10 percent on 'widely reported industry-wide issues' (the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act), its total revenue rose 55.8 percent in the third quarter pointing to a steady recovery in both poker and casino activity since the summer.

The total third quarter revenue stood at £4.2 million, which included £1.57 million from the recently acquired BetDirect, while its poker revenue jumped 77 percent to £400,000.

32Red also forecasted an expanded but focused marketing drive in the UK, with the company’s sponsorship of Aston Villa and the acquisition of BetDirect being key components to its performance going forward after withdrawal from the US market ahead of ramifications from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act.

UK Style Licensing in North Dakota Folds
According to reports, the North Dakota State Representative Jim Kasper promoted a bill and state constitutional amendment during the 2005 legislature to allow North Dakota to licence and regulate online poker sites; a proposal that had won approval from the House.

Kasper’s proposals would have taken effect in much the same way the UK Gambling Act will regulate and tax online gambling when it comes into force in 2007, and could have generated costs to cover state public services and reduce property taxes.

However following some approving noises in the House, the Department of Justice (DoJ) took action by writing to senators highlighting concerns about possible legal costs to oppose the DoJ, forcing proposals to be overwhelmingly defeated by the North Dakota Senate.

Commenting on the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), through its attachment to the unrelated Safe Port Act, Kasper said “I was saddened to see what the Republican Congress did. It was a terrible way to make public policy.'

The UIGEA is now thought to have extinguished any remaining hopes that Kasper had retained over re-introducing the proposals.

10/20/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Eyes New Gaming Era
PartyGaming has announced a new strategy after pulling out of the United States ahead of the ban on internet wagers.

The company, which was forced to shut its website to US customers following the assent of the US Port Security Act last week, said it would take a one-off charge in the second half of about $250 million as a result of the new legislation.

Chief Executive Mitch Garber said, 'We have entered a new and distinct era. You can expect to see us push aggressively into new territory, including Asia.'

Garber said he was keen to make acquisitions and was in discussions with more than one party.

'Chaos breeds opportunity,' he said. 'I believe this is a golden consolidation opportunity for PartyGaming. We are the online gaming company with the most firepower.'

Online Casino Celebrates Milestone
Belle Rock Entertainment has announced a new promotion to celebrate reaching their billionth poker hand.

The casino will grant players freerolls every two hours on October 21st and 22nd at River Belle Online Poker and The Gaming Club Poker Room. Belle Rock has already hit the 990,000,000 mark and they are expecting to hit the one billionth hand within the next three weeks.

Additional prizes will be awarded on the 985,000,000, 990,000,000 and 995,000,000 hands dealt, and to participants playing within ten hands of these milestones.

Prizes include freerolls into all guaranteed tournaments for a week, WPT Boot camps, Aussie Millions and a complete package to the WPT Grand Final at the Bellagio in Las Vegas next April, which is valued at $35,000.

French Player Wins Online Casino $500,000 Freeroll
Titan Poker's Refer a Friend Freeroll saw $500,000 worth of prizes distributed to competitors, making it one of the largest online tournaments staged this year.

French player Thierry Barou claimed first place and the $80,000 cash prize at the event staged on October 15, 2006.

Three hundred players finished in the money and took home a share of the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Barou, who plays under the nickname ‘bioman’, said, 'I didn't move from my chair for seven hours during the tournament - and I won $80,000. I still can't believe it.'

With $500,000 in guaranteed prizes, the $500K Refer a Friend Freeroll attracted great interest among Titan Poker players. Players qualified for seats through special promotions and by referring friends to Titan Poker.

Paddy Power Offers Odds On Dublin European Poker Tour
Paddy Power has opened the book on 'outright betting' and 'to make final table' markets for the European Poker Tour's event in Dublin.

The Irish bookmaker is offering odds on each Tour event including stopovers in London, Dublin, Copenhagen, Baden, Deauville and Monte Carlo.

The Dublin EPT event, held in the Regency Hotel from 26-29 October 2006, is one of the most popular on the tour, selling out last year and increasing its capacity to 500 this year.

Paddy Power, head of communications, said, 'We lost our shirts at the last big Dublin tournament, the Irish Open and while we are hoping to make a few euro this time around we'd love to see an Irish player win this. If one does, the pints of Guinness will be on him!'

Odds to make the final table:

8-1 Gus Hansen

10-1 Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliot

12-1 Roy ‘The Boy’ Brindley

16-1 Joe Hachem

16-1 Mats Gavatin

16-1 Donnacha O’Dea

25-1 Tony Cascarino

33-1 Isabelle Mercier

New Online Casino Licensed in Malta
Malta has licensed a new online casino with the promise of rich jackpots and new games.

24hPoker.com offers a brand new lobby for players and thousands of Euros in tax-free jackpots.

The casino gives players an exciting look and feel with no need to download and install casino games on their computer. Games are created with Flash and Java making them graphically rich, fast to launch and can be played regardless of the computer operating system.

24hPoker.com offers blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and all other classic casino favourites including slot machines with several bonus games and inviting jackpots. Video poker, offers up to fifty hands at once, with the option to double up winnings.

Lyceum Events Search for Perfect Partner
Lyceum Events has announced that its has begun its search for sponsorship partners for the 2007 Fire & Ice party to be held on Wednesday January 24 alongside the International Casino Exhibition (ICE).

The Lyceum Group began its sponsorship drive at last week’s EiG in Barcelona, with high expectations of welcoming a record number of attendees to the Fire & Ice 2007 due to last year’s success, and the ICEi and CAP Europe Conference crossover. The 2006 event saw a significant increase in popularity, forcing the company to dramatically restructure its strategy and venue.

Jodie Thind, Partner at Lyceum Media, explained, “We are in the middle of securing the venue plus we’ve had positive feedback from potential partners, and we are now getting very excited over the prospect of holding such a massive party for our industry,” she said. “All in all this is a completely different event to what the industry is used to seeing.”

The Lyceum Group is believed to be close to securing the so far undisclosed venue in central London, which has a capacity of over 1500 and will accommodate six bars.

The party is aimed at providing iGaming Executives, and fellow guests to unwind and share the aim ‘to start 2007 with renewed innovation and imagination.’

10/19/2006 gambling news:
Sportingbet Reveals £210m in Charges
Embattled Paradise Poker owner Sportingbet has revealed it would write down £210 million following the disposal of its US business last week for the token sum of $1.

The company’s US facing facility, which accounted for two thirds of its overall revenue stream, was sold just prior to the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act by President Bush on Friday.

The company is now set to focus on its European and Australian online casino and sports websites, and embark on a £10 million restructuring programme aimed at keeping the group in profit despite the loss of its most profitable arm.

Incoming chief executive and former finance director Andrew McIver, who replaces former CEO Nigel Payne, said he was ‘dismayed’ by regulatory developments in the US.

'These (legislations) will have a significant impact on the group's trading results going forward. However, we retain strong European and Australian businesses along with the non US-facing element of Paradise Poker, and we will build on these.'

The charge for Sportingbet came as it reported a near doubling of annual pre-tax profits to £71.5 million for the 12 months to the end of July. Pre-tax profits for the previous year were £40.8 million.

Shares in Sportingbet closed yesterday at 50.25p, valuing the group at £211.8 million. Earlier in the year, the group was worth more than £1 billion.

Online Casino in $100,000 Giveaway
Bodog.com has announced the winner of its latest competition, with Brett Bowman walking away with the $100,000 grand prize in what company founder Calvin Ayre has described as “truly the easiest contest any of our players could enter.”

The inaugural competition winner claimed that he had actually forgotten he had entered, saying “it took me a few minutes to even recall the contest.” Bowman was one of a number of Bodog players whose total online deposits between August 3 and September 15 were equal to or greater than $100.

Bodog.com founder Calvin Ayre continued, 'Our goal was to create a contest so absurdly easy to enter that all our international customers had to worry about was gearing up for what really matters - the football season. The next step was to deliver on the $100,000 grand prize and we have proved that we are true to our word.”

Mr Bowman from North Dakota told Bodog.com that he intends to spend a large chunk of his $100,000 winnings on a new GMC Denali.

Ontario Government to Ban Online Gambling Ads
The Ontario government is expected to introduce a new legislation today that will ban advertisements of illegal Internet gambling websites, and force media companies to scrupulously monitor their advertisers to ensure that no indirect links are to be found in their campaigns.

Paul de Zara, a spokesman for Ontario's Minister of Government Services, Gerry Phillips, said in a statement that the legislation will not prevent the advertising of free poker sites however those with links to illegal betting sites will be affected.

Mr de Zara continued, “Because the province doesn't have the power to actually shut down the websites; that would have to be done by the federal government under the criminal code, the best it can do is ban the advertising.”

However, lawyer Danielle Bush claimed that the legislation would be difficult to enforce given that the legal status of gambling websites is not absolutely clear. “While operating a betting site in Canada is illegal, there is nothing in the criminal code that says it is illegal for an individual to place bets online,” she said.

'Also Media companies are going to have to examine every ad that they carry and start looking with a microscope at the website address to decide whether or not it links to an illegal gaming site. That sounds impossible to me.'

Intercontinental Out of America
Responding to approval of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, Intercontinental Online Gaming has announced that it is to join the plethora of companies who are no longer accepting players located in the United States.

In a statement to its marketing affiliates, the company stated, “Due to the recent enactment of the Federal 'Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act' in the United States Senate on September 30, 2006, IOG Casinos are sad to announce that effective from today, Friday 13 October, we will no longer be able to accept any new US based players, and that those US players already enjoying our services will no longer be able to wager and deposit at any of our clients.”

IOG casinos is now concentrating its business on the non-US English speaking arena and mainland Europe, having already translated many of its sites into French, Spanish, German, Swedish and Russian as well as Chinese and Japanese.

The statement continued, “With the possibility of legislation in the US hanging over our heads for many years, IOG Casinos foresaw possible issues arising from this and are already a market leader in the non-US arena.”

Betfair Launches Online Casino
The Malta-based gaming arm of Betfair Games has announced the launch of a revolutionary new casino with no house edge.

Zero Lounge offers adapted versions of Blackjack, Roulette, Jacks or Better and Baccarat and is expected to attract more than 80 percent of Betfair’s casino users.

On the roulette wheel the zero has been removed which means that for players betting on a colour, there is a 50 percent chance of winning.

Betfair spokesman, Oliver Bowen, said, 'For these adapted games, the rules maintaining a consistent house edge have been changed so that players are given a fair chance.'

Players will have to play the correct strategy on Zero Lounge games of Blackjack, Baccarat and Jacks or Better in order to take advantage of the zero house edge.

Roulette will consistently offer zero edge regardless of strategy.

For Blackjack, the dealer stands on soft 17, will not surrender late, and there is a 2-1 payout on suited natural Blackjack and five card 21. By lowering the commission charge from 5 percent to 2.75 percent, the house edge in Baccarat is decreased to zero and for Jacks or Better, the royal flush payout is increased.

Another Online Casino Excludes US Players
Playtech-powered XXL Club has become the latest online casino to ban US players.

Their American operation was ended on Tuesday in response to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Initially the company had been confident in maintaining operations for US players, but in a statement the company revealed that they could no longer continue their US business. 'Given the development during the preceding week, including but not limited to, the unfavourable view of payment processors, financial institutions as well as our software provider regarding online gambling in the US, we have been forced to cease activities and comply with this prohibitionist legislation.'

The company vowed to continue monitoring the US gambling market and will re-open the casino should a viable option present itself.

Bodog.com Posts Election Odds
Everyone always has opinions on elections and Bodog.com is giving bettors the chance to back their political convictions.

Bodog has posted odds on all 33 U.S. Senate seats up for grabs in the November 7 election and the markets provide a clear indication of who the favourites to win the public vote are.

Calvin Ayre, Founder of Bodog.com, said, 'Political betting is not only incredibly popular, but is also being seen by more and more observers as a new and highly accurate means of polling.

'A customer must wager their hard-earned money to lay stake in the outcome of an event, making the end results just as accurate, if not more accurate, than traditional types of polling. After all, when money is on the line customers are more likely to bet with their heads than their hearts.'

10/18/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Poker Finale in Las Vegas
The grand finale of the National Lampoon and UltimateBet.com poker championships will take place in Las Vegas this November 5th.

The contestants in Sin City will have the chance to compete for a fantastic array of prizes including a trip for four to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and a walk on role in a National Lampoon movie.

Nationallampoonpoker.com is holding qualifying events for the tournament. Every day there are three feeder competitions occurring online and the winners of each of these feeder groups competes for a coveted place in the Las Vegas grand poker final.

The tournament has also been touring college towns, hosting live poker tournaments and treating players to product giveaways and poker tailgating parties.

With the industry beset by problems in the US the event shows that there is still some fun to be had and prizes to be won at the online casinos.

Online Casino Counts Down To Free Spins
Popular online casino Royal Vegas is offering their biggest ever free-spins offer.

The site that created the original 100 Free Spins offer is now increasing their bonus to 300 spins.

Fast action is required for all spins to be claimed, because each hour from the start date of the casino promotion will see one Free Spin disappear.

A countdown timer is live on the Royal Vegas 300 Free Spins Countdown website that shows how many Free Spins remain and when the next Free Spin will be lost.

No deposit is required to play and you can keep up to $200 in winnings. A wide variety of exciting slot machines and casino games will give you hours of reel-rolling action while playing the complimentary spins.

PartyGaming Poker Revenue Down 90%
PartyGaming saw its share price drop another 13 percent yesterday, prompting analysts to suggest that its withdrawal from the US market on Friday in the wake of new US gambling law, may have accounted for a 90 percent drop in revenue from its PartyPoker business.

Following its exit from the US market the company also made the decision to remove a ticker from the site which advertised the number of virtual tables in use and the number of players online.

Comparing Saturday night's poker traffic with the previous week, Panmure Gordon’s Ivor Jones revealed, 'Our very tentative estimate would be that rake and tournament fees would have been down more than 80%. Real money play appears to have picked up sharply at the poker sites which continue to operate in the US.'

A spokesperson for PartyGaming said the player and table number tickers had been removed because it did not want rival operators to use this information against it. One such rival, Israeli-owned PokerStars, has already begun an aggressive recruitment campaign in an attempt to leapfrog PartyGaming as the world’s largest poker operator.

Julian Easthope, a UBS analyst, said, 'Liquidity drives revenues and PartyGaming will more than likely lose its market leading position.”

PartyGaming management is expected to comment when reporting its third-quarter figures later this week.

US Facing Online Casino List Released
With the recent flurry of emails and press releases from sites stating their position on the US market in relation to the now enforced online gambling law, one could be forgiven for becoming a little confused as to who’s in and who’s out.

With this in mind, CompatiblePoker.com has released a guide detailing which online casinos are still open to US players, and which have ceased all American activity. The guide, which is expected to change significantly over the coming weeks, sees leading operator Bodog.com heading the list of companies appointing a ‘business as usual’ approach, with Slotland.com claiming ‘if American players can deposit; we’ll take them’.

The full list is as follows:

Casinos Open to US Players

Bodog.com

GoldenPalace.com

24KTgold.com

Slotland.com

Casino Blasters

Grandonline Casino

Aspinalls Casino Flamingo

Casino Onlinec Casino

777 Dragon Casino

All Jackpots Casino

Aztec Riches Casino

BlackJack Ballroom

Breakaway Casino

English Harbour Casino

Casinos Not Taking US Players

21.com Casino

888.com(casino on net)

32Red

Bet365 Casino

BetDirect Casino

Betfred

Casino Tropez

Carnival

Casino King

Casino Las Vegas

Club Dice

Coral

Dash Casino

Europa Casino

Geisha Lounge

Grand Aces Casino

Hard Rock Casino

Harrods Casino

Inter Casino/Poker

Jackpot Joy/in a Flash

King Solomon

Kiwi Casino/Poker

Ladbrokes

Lasseters

Little Woods Casino

Monaco Gold

Mummy's Gold

New York Casino

Omni Casino

One on One Casino

Planet Luck Casino

Paddy Power Casino

Piggs Casino

Ruby Fortune Casino

Sands of Carribean Casino

Spin Palace Casino

Starluck

Swiss Casino

Vegas Red Casino

VIP Casino

Virgin Casino

William Hill Casino / Poker

WPT Casino

Online Gambling Tops September Chart
Media Metrix has today released its monthly analysis of US consumer activity of top online properties and categories for the month of September, which saw the kick off of the NFL season, the launch of the Autumn TV season, and the remembrance of September 11.

However, the top gaining category for the month was the online gambling industry which saw a 17 percent increase against August, just prior to the approval of legislation which has since seen widespread devastation within the sector.

Heading the category was PartyGaming which saw a 75 percent increase in US visitors at 10.9 million, followed by SportingBet PLC, which registered an increase of 194 percent to 5.4 million US visitors.

'Congress' move to outlaw online gambling comes at the prime time for football season, as people around the country are placing bets on their favourite teams,' said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix.

'As speculation continues about the future of these online gambling sites, fans will very likely continue to turn to fantasy games on traditional sports Web sites, which also saw big increases last month.'

Online Casinos Thrive in Costa Rica
Operators of online gambling sites based in Costa Rica say they remain confident that they will not be adversely affected the US anti-gambling law, and that their infrastructures will be able to adapt to any changes required by the new legislation.

The signing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act by President Bush on Friday sparked an exodus from the US market, with many companies selling off their American facing businesses.

However, Calvin Ayre founder of the Costa Rican based Bodog.com, said in a statement yesterday, “The way we see it, we have a few months to study the situation and put a plan in place to deal with all anticipated outcomes of the new legislation.''

“We are, however, confident that we've structured our business in such a way that we'll have no problems adapting to any changes in the online gaming environment,'' the statement said. “We see the future as very positive for Bodog.com.''

According to the Costa Rican electronic gambling business association, there are approximately 200 electronic gambling companies currently operating in Costa Rica, employing about 10,000 people.

Online Casino Civil Case to be Resolved Next Week
Lawyers representing both sides of the civil case filed by federal prosecutors against online gaming company BetOnSports have told a US federal court in St Louis that a resolution should be achieved by next week.

Jeffrey Demerath, representing BetOnSports, told US District Judge Carol Jackson that the company received a proposed consent order from prosecutors on Thursday night but was unable to consult with the company's board of directors over the weekend to review the document.

Assistant US Attorney Michael Fagan responded by stating that there was no substantive disagreement over the proposed order, and that a week's delay should allow both sides to come to terms.

Federal prosecutors from St. Louis and Washington filed civil and criminal charges against the company, its employees and associated companies earlier this summer, winning a temporary restraining order preventing the company from accepting bets from US customers.

BetOnSports announced in August that it would no longer accept US wagers, and would refund money in customer accounts when it became available.

Close to $4.6 billion was wagered with BetOnSports from 2001 to 2005, with the majority of the 10 million bets placed in 2005 coming from the US.

Texas Dolly Still Taking US Online Poker Wagers
After hundreds of thousands of online poker players were left out in the cold after the withdrawal of some of the industry's major players, DoylesRoom.com has confirmed that they will continue to accept bets from US customers.

PartyPoker, 888.com, Titan, America's Card Room, Paradise Poker and various other online poker sites have pulled out of the US market over the past two weeks as a result of the Safe Ports Bill.

However, DoylesRoom.com has released a statement confirming to all existing and potential poker players its intention to continue to accept players from all over the world including the United States of America.

The popular poker room has taken extensive legal advice and believes that it is far too early to fully understand the implications of this bill. According to this legal advice, the new bill does not make internet poker expressly illegal nor does it take aim at players who enjoy online poker.

Until such time as the law becomes clearer, DoylesRoom.com will operate as normal with its full exciting range of games and tournaments at all limits.

With some US States having existing regulations in place that may prohibit online gaming, so DoylesRoom.com has encouraged its players to review the laws of the State in which they reside.

10/17/2006 gambling news:
Online Casino Legislation Takes its Toll
World Gaming has been forced into administration as it became the first major casualty of the US crackdown on online gambling.

Shares in the firm, which had relied on the US for more than 95% of its customers, were suspended on Monday due to “a fundamental uncertainty over its ability to continue trading.”

Four of World Gaming's top directors, including Chief Executive Daniel Moran, have resigned.

In a statement, World Gaming said, “Following the announcement released by the company on Monday relating to the suspension of trading, the directors of World Gaming announce that they have now determined that they are unable to continue the company’s US facing operations should the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act be signed by the US President.”

The bill, being signed by President Bush on Friday, effectively makes it illegal to accept bets from US customers.

TouchStone Relaunches Online Casino
Global Fortune has released a new look TouchStone Gaming, which will offer real time gaming against real players under one brand.

With a casino, sportsbook and poker room open to all players – including those in America – there could be a rush to sign up at the casino following the recent legislation in the US.

TouchStone are offering a 110% Walk-On bonus with all new players awarded a 110% deposit bonus on Neteller deposits and 100% on non-Neteller deposits.

Players can also benefit from referral programs. Refer a friend and receive the $50 ‘Team Player’ bonus immediately and also receive an additional 25% of each referred friend’s rake.

Touchstone Gaming is also running qualifiers for two upcoming big money tournaments - the $2.5 Million B.C. Poker Championship and the $5 Million OnGame Network Poker Classic - both holding their finals in late November.

New Scarface Video Game to Feature Bodog
Two of the hottest names in entertainment have teamed up in an exciting partnership. Bodog has announced a deal with Sierra Entertainment to become an in-game promotional partner on the new Scarface video game.

Scarface: The World Is Yours is the hotly anticipated video game based on the classic Scarface film.

Calvin Ayre, Founder of Bodog who will appear as a non-playable character in the game, said, “Bodog is proud to be on the frontline of the emerging convergence of video games and mainstream entertainment by supporting Scarface: The World Is Yours.”

As part of the relationship, Bodog will be spotlighted in numerous segments of the game, including branded video poker, blackjack and slot machines from which players can win in-game points. Various billboards in the game world will feature Bodog Music, Bodog Battle of the Bands and Calvin Ayre, while the Bodog brand will be seen on the 'Stampede' all-terrain vehicle in the game.

Additionally, Bodog Music artists Bif Naked, Neurosonic and Britt Black will each have a song in the game.

As part of the relationship, Bodog will conduct an online promotion and contest via its Bodogmusic.com web site where selected winners will receive free copies of the game and the grand-prize winner will receive a trip for two to 'Live Like Tony Montana' at the Bodog Compound located in Costa Rica.

Cleopatra Unveiled at Online Casino
Getminted.com has become the latest online casino to introduce an Egyptian-themed game.

Cleopatra is IGT's Egyptian-branded slot machine and the 5-reel, 20 line game is now available for play.

Cleopatra will be awarding some big payouts to the site's players with a top jackpot that can be as high as £90,000 in a single spin.

When three or more scattered flaming Sphinx are anywhere on the reels, the slot's bonus is awarded. This gives the player 15 free spins at three times their normal value, because during the bonus games all wins are tripled.

With slick graphics and sound that give a great sense of the Nile, this slot could become one of the most popular games at Getminted.

Speaker of House Commends Bush Signature
Following the signing of the Port Security Bill by President Bush within the last few hours, the Speaker of the House has praised the passing of a bill which he describes as a ‘top priority’.

J Dennis Hastert issued the statement shortly after the signing ceremony, but again failed to mention the attached Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which has so far passed without comment from senior government officials.

The statement read, 'Securing our borders is a top priority for House Republicans, and I commend President Bush for signing into law this important measure that will help secure America's ports. The Republican Congress demanded more security in America's ports and better screening of the millions of containers that enter this country every year, and the SAFE Port Act answers that call. The SAFE Port Act provides the funds to put in place a comprehensive strategy for protecting our ports, addressing potential threats before they are delivered here - in addition to providing new port systems that will improve container tracking capabilities.'

In other news, British based companies have begun to cash in their hands with news of the bill’s safe passage into law. Earlier in the day Sportingbet Plc announced the sale of its US facing casino and sportsbook to Jazette Enterprises for $1, with Leisure & Gaming following suit for the same token amount.

Meanwhile World Gaming Plc has called in administrators to the business after the resignation of its directors.

Sportingbet shares fell 13.4 percent to 56.25 pence ($1.04), Leisure & Gaming shares rose 3.1 percent to 8.25 pence (15.32 cents). World Gaming shares were suspended at 4 pence (7.4 cents).

Bush Signs Internet Gambling Bill
Reports are surfacing that President Bush has signed the Port Security Bill, which has in turn set the wheels of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act firmly in motion.

On signing the bill, President Bush announced, 'We're going to protect our ports. We're going to defend this homeland, and we're going to win this war on terror.'

However during his address, the President made no reference to the attached Internet gambling bill, which now signed, makes it illegal for online gaming companies to accept wagers from people inside the US.

The decision by the Republican majority to attach the Internet gambling ban onto the unrelated bipartisan ports bill had drawn scathing criticism from some Democrats.

The criminalisation of online gaming in the US is set to have major repercussions across the global industry. Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, a grassroots advocacy organisation of more than 110,000 poker enthusiasts, made a swift response to the breaking news.

'Today is a dark day for the great American game of poker. 23 million Americans who play the game online will effectively be denied the ability to enjoy this popular form of entertainment, even in the privacy of their own homes,' Bolcerek said.

Sportingbet Sells US Operations for $1
Troubled online gaming firm Sportingbet has sold its US sports betting and casino operation to Jazette Enterprises for the nominal sum of $1 (53 pence), prior to the impending passage of law to criminalise Internet gambling.

Sportingbet launched a review of its business earlier this month following both the US Congress decision, and events prior to that which saw its then chairman Peter Dicks arrested by Louisiana state officials at JFK Airport in New York.

Company Chief Executive, Andrew McIver, announced, 'We are saddened to have to dispose of such a fantastic business as a result of political actions in the US Congress. The sale, however, prevents significant closure costs which would have been both expensive and time consuming.'

Sportingbet reiterated that it would now focus on developing its business in European and Australian markets, whilst retaining its Paradise Poker firm, which will stop accepting US cash later today.

The news sent Sportingbet shares tumbling more than 13% after early trading on the London markets.

In other news, the management team of Sportsbook.com has announced its successful leveraged management buyout of sportsbook.com and other US facing brands from Sportingbet Plc.

Sportsbook.com will now operate as a private company with offices in Dublin, Antigua, Vancouver and San Jose, Costa Rica.

RBS and Barclays Warns Against US Business
Reports have been circulating that two of the UK’s leading financial brands, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), will shortly advise its corporate customers to avoid any further involvement in taking Internet bets from the United States.

According to banking and gaming industry sources, the two banks will advise corporate clients that they are no longer prepared to do business with companies that take online bets from the United States, before investigating ways of preventing US retail customers from online gambling.

Online gambling companies were left reeling last week following the decision by US Congress to pass the Internet gambling law which reclassifies the processing of payments to online gambling firms by banks or credit card operators as illegal. The bill, which is expected to be signed into law by President Bush later today, gives financial institutions 270 days to enforce restrictions.

A spokesperson from Barclays commented, 'Once the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement provision has come into force it will be illegal for an online gaming company to accept Internet gambling related payments, and we are therefore contacting our customers to ensure that they will conduct their business and operations in full compliance with the legislation.”

British online money transfer firm Neteller Plc, which is heavily active in online gambling, has said that it is reviewing the situation.

EU Conducts Online Casino Investigation
The European Commission announced yesterday that it has begun investigating three more European Union member nations to determine whether they are restricting access to their gambling and online sports betting markets.

The European Union's executive office confirmed it is pursuing information from France and Italy over online betting including sports betting, and from Austria on its online casino industry. The investigations are set to run in tandem with existing probes concerning a number of other nations including Germany and the Netherlands, which began in April.

In a statement released by EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, he announced, 'I have made no secret of the fact that I intend to pursue these inquiries. I also have concerns about the legal uncertainty suffered by sport betting operators and related stakeholders.'

Many of the twenty-five EU nations have state-owned companies that dominate national markets, and although there is free movement across the EU, restrictions can be, and are often imposed to protect a general interest. This national betting monopoly syndrome was highlighted last month with the arrests of two Bwin executives in France.

EBA secretary general Didier Dewyn added, 'How long must EU licensed and regulated operators endure legislation which deprives their executives of even the basic right to travel freely in the EU? We hope these new proceedings will put an end to the witch-hunts.'

Online Casino Award Eases Sportingbet Troubles
Winning the award for 2006 ‘Non-European Sportsbook of the year’ would normally spark prolonged celebration and announcements of bigger and better things to come, but for Sportingbet plc, the news comes with a tinge of frustration having just announced the sale of what was evidently a successful franchise to avoid the effects of the impending Internet gambling law.

The sale of Sportingbet’s US facing sportsbook and casino business takes the shine off what was a successful defence of the company’s status as ‘Non European Sportsbook of the Year’.

The award is given to the sports betting firm that has demonstrated true innovation in the ‘Non-European’ sports betting market, with the majority of the nominees having had operations that focused on the US market. Sportingbet came out on top due to its industry differentiators and its excellence in all areas of its business.

Marketing Director for Sportingbet plc Americas, Alex Czajkowski, said, 'For two years running we've led the field in innovative and exciting marketing while further consolidating our underlying platforms and processes,” he said. “We take very seriously the role we play in the industry and will continue to work hard for our customers to ensure that we always provide them with the ultimate gaming experience.”

10/16/2006 gambling news:
Online Poker Rooms to Join Tables
Online poker networks Tribeca Tables and Tain have agreed on a merger that will see all Tain poker players and brands, including poker customers from its parent company Expekt, migrating to the Tribeca platform.

The agreement, which is for Tain’s poker sites only, will see the company join the growing list of high profile names at the Tribeca network, which includes Paddy Power, Golden Palace and Victor Chandler. Tain's parent company Expekt will continue to operate its European-focused sportsbook and casino platforms.

Steve Cook, European managing director at Tribeca, commented, “We have been working for some time to reach into the lucrative Scandinavian poker markets, and we are very pleased to complete a significant deal with Tain.”

Cook continued to explain that Tain’s poker partners would now be in a position to take advantage of the higher liquidity that both companies consider as the critical component to offer long term competitive online poker.

Erik Ahlberg, chief executive of Tain, said, “This manifests a natural next step in our effort of building a world class poker offering. We will now be able to welcome our customers into one of the strongest networks in the world, positioned to lead the coming phase of consolidation.”

Online Casino Stacks Player Odds
Aces.com has tipped the balance of power back in the direction of the player, with its new instant Flash game, European Roulette.

The amended version of the American ‘Game of Kings’ improves the player’s odds by removing the extra zero that was added to improve house odds, and is already one of the more popular games available at Aces.com.

Aces.com manager, Rene Quesada explained, “Why would we add a game that pays more winnings than the one we had? Because if they play it in Vegas; we’ve got it at Aces.com,” he said. “European Roulette is increasingly popular on the Strip these days so we’ve got to have it at Aces.”

The original form of Roulette was invented in the seventeenth century by mathematician Blasé Pascal, and contained no zeros until it was adapted by early Monte Carlo casino operators, who added the zero to improve the house odds. When the game arrived in the U.S., Americans added a double-zero to give the ball one more place to land and thus improve the house’s chances even further.

Later this month, the Vegas-style online casino will be adding three more games to its comprehensive suite of table and card games.

PlayShare.com Goes Online
Playshare.com, the newly integrated operating platform behind the online gaming sites PokerShare.com and CasinoShare.com, has opened for business with a commitment to providing an online experience of the highest quality.

The UK public company has been created to capitalise on the success of the two online gaming sites, with the integration providing an improved online experience for its customers, whilst providing them and company partners and investors with a centralised focal point.

Company CEO Lucan Toh, explained, “PlayShare.com offers an improved playing experience for our Casino and Poker customers. It also means we now have a clear, centralised location from which to develop further unique and successful gaming sites.”

The new site offers players a selection of improved products such as ‘beginners’ tables’, a rewards programme and a developed loyalty scheme with more additions set to follow in the near future.

PlayShare, which has offices in five countries across three continents, has also sought to assure prospective and existing customers that it is operating a ‘business as usual’ approach in light of the US legislation on Internet gambling.

Online Casino Ceases US Trading
Betcorp Limited has become the latest casino to join the flood UK-listed online gaming firms planning to shut down their US operations, once a bill outlawing web-based gaming becomes law.

Betcorp, which owns casino, poker and sports gambling websites, issued a statement saying: ' The Board has concluded that, if the Act is signed into law by the US President as presently drafted, the Group will no longer be able to accept funds transfers from customers resident in the United States.’

Given that the US accounts for over 90 percent of revenues, Betcorp warned that the legislation left it facing a 'very material adverse impact' on future earnings.

Betcorp's shares lost half their value last Tuesday on news of the ban, mirroring the rest of the sector.

Sportingbet Receives Bids For US trade
Sportingbet has revealed that it has received bids for its operations in the United States and is racing to sign a deal before President Bush signs off a ban on internet gaming.

In the absence of a sale, the company will close its US-facing websites as soon as the President approves the Bill.

Rivals, including PartyGaming and 888, have already announced plans to stop taking bets from American punters.

Almost two thirds of Sportingbet's business is derived from America. In the present situation any sale is unlikely to raise a significant cash value, but would save on redundancy costs. About 300 jobs are at risk in London, Australia, Asia, Costa Rica and Antigua.

The suitors are understood to be private companies in offshore locations, including the British Virgin Islands.

Online Casino Website Relaunched
The Fox Poker Club (FPC) has applied for three more Certificates of Consent from the Gambling Commission for another venue in London and elsewhere in the UK.

FPC has also relaunched The Fox Poker Club website enabling players to pre register for membership, ensuring regular updates on how the applications are proceeding.

FPC is now seeking the necessary planning permissions from local authorities. The original site has been refused the necessary planning to move forward, with management now considering all options available to them.

Once the Certificates of Consent are issued, they will be able to apply for casino licenses which will be restricted to offering card room games of equal chance for the venues.

Chris North, one of the founders, said, 'This is the only legal way we can run a dedicated Poker Club for fellow poker enthusiasts on a sound commercial footing.'

SkyBet win Big at the 2006 eGaming Review Awards
Orbis Technology Ltd, the interactive gaming solutions provider have congratulated Skybet on their big win at the eGaming Awards.

SkyBet won the accolade of Multi Channel Operator of the Year at the ceremony held on Monday night at the Natural History Museum.

Richard Flint, Managing Director of Skybet, accepted the award that confirms there position in the market, as well as proving that Orbis's 'OpenBet - The Integrated Gaming Solution', is among the best in the marketplace.

Flint said, 'We were absolutely delighted to win the prestigious Multi-Channel Operator of the Year at the eGaming review awards, particularly as being truly multi-channel is a key part of our strategy. One of the advantages that we have in terms of executing on this strategy is the Orbis OpenBet system, which is designed to integrate easily with ‘front ends’ across different channels, allowing customers to keep a single account system across all channels and products.'

Jeremy Thompson-Hill, Deputy Managing Director at Orbis, said, 'SkyBet have continually innovated and pushed the boundaries of Orbis software development. Their diverse portfolio across internet, interactive TV, mobile and call centre includes live gaming, sport betting, casino and fixed odds games. It serves as a great example of what can be achieved by multiplatform operators who understand how to maximise the benefits of online technology.'

GameAccount Scoops eGaming Review Award
GameAccount, the world's largest provider of networked person-to-person (P2P) games, achieved the accolade of 'Innovation of the Year' at the 2006 eGaming Review Awards.

The award is a major achievement considering the presence of gaming giants Blue Square, Extrabet and Gala Coral as the other nominees for the prestigious title.

Dave McDowell, co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of GameAccount picked up the honour, awarded for their skill-based duplicate blackjack tournaments.

Dave McDowell, said, 'This product suite deserved this recognition from our peers and proves that we can successfully launch one-of-a-kind profitable products that are instantly relevant to casino players worldwide. Everybody knows how to play Blackjack and everybody knows that over time the house will always beat you. GameAccount Blackjack is a sophisticated product tailor-made for hi-rolling veterans and new players alike, offering major money-making opportunities in our networked tournaments.'

Kevin Dale, GameAccount CEO, said, 'GameAccount set out to offer the eGaming market something new and refreshing. Players tired of the house edge in casino blackjack can now be retained or re-activated with the fundamental and compelling value proposition: play blackjack against other players, not the house.'

Online Casino Legislation Benefits Private Companies
According to industry commentators, the impending ban on Internet gambling is likely to force many online casino operators to sell their US-facing businesses to private operators who aren’t as susceptible to extradition treaties, in locations such as Costa Rica, Antigua and Curacao.

The fear of extradition to the United States has forced UK-listed operators to turn away from their most lucrative market, some selling their US operations to counterparts in and around the Caribbean.

Sportingbet have today announced the sale of its US business to Jazette Enterprises following Chief Executive Nigel Payne’s address to Antiguans earlier this week, in which he reassured that the company would not downsize its operations.

Leisure & Gaming's US facing operations VIP and Nine.com are also likely to end up in private hands, with sale talks underway.

By contrast, privately-owned operators in and around the Caribbean, appear to be unfazed by the looming legislation. Calvin Ayre, founder of Costa Rica-based Bodog.com, said in a statement, 'We're confident that we've structured our business in such a way that we'll have no problems adapting. If anything, the pending legislation has validated our broad-based digital entertainment model and our decision to stay private.'

10/11/2006 gambling news:
Door to US is Still Open say Online Firms
In a week which has been littered with the withdrawal of online casinos and gaming companies from the US market, three firms have announced their intention to keep faith with a customer base that is rapidly losing providers.

VIP.com, Nine.com, and BetGameDay.com all confirmed their intention to continue to serve US customers in an announcement yesterday, contradicting current industry beliefs as to the viability of the market.

However, the VIP.com group, which represents Nine.com and BetGameDay.com, ensured customers that following procedural requirements, it would continue to cater for the US market and anticipated that the brands would reinvent themselves as private companies in the coming months.

This week has already seen some big names pulling out of the US arena, with Leisure & Gaming, FireOne and World Gaming all announcing their departures. Leisure & Gaming meanwhile will hold onto its recently acquired UK brand, BetShop.com.

In other news, Sportingbet chief executive Nigel Payne told the Antigua Sun newspaper that downsizing the company was ‘extremely unlikely.’

'We have not yet made a single employee redundant as a result of this action, and most of the alternatives that we're looking at for our business would not involve any downsizing,' he was quoted as saying on Monday.

PartyGaming Drops Out of FTSE 100
Online gaming group PartyGaming has lost its coveted place in the FTSE 100 index following the collapse of its shares during a horrific fortnight for the Internet gambling industry, which has seen company after company pulling out of the US market.

PartyGaming drops down into the FTSE 250 index having only joined the elite band of Britain’s 100 biggest companies just over a year ago, during the online gaming industry’s surge in popularity which saw shares in the company soar to new levels.

However, the recent tightening of restrictions which was kick-started by a number of summer arrests and has now culminated in the passing of the Internet gambling law by US Congress, has devastated the share values of most online gaming companies. Last week saw £4 billion wiped from the stock market value, with PartyGaming alone losing more than £2 billion.

PartyGaming’s co-founder and major shareholder Anurag Dikshit, a software engineer from IIT Delhi, is reported to have lost almost $800 million due to the dramatic drop in share price. His 29 percent stake in the company had been worth $1.24 billion, which has since plummeted to around $450 million.

PartyGaming’s relegation from the FTSE 100 index also forces 888 out of the FTSE 250 index.

World Gaming shares suspended over U.S. ban
Shares of online gaming firm World Gaming Plc were suspended on Monday at the company's request, after the looming U.S. ban on online gaming made it difficult to continue trading.

World Gaming's shares lost 88 percent of their value last week but had recovered 9.7 percent on Monday morning before the decision to suspend them was reached.

A statement released by the company said, 'Following discussions with all of the key parties concerned and having taken legal advice, (the directors) have requested the trading of the company's shares be suspended with immediate effect due to a fundamental uncertainty over its ability to continue trading.'

The group said last week it might be in technical default of its loan conditions after U.S. Congress approved a bill making it illegal to accept bets over the Internet or for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gaming sites.

Passed by the US Congress at the end of September, analysts widely expect President George W Bush to sign it into law.

Destination Denmark at Online Casino
Paradise Poker is staging qualifying tournaments for the next event on the Showdown Poker Tour.

The satellite tournaments will offer seats to the Showdown event at Denmark's oldest and most beautifully situated casino, Casino Marienlyst in Elsinore.

'Since we are not owned by a large poker site like other poker tours it is naturally both important and great to experience this kind of support from a huge site like Paradise Poker,' said Teddy Vendersbo and Soren Hansen from Showdown Poker Tour.

The Paradise Poker package will include both buy in and travel expenses for the event to be held between the 19th and the 22nd of October.

Online Casino Offers Bonus Code For US Players
After the passing of the USA gaming bill prompted the closure of Party Poker and Pacific Poker in America, there is some good news for US poker players.

CompatiblePoker.com has launched a new Full Tilt Poker bonus code for those seeking some casino action.

The new Full Tilt Poker bonus code is '600SPOT' which means that $600 will be released to all new players at the poker room.

With some publicly traded companies closing down, some players may have been concerned for Full Tilt's existence, but CompatiblePoker.com has stated that they will be remaining open.

The gambling bill has changed the online poker landscape forever. Party Poker, the largest poker site on the planet, will be reduced to nearly 30% of its current players and the other 70% will be looking for somewhere to play.

The Full Tilt Poker bonus code “600SPOT” will continue to be offered for all new FullTilt Poker players until heard other wise with the gaming law.

Two More Companies Block US Gamblers
Two more companies have announced plans to stop dealing with online gamblers from the US.

Fairground Gaming and payment processor FireOne Group said US clients would be unable to play online casino and poker games once President Bush signs a Congressional bill into law.

Both firms said they would cut costs as part of a wider restructuring.

A statement for the FireOne group said, 'The act will have a significant negative impact on the business ... and consequently the company has embarked upon a restructuring of its operations and cost base.'

The gaming industry considers it inevitable that Bush will sign the act into law, and many companies have already said they are pulling out of the United States.

Share prices crashed across the sector last week as a result, wiping out around $7 billion (3.7 billion pounds) of company values.

Fantasy Sports Site to Provide Real Time Sports Odds
Point-Spreads.com has added FantasyBetsZone.com to its portfolio as the latest sports betting site to syndicate the company's live odds feed.

FantasyBetsZone.com will provide the site's visitors with an advanced streaming interface to monitor betting odds from a wide variety of sportsbooks in real time and completely free of charge.

Craig Bryden, owner of FantasyBetsZone.com, said, 'Point-Spreads.com is a leader in live data services for the sports betting industry, and have been a pleasure to work with. Integration went smoothly, and the response from our visitors has been very positive.'

Thomas Jensen, CEO of Point-Spreads.com, said, 'The syndication of our live odds feeds is a win-win situation for all involved. Licensees get a great additional tool to offer their site's visitors, while Point-Spreads.com further builds it's brand name and generates additional site traffic from a wide-ranging audience who view our odds on an ever increasing inventory of partner sites.'

10/09/2006 gambling news:
CAP Euro Event Heads for London
Following the successful launch of the CAP (Casino Affiliate Programmes) Magazine, CAP and iGaming Business, the industry’s leading trade publication, have announced the launch of the CAP Euro event to be held in London at the beginning of 2007.

The event which takes place between 26-28 January, is to be held at the home of the English Premiership champions Chelsea Football Club in London, and will provide both networking and educational opportunities for affiliates within the iGaming industry.

Warren Jolly, Managing Director of CAP, explained, “The launch of our first European affiliate conference demonstrates our dedication to furthering the industry and encouraging diversification through these trying times. We encourage all affiliates, especially ones based in and promoting to the US market, to attend this event and start exploring the explosive European market.”

The event will represent the largest gathering of affiliates to attend a London based event and will consist of a series of networking events, an exhibition, a day of education, and the first-ever Affiliate Series of Poker tournament sponsored by PokerAffiliatePrograms.com.

Jolly continued by stressing, “The time to diversify is now and this event will enable affiliates to do so.”

UK Aiming to be World Leader in Online Gambling
According to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, UK government ministers have drawn up plans to turn the UK into a ‘World Leader’ in Internet gambling.

The internal documents show that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), has lobbied the Treasury on behalf of online betting and gaming firms to introduce a favourable tax regime, when the current ban on online gambling businesses in the UK is lifted next year.

Over the past two years, ministers and officials at the department have met representatives of the internet gambling industry on 26 occasions, seemingly keen to attract offshore companies to Britain.

At the end of the month, Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, will host an international summit of politicians at Ascot racecourse to discuss regulatory standards, with officials from the United Nations, the European Commission and the major credit card companies also being invited.

Among the documents released by the Treasury was a briefing note for the minister in charge of gambling, Richard Caborn prior to his meeting with Betfair managing director, Mark Davies.

The note read, “It is government-wide policy, and that includes HMT (Her Majesty’s Treasury), that Britain should become a world leader in the field of online gambling, in order to provide our citizens with the opportunity to gambling (sic) in a safe, well-regulated environment.”

888 Considers Ukbetting Buyout
The internet gambling operator 888 Holdings is believed to be in preliminary discussions to acquire rival Ukbetting, which also has a sports content business, in a deal that could be worth an estimated £84 million.

Discussions were believed to have been initiated prior to the decision by the US Senate to ban Internet gambling in the US, prompting some industry commentators to remain sceptical as to whether any proposed deal would still go ahead.

Indeed Ukbetting confirmed yesterday that it had received ‘preliminary approaches expressing interest in formulating an offer for the company’, however it declined to identify the suitors and expressed caution of its own that there could be ‘no certainty’ that a formal offer would be made for the company.

It was revealed last month that the company was preparing to appoint UBS to handle a strategic review that could lead to a sale of its gambling operation, which, unlike 888, does not take bets from punters in the United States.

Peter Dubens, chairman of Ukbetting and 8 per cent shareholder, has reportedly been unhappy at the company’s share-price performance, arguing that the market has failed to appreciate the underlying value of its two businesses.

Ukbetting’s shares jumped 6p to 61½p, valuing the company at about £84 million.

Online Casino Turns to UK
One of the leading names in online gaming, Riverbelle.com, has announced the launch of its UK facing business that will incorporate online casino, poker and bingo facilities.

The new site has been designed to provide players with an improved user-friendly interface, complete with instant flash play options and tutorials for all its offerings, including 90-ball online bingo, over 200 online casino games, plus the River Belle online poker suite.

'River Belle has established itself worldwide as being a leader in online gaming and is very proud of the new offering for its United Kingdom players,' remarked Ashley Head, CEO of Carmen Media Group, owner of River Belle. 'With our new multi-game website and the launch of online bingo, we ensure that no matter what your gaming pursuit, your search ends at River Belle.'

To mark its UK launch, the site is offering £5 free and 100 percent up to £50 match bonus on its Bingo site; up to £75 monthly bonus for its casino facility as well as a buy £20 and get up to £300 free offer on River Belle Online Poker.

Online Casino Mogul Makes Forbes Rich List
For the first time in history, the Forbes List of the 400 richest people in the US is entirely populated by billionaires, with the online and offline casino industry being well represented.

PartyGaming founder Anurag Dikshit was the sole representative from the online casino sector having made his fortune through the floatation of PartyGaming, which made him an instant billionaire. Dikshit is now thought to be worth around $2.5 billion.

One of the biggest movers up the list was Sheldon Adelson, Chairman of the Board and principal owner of Las Vegas Sands Corporation, the parent company of the Venetian chain of casinos. Adelson ($20.5m) stands third in the list having made a reported $1 million per hour over the last two years.

Other casino moguls mentioned in the list include Stanley Ho, who made his $7 million dollar fortune through a government granted monopoly over the Macau gambling industry, and Nevadan Steve Wynn, who is also a part of the Macau industry, and made his $2.6 billion from his self titled casino in Las Vegas.

10/06/2006 gambling news:
Slotland.com Honoured at eGaming Review Awards
Slotland.com was the first company to launch real-money slot machines for mobile phones and PDAs and now the provider is being honoured at eGaming's Review awards.

Slotland.com has been nominated in the 'Best Mobile Operator of the Year' category in recognition for its pioneering efforts in the new and rapidly developing mobile gambling arena.

On Monday October 9, at a gala ceremony in London, eGaming Review Magazine will present awards in sixteen categories, recognising achievements from all corners of the egaming industry.

The “Best Mobile Operator of the Year” award will be presented to a company that excelled in the mobile sector, including casino, poker, sports betting and soft game operators. It will assess only the mobile service offered and will not take into consideration online support.

Slotland.com, which celebrated its eighth anniversary online this summer, launched its first mobile phone game a year ago and has grown steadily since with thirteen unique slot machines on their web site and three available on mobile phones and PDAs.

Mobile Gambling Manager Martin Smith, said, 'Eight years of experience in providing online entertainment has taught us that players like new, original games. 'We develop our own games – you won’t see our slot machines anywhere but Slotland.

Online Casino Takes Time to Consider its US Decision
InterXgaming is considering whether to offer Online Casino services to US customers.

The gaming site is also questioning the decision of leading gaming sites not to allow bets from U.S residents in light of the latest bill passed through the U.S Senate.

InterXgaming consists of an online casino, poker room and Sportsbook. The company has announced that it will not make any permanent decisions for the moment as to whether to accept U.S players or not and will consider their options on the ban.

The legislation itself does not ban U.S residents from playing in online casinos and has not yet been signed by the president. The bill only calls for a halt in credit card, electronic transfers and checks to online casino gambling companies, leaving a host of online accounts available for U.S residents to use for depositing. It remains to be seen how the law will be defined whether in fact it will mean a complete stop of gaming in these offshore companies or a stop of certain financial methods.

InterXgaming will keep a close eye on the outcome of the before coming to their decision. In the meantime they will look to build a strong internet business reputation in Europe and Asia as an honest and reliable place to wager.

Todd Wolf, marketing manager of interXgaming said, 'It will be tough in the coming months as most online gaming companies will look to Asia and Europe, driving up prices for media in those regions.'

Online Casino Launches Cricket Focused Sportsbook
Popular online gaming site MaharajahClub.com has launched the first online sportsbook for South East Asian gamblers.

The sportsbook has a special focus on cricket and is aimed at South East Asians living in the UK, Europe and South East Asia. Many other sports including football, golf and horse racing will also be on offer on the site.

Sachin Pawa, CEO of MaharajahClub.com, said, 'Launching a sportsbook was always part of our plan, so we are extremely excited to have it live, adding to our poker and casino offerings.

'Additionally, since cricket is adored by millions worldwide, and is an especially important sport in South East Asia, we are thrilled to be the specialists in the sport.'

The Maharajah Club has entered into an agreement with online sports betting and casino operator Interactive Gaming Holdings (IGH) to enable Maharajah Club to offer a full-service package to its members.

John Heaton, Chief Executive of IGH, said, 'We are quite excited about our alliance with Maharajah Club. It will give us access to the Asian gaming market at an elementary stage of its development with a partner who understands the culture.'

Online Casino Bodog.com Ready for Ladies' Night
Mixed martial arts reality show, BodogFight, has already provided some tough action and this week's edition sees the ladies enter the fray.

Tara LaRosa and Amanda Buckner, two outstanding female fighters, will take part in an epic battle in one of the greatest female duels ever waged.

In the third episode of the MMA series fans will witness LaRosa, an all-American South Jersey farm girl, take on battle-tested martial arts instructor Amanda Buckner of rural Maine.

Calvin Ayre, founder and CEO of Bodog.com, said, ' Tara and Amanda certainly come across as ladies outside the ring, but when the gloves go on, their transformation into ruthless competitors is undeniable. MMA fans are in for an amazing bout.'

Each episode of the MMA series will air simultaneously on the Men's Outdoor and Recreation channel and on Bodog Fight.com broadband network. The events are all leading up to the PPV finale main event with the three massive super fights and the spectacular USA vs. Russia event taking place later this year.

10/05/2006 gambling news:
BingoTek Goes Vegas Crazy
BingoTek.com has announced the launch of Microgaming’s brand new pay-to-play bingo network with the introduction of the Vegas Partner Lounge group’s Crazy Vegas bingo.

Crazy Vegas will initially use the bingo site as a lead generation programme for its popular collection of casino games including Microgaming’s 5-reel Tomb Raider video slot game. The new network also offers all Crazy Vegas casino customers a one wallet account allowing seamless transition between bingo and casino games.

Microgaming Chief Executive Roger Raatgever said, “Our mission is to provide the most effective software and management systems for our operators, and we believe that the addition of BingoTek to our product offering meets every element in our mission statement and demonstrates our ability to explore new boundaries for our operators in global online gaming.”

New player registrations are now welcome at CrazyVegasBingo.com, where along with a variety of themed bingo promotions, members will receive access to a selection of Microgaming’s slots games, bingo sweepstakes and new chat games.

Business as Usual for Online Casino Group
Despite the passing of the Internet gambling bill at the weekend, online casino group Jackpot Factory has announced that all of its eight online casino and poker sites will remain open for business with US players until further notice.

In a statement released yesterday the company announced, 'Without a doubt, this (the new US anti-online gambling legislation) is a serious development in our industry; however, the Jackpot Factory Group and its casinos are continuing with business as usual for the foreseeable future. We are committed to providing a fun and reputable online casino experience.”

The Jackpot Factory Group in partnership with its affiliate programme BrightShare, made clear its intention to monitor the situation in the US until further notice. The statement continued, “More importantly, though, players will still be able to find safe and secure online gambling at any one of our casinos and affiliates will continue to receive the professional service that they have come to know.'

PartyGaming Founders Face Big Loss
Four founder members of online gaming company PartyGaming have seen £1.8 billion wiped off the value of their holdings since news broke at the weekend that US Congress had passed the Internet Gambling bill.

The company’s biggest shareholder Anurag Dikshit, saw his 29% stake nosedive from £1.24 billion to £467 million, a loss of £773m in the space of three days. Dikshit recently stood down from the board of the Gibraltar-based company to take on a role as head of research and special projects, with responsibility for creating games.

Two other founders, Ruth Parasol and Russ DeLeon, who each have 14.9% of the gaming group, have seen the value of their stakes fall by £397m since Monday to £239.4m at the close of play yesterday. Vikrant Bhargava, the fourth founder, has also seen his 7% stake tumble in value by £230m to £138.8m.

PartyGaming also moved to dismiss a report claiming it must negotiate a new loan facility with its banks within 30 days of the bill gaining approval. The Financial Times said the move was prompted by a clause in a $500m loan agreement allowing its lenders to call in the loan in the event of an alteration in US law that affects PartyGaming's position in the country.

Online Merger Date Pushed Back
Chartwell Technology Inc, the leading provider of gaming software systems to the online and remote gaming industry and Parlay Entertainment Inc, the world's leading provider of Internet bingo solutions, have announced their intention to extend the closing date for their proposed business combination, originally set out in a Letter of Intent (LOI) in August.

The LOI had originally accounted for the completion of the business merger on October 31, 2006, however Chartwell and Parlay have now agreed to extend the closing date until November 30. The announcement is likely to affect other dates such as the Parlay shareholder meeting, which has been moved to November 27. The parties intend to finalise the arrangement agreement on or before October 31, 2006.

The reasons behind the extension to the merger were to allow both parties to resolve certain US tax implications, complete further due diligence and for Chartwell’s board of directors to obtain a fairness opinion on the proposed business combination.

Internet Bill Sparks Dividend Drop
In the aftermath of the US Congress decision to pass the Internet Gambling law, online gaming group PartyGaming has announced that it is to cancel its dividend that was due to be paid at the end of this month.

The world’s largest internet gambling firm, said in a statement that it had decided to cancel the interim dividend of three cents a share in order to spend the money, a total of $120 million (£64 million), on acquisitions.

The AIM-listed World Gaming also released a statement saying that it was in discussions with its banks following the decision by US Congress. The company, which derives 90 percent of its revenues from the US through sites such as sportsbetting.com and betonusa.com, said that the ‘material adverse change’ to its business from the new law could put it in ‘technical default’ of its loan agreement.

In other news, PartyGaming rival 888 Holdings, said that it is planning to turn its American gaming platform into an entertainment website when the new law takes effect. The new site is likely to include fantasy sports, where punters can win cash prizes for selecting successful fantasy sports teams.

10/04/2006 gambling news:
Gambling Law Forces Partygaming To Change Hand
The new law banning internet gambling in America has created new waves by forcing PartyGaming to cancel its interim dividend and enter into discussions with its banks over new loan arrangements.

PartyGaming said that it had decided to cancel the interim dividend of three cents a share that was due to be paid on October 31 in order to spend the money — a total of $120 million (£64 million) — on acquisitions.

The company must also negotiate a new loan facility with its banks within 30 days of U.S. President George W. Bush signing the bill into law.

A clause in the online gaming company's $500-million-loan agreement allowing its lenders to call in the loan in the event of an alteration in U.S. law that affects PartyGaming's position in the country prompted the move.

New Review Website to Educate Bettors
Deciding which online betting site to use can be a difficult process. With thousands of options to choose from it can be difficult to pick the ones that offer the best value for money.

BookmakersReview.com aims to change all that by collating the opinions of an international group of experienced online betting experts.

The education and betting portal will give bettors all of the information they need to make intelligent and informed betting decisions.

The site will contain an in-depth reviews section and a ratings section that will focus on recommended bookmakers and provide an unbiased and truthful analysis of their performance and approach.

If bettors don't have time to read all the reviews then they can get some indication of a site from the 'Green', 'Orange' and 'Red' lists.

The Green list contains links to all the bookmakers that have been vetted and approved by BookmakersReview.com as meeting their standards of quality.

The Orange list depicts bookmakers and providers that have a reputation for payment delays or poor customer service. The Red list contains the worst of the worst who have reputations for operating fraudulently or who should be fully avoided for a number of other reasons.

If it's making money that you're after then check out the free odds comparison service which displays the best prices among 25 of the site's top-rated bookmakers and betting exchanges.

Sportsbook.com Offers Odds on World Series
Postseason baseball is here and Sportsbook.com has posted the betting lines on which teams will win the pennant race.

Not surprisingly the New York Mets and New York Yankees are front-runners as odds makers predict a second subway series in six years. Odds of the Bronx Bombers meeting the Mets in the World Series are 5-2.

The two top offensive teams in the National League will be squaring off as the Mets, who own the top spot on the odds chart at 6-5, will be facing off against the NL Wildcard Los Angeles Dodgers in what could be one of the toughest division series in these playoffs.

The San Diego Padres will face the St. Louis Cardinal for the second straight year. Although this time, the Pads' are the favourite in the series as the Cardinals are the 4-1 NL underdog.

The Yankees will be in search of their 40th pennant and the favourite from the American League are a 5-7 bet. Facing the pinstripes are the AL Wildcard Detroit Tigers, who will be making their 11th appearance in postseason and sit at 3-1 on the odds chart.

Rounding out the AL pennant race are 3-1 Minnesota Twins, who will have homefield advantage to start the series hosting the 4-1 Oakland Athletics at the Metrodome.

Alex Czajkowski, of Sportsbook.com, said, 'This year's playoffs are bound to keep baseball fans and bettors on the edge of their seats as this postseason is chalked full of heavy hitters and great pitching.'

Online Casino Player Earns Seat at $1 Million Tournament
Titan Poker has announced that a second player has qualified for the Tournament Titan Sit & Go tournament.

Franck Thimonier from France will take his place at the richest Sit & Go tournament ever played online with a guaranteed prize pool of $1 Million.

Only 20 players will qualify for the event making each seat worth an impressive $50,000.

Titan Poker launched the competition in order to find the world's best and most consistent poker tournament player. To qualify players will have to make the final table three times in a row at any of Titan Poker's participating tournaments.

Franck Thimonier (nickname: 'supakef') secured his seat at The Tournament Titan by finishing at the final table at Titan Poker's $2,000 Guaranteed Prize Freezeout and twice at Titan Poker' s $3,500 Guaranteed Prize Freezeout tournaments over a period of three days.

He said, 'Even now, I still can't believe it. When I made the final table for the third time, I felt sure that I was too late and all twenty players had already qualified. But then Titan Poker gave me the fantastic news - first that I was qualified and second that even if I finish last in the Main Event, I will win $25,000.'

Online Bingo Site Awards Biggest Ever Progressive Jackpot
InterBingo.com has awarded its biggest ever progressive jackpot to 31 year old Shalu L of San Pedro, California.

Shalu pocketed the $17,592 progressive jackpot this week – her third jackpot from the site.

She said, 'I still can’t believe I won such a big jackpot, especially after winning two times before. I've been playing at InterBingo for four years because of the great environment and community atmosphere, and these great jackpots are just an added bonus.'

In total, InterBingo.com has paid out $61,000 in jackpots this year alone; a statistic that has contributed to them receiving plaudits and awards from the game-playing community.

In 2005, InterBingo picked up the Gambling Online magazine's Gold Award for Top Bingo Site, which was decided in an online poll of over 50,000 readers and the size of the latest jackpot is an indication that the site is continuing to go from strength-to –strength.

Bowmans.com Launches NHL Competition
Bowmans.com has announced the launch of its inaugural ‘Pick’em to Win’ hockey handicapping competition, giving players the chance to win $800 (CAD) every week of the 2006/2007 NHL season.

The free-to-enter competition challenges players to pick the winning teams from the 10 NHL games posted by Bowmans.com every Wednesday from the weekend’s schedule. The prize is divided between the top handicappers every week who get 28 chances to forecast the correct results to win a share of the overall prize fund of $22,400.

Sara Waller, Marketing Manager of Bowmans.com explained, “We are absolutely delighted to be running this superb handicapping competition. Not only will people have fun seeing if their predictions are correct but they will also get the chance to win a lot of money – which isn’t bad for a competition that’s completely free-to-enter!”

To qualify for the tournament players will need a valid Bowmans.com account and PIN. Results are posted on the website at noon the following Monday, throughout the NHL season. The competition runs from October 2 to the final game of the season, currently scheduled for April 8 2007.

10/03/2006 gambling news:
Where now for Online Gaming?
The move by US Congress to approve an Internet Gambling bill, outlawing online gaming card transactions, is likely to be the main topic for discussion at next week’s eGaming Review annual awards dinner at the Natural History Museum in London, where 650 people from the industry are expected to gather.

The mood of the industry was anything but upbeat yesterday as operators, software providers and payment processors lined up to release negative statements on the Stock Exchange.

What the future holds for the companies involved remains unclear, but it does appear that for those with vested interests in the US market the situation looks bleak. Companies such as Empire Online and World Gaming face precarious times ahead, especially for the latter whose expected takeover from Sportingbet recently fell through.

Companies are not spoiled for choice in emerging markets either, as although the UK and Scandinavia can provide solace for those fleeing from the US, the recent arrests in France and announcements emanating from Germany serve to underline that Europe is far from being the antidote to the industry’s problems.

PartyGaming and 888 Holdings both announced yesterday that they will be closing their US business as soon as President Bush signs off the legislation, prompting experts to suggest a domino effect throughout the industry.

Online Casino hits Purple Patch
Online casino and poker room Purple Lounge has announced a month-on-month growth of 350 percent in the second quarter of the year, following its decision to suspend its US based business.

Share prices of American facing firms have plummeted this week following the passing of the Internet Gambling bill by US Congress, however Purple Lounge Chairman Chris Gorman explained that the firm’s current 10 percent weekly growth proved that his company had not been affected.

“The Scandinavian and European markets remain our core business, and the States accounted for a minimal amount, in fact around 0.1 per cent,” he said. “Since the beginning of September, we stopped taking sign-ups and bets from US players, and we’ve recently launched in Spain and see this as an exciting emerging market.”

Purple Lounge online casino and poker room promises to offer players an alternative to many rival websites by providing facilities such as lifestyle services and forums detailing travel news and current affairs from around the world, plus a sophisticated online gaming experience. The company, which has over 30,000 members, recently appointed the model Aylar as the new face of Purple Lounge.

Online Casino Provider Sells Subsidiaries
Dynasty Gaming, the provider of gaming software for online casino and sportsbook operators has announced that it is to sell off three of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, that are not aligned with the company’s primary business strategy.

The company has entered into a ‘non-arm’s length’ contract, which is still subject to regulatory approval, involving the sale of all shares in Cadence Healthcare Communications Inc, MedEvents Inc, and CPC Econometrics Inc. The shares are to be sold to CPC Econometrics senior officer Barry Sheehy for an agreed fee of $300,000.

Dynasty Chief Executive Albert Barbusci stated, 'As reported in our 2005

Annual Report, our Board of Directors determined last year that these three units were not compatible with our primary business activity. By packaging the businesses, we have been able to conclude a sale that allows Dynasty to simultaneously exit all three companies for proceeds greater than we would likely achieve were each unit to be sold separately.'

The sale of these entities means that Dynasty Gaming can now exclusively focus on concluding software licensing agreements with online gaming operators in the emerging market of China. The company plans to implement its strategy of generating Internet player interest in China where mahjong is regarded as a national sport.

Paddy Power’s Online Entry for Irish Open
Paddypowerpoker.com has announced the launch of its monthly $1 shootout for the chance to win a €3,500 ticket for the 26th Irish Poker Open being held in Dublin over the Easter weekend in 2007.

The monthly shootout is on the first Monday of every month at 8pm between now and March 2007, with players being able to qualify online at paddypowerpoker.com for the grand prize of a ticket worth €3,500 to one of Europe's most prestigious poker tournaments.

This year's event, which is to be televised live, is one of Europe’s largest tournaments with a guaranteed prize pool of €2 million and a capacity for 800 players paying €3,300, plus €200 registration to play during Easter weekend 2007 next year.

Qualification can be gained through the Grand Final seat daily at 2pm and 10pm, a buy-in to a Grand Final for $198 plus $9.90 every Sunday at 9pm, or through the monthly shootout tournaments.

Live satellites in card clubs and casinos around the world will be announced in the coming months.

Brandi Williams to MC Aces.com Movie Gala
Aces.com's Hollywood gala to promote the online casino's sexy new poker movie will be hosted by Brandi Williams.

The TV poker host will preside over events celebrating the release of Aces the Movie.

Celebrity party planners Alex Quinn Presents will get things swinging at The Friars of Beverly Hills on October 6th where jazz/hip hop fusion artists 2Deep will entertain the partygoers.

Aces the Movie director and producer Daniel Zirilli and Christina Morris, star of the film, will be special guests.

Rene Quesada, Aces.com Manager, said, 'This party is the culmination of our sponsorship of Aces the Movie. We’re sending DVDs to our members, we've had the director and cast hosting online tournaments, and we partied at the WSOP with Christina Morris and Sheena Chou, two of the stars of the movie.'

Brandi Williams has been called the ‘Queen of Hearts’ by every gambling magazine on newsstands and over 7 million viewers worldwide watch her every week as host of the hugely popular show ‘The Ultimate Poker Challenge.’

The 24 year old who was named ‘One of the 50 Sexiest Women of 2005’ by Femme Fatales Magazine and was a popular choice for the role of MC.

'Brandi will keep the evening moving all right,' said Francine Marseille of event coordinators Alex Quinn Presents. 'It’s going to be a casino night – Brandi will be introducing winners when she’s not schmoozing the red carpet crowd or playing a few casino games herself.'

Online Casino Boss Freed By Judge
Ex-Sportingbet chairman, Peter Dicks, has been cleared to return to the UK after New York judge refused to sign a warrant that would have allowed his extradition to Louisiana to face internet gambling charges.

The decision, at a criminal court in the borough of Queens, will come as a relief to the 58 other internet gambling executives with outstanding warrants against them issued by the State of Louisiana.

A spokeswoman for Governor George Pataki said that state law permitted extradition only if the accused person was physically present in the place where he is accused of breaking the law. 'The governor does support the effort to restrict illegal offshore gaming but he does not have the legal authority to extradite Mr Dicks,' she said.

Dicks was arrested Sept. 6 at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport and faces charges of illegal gambling by computer.

He was the second British internet gambling executive to be arrested in America, after the detention in July in Texas of David Carruthers, the chief executive of BetOnSports who was indicted by the Department of Justice on charges including racketeering.

Mr Carruthers was sacked by BetOnSports and remains under house arrest in St Louis, Missouri.

10/02/2006 gambling news:
Football Club Protest against Ban on Gambling Advertising
Ligue 1 club Toulouse protested against a French ban on advertising for gambling by wearing the slogan '???.com, censored' on their shirts during a game at Olympique Marseille on Sunday.

It replaced the name of Toulouse's shirt sponsors, online casino and poker firm 888.com.

The move followed the decision on Friday by the French Professional Football League (LFP) to ban its clubs from advertising any form of gambling and online betting.

Monaco were forced to remove advertising boards for online betting firm bwin.com before the kickoff of their Ligue 1 match against Le Mans on Saturday.

The LFP ban came after the two joint chief executives of Austrian online betting firm bwin.com Interactive Entertainment were placed under investigation earlier this month for alleged violation of French gaming laws.

Gambling is a state monopoly in France and online betting firms are banned from seeking clients on French territory.

Bwin are the shirt sponsors of Monaco and have sponsorship deals with several other Ligue 1 clubs, including Le Mans, and other leading European sides.

Share Prices Plummet Following US Senate’s Move
Shares in online gaming firms have dived this morning on the London Stock Exchange, as the industry grapples with the news that the US Senate has passed a bill outlawing internet gambling.

Party Gaming has seen a massive 60% drop in prices, while 888 has seen its stock fall by 45%. This has caused the latter to suspend all US business for the foreseeable future and issue a statement saying that this and next year’s figures will be severely affected.

Party has said that it will follow 888’s lead once President Bush signs the bill into law, most likely within the next two weeks.

Stay with iGaming Business for the latest updates and exclusive expert opinions on the biggest story of the year.

US Senate Moves to Outlaw Online Gaming
The online gaming industry is in turmoil after the United States Senate passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act this weekend. The move, which came as a surprise to some analysts, is likely to cause chaos in an industry already nervous following the arrests of David Carruthers and Peter Dicks over sports betting allegations.

The bill was attached to the Maritime Port and Security Bill after one of its main proponent, Republican Senator Bill Frist, failed to attach it to a bill on funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

'Congress has grappled with this issue for 10 years and during that time we have watched this shadow industry explode,' said Bill Frist, also Senate Majority Leader.

'For me as majority leader, the bottom line is simple. Internet gambling is illegal.'

It only now requires President George W Bush to sign it into law, a move that seems likely, seeing as it will help shore up his conservative base for upcoming midterm elections that his Republican party are likely to lose.

eCOGRA Recognises Big Dollar
The Ashanti Entertainment Group has announced that one of its new recruits, Big Dollar Casino, has been recognised by industry watchdog eCOGRA by being awarded with its ‘Play it Safe’ seal of approval.

Ashanti Ltd, who recently acquired the management of brands under the Liberty Group umbrella, has reported impressive results from Big Dollar Casino following its revamp to include next generation Microgaming software and up to date design, and sees recognition from eCOGRA as a very important step towards achieving company expectations.

“Since taking control of the operation, we are very pleased with the public's response to the new Big Dollar Casino and we are now delighted that Big Dollar can boast the eCOGRA seal of approval,” explained company spokesperson Simon King. “Our vision is to create a gaming experience that is as unfailing and reliable as it is entertaining. Being awarded with the eCOGRA seal is an important benchmark in achieving our goal.'

Having taken over the management of the Liberty Group casinos, the Ashanti Entertainment Group has focused on developing its roster into casino sites of the highest quality, with early signs suggesting a promising outlook.

“The uptake and activity has been overwhelming and the crowning of the successful launch campaign is that 3 players were fortunate enough to win the progressive jackpots in the first week of operation,” King added.

Big Dollar Casino is set to be one of the first Microgaming casinos to launch the new unified player and virtual pit boss software.

Peter Dicks Made to Wait
New York court officials including Governor George Pataki and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer have postponed the extradition hearing of former Sportingbet chairman Peter Dicks until later today, in order to allow themselves more time to come to a decision.

The US criminal court in New York delayed the hearing which will determine whether Mr Dicks will be extradited to Louisiana to face charges of unlawful gambling by computer.

Peter Dicks, who resigned as chairman of Sportingbet two weeks ago, was arrested in New York on September 7 at John F Kennedy International Airport at the request of Louisiana state authorities.

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco signed the extradition order on Wednesday after consulting with local law enforcement officials and the district attorney.

In a statement released by her deputy press secretary she said, 'We must enforce Louisiana laws, which clearly prohibit online gambling. If we don't enforce this law, online gambling would be completely unregulated and that is clearly an expansion of gambling and that is unacceptable to the governor.”

On September 14 New York Governor George Pataki's office refused to honour a request to have the defendant extradited to the state of Louisiana, allowing Mr Dicks to return home to England before returning for a second extradition hearing.

Online Casino Pulls Plug
The Ritz Club, the gambling arm of London’s most famous hotel, has announced that it has closed its online gaming site following the recent spate of industry arrests in Europe and the US.

A spokeswoman for the London based company confirmed that the site had been taken down on Friday and that all links from the club’s main website had also been erased.

'In light of the current confusion and inconsistency in online gaming legislation worldwide, the owners of The Ritz Club London Online have, regretfully, decided to close the site to new customers with immediate effect,' she said.

UK gaming stocks have lost a combined £2.4 billion in value since the end of June as the industry continues to lose executives. On Monday, World Gaming announced the resignations of its chairman and a prominent director.

In other news, online sports information and gaming firm ukbetting has announced that it has acquired The Ritz Club Online for an undisclosed sum.

The company said in a statement that under its ownership, the Ritz Club online operation would have no connection with the land-based casino, The Ritz Club, which operates from The Ritz Hotel.



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