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Two of the online poker companies whose owners have been indicted on charges of illegal gambling have reached agreements with the US Department of Justice that will allow them to return money to players blocked by the brewing scandal. Solution: Domain-Name Use Agreements Under the agreement, which was announced by an attorney for the Southern District of New York, the department will return to PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker the dot-com domain names which it seized from them last Friday. The move will allow the companies to "facilitate the withdrawal of US players' funds held in accounts with the companies," the statement said, adding that a third site in hot water over the indictments, Canada-based Absolute Poker could also strike a deal if it so wished. However, while American-based players will be permitted to withdraw funds from their poker accounts, they will still be prohibited from playing real-money poker on those sites. Charges Remain The founders of the three poker rooms are among 11 people in total who stand accused of accused of alleged bank fraud, illegal gambling offences and money laundering, in contravention of the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. All three are based abroad and according to US prosecutors are the three leading online poker sites doing business with American customers.
European poker sites, unconnected to the drama going on in the United States, have reported a surge in user activity following the indictment by American authorities of the owners of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker Poker Room Traffic Up Since the US Attorney's Office announced last Friday that it was pressing charges against 11 people over alleged fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling, PKR has seen a rise of around 21 percent in weekly traffic, while PartyPoker has risen 9%, 888Poker 5% and the iPoker network 4%. In contrast, Full Tilt dropped 48%. The data is thanks to Pokerscout's weekly traffic report. Several business-savvy poker rooms have launched major promos to capitalize on the unique situation, with Unibet announcing its first ever €500,000 guarantee tournament, and the iPoker network's ChiliPoker launching a "Purple Day" promotion, which clearly pokes fun at the growing scandal in the US - now known amongst internet poker enthusiasts by the nickname "Black Friday." Stocks Up As Well Meanwhile, shares in several British online gambling companies have soared in the last week. Bwin shares rose by 30%, 888 was up 18% and online gaming software provider Playtech saw its stocks climb by 8%.
Good Friday marked one week until the big royal wedding, and William Hill are already offering 7/1 that the BBC's live coverage in the church breaks down. And there are plenty of other attractive royal wedding bets on offer as well. Royal Specials The British bookmaker is known for its creativity and has come up with literally dozens of online sportsbook options, including 8/1 on Prince Philip being captured on camera asleep during the service, 9/1 on Kate Middleton signing a prenup prior to the wedding, and 12/1 on Elton John singing live at the reception. For the slightly more adventurous, why not have a plunge on William's brother Harry to kiss Kate on the balcony after the wedding (14/1), William to have a beard during the service (17/1), Kate to have twins in the future (20/1), and William to split his trousers as he bends down in the church (22/1). Promos Royal wedding specials have proven especially popular at the bookie, with William Hill having taken at least one wager on the big event from more than 100 countries by last Friday morning. If you do decide to bet, there are plenty of promos to accompany you, including all the latest competitions, promotions and special offers delivered direct to your Facebook news feed, just by signing up to the William Hill fan page.
In the aftermath of Black Friday in the United States, there is another victim, with Microgaming online casinos announcing that they are pulling out of the US market for the time being. Microgaming Casinos Start Leaving Microgaming online casinos continued to function in the United States following the enactment of the 2006 UIGEA, although some of them withdrew from states were internet gambling was explicitly outlawed. However, it seems that now times have changed and the latest crackdown on internet poker rooms is the last straw. Following messages placed by players and affiliates at online forums in recent days, several Microgaming casinos have announced their exit from the US market, including all Fortune Lounge Group sites such as Platinum Play, Royal Vegas, 7 Sultans and Vegas Palms, as well as the popular Jackpot Factory group with includes All Jackpots and All Slots. It is rumored that other sites will soon follow. What Does This Mean for Players? Unlike PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker, which were shut down by US prosecutors in New York before striking deals to reopen the sites to allow players to withdraw funds, this action appears to be voluntary and therefore we don't expect the same problem when it comes to casino accounts. However, the withdrawing of funds could take a little more time than usual to complete, and of course we will keep our readers updated as this and the rest of the Black Friday story develop.
Antigua and Barbuda officials have accused the United States of violating global trade law by shutting down online gambling website based in Antigua last week, and are even considering taking action in the World Trade Organization. Claims Crackdown is Illegal The Caribbean island nation, which is one of the world's biggest licensers of internet gambling firms, has already been waging a long battle in recent years in the WTO over efforts by US authorities to prevent Americans from gambling with offshore gaming sites. Last week's crackdown, in which the founders of poker rooms PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker were among 11 people charged with alleged bank fraud, illegal gambling and money laundering. But it's the fact that US prosecutors in New York also seized the domain names of the three online poker sites that has Antigua and Barbuda once again threatening action at the global trade body. No other country would do this' Mark Mendel, legal advisor for the Caribbean country's government, told international news agency Reuters, "I don't think there's another country in the world that puts people in jail for engaging in trade that's lawful under international law." Since its initial shutdown, US prosecutors have struck agreements with PokerStars, which is incorporated in the Isle of Man, and Full Tilt Poker, which is incorporated in Ireland, to allow them to reopen their websites so that players can withdraw funds from their accounts and so that those outside the United States are not interfered with.
What better way to round off a weekend of Royal nuptials than scooping a UK National Lottery jackpot worth millions of good old British sterling? Well, you'll have a chance to do just that in the upcoming UK Lotto and Thunderball draws scheduled for Saturday April 30 - the day after Will and Kate tie the knot. Don't Forget Your Online Ticket! In the midst of the street party plans and speculation about Kate's wedding vows, even a dedicated lottery player might forget to buy a ticket for this weekend's draw. Don't let it be you! At the UK National Lottery online, you can buy tickets for Lotto and Lotto Plus 5, as well as tons of other lottery games. It's quick and easy and doesn't require a trip to the local shop. Just visit an online lottery ticket broker, sign up for an account, and you're ready to go. You can even buy tickets up to 4 weeks in advance - guaranteeing you never miss a jackpot opportunity. Be Quick off the Mark If you don't want to wait for wedding fever to subside, you don't have to: at the time of writing, the rollover jackpot for Wednesday April 27's draw was sitting at £7 million - get in there now for a chance to begin the weekend with a bang. And don't forget Euromillions: the next draw is scheduled for the day of the Royal Wedding itself, and is currently sitting at a tidy £13 million. Other Games National Lottery online account holders are by no means limited to Euromillions and Lotto. Tickets are also available for the following: Instant wins - for instant gratification Thunderball - win half a million pounds on a £1 gameLotto Hotpicks - bigger prizes for fewer correct numbers Daily Play - £30,000 paid out daily There's also the possibility to play by text message or by direct debit.
The pendulum may finally be swinging towards more liberal online gambling laws in Sweden if recent rumblings are anything to go by. Online Casino Reports follows the Swedish online gambling market - news, casino reviews, game trailers and more at OCR Sweden - one of 40 localized sites for many countries and in many languages. Swedish Online Market Grows First up the Research Institute of Industrial Economics published statistics last month showing that 26% of Sweden's gambling market is now online. The research group also advised the Swedish government to address the current gambling monopoly in order to provide enhanced consumer protection. Online gambling continues its popularity in Sweden, with Svenska Spel reporting a 2.7% year-on-year increase for the first quarter of 2011 for their net gaming revenues, totaling SEK 2.4bn (€269.9m). These figures buck the trend of online poker in Sweden which has fallen 9% to SEK 58m (€6.5m). Christian Democrats U-Turn Another indicator that times may be a-changing is the about-turn of the Christian Democrats. Previously staunch supporters of the gambling monopoly they are now favoring discussion on legalization. This appears to be due to their acknowledgement not only of the amount of online gambling already taking place at international online casinos, poker rooms and gaming sites but also of the lack of customer protection in an unregulated market. Said Christian Democrat Cultural Policy spokesman, Andreas Carlsson, "The most important thing for the Christian Democrats is the responsibility taken (by betting companies) for the gamblers; that they take some social responsibility. This can be lacking if you let in private operators to a market without control and who take no responsibility for those who bet with them." The Christian Democrats must also recognize that the estimated figure of one million Swedish online gamblers visiting foreign sites could be converted into Kronor's spent on Swedish sites. This would have the added benefit of the Swedish government receiving a significant new channel of tax income. Winds of Change? The momentum seems to be growing for the Swedish government to bring Sweden into line with other European countries and provide security and control in a regulated online gambling market.
Slots games make winners. Consistently playing and believing in your chances can actually, really, pay off. Really pay off. Ask P.P, a Greek online casino player at King Solomons Casino - a Playtech run casino featuring the full score of Playtech games, including Great Blue Slots, a 5 reel, 25 payline slot game. Great Blue P.P is a regular at KS Casino, where he happened to play the Great Blue quite often. Over 9 days in April, he played and won the following sums: 24,646 euros on April 7 €29,828 on April 10 and €109,712 on April 16 - the last and biggest of the three jackpots. The secret to reaching such large jackpots is the game's features, which include several: wilds with double wins, scatters, 33 free spins with 15X multipliers, a gamble round, and a maximum singe line jackpot of 10,000 coins. King Solomons The casino was established in 1998, and has since consistently paid out hundreds of thousands in monthly prizes. The casino comes in a number of languages - including English, Italian, Spanish, German and Greek, which explains their Greek player - the lucky winner in the headline. Customer support is available in these languages, and comes 24/7 of course. But don't expect the winnings to come 3-times monthly. That happens only some of the time. It happened to P.P. And it could also happen to you.
The Black Friday crackdown by US prosecutors against the founders of three major online poker rooms has scared the online gambling community, but as we explain below players are being told they can still extract their funds from their accounts. PokerStars, Full Tilt Back Online PokerStars, the world's largest online poker company, said on Wednesday that it has started the process of repaying millions of dollars in funds deposited by American players, after it and Full Tilt struck an agreement with the US Department of Justice to return their dot-com domains. A similar announcement is also expected from Full Tilt, which has been sending out messages to affiliates to remind them that while it is still being stopped from facilitating real money play, deposits or withdrawals from US-based players, it can promise that all player accounts remain safe and secure, and that its technical and legal teams "are working diligently to resolve any outstanding bottlenecks." It is still unknown if a third site indicted by federal prosecutors, Canadian-based Absolute Poker, has managed to come to a similar agreement with the DoJ. US Prosecutors "Misleading" Public Despite the reassurances from the online poker companies, we feel it is worth mentioning that there has been some criticism over "misleading" statement by Preet Bharara, the US Attorney who seized the domain names and said that poker companies have been free at times to reimburse deposit funds. Professor I. Nelson Rose, a leading expert in gambling law, wrote that not only was it unclear how players were supposed to get their money back, but that even the DoJ - which has entered a gray area - "has not worked out all the details on what it will allow." Meanwhile the APCW's J. Todd said players "should not be too worried about the feds coming after them over gambling if they cash out." He added, "However I would make damn sure that I report all my winnings on my tax return." Confused? Admittedly this is all a little confusing, but we tend to agree that while the future of online poker in the US is uncertain and in trouble, players just need a little more patience and hopefully in the near future you will be able to withdraw all your funds. For non-Americans, we suggest playing for the time being at online poker rooms unaffected by the US crackdown, such as bet365 poker and others.
Wynn Resorts has broken its ties with PokerStars following the indictment of the online poker room's founder over accusations of illegal gambling and money laundering, less than a month after the two joined forces to lobby for the legalization of internet gambling. Unsealed Indictment Sealed Decision Wynn Resorts said in a press release that its decision to terminate the brief partnership was "reached as a result of the indictment unsealed by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York." The founders of PokerStars and two other online poker companies were charged as part of an indictment by federal prosecutors, who accuse the firms of illegal gambling and other breaches under the 2006 UIGEA, which effectively outlawed internet gambling in the United States. Strategic Alliance Over It is amazing to think that less than a month ago Wynn Resorts Ltd and PokerStars announced that they were partnering to push for the legalization of online gambling in the USA, and to pave the way for the joint operation of an Internet Poker network in the country. Their alliance came following a deal between Caesars Palace casino and 888 Holdings in Gibraltar to push for online gaming reform in the US state of New Jersey. Now, with the events of what has come to be known as Black Friday, all of the internet gaming community's efforts look to be in danger.
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