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Betting on college basketball is the latest craze to pique the interest of the online gambling public. More Popular Than the Superbowl? With a total of some $80 million being bet on this year's National Collegiate Athletic Association's men's basketball championship, betting on the hoops has now outstripped that of the world famous Superbowl. College basketball is hot, hot, HOT, and it's currently capturing the imagination of the online betting fraternity. And with arrival of March Madness, the college basketball season is getting into full swing. Illegal Gambling However, just as a counterpoint to the excitement, a recent poll of leading gambling establishments in the US estimate that for every $10 spent legally on gambling activities, another $1,000 are gambled illegally. This illicit gambling is viewed with great concern by members of the NCAA as well as law enforcement and national legal authorities. Further concern is voiced at the prospect of players themselves being drawn into the betting and possible point shaving and other match fixing techniques. Even Facebook is in on the Act However, there's no stopping this train, and college hoops has even caught the imagination of that Internet phenomenon, Facebook. This is undoubtedly going to attract the attention of tens of thousands of potential fans who could be drawn into this new online betting arena. Facebook's Bracket Challenge offers prize money for selecting the final four in this year's college basketball competition. It seems that everyone is indeed in on the act. Don't be left in the dressing room... Check out online US collegiate basketball betting.
Horse Racing - the Sport of Kings - is a star attraction on sportbooks. With Playtech's Derby Day Arcade Game, it is also a star at online casinos. Derby Day Horse Racing allows you to place up to 9 bets. Watch the horses race down the track and cheer for your bet on who comes in as the winner, the exacta (horses that finish 1st and 2nd), place (the horse that finishes 1st or 2nd), show (horse that finishes at one of top 3 spots) or other. And don't forget to take into account the weather and going status! Derby Day is a great horse betting game with virtual horses and a variety of betting options. It can be found on Prestige Casino and the following online casinos: Swiss Casino Sky Kings Casino Vegas Red Casino
With a more recent boom, if you count since at least 1990 "recent", of internet gambling on the rise, it has opened up the arena for women to step more steadily and equally on the gambling field. However, before feminists go pumping their fists in the air with a Amazonian roar of "Yes!", it has been shown that along with this foothold, that women are catching up to men with developing problems with gambling addiction, in fact up to 46%. Knowing that many gambling companies attract women by using games and prizes geared towards their gender, it's no wonder that women are now making up a sizable portion of gambling addicts. But while this statistic may be disheartening, lest we remind ourselves that the other half of the women gamblers do not develop compulsive behaviors. Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus... Any medical professional or regular Joe can explain that men and women are different and when it comes to the motivations behind gambling. Women often use gambling as a chance to escape into their own little world without the outside noise of family, work, children and other distractions. However, in regards to seeking treatment, it is no surprise that women seek treatment much faster than their male counterparts. Many treatment centers recognize that there are different motivations for each gender and offer single-sex sessions, which tend to be more nurturing in atmosphere. Treatment centers also are usually full staffed with a myriad of professionals such as psychologists, massage therapists, peer and specialized counselors, personal trainers and art therapists, which all foster a supportive environment. Upwards and onwards... With more and more attention being brought to the "darker" side of gambling, instead of looking upon it with disdain, we must look upon it in a positive light and go from here. Without knowing what the problem is, how can it ever be fixed?
Silent Samurai, with its Asian Samurai theme, is an excellent and rather good-looking addition to the Playtech Novel Slots series and the world of online gaming. The 5 reel, 9 paylines video slots game features a bonus round where you have to defend yourself from an army of ninjas. As an early addition to the series, Silent Samurai has introduced several features to video slots: The Gamble Option Silent Samurai has introduces the Gamble option, which allows players to double the amount of their latest win. What do you need to do? It's as simple as guessing the color of the next card - whether it is red or black. Find an example in the video trailer video. Autoplay The Autoplay function allows players to set the number of spins to be played, and then sit back and watch. It's hands free gaming! Coins Coins vary from $0.01 up to $5.00. With a limit of 10 coins per line at the most, one can bet as much as $450 per spin. This will win you 5,000 coins if lucky, which makes for $25,000! For this you will need to hit on five Wild Symbols, a fire-spitting Gold Dragon. Bonus Free spins are combined with the bonus game feature. Get the Samurai Symbol on reels 1 and 5 to do this. Where to play Samurai action can be found at Euro Grand Casino, William Hill Casino Club and other Playtech-based online casinos.
Lose lose situation Online gambling is still considered an illegal activity in many parts of the world. Instead of pocketing billions of dollars in tax revenues, many governments appear to prefer spending millions on tracking down illegal gambling sites. This approach is ineffective, and makes little business sense. By recognizing online gambling as a legitimate activity, governments could step in, regulate the business, avoid time-consuming and costly legislation, and bank a huge amount of tax revenue. The climate is right With many businesses struggling to survive, online gambling continues to grow in popularity, in spite of a tough global economic outlook. The British government has legalized online gambling for years, and continues to reap the taxation reward. Other countries in the world, watching their falling tax revenues, may be tempted to follow the UK example and open their doors to online gambling. It's really a win-win situation. The gambling industry would benefit, as would the governments who permit this activity on their soil.
France announced on Thursday that it will open its gaming market to private competition, making it the latest European country to amend laws to bring it into line with its European Union obligations. French Budget Minister Eric Woerth unveiled draft legislation for the regulation of the country's online gaming market at a press conference in Paris. The Council of Ministers must now review the bill before submitting it to Parliament. The law, to come into effect on January 1 2010, will allow French citizens to gamble online. Woerth said the French gaming market would be expanded to help France "get out of an unsustainable situation in which the state is losing a growing part of the betting market." France is the latest country to bow to pressure from a 2007 European demand, including the threat of a lawsuit, to end state gambling monopolies as outlined in EU competition laws. Under the new laws, the French government will charge a levy of around 7.5 percent on online bets on sports events and horse races, and around two percent on online bets on poker. Given that France currently earns around $6.3 billion a year from its gaming industry, including online gambling, that will mean a large amount of revenue for the French government. France follows the example of several smaller EU countries, including Sweden, Denmark and Poland, which all bowed to pressure in 2008 by introducing new laws that ended state-run gambling monopolies in compliance with EU regulations. For more on the online gambling market in France, visit including Online Casino Reports France.
The Marvel Slot Games from CryptoLogic are no doubt a highlight of the gaming industry. The exclusive multi-year licensing agreement between the casino software provider and DC Comics has not only The Incredible Hulk on your screen, but other superheroes too, including Spiderman, X-Men and others. The 5 reel, 9 payline video slot machine can win you up to 5,000 coins - for a max award of $25,000. But clearly the excitement is about the graphic artwork, and it does not disappoint; not at the least! Still bonus features interest everyone, and these are granted in the form of free spins or a bonus game when you strike three or more of the radiation symbols on any reel. You then get a chance to destroy helicopters (as seen in the preview) or tanks. Where to play The Incredible Hulk can be found at William Hill Casino, Intercasino and other select CryptoLogic-based online casinos.
If you've never heard of Betcha.com, the chances are you'll soon be hearing a lot more about them and their founder, Mr. Nick Jenkins. He Had Simply Had Enough When Nick Jenkins, the founder of online gambling company Betcha.com, set up his online betting business, little did he know he'd end up behind bars just trying to make a living. Yes, this online gambling entrepreneur was arrested and put in prison when asserting his claim that his form of online gambling was in fact legal. Jenkins held a firm conviction in the rule of law, and believed that he was in the right, and that those who upheld findings of the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) were acting unconstitutionally. Washington Rattles the Establishment In February of 2009, a Washington court ruled that Jenkins had acted quite legally in setting up his company Betcha.com, which enabled gamblers to bet against one another with the option of not actually paying anything when they lost. Jenkins is now deliberating whether he should resurrect his company, which had been shut down pending the court decision. He is well aware that the federal government will be watching his every move should he try to re-open Betcha.com. A Matter of Time The chances are that if Jenkins doesn't act, then someone else will. There is no shortage of people with cash in the bank more than eager to take a gamble on such a venture. Some market watchers even believe that the Betcha.com model could indeed become the format of sports gambling on the Internet in the future. This could become the gambling equivalent of peer-to-peer music and movie sharing that has become a huge Internet phenomenon.
Global mobile wagers are expected to reach nearly $5 billion in 2009, accelerated by the deployment of on-portal mobile gambling services, combined with higher-profile activity in the mobile channel from leading casinos and betting firms, according to a new report. Juniper Research mobile gambling report found that the rise in mobile gambling activity in 2008 was expected to continue in 2009 - despite the global financial crisis. Juniper credit improvements in the user interface of gambling applications and services with aiding the upward trend. The company also announced that it was awarding its Gold Future Mobile Award for mobile gambling to Mfuse, following the company's acquisition of major contracts in 2008 - including William Hill and Sky Bet. Spin3 won the silver award for developments including the first commercially available play-for-real casino games for the iPhone and the first integrated mobile operator billing system for mobile casinos. Juniper Research uses interviews, case studies and analysis from representatives of leading mobile gaming organizations in its studies. Join the mobile fad. Find the handheld-friendly website that's right for you on our Mobile Gaming Directory.
In a move bound to stir up debate, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell proposed regulating the video poker industry in his state. At the core of the issue is Rendell's desire to help college students battling to pay their exorbitant tuition fees. The manner in which the governor is trying to help is through taxing the already thriving video poker industry. Cheers and sneers Naturally, as with all proposals that generate debate in House meetings, governor Rendell met with rapturous applause from some and opposition from others. In the eyes of those who support such a move the logic is clear. Legalization and regulation of video poker in bars and restaurants in PA would allow for greater revenues, increased business traffic and rising profits. This in turn has the tax authorities excited. Greater economic activity equals higher tax revenues. Lawmakers too stand to see a fully regulated video poker industry. Opponents fear problem gambling issues, the effects on the national lottery and the impact on property tax dollar relief being generated by the casinos. Proceeds to help Proceeds from the taxed video poker industry would go towards educational assistance and relief programs. A figure to the tune of $500 million a year is expected to be generated. The recipients would be the 14 state-owned universities and community colleges. Despite the opposition of some colleges that are not qualified to receive funding - sour grapes- casinos too are somewhat worried about diminishing market share. Rendell is unfazed. Of the 17,000 video poker machines currently operating in PA, Rendell is convinced that massive revenues and profits will not only serve students well, but help keep local bars and restaurants in business. It could act as a buffer to the no-smoking rule that has all but crippled their industry. Critics across the table feel that maybe the governor is paving the way for legalizing table games at PA casinos.