June 27th, 2009 by admin

Politicians and anti-gambling groups have argued for years that Internet gambling is dangerous because children are put at risk. The children can go on the gambling site and play under their parents accounts, that was the argument.

That battling point is now non-existent thanks to Internetsafety.com. The group has developed the first program in the world that can block online gambling. Internetsafety.com is a leader when it comes to web filtering technology.

The program that has been unveiled is called BetStopper. It is a free application that is being offered to Nova Scotia families through the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation. Nova Scotia has a higher rate of youth online gambling taking place than adults, so the timing could not be better for the new software.

“In ten years of specializing in helping parents shield their children from the unsavory side of the Internet, this is the first time we have been asked to create a project specifically to address underage gambling,” said Forrest Collier, CEO of Internetsafety.com.

The new software has the ability for parents to set specific days and times that their children can use the Internet. That luxury comes via the SafeEyes software from Internetsafety.com. The BetStopper software takes that a step further. Every day, the software checks requested websites against blacklisted sites that are updated constantly.

The new software presents a problem for lawmakers who have relied on the children gambling issue to help win the fight against legalized online gambling. Now that there is software available to help prevent underage Internet gambling, many jurisdictions should move forward in their efforts to legalize online gambling.

The US is one of the countries where lawmakers have been debating the issue. It is believed that the US is the largest online gambling market in the world, even though the government has tried to criminalize the activity.

June 21st, 2009 by admin

If you are an avid online gambling enthusiast, you probably already know that there are three popular online casino software developers. The current state of the online gambling industry has spawned three major companies which develop the software for most of the online casinos in the world - MicroGaming, Playtech and RealTime Gaming (RTG). The first two companies have stopped allowing U.S. players to join the casinos they license out, hence only the RTG online casinos are left servicing the gamblers from the United States. Therefore for most gamblers the question of which are the best RTG casinos online often arise. And here you will find the list of the best RTG online casinos and get help with finding a quality RTG online casino to play on the Internet. Here are the top RTG online casinos today:

1. Vegas Casino Online - best RTG casino, $500 bonus for new players

2. Bodog Online Casino - get 10% on every deposit you make here

3. Slots Plus Casino - $500 free and play all the slots you can

Vegas Casino Online ($500 free bonus) - the best RTG online casino. We voted Vegas Casino Online as our best RTG online casino for many reasons, which created an overall package worthy of sitting atop of our list. For starter, this online casino utilizes all games available and created by RTG - over one hundred slot machines, all table games imaginable (including multi-hand), more than a dozen different video poker machines and quite a few specialty games, such as Keno and virtual scratch cards. If you are looking for online casino that represents all of the RTG games, Vegas Casino Online should be your first stop.

As already mentioned, this RTG online casino has no restrictions on the player’s residence, gamblers from U.S. and Canada are also welcomed, as well as players from any part of the world. A generous bonus offer awaits the first time customers of the Vegas Casino Online - you can get 125% on your first deposit at this RTG casino up to $500 in free money. In addition, 15% extra bonus will be given to people using the preferred payment methods at the casino, which include ewallets for US players. But that’s not all. A comprehensive loyalty program gives customers comp points which could be converted into real money, additional bonuses are given weekly and a $1,000 reward awaits every week of the month. Bottom line, you will not be left without free money at any given time.

Another reason this was chosen by us as the best RTG casino is the great reputation and customer support. You can contact the customer representatives of this RTG online casino 24/7 via chat, telephone and email and they stand ready to answer any question or resolve any problem you may have. Unlike many other casinos, here the CRs are knowledgeable about their product and will help you quickly. The reputation of Vegas Casino Online is one of the most solid in the online gambling industry - over a decade of experience with the online gambling market has taught the management the value of the customer and you will not be mistreated here. Payments of your winnings will be made on time and without any bull, while fair play is ensured by the random number generator carrying Certificate of RNG Evaluation from TST. Overall, if you are looking for the best RTG casinos, you must begin your journey with Vegas Casino Online and it may even end there.

Bodog Online Casino - top RTG casino. As life goes, people love choices, hence we present you with another member of the best RTG casinos online, the Bodog Casino. The reason we have placed the Bodog casino at the second spot is mostly because the casino does not allow gamblers from Canada and Turkey to wager with this gambling website and the bonus is a bit on the low side by percentage. And although Bodog uses the RTG software for the basics of its online casino, it’s kind of proprietary as well. For those new to the online casino industry, the software developers such as RealTime Gaming create the casino software and then license the use to online gambling companies. This cuts the cost for the companies operating the online casinos, but also gives the software developer various powers over the casinos, such as making the decision to stop accepting players from various countries. Bodog management decided that this is too much power over their casino and have purchased the online casino software from RTG, rather than just leasing it. This also ensures that Bodog will allow U.S. players for as long as they want, independently from RTG.

And this is as far as the difference will go with the Bodog’s semi-proprietary RTG casino. You will still find all games offered by RTG here, including the big progressive jackpots and the large number of rather loose slots. The online casino offers a 10% bonus, which is quite small as far as percentage goes, but on the other side - it has no limit on how high it will go in dollar amounts. Another good feature of the Bodog bonus is that it’s given on every deposit you make at the online casino, not only the first one. Additional bonuses are also available and the Bodog casino often comes out with different promotions, contests and perks to sweeten the deal.

The reputation of this RTG online casino is also rock-solid. The casino was established well over a decade ago and has been one of the most popular online gambling websites in North America for years. And thanks to the fact that Bodog is a complete online gambling website, featuring sports betting, poker and horse racing, there are always thousands of players gambling at any given time, which improves the odds for the individual to win big here. Your withdrawal request are usually processed within days, except around major sporting events, when it could take a bit longer, due to the large number of gamblers requesting withdrawal of their winnings. But rest assure, people get paid here no matter what. Bodog is a great RTG online casino and players can join and gamble with confidence.

Slots Plus ($500 bonus) - final addition to our best RTG online casinos. And just for the sake of giving more choices to our readers, we will add one more online casino to our list of best RTG casinos - the SlotsPlus. As the name of this gambling website suggests, this is where the slots players come to enjoy all the reel-madness of the RTG casino software. All slots created by RealTime Gaming are available at this online casino, in addition to table games and video poker. But the slots are the strong suite of this casino and you will not be disappointed with the selection. Find any slot - 3-reel or 20-reel, free spins, bonus features and even try your luck at the progressive jackpots which often reach over one million dollars.

This RTG online casino offers up to $500 in free bonus money for the first time customers, includes a good loyalty points program and welcomes players from all over the world. Another very reputable RTG online casino, withdrawals are processed swiftly and you can fund your casino account using a vast number of payment methods and ewallets. Nothing fishy goes on here - it’s all down to beating the odds and, of course, being lucky. If you’ve gambled at the two RTG casinos above and are looking for something a bit different, or you are a big slots fan, stop by the SlotsPlus RTG online casino and give them a try using the free-play feature.

These are the top three RTG online casinos at this time. Of course, you don’t have to confine yourself to playing only RTG casinos. Visit our list of U.S. online casinos to find gambling websites from various other gambling developers which allow U.S. players. There you will also be able to read short reviews, check out the bonus offers and see if any restrictions apply.

June 12th, 2009 by admin

Last month a casino fire that resulted in 10 casualties drew new criticism in the Ukraine. In an emotional response to the incident, the Ukraine parliament pushed through a blanket ban on all gambling establishments in the country. Just last Friday Ukrainian President Yushchenko exercised his veto and rejected the bill, a move that allowed area betting halls, casinos, and slots vendors to reopen their doors this Monday.

Yushchenko’s plan was to allow limited operations while new legislation for better governance of the country’s gambling industry is being developed. The president cited the significant value of the industry in light of the current world recession as the basis for his veto.

Tuesday the Ukrainian debate over the legality of gambling took another twist when their legislature announced its intention to override Yushchenko’s veto and revive the ban. Prime Minister Tymoshenko has threatened that to bypass Yushchenko if need be and go straight to parliament to ensure that the ban is upheld. For their part, owners and operators in Ukraine’s gambling industry have voiced their concerns over the new bill and have vowed to strike should it be reinstated.

June 4th, 2009 by admin

The game of poker has apparently been getting some good Karma of late, following the news that another U.S. State - none other than Florida - is considering the prospects of regulating the online version of the popular card game of skill. As unveiled in a seemingly unrelated piece of recently introduced legislation - Bill 425 - a measure calling for a study on the effects of online poker - both on Florida’s brick ‘n mortar poker industry and the poker players themselves - has overwhelmingly made it through the State Legislature.

Of course, there is still a long way to go for legalized online poker. The measure in Bill 425 calls for the State’s policy research arm to report study findings by December 1, 2009. Specifically, these findings are to address laws that would protect citizens and address “unregulated online poker activities”. However, with wording like that, you might ponder to think it could go both ways. In other words, while there is hope for legalization and regulation, if the findings are a threat against the brick ‘n mortar poker sector, efforts could be engaged to flat out ban online poker.

The good news is that the legislative measure in question was pushed by lobbyists representing American Poker Ventures - a newly formed group with ties to the Poker Voters of America. And you just thought there was the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), right? Well, the APV may not have as many members of the PPA, but it seems they are making just as much progress, if not more, on the legislative front.

According to APV President, Jim Tabilio, American Poker Ventures is a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting poker players’ rights via lobbying efforts to inform political officials about the impact of current federal laws on poker players. Setting themselves apart from the PPA, which some people would say has gotten too big for its skin and a little too confrontational, APV seems to be taking a more indirect, but potentially effective approach to regulating online poker. If things go further in Florida, the earliest we will know is December, 2009.

May 28th, 2009 by admin

The London-listed mobile gambling provider Probability plc has launched the first of its themed video slot games under its four-game licence from Hasbro International obtained earlier this year. The slot is based on the popular Q&A game Trivial Pursuit, CEO Charles Cohen revealed in a statement from the company.

“This game really breaks new ground and gives players something they’ve never had before - a quiz game inside a slot machine that doubles their chances in the bonus round,” Cohen said. “We have worked closely with the Trivial Pursuit board game designers to create this feature and ensure that it gives players a true ‘Triv’ experience whilst remaining a compelling and enjoyable slot game.”

The five-reel multi-line game includes a bonus feature where players are asked a Trivial Pursuit Genius Edition question, which if answered correctly will boost the players’ chances of winning up to GBP 1 550, Probability said.

In January his year Probability announced the acquisition of a Hasbro licence to develop and market mobile cash games based on Trivial Pursuit, Subbuteo, Connect Four and Battleship.

The company appears to be weathering the recession reasonably well, according to its recently posted first quarter 2009 results. Unaudited NGR in the period reached GBP 1 126 543. Revenues for 2008/9 soared 60 percent over the previous full year to GBP 5 056 236. The company registered 49 506 new customers during Q1 2009, taking the total number of new customers registered during the accounting year to 248 667.

The company has a distribution agreement with mFuse Limited and in addition to the Hasbro licencence it has similar agreements with Paramount Digital for its “Grease” themed mobile slot, and a more recent deal with Freemantle Media for brands like “The X-Factor” and “The Price is Right”.

At the end of April 2009, Cohen said: “Since the start of March we have experienced a strong upswing in customer activity, both in terms of utilisation and new customer registrations, spearheaded by the launch of ‘Grease’ slots across all networks and to our total player base of over 400 000 customers. This game was an immediate hit, taking over 2 000 000 individual bets by new and existing players in the first month alone.”

May 22nd, 2009 by admin

Mobile customers in the Middle East and specifically Qatar have been warned by service provider Qtel to be on the alert for a highly-sophisticated phishing fraud which uses a blend of next generation technology to convince them that they’ve won a European lottery, in a bid to steal their bank and credit card numbers.

The fraudster first sends users an SMS message, telling them they’ve won a grand prize in a European lottery, and providing them with an international number – starting with the digits 00 42 366 – to contact.

Callers who dial the number are put through to an automated voice response, in Arabic, which tells them they will be sent a significant sum of prize money under secure transfer.

The automated answering service takes the caller through a number of questions, including questions related to family and bank details, choice of credit card, and credit card number.

“A number of factors indicate this is a particularly sophisticated fraud,” said a Qtel spokesman.

Although Qtel has blocked the original numbers and traced the call origin, the fraudsters have quickly switched the number combination, and continued to send texts to Qatar-based residents.

“In total, over 20 number variations have been detected and blocked thus far,” said Adel Al Mutawa, a director of Qtel. “The sophistication of this new fraud, and the fact that it is being targeted directly at the people of Qatar, reflects the growing challenges posed by international fraudsters using Internet and mobile phone technology,” he pointed out.

The scam calls appear to originate in Liechtenstein – a Western European nation which has a population of less than 36 000 people – and this suggests that call routing is being used.

Qtel has cautioned customers not to fall for such lottery offers, and to never share bank details or financial passwords with persons unknown via text or phone.

May 16th, 2009 by admin

Poker pro Lee Jones, who was at one time poker room manager for the giant PokerStars.com website but has more recently been chief operating officer at the poker coaching site CardRunners, is joining the Cake Poker network.

Jones departed CardRunner earlier this year, commenting on the site’s forum that there were too many managers for the available work, and that as the only exec not tied to the site by equity positions he was the logical person to stand aside.

Jones also has experience with the European Poker Tour initiative operated by PokerStars, and is the author of a popular book titled “Winning Low-Limit Hold’em.”

The poker pro’s job title and responsibilities at Cake Poker, a rapidly growing network, are not yet known.

May 14th, 2009 by admin

Gigamedia Limited has a banner 2008 year with full-year revenues reaching a record $190.4 million which is up by an astounding 25%. Net income hit a new high of $44.4 million for 14% growth while earning per share are impressive at $0.82 (basic) and $ 0.74 (fully diluted).

Nasdaq-listed Gigamedia cheered investors with fourth quarter revenues of $44.6 million, a net income of $9.1 million in a difficult economic environment and earnings per share of $0.17 (basic) and $0.15 (when fully diluted). CEO Arthur Wang reported that these solid results indicate the correctness of their business model. He expects 2009 to be a great year also but admits they have to do some cost cutting measures to protect long-term profitability.

Company president Thomas Hui believes they can still deliver strong growth but worries that online poker and casinos will face new pressures from an increasingly tough global economy. He thinks past investments and a fully implemented cost reduction and increased efficiency plans will help them weather the financial and economic storms besetting the region. He says the on-line gaming and entertainment industries have good fundamentals and will still grow but at a slower pace this year.

GigaMedia Limited, through its subsidiaries, is an online gaming software developer. Its gaming software products comprise Online Gaming Management and Online Gaming Modules that run on Microsoft Windows 2000/ME/XP/VISTA, and features a realistic 3-D environment, selectable background music, and local language interface.. GigaMedia Limited provides online games and services,such as MahJong and various card, chess, and table games. It operates in Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan.

May 11th, 2009 by admin

Gov. Joe Manchin has signed a bill that set rules and tax rates for a possible casino at The Greenbrier.

The legislation signed Friday would regulate gambling at the historic resort the same as the state’s racetrack casinos. It also sets aside a portion of wagers to help The Greenbrier recoup employee benefits costs.

Voters narrowly approved a measure in November allowing casino-style gambling at the hotel.

The Greenbrier filed for bankruptcy in March. Last week, Justice Family Group owner Jim Justice announced that his company had acquired rights to the resort, which is owned by CSX Corp.

Justice told employees that the resort’s long-term growth might be in “tasteful” gaming.

However, Marriott International Inc. says it expects CSX to honor its contract to buy the resort.

May 8th, 2009 by admin

Representative Barney Frank has been saying for months that he was putting together legislation that would overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and set the framework for legalization and regulation of the online gambling industry in the US.

On Wednesday, that legislation arrived in the form of two separate Bills sponsored by Frank. The first Bill, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009, would establish a federal regulatory and enforcement framework where Internet gambling operators could obtain licenses to operate in the US.

Another Bill, the Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act, would stop delay the implementation of regulations in regards to the UIGEA. The implementation of the UIGEA is set to go into effect on December 1, 2009.

The regulation and legalization Bill would ensure that the proper safeguards are in place to prevent underage gambling, money laundering and fraud, and compulsive gambling. It would represent a sweeping change in the current system in which US online gamblers are at the mercy of overseas online gaming sites.

Representative Frank has been opposed to the UIGEA since its inception back in 2006. The law against online gambling was a last minute add-on to a port security Bill that had nothing to do with online gambling.

Frank has argued that people in the US should be allowed the freedom to do what they wish with their money in the comfort of their own homes, especially with the same type of gambling that is legal in casinos.

It will still be an uphill battle for Frank to convince his fellow lawmakers that online gambling regulations will be beneficial to the US, but he has a much better chance now that power in Congress has shifted to Democrats.