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The William Hill and Playtech merger, a mega deal that created William Hill Online - the largest company of its kind, has also had implications for online gambling affiliates. Thre new affiliate program, Affiliates United, was officially launched at CAP Euro London. Promoting some 14 brands, from online casinos to sportsbooks, with bingo and poker platforms all, Affiliates united was much the buzz at the event. We sat with VP UK Sales & Marketing at William Hill Online, Yoni Sidi,who explained the new features for affiliates and the benefits for the players too.
Early on the first day of CAP Euro London 2009, Peter Marcus, the COO of William Hill Online, spoke in front of a crowd and explained the William Hill merger with Playtech. The companies involved in the deal, figures, implications and the vision behind it all - all these and more were addressed by the Chief Operations Officer in an excited and thrilling manner. The lecture was duely delivered at the beginning of the event and successfully explained how major this "mega" deal is.
A leading US Democrat is attempting to counter anti-online gaming legislation passed under President Bush. Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee has stated that it's time for Congress to release the restraints "impinging" on American citizens' freedoms. Speaking to the Financial Times, he revealed that he plans to reintroduce a bill that aims to establish a regulatory framework for online gambling providers. Frank is also determined to reverse the anti-gambling legislation passed in the final weeks of the Bush administration. A Democrat heavy Congress and liberal political climate are both encouraging facts for the Massachusetts congressmen as he seeks to overturn legislation he has compared to prohibition in the 1920's and 30's. The infamous Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed back in 2006, forcing US gambling companies out of the country. Frank is optimistic that he has an improved chance of success at pushing through his proposed bill owing to the tide of public opinion which is very much in favor of the rights of US citizens to gamble online.
The poker community is reacting to the shocking news that Gala Casinos has decided to cancel their annual UK poker tour. The Gala Casinos British Poker tour is one of the most popular in the UK, attracting scores of professional UK poker players and taking place in six regional locations across the country. The decision was based on Gala Casino's aim to focus their attentions on online operations. The current economic situation was undoubtedly a significant factor, although many asset that there is still demand for a poker tour of this scale. With available prize money of nearly $14 million, Gala Casinos will be holding a series of online jackpot games which are sure to attract the attention of online players across the world. The cancellation of such a popular event begs the question - is the online poker beast overtaking its land-based rival? Time will tell, but here's hoping that the UK's Gala Poker will be back next year.
The chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, Alfonse D'Amato, has called on U.S. President Barack Obama to implement a "New Deal" for poker and help the ailing economy in the process, setting out the PPA's wishes in an editorial in Washington D.C. newspaper Roll Call. Referring to the financial crisis that has dominated debate in the capital in the first few weeks of Obama's presidency, D'Amato wrote that the new president could look to one of his favorite hobbies, poker, for a solution, by regulating and taxing it. "While business leaders and politicians debate how much, or how little, we should regulate the business community, the online poker industry and the millions of Americans who play on the Internet have been crying out for regulation and taxation," the PPA chairman wrote. "The absence of government regulation, and in fact the quixotic efforts to ban Internet poker, has left U.S. consumers vulnerable and left billions in potential tax revenue on the virtual poker table." D'Amato, who served as a U.S. Senator for New York as a Republican from 1981 to 1999, referred to surveys made public on Obama's citizen's briefing book website, in which regulated Internet poker was consistently in the top 10 of the most popular proposals Americans want Obama to enact while in office. He wrote that regulation would not equal an expansion of gambling in the United States, but to the contrary would simply allow the government to respect and make good economic use of a game played by an estimated 15 million Americans and 100 million people globally.
In their latest newsflash, Bodog made it very clear that they have every intention of making 2009 a very successful year, in spite of the setbacks they suffered last season. Mainly powering the Antiguan based group of companies is their Casino, Poker Room and Sportsbook gambling facilities, all of which are offering lucrative promotions for 2009 in an attempt to entice their customers to come and have some fun. Bodog Poker Open From the Poker Room, Bodog has announced that they'll be hosting the Bodog Poker Open (BPO) later this spring. This will be the third time that the casino plans to hold the event, and they've promised some very snappy prizes for the lucky winners. Bodog Casino Special Offers On the Casino floor itself, the company will be launching a new Baccarat leader board contest, which will award a $100 casino chip to the 5 players that spend the most amount of time playing the game. At the end of a four week cycle, the player with the highest amount of hours will win a $1000 prize chip. Bodog Championships And from the racetracks, Bodog's Sportsbook application is already offering odds on the 2009 World Series and the 2009 NBA Championship game, as well as on most of the other major sporting events scheduled over the next two years. All in all, it's hard to ignore Bodog's note of optimism as they look forward. In the words of Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (MMGG) CEO Alwyn Morris, "The Super Bowl has been and gone, and as great as it was, you haven't seen anything yet. The big game is just the start of the year at Bodog."
Online poker room Bodog has recently launched an instant play option for Mac users, allowing users to compete on its software using a web browser. The feature comes with just one major disadvantage - players are limited to playing on only one table, meaning those wanting multi-table action will have to make do with only on table for the moment. Faced with competition from rivals like PartyPoker, which allows players to compete on up to four tables at the one times, Bodog will be under pressure to bring in a similar feature itself. Web-based interfaces, such as that now launched by Bodog, are already offered on Absolute Poker, Sun Poker and other poker websites, with users needing Flash or Java to use the technology. Bodog's own no-download feature is available for cash-games only, with more features available only when making a full download. The interface is easy to use and the cash games available range from 5-cent/10-cent games to $10/20.
Brazil is the sports books favorite to beat fellow soccer superpower Italy when the two teams meet in an international friendly match on neutral ground at London's Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Brazil is 2.20 at Ladbrokes and Italy is 3.00. A draw is also 3.00. Manchester City star Robinho, who has scored 11 goals in 19 appearances in the Premier League this season, is most likely to score first at odds of 7.00, while Bayern Munich's goal machine Luca Toni is Italy's best candidate to score the first goal, at 8.00 odds. Spain is a firm favorite to beat England in Seville in the pick of the international friendly matches Wednesday. The reigning European champions go into the match 1.90, versus England at 3.50. In World Cup Qualifying Wednesday, the Republic of Ireland, 1.33, shouldn't have too much trouble getting past Georgia, 8.00, if the odds are anything to go by. Robbie Keane, fresh from his move back to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, is 1.61 to hit the back of the net at some stage in the math. In Columbus, Ohio, the United States is carrying 2.10 odds to get past its major rival in the CONCACAF region, Mexico, 3.20. And in the match of the day in Asian qualifying, Japan is a 2.37 favorite beat undefeated Australia, 2.75 in Tokyo. Five-time World Cup champion Brazil is overall favorite 18 months out from the tournament in South Africa, with most bookmakers - including Ladbrokes, William Hill and Betfair, offering odds of around 5-5.5. Argentina and Spain are second third in the odds.
The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) has convened in the European Parliament in Brussels for the second Responsible Gaming Day. The event follows on from the successful inaugural event in 2008. The focus of this year's discussions will be integrity and sport, amongst others. Taking aim The purpose of the event is spark vigorous debate on key issues related to gambling. Such details include sport and bookmaking ethics, corruption and fraudulent activities in the sports betting sector. EGBA hopes to allow for a major EU policy discussion. Vested groups - both public and private - will be examining the key issues relating to misconduct in sports betting. At its core, the Responsible Gaming Day is out to soothe concerns of online gambling operators relating to the integrity of their operations and the safety of their clientele. Notables in attendance EGBA intends to tackle the issues relating to ethics and sound business practices in sports betting and online gambling. The conference will feature various MEPS from Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK as well as the keynote speaker from the Czech EU Presidency, Norbert Teufelberger. Various other CEOs and delegates will be in attendance. The EGBA wants all groups to participate in the conference. Academics, operators and business people will likely be involved in ensuring that sound ethical codes of conduct are maintained and fostered within the gaming sector.
In Massachusetts, the bill HR 3954, introduced in late 2007 by Governor Deval Patrick was drafted and designed to keep gamblers inside their home state instead of flooding into nearby Connecticut or Atlantic City, by permitting the construction of three casino resorts. However, it was also included that any and all forms on online gambling, mainly poker, would be deemed illegal and could be punishable with fines up to $25,000 and 2 years in prison, which of course angered many people. With the ushering in of a new year, the bill was up for renewal and introduced by state Representatives Brian Wallace (D-4 Suffolk) and Martin Walsh (D-13 Suffolk), and they have some mighty good news for their New Year's resolutions (pardon the pun)! While the online gambling legal jargon was still included originally in the bill, Rep. Wallace has confirmed that they intend to remove the clause, which effectively allows online poker to be legal once more and credits this change of heart due to a moving presentation made by Harvard Law Professor, Charles Nesson. Poker thinking Professor Nesson is the founder of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) which advocates that poker can teach strategic thinking, geopolitical analysis, risk assessment and money management, the members and most importantly, Professor Charles Nesson says: "We see poker as a metaphor for skills of life, business, politics and international relations. Poker teaches strategy. I am supported in the enterprise of legitimating poker as an instrument of education, research and Internet development by friends and clients who share this interest." Jumping on the bandwagon... The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has also formally published a positive, open thank you letter applauding the action taken against the poker ban. Looks like change is on the horizon...and as we've learned since the new year has ascended in the U.S.A., "yes we can!"
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