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Welcome to Bet Sage's
Online Gambling News Section, featuring the latest breaking
gambling industry news courtesy of
InfoPowa
News. This is your
one stop source for all
and any of the latest
developments concerning
all aspects of the
Online Gambling
Industry. InfoPowa News
headed up by senior
partner Brian Cullingworth
are recognised as one of
the leading and most
respected independent
gambling news services
in the online gambling
industry.
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| 08 FEBRUARY 2008 : HEADLINES |
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Luckyace trainsmash rolls into second week
Still at the epicentre of an intense and widespread Internet message board furore over the disqualification of hundreds of players from its generous sign-up bonus rewards, Luckyace Casino has lumbered into the second week of its crisis with little sign of any intention to address the problems.more...
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32Red marketers want an early $5 million jackpot
With the Microgaming Progressive Network slot Mega Moolah only GBP 60 000 short of hitting a record GBP 5 million this week, marketers at the 32Red online casino are trying to preempt the big one by offering to make up the difference if the win is at their online casino. more...
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Eighth consecutive year of growth for London casino exhibition
London's International Casino Exhibition (ICE) has continued its record of sustained growth for the eighth consecutive year, with organisers Clarion Gaming revealing the final attendance at the 2008 show reached an all-time high of 12 972.
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Next-gen poker room heats up the action with revamped tournament offerings
London, February 08, 2008 PKR.com, the world's most advanced poker room, has raised it's game once again with the announcement of a completely new tournament schedule.
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CEO takes issue with criminality claim
Online gambling group Bodog has applied for a British operating licence as part of its plans to expand further into the European market, reports The Guardian.
In an interview with Bodog CEO Calvin Ayre, the newspaper raised allegations that the gambling group's substantial activities in the US are criminal. Ayre rejected the idea, saying: "We have licences from sovereign governments to do what we do - that's how it works on every other industry on the planet."
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Advanced WAP technology for UK sportsbook
The British mobile technology company Mfuse has announced that the Deal Or No Deal fixed-odds betting game is now available on the Ladbrokes mobile gambling service.
The game, which Mfuse also plans to roll out to other operators, is identical to the online version, with both a free-play and play-for-cash mode.
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Gambino family at the centre of massive enforcement swoop in New Jersey
More than 62 people, including leading members of an organised crime family, have been named in a U.S. indictment following a massive police swoop in New York this week. And online sportsbetting is alleged to be among the range of criminal charges that include some of the most serious drug, violence and loan-sharking felonies on the books.
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New proposal seeks to legalise wagering on professional athletics - and the horse racing business wants in too
New Jersey legislators added to America's plethora of confusing gambling laws this week by proposing a bill that would legalise betting on professional sporting events....but only at Atlantic City licensed land casinos.
New Jersey Assemblymen Nelson Albano, Louis Greenwald, John Burzichelli, and Paul Moriarty sponsored the proposal to pave the way for Atlantic City casinos to take bets, and the bill cleared its first hurdle by passing through the General Assembly by 58-17 votes with one abstention.
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Exhibitor space sold out at AiG
The Sixth Annual Asian i-Gaming Congress & Expo (AiG), to be held February 26-28, has completely sold out of
exhibitor space, with over half of the stands occupied by first-time exhibitors, reports organiser Clarion Gaming.
Located at the Venetian Resort in Macau, the upcoming conference and exhibition will not only spotlight never-before-seen exhibitors at AiG, but has doubled the amount of exhibitors over the 2007 event. Top-level sponsors show the importance of branding to the expected audience and include Berwin Leighton Paisner, Mahjong Logic, Ongame Network, Playtech, Continent 8
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Online gambling site bows to Germany's New Year ban
The first online gambling casualty of Germany's ban on Internet gambling introduced on January 1st has advised its players that it is to exit the German market.
Stuart Miller, the casino manager at Get Minted.com, told his German customers in an email this week that due to recent changes in the legalities of online gaming within Germany, "....we very much regret to inform you that all Getminted accounts registered by players from Germany will be suspended as of 1st March 2008."
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Industry spam is less than 4 percent of world levels
According to a report by Websense Security Laboratories, websites linked to online gambling make up less than four percent of world spam emails.
The recent report from the US-based internet security firm states that the second half of 2007 saw a large increase in Storm attacks, which are a combination of worms, Trojan Horses, bots and spam agents.
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| 07 FEBRUARY 2008 : HEADLINES |
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54 new betting shops brought into the group
According to MSN reports this morning Eastwood Bookmakers in Northern Ireland has been taken over by Ladbrokes in one of the biggest property deals of its kind.
Ladbrokes bought 54 Eastwood shops for around GBP 135 million to make it the largest gambling outlet in the [Irish] province.
Eastwood's was established in the 1950s by BJ and Frances Eastwood and is Northern Ireland's best-known family bookmaker with outlets in all major towns.
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Guoco now owns a 23 million share slice of Rank plc action
In a move that increases its holding in UK gambling group Rank plc to 6.05 percent, the Asian-based property investment group Guoco managed by Quek Leng Chan, has expanded its holding in the UK casino, bingo and online betting company to 23 million shares.
Guoco held 4.09 percent prior to this week's acquisition of further equity.
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Another record month's turnover for in-running software firm
In-running gambling software firm Global Interactive Gaming has announced record turnover of GBP 1.9 million for the month of January 2008, a 26 percent rise on the previous record of GBP 1.5 million achieved in October 2007 (see previous InfoPowa report).
GIG's parent group, Interactive Systems Worldwide, Inc. announced record monthly wagering volume from the operation of the SportXction system in the UK this week.
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Basketball body paid one Washington lobbyist $330 000 last year
The National Basketball Association in the U.S. paid McGuirewoods Consulting $280 000 in the second half of 2007, passing a total of $330 000 to the lobbying firm for the year, reports Associated Press.
The firm lobbied Congress to preserve the ban on sports gambling and to "strengthen prohibition against Internet gambling" along with federal decency guidelines, according to a mandatory form filed online Monday by the Senate's public records office.
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Quite apart from an unexpected result, overall betting was down
Sunday's big Superbowl game between favourites New England Patriots and the eventual winners the New York Giants provided a major upset for bookies and failed to make anticipated new records in overall bets, reports the authoritative Las Vegas Review-Journal
The New York Giants upset New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII at Glendale, Arizona. The Giants closed as 12-point underdogs.
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Irish betting group joins a stellar client list
Ethoca, the collaborative fraud management group, has announced that Boylesports, Ireland's largest independent bookmaker, has joined its global anti-fraud network to help increase customer retention, speed up dispute resolution and prepare for entry into new markets.
Boylesports' decision to team with Ethoca makes it the most recent company in the global gaming industry to join Ethoca's fast-growing network, which includes such gaming leaders as Stan James, William Hill, bwin, 888 and Ladbrokes.
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Frenchman comes out tops in three month series of online contests
Titan Poker crowned Frenchman Yann Lelievre (25) as its Online Poker World Champion this week after he defeated some of the best online poker players across the globe in a three month challenge where Titan Poker players competed for the chance to participate in the World Challenge Main Event.
To qualify, players needed to advance through a series of poker leagues, competing first against their fellow countrymen and then against the world's best international players. Only 56 players advanced to the main event.
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State gambling monopoly row spills over into the media
Aggressive attempts to protect the Swedish state gambling monopoly by interfering in newspaper advertising initiatives will soon see objections by leading Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen being heard in the country's Court of Appeal following a ruling by the Supreme Court.
The issue surfaced in public last month (see previous InfoPowa report) following an open and well publicised letter from the editors of the publications concerned which urged European Commissioner for compliance Charlie McCreevy to take action against the state gambling monopoly.
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Labour government U-turn on land gambling policy is likely to have consequences.
The British press this week has been full of reports that British prime minister Gordon Brown is about to formalise his much discussed U-turn on land gambling policy, as indications strengthened that drastic changes will soon be announced. Among the likely casualties will be the super-casino project awarded last year to Manchester by Brown's predecessor Tony Blair.
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More Asian market penetration for online gambling firms
The recently listed Asia-Pacific facing online gambling group Asian Logic Limited is in the business news again this week with a licensing agreement with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and Bingo Bonanza that will expand its presence in the important Asia-Pacific market sector.
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From Mardi Gras to Chinese New Year this month's selection covers a wide range of gamestyles and themes.
The Isle of Man online gambling software developer Microgaming has released five video slots in its regular monthly additions to a gaming inventory that now numbers almost 300 games.
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| 06 FEBRUARY 2008 : HEADLINES |
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Rapidly expanding Asian group to go mobile
Spin3, the mobile gambling technology Microgaming associate has announced that it has signed a deal to provide mobile gambling services and games to the Macau-based PacificNet, Inc. subsidiary PactGames.com.
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Skill gaming provider is backed by some heavyweight gaming expertise
InfoPowa now has more detailed information on the new skill games entry to the market FantaZsports.com (see previous InfoPowa report)
The partnering companies behind the Denver-based start-up are The Illusion Factory and Rolling Dice Productions, California groups that have extensive technological and general gaming and new media pedigrees.
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Negative vote anticipated on bid to grant online gambling imprimatur to state monopoly
The determination of the European Commission to ensure that EU member states respect the principles of fair, non-discriminatory passage of trade and services between member nations may be at the root of a surprise hold on a vote in the Dutch parliament this week.
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Will Hill mismanagement of online operations criticised
Evolution Securities opened the "fantasy merger" season with a speculative look at combining major UK online and offline gambling groups William Hill and Paddy Poker this week, The Guardian blog reports.
Branding their study "Will Power," Evolution suggested that Paddy's marketing and "product development" expertise would benefit William Hill's abortive online sportsbook efforts.
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USTR declines to release details of US-EU deal in WTO dispute
The online sportsbetting information site 911 reports a shocking reaction from US government employees to a request for detail on the recently brokered US-European Union deal on compensation for the withdrawal of US WTO gambling agreements (see previous InfoPowa reports)
Headed appropriately "National Security Is Whatever We Say It Is," the report details the experiences of freelance journalist Ed Brayton, who pursued details of the compensation deal with the EU, Japan and Canada to write an article on the issue.
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Another $10 million available in online poker festival
The seventh edition of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series mega-tournament starts today (Wednesday February 6) offering 20 events and a collective guaranteed prize pool of $10 million.
This is the first FTOPS for 2008, with the last series held in November, 2007.
FTOPS VII will run from February 6 to February 17 and will offer a variety of poker variants including Omaha, Razz, Stud and many more.
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Host adds additional revenue share as affiliate prize
February 6, 2008 (Limassol, Cypress) -- Online poker players will compete for thousands of dollars and bragging rights for their country and favourite poker community at the next Global Gaming Events (www.globalgamingevents.com )
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| 05 FEBRUARY 2008 : HEADLINES |
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UK interactive television firm reports favourable trading and a move into profits
NetPlay's chairman Martin Higginson has announced plans for the launch of a new "Live Blackjack" program, together with 76 other Internet games at the interactive television company...and welcome news for investors that the company has moved into profit.
Higginson reported favourable early trading conditions for the first quarter of 2008 and revealed that "Live Blackjack" and the new Internet games would be in place by the end of the quarter.
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Harris appointed as RIGT trustee
Mark Harris, the chairman of the National Lottery Trust in the UK has been named as a trustee for the Responsibility in Gambling Trust.
Harris joins a number of respected industry names at the RIGT, including Penelope, Viscountess Cobham, chairman of the British Casino Association, the Bingo Association's chairman Sir Peter Fry and current BACTA president Nick Harding.
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Online poker company to send players to the South African Open
Four Titan Poker online players will be packing suntan lotion, safari gear and cameras for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to South Africa following a decision to send a 4 man team to compete in the South African Poker Open.
Three of the players will travel from Canada to attend this exciting South African event, and the fourth player will fly from The Netherlands, arriving in Africa this week.
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Isle of Man gambling software developer launches its operator academy
Online gambling software developer and turnkey provider Playtech is taking the training of its operators up a notch with the launch of the Playtech Academy.
The Academy provides a series of training seminars developed especially for Playtech licensees, as part of the turnkey provider's continued efforts to anticipate support service requirements and provide an all embracing support network for its clients.
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But who are the "leading online game developers and operators" behind FantaZsports.com?
New arrival on the fantasy sports scene is the Denver-based skill gaming website FantaZsports.com, which claims it is a new company formed by "...a partnership of leading online game developers and operators." Unfortunately the company does not further identify these partners.
FantaZsports launched on 1st February in beta mode to test its "self-developed new brand of skill-based, interactive multiplayer cash tournaments," and claims that players can show off their skills in sports, awards events and politics to win cold cash hot prizes.
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ASOP's First Anniversary tournament won by Gabor Vidak in
front of TV, Radio and 100's of affiliates and operators at CAP Euro London
February 4th 2008 (London, UK) -- The 4th Affiliate Series of Poker (ASOP) held at CAP Euro: London was an outstanding success with well over 500 affiliates competing online in order to qualify for the live event, the largest number ever entered! more...
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| 04 FEBRUARY 2008 : HEADLINES |
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Playtech's mega-jackpot game pays out at 32 Vegas
Somewhere on the Internet an online gambler is thanking his lucky stars - and the Playtech Gold Rally progressive slot - for a $2.4 million windfall achieved last Friday night at the 32 Vegas Casino.
This is not the largest recent payout - the last Gold Rally jackpot was hit 97days back at New York Casino and paid out $2.7 million.
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Indian developer will produce six games by April 2008
Mumbai-based mobile games developer Jump Games has clinched a deal to initially produce six mobile games for the famed Manchester United football club.
The company, which is a subsidiary of Reliance Entertainment says the three-year deal with Manchester United will make it the club's official mobile games partner globally, and that the value of the deal is in excess of $100 million.
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With UK gambling reaching new heights, concerns about funding for addiction problems are mounting
Scottish politician Kenneth Gibson has called for a mandatory levy on gambling firms operating in Scotland with a view to more adequately funding provisions for addicts, the Sunday Mail reported over the weekend.
"A mandatory levy on all gambling firms operating in Scotland must be established," said the SNP MSP, calling for Westminster to give the Scottish Parliament the power to make the levy compulsory. "It is simply not acceptable for gambling firms to make a fortune in profits from the Scottish people while largely ignoring their social responsibility to help educate people of the dangers of gambling and contribute to the treatment of gambling addicts."
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It's been awhile since an online poker outfit listed....
Land and online poker pro Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott is taking a bold step into the public company arena, planning a GBP 3.2 million listing on Plus Markets in London, reports The Times.
It's a refreshing change to see an online gambling company going after a listing - since the bans on financial transactions with online gambling companies in the USA imposed 15 months ago there has been little appetite for the genre.
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Monthly Grand Tournament boosted by 50 percent
Online poker veteran Hollywood Poker has seriously upped the tournament ante on its monthly Grand Tournament offering, boosting the guarantee by a hefty 50 percent to $750 000.
Management's faith in the potential of the tournament has undoubtedly been bolstered by its growing popularity, which culminated in 846 entrants in the December event, generating a $846 000 prize pool.
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Asian gambling mecca could see some serious land tournament activity
The Asian land gambling mecca of Macau could become the setting for some major Texas Hold'em action following an Associated Press report that the local authorities have now permitted the giant casinos on the island to offer Texas Hold'em poker for the first time.
The Macau government issued the rules approving the popular poker variation earlier this week, which will allow the house to collect a commission of 3-5 percent of the betting pool for each game.
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This weekend an estimated 50 percent of adult Americans will bet on the Superbowl...
With the biggest betting event on the American sports calendar - the Superbowl - due to take place this Sunday, Fox Business published a well researched article on tax liability for gamblers and examined the online gambling phenomenon that has changed the industry so much over the past decade.
http://www.foxbusiness.com:80/personal-finance/lifestyle-money/travel-lifestyle/article/safe-bet-irs-wont-gambling-winnings_461643_22.html poses the question of how the IRS can harvest taxes in the present American legislative regime which appears to regard online gambling as illegal, yet pervasive.
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Poker Players Alliance gives a little guidance to US voters
With next week's crunch "Super Tuesday" primary nomination voting due in an extraordinarily competitive and intense US presidential election run-up, the Poker Players' Alliance pressure group gave players a snapshot of the attitudes toward online poker of the leading candidates.
Executive Director John Pappas sent out 300 000 emails Friday addressed to PPA members resident in those states that will be voting come Tuesday to select Republican and Democrat candidates.
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Outstanding record of success for 26-year-old player
Gavin Griffin (26) has a reputation for breaking poker records in his short but lucrative career in professional poker, and this week at the Borgata he added an impressive new line to his rankings when became the first player in poker to win an EPT title, a WSOP bracelet and a WPT title.
Griffin took home a $1 401 109 winner's cheque, a custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a Tag Heuer watch and a $25 000 seat in this season's WPT Championship for his win at the 2008 Borgata Poker Classic Championship this week after a tough heads up finish against David "Big Dragon" Tran. Second placed Tran picked up a consolation cheque for $737 685 for his time and trouble.
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Melbourne police waste no time in catching Potter assailants
The InfoPowa report on the assault and robbery against Aussie Millions poker player Jason Potter recently had a sequel this week when Melbourne police announced the apprehension of two men allegedly responsible for the crime.
Dwayne Johnstone (32) is facing five charges including armed robbery, assault and drug possession. Vhyharn Arumughasamy (26) is being charged with one count of armed robbery.
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32 players started Day 3, all that remains of an entry field of 411
Day 3 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour German Open in Dortmund saw 32 survivors from a star-spangled original field of 411 left in contention for final table seats.
Spain's Diego Perez was in the lead chip position on 361 600, a comfortable 26 000 ahead of closest competitor Michael McDonald. But by the end of the day, when the final eight players had been decided, the positions had reversed with McDonald in the chip lead on 862 000 and the Spaniard trailing some way behind him on 744 000. Between the two was Johannes Strassmann, second only to McDonald on 827 000.
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