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.

April 29th, 2009 by admin

The chairman of a commission charged with awarding Maryland’s five casino licenses said Tuesday that “there’s more optimism” these days for a gambling-related windfall to state coffers despite a recession and lackluster initial interest from the private sector.

Donald C. Fry, a former Harford County delegate who heads the politically appointed panel, said he based his hopeful prognosis on new expectations that a full-scale casino will come to downtown Baltimore and on preliminary feedback from consultants hired to advise the commission.

In February, prospects for a slots-funded bailout of Maryland’s structural budget deficit fizzled when officials acknowledged that two of just six bidders for five gambling licenses failed to submit millions of dollars in legally required fees and that Baltimore’s applicant proposed a small, 500-machine parlor. That bidder, Baltimore Casino Entertainment Group LP, pledged to the city this month that it now intends to build a 3,750-machine casino, the maximum size allowed under the law.

At a commission meeting in Annapolis on Tuesday, consultants with PricewaterhouseCoopers told panelists that the recession-wracked gambling economy should recover “in the latter part of 2010″ and that regional markets with monopoly-like licenses - as in Maryland - would better withstand the economic downturn than “destination” areas such as Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
Though the bids in Maryland were few, Michael French, the lead consultant, said the state had the “good fortune” of being courted by experienced operators, such as Pennsylvania-based Penn National Gaming Inc.

In a March 6 letter to the commission, Penn National, the sole bidder for the Cecil County slots license, said it intends to construct a 1,500-machine casino in Perryville - three times the size of the 500-machine parlor it proposed in February. The largest proposed casino would be a 4,750-machine slots parlor at Arundel Mills mall, though that project faces a zoning fight in the County Council.

Gov. Martin O’Malley and the Democratic leadership in Annapolis are counting on about $600 million in annual slots-related tax revenue to partly fix a structural deficit within three years.

Despite the generally upbeat tone of Tuesday’s meeting, two members of the seven-person slots commission voiced misgivings.

Thomas P. Barbera, a retired health care executive, said he worried that having only one viable bid per site lessened the commission’s “leverage” on the bidders. And D. Bruce Poole, a Hagerstown attorney and former lawmaker, said he wanted the consultants to look into whether the state’s 67 percent tax rate on gambling operators - among the highest in the country - was dampening interest, thereby preventing the state from getting “the best deal for the taxpayers.”

French told Poole he believed the anemic bidding was largely the result of the economy and “bad timing,” not the state’s tax structure.

April 21st, 2009 by admin

Table games at casinos are supposed to be fun. But unfortunately, prickly dealers and players can sully the experience — especially if they violate basic table etiquette. So to help ensure that your (and everyone else’s) next trip to the blackjack table is fun for everyone, here are ten things you should never do while playing blackjack:

10. Touch your bet after the cards have been dealt

This is a big no, no. Even if it looks like that nice chip stack you bet is about to collapse, to don’t reach over and try to straighten it out. It will look like you’re trying to either increase your bet (if your cards are good), or decrease your bet (if your cards stink). Either way, it gives the impression that you’re trying to cheat the casino, so don’t do it.

9. Forget to use hand symbols

In a noisy casino, the dealer can’t always hear what you want to do. Plus, the eye in sky (yes, they’re video taping everything you do) needs to be able to clearly record your intent as well, in case there’s a dispute. So use hand signals at the table to signal your action. Scratch the felt (lightly) by pulling your finger toward yourself if you want another card. Wave your hand parallel to the table and over your cards if you don’t want any more cards. And if you want to double down or split, slide your new bet next to your original bet.

8. Buy insurance

This is the first of two tips that has nothing to do with etiquette. Buying insurance (it’s offered whenever the dealer has an ace showing) is generally a really bad play, so don’t do it.

7. Tell another player how to play

There are a few things (well — six to be exact) more annoying than telling another player how to play blackjack. Unless you are specifically asked, do not offer unsolicited advice. It slows the game down. It frustrates the player who is trying to make his own decision. It’s obnoxious. And you never want to be the person who everyone else is talking about after they leave the table.

6. Get drunk

Ordering drinks while the game is going on (rather than in between games) is bad enough. But getting drunk at the table is even worse. Mean or happy, drunks don’t make good blackjack players. They slow the game down, make incoherent conversation with other players and generally kill the mood at the table. Don’t be that person.

5. Touch the cards

At most blackjack tables, players are not allowed to handle the cards. So don’t do it. Don’t try and straighten them out to be even. Don’t try to nudge them so they’re easier to read. Just don’t touch them. If you do, the assumption is you are trying to cheat. And casinos don’t like that.

4. Ignore Basic Strategy

Yes, this isn’t an etiquette tip. But it’s still a very important tip. Basic Strategy is good blackjack strategy. So use it. Either learn it on the flight/drive over to the casino or buy a Basic Strategy card at the gift shop and familiarize yourself with it (some casinos will even let you use that card at the table). Either way, by using Basic Strategy, you can reduce the house edge in blackjack to less than 1%. Plus, watching other people play blackjack poorly just isn’t fun. So for the sake of your fellow players, please use Basic Strategy.

3. Blame another player

Don’t blame another player’s “bad decision” for ruining your hand. That’s not the way blackjack works. First of all, results — good and bad — wash out over time regardless of what decisions are made. Secondly, the actions of other players don’t affect the chances for you to have a winning hand. Those chances are the same regardless of how another person plays their cards. So the next time the player next to you draws a card that you believe should have been yours, take a deep breath, relax and calm down. You might draw a card that works for you. Or you might not. But that player hasn’t affected your chance to win.

2. Berate another player

Even worse than blaming another player for a losing hand is yelling and screaming at other players. Yes, it happens. Yes, it’s ridiculous. And yes, it really sucks when you double down with an 11 and draw a two. But that’s no reason to go Phil Hellmuth on another player. Stuff like that happens in blackjack all the time. Just let it roll of your back and concentrate on having a good time.

1. Ignore the dealer

Believe it or not, the dealer is there to help you have fun and make sure you don’t break the rules, so pay attention to the dealer. If the dealer pauses after you make a decision, it could be his way of telling you to reconsider your decision. That’s when you ask what the book says — almost every dealer knows basic strategy like the back of their hand — to get some more information before you make your decision. If you have a good run of cards, tip the dealer. They’ll be appreciative and more likely to help you with tougher decisions. If you include the dealer in table conversation, you’ll find the game moves faster and is a whole lot more enjoyable. Dealers who are enjoying themselves will often help you with the finer points of the game as well. In short, if you pay attention to the dealer, good things will happen. And at a casino, that’s all you can ask for.