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As well as appearing on virtually every US cable and network TV channel, Bob Barr, author, attorney, and former member of the US House of Representatives, is speaking out loud against the UIGEA. Barr is a household name in the United States and is often seen on TV screens crying out for greater personal freedom and the breaking of government restrictions on US citizens' civil liberties. A 21st Century Liberties Chair for Freedom and Privacy with the American Conservative Union, Barr has written a number of bestselling books on the topic of personal freedom. Columnist Decries UIGEA In his blog on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he posts a regular column, Barr recently turned his attention to online gambling. Immediately attacking the unjust and illogical bill that prevents any online payment agency transferring funds for online gambling, Barr has called for a repeal of the infamous UIGEA act. Barr highlights the fact that it makes little sense for regular gambling to be permitted on US soil while online gambling remains tarred with pariah status. Barney Frank While not necessarily a member of the Barney Frank fan club, Barr nevertheless applauds the Chairman of the US House Financial Services Committee in his efforts to replace the 2006 bill with something more equitable, logical, and practical. As a dyed-in-the-wool libertarian, Barr is against any legislation that might limit civil liberty any further than it is currently constrained. However, he supports the idea of legalizing online gambling, and channeling funds from this multi-billion dollar business into worthwhile causes. Barr also supports a repeal of the 1961 Wire Act, which has also been interpreted as prohibiting online gambling.
It was months ago that we reported on the impressive jackpot won by Sylvia P. The French Canadian casino player won the $4,188,719.98 progressive jackpot playing the Beach Life Jackpot at Playtech powered Joyland Casino. Now the story has resurfaced, as Sylvia has collected her winnings. But in her hands only $2.3 million remained. How come? Could this be one of the most disappointing player experiences ever? The facts It should be noted that Joyland Casino is now part of the William Hill group. That was not the case in August, at the time the jackpot was won. Also in that time, the Terms and Conditions have stated a max payout of $9,000 per month. Following long negotiations, of which no written evidence remained as they were held mostly over the phone, Sylvia agreed to take $2.3 million instead of wait out some 39 years to collect monthly payments. Aftertaste Sure, the sum is a nice one. It will allow Sylvia to buy herself and her daughters the homes she wanted to, and more. Sure, the T&C's are clearly stated, and should always be checked by the players. That's the way the world goes. Still, the lost $2 million leave a sour taste in everyone's mouths. On the one hand you win... And on the other hand you win! Hey, Sylvia is a multi-millionaire! Joyland Casino has made her a rich person! We can all focus on that, and pay attention to the terms and conditions too.
The Kentucky case of September 2008 was the straw that broke the camel's back when the state, whose horse racing industry is worth billions, seized online gambling domains. Online gambling software provider Microgaming quickly decided to stop serving US based casino players after the seizures. Even with actual progress in the efforts to regulate online gambling in the US, Microgaming still refuses to re-enter. Their long time licensee Intertops has decided to re-enter, though, and Microgaming followed suit by disassociating from the online casino, which was among its first ever licensees. One of the two Intertops Casino operations is targeted at US customers. It is called the Intertops RED Casino. Its casinos are licensed in Kahnawake and Antigua. Microgaming no longer will support it. Instead it will be powered by RTG.
Next week's UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United is shaping up as the best in years, with most bookmakers unable to separate the two in betting. For that reason, it's worth shopping around on each item. UK bookie William Hill is quoting odds of 8/5 on both teams for a win after 90 minutes of regular time, a more generous offer than VC Bet's quote of 6/4 on both teams. The flipside of this is that VC Bet is more generous for those wishing to place money on a draw, offering odds of 11/5 compared to William Hill's 9/5. Of course, the odds are constantly changing - Barcelona has firmed to 2.37 favoritism at Ladbrokes, ahead of Manchester United at 2.60. With such a major focus on the match, the bookmakers are offering a wide array of options covering everything from goal scorers to half-time scores. Ladbrokes is offering some of the more interesting options, including betting on how the first goal will be scored: no goal is the leading option, at odds of 1.01, followed by the most common method of right leg, at 1.60. Left leg and header or any other body part are well behind at 4.50. William Hill is focusing more on half time scores and first and second half betting, although once again the two teams are inseparable. Both are 11/4 to score in each half, both are 2/1 to keep a clean sheet. With a week still to go until European football's biggest match of the year, all the bookmakers will no doubt be introducing more options as the game draws closer.
Ukraine's ruling party and main opposition party ratified a law in parliament that will ban gambling for several months until a new law will set up a government-controlled area for gambling, on the shores of the Black Sea. The law will take effect as soon as it is signed by President Viktor Yushchenko. The majority was easy to come by following a deadly incident last week in which nine people were killed in a fire in a gambling hall. Morality arguments that are often attached to the global gambling debate were raised by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who said: gaming salons were "demoralizing Ukraine's youth." The PM's spokesperson added an economic argument, saying that the state budget receives only a fraction of industry turnover. Protesters Perhaps the government really intends to protect families, and taxes are secondary. But will a ban really do that? More than 2,000 protesters think otherwise. They voiced their opposition when they gathered outside the offices of President. The protesters represent gambling operators and their 200,000 employees who face losing their jobs, at least until the Ukrainian Las Vegas will be built on the Black Sea.
Harrah's Entertainment is set to launch a new push into the European market after announcing Friday that it has established a new subsidiary, Harrah's Interactive Entertainment. The new subsidiary's stated goals are to manage the global growth of the World Series of Poker and explore an interactive marketing strategy for Europe. Former PartyPoker chief Mitch Garber joins the new venture as its CEO as it sets its sites on Europe. Based in Las Vegas, Harrah's is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues of almost $11 billion. The World Series of Poker is one of its many assets. The Las Vegas, Nevada based, private gaming corporation owns casinos in the US, including Bally's, the Casesars and Harrah's. It does not operate any online gambling activities, currently forbidden by US law. In an official statement, Harrah's said: "In addition to growing the World Series of Poker, the new company (HIE) will explore the use of interactive gaming technologies to expand the reach of Harrah's brands globally, starting in Europe."
Betting has been dead even in the lead-up to the UEFA Champions League final - with three days until the big game, Manchester United and Barcelona are still inseparable in the odds. Not a single cent separates the two teams at Ladbrokes, William Hill, VC Bet or any of the other major bookmakers. So having covered the odds in the past couple of weeks, we look at some of the more tempting betting options in this last preview of the big game. Although Barcelona's low-scoring semi-final victory over Chelsea might indicate otherwise, the 3-2 (28/1 at VC Bet), 4-1 (80/1) and 4-2 (66/1) correct score options on a Barcelona win are value. Barca has shown itself capable of putting several goals past quality opposition - scoring four and five in victories over Bayern Munich and Lyon in the Champions League, as well as that stunning 6-2 win against Real Madrid in the Primera Liga a few weeks ago. Manchester United's defense is not impenetrable either - Liverpool proved that with four goals at Old Trafford not long ago. Those confident of a Manchester United victory might look at a lower scoring scenario or take their chances with goal scorers or player of the match options. With The Sun claiming that Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is set to pick the same team that beat Arsenal in the second leg of the semi-finals, punters would probably want to stay away from Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov in the betting. With Cristiano Ronaldo starting upfront as a lone striker, his favoritism to score first (6.00 at Ladbrokes) seems justified. Ryan Giggs, 15.00, and Park Ji-Sung, 17.00 also provide value for money among the Man U players. The final takes place Wednesday night at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
CryptoLogic, the profitable online gambling software company has announced two key positions being filled at their annual shareholders meeting taking place on June 3, 2009. After some setbacks with the recent 2008 SEC filings made by former CEO, Mr. Javaid Aziz, there have been some shakeups within the company and shareholders have taken notice. The current board of directors unanimously concluded that allowing Mr. Aziz's two proposed board nominations were not in the best interest to the company and its shareholders stating that it would create an "unwanted disruption." Damage Control In an effort to further assuage any worries, the company has decided to replace and reform their board, as is the case with Robert Stikeman, who is the current chairman of the board and will be stepping down on his own accord after 6 years of continuous service. Stikeman will continue to serve in the capacity of a non-executive director while David Gavagan, who has over 29 years of board experience, will fill his position as the new independent non-executive chairman of the board. Also to be appointed at the meeting is James Wallace, who will also become an independent non-executive director. Gavagan stated: "As CryptoLogic enters a new stage of its development, today's announcement reflects our continued commitment to the highest standards of corporate governance and to long-term value for our shareholders." There is hope that with the new appointments and change in focus to concentrating on the industry and acquiring new licensees for their gaming platform, CryptoLogic will remain stable for the next years to come.
The Clover Rollover progressive jackpot is currently standing at £1,018,379.98 and increasing. This growing jackpot comes hot on the heels of a huge winner from JackpotCity Casino Georgios M. who struck a staggering £6,374,599.92 on Mega Moolah slots. This 5-reel, 5 payline online slots game is initially funded at £10,000. Every evening at 12pm it increases and the jackpot can quickly soar above £1 million. The progressive jackpot can be struck by max betting £1 on any one line or more. When the Clover Rollover progressive slot is being played with 5 Lucky Shamrock symbols appearing on any maximum bet lines, the progressive jackpot is won. Top progressive jackpots waiting to be won include: Pet Luck - £316,965.10 Lucky Ladies 88 - £301,766.64 Snow Queens Magic - £259,763.03 Tarot Fortune - £190,549.45 Cleopatra's Chest - £177,707.11 Jungle Madness is - £18,824.49 Mayan Mania - £12,834.10
The long-running battle between poker pro Annie Duke and comedian Joan Rivers is set to continue, with Duke slated to take on not one but 20 Rivers impersonators at a charity tournament. Duke announced on her Website that she will be hosting a charity tournament at Hard Rock Las Vegas on May 27 at which the impersonators will also compete. Rivers impersonator Frank Marino will co-host the event, titled "Sucking out on the Rivers." The tournament is sponsored by Ultimate Bet, with money going to Refugees International. The dispute between World Series of Poker bracelet winner Duke and comedian Rivers began during the latest season of Celebrity Apprentice, 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." "I think that after this poker tournament, the real Joan Rivers will quickly realize that poker players are good-natured people - professional people with respected occupations and families - who really want to change the lives of those less fortunate," Duke said. "As poker players, we're all banding together, not just to prove a point to Joan, but to actually change the world."
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