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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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| 28
DECEMBER 2007 : HEADLINES |
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New Jersey Congressman signs as co-sponsor of Wexler bill
Florida Congressman Robert Wexler's attempt to legalise poker in the United States received a pre-Christmas fillip this week when New Jersey Representative Robert E. Andrews signed up as the proposal's 21st co-sponsor.
Wexler's HR 2610 Skill Games Exemption bill has been steadily gaining support, perhaps overshadowed to some extent by the more wide-ranging Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement bill proposed by Congressman Barney Frank, which seeks to license and regulate online gambling generally in the United States (see previous InfoPowa reports)
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$21 million a year approved by global trade body
After years of negotiation and dispute over online gambling issues, and months of waiting for an outcome, the government of Antigua and Barbuda will likely be disappointed in the award of only $21 million a year in annual trade sanctions. The award was announced in Geneva today (Friday) by a World Trade Organisation arbitration panel following an Antigua claim for 3.4 billion, and a US response that it was worth only $500 000.
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US manoeuvring could make Antiguan retaliation moot
The award of $21 million of cross-retaliatory trade moves by the World Trade Organisation to Antigua in its discrimination action against the United States continued to reverberate through the online gambling industry today (Saturday) In a surprise move, US Trade Representative spokesman Sean Spicer 'advised' Antigua to delay any action pending US changes to its international trade obligations under the WTO treaty.
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Did the US really make meaningful concessions to EU, Canadian and Japanese negotiators?
Last week's disappointing deal between the United States and three fellow World Trade Organisation nations seeking compensation in the wake of an online gambling dispute could be short-lived according to reports from the Brussels HQ of the EU reaching the Financial Times this week.
The FT reveals that high hopes that greeted the deal have been almost immediately dashed by a look at the small print, and major online gambling members of the Remote Gaming Association have already indicated their dismay and intention to pursue further satisfaction (see previous InfoPowa report)
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Yahoo! and Google the targets for class action
Last week's $31.5 million settlement on with the US federal authorities over claimed online gambling advertising infringements may have removed Google and Yahoo! from the federal radar, but there is more litigation in store for them according to a Californian law company.
A class-action lawsuit was filed in the California Superior Court in August 2004 alleging that Yahoo! and Google, along with several other popular websites, made hundreds of millions of dollars by allowing advertisements "for illegal online gambling Web sites" to appear on the search engine pages....and the case is set to be argued on February 11.
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Totesport takes its licensing to "white listed" Channel Isles
In a move that British media is interpreting as an embarrassment for the UK Labour government, Totesport Casino, the Internet arm of government-owned bookmaker the Tote, is switching its licensing to the offshore tax haven of Alderney and not the UK.
The Guardian reports that this controversial move will allow Totesport to advertise freely in the UK while avoiding UK tax and regulation, where taxation levels imposed by present Prime Minister, then Chancellor, Gordon Brown have been widely critised.
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Event 8 of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic this month clinches the title
Poker pro David "The Dragon" Pham is the 2007 Player of the Year, overtaking all opposition by taking down Event 8 of the Five Diamond World Poker Classic this month at the Bellagio in Las Vegas for $279 000.
This is the second time Pham has reeled in the title and respect of the professional players, having previously achieved the honour in 2000. He joins Men Nguyen, who has four wins, and T.J. Cloutier, who has two wins, as repeat Player of the Year poker champs.
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Newly appointed advisers could herald another approach
Despite its unsuccessful attempt last month to get a 28 percent slice of UK gambling group Rank plc (see previous InfoPowa report) it appears that the US gambling giant Harrah's Entertainment is about to take another run at getting in on the action.
This may have something to do with the subsequent involvement of Malaysian gambling firm Genting and British property group Richardson Capital, both of which have secured a foothold stake in the company totalling around 18 percent.
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WTO arbitration award adds little to trade body's credibility
Reaction to last week's World Trade Organisation decision to award $21 million in annual retaliatory measures to the Antiguan government in its online gambling dispute has gathered momentum over the weekend, with a prominent music industry publication roundly condemning the decision.
Music2dot0.com thoroughly examined the decision and its implications for the US music industry and was critical of the price that industry has to pay for US trade infringements in a totally unrelated field of international business, and the manner in which the US Trade Representative has manouevred in the long-running dispute.
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Gaming Associates report now being reviewed by KGC
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission has issued a brief update, advising that Gaming Associates has completed its investigation and has submitted a report on the Absolute Poker scandal that rocked the online poker world in September. The Commission, which licenses Absolute, is now reviewing the report and "....expects to make a decision in this matter within the next two weeks."
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Playtech exec's gaming company the first to launch since UIGEA debacle
Breaking the bad luck voodoo that has haunted the online gambling industry for the past year since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed, an online gambling firm founded by a top Playtech executive is scheduled to launch its IPO on London's AIM market this Friday.
AsianLogic will become the first major online gaming company to list on AIM since the crackdown in the US forced the withdrawal of many listed gambling companies from the American market last year, causing billions in losses to investors.
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Increasing use of concentration-sharpening meds
The use of drugs by professional poker players, academics, classical musicians, corporate executives and students to clarify minds, improve concentration or control emotions was explored in an article in the Los Angeles Times this week.
"There isn't any question about it; they made me a much better [poker] player," Paul Phillips (35) told the authors, crediting the attention-deficit drug Adderall and the narcolepsy pill Provigil with helping him earn more than $2.3 million as a poker player.
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Andrewes joins UK betting giant in March
Ladbrokes has appointed Ed Andrewes as managing director of its online gambling operations. Andrewes, who has over ten years experience in the online betting and gaming industry, will begin his new role on March 1st and will report to John O'Reilly, managing director of eGaming and Telephone Betting.
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Action Poker Network welcomes Gear Poker.com
Action Gaming Network welcomed new online poker room Gear Poker.com to its ranks on December 6.
The new site is focused on the young, up and coming online poker players who are dominating online poker at present, with most of its clientele coming from Europe and North America.
The game inventory offers standard favourites like Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, plus a few other additions not commonly found in online poker rooms. Guts Poker and Survivor Guts Poker, Chinese Poker, Big 2 Poker and Pan (short for Panguingue), make up the extended variety of online poker games.
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Video coaching from the best in the business
Pokerheads with a Christmas wish list may want to consider a new video coaching product featuring greats like Doyle Brunson and Mike Caro. The two experts have teamed up with iAmplifyVegas.com to provide information aimed at honing a player's skills, passing on decades of experience.
Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson is a 10-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, and he joins University of Poker founder Mike Caro in the newest product available through iAmplifyVegas.com: iAmplify Poker University. The combination of Brunson's legendary instincts and Caro's technical prowess is unique in providing insights and practical moves to give players a sharper edge.
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UK Premier League club will get promotions customised for West Ham supporters
New arrival on the British online sportsbook scene, Jaxx continues to build smart partnerships after its recent deal with Lycos UK (see previous InfoPowa reports) The latest move is a team effort with popular Premier League football team West Ham United, known to supporters as the Hammers.
Jaxx.co.uk, a subsidiary of German betting giant Fluxx AG, has become West Ham�s official online betting partner, launching a dedicated site offering products exclusively tailored for West Ham supporters.
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Name change and some welcome working capital give Isle of Man sports firm a boost
BetInternet, now known as Webis Holdings following a November 2nd identity change (see previous InfoPowa report) has revealed that its trading for the first six months of the financial year has been �in line with expectations�. A company statement from chairman Denham Eke said that Webis has received an additional GBP 425 000 from majority shareholder Burnbrae to be used for working capital, marketing and website development purposes.
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Responsible gambling code to short-circuit Norway ban?
Major betting companies Expekt, Ladbrokes, Betsson and Unibet have launched a new �Responsible Gambling Code� in Norway in a move designed to counter a Norwegian government initiative to ban its citizens from transferring funds to foreign online gaming companies. Under such a ban, Norwegian customers would be stopped from betting on football or cross country skiing through the internet.
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70 year old wins big on Intercasino
A 70-year old grandfather of three is being hailed a hero by silver fox surfers everywhere after repeatedly beating the roulette tables at online casino, InterCasino.
Leslie Perrott, a coach trimmer from East Sussex, showed the younger generation of online gamers how it�s done by winning over GBP 360 000 in the space of 10 days on the casino website. In scenes reminiscent of Hollywood blockbuster Ocean�s Thirteen, the quick-witted and very fortunate grandfather had InterCasino bosses scratching their heads as his roulette numbers kept coming up.
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New Yorker wins over $2.48 million in a great tourney
Widely regarded as one of the planet's most prestigious and high-value poker tournaments, the $15 400 buy-in World Poker Tour Doyle Brunson Classic, concluded last week at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, with New York poker ace Eugene Katchalov beating a field of 664 players to clinch a first prize paycheck of over $2.48 million from a prize-pool that totalled $9.6 million.
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Ban online gambling, but expand state lotto sales and launch land casinos
Network World took a swipe at the selective and hypocritical morality of Massachusetts politicians this week with an op-ed article reporting on the intended expansion of state lottery outlets to the doughnut-and-coffee shop sector.
"You can't play online poker, but go ahead and gamble in Dunkin' Donuts," reads the headline on the piece, which summarises Governor Deval Patrick's attempts to introduce three land casino operations to the state whilst banning any possibility of competition from online gambling. Meanwhile, state lottery officials are looking for bigger and better ways to increase lottery sales.
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2008 could start with prohibition - but a challenge will follow
The fresh start to a new year is usually a time for optimism and energy, but that will not be the case for online gambling in Germany, where a ban on the business could be on the cards from January 1st 2008 as part of an inter-state agreement that preserves the country's state monopolies for lotteries and most forms of betting.
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Hakan Andersson will deliver SBG platform to the industry
ACE Interactive, the server based gaming and video lottery technology specialist, has strengthened its senior management team with the promotion of Hakan Andersson to the post of General Manager for Research and Development.
Andersson, who has over 18 years experience in the gaming industry, the last three gained with ACE Interactive, will be responsible for delivering the ACE SBG platform through Aristocrat to the international casino sector as well as VLT solutions to the global lottery industry.
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Gambling revenues will top $10 billion
The gambling mecca of Macau enjoyed a bumper 2007 according to new estimates from the enclave's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau this week, which predicted that casino revenues will increase by an astonishing 46.5 percent for 2007, rising to US $10 billion.
The figure has been boosted by the recent opening of MGM Grand Macau, which recorded gross receipts of US$6.6 million in its first two days of operations, reports Xinhua news agency. On the downside, casino taxes rose 48 percent in the first 7 months.
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But is it genuine....or an attempt to obviate live tournament confrontations?
The cynical are opining that it's an attempt to avoid embarrassing personal confrontations at live tournaments in the future, but others are more charitable and prefer to give Internet poker ace 'JJProdigy' the benefit of the doubt in a public apology for cheating the player has made.
Josh Field, who uses the 'handle' JJProdigy in his numerous online poker successes, 'fessed up over the weekend by posting an apology for cheating on several major online poker websites. Field was nailed by major sites Poker Stars.com and Party Poker.com for underage multi-accounting some time ago (see previous InfoPowa report) and was banned at both sites, losing his account balances.
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eWorld's Lottery Division completes R&D phase
eWorld Interactive, Inc. has announced that its Chinese Lottery management team has completed the research and development phase of a new lottery and gaming platform for the recently approved Olympic Lottery in Beijing, China.
The new platform architecture comprises a network of secure servers and proprietary software capable of handling large transaction volumes and integrates dedicated functions designed to handle game distribution management, real time monitoring and in-depth analysis of sporting results.
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