Latest Online Gaming News
6/23/08 - Lawmakers to vote on suspending the UIGEA
Things are about to get very interesting on the
Hill.
Tomorrow, June 24, should see a scheduled vote by the US House Committee on
Financial Services regarding H.R. 5767. Specifically, that bill is Barney
Frank's legislation to effectively suspend the UIGEA from ever being enforced.
So, what does this mean?
Well, Democrat Barney Frank sponsored the bill and is also the Chairman of the
Committee, so that's a good sign. The bill was co-sponsored by Republican
presidential candidate Ron Paul, who also sits on the committee - another good
sign. As well, the number of Democrats on the committee outnumbers the
Republicans.
So, all things considered, one would have to think that this bill has a pretty
good chance of passing through this vote.
Read entire article
here.
6/19/08 - IOC to monitor suspicious gambling
CHINA -- As reported by the Brisbane Times: "The International Olympic Committee
has introduced new anti-gambling measures to quash any suspicion about results
at the Olympic Games in China - a country that has an annual gambling turnover
of $US100 billion.
"But at least one betting agency believes the new rules don't go far enough and
described the measures as akin to banning drug-taking, but not testing any
athletes.
Read entire article
here.
6/18/08 -
Cort
Expects Gaming Resolution This Week
Antiguan and Barbudan officials are hoping that a long-awaited agreement with
the United States can be reached as early as this week.
According to Minister of Finance and the Economy Dr. Errol Cort, Antigua and
Barbuda and the USA have agreed to extend the hiatus in their World Trade
Organization (WTO) internet gambling trade dispute until this Friday.
The last postponement of the dispute at the WTO ran out on 6 June, officially
restarting the WTO arbitration process, but Dr. Cort confirmed yesterday that
the sides hope to thrash out a bilateral agreement this week.
“We are still working on a possible settlement and we will use this week to see
how best we can conclude and effect a settlement in this matter, so we thought
that it would be useful to extend the timeframe from 6 June to 20 June, to allow
the parties some more time to see whether it is possible to resolve this
matter,” Dr. Cort told the Antigua Sun.
Read entire article
here.
6/16/08 -
eCOGRA
board welcomes new director
LONDON, England -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- The online gambling player protection and
standards organisation eCOGRA has announced a change to its 7 person Board of
Directors, in which Chris Hobbs, Head of Corporate Affairs at Microgaming
replaces Roger Raatgever as one of the Founder Directors of the independent,
non-profit body. The other Founder Member seats are held by bwin and 888.com.
Under the eCOGRA charter, the Board currently consists of three Member Directors
and four Independent Directors.
The Independent Directors, to whom CEO Andrew Beveridge reports, are solely
responsible for the executive control of eCOGRA and the activities of its
powerful Seals Compliance and Audit Committees, which test and monitor `Safe and
Fair` seal operators and control the award, review and if necessary revocation
of the seals.
Read entire article
here.
6/2/08 - Native policing of gambling in doubt after online cheating
MONTREAL, Canada – As reported by The
National Post: "Confidence in the ability of Mohawk regulators to police
lucrative online gambling operations on the Kahnawake reserve has been shaken
following the second cheating scandal in less than a year.
"UltimateBet.com, which is owned by a company controlled by former Kahnawake
grand chief Joe Norton, acknowledged on Thursday that unnamed insiders had
altered its poker software to allow them to see opponents' hidden cards.
Read entire article here.
5/30/08 - UltimateBet admits cheating occurred
UltimateBet's owners, Tokwiro Enterprises
ENRG, admitted Thursday that UltimateBet security had been breached by former
employees and accounts with access to opponent's hole cards were used to cheat
in high-stakes games.
"Certain player accounts did in fact have an unfair advantage, and that these
accounts targeted the highest limit games on the site," said the company in a
statement. "The individuals responsible were found to have worked for the
previous ownership of UltimateBet prior to the sale of the business to Tokwiro
in October 2006. Tokwiro is taking full responsibility for this situation and
will immediately begin refunding UltimateBet customers for any losses that were
incurred as a result of unfair play."
Read entire article
here.
5/22/08- ALC audit shows security risks
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND -- As reported by the Guardian: "A forensic audit of Atlantic Lottery Corporation's workings has uncovered a host of high-risk security issues with the racino at the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre.
"But a lottery spokesman said Tuesday concerns have been addressed.
"'We welcome the report (and) we've already implemented close to 90 per cent of the recommendations the report gave us,' said ALC spokesman Robert Bourgeois. KPMG was asked by the four Atlantic provinces that own Atlantic Lottery Corporation to review their operations.
Read entire article here.
5/22/08 - UAW plans Atlantic City rally
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey -- As reported by the Press of Atlantic
City: "Dealers from at least four casinos will take to the streets next month
for a demonstration calling for fair contract negotiations, the United Auto
Workers union announced Tuesday.
"The rally, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. June 21, is expected to include Ron
Gettelfinger, president of the Detroit-based UAW, and John Sweeney, president of
the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest union coalition. Thousands of union members
throughout New Jersey, as well as Detroit, New York, Connecticut and Washington,
D.C., are being asked to march in support.
Read entire article here.
5/14/08- US Justice Department Names New Attorney in Suit Filed by iMEGA
The US Department of Justice named a new attorney for their
defense in iMEGA v. Gonzales, et al, the Interactive Media Entertainment
and Gaming Association's challenge of the Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act (UIGEA) which now moves to the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals
in Philadelphia.
Nicholas John Bagley is a fairly new attorney with the US DoJ, joining in late
2007. He graduated from New York University School of Law in
2005, near the top of his class and Order of the Coif. He received his bachelors
degree from Yale University. Mr.Bagley, who taught 8th grade English in a NYC
public school before matriculating at NYU, clerked for Judge David Tatel of the
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and then Supreme Court Justice John Paul
Stevens.
Read entire article
here.
5/9/08 - Onex Corp. eyes Tropicana Entertainment
"In gambling, the focus isn't just on the neon and flash of the Las Vegas strip, where the Tropicana is a well-known name in lights, but in more out-of-the-way places. Onex made a bid for Gateway Casinos Income Fund, which runs gambling operations in Western Canada, but fell short in that 2007 takeover battle.
Read entire article
here.
5/8/08 - UK Gambling Commission Releases Study Results
In the UK, a study from the Gambling
Commission has found that the proportion of adults participating in remote forms
of gambling has remained static at 8.8 percent for the year despite the lifting
of restrictions on advertising.
The Commission is the regulatory body for all forms of gambling in the UK and
the findings came following a national representative sample survey of 8,000
people conducted by ICM research.
Excluding remote participation in the National Lottery, the survey found that
only 5.1 percent of respondents had gambled online or by using a mobile device
or interactive television in the past month compared to 5.2 percent a year ago.
The study found that Internet gaming continues to be the most popular way to
participate at 7.1 percent, which compared to 6.9 percent in March of last year
and 5.2 percent in 2006.
5/8/08 - Gaming Giants Join Forces In Three-Year Deal
Software developer CryptoLogic Ltd and online casino giants 888
yesterday announced the successful signing of a three-year contract between the
two companies.
This agreement means that 888 will be able to integrate games of their choice
from CryptoLogic into their ever-expanding online casino. CryptoLogic boasts
over 200 games, from popular casino entertainment to other games such as Sudoku
or Bejewelled.
Read entire article
5/8/08 - Belle Rock Entertainment launches multiplayer slots tournament
GIBRALTAR -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Online slots players are in for hours of free fun when gaming giant, Belle Rock Entertainment, launches its first multiplayer slots tournament at two of its online casinos later this week. Aimed specifically at beginners, the US$30 000 Adventure Slots Tournament will be hosted at JackpotCity.com and River Belle Online Casino and will run from, Friday 9 May until Saturday 31 May 2008.
"Multiplayer Slots Tournaments sounds quite daunting, but our event is specifically designed to cater for inexperienced players," said Tim Johnson, Chairman of Belle Rock Entertainment. "Online slots are popular with beginners and we wanted to share the excitement of a Multiplayer Tournament with them. As this is a free tournament there are no barriers to entry and players are in for hours of fun and good winnings as the ultimate winner could walk away with US$10 000 without having to spend a sent."
Read entire article here.
4/20/08 - American Players Have Easy Access To Legal Sites
A list of online casinos still accepting US players has been published by PressMyBet.com, allowing those Americans frustrated at the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act to seek out their riches legally.
The Act, passed in October 2006, prevents US players from accessing many online gambling sites, most prolifically PartyGaming, whose shares plummeted in the aftermath.
Read entire article here.
4/15/08 - Exec doesn't expect online ban to be lifted soon
WASHINGTON, DC -- Although he supports congressional efforts to roll back the Internet gambling ban, the vice president of a poker Web site on Monday said he is skeptical that will happen in the near future.
"I don't want to be a naysayer, but things move very, very slowly in Congress," said Jay Lakin, vice president of Poker Source Online, which is headquartered near San Jose, Costa Rica.
Lakin said he is taking a "wait and see attitude" about a bill introduced last week by Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Ron Paul, R-Texas, that would prevent the Department of Treasury and the Federal Reserve from proposing regulations to enforce the 2006 ban.
Read entire article
here.
4/14/08 - Official moves to block bet regulations
WASHINGTON -- Regulations to enforce an Internet gambling ban would be blocked under a bill introduced this week by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
"These regulations are impossible to implement without placing a significant burden on the payments system and financial institutions," Frank said in a statement on Friday.
Frank's bill, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, was introduced Thursday and would prohibit the Department of Treasury and the Federal Reserve from proposing regulations to enforce the Internet gambling ban enacted in 2006.
Read entire article
here.
4/3/08 - News analysis of Wednesday's hearing on UIGEA regulations
Let's be perfectly clear here. Wednesday's congressional hearing on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act's (UGIEA) regulations exposed the anti-online gambling law as poorly constructed and nearly impossible to enforce. But it did not kill it by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, Congress sent regulators back to the drawing board with the hopes that they could clean up the enforcement mess that the UIGEA has created.
Read entire article
here.
4/3/08 - Experts testify online ban won't work
WASHINGTON, DC -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Expert testimony to Congress today offered further evidence that the ban on Internet gambling won't work. Witnesses unanimously agreed that U.S. financial service companies would face serious regulatory burdens in attempting to enforce the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), a law that is not likely to stop millions of Americans from gambling online.
Read entire article
here.
4/1/08 - Slots Site Launches Fundraising Site for African Aid Project
Two years ago, Slotland.com told their thousands of regular community members that they'd committed to funding an essential development project in Malawi, Africa. A small group of dedicated aid workers asked them for help and they couldn't say no. The overwhelming support of the Slotland.com online community has inspired Slotland.com to continue funding the project and to expand the scope.
Read all about it here.
3/5/08 - Judge Rules in Favor of iMEGA Online Gambling Challenge
This story is still developing. Gambling911.com is on top of this
story as the news broke at 12:15 pm EST Thursday.
The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) today applauded
the decision by Judge Mary L. Cooper, of the U.S. District Court for the
District of New Jersey, granting iMEGA the standing to pursue a challenge of the
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). This is a significant
victory for iMEGA in the case of iMEGA v. Gonzales, et al.
“Granting iMEGA standing is a major victory any way you look at it,” said Eric
M. Bernstein, Esq., attorney for iMEGA. “Judge Cooper’s ruling holds that, even
with the passage of UIGEA, online gambling is only illegal in states where a
statute specifically says it is.”
“iMEGA is very pleased that the Court recognized our standing and the weaknesses in UIGEA” said Joe Brennan Jr., the chairman of iMEGA. “Judge Cooper found that banks, credit card companies and other payment system instruments are exempt from criminal sanctions under UIGEA, significantly undercutting UIGEA’s enforcement mechanism. Her ruling echoes the growing consensus of opinion that UIGEA is a fundamentally flawed statute.”
Read entire article here.
2/20/08 - US Congress Failure To Act Proves Expensive
The US Department of Justice has turned a minor legal problem limited to interstate horseracing into a major headache on all aspects of remote wagering including purely intrastate betting on horseracing, dog racing and possibly poker.
This is the opinion of Nelson Rose, Professor of Law at California’s Whittier Law School and founder of GamblingAndTheLaw.com, who stated that a decision against the US by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) treaty was not that bad but had been made worse by the American’s unwillingness to change.
Read entire article
2/20/08 - World Gaming ready to be launched
TORONTO, Ontario -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- World Gaming today announced the imminent launch of WorldGaming.com, the premier online destination for console gamers from around the world to network and challenge one another in tournaments for REAL money. Currently, gamers can sign up at worldgaming.com for a chance to participate in the site's closed beta, as well as an opportunity to win up to $50,000 in cash and prizes!
WorldGaming.com users will be able to meet and compete on all of today's top consoles (Sony PlayStation® 2, Sony PLAYSTATION® 3, Microsoft Xbox™, and Microsoft Xbox 360™). At launch, WorldGaming.com will offer one-on-one challenges and multiplayer tournaments in a variety of games across multiple genres, from first-person shooters like Halo 3 and Resistance: Fall of Man, to the most popular sports titles, including Madden '08, NBA Live, FIFA Soccer and many more – with new titles added regularly.
Read entire article
here.
2/19/08 - Casino Rewards wins CAP award
LONDON, England -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- (PRESS
RELEASE) -- Casino Rewards/Rewards Affiliates is still proving to be the most
trusted and respected casino affiliate program in the industry, walking away
with the CAP Awards' Best Casino Affiliate Program at the prestigious black tie
event at the Olympia Conference Centre in London last month.
Affiliate programmes from all over the world were nominated in 14 categories.
Casino Rewards/Rewards Affiliates was recognized for its efforts in building
long-term, profitable relationships for all affiliates, with competitive
commissions, prompt payouts, excellent reporting/stat information and a team of
helpful staff providing personal levels of support.
