New interactive division for Harrah's

**jetset** · 23rd May 2009, 10:21 AM

HARRAH'S SET TO GO ONLINE

New Interactive division formed, and Garber involvement confirmed

The major US gambling group Harrah's Entertainment Inc set the Internet message boards alight as the week ended by announcing the establishment of a new subsidiary, Harrah's Interactive Entertainment, Inc. (HIE) to manage the global growth of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and explore a European interactive strategy.

And it confirmed rumours from earlier this year (see previous InfoPowa reports) that Mitch Garber, an experienced lawyer and the former Party Gaming.com CEO, would head up the new division.

Harrah's Entertainment chairman, president and CEO Gary Loveman said: "As the world's largest gaming company, Harrah's is taking a proactive approach toward international and interactive expansion. It is important we position ourselves to explore new markets as well as new technologies with our best in class brands."

Harrah's has also appointed Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the World Series of Poker, as president of HIE. The connections of the two men with online and land poker immediately re-triggered speculation that a partnership between Harrah's and Party Gaming.com could be in the frame.

In addition to growing the World Series of Poker, HIE will explore the use of interactive gaming technologies to expand the reach of Harrah's brands globally, starting in Europe. With its Total Rewards customer-loyalty program, HIE will be deployed to develop new opportunities to strengthen and grow Harrah's customer base.

The World Series of Poker, now in its 40th year, will start its 2009 season shortly, and has experienced record growth in the last five years. Participants from 124 nations competed in last year's tournament, up from 24 just five years ago and entrants have gone from 13 036 to 58 720 during the same span. The WSOP expanded into Europe in 2007 with the creation of the World Series of Poker Europe held each fall in London.

**NASHVEGAS** · 23rd May 2009, 05:45 PM

FINE BY MOI!-Why did MG pull the plug because they know what is going on............If HARRAH's can politically pull off regulation in the US, good or at least better for the players........Some of the non-player (per se) cheerleaders may be cheering against themselves, hint-they are

http://www.gambling-law-us.com/Artic...ation-bill.htm

"............
Suitability

Applicants are deemed unsuitable for licensing, among other possible reasons:

1) If they have been convicted of a felony (that is, "has been convicted of an offense punishable by imprisonment of more than 1 year") or

2) Are delinquent in filing any applicable Federal or State tax returns or in the payment of any taxes, penalties, additions to tax, or interest owed to a State or the United States.

*This provision may ban the existing offshore online gambling businesses from becoming licensed since it is probably that none of them have filed U.S. or state tax returns relating to the portions of their businesses that arose from dealing with U.S. residents.

*The Bill does not have any taxing provisions. This omission will keep the bill under the exclusive jurisdiction of Barney Frank's House Financial Services Committee and deprive the House Ways and Means Committee of jurisdiction.

*The lack of stated taxing provisions does not mean that the federal and state governments will not try to enact taxes on the gambling businesses of the licensees. Rather, it means that such taxes will be the subject of separate legislation, and will be enforceable under the delinquency and payment provision in the
Bill............................................"

15 yard penalty for taunting!!

**RobWin** · 27th May 2009, 09:19 AM

Who's yo daddy..JK

I've been telling you guys this for a year and a half to two years now

Here's the crux of the matter that made Harrah's decide to do this and go this route a little sooner than originally planned. This one is a serious video on what happened to Vegas. Approx 24 minutes long and on youtube. If you want to watch the HD wide screen version just copy and paste the link and click on the HQ button.

xxxhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFTZ3flsipE

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFTZ3flsipE"]YouTube - Lost Vegas: Vanguard[/ame]

**lots0** · 27th May 2009, 05:32 PM

I went to Reno for the weekend... It's almost as bad there.

The only that that is saving Reno is that their economy is not entirely dependent on gambling, they have mining, but even the mining is closing down...

When I mentioned I was 'into' online gambling to a couple of dealers... I was inundated with people looking for work in Online Gambling.

**RobWin** · 28th May 2009, 01:15 AM

Originally Posted by lots0

I went to Reno for the weekend... It's almost as bad there.

The only that that is saving Reno is that their economy is not entirely dependent on gambling, they have mining, but even the mining is closing down...

When I mentioned I was 'into' online gambling to a couple of dealers... I was inundated with people looking for work in Online Gambling.

Yea, I also have heard the same regarding Atlantic City and Tunica from peeps that I know there that are still working in the land based gaming business. They're telling me as recent as this past weekend that they are looking to go in any day now to find their layoff slip waiting on them and their main concern as well as managements is the fact that no one can still see any light toward the end of the tunnel.