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Welcome to Bet Sages 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 leisure based wagering
activities on the internet.
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| 16 FEBRUARY 2007 : HEADLINES |
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Holland Casino signs up in a three year deal with veteran turnkey provider
The Dutch government owned Holland online casino and poker room, formerly powered by Access Gaming is to switch to Cryptologic software following an agreement with the veteran turnkey provider announced this week.
The exclusive three-year licensing contract will provide both poker and casino software for Holland Casino.com - the Dutch government licensed casino operator in the Netherlands. The new site, run by Holland Casino on behalf of the Dutch government, is expected to launch in June 2007, and will be available to residents of the Netherlands only.
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360 cases handled in 2006 by Fair Gaming Advocate
The online gambling standards and player protection body eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) has released figures for player disputes handled during 2006 by the Fair Gaming Advocate, Tex Rees.
Rees mediates on behalf of players who have legitimate complaints against any online casino or poker room bearing the eCOGRA "Play It Safe" kitemark. Currently there are 92 online casinos and 23 poker rooms that display the organisation's seal.
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Resources will be focused on alternative Boss Media platform
The British online gambling group Sportingbet.com has had to make some tough business decisions regarding its poker operations, culminating this week in the announcement that it will effectively be closing its Paradise Poker.com platform at a cost of some GBP55 million (US$107million).
The company intends to transfer Paradise players to its existing Boss Media-managed Sportingbet poker platform. Facilitating the move, Sportingbet has extended its contract with Boss for for a further three years of both poker and casino services.
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CEO predicts annual profit for 2006 at $140 million
Gibraltar-bsed Party Gaming chief exec Mitch Garber was in optimistic mood this week with a prediction that he expected the online gaming group to report full-year profit for 2006 of over $140 million (GBP71.9 million pounds), despite a setback in Internet gaming following the advent of the UIGEA.
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Grosvenor UK Poker Tour takes off
The organisers of the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour were flushed with success this week following a better than expected response to the tournament which showed just how popular this concept is. The demand on the inaugural Bolton leg of the competition has persuaded Grosvenor to extend all future events to four, instead of three days.
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Baird joins the board
The board of online gambling and leisure group Leisure & Gaming plc has appointed Michael George Baird a director of the company with responsibility for financial matters.
Baird (42 ) previously served as the companys financial controller and is a qualified chartered accountant with extensive experience in the financial services and gaming industries. Coincidentally, Giles Willits, who has served as a non-executive director, will be stepping down.
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Questionable team jerseys in French cycle race sponsorship row
Organisational and control issues between organisers over French gambling advertising rules meant that riders in the Unibet.com cycling team had to start last week's GP de La Marseillaise in France with the team name replaced by an eye-catching question mark on their jerseys.
The silent protest made news headlines across not only France but Europe too, focusing attention on an apparent conflict between cyclings international body, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and the organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO).
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Another GBP 25 000 win for the lucky chemist
Previous InfoPowa bulletins have reported the phenomenal mix of luck and gambling skill which have boosted the finances of
Rajesh Modha, a 44-year-old pharmacist from Northampton, UK. The lucky chemist won GBP 1.2 million recently in the Ladbrokes Poker Million V after qualifying for just $9, and then last week went on to scoop up GBP 63 000 playing the Cash Inferno slot at Betfair's new online casino.
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Top 64 players battle it out for 3 days
Las Vegas poker pro Bill Edler proved that expertise travels well when he took the World Heads Up Poker Champion title at the beautifully renovated Crystal Casino in Los Angeles this week, beating a series of top opponents drawn from a pool of 64 top players on the way.
It took three days to decide the top dog in a competition that showcased the skill and character of many of the world's leading poker players, with Edler finally dominating the deciding confrontation with Barry Greenstein. On the way to the top Edler initially beat More Eskandani and Kristy Gazes, and prevailed against Brad 'Yukon' Booth in the quarter finals, leaving only Jose Tavares in the semi-final before he went up against Greenstein.
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A powerful Lederer and Oxygen team
XBox360, Playstation 2, PSP and PC poker players don't have too much longer to wait for Howard Lederer's latest version of "World Championship Poker 2 : All In" According to producers Oxygen Games, this uprated iteration of the inaugural offering first launched in 2005 will be available on the shelves by the end of March this year.
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A fast start for what promises to be a thriller of a tournament
Five of the world's top poker stars have agreed to play in the Asian Poker Classic, the largest poker tournament yet staged in India,scheduled for the spectacular coastal resort of Goa from March 1-5, 2007.
The $1 million guaranteed jackpot combined with a minimum $250 000 overlay makes this tournament one of the most attractive available, and more pros can be expected to sign up in coming weeks.
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Bluff Magazine website offers a new facility for players
We're not sure if it merits the title given to it of 'The Coolest Thing Ever' but Bluff Magazine's latest player aid certainly offers a useful way for pokerheads to track, interact, and satisfy their poker urges online. The Coolest etc has its origins in The Poker DB which as far back as 2004 has tracked hundreds of thousands of tournament results and been the catalyst for ranking almost two million players based on tournament performance, total lifetime winnings, biggest cashes and streak stats.
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Going after the same timeframe, Venetian and Wynn engage in a little heads up action.
The Las Vegas poker sector was left wondering at the choice of identical timeframes this week when super gambling giants The Venetian and Wynns competitively announced new poker tournaments scheduled for later this (February) month.
The Venetian's 'Deep Stack Extravaganza,' and the 'Wynn Classic', whilst having different formats have both been scheduled to take place February 21st through March 11th, 2007.
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Bo's team takes the Party Poker honours in Cardiff
Sweden defied huge odds to pull off a spectacular triumph at the PartyPoker.com Poker Nations Cup in Cardiff. The winning team,captained by Bo Sehlstedt, included 2006 WSOP bracelet winners Anders Henriksson and Mats Rahm, as well as Johan Storakers, William Thorsson and online qualifier Hans Isoz.
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AGA exec says "...they don't have a chance in hell"
The ambitions of American poker players to have their game of choice classified as a "game of skill" to circumvent the current US assault on Internet gambling received a sobering shock this week when a top American gambling administrator told a journalist working for the Las Vegas Sun "...they don't have a chance in hell."
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2006 profits should come in at GBP 18.4 million for Internet gambling and football pools company
British gambling group Sportech is in the fortunate position of not losing sleep or business over the American problems associated with the UIGEA, due to its European gambling base and this week gave an optimistic trading update on its online gambling and football pool action.
Business has been on the up it appears, with operating profits for the year to January 5 predicted to come in at GBP 18.4 million.
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A Euro bonanza as player hits the Major Millions progressive jackpot
One lucky player from River Belle Online Casino has just become almost half a million Euros richer. In the first week of February, progressive slots player Alvaro C., from Portugal, struck it lucky on the Major Millions progressive jackpot to take home a welcome Euro 447 184.07.
Alvaro wasn't the only big winner - during the months of December and January, Riverbelle parent Carmen Media ran an extraordinary promotion whereby players could win a luxury sports car to the value of $45 000. Seven finalists were drawn and an online draw took place to determine the overall winner. Paul T., from the United Kingdom, drove away as the lucky winner after playing at The Gaming Club Online Casino.
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FTOPS 3 and Party Poker generosity add excitment to an already vibrant weekend scene
Adding spice to this weekend's Sunday Specials in online poker was the third series of Full Tilt's Online Poker Series, and a fifty percent add-on by Party Poker to its already popular guarantee.
The Poker Stars Guaranteed Sunday Million continued to lead the field with a starting lineup of 6 786 players, all in the hunt for the lion's share of the $1 357 000 prizepool - a winners paycheck of $191 365 and change. The money bubble extended over 1080 players, and the action was as usual intense before the final table was decided.
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Even small international wire transfers to be scrutinised
The Orlando Business Journal reports that federal authorities have asked Florida banks to pay attention to all Internet gambling and small international wire transfers in an attempt to cut down on alleged money laundering.
According to the report, Internet gambling and even the smallest international wire transfers are about to make the list of transactions Central Florida banks will monitor under anti-money laundering laws.
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Alexander band's online gambling bid has an outside chance, experts say but they have to show betting was an ancestral activity
The Edmonton Jourbal published a follow-up to the story that a Canadian First Nation band was planning to become another Kahnawake-like haven for online gambling (see previous InfoPowa report) this week.
The Journal claims that legal experts are of the opinion that the Alexander First Nation can successfully fend off a showdown the government has threatened over the band's attempts to create a haven for online casinos.
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With millions in 'cold storage' who gets the interest?
US players deprived of their Neteller balances by the wrangle between the Isle of Man e-wallet and US government officials were this week asking the very valid question: "If our frozen funds are being safely held in a Neteller trust account what interest is accruing on the money and will we be getting it?"
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"It's a very, very sad day for TonyG..."
The usually ebullient poker pro TonyG was in an uncharacteristically negative mood this week when he notified players using his online poker site that he could no longer continue to accept US players.
Notices on the site, emails to US players and posts on his blog reflected the pro's reluctance to take the lock-out route, saying:
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It seems even antiques are gambling targets in today's America
Industry observers and online gamblers alike were aghast at the apparent pettiness of US enforcement officials in Whitefish, Montana this week when an Associated Press report divulged details a *raid* on a legitimate antique shop and the arbitrary confiscation of antique gambling equipment worth $77 000.
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Harrah's and NGC investigations almost completed
The respected poker publication Poker News has proved extraordinarily professional and patient in trying to uncover a 2 million chip mystery which occurred during the final stages of the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.
At a very late stage of the competition, an additional 2 million chips mysteriously and perhaps mistakenly were added to the chips in play, with the potential to materially benefit any player who received them.
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With a billion dollars in wagers in the first 90 days, Pennsylvania land gambling is popular
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review quotes official state figures that claim gamblers have wagered more than $1 billion at Pennsylvania casinos in the 90 days since they started opening in November.
Casino patrons bet $1.06 billion and won $960.8 million, the state Gaming Control Board reported.
In all, slots have generated $267.6 million for the state - including the 55 percent tax on gross revenue and licensing fees.
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Another extension to the diversity of online gambling
Ever heard of "Perudo"? It's better known as the entertaining "Liar's Dice" game and it's now available online for the first time from a company called Backgammon Masters.
Perudo apparently has its roots in South America from whence it translated centuries ago to Spain, where it is recorded in Spanish history. Perudo fans all over the world, especially in Latin countries, know and love the game and can now try it out online and for free at tables of up to 5 players through Backgammon Masters.com.
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Within days of the VPL pull-out, another Microgaming powered group turns its back on U.S. players
Affiliates and players were this week reporting that the Golden Star online gambling group, comprising Golden Riviera, River Nile, Slots Royale and Miami Paradise online casinos has advised players that it is leaving the US online gambling scene.
The move follows a similar decision recently by Vegas Partners Lounge, with which Golden Star has been associated, to withdraw.
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Whilst American enforcers and banks attack online gambling funding channels, aliens with no credit history are offered no-hassle cards....
The almost surreal hypocrisy surrounding US government attempts to financially execute the online gambling industry (with a few *carve-outs* for horse racing and lotteries of course) was again highlighted by a MSNBC news report this week.
The mainstream media report originated in the Wall Street Journal and detailed a new initiative by the Bank of America, which has apparently started offering credit cards to customers who do not have Social Security numbers or any credit history.
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It's probably not a happy Valentine's Day for the Neteller founders arrested by US authorities for alleged "money-laundering"
With the next court hearing for Neteller founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre scheduled for February 14, industry observers will be watching what investigation material is produced by the US authorities who arrested the Neteller shareholders last month.
According to details already lodged by the US agents (see below) it appears that US authorities may have access to Neteller financial records, although the e-wallet has revealed that it is still in talks with Department of Justice officials. But the submissions also suggest that the data held additionally includes Automated Clearing House (ACH) records that may have detail on individual transactions:
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US Attorney's office still undecided on whether to indict Isle of Man e-wallet founders.
If readers thought that the February 14 court date set in the case against Canadian Neteller founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre would produce new information they were disappointed. As USA Today reported, the waiting game for thousands of U.S. patrons with money tied up in the Isle of Man based online payment service currently under federal investigation just got longer.
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It may have generated some publicity, but was the Pokerbandits.ca hoax responsible or professional?
In the current hostile climate toward online gambling generated by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, website operators need more than ever to operate with care and professionalism. Those two qualities were not much in evidence this week when a Canadian online poker information site succeeded in drawing attention to itself, probably with an eye on its imminent re-launch.
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Fast, no download Texas Hold 'Em now available
Absolute Poker.com has launched a new Java version of their online poker product called Instant Play, claiming that the no-download option is "easy, accessible and immediate for all poker players." The new product also opens the door to Apple Mac users, which will be welcomed.
Instant Play enables Absolute Poker players to log in and play using the same username, password and balance anywhere and on any PC or Mac. Players on vacation or working from remote locations can now fully participate in a Texas Hold'em Poker game wherever and whenever they choose.
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PartyPoker sets the scene for a monumental poker competition
Although online qualifying games for the next Party Poker European Challenge have already started, the veteran online poker site has introduce a new competitive element for those who achieve a place.
The first 50 online qualifiers from Eastern Europe and a similar number from Western Europe will face off against each other in a bonus tournament with a Euro 100 000 prizepool in addition to earning a $6 500 package to the Challenge.
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Svenska Spel posts record profits
Svenska Spel AB, the Swedish government-owned and licensed gaming company, posted record profits for 2006 this week, with a healthy contribution from the online poker division, which opened in March last year.
In total, Svenska Spel made a $685 million profit during 2006, the company's best result ever. According to CEO Jesper Karrbrink, the online poker section has been extremely successful.
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Washington state has a reputation for being strongly anti-online gambling....it doesn't extend to other forms of the pastime, though
Washington state may regard online gamblers as criminals, but it has a quite different view of tribal gambling judging from developments in the state recently where the rebellious Spokane tribe, after years of asserting its rights to run on-reservation casinos has finally received the approval of Governor Chris Gregoire and her officials.
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Sky network to offer interactive poker
The latest channel pending launch by the burgeoning Sky television network in the UK should please Brit poker players - it's a poker dedicated offering with an ambitious new program aimed at getting people to play their favourite game via TV.
Broadcast from Sky Poker's Feltham studios, the programs will feature a series of guests (who play along with the onliners) and presenters, such as Helen Chamberlain and Sean Boyce, who discuss the action with experts such as Ed Giddins, Tony Kendall, and Trevor Harris.
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An ingenious argument to get around legal obstacles
This week saw the championship advent of an ingenious new interpretation of the game of poker - it's called Duplicate Poker and its goal is to get around the luck vs skill debate surrounding the legality of the game.
In the new wrinkle, the cards are set-up so that each table and each seat at each table gets exactly the same cards. Duplicate hole cards, duplicate flop, turn and river.
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Expansion into new markets starts to take up the American slack
The Gibraltar-based online gambling group 888.com has illustrated that last October's loss of its U.S. business as a result of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act can to some extent be offset by aggressive expansion into other markets.
UK business media appeared in positive mood about the companys future prospects following the release of the results, in which 888 Holdings Plc said fourth-quarter sales from countries outside the U.S. rose 12 percent as revenue from Internet poker climbed.
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New Game Lounge site features a range of skill games
The new Directtv Game Lounge skill games site operated by FUNTech subsidiary Skilljam, features everything from Sudoku to Solitaire, Bejewelled to Poker and Hotwheels to Jamtris and offers cash prizes for its interactive television skill gaming audience.
Players using the new facility will be able to participate through their remote controls, and Skilljam is to launch television versions of eight of its online games including solitaire and free cell.
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Check out this long planned project at Paddy Power.com
The international production house Endemol has been talking about moving into interactive TV and the Internet with it's block-busting television game Deal or No Deal for some time, and fans will be pleased to hear that this engrossing fixed odds game is now available at PaddyPower.com.
The online scratchcard version of the popular TV game for the National Lottery was developed and produced by Endemol Gaming.
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Thanks to US enfocement activity against Neteller, a promising Vancouver company axes staff
The knock-on impact of US Department of Justice actions aimed at killing off those sectors of the online gambling industry that it regards as illegal was demonstrated again his week in an excellent review of the fate of Canadian company ESI Entertainment Systems Inc.by Vancouver Sun writer David Baines.
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Antiguans lodge official protest at premature US activity
The Antigua Sun reports that a new row has broken out between the United States and Antigua, still locked in a bitter World Trade Organisation dispute over online gambling.
The Antiguans have lodged a fresh complaint with the WTO, claiming that US officials have prematurely leaked advantageous parts of a preliminary WTO report that was supposed to remain confidential.
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White label deal with St Minver could be a new revenue stream
The Gibraltar-based St Minver white label provider has reportedly signed up UK high street retailer Woolworths for a fully operated and managed online bingo site as a potential generator of fresh revenues.
UK analysts have this week been speculating on whether the adoption of online gambling fits Woolworths' brand.
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Basketball stars ante up for Trent Tucker Hoopology event
Making the news this weekend at the Hard Rock Casino will be a slew of basketball stars signed up to compete in the $10 000 buy-in Trent Tucker Hoopology pokerfest. The contest carries forward a trend for celebrities to be involved in high profile poker tournaments to attract media attention.
With names like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, BJ Armstrong, and a slew of former NBA greats, including the host Trent Tucker himself, the event should attract all the attention required as well as providing some great entertainment. Many top poker players will be involved, too including Patrik Antonius and Mike Sexton.
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Revenue, earnings and earnings per share grow more than 20 percent despite challenging fourth quarter
Top online gambling software developer and turnkey provider Cryptologic has released strong 2006 results showcasing eight new customer sites, 40 new games, new acquisitions and some impressive Asian expansion moves.
The company grew both revenue and earnings by 21 percent to $104.0 million and $24.8 million, respectively. Earnings rose to $1.81 per fully diluted share, a 24 percent increase over 2005, and the company ended a successful year with $128.4 million in total cash.
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Nordic Bet is going walkabout with experienced mobile technology outfit
The Malta-licensed Nordic Gaming Group subsidiary NordicBet.com is about to go mobile in partnership with mobile gaming firm Mobenga, offering a full range of betting and gaming services for gamblers on the go.
A spokesman for the Scandinavian-facing and sports betting oriented site says: In order to take full advantage of the possibilities of the future for communication, distribution and increased service to our customers we have chosen Mobenga as a partner to provide a flexible, user friendly and modern mobile platform.
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Owning the Dan Best operation may not sit well in the States
A bid by Liberty Media to acquire the major league baseball team Atlanta Braves could founder on the former's ownership of the Don Best sports betting operation according to a Denver Post staff writer.
The Don Best.com gambling advisory and information service is regarded as one of the Internet's premier sports-betting information operations, but that could present a conflict of interest when it comes to buying a professional sports team.
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EGB 2007 speaker list shaping up well
This is a good time to diarise 8-9 May 2007, when the third European Gambling Briefing (EGB) is scheduled for the Le Meridin in Brussels.
EGB is the longest running and most established conference tackling European legal and regulatory issues in the gambling industry, and has an outstanding reputation that attracts the presence of influential figures in the world of gambling.
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