July 16th, 2007
New online gambling laws that are set to be introduced into the UK in September will put Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs), such as the Lord of The Rings online, under the same guidelines as online gambling sites.
The new law will treat all MMOs which run competitions or offer prizes as being almost identical in operation to an online poker site and will direct them to undergo the same penalties and regulation as other forms of online gambling.
UK MMOs may even need to apply for licences to steer clear of prosecution under the new laws, a system which has been outlined by GamesIndustry.biz:
‘MMO operators can avoid any potential penalties by obtaining an operators’ licence from the Gambling Commission (GC).
‘This is not a simple task, but it is also not overtly complex. The key is to satisfy the Commission that you have in place an operation that satisfies the requirements and key objectives of the new law.’
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July 16th, 2007
France’s top court has added to pressure from the European Commission for an end to the State’s monopoly by overturning a decision that banned a Maltese company from offering online betting on horse races in the nation.
Under European Union (EU) rules, limits to competition, even those stemming from limits on gaming as a special or exclusive right, cannot be justified, and the court, the Cour De Cassation, said such restrictions can be used only to block gambling companies from criminal or fraudulent activities by channeling them through controllable avenues.
The Paris court has sent the case against gambling company Zeturf brought by Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), the French monopoly operator of betting on horse racing, sports, lotteries and other forms of gambling, back to the appeals court for a rehearing.
The judges also stated that the appeals court had not sought to discover whether the French government was upholding the monopoly simply to increase state revenues while PMU said in a statement that the debate remains open.
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July 16th, 2007
Online gaming room Imperial Casino has announced that a player won over $77,000 after hitting a jackpot on one of its Space Ace slot machines.
The Canadian online casino said that the French player had been an active player for over five years and won $77,045.24 after hitting the jackpot on one of its 50 slot machines.
‘Everyone can be a winner at Imperial Casino and jackpots like this prove it,’ said Eduardo Santos, Property Manager for Imperial Casino.
Its Space Ace machine is a science fiction-themed video slot where starships, aliens, supernova, nebulae and other familiar outer-space icons serve as symbols. It also features a Planetary Plunder bonus round offering additional winnings along with a gamble option that lets players double or quadruple their earnings with each bet. Machines such as this have helped the Quebec firm and its affiliated gaming sites pay out over $68 million since April to more than 7,000 players.
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July 16th, 2007
The people of London were out in force this weekend as the Tour de France wheeled its way through the city, but it was another event that was attracting the attention of the hordes of people in Leicester Square on Friday.
Famous for its film premieres, Leicester Square played host to a poker premiere as Bluff Europe Magazine held its ‘Poker in the Park’ event, in association with the World Poker Tour (WPT).
Hundreds of people turned out for a series of play-for-fun mini-tournaments as well as poker tutorials for those wishing to develop their game, or even learn the basics. Players were joined at the tables by WPT Board Member, Hollywood actress and poker player Mimi Rogers.
The day also coincided with Bluff Europe Magazine recognising London as the European capital of poker for 2007. The event was officially opened with the presentation of a plaque to Labour Peer Lord Lipsey, who accepted the honour on behalf of the city.
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July 16th, 2007
Online gambling is truly becoming a global pastime as Burma joins the list of countries revelling in the unprecedented growth of internet wagering.
Even with authorities’ strong opposition to the industry, and concerted attempts to make it illegal, online gambling has grown to become a multimillion kyat business among Burma’s elite.
The country’s bookmakers have lived with the threat of hefty legal penalties to cater to a growing number of Burmese bettors who want to enjoy football and gambling simultaneously. Online bookmakers have also smoothed over stumbling blocks such as the lack of a credit card system by carrying out cash-only operations.
Mandalay bookmaker Aung Ko told the country’s Irrawaddy newspaper that roughly 20 regular customers place bets with him worth 80 million kyat (US $62,400) on a weekly basis. The minimum accepted by the bookmaker is 100,000 kyat (about $90).
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July 16th, 2007
The global online appeal of MySpace diva Tila Tequila has again been boosted by the success of her online casino and poker rooms, TilaCasnio.com and TilaPoker.com.
Ms Tequila has had a busy month to date, which has included gracing the cover of Penthouse magazine, opening ‘Tila’s Mansion’ in the virtual reality world Second Life, and seeing her single ‘I Love U’ race to number 2 on the iTunes chart.
However, it was her online gaming franchise that Tila was getting excited about. I’ve been playing poker since I was a kid. So launching a gambling site was a no-brainer, said the young online entrepreneur. But trust me, this isn’t like any other casino you’ve seen before.
TilaCasino.com features games and live video dealers powered by Playtech, one of the gaming industry’s leading online gaming software providers. The new casino site features all the usual table and card games as well as popular Asian games Mahjong and Pachinko, and live Baccarat, Roulette, Blackjack and Sic Bo.
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July 16th, 2007
In statements made in Parliament today, new Prime Minister Gordon Brown has signalled that plans for the UK’s first super casino could be at an end.
Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Brown told the House of Commons that there would be a review of Government policy and that there might be better ways of meeting the economic and social needs of hard-pressed areas rather than creating of a large Las Vegas-style casino.
The northern city of Manchester was surprisingly selected for the UK’s sole super casino in January following recommendations from the independent Casino Advisory Panel (CAP) ahead of the two front-runners, Blackpool and the site of the former Millennium Dome in London.
Regeneration was a major factor in Manchester’s selection and it was thought that CAP’s vote was swayed by the city’s decision to propose its casino for the deprived Eastlands area.
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July 16th, 2007
An American attorney is taking legal action against the western state of Washington claiming that its online wagering ban infringes the US Constitution’s protections of interstate trade.
Lawyer and poker aficionado Lee Rousso has filed suit in King County Superior Court in an effort to overturn the State’s ban on Internet gambling, a topic that also has the US mired in international trade disputes.
‘I think my chances are darn good,’ said Rousso.
The State ban was passed by lawmakers with much support and went into effect in June of 2006. It extended an earlier embargo on gambling by telephones or telegraphs and increased the crime from a gross misdemeanour to a felony.
No one has yet been prosecuted under the ban but Rousso’s Seattle-based lawsuit argues that the law unfairly protects the in-State gambling industry, including card rooms and casinos. He stated that if unsuccessful, he would push for another change in State law to make Internet poker legal again.
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July 16th, 2007
BingoHouse, a leading online bingo site, has announced that it will be hosting a series of cash-laden tournaments for its July Promotion.
Visitors to the site will be given the chance to get their hands on $10,000 jackpot in the Desperate Lounge every Saturday night from 10-11pm throughout July, and can also battle it out for a variety of cash prizes at the Millionaire’s Mansion bingo tournament, taking place every Monday and Tuesday in July from 6pm to midnight.
‘These are some of the most varied and lucrative prizes I’ve seen in a long time on any online bingo site,’ said Anthony Wayne, editor of the InternetBingoBlog.com.
The month of promotions comes to a fitting end with another $10,000 up for grabs
on the weekend of July 28th and 29th on the popular Jeeves Jackpot games.
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