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A last chance match for both sides, tonight's Switzerland vs Turkey game is worth a punt as teams bring in high odds for betting. Loser vs loser The second group A match in this year's Euro tournament is a tale of woe as both Switzerland and Turkey attempt to bounce back from first game losses. Odds on An underdog match, however, is good news for the sports bettor owing to high odds for betting on either team. UK bookmaker, Sporting Bet is offering odds of 11/10 to Switzerland and 11/5 to Turkey, in what could be both teams' last game of the tournament. Spanish victory The overall favorite to win the European tournament is Spain with odds of 4/1 at Sporting Bet, followed closely by Portugal at 5/1. David Villa is tipped to emerge as the top goal scorer of the tournament. Record numbers Euro 2008 is set to bring in record sports betting figures, according to UK sports betting firm, Ladbrokes. 350 million GBP is expected to be generated from sports bets from within the UK and Ireland alone. This figure is 40% higher than betting revenue from Euro 2004. The rise has been attributed to the growth in online betting and football wagers in particular. So whether you're betting on losers or winners in this year's tournament Euro 2008, it would appear, is definitely worth a punt.
Eins, zwei drei... Count to 2.2 million and you have the number of Germans who play and gamble online on a regular basis. The German Forsa research group's study found that the number of Germans who gamble regularly online is beyond anyone's expectations. The options they are presented are many and varied. Lotto draws 700,000 Germans to the Internet; online poker is a pastime hobby for 430,000 others; the Bundesliga football matches draw sports bets from half a million Germans. As for the volume in Euros, the betting market crosses the 2 billion Euro mark, at 2.2 billion Euros annually bet and wagered online. The survey, titled "The German Betting Market in Transition: Enormous Growth or Return to the Old Model?" predicts this sum to more than double and reach 5 billion Euros by the year 2010. Forsa makes no prediction as to the number of gamblers taking part in the gambling activities. Football bets Germans have the opportunity these days to bet on their national football team, which is competing at the Euro 2008 football championship. The German team has already beat Poland in its opening match, raising not only the expectations from it, but the betting action as well. While the legal status is in an ongoing process of being resolved, protected on the one hand by the German states and demanded looser restrictions by the European Union, it thrives as it never has before.
Online gambling site, Backgammon Masters is helping to change the face of online gambling through its generous charitable initiatives. The site is donating a generous portion of its revenues towards the victims of last month's earthquake which has claimed the lives of approximately 87,000 people. Online events The gambling site has introduced a series of charity gaming events including online blackjack and poker tournaments where all the prize money is donated directly to UNICEF and their efforts to aid child victims of the earthquake. Backgammon Masters has also pledged to match $5 for every $1 donated from this month's tournaments. Changing image Although not traditionally associated with corporate responsibility, it is not uncommon for online gambling operators to contribute during times of crisis. A recent example is Hurricane Katrina in the US where many online casinos did not hesitate to offer financial assistance to victims of the devastating storm. Charity stakes One website has gone even further by basing their entire premise along charitable lines. Charity Stakes is a membership based gambling site that allows users unlimited monthly access to play in online games and sporting pools. Charities receive $5 each month from each member's monthly fee. So next time you hear greed, corruption and online gambling in the same sentence be sure to take a stand for the online industry with a heart.
The French government plans to open up the online gambling market following pressure from the EU to legalize and regulate the industry. State monopoly Online gambling is currently outlawed in France, with the exception of the state-run monopolies: Parimutuel Urbain (PMU) for horse racing and Francaise Des Jeux for lotteries. Despite agreeing to legalize online gambling in France, the government is keen to preserve its revenues from the industry, estimated at $8.27 billion. Legal pressure The decision to legislate has been made in order to avert court action by the EU. The European bloc has been pressurizing France to end its state monopoly of online gambling sites which contravenes European law. New law In contrast to previous comments on the prospect of legalization French Budget Minister, Eric Woerth, has recently stated that the government had no choice but to back down. A law will be presented after the summer break, an online gambling authority established and approvals of gambling operators expected to commence in late 2009. Options online The controlled opening of the French market will include pari-mutuel betting for horseracing, fixed-odds sports betting as well as the introduction of casino and poker games online. So it's good news for players and operators as another country toes the EU line and opens its gates to the world of online gambling.
That online poker sites would be vulnerable to cheating is a concern that millions of players share. That this particular online poker site has known about the suspect cheating and took steps to thwart an investigation is outrageous. Concerns of suspicious activity at Ultimate Bet online poker have been posted on the High Stakes No Limit forum months ago. Ultimate Bet and its regulatory body Kahnawake Gaming Commission were in fact informed of the allegations, but did not work to solve them. What were they waiting for? Although millions of dollars had been obtained under suspicious circumstances, perhaps even with aid of someone on the inside, Ultimate Bet made its first public statement regarding the suspicions on 6 March, 2008. The story was floating, close to Ultimate Bet's ears no doubt, for three months prior to that date. Only then did they acknowledge the activity in NioNio's account was "abnormal," merely addressing the issue, not admitting any wrongdoing or negligence. What was expected of Ultimate Bet was to compensate the players who were cheated. In fact, no reimbursement offers have been made yet. Bad track record This scandal brings to mind the recent Absolute Poker fraud case. There too it was the players who noticed suspicious activity by a certain account - Potripper. Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet are both owned by the same company - Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG, and regulated by the First Nation Kahnawake. This explains why the poker community seems to feel secure in their game, in spite of the two recent fraud cases. Better late than never? In a statement just released, Tokwiro admitted some player accounts have enjoyed "an unfair advantage." It went on to blame "unauthorized software code that allowed the perpetrators to obtain hole-card information during live play." Tokwiro said it will begin refunding customers for any losses caused as a result of any foul play immediately. And perhaps on a positive note, with a look ahead to the future, Ultimate Bet announced it has established a poker security team dedicated to fraud prevention at the site. The final spin In what seems as a damage control PR move, Ultimate Bet has signed two high profile poker pros - Eric "Rizen" Lynch and Cliff "JohnnyBax" Josephy. Another high profile poker player, Annie Duke, already serves as Ultimate Bet's Cardroom Consultant. Lynch cashed five times at the 2007 World Series of Poker and made two final tables, winning over $163,000. Josephy won his WSOP bracelet in 2005. It is fair to demand more than signing celebrity players before Ultimate Bet is absolved. Transparency and players' safety alone are the keys to any poker room's trust.
A panel of gaming industry experts encouraged lawmakers from the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States on Saturday to move towards state-regulated online gambling. The experts substantiated their claims by pointing out the shortfalls of the 2006 UIGEA. Failed Act According to the act, banks are responsible for screening any dubious transactions, though Wells Fargo alone handles millions of transactions on a daily basis. Senior company counsel for Wells Fargo Teruo Kitada said, "Perhaps the idea behind the act is commendable, but the challenge is the implementation." Consultant Frank Catania says federal law is ill equipped to regulate online gaming, suggesting instead that states do the regulating. He called the act "bad public policy" that is "impossible to enforce." While the California Coalition Against Gambling Expansion argues that Internet gambling is a recipe for making every home with a computer a potential gaming facility, Catania and other experts argue that it should be regulated just as traditional casinos or other gaming venues are. "We're talking basic consumer protection," Catania said. Destined for Regulation With the US presidential election approaching, gaming experts are increasingly preoccupied with the question of whether online gambling will start being regulated nationally. Catania believes the US will get on the regulatory wave after the November election. "The online gaming market will continue to expand regardless of decision to regulate. Consumer demand and industry growth will force governments to act," he said. According to Catania's estimates, online gambling in the US is valued today at more than $15 billion, a figure that clearly underlines the need for sound policy.
Regulators, state and federal policy makers, casino industry representatives and over 600 treatment providers will converge in Long Beach, California on June 26-28, 2008 for the 22nd National Conference on Problem Gambling. Due to increased public support of casino gaming in the state, the California Council on Problem Gambling hopes the conference, which has invited over 100 speakers to discuss responsible gambling, prevention and treatment, will teach people about the dangers of problem gambling. What is problem gambling? Problem Gambling, or ludomania, is characterized by the preoccupation with gambling and the destruction it causes in gamblers' lives. People who increasingly gamble despite the negative consequences it has on their personal life, career or family are often deemed problem gamblers. Extreme cases of problem gambling can be diagnosed as pathological gambling. The American Psychiatric Association has defined it as an impulse control disorder. Considerable scope Most people that visit casinos or use other forms of gambling such as the lottery or online casinos do it strictly for recreational purposes. However, about 3-5 percent of the world's population gambles excessively, to the point that it damages their lives. According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 4-6 million Americans are considered problem gamblers, and 2 million (1 percent of the US population) are diagnosed as pathological gamblers. While the gaming industry should not be blamed for the phenomenon of problem gamblers, it is responsible for providing programs that address problem gambling. In California, for example, three local casinos have taken measures to educate their personnel on responsible gambling. Treatments There are various methods for treating those who suffer from problem or pathological gambling. Common methods include psychological therapy and support groups. A recent study by the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has published findings about Naltrexone, a drug usually prescribed for drug and alcohol abuse. Forty percent of the pathological gamblers who took the drug were able to refrain from gambling for at least one month. Public awareness Recent events, such as NBA player Charles Barkley's admission of his $400,000 casino debt and reports that professional tennis players have been throwing matches have highlighted the need for the gaming industry to raise public awareness about problem gambling. For resources on some of the organizations that address problem gambling, please visit our list of Associations and Organizations, which provide aid, consulting and support.
Tonight's final round of matches in Group C of the Euro 2008 football championships provides plenty of betting options, with all four teams still alive in the tournament. With Holland having already clinched top spot in the group on the back of stunning 3-0 and 4-1 victories against pre-tournament favorites France and Italy, attention now turns to who will claim the second and final spot to progress to the quarter-finals. France and Italy, locked on one point each, will both be playing for a result, ensuring that this match could turn out to be just as interesting as the World Cup final of two years ago, when Italy won on penalties after the infamous sending-off of French captain Zinedine Zidane. Romania, on two points after being considered pre-tournament to be mere minnows in this "group of death", is now in the box seat, and has the odds to prove it. UK bookmaker Sporting Bet has Romania listed odds-on favorite to progress at 7/10, while Ladbrokes is quoting 4/6. Italy is 13/5 to finish second in the group and France 3/1 with both betting agencies. The group stage of Euro 2008 ends tomorrow night with Russia and Sweden both fighting to join Spain in the quarter-finals. Reigning European champion Greece has already been eliminated from this tournament.
With the 2008 US presidential election fast approaching, thousands of special-interest groups are descending on Washington, DC, to make their voices heard on issues such as gun control, abortion and foreign policy. Now poker players are the latest lobby group to target the Capitol, with a Poker Players Alliance campaign circulating on the internet. The PPA's campaign is headlined by a website carrying the very election-themed name of Poker 2008. The website includes a video, featuring poker professionals such as Mike Sexton, Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, and Jennifer Harman, in which they urge poker players to register to vote. The video begins with the message "the PPA recognizes that political power comes in voters." It then features short clips of the various professionals, with catchy quotes like "politicians care about poker because their constituents care about poker." Poker, of both the online and land-based varieties, is in a state of semi-legal status in the United States. There is no federal law actually banning someone from playing online poker. However, some states do have criminal laws prohibiting online gambling. The PPA cites increasing crackdowns against poker and other forms of gambling from Washington and the states as prompting the need for a united political front. This includes the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which made it illegal for financial institutions to handle transactions between US residents and online poker and gaming operators. The PPA's mission, according to its website, is "to establish favorable laws that provide poker players with a secure, safe and regulated place to play. Through education and awareness the PPA will keep this game of skill, one of America's oldest recreational activities, free from egregious government intervention and misguided laws." With online gambling becoming an ever-important issue, the efforts of both pro- and anti-gambling campaigners will no doubt intensify as the November 4 election date draws closer.
The Weekly Edition, an OCR Live! production in which Kate brings you the headlines for the past week, including the large gambling community, casinos showing responsibility, and countries continuing to legalize the industry, as France is the latest to do so. Millions of Gamblers online in Germany and South Korea A German survey reports that 2.2 million Germans access the lottery online, play online poker and more regularly, while the illegal status of gambling in South Korea does not stop 3 million others from gambling online. Online Aid for China Earthquake Catastrophe Casino gambling site setting charitable example through China earthquake aid efforts. French Floodgates Open to Online Gambling Online operators set to enter the French market as government yields to EU pressure. The Bonus This week on The Bonus we advise players on a few simple measures to best protect them from dishonest casinos.
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