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Gambling Mapping the American Moral Landscape was published in August 2009. Edited by Alan Wolfe and Eric Owens, it is a collection of essays by leading experts on different aspects of society; professionals and academics from sociological, psychological, philosophical and theological backgrounds, as well as input from within the gaming industry. The book highlights the growing prevalence and acceptance of gambling; from state run lotteries through to online gambling. It aims to take stock of a changing trend within American society in order to ensure safeguards and support networks are put in place. The book is the first multi disciplinary, academic study of gambling and provides an accurate picture of gambling in America today.
Their launch back in January 2009 was quite a marketing blast. The creation of Affiliates United as a result of a merger between William Hill Online, Playtech and gambling marketing affiliates such as CPays and Webroutes was a celebrated event, which all knew was clearly going to affect the online gambling business for the time to come. Well, the time has come. Affiliates United have in under a year established themselves as a leading affiliate, its brands as leaders in each gambling niche, and its website as a standard setter for all affiliate programs. Noteworthy are the running of William Hill Casino Club and launching 21nova casino, already up and running. Affiliates United is a high profile company. As such, they draw traffic, partners, affiliates, attention and many comments and posts across the Web. To address them all would be impossible, but the general themes are clear, and are all represented in this, a video review of the program.
If you browse the Web sites of the Washington Post, The Hill and Politico, you will likely find the following ad: End Prohibition! Again is one of three ads that the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative will be running on these and other publications, including the Huffington Post, Political Wire and Talking Points Memo. Other ads include calls to: Protect Consumers and Generate Billions, and Protect Children and Consumers. The campaign is launched today. The ads advocate regulating online gambling, presenting the economic excuse or justification of $62.7 billion in new revenues for the federal government in the first decade if it chooses to do so. Its main objective is actually to protect the millions of Americans who continue to gamble online despite government attempts to prohibit the activity. The Obama administration, along with Congress, are busy with framing (and fighting over) a health care reform. Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the SSIGI, presents this not as a problem for his cause but rather as a relevant political fact: the money that will be raised from a regulated industry will help pay for the reform. SSIGI supports the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2009 (HR 2267) legislation. Congress is expected still to hold hearings over the Act during fall.
It's kind of a surprise. To know that SEGA is even still around at all. But the Japanese video game manufacturer of my childhood is back in the news, and once again relevant to my life. Wait a minute, am I 16 again? SEGA was, until the Sony PlayStation was introduced in 1994 (I was 17 then, actually), a giant of a company. Sonic the Hedgehog, After Burner, Evander Holyfield Boxing and Ecco the Dolphin were some of the best known and fondly remembered titles of SEGA games. There is now a rumor across the Web that SEGA could join the online gambling market. Whether this means operating a SEGA online casino or developing casino games for other casinos is unclear. They have, since 2001, focused on designing software for other manufacturers' consoles. SEGA themed slot games make a lot of sense in our industry. Marvel Comics themed slots are all the rage. There is definitely room for another competitor here. Sonic the Hedgehog Progressive Slots - Are you ready?
There's no doubt that the world's most-loved game has successfully made the leap to online gaming stardom. Bingo has stood the test of time and all signs are pointing to a successful future in the online gaming universe. More than ever before Quality comes in many forms, and Giggle Bingo is plenty stocked-up on quality. First of all it is powered by world-leading Microgaming software. Secondly it is home to some of the most popular progressive slots games and leading casino games. This is a site with immense potential. Players will be thrilled to know that both Giggle Bingo UK and Giggle Bingo Canada are up and running. Besides for personalized currency and promotional offers for players, there is an inherent sophistication to the site. It's fun-filled, classy and caters to happy-go-lucky bingo players. Naturally the site is governed by the finest random number generators (RNG) so fair gaming is a guarantee. Among the most important player-related reasons for joining the bingo room are: Loads of daily, weekly and monthly promos Chat rooms galore Casino and side games But there is a whole lot more in the form of other exciting games - especially for those in-between periods when the bingo ball numbers are being called out. Every minute of a player's time is precious to Giggle Bingo - lest they lose your attention, they are providing: Scratch Cards Table Games Video Slots Progressive Slots Fruit Machines Mini Games Of course that's excluding the promotions and many first-deposit bonuses - in sterling for the UK players and dollars for the Canadians. And to cap off a fabulous opening spell is the crème de la crème of Giggle Bingo - the personalized Bingo Ball - affectionately termed the ‘Bingo Ball for Life.'
The word coming out of Argentina is that the country is about to legalize online gambling, following recent remarks by a senior official. Presidential Cabinet Chief Anibal Fernandez said recently that the Argentinean government will soon introduce legislation to regulate online gambling, with the aim of putting a stop to illegal and unregulated offshore casino operators. Within Months "We're working so that this will become law within two or three months," Fernandez said, adding that it could take up two years for the actual process to be completed. Although Fernandez neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, insiders reportedly believe that the government is also motivated by its recent takeover of the lucrative rights to broadcast soccer, and the fact that they need something as beneficial as online gambling revenues to finance the project. Gambling laws in Argentina are currently decentralized, with each province setting its own laws, making the industry difficult to regulate. Visit this specially dedicated Online Casino Reports website for players from Argentina and Spanish speakers from around the world for more information. South America While politicians in neighboring Brazil are reportedly preparing for a UIGEA-style ban on Internet gambling, the industry has gained a friendly reception in much of Latin America. Up in Central America, Costa Rica and Mexico are the bases for many online gambling websites, while several other Latin American countries have legalized and regulated online gambling.
This week J Todd from APCW Perspectives Weekly reported on all the funds related to online gambling recently seized by the US government pursuant to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Not only has the government recently frozen the assets of a payment processor in California that was holding billions of dollars in players money but it has also seized the funds of numerous other companies. Todd researched the amounts and concluded that more than $750 million had in fact been seized. In Todd's opinion the government's actions were highly hypocritical given that the purpose of the UIGEA is to protect the consumer. Yet the players are the victims as they have not as yet received their payouts. Notable fund seizures by the US government include: PartyGaming co-founder Anurag Dikshit 300 million dollars ParytyGaming itself 105 million dollars Payment method NETeller 136 million dollars Bet on Sports CEO David Carruthers 250,000 dollars Bet on Sports founder Gary Kaplan 43,650,000 dollars Other seizures from payment processors' accounts totaling 57 million dollars And more. When will Americans see any of this money? And when will the US government actually do something other than seize funds?
Three bank accounts in the United States allegedly holding funds from online casinos were seized by the federal police on 4 September. Following an investigation, the authorities deemed that there was sufficient evidence to seize the money pursuant to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) on the basis that the funds were associated with illegal gambling activities and money laundering. The bank accounts which included winnings pay outs were at Citi Bank and the Bank of America and are held in the name of HMD Inc. It has been suggested that HMD Inc. has some connection to previous seizures of accounts owned by Electracash, a payment processor. The seizure warrants were issued by the courts in Maryland and New York. Neither of these states prohibit online gambling yet the courts recently deemed the legal issues surrounding online gambling to be the responsibility of the state. A reported $30 million dollars has been seized by the federal government in the past two months alone from poker winnings. As of December this year, the financial institutions themselves will be responsible for the UIGEA.
Only recently has CryptoLogic announced the renewal of its exclusive contract with Marvel Entertainment. As reported here, software professionals at CryptoLogic Ltd. have designed exciting online video slots games based on Marvel's superheroes and plan to do so through 2013. The Walt Disney Company has announced it will acquire Marvel Entertainment (deal worth 4 billion dollars in a stock and cash). The deal includes acquiring over 5,000 Marvel characters including Spider-Man and X-Men. Thus Disney moves closer than ever to an adult male audience, and closer to the world of online casinos too. Family friendly? Online casinos? How do the two live together in the Magic Kingdom? We'll just have to see that happening.
A new survey of over 9,000 gamblers in the UK has indicated that gambling addiction is ten times more prevalent in online casinos than it is at land based venues. The findings have been met with a mixed response; with many querying their accuracy and wondering why they should be at odds with the outcomes of other respected studies. 'Internet gambling: A secondary analysis of findings from the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey' was carried out by Mark Griffiths, Professor of Gambling Studies at Nottingham Trent University, in collaboration with Professor Jim Orford. The findings directly contradict research by both Harvard Med and the National Responsible Gambling Program of South Africa, which both found to the contrary. Some have queried the impartiality of both researchers. Professor Orford, in particular, has previously made statements against the relaxation of restrictions on gambling in the UK. The report not only hightlights online gambling as a particular issue but suggests that the same media should be used to provide readily available addiction guidance and advice. The research findings were rolled out at last week's British Psychological Society's Social Psychology Section annual conference.
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