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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
are recognised as one of
the leading independent
gambling news services
in the online gambling
industry.
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Documents filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri indicate Steinberg held
Although no details have yet emerged on where and how he was arrested, it appears that Norman Steinberg, who has been associated with Gary Kaplan and the moribund BetonSports.com, is being held by federal authorities.
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Lawrence could get five years on conspiracy charge
Making headlines across the mainstream media late Friday was the news that Neteller co-founder Stephen Lawrence (47) had pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge over the handling of billions of dollars in illegal gambling proceeds.
During a hearing before U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in Manhattan, Lawrence also agreed to cooperate with the government. He faces a maximum sentence of five years on the conspiracy charge for his role in the operation of the Isle of Man-based e-wallet.
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Swedish online gambling organisation debuts new system
Radio Sweden is reporting that the Swedish government online gambling orgnaisation Svenska Spel is to introduce advanced artifical intelligence software in a bid to combat problem gambling.
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Giant US gambling group could be up and running within a year if legal questions resolved
The giant Vegas-based MGM Mirage gambling group would get involved in online gambling as quickly as it could if the United States legalised the online gambling market in that country, a senior company exec told a newspaper journalist earlier this week.
Senior Vice President Alan Feldman told journo Tom Somach of the San Francisco Chronicle that it was likely that the other major gambling groups in the American industry would do the same, and that his own group could be up and running online within a year of being given a green light.
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Legal hassled obstruct a promising acquisition
According to statements filed with the London stock exchange authorities today (Wednesday) the acquisition talks between listed online gambling companies Bwin in Austria and Sportingbet in the UK �have now been mutually and amicably discontinued�.
No reasons were given for the failure of the talks, but analysts are already speculating that the pre-UIGEA American business activities of Sportingbet and the potential for legal hassles this might cause might be central. Similar problems plagued the Ladbrokes - 888.com plans earlier in the year, and are thought to be the reason that Party Gaming has embarked on discussions on its position with US Justice authorities recently.
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Popular online gambling information site now in Chinese language version
Visitors to a new Chinese language version of the popular online gambling information portal Casinomeister.com can read about operations engaged in rogue behaviour, how to identify dangerous venues, a comprehensive FAQ for newbie online gamblers and a growing range of information of value to Chinese players.
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Online gambling management service to customise product
Inside Gaming Limited today announced that it has successfully migrated to the Playtech online gambling software platform for its online casino, poker, bingo and mobile products.
The UK company will continue to offer fully managed service solutions using the new software which will include access to the successful iPoker and Bingoland networks.
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Alphameric reports loss, announces review
Sportsbetting software provider Alphameric says it will be reviewing its business strategy after making a trading report that reveals a pre-tax six month loss of GBP 1.8 million, compared with a GBP 3.3 million profit in the previous year.
Revenue fell from GBP 36.5 million to GBP 24.6 million, mainly due to losses in the leisure business which develops and provides software to bookmakers. Overheads were 10 percent lower than the comparable period following the merger of the two operating subsidiaries late last year
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Virgin Bets campaign aimed at online gamblers
Virgin Games has harnessed the marketing power of the UK television reality series Big Brother 8 (BB8) sponsored by Virgin Media to launch an online advertising campaign that will publicise its Internet betting service, Virgin Bets.com.
The advertising deal will see a string of Big Brother related video bets streamed on Virgin Media�s website for the length of the current show. The advertising campaign will star magician Pete Firman, of Channel 4�s Dirty Tricks, playing out betting markets that relate to BB8 and its weekly round of evictions.
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Unsourced reports suggest that Congressman Frank has added an interesting new clause to his proposals
Several online gambling information sites are this week carrying an unsourced and what appears to be largely speculative report on a claimed affordable housing addition to the Frank proposal to legalise, regulate and tax online gambling in the United States.
Congressman Frank, a Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee launched HR2046 the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act earlier this year (see previous InfoPowa reports) and achieved widespread mainstream publicity for it when he held hearings on the topic in June.
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27 politicians now on board for regulating online gambling in the USA
There's still a long political haul ahead, but Congressman Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and author of Bill HR 2046 which seeks to license and regulate online gambling in the United States, is using his considerable experience and legislative clout to continue building support for his proposal.
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Things are not always as they seem....
It looks like 888.com in layout, colours and graphics...and there's even a reference to what seems to be the financial processor of the major Gibraltar-based online gambling group. According to some first hand reports, the site T&C copy even refers to 888.
Roccos Casino.com had players guessing this week until some community digging revealed a subtle switch in the Intersafe Global title and the true ownership and 'licensing' of Roccos Casino as the Costa Rican based Rocco's Entertainment Group SA, a subsidiary of Global Intersafe Limited (not the 888.com company, which is Intersafe Global (Europe), Ltd.)
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Chairman describes pre-tax loss of GBP 925 000 as "unsustainable"
The racecourse and online sportsbetting group ubet2win plc had bad news for investors this week when it revealed that its full-year pre-tax loss had widened to GBP 925 000 compared to last year's loss of GBP 264 000 due to continuing difficulties with its racecourse business and the heavy costs of marketing and developing its online activities.
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Play against the world's best on your cellphone...
Poker players on the go who sign up for the World Series of Poker mobile poker game launched this week will be able to pit their skills against world renowned poker pros like Johnny Chan, Elizabeth Shannon, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Scotty Nguyen, Annie Duke and Michael Mizrachi in virtual heads-up play.
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Ten percent of the action could grow to quarter ownership of Shanghai company
The Chinese facing mahjong distributor and marketer Dynasty Gaming Inc. has signed a letter of intent to acquire an initial 10 percent stake in Shanghai online mahjong games developer 3Q1Technologies in exchange for an undisclosed cash payment. The deal includes an option for Dynasty to eventually acquire up to a 25 percent holding in 3Q1.
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Developers working on a new sportsbook platform and improved online poker and gambling products
With a staff of 35 building towards an eventual complement of 50 by September, the UK online gambling group Betfair has opened a software development centre in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca, reports Silicon.com.
Betfair spokesmen revealed that the decision to open a Romanian centre was not just based on 30 percent lower staff costs, but on the area�s quality skills and resources. He said: "The quality of the people is really high. They have a fantastic university and they have a really great engineering programme. They are of the calibre of the guys in London."
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Online gambling group confident that it will meet expectations this year
Starting the week off on a positive note today (Monday) Party Gaming said the company�s financial performance in the second quarter has been in line with management's expectations.
�While the important fourth quarter period lies ahead, the group remains confident about the prospects for the full year,� it said in a trading update.
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New record for Gibraltar-based online poker company
Party Poker.com seems determined to reestablish its title as the biggest online poker outfit on the planet with the news that it has once again upped the ante by guaranteeing to give away a record total of $12 million in prize pools this July.
The popular $300 000 guaranteed tournament, which takes place every Sunday, remains a highlight, whilst there are also a range of other guaranteed prize pools that will be sure to wet the lips of any poker player. Tournaments include weekly Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday $30 000 giveaways, as well as the $50 000 guaranteed super Saturday tournament.
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Winner's payday in Championship was over half a million dollars
Perhaps somewhat overshadowed by the frenetic action and big money going across the World Series of Poker tables at Harrah's Rio last week, the Borgata Poker Summer Open Championship nevertheless was a poker tournament of note.
A final table of 10 experienced and determined players battled it out for a first prize worth $513 925 in a tournament that featured expert, fast and at times downright aggressive play.
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East meets West in online sportsbetting deal
Lottomatica S.p.A. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, GTECH Sports Betting Solutions Limited, has completed the acquisition of London and Belgrade-based Finsoft Limited, a provider of real-time transaction and information management systems for the commercial sports-betting market.
GTECH entered into an agreement to acquire the outstanding share capital of Finsoft and substantially all of the assets of BEG Finsoft d.o.o. Belgrade, an affiliated Finsoft company and the Serbian-based development centre for Finsoft's sports-betting software operations.
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Mexican tycoon is now world's richest individual
According to a respected tracker of Mexican financial wealth reported by Forbes Magazine, Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu is currently the world's richest man, worth an estimated $67.8 billion, after overtaking Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
The Mexican businessman controls Latin America's largest mobile phone operator America Movil and in the three months to June its share price soared 27 percent, making him about $8.6 billion richer than Gates, according to Eduardo Garcia in Sentido Comun, the online financial publication.
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Panel of doctors and other professionals on call at Addicted.com
A new California-based website branded Addicted.com is offering 24/7online support and recovery resources for addictive gambling and other disorders, helping addicts and their families.
The site features a panel of doctors and other professionals that specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of problems such as eating disorders, gambling, sexual addiction and drug and alcohol abuse.
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Tournaments will be set in some of the world's most exotic casino locations.
The world's largest online poker site, Isle of Man-based PokerStars.com has announced that it is to sponsor the Asia Pacific Poker Tour commencing with a $2 500 buy-in tournament in Manila, Philippines on August 24 - 26.
From there the Tour will move to Korea with a further $2 500 tournament schedules for Seoul on September 28 - 30.
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Mixed bag of poker games planned for first European outing
World Series of Poker commissioner Jeffrey Pollack shared information on the planned WSOP Europe venture with the USA Today newspaper this weekend, detailing plans for the September 6 to 16 inaugural event in the UK.
The world's biggest poker event is going global and includes plans for a three-day H.O.R.S.E. tournament, a two-day Pot-Limit Omaha tournament and a six-day No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament.
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Vegas spectacular's European version planned for September 6 - 16th
Betfair.com has been selected as the �Presenting Sponsor� of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe through 2011 and has signed a letter of intent on the project with WSOP owners Harrah's Entertainment.
The inaugural WSOP Europe will take place in London between September 6th and 16th. The first World Series event to be held outside Las Vegas, the tournament will be hosted at three casinos operated by London Clubs International � Fifty, in St James�s; The Casino at the Empire, Leicester Square; and The Sportsman, on Marble Arch.
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Extra Day 2 added to Main Event
It appears that World Series of Poker organiser Harrah's Entertainment is planning for a large entry field at this year's main event starting Friday.
Company spokesmen have unveiled an adjusted main event schedule that falls back on a contingency plan to extend the $10 000 championship over an extra day.
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Pro builds a formidable chip lead to take winner's prize of $2 276 832
After a five day competition against some of the top players in world poker, Freddy Deeb is the 2007 World Series of Poker H.O.R.S.E. champion, winning out over 148 of the best poker players around, claiming the coveted Event 39 H.O.R.S.E. victor's bracelet....and giving his bank balance a boost with the main prize of $2 276 832.
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Best of 728, and a monster paycheck for poker pro
The biggest paychecks following the H.O.R.S.E. millions at the World Series of Poker this weekend was found in event 45, the popular $5 000 Six-Handed No Limit Hold 'Em which attracted a starting field of 728 players, shrinking to 77 at the end of the first day after some intense and fast-moving action.
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From low man in chips to winner - Billivara collects $722 914.
With a starting field of 3 151 hopefuls - another new WSOP non-main event record - generating a prize pool of $4 301 115, the World Series of Poker event 49 - the $1 500 No Limit Hold 'Em competition - attracted major crowds and plenty of media attention this week.
By the end of the first day's play only 218 survivors remained at the tables, an indication of how much fierce and competitive action took place across the large number of tables. That pace continued and within the first two rounds of day 2 another 88 players headed for the exit door, causing congestion problems at the cashier's grill.
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Poker ace dominates final table play in event 50
One of the top events in the World Series of Poker has to be the $10 000 Pot Limit Omaha, a competition that once again this year attracted top players
314 players started, including luminaries like Doyle Brunson, Patrik Antonius, Scotty Nguyen, Annie Duke and Greg Raymer. By Day 2 only 55 survived. Giving a hint of the pressure and competitivness by the end of the first hour ten top players had been eliminated, including Anita Perl, Alex Brenes, John Duthie, Greg Raymer, Minh Ly, JC Tran and Chau Giang.
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Absolute Poker's Bad Beat Jackpot could make the next 'loser' wealthy
The recently introduced Absolute Poker.com Bad Beat Jackpot soared to $250 000 this week, making the poker action more attractive for players who fear this poker phenomenon. The Bad Beat Jackpot pays out to the table where a player loses a poker hand holding four eights (8888) or anything better, and a total of $78 000 has already been awarded from the original $100 000 offering.
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Company's techie whizz sells 13.6 million shares
One of the founding members of the Gibraltar-based online gambling group 888.com, Shay Ben-Yitzhak (39) has reportedly sold 13.6 million shares in the company, reducing his holdings from 57.5 million to 43.9 million according to The Times newspaper in the UK.
Ben-Yitzhak has been a non-executive director of the company since mid-2006 and was formerly Chief Technical Officer. He was the man behind the technical development of 888.com, brought into the company from its inception in 1997 by founder Aharon Shaked and his brother Avi, who sold their homes and mortgaged other property, to raise about $1million and realise their dream of using the nascent Internet to provide online gambling on a global basis.
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Trading update shows "significant" big money bets on telephone service
The latest tradeing information from Ladbrokes indicates "...significantly increased levels of High Rollers� Telephone betting activity," without venturing possible explanations for the phenomenon.
The income appears to be set to boost the Laddie telephone betting operating profit for the six months ended 30 June 2007 to around GBP 45 million more than during the same period last year.
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First half trading ahead of expectations
Online gambling group Gaming VC has issued a more promising six month trading prediction that numbers will be ahead of expectations.
The revenue from the casino business has been in-line with projections and the group added it is confident the core German business should deliver 2007 performance ahead of current market expectations.
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Everything the modern woman desires....
Visitors to the somewhat risque website of UK lingerie, sex toys, oils and lotions and other good things retailer Ann Summers have an additional service from this week with the launch of Ann Summers Bingo.com.
The professionally designed and definitely feminine site sports table, slot and soft games, but the main attraction is a wide range of bingo games, tournaments and promotions powered by Parlay Entertainment as part of the St Minver white label system, all on the growing International Bingo Network. Virgin, Butlins and Yahoo Games are just some of the other members on the network.
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Cryptologic powers a big, bold, new site
World Poker Tour's undertaking that it would launch a bigger and better online poker site (see previous InfoPowa reports) was realised this week when the company re-launched on Cryptologic's top quality poker software. The poker company initially tried developing a proprietary software for its online venture, but switched to Crypto in April 2007 as a precursor to the new site, which does not accept US players.
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UK smoking ban could present an opportunity for Will Hill
UK gambling group William Hill plc appears to feel there could be a positive opportunity in the smoking bans imposed in Britain recently. The opportunity could lie in persuading land bingo and casino players frustrated by the ban to redirect their entertainment....and their money...to online venues.
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Earnings "marginally ahead" of first half 2006
Britain's largest bookie group, William Hill plc said in a statement today that first half 2007 earnings before tax were slightly ahead of the same period last year, meeting management forecasts comfortably. Estimates for the full year are optimistic and in line with analyst predictions.
William Hill takes wagers at more than 2 250 UK and Irish betting shops, by telephone and over the Internet. The group has fueled winnings with the 2005 purchase of 560 Stanley Leisure plc betting shops and the addition of 7 600 electronic betting terminals to its outlets and is adding Spanish and Italian outlets to expand.
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Affiliates get advance notification that player acquisition is to cease
After a remarkably short life of only weeks, Casino Nordica.com is to close its doors to new players from July 2nd 2007, as part of a wind down in activity. Nordica is a sister casino to Casino.dk owned by a reputable Danish company Casinocontanter.com Limited licensed in Malta. The group includes a poker site on the Merge network and a mobile gambling arm powered by Spin3.
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David Grouse appointed European manager
Australian betting software developer BEToptions has appointed David Grouse as manager of European operations as part of an expansion into the European market.
"In response to the interest in BEToptions' WAGERplayer and BetPOS products in the UK and Europe, and to further strengthen our support to our customers located in Europe, we have decided that the time is right to open an office in the UK," said Stuart Cashen, general manager at the software company.
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You've heard of fantasy sports...now you can play Fantasy Poker
Football fans, baseball fans and basketball fans all enjoy taking their interest in sports to a new level by competing in fantasy sports leagues. Fantasy players draft their dream team of professionals to represent them when they play against other fantasy owners. The better the 'professionals' play, the more points the fantasy team owner amasses.
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Up to 40 percent of online players use message boards, and here's why
The 11 000 respondents to the recent eCOGRA-commissioned online gambling survey completed by Nottingham Trent University indicated that up to 40 percent of players use independent message boards, or 'forums,' for purposes ranging from checking out online gambling venues before playing to the best bonuses available.
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Playing it safe in the United States
Fantasy sports players will be feeling more confident about the legality of the pastime this week following a ruling in a federal court in New Jersey, which found that such activities do not constitute illegal gambling.
CNET News carried a perspective piece on the issue prepared by San Francisco information technology and intellectual-property lawyer Eric J. Sinrod which is well worth reading.
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ToCA Race Driver 3 coming to SkillGround.com
Groove Media Inc. is not wasting any time when it comes to acquiring new games. This week the company revealed that its recently launched subsidiary SkillGround.com (see previous InfoPowa reports) has signed an exclusive license with leading video game publisher Codemasters to bring the top racing title ToCA Race Driver 3 to its proprietary broadband skill gaming platform.
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