Big bonus space beams, powerful pokers and fishing jackpots feature in latest games

Turnkey provider Microgaming maintained its commitment to continuously release new games this week with the launch of four new offerings for April.

The lead game in the current collection is a good example of what can be achieved with a multi-featured, bonus-rich video slot. What On Earth is a rocket ride of a new, Sci Fi themed game with innovative and rewarding bonusing systems.

This five reel, nine payline advanced video slot will appeal to a wide range of players through Wild and Scatter features and bonuses. The fun outer space theme is presented through high quality graphics featuring everything from Flying Saucers and galactic monsters to whirling asteroids, with amusing characters - and bonuses - that players can beam up for rewards from x3 to x 400. This is possibly one of the most imaginative new games currently available.

With a maximum jackpot of 37 500 coins to be won, and a whole range of new scatters, wild and special Beam Me Up and Destination bonuses, this one delivers more reward opportunities to the player and a whole lot of entertaining fun in chasing the highest value Earthlings to beam up.

The first in a new series of 50 Play Power Poker multi-hand video poker games is featured in the latest releases. Aces and Faces 50 Play is inspired by the widespread popularity of this style of gaming, where 50 hands of video poker, each drawn from a seperate 52 card deck can be played at the same time. The new series, which is to include six games takes the present Microgaming 10 play range to a new and faster level and comes on the facilities-rich Viper software platform. Clean graphics, big jackpots and fast action characterise this new offering and bets from 0.25 to 0.50 can be made.

Off The Hook reel slot is in the popular three reel, one payline, high value jackpot style. The game has an amusing fishing theme and a wild feature that can double and even quadruple the player's winnings. Jackpots of up to 40 000 can be caught with the right sort of bait...or bet on this appealing game, presented in bright and crisply executed graphics . Off The Hook takes three coins per line ranglng from 0.25 to 5.00 and operates on the well proven Microgaming advanced slot architecture.

The range of Microgaming single hand video pokers has been extended with the launch of All American Video Poker to its wide choice in this popular genre, and with lean and clean graphics and great pay tables there's likely to be plenty of action on this recent arrival. The new game is a played with one hand of cards drawn from a single 52 card deck, and operates from the Viper platform which means that players have access to a full range of player assists and guides, together with statistical analysis and recording tools and autoplay capability. All American Video Poker delivers a maximum jackpot of 4 000 coins, with a secondary jackpot of 1 000 coins and wagers of 1 to 5 coins per hand in denominations ranging from 0.25 > 5.00. That means that on a maximum bet, a player can take home up to 20 000 credits.

RNG certified by Technical Systems Testing

Turnkey provider Real Time Gaming was celebrating this week following the announcement from Technical Systems Testing (TST), that it has certified RealTime Gaming's Random Number Generator (RNG) to be fair and random.

TST is an internationally recognised accredited testing facility, with a client roster that includes International Game Technology (IGT), Aristocrat, Mikohn and the Michigan, Massachusetts, DC and Ontario Lotteries.

TST's fully independent testing procedures ensure that the software systems and equipment that operate many of today's most reputable gaming destinations are certified to the strictest standards of technical compliance.

Mike McMain, Chief Technology Officer and COO, says “RealTime Gaming is pleased to receive TST certification of our software as it solidifies what the millions that enjoy our product have always known – RealTime Gaming does take gaming seriously.”

The TST Certification letter can be viewed here: http://www.realtimegaming.com/html/announce_042105.html

Quova selected to provide anti-fraud and location technology

Turnkey provider Playtech and the geolocation experts Quova Inc signed a deal this week that provides geolocation data for regulatory compliance and fraud prevention, a significant step in online casino gaming.

Quova's GeoPoint, which determines the geographic location of a website user and the cyber-location of an online transaction in real time, has been incorporated into Playtech's unique unified gaming platform to help customers screen out potentially fraudulent users and remain compliant with multinational regulations on Internet gambling.

"We were a longtime customer of Quova's closest competitor, but we decided we needed a more responsive partner and higher-quality data," said Rami Beinish, CEO of Playtech. "Knowing the customer's location is critical in our industry, and Quova is providing us with the capabilities we need to offer more and better information solutions to the customers who depend on us."

Founded in January 2000, Quova, Inc. is a provider of geolocation services to online businesses. The company's patented technology provides the geographic location of website visitors in real time, enabling businesses to manage digital rights, target content, detect fraud, conduct site analysis and ensure regulatory compliance. Quova's customers and partners include industry leaders such as Major League Baseball Advanced Media, BBC, Bell Canada, Cisco Systems, Cyota, Corillian, Times Online, ABSOLUT, HPshopping, IBM SurfAid, VeriSign, EverBank, Wire Card and Sky Sports.

Major promotions planned

Online bingo fans have an additional virtual bingo hall to add to their list following English Harbour New Ventures launch of SuperSlotsBingo.com this week. The announcement follows a deal reported earlier this month to introduce poker to the site.

SuperSlotsBingo.com is free to download and offers players the option of playing for free or with real money. Features include daily bonuses, reward promotions, progressive jackpots and frequent tournaments, coupled with game play features like animated graphics, fully-functional chat, live 24/7 customer support, auto-dauber and auto-play. Players can buy cards for as little as $.05 and may purchase up to 50 cards for a single game.

The new site has extensive security and anti-hacking software. Players can participate in daily hour-long ‘Coverall Marathons’ with the chance to win $1,000 blackout or $2,000 coverall prizes and several other promotional events are available or planned for the future.

Fewer dealer errors, less chance of problems

Casino Webcam, the live-over-the-internet casino franchiser with 15 licensees operating out of Costa Rica has installed sophisticated TCS John Huxley equipment on its roulette tables to improve game security and obviate dealer errors.

The additional software and hardware solution, which compliments CWC's existing monitoring systems, ensures that the roulette games are free from any type of wheel or dealer bias. The installation of the equipment also eliminates the need for dealers to manually key game results, which translates to fewer dealer errors.

The TCS Roulette Wheel Analysis System spots bias and trends before the player does. Casino management can check the performance of any roulette wheel, anywhere and at any time. Winning number data is automatically and securely collected through the TCSJH Reader Head. The unique software program instantly converts data into various, easy to read, full colour pictorial reports, such as Individual Number Bias, Wheel Sector Bias, Performance Change, Spin Speed and Table Performance.

A first for Irish betting group

Paddy Power.com claims it has become the first bookmaker in the world to launch live multiplayer backgammon using gameware provided by GameAccount, a skill gaming supplier for sportsbooks who want a single-wallet skill gaming solution. The company also provides and hosts games for internet sites such as FHM.com, Maxim, Wanadoo and the Sun Online.

Paddy Power's backgammon provides a modern take on the still popular ancient board game, offering fully integrated online backgammon that allows players to see opponents’ moves, giving an immediate experience which is enhanced by player ratings and in-game and lobby chat facilities. The white label product delivered to Paddy Power offers real-time exchange rates and multiple language versions in this dynamic international environment.

Paddy Power plc, recently recorded a 27 percent increase in turnover from GBP 913 million in 2003 to GBP 1,156 million in 2004.

ex-Carmen Media man to be marketing director

Reports over the weekend indicate that David Carruthers, CEO of the major online gambling group BetonSports.com has made two new key appointments in the wake of the departure of Customer Service exec Kyle Gabriel.

Former Carmen Media director Clive Archer joins the group as operations and marketing director. Archer was reportedly largely responsible for the international success of Carmen Media online casino brands like River Belle and Gaming Club, and remains a director of online marketing firm Interactive Circle. He will take on day-to-day responsibility for managing the Costa Rican operations of BetonSports, and is tasked with raising the firm's online profile, which media reports suggest has slipped somewhat in recent times.

BetonSports chairman Clive Parrit says that Archer will "...add tremendous insight into our future strategic positioning and operations development."

Richard Creed, has been named as commercial director for BetonSports with responsibility for assessing new business opportunities and commercial activities. "Richard Creed, with his extensive experience of business planning and mergers and acquisitions, will bring additional firepower to our executive team," Parrit said.

Creed, aged 49, was previously a partner in Casson Beckman, Chartered Accountants, where he specialised in corporate finance activities particularly mergers and acquisitions. Since leaving them in 1992, he has worked for a number of organisations on change and risk management projects as well as opening operations in the Far East."

More Department of Justice media interference in the States?

Reports in the New York Post and Media Link this week suggest that the U.S. Department of Justice may again be interfering with mainstream media on the question of Internet gambling advertising.

The report reveals that Esquire Magazine is "possibly" pulling a million dollar's worth of Bodog.com advertising from upcoming issues following what was described as "....a visit by the FBI related to online gambling." It was reported that several subpoenas were issued by the federal agents. However, Esquire's parent group, Hearst said the placement would go ahead.

Bodog had earlier flighted a big spread in the April issue.

When we went to press Esquire had not responded to our requests for more details.

The DoJ was in the headlines last year for allegedly "intimidating" media into dropping online gambling advertising by advising search engines and various publications that this may constitute an illegal activity. The DoJ was challenged by Casino City in an important law suit seeking a declaratory judgement on the issue. The government won the first round, and the case is on appeal by Casino City.

Flash games, new slots for Bodog online casino

Instant play Craps, Roulette and three new slots, all on a Flash instant play technology platform were launched this week by the online casino division of Bodog.com

The Flash no-download platform means that the games are Mac or PC friendly, for real money or fun.

In addition, the casino has released 3 more slot machines in its download casíno suite of games. Ronin, Goldbeard and Aztec’s Treasure join Cleopatra’s Gold in a suite of 20 line, random progressive jackpot slot machines.

New kid on the block

Lower Mars LLC came to notice this week with their "JACKPOTmini!" gaming software currently being marketed by Amiga at around 17 bucks. We haven't seen the product, but the blurb promises "... colorful graphics, great sound and all the gaming action that anyone might expect from a trip to Vegas." There's video poker or double down at full-featured blackjack with two high stakes slots when you’re looking for a break from the table action. The intelligent engine behind each game enables players to practice and perfect gaming strategies.

Kyl to have another go at banning

KJZZ out of Phoenix, Arizona reported this week that in an interview with state representative senator Jon Kyl he confirmed that 2005 will be another year in which he will continue efforts to bring about legislation aimed at banning Internet gambling instead of regulating it. Kyl has tried unsuccessfully for several years to push through prohibition Bills.

Tennis : live betting from Blue Square

UK online betting group Blue Square is to introduce live betting on major tennis tournaments this weekend, facilitating this by streaming the events live over its Website reports New Age Media.

If the project indicates there is enough interest to make it viable, more events will be streamed this year. Future coverage is likely to include sports with even more mainstream appeal. "This is very much a toe-in-water thing," said spokesman Ed Pownall. He added, however, "If it goes well we might expand on the idea very quickly.

Blue Square says that the increasing amount of televised live sport has been one of the key factors behind the growth in online gambling, with players far more likely to bet on something they can watch. However, despite the proliferation of channels, many high-profile events still aren't available to UK viewers.

To get around this, Blue Square has bought the rights to the SAP Open final this in San Jose, Calif., a tournament that includes Andre Agassi and last year's winner, Andy Roddick.

Rival bookies will be watching closely and could start chasing similar rights. Streaming matches over their sites is far cheaper than launching a new TV channel, as William Hill did last year, and online rights still cost relatively little.

WiFi gaming for mobile gaming around land properties

Diamond I, Inc. (formerly AirRover Wi-Fi Corp.), has opened an interactive online web-based preview of its WifiCasino GS hand-held Wi-Fi-based gaming system, offering the general public a comprehensive preview of the innovative product.

The system preview is available to all interested persons at http://www.diamonditech.com. WifiCasino GS is a secure wireless PDA-based gambling and media network designed for Las Vegas-style casinos and resorts, as well as cruise ships and race tracks. It is designed to allow patrons to gamble anywhere on a casino, ship or track premises where this is permitted by regulatory bodies, including in their rooms, pool-side and at the bar.

Using unique, patent-pending proprietary technologies, Diamond I claims the system offers a highly secure and consumer friendly gambling solution which can be extended beyond gambling applications, to include providing Internet access, obtaining resort information, ordering meals and drinks, accessing concierge services. With future applications in mind, the modular design will accommodate future plug-ins that provide additional functionality, thereby permitting the host resort to provide its patrons with new forms of services and experiences.

Currently, Diamond I is supporting pending legislation, which has passed the Nevada Assembly and awaits Senate action. This law, once enacted, would permit gaming in public areas within a casino's premises, exactly the areas in which the WifiCasino GS is designed to operate. Although Diamond I is optimistic that this pending legislation will become law, no prediction can be made whether such will be the case.

The company has also begun the process of securing a license for the WiFiCasino GS product in the Philippines. Diamond I's first in-person presentation to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is expected to occur soon. Bingo is another possible application area where the company is currently pursuing an agreement with numerous gaming facilities operated by Native American tribes.

SecureGamble provides the gambling and security features for the product, allowing users to gamble from PDA's within the hotel. It uses biometric identification, location tracking, and other security implementations to guarantee legitimate gambling. Other elements include the GSAdmin back end package which allows management to monitor any active module or application in real-time. OpenHand CRM/SRA is the full CRM and Statistical Recording/Analysis engine of the system. It works to collect user data, activity info, location info, etc.

Europe bound?

Betfair announced this week that it has been awarded a license to operate in Austria. It's the first time the betting exchange company has received regulatory approval to operate outside the United Kingdom and could be the first step toward gaining acceptance throughout Europe. Australia is also being courted despite some oppodition from the horse racing sector in that country.

More sovereignty hassles?

There could be more European hurdles placed in the way of betting groups seeking cross-border customers. Evelyn Gebhardt, the German Socialist rapporteur for the Services Directive (SD) and a member of IMCO (European Parliament committee for the Internal Market and Consumer Protection), this week proposed amendments to the commission's Services Directive Commission in the European Parliament. The report confirms that gambling will be excluded from the SD, something that will inevitably impact negatively on sovereignty issues from a gambling group perspective.

Just for the guys, but no real money yet

Poker Media Group has launched Bikini Poker.com which has a distinctly masculine appeal with plenty of pin-up girls - but only play for free at present. The site opens with a freeroll tournament series that will award the winner the latest Apple iPod. The first of this series of daily freerolls commences on April 29, and culminates in the monthly freeroll final. Bikini Poker has downloadable poker software, featuring a variety of popular poker game options, including Texas Hold’Em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, all of which can be played Fixed Limit, Pot Limit or No Limit. Players can also opt to play in ring games, freerolls, tourneys (single and multi-table), satellites or Sit and Gos. Games are currently available for free-play only, but future releases will allow real-money play.

Cryptologic founder's latest venture reports first quarter

The online gaming technology provider started by Cryptologic founder Andrew Rivkin, Fun Technologies, has announced encouraging results for the first quarter ending March 31, 2005.

Q1 has seen the provider of skill gaming, exchange-betting technology and online sports information bring in consolidated revenues of GBP 1.5 million, up 176 percent from fourth quarter, 2004. Revenues from Fun Technology’s subsidiary, SkillJam, are also up 35 percent from fourth quarter, 2004.

The report reveals that SkillJam’s success comes after deals with numerous new licensees, including The Network for Games and Inspired Broadcast Networks, and the success of its partnership with AOL, all resulting in a growth in its customer database to a creditable 7.5 million.

This quarter also saw the group complete acquisition of Las Vegas based sports information provider, Don Best, signifying a new revenue stream for the company, representing 51 percent of revenue in the quarter.

“The first quarter of 2005 was full of significant accomplishments for Fun”, said Lorne Abony, Chief Executive Officer. “We have continued to grow our businesses, and expanded on the exceptional corporate momentum built during 2004.”

On February 4, 2005, the Company closed the placing of 4,800,000 new Ordinary Shares at 178 pence (C$4.02) per share, raising net proceeds of approximately GBP 8 million. The proceeds of the placing will be used to further develop and grow the groups skill-gaming business, continue business development, and for general corporate purposes.

Play-for-free site to offer real money play

One of the largest online bingo sites, Bingo.com Limited has engaged Canadian turnkey provider Chartwell Technology to supply its cash gaming system.

With a player base claimed at over a million online bingo fans. Bingo.com says it attracts over 30 000 visitors each day, signs up 800 new members every 24 hours and has served over 4 billion cards to date on a play-for-fun basis.

The bingo specialist says that due to recent positive regulatory developments such as the UK Gambling Bill it has decided to take advantage of its brand and dominant position in the free online bingo industry and enter the play for cash bingo market.

Under the terms of the license agreement, Chartwell will provide Bingo.com with its gaming system, offering players the experience of flash based 75 and 90 ball bingo games, complete with chat features and the opportunity to play a full suite of soft games which are offered as side games or intermission entertainment.

“We are delighted to have been selected as the software provider to one of the world’s largest online bingo companies”, Darold Parken, President and CEO of Chartwellsaid in announcing the deal. “Community based gaming has become one of the fastest growing segments of the gaming industry and the launch of Bingo.com’s play for cash offering gives us a strong industry partner and represents a significant step towards positioning the Company as the leading bingo software provider to this exciting gaming market segment.'

While still in its infancy, online bingo has already attracted more than five million players with a demographic profile that differs significantly from that of online casino and poker players. This suggests that bingo will make a significant contribution to the growth of the online gaming industry, expected to generate revenue exceeding $18 billion by 2010, according to Christiansen Capital Advisors. Therefore the growth of online gaming as a whole has the potential to significantly exceed published forecasts.

Will Hill has some competition for Stanley Leisure deal

Hard on the heels of our report last week concerning William Hill's reportedly GBP 500 million offer for the UK and Irish betting shops of Stanley Leisure, came news that they could have a fight on their hands.

Another large and well established betting operator, The Tote is gearing up to compete in the deal, according to reports in The Sunday Times this weekend.

The reports say that The Tote has engaged the Lazard investment bank to prepare an offer for the Stanley Leisure properties.

Is Tradal next?

Rumours were swirling around Tradal, a Cyprus headquartered group with interests in Empire Poker last week that it was making moves to list as a public company.

The speculation started when news leaked out that Tradal was in "exclusive" consultations with stockbroking specialists Numis regarding a possibly GBP 500 flotation strategy targeted on London's AIM market.

There has been no confirmation from the company.

Tradal is the latest of a number of poker sites to consider going public. There has be en intense speculation that market leader Party Gaming, which operates the world’s largest online poker business, Party Poker, is to float in London after it appointed investment banks Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and Investec to advise on its options, including an IPO.

If it presses ahead, Party Gaming is expected to achieve a valuation high enough to propel it straight into the FTSE 100 index of Britain’s blue-chip companies.

Similarly, Cassava Enterprises / Casino On Net, owner of the 888.com site, has hired CSFB to advise it on a possible flotation. It is reported to be considering a listing that would value the business at more than GBP 800 million. In addition to 888.com, the Israeli owned group also owns the Pacific Poker network.

UK online betting group Sportingbet was the first British company to generate this level of interest when it acquired Paradise Poker last October for GBP169 million.

Since the deal was announced, shares in the group have more than doubled, and the company’s valuation is approaching GBP 1 billion.

Final chapter in the PokerNow dispute

Judging by reports from a number of reliable sources this week it seems that the Party Poker vs PokerNow issue is to end with the disappearance of the latter.

The reports indicate that PokerNow is to be absorbed by Party Poker as the main skin on its network.

PokerNow has been in trouble with licensor Party Poker, which accused it of violating agreements by offering rakebacks to its players, many allegedly lured away from Party Poker itself.

PokerNow apparently still owes affiliates their rewards for February, although March was paid recently. Players' money is not in danger as Pokernow and Party Poker players are both banked by IGlobal Media, the parent company of the network.

Online poker fora were full of comment several weeks ago on what looked like a clash over rake rebates to players by relative newcomer Poker Now which commenced operations last October.

PokerNow was thought to be unique among Party Poker skins because it offered the same multi table tournaments as Party Poker itself, to which the other skins do not have access.

Online poker expert, Pokeraddict told us that PokerNow's marketing was apparently geared towards rake rebates, competing with other skins by paying the affiliates 25 percent of rake back at first, although it is understood that in the end some were getting more then that.

These affiliates kicked back a sizeable chunk of this reward to the players they had signed up. Unfortunately for them, Party Poker strictly forbids any marketing practice that lures their players away.

Sources claimed that Party Poker lowered the boom on Poker Now by witholding their February payments whilst the entire system was subjected to a detailed inspection. This left Poker Now in an invidious position vis-a-vis payment to its affiliates and sent shock waves through the poker community, although it is believed that some affiliates paid their players the rake back rebates out of their own pockets.

PokerNow has apparently had a previous affiliate dispute when one of their first affiliates skipped out on a number of payments and promises under the now notorious"SHARK" bonus code, which promised rewarding kickbacks and DVD's. There were massive sign ups and some people still remain unpaid with most never receiving the promised DVD's.

Party Now acknowledged the dispute and made the following comment:

"Discussions with PartyPoker are underway and within a few more weeks we will be able to clarify any ambiguities associated with acceptable marketing promotions by affiliates. During these discussions PokerNow would still request affiliates not to offer rake back deals. We are happy to let you know we are putting a plan into place to pay 100 percent of all monies owed, including February. This plan will be unveiled in approximately 3-4 weeks."

The risks of operating an Internet gambling facility in a dangerous environment

The penalties for getting caught gambling on the Internet in China were once again highlighted this week in the latest reports from the Chinese media.

46 criminals involved in 14 cases of Internet gambling were sentenced in Shanghai's Jiading, Xuhui, Luwan and Yangpu district courts.

They received terms from six months probation to three years in prison and fines between 1,000 yuan (US$121) and 950,000 yuan (US$114,873), the Shanghai Higher People's Court announced.

"The criminals made money by running an online gambling site called Baccarat and organising gamblers to play," said Gao Yuan, the spokesman of the court. "Large amounts of money were involved.

One of the accuseds, Gan Jieqi worked with Zhao Xin, Gu Jundong, Xu Ju, Zhao Feng and Qin Hongjian, currently still at large, establishing several gambling houses in the Jiading District by connecting them through the Internet to casinos in a hotel in Myanmar where Gan had worked.

From last June to November, 17 gamblers visited the houses and bet online. More than 80 million yuan (US$9.7 million) were won or lost.

On November 5 of last year, they were arrested by local police.

In another online gambling case detected in the Xuhui District, tens of millions of yuan were found to have been bet on soccer. Yuan Min, the owner of an IT company, became the agent of an online soccer match last April and made money by attracting Zhang Wenda, Tang Yanwei and Pan Tian to join the business and run the online gambling.

The four criminals were sentenced to imprisonment for from eight to 24 months and fined between 20,000 yuan (US$2,418) and 300,000 yuan (US$36,276).

$2.9 million prize from World Poker Tour final at the Bellagio

LA resident Tuan Le is the new World Poker Tour champion, taking home $2.9 million after 7 tough hours at the Bellagio tables in what has become the world's most expensive poker tournament, reports the Las Vegas Sun.

Now in its third year at the Bellagio, the tournament draws only a few hundred people compared with the thousands that gather each spring for the World Series of Poker. But with a $25,000 buy-in, the Bellagio event attracts the world's best and most aggressive players.

There were no Internet-tournament players - the six people who made the final table Sunday are all experienced casino tournament players.

Le won a World Poker Tour event at the Foxwoods casino in Connecticut last year. Paul Maxfield of England, who took second, placed in a World Series of Poker event last year. Third place winner Hasan Habib of Los Angeles placed second at last year's WPT Championship. Long Beach resident John Phan, in fourth, won a Commerce Casino tournament this year and placed in a tournament at the Plaza casino in downtown Las Vegas last year. Fifth place winner Rob Hollink of the Netherlands won a European Poker Tour tournament in Monaco this year.

Poker pro Phil Ivey, the only Las Vegas resident at the table, has won three World Series of Poker events and placed in several other tournaments. He placed sixth.

Maxfield won $1.7 million, Habib won $896,375, Phan won $518,920, Hollink won $377,420 and Ivey took home $264,195.

The first 100 placeholders in the tournament, which began April 19, were paid prize money from the pool of nearly $11 million. The minimum prize was $30,000.

The final table will be broadcast June 29 on the Travel Channel, which has broadcast rights to World Poker Tour events.

Habib began Sunday's final table with $7.8 million in chips, followed by Ivey with $3.4 million, Hollink with $4.4 million, Maxfield with $2.9 million, Le with $2.7 million and Phan with $1.5 million.

Habib was well ahead of the pack for much of the game but drew a number of losing cards later on.

More than two hours passed before two players, Ivey and Hollink, were knocked out in quick succession. About three hours in, Phan was out, followed by Habib three hours later. With a king and a five card, Maxfield tried for a flush but went out before midnight.

Players began the tournament with $50,000 in chips each. The final table began with minimum bets of $40,000 to $80,000. Those bets got richer as the evening wore on and eventually reached a World Poker Tour record.

Antes rose from a few hundred thousand to around $500,000, with players raising one another in the millions of dollars per hand. Little-used yellow chips, each worth $100,000, emerged several hours into the game.

More than 450 players entered the tournament compared with last year's 343 players. Last year's top prize winner took home $2.7 million from an $8.6 million prize pool.

Getting noticed on the silver screen

Costa Rican based sportsbook MyBookie.com has scored a marketing coup in online gambling...it has signed an exclusive product placement agreement with Warner Brothers for the upcoming film 'Lucky You,' starring Drew Barrymore and Robert Duvall.

The agreement makes provision for the MyBookie.com website to be prominently featured in the film and within the storyline. The movie features a college student who hits it big online then turns his sights to Las Vegas, where he tries to beat the odds in a quest for the world championship. Eric Bana and comedienne Debra Messing also star.

"This is definitely a first for our industry, and we are currently looking at a variety of potential partnerships within the television and music industry," says Mike Nichols, founder of MyBookie.com. "We see our products really as an extension of the entertainment industry as a whole."

In business since 1997 MyBookie.com is a fast growing gaming site on the Internet, and recently announced the upcoming launch of its newly developed brand NINE.com, slated for July. In addition to providing bet facilities on a multitude of sports, news, financial, entertainment and political wager options it also offers online casino action on BlackJack, Poker, Roulette, slots, craps and other casino games.

Professionals vs celebrities in new GSN series on poker next month

The blurb asks "Are actors better bluffers or will the poker professionals sweep the celebrities in the high stakes game of No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em?" in a press release this week. The question will be answered when GSN premieres Poker Royale: Celebrities vs. Poker Pros, a seven-episode U.S. TV series debuting as part of GSN's weekly Casino Night, Friday, May 6 at 9:00PM ET/PT.

Shot on location at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, the latest edition of GSN's Poker Royale franchise sparked witty banter across the table between the pros and the representatives of the fastest growing group in the poker world, celebrity players. Not underestimating their opponents, the experienced pros put on their best game faces in an attempt to make it to the final table for a chance for the $50,000 championship grand prize.

The team of celebrities include: Lance Bass (NSYNC), Tracy Bingham (The Surreal Life, Baywatch), Morris Chestnut (The Best Man, Boyz N the Hood, GI Jane, Ladder 49,), Mimi Rogers (The Door in the Floor, Austin Powers), Jennifer Tilly (Liar Liar, Bound), and Patrick Warburton (Less Than Perfect, Seinfeld).

The professionals include Scott Fischman (Two World Series of Poker bracelets), Kathy Liebert (One World Series of Poker bracelet), Cindy Violette (One World Series of Poker bracelet), Roxci Rhodes (Ranked one of the top ten women players by Card Player magazine), Paul Darden (Winner of the 2003 World Poker Tour Gold Rush Tournament) and Kenna James (One World Series of Poker bracelet).

In the first six one-hour episodes of Poker Royale: Celebrities vs. Poker Pros three professionals and three celebrities face off. Every episode champion wins $10,000 and ten points. The player who finishes second receives eight points, third place receives six points, fourth place receives four points, fifth place receives two points and last place receives zero points. The players who make the final table will each receive $10,000 in chips to begin.

In the two-hour finale, the top three point leaders for both the celebrities and the pros take the top seats. Airing on June 17, the finale winner will take the $50,000 grand prize.

Most expensive land casino resort yet opens doors this week

The U.S. press was full of big news from Las Vegas this week - the most expensive casino in the world was to start operations Thursday, confirming a resurgent gambling Mecca with all the style and razzmatazz for which this city is world renowned.

The $2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas resort, fronted by a tree-covered artificial mountain, opens at a time of record tourism and booming real-estate prices.

Steve Wynn, the gaming magnate known for creating casino resorts like The Mirage has become something of a celebrity himself, starring in a television commercial standing astride the rooftop of the gleaming 50-story bronze tower of his latest investment.

Already just the promise of the new resort's opening has upped the ante for rival Las Vegas destinations, analysts say.

"Every time a major resort opens with the kind of profile that all of Wynn's properties have enjoyed, it causes everyone else to enhance their amenities," said Erika Yowell, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokeswoman.

Several major Strip casinos have added upscale hotel towers or will soon open new ones, including Caesars Entertainment Inc.'s Caesars Palace. Mandalay Resort Group in December 2003 opened THEhotel adjacent to Mandalay Bay, and the Bellagio, owned by MGM Mirage, opened a spa tower, complete with a fountain of liquid chocolate, last December.

Although he is excited about his hotel's complicated design with its asymmetrical roof and horizontal white lines, Wynn said the resort's success will come down to service and employees that show a greater interest in making guests happy.

Speaking at a conference last week in Los Angeles, Wynn said the 9,500 employees have been told not to worry about money or failure. Such things are inevitable in a new operation and a new building. Their one charge, he said, is to not let guests leave unhappy, whether it takes reversing a charge or even returning a bet.

"The only thing that matters is that the people who come to this environment be happy and playful. It's not about us, it's about them," he said.

Originally branded "Le Reve" after a Picasso painting, but later changed in a brand unifying exercise the new resort is said to be the ultimate in luxury. The company's Web site boasts that "Michelangelo took four years to complete the Sistine Chapel. Your room took five." The 2,700 rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Strip, the mountain and lake, or the resort's 18-hole golf course.

The complex offers 18 restaurants, some run by celebrity chefs, theatres, a spa and dozens of designer boutiques along with a Ferrari Maserati dealership. With 37.4 million tourists visiting the city last year and predictions of another record this year, the new complex will be receiving some close attention as the latest attraction in a fun city.

Fourth Annual Remote Gaming Forum

The 4th Annual Remote Gaming Forum brings together the remote gaming industry as well as its service providers to discuss and debate the effect of consolidation, how to build costumer loyalty in an industry where product differentiation is scarce, what the potential of skill-based gaming is and whether mobile gambling and other platforms should be seen as additional revenue streams or merely as a brand extension bringing in a couple of extra pennies.

The venue is still to be announced, but dates are 28 and 29 June this year, in London.

The event will examine issues such as:

How to become an attractive acquisition target?

Integrating skill-based games into your current business model

Converting browsers into players cost-effectively for successful customer acquisition

Building customer loyalty and strengthening brand value

Profiting from mobile gambling and other gambling platforms

Evaluating solutions for tackling fraud, money laundering and

Payment issues

Will bingo be the next poker?

Targeting the female gamers with pay to play and soft games

Understanding the effects of the UK Gambling Act on the remote gaming industry

With a top speaker line-up including 29 cutting-edge viewpoints from companies such as Sportingbet plc, BETonSPORTS, PartyGaming, Betandwin.com, Yahoo! Europe, VIP Management Services, Gaming Corporation plc, Betfair, Wanadoo UK plc, Royal Bank of Scotland and Helix Gaming.

The man to contact is :email paul_osmond@osneymedia.co.uk

Commitment to international regulation through eCOGRA

The number of quality online casinos committed to player-sensitive, international and monitored regulation this week rose to 53 with the announcement by eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) that two new Seals have been awarded, together with additional foreign language and currency Seals.

The latest casinos to pass the detailed third party acceptance inspection are:

Maple Casino (www.maplecasino.com)
Thunderluck Casino (www.thunderluck.com)

Both of the new Seals are Microgaming-powered casinos belonging to two major and well established business groups.

22 other online casinos have successfully achieved the required service and probity levels to offer eCOGRA-regulated foreign language and multi-currency facilities.

The eCOGRA initiative is open to all and provides practical player protection through a carefully researched set of regulations, termed the eGAPs which are applied through independent international business services organisations to member casinos and poker rooms.

Detailed inspection and ongoing monitoring to ensure continuous compliance with the regulations are key to the success of the initiative, and extensive probity checks are carried out as part of the acceptance process.

Casinos that successfully pass the inspection are identified by the eCOGRA "Play It Safe" Seal, awarded by the three independent directors on the eCOGRA Board who effectively control the organisation's operational activities.

The eGAP regulations cut across political and geographic barriers to address every aspect of online casino operation, including FATF-relevant money handling procedures, fair gaming, responsible gambling and efficient customer service.

The London-based staff includes a Fair Gaming Advocate to whom players can appeal if any disputes cannot be settled at casino level.

eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge welcomed the new Seal-holders and congratulated the operators on their commitment, "Achieving Seal status recognises the high levels of efficiency at your casinos, and your strong commitment to running fair and professional businesses," he said.

"The Board is especially pleased at this time, because the second cycle of in-depth reviews of several of our existing Seal operations have just been successfully concluded, showing increasing levels of business and player-sensitivity."

WebSport Technologies sues for $295 million

A press release from WebSports Technologies this week resurrected a long running, multi-million dollar dispute against major turnkey provider Cryptologic with the news that a civil case will be heard on June 20 this year.

The court action was originally filed on November 22, 2002, against Cryptologic Inc. by WebSports Technologies Inc. In addition to the breach of contract, the suit seeks damages for conspiracy, collusion and misrepresentation.

The litigation filed in Ontario superior court (Court File No. 02 CV 240094 CM) alleges that Cryptologic Inc. a TSX, Nasdaq and AIM listed company, breached a contract and in order to do so attempted to falsify the outcome of a software testing procedure being conducted by TST Testing systems North America to certify the ProSportsTrade Exchange Game created by WebSports Technologies Inc. to Tasmanian gaming standards.

WebSports President Nicholas Murphy stated, "WebSports will seek every legal avenue available to challenge the duplicitous actions of Cryptologic."

The allegations in this matter are scheduled for trial on June 20, 2005 in Toronto, Canada. Murphy says that in an earlier statement from Cryptologic, spokesperson Nancy Chan-Palmateer dismissed the suit as "frivolous and without merit" and said "Cryptologic has not issued a press release as we don't view this suit as material"

"The suit against Cryptologic is material given the nature of the allegations. The security and regulatory agencies located in the various jurisdictions where Cryptologic operates should make that distinction, not a company spokesperson." Murphy's statement claims. "WebSports has unequivocal proof of the allegations and will prove so in court".

Asked for comment on the latest developments, Cryptologic's PR director Nancy Chan-Palmateer said that her company had not changed its view on the validity of the case, and would be vigorously contesting it. InfoPowa is advised that that opposition included an application that the plaintiff be required to lodge $200 000 as security for costs, which the court apparently reduced to $50 000 to be paid by the end of this month.

Brief tenure at English Harbour group

Online gambling exec Simon Noble's tenure at English Harbour group was pretty brief, according to reports this week. The former Intertops and BetWWTS CEO has reportedly joined the staff of Pinnacle Sports.

English Harbour issued a press release some five months ago announcing that Noble had joined the group as Executive Vice President of Business Development with the goals of accelerating the company's strategic partnership initiatives, securing alliances for online poker and increasing the company's market penetration into new markets.

Noble has been a pioneer in the burgeoning online gaming industry since 1996. He left WWTS to join English Harbour group late last year, after which WWTS was sold.

Prior to joining WWTS, Noble was Chief Executive Officer of Intertops.com, the company he co-founded, which claimed to be the first company to accept a wager over the Internet in January 1996. Under Noble's direction, Intertops.com experienced explosive growth to a registered user base of over 500,000 customers in nearly 200 countries worldwide.

Noble answered our request for comment with the following, "I have joined Pinnacle and the simple reason is that I just missed the sports too much. I guess after 15 years as a bookmaker it's in the blood."

Top marketer to start his own business

Krister Bergström, Senior Vice President at Boss Media AB, has decided to resign from the company to start his own business, however he will continue to serve as a consultant to the company, working primarily with strategic development projects.

Eric Matsgård will assume the position of Senior Vice President Marketing & Sales at Boss Media and will also be a member of the executive management team. Most recently, Eric was employed at Accenture in Sweden, which performs outsourced work for Boss.

Innovative celebrity promo from Prima Poker network

31 online poker rooms on the Prima Poker network provided plenty of action and $250 bounties in a promo involving the network's signature professionals, The Hendon Mob last week.

In the "Beat the Mob" Tournament of 2005, poker players from around the world were given the chance to go heads up with the poker playing foursome online, testing the poker skills of the network’s best and bravest players.

With a $250 bounty placed on each of the ‘Mob’ members, players sought to take them down one flop at a time and join the ranks of those that dared to take on the Mob, and won!

377 players participated in the event, which was finally won by a player known as ‘sp33dy’. Three other players were skilled enough to ‘Beat the Mob’. Barney Boatman, known by millions as ‘The Voice of Poker’ for his role as the commentator for ‘Late Night Poker’ on Fox Sports Net, was knocked out by ‘Optlagony’ while ‘Rocky’ Ross Boatman was bounced out of play by ‘Boing’. Finally, ‘Mattressman’ made neat work of Joe ‘The Elegance’ Beevers, a former investment banker and current Irish Open champion.

GIGSE's fundraiser off to a solid start

The second annual GIGSE industry fund-raiser will be held on Wednesday, June 15 in the Expo Hall of the venue in Montreal. This year’s beneficiary is the California Council on Problem Gambling.

Once again, the online gambling industry has shown it has a heart. Within the first 10 days of announcing the event, 12 companies stepped up to contribute a total of US$23,750.

And another 2 companies have offered stays in beautiful vacation homes for bidding at the accompanying silent auction.

We all known that when it comes to charity there can never be too much, so readers in a generous frame of mind who would like to contribute are invited to contact the organisers at the email address below.

The main event will be a Segway Grand Prix and the racing cards for that event are being developed now. Again, if you would like to suggest a dream match-up for these grudge matches or would like to pledge a contribution, don’t hesitate to contact Sue Schneider (mailto:sue@rivercitygroup.com)

Zone4Play technology used in new Brit venture

Coral Eurobet and a major provider of mobile entertainment, iTouch plc inked a three year agreement this week which will launch iTouch's mobile gambling service in the UK.

It will be the first time that iTouch markets mobile gaming services to consumers in the UK, both directly and via its key large scale media partners. There will also be further scope to offer the products to networks and virtual networks as an add-on sale, or as an additional function embedded directly onto handsets or within operators' mobile portals.

The initial product will offer 4 fixed odds mobile games, marketed under the Coral brand: Fruity Slots, Dice, Dr Hi Lo and Keno. iTouch also intends to introduce a series of new fixed odds mobile games and other mobile gaming technologies during 2005, including a full sports book.

Consumers who open an account with Coral will be able to place bets through the iTouch platform using their mobile phones. The revenues earned will be shared between Coral, iTouch and Zone4Play, which has supplied the technology.

Poker thrills on ten different games for thirty bucks

The seemingly insatiable demand for all things poker found another outlet this week with the launch of the latest Nintendo DS system game titled World Championship of Poker: Deluxe series.

Publisher Crave Entertainment says the game was developed by Sensory Sweep Studios and offers players the opportunity to take their poker game to the next level using the Nintendo DS system's dual screens, wireless connection and other unique capabilities. The package also includes blackjack and poker action.

The blurb claims that World Championship Poker: Deluxe Series "...brings the excitement and competition of a Saturday night poker game to the next generation of players on the portable Nintendo DS system." The DS version will feature more than 10 different poker games including Texas Hold 'em, Five Card Draw, Baseball, and Seven Card Hi-Lo. Players also have the opportunity to ante up against opponents in mini poker tournaments, utilizing the wireless connection on their DS systems to multiplay with up to six opponents.

The game comes with a choice of four themed casino settings.

New dimension for sportsbook

Interactive game provider Electracade was in the news again this week when European company, MrBookmaker launched a range of soft gaming products from the company to complement their sports book.

The bookmaker plans to roll out a suite of gaming products over the coming weeks, starting with The General & I and Dragon Keno.

Joachim Timmermans from MrBookmaker stated “We are excited about the opportunity that gaming will bring to our sports book, offering our customer base a broader range of activities and enjoyable gaming experiences.”

The highly themed ‘unique’ games offer state of the art graphics and audio content whilst offering players a compelling gaming experience. The General & I lets the player predict the outcome of five one-on-one dice battles, whilst Dragon Keno rolls ten dice offering the player four different bet options split into either Keno or prediction style bets.

Electracade developers have spent eight months building an extensive portfolio of interactive gaming products including slot machines, Hi Lo games, Keno products and numerous original gaming concepts.”

Some illustrious names...and a few surprises

Last week InfoPowa reported on the upcoming eGaming Review Magazine Power 50 Summit scheduled to be held near London, England in late April. The list of attendees has now been released by the sponsors, Bodog group.

Michael Hirst OBE, the chairman of international regulator eCOGRA will be chairing the proceedings.

Whilst there is undoubtedly a strong presence of powerful and dynamic companies that influence the industry, the inclusion of the Windows group, which is reportedly in the process of being sold to newcomers Rising Sun Gaming, is surprising.

888.com (C.O.N.)

B2B Poker

BetCris

Betdaq

Betfair

Betfred

BetWWTS

BoDog

BSkyB

Carmen Media Group

Coral Eurobet

Easybets

English Harbour

Gamebookers

Gamesys

Golden Palace

iGlobalmedia

InterCasino

Intertops

Littlewoods (Sportech)

Mansion

Poker Room

Rank/Blue Square

Ritz Interactive

Skill Jam (Fun Technologies)

Sporting Index

Sportingbet

SportsInteraction

Tradal

Trident Group

Ukbetting

Victor Chandler

VIP Management

Virgin Games

Windows Casino

WSEX

Profits and people up at UK Betting

Online gambling group UK Betting.com has enjoyed a good business year judging by financial reports just released.

Group turnover rose 57percent to GBP 85.6 million and gross profit rose 109 percent to GBP 19 million. Exceptional items and non-recurring costs took a big bite of this but the company still made earnings of GBP 100,000, its first ever positive return at this level. Site visitors to its operations were well up as Football365 and Planet Rugby claimed 7.1 million users at the end of 2004, up 25 percent on the previous year. Since the turn of the year this has risen another 32 percent to 8.3 million users generating 260 million page impressions a year.

South Africa to regulate?

South African media reports this week claim that the government plans to develop a new policy on Internet gambling this year. Minister of trade and industry, Mandisi Mpahlwa, said in his budget vote in Parliament this week: "Further strengthening and effective implementation of consumer protection will continue this year. The department will establish a new consumer credit regulator, develop a policy on Internet gambling and assess the impact of gambling, consumer credit and liquor." At present, Internet gambling is regulated by various provincial gaming laws and is touched on by the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.

Online poker - $60 billion business in 2005

Latest study from the Research and Markets organisation continues to paint a rosy picture of the online poker business:

The amount gambled on poker websites around the world is estimated to be more than US$ 60 billion for 2005.

More than 60% of the industry experts surveyed believe that online poker will be the dominant offer in online gambling in 2-3 years.

75 percent of the industry experts surveyed believe that the global annual rake/commission in the 2-3 years will be more than US$ 4 billion.

When it comes to geographical expansion, Europe seems to be the place to go; 52 percent of the experts believe that Europe offers the greatest future potential for online poker. Market leader PartyPoker, for example, is planning to launch its presence on television throughout Europe very soon and already operates its site in one other language besides English – German.

On the downside, the study points out that the online poker market will become a tougher market in the future. With decreasing revenues per active player and growing competition, the poker operators have to find successful strategies for the future.

The industry insiders surveyed recommend as the most important strategies for the future the creation of poker networks, the entry into the market by more betting brands such as Ladbrokes, and the consolidation of poker sites.

New slots from RTG

Players are currently trying out three recently introduced Video Slots from Real Time Gaming in the form of Aztec's Treasure, Goldbeard and Ronin. Graphics are said to be of a particularly high quality and the gameplay fast and smooth.

WSOP is nigh...

The 2005 World Series of Poker event is scheduled to begin June 2, 2005 in Las Vegas and an estimated 7,000 players are expected to participate in the $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event. Anyone, regardless of gender or nationality can play in the WSOP main event as long as they are 21 years of age and can afford the $10,000 entrance fee.

New financial option

Well known online gambling e-cash processor Proc Cyber Services Limited seems to be involved in a new British-focused processing company for online gambling transactions called Ukash.

The result of a joint venture between Smart Voucher and Proc Cyber, the new companys full title is Universal e-Cash Limited, and casinos promoting it have been offering matchplay bonuses capped at GBP 100 for players who try it out.

The Ukash website, Ukash.com, claims that payments into an account can be effected via any Paypoint outlet. The depositer receives a voucher up to GBP 100 in value with a code number. There does not seem to be a limit to the number of vouchers a player can purchase in this manner, redeemable at the participating casinos.

On the face of it, the new system seems to cater for folks who prefer not to use credit cards online and prefer cash transactions.

Existing sportsbook tightly integrated with new operation.

Established sportsbook Bet 365.com and turnkey provider Playtech announced the launch this week of a branded online casino to complement the latter's successful sportsbook operation.

Bet 365 Casino.com is tightly integrated with the Playtech platform, offering players one-time account registration and login, instant-launch flash games and an option to transfer funds across the two systems. Existing sportsbook members can login to the casino platform using their current usernames and passwords.

The casino product incorporates a customised software package designed specifically with sportsbook operators and sports fans in mind. The package includes the brand-new virtual horse racing game Derby Day, twelve new fixed-odds games, instant-access flash games and the ability to integrate live scores & odds data tickers.

The fixed-odds games feature online interpretations of traditional pub games such as Jackpot Darts and Penalty Shoot-out, old street games like Rock-Paper-Scissors and Heads-or-Tails, and popular themes such as Bonus Bowling, Dice Twister, Spin-A-Win and Hi-Lo.

IT and business development operations expanding

Two new managers have joined the Chartwell Technology team in London in a move that the company says is designed to further expand its European activities.

Pasqualino Rasile has started work with the turnkey provider this week as IT Director and Matt Webb joins as Business Development Manager. Both will be based at Chartwell Games’ worldwide headquarters in London.

Rasile has ten years experience in design of web systems, focusing on secure, stable and scalable architectures for the banking and investment industries. During the past four years he was IT Manager for Globet, where he developed and managed the IT infrastructure and daily operations for one of Europe’s premier sports books.

Webb has an extensive background in the lottery and gaming industry, having held senior sales and marketing positions, firstly at Camelot and subsequently providing consultancy services to numerous international gaming ventures. He has a wealth of product launch experience from both client and end-user perspectives.

Voice-based identity checker could also be useful in stopping underage and problem gambling

Technology to verify identity and stop underage online gamblers took another step forward this week with the launch of 192 SafeBet, a voice-based identity checking solution for the remote gaming industry.

By recording gamblers’ unique audio ‘voice-prints’, 192 SafeBet provides betting companies with the assurance that they know exactly who they are dealing with. It not only provides a useful identity confirmation tool for future betting transactions, but also creates an effective audit trail. It therefore allows online gambling providers to prove that they have taken adequate steps to ensure that their customers are over the age of 18 and, as such, fulfill their requirements for socially responsible gaming.

The system works by triggering an automatic call-back facility when a new user registers personal details online and on each subsequent occasion that he or she logs on to place a bet. The customer is asked to confirm age and identity. If the customer does not respond, the registration and transaction fail, and the user is unable to proceed.

In addition to providing an audio audit trail of the customer verifying their identity verbally, the resulting ‘voice-print’ recording can also be stored and used to confirm identity in future transactions. The ‘voice-print’ is matched to a customer’s unique PIN number, provided online during the web session, and both can be checked as and when the service provider deems necessary, or if an anomaly occurs in a transaction.

“Since the boom in online and mobile gaming, underage gambling has become a real concern,” 192.com Business Services md Keith Marsden says. “However, businesses are often also victims of this phenomenon as they bear the costs of disclaimed gambling losses, so not only is 192 SafeBet a reassurance for society, it’s insurance for the bookies too.”

192 SafeBet can also query against 192.com Business Services’ databases during the same web transaction and checks users’ information against a number of information sources including the Electoral Roll, Companies House and the BT Contact Directory Enquiries database. The unique customer PIN can therefore be tied to a number of individual unique data characteristics as well as the ‘voice-print’ of the gambler.

Pricing for the product is based on a one-off licence payment and a cost-effective pay-per-use model.

90 ball game to complement earlier US oriented release

Turnkey provider Playtech launched a new UK-style, 90 ball online bingo game this week that complements its established US-style 75 ball game which was introduced 18 months back.

The supplier claims that the new game, which delivers the familiar features of a typical UK bingo hall in an online package, will be implemented first by the Bingoland network, which already uses Playtech's integrated 75-ball bingo suite.

The 90-ball bingo variant has been tailored for the UK market and is aimed both at Playtech's existing licensees on the mainland - especially the growing number of brand-name operations that have launched online gaming platforms on the Playtech system and are looking to diversify - and at online bingo operators in general.

The ticket format of the 90-ball game differs somewhat from the 75-ball game. Each ticket has 3 rows of numbers - in each game there are 3 winners: the first to complete one row, the first to complete 2 rows and the first to complete 3 rows (the entire ticket). The new game also features authentic London accented dealer voices and traditional British bingo call-outs ('Duck and Dive, 25', 'Two Fat Ladies, 88', etc.), for an authentic feel.

Game features include: 3-D animated graphics, fully featured chat with integral player photos and private chat facility, real-time player access to graphical game history, selective buy-ahead feature, auto-play, auto-daub and 'best card to front' features, and card manager plays even when the player is offline..

Technology to spice up online casino interaction

Online casinos may have a new marketing "pull" following the launch this week of the Reality InterActive Media, Inc. (RIAM) new interactive technology, that offers 'live' interaction between players.

Driving the RIAM idea is the proposition that many players are attracted to the convenience of playing online but miss the face-to-face element available in land-based play. The new patented technology is claimed to introduce this important element by allowing players to sit in their homes, thousands of miles away from their opponents, and still see and hear other players as if they were merely seated across a short expanse of green felt.

"When poker and gambling first left the casinos and went space age in the dot com era, nobody could believe the leap out of the dark ages. Incredibly, the amazing world of computers and the Internet has created a multi-billion dollar gambling market. Now every operator strives to bring their players something new and innovative. Poker sites that are the most innovative always get the greatest share of the market place," says Rick Rowe, President of RIAM.

RIAM claims its product helps online casinos grow large, loyal, high-profitability player communities with proprietary technology, competitive insight, strategic advice, and 24/7 customer support. This is achieved through a simple, easy-to-use interface - all players need is a broadband connection and a browser. The RIAM software is completely customisable to casino specifications.

Will Hill takes a look at eastern European opportunities

A wide-ranging collaborative agreement between major Brit betting group William Hill and the Grecian group Demco was signed this week that could open up opportunities for both companies in the south east of Europe.

The agreement will see the two companies working together to monitor the regulatory position within the Greek market, and actively pursue opportunities arising from any deregulation. The two organisations will also team up to look at other markets in the region like Romania and Bulgaria.

Taking bets within the Greek state is currently under monopolistic control of OPAP. It is however broadly anticipated that there will be some form of opening up of the Greek market in the medium term, opines William Hill management. The agreement between William Hill and Demco allows for the two groups to develop a joint venture following any such deregulation of the territory.

Demco Group has founded a number of successful Greek businesses in various sectors, including insurance, financial services, mobile, fixed line and satellite telecommunications, general aviation and the food industry. In addition, it has interests in media companies.

Commenting on the agreement, David Harding, Chief Executive of William Hill, said: “With a population of 10 million people and a passion for sport, a deregulated Greece would offer an attractive betting market. When the time is right, this agreement will allow us to combine our skills in sports betting with Demco Group’s excellent track record in building successful businesses within Greece.”

"The customer is king?" Not here it seems

Take care around Sky Kings Casino.com, an operation owned by a small land casino group in the Dominican Republic which was recently given a revamp and switched to Playtech software. Several players have posted complaints, and there are worrying allegations that the so-called Support staff for this casino flatly refuse to escalate player complaints to management.

Employee paid A$ 6000 to rig game

A 28 year old Australian woman from Melbourne is appearing in court this week charged with bribing a casino employee with A$ 6000 to change the winning numbers in Rapid Roulette at the Crown Casino.

The woman, Deasy Widjaja received A$ 66,675 after she became involved in a scam to cheat on a roulette game at Melbourne's Crown Casino, the Victorian County Court was told, according to reports in the Australian media.

She persuaded the employee to manually change the winning numbers in Rapid Roulette to the numbers on which she had wagered to allow her to win A$ 66,675. Rapid Roulette is an electronic table game, played in the same way as traditional roulette except that players sit at an individual terminal and place bets on a touch screen.

Big names can make big money

The Las Vegas Sun carried an excellent article this week on the big name poker players and their endorsement deals in respect of online poker companies.

The story points out that many highly successful professional poker players have struck lucrative endorsement deals with Internet poker sites and regularly tout them during their celebrity appearances.

Poker legend Doyle Brunson, the so-called "Babe Ruth of poker" wears corporate clothing and laces his personable exchanges with the public with mentions of Doyle's Room. He plays online poker himself and plans to write a book on Internet poker strategy soon.

Most poker pros now gamble online, lured by multi-million-dollar jackpots that rival those of the biggest land-based casinos as well as nonstop games and rapid play, poker experts say. There's also the lure of millions of players, some not as competent as others, to play against.

The Sun article quotes 1995 WSOP champ Russ Hamilton, who says that online poker helps supplement income for poker pros who don't have to travel around as much to play in big money games. Hamilton is a spokesman for UltimateBet.com, a site based in the Caribbean island of Aruba.

Poker pros say the law surrounding online poker is unclear but are careful not to go too far in their relationships with Internet poker sites.

Brunson said he is a consultant for DoylesRoom.com and does not have an ownership stake in the site. "It's a gray area," Brunson said of Internet gambling. "That's why we can only be consultants, not owners. It's a touchy situation."

Howard Lederer is paid to promote FullTiltPoker.com. Lederer is part owner of the company that developed the gambling software for the site but said he doesn't have a stake in the gambling operation. "The software is a constant project," said Lederer, a two-time World Series of Poker champion.

About two years ago, Lederer and other top players were approached by a group of players with the idea of creating a poker site with star power and input from professional players.

"The site was designed with well over 100 years of poker experience behind it," he said. "These are poker people, people who understand online poker. We play in small stakes games (with customers) and answer questions. It's a true endorsement of the site."

Mike Sexton, who also lives in Las Vegas, is a longtime pro who has nearly given up regular poker games for endorsements, book deals and other promotions.

Sexton is a commentator for the World Poker Tour, a traveling poker tournament with 16 events worldwide that is broadcast on the Travel Channel and across 56 countries. Tournament hosts range from Internet poker sites to the Bellagio and Mirage. Besides receiving a salary from the World Poker Tour, Sexton also is a part owner of PartyPoker.com -- the largest online poker room with an estimated 50 percent of the worldwide market.

"They were looking for someone who knew about poker," Sexton said.

Sexton helped develop the poker software, trained the site's customer service staff and created the PartyPoker Million, an annual tournament held on a cruise ship that has become the largest event in the World Poker Tour.

"Television is the No. 1 reason poker is so popular and none of these other shows would be around if not for the World Poker Tour," Sexton said. "We're the PGA Tour of poker and the money is bigger."

The tour is creating a "millionaire a week" and last week crossed the threshhold of $100 million in total prize money, he said.

Internet poker is the "No. 2 reason" for poker's rising popularity, he said.

Another local pro paid to promote PartyPoker.com is Kathy Liebert, a former Wall Street analyst who is known as one of the best female tournament players in the world. In 2002, Liebert made history as the first woman to win a poker tournament offering a million-dollar top prize at the first PartyPoker Million, a tournament held on a ship that cruised the Mexican Riviera.

Online means more competition at casino tournaments but also means bigger prize pools, Liebert said. "You still have to beat the people at your table but it's better because there's more money in the pot," she said. "It means you don't have to play tournaments as often to make money."

Another local who has capitalised on the poker craze is Brad Daugherty, a host for EmpirePoker.com. Daugherty, the 1991 World Series of Poker champ, was that tournament's first million-dollar winner. He now travels the country playing major tournaments. As part of his duties for the site, Daugherty coaches players during online sessions and answers questions.

"People learn to play so well and so quickly online. In one year you can learn what it took me 10 years to learn. You can play three games at the same time and play a lot more hands per hour. The learning curve has been cut way down. Every player that I know loves to play on the Internet," he said.

Canadian poker pro Daniel Negreanu will be bridging the gap between online and land-based casinos when he assumes a position as "ambassador" of the poker room at the soon-to-open Wynn Las Vegas megaresort. Negreanu, a tournament regular and Las Vegas resident, also promotes a new Internet poker room called Poker Mountain.

The article does not mention a sponsorship well known on the Internet - that of the Prima Poker network relationship with the famous UK poker professionals The Hendon Mob.

Instant payment option becoming increasingly popular

The major online casino, poker room and sportsbook group Bodog has become the latest operation to sign up for instant payout capability through MyCitadel according to announcements this week.

Michael Meeks, President of Citadel Commerce, says, "Launching myCitadel with Bodog.com validates the need for a strong payment solution offering competitive rates for both consumers and merchants."

Without charging any fees or sharing any personal banking information, myCitadel allows users to store real cash online, transfer funds into a myCitadel wallet directly from a bank, transfer funds to a bank account, and purchase from participating Internet merchants. Banking and personal details stay within a confidential myCitadel wallet and are never provided to third parties.

The product allows consumers to create accounts in real time, to deposit funds via popular deposit methods, and to make instant purchases at participating merchants, all at no cost to the consumer. For merchants, myCitadel provides guaranteed funds, free payouts, and a tiered rate structure based on the payment history of the consumer.

Last week another large online gambling operation, Golden Palace.com announced that it has taken the MyCitadel fast payment system on board.

Citadel Commerce Corp is located in British Columbia, Canada, with a subsidiary in Gibraltar. Citadel is one of the most recognized payment processing brands in the industry.

Latest games in several languages debut at Intercasino

The InterCasino Euro family of Spanish, French, Italian and German language online casinos have received the latest selection of new version 6 games, available in the various languages.

The new games include the thrilling Rapid Fire Slots comprising six machines linked to one progressive jackpot which pays out almost daily and completely randomly, so a player can win on any spin regardless of their combination. Other games include Casino Solitaire, Super Fun 21, Pontoon, Casino War, Bonus Video Poker and Fruit Machines.

The exclusive Fruit Machine software is particularly noteworthy as it gives players in Germany, France, Italy and Spain the opportunity to play a UK ‘pub-style’ fruit machine in their native language and local Euro currency – a first for Euro online casinos. The new Rapid Fire Slots have 5c minimum bets and most table game limits range from Euro 1 minimum up to Euro 5.00 maximum bets.

“We are continually trying to enhance our European players’ gaming experience in their local languages,” says Nicky Getley, InterCasino Euro Brand Manager. “Being one of the first casinos to offer Fruit Machines, Casino Solitaire and a profusion of other games entirely localised in our players’ native languages and in the Euro currency establishes our position as the casino brand of choice in the markets in which we operate.”

GBP 500 million on the table

There were widespread reports in the British press at the weekend that William Hill is in advanced talks to buy Stanley Leisure's 620 betting shops for more than GBP 500 million in a move which would see it overtake Ladbrokes to become Britain's biggest high street bookmaker.

Most reports predicted that the companies would confirm to the Stock Exchange that Hills is doing due diligence on the Stanley estate - announcements from the two companies are likely to trigger interest from other bookmakers, too. Ladbrokes, which has 1,900 shops, is unlikely to sit back and watch Hills wrest away its leadership position in the UK.

Ladbrokes' attempt to buy Coral in 1998 was blocked by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, the forerunner to the Competition Commission, and Ladbrokes would be expected to object to Hills buying Stanley's shops.

Hills, which has 1,610 shops, is also expected to tell the market that it has postponed plans to return GBP 453 million cash to shareholders while it explores the acquisition of the Stanley betting shop business.

David Harding, Hills chief executive, announced the planned cash return last month alongside the full-year results. At the time, he said he was looking over time to add "600 shops" to Hills betting shop estate, arguing that this was unlikely to infringe competition rules.

His comments are believed to have triggered another round of talks with Stanley's chief executive Bob Wiper. The pair are believed to have had preliminary talks before, though until now have failed to agree on price. Few bookmakers could achieve the same synergies as Hills and the latest proposal is more generous, given that Stanley's equity is valued at only GBP 610 million and it also owns more than 40 casinos. It has about GBP 200 million debts.

Internet Cafe *Sweepstakes* is illegal says state AG

Noone can accuse the owner of an Internet cafe in Casper, Wyoming of lacking a sense of adventure. He has implemented an ingenious if complicated scheme which he believes will get around the Internet gambling problem.

The cafe sells long-distance phone cards that are loaded with sweepstakes points that players can use to play casino-type games online - and win cash - on the Internet cafe's computers.

The state attorney general says it's illegal gambling, and the local prosecutor is investigating.

But the operator claims it's a legitimate business promotion plan, no different from instant-win twist-off caps on a soda pop bottle, aimed at boosting sales of their legitimate products: phone cards and Internet time.

Wyoming is one of eight states where these sweepstakes are played; the others are Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Texas.

Customers at the Casper cafe can buy either Internet time by itself or a combo deal - $5 for a 100-minute phone card, one hour of Internet time and 100 sweepstakes points. Those points can be used only to play games on the cafe's computers. Points won playing those games - the games pay out on average 92 percent - can be redeemed for cash or for more long-distance time.

The games themselves mimic casino games. Keyboards don't sit in front of the screen, but are stashed in a floor-level basket, as players seem to prefer the touch-screens. The games have full casino sound effects.

William Consterdine, vice president of Extreme Insured Products, which distributes the games, understands why at first glance people might see the Internet Cafe as a casino.

But, he said, there's one key distinction.

"It's a free game," he said. "When a person comes in and buys a phone card from us, if they want to sit down and use their sweepstakes points to log on to our games, they can. If they don't want to, they don't have to. They can take their phone card and leave."

What's more, he said, the sweepstakes points cannot be traded for cash or merchandise, they can only be used to play the games. The points won playing the games cannot be used to continue playing, they can only be redeemed for cash or merchandise.

"A traditional slot machine, you walk in, you put $20 into it, you win, lose, win, lose - you're playing your money back and forth," Consterdine said. "Our system doesn't work that way at all. The only way that you can, basically, continue to play our sweepstakes game is you have to buy more product from us."

And that, Consterdine said, is what it all comes down to. Internet Cafe and other similar businesses are selling legal products. The sweepstakes is just a promotion.

Wyoming Attorney General Pat Crank disagrees, saying the computers used in the sweepstakes appear to be thinly veiled gambling devices, comparing this to putting a pay phone on the side of a slot machine.

Bob Jarvis, who teaches gambling law at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said the classic definition of gambling is that someone gives up something of value to take a chance at winning a prize. "If I were a prosecutor, I would simply make the argument that this is not a legitimate business promotion because the Internet Cafe is not being used primarily that way," he says, adding that how customers use the legitimate products, how the sweepstakes games appear and how they're promoted - could become relevant if the case goes to court.

"Certainly there's a chance involved, because they only pay out 92 percent," Jarvis said. "You're trying to win something of value, which are the credits, or the points, which you can then go and redeem at the cash register for money."

"The question is," Jarvis said, "are they risking anything?"

Carl Mahs, of Fort Worth, Texas-based Game Systems Inc., which designs the game software, insists there's no risk involved. Sweepstakes points come free with the purchase of a phone card, and people can enter the sweepstakes either online or by mail without making a purchase.

The strange tale of a double sale

Weird things happen in sportsbookland it would appear from recent reportage at The Offshore Wire.

Apparently the (clearly) popular domains onlinesportsbook.com and online-sportsbook.com were recently sold for an undisclosed amount by Sandy Maselli's Total Entertainment Inc. The buyer was allegedly Olympic Data Services Limited but once the price had been paid things seemed to go awry, because there was apparently a second sale of the same urls to SBG Global.

How this came about is not presently known, but will no doubt be revealed once The Offshore Wire has completed its investigation.

The fact that it happened without being picked up in DD procedures is puzzling, but SBG management has vowed that it had no idea the assets had already been sold to someone else, and described the double trouble as "....a terrible situation for everyone" prior to opening talks with Olympic. It looks as if there may be a good chance of a negotiated solution because SBG is reported to be prepared to correct the embarrassing, not to mention annoying sale-on-a-sale.

A million customers, record turnover and big ambitions

2004 was a bumper year that ended with a record breaking final quarter according to Bet and Win.com Interactive Entertainment AG, the Vienna-listed online gambling group that has just released its quarter 4 / 2004 results with the following highlights:

Record quarterly turnover of EUR 314 million, up 150 percent

Record quarterly gaming revenues of EUR 18.6 million, up 130 percent

EBITDA of EUR 4.6 million, up 81 percent

Q4 consolidated earnings after tax of EUR 2.8 million, up 104 percent

Consolidated results for the financial year 2004 are looking good, too:

Annual turnover of over EUR 856 million more than doubled compared to previous year, up 114 percent and 127 percent respectively

EBITDA of EUR 6.9 million, up 6 percent despite aggressive marketing campaigns (almost EUR 7,4 million in the quarter, EUR 23.5 million over the year)

Accumulated figure of over 1 million registered customers - a total of 119,069 new registrations were recorded in Q4 alone.

Liquid assets of over EUR 33.5 million as of 31 December 2004 up 32 percent

Employee head count up at 206

Managemant report that the group will continue to pursue growth, focusing on continental Europe. In the light of events in the first few months of the current financial year, betandwin is taking a bullish view that it will once again be able to achieve at least triple-digit growth rates in turnover, revenues and registrations in 2005.

Intensive marketing has been implemented with a view to acquiring new customers in markets such as Turkey, Spain, Poland and Scandinavia, where Bet and Win is likely to gain considerable new market share.

Extensive use is being made of new technology in the distribution of the services and games offered by the group, including an entirely revolutionary betting format developed as a result of a joint venture with Premiere Fernsehen GmbH, Austria.

Premiere’s Austrian customers will be informed of the current betting odds projected on screen live in real time, and can place their bets on decisive moments and match results via SMS, WAP and Internet. Live betting will be available for all the live sporting events broadcast by Premiere Austria.

In the P2P applications area, "Poker Lounge" will be steadily expanded and marketed following the successful launch of this product, and the company will be taking another step in the expansion of its product portfolio with the introduction of games of skill such as backgammon, chess and select regional card games. In the "soft" games category, currently comprises seven games, this will be significantly expanded to 20 games, probably by autumn 2005.

B&W has also relaunched an expanded live betting tool, with significant improvements to both design and navigation and a means of placing combination bets introduced. Audio commentaries are also played for selected matches. The necessary technical equipment for video streaming has also been installed. In line with many suggestions from betandwin customers, each live betting event now has its own chat room where betandwin live betting customers can exchange views.

With over a million registered customers, and operating under licences issued in Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom and Gibraltar, the company’s subsidiaries and affiliated companies now offer sports betting, casino games, soft games, and person-to-person applications via Internet and mobile telephone.

Arizona Student Code of Conduct says so...

Arizona college students trying to supplement their allowances with online gambling coups were the among those targeted in an article in the Arizona State University Web Devil student publication this week, pointing out some interesting items in the Student Code of Conduct.

The Student Code of Conduct (available at www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/sta/sta104-01.html) is a lot like a dictionary: It's there, but not enough folks use it. Yet, says Web Devil hundreds of students are busted every year and even everyday activities can be violations of the code.

One aspect of the code of conduct concerns gambling - students are prohibited from gambling on sporting events, and cannot gamble "...in a computer account or electronic format, any card, book or other device for registering bets."

That means they're not supposed to participate in online poker tournaments if money is changing hands. They can't place sports bets on the Internet. And they shouldn't even round up a couple friends on Friday night for an old-fashioned poker game where hard cash is involved.

Web Devil argues that better knowledge of the code is essential. Most students have participated in at least one of the forbidden activities at one time or another, and knowing what activities can be punished puts things into better perspective.

Students must take responsibility for their actions and become familiar with what's considered appropriate behavior, opines Web Devil. But by the same token, administrators need to do a better job informing students about possible violations of the code of conduct. Professors hand out syllabi and plagiarism policies on the first day of class. Why not give out copies of the code of conduct?

The article ends on a cautionary note. Even though the code is chock-full of legal jargon and could put an insomniac to sleep, ignorance won't be an adequate excuse for those charged with a violation

Mega betters

A stunning example of how the big guys play and pay was on hand early this week, when the celebrated English bookies Victor Chandler and Fred Done of BetFred finalised a GBP 1 million bet.

Late last year, reportedly on a handshake the two struck a million sterling match bet on which team would come off better in the UK Premiership football campaign - Manchester United (The Reds) or Chelsea (The Blues)

Done's money was on the Reds, but it was Chelsea that prevailed, and living up to his legendary reputation Done is reported to have strolled nonchalantly into a Chandler shop and laid down his cheque for a million.

New governing body will be a reality "...in months"

The British government was quick to follow up on the the success of its gambling reform legislation this week, revealing almost immediately that it was already busy setting up a new commission to regulate gambling, including bets made on the Internet.

The Gambling Bill, which overhauls Britain's outdated gaming regulations, had passed Parliament and become law the previous evening. Officials said that they hoped to have the new controlling commission up and running "...within months" and that a body of some 100 investigators will be established to regulate the industry.

A major focus of the legislation is to regulate online gambling, which has become increasingly popular in recent years. Online casino companies will be allowed to operate from Britain for the first time.

Although the new commission will not have the power to regulate the practices of online casinos operating outside Britain, it could ban them from advertising here, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said.

"The commission will regulate all forms of gambling," said department spokesman Anthony Wright. "It will have the power to carry out investigations, bring about prosecutions, levy fines and void bets they consider unfair. Online casino operators can operate out of the United Kingdom for the first time. We believe that is a pragmatic response to what is an increasingly popular activity."

Group launches Japanese casino site

Trident Entertainment Group this week launched King Neptune's Casino Japan http://japan.kingneptunescasino.com

Noted since 2003 for their top Japanese language Support for players using the English version of King Neptune's Casino gambling site, the casino is now offering the full site and games in Japanese, created specially to meet strong demand from Japanese clients.

The initial system is on the facilities-rich Microgaming Viper platform and provides 50 games in Japanese including the most popular video slot Thunderstruck, plus a further 100 games part translated in Japanese and part temporarily in English. All of the game descriptions are in Japanese. The games currently offered in English are in the process of being converted to Japanese and will gradually replace their English versions in a seamless process that will not effect players' enjoyment.

"Our Japanese players expect the very best from King Neptune's Casino. We have worked closely and diligently with the Microgaming Translation Development team to ensure we deliver the most accurate product possible," says Scott Gaines, Trident Entertainment Group's spokesman. "We have full Japanese in-house support and anticipate having the remaining games converted to Japanese within the next few weeks."

To celebrate the Japanese casino launch King Neptune's Casino kicks off with a 7-day Mega-Marathon jackpot promotion available exclusively to Japanese clientele. The jackpot will start at $2,500 with $1 added for every game played by every player on either the new Japanese version or the existing English language version. 50 lucky players will compete for a share the final Jackpot Marathon which will run from Wednesday April 13 to Tuesday April 19.

Pop-up racing

For a set minimum bet, players at Ladbrokes.com can watch any At The Races broadcast for free thanks to the wonders of live video streaming. Ladbrokes and At The Races have teamed to provide the new service. "Bet and Watch" streams through a popup window that is activated two minutes before each race start time and spans 10 minutes.

Monopoly from Wagerworks

The developers at Wagerworks have been busy judging by the recent debut of the software provider's latest interactive television game, On a Roll. The game, branded "MONOPOLY - On a Roll," debuted recently on the Sky Vegas interactive portal on the UK Sky digital platform. Based on WW's Internet game of the same name, On a Roll allows players to bet on favoured properties and then roll the dice to see how much they win. Cash prizes are paid to those who land on their chosen properties or on any one of four bonus spots, including free parking and jail.

Monkey business...

There was more guerilla marketing this week as Golden Palace casino paid $650,000 for the right to name a foot-high primate, online auction house CharityFolks.com announced Wednesday. GoldenPalace.com won a March 3 online auction that raised money to help manage Madidi National Park in Bolivia, where the species of titi monkey was discovered by a Wildlife Conservation Society scientist last year.

iTV and Mobile combo from Ericsson

Telecommunications giant Ericsson claims it has developed a platform through which an existing interactive TV format can be fully aligned with mobile devices with multimedia capabilities. If that sounds complicated, the announcement goes to describe the application as: "... viewers can interact with TV shows by using their mobile devices." The company says the solution turns mobile devices into interactive remote controls when the users are sitting in front of TVs. The interactive mobile TV application was developed in cooperation with partners conVISUAL and CTcommunology.

"Poker Fan" Launched by Sports Direct.

Yet another poker magazine has launched, this one from gaming publisher SportsDirect, titled PokerFan.com.

The new publication claims to be an online resource for everything from tutorials for beginners to advanced strategy for experienced players. Readers will be able to learn the basics of popular Poker games such