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The soon to be extinct Bush Administration is seeking to implement and finalize regulations to enforce a ban for banking institutions to stop illegal money transfers for Internet gambling found to fall under the UIGEA bill. I smell more than just pigskin here... With a strong rush to get this approved before the incoming Obama administration, the previous NFL lobbyist William Wichterman, who was appointed by President Bush himself as the Deputy Director of Public Liasons, had put considerable pressure to speed up the proceedings before it is too late. Wichterman opposes all forms of Internet gambling, except fantasy sports, which generate more than $1 billion a year - hmm... fancy that; NFL lobbyist supporting fantasy sports betting. Previously, the Bush administration had committed to not issue final regulations on any bills past November 1, 2008 except in "extraordinary circumstances." One has to question then, is this move "extraordinary" or is this just pushing a hidden agenda once again, which has become quid pro quo in the Bush administration? When even the banks are unconvinced... The Federal Reserve and Treasury have both stated that the enforcement for banking institutions and the UIGEA enforcements is not workable and inherently flawed. It will cost banks more money and time and in the midst of a severe financial crisis, what sense does this make? Wayne Abernathy, American Bankers Association's executive vice president of financial institutions policy and regulatory affairs states that, "The UIGEA and the Proposed Rule do not provide a rational path towards halting unlawful Internet gambling." Time to break out the champagne? Looks like Bush and his administration is looking for one last horrah for a bill that was flawed from the beginning and with representatives led by Barney Frank (D-Mass) lobbying for clarity and regulation of Internet gambling, we may soon see the end of the infamous UIGEA bill.
Germany is favored to beat England in what is shaping up as the biggest contest on a day of international friendlies and world cup qualifiers. Such was Germany's dominance of England at one stage in the famous footballing rivalry that English hall of famer Gary Lineker once remarked, "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win." In actual fact, England has won 14 of its 30 fixtures with Germany, with six draws. However, eight of those wins came before 1966, when the English famously beat Germany in the World Cup Final. Tonight's odds Germany is carrying odds of 11/10 at UK bookmaker Ladbrokes to win Wednesday. England is 5/2, while the draw option is 23/10. In other friendly matches, 2004 European champion Greece is considered a 2/1 chance to defeat 2006 World Cup champion Italy, 7/5. Scotland is 9/2 to cause a huge upset against the Diego Maradona-coached Argentina, 4/6. However, the Scottish have a formidable record at their Hampden Park home, having recently defeated France there in World Cup 2008 qualifying. The stakes are higher in the Asian confederation, where World Cup qualifying matches are taking place Wednesday. Australia is a 5/6 favorite to continue its unbeaten run when it travels to Bahrain. The home side is 13/5. In the one to watch Thursday, Brazil is 4/5 to defeat co-linguists Portugal, 7/2.
Late yesterday, the US Treasury and Federal Reserve pushed through its final rules for financial institutions following the 2006 UIGEA bill, despite protests from Barney Frank (D-Mass) to postpone until the incoming Obama administration could review it and make a decision itself. Looks like Deputy Director of Public Liaisons William Wichterman, appointed by President Bush himself, has rushed to push this final regulation through. Effective January 19, 2009, companies actually have until December 1, 2009 to comply. What are these rules? After consulting with the Department of Justice, the new rules require "US financial firms that participate in designated payment systems to establish and implement policies that are reasonably designed to prevent payments to businesses in connection with unlawful Internet gambling." According to the Treasury's statement: "For the purposes of the rule, unlawful Internet gambling generally would cover the making of a bet or wager that involves use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any applicable federal or state law." Any payments made through clearing house systems, credit card, check collection and wire transfers will all be affected under these new rules. A little help, please Financial institutions have repeatedly asked for a list of businesses involved in "unlawful Internet gambling," to explain the roundabout language of the law. So once again, it is left up to the banks themselves to distinguish what customer payments they handle, if any, fall under these new rules. Not a clever use of the financial institutions time in the midst of a financial crisis...
Small casinos might struggle to survive the financial crisis, the president of the American Gaming Association said at a conference Tuesday. Speaking at the Las Vegas Convention Center before the Global Gaming Expo, Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. told reporters that size is a major issue for companies that support casinos, such as slot manufacturers and other suppliers. "The big guys have more ability to go out in the marketplace and raise some (capital). Some of the smaller companies do not," he said. Slump Casinos of all sizes have taken a hit during the current financial crisis, with nationwide revenue in the third quarter falling by 4.6 percent to $8.4 billion, compared with the same period a year earlier, according to Fahrenkopf. Fahrenkopf said companies are dealing with two unprecedented problems: banks unwilling to lend money at favorable interest rates to build projects, and consumers spending less on gambling and entertainment at casinos. "All of our companies, if you talk to their CEOs, they will tell you, they are tightening their belts," Fahrenkopf said. G2E Around 30,000 people have attended the show over three days, with about 750 exhibitors setting up to advertise every different service used in the gambling industry.
This week's online gambling news headlines brought to you by OCR Live! South Africa takes matters to hand Online Casino Reports welcomes South Africa to the world of online gambling, as they make one extra step towards legalizing and regulating the industry proper. Cool Hand Poker The new poker room from the good people at ReferBack brings a new spirit to online poker - an emphasis on school and community, as well as some awesome freebies! Warning for players We have encountered shady operations recently on two separate events, involving Red Hot Revenue and First Grand Gaming. There are 6 gambling sites that we advise you avoid until the issue is resolved. They are: Royal Dice Casino, Giant Vegas Casino, Sierra Star Casino, Nutspoker Poker Room, African Palace Casino and Indio Casino.
There is no doubt that within the past few months, the world has changed. If not for President-Elect Barack Obama's message of Hope, the newspaper headlines would all be gloomy. Thankfully, several lucky players at The Jackpot Factory's $500,000 World Series of Slots tournament have been given the chance to breathe a little easier, with enormous winnings. The Jackpot Factory is a well known and trusted online casino group, incorporating the All Slots Casino as well as All Jackpots Casino, First Web Casino, Wild Jack Casino, and The VIP Lounge Casino. Since opening, it has paid out over $7.5 billion (!) in winnings and is seen as an impeccable member of eCOGRA, using Microgaming software to ensure the safest and fairest game-play possible. Earlier in November it has shown that its words and acts are one and the same. The $200,000 tournament came to a close with huge payouts! And the winners are: Edward G., winner of the $100,000 grand prize: "I had to call VIP support to see if it was real," he exclaimed. "Looks like a new car for my bride of 45 years and maybe a cruise in the Caribbean," he said. Juwarseh P. of Singapore took home the 2nd place prize of $25,000. Although this was Juwarseh's biggest win yet, she has won nearly $38,000 in previous tournaments at the Jackpot Factory. Virginia C. was the 3rd place winner of the $10,000 prize. Dorena S., 4th place winner of $5,000: "We're going to drive from Arizona where we live to Nebraska to visit my mother and grandmother for Thanksgiving. Money was tight so we were concerned. Now we aren't so much."
All Bingo Club, the brand new site taking over the Internet Bingo Gaming World by storm, is in the midst of a wildly popular "green" initiative. Carrying through to the end of December, All Bingo Club offers is players to offset the PC's emissions by using the money the players put into the game and putting it towards planting new trees. They have raised enough money to plant over 300 new trees! To make it even more special, twelve individual winners who hit Full House while playing the green game on ball 3, has a tree planted in their name - making it much more personal and touching. Information about where the trees are being planted can be found on their website, but it's nice to know that a little forest is out there soaking up all the harmful gas emissions of the other non-online gambling players are emitting! Who knew? Taking the "eco" curve to a higher level, environmental friendly products are showcased and given away in special monthly promotions. One recent winner won a 2,000 pound shopping spree to use online which allows her to not use her car. There are tips and a discussion board for players in addition on their "Green Wall." Being part of the movement doesn't require huge amounts of your time, at All Bingo Club just the desire to play bingo is all it takes! Now, whoever thought that sitting around all day and playing on the computer is bad for the environment, can quietly retract all those bad comments and plunk down some cash. Who can argue with that?
Online gambling is not only our top concern. The Internet community of players, operators and affiliates has a vested interest, understandably. But there are others who are showing growing interest. Nevada Las Vegas and Reno are global and state-level gambling havens. But in 2009, as the new Congress starts looking for new sources of tax income, they will have to concern themselves with online gambling as well. AGA president, Frank Fahrenkopf, was quoted by the Reno Gazette-Journal to have said: "The legalization of Internet gambling will be the hottest federal issue facing Nevada's gaming industry in the next few years." When? While some in the industry do not expect the issue to be first on the new administration's agenda come January 20, 2009, other believe it will come up soon. Fahrenkopf pointed out the new pay-as-you-go system in Congress, which requires of each congressman or senator who introduces a piece of legislation to also show how it can be funded. With billions of potential tax money in online gambling, that might become quite a popular option. Opportunity Obviously, a legal and regulated online gambling industry is in the interest of players. But what many refuse to admit - it is also in the interest on Nevada's casino entertainment business. Harrah's already owns the World Series of Poker and have a comfortable step into the online poker and gambling world, if it were to capitalize on the tremendous popularity of WSOP.
Rugby Union is increasingly becoming an option for bettors worldwide as "the game they play in heaven" grows in popularity and access to television broadcasts of international fixtures becomes easier. Saturday's Wales-New Zealand clash at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, which the All Blacks won 29-9, drew in more than one million pounds worth of bets worldwide, according to the Welsh newspaper Western Mail. The sum included international bets, online gambling and bets placed in New Zealand. UK bookmaker William Hill said it expected to take in 200,000 pounds on the match, while other bookmakers such as Ladbrokes and Paddy Power were expecting to take in similarly huge numbers on a game that many Welsh fans were hoping could end in a massive upset, but in the end resulted in yet another New Zealand victory - the All Blacks' 20th consecutive victory over Wales in a 55-year period. While big international fixtures tend to be seen as fairly predictable, with traditional superpowers New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England and France tending to dominate against the pack, the improvement of the second tier teams like Wales, Argentina and Ireland has also contributed to the growth in its betting popularity. According to William Hill, Welsh fans constantly bet on the team regardless of how it is performing on the field. They estimate that Wales' second half comeback against England in the last Six Nations tournament cost the bookmaker around two million pounds. That big gambling victory would have been an extra source of joy for the Welsh fans, who went on to celebrate their nation's first grand slam (in which a team wins all five games in the Six Nations) since 1978.
In a surprise move, Chinese television began broadcasting poker this month with the Traktor Poker tour - a World Poker Tour-sponsored series that is the first government sanctioned nationally-televised poker competition in the country. Via Nanjing Entertainment Television in the eastern Jiangsu province, season one of the Traktor tour is being aired for a total of nine hours. WPT Enterprises set up the series of cashless tournaments to get around the mainland's ban on gambling. The poker variant, which won approval from Beijing in October 2007, uses two decks of cards with jokers and is a team sport. Points can be won in each "trick" won by teams, while trump suits also exist. Promoters are also reportedly lobbying Chinese officials to go one step further and televise games of Texas holdem. Big in China It should come as no surprise that China is a major target for poker officials. Gambling is a favorite pastime in the nation of more than 1.3 billion people. Mahjong and other popular Chinese games were banned during Mao's Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s, but were later revived. Gamblers can now be found playing the game in town squares and private homes all over the country, with plenty of Chinese Yuan changing hands in the process. However, with strict restrictions placed on gambling on the mainland, gambling in China has centered on Macau, a special administrative region in the country's south, the home of 28 casinos and the host of major Asian and global poker tournaments.
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