Online Casino News and Information

Yahoo, the internet search engine giant is now offering real money online poker in it’s games section for the UK.

Yahoo partnered with St Minver Ltd. which is a gaming network based in Gibraltar and as a unit joined Boss Media’s International Poker Network.

“We are delighted to be working with Yahoo! UK and St Minver,” Boss Media official Markus Holm said “It confirms that online gaming and entertainment are becoming increasingly integrated and that a major portion of future growth in out industry will come from large online entertainment brands.”

Players from the US need not apply.

eGaming Review

Refusing to support or even offer encouragement for the recently proposed online gambling legislation in the US, the Remote Gaming Association (RGA) has admitted the organization and its members were not interested in becoming “heavily involved” in the recent lobbying effort according to eGaming Review “>eGaming Review

In response to accusations from sources in the US that lobbying efforts for the legislation introduced by Barney Frank were not being supported by the RGA. Clive Hawkswood, chief executive at the RGA, said “That is for a mix of reasons. Some companies have never been involved in the US. Others meanwhile have left the US alone and are concentrating elsewhere. Some are worried about what their share price reaction would be.”

The Remote Gaming Association is an organization tof online gambling operators and represents the majority of these operators in the UK.

As eGaming Review reports “The refusal came despite meetings and discussions taking place in the months running up to this week’s announcement by Congressman Barney Frank of his proposals for the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007 bill.

“These guys have got to come to the table,” said the source. “There is a lot of upside here if they do.”

However, Hawkswood suggested the suspicion was that any regulation would effectively be in favour of US casino operators. He added: “Do we think our involvement could tip the scales? No. Look at it from the opposite angle. Did US involvement in the lobbying effort for the UK supercasino help at all? Or was it rather a hindrance?”

A spokesperson at Ladbrokes said of the consensus against getting involved: “It’s a question of priorities and resources. There is movement in Europe at the moment, with the EU behind us, so that is what we are concentrating on.”

“There may come a time to step on the gas once again in the US” another spokesperson for a leading operator said “but that time is not now.”

In a statement to eGaming Review, Congressman Barney Frank Frank said he would not put his recently announced Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act to a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives unless he knew he could win.

“I control the timing of the Committee for legislation,” said Frank. “I would not schedule this for a vote unless I think the votes are there to support it. The process is: if and when I think I have the votes, I will have the votes on it.”

The Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep Frank is in control of the timing of any possible moves. One of this include a possible debate entitled ‘Can internet gambling be regulated to protect consumers and the payments system?’.

Congressman Frank indicated he had talked with a number of Representatives who have promised him supported his legislation who had voted for the UIGEA last year.

MarketWatch reports that 888 Holdings, an online gambling company in the UK, reported on Monday a 55% rise in profit.

888 Holdings credits the rise to its efforts toward their search for acquisition opportunities to offset the forced closure of its U.S. business. Chief Executive Gigi Levy told MarketWatch in an interview that the firm is looking at acquisitions and opportunities for organic growth after the introduction of the U.S. Unlawful Internet Gambling Act forced it to stop doing business with U.S. customers in October.

“I think that we will definitely be looking to grow, where it is appropriate, with acquisitions and not just organically,” said Levy.

A Retraction is in order to the following:

Good News! Gambling online has been decriminalized in Washington State by a bill that has been passed swaying towards what State Representative Chris Strow was pushing back in January 2007.

The details of this new Washington State bill can be found here:

This Retraction became necessary because of a typo from the Washington State Legislature. When called, many apologies were given for the mix up. The actual bill that was passed was “HB 1343” and not the bill HB 1243 of which had been posted by accident from Washington State Legislation.

The HB 1243 bill that would allow internet gambling in Washington State for personal recreational purposes was not passed in January. We were told by the WA Legislature Hotline person, whose name cannot be disclosed, that this bill was set aside until next years voting to be taken place on January 2008.

Many apologies from us for the mistake we had made with our inaccurate posting. We will be more vigilant to seek out the truth on such a proposal if it should occur again in the future.

Financial Post Part of the Canada.com Network
Sallie James, Financial Post
Thursday, April 26, 2007

‘On March 30, a World Trade Organization tribunal handed down a potentially significant finding against U.S. restrictions on Internet gambling. The smart money now thinks that online betting could soon be liberated.

The panel was set up at the request of Antigua and Barbuda, who complained that the United States had not complied with the WTO’s earlier decision that it must change the way it regulates gambling over the Internet… ‘

‘The United States Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in October, 2006, ostensibly to bring its laws into conformity with the April, 2005, ruling. But the compliance panel ruled that the United States has taken no satisfactory remedial action that would bring its laws into conformity with its previously established obligations. Moreover, it appears that the United States applies its laws in a discriminatory manner, by prosecuting foreign gambling entities more than it does U.S. gaming firms. Game, set and match: Antigua and Barbuda.’

‘There is still no official word from the USTR about whether the United States will appeal this latest decision. If they do not, though, the United States would need to change its federal law either by closing the loopholes allowing domestic online gambling, or by freely allowing gambling online without any restrictions.’

‘Of course, the United States could also choose to ignore the ruling, although it has a good record of complying with previous rulings against it… ‘

MORE - READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE AT Financial Post

Neteller is today notifying it’s millions of members that “Due to the changes with Neteller card, the ability to transfer funds from a member account to the Neteller card has been restricted as of April 26, 2007 at 12 am (GMT). Members will no longer be able to load funds onto their card. The ability to withdraw funds already on Neteller cards at ATM machines and point-of- sale (POS) terminals will not be affected until May 2nd 2007. As of May 2nd, your Neteller debit card will no longer work.”

Their third party provider for the once popular Neteller Debit card advised them that based on the rules relating to the Cirrus/Maestro Network, it could no longer support the Neteller Debit Card.

This hardly affects US members since all transactions including use of the debit card were halted in January of this year after the arrest of the two Neteller founders by the US Department of Justice.

Silicon Republic
Online gambling set to quadruple by 2020

26.04.2007 - Online gambling to date has netted 40 million users worldwide and looks set to quadruple by 2020, according to Irish research company iReach.
“The proliferation of new technologies has certainly helped shape a once embryonic marketplace with access to online gambling and gaming sites now aided through broadband internet, WAP technology and interactive television” said Ara Cho, business analyst with iReach.

In the UK alone, the gambling market is worth £50bn. Paddy Power is one of the largest betting agents in Ireland and has had an online presence since 1999. Its online services include traditional betting on sports but it also has a digital casino and poker site.

There are approximately 340,000 Irish users who gamble online and so revenues in Ireland can continue to increase. In Ireland companies such as Paddy Power have prospered and in 2006 the company’s turnover based on internet gambling increased by 44pc.

According to Section 33 of the Betting Act, 1931, it is illegal under Irish law for an Irish resident to place a bet with an agent operating outside the Irish State but this is nearly impossible to enforce and implement.

However, the Irish law relating to gambling both online and off is deliberately unclear as technically refusing to pay out on a bet is not enforceable, even moreso online as it is more difficult to track gamblings operations and their users.

The danger of online gambling is that addicts can get access anytime and anyplace. In Thailand online gambling has lead to many young people skipping sleep or college in favour of staying online. This has resulted in the Thai government placing a ban on online gaming between 10pm to 6am.

A recent survey in the UK of online gambling has warned that possibly one million people per year could become addicted because of the ease of gambling from their homes or on their
mobile phone.

Juniper Research predicted that by 2011 revenue from mobile gambling will have exceeded that of profits from music downloads.

Neil Brennan of iReach said that 4.5pc of mobile users worldwide now use their phone to gamble. Although the market for mobile gambling in Ireland is not very large at the moment it will surely grow, with agents such as Paddy Power availing of java applets to allow users place bets from their phone.

By Marie Boran

April 26, 2007 Breaking News - Representative Barney Frank today introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007. This act would create an exemption to the ban on online gambling for properly licensed operators, allowing Americans to lawfully bet online as reported by Gambling911

The IGREA establishes a federal regulatory and enforcement framework to license companies allowing them to accept bets and wagers online from individuals in the U.S. to the extent permitted by individual states, Indian tribes and sport leagues. All such licenses would include protections against underage gambling, compulsive gambling, money laundering and fraud.

The Congressman believes his legislation will raise billions of dollars in taxes that can be earmarked for healthcare and other domestic legislation. Talking to reporters yesterday Mr. Frank said “It’s a terrible idea and there are a large number of people who think it is a terrible idea,” “I don’t know how it ends. The worst that happens is that enough anti-gambling busybodies will be less inclined to interfere in people’s lives.” “The existing legislation is an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans and this interference should be undone,”

Although brick and mortar casinos and other forms of legalized gambling already exist in nearly every state, the UIGEA left Americans who gamble online without meaningful consumer protections. Representative Frank’s proposed legislation would institute practical and enforceable standards to bring transparency to Internet gambling and provide consumers the protections they expect and deserve.

Good News! Gambling online has been decriminalized in Washington State by a bill that has been passed swaying towards what State Representative Chris Strow was pushing back in January 2007.

The full details of this new Washington State bill can be found in the following PDF link:
HB 1243 - DIGEST

The first step towards allowing “online gambling in Washington”, was in the news on January 23, 2007 about Washington State House of Representative Chris Strow, the 10th District legislator whom introduced a bill to provide a defense towards the Class C Felony created by the 2006 internet gambling bill, where he says, “In-home recreational internet gaming shouldn’t be a felony.”

Past arguments can attest to this in the link below:
Online Gambling: Retool state law

Also in Chris Strow’s words were added, “There’s a certain point at which policy can be perceived as ‘nanny-stateish.’ I think we reached that point with last year’s legislation and I’m aiming to make amends.”

Information on this article is found in the following link:
GamesandCasino - Gambling News

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