Online Casino News and Information

ThoroughbredTimes.com

In a document made public on Tuesday, the twin island Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda pressed for discussions with the United States over its restrictions on Internet gambling.

The U.S. did not meet an April 3 deadline to comply with a 2004 World Trade Organization ruling that found the U.S. failed to show the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, which allows wagering on horse racing via phone or other electronic means, was applied equally to foreign and remote betting operations. The law is limited to states where such wagering is allowed and excludes foreign operators, which is contrary to global trade regulations.

Antigua and Barbuda wants to boost its online gambling industry to offset its declining tourism industry. The nation’s overture toward the U.S. is a move toward establishing a WTO panel to investigate whether the U.S. is violating international trade rules, the Associated Press reports. If no solution is reached within 15-day period, then a WTO panel would report on U.S. compliance within 90 days. Either side could appeal the subsequent decision.

“Antigua and Barbuda considers that the United States has taken no measures to comply with the recommendations and the rulings,” a statement from Antigua and Barbuda said.

The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, sponsored by Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia), passed out of the House Judiciary Committee in April 2000. The bill, which would expand and modernize the prohibition against interstate gambling, contains an exemption for horse racing.—M.L.

Friday June 16, 8:00 am ET

LAS VEGAS, June 16 /PRNewswire/ — The merging of online and live poker rooms continues at the World Poker Congress with the addition of Vikrant Bhargava, the group marketing director for PartyGaming, the market leader in online gambling, as a keynote speaker. Bhargava joins World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and World Poker Tour President Steve Lipscomb as one of the featured presenters at the World Poker Congress, scheduled for June 27 & 28 in Stockholm.

“Vikrant Bhargava is a major reason behind the success of PartyGaming,” says Sue Schneider, President of the River City Group, one of the organizers of the World Poker Congress. “The company’s flagship, PartyPoker.com, introduced many of today’s online and live players to the enjoyment of Internet poker. Vikrant’s innovative marketing campaigns and customer service initiatives have become an industry standard.”

Bhargava’s experience prior to joining PartyGaming included positions as a credit officer at the Bank of America, where he was responsible for managing credit exposure and revenue for a portfolio of corporate clients, and a business analyst at British Gas in the business development division. Bhargava has a degree in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata and graduated with a BA in technology in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi.

The World Poker Congress is the first conference to fully explore the synergies between the live and online games. In addition to the keynote addresses, the conference will feature two tracks dedicated to the different forms of the game, as well as plenary and general sessions featuring topics that appeal to each audience. Attendees will join colleagues to discuss issues such as marketing your poker room, player development, legislation and economics in Europe, staging tournaments, building a player base, business strategies for a quickly maturing industry, fraud and security, mergers and acquisitions, and much more.

“The World Poker Congress has quickly become the premier conference for the business of poker globally,” says Paul Dworin, publisher of Global Gaming Business and PokerBIZ magazines, the other producer of WPC. “The addition of Vikrant Bhargava as a keynote speaker demonstrates our commitment to providing cutting-edge information from the most prestigious speakers.”

To register or to get information on sponsorships for the World Poker Congress, go to http://www.worldpokercongress.com or contact Roger Gros at 1-609-992-5510.

CryptoLogic is first to provide an online video poker card game based on the popular Texas Hold’em Poker format. Texas Hold’em Bonus Poker can be found at InterCasino and VIP Casino and was included in the their latest release along with the game Thor and Silver Surfer, part of the popular Marvel(tm) Slots series.

Financial Times/FT.com
By Frances Williams in Geneva
Published: June 14 2006 03:00 | Last updated: June 14 2006 03:00

The tiny Caribbean island state of Antigua and Barbuda has taken the first steps to haul the US back before the world trade court in a long-running dispute over internet gambling.

Antigua, which has a population of 68,000, says Washington has failed to comply with a World Trade Organisation ruling last year that US internet gambling laws discriminate against foreign suppliers. As a result, Antigua claims to have lost a large chunk of the rapidly growing offshore gaming business it has been building to diversify its economy away from tourism. US gamblers are estimated to account for about half the $12bn global internet gaming market.

This week, Antigua requested meetings with the US, a prelude to the establishment of a WTO panel to judge compliance. If, after any appeals, the WTO finds the US still in breach of fair trade rules Antigua can ask for permission to retaliate. “Obviously, we are going to have to be a bit creative in order to come up with something to motivate the Americans,” Mark Mendel, a US lawyer advising Antigua, said after the April 3 2006 deadline set for US compliance expired.

Antigua is especially aggrieved because the US has taken no action to implement the WTO ruling, claiming - on the basis of an interpretive statement by the justice department - that its laws are already in compliance.

“Antigua and Barbuda does not believe that a simple restatement of a legal position taken by a party to a dispute . . . can be considered a [compliance] measure,” Antigua says in its consultation request.

The US argues it does not discriminate against foreign suppliers of internet gambling services because domestic suppliers are equally restricted in offering services across state boundaries.

The WTO agreed the US ban on cross-border gambling services could be justified under WTO rules to protect “public morals” but pointed out remote gambling wagers were permitted under the 1978 Interstate Horseracing Act. Allowing remote gambling on horse races while banning the remote supply of gambling services from overseas suppliers was discriminatory, it said.

IGaming
Business
07-06-06
Clarion ATE’s 2nd annual European Gambling Briefing (EGB) in Brussels, Belgium last week, saw 150 gaming industry professionals gather for two days of debate over greater gaming controls.

Wes Himes opened the conference highlighting unprecedented changes in the European legal scene, before introducing the day’s opening speakers, MEP’s Jacques Toubon and Christofer Fjellner. Both men have a strong interest in the gaming issue, and their views are particularly pertinent as the European Parliament threatens to bring proceedings against six member states for monopolistic behaviour in the gaming sector.

“It seems in terms of a harmonisation, it is a contest between the European commission and British bookmakers versus European parliament member states’ parliaments and the rest of the world, especially the USA,” said Toubon.

The following two days saw some 35 speakers talk on a range of gambling issues, including country-specific case studies on Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Germany and the UK, plus an update on emerging Eastern European markets. There was also a fascinating look at the growing issue of competition law in the context of gaming and how this might be the new battleground for lawyers representing private operators.

Day two brought together the most passionate voices from both sides of the arguments for or against greater liberalisation and cross-border competition in the European gambling. Patrick Partouche, CEO of Groupe Partouche, expressed the view of many private operators around Europe when he encouraged market regulators to attend EGB in the future to explain why tightly run land-based businesses were not allowed the freedom to grow online along-side state-run operations.

Mark Davies, Managing Director of Betfair, highlighted the point further by stating: “If we do not allow the customer to exercise choice of product offering, the result is that black markets benefit. Therefore while the debate rages on state monopolies, the black market wins.”

EGB also saw a focus on the business implications of regulatory conflict and legal challenges, with sessions on the business opportunities for operators in different European sectors, in all sectors from betting to casino to online. Growth areas such as bingo and lotteries also received attention.

The prognosis from the two days seems clear: The debate on the future direction of European gaming at a regulatory level is still raging strongly and the operator and supplier community are also taking great notice of developments as they impact on business potential.

Doesn’t the federal government have better things to do than outlaw Internet betting on the Super Bowl?

Los Angeles Times / latimes.com
Editorial
June 9 2006

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES is due to vote soon on proposals to ban online gambling, and the deck seems stacked in favor of sound bites over sound policy. Federal law already outlaws businesses from using phone lines to place or receive bets across state lines, particularly when the bets are on sporting events. That restriction, although it’s not a clear ban on Internet gambling, has stopped the country’s major casinos from taking bets online. What it hasn’t done is stop Web users from gambling around the clock at offshore sites, often based in Central America and the Caribbean. According to one estimate, offshore sites offering poker games, sports betting and casino-style gambling collect $12 billion a year, about half of it coming from American wallets.

In response, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill last month that would explicitly ban online gambling businesses of all kinds. Even worse, to cut off the money supply for virtual gaming, the committee also backed a bill that would impose significant new regulatory burdens on financial companies, which would be barred from supporting electronic wagers or payouts. The bills are expected to be consolidated and debated on the House floor this month.

All of which raises the question: Doesn’t the federal government have better things to do than try to block people from going online to make a wager on the Super Bowl or the Final Four?

Supporters of the measures insist they are trying to curb the spread of gambling addiction, protect minors and crack down on unscrupulous offshore operators. They may be right about online gambling’s link to self-destructive spending, given its isolating, rat-at-the-pellet-bar quality. But the fact that the House bills wouldn’t outlaw online betting on horse racing, which Congress allowed states to authorize in 2000, seems to belie the sincerity of the effort. And isn’t it a hallmark of a free society that we don’t outlaw otherwise inoffensive vices simply because some people harm themselves?

The complete article can be viewed at: Los Angeles Times latimes.com

32Red announced they had acquired Bet Direct, one of the largest independent telephone and internet companys in the UK, for £12.5 million. 32Red has also placed 5 million+ shares with strategic investors opening at 120p a share to aid in the funding and acquisition of Bet Direct.

(PRWEB) June 5, 2006 — We have all heard the saying “good wine gets better with age,” and there is no better way to describe The Jackpot Factory. The group was founded in 1999, when it launched its first Microgaming powered online casino. Since then it has become one of the most respected online gambling operators in the world. The Jackpot Factory is synonymous with first-class service, high quality games, and some of the most innovative promotions in the online gambling industry. In 2005, all of the group’s casinos, All Slots, All Jackpots, First Web and Wild Jack, as well as their Wild Jack Poker Room, received the coveted eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) seal.

“The eCOGRA seal is a very important indicator of the integrity and fair gaming principles that an online casino subscribes to, and it is no surprise that The Jackpot Factory passed the necessary tests to receive seals for its casinos and poker room,” says Ryan D, editor and founder of Online Gambling Insider.

http://www.online-gambling-insider.com is an independent portal and watchdog, and certifies online casinos, sports betting sites and poker rooms. Certified operators are subject to rigorous testing procedures. Qualifying criteria includes the corporate and financial backing of the operator, quality of customer service, game fairness (including player terms and conditions), games portfolio, financial processing and licensing. The most important factor taken into account when awarding a certificate is the player experience. Online Gambling Insider staff test each casino as real players, and over a period of time, every aspect of the casino or poker room’s operation is experienced first hand.

“The Jackpot Factory is the envy of many for the track record it has established,” said Ryan D. “This goes a long way towards awarding our certification, and qualifying their gambling sites for our $1,000 deposit guarantee”. However, regardless of the profile of a casino, each certified casino has to be tested thoroughly. “We need to protect the credibility of our certification process, so we have to work on facts,” Ryan continued. “We deposit between $200 and $500 during the testing process, claim bonuses, and play a minimum of three games until the wager through requirement is met,” said Ryan.

“We place a lot of emphasis on customer service, and have designed a process where we will interact with each casino over a period of time,” Ryan continues. “The Jackpot Factory truly impressed us with their attention to detail and and urgency in responding to our requests”.

But there are two areas where the group truly stands out when compared to its rivals, and that is the VIP Club and a new range of exciting promotions at the member casinos each month. “You will need to go a long way to find more rewarding promotions than at the Jackpot Factory.”

In other news, the Jackpot Factory has just launched ClearPlay, a true innovation in casino bonuses. ClearPlay has two major benefits for players. Firstly, it offers real time reporting of the playthrough requirement, and secondly, wagers on all games now contribute to the playthrough requirement being met.

All four casinos and the poker room are now certified by Online Gambling Insider. Players are protected up to a maximum of $1,000 in deposits, should they ever have a problem. “We are confident that we won’t ever have to intervene and refund a player, but it is nice for people to know that there is an independent safety net,” Ryan concludes.

Playtech to Release Another Exclusive Game
Thursday June 1, 4:13 am ET

NICOSIA, Cyprus, June 1 /PRNewswire/ — In line with ongoing efforts to expand its games portfolio and provide its licensees with new and attractive casino games, Playtech has recently released yet another exclusive casino game - Tequila Poker. This comes after the release of Playtech’s first exclusive and popular game Blackjack Switch, a game available solely to Playtech licensees. The recent release is the latest in a long line of new product development by Playtech, enhancing the company’s foothold as an industry leader and providing operators with extra marketing value due to the game’s exclusivity to Playtech licensees

Released in April of 2006, Tequila Poker premiered in the land-based Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas last year, and has recently been accepted by the Nevada Gaming Commission for deployment in various land-based casinos throughout Las Vegas. In the online arena, Tequila Poker’s creators have licensed the game exclusively to Playtech.

Tequila Poker is a unique card game combining two game modes, High Tequila which is a high/low type game, and Tequila Poker which is a poker style game. The game is played with a single deck of cards and in every round the player, using the initial four cards dealt, can opt to either continue the hand based on High Tequila or Tequila Poker rules, or can fold the hand and forfeit the ante. Once the player has chosen a preferred game mode, the ante bet is doubled, two more cards are dealt and the final outcome is determined based on the six cards dealt. According to High Tequila rules, the combined value of the five highest ranking cards is calculated, with a total result of 46 or higher considered a winning hand. In the Tequila Poker mode, the six cards are used to construct the best five card poker hand, with a pair of aces or higher winning the hand. In both game modes, the paytable is relevant only to the bet while the ante is paid back at a rate of 1:1.

Avigur Zmora, Playtech CEO commented, “Tequila Poker is another great example of Playtech’s commitment to the success of their licensees. We are happy to be able to increase the frequency of casino games releases, and even more so when we are able to release exclusive games for the sole use of our licensees. This new addition to our casino games portfolio is expected to attract both existing and prospective players. The benefit is two-fold - a new exciting game and a great marketing tool bound to attract many new players due to its exclusivity.”

About Playtech

Playtech develops unified software platforms for the online gambling industry, primarily targeting existing online operators wanting to upgrade their system; sportsbooks looking to diversify and land-based operators making their online debut. Playtech gaming applications - online casino, poker, bingo, live gaming, land-based kiosk networks and fixed-odds games - are fully intercompatible and can be freely incorporated as stand-alone applications, accessed and funded by players through the same user account and managed by the operator by means of a single powerful management interface. Founded in 1999, Playtech has over 250 personnel distributed globally, around eighty percent of whom are engaged in research and development of current and future gaming technologies.

Press Release Source: Belle Rock Entertainment
Thursday June 1, 10:46 am ET

Top Online Casinos as the winners of ‘Strictly Slots’ magazine’s 2006 Online Video Poker Awards announced

GIBRALTAR, June 1 /PRNewswire/ — River Belle Online Casino and The Gaming Club Online Casino, both part of Belle Rock Entertainment, the super group of online casinos owned by Carmen Media, have been recognised for their gaming excellence in “Strictly Slots” magazine’s annual Online Video Poker awards.

A panel of experts voted River Belle Online Casino as offering players the “Best Video Poker Game Variety”. The Gaming Club Online Casino won an award for the “Best Customer Service”.

This is not the first time River Belle and The Gaming Club have won awards from “Strictly Slots” magazine and its readers. In 2005, River Belle was the runner up in the ‘Best Video Poker Site’, and gained third place in both the ‘Best Slots Tournaments’ and ‘Most Unique Slot’ site categories. In addition, The Gaming Club Online Casino narrowly missed a top prize, coming second in the ‘Best Slots Tournament’ category and third in ‘Best Video Poker Site’.

“At Belle Rock Entertainment, we strive to provide our players with the best gaming experience on the net. We are very proud to have received these two awards for “Best Customer Service and “Best Video Poker Game Variety” as voted by industry experts at Strictly Slots magazine. It goes to show that we are on the path to achieving these objectives.” said Tim Johnson, Chairman of Carmen Media Group, owners of River Belle and The Gaming Club Online Casinos.

Players will be able to read more about the 2006 Strictly Slots Online Video Poker awards in the June issue of the US monthly gaming title.

About Belle Rock Entertainment

Belle Rock Entertainment (http://www.bellerockentertainment.com) is a group of online casinos and poker rooms. It is owned by Carmen Media Group Limited, based in Gibraltar and is one of the most experienced and trusted online gaming operators in the world. Over the past 10 years, the various brands within Belle Rock Entertainment have become synonymous with exciting entertainment, the most advanced games and the biggest promotions. All of the Belle Rock Entertainment’s online casinos and poker rooms carry the eCogra Players’ Seal of Approval which testifies to fair play and responsible gaming, as well as secure and timely payouts. The group’s major brands include River Belle Online Casino and Online Poker (http://www.riverbelle.com), The Gaming Club Online Casino and The Gaming Club Online Poker (http://www.gamingclub.com), Jackpot City Online Casino (http://www.jackpotcity.com) and Lucky Nugget Online Casino (http://www.luckynugget.com).