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Online poker players can now compete against film star and activist Don Cheadle after he was announced as Full Tilt Poker's latest celebrity partner. Cheadle is co-founder of the Ante Up for Africa No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament, along with Norman Epstein and poker professional Annie Duke. Players are asked to donate half of their winning back to the charity, which is then distributed organizations such as the "Enough Project," "Not on our watch" and the "International Rescue Committee." Almost 200 celebrities and poker pros took place in the first Ante up for Africa event in 2007, including Hollywood stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. As well as starring in Hotel Rwanda, Oceans 11, 12 and 13 and being nominated for an Oscar, Cheadle is also a keen poker player. "I've done alright in the televised tourneys I've participated in," Cheadle said, referring to his appearances on NBC Heads Up, Poker After Dark and Celebrity Shoot-out, "and I've won several tournaments around town. I have yet to play in the WSOP events, but I hope my schedule will permit me to do so in the future."
Finland currently operates state-run monopolies for all online gambling, betting and lottery. Veikkaus Oy is the lottery monopoly; RAY operates slot machines and casinos; and Finntoto runs betting on horse racing). It seems now that this might change, as the Finnish parliament is debating a ban on all gambling marketing. EU Law The present monopoly was challenged under EU law, for violating free trade laws. An EU Commission official complaint from 2006 is still pending. An all-out ban would affect Finnish companies and monopolies as well. Gambling in Finland The following estimated figures are revealing: Finland's national gambling market is worth 2.2 billion euros annually. 41% of Finns gamble on a weekly basis. 82% of Finns support the monopoly system (according to a June 2008 survey by Veikkaus Oy).
Our readers can visit OCR Live and find original, high quality videos with news, casino reviews, game guides and game trailers, to name a few categories. But we are not alone. PartyPoker makes use of YouTube all the same with exclusive content for online poker players and fans alike. Though not a revolutionary video by any means, PartyGaming PLC, owner of the PartyPoker brand, has released the video on this page as a means to spread its latest offer to players. YouTube is the online video depository to visit nowadays for just about everything you would ever want to know or see in the online gambling world. PartyPoker has their own channel, which allows casual visitors, poker players or others to keep up to date on the latest promotions, games and World Series of Poker (WSOP) events. World Series Anyone? Speaking of latest promotions, WSOP hungry players will love PartyPoker's newest promotion - the "Million Dollar Race" which carries through the whole month of May 2009. With prizes valued at over $1 million to be shared between 3,000 winners, there's something for everyone. Race against fellow players for the ultimate prize: a $20,000 elite package to the World Series of Poker and $20,000 in cold, hard cash.
This season's UEFA Champions League final is shaping up as one of the best ever, with most bookmakers unable to pick a clear favorite between Barcelona and Manchester United. There is no doubt the best two teams have made it through to the final, to be played at Rome's Stadio Olimpico on May 27, and this is reflected by the fact that both are listed as 13/8 to win the match by UK-based bookmaker Bet365. A draw after 90 minutes of regulation time is paying 23/10. Bwin, which has Barcelona as an ever-so-slight favorite at 2.50 against Manchester United's 2.65, has even displayed on its Website the statistics on what its users are betting. According to the data, 45 percent of users have placed money on Barcelona to win, 42 percent have gone for Manchester United, and 13 percent have found it too close to call and put money on a draw in regulation time. Manchester United comes into the final in scintillating form. The Red Devils, who are aiming for a second trophy in succession and their fourth Champions League title overall, are the first defending champion to reach the final the next year since Juventus in 1997. If any club is capable of knocking off Man U, it's Barcelona, who were lucky to get past Chelsea with a last-gasp victory in the semi-finals, but who have also displayed hot form domestically. FC Barcelona has been European champion twice, most recently in 2006.
The commissioner of the World Series of Poker said last week that poker professional Annie Duke's participation on reality TV show Celebrity Apprentice will be good for the game, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said Duke's presence signified a "quantum leap" for poker by giving it another step forward into mainstream culture. Pollack, who was speaking at a news conference during the annual World Series of Poker conference, was responding to a question about whether he thought a woman would eventually win the series' no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event. "We would love to see a woman win the main event... unless that woman happens to be Joan Rivers," the Chronicle quoted Pollack as saying. He was alluding to the controversial dispute between WSOP bracelet winner Duke and comedian Joan Rvers during Celebrity Apprentice a couple of weeks ago, when Rivers compared Duke to Hitler. When Duke referred to herself as "nice" during one episode, Rivers replied, "Hitler was nice", at which point the name calling got out of control. In a side interview later on, Duke responded to Rivers outburst, saying "That woman is completely f***ing dead to me. One hundred percent...She's a crazy bitch and as far as I'm concerned she can never speak to me again."
While fans of American Idol are steeling themselves for yet another big star to appear on the American music scene and Simon Cowell's scathing commentary, sportsbooks and savvy gamblers are also counting down the odds for the Tuesday, May 19, 2009 finale. With the two final contenders Adam Lambert is slated at a 4/11 win at both William Hill Sports and 888Sports with Kris Allen coming in at 2/1. Over at PaddyPower Betting, where bets are only on the outright winner, Lambert is 1/3 while Allen is 2/1. So for those sitting on the edge of their seats with TV remote in hand while Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, newcomer judge Kara DioGuardi and the ever infamous Simon Cowell call out the shots, this is the finale to watch this season, even if only for the entertainment payout.
Probability, a mobile gaming service provider, has rated Nokia's N95 as Britain's top phone for mobile gaming based on 3 months' worth of casino registrations. The list which is as follows: 1) Nokia N95 2) Samsung SGH F480 3) Sony Ericsson K800i 4) Samsung SGH J700 5) Nokia 6500s-1 6) Sony Ericsson W5800i 7) Samsung SGH G600 8) Samsung SGH E250 9) Sony Ericsson W910i 10) Nokia 6300 Charles P. Cohen, Probability's chief executive, stated that "For people in the mobile industry, this chart shows that consumers who own feature-rich phones are using them for more than playing Tetris and updating Facebook." Ring Ring...Who's There? This is a wake-up call to the gambling industry officials and gaming developers that, as shown by the list above, it's not all about touchscreen and smart-phones anymore. The Nokia 6500 is over 2 years old and the Sony K800i was released in 2006 - showing that while touchscreens may be all the rage and definitely user-friendly, it's not the only phone out there being used by consumers who like to have mobile gaming at hand. Get In On the Action Players wishing to jump on the digital and handheld bandwagon for mobile gaming need to make sure that their mobile device (cell phone, Blackberry, PDA or smart-phone) must be Internet/Java ready and enabled on their device. From there it's a matter of checking to see if the casino you want to play supports your phone model. Probability plans to release a new top 10 list every quarter, so keep tuned and perhaps your phone will make the list or even give you inspiration to go out and get that new one you've had your eye on for awhile! Mobile Online Casino Reports The Online Casino Reports Mobile Version is free, easy to use, and customized for your handheld. Visit it for continuously updated news.
Facebook poker players will get the chance to make it to the World Series of Poker Main Event following the announcement of an alliance between WSOP and Zynga, one of the world's largest developers of social games. Zynga's free Texas Holdem game is Facebook's most popular game application, with over 12 million active users each month. Following the announcement of its partnership with WSOP, Zynga will host several tournaments on the Facebook application that will give two winners the chance to make it to the Main Event, the biggest tournament in world poker. "We build our Texas Hold'Em Poker game into the largest game on Facebook by keeping an eye on what is important to our players," said Zynga CEO Mark Pincus. "We know that poker is a lifestyle which includes playing online and offline, and watching it on TV. This partnership is an opportunity to bring those worlds together." The prize includes round trip airfare to Las Vegas and three nights' accommodation at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, as well as a backstage tour of the WSOP venue and pass to the VIP player's lounge. The Facebook "shootout" tournaments will run from June 8-22. Eighteen tournament winners will then be randomly selected for the final on June 29-30, from which the two lucky WSOP winners will be selected.
With current focus clearly on those luminaries rallying to repeal the 2006 UIGEA bill that prevented financial service organizations accepting payment for online gambling, there are now voices being raised in support of the ban. Organizations such as Focus on the Family, a Christian body working to strengthen family bonds, have lined themselves up in full support of the anti-gambling bill. Focusing on the Exceptions Many anti-gambling organizations point to the fact that among the many millions of online and land-based gamblers, there are certain individuals who become addicted to gambling. Nobody in the gambling industry denies this, but they point out that the gambling addicts comprise a tiny minority of the many millions who enjoy gambling and who are not addicted to the practice. Quantitative Difference One other trend among opponents of legalizing Internet gambling is to claim that online gambling is more addictive than regular land-based gambling. They point to the fact that online gamblers are more likely to lose control, whereas land-based gamblers can be spotted by casino staff and asked to leave the tables. Despite their adamant objections to online gambling, little evidence has been presented in support of the idea that online gambling is any more addictive than gambling in land-based casinos. Wild Claims Regardless of their differences, both supporters and objectors to UIGEA are united in their view that greater and clearer regulation of the gambling industry can only benefit the industry. However, wilder claims such as the fact that online gambling could potentially be funding terrorism do little to add credibility to the supporters of the UIGEA bill.
Americans spend less, we all know by now. That they spend less at casinos is news. That they spent $1.6 billion less in 2008 than the year before is alarming news. A study released by the American Gaming Association finds that US casinos have seen revenues fall 4.7% in 2008, down from $34.1 billion to $32.5 billion. They list economic reasons, which brought Americans to cut leisure spending, as well as other reasons, such as smoking bans that deterred gamblers. The economic slowdown, or recession, seems to have affected casino gambling as much as any other recreational industry. Or has it? Commercial casinos are found in 12 states. In some, such as Pennsylvania, where a new racetrack casino drew gamblers from neighboring New Jersey, revenue actually rose. Furthermore, Frank Fahrenkopf, AGA president, said he believed the worst is behind the casinos and numbers have stabilized late in 2008 and early this year.
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