Showing results for: ""
Casino Affiliate Programs has established a tradition of annual Spring Break events. This year's event, the 6th so far, will take place May 21-24 in Cyprus. It is organized by iGaming Business. The event is casual and fun, but above all an opportunity for affiliates to network. CAP Spring Break is traditionally held at paradise locations. The past two events were held in Miami Beach and the Bahamas, while this year's event is held closer to Europe, as Limassol, Cyprus will host the event. Limassol will also be the host of the Poker Conference, the first annual 2008 Poker Affiliate Conference and Expo. Event Program CAP Spring Break provides many opportunities to tie business relations and mere friendships. The program includes four sponsored parties at Limassol's clubs; round-table, pool-side discussions; dinners; and a three day version of the ASOP (Affiliate Series of Poker). Turnout is up CAP Spring Break was about to close registration last we checked. The organizers were overwhelmed with the amount of registrations they have recived throughout april, well before the event's dates. "We always expected Cyprus to be a great event," said Louis Fabiano, founder of CAP. He added that he has "been taken completely by surprise by the vast numbers of people that are registering." Regarding the unique mix of business and pleasure (Hard Work, Hard Play), Fabiano commented: "I think after the last two years people are ready for a party in the sun where they can not only network and make new friends, but also learn and grow their business through expert speakers and new contacts. It really is the best place you can do business."
Poker players and the entire online gambling community in the United States were looking forward to this day. Will the court's decision against Lee Rousso's challenge of the online gambling ban take the wind out of their sails? The fight continues According to the poker player, attorney and activist Lee Rousso, the answer is a clear No. True, poker and online gambling of any form will remain illegal under Washington state law; no news from the King County Superior Court judge on that. But poker did get a fair chance, and the lawsuit is only a first step in what is surely to be a long process. Rousso repeated his intentions, which he shared with Online Casino Reports in an interview earlier this month, that he will go all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. Rousso walked out to the Poker Players Alliance members outside the court house after the hearing and said: "There is virtually no public support for this law." Even though only 70 PPA members, in red shirts and holding up signs in his support, the cause is backed by over a million PPA members, and many more around the nation and the world. Criminal poker?! For the meanwhile, online gambling will continue to carry a Class C felony with it, which will have individuals face as much as five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. "Do you really want to throw people in prison who want to play poker?" Rousso asked. The criminal aspect of playing a game - poker - was also ridiculed by PPA director, Drew Lesofski, who said: "Poker players are not a threat to society."
The Champions League Final is a dream come true for two football clubs, as well as for the entire sports betting community. millions and millions of football fans and sports fans in general will watch the 2008 Final match on Wednesday, May 21. Manchester United seeks another title, as it faces fellow English football club and ongoing soap opera Chelsea. Millions will be watching, and placing millions of pounds in sports bets as they do. The UEFA Champions League Finals usually draw attention from the sportsbooks. Perhaps it is the all-UK matchup, or the Moscow setting, which have contributed to the betting frenzy even more this time around. William Hill, the UK gambling group, predicts a total of 10 million pounds will be bet on the game. With so much on the line, William Hill spokesperson acknowledged that a Manchester victory will mean considerable loss to the bookmaker. "For us as a company at the moment Manchester United winning the competition is a bad result at the moment, but things will change by the time the match starts," he said. Manchester United vs. Chelsea; Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Didier Drogba; Sir Alex Ferguson vs. Avram Grant; gamblers can bet on practically any element of the game. The numbers reported seem to indicate that they are doing just that.
A bill was approved in South Africa's parliament that will regulate online gambling in the country. It follows a few months of developments, at one time opening up to the idea of a regulated market, then backtracking and opposing it. Although the current status of online gambling is undetermined, the South African market is estimated at billions of rand annually. The new bill, which must be signed by President Thabo Mbeki in order to officially pass, will regulate this market. The situation has simply been too wasteful for the government, and dangerous for South Africans. A memorandum attached to the National Gambling Amendment Bill says the situation "has resulted in a considerable loss of revenue to the national discus and compromises the country's reputation as a responsible global citizen." But above all, according to the bill's stated goal, is to "ensure that all gambling activities are conducted responsibly, fairly and honestly (and to) protect minors and other vulnerable persons from the negative effects of gambling." Once officially signed into law, it will be enforced by South Africa's National Gambling Board, from licensing to electronically monitoring addictive behavior by gamblers. You can find more news about South Africa's legal shift towards online gambling, or subscribe to the News Alerts on the right of the screen for updates next time we cover the subject.
The Weekly Edition, an OCR Live! production in which Kate brings you the headlines for the past week, including a ruling against online gambling in the United States, the latest from American Idol's finale, and Online Casino Reports to report from the 6th CAP Spring Break event. Online Gambling Loses This Poker Hand Lee Rousso's challenge of the gambling ban in his home state of Washington will carry on in spite of setback. American Idol Excitement and betting odds surrounding the winner of this year's American Idol talent show. Work Hard, Play Hard at CAP 2008 Spring Break This year's Casino Affiliate Programs Spring Break event has some surprises in store. Online Casino Reports will report from the scene.
According to federal prosecutors NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, admitted on May 16 to passing on inside information to gamblers relating to more than 100 games. A 2006 study by Wharton professor Justin Wolfers came up with suspect findings. Prof. Wolfers reviewed 16 years of college basketball results and found that point-shaving had occurred in about 1 percent of games. It can be assumed, therefore, that similar forces are also at work within the NBA, it was then argued. Furthermore, a gambling survey carried out by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2005 found that 35 percent of male athletes and 10 percent of female athletes said they had bet on college sports in the previous year. Of the 388 Division I men’s basketball players surveyed, 0.5 percent reported accepting money for playing poorly in a game and 1 percent said they had actually affected the outcome of a game because of gambling debts. The illegality of online gambling in the US would appear to be heightening the potential for corruption in American sports owing to a lack of regulationary procedures. Even when it is regulated and legal, however, corruption clouds sports matches. Just last week, a report released by the major tennis governing bodies recommended that a total of 45 matches played in the last five years be investigated as betting trends pointed towards insider gambling. Online Casino Reports has covered the match-fixing scandals from the tennis world in past articles. So with Internet gambling predicted to exceed $20 billion in 2008 and illegal betting estimated to total even greater sums of $150 in the US alone, the attraction and ease with which sports games can be influenced has never been greater. This year's NBA playoffs, it can be assumed, are not immune.
Chelsea's John Terry is said to still be haunted by missed penalty kick at the Champions League Finals. Sports bettors too have lost some sleep following the missed opportunity. But was it ever a sure shot? Penalty Kicks Eleven meters and the goalkeeper only stand between the kicker and the goal. In the half second that the ball travels the distance, there are other elements too, such as guessing by the goalkeeper, and endless calculations by the kicker. Another crucial element is statistics. The simple setting of penalty kicks has drawn considerable academic interest over the years. This is clearly the case for sports bettors. Two players and two possible outcomes. Now let's do the math. Statistics Game theory is a major economics field. Do the player and goalkeeper mix their options in the best possible way? Perhaps there is no difference after all. Analysis of penalty kicks by Pierre-André Chiappori of Columbia University, Steven Levitt of the University of Chicago and Timothy Groseclose of UCLA, came up with the following numbers: When kicking to their natural side, kickers scored 77 percent of the time. When kicking to the opposite side, a close 70 percent. And when kicking to the middle, a slightly higher 81 percent. For goalkeepers too the numbers are all within the margin of error: When guessing center, the stopped 27 percent of the kicks. When guessing the kicker's opposite side, 27 percent. And when guessing the kicker's natural side, 24 percent. In other words, statistical research could not reject the hypothesis, namely that the chances of scoring are the same no matter what. Is this consolation to John Terry and the millions of Chelsea fans around the UK and the world? Perhaps not. Call it a slip.
Online gambling has been legal in the Philippines since 2000. It was in that year that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) became the sole operator of gambling in the Asian country. Pagcor operates online casinos, bingo, and sports betting sites as well as land based establishments. By 2002 the Sports and Games Entertainment Corp was joined by PhilWeb as another operator of online casinos in the Philippines. The church has its say While the companies, and others too, argue over who has the right to issue licenses and with what government permission, it is a critic from outside the industry that has drawn most attention. Archbishop Oscar Cruz has faced libel charges after 20 female employees at Pacgor complained against him. Offensive remarks It was back in 2004, at Philippines President Gloria Arroyo's husband's birthday party that Archbishop Cruz made his notorious comments. He called the women "pitiful GROs," a reference to guest relations officers. The women demanded an apology from Archbishop Cruz, who so happens to be the head of the People’s Crusade against Gambling. No apologies In his defense, the Archbishop said he was actually trying to defend the women, a line of defense he will be able to clarify on June 17, when he will be arraigned in court.
The retired NBA star, best known for doing things his own way, has finally paid his debt to Wynn Las Vegas. Case closed. Or is it? Accumulating debt Charles Barkley had accumulated a considerable gambling debt, as much as $400,000, which he borrowed from Wynn Las Vegas in four installments over the past several months. He received the loans, each a $100,000 casino marker, on October 18 and 19. He has paid it in full, not before the story came out, the resort filed a civil complaint and he himself got himself some bad rep on national television. Case closed Clark County prosecutor, Chief Deputy District Attorney Bernie Zadrowski, confirmed Barkley is off the hook after sending a $40,000 check to pay statutory and bad check processing fees. Barkley has already paid $400,000 earlier this week for the debt proper. Wynn Las Vegas had to resort to filing a civil complaint in Nevada state court on May 14. Foul play Sir Charles, as the 45 year old former NBA All-Star is known, serves as an analyst for Turner Network Television. Inside the NBA, where he serves as panel member, is widely popular among the sport's fans. On many occasions, Barkley has proven to have an opinion on matters, which he expresses in colorful terms, at times drawing criticism from those with more sensitive ears. Rebound master But will Barkley be able to bounce back from this bad press? Perhaps he can, and then some. Barkley can help those who have a gambling addiction in solving their problem. He has an opportunity to be the face, the spokesperson and the model for those who seek help. He will also earn this fan's admiration if he does.
The Swedish government is considering selling off parts of its online gambling provider, Svenska Spel, in response to mounting pressure to comply with EU regulations. Piecemeal measures Finance Minister, Andres Borg, is reported to have proposed the privatization of less addictive forms of gambling. The details of this proposal have not yet been defined although it is likely that lottery games, sports betting and perhaps even poker may fall under the ‘low risk' category. Legal threats This move would appear to be a strategy of escaping legal action from the EU. The Ministry of Finance has already been warned that Sweden is close to being called to appear before the European Court of Justice. The latest EU gaming inquiry is due to present its findings in mid-December. Responsible gaming As reported by Online Casino Reports, the state monopoly is presented as an attempt to maintain responsible gambling standards in Sweden. The EU, however, is challenging this assertion on free-trade grounds. Although running out of options, it can be assumed that Sweden will not give up without a fight.
Blackjack
Slots
Roulette
Baccarat
Craps
Poker
