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After two years of legislative consideration, Portugal's new gaming laws are set to be implemented within six months, under the auspices of the country's Office of the Inspection of Games, as an initiative of the Portuguese Institute of Tourism. Final Draft Portugal's final version of online gaming regulation is adapted from the experiences of its European neighbors, whoa re slowly accepting online gaming legislation. The openness to online poker is guarded, however, as the player pools have been opened, and foreign companies are able to apply for licenses under the new agreement; however, the accompanying high tax rates being levied threaten to exclude many new operators, with costs for those that stay in the market passed to the consumer. Under the new regime, gambling activities are categorized for specific legal and taxation jurisdiction. Online poker falls into the category of variable rates of taxation, rendering the situation still murky to those looking to enter the online poker market in soon to be regulated Portugal. Taxation Rates Gross gaming revenues in the online poker category will be taxed 15% across the board, applicable to operators with cumulative gross income of all games not surpassing €5 million. For operators with income surpassing €10 million, the rate is set at 30%. According to previous performance indicators in other regulated markets, dominant provider PokerStars for example is capable of reaching the cap through online poker revenue alone. Other large igaming companies like bwin.party, 888 and Unibet who rely primarily on revenue from non-poker games are also expected reach the top end of the sliding taxation scale. Tax Rate Concern The tax rate threatens to suck out not only profits, but operating costs. The rate actually surpasses stronger markets relying on shared liquidity systems across multiple countries such as previously regulated Denmark, Belgium and Estonia, as well in the soon-to be-regulated UK and Netherlands. There is additional language addressing social initiatives, such as the mandate for regulator funding of problem gambling research, but the extent to which operators can absorb the exorbitant tax rates will determine if Portugal's current proposed model will prove viable.
This year, from September 22-25, the city of Prague hosts the 2014 European Summit, billed as the largest conference for the online entertainment industry in the region. About the Summit Held in the Park Hotel, the European Summit conference will be attended by representatives of companies as diverse as affiliate programmes, to the adult industry, technology groups, copywriters, and online marketing specialists. With some 400 registered attendees so far, there is still room for further interested parties to sign up and meet their peers at this venue. The European Summit is an annual event, which this year features a schedule covering subject like European VAT rules, advertising on mobile networks, and how to drive traffic to a site in competitive markets. There are frequent networking gatherings, where participants can meet others in the same markets, or get new ideas and inspirations from all parts of the online entertainment business. Key speakers include Gerald Tauchner, CEO of Dimoco who will discuss mobile payments and messaging services, and Judy Shalom, who will talk about online traffic. There are still opportunities for further speakers to register, and suggest topics using an online form which will be considered by the organisers of the European Summit. Sponsored by companies such as Cool Mobile, Paysite-Cash and Affil4U, the European Summit will have representatives from all parts of the online entertainment world, who will find a busy schedule of daytime meetings and lots of evening entertainment. The Venue Just 8 minutes walk from the historic centre of Prague, the Park Hotel has extensive conference facilities, with four main meeting rooms, and free WiFi. There are 237 rooms, and a restaurant serving the latest Czech cuisine. Although the hotel rooms are now fully booked, the European Summit website lists a number of recommended alternatives, all close to hand for those still to book their places.
Test cricket action is on today as England and India meet in the fifth and final Test at London's Kennington Oval ground at 11am local time. The match last Thursday in Manchester's Old Trafford saw the Indians broken after England won by an innings and 54 runs. This win was preceded by another victory at Southampton where the English won by 266 runs. This led England to lead 2-1 currently in the five match series. Series Can Still be Tied Morale might be an issue for India today at the Oval, considering their dismal performance at the fourth test. Today Captain Singh Dhoni and his men fight to save the series: If they lose, the Indians will complete a fifth straight series loss away from the subcontinent. India's batsmen struggled against England's rookie off-spinner Moeen Ali who has become a sort of sensation in England itself. A boost for India will be the attendance of medium-pacer Ishant Sharma who was injured but is now deemed fit again. England Keeping Squad England will play with the same squad at the Oval. It's hard to see the English letting the series slip at home when they're standing on a 2-1 advantage today in the fifth Test. Speaking ahead of today's deciding match, England's young batsman Joe Root said his team does not take India lightly. "We know they`re going to come very hard at us, and we`ll have to make sure we've got all bases covered and not be caught off guard." Bet Live at bet365 Online sportsbook bet365 is covering today's match with pre-match and in-play betting markets, as well as a live broadcast. In match betting, bet365 has 5/4 on England, 9/2 on India and 13/10 for The Draw. Tune-in for this match today – there's going to be a fight.
Baccarat is a highly appealing game in the sense that there is no skill or strategy or involved. Players can relax and while their time away enjoying a therapeutic session of cards. In Southeast Asia, many Chinese residents travel to the special administrative region of Macau to play baccarat in a bustling social environment. Looking at the online word of casinos, players can now experience baccarat with live dealers hosting games. Playing Strategy But before the focus shifts to playing baccarat online, first it’s important to consider the basic rules and playing strategy. One of the most popular forms of the game is punto banco, which is widely played in Eastern and Western casinos alike. The translation roughly equates to player-banker (punto banco). In this version, a shoe is made up of four, six, or eight decks of cards. Aces are played low, serving to lead off the scoring from one to ten. The value of numbered cards is reflected by the value displayed on them, so the ten of diamonds would be worth a score of ten. The purpose of baccarat is to be dealt two cards and to obtain a score that is closest to eight or nine as possible. Should the player and dealer not have eight or nine then both take a third card in an attempt to conclude the hand. To calculate the value of a hand, the cards are added together. However, there is a curious wrinkle in that only the right hand number counts. For example, 10 + 9 = 19. Only the nine counts, and this hand is known as a natural nine. In another example, 6 + 8 = 14. That’s a score of four because the left hand number is not counted. Baccarat is not a casino game that is strategy-intensive, and that’s why it is so enjoyable. Nevertheless, there are three basic strategic decisions dictated by the score of a hand: 0-5 – Draw another card 6-7 – Stand on two cards and wait for the dealer 8-9 – A natural eight or nine are the best hands Three-Card Baccarat Played with a single deck of 52 cards, all participants receive three cards facing upwards. The three cards are added together in the same way as punto banco, with only the right hand digit counting. However, the best hands in the game are not natural eights or nines. Players with three face cards will reign supreme. Additionally, a tied hand will result in the player with the most face cards winning. Where to Play The following casinos are three popular destinations for experiencing the core versions of baccarat, including live, mobile, and standard. Euro Grand Casino provides players access to a live baccarat experience powered by renowned Playtech software and hosted by glamorous dealers. Sit back in relaxed surroundings and enjoy the immersive graphics at bet365 Casino. Access a standard version of baccarat that will be free of competing players. For mobile players, All Slots Casino offers a mobile casino version of the game. Take the game with you on Android, Apple, BlackBerry, and various other devices when you play Atlantic City Blackjack Gold, the Microgaming version of the game.
WinADay Casino has just released its newest and exclusive penny slot, Euro Trip. The slot, as its name implies, is a vacation-themed game that features both wilds and double wilds. This weekend, between August 14 and 17, any player who logs onto WinADay will get a free $8 chip in their account, and be eligible to receive a 50% deposit bonus specifically for Euro Trip. The Game Euro Trip is an 11-line penny slot with symbols such as snorkels, cameras, suitcases, planes, yachts, the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Coin values range from $0.005 to $0.050, and the game's five different bet levels range from half a penny to $2.75 per spin. The double wild feature allows a wild to substitute for any other symbol, and also doubles any win. Euro Trip, as well as WinADay's 16 other penny slots, has been especially designed to operate seamlessly on iPhones, iPads and Android devices. WinADay chose August to release their latest penny slot, as summer vacation seems to be on everyone's minds. “This time of year everyone’s daydreaming about the summer vacation they’ve just had, or that they’re about to take,” said Michael Hilary, WinADay Manager. “So we thought this was a perfect time to introduce a game to remind us of the good times we have with our families on summer vacations!” The Rising Popularity of Penny Slots After introducing a number of penny slots in honor of its birthday in June, and another one in July, WinADay has seen that players simply gravitate towards these games. The reason? Hours of fun for just a few dollars. As one excited WinADay player commented, “I love penny slots! You can play for ages on just a few dollars. These days it’s the most fun you can have for a couple of bucks!”
Rich Casino was first established in 2009 and it uses software in order to have a variety of games. The online casino is known for having special promotions which are meant to break the pattern and give players some additional impulses to bet on the games. The latest offer to be launched under the Rich Casino brand is a big raffle which will award a large prize pool. League of Giants Participation and Prizes The League of Giants raffle started on August 1st and the participation period will end with the month, so players still have plenty of time to take part in the action, with the option to have more than one ticket for the big draw. A ticket is awarded for free to players who make a deposit of $100 or more. Bigger deposits come with an additional ticket for every $100 over the initial requirement and it is possible to make more transactions in order to stack up the tickets. Needless to say that having more tickets guarantees a better shot at winning a share of the prize pool since the winning raffle tickets will be selected randomly. The lucky winners will get their hands on special prizes which include an autographed ball by Walter Payton, items signed by Elway, Marino, Montana and Unitas as well as other valuables which can easily find their place in a football collection. Lost City Tournament Rich Casino is also running another promotion throughout August. This is mostly for players from South Africa and it is a tournament of the popular Lost City slot game. A deposit of at least 1,000 ZAR (around $100) is needed to be invited in the tournament and the top prize is an all-expense paid 5-day trip to Sun City Hotel for the player and friends. 30,000 ZAR are offered to cover the expenses and the winner will be determined at the end of the month.
The Premier League finally kicks off this weekend and online sportsbook Winner Sports will be covering all games with pre-match and in-play betting markets. Let's take a look at some of today's fixtures. Manchester United vs. Swansea (12:45pm UK time) Louis van Gaal's Manchester United gets underway in an intriguing season where the Red Devils will try to rise up from the ashes of the last season. United takes on Swansea at Old Trafford – the Red Devils have been unbeaten in 10 home games against Swansea until the Swans beat them 1-2 in their FA Cup meeting in January. Winner has 4/11 on Manchester United to win, 7/1 on Swansea and 4/1 for a draw. Stoke City vs. Aston Villa (15:00) Stoke City had a very good season last year, finishing at the 9th place. The team lost only 2 games out of the last 11 they played in the season. Stoke are looking stoked so to say while at the same time Aston Villa will be very keen on winning this opener; having survived the summer after a weak season, manager Paul Lambert will be under the spotlight. Winner is offering 10/11 on Stoke City, 59/20 on Aston Villa and 23/10 for a draw. Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace (17:30) Arsenal hosts Crystal Palace at the Emirates and they will be going in hot with new signee Alexis Sanchez. Gunners will be looking for a strong start but it won't be a walk in the park against Crystal Palace, a team which fought valiantly to avoid relegation in the closing gameweeks of last season, with an unforgettable comeback from 0-3 against Liverpool. Winner has 1/4 on Arsenal, 11/1 on Crystal Palace and 9/2 for a draw. Log-in Winner Sports today and tomorrow for a full coverage of all games taking place including special outright markets with a lot of gain to be had.
All Slots Casino is known for having a wide variety of games which cover every category, not just slots. This of course includes popular card games but it also has some titles which most players are surely familiar with, although not from online casinos. War is a card game which kids often times enjoy since it only requires a deck of cards and the rules are very easy to learn. Casinos have taken this popular game and made a more modern variation which fits in perfectly on the internet. Getting Started In Casino War, the goal is to get a higher ranking card than the dealer. The game starts by placing a bet and then one card is dealt to the player and another card to the house. Cards are ranked as in poker, with 2 having the lowest value and Ace the highest. If you get a higher card than the dealer, you win the bet with a payout of 1:1. If the two cards have the same value, you can either surrender and get half of the bet back or go to war and add another bet in order to play another round for the initial bet. A second tie will generate a 2:1 payout on the first bet. Getting Better All Slots Casino doesn’t just feature this fun card game with realistic graphics but it also makes sure that players are prepared to win by offering guides, tips and strategies. It is possible to learn everything there is to know about Casino War from the website, then practice for free on the casino and then switch over to real money in order to win big. No matter if you want to relive a childhood game or try a new online option, Casino War is certainly a great fit and remember never to surrender!
Online gambling is a multi-billion dollar industry, with an estimated 51% of the global population partaking in some sort of online gambling activity every year. And unlike some industries that predominantly appeal to either males or females, online gambling is just as attractive to both men and women alike. In fact, recent surveys in the UK show that 43% of online gamblers are female, a significant number which cannot be ignored. Online Casino Games for Women Studies show that while women do in fact play every type of casino game, they tend to gravitate more towards bingo, slots and poker. Europa Casino reports that over 60% of online bingo players are female, and suggests that the reason for this is the social element of the game, which online casinos encourage with quality chatting features. Of course, slots is not known for being a social game, but conflicting studies suggest that women are more anxious than men when it comes to gambling; thus they choose to play a solitary game in which they don't have to worry about competing in a social atmosphere. As for poker, a recent study conducted by International Game Technology shows that between 2012 and 2013, there was a 22% increase in female poker players online. Some say that the reason for this is that old-fashioned, land-based poker rooms were not made especially hospitable to women, but online gambling changed all that. Women can now participate in poker games without feeling like they are entering a “boys' club;” poker also provides the option of socializing. Online Casinos: The Focus on Women 888 Ladies is an example of an online casino that focuses on women; it would be hard to mistake it for anything else with its pink and white background! In fact, the entire site has a different ambiance than other online casinos; while many home pages have flashy images showing attractive women in low-cut dresses (appealing to the male demographic!), 888 Ladies has a distinctly calmer feel, with the message that this is a safe environment where women can have fun and even win some money responsibly. 888 Ladies offers a number of classic casino games, but its main focus is bingo. Pink Lady Casino is another online casino geared towards women – again, as its name implies! The site's color theme is pink, purple and white, with images of classy women socializing, contemplating wagers and generally enjoying themselves. Pink Lady offers all the perks of any online casino, including promotions, loyalty points, accessible customer support and a variety of casino games. Maria Casino, while sporting a red background instead of pink, also has the same calm feeling that the previous two casinos have. While glitz and flash seem to be the predominant factors that appeal to men, calmness and serenity seem to be the factors that appeal to women in online gambling. Maria Casino focuses on slots, bingo and scratchcards, and also offers a live casino, which increases the social element of games such as roulette and blackjack.
The casinos in China's Macau roll billions of dollars yearly, giving sworn gambling cities like Las Vegas and Atlantic City a serious run for their money. It is estimated that the gaming revenue in Macau is at almost four times bigger than that of the entire state of Nevada. Macau draws millions of gamblers every year, Chinese nationals and tourists from all over the world alike. Chinese Playing Habits It's interesting to look at the gambling habits of Chinese players who frequent Macau's 33 casinos. One thing spectators have noticed is that Chinese prefer table games, specifically baccarat, over slots. There are some reasons which are attributed to this interesting preference. One claim is that Chinese enjoy casinos because of their social nature; this is something which cannot be experienced with slots as they are single player games (although people can spin slots together). Another claim has to do with suspicion - Chinese players are untrusting of slot machines: They prefer table games where they see a dealer and other players as well as the chips and dice. This is something which might be changed by what anthropologists call "cultural adaptation." For whatever the reason, baccarat is the game of choice for Chinese players. The popularity of the game can be seen in the land-based casinos, where the tables are filled and the slots machines sit vacant on the side. Huge Jackpot Win Might Help A catalyst of said cultural adaptation might come in the shape of the whopping $3.2 million jackpot claimed by a slots player at Macau's Sands Cotai Central last year. This extraordinary $3 million booty will definitely not lessen the opportunity of Chinese players to "discover" the potential of slot machines. Online Gambling in China The gambling and tourism boom in Macau can help in explaining the rising popularity of online casinos in mainland China in the last few years, something which is all the more interesting when taking into consideration that online gambling is technically illegal in China. Online gambling legality has been an issue in China for a long time, but with a population of over 1.3 billion people it's hard to believe that these sanctions will last for long especially given the numbers coming from Macau: China would benefit from a functioning regulated online gambling market. While online casinos offer full table game features including live dealers (some which are resembled after Macau dealers), slots of all kinds are among the biggest offerings online casinos pride themselves on. Some leading online casinos like Dafabet, 888 Casino and Vegas Red Casino are already prepared to welcome players from China, entirely available in Mandarin and Simplified Chinese.
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