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A Poker game ended with the arrest of the organizer due to an undercover police operation this past Sunday in Long Island, NY. While officials recently seem to be focusing on illegal gambling slot machines, this arrest sends out a strong reminder to poker players in America that they have not been forgotten. The arrest of the 29 year old organizer occurred after a police investigation of local illegal poker games. The police followed the trail of "breadcrumbs" all the way to the location of the game, the William Paca Lodge. Police Reports The operation succeeded in discovering and seizing poker tables, chips, a surveillance system, records of gambling activity and $10,000 in cash. Suffolk County Police reported that the location hosted a range from tournaments to cash-on-the-table games consisting of approximately 25 to 35 players on a nightly basis. But what happened to the arrested fellow?! Charged with promoting gambling, the man arrested faces very real criminal charges. Although the charge is a misdemeanor, the arrested man will still go through the inconvenience of the legal process. As underground poker players continue to play in discrete locations across America, officials continue to search for illegal games in order to shut them down.
Full Tilt has joined the advertisers of the golf industry with the purpose being apart of the revolution in golf and poker alike. Sponsoring the World Series of Golf (WSG) will allow Full Tilt to present its product through broadcast television, international print media and the Internet. The success of the poker site has helped its prestigious reputation. President and CEO of the WSG Terry Leiweke believes that "the synergies that will result from our relationship with the leading virtual card room service will be mutually beneficial to both our companies." The WSG is not your casual golf tournament. It combines the elements of poker and the rules of golf, to make for "The Texas Hold'em of Golf." The Rules The game is simple. Unlike regular golf, players can "fold" a game in the middle of the hole. At every tee, players place an ante. Every shot after the ante is performed with a pass, bet or a fold. The par of a hole does not matter. Just like in poker, players play against those in their group. The winner of each group advances to the next round. The game does not follow the traditional standards of winning - to win the tournament a player must eliminate all the other players in his/her group by betting strategically. Having the lowest score won't get you a trophy and being the best golfer on the course won't bring in the cash. Along with minimal skills in golf, you have to know how to use the pressure of betting to your advantage! The Details Even well-known poker players are stepping on the green for the Full Tilt team - ranging from Phil Ivey, Brandon Adams, David Benyamine and David Grey. The WSG is based in Paiute Golf Resort in Las Vegas, NV, one of the world's greatest golfing destinations. The event will take place on May 12 - 15, but will be domestically aired throughout the US on June 28 and 29 on CBS Sports.
Sometimes, an online casino is right on. Everything goes right for it, from the download through the help and obviously the games. Other times, the site may be a complete disaster. We've devised these 8 Commandments All Online Casino Sites Should Obey: #8 Thou shalt come equipped with positive reviews It isn't enough just to have reviews written about you, though that is a step in the right directions. Write-ups must be positive and fellow online gamblers should recommend the casino too. While players can simply read reviews, online casino sites must earn them. #7 Thy download should be simple and smooth Need we say more? We want to get to the games, so please, spare us with the agony of download. #6 Thou shalt speak gambling, no matter what Multi-lingual lobbies are a great feature, but it's gambling that is our common language. So tell us about promotions, game selection and a simple interface, be it in English, Swedish or Chinese for all we care. #5 Thou shalt offer help at every step Because we know you won't meet all these commandments, and so we ask that we can talk to someone if we have any problems. #4 Thou shalt provide an easy escape It is the gamblers' responsibility to avoid compulsive gambling and addiction. But it is the online casino sites that we expect to keep the players out of harm's way. So post links to Gamblers Anonymous, GamCare and other resources in a visible place. #3 Thou shalt post third party audit reports This isn't about trust. It's about visibility. And openness. So audit reports please. #2 Thou shalt always refresh your game selection Online gamblers, needless to say, expect their entertainment to be just such - ENTERTAINING. Even if successful, we expect innovation and creativity over time. #1 Make players feel welcome, with a welcome bonus Lastly, before we move on to play at your online casino, we're going to check what you have to offer us for joining. Welcome Bonuses are one such carrot. What do you have for us?
The Weekly Edition, an OCR Live! production in which Kate brings you the headlines for the past week, including Denmark adopting a liberal gambling law, US Sen. Jon Kyl wishing regulations be in place and enforced, and the winner of the Kentucky Derby horse race. Danish Online Gambling Monopoly Come to an Abrupt End Denmark is set on changing its law to allow online gambling in the country. Senator Jon Kyl Expresses Frustration The UScSenator who is behind the ban on Internet gambling thinks the regulations are a full year overdue. Big Brown Comes In Big at Kentucky Derby Spring is here and Horse Racing takes center of attention among sports betting fans. The pre-race favorite Big Brown was indeed the Kentucky Derby winner.
The youth has cast its vote. Young Canadians are open to online gambling. But, there seems to be a problem. The Survey A national survey, which appeared in the Montreal Gazette and presented by pollster Allan Gregg, Chairman of Harris/Decima, at the 2008 Canadian Gaming Summit, reveals the following: Over half, 56 percent to be exact, of those aged 18 to 34 said online casinos are an acceptable form of gambling. Yes, Canadians under 35 years of age are more likely to be gambling more than older Canadians. Thirty five percent of those 35 and over favor online gambling, and the number swindles and falls to 20 percent among those 55 or older. Technology Driven Gaming The explanation offered for these numbers is that the younger you are, the more open and excited you are over technology driven forms of gaming and gambling. This includes buying lottery tickets over mobile phones, not only playing at online casinos. An entire world of gambling technology, by all means. Politics and personal convictions aside, the gambling industry in Canada cannot however capitalize on the young (potential) gamblers. Canada's laws do not allow for online gambling. Not that they don't already gamble. Canadians spend about $400 million a year, according to estimated, including the one presented by Paul Burns, Vice-President of the Canadian Gaming Association. The survey covered 3,047 participants.
Tropicana Entertainment LLC, operator of 11 casino-hotels, has filed for bankruptcy protection under chapter 11. What Happened Perhaps the most famous landmark on the Las Vegas Strip for many years, Tropicana has run into financial trouble. Besides the implications this has on the entire gambling industry, on the Strip, and even for Las Vegas as a whole as it is dealing with the housing crisis, the news affects every one of the company's 11,000 employees. Tropicana is a privately held company. It is based in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, and operates 11 casino-hotel properties in Nevada (including central casino region of Lake Tahoe), Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana and New Jersey. Under state law, the latter property, the Atlantic City Tropicana, is offered to potential buyers. Tropicana blamed its license problems in Atlantic City for its financial woes. The State judged it was unable to operate its property in Atlantic City die to layoffs and poor performance, and Tropicana lost its license following the decision on December 12, 2007. Tropicana has been running the AC casino for less than a year at the time of the decision. With assets that total $2.8 billion, the Chapter 11 filing marks one of the largest bankruptcies so far this year. Its debt is slightly greater, at $3.3 billion. What's Next Tropicana said its casino-hotels will not be affected as the courts determine the company's fate. No layoffs are expected, or so the company wishes in any case. Tropicana will also ask the judge to continue honoring customer loyalty programs and pay vendors. A new owner, however, could be selected. The AC casino will be sold by June 9, 2008, under a judge supervision. What They Say Tropicana spokesman Hud Englehart said "We ran into a perfect storm." All the obvious reasons were listed, from the credit crisis to housing bubble, and of course the Atlantic City license issue. As for the near future, Tropicana President Scott Butera said the decision devalues his company's assets, forcing him to sell in such a slow and "inhospitable real-estate market."
Even as there are hundreds of online casinos around, there are only a few giants in the world of online gambling. When two of these giants join forces, it is noteworthy news. CryptoLogic and 888 Holdings have signed a three-year licensing contract. The agreement will have 888 integrate CryptoLogic's casino games via their WagerLogic subsidiary. The terms of the agreement were not made public. Business Strategy The Canadian gaming software provider CryptoLogic already operates many online casinos and poker sites. It is in line with its strategy, and perhaps a great achievement at that, to operate 888's website. 888's popular Casino on Net benefits from the deal by expanding and diversifying its game selection, already a major aspect of its industry leading success. 888 has experience in integrating games into their casino brand. 888 has so far chosen and added the following games from CryptoLogic: Cubis, Bejeweled and Millionaire's Club - the progressive jackpot slot machine. Comments "It's a winning combination," commented CryptoLogic's president and chief executive Brian Hadfield. He said: "Today's announcement is consistent with CryptoLogic's strategy to partner with the world's biggest and best gaming brands - as a way to offer the ultimate player experience." CEO of 888 Gigi Levy commented on the deal and said: "This reaffirms 888's strategy of creating a game ecosystem, powered by an industry-leading integration infrastructure." Both companies' shares have seen their value rise since the deal was announced.
Kuala Lumpur's Internet policy is liberal, by all means. A 1998 law, the Communications and Multimedia Act, assures free web access and no censorship. With one exception; the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission may nevertheless block websites if they suspect they are harmful or may pose some abstract threat to social stability. Quite naturally, this definition fits the cyber and multimedia crime fighters' view of online gambling. And yet, online gambling, and online sports betting in particular, enjoys great popularity in Malaysia. Whoever visited in Malaysia during any of the recent years' international football tournaments could notice many locals at Internet cafes, following the games and betting on the winners. As Euro 2008 begins in a month, this trend is expected to continue, and even grow. Total bets are expected to reach RM1 billion. How do they manage? Police can track suspects' banking transactions. Cyber-crime units can even trace IPs to internet cafes, and ban them altogether, thus forcing bettors to gamble from home, where they are easily detectable. Even in the face of these and other methods, gambling is possible; some claim it is even simple. Experts describe the various ways in which syndicates manage to avoid detection. One such way is having customers load their accounts before betting, thus loosening the tie between bank account movements and their betting habits. Gambling on the web in Malaysia is not advertised, either. Instead, the operators and gamblers alike depend on word of mouth advertising. Even firewalling certain URLs can be bypassed, simply by altering the site's name. What to expect, then Football summer within sight, you can bet on one thing: enforcement will step up. A task force was formed recently, which will include various law enforcement institutions and share with international bodies, via Interpol. The cat and mouse chase continues.
Washington state's law specifically bans online gambling, atop the federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Signed into law by Governor Chris Gregorie, online gambling is no less than a felony. This legislation affects over 800,000 Washington state citizens, including Lee Rousso. The Poker Players Alliance’s (PPA) Washington State representative, Rousso will appear in court today to argue for the legalization of online poker. While he will be in the King Country Superior Court, PPA members will be outside the justice halls holding a rally in his support. The constitutional challenge is based on the argument that the ban violates the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. It is congress only that can regulate interstate commerce, not states legislatures. Also in the rally will be poker stars Andy Bloch and Barry Greenstein Listen to a phone interview we held with Lee Rousso ahead of the court hearing.
The Weekly Edition, an OCR Live! production in which Kate brings you the headlines for the past week, including Tropicana Casino Operator Files Bankruptcy Las Vegas landmark Tropicana has filed for bankruptcy protection, due to problems it has had with its Atlantic City operating license. CryptoLogic and 888 Sign Gambling Deal Online casino software provider CryptoLogic and online gaming group 888 Holdings have signed a three-year licensing deal. It's the Technology, Stupid Younger Canadians prefer technology driven forms of gambling, a national survey finds.
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