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UEFA president Michel Platini told a conference of European lawmakers Friday that they must work with governments to ensure football betting remains clean. Speaking at a press conference following a Council of Europe-organized conference in Athens, the head of Europe's football bodies said there is an "incredible opportunity" in the next few months to use the liberalization of betting in Europe to protect the game from illegal Asian betting syndicates. "Before, betting was state-run, now anybody can organize bets," Platini said. "Today, most illegal forms of betting come from Asia or China." "The very honest betting in Europe in tax havens is one issue, but betting in Asia is more border-line." Platini said he told the legislators that because UEFA itself has no jurisdiction over such issues, they have to help the sporting body by providing the legal framework to stamp out illegal betting. He also said UEFA will soon propose that its warning system against illegal betting - already used in continent-wide UEFA competition - be extended to domestic competitions as well, with the body to offer funding to national associations. Platini spoke about a variety of other issues in his speech, including the fight against doping and the need to combat violence and racism, but stressed his first duty was to ensure UEFA competitions run smoothly, saying "if games are decided in advance, it will quietly kill off sport." This move follows a series of UEFA attempts to stamp out fraudulent sports betting, the most recent of which being the establishment of a special unit to investigate irregular betting patterns.
Born in Odessa, Texas, in 1907, Johnny Moss learned the art of gambling from a young age. He picked up the game of poker while employed by a local saloon as a teenager to make sure games remained clean. Two years later he set off on a journey that many other poker players before and after him were to follow, when he set off around the USA looking for poker games. In 1951 Moss faced off against the much older Nicholas Andreas Dandolos, or "Nick the Greek", a wealthy professional gambler from the Greek island of Crete, in a series of contests using almost every variation of the game that existed at the time and lasting around five months. The match-up, organized by another Texan - casino owner Benny Binion - is believed to be the inspiration for the World Series of Poker. With Dandolos down by around $2-4 million dollars at the end of the marathon, he uttered the now famous words, "Mr. Moss, I have to let you go." While the Greek player's career was winding down, Moss was just getting started. He won the inaugural WSOP tournament at Benny Binion's Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, although he did so that year by a vote from his peers and was only given a silver cup for his efforts. He won the main event twice more, in 1971 and 1974, making him equal first with Stu Ungar for total number of main events won. Moss played at every WSOP until his death in 1995, winning nine bracelets over the course of his career and $680,000 in prize money. His final victory came in 1988, at the ripe old age of 81. Moss was respectfully given the nickname "the Grand Old Man" because of his old age and his dominance of the game. He was one of the inaugural members inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979, along with Dandolos, Felton McCorquodale, Red Winn, Sid Wyman, Bill Hickok and Edmond Hoyle. The ace-ten hand in Texas Hold 'em is still widely-known as "the Johnny Moss".
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is determined to keep the sport protected from online betting fraud and match fixing. To this end, the famed Flushing Meadows tennis ground has installed online security software at its live tennis events in order to block access to online gambling sites. Keep it clean After a low-seeded player was suspected of influencing the outcome of a match a year ago, the USTA has come out all guns blazing to nip the problem of match fixing in the bud. Now guests, dignitaries, players and media folks will all be subject to heightened security measures at live tennis events. Flushing Meadows-Corona Park New York will enjoy a clean bill of health, according to CIO of the USTA, Mr. Bonfante. Technological benefits Access to online gambling sites will no longer be permitted and the USTA's IT department has been working overtime to ensure the technology runs smoothly. The software used is St. Bernard Software's iPrism web filter. So far, several thousand attempts to reach online gambling sites have been thwarted by the technology.
Las Vegas casinos suffered a decrease of 26 percent in gambling revenue in October, the worst decline ever, Nevada's Gaming Control Board has reported. The casinos came away with a total of $475 million in revenue in October, while revenue fell 22 percent to $905 million statewide. Economic crunch The financial crisis has hit the gambling industry hard in the United States as consumer spending has dropped. This has come as particularly bad news for Nevada, for which gambling revenues constitute a higher proportion of total revenues than in any of the other 50 states. October was the tenth consecutive month in which gambling revenue dropped in the Silver State. However, the October figures are exaggerated by the fact that casino revenues hit a record-high in October 2007, before the financial crisis hit. Nevada gambling revenue has fallen 7.7 percent in Las Vegas and 8.3 percent across the state, according to the Gaming Control Board. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission has already released figures for November, which show that Atlantic City casinos generated $346 million in gambling revenue for the month, a 7.8 percent drop from a year earlier. Las Vegas Sands to cut jobs More bad news for the Vegas gambling industry last week, when the Las Vegas Sands Corporation announced it will cut 216 full-time employees from its Las Vegas properties as part of an effort to reduce costs during the financial downturn. Sands also announced it will cut $6.5 million in management bonuses for 2008.
The odds are wide open in the race to replace Roy Keane as manager of English Premier League side Sunderland, with caretaker manager Ricky Sbragia a 3.50 Ladbrokes favorite, despite declaring he doesn't want the job. The 52-year-old Scot was placed in temporary charge of the team after Roy Keane's resignation last week. Keane quit following a run of five defeats in six matches, which left the club sitting in the relegation zone, in 18th place out of 20. Sbragia was quoted in Britain's Telegraph as saying he wasn't interested in the job, a stance backed up by former protégé and now West Brom captain Jonathan Greening, who said "Some caretakers say they don't really fancy the manager's job and don't mean it but he does... He genuinely prefers being a coach." Equally surprising is the second-favorite in the odds, Sam Allardyce. The former Bolton and Newcastle manager is said to be on the outer with the Sunderland board because he knocked back their advances in 2006 and then took a job with Newcastle - the northern English club's arch-rival. All this means the race is wide open, with several other jobless contenders worth consideration: former Scottish national team manager Ally McCoist, 6/1, former Chelsea and Israeli national team manager Avram Grant, 8/1, ex-Charlton Athletic and West Ham manager Alan Curbishley, 8/1, and former Liverpool and French national team manager Gerard Houllier, 13/1. Dwight Yorke, who is co-assistant to Sbragia during the interim period, is way back behind several other contenders at 34/1, despite expressing interest in the job. Former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson is also 34/1.
Austrian-based online gaming company bwin has announced a new partnership with Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School Teaching Affiliate, to find new ways to secure their customers' online gaming experience. The agreement specifies a period of five years for research collaboration, with the objective of using scientific evidence to create the safest possible online gaming environment. Cambridge's Division on addictions has already worked with bwin for the last three years, developing and testing empirically-supported responsible gaming initiatives, and providing customers with information and tools for responsible gaming. "bwin has taken the industry's leading position for corporate social responsibility," said Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Howard Shaffer. "Their commitment to the scientific process and unwillingness to take shortcuts to achieve short term gains is noteworthy and indicative of its commitment to the health and welfare of its subscribers." Founded in 1999 as betandwin.com, bwin claims to offer up to 30,000 bets daily on more than 90 sports. With betting options available in 22 different languages, from German and English to a newly-launched Bulgarian site, the company has broad appeal to a wide range of consumers.
Morale is low with debts piling up in the casino business, according to recent reports. The Nevada Gaming Control Board stated last week that revenue at state casinos were down 22% in October, compared to last year's figures. This is the latest update in a steady 10 month decline on what appears to be a growing trend in the face of worldwide recession. Las Vegas itself, the self-proclaimed capital of sin and gambling alike, has reported a 26% decrease in revenues, while lesser players such as Washington state saying they are down 30%. Kansas was faced with the unpleasant task of refunding a hefty $25 million deposit after plans to build a giant casino report fell through. Unemployment rolling snake eyes... With casinos laying off employees and sometimes even closing on certain days to save money, corporate executives are predicting that there are unlikely to be any new projects for at least the next five years. Bankruptcy and permanent closures have been the unfortunate developments of late. 350 employees have been laid off at Oasis Casino and a massive 1,000 from MGM Mirage now face uncertainty in a business built on risks. Catalyst for change? In a move, which smacks of desperation, lobbyists are now looking to lower the gambling age from 21 to 18. So far the Nevada Gaming Control Board neither "supports or opposes" the idea and states it will take it to legislature. "Family first" President-elect Obama is bound to just adore that idea. Looks like what happens in Vegas isn't staying in Vegas anymore, kids. Somehow I think it may be time for a new slogan, don't you agree?
It's back and it's big - Bingo Day has been re-launched by Euro Partners to the joy of online bingo fans all over the world. With new promotions, better features and bigger jackpots, players are awaiting the new Bingo Day site with bated breath. Big bonuses Online bingo is immensely popular amongst Internet gamers who are drawn to the sites on offer by lucrative welcome bonuses. The all-new Bingo Day site boasts a whopping 200% sign-up bonus. And better yet, players also qualify for an additional 25% bonus up to $100 on all subsequent deposits. New features Visitors to the new site will be able to choose between four bingo halls: three 90 balls bingo halls and one 75 balls bingo hall. To make things easier for users there's also a new Auto Buy feature where you can set your budget and let the computer buy for you. Players will also find top-class gaming with high-graphics entertainment in Desert Treasure, Aces and Faces and Lotto Madness, plus many more. Win big Bingo Day players have the chance to win huge cash prizes. Nothing is out of reach with full-time online support, articles, testimonials and an enhanced help menu.
The co-founder of online gambling company PartyGaming pleaded guilty Tuesday to violating the U.S. federal wire act, and has agreed to forfeit $300 million. Indian national, Anurag Dikshit entered the plea in a federal court in New York City. Dikshit pleaded guilty to one count of using the wires to transmit bets and wagering information in interstate commerce. The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The defendant signed a cooperation agreement with prosecutors, who indicated they might ask the judge for leniency. PartyGaming , registered in the British territory of Gibraltar, operated from 1997 through to October 2006, offering its customers gaming services including casino and poker games. Around 85 percent of its revenue came from customers located in the United States. Dikshit told U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff that he came to believe his activities were in fact illegal under U.S. law, saying "I have taken full responsibility for my actions." The company said in a statement that it is unlikely to plead guilty following talks with the U.S. Justice Department. Federal authorities are still investigating the company's past activities in the U.S., where offshore Internet gambling is illegal.
It seems like Norway may be following in the footsteps of the United States following a recent law making online gambling illegal for all residents and citizens of the country. Following the UIGEA lead, initiated by the U.S. Government in 2006, bankers in Norway are calling the new law unworkable and economically foolish in view of the failure to take advantage of the US' exit from the global gaming market. Civil libertarians (not people who work in libraries, but who are of a liberal political inclination) are horrified at the violation of their and other citizens' rights. What is actually illegal? Only state-owned gambling, such as the lottery, is legal. Everything else is not. Citizens may not deposit any monies into online gambling websites and banks who "assist" the sites, i.e., taking and processing transactions, are considered to be breaking the law and can be held accountable for their actions. Doesn't this violate some rules of the European Union (EU)? This new ruling by the Norwegian government may damage the resolutions that are being put forth for all EU countries to adopt the same regulations and laws under a blanket effect. Already, the Remote Gaming Alliance has filed a formal complaint with the European Free Trade Association to bring attention to this fact. However, with this being done, it seems that Norway will have the same problems as the United States in the near future. Those being that players will still play, but just not with their own countries' gaming sites. Also, various gaming sites are willing to take the risk of prosecution in the future by continuing to provide Norwegians with online gambling services. Could this be a sign of what is to come for the European Union as a whole?
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