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Dutch Justice Minister threatens online gambling sites, Dutch banks

The Dutch Justice Minister, Hirsch Ballin was in the news again this week with more threats designed to warn off online gambling companies that may be a threat to the state’s monopolistic stranglehold on betting in Holland.

Ballin told fellow MPs that online gambling sites that persist in targeting Dutch residents will now face unspecified legal action, regardless of EU policies on free and open markets between member nations, always a source of irritation to Dutch politicians when it comes to gambling.

Questioned later on the minister’s threat, a Justice Ministry spokesman declined to tell news agency ANP how many sites are being targeted, but confirmed that both Dutch-based and foreign companies are involved.

Under Dutch law, firms must have a permit to offer online gambling – and all licensing is held by state dominated companies.

Ballin is also reportedly planning to again warn Dutch banks that they are breaking the law if they have illegal gambling sites as customers; the Justice Ministry spokesman told ANP: “We are talking about the bigger banks operating in the Netherlands.”

WSOP 2009 confirms four month final table hiatus

This year’s World Series of Poker epic in Las Vegas will again feature a four month break before the final table action takes place in the NLTH main event, and there will be a new one-time $40,000 buy-in tournament at the start of the series to commemorate its 40th anniversary of the championship.

The break was introduced at the behest of television executives last year, and delayed the final table of the world’s richest poker tournament to allow ESPN television broadcasts to air without viewers knowing the outcome. The entry field of tournament field of 6844 players was reduced to nine final tablers in July, but the final table action did not start until November, when 22-year-old Danish player Peter Eastgate became the event’s youngest winner and won $9.15 million.

Tournament and cable network officials said ratings went up 50 percent for last year’s final table, which aired the same day play finished.

Phil Hellmuth, an 11-time gold bracelet winner at the series, said most players think the main event’s break is good for the game, allowing for more buildup to a winner and creating a bigger spectacle when the final nine players finally square off.

The 2009 World Series of Poker, starting May 27 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, will have 57 gold bracelet events, up from 55 last year. The main event starts July 3 and its winner will be honoured on November 10th.

Gone from the series are five re-buy events, in which players were allowed to buy themselves back into the tournament after they got knocked out.

Slots Inspire New Virtue Fusion Product – 01-26-09

January 26 – Top software company, Virtue Fusion, has launched a brand new slot type game that promises to be the last word in casino entertainment.

Marine Mayhem is a five reel slot game that comes with twenty pay lines. However, unlike ordinary slots which are simply ‘me versus the machine’, Marine Mayhem is a community game whereby players need to score the most points in the space of three minutes. Essentially, Virtue Fusion has provided the perfect combination between slots and bingo.

The Chief Executive Officer of Virtue Fusion, Al Haig-Thomas said about the new release: “This product is about appealing to our bingo players in a new format, which we know is relevant and popular with them.”

However, while Haig-Thomas points to bingo players in his announcement, in actual fact this game is as appealing to slots fans as it is to the bingo world. All the features that make slots so popular are in place, including the need for players to spin the reels in order to win points and, hopefully, their share in the community jackpot.

The top ten ranking players win part of the jackpot in this ’slots community game’.

The CEO said “the closest you get to this kind of game at the moment is a progressive jackpot, which is fairly standard, or a tournament. This is a hybrid of both those formats. We are always looking at ways to improve our users’ experience and leverage the strengths of our network. That is why we came up with Marine Mayhem, it provides variety for punters, more marketing initiatives for our operators and makes use of our network liquidity.”

Players can play at Marine Mayhem at a number of top online casinos and bingo rooms, including William Hill Bingo and Mecca Bingo.

Chartwell Tech releases software version 7

Canadian online gambling software provider Chartwell Technology has released version 7.0 of its online casino software, featuring new games and the most extensive back office enhancements in the company’s history.

Chartwell will be exhibiting its latest system to the industry at the International Gaming Expo (ICE), January 27th to the 29th in London.

Using the latest advances in graphics display and programming technology, version 7.0 represents enhanced game performance and expanded system management capability, responsible gaming functionality and 17 new casino and soft games. A company spokesman said that the new product reflected the experience and technology advances the company has achieved.

The new game suite includes:

Kat Lee: Bounty Hunter, one of three new 30-line 5-reel slots in which mythical legend Kat Lee battles Cyborgs in the future. The game features a free-spin bonus, two scatter pays, and a multi-level bonus where players have a chance to advance to higher payouts. Other 30-line titles include the entertaining Berry Blast and the game show feel of Triple Bonus Spin ‘n’ Win.

Two 15-line 5-reel slots include Surf’s Up; a Polynesian surfer theme featuring video clip special reel symbols, and the mystical Fortune Teller. Both games can award three free-spins with triple-value payouts along with a multi-level bonus that awards cash. The games also feature two scatter pays and a combined scatter pay.

Seven soft games including two new fixed-odds games branded Mega Bingo Keno and Hi Lo Dealer.

Numerous changes have made to Chartwell’s table games to enhance the player experience, taking advantage of recent advancements with Flash and ActionScript technologies, and the overall look and feel of the games have been enriched. Key highlights include new proportioning, enhanced table art, improved animations, textured felt and adjusted lighting. New in-game cashier access and responsible gaming links are also now available for additional player convenience.

A spokesman said that players can expect to experience better game performance through improvements to the messaging architecture and robust retry logic. This will also enable players in weaker Internet connectivity regions to continue to play without frequent disconnections.

Architectural changes incorporated in the new software make its deployment simpler and allow for new games to be added with no down-time or system upgrades. This enhancement is especially important in view of Chartwell management’s commitment to a more aggressive new game production policy.

Darold H. Parken, President and CEO of Chartwell comments: “This is a major release for us, which has been almost a year in the making. The range and quality of our new games is exceptional and the back office operational functionality is second to none.

“This release offers great new features for both the player and the operator and provides a powerful base for very significant enhancements to our overall offering.”

International: Kentucky URL seizure overturned

Tuesday, the Kentucky Court of Appeals overturned a Franklin County Circuit Court decision that allowed the state to seize 141 online-gambling URLs. The appeal panel handed down a 2-1 opinion stating that URLs cannot be considered gambling devices.

According to the panel’s majority opinion, the seizure could only have been legal if a criminal court had first established that the sites’ owners were guilty of illegal activity and only if existing state laws included URLs in their definition of “gambling devices.”

However, the panel said, even if the state’s government did enact such a law it could lead to indiscriminate seizure regardless of a URL’s use and would therefore be unconstitutional.

“Suffice it to say that, given the exhaustive argument both in brief and oral form as to the nature of an Internet domain name, it stretches credulity to conclude that a series of numbers, or Internet address, can be said to constitute a ‘machine or any mechanical or other device … designed and manufactured primarily for use in connection with gambling,’" Judge Michelle Keller wrote in the majority opinion. "We are thus convinced that the trial court clearly erred in concluding that the domain names can be construed to be gambling devices subject to forfeiture."

The decision answers an appeal filed by the Interactive Gaming Council and the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association. The two organizations have represented the 141 domain names’ owners since circuit-court proceedings commenced last year.

Gov. Steve Beshear’s office instigated the legal battle in August when it filed a lawsuit against the domain names’ owners. According to the document, the named gambling sites violated of the federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 and therefore violated the state’s laws.

A closed hearing was held in September to finalize the complaint. At the hearing, Judge Thomas Wingate ordered the temporary seizure of all 141 URLs until a later hearing could determine if the sites had moved to block access to Kentucky residents. If the domain names’ owners did not block Kentucky residents from accessing their sites, Wingate said, their URLs would be forfeit to the state.

After several continuances, Wingate ruled that permanent seizure of the URLs was legal according to a Kentucky statute that permits state confiscation of illegal “gambling devices.”

Online-gaming operators and civil-liberties organizations see the appeal panel’s decision as a decisive victory. Many – including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky – worried that the Kentucky seizure could lead to a spate of URL confiscations in other jurisdictions.

It also comes on the heels of Pennsylvania Judge Thomas James’s ruling that some forms of online poker are "skill games" that cannot be construed as "illegal gambling" according to the UIGEA. The legal definition provided by James’s decision could prevent Kentucky from taking further legal action against several sites named in its original suit because they offer online poker exclusively.

"(The appeal panel’s ruling) is a very important decision for anyone doing business on the Internet, " IGC attorney Jeff Ifrah said. "We hope this will prevent misguided state officials from considering litigation against online industries located outside state boundaries. While this proceeding was ill-conceived, the judicial process was permitted to properly function, for which we are grateful."

Wednesday, Kentucky’s Justice and Public Safety Secretary, J. Michael Brown, filed a notice of appeal with the state Supreme Court in response to the ruling.

phill.provance@gamblingplanet.org

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Lucky 18 Online Casino Rewards Big on Slots – 01-21-09

January 21 – Most slot players don’t need a very good reason to head on down to their favorite online casino and have an entertaining gaming session. But when an online casino – and a good one at that – offers players the chance to win big using great bonuses, there shouldn’t be a moment’s hesitation.

The Lucky 18 online casino, which was named the ‘Breakout Online Casino of the Year’, is in the mood for celebration and has thus put together a superb bonus package for slots lovers.

For every deposit of $100 or more, players who head for the fantastic Real Time Gaming slots will be rewarded with a very generous 300% matching bonus!

For those who don’t feel like spending $100 at the slot machines (as tempting as it may be!), there are smaller online slot bonuses to be had at Lucky 18, ranging from 100% – 250% – amounts that will definitely go a long way in helping you win bigger and faster at these amazing slot games!

There are plenty of other reasons to play at Lucky 18, of course. This site has been recognized for its super software, service and user friendly facilities. As Bluff Magazine put it: “This site does everything very well, and is quick and easy to navigate. It’s also keen to stress that it is open to US players, in line with its mission to provide players with exclusive entertainment and the best odds in the business (better than Vegas, remember).”

And for the chance to win a truly life-changing amount, Lucky 18 is offering 120 – 140% bonuses for players to try their luck on the ever-growing Jackpot Pinatas progressive slot game – with over a million dollars up for grabs!

Czech Republic launches regulated online gambling industry

At least two of the five land betting companies licensed to offer Internet gambling by the Czech government, Fortuna and Sazka, are now online and operating according to media reports from the region. The latest to launch is Sazka Tip.cz following the issue of licenses last month (December) to Sazka, Fortuna, Chance, Synot Tip and TipSport, with a start date of January 5th 2009.

The Czech authorities are keeping tight control over online gambling with a regulatory regime which licenses only thoroughly vetted and well established land betting organisations, where Internet gamblers must first appear in person to register and provide proof of identity, age and residence before accessing the online services.

Other regulations include a prohibition on third-party access, a requirement that the servers must be located within the Czech Republic and arrangements for fairness verification of the softwares in use by a recognised testing authority.

Licensed companies are subject to regulation and monitoring in terms of the Gaming Act, and will pay administrative and state supervision fees, with a percentage of the income going to charitable causes.

And licensees must sign an obligation to adhere to the European Responsible Gaming Standards.

Pennsylvania judge rules Texas Hold’em is a game of skill

Apparently last Friday Pennsylvania Judge Thomas A. James Jr. of Columbia County ruled that poker’s most popular game, Texas Hold’em, is a contest where skill predominates, therefore removing it from the definition of illegal gambling in the state.

John Pappas, executive directror of the PPA opined that Judge James’s decision sets a valuable legal precedent.

In his ruling, the judge examined the relative merits of the skill vs. chance argument, summarising the call as: “Simply, if chance predominates, Texas Hold’em is gambling. If skill predominates, it is not gambling.”

In the case of Texas Hold’em, Judge James referred to the extensive literature on winning strategies for the game, and quoted a well known poker author’s dictum that “the money flows from the bad players to the strong players.”

The judge went into considerable detail in explaining the “dominant factor tests” traditionally applied to games of skill before reaching the conclusion that in Texas Hold ‘Em “It is apparent that skill predominates over chance.”

Judge James was presiding over a case where one Walter Watkins was charged with running a $1-$2 NLHE game out of his garage, with no rake – and only dealer tips – taken. Watkins and his dealer were arrested and detained after an undercover Pennsylvania State Trooper took part in the game in a “sting” or entrapment operation.

Following the judge’s decision the defendant and his dealer were both discharged.

Watkins subsequently told Associated Press reporters: “It’s unfortunate we had to go through all this. We were arrested, taken out of our home. Shackled and spent a night in prison. All for playing poker.”

Peter Campana represented the defendants, while Thomas Leipold served as counsel for the State of Pennsylvania.

British Sport Minister Gerry Sutcliffe visits GamCare HQ

The importance that the UK government places on containing the threat of problem gambling was again illustrated this week when Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe visited GamCare’s London HQ to view the range of telephone, online and face to face services the charity offers nationally, free, to problem gamblers.

With responsibility for gambling, the Minister is leading the current consultation on the proposed RIGT levy on gambling operators to fund treatment and was keen to see how the funds are spent.

“GamCare is leading the way in providing support for those with a gambling problem, helping thousands of people since it was founded in 1997,” Sutcliffe said. “It is great to see the organisation finding new ways to reach out and I want to hear more about the new OnLine Counselling initiative, offering counselling over the internet.”

Anthony Jennens, Chairman of GamCare, said “We are delighted to welcome the Minister. This is a valuable opportunity to witness at first hand the range of services we offer, the commitment, professionalism and expertise of our staff, and to gain a better understanding of the enormous importance of what we do for anyone affected by problem gambling.”

GamCare has seen demand for the service and has already had over 30 OnLine clients. Some clients say they are too ashamed to consider face to face counselling, others appreciate the greater element of control as they can censor themselves and think carefully about finding the right words.

Gamcare reports that the OnLine environment has attracted a higher percentage of women than face to face (over 50 percent of clients), and the age range of female clients is wider than that of male clients, with more women clients over 50 and more males under 30. However, the level of commitment to attending sessions is comparable to GamCare’s traditional face to face counselling and gambling impacts on their relationships, health, finances and mental health every bit as severe.

Callers who express an interest when they contact NetLine or HelpLine advisers are referred for an initial discussion with a qualified counsellor before being assigned their regular counsellor and session times. GamCare’s counselling is integrative and tailored to the individual’s needs.

Reasons for addiction can be complex: gambling sometimes can offer a means of escape from seemingly intolerable thoughts and feelings. Counsellors employ a range of therapeutic approaches to facilitate discovery of the underlying reasons, the aim being to stop or effectively manage problem gambling behaviour.

GamCare is funded indirectly through voluntary contributions from the gambling industry, through the Responsibility in Gambling Trust. Following the failure of RIGT to raise sufficient funds, Government has just launched a consultation into whether funds should be raised by a levy.

According to the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007, it is estimated that 0.6 percent of the UK population (around 300,000 people) are potential or actual problem gamblers. Considering that each may have a partner, parents and dependents, those impacted by problem gambling may number over one million. The Survey, commissioned by the Gambling Commission and prepared and published by the National Centre for Social Research, provides detailed statistics.

The usually anti-gambling newspaper The Daily Mail recently carried a claim that as much as one third of gambling websites could be allowing under-18s to bet, quoting a UK Gambling Commission study that indicated that 33 percent of online casinos and bookmakers had ‘deficiencies’ that might enable youngsters to gamble on the Internet.

Under the Gambling Act, which came into force in 2007, any company that holds a licence for online gaming in the UK must carry out stringent checks to prevent children playing highly-addictive games, the newspaper reminds readers, quit aart from the moral and professional obligation to prevent underage gamblers.

In the UK, some 164 firms are permitted to operate about 250 websites, the newspaper reports.

The Gambling Commission’s figures emerged in Parliamentary answers, and were compiled after tests using debit cards belonging to under-18s were carried out to uncover any system deficiencies.

Liberal Democrat culture spokesman and traditionally anti-gambling politician Don Foster said: “There is a massive danger that this will fuel a huge increase in under-age gambling addiction.”

Dr Emanuel Moran, an adviser on gambling to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, was quick to again weigh in on a gambling issue, telling The Daily Mail: “It is obvious that the safeguards put in place by the Government, and the statements made about responsible gambling in relation to the Internet, are totally bogus. We are in danger of allowing a generation of children to become addicted to gambling.”

Taking an opposing view, Sport Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said: “The majority of the tests showed that policies and procedures to prevent children from gambling on remote sites are effectively in place.”

And the Gambling Commission said the websites tested may only have failed one of a series of checks, so other safeguards may have caught under-18s anyway.

NFL Playoff Odds – Underdogs Take Control – 01-13-09

January 13 – The NFL playoffs are underway and underdogs and long shots have taken control. Teams that dominated the regular season are out, and teams that came on late or stumbled in and out of season long stupors are now competing for a spot in the Super Bowl. With the playoffs looking as unpredictable as ever fans are looking for answers and the largest most successful sportsbook on the web, BetUS.com posted updated Super Bowl odds and are comparing them to odds that were set at the beginning of the season.

Analysts at BetUS.com posted the following Odds (updated odds listed at bottom):

Odds at the beginning of season (March)

To Win Superbowl
Philadelphia Eagles 35/1
Arizona Cardinals 50/1
Baltimore Ravens 60/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 20/1

NFC Winner
Philadelphia Eagles 12/1
Arizona Cardinals 18/1

AFC Winner
Baltimore Ravens 25/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 12/1

Regular Season Wins
Arizona Cardinals
Over 7.5 (-150)
Under 7.5 (+120)
Baltimore Ravens
Over 6 (-140)
Under 6 (+110)
Philadelphia Eagles
Over 8.5 (-200)
Under 8.5 (+160)
Pittsburgh Steelers
Over 9 (-115)
Under 9 (-115)

Current odds To Win Super Bowl and Conference

Philadelphia Eagles 2/1
Arizona Cardinals 11/2
Baltimore Ravens 4/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 7/5

NFC Winner
Philadelphia Eagles 1/2
Arizona Cardinals 8/5

AFC Winner
Baltimore Ravens 21/10
Pittsburgh Steelers 2/5

BetUS.com is a North American facing sportsbook with a fifteen year pedigree, The sportsbook won our 2008 Sportsbook of the year award. Check out our 2008 Online Gambling Awards for more information.

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