Online Casino News and Information

What next? First Neteller now PayPal. What do we expect form the US Government? They are taking more and more of our rights to privacy away. And they will continue to do so, till the American people stand up and fight!!!

This is an email PayPal are sending out to their customers:

Dear ()

PayPal has received a summons from the United States Internal Revenue Service requiring us to produce various records, including data related to your PayPal account. PayPal understands the summons relates to the IRS’ offshore compliance program in which the IRS has sought information about offshore credit card accounts from a number of companies.

Your Privacy is extremely important to PayPal. PayPal is obligated, however, to turn over the requested data. PayPal has been ordered by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California to provide the information to the IRS, and PayPal expects to begin providing this information to the IRS on January 10, 2008. The United States District Court in an action is entitled: In the Matters of the Tax Liabilities of John does, Case No. CV-05-04176-JW.

If you have any concerns about the disclosure of this information, you should consult with your tax or legal advisor. You may have rights in connection with the summons, including the right to seek to prevent the IRS from obtaining some or all of the information. The statute of limitations that limits the time in which the IRS may assert tax liabilities against you may be suspended beginning on the date which s six months after the IRS served the summons upon PayPal and continuing until PayPal finally resolves its response to the IRS. See 26 U.S.C.

PayPal cannot provide you with legal advice. If you have questions concerning the summons and court order, we encourage you to contact the IRS, your tax advisor and or your attorney.

If you wish to contact the Internal Revenue Service regarding this matter, they can be reached at (215) 516-4777.

Thank You,
The PayPal Legal Team

You can read all this and more about it:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/paypal.asp

One of the most respected sites on the web, www.GamesandCasino.com is proud to announce the sponsorship to Online Players Union. Their goal is to make you online experience the safest and best it can be!!

This is a Press Release:

Ending a year of speculation on various online message boards, one of the oldest and most extensive online gambling information sites, GamesAndCasino.com, has announced it’s sponsorship of the OnlinePlayersUnion.com/forum/.
 
The CEO of GamesandCasino.com, Dominique, said: “We decided that Gamesandcasino needed to provide a place for players to exchange experiences and help each other with their game play.  We have taken a long look at the OnlinePlayersUnion.com, and found the name to express exactly what we wanted to create.” Dominique further commented: “So many online portals forget about the most important people, their visitors. At GamesandCasino, we have always put the players first, and it’s about time we provided a platform for players to exchange their experiences.”
 
The Online Players Union provides discussion areas for strategies for all sorts of games, from casino games to skill games, bingo, poker and fantasy sports. So whether you like chess or slots, texas holdem or exotic bingo patterns, the Union is the place to exchange strategies, experiences and ideas.
 
GamesandCasino also upgraded the Union to include social networking software, so in addition to using the forums one can form private groups that concentrate on particular favorite games, set up blogs and all sorts of fun things.
 
For additional information please contact Dominique or visit www.OnlinePlayersUnion.com/forum
 
About GamesAndCasino:   
 
GamesandCasino recently celebrated it’s “Lucky 7s anniversary”, having been online for 7 years and 7 months. It has been a Mecca for game players of all descriptions for many years, providing all possible information about every type of game. Soon to come is an extensive section with strategies for dozens of skill games. It will include many card games, such as spades and rummy, board games like backgammon and checkers and arcade games such as tetris and bejeweled. A comprehensive section on Las Vegas is also in the works.
 
About the OnlinePlayersUnion:
 
The Online Players Union was previously involved in much contoversy, notably for the membership of “cipher”, whose blackjack strategies and business dealings caused much uproar online on message boards with related topics. The Union was also embattled with several other message boards. With a new face and focus, and the full support of GamesandCasino, the OnlinePlayersUnion is off to a new start and bright future.
 
Contact:
 
Dominique, CEO
dominique@thegoodluckcharm.com
http://www.GamesandCasino.com
http://www.OnlinePlayersUnion.com/forum/

We want to Thank GamesandCasino, for thinking of the PLAYERS first and foremost!! They care about the players and do their best to keep everything up to date and easy and informative for the players!

This is a press release from eCOGRA today from Brussels. eCOGRA continues to bring higher responsible gaming standards of protection for all players.

Brussels, 15 July 2008 - The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) today launches a comprehensive set of standards that covers all aspects of player protection, fair gaming and responsible operator behaviour in the online gaming and betting environment. These standards complement stringent legal requirements already imposed by EU licensing jurisdictions.

Over 170 technical requirements have been adopted on a voluntary basis to take into account all aspects of online gaming and betting associated services.  As part of their membership criteria, EGBA members are required to comply with all standards. Compliance is verified by a compulsory annual audit carried out by eCOGRA, a leading standards and player protection body, which itself is annually subjected to a comprehensive quality assurance review by one of the world’s leading firms of auditors.

This initiative builds upon EGBA’s (then EBA) code of conduct, which was already adopted in 2003 and follows other industry initiatives. Self-regulation is vital in the online gaming and betting industry in order to continuously take stock of this fast developing eCommerce sector and stay ahead of slower legal developments. It also ensures, given the cross border nature of the sector, consistency of standards across Europe to guarantee consumers can play in a safe, secure and reliable environment.

EGBA Chairman, Norbert Teufelberger said: “These standards are a sign of our commitment to an exemplary level of corporate and social responsibility. They could serve as a basis for reflection at a time when governments and regulators across Europe are trying to find ways to best protect consumers in the online gaming and betting environment.”

 These responsible gaming and betting standards include measures such as:

Promoting responsible gaming, preventing underage gaming and problem gaming;
A zero tolerance approach to fraud or criminal behaviour;
Protecting customers’ privacy and safeguarding their information;
Ensuring prompt and accurate customer payments;
Assessing rigorously and independently the fairness of games;
Committing to responsible and ethical marketing practice.

eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge added: “Our goal is to ensure that EGBA has a meaningful professional review process for determining each member’s compliance with agreed and consistently applied standards, which consumers and regulators have come to expect in the online gaming and betting industry.”

When you see the eCOGRA seal on a site, you know you are safe and well protected. They continuously monitor for consistent high standards.

After the setback to repeal the UIGEA billed failed by a tie vote, in the House Financial Services, Casino City had an interview with Congressman Wexler and PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato. In the interview they discussed the situation and what to do next.

Here are parts of their conversation:
H.R. 5767 and the King amendment failed in committee. What’s the status of legislative efforts to repeal the UIGEA, and what happens next?

Wexler: The (32-32) vote is the strongest support any Congress has shown for an online gambling measure. It shows that awareness of the absurdity of the status quo has never been greater. I’m confident, in the short term, we’ll be able to do something. Declaring poker a skill game and getting a regulated environment are more long-term goals.

D’Amato: Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-Alabama) twisted the arms of five to six members who had indicated support for the (King) amendment and the need for clarity of what illegal gambling was. There’s a good chance we’re going to re-introduce the measure before Congress goes into recess.

When you sit down with people, what obstacles are you running into?

D’Amato: One Congressman from New York told me that the NFL is pushing hard to keep the UIGEA in place. They want to make sure that sports betting does not spread on the Internet. That’s fine. But not for poker.

The UIGEA allows for states to run online casinos and poker rooms if they restrict play to residents of that state. Recently, Native American tribes in California have been actively opposing attempts to form online poker rooms in order to protect their revenue streams. What do you think of those attempts?

Wexler: I support the right of all Americans to play online when and where they want. This isn’t about special interest groups or lobbyists. This is about the right to play poker.

D’Amato: Congressman Wexler is being very brave here. He’s fighting for the rights of individual Americans. Poker has been played in the White House, the Supreme Court, the Senate and the House. It’s a game of skill and the government should get off the backs of regular Americans and the let them play wherever they want.

We all need to get behind our Congressmen and stand behind what we believe is our rights!! Don’t just sit home and complain, when we can all do something!!